A more romantic, yet silly chapter awaits you today!
Episode 34: Amour 'Estrange
On a lovely Friday night, Gabriel and Jasiri headed over to the EPCOT Paris Pavilion for their date night courtesy of Oswald. Gabriel put on his best suit, which was silver in color with a deep blue undershirt and a purple tie, while Jasiri used the spell she learned back during Cinderella's birthday to take on an anthropomorphic form, wearing a red dress with golden bracelets that complemented her bead necklace. Upon arriving to Ratatouille, Gabriel showed the receptionist their reservation and then took their seat.
"It's nice to be able to use this spell again," Jasiri said as they sat down. "Maybe this time we'll be able to do more and not get sidetracked by kidnappers."
"I have Jacob on speed-dial in case any Wasteland shenanigans happen, don't worry," Gabriel assured. He picked up his menu to look over the options but put it down when Jasiri gave a yelp of surprise.
"Bonjour, Monsieur and Mademoiselle, welcome to Ratatouille," said a voice. Gabriel looked down at the table to see a rat with pinkish fur and a yellow tag earring.
"Oh, hello there," Gabriel greeted.
"Why is there a rat on our table?" Jasiri whispered.
"I heard that," the rat said.
"Jasiri, this restaurant is run by a rat," Gabriel explained. "Remy is one of the greatest chefs ever. Normally they don't show themselves so people won't freak out on them, but with my presence as Dream Keeper they can make an exception."
"Oh, that makes sense now," Jasiri gave a sigh of relief.
"Allow me to introduce myself," the rat spoke up. "I am Celine, and I'll be taking your orders tonight."
"Nice to meet you Celine," Gabriel greeted. "I think I'll be having your signature Ratatouille, with a side of Caesar salad beforehand. And you, Jasiri?"
The hyena looked over the menu. "Hm… I think I'll take some Beef Bourguignon, with a cheesecake slice side."
Celine nodded and wrote down their order. "I'll get it right to Remy himself. I hope you enjoy our entertainment as you wait."
The rat girl scurried off towards the kitchen, allowing Gabriel and Jasiri to enjoy the night while they waited for their food. The raven took note of the many different couples that were also present tonight: apparently it was a popular place to be on Fridays. From who Gabriel could see, there was Robin Hood and Maid Marian taking turns tossing cheese cubes at each other and catching the cubes in their mouths, Milo was explaining to Kida the history of their meal, and Tony Stark was tasting the French wine with his wife, Pepper Potts.
"Lots of happy couples tonight," Gabriel noticed.
"Well, not everyone," Jasiri said, pointing to a vacant table. Sitting in one of the seats was a sheep in a dress and glasses, looking a bit glum. "Looks like she was stood up."
"Oh boy," Gabriel sighed. He stood up from his table and walked over to the sheep. "Hey, Bellwether. What's going on?"
Bellwether sighed, taking off her glasses and rubbing them on her dress. "What do you want, Dream Keeper? Can't you see I'm busy not having a date in the middle of all these other couples?"
"Who stood you up?" Gabriel asked.
"It's your fault that I'm in this position," Bellwether said. "You were the one that paired us up on Halloween. He was the one that asked me out too…"
"I didn't really pair anyone up on Halloween," Gabriel said, recalling his villain dance party on that night. "If you danced with someone that night, that was on both of you. Good to see villains out here not being bad, though."
"I actually met my date at one of my Villain Anon meetings," Bellwether explained. "He's smart, mysterious, and we're working together to try and reform."
Suddenly, the doors to the restaurant burst open, and a scaly figure slinked into the room, dripping wet and carrying a bouquet of flowers. "Sorry that I'm late," he gasped, taking a seat in the chair opposite to Bellwether. "I got caught in a rainstorm over in the London Pavilion."
"Randall Boggs," Gabriel said, recognizing the monster. "I'll leave you two to it." As the raven left, he slyly used his magic to change the candle lighting for a more romantic mood.
Jasiri was waiting for him, Linguini coming out of the kitchen and bringing the two their food. Gabriel kept an eye on Bellwether and Randall as they ordered their own food, the two villains seeming to enjoy each other's company. Once the two finished their meal, Jasiri and Gabriel gave their thanks to the chef and left, though not before Gabriel pulled Jasiri to the side.
"What is it?" Jasiri asked as they took a seat by the road.
"I want to make sure the rest of Bellwether and Randall's date goes well," Gabriel said. "I was thinking that if I can help these two villains reform, that means that they'll be able to find their own happy ending like the heroes have."
Jasiri smiled and gave Gabriel a quick kiss on the cheek. "That's why I love you, Gabriel. You have a big heart that looks out for everyone. Let me help you on this as well."
With their plan set, the two heroes watched as Bellwether and Randall exited the restaurant, both of then laughing and enjoying the other's company. With the use of her magic, Jasiri created a bird that flew out and landed on Randall's head. Once they were distracted, Gabriel used his magic summon more birds, flocking around Randall and making the monster try and get them to go away. Eventually Bellwether managed to pull Randall out of there, though not before "accidentally" tripping and sending the two tumbling onto each other, in actuality being caused by some vine magic from Jasiri.
"Sorry about that," Bellwether said, quickly getting up and brushing off her dress.
"Yeah, no, it's fine," Randall replied, coughing and looking away nervously. "Crazy birds…"
"And… now," Gabriel said. He cast out his Fantasia magic, bringing the two villains into it as music started to play.
Bellwether and Randall looked around to see where the music was coming from but couldn't find the source. With a cough, Bellwether blushed and looked up at Randall. "Hey, uh, could I tell you something?"
"What is it?" Randall asked.
Bellwether took a deep breath, then let the music guide her as she burst into song.
Bellwether:
All my life has been a series of doors in my face
And then suddenly I bump into you
Bellwether stepped away from Randall, letting the monster follow her down the Paris streets.
"I was feeling the same, actually," the monster confessed.
Randall:
I've been searching my whole life to find my own place
And maybe it's the night that's talking or the music so true
The two stopped and faced each other, Randall leaning down so they could be eye-to-eye.
Bellwether:
But with you...
Randall:
But with you I found my place
Bellwether:
I see your face
The villains held each other close and sang together, making other people stop and look at them.
Both:
And it's nothing like I've ever known before
Love is an open door
Love is an open door
Bellwether and Randall danced down the street, with Gabriel and Jasiri following behind them to keep up the spell.
Love is an open door
With you!
(With you!)
With you!
(With you!)
Love is an open door...
Moving into another place, the two villains grabbed a desert to share, which happened to be ice cream sandwich bars.
Randall:
I mean it's crazy
Bellwether:
What?
Randall:
We finish each other's—
Bellwether:
Sandwiches!
Bellwether took a bite out of Randall's ice cream, making him roll his eyes. "That's what I was gonna say!" he called as they ran off.
I've never met someone
Both:
Who thinks so much like me!
Jinx! Jinx again!
The two did the classic pointing as they jinxed each other, making Jasiri giggle at the scene.
Our mental synch-ro-ni-zation
Can have but one explanation:
Randall and Bellwether shared a dance together, syncing up their movements so that they complimented each other.
You-
(And I-)
Were-
(Just-)
Meant to be!
Offering Bellwether a ride on his back, Randall climbed up the Eiffel Tower, the two looking over the splendor of the city as they did so.
Say goodbye...
(Say goodbye...)
To the pain of the past
We don't have to feel it anymore
The two held each other close as they sang together, with Gabriel and Jasiri watching on as they had to climb the stairs to get to the top.
Love is an open door
Love is an open door
Life can be so much more
Bellwether and Randall danced in a duet, like something one of the princesses and their prince would do, but with a chaotic and villainous twist.
With you!
(With you!)
With you!
(With you!)
Love is an open door...
As the song ended, the two sat at the top of the tower and admired the view, with Bellwether leaning into Randall's shoulder as he held her in his lower arms.
"Can I ask you something crazy?" he asked, only to get a giggle out of Bellwether. "Would you like to… go on anther date sometime?"
"Can I say something crazier?" the sheep laughed. "Yes!"
As the two villains got closer to each other, Gabriel and Jasiri shared a knowing nod, their mission accomplished at making the villain date a success. Heading down the tower, the heroes spent the rest of the night enjoying the Parisian nightlife.
"You think those two will work out well?" Jasiri asked.
"I don't have a doubt in my mind," Gabriel said. "And hey, the worst that can happen is that they plot against the heroes in a villain team up, but I'm sure that we can handle that."
"Hopefully for us, love conquers all," Jasiri nodded.
Author's Note
Another short yet fun chapter. This is also the last single adventure chapter, as next time will start the final story arc of this story. The title for his chapter is French for "Strange Love," which fits the theme of this chapter well.
The rat that Gabriel and Jasiri talk to at the beginning, Celine, is a cut character from Ratatouille, but was actually included in the video game Kinect Pixar Rush. I played a lot of that game as a kid, so it was fun getting to reference an obscure character like her.
As for Bellwether and Randall's part, they may seem like a weird couple, but for some reason when I paired them up to dance in the Halloween chapter I realized "Wait, this could actually work." Randall is a person that wants to be the best by any means, just like how Bellwether wanted to rule Zootopia by whatever means as well. I can see the two of them bonding over getting foiled by their enemies and their plans for using fear to win. It's a pairing that I made purely for the fun of it, but I think there's something you could build off of there.
Next Time: Gabriel makes a bet that he'll need all the help he can get to succeed at!
