"So..." - Asked Tim, smiling lightly - "What do we do now?"
"Well, I-GAH!" - Said Jon. To be fair, she was falling through a rift along with Tim into a living room from which they could see the Earth.
"Oh! The guests have arrived! Good!" - Said Lucas, smiling a wide and half-crazed smile.
"Lucas, were you eavesdropping on us?" - Asked Jon. Her tone had a tinge to it, one that very much reminded Tim and Lucas that Jon was, after all, the keeper of the Earth Stone.
Lucas seemed to take no notice whatsoever of it, to be sure, but still, the tone was there.
"Not at all, not at all! I just programmed the rift to open under you guys as soon as you finished reconciling. Venus mentioned it to me in passing that you were in a bit of a slump and I wanted to pay you back for giving me Excalibur, the wings, the power, the opportunity to meet deities, the new girlfriend, the freedom and, above all... The boooooobs!" - Said Lucas.
"You're... welcome?" - Said Jon, uneasily.
"Yes, indeed, I am! You see, Tim, my boy, you're gonna get to wine and dine her... Well, maybe just dine, I don't think she can drink... Maybe a movie, but I think you'll be getting to see other stuff..." - Said Lucas as she trailed off.
"Is there a station where that train of thought is headed?" - Asked Tim.
"Yes! Paris!" - With that, Lucas produced a wallet filled with Euro notes and handed it to Tim - "You guys have reservations for lunch at La Tour d'Argent. Paid for. And for dinner at Pétrelle. Also paid for. Pulled some strings to get those, but the look on your faces is so worth it. It's morning there, so you can spend a while before lunch at the restaurant... I'm also pretty sure they'll celebrate the Sun changing back somehow. Anyways, you guys have my number, call me as soon as you wanna get back, but the fact is you're a cute couple about to spend a day in Paris, the most romantic city in the world! Enjoy!"
"But our parents..." - Said Jon.
"...are about to be informed by Karyn that a friend of yours took you to Paris via the Angel Cafe, and that you can be easily reached through the cell phone, but that it would be better for you two to be left to your own devices for a while. Any more questions?"
"Er..." - Said Jon. Lucas smiled and opened a rift from which Jon could see a very pretty bridge over a river that was, presumably, the Seine.
"Good! Off you go!" - Said Lucas.
The two stepped through the new rift.
Lucas smiled.
Karyn's house
Karyn sat on her wheelchair in the garden, relaxing.
"Hey, Karyn! How goes?" - Asked Lucas as she stepped through another rift carrying what seemed to be some bags with dishes.
"Uhm..." - Karyn wondered to herself whether or not to share Jon's situation with Tim.
"Are you worried about Jon? She's in Paris with Tim right now. Which brings me to what I'd sorta like you to do, namely tell their respective families that a mutual friend got them there through the Angel Cafe." - Said Lucas.
"They patched things up? That's great news! And, uhm, okay." - Said Karyn.
"Good! And for your trouble, you get this!" - She said, smiling as she handled Karyn the bag - "New England food from Red Eye, a great seafood sampler! Oysters, clams and mussels. Enjoy!"
Karyn smiled a bit.
"Thanks... Why do you go through such lengths anyway?"
"Because I can." - Said Lucas, smiling - "And because it's funny."
Karyn chuckled.
"I suppose. I'll call the parents. Oh, and you just missed a joke."
"Oh?" - Asked Lucas.
Karyn smiled and pulled out her cell phone. A few commands later, it played Octopus's Garden.
"Nicely done!" - Said Lucas, smirking - "See you later, Karyn!"
Lucas smiled and left.
