(Untitled)
Who: The Troublesome Four; Inspector Javert | chose_death, Gabriel | trickster_mk2, Naomi Hunter | scientize, and Greed | nestingdevil
What: The gathering of four very different individuals on a dinner "date." It's to discuss business and deal deeds, really.
Where: Starting Point ➥ Devil's Nest
When: Monday Evening.
Rating: Considering the very nature of these people, pushing R.
( Read more... )
What: The gathering of four very different individuals on a dinner "date." It's to discuss business and deal deeds, really.
Where: Starting Point ➥ Devil's Nest
When: Monday Evening.
Rating: Considering the very nature of these people, pushing R.
( Read more... )
Something was heavily weighing on his thoughts. And from her twenty-some years of experience with the man, that was never a good sign.]
Well, [She pauses thoughtfully, a strange look crossing over her tired, soft expression. It takes only a few smooth steps before Naomi is behind her weary husband, those tiny hands of hers moving to his slumped shoulders, rubbing out any of the lingering tension in his posture. As pleasant as she's tried to make this evening for both her guests and Javert, something had obviously gone very wrong along the way. Now it was just a matter of putting what few puzzle pieces she had together to find the proper cause behind his behavior.] That turned out to be a bigger ordeal than I thought. But it wasn't so bad. I never would have imagined Greed would pick Gabriel as his companion of choice, but... [Her voice drifted off mid sentence, her hands busy as her train of thought went in another direction completely.
A moment of silence passed between husband and wife, the woman just tending to her man as best as she could after whatever he had been put through.]
Too tired for me to take advantage of your mistake? [With a quick kiss pressed into his cheek, Naomi leans over enough to shoot her darling husband a suggestive, playful glance. It's obvious from his posture and exhaustion that there was little chance of that happening, even if he was liquored up, but she hopes to at least erase some of the sullenness out of his expression.]
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I don’t even trust myself to stand at this moment. You will have hard luck of accomplishing that, I think.
[Javert’s shoulders ripple beneath Naomi’s touch. His head feels quite heavy under the influence of however-much-he-consumed, which is entirely more than he can ever recall allowing himself to drink in one sitting. Add atop that his diminished appetite and his forceful, admirable efforts to show his best calm and collected face to his ‘business partner,’ and he has run out of fuel completely for the day.
His lips thin to a disquieted, flat line.]
When we move, and it will be shortly, [he declares thickly with absolutely no wiggle room for argument,] they will not be over again.
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The rather violent reaction the man gives to Gabriel’s name is just too obvious for Naomi to ignore. She had her speculations, of course, but this is just about all of the absolute proof she really needs to pin the blame on the angel.]
I don’t know why I’d ever want to have your business associate over again like this, I think once was certainly enough for me, [but her tone softens] but I do like to think of Gabe as a friend to us. Is that a problem? Are the two of you not getting along?
[Because really, it is very difficult for the woman to think that Gabriel had done something harsh enough to have such an effect on her usually calm husband.]
Is there something I should know?
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He is not my chum! I am no more than a man! What the devil is he? A Heaven-sent angelic demon! Or is it a demonic angel? You want me to call that wily, changeable creature friend? That cannot be!
[It is severely delayed, but a lightbulb flickers on and dawns on his face. He recognizes that he has forgotten himself and draws back from Naomi ever so slightly, but not fully out of her touch. His eyelids flutter in a frustrated half-blink, and he frowns, consternated. The lines on his face drop. He lowers his eyes and his head to the table.
Carefully, he admits,]
He puzzles me.
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As her husband simultaneously lashes out and draws away with a paling face all within a matter of mere seconds, Naomi allows her tiny hands to drop to her side before she slips into the empty dining room chair beside him. She allows whatever distance there is between them to remain tonight, despite how much she prefers to keep a physical connection with him during these serious chats of theirs, her dark eyes suspiciously sweeping over every deep etch on his face and every feral twitch of his jaw.
An angelic demon or a demonic angel, huh? That certainly speaks volumes to the woman.
It's more serious than she even realized. Javert so rarely snarls at her so viciously like that unless she actually deserved it, which, for once, she truly didn't.] What did he say to you while I was out?
[To be perfectly frank, Naomi Hunter knows her husband well enough after all of their time together to not even need to ask such an obvious question, not after that previous revealing answer of his, but she'd like to see just how far Javert will open up for her anyway.
But really, whatever she doesn't extract from him, she'll get from Gabriel.]
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Where do I begin? How do I explain? [he slurs through his teeth to no one at all.
Abruptly Javert pushes off from the table and totters to his feet, his chair toppling over with the force of his sudden leap. He swings around, relying on the table for balance, and casts what, in any other context, would be a comically depressed and rueful expression down at the lone fallen chair. He gives another perceptible twitch and shake of his head.]
Don’t think I disapprove. Keep his friendship, go on! I won’t stop you! [Javert releases the table and sways almost imperceptibly. He takes a moment to gather himself together and regain his balance, nodding with a deep scowl.] Forgive me, I’m an awful bed-fellow today. Bed! Yes, bed will do nicely. If I could sleep for the entire day and off my feet...! Ah! Excuse me!
[At long last, Javert makes a beeline for the bedroom--but not before knocking his knee on the wine cabinet along the way and stubbing his toe gracelessly on the footrest of the bed with distant, muffled curses. What a night it’s been!]
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He is not my chum! I am no more than a man! What the devil is he? A Heaven-sent angelic demon! Or is it a demonic angel? You want me to call that wily, changeable creature friend? That cannot be!
[It is severely delayed, but a lightbulb flickers on and dawns on his face. He recognizes that he has forgotten himself and draws back from Naomi ever so slightly, but not fully out of her touch. His eyelids flutter in a frustrated half-blink, and he frowns, consternated. The lines on his face drop. He lowers his eyes and his head to the table.
Carefully, he admits,]
He puzzles me.
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