A bleeding cake? Is this some sort of joke?
Eva glanced at Gaelstrom's food. No blood. Same for Polnareff's, who had hardly even touched his. Did something happen? He'd been in the bathroom for a considerably long time. Gaelstrom, however, was fine. He shoveled his food into his mouth like coal into a firebox, clearly oblivious to the blood dribbling from the frosting.
In all the years she enjoyed baking cakes, never once had she seen anything that repulsive. If this was a joke, she didn't find it the least bit funny. She scooped up her plate and stormed up to the counter. The plate clattered, drawing some of the other customers' attention to the register.
Eyes. She couldn't brush the feeling that so many at a time were glued to her - judging her. Did she do something wrong? Turning around to see them all on her would just make that fear elevate. Merlin always taught her that first impressions were very important, and making a scene would surely paint her out as something she wasn't in the mind of the ones watching.
But Eva had to remind herself that it didn't matter. If the establishment cared at all about customer satisfaction, or the art of baking as much as she did, they'd do something about that abomination bleeding in front of her. And she'd do her best to be polite, despite how outraged she really felt.
Bauer returned to the counter, smiling. "How can I help you, fraulein?"
His lips were moving, but what was that smug smile on his face? Pig. How dare you serve this to me. Eva's brows were knit as she pushed the plate with the bloodied cake forward.
She motioned for a pen, hoping he comprehended her. With reluctance, and a wrinkled nose, he handed it over. Eva scribbled something on a napkin that thankfully the customers wouldn't be gawking at. Bringing herself to make eye contact with even Bauer was unsettling. No matter, this little ordeal would be over with before too much longer. Eva slammed the pen down over the napkin and crossed her arms.
The dark ink stood out as if the words were yelling at him.
I'm sorry, but I can't eat this cake. You should be ashamed of yourself for making something so disgusting.
Bauer brought his hands up in defense, fingers splayed. "My dear, whatever do you mean? There's nothing wrong with this cake, I made it my...?!"
The fake smile drooped, and his eyes grew as round as a Deutsche mark. Judging by the mortified look on his face, maybe he wasn't the one that made it? In a way, she started to feel bad for complaining, though she knew she had every right to do so.
Was I too harsh?
🔸️ 🔸️
But...! I was sure that I served them ACTUAL food! I made doubly sure of it, I know! How did this poor, unfortunate soul get mixed up with the others?! DAMMIT! Those stand users are probably onto me! Now what? Thoughts wheeled in and out of his head, none of them bearing any viable solutions to his dilemma. Until...
Heh heh...this is no problem my Mephistopheles can't solve. Too easy. I'll have her so distracted, she won't have time to summon her stand. It'll be the best pre-emptive strike I've ever made on another user!
Bauer composed himself and beamed at Eva. "Oh! How terrible! One of my workers has a gross sense of humor. I'll be sure to fire him. You poor thing. I can't imagine how embarrassed you must feel. How about you come to the back with me and you can pick one cake of your liking? Sounds good, ja?"
Eva picked up his pen, and again, she wrote something down. This time, below her harsh words.
Can you sign to me? Maybe write something down? I'm deaf and can't understand what you're trying to say.
Relief expanded to every corner of his mind, negating the hows when it came to utilizing Mephistopheles. Eva wouldn't hear him nor his stand. At that thought alone, he cackled.
"Deaf, you say? Well...even better." Bauer gestured for the pen and wrote back to her in response.
This is the fault of one of my co-workers. You have my word. I'll see to it things will be dealt with accordingly. In the meantime, why don't you come with me to the back and you can pick another cake? Free of charge, of course.
Some of this is a little difficult to understand...wait, I can choose another one? Just like that? That sounds wonderful! Maybe I misjudged him. I feel so bad now.
I would like that very much. Sorry if what I said before was rude.
Water under the bridge, fraulein!
He sneered as he jotted down his last reply. "Ugh! This is so stupid. I feel like a school boy writing notes back and forth. So juvenile!"
Bauer flashed an insincere smile to her, and she followed him through a door behind the counter. The sign above it read: Nur für Mitarbeiter - staff only.
🔸️ 🔸️
Immaculate, chrome countertops and appliances shined under the ceiling lights. Eva wondered where the other workers were. She was under the impression that she'd walk in to see other people cooking and cleaning, but so far, no one was around. Perhaps they were just on lunch break and Bauer stayed behind? Either way, she was ready for that slice of cake. She turned to him, pointing at the fridgerator as a way of asking if he minded her looking.
Bauer stepped away from her grinning like a jackass with his hands behind his back. "Ja, go on. Take all the time you need." He made a coaxing motion with his hands.
"What little you have left." he added, as her back was turned.
Mephistopheles materialized as if by Bauer's wicked thoughts alone. Through the air, it swayed gracefully towards her. Slipping between two rows of jagged, ochre fangs came a tongue that rolled out like a red carpet. It hanged past its clown collar, rolling along the tile to where Eva stood facing the fridge.
A pungent, sickeningly sweet smell filled the air. The nausea it evoked lasted briefly before she felt a numbing coldness surge through her entire body. Just as she went to turn and head back to her seat, her eyes found the stand as well as its abnormally dry tongue wrapped around her ankle.
Eva's eyes grew vacant. The plate in her hand slipped to the floor, and in an instant...
SMASH
Shards littered the ground. Hovering back behind Bauer, Mephistopheles looked as if to be peeking over his shoulder at its disturbing creation. She was gone. The fridge stood wide open with no one rummaging through it. Eva's mind told her arms to move, but the absence of them only made her realize she was commanding nothing. Chocolate bread replaced her body and limbs. Frosting replaced her hair and face.
And though she could still feel the warmth of her own blood coursing through her veins, nothing else felt the same. It felt like nothing at all. Light, airy, nothing. Funny. There was one particular feeling she noticed amidst the horror. A sticky feeling between her and the glass plate she was sitting on. Thankfully, Eva could still see. Because the first thing she saw after blacking out was Bauer's wide-set nostrils - not to mention the crystallized stalactites inside - hovering over her.
Disgusting.
"It's no child," he said, "but it's good enough. Mordred will never know the difference."
What was he laughing about? Why did he find this funny? Didn't he mean what he said when he told her she could have more cake?
Disillusion sank into the pit of what should've been her stomach. I was tricked...now I understand. He lied. The blood isn't part of some sick joke. It's real. All of this is real, and I killed an innocent person. I'm a monster!
Her sobs went unheard and there was nothing she, nor anyone else, could do about it. Someone would cut her into little pieces and devour her. Just as she had nearly done to the victim Bauer served her. It was over. Today was the day Eva accepted that her life was lived only for fate to bring her to this horrific moment. Every small achievement she ever made, every person she ever came to know and care about, was all for nothing.
🔸️ 🔸️
Polnareff stepped out of the men's bathroom, a look of contentment filling his face as he made his way back to their table. "No offense to Mer- ahh, Mr. Ambrose, but he's definitely got to upgrade his bathroom. These ones are so clean, they make even me feel dirty." Strangely, Eva's seat was empty. Her cake nowhere to be seen. Scanning the cafe, there was no sign of her taupe-colored hair anywhere. The question as to where she went boggled his brain even more. Gaelstrom was sitting right there, so nonchalantly. Did he do something to upset her? He'd better not have, Polnareff thought.
"Well, it wasn't a steak," Gaelstrom commented as he leaned against the table, "but at least now I'm not runnin' on empty.
"Where's Eva?" Polnareff asked.
"I dunno. Think she went to the bathroom."
"What, and took her cake with her?"
Gaelstrom's eyes searched the cafe, finding no trace of her either. "Uhhh..."
That careless idiot. Was he really that oblivious? Then again, it wasn't like Polnareff was any better. No one in the party saw her or knew about her terse complaint with the owner. All that bickering they were doing stirred Merlin from his afternoon nap, impelling him to poke his head out from the key.
"You mean to tell me you didn't see where she went?" Polnareff questioned.
"Hey! I just assumed she went to the bathroom, alright? Where else is she gonna go?"
"Why the hell would she take her food to the bathroom if she was coming back? Do you hear yourself?"
Gaelstrom paused. "Oh, right. Don't make sense, does it? Wait a minute. Why're ya barkin' at me? Not like you saw anything either."
"I was washing my hands in the bathroom, for your information. Something you need to do more often. "
"What's the meaning of this?" Merlin interjected. "Where's Eva?"
Polnareff shot a look at Gaelstrom as if he were saying: Yeah, go on. Tell him you don't know. But Gaelstrom just returned that same look back at him. Asshole. Fine. If he wasn't going to take the initiative and go look for her, he would. Polnareff slid out of his seat and did the only thing he could think to do. Ask around.
Some of the customers claimed that she approached the manager, but weren't too keen on what went on between them. He apologized for something, but she never spoke a word. Most people seemed to be helpful with the exception of a few, who felt the need to make snide remarks behind Polnareff's back. Whether it was their intent, or whether it wasn't, the annoyance of their words poured fuel to the flames of indignation.
"I don't get why she couldn't just ask the manager out loud. Why write an essay in front of his fucking face? What, does she have issues with the sound of her voice or something?"
"Yeah, like leaving a shitty complaint to management in writing is any better. Doesn't make you any less of a bitch."
Catching wind of their conversation, heat burned behind Polnareff's eyes. He liked to imagine that by gripping his father's cane, he was bearing down on that loudmouth's head. Squeezing until his eyes popped out. What right did they have to speak about her like they knew her or the situation? They knew nothing. It was coming. Words, like the bile from the darkest pit of his stomach, dislodged from his throat and slipped off of his tongue.
"You know, you're pretty goddamn ignorant." His back was to them. Just the thought of facing those jackasses made his stomach turn. The dumb smirks on their faces waned in the shadow of his ire as their eyes found him. It didn't take long before one of them cracked another comment, this time directed at him.
"Mind your own business, old man. We weren't talking to you."
Old? Did he really just...? Honestly, what was it with people constantly thinking he was suddenly paleolithic in comparison to them? It was one thing for Giorno's gang to refer to him as an elder...to an extent...but old man? Did he really give others that impression?
"I'm thirty-six." he corrected. Or am I forty?
"And you need a cane to walk? Damn, that's sad."
Just when he couldn't grip the head of his cane tight enough, instinct ousted self-control.
"Wanna know what's really sad? Pathetic wastes of space that don't know when to shut the hell up!"
From afar, Gaelstrom overheard his little spat with the two loudmouths in the corner and planted his face into his palm. "Dammit, Jean, just walk the hell away already..."
"Say what you want about me," he told them, "but I swear to god if I hear you say one more thing about her, I won't hesitate to crack your skull open with this thing!" He held his cane in both hands with every intent to use it. "You got that?!"
The loudmouthed man shot up out of his seat, coming nose-to-nose with him. "That's big talk for a pretty-boy like you. Fine, let's go. Hit me with your best shot, schweinehund!"
"Therrrre you are," Gaelstrom placed his hand over the cane, speaking through a nervous grin, "Eva's looking everywhere for you."
That's right, she was still missing. He got so caught up in his feelings he'd almost forgotten. Damn those shit-starters for getting him side-tracked. Especially the one standing in front of him. Man, he'd really love to beat that smirk off his face. Come to think of it, he'd love to indulge himself in a little fight. He'd gone over a decade itching for one, why not here? Why not now? Polnareff refused to lower the cane in his hands, no matter how gently Gaelstrom urged him to do so.
"Jean, come on. They're just a bunch o' arrogant pricks. Walk away, it's not worth it."
"Better do as your boyfriend says." the man jeered.
Gaelstrom's fair complexion flushed a beet red. Polnareff's turned red, but for a whole other reason unrelated to whatever he was thinking. He yanked the cane out of Gaelstrom's weakened grasp and stepped away before spinning around to shout something back at them.
"For the record: that kind, young woman is completely deaf. Have some respect!"
The man sank down into his seat, propping his feet on the other chair. "Alright, fine. I'm sorry. She's not a bitch. She's a deaf bitch."
That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Polnareff's nostrils flared as he started to storm back over and give him a piece of his mind. Gaelstrom wrapping his arms around him to end a fight before it started only pissed him off more.
"Get off me! I'm gonna pulvarize that little...!"
"Jean! Think of where you are. People are looking at you."
"I don't give a damn about that, let me go!"
From the back came Bauer's voice bellowing from the kitchen and all the way over to the corner of the cafe. The customers murmured to one another, looking on with concern. Gaelstrom's tight embrace loosened as Bauer came over, to which Polnareff saw his chance for escape and broke away from his arms.
"There is nothing to see here, alles gut..."
Everything returned to normal. The customers turned their gazes back to their plates and went about their business casually. Polnareff wasn't about to stand there and get lectured for making a scene, so he cut to the chase before he could give Bauer a chance.
"Have you seen a woman about this high..." his hand came up about 3 inches below his shoulder, "...with purple eyes and long, grayish-brown hair?"
Bauer choked. "I...! I, um, well...that is..."
"People said she came to you," he pressed, "what about?"
"She...? Well, she was asking me...umm..."
"Oh, wouldja just answer the fackin' question!" Gaelstrom snapped.
Bauer twisted his apron in his sweaty hands. "Yes! I'm getting to that...you see, it's quite simple to explain, really. She...uhh..."
Polnareff poked him in the chest with his cane. "Look, these rejects behind me said something about her writing an essay. Which means she spoke to you. So what's going on? Either you know where she is, or you don't. Fess up."
Bauer froze. For a minute, he stared blankly up at Polnareff. That broke him. Any second he'd spill his guts and they could finally get to the bottom of...dammit, he started running! Bauer bumped his hip into the corner of the display as he rounded it and took off into the back.
"Christ, he's gettin' away!" Gaelstrom cried.
Polnareff shoved the door open with Gaelstrom following him into the kitchen. There he was, cornered like a rat with nowhere to run. Bauer took a step back, his eyes shifting back and forth between them and the black forest cake on the countertop. As his fingers inched shakily towards it, Polnareff smacked his cane on top of Bauer's right hand. He let out a pained cry, hunching over with his hands brought to his chest.
Again, Polnareff swung his cane, hitting Bauer across the cheekbone. He fell to the floor with a loud thud. Pathetic. The little bastard was so whiny. Polnareff stood over him, glowering.
"Where is she?" he demanded.
Bauer sat up, groaning at the pain. "I- I don't know."
"Liar!"
Before he could swing his cane again, Mephistopheles emerged. Its dagger-teeth parted and out rolled a long tongue. It made a swift upward swiping motion, barely missing Polnareff's fingers as he held the cane horizontally in defense. Mephistopheles's tongue wrapped around the cane. In mere seconds, wood transformed into a peppermint candy cane before his very eyes.
"What the hell!"
He felt someone grab him by the shoulder and force him back. As he and Gaelstrom backed away from Mephistopheles, its tongue flung the candy cane to the wall. The impact snapped it like a twig, its chipped pieces falling to the floor. Mephistopheles's tongue lunged towards Polnareff and Gaelstrom. At a mere ten foot distance, it jerked to a stop right in front of their faces. Unable to reach any farther.
"I feel bad for whoever that thing planted its lips on..." Gaelstrom remarked.
A big, red bruise colored the left side of Bauer's face. He staggered back, shifting his eyes over to the cake on the counter.
"He's a stand user..." Polnareff said.
"Oh, yeah, no. I couldn't tell."
The tongue twisted and flipped around until it rolled all the way back into its mouth. Both rows of fangs shut back over it like a caged monster that would inevitably be released again to wreak havoc.
"Okay, so ten feet's all he's got..." Gaelstrom mused. "...if we're gonna attack this guy, we'll need to do it from a distance."
"How are we going to do that when we don't have anything to launch?"
"Who says we don't?"
Glowing, green eyes appeared over Gaelstrom's shoulder. He threw up his hands, extending a pointer finger with his thumb up. With his left eye shut, he squinted and aimed for Bauer's shoulder. Fading into plain sight next to his aiming hand was a red slingshot. Cu Chulainn pulled a ruby back in its sling, waiting for the right moment to strike.
A look of surprise filled Polnareff's eyes. A slingshot? I thought his stand used a sword and shield. Wait a minute...that must mean that Gaelstrom's stand can alternate between short and long range attacks.
"Ha! What're you going to do with that, shoot me?!" Bauer taunted.
Gaelstrom opened both eyes. "Yup."
THOOM
The ruby zipped through the air. In his stupidity, Bauer commanded Mephistopheles to shield him. The rock hit the stand in the shoulder, lodging itself into its body as Bauer screamed in agony.
"I don't understand!" he cried, clamping his hand over the injury.
"You fackin' eejit, don't you know whatever damage your stand takes the user takes, too? Jaysus...fackin' dumbass."
Bauer swiftly grabbed the plate of cake off the counter and darted for the door behind him. The door swung open and he whimpered as he ran up the alley, knocking over trashcans.
"Hey, get back here!" Polnareff started to make chase after him when Gaelstrom held out his arm to stop him.
Outrageous. He was just going to let that asshole go? "What the hell's wrong with you?! He's getting away!"
"Jean...listen. I didn't shoot him to hurt him."
"What?!"
"I mean, I did. I want to hurt him as much as you do. But listen: his stand can only harm us up close. If I try to fight him with Cu Chulainn's shield, I'll end up like your cane. The best I could do was plant one of my stones into his stand."
Polnareff raised a brow. "What are you saying? The stone's going to help us?"
"I'm saying that stone is my stand, and it's stuck in his shoulder. I know exactly where the fucker is."
"Ahhhh, I get it. What about Eva? We need to look for her first."
"Right," Gaelstrom agreed, "man's as guilty as a pastor in a brothel."
They scoured the room for answers. Polnareff had looked under every cabinet he could think to look into. Even though it was dumb, he decided to check the oven. Couldn't be too sure about people like Bauer, he thought. The fridge was empty. Even the freezer. Something wasn't adding up. She was there. She couldn't have just up and walked away from the restaurant. That didn't sound plausible at all.
"Jean!"
"What?"
"You're not gonna believe this..."
He sauntered over to where Gaelstrom was crouched down on the floor, staring at something crimson. Drops of blood led from the edge of the counter to the trash bin. A napkin with writing on it caught Polnareff's eye as he reached his hand into the trash. Under the note was Eva's bloody cake, its white frosting smeared and tinged bright red.
"A bleeding cake?"
Polnareff's eyes scanned over the note, each word after the next evoking concern. Reading over Bauer's words did little more than ignite aggravation.
"He lured her back here..."
Gaelstrom skimmed the writing. "So, we have evidence." He let out a sigh. "Mr. Ambrose is gonna love this..."
"Eva!"
"What the hell are you doing? She can't hear you."
Polnareff winced. "Dammit...!"
Gaelstrom placed a hand to his chin and studied the cake in the trash can. "Alright, so we got a cake that bleeds. Jean, do you think his stand has the same effect on people?"
"What do you mean?"
"You saw what it did to your dad's cane. What if it can do that to people?"
Polnareff looked in the direction of the smashed candy cane. "Are you saying he did that to Eva?"
"I'm saying his stand can change people into candy. Or in this poor sod's case, cakes."
"What poor sod are you referring to? You don't think that cake in the trash is...?"
"Think about it. Why else would there be blood coming out of it? In Eva's note, she said he should be ashamed for giving her something like that. I'll bet this cake is what he brought her. But what doesn't make sense to me is why he would serve a person...to another person."
Polnareff's nose wrinkled in disgust. "That sick bastard! I'm going after him."
"Just wait. Didn't you see the way he kept trying to take that cake off the counter?"
"Yeah, so what?"
Without saying a thing, Gaelstrom gave him a look. It took Polnareff a second to think about it, until he finally concluded that Eva's disappearance could only mean one thing. That Bauer transformed her and it was the same cake sitting on the counter during their little confrontation. The same cake he made off with.
"Merde..."
With Merlin, Semargl, and Coco Jumbo in tow, Gaelstrom and Polnareff tracked the ruby's signal all the way to Rosenheimer Platz. It didn't matter how many times Bauer tripped, his short legs carried him as far from Gael and Polnareff as they could take him. Gael made haste as he crossed the street, waiting for Polnareff to get across. Each step he took felt like pins and needles shooting up the sciatic nerve and into his hips.
"Need help?" Gaelstrom offered.
"Stop worrying about me," he told him, "I can do this."
"Hmph. Suit yourself then."
His eyes darted to the left as he heard the sound of tires screeching on the asphalt. Someone layed on the horn, making Polnareff's eyes go wide with fear. He felt his heart jump into his throat. His blood stilled. Suddenly the urge to move his legs became glue for the soles of his feet. He knew he had to move, but his mind simply wouldn't command it.
Like a madman, Gaelstrom leapt out into traffic shouting his name. The car slid, burning tire marks into the pavement, when it finally came to a halt. It wasn't by chance, but because a spiked shield forced it to a stop. Behind it, Gaelstrom was kneeling with Polnareff in his embrace. Everything happened so fast. For a split second, he'd caught a glimpse of him darting into the highway with very little care for his own well-being.
Seeing Cu Chulainn's shield in front of him - feeling Gaelstrom's arms around him - Polnareff's fear subsided.
What the hell just happened?!
The impact - though it only left major dents in the front end and nothing more - spooked the driver who must've spilled coffee all over him, because there were damp, tawny stains discoloring the front of his shirt. The man stuck his head out from the car window and shouted. "Holy shit! You jackasses are lucky to be alive, man! What the hell's wrong with you?!"
Oh, Polnareff had a response for his reckless driving. But catching sight of Bauer making progress towards the train station took his mind on a little detour. Gaelstrom dismissed his stand and the man in the car drove around them and sped off. Good riddance. His voice definitely started to grate on Polnareff's nerves. With the threat finally gone, Gaelstrom's arms slipped away from his body and he helped him to his feet.
"I believe a thank you is in order." Gaelstrom said.
"Thanks. Now let's go before we lose him."
Shit! Bauer was getting away. His stubby legs ran off into the train station up ahead. Polnareff knew what he was doing. He had to be thinking he'd lose them if he found a crowd. That, or board one of the trains. Not a chance. All he had to do was keep his eyes peeled for a white apron.
His eyes had studied every person he could think to find, but as long as he'd been there walking around searching, he never caught sight of an apron. Not once. He tried to think of what other features Bauer had that were easy to remember. Short and round. Okay, but that wasn't enough. It was useless trying to remember his hair color since he kept that stupid chef's hat on his head. And nobody in Rosenheimer Platz was wearing a chef's hat.
"You're still tracking him, right?"
"Signal's pretty strong," Gaelstrom replied, "we should be right on top of him."
Polnareff spun around in complete disbelief of what he just heard. "Are you sure that thing's accurate?"
"Cu Chulainn's rubies are always dead on. And it's telling me he's still here. So, keep looking."
Polnareff sneered at his response, mimicking his exact words to himself mockingly as he made his way up the platform. "I am looking and I don't see a sign of that bastard anywhere. If I knew for certain he had a cellular device on him, I could use a computer to pin-point his location."
Just as he thought. Bauer had to have hid in the crowd and made a run for it. But where? What if Cu Chulainn couldn't detect him anymore? A fear he wanted to deny settled into his chest. If Bauer was gone, then the hope in finding Eva was gone, too. He shouldn't have taken so long in the bathroom - he should have been paying closer attention to her. Now she was gone forever. And it was partly his fault.
Merlin's words replayed themselves over in his mind. I'm counting on you two.
You have nothing to worry about. Polnareff had promised.
"Nothing to worry about..." he lamented.
There was nothing to do but stand there and listen to the whirring of the train rails. Part of him urged him to break out of his pessimism and keep looking. Just then, a scream ejected him from his grief and brought his attention up to the left of him.
"Oh, my heel...it's broken! Why, you clumsy pig!" a woman shrieked, throwing the broken shoe at the one responsible.
THUNK
Polnareff glanced around one of the yellow columns. Sure enough, someone had plowed right into her. He could only make out a brown shoe from whoever it was sitting behind one of the columns. They'd stumbled into a lady in a fur-lined coat without so much as an apology, and she wasn't taking the situation all too well. But then, Polnareff perceived a familiar, heavy German accent.
"So ein Misthaufen!" he threw the shoe back at her, sparking outrage. "You ran into me, alte landsau! I am just a common man trying to get this schwarzwälder kirschtorte to my little sister."
In his right hand was a plate with a slice of black forest cake. He thought it might have toppled over with whoever had fallen at the very least. Yet there it was, unscathed despite the fall.
"Cake?" Polnareff mused, clinging tight to his suspicions.
The woman in the fur coat gasped with a hand splayed over her chest. "What did you just call me?!" She began harping at him, as well as throwing insults into the mix.
The man snarled. "I've heard enough out of you!"
Mephistopheles emerged, slipping over to the woman with its tongue hanging out of its mouth. It snaked around the woman's wrist and her face went blank. In mere seconds, Mephistopheles altered her form into something light and covered in frosting.
"Try throwing something at me now, bitch."
The stand appearing before his eyes left no doubt. Cu Chulainn's rubies really were accurate after all. Anger boiled in his stomach. That cake in his hand had to be her.
"So, that's what you did to Eva!" Polnareff said, as he stepped around the column. "Change her back!"
Bauer let out a shrill cry and scooped up the two, nearly identical cakes. He booked it up the platform with Polnareff not too far behind. Several times he'd glance over his shoulder and attempt to pick up the pace. The fact that he was so fast for someone of his stature blew Polnareff's mind. Had he been in the shape he used to be back in 1988, he would have definitely caught up to him by now and beat his face in. Yet there they were, neither of them having the best of luck with leg power and running all over the place.
Absolutely ridiculous. He was nearly caught up to him. Nearly. Gaelstrom rounded a corner and caught up to Polnareff just when Bauer did the unthinkable and boarded a train seconds before its departure. The rails screeched. S1 was out of there, and Bauer watched his pursuers from the window. This was bullshit! Polnareff clenched his fists, a suppressed roar ready to erupt from his ribcage.
"There's two of them now!" Polnareff cried. People glanced at him as they passed with hushed murmurs.
"Two of what?" Gaelstrom questioned quietly, trying not to draw anymore attention.
"He has her! He has Eva and he changed some other woman into a cake just now."
He started to make his way up the platform in the direction S1 had departed. Looking back, Gaelstrom hadn't moved an inch. He just stood there holding Coco Jumbo, watching him like he was saying: Uhh, dude. I can track him down. Relax.
"Well, don't just stand there!" Polnareff called over his shoulder. "We're wasting time."
🔸️ 🔸️
According to the information he'd acquired, S1's next stop was Isartorplatz; Polnareff assumed that in approximately twenty or so minutes, the train would have arrived there. And then he thought about it. If they were to head him off at Central Station - which would be at least three stops ahead of schedule - apprehending Bauer would possibly be much easier and they wouldn't need to push for time quite so hard.
It was decided. He and Gaelstrom made their way to Central Station in the city. Merlin poked his upper half from the key and took a good look around the station. It was packed.
"Oh, Eva would abhor this place." he said.
"Look!" Polnareff cried, pointing up the platform. Just as he thought. A white chef's hat bobbing along with the crowd of people. "Who does he think he's fooling?" Without a second thought, he took off after him, squeezing past the bystanders whose shoulders were closely knit.
Merlin and Gaelstrom both were calling out for him to wait up, but he refused to look back and acknowledge them. Losing visual on that prick now was out of the question. Subsequent to his arrival, Bauer pressed on nonchalantly through the crowd, blissfully unaware of the Frenchman's fury blazing towards him. Then he heard familiar voices and his gaze turned back. He let out a terrified cry when he discerned piercing blue eyes glaring right through his soul. Once again, the chase was on.
Gaelstrom and Polnareff pursued him down Blumenstrasse when he turned the corner onto Sendlinger Street.
"Christ!" Gaelstrom exclaimed. "For someone so damn short, he sure is fast."
Merlin's body was still apparent from the key as he kept a keen visual on Bauer. He gasped and pointed his cane. "That poor coward is running into Asamkirche! No doubt to hide."
The large, brown doors to Asamkirche came open and Bauer limped inside. Sculpted faces from the walls appeared to be looking down on him in shame. Condemning him silently as he ran past the row of seats and all the way up to the altar.
At the entrance, Polnareff's first view was a golden sculpture of a skeleton with scissors. The gold cherub next to it had its head lolled dramatically, holding the string for the skeleton to cut; kind of creepy, he thought. A little ironic how the personification of Death waited by the door to greet tourists. Well, anyone, really. Then again, in Bauer's case, it was perfect. He could hear him whimpering up ahead as he made his way further inside.
"A murderer like you hiding in a church?" Polnareff said. "You should be ashamed of yourself."
"How did you two know where to find me!?" Bauer cried.
A brief laugh escaped Gaelstrom's lips. "You really are a dumbass, aren'tcha?"
"What, me?"
"Eejit. I shot one o' my rubies into your stand earlier. I've been trackin' you the entire time. That's how I knew where you were going after you escaped from the kitchen."
The ruby lodged in Mephistopheles's shoulder vanished as Gaelstrom closed his palm. Bauer reached up to it, feeling around his arm. "The throbbing pain is gone..." he said.
"Guess we won't need to follow its signal anymore now that you're cornered like a rat again. This time, there's no exit behind you. So, why don'tcha cooperate with us and give up the girl, huh?"
"Fools!" Bauer snarled. "I can't do that. He'll kill me."
"He?" Gaelstrom pressed.
Bauer winced. "D'oh! Dammit, I said too much...! Just get away from me. Have mercy! You don't know what he's like. My master wants a cake that tastes like child innocence. I can't just give him any cake, don't you see? He'll know!"
"Alright, shut up!" Polnareff snapped. "God, you're annoying. Just change her back already!"
"You want her back so badly?" he taunted. His sinister smile made a lump sink into Polnareff's stomach. This couldn't be good. "Then how about we make a little wager, ja?"
Mephistopheles drifted forward as it left Bauer's body and took the plates with the cake wedges from his hands with it. Hovering in front of them, it were as if Bauer himself came forth. This didn't look promising one bit. Polnareff knew what he was playing at, and it was going to take some serious concentration if he was going to win.
Gaelstrom was quick to express his frustration. "You made us chase you all over town and you want to play games!?"
"It'll be simple," Bauer promised, "If you win, she's all yours. If I win, then you will sit behind my display and feed my customers. All you have to do is tell me which one of these cakes is your girlfriend, ja? Shouldn't be too hard."
"...Alright. Fine." Polnareff said. "I'll play your twisted game. But you better honor what you said!"
"Oh, ja, ja, of course." He flashed a wicked grin, tapping the tips of his fingers together.
Gaelstrom shot an are you serious look at Polnareff. "What the hell are you doing?!" he hissed. "Fucker's trying to pull one over on you, don't you see that?! Don't play into his bullshit."
Polnareff ignored Gaelstrom's pleas for reconsideration. "Just one thing: if I lose, what happens to her?"
A wicked smirk formed on Bauer's face. "Then Ser Mordred will get his just desserts, gweeheeheehee!"
Gaelstrom knit his brows together, begging Polnareff to think about his decision. "Jean, this is madness. It's rigged. You're not gonna win. Let's just beat his ass here and now and be done with the little bastard."
"Just trust me."
"What?"
"He's not that smart," he spoke quietly, "just trust me."
Gaelstrom's palm collided with his forehead. "Fackin' hell...it's your poor judgment that's gonna seal her fate, you know that, right?"
The cakes really seemed identical when it came down to the frosting and chocolate shavings. But like anything else, there had to be a difference. Perhaps it was the number of shavings? Or maybe the amount of frosting? Every detail counted. Polnareff shut his eyes, trying to recall what he'd seen back at Rosenheimer Station.
The woman had just thrown her broken shoe at Bauer. The cake was sitting there on the platform beside him and Polnareff could see it clearly; now if only his memory could work about as well as a computer program. Zooming in on the image in his mind to scan for the minor details would certainly help. Too bad Polnareff's mind wasn't like a computer.
Time was ticking. He was getting really disgusted standing there feeling Bauer's eyes look on him with anticipation. It also didn't help that Gaelstrom was standing there, stressing out and making hushed comments under his breath. And that stand...he didn't want to get started on its grotesque appearance, let alone look at it.
The left cake. No, the right cake. Maybe neither? Was neither even an option? Choose, dammit, choose. One of these cakes is Eva. He had to think about this - he'd come this far to save her and that's exactly what he was going to do. If he failed, he'd still save her somehow. He just had to. Which one? Which one?!
"Alright," he said, "I'm ready to choose."
Gaelstrom pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh, god..."
Bauer squealed enthusiastically like a pig as he clapped his hands. "And what is your answer?"
"I pick..."
Bauer lurched his head forward, impatient to hear it. Polnareff's index finger started to gesture to the one on his right, but he withdrew it and instead took the plate from Mephistopheles's right hand.
"Are you certain?" Bauer taunted once more.
Holding the plate in both hands at waist level, Polnareff nodded. He thought the little bastard had finally snapped with the way he laughed so maniacally. Bauer did a little dance. He was so sure he'd won. It had to be an attempt to psyche him out and make him think he'd made the wrong choice. But in spite of his idiotic display, Polnareff stood his ground, glaring at him thinking: Would you shut up already?
"Was für ein trottels! Gweeheeheee! Well, you know what they say...you can't have your cake and-" Bauer's sentence was cut off just as Mephistopheles negated its alteration powers on both Eva and the annoying woman from the train station.
Bauer's eyes shot open in disbelief, his mouth wide open. "I-I-Impossible!"
The woman in the fur coat opened her tightly shut eyes and looked at her surroundings. She let out a shriek and fell out of Mephistopheles's arms, pushing Gaelstrom aside as she made a beeline for the doors. On her way out, she filled the church with incoherent wailing that grew more distant as she ran up the street.
"Well, I'll be god damned!" Gaelstrom cried.
Bauer stood pale-faced as he gawked at the woman in Polnareff's arms.
Standing there triumphantly, Polnareff's pride swelled with the sunlight beaming through the doorway behind him. He waited to hear him ask how he figured it out - what gave it away. Bauer stumbled on his words, finding that he really had none. There was nothing to be said; he'd lost and that's all there was to it.
The whole time Polnareff had been in pursuit of her, Eva - as a cake - watched him. She'd seen the determination. He risked becoming just like her. How they managed to find her didn't matter. They were there. And no one would be cutting her into pieces on a dinner plate.
Once again, the two men that showed up that fateful night had done her a great service. With Polnareff in his current physical state, his actions were downright admirable in her eyes. Without a doubt, she'd repay them both. Somehow. She climbed steadily down from his embrace and stood beside him.
"H-h-how did you know?" Bauer stammered.
"You strike me as someone who is right handed." Polnareff stated.
Bauer blinked then crossed his arms. "And what does that have to do with anything?"
"Simple. Back at the cafe, you kept reaching for Eva with your right hand - normally, people pick things up with their dominant hand. It was your dominant hand I hit with my cane. At the train station, you held her up in your right hand again. This whole time, you never bothered to switch her over to your left hand. Honestly, if you were going to be clever, you could've tried a little harder."
Gaelstrom's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.
"You actually remembered something like that?!"
"Spending five years in a turtle with nothing to do, you kind of adapt to making keen observations."
"Scheisse!"
Gaelstrom whistled as he tilted his hat up. "Damn...I was just gonna tell him to go fuck himself, but...eh...well, now that that's settled..." he punched the palm of his hand, making his implication of what he wanted to do next quite clear. "...you're going to answer some questions."
Merlin peeped at the scene unfolding. Gaelstrom was bluffing him, telling him that his rubies could self-destruct if he wanted them to. All he'd have to do is shoot another one into him and he'd definitely die. If he didn't want that, he had no choice but to comply. That was all it took for Bauer to cower more. Surely, he didn't want to explode.
Bauer let out panicky cries that nearly turned into sobs as they stood over him. "Get away from me!" he cried. "I changed her back, what more do you want? Have mercy!"
"Oh, like the mercy you showed her?"
"I say we show him the same treatment he shows his victims." Gaelstrom said.
"I-I-I'm sorry! I'll do whatever you want - tell you whatever you want - just don't hurt me."
"Okay, then listen up," Gaelstrom's voice raised, "I'm only going to ask this once. Are you working for Mordred?"
A bead of sweat rolled down Bauer's face. Cu Chulainn's fiery, green eyes glowed behind Gaelstrom with the promise of inflicting pain. Ghosting into plain sight over Eva's shoulder were glowing white strands swaying on Nightwish's head. It coursed its periwinkle fingers along one of them, making a light reee sound. The strand emitted a brighter glow.
Bauer froze as he caught a glimpse of Merlin's figure poking out from the key on Coco Jumbo's shell. To that, he let out a truly dumb-sounding huh?
Polnareff's voice snapped him out of his spaced-out gaze. "Well? Are you?"
Cherub faces in paintings and sculptures were like spectators from the throne of God, looming above them. Bauer would begin to answer and then stop himself. Polnareff waited, knowing it was coming. He'd spill his guts to them because the idea of exploding - or Nightwish rupturing his ear drums - was just too much. Sure enough, Bauer's wails of helplessness echoed up to the frescoes above. From outside, a few passerby could faintly hear the anguish coming from within Asamkirche. Though no one really cared enough to dwell on what was going on before passing it by.
"Alright, alright! Yes, I work for him."
"See? That's all you had to say." Polnareff said. "Now, I want you to listen very carefully to what I'm about to tell you."
Lifting Bauer up off of the floor by his collar, he threw him forcefully against the altar. Bauer whined to himself pitifully as he placed a hand to his forehead. "Tell him that if he ever tries to hurt any of my friends again, I'll kill him. And that's not a threat, it's a promise."
Fear glossed over Bauer's eyes. "B-b-but you don't understand. Stand users like you can't kill him."
"Like hell I can't."
"N-no! Please, listen to me. You really can't kill him. I've seen it many times. Mephistopheles can turn just about anything into sweets. But Mordred...his Primal Fear can make illogical things...he'll torture you. Th-th-the glass of water! He'll make you drink it! It's horrible!"
"What the hell are you blabbing about?" Gaelstrom barked.
Bauer swallowed. "I'm saying that if you value your lives, you better leave town. Because between Primal Fear and Stratovarius...nobody stands a chance. Nobody."
Silence drowned out the echoes of Bauer's words as he sat there cowering in Polnareff's shadow. Was he not thinking this through? It felt like he'd paint them as bigger targets if he persisted to bully Bauer into sending his message on. Now what was he going to do? Just how many freaks was he going to encounter along the way?
Just look at that little coward. The itch to hurt him wouldn't leave well enough alone. How he truly wanted to beat him to a bloody pulp then and there. But the church was far too beautiful to stain with the blood of someone so vile and cruel. It would be an insult to surpass all insults. Rising up behind the frightened little weasel came Mephistopheles's tongue, weaving through the air. Gaelstrom tackled Polnareff to the floor before it could swipe him.
The sound of shoes clacking past them and to the front doors filled Polnareff with rage. "Hey! he shouted.
Gaelstrom slammed his fist on the floor. "Dammit! I shouldn't have taken that damn ruby off him."
One thought occurred to Polnareff as he stood there staring at the doorway. One that bothered him deeply. "What makes him think...?" He cut himself off, refraining from bringing it up. For all he knew, Bauer was just that stupid and merely made a dumb guess.
Stand users like you can't kill him.
Gaelstrom approached Polnareff, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about him. Wouldn't do us a bit of good chasing after him now."
"What'd he mean by that?"
"Which part? Mordred's stand or the Stratovarius guy?"
"He said...stand users like me. But I don't have Chariot anymore...do I?"
Eva brought Coco Jumbo over as Merlin's voice chimed in on the conversation. "From my understanding of it, anyone in the world is capable of awakening their stand. Yours may have to awaken again is all."
"But I was born with mine." Polnareff explained.
"Hmmm. Then I should see no reason why yours shouldn't be with you."
"I'm not sure I follow you."
Merlin cleared his throat. "Simply put: say for instance that you are born with a stand and that you have died. When Evanescence brings you back, it returns what is rightfully yours at birth. If you were born with arms and legs, then you are brought back with arms and legs. If you are born with a stand, then you are brought back with your stand intact. Us hamon users retain our knowledge in the art, so we lose very little in terms of death and revival."
Polnareff's body went numb. Could what he was saying really be true? But if that's the case, he wondered why it hadn't made its appearance yet. There were many reasons coursing through his mind as to why Chariot hadn't appeared. One standing out amidst the rest.
"Then maybe my doubts could be suppressing it." His eyes wandered to the frescoes on the ceiling with new hope melding into his soul. "Yeah, maybe it's me that's the problem."
The more he stared up at the paintings and sculptures along the walls, an eerie feeling sank in.
Bauer's presence was staved off by the tranquility of that place. As if the angels themselves descended with spears of gold to drive the evil back to the depths. Polnareff couldn't comprehend it, but standing there evoked a familiarity he didn't remember.
Deja vu. At least that's what it felt like...but this was different. Polnareff had seen the gold skeleton with scissors before. Symbolism. The string between its scissors carried the notion that people are all hanging by a thread; reminding them all that death could occur at any given time. It was a blurred memory that he never had. He'd stood there once, yet he'd never been there.
Unlike common deja vu, doing or saying something weird wouldn't chase it away. The feeling inside of him was like a magnet, and it wasn't going anywhere. Gaelstrom took note of his peaceful state. At the same time, he could sense something weighed on his mind. All Polnareff could do was stare off into space, not knowing what to make of his strange feeling. The memory of that place was weaving through him like thread. Empty. Yet predominant.
"Jean, what is it?"
"This place feels significant..." he said, "...but why?"