Ch. 20: Oops

The occupants of the room were all stunned still, except for one. He continued to tap his hands lightly on the small instrument in an abstract, broken tune. It seemed like he couldn't make up his mind, would the beat be fast or slow? Complex or simple? Dramatic or soothing? It seemed more dark and hateful. Seemingly out of nowhere, Francoeur paused to toss the hand drum over his shoulder and he chittered.

"Ye-e-a-a-h, maybe that's not exactly your style," agreed Raoul.

The giant flea sagged in his seat with a sigh. He bent to pick up one of the wind-instruments, but was stopped by a gloved hand.

"You're overworked, take a break."

He squinted his eyes at Maud, cooing.

She laughed softly, "No, not another vacation. Let's go for a walk." The two got up and headed toward the door before Maud turned to the mechanic. "Uhm, you're invited too."

"Nah, I'm good right here. Have some…things to do."

"Raoul, if you're not out this door in five seconds I'll tell Lucille about—"

"Woah! Woah! Stop right there."

"One…."

Raoul tripped on his feet, stumbling to the door in a hurry. Maud smiled triumphantly, while Francoeur peered at Raoul questioningly.

"It's-It's nothing big guy. Don't worry about it," he reassured nervously, his face a bright red. The awkward trio went in circles around The Rare Bird, silently enjoying the shine of the fading daylight. It cast a golden glow that gave way to a beautiful blue one before darkness overtook them. They felt no fear walking about at night, it was invigorating. The blank atmosphere was good for letting the mind wander and stretch its legs. But even out here, Francoeur couldn't stop thinking in tunes, lyrics, and cords. The issue? He also couldn't form them into good material. A million songs danced through his head, but they overlapped one another in a jumbled mass. He would chase one and end of at the heart of another. It was endless. It was frustrating. It was torture!

"So, Lucille said you still haven't named the new truck."

"I've got some ideas in mind."

"Oh, well. Good luck…with that."

"Um, did you have a suggestion?"

"W-why would you say that?"

"Why would you bring it up?" he accused.

"I'm just making conversation, it's not like you were going to say anything."

"Hm, well I still don't feel safe around the peeping manipulative-manipulate…er."

"I'm no peeper!" she shrieked.

"Ha! Good one."

"You should've locked the door, a-a-and I didn't see anything," she defended before smirking, "but what I heard was very interesting."

"Can't you let that go?" he nearly shouted.

"Can't you stop fighting me?"

"Can't you stop fighting me?"

"Will you stop being so childish? How did a boy like you end up being Emile's best friend?"

"And how did Emile choose a bore like you to be his wife?"

"How dare y—," she started before his whole sentence finished being processed. Raoul and Francoeur exchanged panicked glances, the first one mentally punching himself repeatedly. Maud was shocked still, her mouth agape and gaze unfocused.

"Please, please, please, please! Don't freak out and don't tell Emile. Oh god," he turned away from them, "what have I done? I ruined it. He'll never forgive me for this." Raoul closed his eyes and knocked his fists on his forehead. "Stupid, dumb, idiotic, moron," he mumbled. It wasn't until a pair of blue claws pried his hands from his head that he looked back to his friends. Maud had the brightest smile on her face, while Francoeur shook his head at Raoul with admiration. Only you.

"You think I'm taking him away don't you?"

"I—"

"I'm sorry."

"Huh? For what? I'm the one that needs to apologize. I've fought you everyday since we set foot back in Paris, and you've done nothing but win the heart of my friend and make him the happiest man alive. Well, second happiest," he grinned.

"And I didn't let you spend much time with him on vacation before the…incident."

"Let's say we've been a little selfish, put this behind us yeah?"

"Haha, that's good enough for me."

"Wait, aren't you mad I ruined probably the biggest moment of your life?"

"A little bit, but it's nice to know for sure that Emile is just as serious about us as I am."

"So, if he asked you, your answer would…be-e-e-e-e-e-e?"

She gaped at him, "You can't just propose for someone else!"

"What? I'm curious."

"You are unbelievable."

"Yup, unbelievable charming."

"Right." Maud rolled her eyes at him. After a moment she looked over at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I'm thinking about someone."

"No!" Raoul gasped, scandalized.

"Whose gone up above, when they drowned below."

"La-la-la-la-la, can't hear you."

"I miss her like nobody knows."

"I beg you to stop."

"It's a cute song, don't fight it."

In unison, "Caaaa-atherine! Caaaa-atherine! Honk me your horn!" They giggled madly, pushing one another playfully like young siblings. Francoeur pulled them in for a hug, proud of their musical display.

"Awww, thanks Franky" Raoul was promptly dropped on the ground.

"Hmm, he doesn't like that name."

"A simple huff in my face would've sufficed." The big guy smiled innocently, placing Maud on her feet and helping Raoul onto his. It was a quiet walk back to The Rare Bird, but different. Something else began to swim and linger in Francoeur's mind. Maud mentioned it, yet that was as close as they were going to get to talking about their time in England. They denied it a thousand times, but there was no question that they didn't just leave. They ran. They were afraid to face the creature again. They failed the citizens, the families, and the arachnoid. No one wanted to face the facts, their shame. Yeah, he didn't want to help in the first place, but somewhere along the line he felt a strong connection to her. Almost as strong as the one he felt around…her. He definitely felt a warmth flicker in his center, then nothing. The breeze of the night turned from cool to freezing. The darkness became more suffocating. As they stepped through the door inside, Francoeur turned around to question. Am I missing something?