Pearl quickly snatched up her single bag and walked off the platform.
The sign reading "Montmarte" loomed over her head as she walked into the
city. It was everything she'd imagined and more. The sounds, the smells,
the tastes, the feel, the SIGHTS! They were so overwhelming.
"Bar Absinthe." She read aloud, looking curiously at a building just down the street. She was thirsty, and something refreshing sounded rather good right about now. Pearl darted down the street, her auburn hair flying out behind her. Besides the fact she was running like a lunatic, she got many strange glances from the citizens of Montmarte. Unlike the usual new girl, she was not covered in layers of skirts. She was covered in no skirts at all. She wore pants made of a loose silk like fabric, and her shirt was a bright green with outlines of flowers on it.
Skidding to a stop, she plopped into one of the outside seats, digging into her pocket for money. A waiter came over and placed a glass of green liquid on her table, and picked up some of her money that she had laid on the table. Her curious chocolate eyes were transfixed on the liquid.
A new beer, she guessed, dyed green as some gimmick. And just to prove how tough she was, she downed the stuff in one gulp. After two seconds it was very clear this drink was not the usual stuff. The whole world seemed to swirl around her, and a few strange things happened all at once.
Two people sat down at the table across from her. She noticed when she sat down that no one asked to sit with one another, and that she had grabbed the last empty table. She stared dumbly at the two sitting across from her, and they looked back at her.
One of them was rather short. Pearl herself wasn't the tallest person, but he had to be at least a half foot smaller than her. He had short ebony hair, that seemed to attract the sunlight to it, as it was very shiny and glossy looking. The man was nice enough to look at, with a goatee of the same color that made his handsome bone structure stand out. But the most noticeable thing were his eyes. A dark brown color, and very wide and inquisitive, which reminded her of herself.
The other one was much taller than her, and looked a bit more 'normal'. He was just as handsome, with dark brown hair that flopped down around his eyes. The tall man's eyes were a grayish green color, and they seemed infinitely sad. Pearl could only think he must have a depressing story to tell. A beard that looked a bit barbaric and a sad smile on pale lips were other clues that led to her conclusion.
Christian and Toulouse stared at the girl sitting across from them. To Christian she seemed to be a peculiar looking young woman, obviously new. She was not strikingly beautiful, nor was she ugly. Just peculiar looking. Her large brown eyes and long black lashes were her most striking quality, other than the fact she was much tanner than most girls in Montmarte were. To Toulouse, she was very pretty. She reminded him of him, especially the eyes. He looked at the empty glass sitting next to her and elbowed Christian.
"Ah. See the girl has been drinking!" Toulouse cried, startling the girl out of her drunken stupor.
"Mine Pearl. Drank green stuff. New here. This pretty is very place." She commented, her usually loud and smooth voice was quite different. She stumbled over her words, and talked no more above a whisper.
"Hello Pearl. I'm Christian." Christian replied, speaking slowly so she might understand. It seemed she did, and she nodded.
"And I'm.." Toulouse was about to go into his very long and complicated name when he felt an elbow poking his side.
"I'm Toulouse. Pleasure to meet you." The dwarf smiled, and Pearl smiled stupidly back.
The three of them sat there quite a while, Pearl because she had no choice. And Christian and Toulouse because they did not want to see the girl passed out on the street tomorrow. In the meantime, the two bohemians each had a glass of absinthe.
"I'm an actress." Pearl suddenly announced, her dark eyes a bit clearer, and her smile a bit more stable.
"A Bohemian! I am a Bohemian, and I've come to Montmarte to act." She added. Toulouse and Christian both glanced uneasily at one another. They knew where this was leading.
"I've come to apply for a job at the Moulin Rouge. Could you show me where it is?" Pearl concluded, glancing around for any sign of the red windmill. Simultaneously, Christian and Toulouse stood. Pearl followed their example, and listened to the story of how the Moulin Rouge was now closed.
"But.but, can't you get it back? The theater? Buy the deeds?" She inquired, giving the two of them as sad a look as she could.
"You'd have to see The Duke." Christian muttered bitterly, avoiding the girls pleading glances.
"And you'd need the money." Toulouse added for him. Right now they were no poor. All the money went to absinthe, or to instruments of art.
"Toulouse." Christian began, struck by a sudden idea, "My book! With the money it earns we could buy it back! We could buy the Moulin Rouge back!" He was grinning wildly at his friend, happy with his brilliant plan.
"Do you think he'd give it to us?" Toulouse wondered aloud, and right then they both knew he wouldn't. He was greedy. He was cruel. He hated them, and he wouldn't do it for all the money in the world.
"I'd do it." Pearl suggested, seeing the look the two were giving each other. Both of them lapsed into a thoughtful silence, and as they arrived at the bottom of the apartment buildings, Christian spoke.
"I think. I think, it just might work." And for the first time in a year, he was truly, and genuinely happy.
"Bar Absinthe." She read aloud, looking curiously at a building just down the street. She was thirsty, and something refreshing sounded rather good right about now. Pearl darted down the street, her auburn hair flying out behind her. Besides the fact she was running like a lunatic, she got many strange glances from the citizens of Montmarte. Unlike the usual new girl, she was not covered in layers of skirts. She was covered in no skirts at all. She wore pants made of a loose silk like fabric, and her shirt was a bright green with outlines of flowers on it.
Skidding to a stop, she plopped into one of the outside seats, digging into her pocket for money. A waiter came over and placed a glass of green liquid on her table, and picked up some of her money that she had laid on the table. Her curious chocolate eyes were transfixed on the liquid.
A new beer, she guessed, dyed green as some gimmick. And just to prove how tough she was, she downed the stuff in one gulp. After two seconds it was very clear this drink was not the usual stuff. The whole world seemed to swirl around her, and a few strange things happened all at once.
Two people sat down at the table across from her. She noticed when she sat down that no one asked to sit with one another, and that she had grabbed the last empty table. She stared dumbly at the two sitting across from her, and they looked back at her.
One of them was rather short. Pearl herself wasn't the tallest person, but he had to be at least a half foot smaller than her. He had short ebony hair, that seemed to attract the sunlight to it, as it was very shiny and glossy looking. The man was nice enough to look at, with a goatee of the same color that made his handsome bone structure stand out. But the most noticeable thing were his eyes. A dark brown color, and very wide and inquisitive, which reminded her of herself.
The other one was much taller than her, and looked a bit more 'normal'. He was just as handsome, with dark brown hair that flopped down around his eyes. The tall man's eyes were a grayish green color, and they seemed infinitely sad. Pearl could only think he must have a depressing story to tell. A beard that looked a bit barbaric and a sad smile on pale lips were other clues that led to her conclusion.
Christian and Toulouse stared at the girl sitting across from them. To Christian she seemed to be a peculiar looking young woman, obviously new. She was not strikingly beautiful, nor was she ugly. Just peculiar looking. Her large brown eyes and long black lashes were her most striking quality, other than the fact she was much tanner than most girls in Montmarte were. To Toulouse, she was very pretty. She reminded him of him, especially the eyes. He looked at the empty glass sitting next to her and elbowed Christian.
"Ah. See the girl has been drinking!" Toulouse cried, startling the girl out of her drunken stupor.
"Mine Pearl. Drank green stuff. New here. This pretty is very place." She commented, her usually loud and smooth voice was quite different. She stumbled over her words, and talked no more above a whisper.
"Hello Pearl. I'm Christian." Christian replied, speaking slowly so she might understand. It seemed she did, and she nodded.
"And I'm.." Toulouse was about to go into his very long and complicated name when he felt an elbow poking his side.
"I'm Toulouse. Pleasure to meet you." The dwarf smiled, and Pearl smiled stupidly back.
The three of them sat there quite a while, Pearl because she had no choice. And Christian and Toulouse because they did not want to see the girl passed out on the street tomorrow. In the meantime, the two bohemians each had a glass of absinthe.
"I'm an actress." Pearl suddenly announced, her dark eyes a bit clearer, and her smile a bit more stable.
"A Bohemian! I am a Bohemian, and I've come to Montmarte to act." She added. Toulouse and Christian both glanced uneasily at one another. They knew where this was leading.
"I've come to apply for a job at the Moulin Rouge. Could you show me where it is?" Pearl concluded, glancing around for any sign of the red windmill. Simultaneously, Christian and Toulouse stood. Pearl followed their example, and listened to the story of how the Moulin Rouge was now closed.
"But.but, can't you get it back? The theater? Buy the deeds?" She inquired, giving the two of them as sad a look as she could.
"You'd have to see The Duke." Christian muttered bitterly, avoiding the girls pleading glances.
"And you'd need the money." Toulouse added for him. Right now they were no poor. All the money went to absinthe, or to instruments of art.
"Toulouse." Christian began, struck by a sudden idea, "My book! With the money it earns we could buy it back! We could buy the Moulin Rouge back!" He was grinning wildly at his friend, happy with his brilliant plan.
"Do you think he'd give it to us?" Toulouse wondered aloud, and right then they both knew he wouldn't. He was greedy. He was cruel. He hated them, and he wouldn't do it for all the money in the world.
"I'd do it." Pearl suggested, seeing the look the two were giving each other. Both of them lapsed into a thoughtful silence, and as they arrived at the bottom of the apartment buildings, Christian spoke.
"I think. I think, it just might work." And for the first time in a year, he was truly, and genuinely happy.