… "He loves me!…he loves me not. He loves me!…he loves me not. He loves me!-not!?"
Reneé raised an eyebrow, annoyed with the redheaded girl's constant chanting which went through the entire morning. She eyed the Sunflower, which had only one petal that wasn't plucked off by the girl, who had, at her feet, a pool of yellow petals - which were obviously plucked from the notsofloweranymore in her hand. "Aramina, you do know that that is in fact, a very stupid way of determining if your C.O.T.W likes you back or not, right?"
Aramina childishly just blew a raspberry at her and picked up yet another flower from a nearby vase. "He loves me, he loves me not! He loves me! He loves me not!" She chanted loudly, earning a frustrated grown from the girl behind her.
"Well, at least I'm actually doing the chores assigned to us!" The latter retorted, picking up a broom and sweeping the petals off to one side in a neat pile. She picked up her previously abandoned rag and continued to scrub the windows. Sputtering under her breath as she dropped it from a rather high distance into the bucket of soapy water, resulting in a squishy splash. She heard Aramima snicker behind her back.
"Say, where's Viveca?" The redhead piped up. The fashionista was also assigned to the chores, and she got the easiest; polishing the silver wear. And she loved to see her reflection in the shiny metal as well. "She wouldn't be slacking off, now would she?"
"That," Reneé stated. "Is an excellent question. I'd suspect that she be fashionably late, or held back by Treville and come in, in a grumbling fit in about three, two…" She had no time to say the last number because of an excited scream that quite literally made the glasses in the kitchen rattle ever so slightly.
Just two seconds later, the late fashionista came in hoping from one leg to the other as if she were standing on fire. "I'msohappy!CanyoubeliveitIcantbeliveit!" She was speaking so fast, the words that left her mouth sounded nothing more than gibberish.
"Viveca, calm down, girl! You're starting to sound like that koot McGucket!"
Viveca rolled her eyes and fluffed her hair. "Well at least I don't look like that hillbilly that lives in the dump." She shuddering in disgust for a brief moment. "Well, I'll tell you what I was screaming about; We're going to Appolonia! That gorgeous tropical kingdom will do wonders for my skin, and hair! And as a bonus," AKA:Major reason. "Were going to the engagement Ball of Princess Rosella and Prince Antonio! Which means new dresses!" She squealed in excitement.
"Oh dear."
"So you're saying that… we're going to some country that sounds strangely like Apple-Onion, because you've been invited to said country's Prince's engagement ball and it'll take just about...how long, to get there?"
"About a week." Louis bluntly replied, writing down the letter he had been writing when she entered his office, seeming unfazed when the blond's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. The quill in his hand glided along the paper smoothly in cursive writing as the girl paced around talking about how claustrophobic it would be, she started to go rather melodramatic when he looked up from his paper, signing it off. "Really, Corinne? Its just a week; you're not going to die. Besides, the ship is rather spacey, I'm sure you can wait until we reach there. Have patience."
"Patience is one of the major things I lack in." Corinne grumbled, sitting down on a chair.
"Well, that means you're going to have to work on that, then." Louis said with a bemused expression.
"Blasphemy."
"Oh-oh! Do you think that there will be any cute guards escorting us when we're there?" Aramima squealed, stuffing her clothes, novels, fans and such into her trunk, chatting off with an equally excited Viveca. But who could blame them? It was the first time that they were going to another country.
"They have the mouth of a herd of horse." Renée tsked, packing her music sheets, violin and extra strings.
Corinne nodded, munching on an apple.
"How do they not get tired? They've been taking for hours!"
"That," The blond swallowed. "Is an excellent question."
Aramima rolled her green eyes, closing her trunk. "Come on, you guys. We're going to another kingdom! Just imagine the fauna, the flora!-"
"And the Merrywheather?" Corinne said sarcastically.
"I'm not talking about Sleeping Beauty." The redhead retorted. "But seriously, the wildlife in the forests, the peacocks, the parrots, the blue sphinx macaws!" She sighed dreamily, probably slipping into a daydream. "I can't wait to sketch them all!"
"Aramima," Renée cut in. "We're not leaving until next week for Cipher's Sake!"
The girl slumped her shoulders as she idly folded her handkerchief into a small little square nestled in her nimble fingers. "I know." She sighed.
"Okay. Fine. I admit it." Corinne admitted in defeat, hands on the railing of the ship. "It's not that bad." She muttered under her breath, crossing her slender arms and averting her gaze.
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear that." Louis teasingly replied. Truth tea be spilt, he did hear her comment, but decided that getting on her nerves by playing dumb would be both entertaining and amusing.
"I said, " The blond repeated, a little louder. The rest she mumbled hastily.
"What?"
"Can't." She said, frowning.
"Say it."
"Won't."
"Say it."
She glared at him. For Cipher's sake, why was it so utterly important for him that she say that the view from the ship wasn't half bad? "The...view..isn't ...h-half bad."
"There you go."
Corinne muttered a 'hmph' in embarrassment, if anything, she absolutely despised it when she had to admit defeat. She was a stubborn woman they say. And they say no lie for it be true. Even at age nineteen she was stubborn as a five year old child.
She didn't even look when the dull thud of Treville's boots hitting the wooden floorboards started to become louder, indicating that he was walking in their direction. She may not have been looking, but she sure was listening. She had the urge to roll her eyes when it was just the ridiculously long checklist his highness had insisted creating 'Just in case.'
She didn't turn her attention from the small ripples of the water even when the dull thud's faded away. She refrained from chuckling when the extra long scroll of paper hit the floor and rolled for a few more feet.
"Well," She heard Louis sheepishly mutter beside her. "Seems I may have overdone it with the checklist thing."
'As usual.' She scoffed. Hearing the paper being rolled up took her attention away. Yes, a small measly action such as rolling parchment up. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow as if asking 'What on earth?' To which he shrugged and leaned his elbows on the railing.
The blond waved her hand in front of his face, which she got an amused reaction from. "What?" He asked, looking down at the shorter girl.
"Your like," She stopped for a moment. "The Nerd-King! And you didn't even check the checklist? Who are you and what did you do with Louis you doppelganger?" She asked, deadpanning. Louis let out an airy chuckle.
"I already checked everything five minutes before Treville came and gave me this." He waved the paper roll in his hand. Corinne shook her head, saying something about how he must've given perfectly red ripe apples to his tutors and came in before they did. "Corinne, that's just ridiculous. Just because I'm organized doesn't mean I take part in a cliché like that."
"Touché"
Then came a few minutes of silence.
Corinne fiddled with her fingers, as if would make her less uncomfortable in the situation.
Her companion stared into the distance, one side of his thoughts battling the other as he chewed his lip idly. 'Pelicular thing, she is.' Louis blinked numerously in shock, nose scrunching. How in the name of Mackerel had She wandered to his thoughts. 'Resist all you want, Nerd. But don't blame your consciousness when she leaves you for another guy.'
He started to wonder if he was going delusional; why was he afraid of that?- N-Not that he was afraid or anything. She was a free spirit. He must be going down with a fever if he was thinking what he was thinking. Yes, it was just a fever, he wasn't really thinking them, right?
He shook his head as if he could shake the thoughts out, but it only resulted in his hair falling over his eyes. He really needed to get a haircut, James had refused to let him have his old hairstyle, insisting and persuading him to get a fringe, saying that it suited him better. Musketeer or not, the man was as much of a fashion freak as Viveca.
Having realized that he finally got rid of his, dare he say it, more-than-a-friend thoughts out of his head, he looked to where the subject of those thoughts were. Keyword being were. She wasn't there anymore. She must've gone off in boredom.
With a sigh, the man looked at his hands, one of which was clasped around the rolled paper, which was just ever so slightly damp. Sweaty palms, one of the things he hated about his downright nervousness. He straightened up and ran his other hand through his chocolate colored hair. Wondering what was going on with him. If he were to explain it, it'd be saying that it felt like a gigantic warm fuzzy teddy bear was hugging him.
Letting out a humorless chuckle, he retreated to his office inside the ship.
Dinner was awfully quiet, even Treville looked flabbergasted when the normally talkative girls sat in-for the most part- silence.
Aramima glanced around curiously. Viveca was seated in front of her and looked up, mirroring her expression. Quickly getting the message, the fashionista started to go into an excited chatter, giving Renée the message through her expression.
Renée passed the message to James and the other two men. Soon, dinner was much livelier than it was a few minutes ago, there was just two more people that needed to join the chatter.
The Captain of the guards looked at Aramima in astonishment, and the redhead nodded her head towards the two that had remained quiet throughout the lively dinner. The aged man raised an eyebrow.
The carrot-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Just think! All the flora and the birds! I even heard that the rare blue sphinx macaw resides in Appolonia. They say that those birds are quite intelligent when it comes to safety."
Percy nodded his head, freckles making themselves more noticeable as his smile widened. "Yes indeed! I would love to meet one. On another note, I personally can't wait to meet the lovebirds, its so romantic!"
James and Renée rolled their eyes, though the latter remained silent. "Honestly Percy, since you're so into weddings, why don't you quit being a musketeer and take up a job as a bishop?"
"If you're nice enough 'till then, maybe he won't mind having to wed you and Viveca." Tyrone spoke up with a roll of his eyes.
The fashonista's eyes widened. "What the- Tyrone, as far as I'm concerned, we, " She motioned to the other fashion freak. "Are not an item!"
"That's what they all say."
Percy blinked a couple of times, eyebrows lowering. "James, when I said lovebirds I was referring to the actual birds." He stated.
Aramima giggled. Then exchanged bemused glances with the other two girls.
"You know, I've been wondering what the security rates are in Appolonia, wouldn't you agree, Corinne?" Renée asked, forcing herself not to smirk.
"Indeed." She nodded her head. The girls frowned. "What?" She asked. They replied with a simple 'nothing.'
