Chapter 81: The Search

The inn was within walking distance of the town, so Claude and Phoebus planned to spend the day investigating before returning to the inn at night. Phoebus instructed his friends to take some leisurely time and do whatever they wanted, which they were all too happy to do. Phoebus wished he was able to join them. This search was likely going to take a long time, and it still wasn't certain that anything useful would turn up.

"We could split up to cover more ground." Phoebus suggested on the way into town.

"That simply won't do." Claude disagreed. "Remember why I needed you here. If we find Esmeralda's friends, you need to be the one to approach them."

"We could just look around by ourselves for a while and report if we find anything."

"That would be an unnecessary hassle. And we don't want to lose track of each other either."

Phoebus frowned.

He didn't want to spend the whole day walking around with Claude Frollo, but he couldn't argue with the reasoning for it. It wouldn't be wise to split up under these circumstances, and completing this mission was of much more importance than being comfortable.

They journeyed around the town, hoods up over their heads to avoid being recognized if they came across anyone from Paris. Claude was the only one who desperately needed to stay unnoticed, but Phoebus thought it wise to stay hidden too, just to prevent the worst case scenario of being recognized by Clopin and having it suddenly become clear who he'd come with. That reveal would of course have to happen anyway if they located Clopin, but it was better for it to happen in a slow and controlled manner.

Unfortunately, the search failed to turn up anything noteworthy. Claude and Phoebus managed to ask around in search of anyone who knew of Esmeralda or Clopin, but even the town's Romani residents reported that they didn't know the names. They confirmed having met people who had recently moved from Paris, but the conversations yielded no new information.

Just as the disappointment was becoming overwhelming, Phoebus pointed out a place of interest.

"A tavern!" He observed. "We should talk to the owner. Tavern owners know a lot of people and hear plenty of drunken gossip."

Claude agreed. It was a good idea.

Unfortunately, it was early in the evening at this point, an hour that many people considered the time to start drinking. The tavern was packed with drunk patrons, making for a loud environment. Claude hated being in this kind of setting, both because of the noise and the sight of people having a good time together. The latter was the especially painful part, since it was something Claude wished he was more familiar with. He'd been socially isolated for most of his life. Even before he'd become ruthless and despicable, Claude had never been the type of person who people wanted to go out drinking with. Being traumatized had made him too quiet and withdrawn in his younger days to possibly make friends with normal people. It was painful to look at them even now.

"You alright?" Phoebus asked.

Claude realized his discontent was noticeable, so he tried to take his mind off it.

"I'm fine." He replied.

Phoebus looked skeptical, but he didn't question further.

They soon found the tavern owner, whom Phoebus approached with a question.

"We're looking for a man named Clopin." He reported. "Have you heard of him?"

"I know a man by that name." The owner confirmed. "He's from Paris, I believe."

"How do you know him?" Claude asked hopefully.

"I've had the opportunity to chat with the fellow a few times. He had quite a few drinks here."

"Was he here recently?"

"No, I haven't seen him in weeks. I hope he's alright. When he was drinking here he used to talk about his sister. Said she was kidnapped."

Claude was overcome with guilt. He couldn't think of anything else to say.

Phoebus took over when he noticed.

"Did he say anything about where he was staying?" He asked.

"No, nothing like that." The tavern owner replied. "He just mentioned that he came from Paris and was looking for somewhere safe to go with his friends."

Claude shook his head at himself when he left the tavern with Phoebus. They'd hardly learned anything today, and Claude knew this was a mess of his own making. He was haunted by the image of a depressed Clopin drinking away the sorrow of losing Esmeralda.

"Well," Phoebus started hopefully. "At least now we know Clopin is here."

"Or was..." Claude said with dread. "I wouldn't be surprised if he was no longer here. No one seems to know anything. And even if he is here, we haven't the slightest idea where to find him. We've found nothing."

"We'll just have to come back tomorrow." Phoebus sighed. "Another day of..."

He failed to finish when he saw Claude taking a few steps away from him, a hand clasped over his face while he shook his head.

"Nothing..." He repeated. "What have I done...?"

Phoebus didn't know what to do, or even what to think.

Esmeralda had informed him of just enough to leave him curious about the Minister of Justice, but not nearly enough to ease his resentment. Phoebus was able to accept that the man had changed, but he found it extremely odd without knowing why. Odd enough that part of him questioned Esmeralda's sanity when she said there was a logical explanation. He wanted to hear that explanation and judge it for himself, but not being able to learn about it had left him frustrated and doubtful that it had any meaning. That made it even easier to feel resentful toward Claude Frollo, despite knowing full well that he was making amends. It just wasn't enough to make Phoebus respect him. Not when the man had hurt so many people in front of his eyes and tried to kill him the moment he'd attempted to stop it.

But since the previous night, Phoebus was reconsidering some things. He'd been fairly reminded of his repeated failure to be less hostile to Esmeralda's friend. Phoebus had known for long enough that he needed to stop showing his resentment, if only for Esmeralda's sake. He owed her at least that much after she'd saved his life. But while he felt sorry for not being more respectful to her, Phoebus wasn't sure if he felt remorseful toward Frollo, or if he even should. And yet, that uncertainty was a considerable step away from the total contentedness he'd previously had with verbally attacking the judge.

Being snapped at had left Phoebus feeling different. He was guilted by the knowledge that nothing Frollo had said about him had been wrong. It was true that Phoebus had been taking advantage of the judge's newly learned compassion. It was also true that his insults had served no purpose apart from showing pettiness. Shockingly, Phoebus actually felt like he'd done something wrong. He never could have predicted that the man he'd previously thought of as evil embodied would be able to make him feel that way.

He remembered that Esmeralda had once hated Claude Frollo the same way. But there was something she knew that Phoebus didn't.

"I got to know him." Esmeralda had said. "He's just a normal person. And he's in pain."

Pain... It had seemed so unlikely at the time. The Judge Frollo whom Phoebus had met when he'd first arrived in Paris hadn't seemed capable of feeling pain. Anger, yes. But not suffering. And yet, the tone with which he'd yelled at Phoebus last night had been a painful one. Phoebus knew the difference between a fit of rage coming from irritability and one coming from emotional anguish, and what he'd seen last night had definitely been the latter.

What he was seeing right now was... Interesting. Claude was evidently burdened by the prospect of not being able to fully make it up to Esmeralda, and seeing that made Phoebus question himself. He wondered if his feelings toward the judge were too harsh. He even wondered if he should make some attempt at reassurance. He needed to say something, at least.

After briefly debating it, Phoebus spoke up.

"Let's head back to the inn." He suggested. "We'll have some dinner, get some sleep, and come back in the morning. There's still plenty of town to search."

They weren't extremely comforting words, but Phoebus was being more pleasant than he'd ever been to Claude.

Claude wasn't certain whether Phoebus had any concern for him or if he was only being somewhat nice out of obligation to Esmeralda. But either way, he wasn't going to complain. And he knew that Phoebus was right. The best thing to do now was to retire for the night and resume the search tomorrow.

Quasimodo loved spending time with Elaine. He made it a goal to learn everything about her, and so far it was coming along nicely. He learned that she was inspired by her father, who had been a painter. She hadn't actually started to paint until she studied at the convent, but watching her father paint had given her the knowledge she needed to teach herself. Quasimodo also learned that Elaine's mother had always considered her a miracle because she hadn't been able to have any other children. In fact, when they'd all been sick, Elaine's mother had regularly prayed that her daughter, her miracle, may survive, whether she herself lived or not. But although Elaine survived as her mother had wanted, she'd wished at first that she had died with her parents. Without them she was left alone and heartbroken, her only options being to get married or become a nun. And since marriage had been a terrifying thought at the time, going to a convent had been an easy choice.

"It's hard to imagine you as a nun." Quasimodo said one afternoon. "You're too much fun to stay in a convent!"

"I know!" Elaine laughed. "It wasn't right for me at all. I only went there because the alternative was so scary. I wasn't ready to get married."

"When did you decide to leave?" Quasimodo asked.

"The nuns really decided for me." Elaine replied. "They said I needed to spend less time painting and focus on my studies. Then I realized my life would always be that way if I stayed, and I hated that idea. So I wrote to my uncle and asked if I could come here. I was afraid he'd be upset that I didn't want to be a nun, but he was actually quite understanding. He said that kind of life wasn't meant for everyone and that I shouldn't continue it if I wasn't happy."

"Well, I sure am glad you came here."

"So am I. It was a very good decision!"

They looked at each other lovingly. Quasimodo and Elaine were standing on the balcony, enjoying the view of the city and each other's company. They were extremely happy. Being in love was quite an enjoyable experience for both of them.

But suddenly, Quasimodo's expression changed from a wide smile to a nervous look.

"You know..." He started hesitantly. "Elaine... I haven't kissed you yet."

Elaine blushed.

"Would you... Like to?" She asked.

"Uh... Yes." Quasimodo replied. "I mean, if you would like to!"

"Oh, I would! I'm just afraid I'll do it wrong... I've never kissed before."

"Neither have I! I'm not really sure how to do it either, but... I'd really like to try."

Elaine smiled nervously, and so did Quasimodo.

They took each other's hands. Slowly yet excitedly, they began to lean toward each other until their lips brushed together. It was barely a kiss, but it deepened as they became comfortable. Anxiety quickly turned to passion and the kiss became thrilling.

It lasted at least a minute. A long minute of the sweetest affection.

"Quasimodo? I need to talk to-"

They broke the kiss when interrupted by the sound of a voice. Jumping a little, Quasimodo and Elaine turned to see Esmeralda, who had frozen and stopped talking midsentence at the sight of them.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Esmeralda apologized awkwardly. "I didn't mean to interrupt..."

"It's alright!" Elaine assured. "I should actually be going, I have things to do downstairs."

She looked back at Quasimodo with a grin.

"That was amazing!" Elaine exclaimed.

"Oh, it really was!" Quasimodo agreed excitedly.

"I can't wait to do that again!"

"Neither can I!"

Elaine quickly kissed Quasimodo's cheek before hurrying away.

As soon as she was out of the tower, Quasimodo's excitement showed.

"YES!" He screamed in joy. "That was the best kiss ever! I know I haven't kissed anyone before, but even if I had, that would still be the best one!"

Esmeralda smiled.

"I'm so happy for you!" She exclaimed.

Quasimodo closed his eyes dreamily for a moment.

"I'm so happy!" He practically sang. "Anyway, how are you doing?"

Esmeralda hesitated. She hated to intrude on such a happy moment with her concerns, but this was important. Frowning, she held up the letter.

"Do you know anything about this?" She asked.

Quasimodo gasped.

"Oh... That's..."

"A letter. Regarding the whereabouts of my people. Which I found on Claude's desk."

Quasimodo was at a loss for words. He'd intended to keep this secret as he'd been asked to, but he hadn't needed to say anything for Esmeralda to find the evidence.

"Why wouldn't he tell me about this?" Esmeralda asked. "He knows how important it is to me!"

"Uh..." Quasimodo struggled.

His hesitance to speak made it obvious that he knew about this.

"Quasimodo," Esmeralda said pleadingly. "What is going on?"

"Um..."

"Please! Tell me before I assume the worst! Is he up to something? Is this whole hunting trip an excuse to look for my friends?!"

Quasimodo gulped.

"Uh... Yes..."

"NO!"

Esmeralda began to panic. She quickly found a seat at the table to avoid collapsing.

"He can't do this!" She shouted. "Clopin will KILL him!"

"What do you mean?" Quasimodo asked.

"I mean what I said!" Esmeralda cried. "Clopin is overprotective of everyone, but ESPECIALLY me! Remember how easily he tried to hang you? He'll do WAY worse to Claude! Oh no..."

"But that's why Phoebus is with him! Everyone knows he's a good guy!"

"Ugh! How could I be so stupid? I knew there was something weird about Phoebus agreeing to spend time with Claude! Quasi, why didn't you tell me?!"

"I... He made me agree not to..."

"Why?! Doesn't this seem like something I should hear about?!"

"I'm sorry... He thought it was for the best in case they didn't find your friends and you were crushed by it!"

"But this is dangerous!"

"He reassured me it would be fine, that he and Phoebus could handle this... I trusted him..."

Esmeralda stared at the floor in disbelief. Fearful tears welled up in her eyes.

Concerned, Quasimodo put his hands on her shoulders and looked at her apologetically.

"This is all for you," He told her. "to make you happy. I just wanted what was best for you... I'm sorry if I was wrong for not saying anything..."

Esmeralda was petrified. The knowledge that Phoebus was there to help deal with Clopin was somewhat comforting, but it wasn't enough to guarantee his and Claude's safety. Knowing her brother, Esmeralda could picture every awful manner of torture he would inflict on the man who had taken his sister.

She imagined going after Claude and Phoebus, but soon realized that was impossible. The letter hadn't mentioned the name of the town where her people had likely fled to, and when asked, Quasimodo replied that he didn't know it. But even if Esmeralda were to learn that information, it occurred to her that she wouldn't know how to get to the place, nor how to track down Claude or Clopin there.

There was nothing she could do apart from cry on Quasimodo's shoulder while he hugged her.

Claude sat on the edge of his bed, praying. He didn't know if it would help at all, but it was the only effort he could make at the moment.

"I know this is all my fault." He acknowledged. "But I must complete this mission. Esmeralda needs me to. Please... Let me be able to make her happy..."

He sighed when he finished. Not a minute later, Phoebus came into the room, holding one cup in his hand and using his arm to support the other. To Claude's surprise, Phoebus sat next to him and gave him one of the cups.

"I thought we could use a drink." The former soldier explained.

Although he still didn't know what to make of Phoebus behaving this way, Claude had to agree with that.

He brought the cup to his lips and tasted a relaxing ale. It soothed him a little.

"There's still time for this to work out." Phoebus assured, sipping his own drink.

"Am I imagining things?" Claude asked. "Or are you trying to comfort me?"

"Well..." Phoebus said unsurely. "Yes, I suppose I am."

Claude didn't question it any further, although part of him wanted to know just what Phoebus was thinking.

They drank quietly for a minute before Phoebus broke the silence again.

"Something has been driving me crazy." He shared. "I've been dying to know... What got into you?"

Claude hesitated, trying to sense if there was any malice in the question.

"I just don't understand." Phoebus explained. "You're nothing like you were before. And that's good, but I find it pretty baffling. I'd just like to know... Why the change?"

Claude struggled to come up with an answer. He felt that giving an explanation could result in more understanding between himself and Phoebus, but the idea of telling his secrets made him sick. There was no way for anyone to make complete sense of his change without knowing about his past, and Claude was extremely reluctant to tell that story. It was hard enough to share such things with people he loved, so it was impossible to be that vulnerable with someone like Phoebus. No matter how nice he was now trying to be, Phoebus had not earned nearly enough of Claude's trust to deserve to know his secrets. Instead, Claude answered the question vaguely.

"I spoke with a priest and became aware of my sins."

Phoebus eyed him doubtfully.

"That can't be the whole story." He argued.

"No, it is not." Claude admitted.

"What happened while I was gone? Esmeralda obviously had something to do with it."

"Yes, her kindness was moving. I'd say it cured my stubbornness."

"But what did she do? And why?"

Claude reminisced about Esmeralda comforting him after nightmares. He was permanently grateful for the ways she had been there for him, but he couldn't talk about it. Not without talking about his suffering.

He finished his drink.

"I'm afraid I have nothing else to tell you." Claude asserted.

Phoebus looked annoyed, so Claude made a clarification.

"I'm not trying to get on your nerves, Phoebus. As much as I'd like to help you understand, there are many things I simply can't say."

"You can't, or you won't?" Phoebus asked frustratedly.

"I can't." Claude said sharply.

That tone was startling. Phoebus didn't dare to ask another question.

He realized that getting the information he wanted was truly impossible. Whatever the answers to his questions were, Phoebus saw that they really were as serious and sensitive as Esmeralda had stressed to him.

Claude quickly regretted his sharp reaction. He feared that it hinted at the nature of his secrets...

I would like to give a big thank you to those who have been commenting! It always makes my day to hear from you! We're getting closer and closer to the end, so let's see this story through together!