Chapter 2

Walking under the shade of sycamore trees, Duck made her way to the Kotin Pointe Shoe Shop. Her long braid swayed to and fro from underneath her summer straw hat in rhythm with her footsteps. When the young woman's path brought her past a small travel agency, however, she halted, the pendulum of her braid slowing to a stop.

"Oh, they've put posters up!" The blue-eyed shop girl beamed eagerly, peeking inside the agency's windows. The office had yet to open for the day, but nonetheless she perused the advertisements pasted behind the glass panes.

For the past few weeks, Duck had watched as the old dry-goods store she passed by on her way to work was refurbished and repainted in preparation for its new tenant. While this was hardly the first travel agency Duck had ever seen, they had until now operated only in the trendier parts of the city, far from her daily routine.

This office being the first in her immediate neighborhood, Duck could scarcely wait to find out what sort of exotic and faraway places might be advertised once the agency had finally opened. Now, at long last, she would finally be able to quench her curiosity.

"Lake of Como. Italy's Loveliest Lake"

"New Mexico and Arizona Rockies. Land of History and Mystery"

"French Riviera. Comite des Fetes"

"California: America's Vacation Land"

"Niagara Falls. Where the Great Lakes Leap to the Sea"

Duck's eyes lingered on the last poster. The famous waterfall was rendered in a sumptuous oil painting, with plumes of crystalline mist spraying a colorful rainbow across the scene. Compared to the other more modern geometric poster images, this impressionist rendering of Niagara Falls stood out to Duck with its dreamy yet lifelike quality.*

"It's so pretty! How wonderful it would be to see that for myself someday," Duck murmured to herself, her eyes drifting off toward the other posters as well.

I've never been to any of these beautiful places in the pictures. Being able to visit just one of them would be so lovely…

Then, Duck's eyes aligned on an ad for a cross-country train from New York to the West Coast.

"Summer Special: Travel in luxury from New York City to San Francisco for only $65, plus $10 for Pullman sleeper berth."

The thought of paying a tenth of her yearly salary for a single train ride jolted Duck back to reality. There were far more practical things Duck needed her paycheck for, and a fanciful expedition was not one of them.

Sighing loudly, Duck turned away and continued on to the Kotin Pointe Shoe Shop. The familiar bell on the door jingled as she entered, and Duck breathed in the perfume scents of sweet orange, lavender and clove that kept the warm summer air inside the store fresh and light.

"Good morning!" Duck called out, spotting her friends and co-workers, Lillie and Pique, sitting behind the shop counter.

"Morning," the girls answered as the violet-haired Pique exhaled a bored yawn.

Duck smiled as she put her purse away and joined them behind the counter. "Is Mr. Kotin in yet?"

Lillie peered up from the gossip magazine in her lap and shook her head. "Nope. I'm willing to bet he's going to be in late today again!"

"Mr. Kotin's been doing that a lot these days. It's so unusual for him," Duck mused, settling into her usual chair. "He'd always been so punctual before…" the freckled shop girl said, wrinkling her nose, "...though, part of it was that I would always get here late because of my alarm clock."

The mention of Duck's tardiness drew forth a fit of giggles from the other girls. "The two of you really do seem to have switched places. But that's not a bad thing if it means he's not here to make us sweep and dust," Pique said, stretching languidly in her seat. "It's just too warm for us to do anything!"

Duck glanced outside, where the muggy weather seemed to smother any urge to exert oneself. "I wonder why Mr. Kotin is late, though. I hope he's okay."

Pique grinned. "I'm sure he's fine, and I'll bet the reason he's late is because of Miss Anna Belykh. He's probably depressed from pining over her, and just can't muster the energy to get up in the morning right now."

Duck furrowed her brow, failing to put a face to that name. "I think I've heard her mentioned before, but I've never met her. What does she look like?"

"Oh, she has the most beautifully Charleston bob, Duck!" Lillie exclaimed, setting her magazine aside and launching into a vivid recollection of the woman. "A tall, blonde figure in a light blue silken dress walked into the store that day, and instantly Mr. Kotin was smitten! He attended to her slavishly, waiting on her every word and gesture as she leisurely perused his humble little shop, his eyes never leaving her for even a moment. And when she finally departed, with a smile on her face accompanied by a brief word of thanks, you could practically see his poor little heart leap straight out of his chest!"

Seeing the dubious expression on Duck's face, Pique chimed in, "Oh, he was pos-i-tive-ly smitten, all right! She came back in again a week later, right before you came back, Duck. And it was obvious how taken he was by her. It was like watching a love-struck schoolboy in the presence of his biggest crush!"

Here, Pique looked at Duck devilishly and poked her in the ribs. "And speaking of infatuated schoolboys, what happened to your secret admirer, Duck? We haven't seen him around recently, have we, Lillie?"

The sudden shift in topic—to herself, no less—caught Duck completely off guard, and she made a choking sound in response. "Gah! Um…"

Duck stammered unintelligibly as two pairs of sniggering, Cheshire-Cat-eyes waited for her response, and the red-haired girl felt her cheeks burn despite herself. It had been months since her friends last teased her, and Duck was beginning to think they had forgotten about her interactions with Fakir—especially since, as Pique had just pointed out, he hadn't come around in recent months. But, it seemed that had been too much to hope for.

"F-Fakir's been really busy lately!" Duck turned away and busied herself with straightening up a pile of already neatly organized ledgers. "Apparently, summer is a really busy time for the police, b-because, um, people's tempers flare more easily in the hot weather, and so that means more cases for him!"

"Ah, and you know what else flares in the heat of summer?" Lillie whispered coquettishly before the blonde wrapped her arms around Duck and Pique, drawing the girls into a tight embrace. "Passion! Sweeping romances that come with the summer waves of heat! Duck, Pique—now is the time for you to reignite your passionate rivalry over the mysterious and handsome Sheik of Arabia!"

With a laugh, Pique disentangled herself from Lillie's arms. "Come now, Lillie! I think it's quite obvious our Sheik of Arabia has already found his Lady Diana."* Pique winked at Duck. "With the way he gets on with Duck, could it be any more obvious whom he really fancies?"

"N-no! That's not how it is, Pique! Really, it's—uhg…" Duck stammered, wondering how she could possibly explain her relationship with Fakir to her friends without revealing the fact that she had been drawn into a case involving what had been the biggest organized crime family in the city.

Luckily for her, the bell on the shop door rang just then, and the forlorn figure of Mr. Kotin slouched into the shop.

"Mr. Kotin!" Duck exclaimed, surprised to see him arrive punctually instead of being late as they had all anticipated.

But Mr. Kotin seemed to not have heard the surprise in Duck's voice, removing his hat and muttering with a heavy sigh, "...Good morning, Miss Duck."

Hearing the dejection in his voice, the girls glanced at one another, after which Duck asked, "Are you okay, Mr. Kotin? You seem really down."

"Is it because of Miss Belykh? Are you going to go see her tonight?" Pique blurted out, and this startled Mr. Kotin so much that he nearly dropped his hat. He jerked his head around to face his three employees.

"Miss Pique! How did you know?!" he demanded of them, his finely groomed mustache twitching in astonishment.

Pique scratched her cheek sheepishly. "Uh, actually, I overheard you on the phone with her earlier this week, and you were pacing back and forth in the shop for the rest of the day."

Mr. Kotin sighed heavily. He finished hanging up his hat at the door and walked to the front counter where the girls were gathered.

With his hand over his heart, he began, "It is as you say, Miss Pique, for the thought of Miss Belykh rest heavily in my heart. You see, ladies," he paused with great gravity as the girls watched him with rapt attention, "I believe, after a long search and many tribulations…I have found my better half!"

As choir music seemed to swell in the background, Mr. Kotin raised a hand dramatically in the air, like a chivalrous knight reaching for the hand of his beloved. "Though she walks amongst us, she is a princess, my queen and lady, and her beauty superhuman, for her hair shines golden, her forehead fair as the Elysian fields, her eyebrows as rainbows, her eyes like suns, her cheeks of roses red, her lips of coral hue, her teeth like pearls…"*

While Mr. Kotin was absorbed in his theatrical monologue, Duck looked askance at her friends and whispered, "What 'tribulations' are he talking about?"

Pique cupped her hand over her mouth and replied softly, "I think he meant the lady he went to lunch with who ended up eating most of his food after finishing her own. I think her name was Miss Kidd?"

"Oh! I remember there was also a lady who was so shy she barely moved, and didn't say a single word to him during their entire date," Lillie divulged.

"I see…" Duck nodded slowly. But after thinking about this for a second, Duck's brows drew together and she looked back at her friends and murmured, "But how do you know all this? Mr. Kotin never mentioned any of this to us before!"

Lillie and Pique gave Duck sideways glances, and Pique quipped, "Mr. Kotin never mentioned these things directly, but sometimes when he goes on about love and marriage, if you read between the lines…"

"…you can figure out a fair bit about his personal life," Lillie finished.

Duck made a dubious face at her friends' claims, while Mr. Kotin concluded his speech with a flourishing proclamation: "I am willing to travel to the ends of the Earth, pluck a star from the heavens in her name! But alas, I have yet to convey my feelings to her. While I believe she thinks well of me, I fear my feelings for her may be…unrequited."

Here, Mr. Kotin's dramatic façade faltered, and he wringed his hands together anxiously. "I have requested that we meet at the St. Regis this evening. Whatever she may think of me, I shall discover the truth of her heart tonight."

"So, in other words, you're going to have dinner with her tonight and are planning to confess to her?" Lillie summed up.

Mr. Kotin opened his mouth, as if to expound on this, but after a moment, settling for a simple response of "yes." Then he heaved another deep sigh.

The three girls looked at each other. As amusing as it was to watch Mr. Kotin spout romantic soliloquies, it was clear that the outcome of this evening's meeting could potentially break his heart. And so, with complete sincerity, Pique said to him, "I wish you the best, Mr. Kotin. Just know that whatever her answer might be, you are and will remain a great man!"

"Yes! Charm her with your cultured, eloquent manners, and show her that you're the cat's whiskers!" Lillie enthused.

Seeing her friend's energetic encouragements, Duck added quietly, "I haven't met Miss Belyky, but she sounds like a lovely lady. I wish you the best of luck, Mr. Kotin!"

Mr. Kotin sniffed and inhaled a deep breath. "Thank you, dear ladies…your well wishes have helped to steel my resolve, as I march onto the battlefield of love! But first," Mr. Kotin extended an arm dramatically towards the custodial cabinet, "the floors need to be swept and the cabinets dusted! Do not let my date with destiny distract you from your duties!"

The three girls exhaled a collective, audible groan.

Guess Mr. Kotin didn't forget after all, Duck lamented silently as she retrieved one of the washcloths and began the familiar task of wiping down counters and shelves.

As a preoccupied silence filled the shop while the daily chores were getting done, the topic of love lingered in Duck's mind as she remembered what Pique said earlier.

…Could it be any more obvious whom he fancies?

The idea that she would be "fancied" by anyone felt unbelievable to Duck. Though she had read more than her share of romance novels and seen dozens of romantic dramas in the theater—in no small part thanks to her friends—realistically, Duck never pictured herself being the protagonist in one of these stories. She wasn't royalty, nor did she possess otherworldly beauty or power; she was just an average girl, living a simple, normal life.

The only thing extraordinary about her had been her involvement in the events of several months past. Duck's witness of a mob murder had caused her to cross paths with Fakir, Rue, and Mytho, culminating with the detective traveling halfway across the country to find her. The fact he would do that for someone so plain and unassuming raised a question Duck had not given much thought to before: what could have motivated Fakir to embark on such a dangerous journey—for her, of all people?

Certainly, Duck had been flabbergasted when she had first seen Fakir at that warehouse in Chicago. In the ensuing chaos, however, his reason for being there had been the last thing on her mind. Instead, she only had heartfelt gratitude toward him for helping her slip away from the mob's clutches, and for saving her from drowning in the freezing Calumet River.

In the aftermath of that tumultuous day, Duck had been entirely preoccupied with finding out what had happened to Mytho and Rue, and the exhausting process of returning to her home in New York. There had been few opportunities for deep introspection, so that question had been relegated to the far corners of her mind…at least, until today.

The corners of Duck's lips tightened as she dunked the wash cloth she clutched into a pail of water. Well, he's a cop. He would've done that for anyone…Duck thought, repeating to herself the conclusion she had come to shortly after the events in Chicago.

Wringing out the wash rag, Duck continued to busy herself even as a flush of pink tinged her cheeks. Though Fakir hadn't told her all the details, she knew he had flown all the way to Chicago by private plane, which was an incredibly daring—as well as incredibly dangerous—thing to do. What if the plane had run out of fuel? What if the pilot had gotten lost? What if they had run into foul weather on the way there?

To have taken all those risks just to find one person, an ordinary shop girl…could a sense of duty alone really have propelled someone that far? Or, could something else have motivated him to attempt such an extraordinary feat?

By the time Duck had finished cleaning, Mr. Kotin had already retreated into his office. Without any customers in the shop to attend to, Pique and Lillie went back to reading and quietly giggling over their magazines.

Sitting at the counter, Duck found a newspaper lying on the table from two days ago Mr. Kotin had left behind. Out of curiosity, she picked it up and skimmed the slightly out-of-date headlines. Save for the announcement of a new elephant calf at the Bronx Zoo, however, none of the other stories caught her attention.

As the clock quietly ticked into the afternoon, Duck found herself gazing outside the shop window, watching the crowd of people and vehicles stream by. Resting her chin in her hands, Duck heard a passing car honk its horn. The sound triggered a flash of memories, projected across her mind like reels of spliced film footage.

The first clip was that of a speeding car. On that day several months ago, Duck was about to run headlong into traffic chasing after Mytho's vehicle, when a sharp tug on her braid yanked her away from a near collision with a car. Gripping the other end was Fakir, who then proceeded to yell at her for nearly getting herself run over.

The corners of Duck's lips curled downward as she recalled her indignation at the soreness inflicted on her scalp. Fakir was such a prick back then, Duck mentally grumbled as the downhill slant of her lips steepened. But still, if he hadn't done that, I probably wouldn't be here. And that wasn't the last time he'd save me, either…

At that thought, the pout on Duck's lips faded as a foggy memory of herself laying half-dazed in a darkened alley surfaced. Her memories from that time were hazy, due to the chloroform forced on her. Yet, she could still recall—with heart-wrenching clarity—Fakir's voice screaming at her to run, all while holding off the two mobsters sent to kidnap her, the pair of whom she could barely make out of the darkness.

And run she did. In Duck's memories, it felt like running was all she did for a very long time. First it had been the US Marshall Service, who shepherded her away from everything and everyone she had ever known; then it was Mytho, who spirited her away to Chicago. By then, Duck had become resigned to the fate that she could never go home again, could never sit at the counter in this very shop ever again.

But when Mytho fired his gun at her, and all her running away seemed for naught, she'd awoken to find none other than Fakir at her side, just as he had promised he would be.

…As long as you'll let me, I'll always be here to protect you…

Duck sighed softly and felt her cheeks growing warm again as the reel of memory reached the end. Maybe, Pique was right after all…

It was strange to Duck that she hadn't perceived the implications behind those words until this very moment, several months later. She could have simply been incredibly naive or uncommonly dense—perhaps even a little of both. Still, it left her with the question of this fresh epiphany unanswered.

Duck knew she couldn't bring herself to confront Fakir about it. What if she and Pique were wrong? In that case, if she said anything about it to him, she'd make a complete fool of herself, and Fakir might never let her live it down. Or, even worse—he would be so uncomfortable and repulsed by the mere notion of it that he would never speak to her again.

Duck's mind could not stop fussing over the idea that Fakir might harbor deeper feelings for her. Certainly, Duck herself considered him a close and trusted friend. But was that all he was to her?

Mr. Kotin loved to pontificate at length about love, and one of his favorite speeches was how love, like ballet, required two willing partners who could dance in harmony. If her relationship with Fakir was a dance, and he extended his hand to her as an invitation to a pas de deux, would she take his hand?

Duck had no answer for that question, so unsure was she of her own feelings on the matter. Her stomach fluttered as she pondered whether or not she was over-analyzing a simple joke from Pique.

In this state of mind, Duck's thoughts uncovered a dusty reel of memory. Though the label for the precise time and place were illegible, having been worn and lost to time, Duck could trace it to a time before she had come to New York. She had been no more than four years old at the time, and was sitting on her grandfather's lap as he read her a story from an open book. Though unable to recall the specific words he read, or the exact sound of her grandfather's voice, Duck could still remember the gist of their conversation with clarity.

"…And so, with the dragon now slain, the knight rushed toward the castle where the princess was held captive. The princess, having been informed of his arrival by her little animal friends, rushed to meet him. With the wizard's spell broken, the knight threw open the castle gates, and there she was: the lady he had pined for. As the knight put down his sword, he and the princess closed the distance between the two of them. At long last, they were wrapped in each other's embrace."

Here her grandfather turned the last page in the book and said, "The End."

"But what happens to the princess after that, Grandpa?" Little Duck asked, her tiny brows furrowed. "Did the princess fall in love with the knight? What happened to them afterward? Did they live happily ever after?"

A chuckle reached the child's ears. As the man closed the book in her lap, a white gloved hand gently patted Duck's head. "That is one possibility, my dear. This is the version I recorded, but no one knows what really happened to the knight and the princess afterward because it was never written down."

"But I thought all stories end with 'happily ever after'," replied a disappointed Duck.

"Unfortunately, that is not the case, my dear," the owner of the gloved hand answered gravely. "Happiness is but one possibility for any story. Sorrow, anger, and regret are all facets of any good tale, and stories can go in many directions even after 'the end'.

"But while we may never know how someone else's story ends..." Here, her grandfather's hand lovingly stroked Duck's head, ruffling her downy red hair. "Know that you, and you alone, can write the ending of your own story. It is up to you to decide what sort of story it will ultimately be…"

In the present day, Duck's eyes shifted from the stream of traffic back to the pedestrians heading down the sidewalk. Knowing what she knew now about her mother's past, Duck could finally comprehend the words her grandfather had spoken then. She watched as a young couple walked past the shop, arms linked and bright smiles on their faces.

Duck wondered idly if that was what her mother Elsa, and her father Loeguire, looked like when they were first married. Their love story had ended in tragedy and betrayal, with Elsa no longer able to dance a pas de deux because she had lost her ability to trust her partner.

Although her own love story was at this point nothing more than a bundle of maybes and vague possibilities, Duck found herself wondering what sort of ending her story might have.

"Very well, then; I will be leaving now."

Duck looked up and saw Mr. Kotin standing next to her, adjusting his hat. Glancing quickly at the clock, Duck saw it was barely a quarter past four. She rose from her seat and joined her friends at the door to see Mr. Kotin off.

To his employees, Mr. Kotin said, "Since it has been a slow day, you may close up the shop early if you'd like."

"Great!" Pique grinned, then added quickly, "Ah, I mean—don't worry, leave it to us!"

Duck smiled at her supervisor. "Good luck, Mr. Kotin!"

Mr. Kotin nodded in acknowledgment of her support. Inhaling deeply, he squared his chin and pulled open the shop door. With a slight tremor in his voice, he uttered "May Venus smile upon me tonight!" and walked out the door.

The girls watched his figure gradually disappear down the street. Once he was gone from sight, Pique turned around, beaming. "Well, you heard him—let's close down the shop! My mom's been telling me about this radio drama on WGY that she'd been listening to, and I might actually be able to make it home and tune in today!"*

The three shop girls worked quickly, and before long the shop was all closed up, with the most valuable merchandise having been put away for the night. As Duck finished locking up the cash register, Pique said to her, "Duck, isn't your birthday coming up soon? Have you thought about what you want to do?"

Duck blinked. "Eh? Um, not really…"

"Your birthday is on August 16th, isn't it? That's a Sunday this year," Lillie noted as she flipped through the pages of the little desk calendar to August 16.*

"We should do something to celebrate!" Pique insisted. "You were gone caring for your mother's ailing friend all of Christmas and New Year. We didn't even have a chance to drink hot cocoa together! We have to make up for lost time during your birthday this year."

"You're right…we never did get to go out last Christmas…" Duck laughed nervously at the thinly constructed coverup story to explain her absence over the holiday season. Fearing they would probe further, Duck quickly replied, "I don't have anything planned yet. What do you think we should do?"

Suddenly, a series of loud drumming noises erupted outside the shop. Startled by the commotion, the girls rushed towards the shop door, and Duck's eyes spread wide open when she beheld the sight before her.

Fakir made his way across the busy road and paused just shy of the Kotin Pointe Shoe shop window. Turning his head to glance inside without drawing attention to himself, Fakir could see Duck near the window, her back turned toward him as she conversed with her two coworkers. Though he had no idea what they were talking about, seeing the carefree smile on Duck's face allowed Fakir to breathe a sigh of reassured relief.

Though he had planned to stop by the pointe shoe shop the day before, various delays had meant Fakir was unable to leave his desk until after sunset—yet again. Today, on the other hand, his luck seemed to change. Not only were there no new cases, but Alex, who evidently felt guilty for leaving Fakir to work alone late into the night, had offered to help his partner finish the remaining paperwork. This left Fakir in the unusual but much welcomed situation of actually being able to leave work at a reasonable hour for once.

Stepping out of the precinct, Fakir made a beeline for the Kotin Pointe Shoe Shop on C Street. With nothing seeming to be out of place and Duck going about her day as usual, Fakir wondered if he ought to take a closer look around the area, just in case there were suspicious people loitering about. But before he could decide on a plan, he was startled by a small, accented voice by his leg.

"What are you looking at, zura?"

Fakir's eyes looked down and were met by a toddler with deep blue eyes. The child was clad rather incongruously in a red and white dress draped over a pair of purple and blue striped trousers. A little toy drum hung from a strap around the child's waist, and Fakir wondered if there was a circus in town and one of the performer's children had run off.

"Uh, nothing," Fakir muttered. "Are you lost? Where's your mother?" he asked, trying to sound composed even though his heart was still beating quickly from being taken by surprise.

But the stubborn toddler seemed to be willfully ignoring his questions, and pointing one of the drumsticks at Fakir, the small child declared, "But you were staring at the store, zura."

"No, I wasn't staring! It was just a quick peek!" Fakir replied defensively.

"Does that mean you are a 'peeping tom', then?" the child asked with perfect wide-eyed innocence.

"No! I—!" At a loss for words, Fakir gritted his teeth and felt his face beginning to burn. Annoyed at how riled up he was getting because of this strange child, Fakir crouched down and said pointedly to the toddler, "You must be lost. Where did you come from?"

To Fakir's horror, instead of answering, the child started banging on the drum while singing, "Looking, looking, looking, looking!"

"Hey! Stop that!" Again, the child ignored him. Desperate for the toddler to stop, Fakir picked up the child by the arms and lifted the wriggling youngster into the air. The relentless drumming ceased as the child seemed to take delight in being picked up, but Fakir could feel the stares from numerous bystanders as he stood dangling a young child in midair. As he had only succeeded in further embarrassing himself, Fakir's face was now beet red from mortification.

"Fakir?"

Fakir whirled around, still holding the giggling toddler in his hands, and came face to face with an incredulous, wide-eyed Duck who had stuck her head out the shop door to investigate the source of the strange noise.

"What are you doing here?" Duck asked with a gasp, walking out onto the street, followed closely by her two friends.

"I—! I was just passing by!" Fakir said quickly, putting the child back down as the three girls looked askance at him. "Things were, uh, a little quiet today at the precinct, so I left early today. This random kid started making a ruckus in the middle of the street, so I...I picked her up and got her to stop."

"Oh…I see…" Duck said, laughing nervously. The thoughts she had been mulling over earlier came rushing back into her mind as her cheeks began to flush involuntarily at the sight of her neighbor.

It felt like ages since she'd last seen him at the shop, and she could barely remember the last time they had a proper conversation (Was it when I was complaining to him about the electric bill two weeks ago? Duck wondered for a moment). Although his presence had caught her off guard, she was still glad to see that, despite looking a little haggard at the moment, Fakir otherwise looked his usual self and his hectic work hours hadn't affected his health.

But his timing really couldn't have been any worse, Duck bemoaned. Of all days to walk by the shop, why did it have to be today?

As if reading her mind, Lillie scooted up between them and cooed, "What a coincidence! We were just talking about you earlier!"

Duck saw a shadow cover Fakir's face at those words. In a panic, she stepped in front of Lillie and turned to the child, who was watching their exchange with great interest, blabbering, "Uh, ah... w-we should find wh-where this little girl came from! Do you know who she is, Fakir?"

Before Fakir can respond, Edel stepped out of her shop and made her way towards them. "Ah, Zurab, there you are," she called to the little drummer.

Four sets of eyes went from Edel to the toddler, who skipped away and said excitedly to Edel, "Deida Edel, look! There are so many funny people here!"

"You know this child, Miss Edel?" Duck asked.

Edel smiled. "Yes, I do." To Duck and the others gathered around her, the jewelry shopkeeper said, "This little one is a bud from a branch of the same tree as I. Zurab's mother is related to me from my mother's side, whilst Zurab's father is Georgian, and the child was actually born in Georgia."

"Really? I've never met anyone from that state before!" Duck exclaimed, but Pique nudged her and whispered, "I think she meant the country, Duck. I don't think 'deida' is an English word."

Edel chuckled, "You are correct, Pique. Zurab is from the nation, or rather, the former nation of Georgia." A hint of melancholy appeared between Edel's thin brows as she explained, "A branch of my family moved from Germany to Georgia many, many years ago to work in the wine trade. Zurab's mother was from that branch of the family. But with things the way they are in the Caucasus nowadays, Zurab's mother and father have decided to move here, where things are more stable.*

"Unfortunately, Zurab's mother came down with consumption and is currently recovering at a sanitorium in Upstate New York. Zurab's father is unable to care for them as he has to attend to some very urgent business back in Georgia. This is why, for the time being," Edel said as she touched the top of Zurab's head affectionately, "Zurab will be in my care."

"That's so sad she can't be with her parents," Duck said sorrowfully. As someone whose mother was also stricken by a deathly illness, the shop girl felt an immediate kinship with the child. Kneeling in front of Zurab, Duck smiled tenderly. "I'm sorry you have to be apart from your family, Zurab. My name is Duck, and I'm pleased to meet you!"

"Duck? You mean like quack-quack-quack, ducky duck?" the child responded.

Duck laughed, a little embarrassed, but was not altogether surprised by Zurab's response. She had, after all, gotten similar responses all her life whenever she introduced herself to people. "Eh, yes, like a duck, Duck."

"Oh…" Zurab exclaimed softly. Pointing a finger at Duck's head, the toddler then said, "But if you are a ducky, shouldn't you have short hair like a duck? Your hair is so long. Is this what they call oldie-lady hair?"

At this, Duck's smile was flipped upside down. "Er, what?! Well—!"

Zurab then turned away from Duck and pointed a pudgy finger in Lillie and Pique's direction. Much to their chagrin, the child said, "I saw pictures of oldie-ladies with buns and ribbons in their hairs, so that means they have oldie-lady hair too!"

Fakir was glaring daggers at the child already, and the toddler seemed to consider his expression for a moment. But Zurab was evidently not the least bit intimidated by Fakir's glower, and said with great matter-of-factness, "This one doesn't have oldie-lady hair, but his hair's so long and poufy, like a bird's nest!"

Seeing that her young relative had managed to insult every single person present, Edel stepped in and said to the child, "Now Zurab, that's enough. Remember, it's not nice to point at people." While Zurab gave her a small pout, the jewelry shopkeeper looked back to the group and said with embarrassment, "My apologies. Zurab was looking at magazines earlier today, and this child can be very forthright at times. Please do not take it personally."

"No… it's fine," Duck attempted to shrug off the awkward conversation that had just taken place, but Lillie and Pique were still quite hung up on the comments about their hairdos.

"I've always worn my hair like this," Pique picked at a lock of her hair, grumbling. "But it would be nice to have a change and get a more modern look."

Lillie's eyes lit up as an idea came to her, and she turned to Duck excitedly. "Maybe that's what we ought to do for your birthday, Duck! The three of us should go get stylish bobbed cuts, and we can look fabulously smart and chic, just like Miss Belyky!"

Pique gasped and enthusiastically clasped hands with Lillie. "Hey! That's a great idea! And after we get our haircuts, we'll go and have a night on the town in Manhattan!"

"And go to swanky parties!" Lillie enthused.

"Where we'll mingle with the rich and famous!" added a starry-eyed Pique.

"Um…" Duck cleared her throat, and the sound of her small voice brought the two other girls back down to earth. "How are we going to get into those parties though? We don't know anyone who's rich or famous…"

Looking at each other, Lillie and Pique shrugged in unison. "That's what fashionable people do all the time, though," Pique said, pouting. "Haven't you read Lipstick's column in The New Yorker? She goes to a different party every night!"*

"But Duck does have a point," Lillie said thoughtfully. "Going to parties requires a new dress, makeup—not to mention jewelry, a purse, and other things," the blonde said, counting off each item on her fingers.

Pique groaned, Lillie's statement seeming to finally burst her bubble. The girl with violet hair therefore replied, "Alright, so parties are out. But we still ought to do something special for your birthday, Duck. Isn't there anything you want to do?"

"Me?" Duck touched her lips thoughtfully. All this discussion about ritzy parties and looking fashionable conjured up old memories of her evening at the opera with Fakir, when she had worn a gown for the first time. Remembering how special she felt when she first put on that lovely apricot chiffon dress, Duck smiled and mused to herself, "Mm… it would be nice to go see an opera again…"

"But an opera is just as expensive, if not more so, than going to a party!" Pique retorted, crossing her arms. "And you've been to an opera? I've never heard you mention that before!"

Realizing her slip-up, Duck waved her hands about while Zurab stood and watched her inquisitively. "Eh—I mean, I had listened to an opera on the radio! That's right, um..." Thinking quickly, Duck continued, "You know the grocery store on A Street? The owner recently bought a radio, and I heard an opera while I was shopping there a while ago, and…I was just thinking it would be nice to see one in person…"

"I see. But an opera is definitely out of all of our budgets. We could go watch a movie instead," Pique suggested.

"I suppose," Duck said unenthusiastically. "But we just saw two movies last week…"

"How about going for lunch, then?" Pique suggested, "Like my grandma used to say: 'A birthday celebration would be remiss without good food and good company!' We can go somewhere nice and indulge a little."

Duck twisted her lips with consideration, but Lillie shook her head. "That won't work. Her birthday is on a Sunday this year, Pique. Most places are closed that day!"

Pique grimaced. "Drat! That's a good point. What else can we do, then?"

Seeing they were at a loss, Duck remembered the newspaper she had been reading earlier and said, "Well, if we really want to do something a bit different… how about going to the zoo? I read in the newspaper that the Bronx Zoo recently brought in a new baby elephant. It looked so cute in the photo, and I'd love to see it in person!"

Hearing this, a disappointed Lillie whined, "That's all? The zoo?"

"Hey!" Pique patted Lillie on the back. "I don't see anything wrong with that! If young, modern women such as ourselves can go to fancy parties in Manhattan, then we can also go to the zoo on our own, unchaperoned and unsupervised!"

"I… suppose," Lillie sighed. She smiled at Duck. "Well, if that's what the birthday girl would like, we'll go to the zoo, then!"

"Yes!" Pique fist-pumped the air, drawing glances from other pedestrians as she enthusiastically proclaimed, "We'll get our hairs bobbed, and we'll stroll through the Bronx Zoo like modern, fashionable young women! That's the ticket!"

Duck couldn't help but giggle at her friend's enthusiasm. Feeling a tug on the corner of her dress, Duck turned and found Zurab looking up at her.

"Duck, what is an el-uh-fuhnt, zura?" the toddler asked.

"An elephant? Hmm… it's a big creature with really, really big ears and a really, really long nose," Duck said, fanning her hands by her head, mimicking the fan-like ears of an elephant.

"Ohhhhh..." Out came another lengthy remark from the blue-eyed child. "Zurab knows what that is! You're talking about ein elefant!"

Duck blinked at the sudden burst of German coming from Zurab, and then smiled. "Um, yes, that's the one! Have you seen one before?"

"I saw them in books, zura," Zurab answered, "but never a real elefant. Can Zurab come see den elefanten, too?"

At this question, the girls looked uncomfortably at one another. Duck glanced at Edel standing nearby, who only smiled silently at her in response.

Looking back at the expectant expression on little Zurab's face, Duck could not deny the child this one simple wish, and replied gently, "I would love to have you come with me. That will be alright, wouldn't it? Pique? Lillie?" She looked beseechingly at her friends, both of whom looked visibly disinclined at the prospect of having a toddler tag along on what was supposed to be a special girls' day out.

Not wanting to be a scrooge, a reluctant Pique mumbled, "Sure… I guess."

Oblivious to the adults' reluctance, Zurab jumped with joy and exclaimed, "Yay! Zurab is going to see der elefanten, zura!" Twirling around, Zurab bound back to Edel and piped, "Deida Edel, I'm going to go see the elephants!"

"That's wonderful, Zurab," Edel responded softly, patting Zurab's head. "You've learned a new word as well, haven't you?"

Zurab nodded enthusiastically and began tapping on the drum, "Diakh, zura! Elefanten, elephant, elefanten, elephant…!"

Seeing Zurab singing happily, Duck couldn't help but smile as well. After she turned back around toward her friends, only then did Duck realize Fakir was no longer present.

He left already? Duck wondered with displeasure as Pique rallied them to finish closing up the shop. His rude habit of wandering off without saying a word hasn't changed…Duck groused, even as she felt a small pang of disappointment. Still, it's probably better he went on ahead, or else Lillie and Pique would surely have teased me again.

Before closing the door behind her, Duck glanced down the street towards their apartment some blocks away.

I hope Fakir gets some rest today. Maybe I'll get to see him later…

Fakir had watched with mild interest as the girls weighed their options for Duck's birthday. Seeing them completely absorbed in their discussion, after a few minutes, Fakir decided this was a good time to make an exit without drawing attention to himself.

Walking home alone, the thought of Duck's birthday remained on Fakir's mind. Though he had previously asked Duck for her birth date, it has been collected as part of Duck's file in the Corvo case, and he had not bothered to put the entire thing to memory. Too embarrassed to ask Duck herself, Fakir made a mental note to dig out Duck's file later and find out what the date was.

But, he soon realized the action of going out of his way to look up her birth date insinuated that he should do something with the information.

Should I get her a present? The detective wondered as he climbed the familiar flights of stairs in their building back to the floor they shared. I suppose I ought to… but what would I get her? The scowl on Fakir's face deepened as he closed the door of his apartment and began removing his jacket and tie.

Truth be told, Fakir wasn't sure what Duck's hobbies were, just that she seemed to like bread a lot and enjoyed ballet. Fakir briefly entertained the idea of gifting Duck a loaf of bread for her birthday, but quickly nipped the ridiculous idea in the bud.

If I did that, she would probably never speak to me again, Fakir thought, grimacing as he walked into his bedroom and opened the window.

Tossing a fresh linen shirt out from the closet onto his bed, Fakir undid the buttons on his shirt cuffs as he weighed the merits of getting her a new hat or maybe a pair of gloves. But those options seemed mundane, like what one would expect from a friend or family member.

Isn't that what I am to her though? Just a friend…

Taking off his dress shirt, Fakir picked up the linen shirt from the bed. As he looked up, his eyes caught on the reflection in the small shaving stand mirror he had left on his desk.

The image reflected back at him was of a man with dark, blotched scars covering his back, the result of a devastating chemical burn that had nearly killed him as a child. In Fakir's mind, beyond their physical hideousness, the scars were also a constant reminder of his own fallacies and flaws.

Fakir threw the shirt over his shoulders and turned his eyes away from the mirror, the furrow between his brows growing deeper. Had he not been so perversely stubborn in his pursuit of the Corvos, Duck might not have become so deeply entangled in the whole affair, and would not have had her life uprooted and thrown into jeopardy. The idea of wanting, even yearning, for something beyond friendship—it seemed unfair to her.

Things are fine the way they are now, Fakir insisted resolutely. Yet, even as he told himself this, an ever-present ache in Fakir's heart made him cast a brief glance at the wall that connected his apartment to Duck's.

Duck sighed loudly into the space of her empty apartment as she closed the door behind her. Even though she was home early, all this discussion and planning for her birthday had exhausted the redheaded shop girl.

"Ugh! It wasn't even that busy today, but I'm beat! How is it that planning a birthday trip can be so exhausting?" Duck groaned as she kicked off her shoes and sulked to the bedroom, where she flopped down on the bed.

After closing her eyes for a long moment, Duck opened them again and gazed up at the lace-draped wooden cabinet where her mother's pictures were displayed. She sat up and reached for the photo of her mother and herself, brushing away the tiny flecks of dust from the glass.

"Things were pretty slow at the shop, so I'm home early today, Ma," Duck said to Elsa's photo. "Something interesting did happen today, though. Mr. Kotin has a crush! Her name is Miss Anna Belyky. I haven't met her yet, but Lillie and Pique say she's a beauty, and Mr. Kotin really seems to have fallen head-over-heels for her. He's planning on confessing to her tonight over dinner," Duck said, glancing at the alarm clock on her night stand. "I think he should be on his way by now. I really hope things work out well for him."

Here Duck paused, and her cheeks grew flushed. More softly, she said, "Lillie and Pique were teasing me again today. Pique says Fakir fancies me. I…" Duck's voice faded and the corner of her lips twitched apprehensively, "I guess it is possible… after all, he did come looking for me all the way to Chicago, and he promised to stay with me. It's just that, I…"

Duck sighed again, and she briefly cast her eyes in the direction of Fakir's apartment. "…I'm not really sure how I feel towards Fakir. I mean, he's a great friend. He can be a little bit rude and annoying sometimes—well, maybe more than a little bit—but despite that, he's done so much for me, and really watches out for me. B-But..."

At this point, it felt like Duck's heart was frenetically dancing inside her. "...The idea that he even might like me that way makes me feel jittery all over, a-and…my face gets so hot when I think of it! Was this…what it was like when you fell in love with Pa…?"

Duck's question was followed by silence as the dim noise of the city hummed in the background. On top of the cabinet, the summer sunlight illuminated the empty jewelry box that once housed a precious gold and garnet pendant. Duck's thoughts turned to that gorgeous pendant and how it served a dual reminder of Elsa's love and heartbreak.

Tracing a finger over her mother's face in the photo, Duck said quietly, "I'm sorry for what Pa did to you, Ma. I can't help but wonder, though…"

Everything I'm feeling right now…could this really be love?

Exhaling softly, Duck brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. The sensation of her hair in her hand reminded Duck of something, and a little bit of cheer returned to her face.

"Oh! I almost forgot: Pique and Lillie are planning to get their hairs bobbed next week! They want me to cut mine too, but I don't know…" Duck touched the tip of her braid. "After all these years, it would feel strange to not have long hair…"

For as long as Duck could remember, both she and her mother had worn their hair long. It was a job unto itself to keep her hair clean and neat, and there were days when—despite all her best efforts—her voluminous red mane simply refused to be tamed. But Duck had long since grown accustomed to caring for her long locks, and the idea of chopping it all off sent a shudder of dread through her, as though someone was asking her to give up an arm or a leg.

Looking back at the photo, the sight of her girlish braid and her mother's carefully pinned back hair reminded Duck of a bygone ritual. Each morning, Elsa would brush and braid her daughter's hair before sending Duck off to school. Then, in the evening, mother and daughter would brush one other's hair while trading stories about their daily lives, after which they would head off to bed. Duck could still remember the sounds of their laughter, the two of them joking and sharing both the good and the bad at the end of each day.

As the memories of those days filled with stories and laughter faded into distant echoes in her mind, Duck stood up and placed the picture back on the cabinet. Telling herself she still had time to think about it before her birthday, Duck realized she ought to make a note of the zoo trip as well, lest she forget about it later.

After fishing out a pencil from a drawer, Duck walked over to the free wall calendar she had received from Miss Ebine's grocery store. Below the large printed image of a dairy cow and advertising tag lines for cream and butter, there was a tiny pad of paper showing the days of the month. Tearing off the sheet for July, Duck found the number "16" for the month of August, circled it, then penciled in "zoo trip" below the date.

Satisfied, she was about to return the pencil to its drawer, when she suddenly remembered something else. She paused, turning back around.

Walking back to the calendar, Duck flipped to the month of October. With a solemn expression, Duck circled the day of the 24th and gingerly wrote two words in small, neat handwriting:

"Visit Ma"

A/N

Bear with me, I've got a lot of notes again this time. Ready? Take a deep breath…okay, let's go!

* The poster of Niagara Falls Duck saw is a real travel poster from the 1920's. For those curious as to what it looks like, if you Google "1920's travel poster Niagara Falls" you should be able to find the poster of the falls with a rainbow.

* The Sheik of Arabia and Lady Diana reference are from the famous 1921 Rudolph Valentino movie, "The Sheik". The plot centered about the titular character, the sheik, and his obsession with Lady Diana, a headstrong young woman who had traveled alone to North Africa. As a result of the popularity of this movie, handsome men were often called "sheiks" in 1920's lingo.

* The monologue from Mr. Kotin is a paraphrased excerpt from the novel "Don Quixote", in which the titular character is describing his ideal woman, the lady Dulcinea del Toboso. Mr. Kotin's crush, Miss Anna Belyky, on the other hand, is based on the real-life Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova (who also happened to be the inspiration for a famous dessert in Australia and New Zealand). "Belyky" is the Russian word for "white", which was chosen because in the anime, Neko-sensei ended up married with kittens to a white cat.

* WGY is the name of one of the first widely broadcasted radio stations in the United States. The station pioneered the broadcast of drama series over the airwave. Companies, such as soap manufacturer Proctor & Gamble, sponsored many radio dramas in the 1920's and 1930's, which was the origin of the term "soap opera".

* August 16th, 2002 is the air date for the first episode of Princess Tutu on TV in Japan. I therefore felt August 16th would be an appropriate birthdate for Duck.

* Little Zurab is a descendent of Caucasus Germans, who were moved from southern Germany to the Caucasus by Catherine the Great beginning in the early 19th century. There, they formed their own communities and colonies, engaging in farming and viticulture (i.e. wine production). The areas where they settled are in modern day Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, the North Caucasus region of Russia, and northeastern Turkey.

* Lipstick was the pseudonym for The New Yorker columnist, Lois Long. Long's columns often featured reviews of speakeasies and other New York night life, as well as her experience drinking, dining, and dancing at a variety of glamorous establishments in and around the city. She famously wrote that she liked "music, and informality, and gaiety", which became the epitomes of the flapper life style in the 1920s.

Lastly, Zurab, when not speaking English, is speaking either German (e.g. "elefant" and "elefanten" are, respectively, the singular and plural words for "elephant") or Georgian ("diakh" is "yes", while "deida" is "aunt" or "aunty").

Once again, many thanks to my friend Tomoyo Ichijouji for proofreading!