Arthur had stepped out of the wagon, hair neatly combed back and his mustache trimmed neatly as he walked towards the Quatton's manor. Three firm knocks were enough to wake James Quatton Sr. from his afternoon nap, the obese man mumbled and grumbled, adjusting his greasy ponytail as he approached the front door, "I'm coming! I'm coming!" he hissed, tugging his loose trousers up and snatching his belt closed. James Sr. smiled greatly at the sight of Arthur, engulfing the taller man in a breath taking hug, "Artie! Hello old chap! Come in, come in!"
Arthur blinked shocked as the tubby man pushed him inside, closing the door in a rush before turning to look at the Cunningham's patriarch, "So! What brings you here?" James Sr asked, rubbing his palms together in excitement. That fat man was really hoping that Arthur arrived to say Arlette was ready to get married and they could do the ceremony by the end of the week and so, all of the money would belong to the Quattons. Arthur cleaned his throat, sitting on one of the old chairs and cringing as it creaked on his weight.
"James, I am here to talk to you about Arlette,-"
"She wants to get married tomorrow?! Perfect! I'll tell everyone!" the old fat man said in joy, shaking Arthur's hand in a rapid pace, stumbling over his own words as the 'happiness' took over him. Arthur narrowed his eyes, yanking his hand away while standing up to step back from that strange man, fixing the coat on his torso with a firm glare. "There are some things I can't handle, one of them is people interrupting me while I am speaking." the Irish man said through his teeth, sending a look that could melt an iceberg. Weakily sitting on a chair, James Sr. gulped as the tall, muscular 51 years old approached him, hands on his back and eyebrows down.
"Arlette won't get married."
James Quatton Sr. choked on air, coughing like a fat pig while supporting himself on the long table. Did he heard it correctly? Did Arthur said that his daughter wouldn't marry James? That wouldn't be right, their plan wouldn't work! The fat man started to sweat in nervousness, turning around to face Arthur with his eyebrows down and smiled almost in desperation, "What? Y-You aren't meaning it...a-are you Arthur?" the tubby man wriggled and unwriggled his clammy hands in nervousness. The tall irishman rose one thick eyebrow, his mustache covering the thin line that his mouth had turned into, "Do I seem to be telling you a joke? Do I seem to be joking?"
The fat man gulped, leaning back on his chair as Arthur's tall figure loomed over him like the Reaper itself, "N-No." James Sr. squeaked, wiping the sweat on his forehead with the sleeve of his dark mustard coat, "I understand,Arthur." he said silently, not making eye contact with the Irishman. Arthur seemed satisfied by the answer, patting James Sr on the shoulder with a small grin, before walking out of the manor. It wasn't much longer after Arthur had left that the Quatton's first born managed to step through the door.
Upon seeing his obese father sweating like a maniac and panting as if he had run thousand miles, James hurried to his side, touching the old man's back while trying to retrieve answers of his being, "A-Arlette...she won't marry you." that hit the young Quatton like a ton of bricks. He was shocked enough to freeze with his hand hovering his father's shoulder and eyes wide as if he saw a ghost "What?"
James Sr. explained what had happened and he knew that his son was displeased, so was he. James paced back and forth in front of the fireplace, he was fuming, if you dared to look closer you could see the lines of smoke leaving his ears and disappearing in mid air, "That little SLUT!" he shouted, throwing a porcelain vase against the wall, startling his father, "She had PLANNED this all over! That stupid potato eater!" the young man let out a raged scream, punching the wall and leaving his fist on the hole as he locked his gaze on the floor, letting the air leave through his nostrils.
"James," his father began, "We can find some other girl-"
"OTHER girl?! What other girl?!" the young blond man asked, narrowing his gray eyes at his father, before letting out a mocking laugh, "The plan was to marry the girl, get the money and leave! As we always did!" James slammed his hands on the table, glaring at his father and huffing like a bloodthirsty bull, "I won't travel more 700 miles to find some old widow you can marry nor a stupid girl for me." pressing his index finger repeatedly on his chest, James licked his lips before speaking, "Arlette will marry me,wanting or not!"
"But what will you do?" his father asked, following James as he opened the suitcase where they kept their belongings. James Sr. widened his eyes, "James, are you insane?!" the obese man asked, holding his son's arm and shaking it violently, "We are going to be killed!"
James looked at the pistol on his hand, pursing his lips slightly, "Not if we kill her first."
Arlette was pacing back and forth on the living room area, biting her nails nervously pausing once in a while to stare out of the window before repeating the process. Sophie was following Arlette with her eyes while holding a tray of raspberry muffins, fresh out of the oven, "Miss Arlette, perhaps you should sit down and calm yourself?" the maid kindly offered, blinking as the girl took one of the warm muffins from the tray and gave it a merciless bite, before sitting on the blue armchair with her blue colored orbs locked on the window, "Tea will calm you down. Do you want milk with it, Miss Arlette?"
"Yes please,Sophie." she whispered, digging out a small piece of raspberry from the confines of the muffin, letting the natural formed jam touch her finger before she plunged it on her mouth. Adrik was lying by her feet, peeking up at the red head with one eye open and that eye had some sort of amusement in it, "Don't look at me like that!" the girl warned the cat, narrowing her eyes before taking another bite of the small cake, licking her lips clean of the crumbs. Sophie came back but stopped in a halt as she saw Adrik there, the plump maid was ready to kneel and grab her rosary but she decided to fight it, for Miss Arlette's sake.
"Your tea, Miss Arlette."
Smiling gently, Arlette took the teacup from Sophie sipping it gently to help the huge lump on her throat slide to her stomach, "Thank you Sophie." she whispered, patting the maid's arm before she left. When Arlette was ready to take a second sip, she heard the neigh of one of their horses and stood up in a halt, leaving the tea and the muffin resting on the armchair.
Arthur couldn't even open the door...because his daughter was faster than he was. Both stared at each other with wide eyes, Arlette was nodding her head, as if pressuring him into telling what had happened, "So?" she asked quietly, letting her father step inside before closing the door. Arthur looked over his shoulder, removing the thick scarf from around his neck and pursing his lips with a slight shrug, "Not bad." he said simply, making his way to the blue armchair Arlette was currently using. Arlette rose her eyebrows before lowering them, "Not bad? W-What is that supposed to mean?"
The irish man grabbed the half eaten muffin and the cup of tea, placing one between his lips while the other rested on his hand. He crossed his legs by the ankle, sighing gently, "I was expecting something else." he shrugged softly, " Mr. Quatton screaming and crying while holding my legs but he just stood there...shocked." Arthur licked his cuspids, trying to get rid of some small tea leaves that stuck between his gum and the other tooth. Arlette blinked, clasping her hands together, "Does that mean...I'm not going to marry James?"
There was a pause.
"Yes."
And then a high girly scream.
"Thank you! Thank you!Thank you!" Arlette said repeatedly while hugging her father's neck, "I love you daddy! Thank you so much!" she pressed one kiss against Arthur's cheek that made the tall man chuckle while patting her back, meaning he was feeling the lack of oxygen because of Arlette's tight hug. The girl was smiling from ear to ear, hopping on her feet as she bit her lower lip, "Daddy,I-I'll be right back! I promise!" she said, grabbing her shawl and running out of the door.
Arthur stared with a confused gaze before moving it to Adrik, "What's wrong with her?" he asked the black cat. Adrik purred pleasantly, before closing his eyes and lying by Arthur's feet.
Arlette was inside the wagon, Nathaniel was surprised she'd want to go back to that old house in the middle of the woods but simply complied and remained silent. The same way towards the Homestead and the same obstacles that prevented the horses to get any closer, the driver didn't even had to tell Arlette about it, she simply leaped out of the wagon, running up the small rocky hill towards the manor. She had to catch her breath by the time she arrived on the steps, but couldn't contain her excitement, bouncing on her feet as she knocked on the door and waited for it to open.
"Ah,Arlette,hello." Achilles said gently, offering the girl a kind smile, "You're here early."
Arlette blushed gently, biting her lower lip, "I-Is Connor here?" she asked quietly, smiling brightly when Achilles told her that the young Mohawk was on the kitchen, having his first lunch after days. Arlette carefully approached the kitchen's doorframe, watching Connor as he ate very silently but still ate like a hungry bear.
Connor had stopped his chewing, he could feel a presence watching him and he knews it wasn't Achilles. Slowly turning his head around, Connor choked a bit on the piece of pork inside his mouth but managed to swallow the huge piece down his throat, "Arlette!" he quickly wiped a napkin over his mouth and hands, standing up to his full height while staring at Arlette. The two shared a short timed staring contest, until the girl gave one step forward, then other, now she was close enough to his chest. The Assassin shifted uncomfortably, feeling his face grow hot at how close she was, "Arlette, what's wron-," that petite girl, that weighed less than a feather to him, managed to pull a man twice her size towards her and kiss his lips.
His eyes widened as he felt those little lips touch his, the warm sensation leaving as fast as it arrived as Arlette broke the kiss, a red blush taking over her cheeks as she slowly let go of his robes. Connor blinked hard, shaking his head quickly as he tried to regain focus, "Um...not that I complain b-but...what was that for?" he asked, trying to ignore the hot feeling over his cheeks and neck. Arlette smiled, biting her lower lip, "Daddy...cancelled my wedding."
Now THAT called the Mohawk's attention, his brown eyes looking down at her in shock and surprise, "Wait...w-what?" he asked confusedly, not sure how to react at those news, "But...how?" he asked gently, watching as she played with the fabric of her skirt. Arlette shrugged a bit, smiling shyly at Connor, "Daddy has a way on making people stop thinking about something and change their minds completely." she whispered, biting her lower lip, "Are you...happy about it?"
Connor blushed even more, he did not wanted to admit it but he was very happy to know that. One thing less to worry about after all.
"I am happy...I'm just...shocked I guess." he said, cleaning his throat before looking down at Arlette. Those blue eyes would be the death of him, he couldn't simply look away and ignore those cerulean orbs forever. Arlette was enveloped in a slight awkward hug, but giggled when Connor pressed her head on his chest, letting Arlette hear his heartbeat as he caressed her dark red locks with his fingers. Connor sighed against the top of her head, pulling Arlette out of the hug and kissing her lips very delicately, almost afraid of hurting her, "I am glad it's over." he whispered, feeling his body relax and his finger curl around one of the fallen locks of her long hair.
Arlette smiled, closing her eyes as his hands cupped her cheeks and yet another kiss was pressed on her lips, this one was longer than the other although. Giggling and moving her head to the side, Arlette sighed gently through her nostrils before biting her lower lip, "Connor...I..." she sucked the flesh on her lower lip before cleaning her throat, "When can we see each other again?I mean...you know...when you went to my house and we talked..." she mumbled the last part but Connor could hear it loud and clear. The young Mohawk sighed, scratching his neck gently, "Well...I don't really know...I'm just,so busy with everything..." he made the mistake to look into her eyes and felt the sharp stab of guilt dash through his body. He took one deep breath, rethinking everything on his mind, "How about tomorrow night?"
Her eyes twinkled and she gasped, "You mean it?" she asked, standing on her tip toes and blinking those wide eyes at him. Connor looked at the side with an even redder blush over his cheeks, before nodding silently, "I mean it." he whispered, startled when her slim arms wrapped around his strong neck in hug. The Assassin fought back a smile, hugging Arlette back as she dangled above the floor latched onto him like a spider monkey.
"I can't wait." she whispered on the skin below his ear, not aware of the shivers that caused him. Connor gulped, closing his eyes to regain some self control, before whispering back on her ear, "Neither do I." he said, feeling the corners of his mouth twitch into a shy smile as he continued to hug that petite female, to smell her scent and fee the silky feeling of her skin touching his face.
It seemed that for once,everything was right for both of them.
It's four AM here guys...tell me you liked it, please!
YES
James is a crazy dude and will do anything for money :c
Reviews are love and...oh...well...you get a hug?