Erik could use friends/associates...PLOT AD

[erik]

So I know Erik's fairly standoffish - it's how he's always been. But he does need to have contacts in the world, and as he's trying to run a business and a theater, he's going to need business associates. Probably going to want to get to know his cast and crew too, once he's got them all hired and set. Not well, just enough so that he knows they know the ropes and he can get a feel for them.

Problem is, even though Erik doesn't feel that he needs friends, or really wants them... he does need them. Badly. Sometimes those friends are the only thing that keeps him from doing a nosedive off the nearest building/bridge. Or into the bottle if he decides to start drinking.

I feel it would be interesting to get some relationships going, therefore, and make Erik play nice [or not so nice] with others. Anyone who tries to get close is going to be in for a huge fight and lots of resisting on Erik's half so they'll need to be stubborn and persistent in their pursuit of a friendship/whatever else they're after.

Business associates will also be in for a fight if they want to know more than just his name and what he 'sort of' does. He's very secretive and though he knows he needs people, he hates that he does.

All in all, I'm looking for some interesting threads to start and to explore the darker side of Erik as well as the horribly hurt and scarred individual he keeps locked up inside. I want someone to see if they can crack him. <3

[MAYOR HECTOR "HADES" TORMEI]

Hector is probably as dark as you can get on this board since he's a mafioso. He's also always looking for connection into various aspects of living in NY.

Would Erik be interested in making a deal with the devil?

[erik]

Ooooh...! Erik would most definitely be interested in making a deal with the devil.

He'd jump at the chance for connections and though he knows better than to make a deal with someone who has darker/shadier connections themselves, the lure is too great for him. What shall we do to get these two meeting? Erik currently has only one thread [it's open] where he's doing casual auditions to get a feel for the talent in the city.

Since Erik's a bit more standoffish, he's not the type to just approach someone. But if there's a promise of something in it for him, or you spotted him first.....

[MAYOR HECTOR "HADES" TORMEI]

Did you have anything in mind? If not I can just set up an open thread

[THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO]

I'm interested in seeing how Erik and Monte Cristo would get along (and with Hades as well, as I mentioned in my own request thread). I am kind of busy now and tend to reply to threads slowly (even today it's 2 AM and I'm only on for a moment), but if you're okay with that, perhaps we could get something started. If not, I may be more free next week, and we could get something going then. Or the three of us could have a meeting of the rich and dark. =D

[fagin]

I'm not quite sure how yet, but I think Richard and Erik might know each other. Since Richard thinks of himself as quite the actor, maybe he sponsors Erik's theatre or something similar? Going to the theatre is one of his hobbies, when he has time. XD

[hamlet]

When some of my threads die down, we definitely must thread Harry works with theater companies to help finance them and stuff like that via Hamlet Enterprises, so I definitely see them being business associates.

[erik]

I think I like the idea of a thread between Monte Cristo, Hades, and Erik. I'm not sure how to go about setting one up, however. I know that Erik would frequent high end restaurants and the like, but mostly he stays to his massive apartment/loft/what-have-you or his theatre. And slower moving threads are fine by me. I like to have a mixture of fast paced and more casual threads when I post, so that isn't a problem for me at all. ^_^ You two have any ideas/suggestions for where to start?

And I can definitely see Erik accepting sponsors and additional help with his theatre - so that would be a definite on a connection between Fagin and Erik. Perhaps we could start with them meeting to discuss his current project? Erik does need people to bounce his ideas off of, though he's loathe to admit it. >D I can also see him having a reserved spot/box seat for Fagin if he finds the advice/help to be of great value, if Fagin wanted it.

I was actually thinking of Harry being Erik's business associate, since Erik would value his help and opinions on things. His current thread mentions that he's a bit at a loss right now and could use some help. I bet both Fagin and Harry would love to help out there. He may be a businessman, but he's still getting used to how things work in the good ol' US of A, even though he's been there for a bit.

[THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO]

I like the restaurant idea as well, but then we'd need a premise for the three of them to meet. Maybe something could go wrong in the restaurant, such as a kitchen fire or a drunk customer or something else that would require our characters to act and therefore meet. Then we could take it from there.

[MAYOR HECTOR "HADES" TORMEI]

For Hector, Monte Cristo, and Erik...you can always use the fact that Hector is the person the higher ups go to for help of some kind. He's always looking for business of some kind. Or, Monte Cristo and Erik could witness one of Hector's deals gone wrong and get involved that way

[georgie]

Well, since Meg's like OBSESSED with the Opera house story of The Phantom of the Opera AND she's Christine's best friend, maybe she and Erik can be friends too?

Let me know what you think? I'm up for anything really

[erik]

Okay, here goes: I think we should definitely get a thread set up where Monte Cristo and Erik meet up/get involved with either approaching him for something or the deal gone wrong [honestly, the deal gone wrong makes me grin and I'm WAY interested in that one, though I would be more than happy for the first option too]. Would the deal gone wrong perhaps go down in a restaurant? [Anywhere where we can easily see them all in the same area works, I just figured the high class restaurant would be easiest... heh.]

I'm not sure about friends to start, since Erik's going to be cautious of anyone who has connections to his old life - but there are whole sections of dance in his broadway show. And if she can get him to relax, perhaps even an eventual friendship. He'd have to be absolutely sure she a- didn't realize who he really was, or b- didn't care/wouldn't betray his identity to Christine. If she can earn his trust somehow [not sure - perhaps helping him out with the show, or if something happened to him?] he would definitely relax a bit more. It's just getting him TO that point. I can definitely see them meeting each other and his reluctantly being dragged into a friendship - one he'd probably value later on, once he got over himself and his issues with things, lol.

[georgie]

Well, I don't think Meg and Erik would have ever met at the Opera (I've seen the musical twice, seen the movie (okay the Musical Movie AND the 1980s horror movie XD) and read the book and I don't remember anywhere where they could have/did meet...except at the end of the musical where she found the mask and it's said she's his new student or something...yeah must be a theater myth XD). I think he'd probilly only know her mother, Madame Giry. Meg'd be VERY interested to be in his show She doesn't sing all that well (she NEEDS improvement) but she knows a lot about theater because she was in operas since she was little so she'll be willing to help I don't think she would tell Christine if she knew cause they aren't that close of friends anymore XD

[chase]

Erik: That sounds great to me. (This is Monte Cristo.)

[erik]

Awesome. >D Shall we start a thread then?

And Meg - if you wanted to start a separate thread for us, we could have her come to speak to him about the dancing positions. Or you could pop into the open thread I already have going with Rose - though that might get him a bit flustered since he was already focused on Rose and then to have a piece of his past suddenly smack him right in the face..... lol.. I could see that being interesting too. He wouldn't know what to do with himself - or how to handle speaking to her without giving himself away at first. Either way he's going to react badly at first, even if she doesn't know him, he certainly knows her. >D