"You're kidding me! You found him on your first try?"
Esther humphed and stomped her foot. "So you're telling me that I've wasted my time calling fifteen people yesterday, and that all the humiliation I went through was worthless?"
"Oh, don't be such a baby," Swaine replied. "If it's your job, you do it. Even if you hate it, you've got no choice in the matter, have you?"
Esther glared at him and turned back to Oliver. "Well, Oliver, how are we going to get there? It is an hour's drive away, after all, and we have one more week of school. Then we've got twenty days until your mother's birthday."
Oliver nodded. "My mom's going to be at some meeting this Sunday, so if your dad's busy, Esther, we could get Marcassin to take care of us."
Esther sighed. "I know Marcassin let us go to the park, but do you really think he'd let us go to another city? I mean, it's a lot farther and more dangerous than a park just a few minutes away from our homes."
"He'll do it," Swaine said. "So, Sunday? Are we taking the bus, or is Marcassin driving us?"
Oliver answered, "We'll take the bus," right as Esther replied, "Marcassin can drive us."
There was a brief pause.
"Why can't he drive us?" Esther demanded. "It's not like he'll have to follow us around. He can just drop us off and pick us up. I'm sure he'll be fine with it! Besides, it's faster than the bus!"
"But…" Oliver looked down and fidgeted a little. "He's got exams to study for, doesn't he? Plus, it's an hour away. We can't really ask him to drive us – it's a bit…rude."
Esther plonked her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Are you calling me rude?"
He quickly lifted his hands. "N-No! Of course not! I just think the bus would be a better idea, that's all."
"Oliver's right," Swaine said before Esther could protest again. "Marcassin's on his way to university next year. Don't you think we ought to respect that fact and give him some time to himself?" He raised an eyebrow and added, "Unless there's a reason you want him to come with us, that is."
She opened and closed her mouth, like a fish out of water. Finally, she humphed and spun around. "Fine! Be that way – we'll take the bus!"
(`n`)\
"Stay with Marcassin on tomorrow? That's fine with me, sweetie."
Oliver managed to stifle his sigh of relief as Alicia walked over and slid some eggs onto his plate. "You'll be with him all day long. The meeting will take a while. Are Esther and Swaine going too?"
"Uh-huh, they are."
Alicia chuckled. "I should've guessed. Anyway, have fun tomorrow. I don't suppose there's a specific reason for why you want to go to Marcassin's home?"
"Um… Esther likes looking at pictures of Gascon."
It was true, at the very least. Most of the time, whenever they went over to Marcassin's apartment, Esther flipped through photo albums of young Marcassin and Gascon after they'd finished all their planning, up until they were picked up or taken home.
"Don't let her talk about him all day tomorrow. Finish your breakfast, all right, sweetie? I need your help with the laundry later today."
( ^.^) (-.-')
"Marcassin, can we go out?"
Oliver held his breath as he waited for the reply. It didn't take long for Marcassin to say, "Go ahead. When will your parents pick you up?"
Oliver looked over to Esther. She whispered, "My father wants me go to your home and then walk back."
Oliver nodded and turned back in Marcassin's direction. "Around eight."
"Be back before then."
"We will!"
The three of them ran out of the building and to the nearest bus stop. As they waited for the next bus, Esther asked, "So, do we know where we have to go?"
Oliver nodded and pulled a map out of his pocket. "Uh-huh. I took this from my mom. I don't think she'll notice. See? We need to take a bus to Giorgio, and from there, we can take a bus to Guard Fields."
Swaine crossed his arms. "Well, do you know which buses we have to take?"
Oliver's cheeks turned bright red. "Umm… well… I thought we'd just figure that out on the way."
Swaine snorted and smacked himself in the forehead. "See? This is why I hate working with kids."
"That's not very nice, you know," Esther declared. She crossed her arms, mirroring Swaine's pose, and glared at him. "You should apologize to Oliver, right now."
Swaine rolled his eyes and robotically said, "I'm very sorry, Oliver, for insulting you. Now, can we hurry up and make a plan for how to get there already? You two do have money, right?"
"Of course we do!" Esther snapped. She rummaged through her purple-and-gold purse and pulled out a crumpled ten dollar bill, along with a handful of coins. "See? I've got it."
Oliver pulled a five dollar bill from one pocket, then a handful of coins from the other. "Me, too. Don't worry, Swaine, we're ready."
He sighed. "I certainly hope so."
Right then, the bus pulled up, and the three of them boarded. Oliver slid his five dollars through the slot and received a handful of change. They walked to the back of the half-filled bus and sat down.
"Give me a look at the map," Swaine snapped. He grabbed the map and ran his finger down its surface. "So we are right…here."
He tapped his finger over a little bolded label, then slid his finger upward. "And we need to go there. I don't suppose you've got another map?"
Oliver shook his head, and Esther leaned over and furiously whispered, "You're not allowed to pickpocket one from someone, either!"
Swaine shrugged. "All right, sorry for asking. Don't get your skirts all twisted in a knot."
He ignored Esther's sputters and looked down at the map, in deep concentration. "Well, it doesn't list the bus routes here or anything, so I suppose we will have to play it by ear."
"Oh, thanks so very much, Mr. Obvious," Esther snapped.
"Don't fight, guys," Oliver pleaded. "We're going to get there soon anyways."
He was right about that, at least. Within half an hour, the three of them had arrived in Giorgio, with absolutely no idea how to get to their final destination.
"Brilliant," Swaine muttered, face in hands, as the bus drove away. "Just… Brilliant. What do you expect us to do now?"
"Ask for directions, obviously," Esther replied. She walked up to a stranger waiting at the bus stop. "Excuse me, but are there any buses that go from here to Guard Fields?"
The woman looked up in surprise. "I'm sorry, little girl, what did you say?"
Esther's smile suddenly became a lot more forced. Oliver jumped in before she could do anything she'd regret.
"We need to know if there are any buses we can take to Guard Fields."
The woman jumped again. "Oh! Another one! Dear me, don't you have a guardian?"
"Yes, I'm watching them."
The woman sniffed and looked Swaine from head to toe. "Well, you'll do, I suppose – even if you are a bit young and scruffy."
Swaine's slight smile broadened, but not in a good way.
Oliver flushed. "Um… So, Miss, can you help us?"
"Oh, of course, sweetie! Anything for a little darling like you."
She caressed his cheek with the back of her hand, smiling broadly. It took all of Oliver's willpower to keep from flinching away. What did she think he was, a kitten?
"So, if you walk down this street and turn left onto Millicen Road…" She paused. "I'm sorry, honey, would you like me to write it down for you?"
"Yes, please," Oliver said eagerly.
Anything to get away from you!
The woman dug through her over-sized purse, muttering under her breath, until she finally pulled out an old Walmart receipt and a pen. She scribbled a few lines onto the top sheet, ripped it off, and handed it to Oliver. "There you go now, sugar pie. Stay safe, now."
She leered at Swaine, as though she thought he'd do something horrible to Esther and Oliver, as the three of them walked away.
"'Stay safe now, honey pie,'" Esther mocked. "Who does she think she is, our mother? Honestly! And her purse was so horrid, too. If she was going to get an imitation snake-skin purse, she could've at least gotten a decent imitation snake-skin purse."
"Well, she's gone now, at least," Swaine muttered. "So, Oliver, what do the directions say?"
('. .) ~~\(^o^)
It took them another half-hour to arrive at Guard Fields. With the help of a few more strangers – all of whom were, fortunately, less creepy than the first woman – they arrived at Lucien's house.
"It looks so…small," Esther marveled as she stared at it. Oliver mutely nodded.
It was a modest little bungalow. There was nothing special about it – Oliver had imagined it to be a cozy two-storey house, with a fence and flowerbed in front, just like his. Instead, it was just a plain, white bungalow.
"So, are you going to knock or what?" Swaine said after a few minutes of standing in the middle of the driveway. "We look like proper fools, standing in the middle of a strange neighborhood, where nobody even knows us. Go on. Knock!"
He shoved Oliver, and Oliver stumbled forward. Well, might as well go now, he thought to himself, and began to walk up to the door. He raised the plain metal knocker and rapped it a few times against the door, wincing as he did so – it was shockingly loud.
Esther and Swaine joined him as he waited nervously for someone to answer.
"We shouldn't have done this," Oliver whispered. "We don't even know what we're going to say! This was an awful idea. Let's go back."
"No, we're staying right here." Esther folded her arms across her chest. "Right, Swaine?"
Swaine nodded. "Right. And if we're staying, then so are you."
"But-"
Oliver heard the creak of the doorknob, and turned just in time to see the door open. "Hello? Who's there?"
They stared at each other.
It was the same hair, the same eyes, the same skin tone – even the same face shape.
Lucien. They'd finally found Lucien.
Lucien stared at Oliver. He whispered, "You're…you can't be…"
Oliver opened his mouth a few times, but nothing came out. Esther jumped in for him.
"This is Oliver, and I'm Esther. You're Lucien, right?"
"Of course he is," Swaine muttered. "Who did you think he was, the older Oliver, traveled back in time?"
She elbowed him. "Now's not the time, Swaine!"
Lucien blinked a few times, then opened the door wider and stepped aside. "I think…the three of you had better come in and explain some things to me."
(O.O) (^-^)
"So you've been searching for me so I can go to Alicia's birthday?"
Oliver nodded. "My mom misses you a lot, you know. I bet she'd be really happy if you showed up there!"
Lucien leaned back in his chair and spun his mug of coffee around. "Are you sure about that? After all, she did leave me…"
"That was all your fault!" Esther cut in. "You're the one who yelled at her, weren't you? All the Wise Men said so!"
"Yeah," Swaine agreed. "Alicia left after a huge fight, and she would've gone back if she thought you wanted it – or so I heard," he added when he noticed Lucien's suspicious look.
Lucien shook his head in bewilderment. "No, we never fought. We fought a few times over little things, but it was never on such a large scale that she'd leave me for it – or I'd leave her over it, for that matter. Are you sure about the story your parents told you?"
"Rashaad and Khulan all hate you now, though." Oliver fiddled with his mug in nearly the same way Lucien was. "Even Marcassin says you deserved it."
Lucien straightened. "Well, I never would've left her if I had the choice. I'll come to her birthday, no problem. Where is it? I assume it's on the eighteenth."
Oliver nodded. "Uh-huh. It's at…um…"
"You haven't even planned a birthday party for her yet!" Esther cried. "Don't tell me you forgot about that."
"He probably did," Swaine muttered. He was right.
"Um…" Oliver scratched the back of his head and laughed. "Well, I'm actually not sure where it is. I'll come back in a few days and tell you, okay?"
Lucien smiled. "Of course. That's perfectly fine with me. Do you want me to drive you home?"
Esther shook her head. "No! If you drive us back, someone might see you and figure out our plan. It's supposed to be a surprise."
Lucien grinned. "I see you're as saucy as ever, Esther."
Esther frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Oliver interrupted. "Well, we were going to visit Pea, anyway, so it's all right."
"Pea? You mean Petunia?"
"You know her?"
"Who is Pea?" Swaine demanded.
"She's the girl who picked up the phone when I called." Oliver pointed in the vague direction of the front door. "She lives across the street with her mom, Cassiopeia. I promised I'd come visit them."
Lucien chuckled and guided them to the front door. "Well, I suppose you'd better be off then, huh?"
"Uh-huh. Thanks – we'll be back!"
Oliver waved goodbye and ran across the street, Esther and Swaine following close behind. He ran up to the door and knocked.
"Yes? Who is it? I'm coming."
"It's me, Oliver," he said. "Remember? I called you, asking about Lucien."
Cassiopeia opened the door. "Of course! I remember you. Pea's in the kitchen, making pie. Would you like to join her?"
"Well…"
Oliver looked over at his friends. Esther nodded; Swaine shrugged. "If we've got enough time, I say we go ahead."
Oliver nodded and turned back to Cassiopeia. "Of course! We'd be happy to join you."
Cassiopeia laughed. "Well, won't Pea be absolutely delighted!"
(*^o^*) (^.^)
"Did you meet Mister Meanie or Mister Nicie?" Pea asked as she kneaded the dough. She dunked a cup into the bag of flour and dumped it all over her batch of dough, then plunged back in, happily kneading away.
"Um…" Oliver squeezed his portion of dough with his hands. "I think I met Mister Nicie. I hope I met Mister Nicie."
Pea beamed and swept a piece of hair away from her eyes, leaving flour streaks all over her cheek. "Yay! I like Mister Nicie!"
"Esther, Swaine, won't you come join us?" Cassiopeia called as she expertly dug into her pile of dough with her knuckles. "We've got plenty of dough to go around."
Swaine grimaced. "Flour makes me sneeze."
"And I don't want to get flour on my clothes," Esther added. "We'll just wait for you three."
Cassiopeia shrugged. "If that's what you want. You can have some of the pie afterward, though."
"How long will it take to make?" Oliver asked. Cassiopeia consulted her watch.
"We should be done by…oh, around six o'clock? I'll drive you three home if you want, once you finish your pie."
Oliver nodded and beamed. "Thanks a bunch, Cassiopeia! You're really nice."
"It's no problem. Don't worry about it."
"Don't worry about it, she says," Swaine muttered, walking into the living room. "We've got a full two hours to burn, and nothing to do."
"Oh, don't be so glum," Esther scolded. She sat down on the couch and crossed her legs. "You can always just go back on your own, if you want."
He scoffed. "What, walk all the way back? No, thank you. I'd rather wait."
"But you don't have to walk back. You can just take the bus."
Swaine raised an eyebrow. "What, so you're suddenly willing to trust me with money? I thank you for the compliment, princess."
Esther flushed. "No, that's not what- I forgot- I meant-"
He folded his hands behind his head and put his feet up on the coffee table. "Oh, don't get your panties in a twist. I'm perfectly willing to wait."
"Oh!"
She smacked him on the head and stood up. "I'm sure Cassiopeia has an apron she would be willing to lend to me. Have fun spending these two hours by yourself!"
Esther marched back into the kitchen, leaving Swaine to clutch his head and groan on his own.
(`^`) (-.-)
"I'm glad you managed to find your father, Oliver. Good-bye now! Feel free to come over to my house the next time you visit Lucien."
"We will!" Oliver waved good-bye to Pea.
"Be good, Oliver! Don't let Mister Meanie do anything bad to you."
Oliver smiled. "Don't worry, Pea, I won't."
Cassiopeia drove off, and Oliver turned and climbed the stairs to Marcassin's apartment, with Esther and Swaine following close behind.
"Oh, you're back," Marcassin commented when Oliver knocked on the door. "I don't suppose you'll tell me where you went?"
Oliver shook his head and looked down at his feet. "No. I'm sorry."
"No matter." Marcassin herded the three of them into his apartment. "Alicia called a few minutes ago to tell you she was on her way. She wanted to talk to you, but I told her the three of you were in the middle of a serious card game."
"A card game?" Esther stared at him. "Was that the best you could come up with?"
Marcassin held up his hands in self-defense. "Well, I told her you were betting muffins, and that the game required a lot of concentration and memorization. She seemed to believe it. Besides, it's only a week or so until you're not grounded anymore, so it's all fine."
Sure enough, in a few minutes, Alicia appeared to take Oliver home.
"So, how did you do?" she asked Oliver as they waved good-bye to Swaine. "Did you win anything?"
Oliver shook his head, wearing the best shameful mask that he could. "No. Swaine's too good – he won all the muffins."
Alicia stifled a laugh. "Well, I'm glad you had fun. You're only grounded for five more days, and then you're free! Doesn't that make you happy?"
He nodded. "Uh-huh, it sure does."
Esther mirrored his movement. "I'll finally be able to go shopping again, without my father's supervision. It'll be heaven!"
"I know what you mean – I've gone shopping with Rashaad before." Alicia shuddered, but her broad smile ruined the effect. "Not the most pleasant experience ever, is it?"
Esther shook her head. "It's not."
That was all the agreement they needed.
A/N: BWAHAHAHAHA Swaine and Esther are in denial.
Okay, so yes, I hate fluffiness and sappiness, but I still love me some good romance. And that kind of romance, my friends, is what I consider "good romance". Heheheheh they crack me up.
