tampered | Log: [Complete]

Log: [Complete]

When; Sept. 9, in the afternoon
Rating; G
Characters; Eclair Tonnerre, Fujioka Haruhi
Summary; Eclair arrives in Poly.
Log;

Why?

She looked into the mirror and back at herself, hands braced on the little airplane sink. They were high above the earth now, running at so-and-so miles an hour and it would be several hours before she finally set her feet on land again.

The water was running from the tap and a hint of a frown was there on her lips, just between her brows. Relaxing her delicate features she thought back to the events earlier that day.

She'd been on her way to the airport with Tamaki until that girl, Haruhi appeared out of nowhere on a carriage. Fancy that. A carriage, dressed in a white dress that looked nothing more than something one wore underneath more layers of clothing. "Tamaki-senpai," Haruhi had called out, and she had known then, as she knew now, that when it came down to it all, there really was no contest as to who would win in their little tug-of-war.

The carriage had careened out of control, and the buffoon had jumped out after the girl nevermind that the car was still moving at it's intended speed. It was a near-equivalent of a Hollywood stunt and she would have called him crazy if not for the sudden rush of admiration at being shown that if someone could love so fiercely as to put his own life at risk.

She'd lingered just long enough to make sure that both Tamaki and Haruhi were alright. She'd watched as he stepped out of the water, Haruhi in his arms like the dashing prince that he'd styled himself to be. But she had her pride. There was no need to have them see her, to let on that the snobbish indifference and disdain (which she directed to Tamaki's precious Host Club during the short interlude of her stay) had given way for something else entirely.

Acceptance. Tamaki wanted to stay. She had to let him stay.

Expelling a breath Eclair Tonnerre tilted her head to one side and tried to understand once again what exactly it was that had turned the tables on her and the plan to take Tamaki Suou back to France with her. Though she hadn't mentioned it outright, she had every intention of giving him everything that he seemed to want in the world: a family -- his family -- his mother, in fact.

Still, no matter how many times she tried to reason around it, there were certain facts to face. Facts that hinged on Fujioka Haruhi and the Ouran High School Host Club. Two individual entities when considered, because in her opinion, there was a rogue element in the dynamic of Tamaki and Haruhi's relationship that separated the girl from the rest of the boy's peers.

Her finger tapped a perfectly manicured nail impatiently on the surface of the ledge, pursing her lips just so. Only a few hours and already she missed it. Her opera glasses had been a trinket bought on a whim from a sidestreet bazaar that one time two years ago. It was a ridiculous little thing, the habit of using it even at close range she imagined more ridiculous. But it had been something akin to 'fun' and it had become a part of who she was: habits, quirks and all.

She'd tossed it off to the side the moment they'd driven away, something of a tribute to end her meddling. Now though, she missed the weight of it, which had been comfortable and constant in her hand.

She smiled, more to herself than anyone else, contemplating on how even that one little item could explain the many differences between herself and the plain and simple, unadorned 'little' girl that had had the last word on whether Tamaki would stay or go. Haruhi was the kind of girl that most of the boys in her social circle would pass by without so much of a glance. But the Host Club (and Tamaki, she could hardly forget that) adored her and the French girl allowed herself a small moment to envy the one person who otherwise would not have anything that she couldn't have at the snap over her fingers.

Such opposites, she thought to herself, thinking on herself and the girl that that Tamaki had referred to as 'his daughter'. Silly boy, she smirked at her reflection. She was fully confident that the fool merely called Haruhi that since he seemed far too... of-childlike-mind to grasp the idea that his feelings for his little friend ran further and deeper than might make him comfortable.

The reverse Electra complex. She let out a small, sigh-like sound that indicated her bewildered amusement. And Fujioka Haruhi. The girl had the idiot wound up in multiple knots and she wasn't even aware of it.

Shaking her head, Eclair turned to the door, pausing briefly as turbulence kicked in sending her wobbling slightly on her high heels.

When all stilled she huffed softly, opened the door and stepped out fully expecting to head back to her seat. Instead, she blinked, slightly disoriented and wondering why people were walking back and forth on a street.

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The Host Club members' infatuation with instant coffee had never ceased to amaze her. But it got annoying when she had to make numerous trips to the local market to restock the Club's supply.

Carrying a plastic bag filled with various grocery items, and a can of instant coffee, Haruhi walked down the street, coming up to the fountain.

Squinting, she noticed a familiar figure. Who was it...the name of a pastry...wasn't it?

Eclair.

The host called to Eclair, careful not to make any sudden moves that might end up with the contents of her bag spilled across the ground.

"Eclair-san?"

Hearing her name called was the last thing she expected. Hearing the particular voice that called her name even more so.

Turning, Eclair put on a small, guarded smile. "Haruhi." She said pleasantly as she noted the grocery bag that the short-haired girl carried. "What are you doing here?"

The girl gave a nod and returned the smile, "I just went grocery shopping. Did you just get here?"

Now that she thought about it, Haruhi didn't have to ask such a question since the answer was obvious. The City took people from everywhere. At least Eclair wasn't panicking or horribly injured, since that was how most residents' course of arrival occurred.

Not really ignoring the question, Eclair frowned. "I was on a plane back to France." She said the words matter-of-fact and turned her level gaze to Haruhi. "I went to the cubicle to wash my hands. And we had turblence and I stepped out I was here."

She loosely crossed her arms infront of her chest and stepped close, leaning in as to invade the other girl's personal space. "How long have you been here?" She queried.

Meeting Eclair's gaze, unfazed by the sudden intrusion, "I've been here for several months now. I haven't really been counting."

Haruhi took a step back and sighed, "I guess I better fill you in on this place. There's a guide somewhere on the computers, I can't show you them right now since I don't have access to any. To put this simply, you're in a place called the City and it's very hard to get out of."

Explaining things about the City was always tough. It was a complicated place and hard to explain in one sitting...or standing, in this case.

"Several months?" Eclair uttered, disbelieving. "Nonsense, Haruhi," She crossed her arms and tossed the other girl a look that simply said: 'Nice try, but no dice'. "That's impossible considering that I just saw you several hours ago. You and that carriage."

Lifting one hand up, Eclair brushed aside a wayward strand of hair. "I'm not an idiot, my dear. Really," she peered in close again, "how long have you been here? And is Tamaki with you?"

"Well, time passes differently in the City. I truly have been here for several months now."

Long months. Filled with annoying curses that messed with minds and personalities. What had she been doing all that time? Filling up that empty space. There hadn't been any club events. It had been quiet-- no, peaceful. Haruhi wasn't sure if she was enjoying it or not.

"I wasn't implying that you were, Eclair-san since I believe that you're a very educated individual. And yes, Tamaki-senpai is here." She said the second part matter-of-factly, the host had not approved of how Eclair had...manipulated? What was that word? Blackmailed? Haruhi could tell that Eclair cared for her upperclassman, but the way she had gone about getting his affections had been, for the most part, wrong. At least in her opinion.

Eclair paused, blinking twice, any comebacks momentarily forgotten.

She would have at least thought that the last part would have been difficult to get out of the girl, at least in a manner akin to pulling teeth. But here it was, the information given to her right away without any pretensions whatsoever.

Eclair stepped off to one side, proceeding to circle Haruhi once, her steps slow and deliberate as she reassessed the girl again. Was she really that much of a goody-two-shoes, incapable of any sort of manipulation? She didn't think so. If anything, the particular brand of blunt honesty that Haruhi sported was a stocking run waiting to happen.

"Well then," Eclair paused just beside her companion. "I suppose given my... " she straightened up, hand clasped behind her back, "mismanagement of our initial encounter you'd be loathe to have me tag along."

Haruhi smiled and took a few steps forward. She turned slightly, warm brown eyes meeting deep blue.

"Let's move on from that. It'd be a pleasure to have you with us, Eclair-san." And at the moment, she truly thought that. Now that they were in the City, it meant that everyone was cut off from their ties from home. Maybe without the strict rules that everyone followed back home, the leading of empires, social drama, and the like, people would be free to be their true selves.

Plus, the City was already a disconcerting place. It didn't need a child that held onto a grudge that happened months ago.

Genuine forgiveness was a concept she'd grasped but rarely ever encountered, having grown up in the kind of environment that bred those who would align friends alongside enemies if only to guarantee certain things. Her elder siblings had often 'made nice' with the other children of the nobility, if only to murmur disapprovingly in the evenings of one mishap or another. She'd grown up no different. It was, as she had heard once, simply the way things were.

Peering discreetly at Haruhi as she fell into step beside the girl, Eclair kept silent, listening instead to the rhythmic fall of her own steps coming in time with another's. The beat was like a metronome, slow and steady as they moved along the street.

Recalling the way the Host Club had come after Tamaki that morning, she couldn't help but wonder: how different were their experiences compared to hers? Tamaki had been all-too ready to give up everything -- his friends, his life in Japan -- expression crumbling and guilt-filled, the moment she implied that he was selfish and the cause of such inconvenience (no -- pain) for his peers.

Had it been one of her own peers, they would have simply brushed it aside, and blackmailed her right back with a secret or two that they had managed to uncover through one or some other means.

Was it simply that Tamaki had been raised away from all that? She didn't think so. They had so much in common (granted, his mother was his father's mistress, but still): wealth, privilege, comforts and opportunities handed to them on the proverbial silver platter. Things that she often, admittedly, took for granted.

She let the thought go, moving onto another.

Us. The girl had said. Perhaps there were more of the Host Club around. Losing herself once more in thought, Eclair paid no heed to wherever it was they were headed, as she tried to imagine how the rest of Haruhi's friends might react at the sight of her. Strange that here, now, in a place where the girl professed to have been for months, they were to meet again. Stranger still that it made her just a little... hesitant.

"Haruhi," she started, not quite ready to ask the rest.

She had been thinking about the groceries, since some of the vegetables and such were easy to bruise. It was always something she thought about as she walked home from the store. The sound of those thoughts kept her driven on her way home ever since she was little. Was it a habit now?

Hearing her name, Haruhi stopped in her tracks and turned, answering to the call.

"Yes, Eclair-san?"

The words threatened to flee. How to ask. How to ask.

"How many of the Host Club are present?" It was a lame escape from the task of actually asking if the Host Club was upset with her (Tamaki just didn't strike her as the type to hold grudges, wonder of wonders). But she told herself it would at least pave the way. Straightening her posture, she continued, yammering on what she believed was a logical concern: "I mean, I think it's only right that I should ask since where it is you might be staying might be too cramped with one more person around."

The host took a moment to think, after all Honey and Kyouya-senpai had recently left the City. Tamaki-senpai, Hikaru, Kaoru, and herself. That made four.

"Four, including me."

She chuckled lightly at the thought of being cramped up in their current residence. It wasn't going to happen. After all, the place the lived in was...different.

"It's fine, it's the circus."

The expression, on Eclair's face, was confused. To say the least. At the most, one could actually use the words 'a touch horrified', though that was only if you knew her exceptionally well and could identify the slight panic in her eyes.

"Excuse me?" She asked, the frown on her lips deepening. She shook her head and straightened up again, nervous laughter spilling from her lips.

"Haruhi," she began, gently. "Did you say... circus?"

Haruhi nodded as if the idea that they lived in a circus was not at all unusual.

"Yes, the circus. When I first arrived in the City, most of the Host Club members were living there already. I don't understand why they chose the place, but it's not a bad place to live."

She smiled reassuringly. Sure, the place was a circus, but the living areas were more than enough for everyone to live comfortably. At least it was enough for her.

She nodded slowly, as if trying to absorb the information. The idea of living in a circus was not exactly... she didn't know what to call it. "How does one live," she started, "in a circus?"

And for some odd reason, she couldn't banish the thought that the place probably smelled like a barn.

Haruhi smiled, the response was an expected one. It was hard to imagine living in a circus unless one already lived in one.

"It's not bad really, there's separated living quarters so it's actually very accommodating and comfortable."

"Aaaahhh..." Eclair nodded, though what tenuous connection between 'circus' and 'accomodating' and 'comfortable' didn't quite connect in her mind. Still. She needed a place to stay and she was beginning to think that familiar faces instead of the strange ones that occassionally caught on her periphery were best at this point in time.

"I... suppose it would be alright."

The host chuckled and resumed her path. She turned back just once.

"Don't worry Eclair-san, I'll help you with anything you need, and I'm sure the others will do the same."

And with that, they made their way back to the circus, that was to be the new home of another from the Host Club realm.

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Log: [Complete]

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