Alice and François had gotten back to the Boarding house around nine, though when they got back nobody else was around except for the old woman.
"Excuse me mademoiselle, have our friends dropped by yet?" François asked the old woman who was knitting a red and blue scarf.
"Hm? Oh yes indeed, they came back here. They waited for a short while then left to find you two. What nice friends." She went back to her knitting.
"Do you think they'll be alright Françoise?" Alice asked worriedly.
"Of course they will, remember who you're talking about." Françoise gave her an assuring smile.
The two waited on the couches until the others arrived back around midnight, exhausted from searching.
"It's about time." Alice joked as they came in, mouth agape at the sight of the two.
"What the hell man?!" Amelia said furiously at the two.
"We have been searching for you arr night; why weren't you two back by eight rike pranned?"
Alice looked up at her with a smirk. "Well, our job ended at 8:45 and it's quite a long walk."
The others looked at the two astonished. "You guys actually found jobs?" Feliciana said with surprise.
Françoise looked up at her and grinned. "Oh you should see the cute outfits we get to wear." Much to Alice's dismay, Françoise pulled out her maid outfit and showed it to everyone.
"I-isn't that a maid's dress?" Sakura looked at it in confusion.
"We got jobs at a local café. Isn't that wonderful?" François got up and twirled around with the dress.
"Da, very wonderful."
"I thought those were only in Japan…How many emproyees are there right now?"
"Us including the manager, why?"
"That's not nearry enough."
"Do ya think they could use more employees?" Amelia asked excitedly.
"Ve~, I want a cute outfit too." Feliciana squeaked as she looked at Françoise's dress.
"She did look quite low on personnel, why don't you come with us tomorrow?" Françoise asked.
"Hai, sound rike a pran. We'rr get the money for that ride to Icerand in no time."
"Very well then, let us all go tomorrow morning."
Everyone agreed simultaneously then Feliciana yawned loudly. "I'm tired, let's go to bed."
She walked up to her room and was followed by everyone else except for Alice who stayed downstairs a little longer to think to herself. "This is insane, I can't be a café maid…but what choice do I have?"
She felt something jab her side so she put her hand in her left pocket and pulled out her glasses. "How'd I go the entire day blind?" She wondered while walking up to her room.
The alarm clock rang and everyone except Alice got up eager to see the café. "Come on, we'll be late if we don't leave now!" François put on her dress and dragged a stubborn Alice out, but she had forgotten her glasses and her sight was rendered to merely fuzzy outlines of people.
They all arrived and met Miss Rosa, who was more than happy to take in four more employees. She left and got everyone the maid outfits from the back; she came back and they all changed quickly.
"Okay, I didn't get to this yesterday but you are to direct everyone as master and you must do whatever ethical things they desire. I'm going to need two of you to go in the back and cook while the rest go around and serve, so who here has any cooking experience?"
"Feliciana and I will take care of that easily, though is it alright if we change up the recipes to a couple of the dishes Mademoiselle Rosa?"
"As long as the customers like it I suppose, well better prepare my hard workers. I sense there are going to be many tourists today."
Everyone except for Feliciana and François, who unfortunately had to change out of the outfits they loved so much so that they could cook, lined up by the door as the first few customers came in.
"Good morning master, may I get you anything to start off with?" Alice smiled as she asked the man who had sat down at one of the tables.
This shocked the others since they had never seen Alice so willing to take orders from a stranger so easily, but they quickly shook out of their surprise as more customers came in.
"This is going to be easy." Alice thought to herself.
Close by, the guys were leaving England's home and going their own separate ways to search for the others. France frowned as he walked down the streets of England, upset that he had to work in his rival country. While walking around and looking, he felt his stomach grumble and he remembered that he hadn't eaten anything since yesterday since he refused to eat any of England's food.
"Stupid England and his inedible food, now what am I supposed to eat?" That was when he smelled something he never expected to smell here.
He could tell right away that someone was cooking French cuisine somewhere, so he followed the scent up to a café around the corner and went in to be met by an English woman with long blond hair. She squinted at France then gave him an awkward smile and led him to a table.
"Welcome master, what may I get you?"
France didn't know why, but this woman seemed very familiar, though he couldn't put his finger on it. "Uh, do I know you from somewhere?"
"I don't believe so." She said as she tried to make out the fuzzy outline of the man in front of her.
"Interesting," he stared at her familiar face, coming to the conclusion that all English people look the same. "May I have the strawberry tarts?"
"Yes master." She smiled and walked towards the back, returning every few minutes or so to check on him.
France didn't know why, but he felt an attraction to this woman. When she returned to his table with a plate of strawberry tarts, he asked her to sit down with him. She couldn't say no so she sat down and tried her best not to be awkward as France ate the tarts and stared at her intently, both still couldn't figure out who the other was.
"Can I help you master?" Alice looked at the fuzzy outline, trying to identify the accent.
France thought the woman was quite attractive in a sense, so when he was done he asked Alice an unexpected question. "Mademoiselle, would you like to spend the evening out with me?"
Alice turned red in the face, not knowing how to answer back. Was this part of the "do anything ethical they ask you to do" rule? She didn't know what to think since no one has asked her anything like that since her pirating days, so she panicked and said yes.
"T-that sounds fun." She looked at him, still trying to make out the face.
France smiled at her though she couldn't tell. "Tres bien! I'll see you this evening. When do you get off?"
"8:45, it's a bit late but…"
"It's fine." He bowed down and kissed her hand. "Until we meet again."
He left to pay, leaving Alice still sitting at the table, trying to figure out what had just happened.
"Arice, what are you doing sitting around? Get back to work." Sakura scolded her.
"Oh…right." Alice got up and continued on working, but couldn't get that man out of her head.
France walked down the road, feeling a little more preppy than he had a while back. While walking he ran into England who wasn't in the happiest of moods.
"Any luck France?"
"Non, but I do have some good news." France smirked with delight.
"What is it?"
"I have a date this evening with a beautiful woman."
"How the bloody hell is that good news?"
"I never said it was good for you, killjoy." France turned and started to walk the opposite direction. "Adieu, wish me good luck!"
"Idiot, doesn't he realize why we're really here?"
The clock struck 8:45, closing time. Alice had told the others about her strange encounter and they all gave her different reactions.
"Ah, ma petit Anglettere is off to find love; how romantic."
"Da, is that right?" Anya handed Alice a thing of pepper spray that she had found on the floor earlier. "Just in case, okay?"
"Are you insane? Don't you remember the rear reason we're here? Where do your priorities rie Arice?"
"Hah, look at that! Big sis is going out on the town. When was the last time something like that happened?"
"Ve~, if he's cute can you ask if he has any friends?"
Alice watched as her friends walked down the street back to the boarding home, then realized something. She was still wearing the stupid maid outfit.
"Oh no, I can't go out like this!" She reached for her wand but realized she had left it back in the room.
"Oh God, what do I do?" Alice felt a hand on her shoulder and she quickly turned to see Miss Rosa looking at her.
"If you would like, you can use my clothes for the evening and I can take your dress."
Alice looked at her savior. "Thank you so very much; you just saved me from a disastrous impression."
"That's what friends are for right?" Miss Rosa unlocked the door to the café and they switched clothing inside.
Now instead of a maid's dress, Alice was wearing a white flower blouse with long black pants and a bun in her hair. The two walked out and they saw France standing there with a single rose in his hand; Miss Rosa nearly fainted.
"Oh Alice, you lucky woman you!" Miss Rosa walked up to France and examined his face.
France introduced himself to the ogling woman "Bonjour mademoiselle."
"Is that a French accent I detect?"
"Tres bien, though I must say that I am quite a fan of the English accent." He lied.
He reached for Alice's hand and pulled her next to him. "It was nice meeting you but we must be going now."
The two walked off into the crowds of people, France leading Alice through. "So what would you like to do?" He asked as they stepped onto a sidewalk.
Alice didn't know what to say then she spotted something interesting in the sky. "The London Eye." She gazed at it, remembering how hers had been destroyed.
"Isn't it lovely?" France gazed up in awe as well. "How about we grab something to eat and then head off over there?"
Alice nodded in agreement though she hadn't heard what he was said since she was fixated on the Ferris wheel as it lit up the sky.
France brought her to a late night café so that the two could eat. Alice looked up at her date's blurry face, trying to spot his characteristics but with no prevail. "We haven't formally introduced ourselves, have we?"
"Oh, you're right. My name is France." Alice stopped breathing.
"Say that again."
"My name is France, and may I ask yours?"
Alice didn't know what to do. He obviously didn't know who she was but it she knew the longer they were together the more time he would have to look at her face. She wanted to leave right then and there but she didn't want to cause a scene so she just rolled with it.
"M-my name is Rose." She stuttered, trying to hide her face in the menu.
The two had ordered their meals though while eating, Alice noticed that France was forcing down the food quite painfully. "Is there something wrong?"
"Just not used to English food, that's all."
"It's terrible isn't it?"
France looked at her then chuckled. "You said it, not me."
The two laughed, though Alice remained wary of France. After dinner the two went out to get some ice cream so that France could get the taste of English food out of his mouth.
"So many flavors, it's incredible!" Alice gazed through the glass at all the different colors and flavors of ice cream in front of her.
France got the attention of the salesman. "Yes I'll have the strawberry, and the lovely lady will have…"
"I'll try the Key Lime Pie, no wait, the blueberry blast. Or maybe the…"
France interrupted her. "How about I choose for you?"
Alice realized she had gotten overly excited and nodded.
"And the lovely lady will have the cookies and crème in a waffle cone."
They got their ice creams and started their way up to the London Eye, the two joking and laughing all the way there. Though they had waited in line for nearly thirty minutes, they finally got a spot on the London Eye. They started to go up and Alice watched down through the glass as they went higher and higher into the air. France walked up to her and put his arm around her, putting Alice in an uncomfortable position.
"Look how high we are!" She gazed through the window into the star filled sky.
France looked at her reflection through the glass, trying to figure it out. "Turn to me; I think there's something on your face."
Nervously, Alice turned to France and found him staring right into her eyes. France could almost figure it out, but the more he looked at her the more tension France didn't realize he was growing.
"Alice?" He asked questioningly.
Alice looked at him in horror. "I think you have me mistaken for another girl."
France could see it now; her ember green eyes were shining giveaways. "Non, I mistake you not."
Alice was trying to think of a way out of this while France was trying to get rid of all the tension he had accidentally created. Then, as if by instinct, he put his face close to hers and kissed her lips, putting her in a moment of shock then relief. She didn't know why, but she felt like nothing mattered anymore. The door opened and they were let out, France holding onto Alice's hand. They sat down on the curb, both wondering what to do.
"France?" Alice looked over at him.
"Hmm?" He answered back.
"I had a wonderful night with you, even considering our problem." She blushed and turned her face away.
France looked at her and then blushed as well. "I did as well, though I feel like an imbecile for not realizing who you were sooner." He looked up at the sky. "You're much different than the England I know."
France was still contemplating on whether or not to grab Alice and bring her to the others, but he couldn't find it in himself to do it. He turned back to Alice who was gazing into the sky. He put his hand on top of hers, and looked back up into the starry night. Alice turned to French man and decided it was time to go before something terrible happened, so she removed her hand, kissed his cheek, and disappeared into a large crowd of people.
France didn't bother following her because he knew he could find her any time he desired.
He smiled to himself. "Until we meet again, ma fleur ."
-Boom! Love triangle formed.