Chapter 2: The Thief Lady
Bell just wanted to go fishing. But instead of catching a fish, he fished out a barrel—and inside the barrel was a little girl who called herself Jean.
Bell (confused): "Who are you? And... why were you in a barrel?"
Jean (grinning brightly): "I'm Jean! Jean Henderson. Pleased to meet you!"
Bell: "Jean? That's... a strange name."
Jean: "Heehee. You really believed that?"
Bell: "Wait, I have a question."
Jean: "Hmm?"
Bell (sweating): "Why don't you get out of the barrel?"
Jean: "Oh! Right! I forgot!"
She casually hopped out of the barrel.
Bell (thinking): How can someone forget something like that?
Jean: "Ta-da!"
Bell: "Uh... you're shorter than I expected."
Bell: "So... how old are you, anyway?"
Jean (smirking): "Sixteen."
Bell: "Sixteen? You look older!"
Bell: "Shouldn't you be stuck or something, hiding in that barrel?"
Jean: "Haha! You're funny. I'm 1.64 meters tall—I fit just fine when I curl up."
Bell: "And why were you sleeping in it? What's with your outfit?"
She wore a black suit, a quirky hat with a black fox symbol, and a mask around her neck. Her red hair glowed in the light, and her blue eyes sparkled. Earrings shimmered from her ears.
Jean (grinning): "Simple. I'm a thief. People call me the Black Fox—or just Thief Lady."
Bell: "Huh?"
He stared at her, completely confused.
Jean: "As for the barrel? I snuck onto this ship. I'm not exactly… welcome here."
Bell: "Wait... so you're not part of the crew?"
Jean: "Nope! I've only been doing this for about a year."
Bell: "You said people call you that. Who exactly?"
Jean: "My parents. My old friends. Back when I believed in stuff. It's just a name now."
Bell (thinking): She says it like it's totally normal…
Monkey (suddenly): "Oi, oi!"
A monkey climbed onto Jean's shoulder.
Jean: "Oh! A monkey! He's so cute!"
Bell: "Hey, Monkey—"
Jean: "Is that his name?"
Bell: "Yeah."
Jean: "I like it. Monkey suits him."
She poked his nose playfully.
Bell (thinking): Weird... Monkey only likes me. He doesn't even trust Luis. But he's fine with her…
Bell: "You said you're a thief. But couldn't you sleep in a storage room instead of a cramped barrel?"
Jean: "I'm used to small spaces. I sleep better in them, honestly."
Bell: "Not to be rude, but with that outfit... you look older than sixteen."
Jean (grinning): "Oh, you think so?"
She took off her hat, letting her red hair fall free. She looked even more striking.
Jean: "Well? Better?"
Bell (blushing): "Uh… yeah."
Jean (grinning): "Heehee!"
Monkey (climbing around): "Bell… bell… bell."
Jean: "Why does he keep saying that? Is 'Bell' food?"
Bell: "That's my name. Bell Ainsworth."
Jean: "Ooh, got it."
She popped her hat back on.
Jean: "I like you, Bell."
Bell: "You said… wait, what's that under your neck?"
Jean: "Oh, that? It's a tattoo."
She rolled up her sleeve to show more tattoos covering her left arm.
Jean: "I've got one on my leg too. Want to see it?"
Bell: "What? No thanks!"
Jean (laughing): "I'm kidding! As if I'd show you that, you perv!"
Bell: "You brought it up!"
Jean: "Relax! Don't yell, you're hurting my ears!"
Jean looked around.Jean: 'Could you tell me what island I'm on?'Bell: 'This is Lavi Island, and you're in a town called Lavi Love.'Jean: '(sweating) What kind of weird names are those? Hey, I don't mean to be rude, but I doubt a town like this has a hotel, does it?'Bell: 'Oh, um, no, unfortunately not. We do get some visitors, but most of them stay on the opposite island if they want to spend the night.'Jean: 'And why don't you have any hotels?'Bell: 'We do, but they're quite small.'Jean: 'I see.'Bell: 'There's another reason.'Jean: 'And what would that be?'Bell: 'Well, most of the people who come here are nobles, and nobles hate it here because many non-humans live here.'Jean: 'Wait, did you just say non-humans?'Bell: 'Yes.'Jean: 'Wow, does that mean there are cute little girls or children with cat ears here?'Bell: 'Yes.'Jean: 'Oh, how cute, I love cat people, especially when they're children.'Bell: 'You don't seem to have anything against non-humans.'Jean: 'Why would I? I was born a normal citizen, I'm not a pig noble. But... wait a minute, do a lot of nobles stay on the other island?'Bell: 'Yes, a lot of them, in fact.'Suddenly she grinned eerily.Jean: 'Wow... Finally, some prey, hihihihi.'Bell: "(sweating) What's wrong with her...?"Jean: 'Oh, hey, I have a question for you.'Bell: 'Yes?'Jean: 'Is there a place nearby where I can...'Suddenly, her stomach growled.Jean: 'Can I...?'Bell: 'Oh yes, you said you were in that barrel for a week, you must be hungry. You're in luck, my friend Luis and I own a restaurant nearby.'Jean: 'That's good.'Bell: 'Do you have any money with you?'(Staring)Jean: 'Er... no.'Bell: '(Desperate) She's really not a good thief...'He thought to himself.Bell: 'I'm sorry, but then I can't give you much to eat.'Jean: 'Oh, wait a minute.'Jean put her hand in her trouser pocket and took out a necklace.Jean: 'Is that okay?'Bell: 'Oh, um, yes. It's valuable. Are you sure you want to give it to me? It might mean a lot to you.'Jean: 'No problem.'She threw the necklace to him.Bell: 'Oh, but are you sure?'Jean: 'Yep.'Bell: 'OK, then follow me.'Jean: 'Hihi, it's not mine anyway, I stole it from a nobleman while he was taking a nap... And it's not that valuable (chuckles). He's too nice to notice, I took advantage of the young man...'Bell: 'Hey, what's going on, follow me.'Jean: 'Yes, I'm coming.'
Bell: Turned around and started running, Jean ran behind him.Jean: 'Hmmm?'She noticed a money bag in the back of his trousers. She grinned.Jean: 'Hihi, time to steal.'She stole the money bag from him in a second and put it in her bag.Jean: 'Hmm, there are a lot of people here.'None of the people next to her or behind her noticed that she had stolen from him.Jean: 'Oh man, it's a beautiful day. There must be more than 2,000 coins in total.'Monkey, who was lying on Bell's shoulder, looked at her.Jean: 'Shhhh, here you go.'She threw him a coin. He looked at her, she grinned and signalled to him not to say anything.Jean: 'Shhhh (grins)'Bell: 'Hmmm, is something wrong?'Jean: 'No, everything's fine.'Bell: 'Okay.'Jean looked around and realised that Bell was right. She saw animal people, Demis and many other non-human creatures.Jean: 'Wow, that's crazy. Hmmm?'Unknown: 'Bell, Bell!'A girl called out. It was Susi. She ran to Bell and hugged him.Bell: 'Oh, but Susi.'Jean: 'Ahhh, cat ears... She looks cute. (Trembles)'Susi: 'Bell, who is this girl?'Bell: 'Oh, I just met her. She wants to stay in this city for a while.'Susi looked at her, Jean blushed, Susi went over to her.Susi: 'What's your name?'She said with a smile. Jean knelt down on the floor.Jean: 'My name is Jean.'Susi: 'Jean, wow, you look beautiful.'Jean: '(Smiles) You're so sweet, thank you. Oh wait, shall I show you a trick?'Susi: 'Hmmm?'Jean took out a coin.Jean: 'See this coin? I'm going to make it disappear right before your eyes, and grandpa.'The coin disappeared.Susi: 'Wow.'Jean: 'And guess where the coin is. Oh, you've got something on your cute cat ears.'Jean reached her hand towards the cat ears and took something out.Jean: 'Ta-da, the coin.'Susi: 'Wow, cool, how did you do that?'Jean made the quiet sign.Jean: 'Shhhh, secret (grins).'Susi: 'Oh, you're so cool. Can I call you Jean?'Jean: 'Of course.'Susi: 'You, Jean?'Jean: 'Yes.'Suddenly, Susi hugged Jean.Susi: "I like you very much."Jean blushed.Jean: "She hugged me... her ears... she's so fluffy... how cute..."Susi: "Jean, how long are you staying here?"Jean: "Oh, just today, then I'll go back."Susi: "Boo hoo, but I wanted a big sister like you."Jean stroked Susi's head.Jean: "Don't worry, my dear, I'll come visit you as soon as I can."Susi: "Really?"Jean: "Yep (grins)."Susi: "Yes."Bell: "Hey, Susi, don't you have to go home soon?"Susi: "Oh, yes, you're right. Bye, Jean, see you soon."
Susi ran off. Jean waved and smiled.Jean: "She's so cute..."Bell: "Didn't you say you didn't have any money?"Jean: "Oops!"Bell: "(staring) Hmmm?"Jean stood up again.Jean: "Oh, I found some coins after all (nervous laugh)."Bell: "(sweating) Hmmm, suspicious..."
Bell: "I have a strange feeling... Hey, our restaurant is over there, come on."Jean: "Yay, we're here."
Bell: Went to the restaurant and opened the door, Jean followed him.Jean: "Oh, there aren't that many people here."Bell: "Yes, most of them are working at this time. It's crowded here at night. Wait here, I'll let Luis know."
Bell: Went to the kitchen, and Jean looked around the restaurant.Jean: "Hmm, it's not so bad."
At the same time in the kitchen:Bell: "Hey, Luis, there you are, we have a guest."Luis: "You mean the woman you were talking to."Bell: "You have good ears, that's creepy."Luis: "And who is this girl with the strange outfit?"Bell: "Well, her name is Jean, she's 15 years old, I found her in a barrel floating in the sea."Luis: "What, a barrel? How did she get there?"Bell: "This girl is more than creepy."Luis: "But admit it, she's a real hottie. I mean, I can smell her from here. She smells delicious and she's still a virgin."Bell: "Man, I know you're a vampire, but could you please stop saying things like that to me? Wait, what, you can tell if a woman is a virgin or not?"
Yes, exactly, Luis is a vampire. His family is a traditional vampire family. For centuries, his ancestors have lived among humans and promised not to kill them.
Luis: "Yes, virgins have a very fresh, beautiful and light scent. I can tell right away. From the way this girl smells, I can tell she's up to something and that she's hiding something."Luis: Was leaning against a wall.Bell: "What do you mean, is she evil?"Luis: Stopped leaning against the wall and continued walking.Luis: "No, at least I don't think so. Her scent doesn't indicate that she's evil, just that she's hiding a lot of things. By that I mean she leads a secretive life."Bell: "Oh yes, she said she was a thief."Luis: "Hmmm? A thief?"Bell: "Yes."Luis: "No, the smell tells me she's something else. She's not a normal human being, no, maybe she's not even human. Anyway, let's go to her, it's rude to keep a guest waiting."Bell: "Yes."
Bell and Luis left the kitchen and went to Jean, who was still standing where Bell left her.Jean: "Hmmm?"Bell: "Hey, Jean, may I introduce you to Luis, full name Luis Gonzalez."Jean: "Hello, I'm Jean, Jean Hendorson. Nice to meet you. (grins)"Luis said nothing.Jean: "(Sighs) Why is he looking at me like that? It's creepy..."Luis: "Hmmm, she really has a strange outfit..."Bell: "So, Jean, what would you like to eat?"Jean: "Oh, what good things do you have?"Bell: "How about noodles with spicy meat pieces?"Jean: "Sounds good, I'll have that."Luis: "It's okay, Bell, I'll do it."
Luis: Turned around and started walking. He went into the kitchen.Bell: "Please excuse him, he's always like that."Jean: "Oh, really?"Bell: "You can sit here. Would you like something to drink?"Jean: "Tell me, do you have anything cold?"Bell: "Oh, yes, you're right, it's been really warm lately. How about some strawberry-flavoured cola?"Jean: "Sounds good, I'll have that."Bell: "All right, I'll be right back. Sit down at the table and I'll be back with your drink."
Bell: Quickly ran to the kitchen. Jean sat down at the table. Bell returned with a glass.Bell: "Here you go."Jean: "Thank you very much."
At the same time, Luis was cooking the pasta and meatballs, but he couldn't trust Jean. He sensed something about her.Luis: "This girl is creepy. I should keep an eye on her. Bell is naive or too nice. He doesn't realise that she's just using him. I'll show that bitch."
(10 minutes later)
Luis: Finished cooking and brought the food to Jean.Luis: "Here."Jean: "Thanks."Bell: "You're really lucky, Luis is better at cooking pasta than I am."Jean: "Oh, I'll give it a try."
She ate some of the pasta.Jean: "Oh, this is really delicious."She started to eat quickly.Bell: "But you don't have to eat so fast."
Luis (thinking): "Hmm, did I make a mistake? Maybe she really is just a simple girl. I'm not sure, but from the way she smells, she doesn't seem like a bad person. But something about her isn't right..."
Jean had finished eating.Jean: "Ah, that was delicious."Bell: "I'm glad you liked it."
Bell: "Oh, Jean, we're going to bed now. You can sleep on the sofa in the kitchen."Jean: "Why do you have a sofa in the kitchen? Where are you going to sleep?"Bell: "It's because we sometimes want to rest, but only for a little while—just 15 minutes—so one of us rests while the other cooks. And we sleep upstairs."Jean: "Oh, I see."Bell: "Hey Jean, one more thing."Jean: "Yes?"Bell: "(staring) Please don't steal anything, okay?"He said as he stared at her suspiciously.Jean: "(grinning) Don't worry. (chuckling slightly) So, good night."
Jean went into the kitchen. She yawned loudly, and Bell and Luis went upstairs to their room.Jean: "Hmm, so this is the sofa, huh?"
The monkey was lying on the sofa, snoring sweetly.Jean: "That's the little monkey—so that's where you disappeared to."
She went over, picked him up gently, laid him to the side of the sofa, then lay down herself.Jean: "I have to say, they really have a nice life here. Well, I'm not staying long. By tomorrow, they won't find me."
Jean fell asleep. Bell and Luis were getting ready for bed upstairs.Bell: "Hey, Monkey isn't here."Luis: "He's sleeping in the kitchen."Bell: "That's strange—he usually sleeps with me."
They had two separate beds, spaced a little apart.Luis: "Bell, listen to me."Bell: "Yes?"Luis: "Be careful of Jean. I don't know why, but I think she's hiding something."Bell: "Oh, come on, Luis. She might be a little strange, but she's really nice. I thought you liked women like that. After all, you're a vampire—and vampires love beautiful women."Luis: "I haven't drunk blood in three months. But still, be careful with her."Bell: "As you wish."
(Four hours later)
Jean slowly woke up.Jean: "Hmm..."
She opened her eyes and suddenly saw the little monkey sleeping on her stomach.Jean: "Hey, where did you come from?"
Jean got up and gently stroked him.Jean: "I'm sorry, little one, but I have to go. Take care of Bell, okay?"
She carried him, got out of bed, and then laid the little monkey down gently.Jean: "All right, I have to go now. Take care, Bell... and you too, funny bird. I hope we'll see each other again."