But someday, we might meet a tough alley cat.

“It’s… it’s definitely beautiful,” Shaggy agreed. “There’s no denying that.”

Toulouse leaned up against the railing and smiled to himself, a content hum leaving his lips. “I just want to remember this moment, you know? It’s something that’s never really the same twice. Sunsets, I mean.” Toulouse figured he sounded silly, but he rarely cared what others thought. It was living art.

“I’m not big into art but it is pretty killer.”

“Then...don’t think of it as art?” The sentence was almost painful to say. “Just think of it as the coolest thing Mother Nature can do.”

“All right, I won’t disagree with you that the pay off is in fact worth it, but I reserve my right to disagree with your definition of a ‘small trek.’” Alice shook her head in amusement, her heart rate finally returning to normal. “Silvermist never made me go on hikes,” the blonde added in a mumble as she looked out over the view Toulouse had led her to. It truely was lovely to see some green in this city.

“Alright, fine. Your constant whining all the way up here was pretty justified. I myself didn’t care for it, but this was all the more worth it. Until I realize that we have to make the same ‘small trek’ down.” The last part of his speech came as an afterthought that popped into his head almost instantly. Alice would never let him live it down. “And do I look like Silvermist to you, Missy?” Toulouse asked, head spinning around to meet her gaze. He knew Alice detested his wonderful hearing skills.

John smiled holding a hand to shake, “I’m John Lawson and I promise this is going to be amazing.” He smiled looking around just talking the city had a great acoustic sound. He was more then ready to hear sounds of singing or drumming fill the air, “Theres a popular spot not far from here.”

Toulouse eyed the hand for a moment before slowly outreaching his own and shaking the male’s hand. “Well, you’ve promised it. Now, I expect an amazing time or I’ll be severely disappointed.” Half of him was joking in an attempt to be friendly to the stranger, but half of him was sort of being  completely honest. “Then, go on ahead and lead the way, Mr. Lawson.” What an odd last name. “Oh! And, um, I’m Toulouse, by the way. Toulouse Beaumont, if you wanted the full name and everything.” It was hard to tell that he was socially inexperienced.

“You call having a phone tech-savvy?” Berlioz scoffed, one side of his lips quirking to an amused smirk. “I suppose that means it’d be a poor choice in texting you the picture since you won’t know how to open it.”  Tucking the phone into his back pocket, Berlioz stepped forward and hung his arms on the railing. It was a beautiful mixture of purples melting into pinks melting into warm rays. “You’re right. Though, you always manage to surprise me with your heavy appreciation for such sights. I suppose it’s an artist’s way of seeing beyond what most see.” Dropping his more lighthearted tone, Berlioz continued in a vague attempt to address his arrival at Walt, “Although… I wasn’t expecting to see you here under these circumstances so soon.” 

“Well, it’s certainly a lot more tech-savvy than I usually am and you know this.” Toulouse half-playfully rolled his eyes at his older brother and hook his head with a soft sigh leaving his lips. “Oh, come off it. You know I have a phone and that I know how it works. I just don’t use it as often as a lot of other people my age would.” Toulouse usually opted for living the moment and seeing things for what they truly were, rather than just seeing it through a screen. “I mean, you’re not wrong. Artists can see things others can’t. But, it’s mostly aesthetic-deep. Can’t musicians, like yourself, hear things that others can’t? Hm? Plus, you don’t have to be an artist to tell me that that’s not the most gorgeous thing you've ever seen.” The smile that was so rarely plastered on the ginger’s face in public faded at his brother’s subtle prodding. “You know I hate it when you try to mask what you really mean with vague rhetoric. What is it you’re curious about, Berlioz, and I will try mt best to give you the answer you’re craving.”

Tito looked over at the other a big smile on his face. Tito could never have afforded to go here when he was younger or even now. It was a dream to be here and he wanted to see everything. A museum wasn’t off his list so he was willing to go. “Can I join you? I could explore everything but I would rather not do it alone.”

Toulouse couldn’t help but raise a brow at the male’s response. It was a rare day when someone actually wanted to join on what he deemed interesting, let alone other boys. Still, he couldn’t help but be the tiniest bit curious. “You would actually like to go see a bunch paintings and sculptures? With me?” He was not used to this kind of treatment in the slightest. “Well..I suppose it wouldn’t be all that bad. But, I can’t be blamed if you fall asleep while we’re there. C’mon.” Toulouse beckoned the other to follow him as he tucked his map away.

Penelope’s initially cocked hip slid back into its upright, locked position as the boy talked back to her.  In fact, her whole body turned rigid as she pressed her mouth into a thin line.  She didn’t care for his tone.  Not at all.

“I asked you.”  Her voice was low and gravelly.  The last thing she wanted to do on this incredibly fabulous Spring Break was lose her temper.  “And I only assumed that taking one teensy weensy little picture wasn’t too much to ask of a considerate stranger.  But apparently, I was wrong.”  She took a step closer, squaring her shoulders.  “And just for the record, if you had thrown my phone off the cliff, I would have thrown you down after it.”

If a cat fight was what the girl wanted, he wasn’t about to go and disappoint. At least, not more than usually that is. “Hm. As far as I recall, you agreed that the sunset was beautiful, shoved your phone into my hands and said that the only thing that would make it more beautiful was you.” To which he snorted in clear laughter and amusement.

“Oh! And you also told me to get your best side.” As if the girl even had one, but he wasn’t about to go and add salt to the would of truth he just made. “One teensy weensy picture would be fine on my end if the request came from a considerate stranger. These manners you’re trying so hard to school me on are a two street, ma’am.” Toulouse didn’t fear her tactics, stepping towards her in response as well. “And I would drag you down with me. If a phone is truly so important to you that you would kill a seemingly innocent person because of it, there has to be some serious priorities that you should be sorting out.”

“Although i think he’d be more interested in a sheet of music rather than mother nature’s gift.” She said giving the stranger a gentle smile, it was nice to meet someone who wasn’t from the states. They always seemed to understand the feeling of being homesick much more. “Mhm. Athens. I’ve visited a lot of the states and they all look the same to me, the only thing that changes is the weather. So being here is a bit refreshing. Paris? Ooh, i’ve never been. I hear it’s quite charming. I should’ve guessed by your accent. Unfortunately you’re right, it will never be good enough. Let alone be as special as home is.” Meg nodded her head slightly, turning to meet the strangers gaze. “I’m Meg.”

“Hm. I know someone like that too. He would spend days upon days just trying to nail one sheet of music. But, then again he’s always sort of been kind of a perfectionist, so i can’t really blame him.” Toulouse was almost convinced it was because of Berlioz that he had a lot of the personality traits that he currently had. He spent a lot of his young life trying to imitate his older brother, so it made sense. “Truly. All of the metropolitan areas in the states all kind of look alike? They all look like giant hunks of metal with buildings looking like they’re competing to be the tallest out of all of them. So silly looking. But, the rest of the world has such a diverse pool of beauty. Paris is most certainly the most beautiful place in the world. At least to me it is. But, don’t just take my word for it. Someday you’ll have to go yourself so that you can see how different it is from the movies.” Was that a joke? Odd. “Toulouse.” He replied simply, extending a hand to her.

“I give it a few hours before the police are calling the school.” He chuckled shaking his head.

“I swear, these party animals are gonna get us all shipped back to Walt before we can even say  España, let alone experience it.” Toulouse grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. He wasn’t ready for his trip to be ruined by his peers.

Penelope was a pretty good model, if she said so herself, but she couldn’t hold this smile forever.  Her right cheek began to twitch ever so slightly when he put her phone down and began to walk away.  Which was the last thing she expected.

“Wait!” she screeched.  “Did you take it?!”  She trotted over to scoop up to her phone, only to find that he hadn’t.  Heat quickly rose up her neck.  It seemed chivalry was dying all over the world; not just in Los Angeles.  ”Hey!  I can pay, if that’s what you’re after!  It’s not like I’m asking for a kidney or anything!”

A part of Toulouse half expected the girl to come running after him at least in an attempt to get his attention, but no, her priorities still seemed to be on her own vanity. He didn’t know why he was still so surprised. The ginger let out an amused chuckle at her new form of bargaining.

Turning on his heel, he stuck his hands in his pockets and sighed softly. “I don’t think you’ve quite gotten a grip on what was wrong with what just happened. See, I don’t want your money. I already have enough money that I don’t even care for, let alone yours. The reason I was a second away from chucking your phone over the cliff was because I was simply enjoying some peace and quiet when you strode in and shoved your phone into my hands. Newsflash: I don’t work for you. I’m not your servant or personal photographer. You know you could’ve just asked like a decent human being, right?”

“It is.” Meg reassured in a hushed laugh. At his words she shook her head lightly almost immediately at the mention of Walt being her home. “Oh no, no no. Walt isn’t where i’m from,just where i reside for now. I’m from Greece. Just leaving america for a bit and seeing something that looks a lil like home is a bit comforting, but i miss it. I agree.”

Toulouse simply shot a half-smile at the stranger in response. At the very least she wasn’t mocking him which was a start, unlike so many others. “I was hoping when you said that you were referring to something a little more scenic. Greece, huh?” That certainly caught his attention. “I’m a Paris baby, myself. So, I guess we were just blessed and cursed with some gorgeous vistas. So much to the point that Walt can never cut it.”

“You sound like someone i know. But you’re right, it’s breathtaking. It’s nothing compared to home but its a nice change of scenery.”

“I hope that’s a good thing?” Toulouse question, his eyes squinted in confusion. “I hope you’re not talking about Walt because that city as a while is just a big ol’ smog town. But, I agree it’s not the best I’ve seen. Nevertheless...takes my breath away every single time.”

“Well, yes,” Alice breathed, finally catching up to him as their climb came to an end. “But hiking isn’t exactly my thing, I regret agreeing to join you.”

“Oh, please,” Toulouse retorted with a playful scoff as he turned to meet his exhausted roomie. “It wasn’t so much a hike as it was a small trek. And isn’t the payoff worthwhile?!” The redhead exclaimed, like a child at Christmas as his attention was pulled back to the scenery before them.

Penelope had contemplated just taking a selfie, but her ensemble that day just worked so much better with the whole works.  And if there was one thing that got on her nerves, it was photographers who thought they were funny.  She shook her hair out a bit, still maintaining her pose.  

“Just take the damn picture, bonehead,” she instructed through clenched teeth.

Toulouse had wondered if his blatant sarcasm was going to be able to get through to this girl who was clearly too enveloped in her own vanity to see anything else. Who would prioritize an outfit over a gorgeous sunset? He would never know, honestly.

“Bonehead?” Toulouse repeated, brows raised in complete and total surprise. He wasn’t a complete ass, no, but he wanted so badly to just throw the girl’s phone into the sunset and let nature smash it to smithereens. But, instead, he gently placed it on the ground and turned on his heel, leaving the scene. The last thing he was about to put up with was Marie 2.0.