The Venice Incident
by Apple-chan
Disclaimer: insert witty disclaimer remark here
LysergXJeanne. Waff, fluff, maybe a bit of angst, and a really annoying Marco.
Set approximately 10 or so years after the Anime (so Lyserg's about 22 and
Jeanne's 18). Set in Venice, Italy. Falling over a gondola into the Grand Canal:
disaster, or blessing in disguise? We'll find out.^_^
Spoilers: The whole Anime series, and I think the first half of the Celebrations
Arc. It is absolutely necessary to have at least read the first half of that
story in order to get this, else everything will be extremely confusing.
Warnings: PG-13 for adult situations and mild swearing.
This is otherwise known as Celebrations Side Story number 1, and is dedicated to
all the LysergXJeanne fans out there. Hope you like it.
Chapter 1 - Chance Meeting
Early September, 2008
Venice, Italy
"Ahh, this is the life!" Caesar sighed as he plopped down on top of the mahogany
four-poster and closed his eyes. "Hn. Hey you guys..." one blue eye lazily
opened as he surveyed his two companions. "What do you say we relax for the
first couple of days, huh? Let's not worry about the case yet. It's not like
anyone's going to get killed again anytime soon--"
"Get OFF my BED this INSTANT, Silverberg," Came Luc's incredibly calm but fierce
voice.
The red-haired Caesar sat up and gave him a puppy-eyed pleading gaze. "Aw,
Luc--" He whined.
"I MEAN it, Silverberg." It was stated as an order not meant to be challenged.
"If you wish to go dilly-dallying all over this place, you can do so. AFTER we
solve this case," Luc said sternly. Then, the light-brown-haired detective gave
his other companion a meaningful look.
Lyserg Diethyl, the said companion, merely shrugged, raising a warning eyebrow
at Caesar. "Get off the bed and sit on the chair, Caesar." He urged. "We need to
go over that plan."
"Eh...?" Caesar looked back and forth blankly between Lyserg and Luc, scratching
his head. "...What plan?"
Luc rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Your PLAN, Silverberg," he reminded the
other man impatiently. "Hurry along with it; we don't have all day."
"Whoever said I had a plan?" Caesar wondered out loud as he continued scratching
his head.
Luc exhaled. "THIS is why I hate working with this GUY." He got up and walked
towards the window. "I told you before," he said to Lyserg, "you and I are
better off without him. We're fine as it is--just the two of us. He'll just be a
damn bloody bother." He added.
"Whoever said I wanted to work with YOU?" The red-haired detective glared at
him.
Lyserg sighed in exasperation. "Let it go, Caesar. Luc didn't mean it; he's just
anxious to get this job done." He admonished. "...Aren't you, Luc?"
"Like hell I am." Was the curt reply.
The green-haired Englishman looked back and forth between his two fellow
detectives and sighed helplessly, raising his eyes to the ceiling and praying
for patience. "...Alright then," he began, hastily racking his brain for
anything resembling a definite plan, "let's just go over the place and ask
around; we can probably pick up some clues that way," he added, glancing back
and forth once more between the red-haired Caesar and the light-brown-haired Luc. "We
should split up so we can cover more ground. I'll take charge of the north area
from St Mark's Square. Caesar can take charge of the west area, and Luc--"
"I'll take the east side," The light-brown-haired detective interrupted. "We can
meet at the square in..." he flitted his gaze to his watch. "Four hours. After
which, we can scan the central and south area together." He turned away from the
window and glared at Caesar. "Did you understand what Lyserg and I said? Or do
we have to repeat everything for the benefit of your incredibly incompetent and
equally unreliable brain and memory?"
Caesar glared back. "Are you INSULTING me?"
"Yes. I am." Luc said in a challenging tone. "Is that a problem?"
"Damn BLOODY HELL it is!"
"And what do you intend to DO about it?"
"Shut the F**K up, both of you!" Lyserg yelled, finally losing his patience.
"Look," he said in a much calmer tone as soon as his two companions simmered
down, "It's just a simple plan; I'm quite certain you both got it. So let's just
get this over with." He gave them both a meaningful look. "For god's sake, lay
off on the fighting, please? I'm tired of acting as your referee ALL THE TIME."
Luc and Caesar glared at each other one last time, blue eyes meeting hazel green
with a spark of electricity. "Alright," they relented, albeit grudgingly, in
unison.
"Good." Lyserg gave a sigh of relief. He stood up.
"We'll meet at half past three in front of St. Mark's Square," Luc said firmly as
he pulled on his forest-green trench coat. "If either one of you get there late,
I'll tell my brother to cut off your paycheck," he threatened.
"Sure, boss." Caesar replied sarcastically with a loud yawn.
Lyserg just nodded and smiled faintly. "Whatever you say, Luc." He pulled on his
black hooded overcoat.
"I'll see you later!" Caesar waved cheerfully as he continued to lie down on the
bed, not moving an inch.
"GET THE HELL OFF MY FREAKING BED, SILVERBERG!" Luc barked as he telekinetically
summoned the red-haired man off his four-poster and unceremoniously dumped him
on the floor.
"OUCH!" Caesar exclaimed, groaning as he got up and rubbed his sore back.
"...That was LOW," he said darkly.
"Hmph." Luc smirked with satisfaction. "Deal with it." He turned around. "Let's
go, Lyserg."
"Yes." Lyserg fought the urge to laugh out loud at the indignant expression on
Caesar's face. "Come on, Caesar." He lowered his voice a bit, "You can pay him
back later." He added meaningfully.
"Tch." Caesar grunted as he followed his two companions out the door. "I'll get
him for this, mark my words." He threatened, still groaning slightly. "Ouch."
*~*~*~*~*~*
"Grazie." Jeanne smiled warmly as she handed the out the last of their donation
packages. The woman she had given the package to smiled and thanked her in
return.
As soon as the final person in the room had left, she turned to her companion.
"Sister Sarah, is that everything?" She asked the silvery-blonde haired woman
who was standing by the row of statues and writing something on a silver pad.
"...Just a moment." Sister Sarah looked up from her pad. "Sister Vicki!" She
called out to the other room. "Have we distributed all the goods to everyone?"
A raven-haired young woman peeked out from the door of the said room, looking
extremely nervous and quite startled. "I...I'm not sure," she said hesitantly,
scratching her head in a childish fashion. "We haven't counted everything yet.
I'm sorry, Sister Sarah! We'll get on it right away!" She reassured her superior
hastily before stumbling back inside the room. "Note everything down, quick!
Chop, chop!" Was heard from outside.
Sister Sarah rolled her eyes to the ceiling and shook her head, smiling at
Jeanne. "Absent-minded as always." She remarked dryly, referring to Vicki.
"Well, she's learning, at least." Jeanne commented as she stood up, hastily
brushing off the dust on her white dress as she did so.
"Yes, but..." The blonde nun gave her a look. "The offer still stands, Jeanne.
You can still take up the vocation, if you want to. I have nothing against
Vicki, personally," she paused. "...But I'd really rather have you."
The silvery-blue haired maiden shook her head. "The vocation's not for me,
Sister. I'm quite satisfied with serving as a volunteer missionary. I don't need
to do anything else."
"Well," Sister Sarah paused thoughtfully, "I respect your decision. But if you
change your mind..."
"I won't."
"I wonder," The nun mused, "if the reason why you don't want to pledge yourself
to the Lord completely...is that green-haired gentleman friend of yours?"
Blushing slightly, Jeanne averted her eyes. It wasn't like she could say yes,
he's the reason...but it wasn't like she could say no, either. "Since I was
young, I've always known that I wasn't meant to be a member of the vocation."
She replied, choosing her words carefully, "although my loyalties lie with God,
I've always worked independently. Of course, Marco has always been by my side,
but..." she shook her head. "I think it's just my heart leading me on...and it's
not saying anything about me being a nun, so..." She shrugged.
"Sister Sarah!" Sister Vicki's head appeared from the doorway of the other room.
"We've given out everything! We're finished!" She added with a bright smile.
"Splendid." Sister Sarah gracefully placed her silver writing pad on the table
and smiled at her assistant. "Thank you, Sister Vicki. Listen..." she looked
around thoughtfully. "Would you mind taking charge here for a little while?
Jeanne and I will just be out for a couple of hours." She added, inclining her
head at the silvery-blue-haired maiden.
Sister Vicki looked surprised, but she nodded. "Yes. Alright." She looked over
at Jeanne. "What should I tell Marco when he gets here?"
"Tell him Jeanne and I went out for a walk. It's the truth, anyway." Sister
Sarah replied. Then, turning to Jeanne, she said, "Well then...shall we go?"
Jeanne frowned at her in confusion. "Go where?"
Sister Sarah smiled. "Around Venice." She paused. "This is the first time I've
ever been here. I've heard a lot about this city...and I wish to see with my
very own eyes if it really is as beautiful as everyone says." She explained.
"...I'm sure you do, too...am I right?"
"Yes!" Jeanne nodded quickly, feeling a little excited. The gondolas...I want to
ride a gondola, and go around the Grand Canal... "I do." She could feel an eager
smile forming on her face.
"Good." Sister Sarah's bright blue eyes lit up. Tossing her long hair regally
over her shoulder, she grinned at Jeanne. "Let's go, then."
*~*~*~*~*~*
Lyserg ran his eyes aimlessly around St. Mark's Square, searching for any sign
of his two companions...without much success.
He glanced at his watch. Four o'clock in the afternoon. He sighed. They were
supposed to meet thirty minutes ago. He wondered what happened to the two of
them.
Caesar probably got distracted by the sights and sounds, he thought with slight
humor. As for Luc...he...might be...interrogating the townspeople more than he
should...he frowned slightly. Luc could be very ruthless almost to the point of
sadism--if and when he wanted to. Especially when he's searching for crucial
information about their cases. He sighed again.
Everyone in their division of the detective agency had a special ability they can call
their own...like for example, Lyserg's colleagues knew that he could locate
anything within the blink of an eye using his crystal pendulum. And then there
was Caesar, who can sense people's feelings, Caesar's brother Albert, who can
see the immediate future, and Luc, who can move objects with a wave of his
hand...just to name a few. Cases which are way beyond the ordinary are their
specialty, for they were the only group of people who can deal with that kind of
thing and solve it firsthand with little effort.
This particular case in Venice, for example, was somewhere along the lines of
supernatural...although, if recent case developments were an indication, it promised
to be difficult--which was why there were three of them working on it, instead
of the usual two people per case, or sometimes, just one person.
Anyway, Lyserg glanced at his watch once again, exhaling impatiently. Not
wanting to waste his time dowsing for his friends' whereabouts, he produced a
cell phone from his pocket and started dialing Caesar's number. As he waited for
his friend to answer, he turned to Morphin on his shoulder and spoke to her in a
low tone. "Search around for any sign of either Luc or Caesar, alright? They're
late." The pink fairy spirit fluttered above his head and discreetly flew away
to do as he asked.
"Dammit, Caesar...why aren't you answering?" He muttered, frowning as he walked
a couple of steps towards the center, near the water. He paced around the area,
rolling his eyes as he hang up and started dialing Luc's number this time. He
fought the urge to groan out loud as a busy tone reached his ear. "Who the HELL
are you calling, Luc?" He sighed impatiently as he continued pacing around,
looking up at the sky as he alternated dialing Caesar's and Luc's numbers again
and again. He wondered if his two friends were making fun of him.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Jeanne walked around St Mark's Basilica, humming softly to herself as she gazed
up at the magnificent church. She turned at the left corner, with the intention
of heading straight towards where she was supposed to meet Sister Sarah. In all
her excitement, the nun had somehow forgotten to bring the purse containing all
her valuables--particularly, her rosary and prayer book--two things which she
never goes anywhere without, with her. This happened while they were around six
blocks and three boat rides from the missionary house, way over on the west side
of the church. Sister Sarah had apologized to Jeanne and immediately set
off back to the missionary house, calling over her shoulder to the silvery-blue
haired maiden to meet her right around the central square.
Jeanne continued to walk until she reached the area where the water of the Canal
flowed widely and almost within reach. She looked over the glimmering surface,
her eyes transfixed as a gondola passed by. The large,
old-fashioned curved boat was a beautiful relic...one of the many
things about Venice that had caught her attention ever since the first time she
set foot on the city, three days ago.
She wanted to ride on one of the gondolas badly, but Sister Sarah had advised
her against it, saying that, aside from the fact that a ride costs about sixty
pounds or so, it was a luxury only meant to be enjoyed by the rich and not by
those who wish to lead plain and simple lives--like church missionaries. Like
them.
Jeanne had relented, but only barely. She didn't bring much money with her, but
what she had could have very well paid for a 50-minute gondola ride.
Now, upon seeing the magnificent vessel sailing by the water in front of her, she
suddenly felt the extreme and overwhelming urge to ride one, despite Sister
Sarah's advice. After all, she thought to herself, it was only an advice--a
suggestion which is not
meant to be heeded if one does not wish to. She continued to stare at the
passing gondola as she walked towards the central square, wondering if Sister
Sarah would mind waiting while she went on a short ride...
"OOFF!" Jeanne exclaimed as she somehow managed to walk straight into a person
while her eyes wandered off. She fought to regain her composure. "I'm so sorry,"
she muttered a hasty apology, nodding at the person she bumped into.
"I'm sorry, too. I wasn't looking. Are you alright, miss?" The said person was
wearing a black hooded overcoat, and was quite tall. The person was
also...male--and sounded like he was English.
"Yes. Yes, I'm fine," She replied, looking up at person to reassure him...
...And found herself stunned and speechless when she realized who it was.
"J...Jeanne?" Except for the fact that he was able to speak, the person was in
much the same state as she, for the expression on his face mirrored her own.
"What are you doing here?" He managed to ask, practically dropping the phone he
was holding.
TSUZUKU.
End notes:
Okay, so nothing happened._ Sorry...I gave the nuns and the detectives a
chance to introduce themselves. I'll do better on the next chapter, I
promise...watch out for the next chapter on FRIDAY!^_^
"Grazie" means "thank you" in Italian.
Updated October 2, 2003. Made a mistake with Lyserg, Luc and Caesar's meeting
time. It's supposed to be half past three, not half past four. Gomen ne.^^;;;
Yes, this is a prequel of sorts to their story in Celebrations.^^And yes, just
as I don't own Lyserg and Jeanne, Neither do I own Sarah, Luc, Caesar, Vicki, or
Albert. Konami does.
Reviews will be very much appreciated.