Chapter 10:
Olaf let Violet open her eyes the minute they were in front of Cara. They went through the normal code. Then Cara took a good look at Violet. There was some suspicion in her voice. "Is this...that can't be...she died...Oh! Her kids!...her...kids..." she stammered after a while. She turned a bit green and took a bit of a longer look at Olaf. "Travis! Take this young lady to Table Six. Get her acquainted with the surroundings. I need to talk to this gentleman." Olaf nearly objected when Violet disappeared from his view.
"What is it, Cara?" he asked impatiently. Cara pushed him into her office. It was bright orange. Suiting the red-head's hair rather well believe it or not. The office was furnished quite strangely. With the furniture placed in odd locations. The desk was backed up into the door close enough that it had marks from the door being opened. The filing cabinet was beside the miniature refrigerator. The telegram was backed into a little corner being overpowered by the large filing cabinet I knew to be organized in opposite alphabetical order based upon and only categorized by code. But Olaf wasn't really focused on the illogical placings of the furnishings.
Cara took a deep breath. "There are two possibilities that have flashed through my mind. Both are dangerous and uncertain. The first is that you saved Beatrice from the darts you shot - with me I'll add - and saved her from the fire that was set. Then married her? I'm not seeing much logic here. The second is unbelievable when I think of you of all people doing it. You most obviously both have rings so the next conclusion would be that you...married the eldest Baudelaire daughter..." Olaf nodded slowly. Cara covered her mouth in disbelief. "But...you and Beatrice were a thing for a while. How could you...and Bertrand and you...She looks so much like her..."
Olaf touched her shoulder. "I apologize ahead of time for any trouble you may get into for allowing her in here. But you can simply say that you had no idea who she is. Even if she looks similar to Beatrice. Call her Beatrice's doppelganger." Olaf quickly darted out of the room to attend to his wife sitting alone. Cara called after him, but got stopped - for the first time - by the desk that blocked the door. Olaf - being nimble despite the cane - darted it and made it out and was on his way to Violet.
"Sorry about that, my dear." He set the item on the table and her attention immediately went to it. "What's that?" Olaf shook his head a little. "Predictable." He finally decided it was time to open the thing. But not here. "Violet, I have several things to tell you. Several of which are...secret." They both subconsciously took a look around them. There was a man in a suit jacket, but with only his underwear on as pants and a tie upside down around his head. There was a large lady who looked like a blimp at first but was actually just constantly moving slowly. That was the only speed for her. There was a person who looked neither like a man nor a woman and reminded the couple of one of Olaf's past accomplices. There were an assortment of other people with their own stories and reasons why they were in the cafe, but I am only to record that of Olaf's and Violet's.
"That is one of the things we will approach at home. The reason you are here...well, is a bit because it is dangerous for you to be here." Violet was very uncomfortable all of a sudden. "No one's going to hurt you, don't think that. It's just that...you don't know as much as we do." She cocked her head to the side. "Who's 'we'?" Olaf sighed heavily. "The V.F.D." Violet's eyebrows shot up. "THE VOLUNTARY FIRE DEPARTM-" Olaf launched across the table and put a hand to her mouth. "Yes. That is what is stands for. But that doesn't mean you are required to announce it to all enemies." Violet nodded meekly. Olaf just smiled and took her hand.
He then sighed deeply. "This is the next part. This is a cafe for the traveling members. We are traveling to an extent. But we're in hiding. So you mustn't...you mustn't act a fool is what I mean. We are representing the other members of V.F.D. And it's bad enough that I've been in here twice." Violet's mouth twitched down a little. "This is where your meeting was, wasn't it? I bet I'll be stuck at home all of the time waiting for you to come back." He smiled a little, laughing internally about her childishness. He pressed a kiss to her lips before he could stop himself. She smiled against his lips and leaned forward into him. It took a few coughs from the waiter - Travis as Cara had said - to get them detached.
"What can I get the two of you?" Olaf looked to Violet and stated, "Two of my new regular." Travis looked a bit lost, but he quickly cleared it with Cara. "Violet, that's why I brought you here. I'm...I'm going to finagle some things here and there - it honestly wouldn't be so hard if our situations were different. I mean, you, the daughter of the dead but famous Beatrice and me, a past criminal known for both mine and my parents' villainy. It's...challenging all right..." Violet was grinning. He was babbling and she loved it. He was opening up. Getting better. Most adults would talk to her as if she were still a fourteen-year-old orphan. Constantly explaining words she already understood and underestimating her intelligence. Olaf was different. He didn't care if she understood. He just went on as if she did.
"Well, that's the first thing I want to talk to you about. You're rather late in the game, but never too young. I'm going to make you a member of V.F.D. But in order to get you into the party by O I'll need to...yes...that's where the objection will come in..." He kept babbling on as Travis came with the drinks. Violet picked hers up and wondered what it was. Olaf kept babbling. Violet took a sip as he said in all seriousness, "You'll need to get the tattoo of an eye on your ankle." Violet took one hard swallow and realized a few things. First, that Olaf was insane. Second, she would have no choice in becoming a V.F.D. member. Next, that her life was quite possibly at the sake once more. Also, that she was drinking peppermint tea. And to tie it all together at last, she remembered that she was allergic to peppermint.