[FIN] Cupcakes and Cyanide

[insidiousEnigma]

Humans were so loud and obnoxious.
Why were they so loud and obnoxious at ridiculous hours in the morning?
...Nine o'clock being a ridiculously early hour.

Andre cracked an eye open to glare balefully at a particularly annoying blonde talking loudly on her phone not too far from him. Even if she were outside he was sure he'd be able to hear her. It was too early to be dealing with the stupidity of the human race, but he had important phone calls to make and appointments to keep and he'd be damned if he was going to rush his morning cup of tea. Well, if those incompetent excuses for baristas would hurry up he wouldn't have to rush his tea.

If his parents hadn't completely ruined everything he would already be back home with Zacharie safe, likely very confused, and sound. They could be having tea in the comfort of his sitting room while he explained everything and got to know his darling baby brother. He wondered if Zacharie liked tea. He likely would, it seemed to run in the family.

So caught up in his daydreaming, he barely heard the cashier call his name. "Finally." He muttered under his breath as he rose from his seat to retrieve his order. A simple cup of Early Grey, the same thing he had every morning. A content smile settled over his face as he took in the familiar smell and stirred in his sugar and milk. His stiff posture relaxed slightly as he settled back into his seat with the warm mug between both hands. He could feel his mood lightening with just the first sip. Yes, today would be good. Even if he didn't manage to find Zacharie today; all in good time. Relaxed and not quite to irritable, the purple haired man pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed the familiar number.

"Hello, Sir." The voice of his trusted housekeeper answered. He had likely still been sleeping, judging by the rough edge to the otherwise lovely French. "Did I wake you, Louis?" He asked, easily slipping into the other language. While he had been born here in Camphoreon his father had been insistent that he learn French as well as English. He much preferred French. "It's early." Louis said simply. The sound of rustling fabric signified that he was sitting up in bed. "I agree, much too early for my liking. I wouldn't wake you if it wasn't for something of the utmost importance." He grinned, he could practically hear the man on the other end of the line rolling his eyes. "Zacharie has disappeared without a trace. It's going to take me longer than expected to collect him." There was silence on the other end before a soft exhalation. "Do you need me to come?" The other didn't sound put out, actually...he sounded rather concerned. He hummed lightly before taking a sip of his tea. "No, I do need you to send Velencia though. I miss her terribly." His poor Espeon was probably running Louis ragged...he muffled a snicker at the thought. "Great, I'll send her immediately." Was the instant reply before the line went dead. With the other unable to hear, the purple haired man chuckled at his expense.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Oh, how wonderful 9am was, Nicolette thought brightly as she entered the small cafe with a spring in her step, then moved ahead to order and receive her tea from the counter. With a word of thanks she accepted the mug and held it between her small hands, savoring the smell and the warmth that seeped out into her fingers. Not that she needed to stay warm on such a lovely morning such as this, but that was beside the point.

As she moved aside to put plenty of milk and sugar into her tea, someone speaking her native language caught her attention, and honey-colored eyes quickly - and eagerly - scanned the area for its source. Once she found it, she nearly bounced with excitement. His clothes alone told her all she needed to know, because obviously only someone from Grande Ile would wear that style. She picked up her mug, holding it with both hands and alternating between blowing on it to cool it and taking experimental sips as she slowly (and sneakily, she thought) shuffled closer to the man speaking French, looking for all the world like a child that had discovered a secret stash of their favorite cookies that they didn't have to share with anyone.

Once he had finished his conversation - she was not one to interrupt others (intentionally, anyway) - she took an actual step over to address him fully, her eyes bright and a suppressed excitement in her countenance as she also spoke in French. "You're from Grande Ile, too, aren't you?" Even though she already pretty much convinced herself he was, it was polite to verify.  

[insidiousEnigma]

Cocking his head slightly, Andre regarded the girl quietly for a moment before smiling. "I am." He said simply, motioning to for her to take the seat opposite him. It was obvious she more than a little excited to find someone else from Grande Ile and he had to admit, it was mildly endearing. "What brings you to Camphoreon?" He questioned before raising his cup to take a long sip of his quickly cooling tea. Cold tea was something he did not tolerate, if it wasn't piping hot he wanted nothing to do with it.

Oh, right. he was more or less having a conversation with this girl.

"Goodness how rude of me, I'm Andre. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss..." It wouldn't hurt to be friendly. If anything it would make him look less suspicious and more inviting to the general public in case he got the urge to...No! He had very important business and no time to...indulge. He needed to find out his brother's whereabouts and deal with their parents. He needed...to quit getting ahead of himself while he was in the company of others. It was a bit disconcerting how off track his thoughts kept getting this morning.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Even if she had all but convinced herself that he was from Grande Ile, receiving affirmation was still necessary and it made her beam. "Oh, thank you," she said happily, and moved to place herself in the offered seat before she took a nice sip of her tea. Mmmm.. "My name is Nicolette. It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Andre," the girl said, her tone and smile sincere.

"I'm here because I wanted to travel, and Father said Kodo would be good because there's a Grande Insulaire embassy here, as well as a number of our people, too," she didn't hesitate to explain to this complete stranger, though attempted to keep her explanation brief. It wouldn't do to hog the conversation; that would be rude, and Nicolette had absolutely no desire to be rude to anyone. "I arrived just a couple weeks ago, and I'm to stay for roughly six months. What about you?" The young noble asked, brightening a bit as she regarded him curiously, and took another sip of her tea. Ohh, how wonderful! She was so lucky to find someone else from Grande Ile!  

[insidiousEnigma]

The purple haired man took a moment to weigh his options. Since Nicolette was just visiting from the Grande Ile it was very unlikely that she had run into Zacharie...but she appeared to be close to his age so if he was in fact still out on the streets it was a possibility that she would take notice of him. "I'm looking for my little brother. He's...gone missing recently." He didn't have to fake the concern that obviously laced his tone. Zacharie was street smart, but he'd always had a place to go back to if things got too out of control. And now, thanks to the information from his informants, he knew that the youngest Dubois was seriously injured. Because of him.

His parents were going to wish they'd had him sent to some asylum instead of letting him run free.

"I just arrived the other night. It's very different here, I must say." He wasn't sure how he had managed to live here in his youth. Though he supposed he'd never been outside of Camphoreon before that fateful night so many years ago. "It's good to travel though, Kodo has a certain appeal to it."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

His admission immediately changed her bright, enthusiastic demeanor to one of concern and worry, the sudden shift perfectly visible in her expression. "Ohh, I'm so sorry," she replied apologetically, suddenly feeling awful that he had to suffer through something as bad as his dear brother missing. She didn't know what in the world she would do if Aluin went missing... Ohh, and their poor parents would be beside themselves, surely... There wasn't much she could do to help in this situation, she had to admit, but she at least had to try. "What's his name, and what does he look like? I haven't been here long so I doubt I've seen him, but..." But what? If she had, she could tell him, and then what? Oh! But she could see him after this, and then she could let the boy know that his brother was looking for him! Yes, perfect.

A little brighter at the thought of being able to at least do something to help, she shifted her posture to sit straighter as she took another sip of her tea. "Mm! Oh, it is, isn't it?" She agreed after she'd swallowed. "Very different from where I live. In Devoirue," the girl added quickly. "Where do you live?" While she had indeed visited the various cities and towns that dotted the country at least once, she knew Devoirue the best. Not all of it, of course, but still. "I agree completely," she said with a vigorous nod. "Traveling is good, and so far Kodo seems quite charming, though I've only been in this city. I think in a week or so I'll begin traveling to the other towns to see what they're like. Have you been to any of them yet, or just Camphoreon so far?" Wait, how long was he even staying? She probably should've asked that first, but she'd already asked a great deal of questions already, so rather than ask more, she silenced herself by drinking more of her tea.  

[insidiousEnigma]

Andre found himself...charmed, by Nicolette's curiosity.
A strange sensation indeed.

"His name is Zacharie." He began, carefully setting his cup down onto the smooth wood of the table. "We look a lot a like, actually." He remembered receiving his first picture of brother as a teenager, a black and white photograph clipped from a newspaper article for Zacharie's outstanding science fair project. He'd felt a sense of joy that he hadn't experienced since the younger boy was brought home from the hospital for the first time. He'd only loathed that he hadn't been there to congratulate his brother in person. "A tad bit shorter than I am, same hair color though he's cut his hair into a simply adorable bob." He gushed, motioning to just below his chin to indicate the length. He could hear himself lisping but he couldn't bring himself to care. "He wears his bangs long though, sadly. We both inherited our father's rather intimidating eye shape and color, which caused some unwanted attention from his classmates." He had been sorely tempted to pay the little snot nosed brats a visit until he had read that one of Zacharie's classmates had ended up in the hospital with severe food poisoning. It was easy to tell, at least to him, what mixture of herbs had been slipped into the boy's food to cause the symptoms.

He'd never been prouder.

"Let's see...his skin is a bit darker than mine. He does love to wander the streets. And he has a rather...unruly Shuppet." He could go on forever about his brother, but he found that people tended to lose interest after a while and he had no desire to share facts about his beloved baby brother if the other person was not wholly interested. Sighing, he picked his cup back and took a calming sip of his tea. "I was born in Camphoreon so the city isn't brand new for me, but it has changed drastically since I was last here." He admitted with a wry smile. "I have no clue if Zacharie is even in Camphoreon still, so I suspect I'll be traveling around quite a lot until I find him. But it will give me a chance to visit the other towns, which will be nice I suppose."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Nicolette listened with rapt attention as he spoke, leaning slightly forward and nodding occasionally to show she understood, and did her best to commit the name and description to memory. It helped that she had a very similar-looking man in front of her, too. "Zacharie," she repeated, to help solidify the picture of him in her mind and attach the name to it, then smiled apologetically again. She hadn't felt at all annoyed the more he went on; in fact, quite the opposite - she found it quite endearing about how excited he seemed to be, and the lisp was adorable. It was very obvious how much he loved his brother. "Such a lovely name, though I'm very sorry to say I haven't seen him," she said regrettably, her expression still apologetic, though she brightened a bit. "I'll definitely keep an eye out for him, though. I do hope you find him soon," the girl finished with a nod - though she had no idea what a Shuppet was. Maybe a pokemon?

"Ohh, so you weren't originally from Grande Ile?" She asked curiously. Huh. Well, he certainly looked, sounded and acted as if he did come from there. "When was the last time you were in Camphoreon, then?" How different was it? What had changed? How long ago was that?  

[insidiousEnigma]

"Isn't it? The name fits him so well." Andre sighed, a fond smile settling across his face. "I didn't think you would have seen him, he's quite elusive when he wants to be. Thank you though, I greatly appreciate your help." He said sincerely as he pushed his empty cup to the side to be picked up by the busboy. "My father came here from the Grande Ile when he was in his twenties. The entirety of his side of the family live in Grande Ile, in Devoirue in fact." He explained, elegantly shrugging his shoulders. "I believe he came here for an apprenticeship or something of that persuasion. Anyway, when they found out that my mother was pregnant they made plans to move back before I was born but it just never happened." He often wondered how different life would be if they had managed to return home. Would he and Zacharie still be together, would he still have these little...hobbies? "As to the last time I was was in Camphoreon....I believe I left when I was fourteen years old and this is my first time back since then." He hadn't felt that it was entirely safe for him to return to Kodo, though objectively he knew that if his parents were going to say anything about what happened all those years ago they would have done so by now. The whole thing would have likely blown over since he no longer lived on the island and it had been so long since he'd been 'home'. "Since this is your first time to Kodo I'm going to assume that you don't know anyone here?"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

She nodded her head vigorously again, looking very pleased that she was able to help him. "Of course! It's my pleasure; I'm just glad I can help in some small way," the girl admitted sincerely, then raised her cup to polish off her tea. Once finished, she placed the mug on the table in between them and daintily folded her hands in her lap, consciously straightening her posture as he began to speak of his family. The young noble nodded several times, her smile bright once more. "Ohh, that sounds lovely. So did you come from Devoirue also?" Or had he lived in another city?

Oh goodness, when he was fourteen? How old was he now? Certainly looked to be in his twenties, at the very least. Mid-twenties, perhaps, so that sounded like about ten years or so... Certainly a great deal of time to spend living in another country. She nodded again, her hands still folded neatly in her lap. "So it's been a while then. It is my first time, but not really, no," she said, brightening a bit. "I found a Grande Insulaire shortly after I arrived here, and he's been very kind and so helpful. He introduced me to a friend of his that lives here, and she introduced me to a couple others here too. They've all been very kind so far," the girl said with a nod, though she couldn't help but think of the terrible first night she'd had. If Luke hadn't saved her, she didn't know if she'd even be sitting in this chair at the moment.  

[insidiousEnigma]

Andre admitted that he was surprised.
It wasn't often that he had such easy flowing conversations. His kindness and compatibility normally forced and draining.

"I lived there for a time, but I've been living in Ventair for the past couple of years." While he had loved Devoirue it was much too crowded, especially with his family breathing down his neck. They had been useful once he'd gotten to Grande Ile, taking him in without question when he showed up at his grandfather's house and giving him anything and everything he wanted. But as he had gotten older he started to see why his father had left in the first place. They were pushy and overbearing and seemed to think that he would go along with whatever they wanted. He never was one to follow orders. "I go back at least twice a year to visit though." He couldn't stay away from the city even if he really wanted to.

"That is splendid." The purple haired man smiled, resting his chin atop of his laced fingers. "Friends are very valuable when traveling alone." He could hardly imagine the type of trouble this girl had likely gotten herself into. Probably a run in with some of the unsavory crowd in the downtown area now that he thought back to her quick admission to not going into the downtown area. "Though do be careful, some people are not all that they appear to be." It was almost funny, him giving such advice. He was a living, breathing example of such a person. "If it wouldn't be much trouble. If you happen to run into your acquaintances again, could you tell them about Zacharie?" The more people he had looking the faster he'd find his sibling and get home.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Oh, I see," she replied, nodding again to show her understanding. "Ventair is a wonderful city, though I must admit I haven't been many places outside Devoirue," the girl replied as a tinge of color darkened her cheeks in her embarrassment. "I've lived there my whole life." At least he went back to visit occasionally, presumably to visit family. That was good.

"I agree completely," came the eager reply from the girl who had never traveled anywhere with anyone except house staff, "it's infinitely better than traveling alone." The comment about people not being what they appear caught her a little by surprise, and his internal assumption was entirely correct. She proved it unintentionally when her head bowed and she focused her gaze down to her lap, her fingers beginning to lightly twist themselves together a bit in her discomfort at the memory. "Oh, yes, I-I know that already, yes," she answered a little quieter this time, recalling just how nice that guide - that man - had seemed so nice and polite, and kind, and... No, that wouldn't do any good to dwell on. It still hung over her head, mostly due to the fact that Luke had been injured saving her from her own errors in judgement, but she wouldn't think on it now. Mentally pushing the memories aside, she brightened up, and consequently straightened her posture again as she returned her gaze to his face. "Hm? Oh! Yes, of course," Nicolette nodded again, "of course! I don't know that they've seen him either, but it sounds like they would have a much better chance than me of seeing him previously." They'd been here quite some time, after all, and she had only just arrived.  

[insidiousEnigma]

"Well you're out seeing it all now, and that's more than some people can say." Andre said, watching the girl carefully. Yes, there. Nicolette's tells were so incredibly obvious that it wasn't surprising that someone had taken advantage of her. It was a shame though, she was such a sincere, sweet girl. That was the way of humans though, to prey on those that are weaker. "Try not to dwell on it." He said suddenly, cracking his eyes open to peer curiously at her. A smile quirked the corners of his lips and hoped in the back of his mind he hoped that his eyes wouldn't unnerve her. "Learn from it. Negative experiences are meant to build character, make you stronger." He rarely gave advice, but he felt that she would listen and take it to heart.

It was odd...how much she reminded him of his little brother.
Those wide, bright eyes and that air of innocent curiosity.

At her confirmation that she'd enlist her friends' help, his smile grew. "Again, thank you. You are very kind." As an afterthought he reached into his bag and pulled out a pen and a scrap of paper. "This is my number." He said, glancing up at her through his eyelashes. "If you happen to find him, tell him to call this number." Ideally he'd be the one to find Zacharie first, but if not he needed to cover his bases. "I'm afraid...that Zacharie will not remember me. I left when he was very young and haven't been able to keep in touch with him."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

While it was nice of him to say, and it did make her smile, she couldn't help but wonder if she would still be betrothed to Richard if she'd begun traveling at an earlier age. Perhaps he wouldn't have called it off then, and her father wouldn't have been so disappointed with her... No, no; thoughts like that were detrimental, and not something she needed to be focusing on.

His sudden advice made her eyebrows raise a bit, though she listened very closely to his words. Andre's quiet, charming demeanor and polite conversation had assuaged any concerns she might have had (she didn't have any) about his character, and thus the shape and color of his eyes didn't bother her in the slightest. "Thank you," she said sincerely when he had finished, and she had straightened up with a warm smile on her face, "I will." He was so nice and kind, and he was her elder - she was absolutely delighted that he'd imparted any advice on her at all.

The number that he gave to her was studied briefly before she nodded and looked up at him again, "Alright, I will." What - his brother wouldn't remember him?! The thought made her so very sad - and he seemed to love his brother so much, too, the poor dear - but she nodded even more resolutely. There was only one thing to do, in her mind, and that was to ensure the two of them were reunited. "I'm so very sorry that he doesn't, and I promise if I find him I'll give him the number so he can call you," the girl said, wearing a very serious expression on her face. This was a family matter, and absolutely nothing was more important than family matters.  

[insidiousEnigma]

Andre almost laughed at the serious expression that the young girl adopted, just barely keeping himself from smiling. "Yes well thank you. You certainly are a sweetheart." He said sweetly, cocking his head slightly as he regarded Nicoletta. "...You are welcome to call as well." He said slowly. "If you need any assistance, that is." It wasn't safe for someone so naive to wander around without someone to keep an eye out for them. Perhaps he should enlist his homeless network to watch out for her as they looked for Zacharie. It was a thought that he'd have to consider in more in depth later.

After a quick check at his cell phone, the purple haired man let out a soft sigh. "It's been a pleasure talking to you, but I really need to be on my way." He said regretfully as he pulled out a few ones from his wallet for a tip. He smiled charmingly as he reached across the table to take her hand. "Be sure to keep in touch, mon cher." After a quick kiss to the back of her hand, he gathered up his bag.