Caution: What Happens In France... {closed}

[DesperateDark]

"Hello?" The woman's voice was secure and calmer this time around "This is..." There was a pause, and Caleb sucked in a deep breath. Yes, he was very much in a panic, and he could feel the adrenaline pumping. "This is a friend of Reyes'."

"He's okay; he'll be fine. He says that you should smile, always. And... and..." There was another slight pause, and his heart might as well have leapt into his throat. This was his only connection to Reyes, even if it was indirect, and he would die if the person on the other end had hung up on him. "He says that you should forget about him and just live on."

"Huh?" He only caught one or two words, not even enough to get the gist of the answer, but her tone told him that it was something he needed to worry about. Caleb was trying his hardest not to lose it right then and there, but it was getting really hard not to completely freak out. He once again tried to speak English, but it ended up in a jumbled mess that he couldn't even decipher himself. Okay, so what was his English name again?

"Reyes," Caleb said simply, hoping that the woman on the other end caught on and handed the phone to Reyes. All he needed was to hear his voice right now, and maybe his heart would stop beating so fast and dislodge itself from his throat. "Talk to Reyes."

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Sonia had brought the phone a short ways from her ear, and Reyes could hear some more words coming from Caleb on the other end. He was definitely having a fit on the other end, and it was hard to listen to, even if it were snippets of conversation. Sonia, buy this time, had locked eyes with him and maintained his gaze as she repeated what he had told her to say.

Reyes himself felt extremely uneasy, and the two other customers that had come before them still had yet to leave. They took occasional glances over their shoulders to look at them, and before he didn't mind, but now it made him edgy. Why the heck did it seem like every person in the world was against him? Except for Sonia and Roblin, and maybe a few other people.

[Aras|Ofelia]

"Huh?"

Sonia nearly gave Reyes a helpless look, but at the last moment she changed it to something that could pass as dumbfounded. What was the point when she could barely communicate with this man? She had half a mind to shove the phone at Reyes, but she knew that that would be a terrible idea; he certainly had a reason why he didn't want to answer his calls.

Unfortunately, the person on the other end of the line seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "Reyes. Talk to Reyes," he said, words accented and hesitant.

Finally breaking eye contact with the man sitting before her, Sonia shut her eyes and shook her head wordlessly. It was a futile gesture, of course; the caller could not see her, and it would only make Reyes more on edge. Still, she said nothing for several seconds.

She opened her eyes again but avoided Reyes' gaze. "I'm sorry. He... can't talk to you right now. But he's okay--please believe me."

[DesperateDark]

Sonia became silent for a few more moments, and Reyes watched intently as she broke eye contact with him and spoke. "I'm sorry. He... can't talk to you right now. But he's okay--please believe me."

Caleb wasn’t going to believe her. Reyes already knew that from the start and denied it, but poor little Caleb would never believe Sonia. He quickly reached over to Sonia and took the small cellular device from her hand, looked down at in for a moment in hesitation, before flipping it closed with one hand. He hung up on poor little Caleb. He was fully intent on what he did, and staring down at the cell phone now, he felt worse then ever. Nobody had deserved that; to be lost and alone and heartbroken, and the only comfort snatched away. But he had to.

Reyes popped out the back of his phone and removed the battery before slipping out the SIM card. He did it quickly and without hesitation, snapping the small piece of plastic in half before dropping the fragments in his half-full glass of cider. No turning back now, what had been done was done. He stared blankly at the glass of amber liquid with the two black plastic pieces on the bottom. If Roblin wished to contact him, she couldn’t now; she’d have to wait until tomorrow. If Caleb wanted to speak to him, he’d never be able to again.

“So sorry…” He whispered quietly, not sure if the apology was for Sonia or Caleb. He wasn’t sure of anything anymore, was he?

[Aras|Ofelia]

Sonia had barely finished talking when Reyes plucked the phone from her hands and snapped it closed. "What--"

She fell abruptly silent as he began to dismantle the phone. He didn't stop after popping out the batteries and SIM card, however; with an air of finality, he gave the card a sharp twist and tossed the broken halves into his glass. With a soft clink, the pieces hit the bottom.

She stared at the remains of the SIM card through the translucent liquid, watching bubbles gathering on the surface. No-one spoke for a while. Even the other customers had ceased their chatter, as if they were waiting in hushed anticipation to see what would happen next. If that was indeed the case, Sonia wanted very dearly to tell them to mind their own business and send them off with a glare, but she could not turn around even if she wanted to.

“So sorry…” Reyes said quietly. He was looking down at the table, and Sonia wasn't certain to whom he was apologizing. Both of them, perhaps.

Now that the confusion had worn away, a dull irritation began to surface. She could easily empathize with the caller--after all, she had naturally tried to contact her brother in the same way--and she couldn't fathom why Reyes would not talk to him to put his mind at ease. On top of that, hanging up and destroying their only means of communication was not going to ameliorate the situation in any way.

"What," she said, her voice carefully devoid of emotion, "was that about?"

[DesperateDark]

"What," Sonia questioned, her tone was flat and empty of any emotion, "was that about?"

Despite her voice lacking any emotion whatsoever, Reyes felt and pretty much knew she was more then a bit aggravated with him. He was also, in no way, explaining his full story to her. It would take too long and she’d probably think he was insane. He picked up his glass and sloshed the liquid and pieces of plastic around a bit before placing it back down on the table. His crepes had long gone cold, and he was probably not eating until he reached Germany tomorrow.

“A lot of things,” Reyes said coolly, popping the battery back into his phone and making sure it still worked, even though it no longer had a SIM card and couldn’t make outgoing or take incoming calls.

But now she knew a lot of his story, but all he knew about hers was that her little brother went missing. What of it? Reyes fiddled with his napkin as he spoke. “A lot of things are going wrong, and not enough are going right. And what of your situation?” He needed to get this topic off himself.

[Aras|Ofelia]

Reyes' answer was maddeningly ambiguous. Sonia didn't even know why she was annoyed at him--after all, he had his right to secrecy--but no matter what she told herself, it was difficult to suppress the surfacing exasperation. Now that she had gotten past the tears, anger was slowly presenting itself as the dominant emotion.

Her eyes flashed irritation when he tried to turn the topic of conversation to her situation. "What more do you need to know?" she asked peevishly. "I was looking for my brother. The very fact that I'm sitting here and talking to you means I'm completely lost. I've no clue where I go from here; neither does anyone else, since I haven't heard a word from them all morning."

Her talisman's attempts to calm her down were partially successful. Its insistent nuzzling and whining at least made her think twice before she lashed out in earnest. Consciously unclenching the tight fists she'd formed on her lap, Sonia pointedly looked away from the phone in Reyes' hands. "I'd kill for a call right now. Ironic, huh?" she said bitterly.

[DesperateDark]

Sonia sounded more agitated then ever when she asked him what else he needed to know, though Reyes had enough brain in that skull of his then to answer. It was rhetorical, he could hear that very well. In a way, his talisman looked as if it were entertained by Sonia's distress, that sadist little caribou that wasn't so little at all. Reyes almost found himself entertained by it, but tried to bury it immediately.

"I'd kill for a call right now. Ironic, huh?" Her tone was resentful, and Reyes couldn't blame her a bit. She wanted the calls, though she was getting none. He didn't want the calls, yet he was getting all of them. Sonia was pursuing, Reyes was running. In a sense, their situations were so different, yet so alike. All he responded with was a simple nod of his head before he leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest.

The other patrons at the little shop had gone back to their own business, but still spared them a sideways glance every so often. Were all Europeans this meddlesome? Or was it just the French? His eyes drifted to the table, and on his own corner he saw the bundle of chrysanthemums she had gotten him. This brought everything back into perspective with an inaudible click in his mind. Reyes felt his normal emotions come back, and his talisman gave a disapproving snort. Of course, the caribou liked his 'other' side better then this one.

"I'm sorry," His voice was truly apologetic this time, and was directed at Sonia. The market was still bustling with people, yet everything seemed null and void in the face of his problems. Life was a pain in the ass sometimes.

[Aras|Ofelia]

Reyes had enough prudence to not answer her first question, which was fortunate for them both. Had he done so, Sonia's first instinct would have been to lean over the table and aim a good punch at his face. (She didn't do slaps. If she was going to hit someone in earnest, she might as well go all out.) Though that would have provided some form of catharsis, it ultimately would have made her more miserable. The only thing she'd achieve would be to make herself a new enemy.

Willing herself to clear her head, she sat in sullen muteness for several minutes. The waiter and the other patrons occasionally looked askance at them but kept to themselves. At least they weren't overtly nosy, she sardonically pointed out to herself.

Reyes' gaze fell on the chrysanthemums, and realization dawned on his features. "I'm sorry," he finally said. When Sonia didn't answer immediately, they lapsed back into silence.

The clamor of the market was a surreal mishmash of noises, at odds with the general quiet atmosphere of the cafe. The sounds fused into one inextricable jumble in her head. It was useless--not to mention pointless--trying to sort any of it out right now.

Biting her lower lip, Sonia shook her head. "It's not your fault," she muttered. "Just... just forget it."

[DesperateDark]

"It's not your fault," Sonia said under her breath, biting on her lip just like Caleb did when he got nervous. He nearly cringed at the sight, but kept the urge down. "Just... just forget it."

With nodded sullenly, but he doubted that he could ever forget something like this. And it had been his fault that this all happened, or at least the part with Caleb in it. His talisman hadn't been very convenient for him either, and he wondered if there was really a use to a talisman. Another deep sigh before he called the waiter over and asked for the bill. The food had gotten either too soggy or too cold to eat, and he decided to just forget the food.

Reyes insisted that he paid, both because he was a man and that he was the one to bring up the grief in the first place and Sonia had been kind enough to come up to him and talk to him. Afterwards, they both just sort of sat there in a tense silence for the next ten minutes or so.

Finally, a faint smile crept up on him as he took the chrysanthemums and looked at them for a second. Yes, they were beautiful, and today he had made a new friend. She had been nice to him, so he could only try to be nice back. "How do flowers every month make you feel?"

[Aras|Ofelia]

Since he insisted, Sonia let Reyes pay without a putting up a fuss. She didn't feel much like arguing, anyway, and neither did he; both of them could do without another corkscrew in the roller-coaster ride of emotions to which they had been subjected today. Perhaps it would have been better if they had simply passed each other in the flower stand without so much as a nod to acknowledge the other's presence...

Her talisman shook its head firmly. No, it wouldn't have been better. She would have wandered and sulked all day if they hadn't stopped to talk. Much in the way she had, he'd briefly let his emotions cloud his judgment. That was it.

Despite her willingness to forgive his mistake, they nevertheless sat in strained silence for a number of minutes. Neither could quite look the other in the eye. Sonia gazed fixedly somewhere off to Reyes' right, examining the pattern of the wallpaper with more attention than was at all necessary.

Reyes' voice interrupted her scrutiny of the printed flowers--she was probably going to have pastel petals sporadically swimming across her vision for the next couple of days--and she turned her focus back to him without reluctance. "How do flowers every month make you feel?" he asked, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Huh?" Her brow crinkled as she stared, uncomprehending, for a few moments. "What--oh." She searched his face for any sign of a jest. Finding none, Sonia tried for a cautious smile. He really was serious about this, wasn't he? "Go on."

[DesperateDark]

At first Sonia seemed confused as to what he just said, her brow wrinkled as seemed to search his face for any sign that he was pulling her leg. She smiled in a rather cautious manner, as if unsure how to proceed but have a quiet "Go on."

Reyes dug into his own bag, an army green Ed Hardy backpack, and brought out a pen and notepad, sliding it over to her with two fingers as if this were some sort of illegal drug deal. He couldn't help but smile at this thought, and nearly giggled, but bit his lip and held it in. It was inappropriate at this time anyways.

He liked flowers, and it would be rather difficult to find a man who would admit to that, but he did. Sending flowers made people happy, and whatever Sonia was going through, she need a little cheering up. It wouldn't be that hard, really. A bundle of flowers once a month wouldn't tax him at all.

"A flower for the lovely lady, once during a month's time shall lighten her heart of the world's deepest sorrows." Poetic now, are we, Reyes? Maybe, but he liked doing that. Reyes was into romance, which was probably why he was in such deep shit now, but he couldn't help it.

[Aras|Ofelia]

The faint smile lingering on her lips, Sonia watched as Reyes searched through his backpack. When he slid a pen and notepad to her, the smile widened. He wasn't joking, then. There really were sweet, considerate people in the world, and she was lucky enough to be sitting across the table from one of them. If she weren't thankful for small things like this, she would have very little to be thankful for at all.

"'I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck,'" she quoted, writing down her address in neat cursive lettering. Who had said that? It didn't matter. Perhaps she wasn't quite as poetic as Reyes, but she got her point across. "That would be..." She paused, unable to find the appropriate words for her gratitude. "Lovely. Thank you."

She pushed the pen and paper back to Reyes. "What about flowers for the young gentleman?" Sonia was certain that he would love receiving flowers as much as she would. Physical beauty aside, flowers were a sign that someone in the world was thinking of you. Even for the most independent of people, it would be an extraordinarily comforting gesture.

[DesperateDark]

Reyes grinned again, Emma Goldman was the wise lady who spoke of roses instead of diamonds. Her cursive had nice little loops in them, and it was pleasant to look at. When she asked if he would like flowers as well, he almost leaned across the table and gripped her in a hug. At least there was one person who cared in the world, and though making people happy was great and seemed to be a full-time job for him, sometimes he liked to be happy too.

"I don't know where I'm going yet," a small nod, somewhere in Berlin for all he knew as of now. Roblin would undoubtedly move them both somewhere else to get the tasks done, and then send him off again to wherever she thought he would be hardest to find. "I'll tell you as soon as I can find out where I'll be."

It was a promise he hoped would not turn into empty words. People say that talk is cheap, but then why was a man of his word so valued? It was these little things that confused Reyes, but what would that matter with what lay ahead? Another smile then a nod at nothing in particular. It would be horrible if he lost his mind now, he had gone too far to do that.

Reyes put the notepad back in his backpack, being careful it was in one of the pouches so it wouldn't fall out and become another empty promise.