#gaston.

Vanessa hadn’t gone to Gaston’s Tavern in quite a bit because the energy was full of testosterone and mediorcrity. She wasn’t a fan of either, but with all of this bullshit going on with Ariel and Eric she really needed a place where she could knock down a guy or two with a smile on her face. She had to keep her image up more than ever now, so she knew this was all going to have to be something she wiped clean from their memories later, which meant there was going to be no real long-lasting effects into their self-esteem other than a chill when she walked by them next time. 

So far she had found no one who was worth her lashing out on and she was honestly disappointed. She knew of the brutes that came into this place and tonight it just looked...rather empty. When she spotted the most brutish of all, the owner, she gave him her signature sugary sweet smile even though all her eyes were saying was I’m going in for the kill. “Are you about to go out of business? I’ve never seen this place look so...quiet. That is so sad! Do you need help looking for a new job?”

Laurette would be lying if she said she didn’t miss Gaston’s Tavern. She missed the shitty customers and the shitty brothel and the fun she used to have. She knew she had gotten herself into a bit of trouble before her grand exit, but she had to be careful this go around. It had only been a few days since she moved into Claudette’s home and she knew her sisters wanted her to wait a little longer before going back into work, but Laurette had just insisted she could handle it and now she had to prove it. Having to be this ridiculously well-behaved was making her itchy, but she had to show Gaston that she was capable of working again. 

So she was in his office, waiting for him to join her so that she could basically beg for another chance to work again. Seeing Gaston again wasn’t a downside at all, but having to look timid and weak was. She had to play the part of remorseful, sad, weak woman to gain his favor and pull him out himself long enough to see her worth, but the tavern was her best connection to her vices, so she was determined. When he finally graced her with his presence she gave a timid smile to him, clapping her hands together to both use her arms to push out her boobs a little bit but to also look nervous. “Hey, G,” she said softly, looking up at him through her lashes with timid eyes. “Thank you for meeting with me. I hope you missed me a little bit....”

Taking Gaston to the opera was not her first choice, but she didn’t regret it. He was on his best behavior and she was able to get lost in the music and the show in general.  It was nice seeing any kind of show again, really. She couldn’t have been happier to do something that made her feel like herself again. Gaston had no idea how deeply this meant to her and that was fine. She wasn’t ready to talk about it and she wasn’t sure yet if it would fall on deaf ears. She had finally connected the dots that this Gaston was the Gaston that messed with her bestie, but she didn’t want him to know she knew. No, she wanted to get her own answers about his intentions and persistence without being too obvious. It was the least she could do for being so stupid and not connecting the dots sooner. She was sure Belle was the reason she was hired at this point. It sucked that it felt like no one really believed in her for her, but she was growing used to that.

“People are very complicated,” Ophelia mused as they walked. “They have emotions like we do. So of course it isn’t going to be simple. Are you a simple man?” She raised an eyebrow, challenging him to say yes. “Sometimes people don’t want everything in the world. Most of the time all they want is a connection. To know the person they love. To understand. To see if they can work into their lives.” She thought she had that before, she really did. But love was a weird thing; just because someone felt it with every fiber of their being didn’t mean it was a mutual thing. She understood his frustration, but at the same time she knew Belle well enough to know he just was not....the ideal partner for her. “It’s a shame you aren’t. Women love a good romantic.”

Paislee was still scrambling to understand if this was some sort of trap. Meg had warned her about men and their intentions and after Harold she was ten times more on guard than she used to be. She hated that events in her life had hardened her heart, but she couldn’t afford to not be careful anymore. His story of his poor plant care didn’t really help him either. “Thank you,” she said, less hostile since it was about her work. She did really like how her plants seemed to thrive in the setting. It made this tavern a place she would like to visit more for the plants alone. She let the silence hang in the air for a moment before she sighed and took a seat properly. “One drink, then. But you need to drink it first or I won’t take a single sip!” Another tip from Meg. Thank the gods for her. “These plants will be good to you as long as you are good to them. They just need love and tenderness to thrive.”

“Well then I suppose the first thing you need to know about me is that trying to buy me or my good graces in any way will not do you any favors.” She wasn’t very sure how she felt about this man yet. He had hired her to add some floral arrangements for his very mascule bar and while she was happy to do the job, he seemed to want more from her that she couldn’t figure out. Meg told her to be wary of all men, so she was, especially after Harold. “The only thing I should be payed for is my services, which you have done, and I am thankful for that. But beyond that I don’t want your money.” @gastonnlegume​

Ophelia raised an eyebrow. “Over what? Are you a romantic, Gaston?” She was teasing him mostly. Truth be told, she really didn’t know much of her boss and especially of his affairs. She knew of the three blondes that followed him around hungrily and she knew that they gave her the dirtiest looks they could when possible. That didn’t mean Gaston was talking about them. “I never pegged you for a piner of all things, if I’m being honest with you. I mean, you seem to take what you want and when you want it for just about everything else. I assumed matters of the heart were the same.” @gastonnlegume

“Correction. We would of had to actually do each other for me to call you the worst. Right now, I am purely going off of instinct. A woman’s instinct is her greatest weapon. At least that is what I’m told.” Vanessa didn’t know why Gaston wanted a reaction out of her so badly because it only made her want to not give it to him more. “Are you pinning after me, sweetie? Because I told you before...I have bigger fish to fry.” @gastonnlegume

belle didn’t understand why gaston still came around the shop. she knew he didn’t want to get a book because she had tirelessly tried to get him to do that multiple times and she knew he didn’t even really like the place. she was always so weary of his company because he was a very strong front runner in the “who teased her and her father the most” contest many of her peers had and she knew he wasn’t teasing her now but his attention was still just as unwanted. 

but she was too kind to say anything. so every time he entered the shop she had a warm smile on her face and a greeting. “afternoon,” she said, trying to put as many books as she could in her hands so that she looked busy. “what can i help you with today? looking for a specific book?”