#parieur

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━━   𝖕𝖆𝖗𝖎𝖘   .   𝖑𝖊   𝖕𝖆𝖛𝖎𝖑𝖑𝖔𝖓   𝖗𝖔𝖞𝖆𝖑   ,   located   in   the   heart   of   the   bois   de   boulogne   .   a   quaint   venue   ,   one   more   than   up   to   par   for   amelia's   unusually   high   standards   .   it   was   that   very   fact   that   had   allowed   her   curiosity   to   be   piqued   ,   (   and   for   the   extent   of   her   appearance   )   to   reflect   the   venue   perfectly   .   not   often   would   she   so   brazenly   display   her   family's   signet   ring   ,   nor   the   diamond   necklace   inherited   from   her   dearly   beloved   mother   .   (   the   wine   tasted   deliciously   bitter   )   ,   and   the   rim   of   her   glass   bore   the   faint   imprint   of   the   dark   red   lipstick   she   had   chosen   for   the   evening's   affairs   .   her   client   would   be   arriving   fashionably   late   ,   of   course   .   (   much   to   amelia's   dismay   )   -   for   she   so   despised   wasting   time   ,   even   when   that   time   was   draped   in   luxury   and   good   wine.

━━   𝖙𝖍𝖚𝖘   𝖙𝖍𝖊   𝖍𝖊𝖎𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖘   𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖔𝖜𝖊𝖉   𝖍𝖊𝖗   𝖌𝖆𝖟𝖊   𝖙𝖔   𝖉𝖗𝖎𝖋𝖙   amongst   the   other   attendees   .   old   money   ,   aristocrats   ,   bankers   ,   and   those   fortunate   enough   to   purchase   their   place   amongst   them   .   (   in   short   ,   amelia   herself   )   .   yet   hazel   eyes   lingered   upon   the   careful   tailoring   of   bespoke   suits   and   evening   gowns   alike   ,   only   for   her   nose   to   scrunch   at   the   crooked   stitching   upon   a   select   few   ,   (   and   the   sheer   audacity   required   to   arrive   wearing   counterfeits   )   .   it   was   enough   to   make   her   stomach   churn   ,   leaving   the   once   exquisite   wine   tasting   inexplicably   cheap   upon   her   tongue   .

━━   𝖍𝖊𝖗   𝖆𝖙𝖙𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓   𝖎𝖓𝖊𝖛𝖎𝖙𝖆𝖇𝖑𝖞   𝖉𝖗𝖎𝖋𝖙𝖊𝖉   towards   a   tray   of   pruneaux   au   lard   ,   savory   prunes   delicately   wrapped   in   thin   slices   of   bacon   .   perhaps   enough   to   rid   her   palate   of   the   lingering   taste   of   cheap   clothing   .   (   alas   ,   as   she   drew   nearer   )   ,   her   silent   salvation   fixed   firmly   within   her   sights   ,   a   man   had   the   unfortunate   audacity   to   place   himself   directly   between   her   and   the   tray   .   though   immediately   tempted   to   spit   her   venom   at   the   gentleman   ,   amelia   found   herself   halted   by   the   (   immediate   realization   of   the   impeccable   tailoring   of   his   suit   )   .   every   seam   had   been   stitched   with   flawless   precision   ,   the   jacket   sitting   perfectly   across   his   shoulders   ,   while   the   shirt   beneath   and   neatly   folded   pocket   square   complemented   one   another   perfectly   .   ❝   .   .   .   i   must   confess   ,   i   am   pleasantly   surprised   .   i   had   fully   anticipated   spending   the   evening   surrounded   by   men   incapable   of   distinguishing   fine   tailoring   from   a   department   store   display   .   ❞

━━   𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖓   ,   𝖆𝖒𝖊𝖑𝖎𝖆   𝖎𝖓𝖊𝖛𝖎𝖙𝖆𝖇𝖑𝖞   𝖇𝖗𝖚𝖘𝖍𝖊𝖉   𝖕𝖆𝖘𝖙   @parieur   without   so   much   as   a   second   glance   ,   reaching   instead   for   the   tray   of   pruneaux   au   lard   .   ❝   .   .   .   it   is   refreshing   to   meet   a   gentleman   who   still   values   proper   craftsmanship   ,   and   who   does   not   insist   upon   dressing   himself   in   the   cheapest   fabrics   available   .   ❞

@parieur ≻ “   can i help you?  ”

𝒔𝒉𝒆   𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒔   𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆   —    and   only   once.   that   'deer   in   headlights'   look   coming   and   going   with   it   as   she   quickly   remembers   her   cover.   caught   staring   like   you're   fucking   green.   he   certainly   wasn't.   a   sleek   look   that   all   but   screamed   attention   to   detail,   and   an   eye   catching   (   no   pun   intended   )   injury   on   display.   there   were   many   types   of   people   in   this   world   but,   the   most   common,   the   ones   she   knew,   would   have   thrown   that   eye   under   a   patch,   thinking   it   made   them   look   dashing   or   dangerous.   it   was   usually   a   matter   of   pride.   but,   to   noémie,   a   patch   screamed   weakness,   a   dragon's   loose   scale. pitiful.   but   here   he   was   with   his   eye   on   full   display.   the   emphasis   isn't   on   the   fact   that   he   survived,   its   that   whoever   did   that   to   him   didn't.   cocky   bastard.   she   liked   that.   

the words come with claw marks— RAW & BLOODY, and the taste of copper is acrid on her tongue. madeline sits across the desk from him. arms folded, unblinking. nothing but fifty some odd inches of wood between them. she hears what he's saying but she's not really listening. the urge to sharpen her teeth with glass and bite back threatens to crawl up her throat. around every corner of her memory, there was marcel. even if she doesn't want to admit it, hell, even if she won't ... (some truths are only meant to be held in palms with dripping crescent moons and nails with skin under them) ... IT STINGS.

'so it would seem our shadows have reached a precipice.' madeline muses instead. mulls each syllable in her mouth like she's waiting for his stance to change. as if somehow, if she takes longer to voice her opinion, the silence will eat her dismay and serve it back to him on a plate worthy of second guessing. IT'S A TACTIC SHE USES OFTEN, just not on him. desperate times call for desperate measures. her nail finds a home between her teeth. is it a nervous habit or is it a way to protect her own vulnerability? 'i'll admit,' one leg unravels from the other, flat - flooted on the ground now, and maddie leans forward with her elbows on either arm of the chair : 'i didn't factor your limits into my schedule so i'm going to need you to be a little loosey goosey with those today. you think you haven't surpassed any of my limits? well, allow me to inform you that YOU HAVE - ASTRONOMICALLY SO. so save me the you've-gone-too-far-this-time-madeline speech, marcel.'

THE NAME DOVE MORENO IS MARKED CLEARLY ON THE GUESTLIST, a bullet on the page if not in the barrel. she understands it as the accomplishment it is, moving from plus one to invited company, even if her employers are more dubious, reluctant to let her return without the aid of a chaperone. but an additional body is a thing that desire, the most illogical of all math, would find detrimental: zero is more promising than one. the less space between two people, the better. dove is a mathematician in that sense: a well - dressed expert in the infinite possibilities of zero. it's how her mouth manages to overlaps with the edge of le chiffre's by a mere fraction when they lean into greeting, how her hand finds the exact center point of his heart on instinct, why she is able to pull back to look at him without ever seeming to pull away.

everyone has an angle. she has many.

 it's a luxurious cafe in the middle of a mall that akina wouldn't even dream about coming to , after she lost every single penny to her father's name anyway — his demise gifted her her freedom , could she really ask for anything else ? the cafe serves her tiramisu in a black plate , the waiter wants to say something but she waves him off and takes a sip from her milkshake . ❛ alright alright . another question . ❜  one long finger points at them , waves between them gently before she takes her fork ; they seem so done with her , fidgeting , looking up in worry when she talks a bit loudly . cuties . ❛ have you two fucked at some point too ? ❜

a cool demeanor , a nonchalant air ... chaos thrived in these tense moments , and yet it doesn't seem to bother her at all . the fixer felt more at home here among the stress and uncertainty . she was always used to the way change comes with time ( as opposed to the other party , who can't deal with the slightest inconvenience . ) whether it put her in a good or bad position , it was mia's ability to stay on her feet at all times and always , BE ONE STEP AHEAD OF EVERYONE ELSE . it figures a man so rigid and by the books , could not afford for anything to go ass up . everything needed to be perfect , even if it wasn't . mia's duffle bad sildes off her shoulder , and in it goes into the trunk with an audible thump . head bobs along with his words ( she sniffs the air and all she could smell was the coming storm . BLOOD WAS SURE TO BE SPILLED . )

    ⁽  ² : ³³ ᴬᴹ  -  ᴹᴬᴿᶜᴱᴸ  ⁾   ⇾   yeah,   most  of  my  friends  look  like  a  “ shadok . ”   but  aw !   look  at  you  advancing  to  the  next  level  of  our  relationship  so  calmly   ...   and  i  mean  that  sarcastically .

   ⁽  ² : ³³ ᴬᴹ  -  ᴹᴬᴿᶜᴱᴸ  ⁾   ⇾   you  know  i  can’t  come  back  now ,   i’m  in  the  middle  of  doing  a  job .   i’ll  be  home  in  two  days ,   no  more ,   no  less .