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Itzal Albescu Fuji|NPCs

Collab between: @Shadow007 and @Shoryu Magami

Monsieur Bonaparte’s Estate | April 14, 2012

♫ Final Fantasy IX OST - Freya's Theme

After what seemed to be a short car ride over considering that Itzal was speaking to Paula about what sort of dishes he had created before and what other dishes he was familiar about making, he was surprised to see that a few hours had actually passed when they arrived at the front gate. “Wow… I guess it is true what they say… “Time flies when you’re having fun.” He said with a laugh after he had glanced at his phone.

"Yeah, it felt a lot quicker than the other times I've come here." Paula said with a smile, holding out her cell phone and checking the time herself. It was almost midday, which meant that she was late under normal circumstances, but today was the exception. "We just arrived, so I'll be in there soon." Paula said in English while texting. During the trip, she had occasionally been sending texts back and forth to the bartender she mentioned earlier.

The front gates were open, though whether it was because Monsieur Bonaparte was expecting guests or simply because they were always open during the day was anyone’s guess. Since Itzal had luggage, Paula signalled for the driver to go into the estate, and you could actually see the anticipation on the man’s face due to knowing whose property he was entering. After a short drive, passing through a garden, they were finally in front of the main building, Chateau de Sophie. The fabled residence was more like a small castle than a mansion, and had been the enigmatic celebrity’s home for the last two decades. Only those who he invited were allowed to come to the private residence that was virtually independent from Parisian jurisdiction, and many considered it a great honour to even be there.

"Thanks." Paula said, handing the driver his money and opening the door, exiting the vehicle. Looking at the chateau, she took in a breath of fresh air.

Itzal sighed slightly, taking in the sight of the chateau, he could feel his heart racing with anticipation as he gazed over it. “Wow… I can’t believe I’m actually here.” He admitted with a slight, almost gleeful laugh. “I never imagined that I’d actually visit a real chateau.” He had heard about them from his father when he was a young boy, but seeing the real thing right in front of you was a whole other experience. “I can’t wait to see the kitchens in this place!” He said, his enthusiasm growing with each breath he took.

Paula smiled at Itzal's excitement, but before she could say anything her cell phone made another noise, "Good to hear. You know where to find me." Paula said, clearly reading out loud again in English, only for some reason Itzal could understand her perfectly now.

Itzal did a double take as he looked over at Paula, trying not to gape at what he had just heard. Did she not usually talk out loud with her texts in English? Was he somehow understanding English? He frowned deeply, feeling a bit lightheaded, wondering if he should bring this up or not, he was leaning towards not telling her about the fact that he had understood what she had said. He did not want to sound like he was eavesdropping, but… What if it happened again?

“Ah…” He began awkwardly. “Did… I just hear that correctly?”

`Huh…? What…?` Paula thought to herself.

A confused look came across Paula's face as Itzal questioned what she had just said. What did he mean by that? Was Itzal saying that he could understand that line of English better than all the other times she was texting Simon, or was he saying she slipped up and speak in her native tongue without noticing it? She had been speaking English alongside French for as long as she could remember, and even if she was a scatterbrain at times she had generally never made that sort of slip up.

"I... thought I said it in English..." Paula said, honestly sounding confused, “Did I say that in French...?” she asked, speaking in French again.

Itzal covered his mouth with a hand, something felt extremely off about this whole concept, it made him feel sick to his stomach. He was wondering if he should just try to push this to the back of his mind, that it was nothing to worry about. He must have just misheard her. Perhaps the drive had tired him out, there had to be some logical explanation for what had just occurred. He liked to believe there was some logic behind everything that happened in the universe and this was no different. He laughed weakly, “Ah… No… It’s nothing!” He said quickly, trying to not be bothered by fact that it seemed that logic had basically been thrown out the window. Without having an explanation for this, how could he even address the issue to Paula? It was almost like he had no choice but to ignore it for now.

"Oh, okay..." Paula replied, her usual friendly expression on her face, even if she was a bit confused, "Come on." she said, smiling and leading the way.

       Chateau de Sophie, Lobby | April 14, 2012

       ♫ Cowboy Bebop OST - Fingers

Soon enough, Itzal and Paula had gone through the large front door and were in what could best have been described as the lobby of the chateau; however, it was far from a simple foyer. The entrance hall was more like a giant lounge room than anything else -- there was a variety of seating areas and tables to talk, eat, or play games, a pool table, a piano, et cetera. This great room could easily have served as an entertainment area or party room for a large group of guests without leaving anyone feeling even remotely crowded.

As Itzal followed Paula, he might have noticed a very attractive young woman who was seated at the piano in the lobby, playing casually -- the young woman hardly seemed to be putting much effort into the piece currently, but it was beautiful regardless. Though Itzal could barely make her out from the angle, he would still be able to see her hair was a dark strawberry blonde, which was both long (roughly down to the her waist) and wavy. A pale red winter overcoat with dark red trim and collar was worn over whatever she might have been wearing, and went down virtually to her feet.

"Hey," Paula whispered to Itzal, "that's Anna!" she continued, trying to keep quiet.

Itzal stared at the young woman in awe, he had never seen someone so gorgeous as her. The music she played was just as beautiful, it made him feel like he was in a trance almost… Or if he was floating on air. “Amazing…” He whispered back to Paula. “I’ve never heard anything like it. I wish I could play an instrument like that myself.” He admitted, flushing slightly as he continued to stare at Annabelle, he hoped that he wasn’t bothering her by just blatantly staring at her like she was some sort of fixture on a wall.

"Me too..." Paula admitted in her usual friendly tone, "I've never committed the time to learn."

After only another few moments of walking, Itzal and Paula would hear a male voice speak out.

"Aha, there you are, Paula." the man spoke, the sound of his accent making it obvious he was from Wales, "Is this your new friend? Itzal Fuji, right?" he continued, speaking clearly in English that Itzal could understand like it was completely normal to him.

Itzal choked, covering his mouth quickly to pretend that he had coughed before he turned around to see who was addressing him, still trying to comprehend how on earth he could even understand the English language perfectly.

As Itzal and Paula looked in the direction of the voice, they could see a man standing at what was clearly meant to be a bar. There was a fine selection of drinks - alcoholic and non-alcoholic alike - on display behind him. The man himself was young and very handsome, probably halfway into his twenties. He was moderately tall, just a little under six foot more than likely, and had pale - though not unhealthily pale - skin and deep silver-tinted blue eyes. His physical features were mostly what people would describe as 'Aryan', and he had rather light golden blonde hair which was roughly an inch longer than chin-length, slightly wavy and messy parted bangs framing his forehead and down the sides of his face. He wore a white dress shirt with the collar button and the one below it both left undone, and the collar was slightly up. A beige vest was worn over the dress shirt, and he wore black pants and a pair of black dress shoes. The pocket of his vest had a white handkerchief sticking partially out of it.

"Hey Simon!" Paula said with a smile, with Itzal understand the English she spoke.

Itzal hummed softly, so this was the Simon that he had heard so much about… He could see why Paula was attracted to him, he was a pretty handsome man he supposed. But, he seemed like a gentleman and kind, he figured that they could be friends considering that he was close to Paula.

“It’s nice to meet you.” He said with bow, trying to hide the shock on his face that he was speaking perfect English. When he finished, he gave Simon the most convincing smile that he could, trying to hide how freaked out he was.

"You too, Mr. Fuji," Simon replied, "or would you prefer Itzal?"

“Ah, Itzal’s fine.” Itzal told him, still smiling. “So… Mr. Simon, do you enjoy working at the estate?” He asked, hoping the break the ice a little. He figured he’d at least try to be friendly with one of Paula’s friends.

"Simon Chandler. It’s my pleasure." the man from Wales replied to being called ‘Mr. Simon’, since he realized he had not introduced himself, "Everyone just calls me 'Simon', so you can too. No need for us to be too formal, after all."

Itzal nodded, still feeling that calling him just ‘Simon’ was a bit too casual for his tastes, of course he had to realize that there weren’t as strong social implications in France that his home country of Japan had. “Yes, forgive me… Simon.” He said awkwardly.

"Of course, whatever you find most comfortable is fine with me, and there’s nothing to apologize for." Simon said calmly, remaining friendly and with no sign at all that he was offended, and then he went back to replying to the question, "I've only been working here for a year now, but it's been rather enjoyable."

“From what Paula has been telling me… It sounds like a lovely place to work.” Itzal said, glancing around and listening to the piano music resound. “It’s so elegant… I almost feel like I don’t belong here even if I’m just here visiting.” He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Admittedly, I felt the same way when I first arrived." Simon replied, "You'll get used to it."

"Yeah, I still find it all a bit overwhelming myself." Paula said, considering she had only been here a few times now.

"Can I get you two something to drink?" Simon asked, figuring he should at least do his job.

“Is it alright if I have some sparkling water?” Itzal asked him. “And… There’s actually something else I wanted to ask.” He frowned as he tried to think of how he should even word his question. “I noticed something peculiar when I entered the estate… Normally I don’t speak or understand English so well… But, for some reason I am now. Is… There a reason for that?”

"Ah, that." Simon replied, nodding his head as he went to prepare the drink, but the tone in his voice indicated he was not surprised by Itzal's question at all.

"Can I have some tea? The usual." Paula asked, her tone friendly enough but she was clearly curious about Itzal's question.

Simon nodded with a friendly smile in response to Paula, and within half a minute he had Itzal's drink ready, placing it out on the table. "You all came here because you have a 'wish' you want granted, right...? I'm aware of the basic outline of the letter you all received." he explained, "Well... the letter wasn't exaggerating. Bonaparte's no ordinary man... Surely, if he can grant wishes then something like this is trivial to him, wouldn’t you say...?" he proposed, preparing Paula's tea as he spoke.

Itzal was very quiet as he took time to digest what Simon had just told him, “No ordinary man…” He repeated as a whisper. “It just... “ He shook his head. “It defies all logic. How can someone have such extraordinary powers like this and no one know?” He felt almost guilty for asking these questions, as if perhaps Monsieur Bonaparte could somehow be listening in to their entire conversation, but… He needed some sense to this situation somehow.

"To be honest, I don't know myself..." Simon replied sincerely, "I don't know the details, but Bonaparte has done something here that allows you all to understand English. Apparently, he chose English because it's the most known language in the world, so less people would have trouble getting used to it." Simon admitted, "That's why it's the first time Paula's even noticed it."

"Oh, right..." Paula thought to herself. Now it made sense, since she had only come here a few times.

Granted, Paula was having a hard time digesting the idea that Monsieur Bonaparte was capable of something like that, but it seemed sort of tame compared to the idea of 'granting wishes'. Since she spoke both French and English, Paula had never noticed anything was weird about the estate until now. As absurd as the whole concept was, it also explained why Itzal was speaking English coherently. There was no denying that Itzal could now understand and even speak the language as if he had naturally done so his whole life, so what Simon said had to be true unless Itzal was hiding his full knowledge of English up until this point..

Itzal huffed slightly, glad to have at least some sort of logic worked into this as he took a few sips of his drink, “Well… I guess there are more stranger happenings in the universe.” He said, deciding to be as casual about the situation as Simon. It was becoming clear to him that as much as he wanted to argue logic until he was blue in the face, it wasn’t going to do much good here.

Not too long after, Paula’s tea was ready and Simon went to place it in front of her.

"Thanks." Paula said with a smile, taking a sip.

Pulling out a golden pocket watch from his right pocket, Simon took a look at the time, "Thirty-eight past twelve..." Simon said casually, "Still a little over four hours until the escort leaves."

“Then… The other guests arrive.” Itzal commented, still sipping on his drink, looking thoughtful. “I wonder what everyone else is like.”

Paula was ready to ask if any of the other guests had arrived since the last time she had been at the estate, but then she remembered the whole reason she was introducing Itzal to Simon in the first place. She almost wanted to slap herself on the head for nearly forgetting, but this whole business with Itzal miraculously being able to understand and speak fluent English had thrown her off a bit.

"Oh yeah!" Paula suddenly, "I was wondering if you could put in a good word for Itzal." she pointed out, "I mean, he's a chef, so I thought maybe he could help out with the cooking at some point?"

"Well, assuming that he'd actually enjoy doing that when he's meant to be a guest, I don't see a reason why I couldn't at least bring it up." Simon said casually with a smile - wondering when that would come up, since they had been texting about it earlier - as he turned to Itzal, "Would you like me to introduce you to the chef a bit later?"

“Yes please!” Itzal said eagerly, a wide smile on his face. “That would be absolutely wonderful if you could!” He sounded like a child in a candy store as he stated this, and to be honestly, he probably would sound this excited if he were in a candy store regardless. “While I am a chef… There is so much that I still have yet to learn and I want to learn as much as I can.”

"Modest, huh?", Simon said as he smiled in reaction to the cuteness that was Itzal's excitement, "No problem. I'm thinking we should probably let you pick a room once you finished drinking. Do you need any help with that luggage?"

Itzal nibbled his lip as he thought on that, “I suppose… I’m actually not as strong as I look…” He admitted, flushing slightly. “At one point I was. And… I can just pick any room?” He asked, looking back over at Simon.

"More or less." Simon replied, "There's a guest dormitory connected to that hallway over there." he explained, pointing to one of openings in the giant lobby they were currently located, "Only a couple of rooms are taken so far, since most of the guests haven't arrived, so you've got a lot of options."

"Huh?" Paula said with a curious look on her face, tilting her head slightly, "Aren't they all the same though...?" she asked, pretty sure she had seen them before.

"Oh, well yeah," Simon said with a mischievous smile, scratching the back of his head with one hand for a moment, "but you don't have to spoil my fun like that."

Itzal chuckled slightly, “I’m not too picky myself so any room is fine with me. They all at least have a bed, right?” He asked with his own mischievous smile. “That’s all I really need to be happy in a bedroom, a bed.”

`Simon...` Paula thought with a smirk as she just sipped her tea, realizing that Simon was playing more of his mind games again, probably on both of them.

"Well they'd hardly be 'bedrooms' without them." Simon chuckled back, "At least you're easy to please." he pointed out as he stepped out from the bar, getting ready to take the luggage once Itzal was finished drinking.

Itzal finished off his drink, watching Simon pick up his luggage before following him down the corridor, he couldn’t help but to feel slightly unnerved by how large it seemed. Simon stopped at one of the rooms and opened the door, allowing him to see what exactly was inside. Like what he had seen so far of the chateau, it was very ornate and well put together for being only a guest room. “Wow…” He breathed.

"Pretty ace, right?" Paula said, looking at Itzal's reaction to the room.

Itzal nodded slowly, “Yeah… I wasn’t expecting it to look like this.” He said with a slight chuckle, not sure exactly what Paula meant by that. “But… I suppose I should have guessed that it would be.” He slowly walked in the room, glancing around. “Bigger than what I was expecting too.”

"Well, it's to be expected," Simon said casually as he placed the luggage down in the room, "considering whose home this is."

"Oh yeah," Paula said suddenly, a thought coming to her, "I don't know why I didn't ask this before, but what did you mean by a 'couple' of rooms being taken? I thought only Anna was here so far?"

“Are there others here beside Miss Anna?” Itzal asked, looking back at Simon. “... I suppose they could be in their rooms.” He considered, looking over an elaborate painting that hung over the bed. He could have sworn he knew this painting from a museum.

"Ah, you picked up on that." Simon said mischievously, as if he had been wondering if someone would notice, "Actually, one other guest arrived this morning."

“Before I arrived?” Itzal asked, surprised by this, if not a little unnerved.

"Have you ever heard of the business tycoon known as Gillard Maximilian...?" Simon questioned, expressing uncertainty as to whether or not either Itzal or Paula kept up with world affairs.

“I haven’t actually.” Itzal said, he really didn’t keep up with world affairs unless it involved something he had specific interest in.

"Wait... ‘Maximilian’?" Paula said, eyes widening slightly, "You mean from the Maximilian Foundation? That Gillard Maximilian?" she asked. In all honestly, it was perfectly fair for Paula to be surprised, since she had not actually seen a full list of the guests in the few times she had come to the estate so far.

Itzal hummed, wondering what such an important person would be doing here with people like himself. “Does… He have some sort of appointment with Monsieur Bonaparte?” He wondered aloud.

"He's one of the people who received a letter, just like you." Simon replied to Itzal's question.

Itzal’s eyes widened, he choked slightly, “He… Received a letter?” He whispered, questions started to overrun his thoughts about how someone of his status would receive a letter. His stomach turned slightly as he thought about his own letter.

"Yes, that’s right.", Simon replied, "Does that surprise you?"

Paula was the daughter of a journalist, so she was actually a lot more savvy about the world than her airheaded demeanour implied. She had heard plenty of stories about various people from her father, and one of the names she had definitely heard before was Gillard Romeo Maximilian. The man was a very powerful and wealthy businessman who ran the Maximilian Foundation, which had influence in several areas of the world's industry. In particular though, Mr. Maximilian was infamous among some circles because his company had performed morally questionable practices.

`He was invited...?` Paula thought to herself.

Why would Monsieur Bonaparte, a man who for all intents and purposes had only ever been believed to contribute to positive and benevolent projects, invite an amoral person like that to his estate for this gathering?

Itzal frowned, turning away, “I guess in a way it does.” He admitted, not wanting to go into further detail than that. While he might see Paula and Simon as friends, there was still the issue of trust, he hadn’t found any reason to trust either of them entirely.

"Well," Simon said, feeling a need to ease the concern that seemed to be troubling Itzal now, "when you think about it, all sorts of people have wishes, so it isn't too unusual that people quite different from you would be invited here. After all, you don't have too much in common with Anna either, do you?"

Itzal’s shoulders tightened slightly, “... Yes. I suppose that we all have wishes.” He admitted, for the first time to himself. “I guess I shouldn’t feel so surprised about it.” He managed to give Simon a weak smile.

"You talk about this whole 'wish' thing like it's so normal, Simon..." Paula said abruptly, sort of not really wanting to think about the fact that Gillard Maximilian was one of the guests here. Sure, the man was not exactly 'evil' or anything, but the Maximilian Foundation had been known to put profit ahead of morality or ethics. "I mean~" she started, but found herself hesitating.

"Hmmm...?" Simon turned to Paula casually, "Is something wrong...?" he asked, though he had already caught on -- he was just being polite, and had an interest in hearing her say what was on her mind.

♫ The Bouncer OST - Rain, Sound of Memories - | Distant Rain - The Cross Children |

"It's just... this whole idea that Monsieur Bonaparte invited these people here to give them a chance to have their wishes granted. You've explained that's what this is all about, and yet..." Paula said.

“Perhaps there is a darker meaning behind everything.” Itzal said suddenly, looking graver than Paula had ever seen him. “It’s a bit like people… There is always something that isn’t always like it seems… Do you not agree?” He asked, smiling, though his smile was cold… Not the same happy go lucky Paula was used to. It was almost… Frightening.

`... Itzal...?` Paula thought, concerned about the change in her new friend’s aura.

"I understand exactly how you feel..." Simon said sincerely, agreeing with Itzal about how people were rarely what they seemed, but feeling like the real concern should be focused on instead. Also, for the very first time a hint of melancholy was in his voice now that was far more serious.

There was no denying that Simon was highly intelligent - one could tell that just by speaking with him for a few minutes, even if he was acting so laid-back most of the time - but this was the first time since Itzal met him that it was apparent that he was not joking around at all. Actually, it was the first time Paula had seen him so serious. Simon always had a caring and sensitive tone in his voice, but there was something... deeper now.

Simon had learned that in the short time Paula had been here she was already growing to admire Monsieur Bonaparte, and that she actually really wanted to believe all the stories about the mysterious philanthropist having the power to perform miracles. After all, the man seemed to know everything going on in Paris, and fate itself seemed to move at his whim sometimes. On top of that, he knew enough about the people who received the letter that he knew they had deep aspirations. All of this without seemingly needing to lift a finger... It was all borderline god-like, to put it bluntly.

"To be honest with you..." Simon admitted, "If I had heard about this whole arrangement a year ago, I would've been as sceptic about it as you two are."

Itzal frowned, still looking grave for a few moments before his expression changed to how it normally was. “Well, I suppose there is no use dwelling on the matter.” He said suddenly. “The cards have been dealt and we just have to carry on, right?” He gave a genuine smile. “To see how everything will go in other words.”

"Still, I feel the need to tell you, since I want to put your mind at ease..." Simon said kindly, feeling like he needed to say this even if Itzal had seemingly tried to push his concerns aside, "I wasn't supposed to tell anyone about this yet, but the truth is... I'm only alive right now because of Bonaparte..."

Itzal blinked, his expression turning slightly surprised, “Well… I’m glad that you are alive.” He told him firmly. “You seem to be a very kind, sincere person… And I can respect that.” He gave Simon one of his regular, heartfelt smiles.

"No," Simon said calmly, "I think you might be misunderstanding me..." he said, appreciating the compliment but feeling like there was something far more important to say here.

"... Simon...?" Paula said, having never seen him like this before.

"What I mean is... I'm alive because Bonaparte cured me..."

Itzal was shocked into silence, he felt that he had put some of the pieces of the puzzle together, and it was starting to scare him greatly. He felt his mouth starting to go dry as he swallowed heavily, just what was going to happen here?

"Wh-What do you mean...?" Paula asked.

"I was very ill, Paula..." Simon admitted, "I probably only had a year left to live... at most. I've got medical records, if you don't believe me. There was nothing anyone could do for me. I've spent almost my entire life knowing I would die before I even turned thirty..."

Itzal swallowed once more, “... Then… What you’re saying is... “ He stopped himself, he couldn’t even believe it himself. But, it was seeming that the undeniable proof was standing right in front of him. He felt the room spin slightly before he went down and sat at the edge of the bed, he looked like he was in absolute shock.

"I guess you could say I've already seen first-hand that Bonaparte can perform ‘miracles’, Itzal..." Simon said, "So I hope now you can understand why I'm so casual about this whole situation. I apologize for not making this clear sooner, but it isn't really something I can just blurt out to anyone..."

Itzal nodded slowly, “No… Thank you for sharing this with me.” He said softly. “I think… No, I was still in denial this entire time about why I even decided to come here. Now, I can be honest with myself.” He was shaking slightly. “Something… That I haven’t been able to do for years now.”

Simon smiled, even if there was still a hint of melancholy, "I'm glad I could help then, because it's important for you to be true to yourself."

"... S-Simon..." Paula said softly.

"I apologize for hiding this from you too, Paula." Simon said as he turned to her, "It was not my intention to withhold anything from you, but..."

"N-No, that's okay!" Paula said, sort of perking up again after the initial stutter, even if she was still overwhelmed by all of this, "Now that I know the truth, I'm just glad to know you're well..."

"I appreciate that..." Simon said with a smile, turning to face Itzal again, "So, are there any other concerns you have? If I can help, I'd like to."

Itzal sighed deeply, running his hands through his hair as he started to calm down, “I’m fine now… I think I just… Need some time to lay down if that’s all right.” He said, swallowing once again. “Just… Feel light headed all of the sudden.”

"Of course." Simon replied, "I'm sure this has been quite a lot to take in. It definitely wasn't easy for me to come to terms with initially either." he added, "Would you like us to bring you anything?"

“Maybe… Just something to drink… If you would be so kind?” Itzal asked Simon with a weak smile, already starting to lay down.

"You've got it. What can I get you?" Simon asked.

“Just sparkling water.” Itzal answered, closing his eyes.
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