Chapter Two: Arrangements
Hilde woke the next morning to the tempting smell of fluffy, perfectly cooked pancakes and Duo's infamous scrambled eggs that he always tried so hard to perfect. "There he goes again. Breakfast. But..of course I shouldn't be complaining, I love him that way." Hilde sighed to herself. If only I wasn't such a coward, I could tell him. She drifted into deep thought, only to be pulled from her dream by the squawking sound of Duo's voice.
"Hilde! Get up..your so lazy!" he belted. "I cooked some tasty food for you, won't you come and eat it too!" he spontaneously sang as he rocked his head back forth and flipped the pancakes onto a plate.
Hilde just chuckled to herself. "How do you do it?" she asked with a smile as she stepped into the kitchen.
"Do what?" he answered, though it was clear he wasn't paying much attention. He never took his eyes off the food.
"You know, how do you stay so cheerful, Duo? We're fighting in the biggest, most deadly war in all of human history and it still seems to have no effect on you whatsoever. I mean, I know you have your rough times.but, I just don't get it." She sighed as she dragged herself over to the table and plopped into the chair. Hilde, of course, knew that Duo didn't feel a bit like the person he conveyed, but she figured that playing dumb was as good a way as any to get him to open up to her concerning that very subject.
"Cheerful? I really seem that happy?" Duo asked in an unnaturally high tone. "Good."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hilde was hoping she was getting somewhere with this.
"It means nothing.Nothing at all." He had finally reached a tone of all- powerful supremacy. He knew she wouldn't continue questioning him long. She was too afraid of getting him angry, and he knew this. She did this ever so often. Bringing up the fact of this 'abnormal cheerfulness' that he so happened to possess. He had grown ever so used to it that he didn't even realize when it happened. It always seemed rather coincidental that in these types of conversations, something would always interrupt, saving Duo from being forced to spill all, and this particular situation was no different.
The phone.
"I'll get it!" Duo leaped from the stove to the phone and swept it into his hand. "Hello?"
"Hi." Came an unknown voice. "Is Hilde available?" The voice, undoubtedly a girl's voice, was full of confidence and grace. She seemed to speak like she was on top of the world. Nothing could stop her. Though this was just a mere telephone call, Duo could sense it right off.
"Oh, yeah. She's here. Who's this?" he asked slyly with no clue as to whom he was speaking with.
"Aera. Aera Kitaru. I'm a friend of Hi-"
"Oh yeah! I know who you are. You're a friend of Hilde!" Duo chimed after rudely cutting the girl off.
"Eh..That's what I was about to-" Cut off again.
"No..No. No need for explanations, now!" He knew he was pissing her off, and he was having fun doing it.
"I don't know who you are, but I would really like to speak with Hilde now, if that's ok?" She was becoming a bit agitated with him.
"You don't know who I am? I'm Duo Maxwell! Hilde's other friend!" He was loving this too much.
*sigh* "Well, hello, Duo. Now can you please let me talk to Hilde?" she pleaded.
"Alright, alright. Don't get worked up!" He finally gave in and handed Hilde the phone. "It's your pal, Hil."
"Evidently." She remarked sarcastically. "Hey, Aera." She polished up her tone.
"Hey, Hilde!"
"I hope Duo didn't turn you away from staying here. He can be so childish at times." Hilde rolled her eyes in Duo's direction. He simply rolled his back.
"Nah. I don't have any other choice but to stay with you. Not that I don't want to, but it's too late to back out now, it's my last resort." Aera retorted. "So, is it ok with him, then? If I stay?"
"Yep! He said he didn't mind it at all."
"Great. So when is the best time for me to arrive?"
"Anytime you want. There's no problems there!" Hilde smiled.
"Alright, is tonight ok?"
"Perfect! I'll get your room ready right now."
"Thanks, Hilde. You really are a great friend." Aera replied with a sincere 'thanks'.
"You know that it's no problem! So.I'll see you tonight, then?"
"Tonight it is. Bye, Hilde!"
"G' bye, Aera!"
Hilde hung up the phone with a smile on her face. "She'll be here tonight!"
"Yeah, I heard." Duo replied casually. "But, before we do anything else, can we eat?"
"Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that." Hilde lightly hit herself on the head as she sat down to eat the delicious breakfast that had been so carefully prepared.
Hilde woke the next morning to the tempting smell of fluffy, perfectly cooked pancakes and Duo's infamous scrambled eggs that he always tried so hard to perfect. "There he goes again. Breakfast. But..of course I shouldn't be complaining, I love him that way." Hilde sighed to herself. If only I wasn't such a coward, I could tell him. She drifted into deep thought, only to be pulled from her dream by the squawking sound of Duo's voice.
"Hilde! Get up..your so lazy!" he belted. "I cooked some tasty food for you, won't you come and eat it too!" he spontaneously sang as he rocked his head back forth and flipped the pancakes onto a plate.
Hilde just chuckled to herself. "How do you do it?" she asked with a smile as she stepped into the kitchen.
"Do what?" he answered, though it was clear he wasn't paying much attention. He never took his eyes off the food.
"You know, how do you stay so cheerful, Duo? We're fighting in the biggest, most deadly war in all of human history and it still seems to have no effect on you whatsoever. I mean, I know you have your rough times.but, I just don't get it." She sighed as she dragged herself over to the table and plopped into the chair. Hilde, of course, knew that Duo didn't feel a bit like the person he conveyed, but she figured that playing dumb was as good a way as any to get him to open up to her concerning that very subject.
"Cheerful? I really seem that happy?" Duo asked in an unnaturally high tone. "Good."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hilde was hoping she was getting somewhere with this.
"It means nothing.Nothing at all." He had finally reached a tone of all- powerful supremacy. He knew she wouldn't continue questioning him long. She was too afraid of getting him angry, and he knew this. She did this ever so often. Bringing up the fact of this 'abnormal cheerfulness' that he so happened to possess. He had grown ever so used to it that he didn't even realize when it happened. It always seemed rather coincidental that in these types of conversations, something would always interrupt, saving Duo from being forced to spill all, and this particular situation was no different.
The phone.
"I'll get it!" Duo leaped from the stove to the phone and swept it into his hand. "Hello?"
"Hi." Came an unknown voice. "Is Hilde available?" The voice, undoubtedly a girl's voice, was full of confidence and grace. She seemed to speak like she was on top of the world. Nothing could stop her. Though this was just a mere telephone call, Duo could sense it right off.
"Oh, yeah. She's here. Who's this?" he asked slyly with no clue as to whom he was speaking with.
"Aera. Aera Kitaru. I'm a friend of Hi-"
"Oh yeah! I know who you are. You're a friend of Hilde!" Duo chimed after rudely cutting the girl off.
"Eh..That's what I was about to-" Cut off again.
"No..No. No need for explanations, now!" He knew he was pissing her off, and he was having fun doing it.
"I don't know who you are, but I would really like to speak with Hilde now, if that's ok?" She was becoming a bit agitated with him.
"You don't know who I am? I'm Duo Maxwell! Hilde's other friend!" He was loving this too much.
*sigh* "Well, hello, Duo. Now can you please let me talk to Hilde?" she pleaded.
"Alright, alright. Don't get worked up!" He finally gave in and handed Hilde the phone. "It's your pal, Hil."
"Evidently." She remarked sarcastically. "Hey, Aera." She polished up her tone.
"Hey, Hilde!"
"I hope Duo didn't turn you away from staying here. He can be so childish at times." Hilde rolled her eyes in Duo's direction. He simply rolled his back.
"Nah. I don't have any other choice but to stay with you. Not that I don't want to, but it's too late to back out now, it's my last resort." Aera retorted. "So, is it ok with him, then? If I stay?"
"Yep! He said he didn't mind it at all."
"Great. So when is the best time for me to arrive?"
"Anytime you want. There's no problems there!" Hilde smiled.
"Alright, is tonight ok?"
"Perfect! I'll get your room ready right now."
"Thanks, Hilde. You really are a great friend." Aera replied with a sincere 'thanks'.
"You know that it's no problem! So.I'll see you tonight, then?"
"Tonight it is. Bye, Hilde!"
"G' bye, Aera!"
Hilde hung up the phone with a smile on her face. "She'll be here tonight!"
"Yeah, I heard." Duo replied casually. "But, before we do anything else, can we eat?"
"Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that." Hilde lightly hit herself on the head as she sat down to eat the delicious breakfast that had been so carefully prepared.