Joy Ride

[keaka]

Vincent rolled his eyes at the man. "Look, sir, I don't know what you told Allecher, but that boy will fall for anyone. I, on the other hand, have this oh so lovely job of keeping his arse out of mischief." He grumbled afterwords, "No matter how pointless it may be..." He stretched and cracked his neck, not seeing what Allecher saw in this guy. Or any guy for that matter. Relationships were worthless after all. "So would you do me a favor and back off already? I know you feel nothing for the boy, so just get it over with. Oh, and be gentle about it. I don't want to have to listen to the brat crying all night long again. It gives me a headache." With that said, he didn't feel like wasting any more time with this lollygag, so he let Allecher take over once again.

The boy looked around in confusion wondering how he had ended up off the horse and was standing next to his crush. Oh! I see! He must have rescued me! What a sweet heart! He giggled quietly to himself and looked back to Lucien. "I'm sorry, I lost track of time. I hope I didn't miss anything?" He asked in his sweet little innocent voice.

[Deleted]

Lucien laughed pleasantly. Looks like he could terrorize two people at once. What a lovely day this was! Lucien smiled at the now normal Allecher, curious as to what strange abilities he possessed. Perhaps he'd be worth more than anticipated. "No, you missed nothing. Melody simply went to eat." Lucien casually draped an arm over Allecher's shoulders and gestured toward the berry bush. "Shouldn't you be returning to your people soon? If you wouldn't mind, it would be lovely if I could taste more of your cooking."

Dramatic as always, Lucien sighed longingly. "I haven't had a true meal in a few days, and to be honest with you, I'm parched. Besides, I'd love to get to know you better." This one was naive. He had to get the other one out so he could reason with it. Pissing it off was probably not the best approach, but what the hell. Lucien didn't give a share.

[keaka]

Allecher smiled broadly and nodded eagerly. He couldn't believe it! Lucien was actually going to come home with him? He self consciously played with his hair, hoping it looked ok. "I'd be glad to cook a meal for you! I must forewarn you, although my clan means well, they can be a bit... Straightforward. The only real ruffians we have are the scouts, but not to worry, they'll be gone for quite a few days." He bent to pick up his berry basket and balanced it on his hip. "My clan lives just over that hill." He said pointing to the East.

[Deleted]

Lucien didn't care about his silly clan members. He could poison them all within a matter of seconds if he felt the need. He didn't want to be looked at with scrutiny, though. Punishment was not something he was fond of. "Great! You could climb on Mel and ride behind me if you'd like? It would be faster that way, and I don't dare to ride ahead and leave you behind here." Lucien said this with the facade of utmost concern for Allecher's well-being. He had ulterior motives, of course, but perhaps the man could come in handy later. Without a futher hesitation, Lucien whistled and Mel trotted over. In one fluid motion, Lucien climbed atop the horse and extended a pale hand to Allecher.

[keaka]

Allecher took Lucien's hand and climbed his way onto the horse. As he settled himself into the saddle, he wrapped his arms around the man's waist. Not only did he not want to fall off the giant horse, it also gave him an excuse to get a little closer. He smiled lightly to himself, gladly ignoring the little nagging voice that was screaming at him in his head. Vincent, don't give me your crap. You're just jealous that I found a cute guy that's actually interested in me. Back off. He siged as the nagging just continued. No matter, he did what he wanted. And that was that.

[Deleted]

Lucien urged Melody into a smooth lope; the horse took to it willingly despite the extra poundage she had on board. "It's right over this hill, right? Or was that a slight exaggeration?" The white haired man asked with a smirk, Mel nearing the top of the hill. As they reached the top, Mel instinctively slowed and walked to the hill's crest. "Oh, and be careful of the dagger at my hip. It wouldn't be wise to cut yourself." No, not at all. He'd die.

[keaka]

Allecher took care to avoid the dagger and pointed to the village as they drew closer to it. "This is it!" It was quite big for a simple clan; it was more of a castle. The walls were sturdily built and two guards were positioned at the gates. They recognized Allecher and let them both pass with nothing more than a mere nod. Allecher waved at them and blew a kiss there way. The guards were really sweet people... It took a lot of work to keep their people safe. Inside their barriers, a small market place was crowded with people. He tapped Lucien on the shoulder and pointed to a huge food court. "That's where I work!"

[Deleted]

For Christ's sake, this was not what Lucien had bargained for. He didn't know if this kid had been here before or not. This wasn't a 'clan' in the way Lucien thought of one, this was an army waiting to happen. Who were they allied with? Who ruled them? Perhaps he could come here and find a few more jobs within this clans sturdy walls. Gears in his mind clanking ferociously, Lucien made a point to look where Allecher pointed and steered Mel that direction. "Are we going there then? Or is there a safe place I could board my Melody beforehand?" What with all these people, he didn't want to run one over. Not because he had a problem with it, but because he didn't want to alarm others of his presence. For all he knew, some enemies lie in wait. He could never be too cautious.

[keaka]

Allecher couldn't stop grinning! There he was; on top of a horse (with a handsome man to boot!) and everyone was gawking like they were royalty! He heard the people whispering and smiled even more. "Hm? Ah, yes. Stables. If you follow the road here and take a left at the first turn, they're right there. I'll handle the expenses, so don't trouble yourself with that. You are my guest after all." He giggled and winked before dismounting the horse. "I'll meet you at that restaurant right over there. It's The Black Lagoon. Just tell the stable boy to take whatever it costs you out of Vincent's paycheck." And with that, the lad was off towards his beloved work.

As he approached the doorway, he saw Lumiere, his boss, staring at him through the window. He walked into the restaurant and peeked over at him. "I brought you the berries that you wanted..." Lumiere just gawked at him. "Alright, I give. What did I do this time?"

"What did you do this time?" The chef repeated with a heavy accent. "WHAT DID YOU DO THIS TIME?! I'll bloody tell you what you did this time!! Are you mad?! You bring in a good looking man like that and just walk off?! Get your arse back out there and bring him back! That idiot blote looked like he practically had gold falling out of his pockets! I could make a bloody good fortune off of him!!"

Allecher held up his hands in defence. "Calm down! Don't worry about it! I merely told him to go to the stable yards before coming back to eat! And-HEY! Don't go calling him an idiot blote! He's cute and I'm in love with him!!" Allecher gasped and slapped both hands over his mouth. He hadn't meant to say that so loudly! Or even out loud at all, really! He blushed a bright red before turning and leaving the kitchen area.

Lumiere just facepalmed at Allecher's brashness. Hadn't that boy learned yet? The poor thing was probably only going to get crushed like he did last time. Vincent hadn't taken kindly to that at all. The funeral and mourning lasted well over three weeks.

[Deleted]

Obeying Allecher's orders, for the sake of his Melody alone, Lucien took her in and ungreatfully handed the reins to the stable hand. "Alright, boy. Take it out of Allecher's paycheck. Oh," Lucien pulled a red rupee from his pocket, "you rub her down real nice and take care of her extra well, else you'll regret it. Here's the payment for the extra work." Lucien's vivid green eyes flashed as he spoke to the man, as serious as death itself. The boy nodded, not saying a word, and didn't move until the pale man was out of his presence.

He slowly made his way over to this 'black lagoon' place, contemplating how he could take over this clan and rule it for himself. That had to be a position that paid, right? It wasn't like he was hard up for rupees, but it wasn't like he wanted to spend more than he earned. He walked into the Black Lagoon and he felt many a pair of eyes turn to him and peer into his soul. Damn, did that make him feel good.

He popped a squat at the bar and looked around briefly before spinning himself around, eyes landing on the chef. Looked like a big pig, he did, definitely not the most handsome. He'd be fine with being in charge of him. "Excuse me, sir. What's the special?" Lucien tucked his hair behind his tattered ear, tone smooth like an iced over pond. His voice held a certain serenity that would make any quake in their boots.

[keaka]

Lumiere saw the man walk back into his shop and rushed over to greet him happily. "Good morning to you sir! Today's special is the crab with a side of fresh shrimp salad with biscuits and your choice of fruit. If you would like I could start you off with something to drink? We have the finest wine this part has to offer!" He handed him a menu with a list of all the different meals and drinks on it. "Hey, Allecher! Get back here! You've got a job to do!"

Allecher scurried over as he finished tying his apron on. Smiling politely, he brought out a pad of paper and a pencil. "May I take your order?" Lumiere waddled his way back into the kitchen to start preparing more food, hoping to strike it rich today. Who knows? If Allecher could turn his charm up a bit, maybe they could both strike it rich tonight! Though he was sure money wasn't what Allecher had in mind... He sighed, shook his head, and got back to work.

[Deleted]

"Seafood, eh?" Lucien eyed the menu. Wine was nice, but it was a rich man's drink. He looked up at Allecher and smiled. "I would like the special, but instead of biscuits could I get some bread? Oh, and an apple would be lovely. I'm sure you can do that without a problem. I'd also like a few of those berries you've picked. What kind of beer do you recommend?" Beer was his kind of drink. Earthy, rich, and the best thing since sliced bread. It also went well with sliced bread. He was just craving some serious carbs.

This place wasn't exactly the fanciest, but Lucien didn't mind. This was the kind of place where he could find a good job or two. Perhaps he'd have to start exploring these clans more often. The inside source he had already was working well into his favor. "You look very nice in that apron, Allecher, but don't you think it should be a bit more colorful?" Lucien said with a smirk, having a taste in more gaudy things.

[keaka]

Allecher blushed lightly at Lucien;s comment as he wrote down what the man was ordering. "Believe me when I saw that I suggested a change of design for the attire-I even offered to design them myself- but the boss wouldn't hear a word of it. He said it would be too much of a distraction to the guests." He winked and wandered his way back into the kitchen. He brought out Lucien's food in a moment's time and set the plates in front of him. "Here you are, sir," he said, acting all business like. "May I be of any other service to you?"

[Deleted]

"Well, he's no fun then, isn't he?" Lucien asked with a flirtatious grin. He looked at his food blankly for a moment, before taking a large swig of his beer. Ah, this place knew how to brew 'em. "I would like it if you had time to stay here and keep me company. If you can't however, I'd like to know what time you get off." He was dead set on finding out what this man was hiding. There had to be a reason as to why he had reacted so violently before, and he was bound determined to learn what really set this man off.

[keaka]

Shaking his head, Allecher sighed. "No, he's really not. But, it's a job, none the less. I would love to stay, but my boss would skin me alive if I linger more than necessary. I get out of work in about an hour. I won't ask you to wait for me that long, you may leave if you would like. " Allecher smiled lightly and adjusted his apron. He would feel awful to ask Lucien to wait an entire hour. He was sure the man had better things to do.