Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh
"The Viscount is a strange one." Erik remarked to Antoinette when she had asked him about how things were going with the boy. "He seems to seek me out more than the other way around. That has not happened since Christine and even then she had believed me to be an angel, not a ghost."
"He is still following you around then?" Antoinette smirked at him and he let out a huff.
"I guess you can put it that way." Erik admitted. "If one strange thing happens within the theatre and he is present, off he goes to the spot it happened. I am not doing a lot of the things he has gone after!"
"Sounds like someone has an infatuation. Poor boy goes running in vain to get a peek at the mysterious ghost that avoids him." Antoinette sighed in fake dismay.
Farren chuckled next to him and he sent both of them a glare.
"I do not avoid him. I have other things to do besides babysitting a Viscount." Erik protested.
"Like I said, he searches in vain." Antoinette countered and Erik did not give her a reply.
It has been several months since Erik had introduced himself to the young Viscount and had begun a rather peculiar relationship with him. After that first meeting, the Viscount has taken to visiting the Opera Populaire a lot more regularly. Not only does he attend shows with his brother, he can be seen wandering through the corridors during the day. Erik had done as the Viscount requested and played a number of tricks on the younger. He was continuously amused by the boy's and otter's reactions, they were always taken by surprise but there was never any negative responses.
However, when Erik did not talk to the Viscount again, he ended up being force to confront him once the younger had taken to walking about, calling out for him to show himself.
He had just pulled a trick on the Viscount that had led to him falling through a trap door. Perfectly harmless, the most damaging thing about that method was a terrible fright to the heart. Erik had been waiting for him to come through and when he did, he spoke.
"Monsieur, I would recommend that you stop calling for me to appear. It is not appreciated that you believe I can be summoned at your whim." Erik projected his voice to sound directly behind the Viscount but he was hidden further away where he could watch the boy. Farren was not with him because his spot could not hide the both of them. He knew she would integrate him later on the details.
The Viscount's head whipped around at the sound of his voice, finding nothing but, for some reason, grinned.
"Had to get your attention somehow and it worked didn't it?" He stated, standing up and brushing the dust off his clothes.
"Are my displays not enough? As far as I was concern, you knew you had my attention during your visits, however briefly." Erik responded, his voice now in front of the younger.
The Viscount shrugged and picked up a coughing Tyce. The otter sniffled and climbed up until he was wrapped around his human's neck. "Yes, of course, but I would also like to hear from you too. If you would be so kind, Monsieur."
"Why?" Erik questioned, cocking his head to the side in confusion.
"Ah, well." The Viscount began sheepishly, shifting from one side to the other. "To be honest with you, Monsieur, I find your voice to be…pleasing to hear."
Well, that was something Erik did not expect. Then again, he did not know what to expect from the Viscount.
He let the boy remain in silence for a few moments, watching as he appeared to get more and more stressed as the seconds went by.
"Monsieur?" The Viscount whispered, eyes glancing from side to side.
"Yes, I am here." Erik replied, the younger visibly relaxing. "I will think on what you said. As I have other things to do, I will be unable to speak with you every time you are in my opera house, especially since your visits have increased. No promises."
"I can understand that." The Viscount agreed with a pleased grin. "As long as you don't wait too long. I'll have to start calling for you if you do."
"Please do not." Erik told him. "The last thing you need is for rumors to start about you seeking out the opera ghost. It could have bad consequences on both your and my reputation."
"What? How?" The Viscount questioned with a frown.
"Not everyone believes in the opera ghost, therefore it might spread that you might not be alright in the head or maybe using the excuse to meet up with an employee to do scandalous acts. As for me, I need to be feared, Monsieur. In fear comes power for my position and I cannot have that taken from me. Do we have a deal?" Erik explained.
The Viscount nodded thoughtfully, but then his lips curled into a cheeky grin. "I wouldn't mind having the rumors of a scandal with an employee spread. You consider yourself one as well, do you not?"
Erik did not know how to reply to the question and previous statement so he ignored it.
"You can get out of here by walking straight in the direction you are facing. Eventually, you will come across one of the staff that works down here. They will lead you out."
Without a backwards glance, Erik left his spot and made his way to his hidden entrance that only he knew about that connected his world to the world above.
After that, Erik made sure to speak with the Viscount every once in a while lest the younger would try to summon him again. He never called the Viscount by his first name, something Erik believed the younger noticed but never commented on. They never talked for long but there were occasions that led to more serious topics.
"I have heard about your exploits, Monsieur, and would advise you not to try them in my opera house." Erik had told him during one of those times.
He was sitting on one of the hidden balconies with Farren next to him. He had made the eagle promise to never speak during his talks with the Viscount as to avoid being heard accidently. She agree reluctantly but Erik knew that her curiosity made her promise. The two of them were watching the Viscount directly below them. He had dropped a bucket of water on the Viscount and was currently speaking to the soaked boy, though Tyce did not seem to mind the abrupt bath.
The Viscount shrugged and took off his jacket. "I can agree to that as long as I can at least look from a distance."
To Erik, that sounded more like a question asking for permission. He supposed it was alright, his main concern was for Meg and Christine anyway.
"You may, but be warned that there are two women you are to never come into contact with, they are under my protection." Erik informed him firmly.
The Viscount stopped shaking the water from his jacket and looked up as if he would see Erik on the ceiling. "Do I get to know the names of the two you have taken under your wing? Make it easier to stay away."
"No." Erik answered. "You not knowing will keep you away from all of them."
The Viscount grinned. "Clever. But you have no need to fear, Monsieur, for I have my sights set on another. Most curious specimen he is."
Erik was taken off guard by the reference of a male but brushed it aside. Antoinette had told him that the Viscount was rumored to have tastes for both kinds of flesh. Though many were appalled at the idea of such tastes, Erik did not understand the problem of it.
"As long as it does not interfere with the opera, I wish you luck in your endeavors." Erik acknowledged.
The Viscount had smiled brightly at that.
As time went by, Erik began to see the Viscount as an unorthodox friend. He would still play pranks on the boy, mostly for his own amusement, but those did not always happen when he spoke to the younger. The Viscount gave him a lot of information about the outside world. He usually got such information from the Giry's but the Viscount was able to tell him about the things that involved the higher status. More than once the Viscount was able to make him laugh from the outrageous and hilarious things that went on in the lives of the nobility. Erik had to give it to the Viscount that he was a wonderful story teller.
They would also talk about the Opera Populaire, as the weeks and months went by, the Viscount grew to learn more and more about the place, its people, and its operas. It took a while, but Erik was now able to have a decent conversation with the younger about opera that was almost as good as talking with the Giry's and Christine.
"Do you have any musical talents, Monsieur?" Erik asked curious when the Viscount had complained about Carlotta hurting his eardrums the previous night in the opera. Something that made Erik happy that the boy agreed with his position on.
Erik was behind one of the walls in the backstage of the opera house, but there was a small opening for him to see the Viscount, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. Erik was mirroring the position.
"Me? Oh, no." The Viscount shook his head. "I played the violin when I was a child, but haven't picked it up in years. What about you?"
"A number of things, but my favorite is the organ. I can also sing." Erik listed.
The Viscount had perked up at that. "Can I hear you sing? It would be a great honor, Monsieur."
"Yes, it would be." Erik acknowledged. "Not many have heard my voice sing, Monsieur. Less than a hands worth in fact. To be worthy of my voice you must do something for me in return."
The younger hesitated for a second but then nodded. "What is it?"
Erik smiled mischievously. "I wish to hear you play the violin."
Erik believed that the Viscount would not do it but he agreed and the next time Erik saw him, he was carrying a violin case.
"That boy can sure be determined sometimes." Farren whispered next to him in the darkness of the tunnels.
"Let us see if he is any good." Erik replied and the two of them went to meet the younger.
Turns out that the Viscount was, while not great, could play a couple songs decently enough. As he moved to another song, Erik recognized the melody from one of the lullabies Christine had taught him from her homeland. He was surprised by how the Viscount could have known such a thing but figured that as a Viscount, he could have travelled and met many people from different lands.
Still, he figured this was a good time as any and opened his mouth. He sang the words Christine had taught him, perfectly pronouncing each syllable smoothly in their native language.
The Viscount startled, causing a couple notes to play wrong but continued to play after. The two of them finished and silenced engulfed the room.
Erik was the first to break the silence.
"Not completely terrible, but it is obvious that you have not played in years."
The Viscount shrugged and took the violin away from his neck. "I told you. You, on the other hand, have the most stunning voice I have ever heard. It was like an angel."
"Thank you." Erik acknowledged, amused by the angel reference.
"Tell me, how did you come to learn this song though? It is not French." The Viscount inquired.
"I was taught it, by one of the girls I consider under my care." Erik explained, noting the sudden eager presence the younger was giving off. "She is also my protégé and I hope to have her on stage as a singer soon."
Erik did not realize at the time what consequences would come from his admission.
Even during his talk with Antoinette he did not find it important enough to mention. All his current focus over the past few days was his belief that it was time for the Opera Populaire to discover Christine as a singer and make her the lead in the coming operas.
Now all he had to do was think of a plan to set it in motion.
HINT HINT! The ending was a foreshadowing moment that I hope everyone understood! At this point of the story Erik is 31, Mme. Giry is 36, Meg is 17, Christine is 18, and Raoul is 20. Let me know what you thought in the review! I'm soo excited about this! Don't let me get unexcited about this story! Review! Oh and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!