Flaneur ✅💋

11. Juste Une Promenade

April 13, 1942

It was a particularly dreary day in Paris, France. Genevieve sat outside the Café de Soleil Rouge smoking a German cigarette. She didn't particularly have a brand that she was loyal to, but it wouldn't have been the Eckstein unfiltered garbage sticks that the colonel had gifted her. They served their purpose though. She kept her nose in her book and her mouth occupied around the cigarette, waiting for that time of day when he would surely walk by as he patrolled the streets, flaunting his authority. She didn't know if he would do so intentionally just to see if she was outside, or if he had some sort of reason for his being there. Nevertheless, she sat and waited with Waltz sleeping at her feet.

Every now and then he would rub his snout against the violet heel of her shoe and whine until she scratched him behind his ears, and then he would be content for a few more minutes. She smoked and read and eavesdropped on the Germans until the mid afternoon, before her target finally appeared.

It was a flash of black out of the corner of her eye. It stood out among the green as it moved down the sidewalk. She didn't flag him down or even lift her eyes from her book, instead she waited patiently. If he saw her, he would come over. It was just a matter of time. Waltz was the giveaway. His ears perked up and his tail began to wag.

"Enjoying your book?" His French was so smooth and lush that she could have mistaken him for a native.

"I was. Now I'm getting bored." She snapped her book closed and stubbed her cigarette on her half eaten croissant. She turned around and wasn't the least surprised to see the colonel standing directly behind her chair. "Patrolling?" she queried.

Nicolas smiled warmly, too friendly for a person in his position, and stated, "I was, but now I'm bored."

Genevieve felt the corners of her lips tugging up, betraying her impassive expression she wore. He bent down and gave Waltz a good long belly scratch that had the pup rolling over for more. "Suppose we are both bored with nothing to do. If I were to ask you to go on a walk with me, would you?" He got back to his feet and gave her a hopeful look.

"What if I said no?" she tested his mood, placing her book back into her purse.

"Then I would bid you adieu and be on my way," he answered with the tiniest hint of offense at her query.

"And what if I should say yes?"

He grinned wickedly and took a step closer to her. Waltz's tail slapped melodically against his black boots. "Then I would offer you my arm, and take you somewhere rivaled only by your beauty." She smiled back at him, feeling a step closer to her desired endgame, and slipped her arm into his, silently answering his question.

It was indeed a beautiful setting, though she doubted very much that even she was more beautiful, despite how overly primped the order had made her. It seemed like one of the rare untouched jewels the Nazis overlooked. Either they appreciated the park's beauty, or they simply disregarded it altogether. Whatever the reason, Genevieve appreciated it very much.

They took a gravel path that crunched beneath their feet like fresh fallen leaves. "I wanted to tell you that I enjoyed my time with you very much. I was the envy of the evening," he told her without much reserve.

She smirked at him. "I should hope so. It was held in your honor," she pointed out.

Nicolas stopped and turned to her, holding her hands in his. "I mean it. Every man in that room was jealous of me, and it wasn't for some medal. I truly enjoyed your company." She flushed under his impertinent gaze and let her eyes drop away from his. He released her hands and continued on down the path with her pacing him at his side. He looked over at her and pressed his lips together in a muted smirk. "I can see why you chose the name Waltz. You're a magnificent dancer. Where did you learn?"