Chapter Two- A Pound or Two

The triad had captured their bounty speedily and effectively, and with a stroke of luck even, as their target happened to pass them out of sheer coincidence. Now at a Sweeper's bar, Train was ordering meals in his usual dramatic way and Sven was constantly restraining him. Quietly he allowed himself another cigarette and began to mumble a tale of woe half to himself and half to Eve, leaving the gluttonous Train out of the picture entirely.

"What we've got to concentrate on is getting the remaining thousands of our car paid for, the debts from last year and worst of all a place to sleep tonight…"

Eve's eyebrows raised and she tugged at her guardian's sleeve. "Huh?" Sven said drowsily, "what is it, Eve?"

"Tearju lives in this town," she said softly. "Remember she said that we could visit her at anytime?"

"I never remember things like that," Sven moaned.

"You never remember anything, full stop," Train teased with cheeks fat with food.

"Shut up!" Sven barked, "unlike some people I have to worry about more than an empty stomach!"

Train swallowed and his expression remained apathetic. "You mean like whether or not Eve's been texting to Leon?"

Sven paused, then turned to his ward who was completely absorbed in her conversation over the phone. "Have you?" he inquired softly.

"Not recently," she admitted.

Sven shrugged off the cattish grins Train was showing him. "Anyway, Eve, you were mentioning something about Tearju?"

"Someone's got a love interest," Train said in a sing-song voice across the table.

"Shut up over there!"

"Tearju lives here," Eve repeated patiently. "She had mentioned before that we were always welcome in her home. To cut down on living expenses, we could ask her if we could spend the night at her house."

"That's a good idea," Sven agreed.

"Yeah, you'd agree to anything that lil' Princess says."

"That's because she's more mature than some."

Train frowned at him. "What did you say about me?"

"I didn't mention your name once."

And Eve continued to text.

Tearju welcomed them warmly, and Sven and Train warily glanced over her shoulder towards the kitchen. "Erm, Tearju," Heartnet mumbled pointing. She looked over her shoulder and dashed into the kitchen. Inviting themselves in, Sven smirked lightly making his way towards the kitchen. "Same as always," he muttered. "I'm going to help her out with supper, alright? You two play nice."

"Don't share any icing n the kitchen, Sven," Train called.

Blushing, Sven grumbled, "I don't even want to know what he meant by that."

Train grinned after the older sweeper, hands in pockets. Eve let herself fall onto the couch and her eyes remained on the screen. Train's shadow hovered over her. "You'll get a headache if you stare at the screen too long, Princess."

Now that he mentioned it she noticed that her head did feel a bit light, but she didn't want to admit that, least of all to her rival.

"Stop spouting nonsense, Train," she said softly, her brow twitching.

Train sighed, turning away from her. "Why is it that no one believes a word I say?"

"Because," Eve began, "despite your keen perception, you tend to be very absent minded and distracted, and take almost everything for granted."

He beamed at her compliment, but felt three insults stab his back almost simultaneously. "You've really got a way with words, Princess."

"L.M.F.A.O.," she said tonelessly.

Rubbing his head with a sigh, he walked off.

He reappeared after supper was on the table. Tearju looked slightly embarrassed, but Sven was beaming with pride. Once Train reached a hand out to the baked veal at the centre of the dining table, Sven whacked his knuckles with a wooden spoon.

"Yee-ouch!" Train yelped, holding his hand tenderly. "What was that for, Sven?"

"We don't eat until everyone is seated!" he hissed, a furious tiger rising in the background behind him. "Where's Eve?"

"How should I know?"

"I left her with you!"

"Alright!" Train stood up, huffed and walked off, hands in pockets. "I'll go look for her."

Tearju fumbled with her sleeves for a moment before speaking up, "I'm sorry you had to cook again, Sven. I'm really…"

"Don't worry about it," Sven smiled. "I like cooking, and all you have to remember is the stuff I told you. You pretty much know the basics already."

She nodded then seated herself, looking at the doorway where Train had disappeared. "Pardon me asking, but what's the relationship between Train and Eve?"

Sven didn't respond immediately, but looked at Tearju with a shadowed solemn face. "Why, did you notice something?"

"No, nothing at all," she stuttered nervously, and then continued on a more serious note, "I was just curious. Eve should be about fourteen now, shouldn't her hormones be kicking in?"

Sven thought for a moment, "The only teenage activity I've seen her take part in is excessive texting. Literally, she's on it all day. I'm skeptical whether she takes it into the shower with her."

Tearju chuckled slightly at this and Sven smiled in return, seating himself. "But I don't really know what she talks about. I'm aware that she's in constant contact with sweepers that we've met in the past and Rinslet and Kyoko, but her expression gives nothing away so you would have to ask her directly."

"Ask Train," Tearju said, closing her eyes and smiling to herself knowingly.

Sven frowned at her. "Train? Why Train? The most he'd notice is that she cut her hair, and that was last year!"

Again Tearju chuckled. "Just ask him," she insisted, and Sven shrugged. "Oh, and Sven?" she asked childishly.

"Hmm?"

"Were you serious about the 'everyone eating together'? To be honest, I'm ravenous."

"So am I—it's just that Train could eat for all of us a thousand times over. Let's eat!"

"Ikadesimasu!"

Train patrolled the hallways stubbornly. "Yeash, this place is a mansion," he paused, "I mean, besides the obvious fact it is a mansion. You could look for Eve for days and not find her. Princess!"

"What do you want, Train?" an irritated voice growled to his right. Eve was leaning over the sink with fingers streaming through damp hair and the other hand holding something small. Her eyes looked shadowed and her entire attitude irritable, and Train hesitated telling her why he was looking for her before she frowned at him.

"Sven finished cooking dinner. He sent me to look for you."

"Oh," she said softly, looking down into the sink. "I'm not hungry. I'm going straight to bed."

Train walked up to the bathroom's doorway and said in a serious tone, "Don't starve yourself, Princess, there's enough for everyone."

"I'm not starving myself, I'm full," she snapped. "Go away, you're annoying me."

Train grinned all of the sudden, tucking one hand into his pocket as he leaned against the white door frame. "Ah? You've got a headache, haven't you?" he teased.

"No I haven't!"

"Then why are you holding pain killers in your hand?"

She reluctantly opened her palm to reveal two small white tablets. Train smiled as she pushed past him. "Go eat your dinner, already."

She paused and turned quickly, glaring at Train's back. He blindly waved to her with his backhand. "See you in the morning, Princess."

Eve didn't respond. She could have sworn she felt fingers brush against the back of her neck…

You know how everyone tends to say some witty comment and then ask people to review? Or sometimes they tell a story about what happened to the person who didn't review? Or sometimes they just say a little something about what they were thinking when they wrote a particular chapter before politely demanding for a review?

Well I am none of the above. You know what I'm going to say, whether it be a death threat or blackmail or just scare you into reviewing, but I won't. I won't because I have already brought across the point that I want you to review.

P.S.- If you read this note, that means you're looking for me to say 'please review'. Well you're an idiot, because I'm not going to say that! Ha!

I'm sorry, I'm sorry… don't take offense…T.T.