The morning of November 20th, a small boy shows up at the hotel front lobby in the care of an older man. They both smell of fish, and look weary from a long trip. Mr. French, who is manning the desk, asks the man what he wants, and ignores the boy for now.

The man looks quite uncomfortable, and replies in french, "Parlez-vous Francais?"

Mr. French nods, and responds again in French, again asking what they want.

(In french) "I have a child for you. His sister is already here, and there is no one to take care of them." He is speaking quietly, so as not to be overheard by the boy.

Mr. French gives kind of a grunt of disgust, but doesn't say "no". He speaks loudly about the orphanage not being a drop off for vagabonds.

Cole and Cal are changing over the laundry and lighting fires as per usual, and they hear the voices about a new arrival, and while they can't hear the fisherman in Mr. French's rant, they catch "Jeanne", and "sister". Cole goes first to get Celeste and suggests that she get Jeanne, so he doesn't have the trouble of trying to tell her that maybe her brother is here. He then follows Cal down to spy on the lobby.

The fisherman hands Mr French a letter, and says "I'm told that It is all explained in there. But he is not mine and I am only here as a favor to a friend. I'm afraid I have to go now."

Mr. French stops the fish-smelling man, and tell him to wait till he delivered the letter. (He is very forceful about this, but he then leaves.)

The man says "You run this place? Then the letter is for you."

Mr. French growls, "No, I am the maitre d'. You dumb yokle, stay here, I will get the owner." Mr. French then goes into the apartment.

The fisherman waits, fairly oblivious to the boy, who is fidgeting, and starting to wander around the room. He finds an umbrella stand and starts rattling it around, and moving it around the room.

Cole returns, having talked with Celeste in the kitchen. Looking for Mr. French, he says "Where'd he go?" to Cal.

Cal says, "Gone to get Ms. Black I bet. He's back in the apartments. Get your ass back to the corner, if Nora finds us snooping we's all getting a beating."

The boy lets the rack fall over and looks around for the source of the voice. Seeing nothing, he starts rolling the rack around the ground by nudging it with his foot.

Cole hesitates, "Fine..." and heads back to his post.

The umbrella rack is looking a little worse for wear from the boy's attentions.

Ms Black and Mr. French reappear. Mr French frowns at the umbrella rack. Ms Black stands up the rack, and kneels down and asks the boy his name.

The boy says, "Ollie." Then he thinks a moment, and says "Olivier."

She is very nice, asking him simple kid questions, like if he has eaten, and if he is doing okay. Mr French signals to the fisherman that he can go and returns to the desk. The fisherman departs quickly, not saying goodbye to the boy.

Meanwhile, Celeste reaches the garden, and finds Minne and Jeanne. Jeanne looks up and nods to Celeste. Celeste tells Jeanne in a combination of French, English and hand gestures, that Cole has said that there's a little boy who speaks French in the lobby and that he keeps saying "sister".

Minne looks suspicious of why she is here, but holds her tongue. She is smelling trouble.

Jeanne, looking somewhat friendly, "nod and smile"-like, listens to the explanation. Then when she gets the gist of what Celeste is saying, she looks a bit panicked, says "yes yes (looking for word) mercithankyou" and RUNS to the front.

Minnie tells her to stop running, but is ignored. Celeste is a bit taken aback, but follows her. Not running, because she doesn't want to attract too much attention, but walking very fast

She arrives in the lobby (probably a few beats before celeste because she was not being careful at all), dodges around a grab from Mr. French, and sees Ollie and doesn't seem to register Mrs. Black. "Ah no... Ollie!"

Ollie whoops, and jumps to his feet. He sidesteps Mrs Black and runs to Jeanne.

The two hug for a few moments, but then jeanne pulls back, puts her hands on his shoulders, looks him in the eye and starts speaking in rapid-fire cajun french. The onlookers who know some French can pick out "Good ... you ... fish".

The spies can see Ms Black and Mr French exchange a look. Mr. French goes back to the desk.

After a few moments, Ollie looks around and behind him, and pauses. His gaze crosses over Ms Black, who smiles. He smiles when he sees her, but clearly isn't looking for her. He pauses again, and seems to realize something.

Ms Black plows on when he looks at her. "You must be hungry lad." She Yells for Celeste, who appears miraculously quickly, looking totally innocent. "Some bread and boiled eggs for the boy," she commands.

Cole sees Nora making her way down the hall. He whistles to Cal.

Ollie turns and smiles at Mrs Black and smiles, but turns back to Jeanne.

Cal darts into a nearby room, holding the door for Cole. Cole runs in.

Meanwhile, Jeanne is still talking with Ollie. A few words for the onlookers: "parents -- dad". Jeanne pauses and looks uncomfortable, and then starts speaking to ollie again, looking sad.

Celeste walks towards the kitchen as slowly as she dares, trying to eavesdrop as long as possible.

Ollie, for the first time since arriving, stops fidgeting.

Jeanne: "dead".

Jeanne gives Ollie another hug.

Ms French says, "Jeanne dear why dont you take little Olivier to the kitchen."

Ollie stands still, and tears roll down his cheeks as he quietly sobs. Jeanne is crying at this point as well, though she is clearly trying not to. At the suggestion that he might move, he holds onto Jeanne's arm with an iron grip. She puts her arm around his shoulder and leads him to the kitchen.

Cole has his head on the floor, looking under the door for Nora to pass, and trying to judge where she's going. Cal has timed Nora's walking and the hallways so he is counting.

Ollie, between quiet sobs, occasionally says "Papa". Jeanne is occasionally saying reassuring things ("it will be okay," "we will stay together," etc)

Louis and the happy kitchen does his best to take their minds off the badness. (food and singing) Jeanne asks to cook something. "Louis, do you mind? I would like to cook this thing for Ollie." Louis allows it. Jefferson and Celeste are in teh kitchen, doing kitchen things.

When others arrive, Jeanne has taken over a corner of the stove and is making a pancake out of buckwheat. Ollie stays by Jeanne's side, but can't stop looking at Jefferson and Celeste. His gaze makes you think that there's something wrong with your clothes or something. Celeste notices him looking, she smiles and says Bonjour, as she bustles by them (trying to stay nearby, but also to do her work. Louis is nice, but the work still needs to get done.)

"....bon... jour." He replies, still staring.

Jeanne, as she is cooking, takes a moment to look over to Celeste. She speaks slowly and clearly in French. "Thank you. Thank you for telling me. It was important, and it means a lot." Celeste looks thrilled at Jeanne's words.

Celeste looks a little confused at the staring, and looks down to see if she's split something. Ollie whispers to Jeanne, while looking at Celeste, "what's wrong with her hair?"

The pancake is completed and she sets ollie up on a stool and gives it to him. "For home," she says. "It is a little different here, not bad, and we will keep some home, you and me, okay?" Ollie picks up the pancake with his hands, tears it in two, and begins munching on one half. His sobs have stopped, for the moment. The distraction of Celeste and the food are working.

Jeanne glances at Celeste, smiles shyly, and answers Ollie. "People are different here, yes? It is not the same as home. And not everyone understands us when we speak, but this is Celeste, and she understands some of what we say. And... we can learn to understand her as well."

One weather eye on Louis (who she knows sees what she's doing) Celeste sneaks Jeanne some molasses for the pancake)

Ollie is still looking at Celeste, and he points to her hair and says, "Can I touch?" Meanwhile, Cole rolls threw the back door of the kitchen...clearly looking for something. His eyes go to Ollie as soon as he sees them, and he walks over and just stands next Celeste. On Cole's arrival, his eyes grow a bit wider, though he smiles in greeting to Cole. Cal has left for some other mischief.

Jeanne looks grateful for her kindness to ollie (re: the molasses)

Celeste looks a little confused, like she's not sure if she understands the word "Touch?" She repeats it in English, looking at Jeanne and then touching her own hair. Ollie stuffs the remainder of the half pancake into his mouth, his cheeks bulging. He picks up the second half with one hand, the other still extended in the direction of Celeste.

Jeanne answers celeste (in french), "We come from a small place. No one looks (she seems to be looking for a simple way to explain)... like you. He is curious." A whole range of expression flicker across Celeste's face, but she finally lands on neutral and says "it's just hair". Then she shrugs and says "okay", and pulls a little out of her ribbon, glancing at Jeanne with a bemused look, but not apparently angry.

Ollie reaches out (with all the gentleness of an overactive five year old) and touches the frizzes of Celeste's hair, and then pokes her on the forearm. Seeming satisfied, he says "just hair. ok."

The interaction over, Celeste turns and says, "I must be kneading bread." This is the best french she's spoken yet. (yay for learning kitchen words) She's got a well tuned sense of Louis's patience, so she's already moving towards her chores when he starts telling the others to scram.

Ollie's attentions turn to Cole, and he says "bonjour."

Cole smiles back, "Bonjour! I be Cole!" (in bad french)

"Cole..." Ollie repeats. He repeats back in Cole's strange construction, "I be Ollie." (not mocking, but with enthusiasm for his wording choice) Cole beams because he assumed his french was perfect!

Louis suggests, gently, that Jeanne take Ollie to the garden and get out from underfoot, and that Cole has other chores to be doing instead of lazing about. Jeanne, responding to Louis - "Of course, thank you," nods and heads out to garden, Ollie in tow. Ollie stuffs the remainder of the pancake into his mouth as they go. Cole walks with them and pulls our his harmonica, and shows it proudly to Ollie, and then plays like 3 notes...realatively softly.

In the garden they find Minne chiding Cal and Shawn as the chase frogs about the potatoes.

Cole plays a trill of notes, mimicking a herald trumpets..."Announcing Ollie".

Ollie squeals a bit at the harmonica thing. He looks at Cole like he's the coolest kid around. Cal and Shawn are ignoring Minne for the moment, Shawn looks up when he hears the notes.

Jeanne turns to Ollie. (in french) "He (including Cole in this conversation) does not speak much french, but he speaks a language that sounds a little the same, sometimes."