#i will die for my little meow meow lucien

[botslayer9000]

So I'm on a bit of a Ni No Kuni kick recently, and it seems like there's a small community of fans here on tumblr. So, has anybody else here ever lost themselves in thought about how Lucien was really just some guy? He wasn't a sage, or descended from one, or any kind of royalty. He was probably some peasant dude who decided "yeah sure I'll study magic and become a soldier to protect my country" and was dragged into a war of aggression because of it. Literally just some dude. He was a practical nobody from a village that doesn't exist anymore in a country that hasn't survived to the present day who became one of the most powerful, feared figures in the entire other world, partly because he was functionally powerless to do anything else before he got that power of hatred and despair level up. Anybody else think about that sometimes? Because I do

[seizethegrey]

DON'T FEAR THE RAVEN QUEEN

ON MOLLY, FEARNE, ORYM, AND WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER PULL THE PUNCH ON A KILL SHOT.

Something I think all DMs, players and fans of D&D should examine about PC death is the way it can transform a campaign.

Let's look at C2, and generalize that to what could change about C3 (and by extension, what can change about YOUR campaign at home).

There will NEVER be a moment at your table more memorable or pivotal than a PK. I would say it is more or less the only time I have invariably seen tables simply forget about their DM for the rest of the session.

For once, the DM is irrelevant. The players are grieving for a character they wanted to see develop, and the characters are grieving for a companion lost too soon.

And for those of us consuming a game as a piece of fiction in a format that is ostensibly not unlike any other show or stream? Suddenly, the difference is immeasurable.

We've all seen so many characters die, and sometimes we've seen our own personal little baby meow-meow moon-and-stars die in the stupidest way possible. But even if the death was a surprise for us, it wasn't a genuine surprise for the actors.

With a PC death, we're seeing something radically more raw. We look on in shock and horror as the genuine fear of rolling death saves transitions abruptly into the panic of a rez attempt and the crushing, all-consuming grief that grips the table when the rez fails and the last available component is consumed.

It's a fictional death that feels more real than any other medium would allow for. As someone whose entire life was consumed with grief starting from that first time I watched someone die gasping in March 2020, watching Molly die (much later than some of you did, but I had NO IDEA it was going to happen) was a moment so crushingly recognizable that it ripped me from the narrative and forced me back into my own skull. Caught completely off-guard, I scrambled to yank off my headphones as a panic attack slammed into me with concussive force, stuck in a place I'd tried to avoid for months.

When I managed to put myself back together enough to put the headphones back on, Matt is asking for last words. Then Taliesin storms from the table, leaving behind a party as shocked and bereft as the audience.

The path they forge from that moment forward defines the campaign. Many parties do everything to bring a character back to life, rewriting the DM's plans - but this party didn't want that. They didn't want to take away the significance of Molly's loss. Instead, the characters canonized their (deeply flawed) dead friend. It was that sainthood, that rose-colored view of a man who in life had been so varicolored, that made the incredible conclusion of the campaign possible. It made the party willing to spend so much time and so much conversation with a BBEG that wouldn't have been possible unless they hadn't been convinced that Molly was in there somewhere. It made Lucien's presence traumatic and upsetting for the party and the viewers alike without a single bit of violence being required (though of course there was violence, and that was horrifying).

Sitting alone at home, taking frequent pauses to calm my breathing, I took something away from the depictions of both Lucien and Kingsley that I am sure other survivors of disaster did as well. I felt for the first time that you can try to go back - but that you can't. And what's more, if you could go back, the dead would look at you in surprise. They would look at you with sadness in their eyes - not for themselves, but for you.

I'm dead, they would say. I'm not coming back. You fought a war for me - and the war won.

Don't cheapen it by asking God to undo it.

I'm glad you don't just remember me as a time of death, as yet another line on which you copied the ICD-10 code for acute hypoxic respiratory failure, whatever the fuck that is. I'm glad that to you, I was a person.

But people die.

You didn't kill me, doc. Being born did.

Now stop trying to get into this god damn grave with me? There isn't room for two.

The decision to let death win was a choice that fundamentally made C2 the incredible story that it became. As popular as C1 remains, I don't think it holds a candle to the sheer emotional punch packed by C2. All of that was because they let Molly die.

So what would character death mean for C3?

First, some technicalities: Fearne is the one with the second Revivify slot, so she'll be the first rez attempt. Her chance of dying right now is about 15%. Orym's is 24%. So I'll focus on Orym first.

If Orym dies, he will have died within minutes of realizing that he's going to be killed by the person - the single person - who killed his husband. The party will be unable to do anything but stand and watch as the person who murdered their friend in front of them walks away.

It's worse than that, though. Otahon isn't just the woman who killed their friend. She's the reason Orym left his happy, tranquil life in Zephrah, the very person who single-handedly uprooted him from a place he'd hoped he'd live and die in peace and sent him on this quest that ended his life. She's the beginning of his misery and the end of it. She's the reason.

The best among their number, the only decent, normal person, will have died because of this woman that defeated them, this woman who now has a direct line of communication to the most powerful member of the group. If she didn't just chase Laudna's mind when she heard her thoughts on the balcony, she might even walk away with Treshi. It all would have been for nothing.

This will have happened either because FCG's first Revivify on Fearne failed, or because Fearne's Revivify on Orym failed. The crushing immediacy of "my failure caused his death" will be a lie - but a lie that will consume them both.

FCG will blame himself no matter what, feeling his actual purpose is now invalidated. He's not just a bad person - he's a bad healer. (My therapist will be hearing a lot about this one).

Fearne will have failed to save the guy who's been at her side from the beginning, the first tank to ever soak up hits for her. This is the person who might have been happy again with Dorian (and/or Ash), the person that might have made Dorian (and/or Ash) happy, too. This was her moral center, and now he's broken and bleeding at her hooves because of her inadequacy - morally, ethically, magically, personally.

And what about if we lose Fearne?

If that happens we're looking at a complete refocus on the Nightmare King. If he hadn't asked for the weave lens or kept her parents in his thrall, she never would have left the Feywild. She might have lived her life in Morri's fane, mercifully unaware of her fate as a Ruidus-born. Also, the way she left it with her parents? Fucking kill me now, please, before I have to pressage the thought of listening to that Sending.

Everybody has to die somehow - and I don't imagine for a second that the party will do what home games do all the time. No one will want to pursue a True Resurrection spell. If that was the answer to this party's problems, then Orym would have just asked Keyleth to do that and he'd still be at home with Will. This isn't about them - this is about the fate the moon has in store for them.

Now more than ever, they will recognize that all of them might die on this quest. And yet, we know them well enough already to know that they aren't going to hesitate. They're going to do what brave, lawful good Orym and chaotic neutral Fearne had both set as their highest personal priority.

Exandria matters. They don't. They'll have lost the only man who would have told them otherwise with an authority they'd have listened to.

I hope they don't die - but if they do, I know their stories won't die with them. They will become the stars that the group navigates by, the pearly light of Catha that illuminates their passage through the dark.

[andromedasummer]

Summer plz do the blorbo post for elder scrolls / skyrim if an entire franchise is too many to pick from, OR your fire emblems

LAURA ILY okay i will do both canon elder scrolls characters and also custom followers because... they tend to have more personality AND i will also do my beloved fire emblems

Elder Scrolls + Custom Followers:

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most)

Lucien Flavius okay hes just. Hes my dragonborns best friend. Her unrequited love. Her walking dictionary. The person that proves shes still capable of falling in love. The person and reflective of the world she wants to protect. The person she hopes shes friends with till the end of time. Hes important to her and hes important to ME.

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped)

All of the kids characters but especially and specifically Sissel and Britte. Both girls are abused by their dad (with one girl taking it out on her sibling to cope) and its a tradition to use my thane pass kill him in every playthrough i do and adopt his kids. Have done so for the past 10 years of playing this game. They are my babies. I will raise them well.

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave)

I really love all of the companions even though I hate the companions history. I feel like characters like Athis and Ria don't get enough love compared to more popular ones like the twins and Aela. Ria is like the nicest person to you when join! Shes still learning and likes hanging out with Vilkas! Shes nice! And Athis is the only elf unless you play an elf character. Which opens up a lot of cool dynamic stuff about his own experiences in the companions and how your presence could change things!

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason)

Any of the shitty racist stormcloaks. Any of the shitty racist thalmor. Nebarra specifically in convoluted and irritating ways.

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave)

Everyone is so MEAN (in a funny way) to Martin Septim yes hes weak monk white boy but have you considered when he died I was 13/14 and he was my HoK's best friend and the only part of the game i remember is him sacrificing himself for you and all of Tamriel and I cried so hard my parents wouldn't let me use the family computer afterwards??? Have you all considered that???

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week)

I love Brelenya and Onmund and J'zargo they got so fucked over by the college's insane shit happening. only students at the country's single academy for magic and we all only ever had one lesson truly the worst college experience <3

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell)

Goodbye Ulfric you stupid shit. I'm taking over the Stormcloaks, wiping out the racist scapegoat-like moron opinions of it all and focusing on being anti-thalmor, anti-genocide and pro-immigration i am calling ALL peoples of skyrim to fight for its independence i am calling hammerfell to help and high rock to help i am uniting tamriel against the thalmor and i am make them die.

Fire Emblem:

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most)

ROBINROBINROBINROBIN shes my girl shes my oc shes mine fire emblem shes my girl shes been through so much I am writing a 75 part story about her I have word docs full of aus about her past i love her so much my friend commissioned art of her for my christmas present shes my sister my queen my everything

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped)

i would kill for owain you all dont understand thats my fucking boy. adhd/autistic king of naming swords. extremely romantic and also a nerd. gone through so much but still so full of goodness and love and SO creative and articulate i'm so fucking mad they screwed up his romance in fates because the romance he has with the player character in awakening is uncomfortable i refuse to date the 2nd gen characters.

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave)

you are all so ignore Frederick. literally enemies to lovers with robin but instys fucked it up. fantastic husband and father in awakening. hardworking dedicated man

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason)

i think it would be funny to put ingrid in a jar and shake her till all the racism falls out. might take a while but i am good at causing hurt.

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave)

edelgard was right minus the fascism. she had every right to destroy the church though and i would do it again. just.... maybe not put her in power next time. shes not really got the ability to consider many other peoples opinions. ironically too set in her ways.

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week)

Gatekeeper fucking obviously. That my boy.

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell)

if youve been on call with me while talking about fire emblem you would know about the vicious hatred i hold in my heart for corrin and how weak of a fucking character they are. They actively make me mad the entirety of all 3 fates storylines with their shit decision making and flimsy ideals. i hate them with my entire life they can fuck of.

[spoiler1001]

The Nonagon taking mortal pleasures was unheard of to Cree. When making themselves the Nonagon that had to go. There was no mortality to concern themselves with. Cree could see the Mighty Nein poisoning Lucien. This tower was full of temptations that would pull a weaker man to their grip forever. Cree wouldn't let that happen. 

Maybe all she needs to do is poison the pot a bit. A click of a door and a bit of burning should do the trick. 

Cree tapped against the door handle, whispering a spell under her breath. The knob cracked and shifted ever so softly. 

--------------

Lucien hated the Mighty Nein. There were only seven of them, but each of them had a way of digging at them. All of them looked at him like they knew him, and they did. Even the strange cow man that spoke with the wisdom of many lives. They were right. Lucien was lost in thought. The bathwater was hot. Lucien was comfortable. His body was pulling himself to…. Nope. Lucien straightened up, ignoring the heaviness of his eyes. No. He was stronger than that. 

Lucien looked at the snake on his arm. The colors were vibrant, bright. Lucien closed his eyes. Images of bright colors and joy and acceptance. Lucien opened his eyes and his cheeks were wet. Oh. No. No. No. This didn't happen anymore. He was the nonagon. This is all that's...left. Lucien took a step out of the tub. He was shaking. The water on him became colder as time went on. There was a soft robe waiting for him when he was done. Next to the robe was a fluffier cat. Lucien could see the fey magic surrounding the creature. There was warmth in its eyes. Lucien stuck his hand out towards the cat, his hand shaking. The cat purred and rubbed its head against his hand. There was joy in the body language. This magic cat was happy to see him. Lucien smiled and picked up the cat, rubbing his face into the belly of the cat. It was soft, some cat hair stuck to his face but he didn't mind. 

"You are a darling." Lucien hummed and put the cat down. The cat meowed at him and Lucien slipped on the robe.

It was more of a cover. Lucien pulled it over his head and his hair dropped passed his shoulders in dark purple curls. The material was silk and lace. It was black and red. It complimented him, like the creator of the tower thought about what he would look best in for many moments. It was his perfect measurement. Lucien pondered talking to Caleb about that. 

Lucien took a step towards the door. The knob didn't turn. The door didn't rattle. There were no creases from the door separating it from the wall. The room was a box. Oh no. No. Lucien was trapped. 

Lucien's chest tightened. Flashes of graves made their way through the back of his mind. Hisses left his throat. Lucien felt a soft tail brush his own. Lucien looked down and that fluffy cat was at his feet.

"Darling, I seem to be in a situation." Lucien picked up the cat and placed a kiss on his head. "Would you be able to get help?" The cat meowed and vanished. Lucien took a deep breath. He was fine. He was locked in a box that didn't really exist in the main world. He was fine. He was fine he was-

Alone. Abandoned. There was no one here. The air was getting thin. He felt- 

No, he was powerful. A leader. Chosen. He couldn't be scared. 

He was alone. No one was there to hear him. Lucien opened his mouth to say something but his vocal cords wouldn't make a noise. Lucien felt tears build in his eyes as he curled around himself, sitting in a fetal position with his head down and arms folded over his knees, wondering briefly if he would see-

There was a ripping noise to the side of Lucien. He looked over and the door turned to paper from the center and caused it to rip into ribbons. Familiar red hair flashed but Lucien's attention was on a little furball running to him.

Lucien felt dizzy and standing up wasn't an option. The cat climbed under Lucien's arms. 

"Are you alright?" Caleb's voice was soft but he didn't touch him. 

"Why do you care? You said that you didn't like me." Lucien felt anger build up in his chest. His voice was weak, shakey. It was barely above a whisper. 

"I did not like you at the moment I said it, but cooperating and not immediately treating my group and I like expendable tools works wonders on changing that." Caleb sat down next to him. "Now can you stand?" 

Lucien was quiet for a moment. "I am not hurt, but…" Lucien leaned into the human. "What kind of room-?"

"I didn't do this. I promised you a safe night. This was...I don't know what happened." Caleb looked at the hole in the wall. "I'll have some of the cats check it out. They have good noses."

"Caleb- I know this is asking a lot but- I don't want anyone to-" Lucied held the cat in his arms. 

Caleb stood up. "I won't tell a soul." Lucien looked up at Caleb, just feeling drained. 

"Bed?" Caleb asked. 

"I can't-" Lucien huffed. 

Caleb nodded and simply replied by picking up the tiefling. Lucien gasped, his tail wrapping around Caleb's waist. Caleb didn't have an issue doing so and hummed. "Bed." 

Lucien just looked at the skinnier than nothing wizard holding him.

"Something wrong?" 

"You picked me up like I weighed nothing to you." 

Caleb just shrugged. 

----------------

Lucien understood that fragment of himself a bit more now. Being wrapped in a blanket with Caleb running his hands through his hair was so sweet it felt forbidden. Caleb was reading his fairy tale book from his table. The Zemnian was hypnotic, Caleb's voice was low and raspy, and Lucien understood him the entire time. Maybe it was one of the blessings of being the Nonagon.  Lucien felt his eyes get heavy. Lucien jerked and wrapped his tail around Caleb's thigh. Caleb stopped his hand movements and looked at the tiefling.

"What is it?" He whispered. 

"It's nothing-"

"You could never fool me." 

"I could feel sleep pull me under." Lucien pulled his blanket closer. 

"You can rest." 

"But- I don't want to die. Or have you leave. I can't be alone again" 

"Lucien, breathe. I am here. I will stay. We are safe here." Caleb grabbed frumpkin laid him on Lucien's chest. "This one helps me sleep." 

The cat purred on Lucien's chest. That was cheating. "Don't leave without me." Lucien hummed. 

"I am always within reach. Trust in that." Caleb placed a kiss on Lucien's forehead. He continued reading the story. 

Lucien fell asleep to dreams of Cats and dancing. 

[mobydyke]

ask game: critrole! but you pick which group :)

blorbo (fav): this was the hardest but we're calling it w/ percy+vex. i literally have not stopped thinking about them since 2017

scrunkly (baby): cad!!!!! the most friend shaped character ever!! king of kindness and roasts (me too buddy me too)

scrimblo bimblo (underrated): people are sleeping on tary!!!! he's so good 😭

glup shitto (obscure): well up until 2 months ago it was chetney but he's not obscure anymore. Kima is my fav npc tho. every time she even gets mentioned I'm like 👀

poor little meow meow (pathetic): lucien. he's evil and i love him ur honor he is so much fun to watch <3

horse plinko (deserves torment🙂): avantika. undead hot pirate wife i care u. also raishan for similar reasons

eeby deeby (deserves superhell 😠): syldor vessar. literally go die in a pit

send me a fandom!

[lu-undy]

Chapter 91 - SBT

Here it is!

The key jingled on the door handle and Lucien pushed the door. 

"Meow, meow!" 

"Bonjour, mes bébés…!"

[Hello, my babies…!]

He crouched down and dealt scratches and slow blinks to both of the cats before removing his jacket and shoes. He headed for the kitchen but on his way, he saw the tray with the kettle and tea in the cups. 

"Dad est à la maison?"

[Dad is home?]

He asked Perle who slowly blinked before trotting away to the stairs with Soot. They both sat on the first few steps and meowed again and again. 

"Qu'est-ce qu'il y a?"

[What is it?]

They continued meowing until Lucien decided to follow them. They climbed up the stairs with him on their heels and when they arrived at the top, Lucien saw his bedroom door open and he could see Mundy standing up next to the bed. His shoulders were hunched slightly and his overall posture screamed that something was wrong. 

Lucien frowned and went to him. 

"Mundy, mon amour, are you - oh?" As soon as he stepped in the room, Lucien saw Caroline, her jaw dropping. Behind her was the open wardrobe and Mundy was still hiding his face in his hands. "Caroline? My apologies, I did not know you would visit us." Lucien extended his hand for her to shake but she didn't take it. 

The silence in the room weighed a ton. 

"So you live… together, eh?" She asked. 

"Oui, we-" 

She raised her hand and Lucien stopped talking immediately. 

"Was that what you meant when you said you lived together?" She asked and Mundy nodded. "You meant that you… you…"

Mundy nodded again, incapable of looking his mother in the eye, let alone speaking. 

"So all the things you said about when you beat him up and… and the sheila you fancied…? Was there ever a sheila you loved?" She asked and Mundy shook his head. "It was him that you…?" Mundy nodded. 

Lucien watched the conversation like a tennis match, his head swooshing from one to the other. He wanted to hold Mundy, bring him comfort but he couldn't. Not now, not in front of his mother and not in such a crucial moment. 

"You live together because you and him, you…?" Mundy nodded. "That's why you made me swear not to tell your dad?" He nodded again and sniffled. Lucien took a step towards Mundy. 

"Hold on, you." She said and Lucien froze. "Tell me the truth." Her tone was demanding and she looked as though she started to get angry. 

"The truth?" Lucien repeated. 

"Yeah, you heard me." 

"Very well. Let us go back to the living-room and have him sit down first and I shall oblige." 

About a minute later, the three of them were back downstairs. Mundy and his mother sat on the sofa while Lucien gave them some space and took a seat on an armchair.

"Go on then." Caroline insisted. 

"Fine. My name is Lucien de Beauregard. I used to work as a spy for the French government. France had some business to settle with Duchemin and when they finally managed to pinpoint his location, they called me back to deal with him the way that I saw fit."

"Was the story about your fiancée and your son true at all?" 

"Oui, absolutely true. France wanted to sue him and throw him in a prison cell, but I wanted to torture him, make him suffer and maybe give him the ultimate liberation of death, if I had grown an ounce of pity for the man. So I flew to Australia, got a cover job as a singer in the Queen Victoria that Duchemin liked to have dinner in. That is where Mundy saw me, without knowing that it was me." 

"Yeah, he told me about it." 

"Then came the days of rivalry between him and me. We would always end up fighting, physically, over who would kill Duchemin. But at some point, it all flipped, and here comes one of the reasons why."

Perle came trotting and seeing Mundy so distraught she jumped on his lap and stood on her back legs to brush her head on his hands. Mundy finally removed them off his face and hugged her. His breath was still erratic. Soot joined and both purred and meowed softly, trying to bring some strength to the poor Aussie. 

"He knew I had rescued Perle." Lucien went on. "And for quite a long while, he thought that she was the woman I share my life with. It quickly changed when he met her and understood that she was in fact the kitten that I had rescued, or maybe she rescued me. In any case, we started cooperating and we promised each other that we would catch Duchemin together. However, we both lied that day."

Caroline's eyebrows twitched. 

"I saw how kind Mundy was and how innocent and far he was living from Duchemin and his business. He didn't deserve to kill him and perhaps die for that. On the other hand, I, as a spy, was paid for this and was doing it with pleasure to avenge Marie and Jérémy." 

Lucien took a deep breath and sighed. 

"Did you tell her about the masquerade ball?" He asked Mundy and the Aussie nodded. "Good. I guess then that he told you everything until today."

"No." Mundy said, and both Caroline and Lucien's head turned to him. "I didn't tell her what happened after Duchemin died." 

"Ah," Lucien nodded. "Then let me explain this." He cleared his throat. "Whoever killed Duchemin would be the next man to die as his partners in crime would no doubt chase that person down until they were dead and buried. Mundy suggested that he should be the one sacrificing his life and would hide in the desert. But I disagreed. So without telling him, on the day that we blew Duchemin up in that hangar, I made everyone believe that the second corpse they found was mine." 

Caroline's eyebrows jumped. 

"I spent more than a year living like a hermit in a forest, leaving no trace of my living anywhere." 

"Why?" She asked.

"Because… When I started this mission, I was gladly walking to my death. Who cared about me? No one. I am an old man and I had no strings attached to this Earth. I had known love in almost all its forms and if I were to die, so be it." Lucien explained. "But during this mission, not only did I rescue Perle, but I met with a man whose honesty and kindness made me question my own humanity. And suddenly, as easily as a bat of his eyelids, I wanted to live again, to live longer. And if it wasn't to make him happy, then at least, to see him happy, even if I wasn't the cause of it." 

Caroline put a hand on her mouth slowly, to cover her jaw dropping again. 

"I sacrificed my life that day and Mundy buried a coffin that he didn't know was empty. He had buried the spy, the liar, the man with the wealthy tastes in life. Little did he know that he single-handedly gave birth to a better man in me."

"He made me believe he was dead for a year and uh…" Mundy said and sniffled. "I thought I'd go again through ten years of shit." 

"Hold on, when did you… you know…?" Caroline asked, frowning.

"When did we fall for each other?" Lucien asked. "God only knows, I cannot pinpoint the exact day it happened. But I found myself thinking about Mundy not like a partner in a mission, but someone I wanted to protect from himself, from the danger he was throwing himself into."

"And uh…" Mundy added. "I uh… When he sang, he was a completely different man. He was so… sensitive. I thought he was understandin' things that I had never managed to put words on." 

"After more than a year in isolation, during the winter, Mundy came to the forest where I was hiding."

"What? How?" Caroline asked. 

"Maurice asked me to take a break off work. Back then I had Pearl, Soot and the kittens. But I'd lost Lu' and… Life just wasn't the same. So I went there, where the lake Dad used to take me to is."

"And I hid there because it was a place I had visited Mundy in a few times. I had good memories attached to it." Lucien said. "One night, I decided to confront him and tell him the truth. I had seen him there for a few days already and when I saw the van, I was sure that it was him…" Lucien raised lovestruck eyes to Mundy and Caroline's eyes snapped wide. She recognised that gaze, she had seen it during dinner, multiple times, but she never understood it! 

"I fainted when I saw him. He had changed quite a bit. Long hair, beard and moustache, no suits. But it was him." Mundy said before turning to his mother. "After that, Maurice helped us change Lu's name and get his money back. We started working together and instead of living in the van, both of us with the six cats, Lu' took me here, in this house. He made me visit it and I agreed to buy it with him and uh… live together." 

Caroline looked at Mundy and then at Lucien. 

"Hold on…" She blinked repeatedly, trying to process everything. "Why hide for so long?" 

"Because I had a reason to live that I didn't want to harm. I had to make the world believe that I had died for good. Maurice confirmed my death and even he was convinced that I had passed. But the answer to your question is to protect Mundy and have… a chance, to dare try and flip the odds in my favour. Life had taken everything from me but suddenly gave me Perle and Mundy. I won't let her take them away from me." He answered. "Unless they want it." His eyes went to Mundy. 

"Mum…" He took a deep breath. "This is… all the truth, everythin' we just said now and what he'd said at dinner the other day. You know all the story now."

"No." She answered. 

"What? Yeah it is, I swear! I swear there's nothing else, Mum!" 

"Mundy." She called him by his full name and the Aussie lowered his head. "You or Lucien haven't told me the most important part of all of it! You haven't told me any truth!"

"What?!" Mundy's head jerked back up. "Mum! I swear!" His head swooshed to Lucien. "Lu'! Tell her, please!"

Lucien shook his head. 

"You mother is right, Mundy." 

"Wha-?" Mundy's jaw dropped and his eyes welled up. 

"You need to say it, out loud."

"Say what?" Mundy's voice jumped an octave. 

"Say what you feel." He answered calmly, and nodded to give him the strength for it. 

"U-uh… I… Gnh!" Mundy grabbed fistfuls of his own hair and lowered his head. "I can't… I can't… I can't…!" 

He sounded out of breath and Lucien couldn't take it anymore. He moved away from his armchair and knelt on the carpet next to the sofa, by Mundy's feet. He hugged him and whispered in his ear. 

"Mundy, you can do this, mon amour, and whatever happens, I will be where you want me to be, I love you and I will not stop loving you. Be strong, mon amour, be strong for yourself, for your mother, and because you are an honest man." 

Mundy slowly let his hands sink and raised his red, swollen eyes to his mother. 

"Mum… I… I can't live without him. He's always been there, he's always… put me first, put us first. He's… You see a fancy, posh bloke but I swear, he really is more than that, so much more. He saved me and… and…"

Lucien clenched his grip on Mundy's thigh while Caroline frowned harder. 

"I love him, Mum! There! I said it! I bloody love him! I can't live without him, I can't wake up without him and I can't go to sleep without him! He's everything! He's been everythin' when you and Dad were dead! He was the only one who cared about me since then! He…" Mundy burst out sobbing. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry I don't like a sheila! I tried Mum, I really did! I don't hate them, but none of them are good to me like Lu' is, none of them help me grow like him! None of them I felt like I wanted to get a house and a job with! I know we won't give you kids, I know you wanted me to give you grandkids and all I'm givin' you is a bloke and bloody cats…! I'm so, so sorry…!" 

Mundy emptied himself through his sobs, his voice cracking at every other word. He sniffled and his breathing was out of any kind of sync. He wrapped his arms around himself and his teeth chattered as he rocked his upper body back and forth. 

Lucien was devastated. His lover's honesty and courage was sawing him in half. He walked away from him and came back a second later with a box of tissues. He knelt down on the carpet again and pulled one out of the box. Caroline snatched it off of his hand and Lucien backed off slightly. By no means did he want to weigh like a burden or even worse, be an obstacle, between her and her son. 

She ripped the tissue in halves and handed him one. Lucien's eyebrows jumped. His eyes went from the bit of tissue to her eyes. She smiled. 

He grinned in return and both sandwiched Mundy in a hug, Caroline on the right, Lucien from the left and they wiped his face. Mundy slowly opened his eyes and realised that both were holding him and he burst out sobbing again. 

"Mum…"

"Sshhh, it's okay, Micky… I-I don't really get it but… But you work well together and, now that I know Lucien better, I understand what kind of guy he is and… I can't really ask you to leave him or anything, can I?"

Mundy cried and Lucien took another tissue and gently wiped his eyes. The Aussie grabbed his hand and hugged it against his chest. 

"But Micky, can I ask you, did you ever have any girlfriends before? Or any other… uh… companion? Is Lucien the first one to-"

"Yeah…" He nodded and his eyes were now burning. "I-I got a few sheilas, here and there, but none of them saw me like a normal guy… It wasn't because I could also like blokes, they didn't know about it, it's just because they thought I was the kind of guy who just roamed the desert and couldn't really build anythin'... They weren't wrong but… But it changed, with Lu' it's all different now, I… I was the one to actually tell him that we should settle down, get jobs and live normally… I wanna live normally…" 

"And you do live normally, sweetie. I'm sorry you were so scared to tell me." Caroline pulled him in a hug and Mundy dived to her chest. "You're my boy, Micky, even if you didn't come out of my belly, you're my baby, I raised you and I love you. I just want you to be happy and… I never saw you as you are now, it's like you're a completely different man!"

"Wh-what d'you mean?" Mundy's breath hitched. 

"The last time we spoke, before the incident at the farm happened, you were a loner! You'd come home from time to time, argue with your dad, and if I don't catch you before you go, you'd be off for days on end…!" She cupped his cheeks and wiped his tears away with her thumbs. "But look at you now…! You're a Dad yourself, you're living with someone who loves you and you love them, you got a job, pay the bills and all…!" 

He looked at her with big, round, kitten eyes. 

"I'm proud of you, Micky."

"Really? You're not mad? You still wanna talk to me? You don't find me disgusting? You don't-"

"What a load of nonsense!" She snapped. "Micky, this is your first meaningful love story and you're telling me that all of this never happened before because of… us?! Your own parents? You're not young anymore and this isn't just a fancy or a whim, is it?" 

Mundy shook his head. 

"How long have you been together?" She asked. 

"I… I don't know but that one time I got him out of his bath, as I was cooking for him, he clung to me and… And Mum, I just… stuff happened inside me, I felt so good. I felt things and stuff and… I-I wanted to hold him back and I remember I uh… I wrapped an arm around him and he… He leaned on me, Mum! In that second I wanted to just drop the spoon I was holding and just hold him with both arms!" 

"You could have." Lucien said with a smile."I would have let you. I thought you just wanted to help me stand." 

"Y-yeah, that was the uh… official reason." Both exchanged a smile. 

"Micky," Mundy turned his head to his mother and she adjusted his hair while Lucien gave him a tissue and he continued to dry his eyes. "I'm very happy for you… I just wish you could have been honest right at the start."

"Couldn't. Not with Dad around."

"I understand, Micky."

"You still won't tell him, right?" 

"I promised and swore. I won't tell your father a thing. But I'd like to know a bit more." 

"Yeah?" 

"Lucien," She turned to the Frenchman. "Tell me more." 

"Gladly, but what about?"

"When you look at Micky…" Caroline brushed her son's face and removed her hand. "What do you see?" 

"I feel like I am home." Lucien answered and smiled sweetly at his lover. He reached for his hand and held it, lacing his fingers between Mundy's. "He is what I could never be and thought no one was. With my past as a spy, I learnt to see everything as a cleverly fabricated lie at best, a trap at worse. But Mundy showed me that honesty, almost naivety, existed. I learnt that it was possible to trust blindly, for the sake of not himself, but some other thing. Caroline, during all that time that we worked together, I never told him my name or even that I was a spy. I never told him how I came to know so much about our target. And yet, he followed me everywhere and trusted me blindly."

"Didn't have much choice, eh." 

"Of course, you did. At any moment you could have confronted me, asked me more about myself, where I came from, what I was. But you never did."

"Wanted to get Duchemin, is all." 

"And you didn't want me to ask you about yourself either." Lucien added and Mundy nodded. 

"But one day, I gave you my name and uh…" 

"And you started talking to me as you did to the singer, not the partner in crime." 

"And I learnt you were more than just a liar in a suit, eh?" 

They both chuckled. 

"Mum…?"

"Yeah?" 

"Is it ok if we uh…" Mundy looked down at his hand, held with Lucien's.

"Of course! I won't lie and tell you that I find it… uh… normal… But I'll get used to it and, y'know, if Lucien was a sheila, you wouldn't even ask to hold his hand, so…"

"Yeah, but I don't wanna weird you out or anythin'... It's a lot to take in so, uh…"

"Micky, it's fine." She tapped his shoulder. "I'm sorry that you came to find someone so late…"

"Yeah, but I'm glad I found him in the end."

"Likewise." Lucien answered.

"Right…" Caroline sighed and stood up. "I'll need to head back home or your Dad's really going to wonder where I've been."

"What will you tell him?" Mundy stood up and walked after his mother to escort her. 

"Bah, I'll tell him you took me to your place to visit and stuff, don't worry, I won't tell him for you and Lucien." 

"Thanks, Mum, really." He bent down and wrapped his arms around her. 

"Aw, thank you for telling me the truth… You've been very brave, that's my Micky, right there…" She pinched his cheek. "I love you, baby." She pulled him down and kissed his cheek. "Lucien, give'im another one!"

"Well, if you insist." Lucien gave Mundy a chaste kiss on the cheek and the Aussie's cheeks turned red instantly. 

"Good, now you give your Lu a kiss too."

"M-Mum…" 

"No, no, no, look at him, he sat on the floor holding your hand, c'mon, be a good boy, I didn't raise you to be ungrateful…!" 

Lucien gave him his cheek and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Come on, Mundy, you don't want to disappoint your mother, non?" 

"Shut up, you…!" The Aussie wrapped his arms around Lucien and pulled him to himself, giving him the longest kiss he ever had on anyone's cheek. "There, both happy?" 

"Good boy!" She tapped his shoulder. "Now, can you drive your old mum back home, please?" 

"Course," Mundy turned to Lucien. "Lu', you'll be alright?" 

"I shall try and contain my distress and longing for you." He gently tapped Mundy's chest and the Aussie smiled with a blush. 

"I shouldn't be too long." 

"I won't hold him for dinner, don't worry." Caroline said. 

"Merci, Caroline." 

"I'll go in the van, gimme the key, Micky." 

"Here. I'll just…"

"It's fine, take your time…!" Caroline saw herself out and shut the door after her, leaving Mundy and Lucien alone. 

"You look terrible." Lucien chuckled. "Come, you need to wash your otherwise beautiful face."

"Pfff…"

Lucien dragged his lover to the bathroom and opened the tap for him before washing his hands and brushing them on Mundy's face. 

"There, this will freshen you up… Come here…" Lucien cupped his lover's face as he pushed himself to the tip of his toes and brushed his thumbs on Mundy's closed eyelids. He smiled and pushed his lips on the tall man. 

Lucien hummed when he felt Mundy's hands lace around his waist and pulled him closer.

“Your mother is right, you have been very brave today.”

“Yeah, well, had to do it one day, eh.”

“You never have to, you made that choice and you went all the way to the end.” Lucien answered as he grabbed a towel and wiped Mundy’s face gently. “I am so proud of you. Your courage is simply rare.”

“Thanks, luv’. I’d better go now. You’ll be alright, yeah?”

“Oui, don’t make your mother wait.”

They exchanged a quick peck on the lips and Mundy headed out. The air was lighter than when he had come home earlier that day and it seemed to him that the world was different. Was it a lingering smell in the air? Was it a slightly more vibrant shade of blue in the sky? He couldn’t tell, but when he hopped in the van, his mother welcomed him with a smile.

“You remember the way home?”

“Yeah, ‘course.”

“Oh, just making sure.” Mundy started the engine and off they went. “Given how pink your cheeks are, the kiss Lucien just gave you might have made you forget…”

The Aussie choked on his saliva and coughed repeatedly. 

“Mum…!”

Caroline laughed and tapped his arm gently. 

[lu-undy]

Chapter 73 - SBT

Here it is!

There was a knock on the van's backdoor. 

"Come in, Mundy."

The Aussie pushed the door and entered.

"I'm back, luv', and I have it. Feels weird to carry a credit card for some money that's not mine… Also, how well did they pay back in France?! When the banker told me how much it was, I nearly fell off my chair!"

Mundy shut the door and turned to his lover. 

"Oh, crikey…" 

"How do I look…?"

Lucien had put on one of his suits again but this time, there was no tie and the shirt had been replaced with a thin woolen turtleneck. Moreover, he had tied his hair in a braid. Some of the grey, thin locks of hair at the front fell between his eyes beautifully. 

"You're gorgeous." 

Lucien smiled as Mundy came closer and held his waist.

"And I trimmed my beard a bit. I look odd to myself, but if you like it, I shall make a habit of this style." 

Mundy turned around and touched the braid. 

"Gosh, you… You're perfect… And, mmh, yeah, you're wearin' your perfume again, eh?"

"Oui, I am."

"You're really back…!" Mundy hugged his lover tightly but another knock interrupted them.

They were back in the city now for Mundy to collect Lucien's money, which was now his. Maurice had done an impeccable job and it had all gone smoothly. 

"Who's that?" Mundy asked. 

"Who do you think?" 

Mundy and Lucien looked at each other with a smile. It was Maurice's voice. 

"Hold on, mate." 

Mundy exited the van, with Lucien behind him. 

"Good to see you again, both of you." Maurice said and hands were shaken. 

"G'day, mate." 

"Merci, Maurice."

[Thanks, Maurice.] 

"Quite a change of style you have gone through, L." 

"Oui, it is both necessary and appreciated." Lucien's eyes went to Mundy. 

"It suits you indeed. One of the boys spotted your van, M. I thought I could drop by and say hi in person." 

"Sure, thanks. How's the street doin'?" 

"Cold with this winter, but good. We still manage to feed everyone and bring some warmth."

"That's nice." Mundy answered. 

"Oh, I nearly forgot, I have something for you, L. Here… This is your new passport, with the name that you wrote in your will."

"He didn't write any new names in his will." Mundy said, surprised.

"I did." Lucien answered and he accepted the Burgundy red document with the golden letters. "You just did not see it."

"What?" Mundy asked. 

"I will explain later. But thank you very much, Maurice, as always."

"My pleasure."

"Who are my witnesses?" Lucien asked. 

"Witnesses?" Mundy repeated. 

"Yes, for a will to be taken seriously, it must be written and co-signed by two witnesses." Maurice answered. "I am one of them, Richard is the second."

"Did you tell him?" Lucien asked. 

"I told him that Paris wanted a coffee with two sugars and a drop of milk. The next thing I knew, he was lying on the floor in his shop and both his sons were trying to wake him up." Maurice chuckled. 

"Ah, I should apologise…!" Lucien answered, chuckling himself. 

"No, it is fine. He was as delighted as I was when M told me. Oh and by the way, you are welcome to work with him and give a hand with the homeless of course." 

"Thank you." Lucien answered. "But we have a few things to do before we can come to work, is that fine with you?" 

"Absolutely, take your time and again, welcome back to the world of the living." 

"Thank you." 

Maurice and Lucien exchanged a nod. 

"Good. I shall go back to my streets, there are mouths to feed and work to do." Maurice said. "I will see you later." 

"Sure, mate, thanks for everythin', really." 

"No problem." 

Hands were shaken again and Maurice disappeared in the streets, melting with them like a shadow. 

"So, what's the plan?" Mundy asked. 

"We could go and get some lunch if you want."

"Sure, where?"

"Victoria's diner." Lucien answered and Mundy smiled and nodded. 

"Alright. Let me just make sure the cats have enough to eat and drink."

"I shall take Perle and Soot with us. I will put him in Perle's old harness and leash." 

"Sure." 

A few minutes later, Perle was on Mundy's shoulders and Soot was trotting happily by Lucien. 

"Non, Soot, sit. Très bien. We need to wait until the little man is green before we cross. Non, non, non, do not raise your hand like this and tempt the devil. You stay sat." 

"Meow." Soot was trying to move forward. 

"Sooty boy, watch the wifey here." Mundy put Perle down and she sat by the black cat patiently.

"There, good boy, Soot." Lucien praised him. 

The light switched to green for pedestrians. Perle looked up at Mundy who started crossing and followed him. Soot copied her. He looked up at Lucien and when the man started crossing, he did the same. 

A few minutes later, they arrived in front of Victoria's diner.

"You ready?" Mundy asked. 

"Yes, I am. I hope she is too." 

They exchanged a smile and Mundy pushed the door open. 

"Hello, how may I help? Oh, hey M! And Pearl. Who's this new friend you're bringin'...?" 

Lucien was a metre away, giving his back with his silver braid to them while Victoria knelt down to look at Soot. 

"That's Soot, he's Pearl's hubby."

"Ooh, congrats, Pearl!" Victoria petted her and the white, fluffy cat purred. "The hubby's quite shy, eh?"

Soot was hiding behind Mundy's legs. 

"Yeah, a bit." Mundy answered. "Sorry about that."

"Well at least he's not hissin'...!" Victoria chuckled. "How have you been, M? You seem so much happier than last time!"

"Not too bad, and busy, the cats got four kids together."

"Seriously? You had kittens?" 

"Yeah, lots of energy they have, but they're growin' up nicely." 

"Aw, that's super cute." Victoria stood up again. "Came here for some lunch?" 

"Yes and no, there's uh… There's something I need to admit… Uh…" Mundy scratched the back of his neck. 

"Oh? What is it?" 

"Uhm, I don't know how to say that but uh… Y'know what, come and sit at the table." 

Victoria sat down. 

"You're not joining?" She asked. 

"Well, I need to re-introduce someone to you - bloody hell that's so weird to say…" Mundy put his hands on Lucien's shoulders, who was still giving his back to Victoria.

"What d'you mean, re-introduce?" 

"He means that I am back." Lucien turned and faced her as she gasped and smacked a hand in front of her mouth. 

"What the fuck?! L?! Is that you?! You're dead!"

"Non, I am not. I am standing here in front of you." He opened his arms proudly. 

"You piece of shit!" Victoria rose from her chair and slapped him with the towel she was carrying around repeatedly. "You! Kept me! Thinking! You! Were! Dead! For! More! Than! A! Year! You absolute! Piece! Of! Shit!"

Lucien closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her. She buried her head in his chest and both him and Mundy could hear muffled sobbing. 

"I missed you, you arrogant idiot…" 

"And I missed you too, terribly, Victoria." He kissed the top of her head as she cried against him. He could feel she was clinging to his jacket. "I am sorry to have put all of you through that. But I had no choice."

"It's worse than that, V." Mundy said, patting her back to comfort her. "He was there at his own funeral and he heard what you said." 

She gasped and pulled out of the embrace, wiping her tears on the towel. 

"That's just plain cheatin', L."

"Lucien." 

"What?" 

"My name, it is Lucien, you may call me by my name, mi niña."

[My child]

She stared up at him as if he was Jesus Christ himself.

"I missed you so much." She put a hand on her mouth.

"I know, I know, come here." Lucien led her to sit at their table on the banquette next to him. He wrapped an arm around her to comfort her and gently rocked her left and right while her tears continued to stream silently on her cheeks. She sniffed from time to time and wiped her face on her towel. Mundy went to the counter to place their order and came back, sitting on the banquette opposite them. 

"So you didn't die?" She asked.

"Non."

"What happened?" 

"As you now know, I worked as a spy and to escape a certain death, I had to die and wait for things to calm down before I could show myself again."

"Did you beat him up for it?" She asked Mundy. 

"Nah, can't do it anymore now for some reason." Mundy chuckled. 

"You should have. You're growin' soft, M. And this man…" She pointed her index on Lucien's chest, poking it and staring at it fiercely. "This man needs to be taught a lesson or two…" She then bent forward and let her head fall on Lucien's chest again. He hugged her tightly and stroked her hair. 

"I apologise, Victoria, but had I done that, I would not be here today." 

"You could have said. You could have written to me… You could have…" She sobbed again. "Now I need to cancel something important." She said and Lucien and Mundy's eyebrows jumped. 

"Cesar salad, and two fish and chips." A waiter came and put everything on the table. "You ok, V?"

"Yeah, she's cryin' cause she's happy, cheers mate." Mundy answered.

"Alright…" The waiter left them alone. 

"So what is this important thing that you need to cancel because of my return? Did you have to go and have lunch with someone else?" Lucien asked. 

"No…" Victoria pulled herself away from him and wiped her face again. She looked at Mundy and then at Lucien. "I'm… I'm gettin' married to my fiancé Charlie in a few months and uh… I didn't have anyone to walk me down the aisle but…" 

Mundy's jaw dropped and Lucien blushed intensely. 

"Would you… Would you please do it for me?" She raised her red, slightly swollen eyes to him and Lucien felt hot all of a sudden with the pressure that fell on his shoulders.

"I… I would be honoured to do so but… Why me?" 

"Charlie. I met him at a party and then… The reason we dated was thanks to you." 

"Me?" 

"Yeah, you helped me with my spanish so much that I progressed enough to be in the same classes as him… That's how we then started hangin' out and all. And then the free dinners you got us for the Queen Victoria, I went there with him… It's all cause of you…" 

Lucien's eyes couldn't be open wider.

"Mon Dieu…"

"As you know, I don't have a dad, so I didn't have anyone to walk me down the aisle in church. I asked Joe from the corner shop to do it, to feel less lonely but… But you should be the one doin' it… So please…"

Lucien's eyes were glistening with the tears he was holding back. 

"O-of course I accept, it would be my honour to do this for you, Victoria…" He pulled her in a fatherly hug and closed his eyes. "When is the wedding exactly, we need to get some new suits. Is there anything I can help with? Tell me and do not think about the money, I will get it sorted out for you, mon enfant." 

[My child]

Mundy softened in a sweet smile. So that was the kind of father that Lucien was, hm?

"I should meet your fiancé. Look, let us know when and where and I shall have a chat with him. I can't let you get married to just anyone, I need to know. Where is he from? His family? Does he still have his parents, what do they work as?" 

Victoria laughed in Lucien's arms. 

"What? I am worried for you, Victoria. It is out of the question to just let you get married to someone you cannot properly build anything with!"

She laughed louder and pulled him into a hug. 

"I missed you so much… Papa L…" 

Lucien looked at Mundy with tears in his eyes. 

"Hey, don't look at me like that, luv'. It's your daughter there, not mine." 

"And you are my everything, Mundy, so she is your daughter as much as she is mine!" 

"What?! Nah, that's not how it works! Also, when you're gonna meet the bloke, I'll just stay with the cats in the van."

"Why?" 

"Remember we're two blokes, that's not exactly normal, eh?" Mundy said, feeding some bits of fish to the cats. 

"Oh, don't worry about it. He knows for L and you." Victoria said. 

"What?! How?! You told him?" Mundy turned as red as a brick in a flash. 

"Nah, I didn't. I think most people who were at the funeral understood, M." Victoria answered. 

"Ah… W-well… I mean…" 

Lucien looked down at Victoria. 

"Let us have some lunch and you can tell us all about this Charlie of yours, hm?" 

"Yeah, thank you so much." She pushed herself to leave a kiss on Lucien's cheek. "You're the best!"

He smiled and left his arms around her shoulders. 

"I am indeed."

"Lu'!"

"L!"

"Meow!"

"Meow!"

-- Later that day --

"Where to now?" Mundy asked.

"To Richard. I need to thank him. Also, let us go to a bakery first, I need to buy something for him." 

"Okay."

"Any good bakeries you would recommend, mon loup?"

[My wolf?]

"Yeah, I know one, let's go." 

They walked through the streets, followed by both cats. 

"Lu', look at the cats." 

Lucien looked back and smiled. They were brushing themselves against each other and lacing their tails together, purring happily. 

"I am happy that she found someone to pur with." Lucien said. 

"Yeah, they're cute."

"I cannot help but think about how much bigger she is now… I remember when she used to fit in my hand, when she bit me on the first night we met, how she held onto my hand…"

"Nostalgic?"

"Partly."

"Partly?" Mundy asked and they stopped at a crossroad.

"Oui. Those were days where Perle was nothing but a baby but at the same time, those were days where I could only dream of approaching you." 

"What? Gonna make me believe that you were shy?" Mundy smiled. 

"Not shy." The light turned to green and both cats looked up at their masters. The family crossed the street. 

"What then?"

"I was as scared as you were shy." 

"Scared? Do I look scary?" Mundy asked and Lucien gave him one of those looks. "Nope, shush, don't answer." 

Lucien smirked. 

"But what were you scared of? That I'd say no?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Mundy. No one has ever said non to me so far." 

The Aussie rolled up his eyes with a smile. 

"Figured… But tell me, why?" 

"Because I knew I was going to my death. I know what it means to lose the person that you live and breathe for, and I didn't want you to go through that." 

They took a turn and the cats happily followed, still trotting on their heels. 

"Well, good job, you did it anyway in the end, eh?"

"Because of you." Lucien answered. 

"Me?" 

"Oui. You were the one to insist that I should confess my feelings to the man I held in my heart. And here we are."

"Gonna complain?"

"Non, of course not." They chuckled and Mundy pushed the bakery door. "Go ahead, I'll wait with the cats outside."

"Fine, I won't be long." 

"Okay," And as Lucien passed in front of Mundy, the Aussie murmured. "Love you, darl, you're gorgeous…" 

Lucien's cheeks turned pink and his eyes brightened up. 

"Moi aussi, mon loup."

[Me too, my wolf.]

Mundy stayed outside and petted the cats while waiting for Lucien and it took the Frenchman a few minutes before he exited the bakery again, a beautifully decorated bag in his hand.

"You were quick."

Lucien smirked.

"Don't give me that look, you know how long I can be in other contexts…"

Mundy's cheeks popped red.

"Lu'...!"

The Frenchman chuckled and they resumed their walk. Within minutes, they were in front of Richard's shop. 

"Right, let's go." 

Mundy pushed the door.

"Good afternoon gentlem- oh! L! M!" 

"And the fluffy P and S." Mundy added, pointing at the cats. Richard dropped his notebook and ran to shake their hands.

"I am delighted to see you both again! And what a change of style! Oh, I need to make something for you both, for your return, L - non! I will not accept any kind of negotiation, this will be a welcome back gift! Paul! Come here!"

Richard's sons both came out of the workshop and after shaking hands with Lucien and Mundy, their father instructed them. 

"Take a good look at these two new men…!" The tailor with the impeccable white moustache started. "Look at this one. He now stands tall, not slouched like before, he has found peace and confidence in himself, he isn't hiding behind a thick mane of hair anymore…" Richard inspected Mundy closely before turning to Lucien. "And here! Oh mon Dieu here! Here is the man that we all dream to be, if not for the hero he is, then for his silhouette, sculpted out of marble with godly proportions! Boys, we need something refreshing, nothing tactical, non! We need something for a sweeter, more calm life. Look at the beard! Where some people see a lack of effort, I see the beginning of a work of art! And this long hair…! M! Take notes! This is poetry! This is romance! This is beauty! Not only are the colours exquisite to the eye but the braid is fantastic! I take it you did it yourself, L?" 

"Oui, I did." 

"The work of an artist… But sorry, I got carried away, pray take a seat…"

Lucien and Mundy sat on the armchair and the cats went each on their lap, Soot went to Mundy and Perle, to her Papa. 

"What brings you here?" 

Lucien handed the plastic bag to Richard. 

"My will and my duty to thank you, Richard." He answered. 

"What for?" Richard accepted the bag and peeked in. 

"For being a witness to my will. I understand the risk that you willingly put yourself in and the least I can do is to thank you." 

"L, this is nothing compared to what you have done and given all these years, please!"

"Richard, non, this is a great risk you are taking, and you have a wife and children… You are making them take a risk with you."

"I always have. Being an informant for the secret services isn't an innocent job, it never had been, so non, really, it is nothing. When Maurice came to me and told me about you, I offered to help before he could even tell me the details."

"Thank you, and please, accept the content of this bag and share it with the family for me." 

Richard looked inside. 

"Oh! I need to hide it from my wife, if she finds this cake, she will never let me have it!"

The gentlemen chuckled around the coffee table. 

"By the way, who is this new cat you have?" Richard asked.

"This is Soot." Lucien answered and he scratched his head. 

"He's Pearl's mate, they're pretty serious." Mundy added.

"Are they?" Richard asked. 

"Yeah, they got four lovely kids." Mundy explained. "Two girls and two boys, they're growin' up nicely. You wouldn't want one by any chance?" 

"A cat?"

"Still kittens, but yeah."

"I will have to discuss it with my wife even though she has always asked me to adopt a pet." Richard answered.

"Ah, then we would be delighted to gift you one of them." Lucien added. 

"Raised them like I did Pearl and Soot. They've got good manners, they're cuddly and still very playful as they're very young. Give it a thought, eh, Richard?" 

"Will do, I promise."

"Which one would you take?" Lucien asked. "We have Diamond and Star, the girls, and Glovy, the boy." 

"Didn't you say there were four?" Richard asked. 

"Oui, but there is one I will gift to someone else, if you see no issue." Lucien answered.

"Of course, of course."

"But yes, Diamond is black with a diamond-shaped white patch on her face, she also has a white fluffy chest. Star is also black but has a white star-shaped patch on her… Well…"

"On her butt." Mundy said. "She's got a white star on her thigh, close to her butt. And Glovy, the little boy, he's a fat one, we're trying to put him on a diet but eh, hard to stop that greedy fluff ball." 

"Quite so, I will see with the missus but she surely would like a lady. There are too many of us men at home, you see?" Richard chuckled. 

"Fair enough, thank you again, Richard." Lucien stood up and put Perle on his shoulders before shaking the tailor's hand. 

"My pleasure, as always. And I am delighted for you two." Richard winked at Mundy and the tall man blushed. He put Soot on his shoulders and headed out of the shop. 

"Where should I send the clothes?" Richard asked. 

"We will let you know whenever we can." Lucien answered. "Thank you." 

"Have a nice day!"

"To you too, mate." 

-- Evening that day -- 

There was a knock on the van's backdoor.

"Come in, love." 

"Bonsoir, mon amour." 

[Good evening, my love.]

Lucien walked in the van and the cats trotted out. 

"Be careful, cats!" Mundy said. 

"Don't worry, Perle and Soot are remarkable parents." Lucien removed his coat and sat on the sofa next to his lover. 

"So, what did you get us for dinner?" Mundy looked at Lucien's hands repeatedly but couldn't see anything in them. 

"I got you something more than just to fill your hungry stomach." Lucien answered, slithering closer to his lover. 

"Where?" Mundy took Lucien's hands and looked at them. Nothing. "Can you at least meet my… uh… hungry lips?" Mundy blushed and Lucien laced his fingers with the Aussie's.

"Listen to you being flirty… That's new…" He leaned to meet his lover's demand. 

"I-I'm tryin'... Feels weird to hear myself say stuff like that. It's like it's not me…" 

"You are doing remarkably well, mon loup." Lucien whispered and his lips finally met Mundy's.

[lu-undy]

Chapter 68 - SBT

Here it is!

"You've put on some weight, luv'." 

"Quoi?!"

[What?!]

"What have you been eating all this time?" 

"Whatever I could hunt here."

Lucien was sitting on his lover's lap, straddling his thighs while Mundy was on his foldable chair, fishing. 

"You hunt?" Mundy asked. 

"Not professionally, but I know how to use a rifle." Lucien answered. He was hugging Mundy dearly. 

"You gotta show me, eh."

"With pleasure." 

Mundy chuckled. 

"Meow…" 

Lucien raised his head to Perle who was scratching the van's door. 

"She wants to go back inside." Lucien said. 

"Yeah, I guess Soo - oh, uh, let her meow a bit. I'm nearly done with fishin' and then I'll show you something." Mundy answered. 

Lucien looked at the bucket next to Mundy. 

"You have already fished enough to nourish a regiment!"

"Yeah, well… Ah, y'know what, why don't you start cleanin' and cooking the fish?" 

"Fair enough, but first…" Lucien cupped Mundy's face and kissed him tenderly. Mundy melted on his seat and grabbed Lucien's waist firmly, which earned him a chuckle from the Frenchman. "I see I still have quite the effect on you, mon loup." 

[my wolf]

Mundy smiled at the mention of his nickname. He hadn't heard it in more than a year. 

"O'course." 

Lucien took the bucket and got started with the fish. He cleaned them, gutted them and rinsed them in the lake. Meanwhile, Mundy caught one last fish and started helping his lover. 

"I see you have kept my blade." Lucien said, watching Mundy deal with a trout. 

"Yeah. I kept all your stuff."

"All of it?" 

"All of it." 

"Where?"

"In the van."

"Oh…" Lucien was astounded. 

They finished with the fish and put it to cook over the campfire.

"C'mere now, let's go and open the van for Pearl to get in." Mundy took Lucien's hand and led him. "Go ahead, do it." 

"What?" 

"Open the door." 

"Why? Can't you do it yourself? It's your van, Mundy." Lucien put his hand on the handle and pushed the door. A herd of fluff came out mewling and meowing. "What?! You adopted other cats?" 

Mundy smiled. He took Lucien's hand and they went to sit around the campfire, on the ground.

"Look at them." Mundy pointed at the cats. 

"Oui?"

"No, look at them."

"I am! What are you getting at?" 

"Tell me what they're doin'." 

"Well, Perle is lying next to this black cat, a friend I suppose, and they are surrounded by these kittens. You adopted a cat and four kittens? How do they all fit in the van?" 

Mundy smiled. 

"I adopted Pearl and… That black cat with the green eyes, he's Soot."

"Soot? He's a he?"

"Yeah. You named Pearl Pearl because she's white. So I named him Soot because he was black. Now look at the kittens."

"Hm." Lucien watched them play and fight. 

"Come on, Lu', open your eyes!"

"I am!"

"Nothin' strikes you?" 

"Non… Why? What is it?" 

"Alright, watch here… Oi, the cats, c'mere." 

The cats pricked their ears up and went to Mundy. 

"They listen to you very obediently." Lucien noticed. 

"See this old man, here? That's Lu'." 

"Meow?" Soot asked and the kittens mewled in their turn. 

"He's your other Gramps, babies. And for you Soot, well, he's the wifey's Papa." 

Lucien frowned and then his eyes snapped wide. 

"Wait, do you mean that…?"

"Look here. This is Diamond and this is Star, they're both baby girls." Mundy scooped them off the ground and passed them to Lucien who petted them and put them in the hole between his crossed legs. "This fat one here, that's Glovy."

"Meow!"

"Yeah, you're fat, little kitty, and we love you… And this last one… C'mere, you…"

Lucien was holding the baby cats and looked shocked, flabber-gasted and completely taken aback. He had never thought that Perle could give him kittens. 

"Mon Dieu…" He held the kittens against him and kissed them with tears in his eyes as he started to understand it all. 

"This last one is the smallest. What d'you think we called him?" Mundy asked, petting Junior. 

"I do not know…" Lucien chuckled through his tears. "Give him to me, please, I need to hold him." 

Mundy passed him on. 

"Mon Dieu…" Lucien repeated, getting emotional again. "He looks so delicate and fragile…" 

"Look at him, doesn't he remind you of someone?" 

Junior mewled in Lucien's hands. 

"I do not know… But let me ask, are these Perle's kittens?"

"Pearl and Soot's yeah." 

"And you have been raising them?"

"Yeah."

"On your own?" 

"Well, you weren't there so, yeah. But you didn't answer, what's his name?" Mundy nodded to the kitten. 

"I have no idea, what did you call him?"

Mundy smiled and wrapped an arm around Lucien. 

"Lu' Junior." 

"Quoi…?"

[What…?]

Perle came trotting at her Papa and Soot followed her. They brushed themselves against him, purring loudly as Lucien hugged all of the cats in his arms.

"I missed you all…" He said between the mewls, the purrs and the headbutts. 

"We missed you too, luv'..." Mundy left a kiss on Lucien's temple. "Right, the fish should be ready. Anybody hungry?" 

The fluffy ears pricked up and everyone clawed and leapt at Mundy.

"Alright, alright, calm down, there's gonna be more than enough for everyone…! Gimme a hand, Lu'..." 

They broke the fish into small pieces for the cats and blew on the bits to cool them down. The kittens mewled and leapt up to try and catch the food. 

"Wait, guys, you don't want to get burnt, hold on…" Mundy blew on the fish and held it out for the kittens. "Here… Good kitties… Hold on, don't fight…!" 

Lucien fed the kittens and his eyes rose to Perle. 

"Mon bébé?"

[My baby?]

She walked to him, slowly, her tail straight up. 

"She recognises you." Mundy said, continuing to deal the fish to all the kittens. 

"I think so." Lucien answered as he fed her from his hand directly and brushed her hair. 

"She does. See how her tail pointed straight up when she came to you?" 

"Oui?" 

"That's like a thumbs up for cats."

"Oh, really? So you really do remember your Papa?" Lucien asked Perle and her pupils dilated at the mention of the word. 

"Wow, she looks at you like you're the best thing in the world after sliced bread." 

"After sliced bread?" Lucien repeated, confused. 

"It's an expression, luv'. Sooty boy, come here, that's yours… Good boy…" 

"After sliced bread?"

Mundy rolled up his eyes with a smile. 

"You've been back for half an hour and you're taking the piss already, eh? C'mere, there!" Mundy shoved a bit of fish in Lucien's mouth. 

"Hm?!" 

"That'll keep your mouth busy." Mundy opened his mouth to eat some himself but the bit of fish that was between his fingers disappeared. 

"Oi?"

Mundy's head swooshed to Lucien who was licking his fingers with the most smug grin. 

"Did you just-?"

"I helped myself, oui." Lucien answered with a full mouth while he wiggled his eyebrows.

"Well…" Mundy took another bit of fish but again, it made it to Lucien's mouth, not his. "What?! Let me have some dinner!" 

Lucien giggled. 

"Come closer." He took a bit of fish and fed it to Mundy. 

"Mh… That's nice…" Mundy laid on the ground, using Lucien's lap as a pillow. "Aah…?" He opened his mouth and Lucien chuckled as he fed him some more. 

"How is his majesty feeling?" Lucien asked sarcastically. 

"Like a bloody king and a half." Mundy answered, closing his eyes. "Aah…?" He opened his mouth again and Lucien put some more food between his lips.

"Mundy?" 

"Hm?" 

"Have you… met anyone else or…?" 

"Pff… What d'you think?" Mundy asked. 

"I do not know." Lucien answered. "You might have."

"Course not…" 

"Really?" 

"Yeah, why? You thought I'd get with someone else?" Mundy's hands slithered to hold Lucien's. 

"It has been more than a year." 

"Yeah. It was hell…" Mundy squeezed Lucien's hand. 

"Exactly." 

"But Lu'?"

"Oui?"

"How did you… survive? I mean, Maurice told me they found a dead body with a mask and suit. It matched your built and stuff. I've been to your funeral…!" 

"I have been there too."

"What?!" 

"I was surprised by the crowd. But it made it easy to go and watch, hiding in plain sight."

"Hold on." Mundy frowned. "You heard what everyone said and stuff?" 

"Oui. I heard old military comrades telling tales of the past, I heard Bastien and Victoria, but most importantly, I heard and I saw you." Lucien paused as the cats came to rest against his legs. "I saw how long you stayed there. I was humbled and impressed." 

Mundy frowned and looked up at his lover. 

"You thought I'd just cry a bit and go? That day I lost my reason to live. With Duchemin dead, I just wanted to spend my days with you, see what we could do and do it together. But you were gone, even though you had promised to stay with me, to fight and live…" 

"I am sorry, truly."

"Why did you do that?" Mundy asked. "And how?" 

"Why? Because someone from the secret services had to confirm my death and I did not want to make Maurice lie and bear that responsibility."

"What d'you mean?" 

"I mean that if I had asked Maurice to lie, I would have asked him to take too big a risk for his own life. I did not want that, so I had to die, for real."

"Hm." 

"And I would have, Mundy. That day, I would gladly have blown myself up in that hangar if not for one thing." 

"What? Pearl?"

"Non. You." Lucien squeezed Mundy's hand. "As much as I had become your reason to live, you had become my happiness, my oxygen to breathe and the sun that I wake up to."

Mundy smiled sweetly. 

"So I decided to cheat death. Now, there are a lot of ways to do it and us spies are used to doing it from time to time. But this time, I couldn't rely on a gadget or a ruse. It had to be real." 

"So what did you do?" Mundy asked. 

"When I had first checked that hangar while you were putting the explosives on the locks of the felines' cages, I put some C4 charges inside. Then, I walked outside and captured one guard. I knocked him out and stripped him off his clothes before dressing him with my suit and balaclava. I, however, was still wearing the guards uniform but I was as naked as a worm underneath. When we caught Duchemin and when the rest of his goons were banging on the door, I had to put you to safety, hence my asking you to go to the first floor. I then put Duchemin in the middle of the hangar and this extra guard, dressed like me. I gave him my blade, my watch and I trusted you with my cigarette case. I had intended to detonate the C4 that I planted but those idiots, as they blew up the doors, triggered my charges and everything blew up at the same time. I made it out just in time and pretended to be one of the guards. I took a car and while everyone was busy trying to understand what happened, I fled."

Mundy had listened, silently. He frowned. 

"So you made it out?" 

"I did."

"Christ almighty… And then you disappeared?" 

"Before I did, I did ask something of you, if you remember correctly."

"What? When?"

"My last words to you." Lucien said, ruffling Mundy's short hair between his fingers. 

"I remember. You said 'Please forgive me.' Oh bugger, you were warnin' me?!" Mundy sat back right up and turned to look at Lucien. 

"I was saying goodbye." Lucien lowered his head. "And it has been haunting me ever since."

"Hm. I see." 

"I did not expect you to come back in this forest, Mundy."

"Why?" 

"I thought that if you love me as much as I do you, you would fall in another ten years of pain. Had the roles been reversed, that's what I would have done."

"I thought I was goin' to do the same, y'know."

Lucien shivered. The temperature started to drop as the sun was slowly passing below the horizon. 

"You cold?"

"A bit, oui."

"Let's get inside." 

They opened the van and the cats jumped in. Once inside, Lucien took a moment to let his eyes rediscover it. 

"You don't have the kukris anymore?" He asked, seeing the wall laying bare without them. 

"Nah. I got rid of them, the rifles and everythin'. And I did it for good this time." 

Lucien's eyes moved down to the cats. 

"Oh, you kept Perle's bed…?" 

"Told you, I kept everything. Look at it." 

Lucien crouched down and scratched the cats. 

"What are they using as a mattress…? Is that…?"

"It's one of your suit jackets."

Lucien's eyebrows jumped. 

"I… Back when it was just Pearl and me, we used to sleep in my bed together and she was small enough to… to sleep inside the jacket's pocket. I'd then hug her and the jacket and… Smellin' you helped. Speakin' of, look here." Mundy pointed at the shelf. 

"That is my perfume and my shaving foam? You kept them as well?" 

"Spray the perfume on the cats' bed for Pearl to sleep and on your jacket here," He grabbed it from his bed. "For me to sleep." 

Lucien put a hand on his mouth to cover his shock. 

"Mundy, I… I am speechless…"

"Pff, it's not even everything. Look inside my clothes cupboard." 

Lucien pulled on the handle and was met with his own clothes neatly folded and organised. 

"You wear my suits? They must be too small for you." 

"No, my clothes are on the couch, yours are in the cupboard." 

Lucien looked at the old sofa, then back at the cupboard as he closed it. 

"Mundy… Your clothes have spent more than a year on your sofa?" 

He nodded and Lucien put a hand on his head, through his hair. He could hardly believe it.

"I… Why?" 

"And your toothbrush's here." Mundy pointed at the glass next to the sink before holding Lucien from his waist. 

"Why have you done all this?" 

Mundy bent down to put his forehead against Lucien's. He closed his eyes.

"Cause then it feels like I'm just waitin' to see you again."

"Mon Dieu, how much I've missed you…" Lucien shut his eyes and bit his lip.

"Me too, darl'. C'mere, let's go to bed." He kissed Lucien's brow and the Frenchman might have turned into a puddle of softness. 

"Mundy, I… I don't have any pyjamas or anything and-"

"I have them." He answered with a smile. "Just look in the cupboard."

"Ah, oui, merci." 

They both got a change and not a minute later, they were cuddling under Mundy's blanket. 

"I have missed all of you so much…" Lucien repeated as he buried his head in Mundy's neck, breathing in his cheap cologne, his scent.

"Same here… I just… I think I'm still not realising it. Feels like a dream." Mundy answered, one hand on Lucien's lower back, and the other through his hair, behind his ear.

Lucien planted his lips in Mundy's neck and the Aussie clenched his hands. 

"Huh… Uh… Love…" 

"Sorry. I forgot about my beard. It must sting you." 

"N-no, I mean yeah but… Gosh…" Mundy gulped down audibly. "P-please…?"

"What?" Lucien looked up at him. 

"D-do it again… Please." 

The Frenchman closed his eyes and kissed Mundy's neck again. 

"Oh, Gosh…"

Hearing how much Mundy liked it, Lucien let himself go. His lips travelled in Mundy's neck, nipping and kissing, up to his ear and he playfully bit the shell of it. 

"Oh my God…" Mundy's hands were twitching on their own. "Y-your beard…" 

"What about it?" Lucien peppered kisses on Mundy's cheek and ended up straddling him. 

The Aussie opened his eyes and saw Lucien on top of him, his long hair flowing down to him. 

"I love it. And your hair too. Y-you look gorgeous… Even more than before, I mean…"

"And I like your short hair. It suits you." Lucien lay on Mundy's body and the Aussie wrapped his arms around him. 

"Lu'?" 

"Hm?" 

"I love you." 

Lucien smiled against Mundy's upper chest, below his jaw. 

"I love you too, mon loup."

[my wolf]

Silence fell in the dark van. 

"Lu'?" 

"Oui?"

"C-can I…? Uh…"

"Oui." 

"But you don't know what I wanted to say?"

"I do not mind. Whatever you wanted to do to me, please do it." 

"No, luv', I gotta ask first."

"Non."

"What if you don't want it?" 

"It comes from you, so I want it. Besides, I like surprises. So please, go ahead." 

Mundy sighed and yielded. 

"Right…" 

Lucien felt Mundy's hands slither slowly down his back, brushing and massaging their way down on the satin pyjamas.

"Y-you sure?" 

"Please." Lucien now had a pretty good idea of what was to come and his heart beat faster in anticipation. 

Mundy's hands slid below his back and squeezed. 

"Oh… Mon Dieu…" Lucien buried his head down against Mundy's shoulder. 

"Is that ok?" 

The moan that Lucien made was more than a clear answer, and Mundy's ears melted under it. His hands continued to knead, his fingers opened and clawed in the softness, where Lucien hadn't been touched in more than a year now. Oh he had forgotten it, the touch of foreign hands on his body, in parts that were hardly explored. Gosh, he loved it. 

Lucien held on to Mundy's chest and the Aussie continued to lazily hold what he had been wanting to hold for a long, long time. He squeezed firmly and Lucien bit Mundy's shoulder, moaning with an open mouth. Mundy couldn't hold it back anymore and moaned in return. He couldn't see it but Lucien rolled his eyes in bliss under the Aussie's growl.

"I love you, Lu'... I don't know how to say it, but I love you…" 

"Mundy, Mundy, Mundy… I… I cannot get enough of you…" 

Lucien pushed himself up on Mundy's chest and went straight for his lips. The Aussie's hands grasped firmly again and Lucien moaned in his mouth. Mundy drank his song of pleasure like a delicacy and felt his hair fall and brush his face. 

"Love ya…" 

The L made Mundy lap at Lucien's lip. That was all the ex-spy needed. A sign, a clue, an invitation.

He added the French to the kiss.

[lu-undy]

Chapter 39 - SBT

Here it is!

Lucien and Mundy entered the hotel and Lucien pointed him straight to the lift. They got in and a young man was there, in his working uniform. 

"Bonjour Bastien."

"Is it you, L?" Bastien asked, visibly confused as he stared at the bandaged face and the absence of a suit. The fact that the Frenchman was half carried by a friend of his puzzled the young man too.

"Oui…"

"Oh, Gosh, what happened?" Bastien pressed the button for the fifth floor and the lift took off. 

"I got what I deserved." Lucien answered. 

"Is it that serious?" 

"Non, I am delighted to know that it is more fear than harm as we say in French. And please, meet my partner in crime, M."

"Hello, M."

"Hey, mate."

"Hold on, I've seen you before…" Bastien examined Mundy's face. "Do you know Maurice by any chance?"

"Yeah, used to work with him. Parents would also bring-"

"God yes, I remember! Your parents were the farmers, weren't they? I remember when I was a kid!" Bastien burst out.

"Yeah, that's them, yeah."

"Your mum used to make the best of jams, M."

Lucien looked up at Mundy. The man had a smile on his lips but the Frenchman could easily read the sadness on his face. 

"Yeah, she did." 

The lift stopped and after the jingle of a bell rang, the doors slid open.

"Merci, Bastien. And sorry I don't have anything for you today…"

"L, you don't need to, look here." Bastien removed his red and golden cap off his head. The young man had got a haircut. "I put a lot of your tips aside and could pay for my first proper haircut at a barber's!" 

His hair was short on the sides and behind, a bit longer at the front with a longer tuft above his forehead that fell between his eyes. It was Lucien's haircut, minus the grey hair.

"Oh…" The Frenchman's jaw had dropped below the bandages. 

"Very bad choice, mate, look at his ugly face eh. Lucky you, you don't look like him at all." Mundy teased, to lighten up the moment as he saw Lucien's shock.

"Bushman!" 

Mundy chuckled and they got off of the elevator. 

"See you later!" Bastien said as the doors of the lift slid slowly shut. 

Mundy waited for the lift to close completely before asking.

"Right, which room is it?" 

"Go straight and it's the first door on your right." 

Mundy obeyed, still carrying part of the Frenchman's weight on his shoulders. He walked through the carpeted corridor and stopped at the door. Lucien unlocked it and both entered.

"Perle? Je suis rentré, mon bébé."

[I am back, my baby.]

Mundy held his breath for an instant. He heard noises like ticks against the wooden floor. He didn't understand where it came from until he saw Lucien bend down and kneel on the floor.

"Oh, you ok?"

A ball of white fluff came running, her claws trying to grip the sliding floor and she drifted on the varnished wooden planks. She crashed into Lucien's hand and mewled repeatedly. 

"Oui, mon petit tu m'as manqué à moi aussi…"

[Yes, my little one, I have missed you too…]

Mundy stared and blushed. He didn't understand what Lucien had said but seeing him display affection caught the Aussie off guard.

"M, please…?"

Mundy helped him up. 

"Let us take a seat on the sofa." 

They both sat down and Lucien raised Perle to his face. She tapped the bandages, tried to tear it away from his face. 

"Non, mon bébé, je ne peux pas l'enlever au moins pour quelques jours." 

[No, my baby, I cannot take it off before a few days at least.]

"Meow!" 

He kissed her fur and she started purring.

"Your sheila's not in?" Mundy looked away as if Lucien had been kissing a human lady.

"Yes, she is." 

"Ah, ok." Mundy answered. "You sure you don't want me to leave you alone with her?" He stared at how Lucien was tickling his snow white kitten and how she squealed happily under his fingers. 

"Please, M, have I not insisted enough?"

"Right, right, ok." Mundy wiped his hands on his thighs nervously. 

Lucien played with Perle while Mundy looked around him at the living room of the Frenchman's suite. It was very spacious, the furniture was of a very modern style and oh Lord, the entire wall on his left was windowed; that is of course if we also forget about the massive piano standing there and looking as though it is not occupying as much space as it should. 

Lucien noticed the awkward silence and how nervously Mundy's eyes darted from every detail in the room to the next.

"Something is the matter?"

"I'm… I'm waiting to meet Pearl… Uh, is it ok if I say it the English way? I can't say it like you do… uh… Payrle or something…"

"Meow."

"What are you talking about, Bushman? What are you waiting for?"

"Well, your sheila! You wanted me to meet her, didn't you?" Mundy whispered such that she wouldn't hear.

"What did you say her name was?" Lucien asked with a calm grin on his lips.

"Wasn't it Pearl?"

"Meow." 

Lucien smiled and released the kitten from his hands. 

"Say it again." He said. 

"What the hell is wrong with you? I'm not gonna call for her!" Mundy whispered.

"Please, just say her name."

"Ugh…" He sighed. "Pearl." 

"Meow." The kitten trotted to the Aussie and climbed on his lap. 

"Oh, hello there, little kitty cat." 

"Say it again." 

"What the h-"

"Please." Lucien insisted. 

"Pearl."

"Meow." She squealed under Mundy's fingers and started to purr under them. Oh yes, this one knew where to scratch perfectly…

Lucien looked down at the kitten and back at Mundy. 

"What?" The Aussie was confused.

"Say it again."

"What are you not tellin' me again?" 

"Please, Bushman."

"Right, last time… Pearl." 

Lucien nodded at the kitten and Mundy looked at her in his hands. 

"Meow?" 

But still, the Aussie didn't seem to catch the drift and Lucien sighed at how oblivious he was.

"Look at her collar." 

"Yeah, it's pink, she's a little girl. Gosh, is this silver…? Spook, you're one hell of a - No, are you shittin' me?!" Mundy burst out when he read the name on the silver pendant. 

Perle. 

"You named your kitty after your sheila?!" 

"Non, I didn't! I am not that strange. Non, this is Perle." 

"Meow?" Perle looked up at Lucien.

"Yeah, her name is the same as your lady's."

"Bushman, this is Perle."

"Meow."

"Stop repeatin' it, I got it, her name's Pearl!"

"Meow?" Perle's head swooshed to the Aussie. 

"Bushman, there is no other female in this suite but her! Perle is my kitten, not my lady companion!" 

"Meow!" 

"What?!" 

Lucien laughed at how shocked his guest was.

"All this time I thought she was a sheila!"

"I know!" Lucien answered and Perle brushed herself between their thighs, a bit on Lucien and a bit on Mundy.

"And you didn't tell me anything?!"

"Non." 

"She's a kitten!" Mundy slapped his own forehead.

"Very observant." 

"You bloody mongrel!"

Lucien chuckled. 

"I do apologise."

"Why not tell me Pearl was your cat?"

"It is the way you react when you talk about her." Lucien answered, his eyes on the kitten again. 

"What d'you mean?"

"I can feel it. Whenever you remind me that I have someone waiting for me at home, you have this particular tone of voice, this peculiar look on your face."

Mundy blushed slightly. 

"Well, I don't know, I mean uh…"

"Neither do I. I don't know what you feel when you talk about her. At first, of course, I thought you envied the idea of having a partner and, if I am being honest, you told Lulu so, so I knew this was at least partly true. But it isn't just that." Lucien shook his index finger. "There is something else that I cannot understand…"

"And you smile at it." Mundy said, tilting his head on one side. 

"Oui, I must admit I like mysteries. But we need to figure out something first." Lucien said. 

"What's that?"

"Perle absolutely hates people. So far she hissed at anyone who came close to her. She also brings her claws out and threatens to strike anyone who gets close to either me or her. But look at her now…"

Perle was laying in Mundy's hands. She was purring as he scratched below her jaw and her neck, and the rhythm of her blinking slowed down. 

"She is purring loudly and about to fall asleep in your very hands."

"Yeah, well, I'm good with animals, always been like that."

"And animals are good with you too it seems."

"Hm, yeah… So wait, I'm piecin' it up together now. This kitty is the reason why you don't want to kill Duchemin and end up dead yourself?"

"Partly, oui. If I was to go to the next life, no one would be left to take care of her. And she likes no one apart from me and you it seems. But presumably, if I die, that means that we will have caught Duchemin, and in this scenario, you would die too. Oh, look at her now, she is asleep…"

Mundy didn't dare move his hands in which the baby cat was sleeping. 

"Yeah… She's adorable."

"She is indeed. Also, please excuse me, I will make that cup of coffee I promised you."

"D'you need help?"

Lucien managed to stand on his own.

"Non, merci. I think the pills are kicking in. I don't feel the aches as much. I should be able to do it on my own. Please keep an eye on her." Lucien answered and Mundy nodded. 

The Aussie waited with Perle in his hands, feeling her tiny body inflate and deflate in his hands. On his side, Lucien was preparing a cup and a mug. He readied the coffee machine and waited, preparing a tray with a few nibbles. 

"She'll grow up to have very long hair."

"Huh?!" Lucien got startled, he didn't hear nor expect Mundy to come and join him in the kitchen. "What are you doing here? Where is Perle?" 

"In my hands still, look. And I came to make sure you wouldn't collapse or anythin'." 

Mundy leaned on the kitchen top.

"Very posh-lookin' kitty with her long hair, I'm not surprised you chose her.”

"Don't they all have the same hair length?"

"Nah, hers is quite long, especially for a kitten."

"And you are wrong, I didn't choose her." Lucien answered, now dealing with the coffee and pouring it in the cup and the mug. "She chose me."

"Ah, so you went to a fancy pet shop and she kept on staring at you?" 

"Non, Bushman. I found her at my hotel room door, dirty, shivering and hungry." 

Mundy's eyebrows jumped. 

"You rescued her?!" 

"Shh… Don't be so loud, you will wake her up." Lucien answered and took the tray. "Come, let us have a seat." 

They found themselves on the sofa again, the coffee and nibbles on the coffee table. Mundy put the kitten on his lap delicately and took the mug that Lucien handed him. 

"Thanks, mate." 

"My pleasure."

They both sipped on their coffee.

“Mh, that’s a good one… Doesn't taste too bitter. Did you put sugar?" 

"Non, you saw me prepare it and you are right. You have quite the palate, M."

"Well, and you're one hell of a weird bloke."

"Why?"

"You really rescued her?" Mundy looked at Perle on his lap. 

"Oui. At first I thought I would just feed her a bit of tuna and she would go away. I also thought she was grey but that was only the dirt that her fur had accumulated in the streets. Look here, you see these little scars?"

Lucien showed his hand. 

"Yeah."

"That is from her, on the first day we met. She bit me and wouldn't let go. After she ate the tuna, I gave her a quick wash and seeing how hard she clung to me, I let her sleep with me."

"And she slept under you, eh?" 

"Sort of, oui, she slept on my very pillow, next to my face."

"L, from what you are telling me, she loves you more than she would her own mum."

Lucien smiled tenderly. 

"So do I." He answered.

"And after that, you ended up buyin’ her a silver collar, and little toys…?" Mundy pointed at a few of them on the floor.

"She has a harness and a leash too. I take her to Victoria's diner for breakfast or lunch sometimes."

"Meow…" 

Perle woke up and brushed herself on the Aussie before climbing on Lucien's lap and lying on her back. 

"Look at you, mon bébé, you are spoilt." 

"Did you call her 'my baby'?"

Lucien scratched her neck and she yawned. 

"Oui, I did. Does that surprise you?" 

"Y-yeah, kind of."

"Why?"

"You're so… cold. It's just a bit odd to see you like that." Mundy answered honestly.

"Remember that Lulu and me are one and the same." Lucien explained while Perle purred, her fur being massaged slowly under his fingers. "The man you saw sing and cry is me."

"You could have faked it, eh. I saw you with Duchemin, you faked smiles like I've never seen before."

"It is different when I sing. I don't fake it. Music overtakes me." Lucien reached out to the coffee table for some biscuits and handed one to Mundy. 

"Thanks, mate."

"Am I a mate now?" Lucien asked.

They exchanged a gaze and a smile. 

"Possibly, yeah."

"Good." Lucien nodded to himself. "What privileges does the rank of mate grant me?" 

"What? Mate, it's not like the army with ranks and stuff… It just means you're a friend."

"Well that is quite the recovery. I went from the man you wanted to kill yesterday night to a mate the next day. Besides," Lucien leaned back and Perle climbed up his chest to settle on his collar bone. She curled up there and purred on his shoulder. "I do imagine a man like you does not have a lot of those."

"A lot of what?" Mundy asked.

"Mates." 

"Yeah, well… Used to have more before my parents passed. Now I have fewer ones."

"Can you name them?" Lucien asked. 

"Why? Wanna see if someone's already got your name?" Mundy joked and took another sip. 

"Highly unlikely, non, it is just to satisfy my curiosity." 

Perle brushed herself on the bandaged face and purred. Lucien left a silent peck in her fur. 

"Yeah, alright… uh… There's Eddy, Matt and Phil… Maurice counts too, I guess." 

"And outside of your professional duties?" Lucien asked and Mundy frowned. His eyes went up to try and find at least one person he had kept in touch with outside of his job, but his prolonged silence was the answer that Lucien had expected. 

"I see." The Frenchman said, and Mundy lowered his head in shame. "M?" 

Mundy didn't raise his eyes. 

"Perle, s'il te plaît, vas-y. Toi, il ne te résistera pas."

[Perle, go ahead, he won't resist you.]

Perle climbed down Lucien's shirt and jumped on Mundy's lap. He could feel her tiny claws grip the fabric as she climbed up his polo shirt and settled on his shoulder, brushing herself there. She mewled and purred. 

"M?" 

This time, Mundy raised his head. 

"There is no shame to have. I have lived the same way. You are my first 'mate' in a long, long time." 

Mundy smiled. 

"Sorry about beatin' you up that hard. I was really pissed off."

"I understand, you had every right to feel so."

"Yeah, well… I beat you up hard, hm?"

"Oui, harder than I thought you could or would."

"Sorry… If that's any help, I can give you a hand to change your bandages. The Doc showed me how to do it and I did it with him."

Lucien's eyebrows jumped. 

"You helped him?"

Mundy lowered his head. 

"Yeah. I… I had the entire night to think it through while you were sleepin'."

Mundy leaned back on the sofa, Perle still on his shoulder. 

"I don't know why you thought lyin' was better than just telling me the truth. But I won't kill you over this, of course not. I was just pissed off because I told Lulu things that I didn't want to tell you. But now you know them anyway."

"I told you a lot too." Lucien answered. "And I thought I could fool you into telling me more about yourself by sharing a bit more about myself too. The only catch is that of course you wouldn't know it was really me." 

"Why did you want me to tell you stuff like that?" Mundy had that earnest look in his eyes, a look of genuine kindness.

"Because…" Lucien sighed. "Disclosing what I am or what I feel is not something that I… do? Do you remember when you told me that you envied Lulu's ability to talk openly about whatever he wanted without feeling odd about it? Well, I can't agree with you more. I wish I could just let my emotions speak more in me, let them guide me and see where they take me."

"Why don't you do it?" Mundy asked. 

"For exactly the same reasons as you. I have done it in the past and it ruined me. I cannot afford to go through that again and I don't want to." 

"Hm." 

Mundy seemed a bit away, as if his mind had gone far. 

"What is the matter?"

"There's something you said, I mean, something Lulu said, that I can't get out of my head now that I know you're him."

"What is it?"

"When you said that you… uh… you didn't only like sheilas…" Mundy's face turned as red as a brick. "I mean obviously if you don't want to talk about it or - or if it's a lie then that's fine but uh…"

"I told you, M. Everything I said to you as Lulu is the truth." 

Mundy's eyes rose behind his yellow glasses to meet Lucien's. 

"Hm, ok, alright…" 

"Why are you so uncomfortable? You told me that you too could enjoy the company of men, non?"

"Y-yeah…" Mundy put a hand behind his neck nervously. "I mean… No one knows that about me. Even my parents didn't know." 

Lucien smiled and put a hand on Mundy's shoulder, next to Perle.

"Then I feel privileged to know that you trusted me with this knowledge."

"I trusted Lulu." Mundy answered and Lucien felt something fall in his ribcage. He removed his hand off Mundy's shoulder. "It's hard to trust you." 

The Frenchman sighed. 

"I know. It is my curse. My tongue is tied by contract. I cannot say anything I want. I cannot say the truth of what I am, what I want and what I feel…"

"Why?" Mundy asked. 

"I told you. It is by contract." 

"A contract with who? Who's the mongrel who got you to shut your mouth and bottle up everything you feel inside you?!" 

Lucien raised distraught eyes to his friend, through the bandages. He couldn't say that it was the French Ministry of Defense.

"If I told you, I would have to kill you." 

"Not if I find them first and deal with them." Mundy answered. "Tell me who they are and where to find them. Are they in Oz?"

"M, would you really go out there and kill them if I told you who they were?"

"I'd talk to them first but if they leave me no choice, yeah. I mean what could possibly be worse than what I'm goin' through now? I'm walking to my death. Might as well help a friend if I can, eh?"

Lucien's smile faded. 

"You have no idea what you are saying." 

"Yeah I do." Mundy put his arm around Lucien's shoulders. "Whoever they are, we can do something about it. There's always a solution, ok?"

"Not in my case I am afraid." 

"How long has this… uh… 'contract' been going on for now?"

"Almost three decades." 

Mundy's jaw dropped. 

"What…? Oh Gosh… I'm sorry for you b-but I'll help, ok? Just tell me who and where, I won't tell you anything and you won't know." 

Their eyes were locked on each other’s. And Lucien felt it. Mundy's arm was on his shoulders and Perle was curled in a ball of fur on his shoulder. That man was absolutely mad. He was ready to go and kill just on Lucien's word, even though he had lied to him continuously. 

"How do you know that what I am telling you now is not a lie?" He asked the Aussie.

"I don't. I just continue to trust you." 

Lucien might have melted in tears if decades of being a professional spy hadn't made him a machine. 

"Even after all the lies? And those that I refuse to break yet?" 

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"I've seen you with Pearl. You can be genuine about yourself. I don't know what holds you back to do it, but you can be honest. I've seen Lulu too. He's… He's really something and it's a shame you feel you can't be more like him because of some stupid paper." Mundy answered. "Look, you don't have to help me do it. Just tell me who and where." 

"I… I can't." 

Lucien hid his face in his hands and lowered his head. 

"I am sorry you will never know me really. You will never know my name, never know the respect I have for you, M." He spoke in his hands. "You will never know what I am, my profession, and you will never understand anything about it all. That is why I lie. I have no choice." 

"Hey…" Mundy's hand slid on Lucien's back and he stroked it slowly. "It's alright. I don't get it but I respect it. Just please, keep the lies to a minimum, ok?" 

Lucien's head jerked back up and he looked at Mundy with glistening eyes. 

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you're right. Your lies and me blindly trusting you led us to see Duchemin from up close. So even though it's not ideal, it works for what we want to do." Mundy answered. "But uh… Why did you sign that contract in the first place? Can you tell me?" 

"Because… Back then was a different era with different problems and they needed someone like me." Lucien answered. "Me on the other hand, I had fled home and had nothing to lose, or so I thought." 

"Was it also like this with your… your fiancée?" 

"Oui. I am afraid so. I was lying to her but like you, she knew I was lying and yet decided to support me. I was younger and not half as broken as I am now so I thought it could work. But part of me always said it: I cannot settle down, I can't think of doing all these things that normal people do."

"Because of your contract?" 

Lucien nodded. 

"Oui, because of that cursed thing."

"Hm." Mundy tapped Lucien's back gently. "I don't care about it. We all have our burdens and our mistakes to drag with us I guess. I'll help you and we'll get Duchemin."

"M?"

"Hm?" 

Their eyes connected and even with the bandages, Mundy could see Lucien's eyes shining differently.

"For what it is worth, I will try to not lie to you about anything else than my name and what I am, my identity."

"Are there other lies you want to set straight with me?" 

"Hm, let me see…. Perle is a cat, I live here in this hotel, I am Lulu… Non, I don't think so. But if I think of anything that I can share with you, I will."

Mundy smiled. 

"Thanks, mate."

"Non, thank you…" 

Lucien looked away to dry his wet eyes.

"... You are quite unique, M."

"Yeah well, you're one hell of a weird bloke too, eh?" 

"Meow!"

"C'mon, admit it, kitty. Your dad's weird." 

Perle brushed herself on Mundy's neck and cheek. 

"Here, go and tell him he has a friend, now."

"Meow?" 

"No, not you, you're his baby apparently, I'm the friend. Now go tell him, chop, chop"

Perle turned and went to Lucien's lap. He carried her to his face and didn't deafen the sound of the kisses he gave her. 

Mundy laid his arm on the sofa's back and Lucien played with the kitten as he leaned down more until he let his neck rest on the sofa's back too. Mundy froze as Lucien was in fact using his forearm as a pillow. 

"Mon bébé, s'il te plaît, va lui dire à quel point je… Tu trouveras les mots mieux que moi." 

[My baby, please, go and tell him how much I… You will find the words better than me.]

Lucien released the kitten who went back to Mundy. She climbed on his polo shirt and reached his shoulder. She walked carefully on the arm he had laid across the sofa's back and curled in a ball of warm fluff down on it. Lucien stayed there and raised his head and his eyes to Mundy who was past crimson.

"Thank you, M." Lucien gently said, almost like a whisper.

The Aussie was paralysed way too firmly to say anything back. Perle was on his arm and Lucien rested his head on his forearm, staring at him with his gentle, almost poetic light blue eyes. Mundy lowered his head and looked away to bite his cheek. 

And he remembered Emma, that waitress. He had spent a night with her and didn't feel a millionth of the chaos that he was now experiencing in his insides. And L had just laid on his forearm...

[lu-undy]

Chapter 36 - SBT

Here it is!

"Oh, hey M!" 

Eddy was delighted to see his friend. 

"Hey Eddy." 

"What's up? Been a while since I saw you!"

"Yeah, I was just passin' by. Thought I could stop and say hi." 

"O'course! By the way, great job on those 'gators for Johnson."

"Yeah, well, it had to be done, eh." Mundy took a seat on his usual stool.

"So you're done now?" Eddy asked. 

"With Johnson's alligators, yeah." 

"What are you gonna do? Gonna get back in the desert and…?" 

"I've uh… I've got some work that needs finishing properly." Mundy answered. 

"What animals this time?" 

"It's… It's not-" Mundy started to answer when a group of young boys entered the shop. 

"M! We got a message for you!"

"Oh, yeah, what is it?" 

"Here, there's this box." One of the kids handed him a similar box to that which contained the suit Richard had made for him.

"Okay…" Mundy took it and Eddy raised an eyebrow. It was so odd seeing the scruffy Mundy with a glossy white box with a red ribbon…

"L sends us. He said to go and meet him at Maurice's street tonight at 7pm sharp with what's in the box and your dartflute."

"My what?" Mundy asked, confused.

"He said with your dartflute, he insisted on it." The kid repeated. 

"Oh, I see." Mundy rolled his eyes and smiled. "I get it, ok. Thanks, kids."

"What's that all about? And who's that L guy?" Eddy asked as Mundy headed for the door. 

"See ya Eddy!" 

-- Suite 504, Grand Palace --

"Meow?" 

"Mon bébé…?"

[My baby…?]

"Meow!" 

Lucien heard the tics of Perle's claws on the floor. He only had to follow the noise before he found her trying to climb the piano's seat. 

"Je te tiens!" 

[Gotcha!]

He went to her and scooped her off the floor, tickling her belly. She squealed and squirmed in his hand, making him chuckle. How come he was the only one she accepted in her life…? He had no clue.

"Aïe!"

[Ouch!]

Lucien looked at his finger. Perle had scratched it a bit too deep and blood was prickling. 

"Je dois te couper les griffes." 

[I need to cut your claws.]

He dropped her on the sofa and went to get her special clippers. When he came back, he sat on the sofa and put her on his lap, on her back. She raised her paws to him but when he started cutting her claws, she realised she wasn't in for a treat…

"Tsk, tsk, tsk… Plus tu te plains, plus ça va durer. À ta place, je resterais le plus tranquille possible."

[Tsk, tsk, tsk… The more you complain, the longer it will last. If I were you, I would stay absolutely still.]

Of course, she was dissatisfied with it all, may it last a bit or a long time. She continued squirming in his hand and on his lap. Lucien resorted to singing to soothe her. 

"Frère Jacques, frère Jacques,

Où es-tu? Que fais-tu? 

Sonne les matines, sonne les matines,

Ding, ding, dong"

She stilled in his hand and her eyes were on him. He gave her a sweet smile as he went on with the nursery rhyme, trying to bring peace to her. She only squirmed occasionally until he finally got to all the claws. 

"Voilà, c'est fini. Tu vois? Ce n'est ni long, ni douloureux."

[Here we go, it is done. See? It is neither long nor painful.]

He rewarded her with a hug and a few kisses in her fur before dropping her on his shoulder and going to the piano. He rehearsed on his own to kill some time.

But then his mind came back to that man. He had lied to him, an awful lot. But it was better that way and very practical, as it turned out. As long as M didn't know that L and Lulu are the same, Lucien could ask him what he thought about himself under Lulu's disguise and M would be none the wiser. It was perfect. 

There was also something thrilling about it. It reminded Lucien of his younger days, when going undercover with a fake identity was both a professional obligation but also something that he immensely enjoyed. Toying with people, having power over something. Those were times where he did not feel like the victim of powers greater than himself. Non, he felt like he was the master of his own decisions and he wasn't counting his days. 

Now, things were different. Lucien knew he walked to his death. As soon as he and M would kill Duchemin, his life would be forfeit. 

He sighed and raised his eyes to little Perle. 

He couldn't leave her behind. Who would take care of her? No one. Not only did Lucien not have friends anymore, but Perle herself wouldn't accept anyone's touch but his. So it became clear, Duchemin had to die, but Lucien had to survive. 

Not only for Perle. 

Lucien frowned on the piano. There was one man that he wanted to see again. Mon Dieu… A few months ago he was gladly walking to his death and now, because of the eyes of a baby and those of a man he knew would surely die with him, he was reconsidering everything around him. Non. As soon as they're done, they needed to part ways, fly apart, as far away as they could from each other and cut ties, all the ties. 

They will have to leave, Lucien will have to stop seeing that tall silhouette, those earnest eyes, that shy smile. He will have to live his life without that harsh voice, which spoke in low growls, in stuttered words and ideas, as if its owner had been parachuted on a planet of which he didn't know the customs; as if English wasn't his first language, or he hadn't spoken to another fellow human ever before. 

Lucien sighed before raising his eyes to the clock. Time to get ready.

He got off the piano and went to his room to get in his costume. It was made of dark blue, golden and white, and it did look indeed like an eighteenth century attire. He put on a white shirt with a scarf that puffed up below his chin. Then came the trousers in light beige with a few threads of gold that reflected the light beautifully. But those were one pair of those "short" trousers that stopped right below his knees. He then slipped on the long socks - white tights really - that stuck to his calves closely. Finally, he added the light, dark blue vest and waistcoat and the black shoes that indeed looked like they were made a few centuries before. 

Lucien looked at himself in the mirror. He took the last piece of his disguise and went to the bathroom. He combed his hair and looked at the mask in his hand. It wasn't a balaclava, non. It was made of plastic and was to be tied behind his head with a satin ribbon. The white face of the mask was elegantly painted: thin black eyebrows, black lips and golden sunbeams at the edge of it, a reference to Louis the fourteenth and his nickname, the Sun King. 

He put the mask on and tied it behind his head.

"Meow?" 

He smiled. 

"Tu restes sage? Papa doit aller travailler."

[You stay quiet? Daddy has to go to work.]

Perle mewled and meowed, complaining about it. Lucien took her in his hands and got her close to his face. He pushed the mask up to stay on top of his head and kissed Perle a few times. 

"C'est mieux?"

[Feel any better?]

She purred and brushed her head on his mouth to ask for more. He put her on his shoulder and went to grab his accessories. He couldn't go with a gun as he no doubt would be searched. He didn't need one anyway, so he took his cigarette case and his lighter.

Finally, he went by the main door and put Perle down before turning to the coat hanger and putting on a long black coat.

"Bien, mon bébé, Papa va travailler et va sûrement rentrer tard. Tu as de quoi boire et manger."

[Listen, my baby, Daddy will go to work and will surely come back late. You have enough to eat and drink.]

"Meow…" She walked in circles between his feet, brushing herself on his shoes and ankles. 

Lucien opened the door. 

"Ne m'attends pas pour aller te coucher et ne veilles pas trop tard, d'accord?"

[Don't wait for me to go to sleep and don't stay up too late, alright?]

"Meow."

Lucien crouched down and put his hands down in front of her. Perle jumped in his palms and he kissed her one last time. He scratched her head and put her back on the floor.

"À plus tard." 

[See you later.]

Perle sat on the other side of the door. 

"Meow." 

He closed the door and waited for an instant. No meow. He smiled. 

Lucien called the elevator and as it opened, he found Bastien inside. 

"Oh, hey L."

Bastien pressed the button to get down to the ground floor.

"Ah, Bastien, this is a good surprise. I need you to get my car out, please." 

"Sure. That's a mask you have on your head?"

"It is business."

"Ah, fair enough." 

The doors rolled open and Bastien headed for the garage. 

-- Maurice's street -- 

"Alright, seven sharp, here I am, you snob…" Mundy had parked his van at the usual spot in Maurice's street. He got out of it and leaned against it. "Hm." 

He decided to wait with a cigarette. He lit one and puffed on it while watching the kids play. The sun was setting now and the air was still, only disturbed by the occasional breeze. Beggars passing by stared at the tall man dressed like an aristocrat from a couple of centuries before. 

Mundy's ears pricked up. He heard an engine. But it wasn't the motorcycle he expected, neither was it the sound of an ordinary car engine.

"Bloody hell…" 

The Panthera came along the street as if it was hovering above the asphalt itself. The dark blue sheen of it shone shyly under the lamp posts until it parked next to the van. 

The window on the passenger's seat rolled down.

"I see you are on time." The French accent behind the mask said, not leaving the driver's seat or cutting off the engine. 

"And you're late, Spook." Mundy peeked his head through the window. "Five minutes." He tapped his watch. "Did you need to adjust yer bloody mascara?" 

Lucien rolled up his eyes with a smile.

"Get inside before I change my mind." 

Mundy obeyed and the Frenchman drove off. 

"Do you have your mask with you?" Lucien asked. 

"Yeah, here." 

"Good." 

"Bloody hell, you must be one hell of a filthy rich bloke…" Mundy looked at the wooden and leather interior of the car. "Is this yours?" 

"Do I look like I steal things?" Lucien asked. 

"When you have yer balala-mask on, you do look like a thief." 

They both chuckled and Lucien looked at his friend. 

"But you're right, Spook, the seats here are much more comfy than those in my van. I've never seen a car like this, what's it called?" 

"First, like your van, this car is a she. Second, unlike your van, she is a unique model."

"Yeah, well, quite unique." 

"I mean it, Bushman. She is the only car of that model." 

"Shut your mouth?!"

Lucien chuckled. 

"Again and as always, feel free to think that I am not telling the truth. And as to her name, she is called the Panthera." 

"Nice name. Posh, but it doesn't surprise me."

Lucien raised an eyebrow to Mundy and they exchanged what he meant as a conniving smile. Mundy smiled back, thinking he was graced with a flash of the Frenchman's pearly white teeth behind the white mask, through the hole for the mouth. 

Lucien's eyes lingered on the Aussie while the Panthera raced through the desert, the last colours of the sky disappearing in the horizon.

"What?" Mundy asked, blushing slightly under L's gaze. 

"You would make a stunning king's advisor, were we living in the eighteenth century. The costume suits you." Lucien said. Mundy was wearing a similar outfit to his, only it was dark red. But it had the same slight sheen on the trousers and the waistcoat was beautifully lined with velvet.

"It's horrible to wear. It sticks to my legs like slugs, the trousers are short and I don't get why I need golden bits on the waistcoat thing…"

"If that is any comfort, I spared you to be my Pompadour." Lucien said with a smirk. 

"Your pump a what now?!" 

"Pompadour, Lucien repeated. Louis the fifteenth had a lady who would entertain him, if you know what I mean. She was a countess and her name was Madame de Pompadour. Had you been a woman, I would have told Richard to go for Louis the fifteenth and her."

"Well thank God I'm not a sheila, eh…" Mundy answered. "Uh, speakin' of, how's yours?"

"Perle?" Lucien asked. 

"Yeah, unless you changed." 

Lucien chuckled. 

"She is alright. I left her home alone and she didn't complain for the first time since we've known each other."

"Oh… She doesn't like it when you go away?" 

"Non, she doesn't." 

"Victoria told me that she doesn't like people either." Mundy said and Lucien hid his surprise. So Victoria had talked to each of them about the other, hm…?

"It is true. Perle is very… possessive of me. I would have said protective but she can hardly even protect herself."

"Ah, I see…" Mundy answered and there might have been a hint of sadness in his voice. "So, uh, what's the plan for tonight?" 

"Mere observation. We collect any and all intelligence we can on Duchemin's security. How many men? What guns? What type of defense? How are they organised?" 

"Hm, I see. So we just take a look-see, right?" 

"Oui." 

"Then why ask me to bring my blowgun. Also, it's called a blowgun, not a dartflute…" 

Lucien looked at his friend. 

"Well, I couldn't remember the name of it in English but you understood me anyway, non?" 

"I did, even though you made absolutely no sense." Mundy teased.

"If you prefer, I could speak French." Lucien answered. 

"Actually…" 

The Frenchman looked at his passenger and raised an eyebrow. 

"Been listenin' to a lot of French songs lately." Mundy admitted. "So uh, maybe I'd understand bits." 

"Oh, in this case…" Lucien smiled. "Je te parlerai en Français." 

[I will speak to you in French.]

"Wow, wow, wow, you gotta speak way slower, mate!"

"Ah, oui, pardon." Lucien cleared his throat and repeated comically slowly. "Jeee teee parleraiii Fraaaançaaais."

"Oi! No need to stretch it too much!"

"Make up your mind, Bushman!" 

They both chuckled. 

Lucien's eyes went back on the road. 

"I think we are getting closer. Now, we will have to pretend that we are uh… romantically involved with one another." 

"Do we have to?" Mundy asked.

"The idea of people seeing me getting less than a kilometre away from a man who uses jars as a bathroom disgusts me as much as you hate me, believe me."

"So why do we do this?”

"Because Duchemin is convinced that we are together."

"Together together?" Mundy asked. 

"Oui, together together." Lucien answered. 

"Bloody hell…" 

"I know. So try and have some manners for tonight, and act as if you liked me."

"Well…" 

"Come on, take this as a privilege." Lucien said. 

"A privilege?" 

"There are quite a few people who would give a lot to be in your shoes tonight." Lucien proudly explained. 

"Yeah well, idiots exist."

"Bushman! Those are people of great taste!"

"Ah, and how d'you know that? Just cause they like a posh snob doesn't mean they have great taste, eh." 

"Non, it is true. But they do not like a posh snob. They admire me." Lucien said.

"Ah yeah, the poshest of all the bloody snobs on Earth…" Mundy teased. 

"Bushman!"

"Well ok, I'll try and not show that I can't stand ya." 

"Likewise for me, although it won't be hard. I spent my life playing that game." 

Mundy raised an eyebrow and was about to ask what Lucien meant but they soon arrived where they should be. 

"Bloody hell, how many people can fit in this house…?" 

"It is a palace."

"Yeah, more like a village. And look at the number of cars parked there, Gosh…" 

They queued in the car until they arrived at the gate where an impressively built security guard asked for their invitation. 

"Here is it." Lucien gave his. "And this is my plus one." 

The guard raised his eyes over to Mundy, through Lucien's window, and the Aussie smiled and waved.

"G'day, mate, heh."

"Fine, you can get in. Your slot for the car is B15." 

"Noted." Lucien answered. "Many thanks." 

And he drove in, following the queue of cars. The parking lot might have been one for a supermarket. The Frenchman parked the car and both exited it. They took a moment to take in the view. 

They were in the middle of the desert and this entire place looked like it had been unearthed from somewhere else altogether. The palace was made of white stones, projectors of multiple colours shone on it. The lights split the night sky in beams of colours. 

"Bushman?" 

Mundy snapped out of his daydream and looked in front of him. The King of France was waiting. 

"Yeah, sorry Spook."

He followed Lucien to the entrance. 

"Wait, before we get too close, M."

The Aussie turned his head. 

"Yeah?"

"We have to drop the Bushman and Spook. It wouldn't make sense that we call each other that way."

"What should I call you then?" Mundy asked. 

"Whatever you want, as long as it goes with the act." 

"Alright."

"And put on your mask."

"Ah, yeah." Mundy put his own mask on his face and tried to tie it behind his head. "The ribbon… it doesn't want to stay in place, keeps slidin' off."

"Let me help." Lucien went behind Mundy and tied the mask for him. "Do you have a pair of gloves too?"

"Yeah, white ones, they were in my pocket."

"Put them on, please. We don't want to leave fingerprints."

"Ah, yeah, right."

They arrived at the entrance where another bouncer asked for their invitation. After inspection of it, he let them into the hall. Lucien and Mundy entered a room that looked so vast, Mundy could hardly see the walls at the end of it. But more strikingly, it was full of people and the lights were dim. Music was floating in the air and the Aussie saw an orchestra on a stage at the far left of them. 

The guests were all wearing costumes too, such that it was hardly possible to know who was who in any other way than going and talking to them directly.

"Gosh, that's a lot of people…" Mundy said, feeling overwhelmed by it. 

"Hey." 

The Aussie lowered his eyes to the Frenchman. 

"Take a deep breath." 

Ah, yes. Mundy did as he was told. 

"Stay close to me and everything will be fine, d'accord?"

[Alright?]

Mundy nodded. A waiter came to pass by and Lucien took two glasses off of his tray. He smelt them.

"Here. This is water. It will help." 

Mundy drank a bit. 

"I did not know you could not stand crowded areas." Lucien said. 

"I don't care about it."

"What is it then?"

Mundy looked left and right. 

"One of these bastards… He killed my parents."

"Oui. And he killed my soon-to-be wife, the only woman I ever-..." Lucien exhaled. "He killed her and my young son, a little angel who did nothing wrong on this Earth, my flesh and my blood." He clenched his teeth. "You have no idea what it feels like." 

Mundy opened round eyes. He could feel the blood in Lucien boiling. 

"I would gladly have died instead of them. I would have traded my life for theirs. What did they do all their lives to deserve this? She had lived honestly, a hard-working and loving woman. She even… She even gave me a gift no other person in the world could have. She made me a father. Each time our son would look up at me, I would feel like a man; a proper, whole and complete man. And she…" Lucien put his index on Mundy's chest and tapped it repeatedly. "She. Gave. That. To. Me." 

The Frenchman was furious and it was something Mundy was genuinely frightened of. The look in his ice furious eyes seized him powerfully. 

"She made me a man and that son of a whore took it away from me, stole it from me, killed it from me."

Lucien paused to catch his breath. 

"I understand your uneasiness, M, but it is part of the price we have to pay." He splayed his white gloved hand flat on Mundy's dark red waistcoat. Like a reflex, he started dusting it off and adjusting its collar. 

"The price we have to pay for what?" 

"Me, for not going with Marie and Jérémy to protect them; you, for being away from your parents while they needed you equally." 

Lucien raised his eyes to Mundy. Their masks hid their emotions but the words they used didn't. The Frenchman's hand laid flat on the Aussie's chest. Mundy put his hand on top. 

"Let's both take a deep breath, and then go." He said with his husky voice.

Lucien nodded and they both inflated their chests with fresh air that cleaned their insides, before exhaling their troubles away. 

"Well, a moment has passed; back to work." Lucien said and Mundy nodded. "Will you be alright?" 

"Yeah, thanks for… for everythin'." 

Lucien nodded and removed his hand. 

"Let us walk around and see what the security looks like." 

"I'm with you." 

Both men walked in the vast room, slithering through dresses and robes, suits and togas. Their eyes darted and scanned, security agents here and CCTV cameras there. 

"Security people don't all look the same." Mundy said. 

"Which means he has hired different private companies. Hm. This man knows he is a moving target."

"Yeah, loads of cameras too."

"And I would bet that some of his guests are none other than security agents in disguise." Lucien added. 

"How are we gonna get to him then…?"

"I do not know yet. But we will, trust me."

A voice slashed through their conversation. 

"Ah! If it isn't Sun king of singing, Lulu!"

Lucien raised his eyes to Mundy before turning to the man addressing him.