When Erik returned for her, Christine didn't bother speaking to him. Which was probably fine as he didn't speak to her either, simply shoving his hand towards her. She almost refused to take it, but she thought better of it. She didn't want to do any more damage to their bond- especially when the already existing damage felt almost irreparable.
She stepped into the boat and settled so that he could row. She could occasionally feel his gaze upon her as he did so, but she did her best to ignore it. There was no point in trying to engage when he seemed to be determined to twist her words as of today. It didn't take them long to reach the other side. She once again found herself taking his hand as he stepped out of the boat. Waking through the corridors seemed much quicker than she remembered, probably because she was being pulled rather than lead. She jerked away and he turned to look at her.
"Please don't treat me as a rag doll just because I said something you didn't like." Christine demanded as respectfully as she could manage. She wasn't sure where the strength came from, but she went with it. As much as she felt for him, she felt that she probably needed to step up so such treatment didn't continue or repeat.
Erik remained silent for a few minutes before huffing, posture relaxing somewhat. "As you wish. Now, come. Giry is expecting you." He uttered coldly, taking her hand once more. This time it was a much gentler pace and so she let his tone drop.
Baby steps were best and it wasn't as if he was being overly rude, either. By the time that they arrived at the mirror, Christine thought that she might've enjoyed the walk had it not been for the tense atmosphere.
The mirror was opened and she stepped through, turning around to perhaps say goodbye. The mirror was already closed so she turned away, ignoring the odd sinking feeling in her stomach. She had to find Madame Giry, after all. Preferably before ballet practice started.
When she stumbled into the older woman, Antoinette looked as stern as ever. She had to ignore the urge to take a step back.
"Just so you know, he's the only reason you've still got a place in the chorus despite Carlotta taking her spot back. There would've been nothing I could do and your fiancé is understandably eager for you to leave this place." She scolded almost immediately.
Any thoughts about questioning the old woman left her mind. She'd just realized how big of a misunderstanding had passed between them. Both of them had assumed something. The mention of Raoul also made her feel guilty, but not as guilty as she would've been before the graveyard incident.
"Oh.." Christine uttered weakly, it was the only thing that she could utter now that she'd been thrown for a loop. Nothing else seemed appropriate, especially not digging in his past which would be sure to make this mess of a situation even worse. It was best to forget she ever had that idea.
Madame Giry rolled her eyes and sighed. What was she going to do with this girl? She had not a clue. As much as she loved her, sometimes she had to wonder where her mind was at times. She always seemed to be either lost in thought or in another place entirely. Some probably had to do with Erik, but she was fairly certain a lot of it was her.
"Please just go join the others in rehearsals." Giry sighed and Christine scurried off to do as she was told, murmuring a soft apology as she went.
Now all Antoinette had to do was get rid of the vicomte so he didn't do something stupid. She'd over heard him grumbling about Christine being difficult after his "heroic" actions to one of his new admirers.