Hello everybody,

I'm sorry about the long wait for this chapter, but I haven't had much time to write lately.

Emil's hands slipped from the edge of the counter. The tips of his ears turned crimson. He glanced over at Lilli, a small smile on his face. "He's good at this!" Emil admitted. Lilli giggled and let Emil lead her away from the stand. Cheng smiled warmly at the duo's receding backs. oOo "EVERYBODY!" Elisabeth called. She clapped her hands above her head loudly, drawing the attention of the students, family, and other visitors alike. Lilli and Emil dashed to the centre of the meadow the caravan was perched in; there was a light dusting of snow beneath a mat of long, brown-at-the-tips grass that crunched beneath their feet, too many layers between to chill their toes. "Listen up! I and Roderich are going to Vienna after this- we need to pick up some friends of ours- but the rest of you are to head back to Edelstein manor." Elisabeth went on a bit afterwards, but Lilli heard none of it. She turned to Emil. "Hey, will we-"Emil was gone. Lilli stood on her tiptoes and cursed her stature- no one in her family cracked 5'6, Vash included, and Lilli herself stood at merely 5'2. She could still grow, perhaps, but for now even Michelle towered over her. Lilli weaved through the small crowd. There was a clear (albeit windy) path leading to the right, and Lilli followed it faithfully. It lead to the fireworks stand, and Lilli felt her heart drop to the floor. Leon wasn't at his usual post- the window was slightly ajar, like it had been slammed shut and bounced open again. The door on the side was swinging halfheartedly, and Lilli could hear hushed voices behind it. Lilli's feet carried her over without her consent, and she peeked cautiously behind the door. Leon was pushed up against the side of the 'van, Emil's hands planted firmly on either side of his shoulders as their mouths met. Emil pulled back. Lilli craned her head forward to catch what he was saying. "I wish you could come with me." "Maybe I could. I've always wanted to visit Denmark." Leon winked. Emil laughed, ducking his head into the nape of Leon's neck. He whispered something too quiet for Lilli to hear- but if the blush on Leon's profile said anything, it wasn't meant for her to hear. Lilli ducked back before anyone could see her. She slammed a hand over her throbbing heart. Shakily, she returned to the group just in time for Elisabeth to pull her roughly by the arm into the carriage. "Where have you been? We've been looking everywhere! Where's Emil, wait, never mind, if you knew, you'd be with him- I have Roderich looking for Emil anyway." Elisabeth sat primly on the seat beside Lilli, who gazed out the window. In a matter of minutes, a flash of plum caught her eye, and a furiously blushing Roderich appeared dragging Emil in much the same way Lilli had been handled. Emil met eyes with Lilli after sitting down cautiously on the plush velvet seat. His lips were bruised, his skin blotchy. He was panting slightly, and his shirt was hanging off one shoulder. He adjusted it self-consciously, and Lilli looked away awkwardly. She knew what he had been doing, and any kind of conversation was beyond her. Elisabeth frowned overtop of Lilli's head; she could feel the rage simmering beneath the pretty white edelweiss tucked into Eli's wavy hazel-brown locks. Suddenly, they were off again. Lilli's tailbone, still sore from the trip up, screamed in protest, and Lilli winced visibly every time they drove over a pothole (admittedly becoming less frequent as they drove closer to Vienna.) "We're here!" Elisabeth smiled. She pushed Lilli out the door into the lean, muscled back of a tall blonde. His head snapped to the side with militaristic precision. "Lilli?" he asked quietly. How did everyone know her name? Well, two could play at that game. She'd guess his. He sounded German, so most likely he was a- "Ludwig?" she asked innocently. She'd often been told she was adorable, and elderly relatives seemed to especially enjoy treating her as though she was still nine. Why didn't she end up with Aunt Marlene, anyway? "So you've heard about me? Surprised Roderich talked about anyone but himself for ten seconds…" he muttered under his breath. Lilli studied him more carefully- perhaps he was sixteen? Maybe seventeen. He was holding the hand of a stunning tan girl who had long auburn hair pulled back into a bun, a braid wrapped around it. Stray curls framed her soft, heart-shaped face. Lilli felt her heartbeat quicken. "Ludwig! It's been so long! Last time I saw you, you and Phyllis-" "-Felicia-" "-were the same height!" Elisabeth gushed. She pulled them both into a painful-looking hug. "Oh, Lilli, have you met Gilbert? Here, why don't you talk to him?" Eli spun Lilli around like a top. She smacked into a deathly pale, white-haired man who bore no resemblance to her. Lilli remembered Lars' comment. What did he mean, "More like Gilbert than anyone"? She did look a lot like Vash- much more so than whoever this freak was. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, can we just get back to the godda-"Phyllis/Felicia smacked her hand over the speaker's mouth. They looked strikingly similar- though the shorter woman's hair was darker, her eyes greener, and her plump lips seemingly permanently creased into a frown. "There are children here, Chiara," Phy-licia whispered harshly. "So what?" "So you need to watch that filthy mouth of yours~!" "Shut up, you cu-"Phy-licia pushed Chiara to the side. "Aww, you must be Lilli? I'm Felicia. I'm Ludwig's fiancée. This is Chiara, my au pair." Felicia smiled. She held out a gloved hand. Lilli took it cautiously. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, howsabout we go to the fu-ow!-manor?" grumbled Chiara. Roderich's head snapped over from his conversation with Ludwig. "Aw, Chiara, don't be so ru-ude~,"Felicia sang, waltzing towards a boxy black carriage. Her hand looped around Chiara's wrist, tugging her along. "Hey, Lilli! My name's Gilbert. I met you once before, but you probably don't remember. Lilli spun around. She'd almost forgotten about Gilbert. His white hair clashed with his twentysomething physique. "No, not really." Lilli mumbled. "Kesesese, figures. You were like, two." Gilbert cackled. He slapped Lilli across her back. "So lemme see your ring, Lizzie!" he called suddenly. He trotted over to Elisabeth, leaving Lilli wondering just who these people were. Deerstalker time again, she supposed. Felicia- Nyo Italy Chiara- Nyo Romano Ludwig- Germany Gilbert- Prussia I don't really think they were necessary but oh well.