HELL'S SWELLS
A "Great Mouse Detective" Ficlet By The Mouse Avenger
AUTHOR'S NOTES: It is no secret that I am a huge Disney buff, & I love all of their movies...& when I say all of them, that includes their sequels, prequels, & midquels. And "The Hunchback Of Notre Dame 2" is no exception. I may get a lot of flack for saying this, but I don't care-I really like this sequel for various reasons, one of them being the villain Sarousch. Sure, he's no Frollo, but given the major tonal differences between the two movies, that's to be expected-&, besides, you have to admit he's pretty darn amusing. (giggles) Anyway, I love Sarousch so much, I even made a "Great Mouse Detective" fanfic character based off of him: the "melodious, odious thief" Henry Mousini. After looking up various fanarts of HOND 2 on DeviantArt, & checking out various clips & fan-made music videos on Youtube, I recently became struck with the idea for a short story about Henry Mousini & his adoptive daughter Blanca; this little ficlet is what came out. Although Henry & Blanca Mousini will make their official introduction in Chapter 9 of my GMD sequel "A New Beginning", I haven't gotten to writing that part of the story yet, so in the interim, consider this your first look at two of my all-time favorite GMD OC villains. I sincerely hope you enjoy it.
When you're finished reading, feel free to leave a review. I'll take anything from simple comments to constructive criticism, as long as they're not flames or written in a mean, stern, or overly-harsh manner.
And, now, for a brief copyright & disclaimer...
All "Great Mouse Detective" characters, elements, & properties © Walt Disney Studios.
All original characters, elements, & properties © The Mouse Avenger (that's me). Please be sure to ask for my permission before using them in your stories or role-playings. Thanks very much in advance.
And now that my copyright & disclaimer is finished, let the fanfiction begin! Happy reading!
It was a lovely Saturday afternoon in Mouse London, & Hyde Park was bustling with activity from rodents & humans alike. In a particular part of the park, lots of little critters were gathered around a magnificent stage, where two mice were standing at the center. One of these mice was a tall, lean, tan-furred fellow clad in opulent Renaissance-style clothing in hues of fuschia, turquoise, & periwinkle; his head sported neatly-combed, jaw-length black hair, & a beauty mark adorned his left cheek, while sapphire-blue eyes twinkled merrily in their sockets. This was Henry Mousini-magician, lead performer, grand ringmouseter, owner, operator, & proud creator of Cirque Du Mousini (as well as occasional composer). The other mouse was a small, petite young lady clothed in a red dress with matching shoes & jewelry; her dazzling green eyes & curly, shoulder-length black hair helped to accentuate her snow-white fur, & a delicate smile formed on her ruby-red lips. This was Blanca, Henry Mousini's adoptive daughter & "lovely assistant".
As you can probably tell, Henry & Blanca were in the midst of a performance at Cirque Du Mousini, & the crowd of spectators was eagerly watching the show with great interest. "For my next trick," Henry declared, "I will imprison Blanca in the most-feared of all medieval torture instruments...the Iron Maiden!" The audience gasped in collective awe & terror when they saw an Iron Maiden being wheeled onto the stage by a few 'midget' assistants, & then opened to reveal its cold, metal interior lined with sharp spikes. "And," Henry continued in a tone of excitement, "my lovely assistant will emerge from the device totally unscathed!" Now, the audience began to cheer in excitement, & Blanca & the assistant dwarves got ready for the imminent spectacle that was to unfold right before their adoring viewers' very eyes!
"Now," Henry told his audience as Blanca was being put into the Iron Maiden, "whatever you do, don't take your eyes off the stage! Keep looking...keep watching Blanca..." At this point, several 'midget' assistants began to wander through the sea of spectators, looking for fursons with any valuables on them; then, once Henry hypnotized the audience, the assistants got to work doing what they loved most-pilfering from the pockets, purses, & pawbags of their poor, pitiful patrons! The circus-goers were so mesmerized by the events playing out on the stage, they didn't suspect a single, solitary thing!
Once the circus goons had acquired plenty of stolen loot, they briskly whisked off with the goods, & Henry got to the climactic conclusion of his magic act. By now, the Iron Maiden had long been closed, & covered with a scarlet silk drape; only when Henry spoke the magic words, would Blanca's fate finally be revealed...
Blanca, la mia assistente,
Che pungenti armadio è che
Ti fanno soffrire male!
Vi chiedo di emergere!
And, then, the audience let out a collective gasp as the door of the Iron Maiden was slowly opened...before erupting into wild cheers when they saw Blanca emerge from her spiky steel trap unscathed, just as Henry predicted! The audience simply couldn't contain their enthusiasm & delight with the Mousinis' wonderful performance; their thunderous applause was quickly accompanied by showers of flowers, money, & other trinkets that flooded the entire stage. As Blanca & several other assistants scurried to gather up all the presents provided by their gracious guests, Henry gave a suave smile, & took several bows as he gladly thanked his audience for their appreciation. At the same time, the magician couldn't help but inwardly congratulate himself for that other successful performance he had carried out...& he would soon be enjoying the fruits of his larcenous labor with his dear daughter Blanca!
After the circus-goers had departed from the Cirque Du Mousini fairgrounds, Henry, Blanca, & their assistants all headed for the nearby wagons & tents where their fursonal quarters were. Upon entering their own ornate abode, the Mousinis shut the door closed, & turned to look at the circus goons, whose arms were now full of all the items they had collected earlier. With a pleasant smile on his face, Henry Mousini warmly said to his minions, "Grazie, miei amici. You've done well today!"
With appreciative smiles & nods, the circus goons all went over to the big oaken table where they sorted out every day's "earnings"; they then proceeded to dump all of the stolen loot onto the tabletop, & made way for Henry & Blanca, who eagerly began to inspect each item. "My, my, look at what we've gotten today," Henry marveled. "Coins of every type, pound notes, checkbooks, credit cards, all kinds of gemstones..."
"And rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, watches, fine makeup, fancy perfume, & hair ornaments," Blanca gasped in delight, unable to resist trying each of the aforementioned trinkets on. "Oh, Papa, I can't thank you enough for all these wonderful gifts!" the teenage troublemaker declared joyfully, before going over to give her adoptive father a big hug. "Grazie, grazie!"
"It's no trouble at all, my little bauble," Henry said sweetly, patting Blanca on the head with his paw. "I'd do anything & everything in the world to keep you happy!"
After Henry & Blanca finished sorting out their "goodies", they proceeded to store them in one of the many large treasure chests that were located throughout the house. Blanca wasn't quite ready to remove her newly-acquired accessories, however, so she kept them on, & Henry decided to hold on to a few ornaments himself. As he adorned said items, Henry called out to his minions, "Mirrors!"
With the press of a button (cleverly hidden inside a marble bust of Henry Mousini), various paintings & patterned panels slid down to reveal the glassy surfaces of over a dozen mirrors-all of which had been carefully placed in order to give Henry Mousini a good view of himself at every angle. Sitting down in front of his favorite vanity table, Henry couldn't help but smile in sinister satisfaction as he admired himself in the mirror. "I could kiss me," the narcissistic magician quipped, "but I'd fall in love!"
"You know, Papa," Blanca complimented as she took her place at her father's side in front of the vanity, "you really are a good-looking mouse, un bel gentiltopo!"
"Thank you, my dear trinket," Henry replied kindly, before giving his daughter a kiss on the cheek. "And you are a very beautiful young lady!"
Blanca couldn't help but giggle bashfully as she waltzed over to the middle of the floor, & began modeling in all of her lovely accessories (earning her a few approving cheers & catcalls from the circus goons). As she pranced & posed in her attire, Blanca remarked, "I think we both look like a couple of swells!"
"As do I, Blanca," Henry agreed, nodding his head in affirmation. "If our criminal tendencies didn't force us to keep a low profile, we'd both be strutting our stuff on the streets of Mouse London!"
"And every rodent would be so jealous of how wonderful we look!" Blanca said dreamily, fawning & fluttering her eyelashes.
At this point, Henry gazed downwards to regard the hanging charm of the pendant now adorning his neck. Gently running his thumb along the golden base of the opulent opalescent ornament, the talented thief sighed wistfully, "The more I think about it, the more I wish you & I had another furson to share all this wealth with...you know what I mean?"
"Papa," Blanca said with a scowl appearing on her face, "don't even think about it!"
"But, Blanca," Henry countered, "our lifestyle is a very lonely one..."
"As you have told me countless times," Blanca gently admonished, "we are never truly lonely as long as we have each other!"
"That may be true," Henry replied, "but haven't you ever thought about what life would be like if you had a mother?"
"I don't need a mother!" Blanca declared defiantly, stomping the floor with her heel-clad foot. "I only need you, Papa..." Then, going over to look at her father with earnest emerald eyes, Blanca continued, "Besides, what if my 'new mother' decided that she didn't like living with us anymore, & she ran away? What if she turned against us, & reported us to the police? That would be the ultimate betrayal...& I don't know if I could withstand it!"
As Henry pondered over Blanca's words, they began to make more & more sense to him...&, soon, he finally discarded all thoughts of romance. "You're right, Blanca," Henry gently told his daughter as he scooped her up into his arms for a big hug. "I-I mean, we-really don't need anyone else in our lives."
"Sì, Papa," Blanca replied sweetly. "All we really need to make us happy, is each other...& our material wealth."
Henry couldn't help but chuckle when he heard those last few words. "You're a chip off the old block, Blanca!" Henry chortled cheerfully, reaching out a paw to tousle his daughter's raven hair. "I think you'll grow up to be a worthy successor of the family business!"
For now, though, Henry & Blanca Mousini were perfectly content to primp, preen, & pose in front of their many mirrors, admiring their fantastic fashion sense & lovely looks. Indeed, the two scoundrels looked very much like a couple of swells...Hell's swells.
THE END