Rainbow's Thought Volcano: Hello, everyone! Finally the story is starting to pick up some steam! I really love how tender this chapter is, as well as all the ship-worthy moments that go on here. Oh, and this time we actually get to meet Louise! She's a bit of an odd duck, but I tried to make her as much like Germany as I could, while still keeping her an old lady. She'll get more and more like the tough, no-nonsense Germany we all love as we go back in time.
I tried to post this chapter as soon as I could because I think it really starts to capture what the series is about. Enjoy!
Chapter 4: For Louise
When the world reappeared, the two scientists found themselves outside of the lighthouse, near Louise's grave. Feliciano knelt by the tombstone, holding the blue umbrella from his previous memory. A gentle rain fell through the still-transparent scientists.
"Seems like these memory hops only span a short period of time," Arthur murmured thoughtfully. "We need to find a leaping memento, or it's going to take forever."
"Meh, just enjoy the scenery," Alfred replied with a shrug. The two set off in search of memory links.
Arthur correctly guessed the tombstone to be one and, much to Alfred's dismay, so too was the stuffed platypus at Feliciano's side.
"Honestly, I just don't think this animal has the right to exist," Alfred stated aloud. Arthur made a noise of agreement.
"The world's not big enough for two of you," he elaborated. Alfred's eyes narrowed in annoyance.
The two tried to leave through the pathway towards the house, but it was non-existent in this memory. Having nowhere else to go, they headed towards the lighthouse, Alfred leading the way. But just before Arthur could step in after him, he heard Feliciano speak.
"It's finished, Louise." Arthur halted in his tracks and faced the old man.
"Like you, I'll be able to watch over her every day . . . she won't be alone anymore." He glanced up at the lighthouse, an odd mixture of determination and sadness in his eyes. "I don't think I'll ever understand why, but I stayed true to your wish. I'm sure Anya is grateful to you, too." Feliciano then looked over the horizon, at a distant point beyond his vision.
"But when I'm gone . . . who is going to watch over us?"
Arthur wasn't quite sure what possessed him, but he tapped his earpiece to regain visibility. He slowly walked over to Feliciano.
"Who are you?" the old man asked. Arthur offered a gentle smile.
"My name is Arthur. I was just passing by." He gestured to the gravestone. "Was she your wife?"
"Yes. Her name was Louise."
"That's a lovely name," Arthur replied calmly. Feliciano was silent for a moment, perhaps in agreement with Arthur's statement or perhaps lost in thought.
"It didn't need to happen," he said finally.
"I beg your pardon?"
"She. . . she didn't need to do it. But she. . . " Feliciano shook his head. "You wouldn't understand. I don't even understand." The old man closed his eyes and turned away from Arthur. He began to shake, and Arthur was certain it wasn't from the cold when he heard a strained sob. Arthur backed away gently and returned his own transparency with a few taps on his earpiece. He glanced behind him once before entering the lighthouse.
As Arthur trudged up the stairs of the lighthouse, he wondered about Anya's identity. Was she their daughter, perhaps? But then why hadn't he heard about her in the present? Whoever she was, she was someone Feli and Louise once cared for.
He reached the top and found Alfred inspecting the lighthouse bulb.
"About time you got here. I almost thought you fell off the cliff!" Alfred exclaimed. He turned his head slightly to look at his partner. "What were you doing?"
"Enjoying the scenery, what else?" Arthur replied with a half-smile. "Any luck?"
"Well, I found that dumb platypus again. Guess what? It's the memento. We've got one memory link left and it's gotta be somewhere in this bulb," Alfred explained. Arthur stepped closer to inspect the light, squeezing between the big bulb and Alfred's body.
Alfred's heart skipped a beat, but only one. He had seen too much, and been friends with Arthur too long to get excited every time their bodies grazed. Though every once in a while, he was reminded of how beautiful his work partner truly was. Those tiny moments between them were one of his favorite things about his job.
Suddenly, the light flashed and another Feliciano appeared in the room. He regarded the stuffed platypus idly before sitting on the ground. He turned his gaze out to the sea, stayed still for a few moments, and then faded away. The unmistakable tone of a memory link sounded. Without giving Alfred time to react, Arthur scurried over to the platypus and infused it with the memory links. The memento shined brightly as the rest of the world faded into the next memory.
The scientists found themselves in a quaint bedroom, smaller than the one in Feliciano's home. A piano sat across from the bed, as well as other basic bedroom decorations such as bookshelves, paintings, and a vase of flowers. The room was littered with paper rabbits, and an old woman occupied the bed with the infamous stuffed platypus by her side. Feliciano stood next to her, with a pained expression on his face.
"Just enough," he stated. The old woman, whom Alfred and Arthur correctly assumed to be Louise, looked straight to the far wall, not sparing a glance at her husband. Her hair was in a low bun, and was completely coated in gray. Her ice blue eyes pierced through the far wall.
"After we pay for your operation, we'll have just enough left for it . . . So don't you worry," Feliciano reassured. Though Alfred couldn't tell, Arthur noticed that Feliciano's smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Louise seemed to have noticed too.
". . . White lie. That's what you call it, right?" She spoke with a subtle German accent, but it was diminished in the same way that Feli's was: old and tired. Though, this time, Alfred and Arthur did notice a considerable difference in Feliciano's words. They seemed more animated, more alive. Perhaps that was due to his younger age, or perhaps it was somehow related to his beloved wife.
"No, I'm sure we can jus- "
"Stop it. . . I don't like it when you lie," Louise cut in. "I calculated our finances; I know what it's like. Why do you try to convince me against my will?"
"We need the money for your medical bills, Louise!" Feliciano shouted. It was the first time Alfred and Arthur heard him raise his voice, and it startled them. Louise simply closed her eyes and tightened her fists.
"I know that Anya means a lot to you, but this . . . This is just too much," he concluded, tears beginning to form in his eyes. "It's not like she . . . she isn't even—"
"Do you know what makes me happy, Feli?" Louise asked, cutting off her husband midsentence. He released a hesitant sigh.
". . . What?"
"Do you? Well, I do. I just . . . hope you can help me with it," she admitted, finally looking him in the eye. At her gaze, he visibly relaxed.
"Louise. . . " Feli murmured. On that time saying her name, he over-pronounced the last syllable, making it sound like "Louisa."
"When the papers for my treatment get here, I will not sign them," Louise explained firmly. "What you do with our money is up to you, but if you would grant my wish, I want you to use it to finish building that house . . . and then, for every day that you live there, I want you to watch over her." Louise paused for a moment in thought, and looked almost ready to reach for Feliciano's hand. But she did not move, and continued her orders. "Visit her. Speak to her. Comfort her. . . I don't want her to be alone anymore."
"But what about you?" Feliciano asked. He placed his hand gently atop hers. She pondered for a moment at his question, and decided to give it her own meaning.
". . .Happy. I'll be happy." Feliciano allowed a tear to escape his eye, but he quickly rubbed it away.
"Feli?" Louise asked. He lowered his arm and looked to her.
"Yes?"
"I made this." She handed him a blue and yellow rabbit. Alfred's eyes widened with recognition.
"Tell me what it is," Louise ordered.
"What?"
"Just tell me what it is." Feliciano turned it over in his hands a few times, attempting to deem meaning from it.
"It's a rabbit, like all the other ones you made," he offered.
"What else?" Louise prompted.
"Um, it's made of paper?" Feliciano attempted.
"What else?" she prompted again.
"Its body is yellow, and the rest is blue."
"What else?"
"Look, Louisa—" Feliciano tossed the rabbit to the ground, not understanding what she wanted it to mean to him. "I wrote a song. It's for you."
"Okay," she answered with a bit of curiosity.
"Would you like to hear it?"
"Yes." At her request, Feliciano began walking to the piano in the room. "You didn't have to bring the piano in here just for this. I can hear you just fine with the door open," Louise admitted. Feliciano paused and shut his eyes. After a moment, he closed the distance to the instrument and took a seat at the bench.
"It's called . . . 'For Louise'." She titled her head to the side.
"Why so cliché?" she asked in curiosity and partial amusement.
"It's . . . just a placeholder," he explained. He began to play. The notes filled the room as Louise closed her eyes and listened to the melodic, soothing sounds.
"Who is this 'Anya' they were talking about? If she's so important, shouldn't we have seen her in his late memories?" Arthur asked, posing the question to Alfred in order to get his opinion on the matter. But Alfred didn't have any more of an answer than Arthur did.
"I guess he didn't keep that promise after all," Alfred mused sadly.
"Unless . . . " Arthur began.
"Unless what?"
"Never mind. That's the same song the kids were playing earlier, isn't it?" Arthur asked rhetorically. Alfred listened a moment before coming to the same conclusion.
"I guess he taught them," Alfred said. He looked around the room, lingering on Louise and Feliciano. "Y'know what, I'm too manly for this. Let me know when you get all the links." And with that, Alfred walked out of the room to the small hallway. Arthur stayed a few moments more to find three memory links, and two other items of note: a copy of The Emperor's New Clothes like the one in Feliciano's present-day bedroom, and the memento—a vase of flowers.
Having combed the room, Arthur left to head downstairs. He passed Alfred on his way, Arthur's lower thigh grazing Alfred's knee. His heart skipped a beat, though just one. He had seen too much and known Alfred too long to get giddy over him. Though it was small moments like this that embarrassed him. He coughed once into his closed fist.
Arthur stepped off the last stair to see Feliciano and another man struggling to move the piano.
"Ay caramba, there is just no way," the other man said, defeated. Feliciano seemed unwilling to give up.
"Oh, please, Antonio! What if we took it apart?"
"Look at us, Feli. We aren't exactly at the ripe age of piano moving." Antonio had a distinct Spanish accent, though it seemed subdued much like Feliciano's and Louise's were. "You know what? If it means that much to you, I'll pay for the professionals to do this. I can't save that house for you, so this is the least I can do." Antonio placed a comforting hand on Feliciano's shoulder. The memory link tone sounded.
Arthur found a jar of pickled olives on the counter, and as he touched them, the memory link tone sounded again. He supposed that Feliciano must've really liked those things for them to be his memory links in two memories.
Arthur trudged back upstairs and nearly slipped on something. Before he could fall and damage himself, however, Alfred grabbed his arm swiftly. He pulled the shorter scientist up to even ground carefully.
"Watch it, Arthur! You almost broke your face!" Alfred exclaimed, voice laced with concern. Arthur couldn't help feeling a bit embarrassed.
"What did I even trip on? I don't remember anything being there earlier . . ." Arthur's voice trailed as he saw that he had stepped and slipped on a paper rabbit. "Brilliant," he murmured.
"Those things are everywhere. I wonder if Louise made all of the ones in his present-day home?" Alfred wondered aloud.
"I wouldn't be surprised," Arthur answered simply.
"And while we're on the subject of Louise, why does Feli sometimes call her Louisa? He can pronounce it the way it's supposed to be, so there's no real reason for him to do it, right?" Alfred asked.
"Honestly, Alfred, I don't see why it's important. Maybe 'Louise' is just short for 'Louisa.' Now come along, we've got plenty more memories ahead of us." Reluctantly, Alfred accepted his answer. The two walked back into the bedroom where Feliciano was still playing his song for Louise. Arthur activated the vase and infused it with the memory links. The memento flashed, and the world around them disappeared as they plunged deeper into Feliciano's memories.
Rainbow's Thought Volcano: And that's all for this week. But I've started chapter 5 and guess who makes an appearance? Kiku! Everyone's favorite third-wheel.
If anyone's wondering about the Louise/Louisa thing:
1. Her real name is indeed Louise
2. Feli is the only one who calls her Louisa, and he calls her by her real name whenever he's trying to be serious. Which isn't very often!
3. The reason why he doesn't call her Louise will be revealed, and boy is it adorable.