Sucking in a deep breath, Ravenna peeked into the tent Josette shared with her husband, Jean-Marc DeLoncre. When she found it empty, she turned to Clopin's tent. As she neared it, she heard voices arguing.
"...an accident, and you know it!"
"All I'm saying is that maybe you shouldn't stay around her so much! She's always getting you two into one scrape or another, and it won't be long before she gets someone killed!"
"Don't you dare say that! Ravenna is a good person! It wasn't her fault she slipped. I was the one who wanted her to get the trash."
"Ravenna Melilot is only trouble!"
"She's my best friend, Clopin! If you'd give her half a chance, maybe she'd be your friend, too! Just spend some time with her, you'll see! She's a wonderful friend!"
"I don't want to spend time with her! She's irresponsible, careless, clumsy and daft!"
Ravenna bit back tears and stumbled away, bumping into another Rom as she tried to turn.
"Ow!"
"Oof!"
Ravenna scrambled up as Clopin poked his head outside his tent to see what the noise was about. Josette hobbled after him and paled at the sight of her best friend so very close to tears.
"Ravenna-"
Bursting into tears, Ravenna jumped up and raced for the exit.
Josette glared at Clopin, who looked down at her, bewildered. "You, you...you lousy knave!"
"What?"
"She heard you! She heard every word! How can you be such a heartless bastard! You're as bad a Frollo!"
Jerking away, Clopin tried to reenter his tent, only to find his sister blocking the way. "No. You go follow her and apologize."
"But-"
"Now!"
With a long-suffering sigh, the King of Gypsies left the Court in search of a person he couldn't stand.
Ravenna smiled at the baby ducks as they splashed around. Their mother was sitting on the shore next to the lonely girl. With a soft sigh, Ravenna stood to leave. The duck looked at her curiously, and she sat down again, holding out her hand to the bird. When she came closer, Ravenna stroked her head. "Hi, Mama-Duckie. Are you watching your babies carefully like you should be?"
Clopin stopped on the bridge when he heard a soft, sad voice singing under the very bridge he was on. He sat on the edge and listened.
'I'll be your dream, I'll be your wish, I'll be your fantasy,
I'll be your hope, I'll be your love, be everything that you need,
I'll love you more with every breath, truly, madly, deeply, do
I want to stand with you on a mountain
I want to bathe with you in the sea
I want to lay like this forever
Until the sky falls down on me..."
Smiling, Clopin decided to see who the singer was. He ducked under the bridge when the figure started talking.
"You think it's pretty? Mama always said I had a pretty voice, but I don't think so. And judging by the way Clopin acts, he doesn't think so either."
The King blinked in surprise at the sight of Ravenna talking to several squirrels that were perched on her head and shoulders. She fed them some of the bread she was munching on.
"Who's Clopin? Well, he's kind of the King of the Gypsies here in Paris. You see, I came here a few weeks ago, and I made friends with his sister. She's really nice, and she's willing to overlook all my...my weirdness. I mean, look at me. I'm a freak of nature. I can't ever do anything right, and I always seem to get the people I care about in trouble. Like today. Josette and I were walking along the river, and looking at the ducks, when I saw some trash. So Josette hands me this long stick and helps me down to the water's edge so I can get the trash out. We'd been doing that all day. It was Josette's idea, of course. She thought we could clean up the stuff and sell some of it. You see? She's smart, and I'm kind of dumb. Anyway, I slipped and fell in the water. Josette picked up the stick and held it out so I could get out of the mud, but she pulled too hard, and I fell on her. She sprained her ankle. When we got the le Place de Notre Dame, Clopin got all mad at me because of Josette's ankle. I know it was my fault. Maybe if I hadn't fallen in the river, it wouldn't have happened. I didn't mean to. I was just trying to help Josette. And then he...he..." Ravenna stopped, swallowing hard and blinking back tears. She smiled when one of the squirrels nuzzled her cheek, and she reached up and patted it's head. "Merci, ma petite chose. But anyway...I know I do everything wrong. I just don't understand how a brother and sister can be so different. But I suppose, since he's the king, he has to look out for his real subjects. He probably just doesn't have the time to deal with a good-for-nothing, pathetic freak like me."
Clopin winced. "You're not a freak, M'mselle."
Ravenna sat up straight, sending the squirrels scurrying away. "Monsieur Seigneur!" She looked down. "What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you."
Ravenna snorted, turning away as she stood. "Why? Come to add insult to injury? Forget to call me an incompetent, abnormal ass, because you can forget it, I've heard it all before!"
Clopin sighed heavily. "Ravenna...I'm not here to insult you or anything."
"Then why are you here?"
Clopin opened his mouth, then closed it. Scowling, he turned away. "I just wanted to say...that I...I...I think you should start practicing your dancing skills, because with Josette's ankle being injured, we need another dancer for the Festival."
Ravenna chose to ignore the rude insinuation behind Clopin's words and turned back around, eyes wary. "You...want me to dance? At the Festival?"
"Providing you can manage without falling over."
But Ravenna couldn't even hear Clopin. She smiled widely, and suddenly, Clopin saw why Josette had made friends with her. Her smile was honest and natural, making her navy-blue eyes turn cerulean and her cheeks dimple. She clapped her hands, hugging Clopin tightly. "Oh thank you, thank you so much, Your Highness! I swear, I'll do my best! I won't mess up, I promise!"
Clopin stiffened in surprise, but soon found himself unable to push her away. Her petite form molded comfortably against his, and her warmth was intoxicating. With a grunt, he pulled away, brushing off his sleeves melodramatically. He looked up, but Ravenna had disappeared. He was about to leave, when a whistle from above him made him look up. Ravenna was waving at him from the bridge, leaning precariously over the edge. She mimicked being overbalanced, then laughed and started to skip away. Then she stopped and ran back, calling over the edge.
"Are you coming?"
With another heavy sigh, Clopin followed, wondering what kind of trouble she'd get him into.
"...an accident, and you know it!"
"All I'm saying is that maybe you shouldn't stay around her so much! She's always getting you two into one scrape or another, and it won't be long before she gets someone killed!"
"Don't you dare say that! Ravenna is a good person! It wasn't her fault she slipped. I was the one who wanted her to get the trash."
"Ravenna Melilot is only trouble!"
"She's my best friend, Clopin! If you'd give her half a chance, maybe she'd be your friend, too! Just spend some time with her, you'll see! She's a wonderful friend!"
"I don't want to spend time with her! She's irresponsible, careless, clumsy and daft!"
Ravenna bit back tears and stumbled away, bumping into another Rom as she tried to turn.
"Ow!"
"Oof!"
Ravenna scrambled up as Clopin poked his head outside his tent to see what the noise was about. Josette hobbled after him and paled at the sight of her best friend so very close to tears.
"Ravenna-"
Bursting into tears, Ravenna jumped up and raced for the exit.
Josette glared at Clopin, who looked down at her, bewildered. "You, you...you lousy knave!"
"What?"
"She heard you! She heard every word! How can you be such a heartless bastard! You're as bad a Frollo!"
Jerking away, Clopin tried to reenter his tent, only to find his sister blocking the way. "No. You go follow her and apologize."
"But-"
"Now!"
With a long-suffering sigh, the King of Gypsies left the Court in search of a person he couldn't stand.
Ravenna smiled at the baby ducks as they splashed around. Their mother was sitting on the shore next to the lonely girl. With a soft sigh, Ravenna stood to leave. The duck looked at her curiously, and she sat down again, holding out her hand to the bird. When she came closer, Ravenna stroked her head. "Hi, Mama-Duckie. Are you watching your babies carefully like you should be?"
Clopin stopped on the bridge when he heard a soft, sad voice singing under the very bridge he was on. He sat on the edge and listened.
'I'll be your dream, I'll be your wish, I'll be your fantasy,
I'll be your hope, I'll be your love, be everything that you need,
I'll love you more with every breath, truly, madly, deeply, do
I want to stand with you on a mountain
I want to bathe with you in the sea
I want to lay like this forever
Until the sky falls down on me..."
Smiling, Clopin decided to see who the singer was. He ducked under the bridge when the figure started talking.
"You think it's pretty? Mama always said I had a pretty voice, but I don't think so. And judging by the way Clopin acts, he doesn't think so either."
The King blinked in surprise at the sight of Ravenna talking to several squirrels that were perched on her head and shoulders. She fed them some of the bread she was munching on.
"Who's Clopin? Well, he's kind of the King of the Gypsies here in Paris. You see, I came here a few weeks ago, and I made friends with his sister. She's really nice, and she's willing to overlook all my...my weirdness. I mean, look at me. I'm a freak of nature. I can't ever do anything right, and I always seem to get the people I care about in trouble. Like today. Josette and I were walking along the river, and looking at the ducks, when I saw some trash. So Josette hands me this long stick and helps me down to the water's edge so I can get the trash out. We'd been doing that all day. It was Josette's idea, of course. She thought we could clean up the stuff and sell some of it. You see? She's smart, and I'm kind of dumb. Anyway, I slipped and fell in the water. Josette picked up the stick and held it out so I could get out of the mud, but she pulled too hard, and I fell on her. She sprained her ankle. When we got the le Place de Notre Dame, Clopin got all mad at me because of Josette's ankle. I know it was my fault. Maybe if I hadn't fallen in the river, it wouldn't have happened. I didn't mean to. I was just trying to help Josette. And then he...he..." Ravenna stopped, swallowing hard and blinking back tears. She smiled when one of the squirrels nuzzled her cheek, and she reached up and patted it's head. "Merci, ma petite chose. But anyway...I know I do everything wrong. I just don't understand how a brother and sister can be so different. But I suppose, since he's the king, he has to look out for his real subjects. He probably just doesn't have the time to deal with a good-for-nothing, pathetic freak like me."
Clopin winced. "You're not a freak, M'mselle."
Ravenna sat up straight, sending the squirrels scurrying away. "Monsieur Seigneur!" She looked down. "What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you."
Ravenna snorted, turning away as she stood. "Why? Come to add insult to injury? Forget to call me an incompetent, abnormal ass, because you can forget it, I've heard it all before!"
Clopin sighed heavily. "Ravenna...I'm not here to insult you or anything."
"Then why are you here?"
Clopin opened his mouth, then closed it. Scowling, he turned away. "I just wanted to say...that I...I...I think you should start practicing your dancing skills, because with Josette's ankle being injured, we need another dancer for the Festival."
Ravenna chose to ignore the rude insinuation behind Clopin's words and turned back around, eyes wary. "You...want me to dance? At the Festival?"
"Providing you can manage without falling over."
But Ravenna couldn't even hear Clopin. She smiled widely, and suddenly, Clopin saw why Josette had made friends with her. Her smile was honest and natural, making her navy-blue eyes turn cerulean and her cheeks dimple. She clapped her hands, hugging Clopin tightly. "Oh thank you, thank you so much, Your Highness! I swear, I'll do my best! I won't mess up, I promise!"
Clopin stiffened in surprise, but soon found himself unable to push her away. Her petite form molded comfortably against his, and her warmth was intoxicating. With a grunt, he pulled away, brushing off his sleeves melodramatically. He looked up, but Ravenna had disappeared. He was about to leave, when a whistle from above him made him look up. Ravenna was waving at him from the bridge, leaning precariously over the edge. She mimicked being overbalanced, then laughed and started to skip away. Then she stopped and ran back, calling over the edge.
"Are you coming?"
With another heavy sigh, Clopin followed, wondering what kind of trouble she'd get him into.