Elise awoke with the sun the next morning, stretching the kinks out of her back from sleeping in the small rough bed, she was excited to begin the day. She took a quick shower before slipping into the soft flowing yellow fabric of the dress she had selected for this day. Running a quick brush through her hair she thought about what meeting Lovino again after all these years would be like. As she put her bow in her short golden locks, she wondered what he would look like as a young adult. She spent the day eagerly awaiting her meeting with Lovino and as nine came around she ran to Basch's office and gently knocked on the door.
Elise heard him groan before he said, "Yes, come in." but as soon as Elise entered she could see his face brighten. The grimace he wore, thinking she was a worker, was replaced with a blissful smile.
She waved shyly as she entered, shutting the door behind her. "Good morning, big brother, may I go to the café?" she asked
Basch looked down at his paperwork with a guilty expression then returned his gaze to Elise. "I don't have time to escort you, do you think you will be okay on your own?" he asked nervously.
She nodded eagerly with a bright smile on her face. "I will be fine, brother," she reassured him, "I am sixteen years old, I do not need constant supervision"
Basch appeared relieved; he smiled and nodded, saying "have fun at the café," before turning back to his papers.
Elise left the room, gently closing the door on her way out, and searched for the nearest servant. She soon found a middle aged woman in the work uniform that appeared to not be busy. She politely asked to be driven to café Odéon and the woman complied. On the way, in the car, Elise tried to make small talk, but as the woman did not reply she soon gave up. When they arrived Elise thanked the woman and requested to be picked up in two hours. She waved to the woman as she drove off and then turned her attention to the building before her.
Looking through the large window she instantly spotted Lovino in the crowded café. He was easy to find as he had a large curl on the side of his head. Across from Lovino sat a boy that looked like a mirror image of him, he must be Feliciano. Elise wondered why Lovino brought his brother, but shrugged it off and entered the cozy café. Upon her entrance Lovino said something to his brother and rushed over to her.
Lovino threw an arm around Elise's shoulders. He smelled like grapes and tomatoes, a strange combination, but nice. He pulled her close and muttered "You're French and your name is Lilianne, understand?"
Elise was taken aback by this sudden outburst and whispered back "What do you mean I'm French?"
Under his breath Lovino explained "If my brother knew I'm talking to a German he'd be suspicious, just play along."
Elise understood this and nodded as they arrived at the table the brothers had saved. A chair was waiting for her and she took her spot. She got into the part of an innocent French woman. "Bonjour," she giggled, "or ciao, for you cute Italians."
Elise feared she may have overplayed it as Lovino introduced her. "Fratello, this is Lilianne, she's an old friend from Geneva."
Feliciano, a bright smile on his face, nodded and carefully took Elise's hand, planting a light kiss on her knuckles. Looking up at her from his lowered position Feliciano introduced himself with a sweet smile.
"Ciao bella," he said, Elise blushing at being called bella, "I am Feliciano, it is a pleasure to meet you. " Feliciano was a cheerful person, his smile so wide his eyes nearly looked closed, Elise wondered how this could be the same boy that once terrorized the boss of the Adnan family. Elise shrugged off her wonder and sat down, Lovino sitting as well.
Feliciano began to make small talk, asking "so Lilianne, how is Geneva?"
Elise panicked slightly, having never been to Geneva. She paused for a moment trying to think of a smart response. As the silence at the table grew she eventually just babbled out "very nice, very French, everyone there is French-Swiss, just like me-"
Elise was grateful to be interrupted by Lovino widely swiping his arm across the table, knocking Feliciano's tea into his lap. The brothers gasped at once and Lovino began wildly apologizing.
"I am so sorry, I don't know what happened," he said pulling out countless napkins, "perhaps you should go back to the hotel and change out of these tea stained clothes."
Feliciano nodded at his suggestion and got up from the table. "I will be back very soon, you two have fun" he said as he turned away to leave.
Lovino sent a wink Elise's way as his brother walked off. Elise couldn't help but slightly giggle at the whole fiasco.
"Now that my brother is gone, we can talk about what we're here to talk about." he said with a slight smile.
Elise bounced slightly, eagerly she asked "can we catch up first? I haven't seen you in eleven years, what is going on in your life?"
Lovino shrugged. "Not much actually, I graduated high school, I've been passed up for position of boss in favor of Feliciano." He seemed a bit hurt so Elise quickly tried to change the subject.
"How's your brother, Antonio, I mean. I remember him being so cheerful, however could he be the boss?" She asked with a kind smile.
Lovino laughed "Antonio can be much crueler than anyone would think." For a second he had a look of discomfort, but it passed nearly instantly. "But let's talk about you," he suggested, "what is happening in your life?"
"Well I have been living in Berlin for a while now," Elise answered, "I'm still a junior in high school."
The two of them talked for some time before Elise finally asked the question that had been sitting in the back of her mind the entire time. Quietly, nervous he would refuse answering as everyone else had; she asked "Can you tell me about our childhood?"
He smiled at her. "Si, sure" he said before beginning his story, taking Elise back to the estate in Vienna from her memories.
[The next chapter is gonna be all story, reviews and critique are awesome]