Chapter 4: With All Due Respect

It was the perfect opportunity. Riddel had gotten off the S.S. Invincible for the day to go into the city, and Karsh was all dressed up and ready to make his move.

Only, as he walked the streets of Termina in his… well, Nikki’s new clothes, he didn’t exactly feel ready. And who could blame him? Karsh couldn’t think of any normal person who wouldn’t feel at least a little bit uncomfortable with a leather choker and a feather boa on. But that wasn’t it. It wasn’t just nerves. It wasn’t even the idea of walking around town dressed like a borderline transvestite.

It was just… it still felt kind of wrong to be acting on his feelings like this. Even though Dario was, well… not around anymore, it was almost like making a move on his best friend’s girl.

Come on, he tried to assure himself. Dario wouldn’t have wanted Riddel to be alone all her life.

And I bet he wouldn’t want you to be alone, either.

Finally, he spotted her by the flower stand. Of course. She went there a lot. Short of going all the way to Fossil Valley to pick them by hand, it was the only way to get the bellflowers she loved so much. They sold them year-round.

Or, they used to, anyway.

“I’m sorry, but we still don’t have any bellflowers,” the vendor apologized to a very disappointed Riddel. Karsh got the impression that she’d had to do this once or twice before.

Riddel wanted to object, and certainly would have if she hadn’t found it impolite to do so. Why, this was the fifth time this month that she or Glenn had attempted to purchase bellflowers and been denied.

“Are you certain? You do not have even one?”

“Not even one, Lady Riddel. Bellflowers are scarce down in the valley these days,” the woman explained.

“How sad. I do wonder why.” Of all the flowers in El Nido, why was it that the one dearest to her had to be so difficult to locate?

I don’t know, Lady Riddel, she wanted to say. Could it be because you thoughtlessly toss them onto Sir Dario’s grave faster than we can grow them?

Knowing she could never speak to a noblewoman like that, the vendor gave her a vastly toned-down response. “It’s likely they’ve been overpicked. There’s been a great demand for them in recent years. In particular, there are, um, certain customers of ours who buy them almost every day.”

“And who might they be?”

Perhaps, Riddel thought, such connoisseurs might happen to have a spare bellflower or two on hand that they would allow her to purchase.

“You, of course, for one. And,” she thought for a moment, trying in vain to come up with someone else who bought as many bellflowers as Lady Riddel. “…Well, your maids. And Sir Glenn, when he comes to buy them for you.”

Riddel gasped, realizing all of them came to buy flowers on her behalf. Could it be that she had led the bellflower to endangerment herself?

“I’m terribly sorry. I must take responsibility for this.” Her face took on an incredibly sad expression, and the vendor immediately felt some guilt at having thought of her so harshly. “I only purchase so many so that I may place them by my dear Dario’s grave. He loved bellflowers so.”

“With all due respect, Lady Riddel,” the vendor was more polite than ever now, fearing what she might get for questioning the Lady’s practices, “have you ever considered planting some flowers by his grave rather than buying them every day?”

Riddel was stunned, this apparently never having occurred to her before.

“It’d keep them from going extinct, in any case,” she added, trying to justify her comment lest Lady Riddel find it out of line.

“Why, what a marvelous idea! Then they may bloom perpetually for Dario. I cannot thank you enough for this suggestion. I shall send someone to plant some right away. Good day to you.” She planned to locate the Manor’s gardener and put him to this task immediately.

“Good luck finding any seeds now,” the vendor muttered as she retreated. “Rich folk…. just senseless when it comes to the environment.”

“I beg your pardon?” Riddel turned around.

“I said nothing, Lady Riddel. I was merely humming to myself.”

Somehow, Riddel had heard something rather different, but she was far too excited about her new idea to pay any heed to that now.

As she headed in the direction of the manor, she realized she was being followed by a strange man in a shocking costume.

It was all rather frightening, and she sought to avoid him if possible, so she opted to take one of the lesser-used streets in town. The sound of footsteps did not cease, however, and she turned to see the same man even closer behind her. He caught her gaze with a heavily made-up pair of eyes

“Guards!” she called as loudly as she could, seeking their protection in case it happened that this man was dangerous. It seemed highly ironic that Karsh had left her side only now, at a time when she truly required his aid.

Oddly, her call incited the man to hurry toward her rather than flee. His movements were almost comical. Perhaps he was not accustomed to running in the heeled boots he wore.

“What is it, Lady Riddel? There ain’t no one else here.” The voice was instantly identifiable.

“Karsh!” Her shock gave way to a ladylike laugh as she realized that the man was not in fact a suspicious stranger after all. “I’m afraid it was you that provoked my call for help. I am embarrassed to say that I didn’t recognize you in that rather… unique costume of yours,” she said, choosing her words carefully to avoid offending him. “I assumed you were a troublemaker of some sort.”

So far, this wasn’t working the way Miki had promised, not at all. Riddel was definitely not throwing herself at his feet. Not that he’d expected such a perfect lady to give in to instincts like that so easily, but she didn’t even seem interested!

Maybe she just needed a prompt. “So, uh, what do you think? Of the clothes, I mean.”

“If you’re going undercover for a mission of some kind, I think it’s simply brilliant. Why, I never would have thought it was you in that ridiculous outfit until you began to speak. In fact, you look like…” she stopped, realizing this was something she ought not to say.

“Like what?”

An uncharacteristic giggle escaped her lips. “Well, pardon my saying, but rather like a crossdresser.”

He got the point. The clothes were a bust. “Yeah, well… like you said, it’s for an undercover mission…” he mumbled, humiliated. “I’ve got to get going on it. Later.” And he ran off towards his house to get changed before anyone else saw him.

Meanwhile, Nikki looked on from the roof of the inn. He’d frantically climbed up there to escape a herd of stampeding fangirls, and judging by the lack of girlish screams in the air, it seemed to have actually worked.

He wondered if maybe he ought to start worrying about the male fans as well. That one guy down there had copied his new costume, zipper for zipper, before he’d even worn it! He didn’t know how anyone had even managed to see it, but he knew better than to try and figure out their fanatical ways.

They just got crazier and crazier every day.

A/N: It’s not over yet. Not even close.