Eavesdropping Is Fun!

When his older grandson showed up at the house, Ludovicus decided it was time to put himself out of the way. He got up, made certain not to go past the front door as he placed himself in the study. He did not shut the door, as he was not going to shut himself completely out. Just because he was giving Gilbert the leeway the boy wanted did not mean he was going to do so completely. After all, Gilbert was mad at him for something that was not his fault.

Gilbert was a lot like his father, in those respects.

Ludwig was probably very happy that Feliciano had left the house by this point. Ludovicus wondered exactly what it was Ludwig saw in the youngest Vargas, but then again Ludovicus often wondered why he was friends with Marcus and why he continued to be dragged about by the other man. Ludwig was rather alike to his grandfather, in those respects.

These were not really good similarities, if Ludovicus had to say so. He was a bit too old for this. So he listened as his grandson's talked in the other room.

What? Of course he could eavesdrop. They were his grandchildren, it was the least they could do for him. Actually, that was a twisted way of thinking about it. Ludovicus cursed Marcus (for the who-knew-how-many-th time) for the slow chipping away into his usual demeanor. He cursed Marcus, but did not stop himself from listening in. He was aware that his priorities were rather skewed. That was something he could not completely blame Marcus for. Not that it stopped him.

"...askin' us for a job?"

"Alfred vants us to fix up dat house on Pacific," Ludwig was saying, cutting to the point immediately, as he had always done. "Vhat do you dink?"

"Vith actual blueprints? From Alfred? Okay, okay, let's see it."

Working? That was good. Ludovicus pulled a book off the shelf. A manual. Another book. Another manual. Ludwig really needed to branch out his reading habits.

Ludovicus was pulled out of those thoughts when he heard the doorbell again. By the way there was more than one pair off feet moving toward the door, he assumed Gilbert took the initiative to try and answer the door and Ludwig was trying to stop him.

Inwardly, Ludovicus was rather amused. But he kept it on the inside. Where it counted.

"Antonio?"

"Hello! Sorry Ludwig, I heard that Gilbert was over here and I needed to talk to him!"

"Ah... no problem."

"Vhat is it, Toni?"

"Would you be my officiant?"

"I... I vhat?"

"For my wedding. What does everyone think I would be talking about right now?"

Ludovicus suddenly found himself fighting a small smile. Before he lost face (and did something worse than smile), he knew he had better leave. So he left the study and went out the back door. There was something very seriously wrong with the people who lived in this town. He was not exactly certain what it was. It was probably just living here. Or was it that Hearth somehow attracted people who were going to act like this anyway?

Closing the door behind him, he considered going to see his old house. At least walk by it. He was not the type for 'old times sake', but it was something of which he was interested in seeing again. He had not bothered to look at it the last time Marcus had dragged him into town.

He had been walking for ten minutes when he saw the familiar head of one Wang Yao. And as the other man saw him, he knew he would have to slow down his pace in order to talk to him.

"Yao."

"Ludovicus," Yao responded, folding his arms across his chest, arms disappearing in those long sleeves he had never seemed to get tired of. "How have you been, aru?"

"As well as one can be expected to when spending any amount of time with Marcus," Ludovicus responded honestly. "And you? Have you gotten tired of Hearth yet?"

Yao ground his teeth together before managing to calm himself down enough to answer. That was the problem with him, no matter how old he was, Yao always had that temper he could never quite settle. "No. No I haven't."

It was a not a good subject between them. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have phrased it like that."

"Nonsense. I know your feelings on the matter, aru. I accept them, but it doesn't change my mind."

Before Ludovicus could respond, the both of them were distracted by a loud noise. A loud voice, to be more exact.

"Get out! OUT!"

They both turned to look down the street.


Notes:

I made Ludovicus smile and almost very nearly laugh. He is officially out of character. And you know what? Who cares. I do not.

You read that correctly. Francis may be the best man, but Gilbert is now the officiant. The person who recites the vows. Mr. Dearly-Beloved-we-are-gathered-here-today. Lovino is going to kill Antonio. You have to wonder what exactly was going through the man's head at the time. Especially as Francis is a lawyer. He bypassed a man of the law to be the law abiding officiator. Anyone else would have made it would be the other way around... But Antonio is sort of, well, let us just say he is not the sharpest light bulb in the box. Of course, in Hearth, most of the bulbs are broken. They were manufactured that way.