Disclaimer: Berusaiyu no Bara & all characters © ® All Rights Reserved Ikeda
Productions 1972-1973, Tokyo Movie Shinsha Co. 1979-1980.
Except faux Oscar
Part 8: Reunions
by Aria (crune@coqui.net)
Andre waited outside the room in which Oscar had been placed. Only
Lis and Oscar were inside and Lis had locked it. He gritted his teeth--he
should have seen that coming.
"She needs water, the laudanum could have caused her a bit of
dehydration," Lis had said.
Like a fool, he had gone running to fetch a glass of water only to
come back and find the room locked. The only thing that prevented him from
banging on the door was the fact that the rest of the inhabitants in the
Jarjayes household would hear him and want to find out what the ruckus was
about. It was early morning, about six thirty he imagined, already he could
hear the sounds of the maids scuttling about around the kitchen.
Stifling a cry of frustration, Andre sat down in beside the door,
determined to wait until Lis left.
***
A shadow passed over the book the Duke of Orleans was reading. He
looked up to see Lis' grim face.
"Aren't you surprised to see me?" she said, her dark blue eyes
glinting dangerously.
The Duke nonchalantly took his reading glasses off and placed them on
the nearby table.
"Well, I suppose I am," he said.
Lis moved away to pace rapidly across the room. "It's disgusting how
you managed to send amateurs after me. It makes me mad."
"Are you going to kill me?" the Duke asked impatiently.
Lis arched an eyebrow, "My, aren't we indifferent". She gave a short
laugh. "Nope, not today, " she replied brightly and threw her arms up in a
peaceful gesture. "I forgot to bring a weapon," she explained lightly.
The Duke's eyes narrowed. "How did you get in?"
"I'm afraid I can't tell you--but it was a stupid question anyway,"
she turned to look at a painting in the wall.
"Okay, Lis," the Duke's voice dripped with annoyance, "what do you
want?"
She turned back to face him, expression cold. "I wanted to you know
that I'm still alive. Your incompetent excuses for assassins were...easily
disposed of--and that the Commander is alive. That will make it pretty hard
to kill me, since I'd advise you tread very carefully when you try to
eliminate me--you wouldn't want to kill the Commander."
Lis glared at him as she continued, "I told Oscar what happened--she
doesn't believe me, but if she suspects you are after her, don't doubt that
she'll have the whole Royal Guard down your throat. Also," her expression
remained unchanged, "Oscar is under my protection--let me remind you that I
currently own Marie-Antoniette's ring, wouldn't it be funny if a maid found
it in *your* personal things?"
His face showed great suprise, "Lis--"
"Are you going to deny your plans to dispose of me? Do you think I'm
going to be so stupid as to fall for that?"
"I wasn't going to deny anything."
Lis took one step forward and slammed the back of her hand against
his face. Taking a step back, she took a deep breath in effort of calming
herself, then simply walked out of the room, leaving an astonished Duke
behind her.
A few minutes later a brown-haired maid came in the room with a tray.
"I brought you some cookies," she said in a sugary tone.
He grabbed her wrist; "Did you see her? Did she see you?"
The maid smiled. "Yes I did and no, I stayed away from her sight.
That's Lisette all right," her smile faded, "but she has changed."
"You mean she wasn't always--"
"Sarcastic, intolerable--yes. Emotional--no."
"Emotional?"
"Believe it or not, Duke of Orleans, that small show she put on is
quite rare for her--for any assassin, really." She shook her head. "I don't
understand."
"Will she come back?"
"To finish you off--no I don't think so, but I'll stay here just in
case."
The Duke gingerly touched his cheek, knowing he'd have a dark bruise
the next day.
The maid saw him. "You did well to contact us. Rest assured that no
harm will come to you," she said and turned to leave leaving the Duke to his
private concerns.
***
She had run out of the mansion in a hurry, cursing herself for her
stupidity. What was the matter with her? She had *always* been objective, but
...but...
"Stop it," she said to herself out loud.
Lis started walking around the mansion, in hope that the exercise
would distract her from her turbulent thoughts.
"Commander?"
Distracted, she kept on walking until she felt someone tap her
shoulder. Lis out of reflex, turned suddenly and linking her feet between her
would-be attacker's, she pushed him--causing him to fall. She blinked when
she saw Gerodelle's figure on ground.
It took her a couple of more seconds to realize what had happened.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" she said, offering her hand.
He gratefully accepted as he got on his feet and dusted himself off.
"Commander, I didn't know you had such quick reflexes."
Lis gave him a tight smile, "Sorry, I guess I was just edgy. So what
are you doing here?"
"The same thing as you."
"Oh?"
He gestured to the Duke's mansion. "I wanted to question him a bit
more about the whole fiasco with Marie-Antoinette--turns out he's
'indisposed'"
"The impostor's gone. Surely you don't think he's involved," Lis said
neutrally.
Gerodelle ran a hand through his hair distractedly, "I don't know. I
get the feeling that there's a lot more than what it seems behind this."
"Was the ring ever found?"
"No."
Lis plastered a look of worry on her face.
"I guess I'm just being paranoid," he said. "The culprit's been
caught, this is over," Gerodelle seemed to be trying to convince himself.
Lis nodded. "You're right. Maybe you've been working too hard, why
don't you go home and rest?"
He nodded then asked, "Are you going to Versailles, Commander?"
Lis thought a minute, before uttering the lie, "To be honest, I was
going to go home, but the carriage that brought me left me here--sort of...
left me."
"But how?" Gerodelle asked, frowning.
"I think, the driver misunderstood me..." she let her voice trail
off.
"Well, I can take you to your home, Commander. My carriage is close
by."
She walked with him and he turned to her once more. "And Commander,
if you aren't going to question the Duke about his involvement with the
incident--what *were* you doing there?"
Lis looked at Gerodere blankly, cursing inwardly. "I was resolving
some personal matters."
He gave her an odd look, but kept silent.
***
"Andre," someone was shaking him.
"Mmmm?" he asked without opening his eyes.
"Stupid," the voice said somewhat affectionately, "You can't stay
asleep by my door forever! It's already past noon."
Andre opened his eyes.
Oscar...? He scrutinized her, trying to make sure that his eyes were
not deceiving him once more.
Oscar tugged lightly at the collar of her shirt, pulling it away from
her neck. "Lis said that you wouldn't believe me if I didn't show you that I
don't have her scar."
Andre's eyes lit up with emotion and he stood quickly, enveloping
Oscar in a fierce embrace. His lips moved as he held her, but no words or
tears came. All were stifled by an emotion which's strength surprised even
him.
The young commander stood motionless in his embrace, feeling
uncomfortable. "I'm all right now, Andre." She pulled away gently, not really
knowing what to say, "I'm sorry about all this."
"I thought you were dead," his words were barely a whisper and he
closed his eyes, trying to shut away all the anguish he had felt--willing
himself to forget.
Oscar was speechless. She remembered Lis' words, "Don't be
surprised about how Andre might react to seeing you again."
"What do you mean?" she had asked.
Lis looked at her, a fleeting expression of surprise in her face. "He
thought you were dead."
"Though my profession isn't as dangerous as yours, all my family is
aware of the danger I can be in. They are all prepared...for the worst."
Lis had shaken her head and stared away blankly, "That's not true. To
be prepared for the worst you have to go through it--at least part of it."
"I don't understand."
"Never mind," Lis had said tonelessly.
That had been the end of the conversation. Oscar still wasn't sure if
she understood. Still, she smiled at Andre and placed a hand warmly on his
shoulder.
"It's all right now because I'm alive, you see?" she kept her
expression as soft as her tone, " and I'll stay that way."
Andre looked at her through shadowed eyes.
Regret lashed through her. Andre's going to be eaten by this for some
time, she thought, I wish this whole mess hadn't happened...
***
Lis entered the Jarjaye's mansion through the back, darting through
the various rooms and corridors silently as to be unnoticed.
Finally she reached what used to be her room. Lis smiled at the
thought--it actually was *Oscar's* room. The room was clean and organized--
immaculate. No one could imagine by looking at it of the events that had
taken place there, now that the pieces of the vase were picked up and the
blood washed away.
She had brought only a small purse with her when she had briefly
taken Oscar's place; Lis walked over to the night table. Opening one of the
drawers, she removed two items from the purse she had left there and placed
them on top of the night table. One was a wicked looking dagger with a
golden hilt encrusted with precious stones and the other a small jar.
Lis grabbed a ribbon from the same drawer and tied it around her long blonde
hair. She then picked up the dagger.
Holding the ponytail away from her neck, she placed the dagger
underneath and sliced upwards.
She looked at the handful of her blonde hair with curiosity. Then
stuffed it in her small purse along with the ribbon that tied the golden
strands together.
I didn't know I was so sentimental, she thought.
Lis then darted to the bathroom with the small jar in her hands.
***
Lis hasn't come back and it's early evening, Oscar thought after
asking the maids if she had recieved any visitors. That bothered her,
despite everything, Oscar still didn't trust Lis too much.
And it's probably better that way, she though. She is, after all, an
assassin.
Oscar passed her old room and was surprised to find the door closed.
She knocked and after recieving no answer, opened it and went inside.
"I didn't know when you'd--," Oscar stopped in shock as her mind
registered the sight before her, "...be back."
The figure reading on top of the bed lifted her dark blue eyes and
smiled at Oscar, giggling a little at the surprise on the Commander's face.
She passed a hand through her now chin-long black hair.
"So what do you think?"
to be continued...
END part 8
feedback appreciated ---> crune@coqui.net
authors note:
I *hate* how this chapter turned out. I know I've said that all of The
Incident is, in essence, one big rough draft, but *this* chapter in
particular turned out more 'rough draft' that the rest. Still, I think I've
taken too long in writing it--so I'm posting it as it is as a stepping
stone to chapter 9, which hopefully will be a lot better. For now, you all
have my apologies and my pleads for constructive criticisms. And yes, in the
next chapter I'll explain about the hair. ^_^
Aria
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