Here's another drabble! Maud needed to make an appearance, since I loved her in the movie and her relationship with Emile is frankly the cutest thing ever (besides Francoeur).
Also, little announcement to anyone reading who hasn't seen it yet. I have started an Official Fanfiction University for A Monster in Paris! I'm waiting to publish the next chapter until I get three applicants, but admissions don't end until the third chapter is published. If there is an amateurish style of writing fanfiction that irritates you, or you just want to have some fun, use the form in the first chapter and send me the description of your character, who should be a fanfiction writer with the traits you ant to see criticized. They will be given a place in the university! Though, I warn you, don't send me characters that you would mind me playing around with a little. It's written mainly for humor, so pain is an essential. And, if you don't know what an Official Fanfiction University is, there are two such institutions in my favorites. I especially recommend the Official Fanfiction University of Middleearth, as that was the first such fic and the original idea.
Ok, thanks, and enjoy!
Francoeur was alright with being on his own sometimes. He enjoyed companionship, but he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. And after about three months with him back to full size and his citizenship request being processed, his friends weren't quite as fearful as they had been at first about leaving him alone. Life had its way of rolling on, and people couldn't stay around him at every moment. So Francoeur encouraged Raoul to begin his bicycle delivery business in the mornings, before his usual work at the restaurant. Lucille had been a little more difficult to convince, but after a while she decided that she would go across town with Carlotta to visit her aunt's family. She'd made a list of everything important in the restaurant, which she'd left on the dressing room table, told Francoeur to make sure he ate the meat she's gotten him that was pre-prepared in the icebox, and let Raoul know if there was any kind of emergency. She'd gone through that list about five times when Carlotta's pulling and Francoeur's pushing finally got her into the rented car they were taking to visit Carlotta's relatives.
While he was glad that all his friends lives were picking themselves back up after the incident his creation had caused, Francoeur found that the restaurant was terribly quiet when there was nobody there. He started humming to himself and practicing the dance moves for a new song he and Lucille were going to premiere when she returned in two days. Then he read the newspaper that Raoul had brought back with him before setting out on deliveries. There was an interesting article about telephones and Francoeur read it with fascination. There was a knock on the door just as he reached the center of the article, however, and Francoeur looked up nervously.
He'd never answered the door before. And while it seemed like a simple, every day task, it was very intimidating to Francoeur. He had no idea about who might be on the other side, after all. During the time that he'd wandered the streets of Paris, before he and Lucille found each other, he'd once seen a Parisian knock on a door in the evening. The door had opened and the man was welcomed inside, out of the rain. Francoeur tried knocking on the same door, thinking that it might work the same way, only to be greeted by screaming again. He tried not to think about that time, as it was before he'd found the humans he'd come to think of as family, but he still didn't like the idea of a door opening for some unsuspecting person with him on the other side. Francoeur wasn't afraid of people, per say, he was afraid of frightening people.
But the person, whoever it was, knocked again. This time it was a little louder and Francoeur clicked nervously. It could be something important and there was nobody else here to open the door. Finally making up his mind, Francoeur wrapped the scarf around his face and went towards the door with a look of fearful determination.
He opened it just a crack and saw a tiny woman on the other side. He recognized her black hair and round glasses, knowing that this was Emile's Maud. They'd met a couple of times, when she came to the performances, but never alone, one on one. Francoeur couldn't help but notice that he made the little lady somewhat nervous, even after Emile explained everything to her.
But immediately he could see that there was something wrong. Maud's eyes were red and puffy and there was a wet handkerchief in her hand. Actually, her entire wardrobe was wet, as it was a rainy day outside and she didn't appear to have an umbrella. Francoeur opened the door a little wider and chirped, trying to sound friendly.
"H-hello," Maud stuttered, her lungs still heaving from her tears, "Messieur Francoeur?"
Francoeur trilled and pulled the door as far open as it would come, stepping aside to let the woman in. Maud hurried past him and turned back, looking up with distraught brown eyes.
"Have you seen Emile?" she said, her voice pleading, "I have to find him."
Francoeur shook his head, a worried look coming to his face. He reached out his right glove and laid it gently on Maud's shoulder, gesturing to a chair with the left. She was shaking and completely drenched from her apparently frantic search. Maud allowed herself to be led to the chair and sat down, looking like she was on the verge of tears again. Francoeur chirped, sounding concerned.
"No, Emile's alright as far as I know," she said, surprising Francoeur with a perfect answer like Emile always gave, "It's about something else."
Francoeur chirped again and held up a finger of his glove. Maud nodded and he hurried to the dressing room, finding a blanket and a dressing gown that Lucille had left behind. The poor thing couldn't just sit there in wet clothes. Hurrying back out, he found Maud crying again, her face in her hands. He chirped sadly and walked over to her, holding out the blanket and the dressing gown. She looked up and gave him a watery smile.
"You're very kind," she said.
He trilled and gestured that she follow him to the dressing room. Once there, he left her alone so she could change out of her wet things, standing outside the door nervously. The door opened again after a few moments and Maud looked up at him. He could still see some apprehension in her face as it tilted up, but she smiled all the same. He chirred a question and she answered.
"Sure, you can come in," she said, smiling a little wider, "It isn't my dressing room."
Francoeur smiled a little at the little joke and stepped inside. He sat down at the piano and gestured to the sofa. She did as he suggested and sat down, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders. When she was comfortable, Francoeur trilled another question.
"Nothing happened between Emile and I," she said, sounding a little bashful now, "I'm sorry if I worried you. I was a little frantic and not speaking clearly, I'm sure. There was... there was a robbery in my house."
Francoeur's eyes widened and he hummed in concern.
"I'm alright, thank you," she said, "But my house looks a lot barer than it used to. All my furniture is gone, as well as my jewelry. It must have happened sometime during the workday. I said goodbye to Emile and went home to find that! Anyway, the police are there now. I gave them a description of everything that had been stolen and Officer Páte said there was nothing more that I could do, so I went to look for Emile to tell him what had happened. It started raining and I didn't have an umbrella. I just got more and more flustered until I started crying. I'm sorry again if I worried you."
Francoeur hummed and shook his head, giving her a sympathetic look. He'd never cried, probably because his eyes were different from the humans. He didn't think he could cry, otherwise he would have when he was the "Monster of Paris." But he did know what it felt like to have one bad thing build up onto another until it just overpowered you. That had happened to him, and instead of crying he'd sung.
Francoeur chirped a little bit and stood, moving to sit beside Maud on the couch slowly as he still wasn't sure she was comfortable around him. She moved over to make room for him, though, and he sat down gently. He hummed and chirred comfortingly and she understood.
"I know," she said, smiling at him again, "The police will do their jobs, especially since I'm a friend of the best candidate for the new commissioner. I just got a little overwhelmed, that's all."
Francoeur hummed and smiled down at her, nodding his head. Maud looked up and smiled, a new light coming to her face.
"Are you here all alone?" she asked.
Francoeur nodded shyly.
"Well, I'm glad I came by then," she said, reaching out a tiny hand to pat one of his large gloves, "We can keep each other company."
Francoeur chirped happily and nodded, smiling. They sat on the sofa for a minute, then he got an idea and stood, walking over to the piano again. He trilled a happy question back at Maud over his shoulder and she nodded happily, folding her hands on her lap. Then he began to play.
He didn't know why, but his hands began playing the song he'd sung the first time he'd met Lucille, after she'd run from him like all the others did. It was sad and haunting, but it was his first song. He wanted to share it with Maud, as she was swiftly becoming another of his good friends. He smiled as he played the last sad line, musing on how strange it was that a monster had found so many loyal companions.
When the song was over, he heard clapping behind him and turned to see Maud with a sad but admiring look on her face.
"That was beautiful," she said, "You have such a talent. I've never played an instrument, but I've always loved how beautiful the piano sounds."
When Raoul returned to the restaurant, soaking wet but exhilarated that he'd made all on his deliveries, he heard piano music coming from the dressing room. His footsteps made slopping sounds as he drew closer, his soaked clothing clinging to him like wet paper. He realized it couldn't be Francoeur playing, though, because there were a multitude of wrong notes. He opened the door and found Maud wearing Lucille's robe and sitting on the piano bench, with Francoeur in a chair pulled up beside her. Her hair was wet but she looked rather happy and seemed to be trying to play the melody line from La Seine on the piano. Francoeur was watching the movements of her fingers, chirping encouragingly. He wasn't wearing a jacket and his scarf was sitting on the sofa behind him. He and Maud both looked up when Raoul entered and smiled, Francoeur chirping happily and Maud looking a little relieved.
"Raoul," Maud said happily, "I'm glad you're back. Do you know where Emile is?"
Raoul blinked and answered.
"I think he's still at the theater, last I saw him," he said, shaking a wet tendril of black hair out of his eyes, "He said he was going to wait out the storm. I told him he'd be there until tomorrow if that was his plan, but…"
"Oh, thank you!" Maud said, smiling, "I didn't even think to check there, I was so upset. The theater had been closed for hours already!"
She stood up and walked over to the folding wall that Lucille had set in the corner, going behind it. She kept talking as she did, obviously in a good mood.
"I have to go now," she said, the rustle of fabric audible below her voice, "Thank you so much for the piano lesson, Francoeur! I'll come back next week, like we planned."
Francoeur made a happy chirping sound and Raoul looked back and forth between him and the invisible Maud. She emerged a few minutes later in mildly damp clothing and smiled radiantly.
"Hey," Raoul said, now well and truly confused, "Can anyone tell me what exactly is going on here?"
"My house was robbed," Maud said cheerfully as she walked back over to Francoeur.
When she reached him, she hugged him happily, trying her best to wrap her little arms around him. Francoeur looked surprised but happy and hugged her back with his four arms and ungloved hands. Raoul just watched, confused. Maud bid them both her adieu and began to leave, but Francoeur chirped after her and hurried to the little umbrella stand beside the door, pulling one out and handing it to her. She smiled and took in gratefully.
"Thank you," she said, "I'll see you next week!"
Raoul had no idea what that could possibly have been about. And, seeing as the only person left in the room to tell him anything was impossible for him to understand, he didn't have the feeling that he'd find out anytime soon.
Thanks for reading, leave me a review if you liked! Also, again, look into the possibility of being in the OFUP! It'll be a lot of fun.
