[Fontvieille, Monaco] Killing three birds with one stone (Lijsbeth)

Honoré felt that his respect for his family was crumbling more and more. He didn't want to be his parents' puppet any longer. His first step had been to quit dancing and finding someone to pretend to be him at competitions last summer. Truth be told he had actually wanted to be straight forward but his parents had not been understanding when he told them that, among other things, he didn't want to enter dancing competitions any longer. Hence he was approaching things differently now.

If it wasn't possible to talk to them sensibly he figured he had to do things behind their parents' back. As long as appearances were kept up they seemed to be content anyway and he could do that even though he would have appreciated it had they allowed him to live his life the way he wanted.

Over the summer he exchanged letters with Lijsbeth and the girl had expressed the wish to go on holidays but said that she doubted her family would actually travel anywhere. Since the Boisbouviers owned several hotels, Honoré felt that he could help. There had so be something positive about his family, after all.

Knowing that Lijsbeth was not exactly the sort of friend his parents would want to do a favour for – he assumed that they'd only do anything for a pureblood girl from a rich or influential family – Honoré had decided to take matters into his own hands. As the idea occurred to him, the boy felt like he was killing two, well, actually three birds with one stone – he'd have nice company in Fontvieille, Lijsbeth could enjoy herself at one of the Boisbouviers' hotels and he could do another thing to prove to himself that he wasn't his parents' puppet. It felt good and it wasn't even hard to put his plan into action.

After all, he knew all relevant staff at the hotel and got one of the employees to give the Westbroek family a large discount. He sent the voucher with a letter to Lijsbeth, inviting her for August. He told her that his family was quite busy and would thus probably not find the time to greet her and her family but that he'd have plenty of time to show them around.

On the day of Lijsbeth's arrival, Honoré sat in the hall, his guitar in its case behind the reception desk for later use. He wondered what the girl would like to do after checking in. Maybe they could go to the beach… The weather at least was ideal for that. It was quite hot and thus a bath in the Mediterranean Sea seemed like an intriguing idea.

@Lijsbeth Westbroek

Lijsbeth checked her bag one last time and went to sit out in front of the house, eager to be off. The Westbroek family hadn't had a proper holiday for years, not since... well, she wasn't going to think about that. They'd taken overnight trips, but this was the first time they would all be going away together to an actual hotel. Well, not quite all. The eldest two siblings had left home and were working, so Ljsbeth would be sharing a room with Katelijn, just as they did at home; Brecht and Askeladded would also have a room and their mother would, as she put it, get a bit of peace and quiet. Lijsbeth didn't really believe that. She didn't think her mother liked being alone at all.

Mum had been thrilled when the Boisbouviers had written and offered a discount, though. She'd promised a real holiday this year, but they'd all assumed it would mean camping in their old tent with the charm starting to wear off on the back bedroom, so the ceiling bowed in at an odd angle. Last summer the three youngest kids had set it up in the garden and lived out there for a week, only coming in for meals. That had felt like a holiday even though they were only a few metres from their own back door. But now, they were getting four whole days in a hotel, and none of them would even have to cook!

Katelijn and Brecht had received their OWL results a couple of days earlier and Katelijn had shocked the family by saying she was going to take the time to go down to the beach with her books and start preparing for next year. Lijsbeth's favourite sister had never actually expressed an interest in studying when she didn't have to before, but now she had finally realised she needed good grades in order to have a career. The boys were talking about exploring the town and meeting girls, so Lijsbeth was secretly rather pleased that Honoré particularly wanted to show her around.

The rest of the family slowly assembled, Katelijn indeed making good on her promise of studying as she claimed she was only bringing two bikinis and a trunkful of books. Lijsbeth wandered back in and joined them by the fireplace. Mum went first, followed by Askeladden, then Lijsbeth followed. She threw the powder in the fire and spoke her destination clearly, closing her eyes tightly as the familiar warmth told her that she was being transported...

Mum was already standing at the reception desk as she stepped out of the fire. She glanced round and spotted her friend waiting for them, and went straight over to him. “This place is amazing!” she exclaimed, look around “thanks so much for getting your parents to arrange this, we couldn't have...” a sudden exclamation made her turn around. Katelijn had dropped her heavy bag and was still kneeling on the floor restacking the last of her books when Brecht arrived and joined their mother. Lijsbeth hesitated. She badly wanted to talk to her friend right away, but on the other hand she could hardly expect her mother to take her bag up, and she did want to see her room...

“Are you allowed to show us to our rooms?” she asked Honoré hopefully “then maybe we could go out and...well, what do you think we should do?” 

It was always interesting to see his family's hotels through the eyes of an outsider. To Honoré this hotel meant oppression, to Lijsbeth it was an amazing place. He smiled anyway, not wanting to spoil his friend's good mood by allowing her to see the place through his eyes. It might be better for both of them if they took Lijsbeth's stance.

He opened his mouth to respond that his parents had actually little to do with the arrangements but stopped himself before he could say anything he'd regret later. Instead he simply nodded. “You're welcome,” he said casually. “It's no big deal.” He could sense though that it was a big deal for the Westbroek family and, truth be told, betraying his parents in such a way was meaningful for him, too.

Turning to watch Katelijn kneeling on the floor to collect the books that had fallen out of her bag with a loud thud, Honoré's smile faded slightly. Hopefully the Westbroeks would not attract unwanted attention. He didn't want his parents to investigate the family and find out what had happened as he felt sure that they would take it out on their back, possibly cancelling their reservation or at least making sure that they felt unwanted.

“Of course,” Honoré said, grateful that Lijsbeth wanted to check in properly now. “I'll show you to your rooms.” He turned to face his friend's mother. “Madame, if you would follow me please,” he grabbed Katelijn's bag that was by now fully packed again, his eyes widening because of its unexpected weight. He climbed the stairs of a marble staircase leading the way while checking if any member of his family was around

Reaching the corridor with the rooms he had reserved for the family, Honoré turned to smile at the Westbroeks. “Here we are,” he stated, pushing open the first door. “Brecht and Askeladded, this is your room.” He walked to the next door. “Madame, here we are. This will be your little refuge for the next days. I hope you'll enjoy it. You can also go into the spa downstairs. If you'd like me to arrange a massage or something else for you, just let me know.”

He crossed the corridor as the girl's room was just opposite their mother's. “Mademoiselles, here we are.” He put Katelijn's bag down and turned to face Lijsbeth with a little smile. The room had a beautiful view and was quite big. Two beds with silk bedlinen were next to each other. A bouquet of sunflowers was placed on a desk by the window and there was a bowl with fresh fruit arranged right next to the flowers.

“I hope you like it,” the boy said, suddenly feeling a little awkward. “If you need time to unpack I can wait downstairs? We could go into town and have ice cream at the best parlour around here or go to the beach? Whatever you prefer. You're the guest here, you should choose what you want to do.”

Was it her imagination, or did Honoré look a little...worried as they arrived? Ljsbeth though at first that maybe he did, but then a moment later the look in his eyes vanished - if indeed it had ever been there - and he was welcoming her mother and no doubt she would be delighted that Beauxbatons was raising such pleasant young people. Mum always did think the best of all her students anyway, especially when they had parents who offered such an opportunity at a hotel like this. Lijsbeth ended up trailing behind the rest of the group as they all went upstairs, looking at the pictures on the walls and then out of a window they passed which offered a view of the town. She'd fallen a little bhind, and hurried to catch up, passing her brothers who were already roughhousing about who was going to get the bed closest to the window.

She caught up just as Honoré had shown her mother into her room, and thus was just a step behind him as she got her first sight of where she would be staying for the next few days. Lijsbeth had to suppress a little gasp; it was beautiful, and much bigger than their room at home. Katelijn immediately took an apple from the dish and bit into it as she looked out of the window, turning back with a delighted expression on her face as she declared how beautiful it was.

"It's amazing..." Lijsbeth echoed, feeling like any amount of praise would inadequate. She wanted to go and explore right away, but she also knew that Mum would come and check that they'd all unpacked before they went out anywhere. "Ice cream sounds perfect...can you give me five minutes so I can just unpack a few things?" she asked, though her body language said she wanted to go out right away.

As soon as Honoré was out of earshot Kateljn was by her side, elbowing her and sniggering that her little sister had got herself a boyfriend. Lijsbeth indignantly responded that she hadn't, they were just friends and anyway, he was a year younger than her and didn't she have a book she could be reading? Katelijn sniggered and did just that, kicking off her shoes and reclining on the bed closest to the window. Lijsbeth didn't mind. She pushed the door shut, unzipped her bag and hurriedly stuffed handfuls of clothes into the chest closest to her bed, grabbing a pair of yellow shorts which she threw on the bed and pulling off her jeans in almost the same movement in her eagerness to get outside. Her t-shirt was white with a muggle logo about saving whales and went with anything, so she picked up her small shoulder bag which contained nothing more than a notebook and quill, her wand which she was under strict instructions not to use, and a purse containing a couple of galleons.

"Tell Mum I'm going to get ice-cream and I'll be back later?" she asked her sister, who mumbled a response, and then she was out of the door and running downstairs, less than three minutes after her friend had walked the same way. She got back into the reception area and greeted Honoré with a smile. "Okay, I'm ready..." she said, eager to get outside and explore.

Honoré was glad that the Westbroek family seemed to like the hotel but that had not really been anything he had worried about. Truth be told, the only thing that he worried about was that his parents found out what he had done and might let it out on the wrong people. He found that, usually, people coming to the hotel for a first time loved it. He was so used to it that he didn't find it amazing anymore. It all was normal to him. The luxury, the wonderful view, the large and comfortable beds, the spa area… he knew it all too well.

Lijsbeth had asked him to give her five minutes to unpack. He had told her to take her time and had announced that he'd wait in the lobby and had quickly exited the girls' room. As he walked back downstairs, he looked around cautiously if he could see his mother or father but he was pretty certain they weren't even at the place now.

Arriving downstairs he noticed the receptionist Pierre and approached him. The young man had helped him to get the Westbroeks their rooms and he was grateful. “I've got the watch for you,” he quietly said as he had reached the reception. He kept his promises and he figured that Pierre knew that as he didn't seem worried at all. He looked around and, when he felt that they were unobserved,  handed him a little box. “Have fun with it,” he said genuinely. What might seem like a generous present (or payment, really) to some, was not much of a deal to Honoré. He received a decent amount of pocket money from his parents, more than he'd spend so he always had some savings that he was gladly using to pay for favours.

He hadn't seen Lijsbeth come downstairs but as she approached him, Honoré spotted her and smiled. She had changed into yellow shorts that worked far better with the climate here than the jeans she had worn before.

“Perfect!” Honoré said, smiling back at Lijsbeth. “Let's go out then,” they walked towards the door which magically opened as they approached. He led the way through the streets, usually staying on the shadowy side as it was pretty hot already. “So which are your favourite ice cream flavours?” he asked as the parlour came into view.

Lijsbeth didn't smile often these days, but she did now, and it was genuine. Part of it was that she was excited to be on holiday somewhere she hadn't been before, and part was because she had someone to show her around. Usually she and Katelijn would sneak out of whatever campsite they were staying at when they wanted to explore, or else the whole family would go around together, and no matter how well-behaved they had been raised, when several teens all got together they tended to be loud. So it was nice to think that she oculd have a quiet conversation, and...

"It must be great to live here" she said thoughtfully, almost talking to herself as they walked out into the street. The heat was immediately obvious, it was a lot warmer than home and Lijsbeth was glad she'd changed into her shorts. Maybe she should have remembered to put on some suntan lotion as well? She was quite pale and though she tanned easily, it was a hot day today... She didn't want to go back, though, so she was glad when Honoré led them into the shade. As they walked, her eyes flitted from this side to the other, taking in the other hotels, the shops and the groups of other tourists.

"Hmm, chocolate. And strawberry" she said grinning, and then "Oh, and pistachio. Anything with nuts really. Blackberry's good too, though you can't get that very often. Katelijn and I tried making our own once, but we just kind of stirred blackberries we'd picked from the woods into regular ice cream, and we forgot to pick the bugs out first so it wasn't very successful..." she glanced at Honoré's face and then added quickly "I was six and Katelijn was seven though...and Mum caught us before we tried to eat it!"

By now they were at the ice-cream parlour and Lijsbeth's mouth was watering. The menu outside listed at least twenty different flavours and as many sauces and sprinkles again, and she was mentally building a huge sundae containing at least four different icecreams when she realised that her friend might be a bit shocked if she ate that much. Besides, she was here for several days, so there would be plenty of chances to come back and try something else another day. "This looks amazing" she said "did you plan for us to sit outside under one of these giant parasols?" she was about to ask what he was going to order but decided that sounded a bit strange, so just waited for her friend to take the lead. 

„It's okay, I guess,” Honoré said with a shrug. To him this place was not special although he knew it was to others. He'd give anything to have parents who actually listened to him and were interested in what he wanted instead of rich parents who forced him to live a life he didn't want. He didn't want to spoil the moment though by saying anything along the lines of that though.

He liked the region though. While it did get a little too hot during the summer months, he still liked the atmosphere in the narrow streets and the light. The light was beautiful, especially early in the morning or late in the evenings when the sun was low and painting everything in warm, golden colours. Honoré had even written a song about summer nights by the Mediterranean Sea that he liked to play on his guitar when he sneaked out to play in the evenings. It was not a particularly difficult or interesting song, consisting of just a few chords and little lines of text but it still reflected his feelings quite well.

Far better than any talk about the hotel or anything connected to his family was the conversation about ice cream. The boy smiled as Lijsbeth mentioned her favourite flavours. “Those are good,” he admitted, “there are just so many more exotic flavours you should taste while you're here. Melon is quite refreshing as is mint. Some say lavender is tasty as well, but I must admit that's not quite my taste.”

They had reached the parlour while they were talking about the flavours and Honoré couldn't hide the hint of an amused grin when he saw how impressed Lijsbeth was by the menu displayed in the window. “Well, if you want to sit here we sure can take a seat under one of the parasols. However, the beach is not too far from here. We could walk down there with our ice cream as well.” He shrugged again. “Up to you.”

He turned to face the entrance again and saw people lining up there. “You can study the menu and make your choice. I'll queue up already. Just tell me when you've decided. You're my guest of course. Pick as many flavours as you like. Oh and let me know if you prefer a waffle or a sundae.” He grinned at her, feeling that he knew that she had a hard time deciding. “We can always skip dinner and come back for another portion of ice later,” he teased her but, truth be told, he wasn't opposed to this option in the slightest.

Lijsbeth was getting the strangest feeling that Honoré really wasn't impressed with the hotel. It seemed odd to her; why wouldn't he want to share such a great place with his friends? She felt sure that if she lived somewhere like this she would be inviting people to stay all the time. Back home, if she wanted to have a friend to visit either she or Katelijn had to sleep on the floor so there would be space for them. Lijsbeth had never minded it, and she didn't now. Her family wasn't poor - well they certainly hadn't been when Dad had been alive, and if money was a bit tight now well, they were all growing older, needing new clothes, eating more food... But this place...

"If I lived here I think I'd be going to the beach every single day" she said, deciding to make it sound as if she was talking about the area that had impressed her rather than the hotel "and the weather's amazing, I can't imagine it ever raining here and..." she broke off and laughed, her cheeks flushing a little. "Did I actually just start talking about the weather like a middle-aged Englishwoman?" Oh, well. If it had make her friend smile she didn't mind looking silly for a moment, she supposed.

Having been imagining a dozen or so flavours including maybe one or two she hadn't tired before, Lijsbeth realised she had a difficult choice ahead. "Melon, really?" Could you even make ice-cream that flavour? She was about to ask and then realised that would make her sound even more stupid, so she decided to wait until they could look at the menu.

"Okay...can we go to the beach then?" she asked hopefully. Of course, there was a good chance of bumping into at least one of her siblings, but Katelijn would probably be reading by now and the boys...well, despite the age difference they got on pretty well together and would probably be looking at pretty local witches by now. Plus, if she walked to the beach, it would help use up at least some of the calories she was about to consume.

"Waffle, I think..." that was the easy part. Now for the flavours. They did have blackberry, and she wanted to find out what that tasted like when it didn't have squished bugs mixed in, but there was pecan and maple syrup flavour...that sounded delicious. But it wasn't going to go well with mint or melon, which Honoré had suggested... She looked over to where he was waiting in line, presumably already having decided what he wanted, and then turned back to the extensive menu. Three flavours, she decided. That would be enthusiastic but wouldn't look too greedy, seeing as he said he was paying. She looked down the menu again, reminding herself that she could always come back tomorrow and try something different. One last glance, and she'd made her choice.

Lijsbeth joined Honoré in the queue. "I think I've decided. I'll have a waffle cone with peach, lavender and pecan and maple syrup ice creams, with raspberry sauce." Really, she wasn't at all sure what lavender would taste like, but she wanted to try at least one of the flavours he'd mentioned and it seemed as if that one would go best with her other choices. 

“Yeah,” Honoré agreed. It was easily to agree on going to the beach. It was the best about his home anyway. He even knew a spot that seemed little inviting but if one walked a bit through the water there was a large rock that had a dent on the side of the sea so one could sit there comfortably without anyone from the beach seeing them. He liked that spot a lot and sometimes took his guitar with him there. It was a bit tricky to climb the rock while taking care that the instrument didn't get wet but usually he managed that quite well. A few drops of salty water were not good for the wood but they did no great harm either.

He smiled at Lijsbeth mentioned the weather and soon after said that she sounded like a middle-aged Englishwoman. “Nah,” he said, still grinning, “it's fine. I mean, the weather truly is amazing.”

With a nod he confirmed that, yes, there was melon ice cream. “Good plan,” he said when Lijsbeth decided that they'd have their ice cream at the beach. They wouldn't get to his favourite spot on the rock without the ice cream melting on the way but they could still sit where most people went that wanted to see the beach of Fontvieille.

“Good choice!” Honoré said approvingly. “they have delicious waffles here.” He waited in line as Lijsbeth took her time to study the menu. As Lijsbeth approached him it was almost his time already and he looked at her expectantly. “So what's it going to be?” he asked and listened to Lijsbeth's choice. It would not have been his favoured combination of flavours but he assumed that the Bellefeuille knew what she liked.

“Alright then,” he said as he stepped forward, ordering first for Lijsbeth and then a waffle cone with mint, dark chocolate and hazelnut flavour for himself. He handed over the muggle money and took the cones to hand one over to his friend.

“Here you are,” he said, smiling. “I hope you'll like it. I just love the ice cream from this place.” As they stepped out of the parlour, Honoré gestured to their left. “Let's go through that narrow street there. You'll be surprised. You'll see the Sea when you don't expect it.” The street was arched and at the end of it there was the boulevard which they'd have to cross to then be right at the beach already.

Tomorrow morning she was going to get up early and go running. Lijsbeth decided. Actually, she should probably do that every morning of the holiday considering the number of calories she was probably going to consume in ice-cream over the next few days. That wasn't something Honoré needed to know of course, though she assumed one of her siblings would thoughtfully announce it at some point. Probably loudly, in the street while there were a lot of people around. That was one of the joys of having a large family.

Still, she was glad that her firend ordered a triple cone for himself, whether he'd been intending to do so anyway or just did so she wouldn't feel greedy. She giggled when he made his own selection but said nothing until he'd paid and handed over her cone and they were walking away.

"Thanks. This is amazing...ooh, the peach is delicious!" she exclaimed, trying that flavour first since it was closest to her "I see you picked all sensible flavours, though" she couldn't resist adding. Chocolate and hazelnut were hardly adventurous...though she supposed Honoré was able to visit this place every day if he wanted and probably just liked to choose his favourites now. Lisjbeth soon had to begin licking her lips, she liked to bite carefully into her icecream and once she'd taken a few mouthfuls of the peach she rotated it, now trying the maple syrup flavour, which elicited a small moan of delight when her tastebuds encountered the sweetness. It was a good contrast to the refreshing fruit flavour she'd tried first.

"Down here?" she asked, hesitating for just a moment before crossing to the street Honoré had indicated. It was a nice little alleyway, rather reminding her of the passageways in Chatoeil and feeling rather homely, even though she still had that exotic, holiday feeling. She felt excited at her friend's words, and she looked across to him as if for reassurance a couple of times as they walked down the little street. It seemed to Lijsbeth that it sloped downwards a little, and then they followed a turn in the path which then revealed her first glimpse of the sea, framed in the archway of the street and its surrounding buildings. She could feel her face spread into a delighted smile.

"You're right! I wasn't expecting...oops!" Lijsbeth momentarily forgot where her hand was and accidentally had dipped her nose into her ice cream when she'd turned her head to speak to Honoré. She rubbed it off with her free hand, blushing a little as she did so. "Okay. You lead the way. I'm clearly not safe to be allowed to walk and eat ice-cream at the same time" she joked. Usually Lijsbeth would feel angry with herself for such a clumsy display, but something about this place made her feel perfectly happy and relaxed with whatever happened today.

Honoré smiled as Lijsbeth praised the ice cream. Although he had not made it himself he still felt rather satisfied that she liked it. He loved the ice cream parlour and went there frequently. It was definitely one of his favorite places in his hometown. Besides, what could be better than a cone of delicious ice cream when spending the summer with the parents? Honoré clearly needed the cheering up.

"Sensible or not, they're really good," Honoré said, still smiling. "I usually try to find flavours that fit together really well. Besides," He chuckled softly now, "I have my personal holiday challenge: I try to get through all flavours in one summer while only choosing combinations that really work well together." It was like a little game he played with himself and it kept him busy for a few minutes every day. Having admitted that, the Ombrelune felt how his cheeks reddened a little. Maybe Lijsbeth found him silly for having thought up such a challenge for himself. Then again, she might actually want to take part in that game herself.

"Yes," he nodded, "down here." He did not look at the scenery at all. After all, Honoré knew Fontvieille very well. He knew every flower pot in front of the doorsteps, knew the cat that just crossed their path. For him nothing here was new except for the reactions of his companion. He, therefore, focused solely on Lijsbeth, while eating his ice cream that was quickly melting a little.

He beamed at her as she showed her excitement at the beautiful view and bit his lips to stop himself from laughing when she dipped her nose into the ice cream. "Do you need a handkerchief?" He asked courteously. He always had some paper tissues in the pocket of his shorts.

He led the way down a few stairs and across the street to the beach. There they walked past a few people who lay in the sun before he found an empty spot. "Shall we sit down here until we finish our ice cream? I'll show you my secret refuge afterwards. I'm sure you'll enjoy it." He grinned at her, thinking of his rock in the water. It was perfect to sit there and just chill or, now that Lijsbeth would be joining him, chat. "Did you apply sunscreen?" he suddenly asked, thinking that it would be no good if she got a sun burn on her first day. "If not, I have this little tube here," he pulled a tiny tube out of his shorts. "There's not much left but... maybe you could cover the sensitive parts of your face. Applying ice cream to your nose won't do the trick, after all."

"I think I'd like that game" Lijsbeth said as they walked "of course, I'm only here for less than a week, so maybe I should merely try to get through all the flavours, whether or not they work well together..." she giggled and hoped Honoré wouldn't think she sounded terribly greedy. The ice cream was just great though, even Mum was going to love it and she decided to bring the whole family for a visit tomorrow. Katelijn would certainly be up for the challenge and they could try some of the weird flavours between them!

Accepting Honoré's offer of a handkerchief, she wiped her face and then tucked it into the pocket of her shorts, thinking she probably shouldn't throw it away just yet in case she managed to cover herself with ice cream again. Not for the first time she couldn't help thinking that her friend wasn't quite like other boys she knew. Askeladden was only a year or two younger but he wouldn't dream of keeping anything so useful in his pocket. A piece of cake so he could eat it later, perhaps...

She'd moved onto the lavender flavour now, which was...odd. It wasn't unpleasant, and yet it wasn't exactly like any flavour she could put a name to either. She'd expected it would taste as the flowers smelled, which it did, but also there was the taste of cream and...it wasn't like eating a flower. "I don't know if I like this as much...but it's certainly interesting" she said thoughtfully, now paying a lot more attention to where they were going and glad of the suggestion to sit down. It was a lot easier to eat the ice cream now that she didn't also have to look where she was going, after all. But then Honoré mentioned sunscreen and she groaned in frustration. In her eagerness to get out and explore she'd completely forgotten, and while she knew an appropriate charm, she could hardly cast it now with this many muggles around.

Then her jaw dropped. How many more useful things did he keep in his pockets? "Ohh, thank you!" she said, though that quickly turned into a giggle and she didn't manage to say anything else for a while. It wasn't even that funny, and she didn't like being teased, so why was she even laughing? Lijsbeth took a breath and composed herself. "That's great, I will. My nose, like you said, and the back of my neck because that always seems to burn even when my hair's covering it. Though I should probably finish the ice cream first..." Otherwise, knowing Lijsbeth the sunscreen would somehow end up on the ice cream and that was sure to spoil the flavour.

"You do?" Honoré asked, grinning widely. He was relieved, even flattered that Lijsbeth found his game worth playing. "Oh, of course!" he was quick to say as Lijsbeth mentioned that her stay was short and she might have to bend the rules to work for her. "That's absolutely fine. I mean, you can make up your own rules! It's just for fun and, well, it helps to stay curious and not stick with the first best flavour you discover. Honestly, I've been surprised by the taste of exotic flavours more than once. Never thought that I'd like anise, for example." He paused briefly and smirked. "Have you ever tried pastis? My father once let me take a sip. The ice cream tastes quite similar... it's just without alcohol and very creamy..."

He was happy that he could help Lijsbeth out with the paper tissue and smiled as she took it from him. With the girl things were so easy. She was not like an older version of his sister but entirely down-to-earth. Honoré liked that nothing was complicated when he spent time with Lijsbeth. He didn't have to be careful what he said, didn't have to take himself back. Therefore, in her company, he seemed to speak at least twice as much as when he spent time with his family. He wondered briefly if Lijsbeth felt the same about him but dismissed the thought quickly, fearing that, maybe, the girl was not here for him but because of the opportunity to stay at the hotel which she had, after all, praised earlier.

Nodding along as she spoke about the lavender flavoured ice cream, he moved on to the next one of his as well. "I totally get what you mean," he agreed after a brief pause, "I am not sure if I like the flavour of the lavender ice cream as much as the feeling I have when I eat it? I'm not sure it makes sense," he added, blushing a little again. "I mean it feels like holidays to me? It's the smell and respectively also the taste of summer." He shrugged, unsure if he had made himself quite clear.

Lijsbeth's reaction to his question about the sunscreen momentarily confused the boy. Was she annoyed with him that he had asked or did she only just realise that she had forgotten to apply some? It apparently was the latter and Honoré was glad to be able to help her out. However, after accepting the tube of sunscreen Lijsbeth burst into giggles and didn't stop for a while. The boy smiled a little sheepishly, unsure if she laughed because of his teasing comment or if she was laughing at him for being so well prepared. He decided to focus on his ice cream before it would melt even more and he'd risk getting all covered with brown stains.

He was glad when Lijsbeth spoke again and it became obvious that she had not been laughing at him. "Yes," he agreed, "finish the ice cream first. Then you should apply the sunscreen and after that I'll show you my secret place." He smiled, hoping that she'd feel intrigued that he was going to share his personal hideout with her.

Lijsbeth bit her lip and looked a bit uncomfortable when her friend mentioned alcohol. "Actually no, but...last Christmas Katelijn got a bottle of Dutch gin and we all tried it..." she grimaced a little at the memory "it's flavoured with juniper berries and...well, if there's an ice-cream that tastes like that, it's the only one I definitely don't want to try!" she finished. None of the Westbroek kids had liked it, but none of them had wanted to admit as much until nearly half the bottle was gone, and Lisjbeth could still remember the dry mouth and headache she'd woken with the following morning.

It was kind of weird, the things they were talking about. The sort of things that Lijsbeth normally didn't say to anyone, even her siblings. The sort of things she didn't say in case she got laughed at and yet... Honoré was saying them quite calmly, as if it was a matter-of-fact thing to be talking about an ice-cream tasting of summer.  "I kow what you mean" she said softly "Every time Mom bakes apple pie it reminds me of when Dad was..." she broke off and took a deep breath, because that wasn't something she should talk about now. It would ruin the mood and she didn't want that. Besides, it had taken her a long time, but she knew now that her father wouldn't have expected her to grieve forever. She even thought sometimes that she might be able to deal with the possibility of her mother meeting somebody new, though as far as she was aware, Mom didn't have time for dates. She forced a smile. "Yeah, lavender tastes of summer. I understand what you mean" she said, her voice almost sounding as if she meant it.

Anyway, ice-cream first. It served a twofold purpose, distracting her from the sad thought and also providing something lighthearted to talk about. "I think the maple syrup is my favourite so far" she said a few minutes later when she had eaten the ice-cream down almost to the cone and was beginning to bite into that. It hadn't gone soggy either like some ice-creams did, but was still firm and crunchy. Lijsbeth said nothing more, biting the end off the remaining cone and sucking the last bit of icecream through before popping the last bit of waffle into her mouth. Only then did she wipe her hands and put a little of the sunscreen onto the end of her nose and a bit more onto the back of her neck. It would probably get into her hair, but she would wash it in the morning anyway.

"That was great. When did you say we could get another one?' she joked as she handed the tube of sunscreen back. Really though, she was intrigued by Honoré's secret place, but didn't want to sound too demanding by asking if they could go there right away.

"Hmm, okay," Honoré said. "I have never tried Dutch gin and the pastis I got to try was pretty much watered down," he shrugged. "The anise ice cream is actually rather nice. I also find it goes well with the lavender flavour," he remarked with another shrug.

"So you do not like trying alcoholic beverages?" he asked curiously. Honoré had no firm opinion on the matter. He knew that his family drank alcohol at gatherings but they were sensible enough to never get drunk as far as the boy could tell. He was not particularly eager to try alcohol himself. Well, truth be told, he had been allowed one sip or another of various drinks but while he had not found the drinks disgusting he still preferred a good juice or some ice cream to any alcoholic drinks.

As Lijsbeth broke off talking about her dad, Honoré looked down, unsure how to react. He knew this was a sensitive topic and he clearly didn't want to spoil his friend's mood by talking about it now. He decided to let her choose if she wanted to go on about it or rather change the topic and was grateful when she chose the latter.

"Which things do you connect to summer and summer holidays?" He asked casually but was actually truly interested in what she'd say. To him the scent and taste of lavender was part of summer, ice cream every day, the sound of the waves hitting his rock, but also the constant bickering of his family, the oppressing abundance at the hotel, the lack of normality and yet also these moments when he could play his guitar and just be himself when he had managed to get away. Time at home meant to him a split between moments that couldn't be better and things he hated.

"We can get another one whenever you like," Honoré said, sounding ready to go right back if Lijsbeth wanted to do that. He had enough money to buy ice cream for them all day if his friend felt like it. However, the sensible young wizard felt that they might better wait for a little while at least. It would not do them any good if either of them would feel sick after over indulging in ice cream. "Let's take a walk first," he suggested and got to his feet, holding out a hand for Lijsbeth to help her up. "You might want to take your shoes off," he suggested, doing just that.

He guided her onto the wet sand and soon into the water. The soft waves of the Mediterannean Sea played around their knees, occasionally hitting the rim of their shorts. "It won't get much deeper than this," Honoré explained as they waded the sea.