Chapter 1: Safety of friends
It was yet another day in Paris, the sun was shining and in the air there was a light breeze for the new spring day. The day couldn't get any better Clopin thought to himself as the last parent dragged their child away. After he packed his wagon up he headed for home. He didn't have to go far before he heard a familiar voice.
"I have the same right to be here as you do," a young female's voice sounded.
"Well under law you have no right to be stealing, nor do you have the right to yell at an officer."
"Ha! Well I'm quite certain that it is wrong for a man to wrongly accuse a woman." Already Clopin could tell this was going to get messy again as he rounded the corner.
"Hey Paul come here," the lieutenant cried as another officer made his way over. "It appears we have a little smart mouth here."
"What do you suggest we do with her Clay?" Paul asked the lieutenant.
"Well, I say we hang her in the court for all to see and" Clopin would hear no more of it as he stepped in behind the girl and grabbed both of her arms.
"I am so sorry she has been having a very hard day today, and she is not in her best mood." as Clopin tried to pull the reluctant girl away.
"You cannot take her away for she has to be punished and you too will be punished for trying to get her out of this mess." The man named Clay replied sternly.
"And what may I ask is her crime?" Clopin asked him letting go of the girl and going in between him and the girl.
"Arguing with an officer." Clay said just as the girl smirked.
Clopin turned towards the girl and stared deep into her light brown eyes.
"What? You know it's not my fault that he has to be so crabby." The girl remarked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well officer I assure you it won't happen again." Clopin said as he turned to face the officers again.
"It better not" the officer said pointing his finger, "or else next time I'll hang her myself."
Clopin stood his ground until the officers were out of sight before turning towards the girl again.
"Well, what are you going to say to me this time?" The girl said as she crossed her arms. "You do know that it is not my fault that they show up every time having something to accuse me of."
"Yes, but you know better than to argue with them." What was he saying; he knows she always has a tendency of getting into trouble. It's as his father always said, 'It's in her blood'. Clopin looked at her a little longer and knew she had nothing else to say. With a sigh he started walking in the opposite direction of the soldiers.
"You coming?" He asked when he realized she wasn't following. The girl was almost reluctant to follow but followed anyhow. They walked a little ways until they got to an older more wrecked looking building. Clopin went ahead and held the door open for her to enter. The girl hesitated but walked in and went to the farthest table in the bar. Clopin followed and sat down on the other side of the table as her. The girl was busy smoothing out her brightly designed dress to even notice Clopin's gaze. When she finally looked up Clopin saw in her light brown eyes a sad but raged look that almost seemed to pierce everything in its path.
"What?" The girl asked taking her slender hand and pushing her mid length wavy black hair out of her face.
"Nothing." Clopin said as he broke his gaze and looked towards the bar just as the waitress came towards them.
"What do you two dears want?" The waitress asked.
"An ale and what would you like Clariece?" Clopin asked turning towards the girl.
"Nothing." Clariece said.
"What." Clopin said in astonishment, then turning to the waitress, "better make it two ales if you would Beverly." With that the waitress walked back to the bar.
"Well," Clopin said with a long gaze at Clariece, "this is new. Ol' Clariece not wanting anything to drink after dealing with a couple of guards. Now that's really new."
The girl stared at him cold and hard until she knew Clopin felt uncomfortable. "Can't a girl not feel like drinking to another horrid day?" She asked raising an eyebrow.
"Well, here you two go," the waitress said as she placed down the two drinks, "enjoy, and just give a holler if you two need anything else." With that the waitress turned and walked to a table five down.
"Well then, if you're not going to drink," Clopin paused as he took a sip, "then you better tell me what happened." Clopin said as he placed his drink down on the table and folded his hands.
"I don't feel like talking about it," Clariece said as she picked up a mug and drank from it.
"That's what I thought." Clopin said picking up his drink and staring at her with a smirk on his face as she took a drink.
"I also thought you said you weren't going to drink."
Clariece stopped drinking and set her drink down on the tabletop. "Well maybe I've changed my mind." She said as she stared deep into her surroundings and watched as the waitress made her way to the colorfully decorated bar with an empty mug.
"Well," Clopin said staring at her from on the top of his drink, "you would always talk about these things to my father."
"Well your father always made me tell what happened out there." Clariece remarked.
"True," Clopin said, "he could always get us to tell of everything we did, good or bad." He said looking down at his drink.
Clariece looked at Clopin and leaned on the table. "Yeah, he could couldn't he?" She said leaning forward a little more. "You know he will come back, he said so."
"Yeah I know, but sometimes I wonder if he just says that to make us all feel better." Clopin said still looking at his drink.
"Now what is that supposed to mean?" Clariece asked him resting her chin on her folded hands.
"You know what I mean." Clopin said staring at Clariece.
"Truthfully, no I don't." Clariece asked with curious eyes.
"Well than never mind," Clopin said looking away, "just don't get your hopes that he'll be coming back. It would be like getting your hoped up over your brother returning" Clopin said staring from Clariece back to his drink before taking the last sip and standing up from the table.
"You ready to go;" he asked Clariece who seemed to be staring off into the distance.
"Yeah, we better or else you know who will be worried." Clariece said with a smirk.
"HA!" Clopin smirked looking at her, "I don't even want to think about that." "But, no worries, she won't be worried, yet." He said with a smile. They both walked out of the bar and headed down the road in silence. Clopin looked over at Clariece but couldn't find any words to say, until.
"So," he said looking up at her, "you going to the festival tomorrow?" Clariece stopped and looked at him in disbelief.
"What!" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, you know," Clopin said starting to regret starting the conversation, "there could be a chance that you will not go the festival this year."
"Well," Clariece said to him in a mimicking tone with her hands on her hips, "in case you forgot I've been going to the festival for as long as I can remember and I will keep going until I can go no longer. Why did you even bother bringing that up?" She asked going to a questioning look.
"I hate it when you're silent, it can really scare someone." Clopin said continuing to walk on.
Clariece shook her head and continued walking until she caught back up with Clopin.
"You know I was only silent for only a minute or so." Clariece said after she caught up with Clopin.
"Well, it was ..." Clopin said as he trailed off looking at Clariece's stern face.
"What are you trying to say?" She asked stopping to watch Clopin closely with crossed arms.
"Nothing," Clopin said walking towards her, "just sometimes I think you should be a storyteller instead of singing and dancing on the streets."
"So in other words," Clariece said raising her eyebrows, "I talk too much."
"Pretty much," Clopin said raising his eyebrows in an innocent way.
"You're a jerk." Clariece said as she gave Clopin a little friendly shove, and started walking away.
"Hmmm, But you still talk to me?" Clopin said to her when he got near. "I guess I'm not that big of a jerk then." He said with a little laugh.
"More than you can imagine," Clariece replied turning to face him with a smirk on her face.
They both continued walking on until they got out on the outskirts of the city heading towards the graveyard.
"Is there anyone following?" Clopin asked Clariece as they passed the gates.
Clariece stopped and looked around, seeing only the fisherman out with his back to them and some kids running deeper into the city.
"No, but you better hurry." She replied turning back and heading up to a large, old tomb just as Clopin opened it. Clariece walked in first as she past Clopin looking around to see if anyone would come by and spot them, and he got in himself and both of them pulled the top back onto the tomb. They then started descending down the flight of stairs in the tomb with the only light coming in through the sides of the tomb. They continued on down farther into the tomb until they reached level ground. They walked a little ways until they started walking in water and torches started lighting all around them. A man no taller than Clariece walked up, his hair was held back from his face with a bandanna, he was looking rather annoyed as he approached, which never seemed to surprise Clariece seeing he always was annoyed.
"Hello Pierre," Clopin replied as the man walked closer until he finally came to a stop.
"You two know there is no need to be silent with your entrance, you could say who you are so we don't have to keep doing' this." Pierre said crossing his arms and tapping one foot slightly on the ground.
"Well you..." Clopin started saying before his words were cut short by a clever tone.
"Now Pierre," Clariece started tilting her head to the side allowing her long, delicately wavy black hair to go over her shoulder, "you know we do just for the fun of annoying you."
"Yes I am quite aware of that, but..." Pierre said gazing at Clariece.
"But, but, but," Clariece said in a mimicking tone flipping her hair back, "if you keep up with all of your buts' you will cause Clopin here to be late, and you know how Chantel is when Clopin does not show up on time." Clariece said giving Pierre a stare before walking past him and continuing on down the corridor.
"Come on Clopin." She said as she walked on.
Clopin walked after Clariece and shrugged his shoulders at Pierre as he walked by him.
"That man is going to kill you as you sleep one of these days if you keep that attitude up with him." Clopin replied after he caught up with Clariece.
"Let him try," Clariece replied with a grin on her face.
Up ahead there was a little stream of light starting to show as they got closer. Clopin walked ahead of Clariece and slowed down to pull over a curtain and gestured Clariece to move through. There was a lot of movement in the room as people kept running here and there getting things ready for the festival, the ceiling as always had beautiful, colorful banners draped all over, and all over on the floor there are many covered wagons and colorful tents were scattered all about. Clopin stopped right next to Clariece and looked around before descending on down the steps Clariece watched him descend on down the stairs as his pace quickened before she descended on down after him.