"So these are the lists! Once you have got your stuff, hand it over to Martha in the kitchen!"
Felicita looked up at everyone with a smile.
"Does it really need so many of us to do it?" Asked Mikino.
"Those who don't want to can help in cleaning and decorating the Hall. Or you can-"
"That's ok!!! I'll go shopping!!" Mikino grabbed the list out of Debito's hand and dashed out.
Cursing under his breath, Debito ran after her.
"I split most of the list into stuff you might know where to find! Is it alright, Luca?"
"Yes, milady!" He replied looking at his list "I know most of these herbs! I can get them easily!"
"A chocolate with herbs..... Yuck" Muttered Elina softly.
"Any problem Elina?" Asked Felicita looking at her.
"Oh no! I just said I'll go with Nova!"
Felicita stifled a laugh seeing Nova's horrified expression.
"Ok then! Remember to come back quick so you can get ready for the party! If anyone wants to come with me, wait in the garden! I'll join you after I hand over a list to Jolly and Irisu!"
"Would they even bother?" Asked Luca.
"For Papa they will!" Said Felicita with a smile as she ran out.
A Valentine's Day ball.
That was Papa's grand idea this time.
The family were forced to pitch in with the preparations as it was at such short notice.
Felicita had gathered the others to help collect ingredients for a special chocolate recipe Martha had found.
After shoving the list into Jolly's hand and begging her Aunt to make sure they do it, Felicita ran down to the garden.
She wasn't surprised to see Liberta and Morgan waiting there.
Hopefully they don't pick a big fight over nothing
Felicita navigated through the busy crowd while browsing through the shops.
"What exactly are we looking for?" Asked Morgan leaning in close to look at her list.
"Fruits. But they are a bit rare."
"Oh let me see... "
Felicita felt his soft gloved fingers brush against her hand as he took the list.
"I don't know if they are familiar to you. " Continued Felicita "I sent Liberta to scout the shops down the street. "
Felicita strained her neck and looked ahead but she couldn't see Liberta.
"I think I just lost him in the crowd..... " She trailed off as she felt Morgan's hand slipping around hers.
"Then make sure you don't lose me too" Said Morgan with a grin.
Felicita turned slightly red and was wondering what to say when a loud howl interrupted them.
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!!!"
Liberta stormed across and smacked Morgan's hand off.
"I was just making sure she doesn't get lost." He said innocently.
"I'll take care of that! You go looking for the fruits!"
"But I don't know what they look like. "
Felicita watched the two bickering for a little longer and then with a sigh she walked off.
"Felicita!!" Screamed the two of them, scurrying after her.
"Be nice to each other boys!"
"But how?!" Asked both of them immediately.
Felicita gave them a tired look.
Liberta was a very amazing friend and Morgan was an extremely charming guy, but at times they were both reduced to the status of annoying idiots.
"Ah! I just remembered why I came back!" Said Liberta
"I saw a shop with the stuff we need! But they are such rare fruits, so we should hurry before they get over! "
Felicita and Morgan followed him down the street quickly.
"Oh Milady! I wasn't expecting such a customer!" Said the woman at the shop smiling brightly.
Felicita scanned the goods and immediately replied "We will take all those fruits!"
As she started packing everything in, Felicita noticed a small child staring longingly at the fruits and then pointing it out to her mother.
"Excuse me, can I have one of those, please?" Asked the mother.
"You don't have the money to pay for these, dear!" The shop-lady replied without even looking.
"I'll pay-"
"First finish your tabs from before. I can't give you any when I have better paying customers right here!"
The vicious tone made the trio fall silent too. The mother moved away awkwardly avoiding their eyes.
"Hey! You can take one of these! We only need ten! " Said Liberta suddenly picking up a small fruit and handing it to the little girl.
Her eyes shone with delight and after looking at her mother for confirmation she accepted it.
Liberta waved off their thanks with a grin. After Felicita paid the shop-lady, the trio started to walk away.
Morgan glanced back then and saw the child holding out the fruit to her mother. The woman was awkwardly trying to push it back saying it wasn't enough.
It was a rare variety of fruit which had very little flesh and though the girl seemed to know it, she wanted to share with her mother.
"But it's your birthday! I wanted to give you a gift!" Said the girl.
Morgan walked back and knelt next to the girl. With a flourish he pulled a rose from thin air and handed it to her.
"Why don't you give this to your mother?"
With a bright smile she gave it to her mother who was looking at Morgan in surprise.
Morgan patted the girl's head and went back to join the other two.
"You could have just summoned fruit" Said Liberta.
"Could have... But I suspect it's edibility. "
"Oh! Good idea then!"
Felicita was looking at the two of them with an odd expression which they immediately noticed.
"You guys... You guys are alike in many ways!"
Ignoring the protests that followed, Felicita walked away grinning to herself.
"No fish will cost that much!!! This is daylight robbery!!!"
Mikino glared at the guy displaying his catches of the day, even as Debito tried to negotiate.
"Oy! You know that this is for the family right?!"
"Yes! But this is a rare catch!" Replied the man with a sleazy smile "I wouldn't dare cheat you! I'm selling it at my best prices! See how fresh it is! "
"Ha! Dead fish are fresher!" Said Mikino scowling.
Debito glared at her.
"Shut up! As if you are an expert! We can't be picky when he's the only seller!"
"How dare you! I'm Irish you know! I know my fish!" Mikino glared back defiantly "It's better to just catch it ourselves than accept his ridiculous price! !"
"Would you like to try?" Said the man suddenly with an odd smile pointing to two sets of fishing gear in the corner.
Before Debito could reply, Mikino nodded.
"Yes. Give me that rod!"
The water was smooth without a single ripple. The pier was empty except for the two lone figures at the edge.
Mikino cast her hook and waited expectantly.
"Ugh.... You know that we won't catch fish at this time of the day right?" Said Debito.
"Just cast your hook. He was definitely challenging us! We will catch one even if it takes all day!"
"We don't have all day... " He muttered softly before casting his hook too.
After nearly ten minutes of silence he asked "You know how to fish?"
"No. We used to buy it from the market. "
"What?! Why are we wasting our time here then?!"
"Don't you dare go back to that ruffian!! If that fish is in these waters we will catch it- by hook or by crook.... "
Mikino stopped talking abruptly and then guffawed.
"What?" Asked Debito suspiciously.
"Well... We have cast the hook. Maybe we should throw in the crook now... " She replied, with a sly glance at the stall behind them.
Debito grimaced at the awful pun which made Mikino burst into laughter again.
Debito didn't control himself this time and joined her. Mikino was a noisy and sharp-tongued girl but she did have an infectious laugh.
"Does your Papa always have these parties?" She asked looking back at the ocean.
"You know how spontaneous he is. It will be fun anyway! "
"Hmm.... "
After a few seconds Debito spoke again.
"You don't seem very excited. I thought you would be the kind who liked such stuff! "
"Because I'm loud and obnoxious?"
"I didn't say that. You did. "
"It just feels more graceful and proper here. But then again we attended very few parties back home so.... It's just that they felt more warm there. "
"Probably because of all the alcohol. "
"What the hell- Ok you are right but... "
"Do you drink?" Debito looked up at her.
"Mmm.... Sometimes. I mostly like the strong stuff. I get awfully drunk on them though. It's fun when I'm with Cecil!"
"Eh? He drinks too?!"
"Not much. So he is usually sober enough to take me home. "
Debito shook his head with a sigh "No wonder you don't like the dignified parties here! You are a real wild thing!"
"No I'm not! I'm not going to listen to nonsense from a womanizing creep!"
"What did you just call me?! Just admit that you would prefer alcohol over chocolate!"
"What?! Don't you dare twist things around! Anyways fish in chocolate is stupid!! Is that a local thing?!"
"No!! How would I know?! I'm not doing the cooking!"
"Disgusting! Besides I bet you would pick alcohol too!"
Debito was silent for a second and Mikino looked at him gleefully.
"Hmm.... Maybe we should get a drink someday" Debito glanced at Mikino.
Mikino blinked her eyes awkwardly.
The she turned away with a scowl.
"No way! Not with a creep!"
"What?!"
"I'm not that kind of girl! Stay away from me! Yes you are good-looking but no way will I drink with you!!"
After a pause she flashed a sweet smile at him "Unless I'm very drunk in the first place.... "
Debito grinned but said nothing.
He had been joking when he had said it, but now he was seriously wondering if it was a good idea.
Not because he had any dirty thoughts, but it would be interesting to drink with an attractive girl who could probably hold her alcohol well.
Attractive.... WHAT ON EARTH?!!! After everything she had said?!
Debito was horrified at how he was finding masochism so attractive.
"Let's go! This is a waste of time."
Debito flicked away his rod and looked to the stall.
"Hopefully that guy isn't too pissed and will sell to us again!"
"Never!!" Shouted Mikino.
Debito moved to grab the rod from her hands. There was a tussle as they pulled it back and forth and Mikino finally kicked Debito and pushed him away.
Debito staggered back and lost his balance.
Mikino yelled out his name as he fell off the edge and into the water.
Debito went under and after a few seconds Mikino dropped her rod and kneeling down, she peered over the edge.
"Debito!!!"
Silence
"Debito are you dead?!!!" She screamed a bit louder now, wondering if the idiot knew how to swim.
"De-bi-tooooooo!!!!"
Debito came out of the water with a gasp.
"Why are you still up there?!" He shouted "I thought you would be diving in to rescue me!!"
Mikino tried to hide her relief.
"I don't want to get wet!" She shouted back cheekily.
She reached out and offered him her hand to help him up.
Debito accepted her hand and immediately yanked it hard. With a squeal, Mikino toppled into the water.
"Die!" She spluttered as she recovered quickly and sprang at him.
Debito swam out of the way and laughed as she went flailing into the water again.
Mikino opened her mouth to curse him but then she suddenly turned pale and let out a scream.
"Help!" She screamed as she wriggled around frantically.
Debito swam up and saw a fish trying to enter her coat. With a swift move he grabbed it and Mikino let out another yell and moved away.
"Don't let that fish go!!!" She yelled immediately.
Debito froze and looked at the fish in his hand.
A smile spread across his face.
"Wow. That's a coincidence. "
"Lucky!" She said in excitement as she swam to him and flung her arms around his shoulders.
Debito winked at her.
"Guess you were right.... It did take a crook to catch the fish. "
The silence of the pier was shattered by roars of laughter as they started their journey back to the shore.
"Jolly.... Do you even know how to make dry ice?" Asked Irisu tagging behind him.
"Yes. I have done it before."
"Who even needs dry ice to make chocolate?" Said Irisu with a sigh.
"I did. " Said Jolly coolly.
"Because you were probably doing an experiment and not making chocolate" Retorted Irisu.
She followed him into the inner room of his lab and stared at the peculiar bottles and chemicals lined on the shelves.
Near the wall there was a row of cylinders and Jolly began to casually open the valves.
"Are you trying to kill us?!!" Screamed Irisu.
"I don't know what's in each. But I don't have anything dangerous."
"I don't believe that!!! Why don't you just label them?!"
"You can do that when you are free. "
Jolly finally removed a cylinder from the row.
"That's dry ice?"
"No. It's carbon dioxide." Jolly paused for a second "It's used to make dry ice"
"I know that!" Said Irisu rolling her eyes "Can I help?"
"Yes. We need to first collect the dry ice in that bag and then transfer it to that container. Go fetch"
As Irisu followed his instructions, Jolly put on a pair of gloves. Then after covering the nozzle with the bag, he opened the valve.
The two watched in silence as the bag began to get filled.
"What a ridiculous excuse for a party. " Said Jolly
"Why do you say that Jolly? It's Valentine's Day. Time to express your love. Do lovey-gooey stuff as a couple."
Jolly could sense the sarcasm in her voice that indicated she agreed with him too.
"Ridiculous that you want one day to be able to show your love" She said quietly.
"Ridiculous how you even need to show it" Replied Jolly absently.
"It's useful for people like you. Just say it on that one day and not give a damn otherwise. "
After a few seconds of silence Jolly suddenly laughed.
"Why? You want me to say something?" He asked.
"Don't tease me. I don't give a damn even if you do. "
Irisu laughed aloud as she dumped the filled bag into the container.
"Do we... " Irisu giggled "Need one more?"
"I don't mind" Said Jolly laughing.
Irisu immediately started laughing again as she held out the bag for a refill.
"Why are you laughing?" Asked Jolly as he suppressed his own laughter.
"I don't know!" A strange look passed across Irisu's face as she let out another laugh.
"Come on Irisu... What do you... " Jolly trailed off.
"Jolly... " Said Irisu
"Ha... Oh.... Nitrous oxide... "
"What-Ha ha!!"
"Laughing... gas.... " Jolly turned slightly pale as he moved away from Irisu who was still smiling but her hands were wavering over her sword murderously.
"Stop it then! " She shouted.
Jolly looked at the row of cylinders. He had no idea which one was it. He randomly started closing them.
"It stops.... " Irisu choked on a giggle "It stops within minutes right?"
Jolly paused.
He turned around with a weak laugh.
"I... I was experimenting to increase its potency.... "
Jolly couldn't say anything as Irisu reached out and grabbed him by his collar.
"I will-" Irisu hiccuped and then squeezing him again she continued "I will kill you!!! "
"Hiccups? Haha! What an interesting side effect!"
Irisu covered her mouth as she erupted into another fit of hiccups.
Jolly was about to say something but couldn't as he started laughing.
Irisu could see the shock on his face as he tried to stop himself.
She couldn't say anything more either. Besides fits of laughter she now had the hiccups too.
Suddenly there was the sound of someone coming down the stairs.
"Jolly... We... "
Irisu couldn't complete her sentence as she started hiccupping.
Jolly covered his own mouth to stop laughing. He grabbed the bag of dry ice and dumped it into the container.
He motioned Irisu to help him. His shoulders were shaking from trying to control the laughter.
The two dragged it to the main room and at that moment the door opened and Lucia came in.
"Au-"
"Dry ice! Take it up!" Said Jolly waving at Lucia, before he grabbed Irisu's hand and dragged her out.
Lucia stared at the big container wondering how she was going to get this to the kitchen.
She heard Jolly and Irisu, running up the stairs, hiccuping and laughing out loudly.
She had never heard them laugh like that before.
She smiled to herself.
This Valentine's Day makes people happy!