The Date

by ~xxNightmaresAngelxx

The eveing sun went down slowly, the pink and yellow rays dancing lightly on the Earth's surface. Christine blinked as a ray broke free of shadow and blinded her temporarily.
"Oh Raoul, what are you planning," she thought as she waited impatiently at a semi-fancy resturanut. The table was seated for two, in a little room off of the main dining hall. Scarlet drapes framed the windopw centered in the longet wall of the room, gold ropes tying them back. The window overlooked a city street- not terribly romantic in that fact, but Christine was sure Raoul did his best for her as he always did.
The people bustling by on the street and the cars that passed were all new to to Christine. A bit of nostalgia hit her and she felt a small tug at her heart strings as she missed the carriages and ruffled dresses that were so familiar to her. The peolpe she saw wandering about now ranged from women in jeans to women in flowing sundresses- men in baggy pants to men in suits. Times really were changing and had changed.
Her reverie was quickly interupted by the waitorwalking in. He was a scrawny man with dark hair and olive skin. His eyes were just as dark as his hair and the lack of sparkle in them seemed proof of exaustion. "Your date has arrived," he announced, bowing and dissapearing down the hallwa from which he had just come.
Christines nostalgic daze diminished as quickly as it had arrived at the though of seeing Raoul. A broad grin spread accross her face as she thought of the man she loved. She heard Raoul's shoes as he came down the hallway. Christine's excitment grew more and more the closer he got until he was about to round the corner and she thought her heart was about to explode- when instead it imploded at the sight of him.
"Hello Lotte! How do you like my 'snazzy' outfit? It's in style nowaccording to the sales clerk. It's a 'fad' now," he said, beaming as he motioned to his overly-bright and sparkly, sequined, rainbow overalls. The shirt underneath them didn't improve the look either. It was something black and shiny thtat looked like it had been thieved from MC Hammer himself.
As Christine tried to stiffle the look of disgust on her face, as well as the feeling of nausea that overcame her at the sight of him, she tried to respond, "Um... Ra-" but was cut off by Raoul, who was rambling on about himself in all of his excitment.
"They were so cheap! Snd the clerk who sold them to me was covered in 'ice' and 'bling'- those are the new terms for diamonds and shiny jewlery. He was totally 'pimped out'! Not exactly sure what that means, but it's something cool!" He babbled.
The more he went on the harder it became for SChristine to keep her fae looking pleasant. Her ears were bleeding while her eyes fought to keep from rolling back into her head. Finally she couldn't take it anymore.
"And it's got this cool strap-"
"Have you seen the new art shop across the street?" Christine interjected in an attemptt to save her mind from turning to mush.
Raoul momentarily looked taken aback, but his face regained the look of a gleeful child quickly. "Yes actually! The archway etail is astounding!" he commented. Christine mentally breathed a sigh of relief as she felt her body relax. She had suceeded in taking him off track and her beautiful smile had returned to grace her features.
Raoul returned her smile with his own and continued. "Actually, examining the arches architecture is what caused this little treasure to catch my attention! The store I bought this from is just two shops down from the art gallery. When I was examing a rose design on the archway, I caught a glimpse of an extraordinary bright color through the spaces between the petals. It turned out to be this amazing thing!" he spoke so quickly that all of his sentences had become run-ons.
Christine was quite posotive by now that she was going to vomit. She loathed the abomination of an outfit that her love was donning, however, she knew she couldn't express her opion to Raoul without him falling to bits and groveling at her feet.Her brain was screaming in agony as she tried to keep her composure. Christine stared off into the distance as she numbed her ears to Raoul's voice. She felt on the brink of insanity when a beautifully familiar voice broke through the barrier.
"Ahem," Erik interupted Raoul's train of thought and invaded Christine's mind block. Raoul stopped speaking immediatly as it was his turn to addorn a look of disgust.
"What are you doing here?" Raoul snapped.
Erik looked bemusedly at him. "Sorry, Rainbow Fop here caught my attention, so I decided to stop by. Would you mind if I cut in?" Erik asked politley to Christinne rather than Raoul. Raoul glared at Erik venomously. "Absolutley not! You've no buisness here being here!" Raoul growled.
Erik glanced down at him, a look of amusement playing across his features. "Your outfit really destroys any chance of you coming across as threatening," Erik pointed out. Raoul frowned and turned towards Christine. "Christine would rather be here with me, right Christine?" He asked, quite sure of his answer.
Erik, who's face didn't hold many emotions other then sadness and different shades of anger, was deffiently one of the latter, probaly from Raoul's sudden hange of tactics.
Christine looked from man to the other as she thought about which would be be currently more tolerable, her faith to Raoul faltering.
When noticed by the other two shadow-like party members, a smug look crossed across Erik's face, while one of panic crossed Raoul.
"Look what else I brought Christinne! I'm sure you'll love it- it's more then this magician could pull out of a hat... mask.. whatever he'd use," Raould quickly said while rummagaing through what sounded and looked like an overly large box Raoul had set down beside him when he entered the resturaunt.
"See?" Raoul beemed as a hugley-fat racoon wath magenta dots and circus regalia hopped up into his lap. "Isn't he adorable? I found a gypsy peddling him off on the side of the street," Raoul spoke, a triumphant look crossing his face yet again.
Erik found his charisma once again and leaned against the nearby pillar in the center of the room. There was a scurrying noise and Mephistopheles perched himself easily on Erik's shoulder after emerging from somewhere within the depth of Erik's coat. He blinked cutley at the new light from the window. He licked his paw and rubbed one eye before staring all too innocently at Christine.
"I think Mephistopheles has your little fuzzy... thing beat," Erik announced.
Raoul stared indignatly at Erik. "Christine, tell him you are here with me!" Raoul demanded.
Christine's mind was writhering around while being torn between loyalty and want. She glanced back and force between Erik who, despite his technical lack of face, was currently the handsome one, and Raoul, who looked utterly rediculous. Christine stared back and force in a panicked silence, before dropping her head into the palm of her hands- she couldn't make a decision like this.
Spotting a chance to scare Raoul completly out of his wits, Erik leaned over towards him, his shadow engulfing Raould's already trembeling body.In the darkness it seemed Erik's face turly was a skull and Mephistopheles' eyes had caught the light just right to make them glow sinesterly. Raoul felt his heart stop beating momentarily as terror gripped him, his racoon racing quickly for shelter behind his leg. When Christine began to move to look up, Erik and Mephistopheles quickly regained their roles as the statusque Phantom and his cute furry sidekick.
There was a pause as Christine examined a terrifues Raoul Care Bear of sorts, his racoon now invisable to her eye. An apologetic look crossed her face as she directed her words toward Raoul. "Raoul, I'm-" she began. but her words were cut short by Erik, who had apparebtly already sensed his victory, and sent a swift kick to Raoul's right set of ribs, sending him flying out of his seat. In a movment that seemed nearly nonexistant, Erik was suddenly in Raoul's chair, Mephistopheles nuzzling Christinne's hands. Christine smiled and began petting his head. She glanced up to see Raoul gone, a look of shock and confusion on her face.
"So, what about wine and roses?" Erik suggestd seductively.




                              *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



Raoul sat on the edge of the street with the racoon. It was squeaking loudly and quickly, obviously still freaking out over Erik. Raoul snarled and grabbed the racoon by the muzzle.
"Oh shut up yo-OW!" Raoul shouted as he pulled back his newly bitten hand.