Chapter X
"Shalnark? It's me. I have a favor to ask−"
Then, a cheerful voice comes from the kitchenette:
"Danchou! Do you want pancakes or waffles?"
Chrollo puts a large hand on the phone's receiver and answers, "Pancakes."
He turns back to the task at hand, pressing his forehead against the cool surface of the window. The weather is dark and clammy, threatening the small seaside town of a heavy rain.
"Yes, yes," he tells Shalnark, nodding to himself. "Memories, anything about them. It doesn't matter who. Just make sure you find one for me−"
Again, the cheerful voice. "Coffee or tea?"
The hand on the phone again. "Coffee, please−" And back to the call. "Yes, that was Valtiel and−Okay, hold on. Shalnark says hi, Val. Also Phinks says what's up."
She laughs inside the kitchen. "Tell them I said hi."
He catches her shadow moving to and fro. The smell of pancakes invades his sense of smell and his stomach automatically grumbles. He turns back to his phone. "She says hi−No, never mind what we're having for breakfast. I need you to listen to me. Yes, anyone with the ability about memories−Anyone would do. Tell Feitan not to kill them… Yes, yes, okay−"
Someone knocks on the door. Chrollo is about to approach it when Valtiel emerges from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron, and beats him to it. He eyes the frilly pink apron and wonders if the hotel had it tucked somewhere in the first place.
He draws his mouth away from the receiver. "What is it?"
"Our neighbors brought us some fried seafood," she tells him, showing the large tray. Her apron swishes around her as she goes back to her previous task. "I'll add this to our breakfast."
"Yes, that would be nice, dear." He goes back to the phone and hears Shalnark and Phinks chortling on the other line. His eyebrow raises slightly. "What? No." He frowns. "I didn't−It wasn't like that. 'Dear' is a neutral word and−Feitan, I can tell you're eavesdropping." He caresses the bridge of his nose. "Anyway, Shalnark, you have your orders. Disseminate them to the other Spiders."
And the line goes dead.
Valtiel arrives in the living room with the breakfast tray in her hands. She blinks at his pale face. "What's wrong? Did something bad happen to Shalnark-san's group?"
He shakes his head as he takes his seat. Dark eyes scour through the food she has prepared for them−pancakes with chocolate chip syrup, sausages, and the neighbor's seafood tray of crispy golden-brown flounder, shrimp and clam strips. His stomach growls again. Chrollo is never big on breakfasts before; coffees always do the trick for him. He could get used to a proper meal like this.
"I didn't know you could cook," he murmurs, taking a modest pancake and sausage.
"Me neither," she says with a laugh, her lips against the rim of her mug.
"Perhaps we should stop eating lunches and dinners at fancy restaurants." Outside, the rain starts, making the streets a dark grey haze. He leans back on his chair. "That should cut some of our budget."
"Our budget is nonexistent," she counters through a mouthful of pancakes. She fills a spoon with the chocolate chip syrup and slurps it like one would to a soup. Chrollo wonders if she knows how to eat pancakes at all. "Since you keep stealing credit cards, there's no need to worry about budgets."
"Touché."
Like always, they fall into a comfortable silence. Valtiel finishes most of the food while Chrollo takes his fair share by finishing the coffee. Whatever is left, they agree to save later for lunch. The rain drowns out the remainder of their conversation, their voices hushed as they already are.
Valtiel stands up and clears the table. The Spider leader watches her under his critical gaze. After a while of observation, he sighs, stands up, and joins her inside the kitchenette.
"Do you want me to do the dishes?" he asks, setting his mug on the sink.
"Do you want to?" she retorts.
He shrugs, not even understanding why he would offer his assistance. This must be his first time to fall into such a domesticated lifestyle that he has no idea what he should do around a house. Of course he has read books about this before, watched some shows on the television, but real life? It looks more complicated and exhausting than picking a lock to a museum's treasure vault. His Spiders would agree with him.
She smiles and takes his mug. "I'm fine. You can do your thing in the living room."
Not wanting to press the issue, he complies. Instead of staying on the couch, he goes straight to their shared bedroom and flops himself on his side of the bed. Three unfinished books are stacked on the bedside table. He decides to take one as he intends to wait for Valtiel there.
An idea strikes in his mind. His lips purse, the words in his book suddenly uninteresting. Perhaps I should do something very nice for her, he thinks. A gift of appreciation or something.
Valtiel enters the room and recoils at the threshold, as if surprised that he is there. She recovers her shock with a faint smile, and with careful steps, she rounds the large bed and curls up on the left side−her side.
Chrollo turns his attention back to his book before he could get distracted any further.
A yawn comes from the Kurta girl. She curls tighter, blanket tucked under her chin, her platinum blonde hair an uncontrollable mess about her shoulders. She peeps up at him. "When do we get to sell more Scarlet Eyes, Danchou? We've been doing nothing for three days. What if the others are already ahead of us?"
"Are you worried that we might lose, Val?"
"Well, the others do seem very competitive," she points out. "And Pakunoda-san says there is something she really wants to steal. Her group could be winning now."
"We made a good profit from our previous transaction," he says and flips to another page.
"Sure. Those swindlers are the real winners."
"Is there something you want to suggest?"
"Me?" She yawns again, burying herself deeper in the layer of blankets. She grabs Chrollo's free pillow and embraces it against her chest, her little nose inhaling his heady scent. She almost blushes. "Not me. You're the Danchou. You get to decide everything."
"Aren't you obedient?"
"In my defense, we're not doing anything illegal yet, so…"
He chuckles and rolls a lock of her platinum hair around his index finger. He glances down at her and finds her still pressing her nose on his pillow. "What do you say about going to high school?"
Her golden eyes shoot up to his face, searching for answers. "High school?"
A curt nod. "I have been in contact with a high school teacher in the far side of the country," he explains, flipping to another page. "I am selling the Scarlet Eyes to her for 500 million." He chuckles when she starts up at the price. "Too much?"
"For a teacher, yes."
"I never heard her complain so−" He receives a little glare. "And we cannot win the game if we sell them too cheaply. Five hundred should be fine."
"Fine." The fight goes out of her. "When do we leave?"
"Tonight."
It is still raining when Chrollo and Valtiel leave the comfort of their hotel room. Like before, Chrollo manages to acquire another limousine, a dark shade of maroon this time, and hustles everything he has stolen into the trunks. The Scarlet Eyes are packed in a separate container, wrapped in silk ribbons. Their combined personal belongings of clothes and books are in a separate box, stashed with the Scarlet Eyes in the back.
Valtiel dozes throughout the journey, her knees pressed to her chest as she nestles on the passenger seat. She shivers from the incessant clammy weather, and Chrollo has urged her to wear one of his oversized black jackets to fight the cold. The Spider leader himself wears a coat of his own: a grey multi-zippered jacket with black silk lapels and open collar−no doubt stolen. He completes his look with a pair of black jeans and leather gloves, his hair hanging naturally to his chin.
He glances at the clock. Almost 10 in the evening. Enough time for travelling.
The rain pounds harder as they make their way outside the small seaside town that had been their home for four days. Memories of the museum's evening gala, the brothers he fought, and even Valtiel's breakfast are all left behind. He has no time for sentimentalities.
After six hours of driving, they arrive to the suburban city in the edge of the continent. Chrollo checks into another high-end hotels available and carries his sleeping Kurta towards the king-sized bed. He slips under the covers next to her, limbs numb from driving.
His phone beeps in his pocket.
He all but hisses when the light almost blinds him. A text from his client.
04:35 +81-717-54514: Are you here yet?
04:35 Chrollo: We are to meet at nine in the morning.
04:36 +81-717-54514: I know, but I want some adjustments. Can you meet with me?
Chrollo glances at Valtiel's serene face, brushes the bangs off her cheeks. She always sleeps so peacefully that there are times that he envies her.
04:39 Chrollo: No.
04:40 +81-717-54514: Just some adjustments.
He sighs, a little annoyed.
04:47 Chrollo: Tell me now.
04:49 +81-717-54514: I have to substitute in a class at nine. Can we meet before that?
04:53 +81-717-54514: Are you there? Let's meet at eight, still in the agreed location.
04:59 +81-717-54514: Hello?
04:59 +81-717-54514: Mister Eleison?
05:00 Chrollo: Fine. Eight o'clock then.
05:01 +81-717-54514: Thank you, cutie. :)
And Chrollo falls asleep after that.
That morning, Valtiel wakes up to the aromatic scent of coffee. She rises from the bed, one hand rubbing the sleepiness out of her eyes while the other scratches at her belly. From what she could discern, they are in another hotel but not in the same peaceful town. She could hear the rumble of engines and the honking of cars and buses alike. Instead of heading to the kitchen, she immediately goes to the window, throws it open, and breathes in the fresh air of autumn trees.
"Morning," says a husky voice from behind.
"Hey." She smiles at him, a beam of sunlight illuminating her sleepy face.
Chrollo approaches her with a steaming coffee mug in his hand. He offers her his drink, as he leans his arm against the paneling of the window. He watches her take a sip. "Okay?"
She hums. "Needs more chocolate."
He chuckles and leaves his mug with her. "The front desk officer gave us sausage gravy lasagna for breakfast. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all." She joins him at the table where he produces another mug for himself. He has pulled out a newspaper as well. "Any news from our client?"
"Ah, yes, about that−" He wrinkles his nose, shakes his head, raven bangs swaying. "Something came up on her side. Instead of nine, we are to meet her at eight. At the agreed location−her school."
"I should like to see what a school looks like."
"Do you want to go inside?"
"If we can," she answers carefully, and he does not miss the sudden hopeful gleam in her eyes. She bites at her lower lip, as if trying to swallow her words, but it wins over her. "Can we, Danchou?"
"We can certainly infiltrate the building and enjoy ourselves," he says. He nods, mostly to himself, his curiosity also winning over him. It is not everyday the leader of the dangerous Phantom Troupe gets to see what it like inside an ordinary high school. This could be a useful information in the future.
He finishes his share of the meal and washes it down with coffee. "Get ready. We leave in an hour."
While Valtiel heads to the bathroom, Chrollo heads for the door. He should have expected that the Kurta would ask to go inside the school, not just look at it from afar. He should have considered all possibilities with her, given her curiosity in everything. With her occupied in the time being, he has to make some adjustments to the plan. He leaves their room without giving the Kurta the slightest idea that he is gone.
Twenty minutes later, he returns just in time to see her exit the bathroom. He halts mid-step, the box in his hands almost forgotten, as Valtiel stands not five feet away from him, with her wrapped in a light blue towel, her thick hair plastered across the creamy skin of her collarbone and shoulders. Her wet skin glistens underneath the morning sun, and her golden eyes are caught up in his grey ones.
They stare at each other for a few moments, until Chrollo turns his head and clears his throat in a lame attempt to recover.
As in their usual way, he gives her another set of clothes to wear. But instead of handing it to her, he leaves the heap of clothes on their bed and closes the bedroom door without another word. He does not trust himself to get too close when she is fresh from the shower, her skin moist and pink from scrubbing.
He escapes to the bathroom to find solace there.
When he finishes, a dark purple towel wrapped around his naked waist, he steps out of the bathroom and finds her checking at her latest appearance on the full body mirror, twirling around to watch the short blue skirt bounce about her thighs. Chrollo blinks once, then twice, before he could fully comprehend and remember what is happening.
Valtiel notices him staring and shoots him a confused look. "Is this how it should go?"
With an effort, Chrollo finds his voice. "Ah, yes," he mumbles, feeling a bead of water roll across the length of his chest. He rakes fingers through his raven locks. "It is the girls' uniform of the high school we are going to," he explains, watching her twirl around. "It goes with a red ribbon around the neck."
"Oh." She fetches said ribbon from the bedroom and fixes it accordingly.
"Good enough."
It is his turn to change clothes now. Glaring down at the dark blue uniform, he lets out a sigh and slips the uniform on, jacket and all, and adjusts the sleeves. A small part of his brain is cursing himself for allowing this to happen, while another part dreads what the other Spiders would think should they see him wearing a high school uniform. At twenty-one, Chrollo is too old for high school, but he figures−confidently even−that his good looks would pass for a seventeen year old.
Valtiel's face lights up as he exits their bedroom. "You look handsome in that."
"Do I?" Chrollo makes a show of checking himself on the mirror. "I thought so, too."
Standing side-by-side, they could pass for a pair of high school students, in their matching uniforms of dark blue with red accents. Valtiel wears a white blouse underneath a dark blue blazer, her white socks hiked up to her knees. She has fixed her hair into a half-ponytail, the blonde locks pulled back from with face with another red ribbon. Beside her, Chrollo could only look better: with his hair down, hands in his pockets, even with a feigned smile−they are indeed ready for high school.
The Raizen High School stands at the very center of the town. It has a main building with four more adjacent buildings, smaller and narrower in comparison. A large clock dominates the main building's central tower. Steel gates open to the students, who come in every direction and are all busy laughing and chatting.
Valtiel's eyes are wide with unmasked wonder. It feels as if for the first time in her life that she has finally seen what a high school looks like. She whips her head left and right, undoubtedly ecstatic to find other students dressed in the same manner as her and her companion. She is about to rush inside the school's premises when she feels a firm tug on her hand.
She turns, only to find Chrollo looking down his nose at her. "What?"
"We cannot enter yet. We have to wait for our client."
"We can wait for her inside. She's a teacher, right? So let's wait inside." She tugs at his hand.
Chrollo tugs her backwards, more forceful. His eyes narrow at her. "Are you disobeying me?"
She frowns and stands at her tallest height before him. Even like this, with her low-heeled black shoes, she only comes up to his chin. And she is not best pleased with that fact. "Let's wait inside."
Again, his hand tugs at her, closing their distance so that her forehead almost brushes his chin. The other students glance at their direction, curious at the arguing couple.
"Danchou−" She breathes against the collar of his uniform. "Inside. Please?"
A shrill ringing of the school bell interrupts him.
Valtiel takes his hand and pulls him towards the school, into the school grounds, surrounded by teenaged students. "Hurry up, Danchou! We can't be late for our class!"
Chrollo grunts. "We don't have a class here." He sighs in defeat−complete and utter defeat. "Fine."
Going to high school is a terribly, horrendously, painfully bad idea.
But not so bad after all.
Ten minutes into wandering around, they both find out that the place can actually be warm. The children are all smiles and friendly, except for some schoolgirls who could not help shrieking upon meeting another friend across the hallway; that one hurt Chrollo's ear, if he has to be honest. And the staff is accommodating; they smile at the two "transfer" students and point them to the direction where the library and cafeteria are.
Valtiel takes her time peering into every classroom they pass−looking at the teacher, counting the students, reading whatever is written on the whiteboard. She does everything like an eager researcher would do. While she minds her own business, Chrollo busies himself watching her, their hands linked together to keep the Kurta from straying too far, and probably bursting into a room.
He feels his phone vibrate in his pocket.
08:15 +81-717-54514: Where are you?
08:15 Chrollo: Inside the premises. Yourself?
08:16 +81-717-54514: Fourth floor, end of the western hallway, music room ;)
He pockets his phone and turns to his companion. "It seems our client changed the venue. We are to meet her in the music room. We should get this over with as soon as we can." The weight of the box in his other hand feels quite heavy that he wants it to be relieved of it soon.
Still hand-in-hand, they follow their client's instructions and find themselves in a dim corner of the building. Too far from the classrooms, the hallway is quiet and almost abandoned, without the early morning light spilling across the floors. Chrollo blinks at Valtiel as his hand closes around the knob, as if asking for permission, as if waiting for her to smile and nod her head.
She does, and he opens the door.
A figure looms on the other side of the room−a tall, dark-haired and dark-skinned young woman. She rounds towards them when she hears them enter. As a teacher, she wears a black blouse and dark blue pencil skirt. Her green eyes glimmer from where she stands by the drum set.
Chrollo merely nods at her general direction. "Miss Beza."
Her rich laughter fills the music room. "Please, you can call me Marie." Then her eyes flutter towards the younger girl, who is very much engrossed running her fingertips on a nearby pianoforte. "I had thought you would be alone, Mister Eleison. I even prepared something for you."
He holds up the hand carrying the box. "No, thank you. Miss Eleison and I are on a tight schedule."
Marie Beza just shrugs and approaches him, all smooth and long legs sauntering towards him in particular. In her heels, she is almost as tall as Chrollo. She holds out her hands for the box, and when he gives it to her, her long fingers brush the skin of his wrist. She tries to catch his eyes, but Chrollo's intent expression is boring through the drum set behind her.
Shrugging, she sits and pulls at the silk ribbons. The box comes undone, revealing two Scarlet Eyes floating inside a glass canister. Her lips curl into a catty smirk. "Five hundred million Jenny for these beauties, right?"
"Yes. You can transfer the money to the given account now."
"Okay." She types fast in her mobile phone and shows the screen to him. "Will this do?"
He barely peers at the phone. "Yes."
Marie hums deep and presses the Send button. She perks up when she hears Chrollo's phone vibrate in his pocket. She licks her lips, placing the Scarlet Eyes on her lap.
Chrollo nods his acknowledgement of the receipt and turns for Valtiel. He pauses when he finds her already across the room, strumming the strings of a brown guitar. "Time to go, dear."
He mentally frowns when he remembers Shalnark and Phinks teasing him yesterday about it.
Valtiel forces herself to stop from her explorations and accepts his offered hand. She follows him as he guides them back to the door, but she could not help but peer over her shoulder and look at the dark-skinned young woman. She is certainly beautiful with a certain flare within her; Valtiel could only guess why she could want something as costly as the Eyes.
And so she asks.
"Why the Scarlet Eyes?"
The question makes Chrollo pause, and Marie to smile.
"I am a lover of all things beautiful," she answers, hugging the canisters to her chest. Green eyes observe Valtiel from head to toe, and then travel to Chrollo, lingering on his face. "Like yourselves."
"I don't quite−" Valtiel furrows her eyebrows, stepping forward to make a statement. "Really, I don't−"
"We should go," Chrollo murmurs in her ear. "We're done for the day."
She looks as if she would put up another argument, as they have done so many times in many different places. But Marie's rich laughter stops them short from arguing. Valtiel gives her a confused look.
Marie leans an arm over the canisters, and rests her chin on her arm. "You should listen to your boyfriend, cutie."
That is the last thing they hear from her when they shut the door to the music room. The pair traverses the same pathway they took earlier, when, all of a sudden, Valtiel blinks at the direction of the music room.
"Danchou?"
"Hm?"
"What's a boyfriend?"
Chrollo just rolls his eyes.
Recess.
Dozens. No, hundreds of children swarm into the cafeteria. Most of them have packed snacks with them and are only there to sit and eat with their friends. The girls giggle and share their sandwiches, while the boys are violent and raucous, shouting and fighting at every little thing that the cafeteria keeps rattling from their raised voices. The others could only groan and speak louder to their friends, to drown out the shouting.
Leaning on the cafeteria doorway, Chrollo smiles at the scene before him. It reminds him of his Troupe members with their different personalities−some wild and fierce, others calm and composed. Times like these, he would remember how much he misses their company, no matter how noisy it gets.
A brown-haired girl stares up at him. She is so small that he could guess that she is a freshman.
Uncertain what to do with such unwanted attention, he shrugs and focuses his attention to the Kurta girl on her way to join him again. He smiles then, welcoming her in his arms, as she jumps and shows him what she acquired from the front counter.
A chocolate ice cream.
High schools should do better than offering ice creams.
"Everyone wants them," Valtiel says, gripping her prized possession in both hands. She notices the Spider leader staring down on her, so she offers the ice cream to him. "Want some?"
"I am not a fan of anything sweet."
"Ah! But you ate my pancake with the chocolate syrup yesterday!"
"I did, but I never said I liked it."
A sudden hurtful look on her face. "You don't like my cooking?"
Chrollo's stoic demeanor never falters, but his voice sounds amused. "Sometimes."
She rolls golden eyes at him, feeling playful, licking at her ice cream. "Then good luck cutting our budget for the fancy lunches and dinners, Danchou."
Author's Notes: Right! So I'm updating this in a quick flash because my friends and I are supposed to have a sleepover! Haha. Gotta make a quick update first though! Hope you guys like this little chapter. Danchou and Val doing domestic stuff and being high school students for once （＾・ω・＾✿）
No, but seriously, Danchou—what's a boyfriend? （・∩・）
*xenocanaan - Haha! Gotta give kudos to Best Actor of the Year Award, Chrollo Lucilfer! The only way I could see Valtiel developing a healthy, independent personality is getting away from Chrollo! Thanks for the review as always!
*HiMELuna - Thank you for leaving a review!
*HeroSeekerFrost - YES! Velcro! That's brilliant! Haha. Let's see how much these two could stick together! ;) Thanks for reviewing!
*patito - Thank you! Let's hope she gets more independent. :3
Once again, thank you all for reviewing! Now I gotta run for our sleepover! 😂 Happy weekend everyone! 💕
P.S. Feitan is a dork. :3