Cara and Mitch reviewed what they had learned for the next couple of days, even as land was sighted. Cara had studied hard and knew most of the basics, Mitch had several issues with grammar and certain words but neither could pass off as natives with their accents. Despite that they were prepared and met France with open arms, and nervous stomachs.
Cara stumbled as she attempted to find her bearings on land.
"Oh god it feels like the beginning of the voyage all over again." she moaned as her skin took a greenish tinge.
"M-maybe I shoulda stayed on th'ship." Mitch grunted before swallowing his rising bile as he leaned against a pole.
Francoeur didn't do well either except he took it with a stoic nature and patted Cara on the back as she finally decided to let loose in a drain.
"Once you get your land legs back we will continue to our destination." the Professor said as a carriage pulled up.
"Lucille mon davine!" a high pitched cried out excitedly.
"Tante Carlotta! Ca va?" she asked as they gave each other traditional greetings.
Cara straightened herself out and stood beside Francouer as Mitch rinsed his mouth with water given to him by Charles. Cara focused as she brought her mind to understand everything that she could and was glad for her natural learning tendency as she put it in motion.
"Et-who is this?" Carlotta asked as she turned to Cara.
Cara understood that well enough and made her reply as Mitch took his place beside her.
"I am Cara, how are you?" she asked.
Aunt Carlotta understood immediately and smiled before nodding.
"Oh well I am well, you must be the American friend's Lucille spoke about." She smiled politely.
"We are." Mitch grunted as he tried to pull in, his accent atrocious.
"Aand what might your name be?" she asked, trying to hide a grimace at Mitch's demeanor.
"No thank you I'm not hungry." He grunted.
Carlotta looked at Lucille who smiled nervously as Cara face palmed and explained in English to Mitch who corrected himself.
"Oh uhh I am called Mitch's." He said then gave the Professor a thumb up.
Carlotta suppressed a giggle at his simplicity but remained poised and waved to the arriving carriages.
"I ordered carriages for all of us." She smiled.
"We thank you for your courteous." Cara thanked.
"Her words exactly." Mitch managed out.
Carlotta smiled and nodded before returning to her carriage and climbing back in, right next to police chief Paté who smiled and gave a respect filled nod to the group before their carriage continued on its way.
"Carlotta must be pretty serious with the police chief, then again they are the perfect couple." Lucille smiled.
"That and it gives you practically immunity to crime." Raoul joked, earning a mild punch to the shoulder by Lucille.
"We better get moving, it looks like it will rain soon." Emile interrupted.
"He is right," said the Professor.
"Let us go, I will take the last carriage with Mitch." He finished before he headed toward said carriage and Mitch picked up the last couple of bags on the wharf and followed after, still tipsy.
"Since there are only two carriages left perhaps we should make it ladies and gentlemen?" Maud suggested.
"It seems fair, let's all for it." Cara said.
Every face but Cara and Francoeur who suppressed their looks of nausea enough to make amused smiles, confused amusement in Cara's case, before they each went to their carriages and loaded up before leaving.
Their first stop was the L'oiseau Rare, there Lucille explained that Cara and Mitch would stay in two of the extra performers dressing rooms while in France.
"Usually these rooms are empty this time of year and will not be filled until the summer." Lucille explained as their bags were brought into the room.
Cara grumbled in her native language as Francoeur attempted to help but was rejected continuously. Cara muttered her reason as stubbornness and American pride before bringing it into her own room, huffing all the way while Francoeur followed, ready to help.
"Cara, why do you not let Francoeur help?" Lucille asked.
"I'm strong enough." She grunted as she sat her bag by a dressing wall and stretched her back and turned to go and help Mitch, who carried his items much better than Cara did.
Cara easily carried his second belonging, which was the box that held his wife's dress before he nodded for her to put it in her room.
Surprised she listened as he told her she could keep it in their native before she carried it to her room and set it on the dressing table.
Lucille watched the scene before going to Cara's room and taking her hand.
"Come with me." She said before leading her to her own dressing room.
She dragged the confused Cara into the room before going through her wardrobe and pulling out a single dress.
Cara took it and inspected it before handing it back.
"Uh it is beautiful." She said, unsure of what she was trying to do.
Lucille smiled before closing the door and reopening it several minutes later, pulling out a reluctant Cara who blushed furiously in the dress.
"I-it is too much!" she stammered, trying to find the correct words of expression.
"Oh you look lovely! Let's just show Francoeur and the others!" Lucille grunted as she dragged Cara out and to the waiting room where Mitch and the others were conversing.
Francoeur was the first to hear Cara's rebuttal towards exposure seconds before Lucille shoved her into the room. Instantly he froze in surprise, it was the dinner all over again but this time with a familiarity.
Cara blushed in embarrassment as her entrance caught the attention of everyone in the room. She was dressed in Lucille's stage costume, her hair unbraided and flowing over the angel wings on her back.
"Lucille this is embarrassing." Cara squeaked, tucking her hands to her sides in a fit of stage fright.
"Stop being a baby, see, you look like an angel." Lucille remarked.
Cara blushed deeper.
"Last time was for a dinner, now you're trying to make me into a dumb Dora doll." She whispered through her teeth.
"Now THAT is a dress." Mitch suddenly said, smiling at Cara.
Cara shot him a cold look but he simply grinned, meaning every word.
Aunt Carlotta looked confused and sent the look to Lucille, she wondered why Lucille was trying to dress up Cara when Lucille gently gripped Cara's shoulders.
"Does she not look divine?" Lucille grinned.
"Wow…you may be the Angel of Paris but Cara surely has you on a run for your money." Raoul grinned.
Lucille gave him a mock glare but only broke into a grin once she saw how Francoeur was staring at her.
"I admit she does look rather angelic." Emile admitted.
"I agree, and her hair gives it a nice touch." Maude added.
Cara groaned and looked at Lucille.
"May I return to my own clothes please?" Cara begged.
Lucille narrowed her eyes, considering on whether or not she should continue her little parade before nodding and letting Cara rush back to the dressing room.
"Lucille, why did you allow her to dress in your stage outfit? What if it had been damaged?" Carlotta asked, mortified at anybody but Lucille wearing Lucille's outfit.
"Oh Carlotta, she may be nervous but she is careful and I showed her how to care for my wings." Lucille explained.
"I am still unsure you should be allowing strangers to wear your expensive outfits." Carlotta said pensively.
"Cara is not a clutz, she may be unsteady on a ship but she is steady as a rock when it comes to care." Raoul added in Cara's defense.
"I don't see any issues with allowing her to wear Lucille's outfits, and I doubt she would want anything to do with Lucille's clothing after this." Maud put in.
"I agree." Emile said, smiling at Maud.
Mitch watched the conversation, trying to decipher the conversation, and failing until the Professor whispered it to him in English.
"Uhh Cara is no bad girl, she is very caring." Mitch said, frowning as he spoke.
Carlotta ignored Mitch and looked at a nearby clock before squeaking in surprise.
"Oh my! Well it is near time for my lunch with Paté, I must be off, be sure to lock up when you leave." Carlotta said, quickly gathering her items before hurrying out the door.
A moment later Cara returned, dressed in one of her modified dresses, her hair re-braided, and making the finishing touches on tying her gloves.
"That was a nightmare, never again, agreed?" Cara said, narrowing her eyes seriously at Lucille.
Lucille saw between the lines and nodded, smiling in amusement.
"Ahem, Ladies and Gentlemen? I believe we had an appointment of our own at my lab." The Professor put in.
Raoul perked at the recollection and clapped his hands dramatically.
"Right! Onward! And this time, we ride, in STYLE!" he grinned before striding out with a grin on his face.
"Style?" Mitch asked, confused until Cara helped explain.
Outside sat a truck, a delivery one with flowers on the side, and a single woman's name.
"Behold! The IMPROVED Catherine!" Raoul presented, tearing up in joy as he bit his bottom lip before sniffling.
"Isn't she beautiful?" he whispered.
"Oh Raoul." Lucille murmured, smiling sweetly at him.
"How?" Emile stammered, confused at seeing the once perished truck.
"When we helped drain the Seine I had her towed to my private workplace, it took a while and I had just finished when the incident happened. I decided the best time to reveal her magnificence would have to wait until everything settled." He grinned.
"Catherine is uh lovely." Maude said, still not comprehending the importance of the truck.
"Lovely? She is glorious!" he smiled before walking up and hugging the side of the vehicle.
"Uhh…" Cara said.
"Nice truck, she's a beautiful machine." Mitch grinned, liking the sight of the automobile, and earning a slightly jealous but grateful smile from Raoul.
"Should we be on our way?" Lucille asked, breaking the stupor that had befallen at the majesty of the situation.
"Oh quite…say Raoul do you use copper cylinders or lithium?" he asked, inspecting the machine.
"Neither, Catherine runs purely on sunflower oil, and quite fast I might add." Raoul grinned.
"Onward!" Cara cried, turning everyone's attention from the current converse and walked to the back of the truck.
"What she said." Mitch stammered out, surprised at her sudden outburst.
"I agree, let us go?" Emile said, smiling at Maude as he led her to the back of the truck.
"Yes! Right!" Raoul said, slipping from his stupor slower than the others.
"Raoul?" Lucille asked.
"Yes dear?" Raoul asked back, leaning on the truck flirtatiously.
"Will you open the truck?" she asked.
Raoul slipped off the truck and waved his arms to balance before he managed to catch himself and stand properly.
He harrumphed to clear his throat before adjusting his jacket and approaching the back like nothing happened, then he opened the back and motioned for everybody to climb in.
"There is only space enough for three in the front, I'd say the ladies but there are three." Raoul said apologetically.
"I won't mind." Cara said then climbed in and sat in the corner, waiting.
Raoul shrugged then pushed Maude and Lucille to the front of the truck while everybody else piled in.
Cara regretted getting in at first and found herself feeling almost claustrophobic if not that it were Francoeur who sat beside her, he scooted over, giving her plenty of room.
"Thank you Francoeur." She smiled.
He smiled back and nodded, happy to assist.
"You are welcome." He smiled.
"So Cara, you said you had to forage for scraps yet you have a job at a textile factory, why?" Emile asked, sitting between Mitch and the Professor while Charles sat by Francoeur.
"It does not pay enough and I'm forced to search for tin, fixable garbage, and anything useful I can find to clean and sell for a minor profit." Cara explained.
Emile nodded then looked at Mitch.
"And uh do you do the same?" he asked.
Mitch turned to Cara, hoping for an explanation.
She explained in her native tongue and he nodded, understanding before he replied.
"No, my job tough no scrap need." He grunted.
"He means he's paid higher than I am because of its difficulty." Cara explained.
Emile gave a nod and an ah of understanding.
"Where do you work?" Mitch asked.
Emile grinned before he spoke with enthusiasm, less than Raoul of course.
"I work at a cinema, I produce and display films for the masses." He smiled.
Mitch looked at Cara who smiled and explained.
Mitch gave an ah to show he understood before nodding at Emile appreciatively.
Moments later the bumpy ride stopped and they turned to the door as Raoul opened it and let them out. Quickly everybody went into the enormous greenhouse, Cara and Mitch looked around in awe at the varied garden before looking at the Sequoia.
"Is that a Sequoia?" Cara stammered before touching its trunk.
"Indeed, with my experiments I enhanced its growth to a point where it took only a couple of years to reach such a height." The Professor explained proudly before leading the group to his lab section and began to unpack and ready his items.
Francoeur watched nervously, tapping his fingertips together nervously as he worked, heating and mixing his ingredients.
Cara noticed his nervousness and questioned Lucille as to what the Professor was doing.
"The Professor is making a special concoction to allow Francoeur a human diet." Lucille explained.
Cara looked surprised before turning to watch the professor then looking at Francoeur then smiled, realizing despite the abnormality that this was actually not the strangest to happen.
After a few minutes the Professor handed a green vial to Francoeur with a smile.
Francoeur chirped in thank then drank the liquid coughing once he followed before his skin turned a light green as he looked sick.
"Do not worry, it is a normal side effect, your diet should be human now but I'd wait several hours before I'd eat if I were you." The Professor explained then he began to repack his items and lead everybody to the door.
"How long until you return to Paris?" Lucille suddenly asked as everyone climbed back into Catherine.
Surprised Cara stopped her entrance to the vehicle and turned to the Professor.
"You are leaving?" she asked, startled.
"Indeed, my potion for Francoeur's diet is complete and I must return to abroad to make his potion for his speech." He said before climbing into the truck soon followed by the others.