Name: Erela Pich

Age: 19

Appearance: [X]

Personality: Erela's eager, curious, and a bit tom-boyish. She's not timid and often doesn't think things through all the way. She's opinionated and will speak her mind without, again, thinking things though. Despite her faults, Erela's compassionate and trusting of others and thinks every person is deserving of a second chance.

History: Erela has always been fascinated with the opera house since she was a child. While in town, she would often try to sneak away from her mother to explore the dilapidated building, but would always be caught before reaching the first step. Age has not lessened her interest in the landmark and was thrilled to hear of it's renovation. However, she still wanted to explore it first before it was released to the public. She planned to secretly enter the building while it was still under construction during the dead of night when no one would be around to catch her.

It was a late evening as Erela made her way down the silent streets with nothing more than a large flashlight in her hands. She had told her parents that she would be staying over at a friend's house for the night, but that wasn't the case. Truthfully, she was heading towards the old opera house that had recently undergone some renovations and she wanted to see how the old building was shaping up before anyone else.

Approaching the towering building, the girl quickly made her way over a tall chain-link fence, yet trying to stay as silent as possible, not that anyone was near-by from what she could see. She carefully made her way up the broken stairway to the main door, which was left open just enough for her to squeeze through. Flipping on her flashlight, Erela entered the opera house; golden eyes wide with curiosity.

Name: Erik {surname unknown}
Age: 37yrs~ {for our purposes, I am going to play him as younger than he was in the book}
Appearance: A slightly older version of Erik...
Personality: To put it lightly, Erik is insane. Brilliant, yes, but very much insane. He often talks to himself and uses the third person {when speaking of himself} frequently. Though he is quite capable of planning elaborate traps and secret passageways all thoughtout Paris, the man has an incredably difficult time understanding even the most basic rules of human nature. He is very quick to anger and has little patience for anything that will not, in the long and short of things, benefit himself in some way. Also, he has failed (in all his nearly four decades of life) to develope people-skills...
History: You all should know that by now. ;3

-----

It had taken him some time to do it, but at long last it was finished.

The man took a step back, quietly surveying his work before allowing his tired features to break into a rather malicious grin. Even with all the construction work and renovations, not a single person had noticed that tools and supplies had gone missing. In only small amounts, of course, but all the same, 'Chaos...A man's best friend.' Despite the fact that his catacombs had been demolished to make way for a more 'modern' sewer system, he, Erik, had gotten around the construction plans and managed to add a few extra rooms in various parts of the new Populair (which had been built over the original one). All on his own, he had built tunnels leading between them (most of the room were well hidden and could only be found if one knew where to look) so that he could remain inconspicuous and still be able to enjoy galas and, in general, the illusion of human contact.

If Christine had done /anything/ for him, it was to give him a new sense of freedom...

Alas, the making of his own freedom had caused the man to grow increasingly thirsty. With an exasperated sigh (both for his own weariness and the inconvenience of having to mantain a fragile, mortal body), Erik (for that is our hero's name) grabbed his mask and carefully set it over his features. The thing covered his whole face and, like the rest of his tattered wardrobe, was black. He didn't much care to conform to the idea the general public had of him; that silly white half-mask everyone claimed he wore was so utterly useless...Not to mention, it would have stood out through shadows like a beacon, screaming 'Hear I am! Come and arrest me!' Bah...

Crawling slowly out from behind a torn tapestry that hung along one of the main corridors, Erik glanced around warily before fully emerging. Even if he was hidden behind a mask, he would still be 'trespassing' should someone see him. He rather liked having everyone think he was long-dead (the newspaper had taken the liberty of posting his obituary some years before) for it made absolutely certain that as long as he was careful, no one would ever know he even existed.

Erela looked about the front of the Populair slowly, taking in every inch of the room. Despite the age, darkness, and dust, she could still see the splendidness in every unique detail of the room. Oh, how the place must have looked in it's prime. The stories this building alone could tell. The teen was glad she had this rare moment all to herself...despite all the rules she was breaking.

Moving on ahead, Erela opened the next door slowly, wincing at the loud creak that emitted from the ancient hinges. She looked quickly behind her, half expecting to see someone rush in and catch her in the act of trespassing, but once the echoing creak diminished, all was silent. With a sigh of relief, Erela continued on into the theater which was so large that even the light from her flashlight couldn't illuminate the farthest corners or the room. She could feel her own heartbeat quickening, feeling slightly claustrophobic in the surrounding darkness.

"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to explore this place at night," she whispered to herself, biting at the inside of her cheek in uncertainty.

He made his way down each corridor as quietly as he could muster. This was prooving to be somewhat difficult since he had recently sustained an injury to his left leg. It had happened not but two or three weeks prior and he had been attempting to collect a few necessary tools from the construction works' stash. Someone had come upon him and caught him offguard and, though he doubted that /they/ ever caught sight /him/, he had dashed off as quickly as he could. In his hurry, Erik had lost his footing and fell down one of his trapdoors, only to sprain his leg horribly. He could walk relatively comfortably now, however, but his gate was hardly as wide or as graceful as it had been prior to the accident.

And so, in a sort of limping swagger, the man edged along the walls of the hallway until he came to the kitchens (about one story below where Erela was wandering about). Before he went inside, though, a loud screeching sound filled his ears and he froze. Someoneelse was wandering about at this late hour as well, it seemed...

Debating as to whether he should investigate or simply return to one of his hiding places, Erik at last convinced himself that the Populair needed protecting. Moving as swiftly as his injured leg would allow, the man quickly made his way up onto the main level of the Opera House and then paused. Another sound, this time a whispering voice, caught his attention. He realized almost immediately that the sound came from the Concert Hall. Could it be a thief, perhaps?

'Erik shall catch them when they leave...' thought he, with a growl..

As Erela made her way through the hall, she would make a circle so her flashlight would illuminate all of her surrounds. It was certainly more spacious than she had fist assumed. Many of the chairs had been removed earlier on in construction. Only a few chairs in the front row remained. Though, as long as the opera house had been under construction it seemed not as much had been done as others had assumed. Lazy construction workers. Something as majestic as the Populair deserved more dedicated workers.

Making her way farther into the room, it was then that Erela noticed the large. She paused, amazed by it's size. Her eyes quickly darted from side to side. Surely it would be alright for her to go up there. No one would see her. With an excited giggle, she quickly ran over to the side of the stage, making her way up some stairs that creaked under her eager feet and up onto the stage.

It was even more massive as she walked upon the ancient stage. Erela wondered how long it must have been since someone stood where she stood. Not just stood, but appreciate where they were. She shined her flashlight across the old floor, tattered curtains, dingy walls, taking in the unforgettable moment there on that stage.

This was taking entirely too long. Erik had been left waiting there, crouched amidst the shadows in the entry way, for was seemed ages (but what had really been closer to fifteen minutes, probably). Steeling himself that he must do whatever must be done to protect his 'kingdom' (that was how he lovingly referred to 'his' Populair), the man emerged from his hiding place and stole across the corridor to the doors that led into the Concert Hall.

When he went to push the door open and slip inside, however, Erik was forced to draw back and out of sight; the person was shining a flashlight around the room and had almost seen him. Perhaps entering through the front door wouldn't be the smartest? Swiftly he ran down the hall and climbed up the stairwell there into one of the boxes where he could get a good look at the intruder. "What the hell--..A girl?!" He muttered in a low growl. Was this who he had been hiding from all this time? Erik could have simply Punjab'd her on the spot and thrown her body off the nearest bridge...But that wouldn't be much fun, would it?

Deciding to have a bit of fun, Erik took a deep breath and spoke aloud, throwing his voice in such a way that it sounded as though his words were coming from somewhere on the other side of the room, "Can I help you?"

Erela's head was tilted all the way back, trying to get a better look at the construction work on the ceiling when she thought she heard movement within the room. She gripped at the flashlight tightly, quickly casting the light across the room. Seeing nothing, the girl let out a sigh, laughing lightly to herself. It was probably just a mouse or cat or something of that sort. Who knew who many stray creatures had turned the Populair into their home over the years.

Erela turned away, about to explore the back of the stage when a voice came from the other side of the room. The startled girl jumped, a wave of shock running though her system. She quickly turned back, flashing the light on the back of the room, trying to find the source of the voice.

"I'm...I'm sorry to be intruding like this!" she called back, thinking it was most likely someone in charge of construction on the building or some sort of security guard. "I'll leave right now," she added, quickly stepping down the stairs of the stage, hoping if she got out quickly, she wouldn't be in trouble.

This wouldn't do. Erik watched as the girl bounded off of the stage and raced toward the door at the sound of his voice. He was bored out of his mind before now (especially since he had completed all of his passageways and trapdoors) and wanted to toy with his latest 'victim' a bit more. He threw his voice in such a way as to sound like he was speaking from just beyond the doorway that led out into the Entry Way, "So you are an intruder? And what, pray tell, was your purpose in sneaking in like you did? Were you planning on stealing something, perhaps?"

She appeared to be in her late teens. Erik recalled that most young men and women that entered the Populair unattended meant to vandalize the place or, as he was now accusing this girl, to steal something valuable. The nerve of some people..

Erela was just reaching out for the door when she heard the voice again. She froze and jumped back so quickly, one would think she had just been burned by the door. Her face grew red as she was being accused, embarrassed from being caught in such a situation and slightly offended. Sure, she may be trespassing...which was pretty bad on it's on...but she meant no disrespect towards the Populair. And she certainly wasn't a thief!

"Yes, I admit that I am intruding, but I would never steal! Especially from a place like this!" she replied in defence. "I'm sorry for trespassing, but I only wanted to see the Populair before too much construction was done on it. I wanted to see it as it use to be...or at least as close to that as I could."

How cliche, he mused, listening to the girl's hurried alibi. Once they realized they were caught, they nearly always resorted to some sort of praise in order to soothe their attacker's anger. He scoffed aloud, not bothering to throw his voice this time, "Don't flatter yourself, child.." But she persisted, going on and on about how she wanted to see it 'as it used to be'. Erik growled at this, grimacing incredulously behind his mask as he leaned foward slightly over his box's banister, "You honestly think that this is how it used to look? This--...abomination of human workmanship? Hardly!" The Opera Populair, in its day, was something far beyond this mess of wood and stone. It was a work of art that these foolish modern workers could not fully appreciate, and it angered him to think that this girl, a mere child to him, felt the necessity to mock his home's integrity with her naive claims at knowing its true value.

The girl quickly turned in confusion, the voice coming from a different part of the room now. Was he intentionally trying to confuse her? She was already scared, embarrassed, and becoming a bit agitated and the confusion did not help her situation any. Her eyes narrowed as the man continued to speak, treating her as an ignorant child. He wasn't treating her with much respect so she felt she certainly didn't have to be respectful herself.

"Well forgive me for not being born earlier in history," she retorted in a huff, becoming more certain that this person wasn't a higher offical that could throw her out or get her in toruble. "But this is the best I can manage! And if it means tresspassing here in the middle of the night, then so be it!"

That did it, then. Erik could take no more of the girl and her disrespectful words had been the last straw. The man had to have been her elder by at least a decade (maybe more), and that made him her elder, easily. He was not required to show respect to her, so when her frightened, submissive facade began to slip, Erik would have none of it, "Bite your tongue, girl.." He snarled the words, suddenly climbing onto the balcony of the box and jumping down (approximately eight feet) to the floor below, "--You don't know who could be listening."

With his hands neatly folded behind him, Erik prowled around the edge of the room and tried his best to remain mostly concealed among the shadows and still keep his menacing air, "Now, I am going to tell you what to do, girl. Are you listening?" He paused only a millisecond, more for effect than to actually hear her response, "You are going to leave this place immediately, and not come back again after hours.."

Erela would purse her lips each time the man would call her "girl". Just the way he said it would irk her to no end. She was caught off guard when he suddenly jumped from the balcony. Was it really necessary to jump from such a height? She didn't even bother to try to find him again with the flashlight, but she kept a tight grip on it...just in case.

"Who are you to tell me to leave?" Erela questioned with suspicion. Perhaps this man was trespassing as well. She couldn't be certain. "Why are you even here?"

He was thankful that she chose not to use the light. He wanted to keep up this mystifyingly terrible charade for as long as was possible; Erik had to make absolutely certain that he didn't get found out again. So why was he doing this? Wasn't toying with this girl also toying with fate? Should this girl see him, even while he wore his mask, Erik could not allow her to return to the outside world...

"And who are you to ask such things?" He snarled, drawing himself up approximately six feet from where the girl stood. Deciding that he liked her previous reaction to his little tricks, the man threw his voice again in such a way to make it sound as though someone was whispering to her from behind, "May I remind you that you are in no position to ask questions, hmmm?"

Erela whipped around in wide-eyed surprise, before clenching her fists in annoyance, still not able to fine the man she was looking for. He was obviously trying to mess with her and she was none to pleases with that. Lurking in the shadows, answering none of her questions...What was he hiding for?

"Who am I to ask such things?" she repeated. "I believe you've been asking most of the questions so far. I should be entitles to a few questions myself, I would think," Erela pointed out, slowly shining the light around the room as best she could.

"What are you hiding for anyways? What are you afraid of?"