Disclaimer - I own no ideas but my own; the characters are borrowed from Leroux/ALW/etc's POTO.
Pairing - Erik/Raoul
When - Using (mostly) the ALW version as a starting point; the plot takes place several months after the Phantom freed Christine and Raoul, then disappeared.
Summary - A series of letters between Erik and the Vicomte de Chagny. Raoul has purchased the Opera Populaire, and knows of only one man who can help him make it a success. But would Erik rather take up his challenge, or just kill him instead? Ah, decisions, decisions.
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Letters
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Dear Monsieur Opera Ghost,
No doubt you are surprised at this communiqué. It is unlikely one assumed to be deceased receives much in the way of correspondence. While I did hear rumors of a suicide note police discovered in your lair, I feel confident this reaches you in some level of good health.
Despite exhaustive searches conducted by local authorities, opera house personnel, and assorted vigilantes, your body has yet to be located. I can only assume that it is still very much breathing. Ignoring this letter, therefore, would be pointless; we both know you aren't dead.
To come to the point: I have purchased, in its entirety, the Opera Populaire. Firmin and André were only too happy to accept my generous offer on the place. In the aftermath of the Don Juan… performance, they could only envision their own financial ruin.
Their short-sightedness prevents the pair from realizing the limitless potential the opera house holds. The place simply requires the necessary effort and sensibility to be restored to, and even surpass, its former glory. Which brings me to the true purpose of this message.
The time has come for your return to the Opera Populaire. It needs your vision, your passion, to ascend to the heights of true greatness I believe it can reach. Therefore, in choosing a partner with which to navigate this lofty undertaking, there is no other but you.
I am not unaware you think me a spoilt tone-deaf fop with not one artistic bone in my body. You are mistaken. You must remember that I chose to bestow my patronage upon the Opera Populaire before my reunion with Christine; before all of the chaos that ensued.
Music speaks to me like nothing else this world can offer. It is my cross to bear that while I love it, I haven't the talent to create it to sufficiently reflect that emotion. Therefore, I require a partner who can bring the Opera Populaire what I cannot. That person is you.
I confess I cannot suppress amusement at what I imagine to be the comical look on your face upon reading this. How suspicious you must be of my intentions! You surely envision this a diabolical plot on my part to ensnare you, and deliver you to the proper authorities.
You have my word of honor; there is no duplicity afoot. I simply seek to employ you. It is entirely within my own self-interest to assure a healthy return on the sizeable investment I have put forth.
Madame Giry did not reveal your current whereabouts, of course, and even pretended she would be unable to deliver this message. Yet, you read it now, which tells me you exercised your only option following the Don Juan (save homelessness), and sought refuge with her. You may choose to remain there.
Still, I think perhaps you would find comfort in familiar surroundings. If you do return home, you will find your living quarters largely unchanged, excepting several instances in which your personal property was decimated by decidedly angry mobs. In such cases, I have replaced the destroyed possessions with items of equal or greater quality.
The terms of this contract offer are as follows:
1. You shall be my partner in all artistic choices regarding the Opera Populaire, and hold the title of Creative Director.
2. You shall have authority in casting and personnel decisions, and you will answer to no one but me.
3. You shall not engage in distracting, destructive, and/or homicidal stunts.
4. You shall receive your former salary of 20,000 per month, which you will now be required to earn.
Please report to my office (the same which Firmin and André previously occupied) by nine o'clock Monday morning. There is much to be done, and no free time for you to dawdle about in the shadows, eavesdropping on the day's gossip. I hardly need remind you to stay out of sight, lest this venture expire before it has even begun.
Our first order of business will be setting the schedule for the new season.
Until Monday,
Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny
P.S. I look forward to commencing this new, positive association between us.