May 1882

As the cab pulled up beside an average-sized town house, Erik dared to peek out from beneath the hood of his cloak- the clothing impaired his view and was beginning to agitate him, but he had no choice until he was alone with the Girys once more. It was turning dark outside, and, as he tried to work out whereabouts he was in the city in relation to Christine, Antoinette Giry prodded him before holding out her hand again. Returning to his persona, Erik slowly shuffled his way out of the carriage and watched as the driver lifted the final suitcase into Meg's arms before heading off into the darkness that continued to deepen. Once the trio were sure the man had disappeared, Erik immediately threw back his cape and joined Madame in ascending the few steps to the peeling blue door of the house, taking his suitcase from Meg as he passed her.

Once the door was open, Erik wasted no time in pushing past the Madame and heading up the stairs, only just catching the location of the guest room "at the end and to the right". A floorboard creaked as a paced his way down the corridor, passing two doors that he assumed were the Giry's bedrooms. He got to his own door when he caught a whiff of something familiar. Turning to look at the other side of the corridor he noted an open door to a bathroom and a closed one opposite his own – presumably where the scent came from.

Curious, Erik dumped his luggage in his own room before crossing the hall in one stride. He paused for a moment to listen for either of the women heading up the stairs, for fear of being caught prying, however from the sound of it they were busy scrubbing down the kitchen to a sanitary state once more. From what he'd listened to of Antoinette's mind-numbing conversation on the boat this house had been her home away from the Opera House which had been left to her in a grandmother's will (or something of the sort). It seemed strange to him that the Giry family should entrust so much property to one another but then again he hadn't the experience of so-called 'family spirit' to know such things.

Turning back to the door in front of him, Erik twisted the handle but found that the room had been locked up for some reason. He immediately fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a hair pin that he'd gotten off Meg's bureau* at some point in London (though how he'd come to be anywhere near her bureau was a mystery) and had a go at picking the lock. It wasn't too difficult due to the poor state of the mechanism, and within a mere moment Erik let the door swing in.

A great waft of the flowery, yet somehow refreshing, aroma swam around him as it tried to exit the room, making it obvious it had been shut up for a considerable amount of time. Daring to venture in, Erik saw a modest double bed with a night stand at one end of the room, with a dresser and mirror against the wall opposite him and a petite cupboard behind the door. Little else could be seen in the room causing Erik to wander whether it was a further spare room – but something told him to keep looking. He shut the door behind him prior to facing the cupboard doors and gently pulling them open.

The right hand door gave a loud creak, making Erik wince, as he tugged at it - it revealed only three articles: two modest dresses and a thick cloak that looked to be made of felt. Erik allowed himself to finger the material of the clothing as he took in the details of the nearest dress – a pale green, cotton number with black detailing around the waist.

He then turned his attention to the dresser and he walked across to it, fingering the painted wood surface as he looked into the mirror. Erik's mask covered the right side, as always, yet* the good side of his face was pale too - most likely due to his lack of sleep and a winter of remaining in the mansion. He would have to remember to get some sun over the warmer months.

As he looked at his image in the mirror, Erik saw a flap of what he assumed was paper tucked into the frame of the glass. Reaching up and softly tugging the tab, he soon realized it was an old photograph that had been stuck there by the room's previous inhabitant. He squinted as he tried to make out the figure – it was definitely a man with dark hair by the looks of the photo.

Giving up on the poor black and white image, Erik turned over the page and saw the all too familiar script that he'd read not too long ago - Christine's writing spelled out: Gustave Daae along the bottom edge. He smiled as he fingered the words before his mind caught up with his actions. He dropped the picture onto the desk top and slowly left the room, being careful to close the door delicately behind him so as not notify Meg or Madame Giry of his venture.

However before closing the gap entirely, Erik allowed himself one final sniff of what he'd now identified as Christine's favored perfume. He didn't know how long it could take for him to find the real thing instead…

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Just a short shot of Erik contemplation (: The next chapter may see a few revelations instead! And aren't you readers lucky to have me writing more frequently! :L Enjoy it while it lasts ;)

Thanks to TheAustralianZombie as always :3

And for those who don't know, bureau is just like a desk or dresser (: