It was Crawford's turn on the parlour's pipe organ. Since there had been previous disputes over the instrument constant use, they'd had to make up a scheduled allowance of sorts for its use.
His hands caressed the keys as music filled the room.
Kerik took a seat by Lewis and Warlow, watching the older Merik play.
"Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation.
"Darkness wakes and stirs imagination,
"Silently the senses, abandon their defenses.
"Helpless to resist the notes I write,
"For I compose the music of the night"
As Crawford sang aloud, Kerik raised a brow from beneath his mask.
"I've heard you lot sing this a hundred times, why does his sound different?" Kerik asked
"This was an earlier version he wrote, no one else knows it." Warlow stated.
"Close your eyes, for your eyes will only tell the truth.
"And the truth isn't what you want to see"
Crawford continued to sing.
"In the dark it is easy to-"
"AAH OHH!"
Crawford's hands faltered on the keys as the organ groaned in protest.
Kerik and the other Merik's looked around for the source of the strange noise.
Crawford continued playing, seeming to ignore whatever had just happened.
"Close your eyes start a journey to a strange new world,
"Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before.
"Close your eyes and let music set you fr-" But Crawford was interrupted yet again.
"Bathing beauty,
"Take a look at….YOU!"
They heard the strange sound coming from above them.
"Sweet musics throne! What is THAT?!" Kerik asked.
The other two Meriks glanced uneasily at Crawford, whom they could see was clenching his fists.
"Bathing beauty, on the beach
"Bathing beauty, say 'Hello!'
"Whatta cutie!
"Whatta peach!
"Bathing beauty, watch her go!"
They heard it coming from the third floor.
Crawford stood, storming down toward the stairwell.
"Uh oh," Lewis vocalised turning to Warlow. "Go find Jones, NOW"
Kerik scratched his head, "I don't get it. I thought the only one he had a problem with was that talentless tenor Gerik."
Lewis shook his head, "Think about this: if you were the debuter of a show and years later another story comes and throws all of that character development you worked so hard on out the window for vaudeville trash how would you feel?"
Not waiting for a reply the Merik followed Warlow as he made a beeline for Jones room. Dragging Karimloo and Mauer along as well, they found Jones and hustled up to the third floor.
"Dots? Dots? DOTS? DOTS?! DOTS!"
Mr. Y had been sent a copy of the latest dress rehearsal for Phantasma's opening act back in America by Giry.
He mused Dots made much more sense than Checks.
Suddenly he heard a pounding on the door. Confused he stood opening the door to see Crawford fuming, the older Merik looked as though he were going to have an aneurysm.
"What seems to be the problem, monsieur?" Mr. Y asked cautiously. Gerik had already told him about the ambush this man and the others had established.
"The problem is whatever that insufferable caterwauling is!" Crawford scowled,
Mr. Y sighed, "Now I know what you're going to say-"
"Oh do you now? I've composed symphonies, let music consume me day and night, did the impossible and completed my masterpiece. And you have the gall to insinuate that years later THIS is what comes from the same composer that wrote 'Don Juan Triumphant?!'" Crawford ranted. Despite the height difference the Merik seemed to tower over the much taller man with his outrage. "
Fortunately the others were able to pull Crawford back before he could reach for the lasso and risk doing something rash.
Karimloo held Crawford back pinning his arms back.
"Unhand me this instant!" The older Merik demanded, it was rare to see him fuming so. Almost frightening even.
Jones attempted to calm his friend down, helping lead the Meriks out of the room. "Now now, there's no need for anymore violence-we've done enough of that in the past. Just calm yourself Crawford, remember your blood pressure-"
"TO HELL WITH MY BLOOD PRESSURE!"
Mr. Y then made a mental note to sound proof the room that day forward.
–
The carriage pulled up to the house's main gate, a lone figure stepped out thanking the driver.
The man had been advised this was the right address to find the masked man. Having been told the door would be left unlocked, he turned the doorknob.
"Erik?" He called. "Erik, you're a poor host playing this game of hide and-AHHHHH!"
From upstairs the shriek could be heard even up on the third floor.
"Allah above! What nightmare have I been thrown into?!" The Persian man gaped, entering a parlour room finding not one but five masked men. While they're masks and appearances differed from Erik, they held a similar air of sophistication and dominance.
Carpenter and Gaines stared quizzically at the man.
"Who…is he exactly?" Gaines asked. "I feel like I should know him?"
Capenter shook his head, "I'm not sure. But I feel like we're missing something very important?"
Lerik stared blankly at Daroga, whom was babbling rather fast in Persian. This man seemed familiar.
"I know that language anywhere!" Trotting down the stairs Kerik made a beeline for the parlour. "Really! All this time I thought you were never going to-"
But the novelised man paused when he saw the dark skinned man.
"Wait, you're not Nadir. You sound like him, but somethings not the same." His yellow eyes looked the man up and down. Daroga shuddered inwardly as Kerik smirked. "Hmm"
"I say stop hounding him, all of you!" The others whipped their heads toward the sound of Erik's voice as he slowly trudged up the basement stairs.
"E-Erik?" Daroga said, marching over to the masked man. "It…It is you right?"
Erik swatted Daroga's hand away as he rolled his golden eyes.
"Of course it's me you great booby!" The full masked man said as if it were obvious. "Now come along! I need you to take a look at something."
Following him down the stairs, the Persian man hesitantly glanced back at the others whom stared right back as he went down to the basement floor.
"I still want to know who he is!" Gaines blurted out.
Kerik felt Ayesha rub up against his leg mewing up at him as he played.
"It's my turn," Warlow noted to the novelized man.
"I'm almost finished, don't get your bowtie in a twist," Kerik teased
"You said you were almost finished ten minutes ago!"
Reading the Epoque with one leg crossed over the other, Panaro sat with Soot peacefully curled up in front of him.
As Ayesha continued mewing, the labradoodle's head perked up. The dog stood and trotted over to Ayesha in curiosity. he Siamese stared up at the new, giant, fluffy presence. Soot was massive in comparison, but Ayesha did not scare easy and the labradoodle was no threat.
"Hey," Kerik picked Ayesha up, noticing the dog as well. "Leave my little lady alone."
Panaro turned his head, "Oi, my dog wouldn't hurt a hair on your cat. Let him be."
Soot sat watching the cat with wide, dark eyes. He scooted closer, sniffing her face.
Ayesha didn't seem to like her personal space invaded and reached out. Neither Kerik or Panaro could suppress a chuckle watching a five pound Siamese boop a large labradoodle playfully on the nose.
–
Several miles away, the Daroga heaved a sigh leaning over the table.
"So there were six of him?" Nadir asked,
He nodded as the other Persian man shuddered.
"Lord, one is difficult enough." Nadir shook his head, reflecting back on Kerik's outragous antics.
Ledoux silently nodded, agreeing with the other two men, Lerik could be quite the handful despite the man not uttering a word.
"Another round gentlemen?" The bartender asked. Everytime the three Persian men got together here, it seemed to be under stressful circumstances. He wondered often what troubled these men so. Perhaps it was family related.
"It's on me tonight," Nadir declared, "I feel somewhat responsible for not warning you prior to your visit."
Ledoux made a series of hand gestures and leaned back in his chair with his hands clasped together.
"He apologises as well," Nadir explained.
The three men raised a glass.
"To a maskless Erik free evening," Daroga toasted.
"Here here," Nadir agreed, Ledoux remaining silent but clinking his glass with a curt nod.
On the other side of the pub, the Persian men failed to notice Destler glancing in their direction quizzically.
"Another monsieur?" The lady asked, breaking Destler's concentration as she took his empty glass.
Shrugging his shoulders and turning back to his latest composition Destler nodded.
"Please," He answered, continuing his work.
-The version of "Music of the Night" Crawford sings is from the promo video for the musical back in 1986. As far as I'm aware there arn't many Phantoms that have sung this version, or at least I haven't heard any.
-Crawford's hatred of LND is slight Actor Allusion from an interview Michael did in March 2012. While he didn't directly say he hated the sequel when asked he didn't seem to like the idea of Phantom having a sequel saying "It resolved itself in the end. That was the end of the story" and regarding LND "I couldn't quite imagine [Erik] resurrecting himself in the way that they had in mind."
-The Dots and Checks remark is due to the LND OLC recording that featured Ramin as the Phantom has Meg wearing a checkered bathing suit at the finale of "Bathing Beauty" whereas the Australian version (and the version my Mr. Y comes from) used dots.
-Michael Crawford stands at 5′10 wheras Ben Lewis stands at a whopping 6′2 (many of the popular Phantoms are fairly tall, Crawford is an exception and Wilkinson at 5′8)
-Yes Daroga (Leroux), Nadir (Kay), and Inspector Ledoux (1925 film) are three seperate men as the Eriks and Christines are separate.