RP:Valrae's "Friends"
Summary: Two guys that love one woman.
The Office
The Office is on the classier end of seedy cabaret/exotic dancing establishments. Which is to say that it boasts an actual chef, as in a person who studied to make food, and has enough bouncer presence on the floor to offer at least some low alcohol content beverages. Similar to other establishments of this nature, it's got your well lit stage, poles, a diverse cast of dancing women, and surrounding them a population of tables, velvet wing-back chairs, couches, and people who've got nothing better to do (most of them men).
Hudson no longer lives at The Office, which is an improvement on his life. He has a studio nearby in Cenril. However, he still drops by The Office to handle paperwork and, on occasion, speak with his employees and all manner of ne'erdowells who do business with him and his group. That's what he's doing now, he's coming off one such meeting, straw in his mouth for the half finished protein shake, when he passes by the area occupied by Irenic. His footsteps slow as he does a drive by, the prickle of recognition slowly seizing him. That guy... here?
Irenic, wingless Avian, slumped down in one of the velvet chairs. Day-drinking in a strip club, nice. Looking a lot better than the last time him and Hudson had a little run in. wearing a black button down shirt, black pressed slacks, and polished boots. A black and emerald diagonally striped tie pulled a-loose by one of the dancers and his shirt unbuttoned just once to peak at the tattoos underneath. He looks expensive right down to the platinum cufflinks and the best whisky the establishment could procure next to him and a dancer. Most guys might actually express they were enjoying affections from the dancers, but he just sort of looks bored while sipping his drink and mismatched gaze just sort of wondering from here to there… There’s guy again, can Irenic just catch a break? No change in expression as he just goes back to watching the dancer before him who was really really trying to get Irenic to crack a smile or a smirk or anything.
Hudson | Truth be told, now that Irenic no longer looks like a vagrant, it had been a little confusing. Hudson had looked to be sure it was Irenic, and in fact it is. In fancy attire. Evidently the other man's gotten over his stint of being homeless and possibly an addict mumbling incoherently in another language. Hudson has mixed feelings about this sighting. On one hand, screw this guy, because he ghosted Valrae. On the other hand, also screw this guy, because prior to ghosting Valrae, he'd been doing her. Not a fan no matter how you slice it. And now they've made eye contact which of course has made it intolerably awkward, because there's little doubt in Hudson's mind that Irenic remembers him from that day on the beach. And of course, dudes looking at other dudes while a dancer is doing Work = never do this. Hudson now feels compelled to hold court with Irenic in order to clarify that this isn't a 'meet me in the bathroom' situation. He excuses 'Crystal' (the dancer) for a moment and sinks into a chair near Irenic. Better to get this over with, after all. He's trying to mend things with Alvina, and he can't rely on himself to keep Valrae out of danger (not that this ever stopped him from trying). "I think we met before on the beach," he comments. "We're both Valrae's friend," he says, in case the other guy's forgotten (he doesn't think so). "You seem to be doing better."
Irenic watched as Crystal sort of pouted being taken away from the amazing smelling Avian. All he offered the dancer was a wink and the raise of his drink which is enough to elicit a blush maybe. He poured his own tumbler full of the whisky and even offered the bottle to Hudson if he wanted some which is kind of a big deal because this stuff is NOT cheap. Irenic nods once in acknowledgment of meeting on the beach once, but when he mentions them being Valrae’s friends it earned a smirk from him because he knows the both of them were more than just friends to her.. He makes an X motion over his heart meaning they broke things off which explains why he’s sulking with booze, cigars and loose women of The Office. “Valrae aime ... vous,” it wasn’t hard to put together that ‘aime’ means ‘loves’ and when he said ‘vous’ he points to Hudson, but his hand waves away the notion that he’s doing better. How can he be? I needed someone who obviously did not need him, but he does mention that he will be okay… Soon, “Je vais bien ... Bientôt.” Which is actually sort of cryptic. For being a guy sitting near a guy that his ex is still in love with he seems to be pretty relaxed and it would seem he feels there is no blame to place on anyone involved, but it just sucks. A slight sigh given as he clues Hudson in on what he saw a week or so back when Hudson and Valrae kissed, adding in pantomimes to- “Je t'ai vu bisou.” Which isn’t too hard to figure out as ‘I saw you kiss’.
Hudson can follow this much, about Valrae. He feels all the blood climb into his face, and he looks at Irenic a very guilty party indeed. This just got more uncomfortable, somehow. Hudson averts his gaze and drinks from his protein shake, plainly stunned into silence and trying to recoup some sort of response. He's not hearing anything else Irenic is saying, no matter because it's too complex language wise for him anyway. He's cycling through his memories, thinking about how Irenic would have come to that conclusion. He and Valrae had barely seen one another since that night with the bomb. And their subsequent interactions have been 'fine,' he hadn't gotten the vibe from her that she considers them an item, or that that night had been more than their taking temporary comfort in one another. Yet why would Irenic say that...? Maybe he'd seen them talking, after the funeral for Hanna. Had he squeezed her hand? That's just what you do when people are distraught, and he and Valrae have a complicated relationship to say the least... This guy must be confused. He can't just repeat this to other people, if Alvina found out it would destroy the delicate peace they've managed to cultivate. "Nothing's going on with me and her," says Hudson, quickly, just as Irenic clarifies, with pantomime, that it's not about the funeral scene at all. It's about him and Valrae alone with a bomb in the nail salon. Hudson is a little slack jawed - busted (damn) - and as he tries to right himself like a cat falling midair, he runs a hand through his hair and considers an unfixed point in the distance. He thinks about Alvina and frowns. "I was comforting Valrae," he rallies, carefully, looking at Irenic. "There's nothing going on with me and her. Just friends." (Who subsequently banged, but OK.)
Irenic does not care about the details and he won’t be repeating what he saw even if he could. He shakes his head just once because how could he explain that no matter how much Hudson and Valrae deny that they would ever be with one another that it just doesn’t negate the simple fact of their feelings for one another. He holds up his hand to indicate that whatever he is about to go on about is not his business, “Non, je m'en fous,” and maybe if he could talk he would tell him that he shouldn’t waste Valrae’s love on not acting upon it, but what does he know. Heck, he would explain that all of this crap he’s currently going through was because he fell for Valrae himself and she is the only one who could break it. She could break it if she loved him and accepted him completely in return…. But she doesn’t need Irenic, she doesn’t want this monster and he knows he deserves this - hence the booze and The Office. Irenic motions between them in saying him and Hudson are okay, “On va bien.” Finally he gestures that he won’t be telling anyone with a sort of sealing motion over his own lips, “Mes lèvres sont scellées.”
Hudson feels his heart, which had kicked up to a rapid state of agitation, slow as Irenic seems to glean the situation. Because he's signaling that he won't tell anyone. Hudson might later wonder how it was that Irenic was so observant. Had 'comforting' really been that obvious of a euphemism, or had Valrae told Irenic the truth? At the time, however, he bows his head and nods, to say anything more on the subject, especially out loud, might be too awkward. A respectful silence trickles in between them. He is stuck on the words 'Val's in trouble in Larket' because selfishly, even if he can't be with her, and harbors good intentions about her, he doesn't want any other guy to be her knight in shining armor. But he does do the right thing, eventually. He rises from his couch. "We're just friends, and right now she really needs friends in Larket for what it's worth," he says, "What you saw isn't... a thing. It was a one time thing that shouldn't have happened, probably. Anyway," he pats the other guy's shoulder. "I gotta go," because it's weird, "but I'll send you some drinks and a dance on the house."
Irenic could easily act the jealous type and have told this guy to shove off, make a scene in his establishment and leave. Especially since in a few days time he won’t be remembering most of this conversation or really much of anything to do with Valrae, but acting like a basic bro jerk is just not his style. He couldn’t care less about larket at the moment for that place has only brought him frustration and heartbreak since he had to lay Quizzical to the boy’s final rest and pretty soon he will be back into the care of Lady Dragana. Maybe he already was with the black clothes and emerald accents, it was her house calling card, but he is starting to see now that maybe she was right in him not getting distracted. “Au Revoir,” is all he offers as he relaxes back into the chair with his bottle of whisky and a pretty dancer to himself.