After the day of the chandelier, Christine was more friendly towards Hades. She would greet him in the mornings and would acknowledge him when their daily paths crossed. He grew more and more fond of the times they would see each other.
Erik soon started walking about near where he knew she would be in hopes of seeing her more. He noticed her usual pattern of activity and purposefully would cause their paths to intersect.
One day, Christine was working in her garden. She reached out and let the soft leaves brush her fingers. She inhaled, taking in the scents of her different blooms. As she worked, she began to quietly sing to herself.
Her voice was soft and sweet, but she was nearly mumbling to herself and the sound was slightly blocked by her own lips.
Hades had been standing nearby, hoping to possibly catch her eye, but she had not noticed him. At the sound of her voice, he could not stop himself.
"Open your mouth."
Christine spun to face Erik. Her surprise and confusion were evident.
"My apologies," Erik began, "your voice is nearly perfect, but you may find you are capable of sounding even sweeter. I would very much like to help you."
Erik knew he had probably just ruined any chance he had of actually being able to make her comfortable around him. He felt as if he should just retreat back into his home and try to forget the entire occurrence.
Christine's eyes softened toward him.
"Thank you," she said, "Above, no one could hear my voice and tell me it was in need of improvement."
Erik grew concerned.
"I did not mean it needs anything. I would never try to insult you in such a way. Your voice is perfect. I should not have said anything."
Christine took a step towards him. She turned her palms up and extended her hands slightly towards him.
"No! I meant to say that no one thought they could help me," she said, "Anyone who heard me would tell me I was too good to help, but I knew I could improve. If you can help me I would be glad for it."
Erik smiled. "I would be honored," He said.
