Tastes like Chocolat

[Jacky]

"And you are!" Anouk added with a bright grin. She still hugged Roux, despite her mothers warning words. Anouk, however young she might be, had noticed the change in Roux as well. The distance he kept was reflected in the colors that Anouk saw burning clearly now. Even if they didn't exist.
Slowly, he warmed up though. He embraced Anouk in return, gave her a short but firm hug. "Yeah, I am, little stranger. How have you been?"

"Okay." Anouk's grin didn't leave her face when Roux let go of her and got back up.

"..Roux.. Maybe we should.." Zezette spoke up hesitantly.
As if he only just remembered her now, Roux looked at the girl for a moment. "...Oh, right. Uhm. Zet, this is Vianne and her daughter Anouk." He paused. "And this is Zezette. She's.. with us." He introduced them briefly.

[Jacksblackpearl]

"Nice to meet you" Vianne said in a polite way as she stepped towards them to pull Anouk back a bit. "how have you been?" Vianne asked Roux, staring into his eyes.
She felt bad for what had happened in Lansequenet, still, and she wanted to make sure that Roux had recovered losing his home. "Is everything back on track? Is your group okay again?"

[Jacky]

Roux looked back into her eyes for a moment, and managed a slight smile as he replied. "I've been good, Vianne. I've got a new boat." He diverted his eyes as he replied the last of her questions though, looking down to Anouk rather than at Vianne. "We're doing good."

Zezette, who still stood half hidden behind Roux, bit her lip as she watched the scene with a certain nervousness. She put a hand on Roux's arm again, holding on to him as if that made her feel safer.

"So, uh.." His gaze darted to Zezette for half a second, before his eyes were set back on Vianne's. "How about you? How've you been?"

[Jacksblackpearl]

"Oh you know.. always on the move" she said with a small unhappy smile. Things had become too crowded in Lansquenet, she could not stay there. And to make things worse she was also accused of Armande's death, even though the whole town knew that it was not her fault..
"We've lived here for about a month now, opened up a new shop..things are going good" She answered sincerely, though in the back of her head she could not help but wonder how long things would still be good. Once everyone would find out about Armande and Lansquenet she was bound to move again.
"You just came back from the town? " She wondered, keeping her eyes on Roux, unlike him. "I bet they did not welcome you with open arms?"

[Jacky]

"As usual." He shrugged, and managed another small smirk. "We manage though. We just need to make repairs, so we needed stuff for that. Other than that, we'll just steer clear of any villagers as far as I'm concerned."

"You should come to the chocolaterie some time!" Anouk spoke up. She had held her mother's hand for a while, and had been exceptionally quiet.. but she broke that silence now. "You could bring your friends." The little girl turned her eyes to Zezette as she said that.

Zezette's grip on Roux's arm tightened, and she inched even closer to him so she was basically standing against him. "That's.. alright. I don't like chocolate." She lied clumbsily. She turned to Roux next, almost whispering. "We should go back, Roux. This is no good. Please."

[Jacksblackpearl]

Vianne frowned boldly at the girl. this is no good ? What was her business? And why was she hanging on to Roux as if her life depended on it?
She did not like what she saw but figured that as far as Roux and his new friend or girlfriend were concerned she had no right to dislike it. He was not hers and they were never even together..
Vianne snapped out of her thoughts again when Anouk spoke up "Oh well.. Roux loves chocolate" she said with a smile "you're welcome any time to have some hot chocolate with us" she offered.

[Jacky]

"Yeah.. I'll come by sometime." Roux promised, though his attention was sort of divided between Anouk and Vianne on the one side, and Zezette on the other. Zezette had an anxiety over her that was so thick you could practically see it. And Roux too, in much lesser ways, looked sort of.. unsure about the situation.
On top of that, he looked over to Vianne once more, into her eyes.. and hesitated. "..We should go." He then said. There was a certain regret in his voice. He didn't take his eyes off her even as Zezette reached for his hand and took a hold of it (looking grateful with his decision to go now).
"Sorry, we're just.. there's stuff to do." His lie was obvious.

"I'm sorry too." Zezette said, her eyes resting on Anouk. She sounded sincere about it. Like she really regretted being so rude, and taking Roux away. Which she was. She just felt that she had no choice. If that Vianne finds out, then the rest of the village will know.. and before long they will be after us. They couldn't risk it.

[Jacksblackpearl]

"oh. Yes, well.. goodbye" she mumbled, taken aback by their sudden urge to leave.
"i'm sorry too" she whispered, when Roux and zezette were too far away to even hear her.

he did not even want to chat with us.. Vianne was still confused about this sudden and mostly odd encounter. In all those days that she had spend with Roux, and even with his friends, they were never this eager to get away from her. She knew it could not be her fault since everyone had always told her she was quite a pleasant woman to be around. What was it that made them flee for her then? Why was Roux lying so obviously? There were many more people aboard that floating house thing, they could all chip in and fix the work, he could have stayed and be polite and talk some more. If not for her then at least for Anouk, who had grown quite fond of him.
She stared after the two and glanced at their joined hands, feeling a slight sting of jealousy in her heart.

[Jacky]

Anouk took her mothers hand in hers, and silently watched as the figures of Roux and Zezette grow smaller in the distance. She was confused. Horribly confused. She had expected Roux to be happy to see them, but instead he had kept a certain strange distance. Anouk didn't understand why. And that lady - who was she? And why did she understand what Anouk and Vianne could not? Anouk bit her lip as she thought about it. The way the conversation had gone reminded her of the kids at school. Those who excluded her from games and talks because they said 'You won't understand, Anouk'. She always wondered why not, what their secrets were that she couldn't know. Roux and Zezette had a secret too, just like that.. why could Maman and her know? Why did Roux exclude them.
She hesitated for a moment.. put a hand behind her back and forked her fingers. She thought about it. She could try to call him back. Not in her real voice, but in a shadow-voice, very light. It wasn't magic. Not really. Just a trick, but sometimes, it works. She didn't dare to try though. Believe Maman, She told herself, unforking her fingers. Magic doesn't exist.
She bit her lip, as Roux disappeared from their view. "Can we go home now, Maman?"

[Jacksblackpearl]

"Yes, dear.. we can" she mumbled at her daughter, diverting her eyes from the now disappeared figures of Roux and Zezette. "I don't think we should bother the river people again, sweetheart. They seemed quite busy, we'll wait until Roux has time to come and drink some hot coco with us, right?" she forced a smile on her face for her daughter. If there was one thing she knew how to do best it was pretending to be happy in the eyes of her daughter. Sometimes she snapped, true enough, it was not always an easy part to play, but she mostly succeeded. It was not Anouk's business to know her mother felt lonely and awkward at times, she had to stay strong for her daughter who was feeling probably just as lonely when moving to yet another city.
"Let's see if Claire is finished with those bonbons yet, we can have some for lunch and then I'll take you to school myself" she offered.

Maybe I could sing him to me? (hahahah *ziet een klein indianen jongetje voor zich* (a) ) it wouldnt be magic... no more magic...but just for once? he was planning on coming anyway, why not speed up the process?