CHAPTER 28

Nadir took it upon himself to look for Emmy outside of the opera whilst Madame Giry, not trusting Erik's 'Emmy finding' skills, searched the building again. Mostly, Khan just wanted an excuse to get away from the madness. But finding the girl was important too.

Paris at sunset was rather beautiful, with dusky pink skies streaked with whispy golden clouds, and in the streets, considerably less people at such an hour. Those who did roam the city seemed like mere shadows, blending in with the rosy evening light.

As he strolled, Nadir asked himself where a young girl would be drawn to if she had never explored the city before. Of course, landmarks and lady shops came to mind. So he visited everything from the grand cathedral of Notre Dame to a tiny perfume shop tucked away down an empty alleyway. It wasn't so much a desperate search as a long, curious walk.

Where he found Emmy was both unexpected and flaming obvious: A cheese shop.

She was sitting on a bench outside the shop, greatly enjoying a sample of Brie with a small bottle of wine (which Nadir assumed she acquired elsewhere.) Upon spotting him, Emmy waved excitedly. He approached her.

"This is amazing…" she said, pointing to the wine. Nadir looked down at her amusedly.

"I don't see why. It isn't the finest wine."

She shook her head. "Doesn't matter to me, back home, I couldn't have alcohol until I'm 21."

Nadir, being a Muslim, approved of this restriction but was surprised by it. "Interesting…"

He sat down next to her and looked at her with pity. "Erik upset you, didn't he?"

She tensed up for a moment but then shrugged, taking a sip of wine. "I should have seen it coming."

"I believe he meant it in jest…but Erik has never been good with humor."

"I noticed," said Emmy curtly, then continued onto nibble more cheese in silence. Nadir pressed on.

"I must ask you, why did such a statement offend you so?"

"I don't know, I thought he was serious, that I was just a last resort cure for his pathetic, lonely life…"

At this, Khan's jade eyes widened ever so slightly. "You seem bitter."

"Well, yeah, since he wasn't REALLY joking after all, when I think about it. We just had one conversation where he sounded as if I was more than a 'Christine clone' to him and even then, he wasn't sure," she huffed, ranting by this point. "You're friends with him! You'll know! Tell me how he works. What is going through his head?"

"Honestly, I don't know. He can not be understood. In this situation, you probably know more than I do about his thoughts and feelings. He certainly was more honest about such things with Christine than with me."

Emmy appeared frustrated with this answer but grit her teeth and said nothing. Ever the therapist, Nadir decided he had a moral oblication to help her sort out her emotions, which seemed like they had been forced down and hidden for a while now.

"I hope this question won't anger you further, and you don't have to provide an answer, but have you grown to…care for him in a way other than friendship?"

For a minute, it appeared as if she had chosen not to respond. Then, after another gulp of wine, she decided the Persian man was trustworthy enough to hear her secrets.

"In an insane way…yeah. I have. I already liked Gerry—what adolescent girl couldn't? So…maybe I had an Erik complex about the two. Hard to see the difference entirely. But I KNEW it would never, ever happen with Gerry. I mean…he's like a serial dater and he's twice my age!"

"As is Erik," Nadir pointed out. She bit her lip.
"Yeah..but he doesn't see me that way, like a child. Well, not a child, Gerry didn't think of me that way either, we spent loads of time together like equals and friends but…doing anything more was just out of the question. Unthinkable for him probably. Totally taboo. Where I come from, it's barely legal."

"But it doesn't stop YOU from thinking about a man of that age in such a way?"

"Nah, all girls have crushes on famous older actors," Emmy said casually.

"Er..by crushes, you mean to say…?"

"Oh. Sorry. We fancy them, rather."

"I see…"

Emmy nodded. "But I'm way too young in Gerry's mind. But in Erik's…"

"He doesn't have an issue with it," Nadir finished. "So you see yourself as able to have a relationship with him free of guilt."

She promptly turned red and shook her head quickly. "No, it's not just that, he…he just…well, he's just fascinating. For one thing, the man isn't even supposed to exist…"

"Nor am I…"

Emmy ignored this. "But it's not all. Alright, look, no one can deny that Erik is one of the most interesting people on the planet."

Nadir nodded admittedly, agreeing with her. She went on, now VERY chatty due to the wine, though she was hardly intoxicated.

" Then the realization hit him. A woman actually wished to be with Erik. Or at least, she thought she did.

He had to make sure.

"Might I mention that Erik killed three men, attempted to kill the Vicomte, and by destroying the chandelier, caused the death of an audience member?"

Emmy swallowed and looked away, biting her lip.

"I know, I know. It's just…since I wasn't actually there, I can't fully comprehend that it was real. And I haven't even experienced seeing him when he…" she trailed off, trying to find the right words.

Nadir helped her out.

"When he loses his mind entirely and goes on a rampage with sudden, murderous intentions?"

"Yes. That."

Emmy's mind wandered to the grim truth of the matter that Erik was indeed, a killer. She felt sick at the thought. But even so, she couldn't feel any fear. It was just unimaginable that he would harm HER. Or any woman, for that matter. She struggled to justify it.

"But…but the first man he killed—he HAD to! I mean, it was basically self defense, wasn't it? And after such a traumatic experience, it only makes sense that he would have a skewed perception of right and wrong…and he always has reasons, he thinks he's doing the right thing…like with Buquet, he had several reasons, I think…"

"It doesn't matter how many reasons one has, aside from self defense, as you said, murder is always inexcusable."

"But for him, forgivable. You remain his friend, don't you? You understand…"

Nadir looked down at the cobblestone street blankly, contemplating. She had a point.

"Yes. I understand why, and forgive him, though I do not at all condone his actions."

"And you want him to be happy?"

"Yes, of course I do. Not just as his friend, but because I expect his crime rate will drop dramatically if he finally has what he wants. What every soul needs."

For a long time, they were silent. Then Nadir stood.

"You're being missed, and it's getting dark. I'd better return you before…well, by now, any variety of disaster could be about to happen."

When they returned back to the opera, no one was in sight. But someone was within earshot. Two someones, actually. One was a giggling female. Both Nadir and Emmy assumed it was a ballet girl and perhaps a stagehand, so they went on their way, until Emmy glanced down the hallway and saw that it was Meg and Raoul, standing rather closely in a suspicious looking alcove but not touching. Apparently, Chagny had said something that Meg found hilarious, for she was still red when she turned to look at Emmy.

"Oh..heha…hello…you found her!" she gasped, trying to force herself to stop laughing.

"Yes, I did," said Nadir.

Emmy wanted to ask what was so funny, but then figured she might not want to know.

"Where is Erik?" she asked instead. Raoul shrugged uncaringly.

"Who knows. He just passed by us and gave us this smug little grin then disappeared."

Nadir groaned. A smug grin on Erik was never good.