Act 6: Recognition They arrived on Peach Street far sooner than Rue had expected. It was not a residential area, as she had assumed, but right in the heart of the business district of the town. Rue, herself, had often shopped in the small stores that lined the street and wondered if it was possible that she had passed her parents before on the street without even knowing it was them. Will they even recognize me? Rue thought as she stopped and looked at her reflection in a boutique‘s store window. She did favor her mother in looks, but she had only been a baby the last time they saw her… “Rue?” Mytho, noticing her absence by his side, turned around. “Are you okay?” She nodded and jogged to catch up with Mytho and the others, who had stopped in front of one of the larger shops on the street. The building was two stories high, and a collection of sparkling diamond jewelry was displayed in the store’s window, catching Ahiru’s eye. Rue, however, found her attention drawn to the sign right about the front door. Hoffmann’s Jewelry. Her parents’ store. “I suppose this is the place,” Fakir announced, pulling out the article he had torn out of the paper to make certain. “They probably have an apartment above the shop. Most of the bigger stores usually do.” Mytho grasped Rue’s hand and gave it a comforting squeeze as Fakir opened the door and ushered them inside. A few of the store’s well-dressed customers gave the quartet curious stares as the bell above the door announced their presence. For the first time, Rue realized what a sight they must have made: a young prince and princess, garbed in decadent finery, joined by two teenagers dressed in casual clothes. In hindsight, she and Mytho probably should have asked Ahiru and Fakir if they could borrow a change of clothes while they were in Kinkan, but it was too late to turn back without drawing even more attention to themselves. Pretending as if there was nothing out of the ordinary about their attire, the four walked over to a display of engagement rings near the back of the store. “Well, that was embarrassing,” Fakir said once they were out of earshot. “Who knew this place was so hoity-toity? Your parents must be incredibly well-off, Rue.” “They did offer a $10,000 reward for information about Gisela’s disappearance,” Mytho reminded him. “Oh, look at this pretty ring, Fakir!” Ahiru, who still continued to be awed by the glamorous jewelry, pressed her forehead against the glass case and pointed to one of the diamond rings. A wistful sigh escaped her lips “It’s so beautiful…” “Forget it, idiot,” Fakir said. “That’s way out of my price range.” Ahiru rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I asked you to buy it for me, Fakir. I was just saying that I liked it.” “Oh…right.” The former knight began to blush just as a man came up behind the case, startling them. To Rue’s relief, he was not her father, although the two did share some facial similarities and the same kind smile. “May I help you young people find something?” the man asked. “I must say, you all look rather young to be interested in engagement rings.” “Actually, we’re from the drama department at Kinkan Academy,” Fakir lied, his face returning back to its normal color. “These two,” he indicated Rue and Mytho, “are playing the leads in our new play, and we’ re looking for some jewelry to complete their costumes.” Rue was amazed by how fast Fakir came up with a story to explain their strange attire, but the man seemed to accept it without question. “Ah, so that explains it,” he said, nodding. “Well, I’m afraid most of our items may be too expensive for a school play, but we do have some nice quality costume jewelry that may be more within your price range if you’re interested. Let me just --” The man abruptly stopped in the middle of his sentence, his light blue eyes staring straight at Rue. “Sir?” Rue said, her heart beginning to pound. Had he recognized her? The man shook his head. “Forgive for staring, miss,” he apologized. “You just bear a remarkable resemblance to my sister-in-law when she was younger. In fact, if my oldest niece was still alive, I imagine she would…” His voice beginning to crack, he again shook his head. “No, never mind me. It’s a foolish thought,” he said with a heavy sigh. “I‘ll go find those pieces for you to look at. Please wait. I‘ll only be a moment.” With that, the man left to find the costume jewelry. “Why didn’t you say something, Rue?” Ahiru demanded to know once the man -- no, Rue’s uncle -- was out of sight. “He recognized you! Well, kind of, but he thinks you look like your mother, too, so --” “She can’t exactly just go up to the guy and say, ‘Hey, guess what, I *am* Gisela, the niece you thought died eighteen years ago,’” Fakir pointed out. “He would think she was either nuts or a con artist. If the Hoffmanns are as well-off as they seem, I imagine plenty of fake Giselas popped up over the years, pretending to be their missing daughter.” “That’s terrible!” Ahiru scowled. “Taking advantage of their grief like that…” “Yeah, well… What do you plan to do, Rue?” he asked. Rue shook her head. She hadn’t exactly thought that far ahead. A part of her had hoped her parents would take one look at her and just somehow *know* that she was Gisela, although she realized now how naďve that sounded. Of course it wouldn’t be that simple, especially when her parents were under the impression that she died almost two decades ago. However, before they could brainstorm any ideas, Rue’s uncle returned with several small cases containing rings, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. “Here you go, kids,” he said, setting the cases in front of them. “If you don’t mind me making a suggestion, I think this necklace here would go quite beautifully with the young lady’s costume.” He held up a garnet choker, accented by cubic zirconia. “Go ahead, try it on. It’ll certainly bring out the unusual red color of her eyes.” “Yes, I think it will, Mr. Hoffmann,” Mytho agreed, playing along by taking the choker and placing it around Rue’s neck. “What do you think? Do you like it, Gisela?” Both Rue and her uncle turned to look at Mytho, shock written on their faces at the use of Gisela’s name. What in the world does Mytho think he’s doing? Rue wondered. “Y-Your name is Gisela, miss?” Mr. Hoffman asked, obviously startled by the information. Not knowing what else to say, Rue nodded. “And your surname? Forgive me if I’m being rude, but I would really like to know.” “It’s von Hohenheim,” Mytho answered for Rue, actually giving her married name, “but Gisela was…adopted when she was only a baby.” Rue was beginning to catch onto Mytho’s plan. He was giving her uncle enough hints to consider the possibility that she really was his missing niece without directly telling him who she was. That way, they didn’t immediately come off as con artists, although Rue wondered how long that would last when Fakir’s lie about them being drama students was exposed, as it inevitably would be if the man thought she really was Gisela. “Adopted, huh?” Mr. Hoffmann began staring even more intently at Rue than he had before. “It can’t be,” he murmured, “but you look so much like Eva, and the name…” “Mr. Hoffmann?” Rue breathed as her uncle came out from behind the counter and lifted up her chin to better study her face. “Gisela, is it really you?” he asked, tears beginning to form in his light blue eyes. “After all these years, can it really and truly be you?” Rue couldn’t speak. She could barely even breathe. She wanted nothing more to throw herself in her uncle’s arms and tell him that yes, she was his niece, kidnapped by the crows so many years ago, but she knew she couldn’t seem too anxious without raising his suspicions. Instead, she tried her best to appear politely confused by Mr. Hoffmann’s seemingly strange behavior. “You probably have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?” he asked, chuckling as he let go of her chin and pulled out a handkerchief to dry his eyes. “Forgive me. It’s just… Gisela, may I ask you one final question?’ Rue nodded, still not trusting her voice. “I know this is personal, and if it is too difficult for you to talk about, I’ll completely understand, but do you know the circumstances behind your adoption?” Before answering, Rue looked over at her husband and friends. They were all giving her nods, silently encouraging her to tell Mr. Hoffmann the truth. Realizing that they would be there to support her no matter what happened, Rue finally managed to find her voice again. “The truth is, Mr. Hoffmann,” she said after taking a deep breath, “my so-called ‘adoption’ was not exactly legal. I-I was kidnapped from my real parents when I was about six months old.” Her uncle drew in a sharp intake of breath. “Kidnapped? By whom?” Looking him straight in the eye, Rue only said one word. “Crows.” DISCLAIMER: "Princess Tutu" doesn't belong to me. AUTHOR'S NOTE: Any comments or criticisms can be sent to me at ElysionDream@aol.com.