Anneke dragged Karl out by the hand, literally running out the door to a gorgeous morning in Venice, Italy. The Roboter laughed as the two ran together to the busy city square that awaited them. A bright sun warmly greeted the rest of the gang, who were already out and about. But this couple in particular, the last of the gang to actually wake up, have breakfast, get a quick shower, and finally decide on what to wear, opted to grab their cameras and capture the day ahead of them.
"Wow!!" Karl said to himself as he looked around at the vibrant city. Maskmakers busy with making masks for Carnaval, gondoliers and water taxis out and about on the waterways, people out and about and going their daily business. It was nothing like his hometown. How'd he and his friends miss out on this because of the enemy?
Meanwhile the rest of the gang rode on gondolas throughout the city, taking pictures along the route. Ralf held Johannes' hand while they were on the gondolas, and the blind girl's curiosity was piqued.
"We are not on the Trans-Europa" she said with a light giggle. "Why then are you holding my hand?"
"Because it feels nice to hold your hand, and because I want to" the semi-human being replied with a warm smile. "And anyway, that way I can just pull you over and kiss you on the cheek." To which, he did too. She blushed smiling.
"You are quite a charmer, Ralf" she admitted. He shrugged, a bit bashful, and held her hand tightly.
Wolfgang meanwhile could not stop smiling at Rebekah, who took a lot of pictures along the gondola ride. None of the gang had ever been to Venice before, and the young lady had read about Venice, and always wanted to go, but never had the chance. Now a childhood dream she had was coming to life, and she could not help but take pictures to remember her first time visiting the legendary city.
"You must really love this city, Reki" the mensch-maschine spoke with a warm smile. His girlfriend smiled brightly.
"I've constantly dreamed about visiting this city since I was a child, Wolfgang!" she answered enthusiastically. "And now this dream is real! We are all together in Venice!!"
On a bridge they were crossing under, some of the locals were throwing flowers and petals to all the gondolas below. Wolfgang caught a flower and, with a bashful grin, tucked the flower upon Rebekah's ear. She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. He hugged her for a moment, and she resumed taking pictures, the first being of the kind locals with their flowery cheer. Afterwards she waved to them, and took more pictures of the city.
Elizabeth, watching all of this, giggled to herself, smiling to Florian. He glanced back to her and, without warning, kissed her on the lips. She blinked for a moment, and giggled some more. Finally the case of giggles caught on to him, and the two were laughing together, happy in each other's company.
In the meantime, Karl and Anneke strolled through the town, taking pictures of the city and each other. Among one stop was the -Basilica di San Marco, Saint Mark's Basilica...
"Whoa!!" exclamed Karl. "That's a huge Church!!"
"That is the Basilica di San Marco, Karl!!" noted Anneke with a smile. "Rekah always dreamed about visiting this city, and she used to tell me, Elibeth and Johannes about what she read in books and encyclopedias. And she even saved a picture of this Basilica that her dad gave her from when he helped out here years ago."
"Hey! stand up at front and I'll get a picture!!" the Roboter said, and the young woman stood where he could get a good shot of the Basilica and her.
*CLICK!!*
"...good picture, Anya!!" he then said with a grin, lowering the camera. She grinned back at him warmly.
After an afternoon of pictures, the couple regrouped with the rest of the gang, and they all set out on gondolas down the waterway some more, as sunset approached. One of the gondoliers led a sing-along of "That's Amore," and Johannes in her recollections of Vienna giggled.
"What is it, Fräulein Johannes?" Ralf asked, still holding her hand.
"Didn't we sing this melody back in Vienna?" she asked.
Ralf thought through for a moment, and nodded. "Ja" he confirmed. "We did, didn't we?" And with a hug he sang along. Johannes, with a grin, sang joyously with the gang, and all were in vibrant spirits as the gondolas approached the Ponte dei Sospiri.
"De Ponte dei Sospiri!!" cheered Rebekah. "The Bridge of Sighs!!"
"What's so awesome about a bridge so beautiful, Rekah!?" Anneke shouted to her friend from her and Karl's gondola.
"There's a legend here that lovers will be assured eternal love if they kiss on a gondola at sunset under the bridge" explained the bright-eyed redhead. "And if the clock strikes us all proper..."
"Looks like sunset time for all" noted Florian as the bells of sunset tolled and the gondolas were passing under the Bridge.
Johannes reached out a hand to find Ralf's face, but he caught her hand and kissed it, smiling.
"It is alright, Fräulein Johannes" he said softly, "I am here."
"I know but" she answered, "I want to kiss you at the moment."
Ralf blinked for a moment. Hold up--she WHAT!? he thought to himself, as if to make sure he heard proper. But considering what Rebekah had told the gang, his slight panic subsided and he smiled again. Leaning over, as their gondola passed under the Bridge, he kissed her. And the remaining three couples, each in their gondola, too shared a kiss as the gondolas passed under.
After the gondola ride and the sunset kiss, the gang opted for dinner and to call it a day. But Karl and Anneke, still wound up from the adventurous day they had so far, opted to continue taking more pictures and sightseeing until they felt tired enough to call it done. With that the two set forth on more picturetaking and misadventures.
At one point the two were strolling down a walkway, when Anneke glanced to her dear friend and simply smiled. Karl raised a brow, wondering what was up. Then she winked and let go of his hand.
"By the way," she said, "betcha can't catch me!"
But as the semi-human being blinked she'd run a couple of paces ahead, he laughed and ran in pursuit of his companion. The chase pressed on, and for a moment Karl caught up with her, but she glanced to him and, with a quick wink at him, faced ahead and speedily dashed ahead of him, running into a park straight ahead. Dodging trees and bushes, leaping over benches, she lost him somewhere in the chaos of it all, and slowed down to catch her breath.
Damn!! she thought to herself, I hadn't run this fast in years. I didn't know I still had it in me.
Her heart pounding in her ears, Anneke quietly looked around, unsure of herself as to where in the park she was. But then she turned around, someone had caught her eye.
A cloaked, winged figure, seated on a low tree branch.
"What the..." Anneke thought, stepping closer to the figure.
But, in a young girl's voice, the figure spoke:
"Have no fear, except for what's in your own heart."
But the Clandestinian, in her unspoken fear, kept her eyes on the being.
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