002 - Chrissie is bored [Audio: English] OPEN

[notalkodarkness]

[Christine had been effectively holed up in the Phantom's room for almost a week. She had missed Raoul's outburst the day of her arrival after he found her missing and had not left the room for any extended period of time without the accompanying presence of her Master. She had gotten a rough guided tour of the ship and explanations that the other

Comments

[Audio/French -- Commentlog]

[notalkodarkness]

[Christine lowers the communicator from her lips, glancing around the room that has been, in a sense, her home for the past week. She clicks off the audio feed and sets it back where she found it. She moves to take a quick glance of herself in the mirror before remembering that it is covered, and looks away with a small sigh.]

I'm sorry, Angel .. but I wouldn't have told him ..

[She turns and moves from the room, opening the doorway and glancing out into the hallway before moving out entirely. She pulls the door closed completely behind her, pausing for a moment to rest her palm against it. She then turns and makes her way down the hallway and to the stairs, being careful to keep track of her surroundings. She makes her way up one deck and turns to the right, moving in the direction of Raoul's room.

All the while, her heart is beginning to race, her stomach twisting. Their last encounter had not gone well, but on this strange vessel she had missed him terribly, even in the constant companionship of her Angel. She rounds the last corner and sees him before he sees her. Her heart lurches and she stops, just a few yards from him, hand clutched at heart level as the other beckons to him.]

Raoul??

[The word is plaintive and hopeful as she reaches for him.]

[Commentlog]

[only_one_raoul]

[By the time Christine arrives, Raoul has made his way back as well and is waiting impatiently. When she calls his name, he jerks towards her, obviously nervous. He's looking even worse than the first time she saw him. A week of fretting over her did him no good. There's relief in his expression, though it doesn't last long. He takes the offered hand and takes a step away from his door.]

Come with me.

[Commentlog]

[notalkodarkness]

[Christine is expecting a little bit more warmth from you then this Raoul. :| It's obvious to anyone passing by that he's not doing well and she feels no small amount of guilt at causing him any undue stress or grief. So sorry, bb! Her brows knit slightly as he takes her hand and does not pull her in close as she was expecting, but instead moves as if to lead her somewhere else.]

Raoul? Where are we going?

[She does not, however, fight him. She keeps pace with him as he walks, her brown eyes concerned and confused.]

[Commentlog]

[only_one_raoul]

Somewhere he can't follow us.

[Or, not without being spotted, at least. Did you like the flower deck, Chrissie? Because that's where he's going. He hopes Erik showed Christine the elevators, because he's just pushed the button for one. If she wants to question him, she'll have a moment before the elevator arrives and the while it takes them to get down to 12. Why does he have to be close to the elevator that doesn't go all the way down...]

[Commentlog]

[notalkodarkness]

[Christine walks with him, having to pick up her own pace to keep even with his. He's leading her toward the things she has learned are called 'elevators' and though she's been told about them she has regretably not been on one yet. Her Angel has preferred to take her by way of the staircases during her time with him (work them legs!) She is understandibly wary about a closed in box, lifted and lowered by a pair of cables she did not have control of.]

Raoul .. can't we just speak in your room?

[She eyes the doors warily as the lights above indicate the car is nearly at their level. Her stomach tightens and her fingers tighten around his as she clutches at his sleeve with her free hand.]

Raoul ..

[Yep, that's a bit of genuine fear on her part. She wasn't particularly 'excite' about traveling up or down floors in a metal box.]

[Commentlog]

[only_one_raoul]

[The elevator isn't Raoul's favorite mode of transportation either, but it is 6 decks of stairs they don't have to walk down, and he's pretty damn sure Erik can't follow them in an elevator.]

There's nothing to be afraid of.

[When the elevator *pings* and the doors slide open, Raoul moves to the side of the door, holding it open. If she really really doesn't want to go in the elevator, speak now or get in the metal box.]

[Commentlog]

[notalkodarkness]

Alright ..

[Fffffff She doesn't approve, but what other choice has she, really? She'll take him at his word, because he already seems upset enough without her protesting the mode of transportation. He steps into the metal box of death and holds the door for her to enter as well, and with an upset twisting of her stomach, she steps in behind him.

There is a bar around the entirety of the car and she makes note of it, moving to reclaim his hand as she stands next to him. Her eyes widen slightly as it *pings* again and the doors begin to close. Her eyes dart to his face, but when she sees that he reamins unphased she looks back again in time for it to shut. Their destination illuminates and she has a moment to marvel at that before the car shifts and she makes a small sound in the back of her throat, her hand on his arm.]

[Commentlog]

[only_one_raoul]

[Well, unfazed at the door closing. When she takes his hand again, it takes him a good while to close his fingers around hers. The grip gets a little tighter when they start moving. He doesn't say anything as they head down to deck 12.]

[Commentlog]

[notalkodarkness]

[Christine remains practically pressed to his side, despite the amount of space the elevator car allows for. Her stomach tightens as she nervously glances around, noting the floor they are headed for. She can't help the wave of both pleasure and relief she feels when his fingers begin to slowly tighten around her own.]

Raoul? Where are we going? I know you've said where He can't follow ..

[In truth, she can't think about anything on deck twelve that would allow for safe speaking, but she hasn't made the connection that the elevator doesn't do all the way to deck 13, either. She feels incredibly foolish and wishes she could help relieve some of the tension that has ahold of Raoul.]

[Commentlog]

[only_one_raoul]

You'll see.

[Paranoia is one of the reasons he's not saying anything, but he has no way of knowing that she has any idea there's a flower deck and it's called deck 13.

As soon as the elevator stops and the doors open again, he's leading her out onto deck 12, around the corner, and towards the rear of the ship. There's a mass of luggage in the way, save for the small passage through it, and that's where Raoul goes.]

[Commentlog]

[notalkodarkness]

[Christine would huff in irritation if she wasn't busy counting the seconds until they were off this metal contraption. It *pings* again and she starts back, but it's just a sign that the door is opening again. Her brown eyes move up, and sure enough, they're on deck 12. She frowns slightly, as she cannot recall anything on deck 12 besides piles of luggage.

However, she follows his lead as he's ahold of her hand once more. She stares dubiously at the pile as they approach it, but sure enough there is a small path to one side of it. She glances sidelong at Raoul, but he seems too intent on reaching their goal to explain anything to her just yet. She recalls being told there was something on deck 13, but was never brought there. So, points to Raoul for showing her the pretty deck!]

[Commentlog]

[only_one_raoul]

[Through the luggage tunnel, to the stairs and down, and out onto the next deck. Christine will have a brief moment to marvel at the immense field of flowers before Raoul decides which way to lead her. He chooses the front of the ship, near enough the ice wall that he won't have to keep looking around for stalkers, but far enough that they won't feel the chill. He gives the few graves a wide berth, keeping an eye behind them as they make their way onward.

He eventually slows to a stop and finally turns to really look at her. He's a little more relaxed, now that he's fairly certain they're alone, but there's still tension.]

Christine...

[He's not sure where to start, so he gestures for her to take a seat amongst the flowers before doing so himself. They're probably going to be here a while.]

[Commentlog] Aww, Raoul, bb! *pets*

[notalkodarkness]

[Christine marvels at the pathway through the luggage, amazed the bags and boxes have kept from toppling into the path that goes through them. Honestly, she's just a teensy bit nervous about navigating the stacks for fear of something falling down on them as they passed. However, Raoul leads her both fearlessly and safely through the pathway until they reach a set of stairs and continue onward still.

A moment isn't nearly long enough to marvel at the flower deck, a soft gasp slipping past her lips as she sets her eyes across it.]

My God .. how?

[But there is hardly any chance to question it just yet, as Raoul continues to lead her across the field. Her eyes flit from one thing to another, taking in what looks to be a temple at one end of the field and starts at the sight of several graves poking through the flora. Her eyes move over the stones and she blanches, darting her eyes away again, not liking the feel they put off.

They finally begin to slow as they approach a vast ice wall, her eyes moving over it in astonishment.]

But .. but how??

[Oh sure, she's heard (some) things about the boat, but she's never seen anything like this in her entire life! They finally come to a halt and she is left to look around the amazing field of flowers and so much more. She is startled out of her amazement by Raoul's soft voice, brown eyes darting back to him.

He looks as if he's less strained now, some of the tension having eased from his shoulders and neck. She finds herself really looking at him for the first time, her expression concerned. What had happened to her beloved?]

Oh, Raoul ..

[He gestures for her to sit and she moves to sit amongst the blooming flowers, legs curled beneath her. There is a silence and she speaks softly, brows knitting.]

Raoul .. I'm so sorry I worried you .. It was terrible of me to vanish without a word .. I should have done so sooner ..

[Commentlog] It's okay, they can hug it out now

[only_one_raoul]

I'm sorry I left you on that first day.

[He kind of needed to leave, but that doesn't make him regret it any less. Seriously, it took a phantom chase and another week later before he found her again. Besides, she apparently didn't have her own comm to make broadcasts with, so how could she have said anything if Erik didn't let her use his? And on the subject of Erik...]

What has he told you? About all this?

[Can he skip things or would he be better off just explaining everything the right way?]

[Commentlog] *hugs him ohsotight*

[notalkodarkness]

[His apology catches her breath in her throat and she feels a burning of tears behind her eyes, quickly shaking her head and speaking to cover it. Her voice is gentle and reproving, but is that love you detect? Oh yes. It is..]

Raoul, I forgave you before you were even out of sight.

[She looks up from her lap, meeting his foreign black eyes without flinching. Erik explained a bit of the workings of the Elegante, but he'd never mentioned that another Christine had been aboard, or that different timelines from the same world were possible (convenient, huh?); so that people knew each other but were still strangers in a way. She'd never asked about the eyes, however .. Her voice is soft as she answers his gentle inquiry.]

I know we're in a world so much unlike our own, on board this vessel, which we can neither leave nor join at choice. That we are held here at the Captain's leisure and make our way to a place called the Golden Shore ..

[She trails off .. oh there are any number of holes in her understanding, but thankfully he will have a bit of spare time with her to explain at his leisure if he wishes to only set in the basics right now. She reaches a hand to touch his, the motion gentle and beckoning.]

Raoul .. your eyes? He .. I never asked Him about your eyes .. [In truth, he'd spoken of Raoul as little as possible (big surprise, huh?).]

[Commentlog] *sob*

[only_one_raoul]

[To be fair... Erik probably doesn't know about the other Christine. Or the fact that he's actually Erik 2.0. But Erik seems to have covered the basics well enough, and it's not like Raoul really cares enough about boat happenings to bother explaining them any further than that.

She would start there, wouldn't she? He hesitates a moment, considering how much to tell her and how to say it.]

He wouldn't have known, even if you did ask him.

It's been nearly half a year since I arrived here. They're a... side effect from having been here so long.

[His eyes move away from hers for a second. You know what, there's no point in lying or keeping things from her. That's what Erik does.]

Christine, death isn't permanent here. If you die, there is a system that revives you, and you awake in your room a day later. It becomes less reliable the more often you come back, and things like this happen.

[He gestures towards his eyes for emphasis. Please don't ask how many times or why he's died so often. He'd be more than happy to explain the first one, less than enthused on the second, and he'll need a lot of coaxing on the third.]