Living Happily After

71: A Heard Rumour

"Yes, Mr. Cairo told us about you."

"Oh, Aciel told you and Bougainvillea about me? Hah- okay...so what will I be doing for you two?" Siberus asked, looking for a paper to write on.

"Well," Gilbert stood up, "I thought you would've noticed..."

Siberus looked at him closer. "I noticed your eye, but that's all I noticed..."

Gilbert simply pulled up his right sleeve.

"I don't have a right arm anymore, good thing that I'm left handed..." Gilbert remarked.

"And...you survived?! Most people I see that asked for prothesis are either for something they've had since birth, or lost it in the war, but they don't survive very long."

Siberus looked at the couple, then at Gilbert. "Did you continue to fight in the war?"

Gilbert chuckled, then Violet followed after.

"How ironic, Sir Siberus. That is how we bonded, although, it did cause for an arm or two..." Violet commented.

"Excuse me? What do you mean?" Siberus asked, more concerned than confused.

Violet said, "I, too, lost my arm, but both of them, and I lost it in the war."

"Oh...umm, excuse me and I'll look for a paper to get your measurements and I'll get started on making your prothesis." Siberus looked distraught, but he also looked determined to make something well for Mr. Bougainvillea.

The measurements were done and Peter Siberus was left to work on a new project.

Gilbert and Violet are staying in a small town hotel, apparently the person owning the hotel knew them.

The owner previously said, "Just write me a short passage and your stay will be free of charge!"

Violet immediately answered back.

"Ah, but we'll be staying for quite some time, I wouldn't want to be unfair-"

"No worries, write me a good one and you're free, no questions asked!" The owner claimed, quite loudly as she nodded.

Violet looked at Gilbert, questioning him silently. Unfortunately, Gilbert just shrugged, not really sure, and not much help to Violet.

She just sighed inwardly, "Alright, please give me a piece of paper and a pen, then I'll start. But I tell you ma'am, my handwriting was not well exercised."

"Hah- it's fine, I'm just looking for a good enough write." The hotel keeper said, handing Violet the paper and pen.

Violet handed her bag to Gilbert before receiving the paper and pen.

"So, what would you like for me to write about?" Violet asked.

"Mm...something like what you wrote for the was Princess Charlotte. Your writing was elegant there."

"Something about Camellias? Or something about love?" Violet suggesting towards the owner.

"Mm, just something wisdomous, inspirational, maybe an experience of your own...just something that's you."

"Okay then, I'll go with something like that...." Violet then went ahead and started writing something on the paper against the counter.

Both Gilbert and the hotel owner watched Violet write a sentence or paragraph.

She then gave the paper to the owner.

"I don't know about it, but this is what it is...." Violet said.

Gilbert whispered to her. "What did you write?"

"I...just wrote down a passage from Shakespeare that came to me."

"Do you think she'll still want it?" Gilbert asked.

"...either way, we were still going pay from the beginning, right?" Violet looked at Gilbert.

"Yes, that has always been my plan." Gilbert answered.

The owner liked the passage and gave the room to them free of charge. After the owner lead them to their room, Gilbert slipped her some money.

"Ah, I already told you sir, it's free of charge..."

"I can't possibly have that, this is a business you're running, is it not?" Gilbert asked.

And when the owner was still hesitant.

"If you are that hesitant to take the money as a payment, then think of it as a tip. And I won't allow you to give it back." Gilbert stated.

The owner received the money and then walked back to her reception desk. When she sat back down and scanned at the money, she feasted her eyes on 320 euros.

When the Bougainvillea couple entered their room. They realized their room had two beds, both of the beds were twins.

Of course, both of them had no complaints, but they were more concerned of where the bath was, as they were no bath in their room but a restroom. After unpacking, they walked out of the room in search of a place to bathe.

"Where are the bathrooms?"

"Ah, we don't have bathrooms."

Gilbert and Violet looked at each other, then asked, "What do you have then?"

"Mm, we have steam rooms and public baths. You could rent the steam rooms and public baths if you'd like, but it'll be costly."

Gilbert inwardly sighed, "Alright, we'll rent a bath. How much is it?"

The person looked startled, "Um," clearly, he wasn't actually expecting for them to rent one. "It'll be XXX Euros, it's d-double if you rent for the whole week."

(A/N: You can just guess the amount of Euros it is haha-)

"Violet?" Gilbert called.

"Mm?" Violet answered, then realized Gilbert was asking her if she was all right with it.

"Oh, yeah, it's fine, we'll rent it for the whole week please. You can change the temperature of those right?"

"Uh...huh, yes, you can. Um, okay, that'll be XXX."

And then a rumour spread....

That a 'rich' couple was visiting Machtig. Guess it's time for Machtig, the trade center of cities, to step up its game this week.