A/N- Yay, chapter 23 ).
Dark Ninja- Yep, I used to be a rabid IY fan…and I guess that they are kinda like IY and Kagome. As for the faery…well, you're just gonna have to wait and see. Muaha.
Elizabeth fell out of bed with a yelp and struggled to sit up. Something pinned her arms and legs, holding her immobile. She thrashed around on the floor for a second before figuring out it was her sheet.
Sighing at her own stupidity, she managed to untangle herself and get dressed, choosing a light green dress, that wouldn't be too warm for the summer weather. She secured her hair with a piece of ribbon that she more or less randomly pulled out of her suitcase, then went over to her dresser to wash the sleep out of her eyes with the bowl of water and cloth that was provided.
Brushing the strands of hair that always seemed to escape her horsetail, she left her room and went over to Gabriel's, walking in silently and closing the door behind her. Jocelyn, Pierre, and Caroline were still asleep.
Gabriel laid at the foot of his bed, curled up into a ball. Rose was sleeping the same fashion next to him. The necklace was on the night table, glittering in the ray of sun that hit it.
She bent down and put her hand on his shoulder, then shook him gently. "Time to wake up," she whispered.
"Hmmm?" Gabriel forced his eyes open and groggily sat up, rubbing the heel of his palm across his eyes. "What time is it?"
"It's already eleven o'clock. Almost time for lunch." She stood back as he slid out of bed and stretched, bones in his neck and back crackling.
"Alright, alright, I'll get dressed. Meet you out front in a bit."
"See you then." She left, making sure she didn't make any noise. After returning from Alison's and Kal's, the four of them had stayed up past three o'clock in the morning, talking about whatever subject came to mind. They had also planned out the day: Pierre and Jocelyn had to work, so Gabriel and Elizabeth would spend the afternoon exploring Paris themselves. They would meet for a lunch break at two, then at three would split up again until supper. Elizabeth had suggested inviting Kal and Alison to meet with them at lunch, and Jocelyn liked the idea; she had met Alison, but Kal had avoided her. To Elizabeth's surprise, Jocelyn had met her when she was fitting Alison for a costume--Alison was the lead female singer for the Garnier, one of the most popular Opera houses in Paris. Kal also worked there as a stage hand, and made a point of avoiding everyone in the Opera--the managers, ballet rats, chorus people, and even the other stage hands -- except Allie. And there were enough odd rumors about him that everyone else kept their distance, and he worked backstage, so avoiding them wasn't much of a problem.
So, anyways, they had decided that Elizabeth and Gabriel would go ask the two to join them for lunch ,at a café not far from the Garnier, and then the rest of the day just wander around to kill time.
A hand tapped her lightly on the shoulder and she barely stopped herself form screaming. She whipped her head around and saw Gabriel standing behind her, a guilty smile creeping onto his face. He wore a pair of black breeches and a black shirt, and, of course, his necklace. Rose perched on his shoulder.
"Forgive me, ange. Did I scare you?" He dropped his hand to his side.
"N-no…I was just startled. How did you get dressed so quickly?"
"Unlike you, ange, I don't have to spend a long time lacing up corsets and fixing my hair. Shall we go?" He slipped past Elizabeth, beating her to the front door and holding it open.
The streets were already crowded with people, some moving quickly to their destination, others just walking. A few had dogs, which Rose stared at reproachfully.
Gabriel went behind the house and returned with Jocelyn's painted horse, Jack, a moment later.
"Thanks." she mounted Jack, regretting that she couldn't race Gabriel to Kal and Allie's house--it was fine during the night, when no-one else was around, but Gabriel's unnatural speed would attract s bit too much attention. He was earning quite a few stares as it was, from his height.
She started Jack into an easy walk. "So...how do you like Paris so far?"
Gabriel grinned. "I love it! There's more people than I'm used to, but it's the second place outside of the castle I've seen! I thought I liked being a hermit, but I could get used to this."
"So could I…wait. This is the only place you've been to, other than the village?"
"Yes. Odd, I know, but my parents didn't care for me to…leave the castle, I suppose. No idea as to why."
"I guess I shouldn't be pointing fingers…I've never left the village, after all," she confessed. She shook her head; they were both odd! "In a way, I envy Kal and Allie…it seems as if they've been to so many places!"
Gabriel nodded. "Though it seems it was not under desirable circumstances."
"Yeah…I can't wait to hear their story. It's starting to sound like one of my faery tales….a demon, and a Princess…"
"It does, doesn't it? But, I think, ange, that you're already living in a faery tale, of sorts."
"Why would you think that?"
"Well…" Gabriel said, trying to keep a straight face, then failing. "…an angel, and a monster."
"Oh, stop that, you!" She started to laugh and nudged his side with his foot. "All flattery aside, I'm not an angel, and you're certainly not a monster."
Gabriel shrugged casually. "Maybe, and maybe not. Perhaps Kal and Allie would like to read our story. It's probably not as exciting as theirs, but you have to admit, it is somewhat interesting."
"Maybe." The conversation was forgotten as Rose leaped off of Gabriel's shoulder and onto Jack's neck. Jack twitched and shook his neck slightly, then ignored the cat completely. Rose sat there calmly, looking straight ahead as if she were the one riding the horse.
Gabriel shook his head in amusement. "Sometimes I think it's not so strange for me to talk to her. Smart for a cat, isn't she?"
"Smart…or just strange," she answered. Rose flicked an ear then began washing herself with one paw, the other on Jack's neck, balancing her.
"If Rose is strange, I wonder what Kal's raven Death is like?" Gabriel wondered out loud.
Gabriel knocked on the door three times, then waited. There was a short pause, then the door was answered by Kal.
"What?" he asked, tossing his bangs out of his face with a flip of his head. "If you're looking for Allie, she's not here."
"I just came to say that Elizabeth and our hosts are inviting you two for lunch."
"Fine. What time should I tell her?"
"Two o'clock. And it's at the café near the Garnier."
"Alright," Kal said in his raspy voice. His head twitched, then he turned slightly and yelled back into the house. "Shut up, you damned crow!"
"Excuse me for asking, but who were you talking to?" Gabriel asked, puzzled.
"That cursed excuse for a raven." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder, indicating a large black bird, with a white feather on its head, that was sitting on the back of one of the kitchen chairs. As an after-thought, he added "He told me not to kill you."
"Oh."
Kal raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't going to."
"How nice. We'll be seeing you and Alison at two, then."
"I'm over-joyed," he drawled sarcastically, then shut the door in Gabriel's face. Gabriel heard from him shout at the raven from inside the house. "My head is messed up enough without you always jabbering in it!"
Gabriel turned away and trotted down to the road, where Elizabeth was waiting.
"What did he say?"
"That he'd tell Allie and they'd see us there."
"Alright." They started off down the road again, back to town. "I wonder what the Opera's like?"
During their tour, Jocelyn had shown them the Opera, but hadn't taken them inside.
"I have no idea. Probably interesting, though."
"Yeah, probably. After lunch, want to go see the Notre Dame? It's a church. Jocelyn said it's beautiful, and has this amazing stained-glass window…"
"Sounds like a good idea, ange. Myself, I've never been inside a church. I've seen pictures, but that's about it."
"You've never been inside a church?" Elizabeth repeated.
Gabriel shrugged. "My parents weren't very religious people, as you might have guessed."
"Then I guess that you'll be more interested in the Notre Dame than I am!"
"I probably will be. What do you know about it?"
"Oh, not much. I know that it's very big, and it has that window--you'll probably like it, as you're an artist. Oh! And it has these amazingly loud bells that they ring every morning and night."
"I'd like to hear that…maybe I'll wake up earlier, from now on."
"So will I. And, even if we don't, we'll always hear the ones from the night mass."
Gabriel nodded and stepped out of the way of a pair of people. They gave him a passing glance, then went on their way.
He smiled. How great it was, to pass through crowds like a normal--if a bit tall--person!
"Oh, look!" Elizabeth pointed at a shop that had a violin and a few other instruments in its display window. "A music shop! Want to take a look?"
"Sure."
"I'll stay outside with Jack and Rose; you can go in first."
"Thank you, ange." He opened the music shop's door, stooping through it a small bell ringed.
"Bonjour, Monsieur! How may I help you?" A man from behind a desk looked up from where he was polishing a flute. He had graying brown hair, cut earlobe length, and a pair of round spectacles were perched on the end of his nose.
"Merci, but I think I'll just look around," Gabriel said.
The shop owner went back to the flute. "Careful not to break anything!"
He nodded a yes, though the owner didn't see it, and examined the instrument closet to him; a miniature harp, small enough to fit into his hand. It was made of polished mahogany, and looked new. Gabriel picked it up and plucked a few strings. Clear notes sounded through the small shop. He decided he like it. "How much is this, monsieur?"
He looked up again, and pushed his glasses further up. "Oh, that? I believe it is…hmm...wait a moment." He shuffled though some loose papers. "I have to keep notes of everything…horrible memory." He held one up to his eyes. "One hundred francs."
Gabriel took the appropriate amount of money out of his pockets. He was beginning to think that if he went without playing an instrument for two months, he might loose what remained of his sanity. He'd played the harp before, and though he was fairly decent at it, preferred the piano. But, seeing as there was no piano here… "I'll take it." He walked over to the desk and set the money down on it.
"Thank you, monsieur, and have a nice day." The man began gathering papers that lay scattered across his desk, muttering to himself. He seemed to have already forgotten Gabriel, who had now left the shop, holding the harp in one hand.
"Did you buy something?" Elizabeth asked , and Gabriel held up the small harp in reply.
"Something to occupy my spare time. And yours, if you can recall how to play it." He handed it to her, and she played a simple song.
"Of course I do!" She handed it back to him, and he tucked it inside his shirt, mentally praying that he wouldn't fall and break it. "After all those lessons you forced on me!"
"As I recall, you were the one who pestered me to teach you, ange."
"Oh. Right. Wait here a moment for me, will you? I'm going to bring Jack and Rose back."
"I will. See you in a bit." He leaned against the side of the building and took out the harp. Now, what's a song that I can remember?
"Allie! Allie, we're over here!" Alison stopped and scanned the crowd, eventually spotting Elizabeth, who was waving at her. She, Gabriel, and two other people sat around a round table outside of the café. She recognized the other woman to be the seamstress who worked at the Garnier, and guess that the man must be her husband.
"C'mon, Kal." She grabbed his hand and pulled him behind her, weaving in between other tables and people.
"The hand, Princess. Kindly let go of it!" He yanked his hand out of her and pulled one of his black leather gloves over it, but before he did, she caught sight of the charred, bleeding flesh.
"Sorry, I keep forgetting! Why weren't you wearing your gloves in the first place?"
" 'I keep forgetting!' " he mimicked, putting on the other glove.
She rolled her eyes and guided him the rest of the way to Elizabeth's table; she knew full well that he could've navigated quite well himself, but didn't want to risk him bumping into someone. He was much less violent since they had first met, but this close to the thirteenth, she didn't want to push her luck.
"Bonjour Liz, Gabriel, Jocelyn! And I'm afraid I haven't met you, Monsieur!" She sat down in one of the two empty chairs. Kal reluctantly sat down in the other one, looking as if he would like to be someplace else. Really, really like. Kal had a grudge against almost all humans, give or take a few. He just didn't like them. Which was logical, given the fact that most humans he met tried to kill him.
The man extended his hand across the table and she shook it. "Pierre Lundy. You must be Alison."
"Yes! And this is my friend, Kal Raae!" Allie used his foster mother's last name. He had lived with her for two years, but then accidentally killed her on his sixth birthday.
-'friend', eh?- Kal remarked sarcastically in her head. She ignored him. Kal basically thought of himself as friendless.
I'm not going to let his sarcastic remarks annoy me! I've told him a hundred times., that time with the pistol was an accident! And that time with the poisoned knife…and that time with the arrow…and-
"Kal also works at the Garnier," Jocelyn added.
"Nice to meet you, Kal." He held out his hand to Kal, as he had done for Allie, but Kal made no move to shake it. After a moment he withdrew it.
"So, are you a friend of Elizabeth's?" Allie asked Jocelyn, to break the silence.
"Yes. We grew up together, and-"
"-we're practically sisters," Elizabeth finished. Both girls broke into giggles.
"What about you?" Jocelyn asked Allie after she finished. "How'd you meet up with Liz?"
"Well…Kal and I passed through where she was living, and…I just started a random conversation with her," she lied. "I do that a lot." Not a lie.
"That's interesting! And while we're on that subject, how did you and Kal meet?" Jocelyn's face showed nothing but honest curiosity.
Good. Not another demon in disguise. Allie thought a moment about how to answer; she obviously couldn't tell them how she had really met Kal. "He was...erm...performing in a traveling circus that stopped in my home town. We talked, and just stuck together ever since."
-a TRAVELING CIRCUS? Oh, God, woman! I do not know you-
"Really? What did you do, Kal?"
Alison winced. Now she had done it. Why couldn't she say he was…her servant…or guard...or something? Anything other than a circus performer! Where had that idea come from?
It was an amusing thought, though.
"I was a palm-reader," Kal said with a completely straight face. Allie fought to keep the grin off of her face. This was just great! Now Jocelyn would probably ask-
"Wow! Can you read mine?" She stuck her hand out across the table to him, palm up. Next to her, Pierre was rolling his eyes, and Gabriel and Liz were looking as if they too were fighting off the same reaction as Allie. Which would be collapsing to the ground and rolling around laughing like a lunatic.
And how is he going to read her palm, anyways? As far as I know, he has no clue how to! And, besides that, he's blind!
Not that Jocelyn and Pierre know.
Kal pretended to look at her hand. "Be forewarned, for there will be much destruction in the future for you. Not of property, but the destruction of trust and lives."
To Allie, he added, -she was asking for it-
"Oh.." Jocelyn pulled her hand back, looking reproachful and more than a little worried. "You can tell that by just looking at my hand?"
"Yes."
"Was there anything else?"
"Other than that, you'll live a long and happy life," he said in a sarcastic voice. No-on else but Allie noticed it, and Jocelyn cheered up.
"Well, that's good!"
Kal bowed his head. "Pleasure to do you service." -now can we please, please go?-
-No. We just got here. We'll go when they go.-
-whatever her highness commands-
Allie fought off the urge to roll her eyes; a habit of hers when she was annoyed. Sure, it was kind of flattering to be referred to as "Princess" or "your highness" , but it was getting old. An very trying on her patience. All those titles were a part of her past, a past that had long since died.
-self-pity is a useless emotion, Princess. Give it up-
"Allie? Are you alright?" Liz asked, frowning. Allie realized that her hands had been clenched into fist, perfectly-cared-for-nails digging into the soft flesh of her palms.
"Yes. Yes, I'm perfectly fine." Time for a subject-change, Alls. Luckily for her, Gabriel had just provided one. "Wow, that's such a nice harp! Can you play it?"
Beside her, Kal imitated her rolling her eyes. -humans. Don't get me started-
Jason lurked in the shadows, leaning against the wall of the Notre Dame. Soon, now. So soon. The events have been set in motion, my plan begun. Only one scant hour separating Kal and Gabriel from death.
And, if not death, torture.
And, if not torture…
A hand tapped him on the shoulder. "Beg pardon, monsieur, but--"
With lightning reflexes, he hit the woman who had come up beside him hard enough that she fell down onto the cobblestone street, whimpering in pain and fear.
In a flash, Jason was standing up, looking down at her. It was the same fey from yesterday. "You. Touch me again, and I will rip that pretty head of your off of your shoulders," he hissed in a dangerous voice. He didn't like the way she looked, he didn't like the way she talked, and he didn't like the way she looked at him. And she, a lowly fey, had touched him!
Her large brown eyes stared up at him, large with fright. "I'm sorry," she whispered. Large tears began to stream down her pale face.
He turned his back on her. "Don't waste your pitiful excuses on my ears. Leave, and don't ever come within hearing or seeing distance of me again."
"Yes, milord." He heard her get to her feet and stagger off.
Pitiful. Even more so than humans. Next time she bothers me, I will do what I promised! Nobody interrupts y train of thought, or touches me!
Casually glancing around to make sure no-one saw him, he transported a bottle of red wine from the cellars of a shop somewhere, and used magic to remove the cork.
Only one more hour, he thought, and took a swig of the wine.
One bottle, though. Today that's my limit. I don't want to be incoherent when three o'clock comes.
Then I'd miss the show.