Chapter 10 ~ Bailey de Vincent

Knowing that they need to stop for a break, the crew comes across the apartment belonging to Noah Savarese, Mr. Michigan's cousin, and Jêrome de Vincent, Bailey's twin brother

Chapter 10 ~ Bailey de Vincent

Fortunately for us, we find the apartment belonging to my twin brother, Jêrome de Vincent, and his roommate and best friend, Noah Savarese. Noah is a noble, and happens to be from the same royal family as M. Michigan. They’re cousins, to be specific.

“Well, maybe they’re home,” Nathaniel suggests. “Let’s see if we can stay here for a bit.”

M. Michigan steps forwards, and gives the door a soft knock. “Jêrome? Noah? You guys home?,” he calls out softly, his voice sounding quite shy.

There isn’t an answer. I snicker under my breath. Sometimes I like to joke around and call Noah and Jêrome a gay couple, though it isn’t actually true. Usually, it only gets me into a fist fight with Jêrome, but in the end, the whole thing is simply funny to me.

Upon seeing me smirking, M. Michigan backs off shyly, afraid of me causing any fights with Jêrome. “I-I’m not sure they’re home,” he squeaks, before hiding behind Picasso worriedly.

Nathaniel looks around. “Let’s see if I can remember where they hide their key,” he mutters softly. My best friend looks around frantically, until his green eyes land knowingly on a barrel beside the door. “Aha.”

Picasso reaches over, and unlocks the top of the barrel, reaching in and grabbing the key. “Here ya go, Bailey,” he says softly, placing the key into my palm.

“Merci, you two,” I answer, unlocking the door before setting the key back in its hiding place. The room is dark, only being lit by a single candle on the table in the apartment. I smirk to myself before beckoning for the others to come in.

“Jêrome? Noah?,” I call out, obviously not worried if the place is inhabited by Amherst’s kind at the moment. “Don’t tell me you’re having gay sex in here, Jêrome!”

It’s silent, except for soft foot steps. All of a sudden, there’s a masculine shout, and someone lunges forward, grabbing me by the neck. “Who are you?!,” they cry out.

Heart racing, I reach up, and grasp onto this person’s hands with my own, trying to pry my neck free from their violent grasp. “Stop! N-N-Noa....”

Just then, someone else in the room clears their throat. “Sav? Sav!,” a familiar French accent cries out. “It’s okay Sav, that’s my brother! Light more candles or something - you’re as blind as a bat!”

As Noah lets go of my throat, I can hear M. Michigan kneeling down and going through the satchel. There’s a the sound of metal as he lights. “There, cousin. Is that better?,” he asks, as an amber glow illuminates the surrounding area.

Noah blinks hard a few times, his terrible eyes adjusting to the light. Once he sees that it’s me, he smiles and nods softly. “Yes. Yes of course,” he says. “Hello there, Bailey.”

I smile as well, patting the smaller, younger one’s shoulder. “Bonjour, Noah,” I respond.

Nathaniel helps Jêrome light the cylinder candles to make it easier to see around the apartment. Being able to see better, Picasso sighs loudly, and throws himself lazily on the couch.

Jêrome begins to get us a few drinks. “So,” he begins. “I’m sure you all know about the war that Amherst is calling against us,” he says, giving us each a glass.

Nathaniel sighs, taking a sip of the champagne given to us. “Yep,” he says. “And now that you and Noah are with us, we can plan a bit better.”

Jêrome nods. “That’s good,” he says. “We haven’t even come across any of his boys yet either.”

Just then, Noah comes back from the bedroom, and brings over a pair of nice, fresh and clean pants for M. Michigan, which he goes into the bathroom to change into with some help from Picasso so he won’t hurt his leg any further.

Noah then gives me a new, royal blue button-up shirt to replace my torn pea coat. Upon seeing the injury I was given by the hellhound, he winces, letting out an “ahh!”

“Doesn’t that hurt, Bailey?,” he ask, staring at it intently.

I shrug softly. “A little bit,” I answer.

Nathaniel perks up, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Say, Sav, do you mind getting me some medical supplies so I can clean up Bailey?,” he asks.

Noah nods. “Not a problem,” he responds. He goes into the kitchen, and goes through the cabinets for a medical box, bringing it to Nathaniel.

As Nathaniel works on patching up the cut, I sit with my head back, and I simply relax. Though the alcohol and medicine sting a little, I’ve felt much worse before this. Once I have on a nice patch of bandages, everything feels much better. Putting on the shirt given to me, I sigh happily, feeling free to enjoy the evening.

Author's Note

You see, I refer to Noah as "Sav," as a teacher of mine actually has the last name "Savarese," and most people simply refer to him as "Sav." Just a fun fact!