In Over Her Head by Elsie Russell - Parnasse.com

"Again, the rain!" Rubbing her hip, she squinted at them and
recited, "Les cloches de St. Germain, il va pleuvoir, les cloches de
l'Institut annoncent le beau temps."
"'Old wives tale.'" He harrumphed as he put down his pastry
and dabbed at his lips with the napkin.
"Non, c'est le vent de l'ouest, venant de l'Angleterre et de la
mer, qui ammene la pluie. La Nature etait la meme au Moyenne Age
que de nos temps, non Sandro?"
Sandro nodded.
"The bells of the cathedral have announced the rains from
England since 1163," Inez cackled to herself, folding fresh linen
napkins from a stack into the origami fairy princess hats that lined up
like a small army on the sideboard.
Penny drank her tea Anglo style, with milk and sugar, two cubes
per cup. She wasn't awake yet, her eyes felt puffy and they stung. He
looked the same as always. She took a slice of bread, spread butter on it
and put on a slice of ham, that was easy and felt more like a real
breakfast.
She poured herself some coffee, this time. He was still deep in
thought, then suddenly picked up his phone from next to his plate and
made a call. He waited, then shut it and gazed out the window again.
"Were you calling that Cyber guy?"
"Yes, there is no answer. I call Max now."
He thumbed in a number. She looked at the red stove sitting
inside the carved limestone fireplace like a Jules Verne time machine.
Where a wicked time traveling witch would stick little kids in and roast
them. Ines looked like a witch with her crooked back and long nose
that nearly touched her chin, but the evil vibes Penny was getting
weren't from her. A braid of garlic hung next to the fire place, and a
wreath of dried herbs, mostly plucked away. The floor was made of
hexagonal terracotta tiles, polished and cracked in many places. Instead
of counters there were heavy tables with marble slab tops. An odd
screen dome covered an assortment of ripening cheese whose aromas
wafted over now and then over the fruit and the toast and the warm
pastry smells.
"Allo? Dude, c'est moi, bon, ben, écoute." He went into a long
animated discussion, mentioning Ula and Penny and Cyber Ciné, then
said ciao and slapped it shut.
"Okay, we go back to République, same place, they will meet us
there, bring your laptop."
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