Lost Will of the Dead [Book One] (On Hold)

XI : Marius

Flirting with benefits.

Was what Marius Bouvier wanted to call it.

Flirting had never given him anything worthwhile except for pleasure and joy. Yet this time around, the lady waitress chose to help them the moment he asked for it.

He would forever be thankful for that.

However, another trouble might be weighing them down because of that choice. It seemed that they would have to wait for whatever might happen to them.

His friend Quentin, who was right beside him, spoke after minutes of trek on the road. "Thanks for saving us before," he said.
The lady waitress who was moving on a steady pace ahead of them replied, "No worries. It's my principle."

"If you don't mind me asking but, what's your name?" Marius asked, eager to know their savior more.

"People call me Madeleine Carter. You can call me Madeleine."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Miss Madeleine. I am Marius Bouvier."

"And I am Quentin Chartier. Marius and I...," Quentin paused as if thinking about the next words to utter. "Have been travelling for quite a while now."

Madeleine spun around and gave the men a quick bow. "It's very nice to meet you two gentlemen as well," she said, straightening up. "In behalf of this small city, I would like to welcome you to Lake City Central."

He couldn't help but smile at the gorgeous demeanor of this lady before him. He wondered if he could spend some alone time with her soon--without his friend close by to watch.

"You'd make a good medieval knight," Quentin interjected with a laugh.

Madeleine chuckled and said, "Well, I never knew I could do that."

The other two joined her in a chorus of laughter as the streets were filled with the resounding joy emanating from the trio.

In the afternoon sunlight, the key tucked on Quentin's back pocket gave off a soft glimmer.

Madeleine seemed to have noticed it and tilted her head sideways. "What's that?" She asked, pointing to the golden key at Quentin's pocket.

His friend tensed. He attempted to hide the key from sight only to sigh afterwards. "It's no use when it's already seen," he said, "well this is nothing. Not worth your time."

"I believe it's worth my time. And I think deserve to know because I might not feel so comfortable with saving you after all."

Marius smirked in amusement. What a sly woman. Demanding a price after all.

Her values took a turn from helpful and sympathetic to curious and demanding. Interesting. He was intrigued with the conflicting personality of the person he just met. Not many people in France were as cunning and as sly as her.

When he parted his mouth to speak and tell the truth, he felt a soft tug at the hem of his vest. It was his long time friend.

His gray eyed friend did not trust the lady as much as he did. "Non, ne le faites pas. Nous ne pouvons pas lui faire confiance encore," his eyes seemed to say.

Marius replied with his green eyes and said, "Eh bien, croyez-moi."

Madeleine was still waiting for an answer. He couldn't keep the maiden waiting now, could he?

He cleared his throat and continued. "That is a key that might lead us to answers," he said, "we received the clue Lake City and it took us days to get here. We're trying to find something important."