Chapter II
She stood by the stove, stirring absentmindedly, deep in thought as the gumbo bubbled and boiled in front of her. A broad frown crowded her pretty features and she chewed on her lower lip, completely unaware at anything else going on around her. The spicy scent curled up in longing toward her, begging to be sniffed and approved for the bowl. Subconsciously, she was considering Facilier's deal, to make her his 'queen'. It went against everything she believed in and if she ever said what she was thinking out loud, even to herself, she knew she'd have slapped it all out of her, reminding herself of how lucky she was to have a husband like Naveen. Sure, he was clumsy and thoughtless, but deep inside was a heart so big and pure that it came close to rivaling her daddy's. She thought about his handsome face, his strong arms and the odd things he used to do to make her smile. But as she thought (subconsciously, of course) about all of Naveen's attributes, she couldn't help but spot his faults as well. He was extremely dim witted and usually only thought for himself. Yes, he had wooed her in the beginning; mincing her dinner (that still made her giggle), putting her dreams before his own feelings, but now that they were together, now that they were married, he never brought her flowers, never told her he loved her. She knew he loved her, though, but the problem was that he thought that would be enough. And that was all she wanted from him.
And while she was pondering Naveen's faults, her mind stumbled onto the subject of Facilier. Naturally he was frightening, he was evil after all, but there was a sly sexiness about him that sent miniscule electric zaps up and down her spine. And if all he said about working hard was true, she could identify with him on some level, and see some remnants of a human being inside that seemingly soulless cocoon of a body. Maybe she could even break through his hard exterior to reach the soft and sweet person at the bottom of his façade of evil. When he told her about working as a waiter in a dining car on a train that connected New Orleans to Boston, being looked down of and ridiculed for his background, she felt close to him in a way she knew she could never feel with Naveen. She could get past his religion and seemingly evil beliefs, if he believed in the Voodoo then who was she to say otherwise?, but she recoiled at the hate and anger blatantly displayed behind his eyes. If she could ever even consider leaving Naveen for the Shadowman (such an awful thought), she knew she'd have to break the cold ice encasing his heart if she were ever to even consider being something of a friend toward him.
At that moment, with the gumbo and her mind brewing, slowly getting heated, that Naveen strolled into the wide-open kitchen space, strumming his mini guitar†.
"Hello, my darling!" His joyous voice broke the strain of her concentration and she glared up at him, her hair, frizzy from all the steam hung in her eyes. With her locks were glued to her cheeks with static and her hands placed roughly on her hips, lower lip red and raw, jutted out, she was quite the sight. Unable to contain himself, he burst into a fit of outrageous laughter, cradling his sides, wheezing.
Angry beyond all belief, she pulled the wooden spoon from the steaming pot and shook it in his face; words escaped her. Quickly, his smile disintegrated and he went slack-jawed, appalled that his normally docile wife would ruin his new cotton shirt with red sauce of all things. "Don't. You. Laugh," was all that came out of her mouth and, tightening her apron, she swiftly turned back to her dinner. Silently, Naveen snuck out of the room and returned a few minutes later, this time clothed in a black ensemble, so as not to run the risk of ruining another white outfit.
"You aren't mad with me, are you Tiana?" The soft defenseless tone in his voice weighed her down, he seemed so like a child. Dragging her hand across her face, in exasperation, she sighed.
"No, Naveen." Heaving the heavy pot off of the stove and blowing out the flames, she untied her apron and collapsed into a chair. "It's just that sometimes you need to think about your actions before you do them. That's all."
In an act of impulse, completely disregarding Tiana's last sentence, Naveen scooped his wife up from her seat, into his arms, carrying her bridal style up to the bedroom, kissing her forehead, eyes, lips and cheeks all the way.
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The scrying glass reflected a bubble bath containing two people, giggling and splashing, kissing and talking. A snarl formed on Facilier's lips as he watched Tiana, clothed in tiny bubbles, lean against her husband's, kissing his thick neck. Jealousy coursed through each and every of his veins and he strummed his fingers across the image, leaving discord and rippled in his wake, Tiana and Naveen meshing together in glorious and sickening browns and reds, the translucent bubbles giving the whole scene a look of clean finish.
Shadow looked toward his master, rubbing his hands together maniacally, a snaggletooth grin on his face that seemed just the opposite of Facilier's hate-filled grimace. He knew what Facilier was like when he got jealous and, although it might not be a fun two or three months, it would sure be interesting. "That little girl will come to me, mark my words," said the Doctor, the frightening words reverberating off the walls of the emporium, suddenly slicing the cold silence. "And that lil froggy prince is gonna pay."
†I have no idea what Naveen's little guitar is called so….if someone wants to inform me, please do!