Lesser, Greater, Middling

[Bears]

"She drove him mad, entirely mad, and there was nothing he could do about it but feel himself fall for it, time and time again."​

 

[Nav]

The meal ended quicker than he had anticipated it would, and he was glad for it, though not as glad as he would have been when the meal first commenced. He found Isabelle to be a pleasant company, despite her eccentrics, and Franchesca proved to be more patient that he'd estimated. He was looking forward to going home, however, and eating his fill of dinner and not having to feel polite about it. He was starved, and the four bites of fish he'd eaten, while delicious, was not enough to sate him.

"Thank you for dinner," he said to Isabelle, giving her a slight, polite bow of his head and a shy smile as she leaned in to kiss his cheek. The next moment, the woman was off, whisking Thom away, and he was happy to see it. Thom needed it and he hoped he found some level of comfort underneath Isabelle's roof. He was too young to be saddled with as much grief as he was going through, and as much as Wolfgang would have liked to take his burden from him and carry it himself, he could not. He would have vehemently denied it had he been asked, but there was no contradicting that Wolfgang cared deeply for the success and well-being of his students, even if it wasn't always readily shown.

Turning towards the door, he gave Franchesca a nod. "Certainly," he agreed to her offer, even though the door was only a few steps away.

The night air was refreshing as he stepped out on to the patio, turning partially to bide her goodnight, but was truncated before he could even begin. His eyebrows raised to her question.

"What is truth? The negation of lies? A statement of fact?" he asked, digging his hands in to his pockets when the cold air nipped through his hair and reddened his cheeks. "Either way, I believed every word I said. I could have very well said 'thank you for sharing' to your aunt, and that would have been the end of it. Had I wanted to only say that much, I would have."

Wolfgang pinched his shoulders up closer to his neck, fending out the wind that howled and battered him. "Good night, Franchesca." And, with that parting, he turned off to head home.
​

​

 

[Bears]

"Good night, Wolfie."

It seemed the professor had a way of making her smile. Leaned up against the door she watched him leave, a hand subconsciously rising to squeeze the very shoulder he had held just earlier that day. But as he disappeared into the night she became aware of just how tired she had become. It was insane, really to think that she had only been in Vernazza for two weeks up until that point. Beyond that just her first two days of college had been dizzying, intense and nothing at all what she expected.

Franchesca turned and closed the door behind her, brown eyes turning to the stairs. She wasn't sure to make of it all... Thomas, Rafael, Wolfie. That wasn't without mentioning the brewing storm that was Poppins or the competition that Antoine was encouraging Chesca to join. In truth there was just one thing that felt certain to her and it came in the form of a feeling in her chest... a feeling that nothing was ever going to be the same. Not Vernazza, not Lorenzo De Medici. Not her.

Sleep did not come easily that night. Without the hum of life her aunt radiated or the professor's presence to distract her, Franchesca found herself with no other option but to relive the video over and over again. Tangled in her sheets she laid, her mind trying its damnedest to focus on something else--on anything else. But no matter where she turned the young woman found herself right back to where fear had taken root... she found herself in the Dark Room with Rafael.

She wasn't sure what time it was when she decided that trying to sleep was futile. She just remembers herself coming to a sit and eventually a stand. It was early morning but the sun had yet to rise by the time Franchesca stepped out into the hallway of the third floor apartment, the one reserved for family and friends.

Franchesca hadn't expected to find him sitting there in the living room. Thomas. The jump he had caused was enough to make him aware of her presence and with a somber sigh she approached him--dropping down onto the couch like a sack of bricks. He acknowledged her presence with a small smile but there was something still wary his gaze.

"Couldn't sleep either huh?" She asked.​

 

[Nav]

"Prof… Professor!" The haggard voice came in trying pants from behind him and Wolfgang paused and turned on a heel to see a shadowy figure pedaling furiously up the garden path of the main campus. Squinting through the darkness to see whom the form belonged to, Wolfgang stopped and waited.

"Professor…" Antoine pulled his bike up next to Wolfgang, leaning tiredly over his handlebars and rasping for air before continuing. "Have you… have you seen Fran… Franchesca?" he barely managed out between wheezing gasps.

"Franchesca?" Wolfgang repeated with one eyebrow arching curiously up his forehead. It was early. So early that the sun wasn't even a pink smudge yet on the horizon and only the walkway lamps illuminated their path. "Do you think I have any idea where Franchesca might be at this hour? Antoine, it's five in the morning. You should be in your dormitory. What is so desperate that you need her at this hour?"

Antoine tried to frown, but his lips were parted as he dragged in lungfuls of air. "I… I need to make sure she's okay. After… after yesterday," he panted some more.

Wolfgang merely shook his head at the sophomore. "I haven't a clue where she is, and if I had to guess, I'd say she's probably in bed, where you ought to be considering classes are cancelled for the day. Get off campus for a day, Antoine. It'll do you some good." Not giving the young student another beat of his attention, Wolfgang turned off and continued the path to his office.

Antoine groaned and thumped his forehead against the handlebars, knowing the professor was right. The chances of finding Franchesca with classes cancelled were slim, at best, but he was wide awake and the idea of trying to go back to bed after all that biking seemed futile.

Instead, he biked back into town and bought breakfast and coffee at a small café. By mid-morning, after the sun rose, the little sleepy village blossomed with life. Students, on a sudden day off, scoured the streets and shopped, sipped lattes, and laughing with friends. Most seemed to have already forgotten the trauma of the shared video, enjoying the sunshine and the day free of classes. In some ways, Antoine was among them. He was sitting at a small metal table outside a cafe, sipping a hot coffee, and keeping his eyes sifting through the crowd.​

 

[Bears]

"Hard to sleep with all the bullshit going on." Thomas muttered, turning away from the young woman to resume staring at the wall. "Can I ask ya something? I guess I just don't know why you are so insistent on helping me. It's not that I don't appreciate it, it's just a bit out of the blue don't you think?"

"You came to check up on me after the rally," He paused abruptly, the involuntary croak in his voice betraying how hard it was for him to continue the thought. "Then after that fucking video... you stayed. You and the professor both."

They glanced at each other, the weary look on Franchesca's face answered by a shrug. "You don't know a damn thing about me and you still haven't asked a single question. Ever since Rafa disappeared that's all it's been you know? Questions. How are you feeling? Are you doing alright? Do you miss him? It's all..."

"Bullshit." Franchesca finished. In response Thomas turned to face her fully, but the woman remained looking forward, her tone abnormally apathetic as she continued. "Most of them aren't actually concerned, not really. They just want to hear you say that you'll be fine for their own peace of mind. By not asking any questions I guess I just wanted you to know that I understand what it's like being on the receiving end as well."

"...And I want to help you find him." Franchesca finally turned to meet his eye, her voice growing more and more like the determined being that defined her. "You said it yourself. No one else is going to do it... not the school, not those cops. So it has to be us. Rafael is out there."

"Rafael is out there..." Thomas repeated with a breath and nothing more. He seemed stunned, dumbfounded that he found support when he least expected it. His expression steadied and with the clear of his throat he extended his hand. "Rafa is out there."

Franchesca grinned and shook his hand, the fire in her eyes slowly coming to mirror itself in his.

----​

The news of classes being temporarily suspended was signal for them to begin their investigation. Franchesca and Thom didn't linger in the Tregua for long, having only eaten a small breakfast with Isabelle before heading out the door. Much to Franchesca's surprise her new friend actually lived just a few blocks away and they began their day heading there so Thom might grab his own bike. It was a small home and Thom was eager enough to just get in and get out as quick as possible.

Vernazza was a small town but that ironically only made it seem all the more busy. The scenic streets were narrow and it seemed everyone was doing their best to distract themselves from the news of Rafa's video. Music was playing, the wind was blowing and the scent of a dozen small bakeries settled in the air as a result. If Franchesca hadn't known better, if she hadn't been one of the people to actually see the video, it would've seemed like the today was a small festival.

Riding alongside the American, Franchesca went deeper into town than she ever had. They headed downwards, to the section of Vernazza that actually met the coast, and she found herself met with a charming little commercial strip lined by stores and cafes.

Neither of them were sure where to begin and so they stopped to see if a cup of hot coffee could straighten out their thoughts.​

 

[Nav]

A miracle. During the semester, the little town center turned into a pelt of people so thick, he could barely see a spot of cobblestone between them. Antoine described the scene like a sea of faces moving in an unseen current, flowing like water to their destination like a wide river down the streets. Small groups would sometimes stop and cause a small eddy, but the others would flow around and outside and continue on their way. After a while, each one began to look the same—all droplets of water without any distinguishing characteristics. So, however Franchesca managed to stand out from the crowd in his brain, he didn't know, but he immediately leapt up to his feet.

His knee smacked the bottom of the table with his jump, rattling his near-empty coffee cup and nearly sending it overboard to the pavement below. "Franchesca!" he called, waving his hands up in the air, trying to drag her attention towards him. Besides her, the image of Thom appeared. "Franchesca!" he bellowed again when she didn't seem to hear him the first time.

Pushing through the crowd to approach, he elbowed past people that grunted and told him to 'watch it' in various languages. Captured between the bodies of others, he nearly lost her, before managing to stagger up behind and tap her on the shoulder. "Hey," he said, breathless, looking next to Thom and giving him a small greeting with a nod of his head. "I've been looking for you all morning. "I wanted to see if you're settling in alright and everything."

Antoine's dark mocha eyes turned to Thom next. "Hey," he greeted, unsure of what else to say. 'How are you?' and 'How's it going?' both felt broadly inappropriate. Clearing his throat, a frown settled onto his features. "Listen," he began, not expecting to run into Thom that day. "You were right. I'm sorry I didn't listen sooner. That… most people didn't listen sooner. If you want, I have keys to the AV club room and we just got in a super powerful radio. You could totally broadcast to like, all of Italy on this thing." He shrugged. He wished he had something better to offer; he wasn't even sure if it was appropriate to offer anything at all to begin with.

"Do you two… uh… wanna join me? For coffee? I got a table, luckily. You probably won't be able to get a table anywhere else right now. Every place is super packed with people at the moment." Duh, he cursed himself internally, obviously…
​

​

 

[Bears]

Franchesca did not expect to run into Antoine admist all the chaos and though she was happy to see him, the young woman was just as stunned as the sophomore was breathless. So stunned in fact, that she didn't even get a chance to return the greeting before he turned to Thom. The American was caught just off guard as Chesca was, she could see it in his eyes as he stammered for the right words to say in the middle of a sea of people.

Eventually Thom nodded though it was pretty apparent that he remained bemused. Franchesca let out a bit of an awkward laugh at the situation before smartly linking both of her arms with theirs. Offering both boys her lopsided smile she ushered them forward. "Lead us to this table then Antoine. Let's go, c'mon--we were just in the neighborhood for a little cuppa anyways."

Minutes later the three of them sat around the metal circle. Franchesca and Thom waited for their orders and it seemed no one had much to say. Until, surprisingly enough, Thomas cleared his throat. The American sat a little straighter in his seat, looking towards Antoine with a nod and a smile. "Thanks for the suggestion. It's something that can come in handy soon, actually."

He eyed Franchesca for a moment before turning back to Antoine. The American leaned forward, placing both of his elbows on the tables and clasping his hands together. His chin came to rest of the fist he had formed as he continued. "Franchesca here and I were thinking of doing a little bit of digging actually. I don't know about you but I don't trust the police in this town."

He leaned back and pointed a finger. "And not because I nearly got busted for possession a dozen times okay? For Christ sake's the chief's daughter is Sabine. No goodhearted man could raise a girl that vicious." Franchesca perked up at the admission, she learned something new everyday.

"Basically we're gonna see if we can help find Rafael... in whatever way we can." The young woman butted in, the looks she exchanged with Thom briefly afterwards essentially telling him to shut up and let her do the talking. "What Thom is trying to get at here, is that if you are willing to lend us something like that radio maybe you'd be interested in coming along for the ride? Three minds are better than one after all."

The American pouted out of pettiness but nodded all the same. The coffee arrived and he looked back at Antoine. "C'mon you know Rafa. These cops have been sitting out on their asses the entire time he was missing, it's about time someone does something."​

 

[Nav]

Antoine was not a big man by any means. He was tall, lanky, and a half block jog had him out of breath. Wheezing, he shook his head. "I need to get this asthma under control," he coughed, patting his stomach. "And maybe jog once in a while. Shit." A hand was sent through the tight ringlets of his hair. It took him all the way back to the little table to finally catch his breath again, and he waved for them to sit down. There was only one chair besides his own, but he leaned over to the table next to them, asked in broken, but polite Italian, if he could have their extra chair.

When the nice couple smiled and agreed, Antoine dragged it over for Thom and plopped down with a huff. "Yea?" he said, leaning over the table a ways so they could keep their conversation amongst themselves. "I don't know much about the police around here. They hung out quite a bit on campus last year after some thefts. Kinda pricks of guys, but…" he shrugged, because he didn't have the words. He didn't think super positively of the police based on how they'd acted before, but he hadn't considered them untrustworthy. Mostly, because he hadn't considered it before.

Frowning, Antoine ran his hand below his chin, brushing the pads of his finger against the thin stubble. The mention of Sabine caused him to nod. "But damn, is she hot, though. Am I right?" Antoine paused and shot a sideways glance to Franchesca, before extinguishing his embarrassment with an awkward, sheepish smile. "I mean… uuh… she's… very nice looking in the face and, you know, ass region. Terrible personality, but yea, I see your point. Spirit of a dingo, body of a stripper."

Antoine was considering either one of two things: how good Sabine's breasts looked in that low cut top he saw her in a few weeks back, or the proposition. When he nodded slowly, it seemed clear it was the ladder. "I'll come along," he agreed. "And I can get you some time with that radio, but you can't tell anyone. If Prof Diedre finds out I let you guys in there, he'd hang me. Plus," he continued with a bobbling nod, "I wanna find Rafa, too. He's a good guy."

Taking his fresh cup of coffee between both his hands, he blew the steam off the rim and smiled. "Just tell me what you need me to do."
​

​

 

[Bears]

"Sabine's definitely got an ass, you are right about that my dude." Thomas eventually replied having taken a moment to reflect upon its bubble-like roundness. "Especially when she's wearing those uh..uh... baby doll dresses? Yeah those. Goddamn." Taking a sip of his pun-worthy Americano, he nodded and offered the other man a handshake from across the metal table following his agreement to helping them out. Antoine accepted it rather coolly and from over the rim of her cup of tea Franchesca couldn't help but roll her eyes.

There was a smile painted on her lips though.

But it faded into sudden confusion when Thom, without warning, straightened out. He looked like a student who had just got caught cheating by the teacher at the front of the room and as Franchesca turned to follow his line of sight she understood why. Dressed in a leopard print coat, meshed top and PVC jeans was the girl with the ass and a whole lot of talent. Sabine.

Beside her in an equally trendy get up was the gorgeous Italian girl from the rally. They were walking right towards them and for a moment it didn't seem possible. It was almost tacky how they rolled up the moment they came up in the conversation but Vernazza, as busy as it was, was a small town at heart.

"Hey Thomas are you still dealing?" The Italian girl asked, intimidatingly gorgeous despite showing no consideration in regards to what Thomas saw just yesterday. The American however remained cool and tilted his head from his place sitting down. He cracked a mischievous smile Chesca had yet to see from him.

"Stopped dealing, but nothing is stopping you from sleeping with me just for fun, Sofia." Franchesca's eyebrows raised in surprise but the two girls were far from amused. Sofia rolled her eyes and Sabine just look disgusted all around. Thomas just laughed.

"Three strokes hardly counts as sleeping with you, idiot." She shot back but Thomas was just as quick on the gun.

"Pretty sure it was at least seven, a good seven even... seeing as you always came back."

Franchesca nearly snorted on her tea. The both of them were relentless. The action was enough to redirect the conversation however, to bring it entirely back to the only person who hadn't spoken in the last seven minutes. Sabine grinned with an unsettling amount of enthusiasm, her hand brushing up again Antoine's shoulder.

"New girl is already dating two guys at once. Wow. That's almost kind of impressive. You should take it easier on the poor freshman."

And suddenly everybody at the table became distinctly aware just how unimpressed the freshman was. The dynamic shifted and Franchesca leaned back, one eyebrow quirked and just a trigger finger away from saying something she wouldn't be able to take back.​

 

[Nav]

Antoine flashed a grin over to Ches with a playful wink. "Just guy stuff. Don't worry," he reached over and slapped her on the back of the shoulder in a playful manner. The playfulness of their interaction careened to a halt when, out of no where, Thom jumped so hard that the whole table shook as his chair rattled. Antoine fell quiet, lifting his head and glancing through the swarms of people, squinting his eyes to see what, or who, Thom was seeing. It wasn't until the women were right up at their table that it all began to fall into place.

Antoine remained silent for the first bit of the conversation; enjoying the interaction first as an observer with slightly quirked eyebrows. It was no secret that Thom—him and Rafa, both—were notorious with the ladies of the campus. Antoine had experienced his fair share of Rafa's sloppy seconds… and he wasn't afraid to admit he'd swoop in and console a pretty girl after having her heartbroken by the dashing, cinnamon-skinned young man.

He wasn't exactly the handsomest young man, or the most charming… but Antoine did alright when he was acting like a vulture to the carcasses of more popular guys' sexual exploits.

When the topic shifted to Ches, Antoine's eyes lit up and a smile curled across his lips… but once look in her direction sent the silly expression scampering away like a dog with its tail tucked. "Hey now," he interrupted. "We're not both dating her," he clarified. "I mean… neither of us are dating her, I don't… I don't know." Fumbling for his words, a brush of colour shimmered over Antoine's dark cheeks. He averted his gaze, narrowing his eyes on the horizon as if the ocean had suddenly taken on an immense interest.

"You know, we're just friends… drinking… drinking coffee here. What about the weather? Nice day, isn't it?" He waved a hand through the air, motioning towards the sun and the warmth, and the playful breeze tugging through the streets. "It's a nice day out and things."​

 

[Bears]

"Yeah a great day to just... drink." Thom added as nonchalantly as he could, but it seemed the tension between women gave no leeway for him or Antoine. Sofia also found herself excluded from the narrative developing in front her, probably much to the socialite's chagrin. Sabine's sickeningly sweet smile remained even as Franchesca turned a moment to question both of the boys sitting with her at the table.

When she turned back she was still just as unimpressed as she was when Sabine opened her mouth. Franchesca was no wallflower and if this wannabe alpha-bitch expected her to just sit there and take the comments she was dead wrong. Chesca crossed her arms and leaned back. "I'm not dating either of them. I've very little intention of dating anyone, frankly. I have more important things to do."

"Like suck up to Professor Reiter?" Sabine tilted her head, that impeccable smile of hers not once faltering. "Can you believe that there's already been word around about you painting for him personally and beimg late to Professor Poppins for it? Small towns are just...crazy."

It was enough to get a twitch from Franchesca, just the slightest movement from her brow that could've easily been passed off as flinch. Sabine wasn't done however as she was quick to continue. Meanwhile everyone was helpless to stop what was going on--Sofia, Thom and Antoine alike watching things heat up rapidly.

"It's a bad idea to be late for Poppins, you know. That class is just so hard to pass but then again I can't judge." Sabine was relentless. Narrowing her head slightly as she leaned a little closer. "I actually respect you a little for pulling off in two days what I've been trying to do for months. Wolfgang is quite the hottie after all underneath all that quiet bohemian teacher bullshit."

"Look I don't know what kind of shit upbringing you had being raised by the police chief or whatever but the pretty angry girl shtick is a little tired out don't you think?" Franchesca retorted, propping her arm up on the sides of the metal chair. She leaned her head against her closed fist and shrugged. "Win one competition and I guess you suddenly think that people actually give a shit about what you have to say. I've seen your type and worse in Seattle. You don't scare me."

Just like with Poppins, Franchesca found herself in a tense second--both women refusing to give up. Eventually though, Sabine just laughed quietly as she turned to leave. Without looking back she waved to them.

"We'll see about that." She warned. Sofia grinned as she turned to follow after her friend. Franchesca turned back to the table, sighing and rubbing her forehead. She thought she was done with that bullshit in high school.

Thom looked at her, then to Antoine and then back. He laughed. "God, sorry Francesca but that was kinda...hot."​

 

[Nav]

Antoine fell silent for the remainder of the conversation, still studying the ocean like it was the first time he'd seen it, and it had become the most interesting thing. His brows knit at the center of his forehead. He frowned, folded his arms over his chest, listening, but pretending not to. It wasn't until Wolfgang's name was implicated did he finally glance back and study Ches' face, judging the reactions of the two women, going at it like cats on a full moon.

He almost expected to have to leap in last minute to break up a fist fight, but when everything finally settled down and Sabine took her leave with a characteristic hair flip, the air at the table relaxed. Antoine's eyes shifted and studied Ches the same way he had the ocean, and unknown thoughts fluttered across his face—changing his expression like as quickly as an outgoing tide. "Yea," he agreed to Thom's statement. "That was kinda… you know… attractive." Attractive sounded mildly more polite than 'hot,' and while Antoine could be as shameless as they came, he didn't want to add fuel to that fire any more than Sabine already had.

"As for Reiter, you really should just leave that alone," he agreed after a moment. "Sabine claimed him long ago, and the less you get involved with that, the better off you'll be. Trust me. She's conniving and well connected. It's a war you won't win," Antoine added. "Not that I… uh, you know, think there is anything there… with you… and… Reiter, you know," he stammered to add on after a bit. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he cussed himself out internally.

"Poppins is a hard class to pass, anyways. Fail her class and you'll have to repeat it and that bitch'll make your life a living hell," Antoine said with a shrug. "Ask me how I know. I had to retake her class and I swear she tried to rip my eyeballs out with those talons she calls fingernails. But, back to business."

Swallowing down the now-cold contents of his mug, he set the empty porcelain aside and laced his fingers together over the table. "Where do we start?"
​

​

 

[Bears]

"Oof. Well I'm gonna need to go walk around after watching some like that so if you'll excuse me--" Thomas stood up, his metal chair scraping against the cobblestone with very little grace. He muttered something about 'bathroom break' and 'Franchesca'll figure it out' before he sauntered off into the cafe, leaving the other two to deal with rather uncomfortable thoughts.

"The professor and I aren't doing anything." Franchesca clarified with the point of her finger. She wasn't angry but the woman made no apologies with her tone either. It was directed at Antoine but it didn't hurt to hear it herself either. It made things a little bit clearer where the two of them had blurred the lines ever so slightly. She thought back to the both instances in the studio, they weren't doing anything wrong but the thought of someone like Sabine cheapening up their meaningful interactions to some shitty porno narrative made her angry more than anything else.

She frowned. If Antoine had to mention it though did that in itself mean something? Franchesca didn't know, but if there was one thing that was certain it was that the idea of Sabine 'claiming' the professor caused a knot to form in her chest. It made Franchesca uncomfortable and in that moment all she wanted was clarification. Perhaps the young woman was being foolish, the professor was a man who seemed above physical desire after all, and Sabine didn't seem the type to offer much more than that... but she just had to be sure.

"As for where to start well we should probably go off of the only evidence we have. The video." Franchesca began, dismissing her previous thoughts with a shake of the head. She glanced at Antoine again, pushing her tongue against the inside of her cheek as she thought of their best options. They only had one and considering the words she had just said to her friend well... irony had a way of weaseling into her life. "Our best bet at getting a copy to study is at Lorenzo De Medici. They're closed but the professor..."

Franchesca drifted off, making sure she worded the next part carefully. "...He's a good man,and I think he'll help us when he realizes that our hearts are in the right place.

Before Antoine could comment, Thomas reappeared from the crowd. He stepped into the space between them and patted the both of their shoulders comfortably. He was ready to go and so was Franchesca. She was the next to come to a stand--downing her tea in one gulp before motioning over towards their bikes.

They were gonna get the video and she was gonna get her peace of mind.​

 

[Nav]

"Uhh, it doesn't matter if you are or aren't doing anything. I heard a rumor that, last semester, Reiter took on an apprentice. A shy, mousy thing… who was, by the way, an open lesbian and so, like, no chance of anything happening anyways, and Sabine got so angry, she had the girl expelled." Antoine blurted out the story with a sense of urgency ringing in his voice, but whether or not the story was actually true—in any part—no one knew for sure. Certainly not Antoine, who enjoyed perpetuating the rumor regardless of its basis in truth, or lack thereof. He would have told anyone, who was willing to listen, the story of the poor mousy lesbian and Sabine.

He muttered below his breath when the conversation turned, leaving him unable to spout anymore stories about Sabine he'd heard… or invented. "Good luck though. They purged that email from student emails so, uh… yea, unless we can find another way to get it." Poor Antoine—innocent, innocent Antoine. He figured they were at a dead end, as there was no way for them to get their mitts on the video since they didn't have direct access to it, so when Ches brought up the professor once more, he tilted his head in confusion over the jarring conversation transition.

"Wait, what?" he asked, glancing desperately to Thom as he returned from his break. "We're going to just waltz up to the cold, stoic, emotionless Professor Reiter—who may, or may not be part robot, the jury is still out—and ask if he'll give us the video? Because his heart, which may be a metal pump, is in the right place?" Antoine's face fell into his palm. "That sounds like a real bad idea," he slurred, but that didn't stop him from kicking back his chair and standing to join them.

The patting of his shoulder didn't add any sense of calmness to Antoine. He only shook his head, shrugged, and said: "Well, let's go."

Once away from the table, he slid up between the two. "I saw him earlier this morning. Looked like he was heading to his office, so, he may still be there. It's weird that he's working on a day off, right? Like, almost Terminator-quality weird?"

They checkered across the city streets, pushing their way through traffic to arrive at the university campus. By comparison, it felt eerily quiet. Only a few students were seen walking between their dormitory and town, but otherwise, seemed mostly abandoned.​

 

[Bears]

As they rode up towards the campus, Franchesca couldn't help but lurch past the two boys. She was grateful for Antoine's information, even if his comments regarding the professor were incredibly off. Wolfie was stoic, sure but far from emotionless. Franchesca may have been a mess herself at the time but she saw his facade falter back in the studio. Wolfgang Reiter was a man just as complex as he was misunderstood and in many ways she felt the same about herself.

Still the idea alone of getting expelled over spending time with the professor, it worried her. As talented as Franchesca may have been very few schools would accept her if she somehow managed to squander an opportunity at a place like Lorenzo De Medici. It could've been bullshit, yeah but Franchesca knew that where there was smoke there was fire.

Unlike the past two times she made the trip Franchesca paid very little attention to the scenery, she couldn't. The young woman just sped right pass the views of the cliff side. Her silence remained even as they entered school grounds and there was impatience in her stride. It was enough to get a 'slow down' from Thomas but she didn't relent.

In all honesty she had no idea what she was going to say to Wolfgang when they got there. Winging it was something that she had grown eerily good at over years of procrastination and irresponsibility. Soon enough they found themselves towards the back of the main building, in front of his office door and without warning for either of the boys she knocked.

"Professor? It's me and I need your help."​

 

[Nav]

The wild notes of a saxophone trailed all down the dark halls. The jazz of Moondog met the morning air filtering in through windows, thrown open, and the birdsongs like old acquaintances. They knew how to play nice, how to bring harmony to his post dawn quiet. The notes rose in the dampness, the soft oceanic breeze, and were somehow different than they would be in the heat of the day that would follow. The gossip of the trees leaves weave into the sounds. Meanwhile, Wolfgang's mind slipped into a familiar trance.

His office had turned into a disaster room. All the desks and chairs were pushed into piles in the corners. Across the center of the cement floor was a huge burlap canvas, perhaps ten feet by ten feet, that was smothered in wet paint. The composition of the piece was curious. From above, it was a mess of colours and lines that made no sense, but when the angle of observation was closer to horizontal, the image of a woman's face began to emerge. Wolfgang squatted at the canvas' edge with bare feet.

"Come in. It's unlocked."

One arm was resting over his knee. His head was tilted to the left, studying the painting on the canvas. With his back to the door in on his meditative painting session, Wolfgang made no sign that he'd heard her at all aside from welcoming her in. If he had, the relaxed trance would have surely been broken, for there was something remarkable peaceful about him in that moment. In his hair was a streak of dark blue, almost the same shade as his jeans, which were ripped at both knees… probably from days and days spent kneeling on cement floors, just like the one in his office. His cheek had a smudge of red, and speckles of yellow dotted the front of his shirt like a galaxy. A paintbrush wobbled back and forth between his fingertips, gently shifting the musculature of his shoulders below his black T-shirt.

His head tilted a little further, his eyes narrowing a little more. He always enjoyed perspective paintings, though most people did not. Who wanted to spend time looking at a painting from all different angles until they found the right one to see the image hidden within? He sighed.
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[Bears]

Franchesca opened the door more frustrated with her thoughts than she cared to admit. It made her feel like a terrible person to admit to herself that getting her reassurance had taken priority over getting their hands on the tape, but it was the truth and she knew why she really suggested the professor as their first stop.

Yet the moment she entered and was hit by that familiar scent of wet paint, the moment she paused at the door frame to take in the image of Wolfie outside of his suit and hard at work on a new piece... the young woman couldn't deny the smile that slowly began to form. She didn't say or do anything at first. It seemed she was content to just watch him at work, to watch the Wolfgang Reiter painting before her.

It was surrealistic to think that there was a time when all Wolfgang Reiter was to her was the name on a sign outside one of her first galleries. Just an idea of a passionate painter she aimed to emulate one day. Now here was in front of her--a man with no shoes, a black shirt and worn out jeans. Seeing him with a brush in his hand made her heart flutter and that had surprised her just as much as it did to see him in the state he was.

"Professor..." She stammered, her usually cool demeanor overtaken by her curiosity. Her eyes moved across the painting, following what strokes she could. Franchesca was willing to just stand there and stare but the sound of Thomas clearing her throat was enough to snap her out of her thoughts. Giving her head a little shake, she continued--trying her best to hide how affected she had been. Franchesca knew she need not add more fuel to the fire of this rumor regarding her and Wolfie.

"Good morning. This probably isn't the best time but I...er...we were hoping we could ask you for a pretty big favor." Franchesca waited for him to turn to acknowledge the two boys before motioning over to them. She hated to interrupt what he was doing specifically but no hesitation, she reminded herself. "We're trying to find Rafa and we need to study the video and see if we can get anything to go on."

Nobody expected it but Thom was the next to speak up. He moved forward and through the doorway, brown eyes determined as he joined Franchesca at the side. "You told me last night that you believed I had the best chance at finding Rafael and I'm taking you up on that. We were hoping you'd be willing to let us get on a faculty computer."

Antoine came to her side, offering his presence and suddenly Franchesca wished she had come alone. Her eyes remained on the painting, it interested her and if she had the opportunity to she would've loved to watch him paint a little more finely.​

 

[Nav]

It was nearly thirty seconds since the students' entrance before Wolfgang sighed and stood upright, turning to face them. "This looks like trouble," he mentioned casually, studying the face of each student, lingering perhaps just a split second longer on Franchesca than Thom and Antoine. "I'm certain I'll come to regret this question in a moment, but what is it you want?" Rarely were people coming into ask for a 'pretty big favor' a sign of something good to come, and he could already guess what this was about… but he wasn't sure the specifics. Seeing the trio together could only mean one thing: Rafa, though Wolfgang was curious about how his own involvement matters. If asked, he would have denied interest.

"You want me to get the video?" He almost couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Setting the paintbrush down by balancing it on one of the legs of the chair thrown upside on to his desk, which was thrown on to its side and leaning against the wall, Wolfgang stepped around his canvas. He circled the room, considering the weight of the request. "I'm sure you must know how I feel about that on first instinct. This video represents the worst evil and cruelty in the world, and letting students fall into it by my own doing?"

Antoine stepped up, frowning and shooting Ches a sideways glance of 'told you so.' The professor was gearing them up for a 'no,' albeit it in a poetic fashion. "We're sorry for wasting your time, Professor," he interrupted whatever Wolfgang was about to say. Taking Ches' elbow gently, he gave it a small tug. "We'll leave you to your art. Sorry."

Wolfgang raised his eyebrows in near surprise at being interrupted. A flutter of annoyance crossed his expression, though only fleetingly before he cleared his throat. "Evil is evil," continued Wolfgang as he stepped over his canvas and moved towards his desk. "Lesser, greater, middling. It's all the same. I'm not a pious hermit. I haven't done only good in my life, but if I'm too chose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all." He stopped at his computer, which was still somehow all connected, if not a little thrown about with the rest of his office belongings when he made space for the canvas. "Whether I like it or not, it seems I must make a choice. So, if you want to see this video, come here and I'll show you to your hears' contents with a few conditions. But for all that is good in the world, don't step on the canvas, Baker."

Antoine jolted and looked down to see the edge of his boot was resting over the edge of the canvas. Grimacing, he lifted his foot to see the Wolfgang's signature, smudged by the boot print. "Sorry, professor," he muttered.

"One, I will help you, but you will tell me everything you're doing on this pursuit of Rafa, and two, you will all enter the school's art contest. Do we have a deal?"
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[Bears]

Whatever feeling he might've invoked in Franchesca with his words of good and evil quickly drained into a sense that could only be accurately described as what the fuck did he just say? It seemed her sentiments were reflected by the other two in the trio of misfits as Franchesca looked and saw the both of them just as wide eyed as she was. Were they okay with this? Was she?

They exchanged looks for a moment. The last thing Franchesca wanted was to drive even more conflict into a narrative she wanted to be excluded from. First she was spending time with the professor Sabine had allegedly claimed, next she was going to directly compete against her in the art contest she had just won the previous year? It would've made for a great movie plot but not something she wanted to experience in her actual life.

Fuck, she thought. But it was fitting that Thom became the one to answer for the three of them in that instance.

The American sauntered forward as he tended to, standing straight as he extended his hand out towards Wolfgang. That was the most serious she had ever seen him been as, with a small smile and furrowed brows, he repeated. Deal.

So that was it. The Professor would assist them and they would forward him all the information. Franchesca would commit social suicide by pitting herself against Sabine and the four of them would find Rafael. Happy ending. Right?

Speaking of Sabine she still had to talk to Wolfie about it. Franchesca trusted him, and in no way had some kind of right to him just because his words to her right after dinner, but...still. She couldn't help it. It would have to wait though as everyone rounded about to the professor's computer.

"We're just looking for something that can give us an indication as to where this murder shack might be. It has to be in the immediate area... whoever sent it knows Rafa is from Lorenzo. Why else would he send it to the entire school?" Franchesca theorized as she took a spot between Antoine and the professor. She shot Thom a worried glance and he shot right back before both turned to look at the computer before them.

"Let's try and find something quick, yeah?" Thomas joked, but his tone was anything but amused. "Alright, professor... play the video."​

 

[Nav]

A part of him couldn't believe he was doing this for them. Had it been any other group of students, he would have told them to piss off—in nicer words. Yet, those damn students. Actually, more accurately, that damn student, because two of the three had much less sway over him than the one. It was frustrating. It was beyond frustrating, yet there he was, agreeing to it. As Thom jutted his hand out, Wolfgang shook it, and still couldn't rationalize what he had just done. Had he just put them at risk? Would they do something stupid because of it, and get in trouble? Or worse, hurt? Shaking his thoughts and dismissing them for the time being, he didn't allow himself to continue considering the possible outcomes.

Standing in front of his computer and cocking his weight on to one leg, Wolfgang hooked the other and rested over the desk to log in and pull up the file that had been sent to him. The only reason the professors had been allowed to keep the video was for the exact reason the students wanted to watch it—perhaps one of them could recognize something. Or, as the police had suggested, the sound of the voice in the video. One of the officers suggested the criminal may have been a student, current or former, and the precinct pleaded for the faculty to listen a few times and list any names they thought might fit. Wolfgang had not watched the video a second time. One had been enough for him.

He glanced to the side, down to Franchesca as she theorized…. Almost word for word what the officers had told him. "The police believe the criminal may be a student, or was a student, here," he explained. "It's for that reason I still have access to the video. I won't next week, no one but police will, so get your fill of the carnage today." Double-clicking the file, Wolfgang brought the video up and it began to play.

As the initial sounds of the video crept through the speakers, Antoine grimaced and let a hand fall on Franchesca's shoulder. There was a twitch in his eyes, and he shuddered when Rafa's chair was kicked. Like a scared kid on a roller coaster, his eyes were closed more than they were open, but when the clip reached its end, he only shook his head. "It's too dark to see much of anything," he said. "I think I saw a dresser in the background. Or a table, maybe? It's got to be a remote place, else someone would have heard Rafa scream. What's remote in this city? Everything is so close together, so, maybe they have a car? There are farm fields maybe… ten kilometers out of town, but buses don't run that far. Plus, hard to kidnap someone on a bus."

Wolfgang studied the video with disturbed silence, but agreed with some difficulty. "I'd imagine that's probably likely. Many of these old townhomes have cellars. My house has a cellar and my cat got trapped in it, once. I could hear her crying from the sidewalk just outside. Unless there was extensive sound-proofing, it's likely someone would have heard something in town."
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[Bears]

Watching a video a second time was just as painful for Franchesca, she couldn't imagine how it must have felt for Thomas. There was something a little bit uncomfortable about looking past Rafael in the video, something uncomfortable about trying to focus on his surroundings instead of him... but she knew they had little choice. As determined as they were they had no leads.

Unfortunately for them however, any leads they ended up getting from the horrid clip were slim at best. Thomas had taken to writing notes on a small pocket notebook she had no idea that he owned, but even after the fourth rewatch the list he jotted down was more ore less the same things they had noted by the first. Remote place. Soundproof Cellar. Someone from Lorenzo De Medici. It wasn't a lot but nobody really seemed to be gearing up for a fifth round.

"This is just a wild guess but do you think there's a chance that maybe the voice knew Rafael? Like there's a specific reason why he chose him above everyone else?" Franchesca speculated, brushing away Antoine's hand as she took a step back from the computer. Thomas shook his head and did the same but only with a louder sigh.

"Everybody knew Rafa. It was kind of his thing, guy couldn't go five minutes without saying hi to someone." Thomas responded, rubbing the undercut of his jaw. He had seen enough of the video, any more times and the uneasy situation in his stomach would soon evolve into vomit. He wanted to be angrier, Franchesca could see it in the way his fists curled, but Thom seemed to steady himself out of respect for the professor who was risking a lot to let them see it.

"Listen after watching all that over again I don't think any of us are in the state to be thinking too hard about this." Franchesca moved back over to Thomas and patted his back lightly, though her next words were directed to everyone in the room.

"Let's just stop here for today, we got notes for later so let's just take the rest of the day off to relax. Maybe when we're thinking a little clearer something'll click." She said, pausing a moment before continuing. "Either way I'm pretty sure at this point sitting here and torturing ourselves by watching it over and over will do nobody any good, especially not..."

Thomas glanced a moment in her direction and then at the other two men. He rubbed his mouth wearily but eventually nodded all the same. The American tucked his notebook into his back pocket--he was the first to make his way towards the door, waving on the way out. "I'm gonna grab lunch, feel free to join me Ches, Antoine, er... professor." The last call out was out of courtesy but Franchesca made no move for the exit herself. She still had to ask about Sabine, after all.

Her eyes turned to Antoine and she hoped he'd listen to her advice just as easily as Thomas had.​