[[Spoilers: For all six games in the thriving Rhythm Thief franchise.
Set: After The Emperor's Treasure.]]
Friend of a Frenemy
One did not simply refuse an invitation from Duchess Elizabeth...
"If you won't come as guests, then you will come as security."
...especially when it was her daughter's eighteenth birthday.
You would think Elizabeth had thrown a royal ball at the Palace of Versailles. (Given Marie's lineage, that wasn't far off.) Silver balloons, banners and ribbons adorned the palace halls. Chandeliers and candelabras were lit like twinkling stars. Every floor, window and mirror was polished to perfection.
Each room contained musical entertainment, refreshments and ample seating for the guests. Champagne glasses and silver cutlery gleamed above spotless white-covered tables. Waiters— armed with trays, fancy bottles and hors d'oeuvres— marched in and out of the kitchens, carrying smells of a feast fit for King Louis XVI.
There were bodyguards stationed all over the palace, for fear the Chevaliers Diabolique might make a resurgence. This somewhat negated the Vergiers' presence as 'security'. Charlie didn't really care, since she had gotten away with wearing a smart shirt and dark jeans instead of a dress. There had also been a black jacket, but that was tied around her waist when her father chose a near-identical outfit. The last time he had cleaned up like this was for Mama's funeral…
Charlie had given him the slip in the Battle Gallery ("Fend for yourself, old man!") and joined the throng of dancers in the Hall of Mirrors. Not that Charlie was here to dance— she was just tailing Marie. Where Marie went, a certain rhythm thief was sure to follow.
Charlie watched from the side-lines as Marie celebrated with her guests. So many people had come to wish her a happy birthday, and not just because of her wealthy heritage. Marie, resplendent in a sleeveless white gown, could have walked on either side of the French Revolution. She engaged in polite conversation with aristocrats, but still partied alongside her childhood friends; schoolmates, infant children and nuns. Hadn't she grown up in a convent…?
Charlie hummed as Marie hugged a girl with frizzy brown hair. Marie was nice but Charlie didn't really know her outside of her connection to Phantom R. To Charlie, she was nothing more than a friend of a frenemy.
'Friend' was an understatement. Phantom R had risked his life— enlisted Charlie's help— all to rescue Marie. He and Marie had held hands long after the Hanging Gardens fell and the fireworks went off. They had parted ways with a promise to reunite soon. (Charlie had pretended not to hear them in that moment.) Keeping true to his promise, Phantom R had attended many of Marie's violin performances, giving Charlie plenty of chances to pursue him.
But then he just… stopped turning up. Charlie had searched the Paris Opéra with a fine-tooth comb. Phantom R had seemingly disappeared without a trace, leaving Marie behind. It was possible the couple had continued their rendezvous under Charlie's nose…
Then why, these days, did Marie look so sad after every show? Why were her eyes always scanning the crowd? She was doing it right now while her friends revelled around her.
If there was one occasion Phantom R couldn't possibly miss, it was Marie's birthday… Right?
Marie's gaze fell on Charlie. Her eyes went as wide as moons and she glanced about the hall giddily. When she realized that, no, Phantom R wasn't present, she closed her eyes and sighed.
The frizzy-haired girl patted Marie's shoulder and asked if she was okay. Marie nodded like the bobble head dog in Charlie's dad's police car. She pointed in Charlie's direction, excused herself from her friends and dashed over to Charlie. How could she run so fast in those heels?
"Charlie," Marie exclaimed. "Hi!" There was so much warmth in her voice that anyone would have believed she was looking for Charlie all along.
"Hi…" Charlie fiddled with her jacket, suddenly feeling underdressed. "How are you?"
"I'm so glad you could make it. Is your father here too?"
Charlie jerked her head towards the doors. "Downstairs somewhere."
Marie's smile was way too bright. "Thank you both for coming!"
"Thanks for the invite." They all knew Elizabeth had given out the invites.
Then, Marie offered an invitation of her own. She held out one hand to Charlie and motioned towards her friends with the other. "Do you want to come and dance with us?"
"I'd better not," Charlie sputtered. "I'm on security." She couldn't keep a look out for Phantom R if she was flailing all over the dance floor. (And she couldn't embarrass herself…)
"Oh, right…" Marie whispered conspiratorially, "Has there been any trouble?"
"No thieves, I'm afraid."
Marie's smile dimmed a little. "It's too busy for thieves…"
A curtain of silence fell between them. Charlie glanced around the hall.
An old gentleman in a navy tailcoat suit had noticed Marie's discomfort. He glided towards them, glanced at his watch and advised Marie, "Mademoiselle, it's almost time to unveil the cake."
"Hold on, Alfred," Marie gasped. She turned to Charlie desperately. "Charlie, can I ask you a favour…?"
As Charlie was 'security', Marie hoped the pair of them could slip out onto a balcony without any bodyguards accompanying them.
Surely Phantom R would show up if it was just Marie and Charlie. Though Charlie was loath to admit it, Phantom R didn't consider her a threat. She would give him five minutes with Marie before the chase began. (Marie deserved that at the very least.)
Marie gazed out over the palace gardens, lingering on the luminous Latona Fountain. Charlie surveyed the shadows and the surrounding trees. She strained her ears for the sound of fleeting footsteps or a dog's bark. A sharp breeze rattled the tree branches.
Marie shivered. She rubbed her sleeveless forearms.
"Tch, here..." Charlie untied her jacket from around her waist. She chucked it over Marie's shoulders.
Marie closed the jacket over her chest. Her teeth chattered as she checked, "W-won't you be cold...?"
"No. I'm used to it." She had to endure the cold air when she was training with her team, or waiting for her old man to pick her up... She shook her head and started jogging on the spot.
"From your football matches?" A small giggle escaped from Marie. (The noise made Charlie feel slightly warmer.) "What team do you play for?"
"The Bleuet Lions."
"I think I've heard of them..." There was the tell-tale reply of someone who didn't follow football at all.
Charlie thought the conversation would end there, but Marie added, "I'll, um, have to watch you play one day..."
"Really?" Charlie hadn't meant to sound so blunt. She stopped jogging and stared at Marie. This girl— the Duchess's daughter— practically royalty— would consider coming to Charlie's dinky football game? Charlie's own father had only just started supporting her consistently.
"Of course," Marie said. "You and your father always come to my performances."
Only because they were hoping Phantom R would turn up. Sure, Charlie had heard Marie playing the violin, but she had never actually sat down and listened to her. For some reason, Charlie didn't want Marie to know that.
Charlie vowed, "Well, I'll keep coming to them!" Even if Phantom R doesn't.
Marie didn't go moon-eyed like she had over the thought of Phantom R. Still, Charlie made her grin. "Thanks, Charlie—"
There was a knock on the door from inside. Alfred poked his head out.
"Any luck, Mademoiselle?"
Marie remembered who she was meant to be waiting for. She shook her head sadly.
"Would some cake lift your spirits?" Alfred suggested.
Charlie said, "We'll be there in a minute."
The butler knew when he was being dismissed. He nodded and drew back into the hall.
Marie had resumed her perusal of the garden, facing away from Charlie.
Another minute crawled by. Charlie side-stepped towards the door. Someone was playing a piano concerto from within the hall.
"I know this song..." She had never heard it before in her life. "Marie... do you want to dance?"
Marie cast one last glimpse around the garden before she turned to Charlie. She caught Charlie's hand. "I'd love to."