Felix woke up, and strangely, he felt better than he'd had in years. Speaking with his new friend Violet felt strangely relieving. It was nice to finally talk to someone who at least wanted to listen to him.
When Felix returned to his cell the previous evening, he looked out the small, barred window of his cell. If there was one and only one luxury he had in this place, it was that his cell had a nice view of the Capital City. Each night – provided that Schroeder hadn't decided to give him another beating – Felix could look all the way down to the centre forum from his cell.
The large houses and tall buildings near Kristall Street would light up the sky for miles around, almost drowning out the stars with their brightness. Closer to the prison, Schalcten Street still hustled and bustled with young men fighting, gambling, stealing and living each day like it was their last, just as Felix had done so long ago. One day, Olaf had told him that the city had assigned a new Police Captain to Schalcten Street, and even showed him the news article with the young Captain vowing to clean up the dirty old street.
Felix almost wished he could watch him try. If those kids where anywhere close as wild as he was, Felix knew the Police would be in for a hard time.
As he clambered off his hard bed, Olaf stood in front of the bars and tapped hard with his truncheon, "Are you awake yet, Young Punk?"
Felix stretched and sighed, "Come on Olaf, it's Thursday. It supposed to be our rest day today, let me have a few more minutes"
The Old Guard chuckled, "Not for you it isn't. Your friend the Doll is back. The Warden's paying good coin for her services, so you better get that story of yours done"
Felix was surprised. He hadn't really expected Violet to return. After all, he had confessed to his first murder to her. Most people would have ran away at that point. So she's a soldier after all. Not afraid of anything he thought to himself.
"Back to that interrogation room then? Alright. I can't say I'm fond of that place though" said Felix as he put his shoes on and reached for his prison coat.
Olaf tapped the bars again, "You're the luckiest young punk in this whole place, you know that? She insisted on going outside again. And she even brought some food with her. Make the most of it Felix"
After the short walk through the halls and out into the yard, Felix saw that Soldier Doll sitting on the grass. She had spread out a white and red checker blanket. And beside the case that he knew contained her rifle-turned-typewriter was a large picnic basket.
Violet looked up as she saw Felix approaching, "Good Morning, Felix. You mentioned yesterday that you wished for a picnic, so I decided to make one for us to work. Please, have a seat"
Felix sat on the other side of the blanket and gazed at the objects Violet had laid out, "Wow. You uh, you really didn't have to go all this trouble. I was being sarcastic"
Violet opened the basket and placed the contents neatly on the blanket. She had brought sandwiches, salads, a bag of pine nuts and two large thermos of coffee for the pair. As she was placing the food out on the blanket, she continued speaking, "It was no trouble. Upon reviewing part of your story that we wrote yesterday, I decided to explore some of the places you had mentioned. Schalcten Street has grown slightly, though it is still a rough place, using your words"
She held up a sandwich and passed it over to her client, "The Butcher's Deli that you spent most of your youth in is still there, though it is owned by a married couple who had no knowledge of you. The meat they sell is considered to be of high quality for it's price. I was unsure of your preferences, so I have brought ham, roast beef and salami. Please let me know which you prefer, and I will make more of that type next time"
Felix picked the roast beef and looked at the wrapper. The Deli might have new owners, but they still used the same wrapping paper on their sandwiches, brown with a black label, featuring a hooting owl as the logo. He opened the wrap, and looked at the sandwich. Three slices of roast, each a quarter inch think, with lettuce, tomato, and a single stroke of mustard between two pieces of rye, just the way he had always liked.
He took a bite, and savoured the delicious flavour. This sandwich was far and above anything he had to eat in in prison, "Wow, that's delicious as all hell. I'm glad that whoever owns the place at least keeps up on quality"
He poured a mug of coffee while Violet continued to lay out her items and describe her evening, "I also went to visit the postal office you mentioned, where the Gentleman with Black Gloves fell in love with the Girl with Green Hair. The Office is still in business, though it was taken over by the daughter of the original owner. I am told that the Girl With Green Hair, who's name is Adelaide, eventually wed the Gentleman and moved to his estate. His name is not known, but I learned that he owns a major ship-building company that built cruisers for the Leiden Navy. He is extremely wealthy, and evidently the motorcar you stole was one of several he owns, among other things"
Felix took a sip of the equally delicious coffee, "Adelaide eh? Not the name I would have picked for her. Good for her though, I'll bet she's happy"
Violet sighed, "I am uncertain of that. It would seem the Gentleman joined the Navy as a Captain and fought during the war. His cruiser participated in a major battle near the Northern Coast. The Leiden Navy won the battle, but according to records the cruiser was sunk with all hands. It is unlikely the Gentleman survived"
Felix in turn sighed, "Too bad. What about Adelaide, is she still alright?"
Violet nodded, "I believe so. They did not have children, so she inherited his company. They have since changed their focus from building naval vessels to cruise liners. Their first liner, which is to be named Northern Starlight is due to sail in a year. I have purchased a ticket, as I've never seen the ocean before"
Felix finished the first mug and poured a second, "Sure wish I could come with you Violet. The ocean is something else. I'd rather sail forever than be in here another day"
Violet passed him a final item, an advertisement for a new opera to be performed where Katrin had performed so long ago. He looked at it and asked, "What's this?"
Violet gave the explanation as she prepared her typewriter-turned-rifle, "I took your advice and visited the Opera last night as my final place to explore. This is the performance they are currently showing"
Felix couldn't read, and so relied on the pictures. It didn't look like anything he had seen Katrin sing in, "I don't think I've heard of this one"
"I am not surprised. It was only debuted just last week. The reviews are well noted, with particular praise for the lead singer. The house was almost sold out last night, but I was able to afford a seat in the front row, somewhere where I thought you might have sat to watch Katrin" said Violet.
Felix found himself tensing up, "Was...was she there?"
Violet shook her head, "No. And the dress shop you mentioned that she owned has closed as well. The building is being converted to an office for a newspaper. Her house is still where you mentioned it was, though it is now owned by a foreign family who raises herding dogs rather than horses. No one at the opera house knows what became of Katrin. She quit the Opera following the murder, and no one has seen her since"
Felix stared longingly at the sky, still remembering her songs even after all these years, "I wonder where she is"
Violet placed a stack of paper next to the typewriter and asked, "I could try to find out, if you want"
Felix shook his head, and took a long sip of the hot coffee, "No, that's okay. It's in the past now, I guess I'm just kind of nostalgic. What did you think of the Opera?"
She placed a blank sheet in the roller, slowly, and spoke before she began that other process that made Felix tense up, "I'm not very knowledgeable about music. The story of the opera was about two friends who adventured across the sea together in search of fortune in a distant land. When they arrived, they found the fortune, but their friendship was tested as they disagreed on how to spend the coin. One wanted to purchase a palace and live as a king, thinking only of himself. The Other wanted to share the fortune with all of his friends, and make all of them kings"
Felix smirked, "Coin does strange things to men. I know that from experience. What happened next? Did they fight?"
Violet sighed, "They did, and they nearly killed each other. In the end, their fortune was lost to the sea, and they decided that their friendship was worth more than any fortune they could find"
Felix shrugged, deciding to eat a second sandwich. He knew Olaf wouldn't let him take any leftovers back to the cell, "I mean, it sounds like a good story. But the opera is all about the music, what did you think of the singers?"
Violet adjusted the spinner, set the reel in place, and let it slam home. Felix tensed as he always did, but it didn't feel as intense as it normally did. Maybe the food was setting him at ease.
"Again, I'm not very knowledgeable about music. The lead singer had a very, interesting voice. She sang through several different ranges, and has the ability to modify the volume of her voice depending on the tone of he song. At the end of the performance, the opera received a standing ovation, and when she stepped forward to bow, she received the loudest cheers. I suppose that means she was very good" said Violet, sitting ready to type.
"You should keep going Violet. Try to learn more about music. It's the only thing that I really miss in here. But the sandwiches are pretty good too" said Felix, holding a half eaten sandwich in the air.
"You may eat as much as you wish. If you'd like, I will prepare a picnic each time we meet to continue our work" she replied.
"Yeah, you know what? Let's do that. You bring the food, tell me about your day, and we can start working after. It almost makes me feel normal again" Felix replied, truly happy at the thought.
"Shall we begin? When we left off, you had been arrested for the crime of murdering Katrin's other lover. Is that why you are now in prison?" Violet asked, typing away.
Click, click, click
Felix shrugged. Why wasn't the noise bothering him today? "No, not for that anyway. But, that is what led me to the Leiden Army, which I guess is the main event of our story?"
Violet stopped, "I'm confused. Convicted Criminals are not permitted to serve in the armed forces of this country? Have you lied to me?"
Felix stared hard at her beautiful blue eyes, "Hey, I'm a lot of things. But don't ever call me a liar. I was a Sargent in the Leiden Army. And, I'm also a convicted criminal. How did I end up in the army? It was simple. I was only seventeen, I was to young to go to jail for murder. So the magistrate sent me to the war instead, hoping it would do the job he couldn't"
Click, click, click
"That cannot be legal. Perhaps you could appeal your sentence?" Violet asked.
Felix scoffed, "That ship sailed a long, long time ago Violet. I'm here to stay in prison, and depending on how my hearing goes next week, I'll either be hanged or released. Probably hanged. There's nothing to be done about it now"
"My apologies, I didn't mean to offend you" said Violet as she continued to type
Click, click, click
I should be freaking out right now. But I feel totally fine. What's going today? Felix thought to himself.
"You know, you're always so worried about me Violet. Aren't you supposed to just make my words into a story? You shouldn't care about my feelings" Felix said, pouring yet another mug and draining the thermos.
Violet reached into the basket and passed him a second thermos before continuing, "You forget Felix, we are also friends now. I don't wish to upset my friends"
"I guess so. Thanks. Where are we now?" he asked, opening the new thermos.
"You were sent to the Army by the Magistrate. I suppose now you will wish to talk about your time in the war" Violet said, typing away.
Click Click Click
Felix let out a heavy sigh, "Yeah, that could take a while"
Violet produced a third thermos and a second stack of paper, "I came prepared. Take as long as you need"
