I don't own Baccano, Ryogo Narita does. A lot of these character are from the novels but they are all really good. Phil is a water homunculus who had 5 different bodies. She was made by Slizards decedent and stayed in a small European village that was hidden from the word for a long time. Felt is a homunculus that took over one of her bodies.
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Sylvie wasn't entirely sure why she had agreed to allow Phil to live with her, perhaps she was lonely or maybe she was felt sympathy for her without Elmer. It had been a little awkward at first but they had started to get along. If she was being honest, she had to admit that it was nice to live with someone again.
One day, in the middle of September, Elmer decided to pay them a visit. "What are you doing here?" she said as she answered the door. "I just wanted to visit." he said as he pushed past her. She followed him into her kitchen, where he was riffling though her fridge. "Elmer." She growled at him. "Oh yeah!" he exclaimed, turning back her holding some lunch meat, his smile bigger than ever. "I had an awesome idea! Let's have a Christmas party and invite all our friends. I also want to meet the new immortals."
Sylvie leaned against the counter to think about this for a moment. "I don't know, it might be a good idea to meet them, but it has to be on our terms. I don't think I want to be a party with Victor or Huey." Elmer frowned in thought and said, "I don't thing that Victor will come and Huey's hard to reach. Actually there is another reason I want to do this."
Sylvie looked at him suspiciously, waiting for his answer. "I thought it would be a good idea for Czeslaw and Phil to get to know each other a little better." She couldn't help but laugh a little. "Seriously? This is your grand plan? I thought you had something a little better planned then this." His grin was back. "I think it would be good for both of them."
She wanted to tell him to go away but instead ended up coming up with a plan for a party. She knew that he was really into Christmas but she didn't know how much until them. It ended up taking them a couple of months to get everything together. He funded everything but wouldn't tell her how he got the money.
Since coming back from Japan, Czeslaw had been a bit on edge. He had no desire to leave Firo's apartment. After a while the days started blending together. He would have been perfectly to stay inside but Firo had been pestering him lately. That was the reason that he was having lunch at the Alveare with him and Ennis.
"Everyone," Maizia's voice rang out. "I have to tell everyone something. I received a letter from an old friend." He held up a couple of folded pieces of paper. He unfolded them and shuffled them so the last one was on top and read out loud.
'To my dear friends and hopefully my soon to be friends, I would be honored to meet with you all. I'm throwing a little Christmas party this year and I want you all to come! Make sure you where some special Christmas clothes and I hope to see each of smiling faces there.'
It wasn't until Mazia was finished talking that Czeslaw realized he was holding onto Firo. Firo looked looked down at him as he let go, a blush coloring his cheeks. He turned away, he didn't want to look into Firo's eyes. It wasn't like he thought that Firo was going to judge him, it was just that his eyes were filled with sympathy.
"So Czes-" Firo started to talk to him but he had already walked away. He just needed to get away. He didn't want to go to a party with the other immortals. Deep down he knew that he would be safe with them but something in him felt like he wouldn't ever feel truly relaxed again.
Czeslaw wasn't entirely sure where he was going, he just needed to go. The chilly night air felt good against his hot cheeks. Eventually he found his way home. When he opened the door he saw that Firo and Ennis were sitting on the couch, discussing something.
"-a great idea, Ennis." said Firo, When they noticed Czeslaw Ennis turned to him and asked, "Are you OK Czeslaw?" A look of concern shading her features. "I'm fine," he said, walking past them to his room. "Oh yeah!" said Firo before he could get past them. "Ennis was just saying that we need to buy new Christmas clothes. This is going to be really fun."
Czes went into his room and got on the computer. Firo and Ennis went to the living room to discuss plans for tomorrow. "You work tomorrow, don't you?" she asked. He nodded his head and replied, "Yeah but not until the afternoon. We could go shopping in the morning and plan to spend a few days to complete all the shopping we need." "You're right." she said simply. "One more thing. I think Czes needs to come with us." he said. "Firo," she said, looking a little uncertainly "we can't force him."
That night not much sleeping was done in the Prochainezo household. For Firo and Ennis, it was because they stayed up all night talking about their plans. Czeslaw hadn't gotten much sleep anyway over the past year anyway.
The next morning a groggy Ennis was making breakfast. Meanwhile Firo was dozing at the table. Czeslaw, who was always late for breakfast, came into the kitchen with a disappointed look on his face. Lately he had become more and more irritable. This may have something to do with his lack of sleep.
Sitting down at the table, he slammed down his hands, making Ennis nearly throw the eggs out of the pan and Firo fell out of his chair. "Have you guys even considered someone terrible might be there, like Huey or the trailracer or..." He knew he was close to crying but they were being so stupid. Firo smiled in an irritating way. "Don't worry Czes, everything'll be alright."
After about an hour of being pestered, Czeslaw finally, grudgingly, agreed to come with them. The mall was crowded, Christmas sales and all. As they passed, a tall woman in an elf costume, bent down to speak to Czeslaw, "Would you like to tell Santa what you want for Christmas this year, young man?" Before Czeslaw had a chance to reply to the almost ironically dressed woman Firo intervened. "Maybe later." He quickly steered his family away.
Firo and Ennis were having all the fun in the world, picking out dresses for her to try on. It was then that Czeslaw realized how much he envied them, something that made him angry. Without saying a word he walked out of the store. At that time Ennis was trying on an elegant gold dress. "I'll be back" Firo said, taking off to talk with Czeslaw.
He was having a hard time finding him through all the people. However, he was known for having a keen eye. Czeslaw was heading for the exit and was nearly there by the time Firo caught up to him. "What's the matter?" he asked.
Czeslaw didn't say anything. He was embarrassed by the way he felt. Everyone around him was happy but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't be happy. It wasn't like Firo would hate him for this but he would never understand. "I'm going home. he stated. "Um, OK Czes," Firo replied scratching his chin, "Did we do something to hurt your feelings?" he asked, only to receive a dirty look.
The next week passed relatively quietly. Firo and Ennis had finished their shopping. Firo now owned a new black suit with a bright green, silk tie. Ennis had picked out a multi-layered bright green, strapless dress. For Czeslaw, they bought a suit with a red vest. Czeslaw refused to leave his room except for what absolutely needed, much to Firo's dismay.
Firo knocked on the door for the fifth time that day. "Czes, try on those clothes, the party's tomorrow." He waited for a reply but none came. Sighing, he walked away.
Czeslaw sat on his bed with his eyes closed. At least he was respectful enough not to some in without his permission. He finally understood why Firo cared about him, kinda, and that was why he didn't want to see him. Instead of getting on the computer or reading a book, like he normally would, Czeslaw curled up on the bed and closed his eyes. That one meeting last year undid all the good things he had started to feel since living with Firo. He was angry at himself for who he had become.
The next Firo had called the cab and they were waiting. When the taxi pulled up, Firo opened the door for his wife. "Hey!" called Czeslaw, running up to them in his new suit. Firo's face lit up. Czeslaw sat between them on the short ride to the hotel.
"Czeslaw! I'm so happy you came, and you even brought Firo and Ennis with you." The three of them turned around to see Elmer dressed like Santa. "It's nice to meet you." said Firo, holding out his hand. Elmer gripped it tightly, "Same here. Well this way," said Elmer, leading the way. He was not at all put off by their looks.
When they were inside the ball room Elmer took off. Most of their friends were there. Isaac and Miria were in the middle of the room telling one of their great adventures. Firo and Ennis went to join them. Czeslaw on the other hand began looking for a place where he could see everyone.
He had chosen the far end of the ballroom. From there he could see both the exits and all the people and food. It seemed like the perfect vantage point. He knew almost everyone that was there, some only by reputation, but only trusted a few.
Out of the corner of his eye he noticed one of the Phils walking towards him. "Hello Czeslaw." she greeted him. "Hello" he replied. For the party she was wearing a pink lacy dress. The bow around her waist was white. It made her look sort of like a doll.
The silence made Phil a little uncomfortable, but she stayed. After all, Master Elmer had told her to. He just seemed to be staring at her. It seemed that once he had realized that he quickly looked at his feet. "Where are the other ... yous" he asked, breaking the silence. She looked around to pinpoint herself and pointed. Her other selves was in the middle of talking to Felt and she thought it would be rude to interrupt that to turn away.
Scrunching his face, he asked, "Where are the 2 others?" It was her turn to look at her feet. "They, um, my other bodies were not able to sustain life." "Oh, I'm sorry." he said. She realized that this was an uncomfortable subject but couldn't think of anything to turn to. "It's OK, I'm still here as long as I have one body I'm alive."
Czeslaw didn't want to come in the first place and now that Phil was here it was hard to pay attention to all the other guests. It wasn't like she was annoying or trying to get his attention but she was still distracting him. She wasn't even doing anything. "Do you want to dance?" she asked, catching him off guard. As much as he wanted to ignore the hopeful look on her face, something inside him made him say yes.
When he led her to the dance floor he heard the annoying sound of a digital camera. He tried to best to ignore them but that was impossible.
After several hours the party was over. It was with reluctance that Firo gathered his family and once again called a cab. As he was leaving, Phil came after him and handed him a piece of folded paper. Before he had a chance to ask what it was she was already running away. "Come on." called Firo, who once again was holding the door open for him.