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Addes
When Alba and Soiree lost their parents, they both were still just three years old. But both of them have almost no recollection of their parents.
At any rate, since the two twins recall that the elder was named Alba after the Italian word for "dawn" and Soiree, the younger, after the French word for "twilight" their two parents - if considered positive at the maximum - their parents may have been Spanish or Portugese, educated after a fashion and in possession of a good sense of humor. The reason being that the surname of Meira was a frequently occurring one among those Latin peoples.
It is said that Germans are diligent, stubborn and inflexible, but the cheerfulness of Soiree, who gives no impression of any such disposition, may get this particular trait from his parents.
Soiree is always amazingly cheerful.
He never worries needlessly.
"...Having met her once, there's no way I can forget that beautiful woman."
Washing down his cooled off hamburger with a swig of cola, Soiree Meira mumbles.
In the mind's eye of Soiree who looks up at the sky while leaning against a rusty handrail there's the image of the beautiful woman he met about a month ago.
He cannot help but think he had met her before - or more accurately, he's sure he had met her somewhere before. In fact, he's almost certain in the feeling that not just a month or so before but long, long ago they had more than just a casual encounter.
But when and where did he meet her? That is the crucial thing Soiree cannot recall at all.
Crushing the empty can of cola, Soiree buries his head in his hands.
"Agh! Not being able to remember the name of such a babe is really driving me crazy! I mean, this is me, Soiree, we're talkin' about here-."
"What are you babbling about by yourself, Soiree?"
A chiding voice calls down from above when Soiree beings to complain to himself on the landing of the emergency stairs below.
"-Did you do something to peeve Alba off again?"
"Hey, that's no way to talk to me,,Ann! I'm at a tender age here, and I can have the usual concerns of the common folk, can't I?"
"Whatever the case with Alba, you have worries?"
Ann, who has climbed up the stairs, puts a hand to her mouth and titters.
Ann has been an old friend since the time Soiree arrived in this town with Alba.
For Soiree, Ann is like a kid sister, but she herself has the tendency to think of Soiree as merely a troublesome younger brother or the like. All this in spite of the fact that Soiree is six years older than she. For Soiree, this is something that apparently really frosts his cupcake.
"Hmph...I guess unlike my brother, such things don't suit me, huh?"
"Being a pouty-pants like that doesn't suit you, don't you think? -Yup that's it."
"Huh."
"You're no pouty-pants."
Ann's small hand extends an envelope in Soiree's direction.
"A letter for me?"
"Yup. I found it wedged in the crack of the door."
"I don't know anyone who would send me such a fancy-shmancy thing as a letter..."
He turns the envelope he got over and over again to examine it, but the name of the sender is no where to be found. Only a seal impressed in red sealing wax attracts his attention.
It's the seal in which two wings of a bird of prey appear behind two intersecting scythes -.
"I can't tell if this is in good or bad taste..."
While he mumbles this to himself, the same impudent grin as always dances on his face, but his eyes express a darker emotion.
"...What is this?"
Ann worriedly asks Soiree as he examines the contents of the envelope. Ann appears to sensitively perceive the subtle change in Soiree, her friend from long ago.
"Uh...it's nothing for you to fret over, Ann."
He gently tousles up Ann's hair, breaking out in a broad smile.
"Is this, how do you say it - an invitation to some kind of festival or something?"
"A festival?"
"If you mean that the party won't start if I don't show up? Yeah, it sure is tough being such a popular person."
Making an attempt to lighten things up a bit, Soiree is already jumping over the rail in the next instant and whirling in the air.
"Catch you later, Annie! I'm out of here!"
Soiree safely falls down to the ground several meters below, thrusts his hands in his pocket as if nothing happened, wand walks off.
"You're out of here...Hold on, there! Where do you think you're going, Soiree?!"
Soiree flashes a friendly smile at Ann who is now sliding down the banister.
"I told you, the festival! A festival! A guy like me can't stay quiet when I get wind of a little shindig, don't you think?"
Soiree's feet walking along the gravel suddenly shuffle to a little dance rhythm.
Soiree is always like this before a battle. His body unwittingly begins to move in synch with the excitement bubbling up inside him.
Stepping to the melody of the Berimbau echoing in his head, Soiree waves with his back toward Ann.
"-Keep my departure a secret to Big Brother and Noel for a while, will you?! I'll bring you back a souvenir or something!"
"Wait! Soiree!"
Ann's calls pursue him but Soiree's steps do not subside.
Yup-there's no point worrying.
Soiree thinks surely it's not part of his style to worry about this and that.
For stuff like that, he'll leave it to those whose worrying figure would look good in a picture, like Alba or someone.
"THE KING OF FIGHTERS, huh...?"
Soiree shoves the envelope into his back pocket and smiles devilishly.
"-I don't know who is putting on this event, but having been invited, I can't help not joining the party.
The thoughts of the beautiful woman who had previously taken up a majority of his thought has already completely vanished from the mind of Soiree who is now psyched up over the premonition of battle.
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