when he returns he is greeted by a soft smile. it puts him at ease, even if just for a little while before he is being greeted by the grand display of all different kinds of products, materials and fabric. it is all a bit overwhelming if he were to be honest. joseph is not hindered by the things aesop is hindered by, but even so he cannot but wonder how joseph can pick so easily. is it because if it is not satisfactory he can always replace it? or is it simply because he knows what he likes?
❝ no! that’s not it — it is just that … just, ❞ it comes to him then that it is just not the fact that there is so much of it. it’s something else he had not thought about until now. funny how only now that those times have ended you come to realize how much you were lacking in your past ( back then he never considered it to be so : as long jerry would be there it would be fine. it is what his mother had written after all. )
❝ it is just that i never had the luxury to choose … ❞ he confesses as he recalls how often they had been on the move. ❝ you see, my mentor and i never stayed in the same place for long. ❞ aesop never had a chance to call a place a home. the only home he ever had was abruptly taken away from him. sometimes he wonders if he were to return to that place, would it still be his home?
the embalmer proceeds to fumble a bit with his hands, ❝ being able to choose from all this is a bit … overwhelming. i am not even sure i know what i like, ❞ he doesn’t feel like he can go take a look now and take his time with things. however his rescuing angel came in the shape of a saleswoman who had overheard aesop’s confession. ‘ then would you prefer to take a look at our catalog? there is a summary of all different kinds of interior styles in there with a lot of pictures. it’ll be easier for you to decide what you like and do not like. please take all time you need, the items will be still here when you are done. ‘ after a brief while she returns and hands the book to him before excusing herself and leaving the two so they could browse.
preferring this option over the display in front of them aesop takes a seat before he skipping through the pages. sometimes pausing a bit longer than with other pages. ❝ i do like these two, ❞ he says whilst stopping at the traditional and rustic interior. of course he would pick something that he is familiar with and something that highlights natural elements. ❝ i think there are certainly ways to combine our styles so it becomes that fits us both. ❞
in that moment of brief courage, aesop places his hand on top of joseph’s that rests on the book. the first display of intimacy since their argument. ❝ because it is our home after all. ❞
not knowing what you’d like —— ever opinionated & vocal , former count could not begin to understand that kind of emotion . the more explanation for this aesop fed , the clearer this fog of puzzlement became . unlike himself , the embalmer straddled a thin line of UNCERTAINTY when it came to such freedom of choice , hardly experienced & hardly ever given a say in the matter . as they sit quietly together glancing along the catalogue & the assortment of interior styles & designs offered , & photographer cherishes their warmth & the gentle touch of their careful affection , joseph is once again reminded of how vastly different people’s lives play out .
❝ —— our home ... ❞ frenchman repeats the words in softness , slow & hushed & allowing of the sentiment behind it all to gulf & eat him whole before he exhales with intent .
❝ i had only moved a handful of times . however , a long , LONG time ago , when i was but a young boy , my family were forced to make a rather big move . un autre pays . i detested the idea . ❞ cerulean eyne affix themself on the sight of gloved hand atop his own as he speaks . if there was an art to making a home in memories of pasts romanticized & nostalgic , JOSEPH HAS MASTERED IT SO , & his camera by which such art is made . he recalls it so : all the golds & silvers , the marbled floors , the outrageous number of empty rooms & more space than they knew what to do with , & all the prideful displays of wealth . but it was HOME ——— full of all the warmth & smiles of associated with the word . frenchman’s next home was cold , dark , the stark contrast of death & infection & tragedy . ever since that day , hadn’t he become entranced by the past ? ❝ ... i am realizing now that , perhaps i have been too fixated on the idea of recreating my childhood home . you are right in finding a style that suits the both of us . ❞
joseph desaulniers’ gaze finally looks their way , softens further , & the smile that turns up the corners of his mouth remains pleasantly fixed in a gracious curl , with sentimentality — hope — as he himself settles more comfortably . for a moment , hunter simply watches , folding & crossing over his legs . petite digits linger , shifting to capture gloved ones between his own . aesop always seems to have that effect on him , bringing on a sense of comfort different to the one photography brought him . he is reminded of a home he had forgotten .
feeling less of a weigh upon his chest , frecnhman is quick to return with typical boldness , hands still interlaced with one another . ❝ it’s never too late , ma chérie . even if you are unsatisfied with how it looks , we can always replace it . if the home is trop petit , we can expand . ❞
more reminder than boast , a man unburdened by a lack of wealth for all his life , a man who never thought anything less of living to the fullest . & did the man before him , did aesop carl not deserve to have the best ? the most luxurious ? sitting himself closer to better view the catalogue shared , joseph calls over one of the employees , ❝ excuse me . we would like EVERYTHING here . ❞
