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 Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2024 10:22 pm
Even with the explanation he drew blanks for the name. It didn't really translate but he nodded along until it clicked, "Ah! fée Clochette?" Once it clicked he could really see it as he looked at Alexandre, that and the resemblance they had to their mother. Especially with that smile, it was just as beautiful on them as it was on Alexandre.
"Oh, a lawyer. You must have heard all sorts of tales and stories over the years from clients. I own and run a small shop in the city, selling antiques mostly from overseas but sometimes paintings as well. Alexandre and I met originally at an art museum actually. I believe Fiona was there as well but as Alexandre has told me, she is always busy so I haven't met her properly." It was easy to talk about some of these things but he'd keep out dates and times so he didn't throw his little angel under the bus for not telling their mother about him sooner because at this point it had been almost two months since they'd come back for him.
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Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 9:14 pm
For a moment Alexandre hoped Rene would not figure out who Tinkerbell was, he really had hopes, but they were dashed as Rene seemed to finally figure it out. "Fairy bell?" The exact translation of the two words, when seperated, as he'd never heard the name of Tnkerbell in French before so he was direct translating it. "I suppose that makes some sense..." Trailing off he shook his head before looking to his mother, he still couldn't believe she'd told Rene all this.
Of course his mother had no issue in sharing that she had, over time, become both a buisness and a criminal lawyer in order to best serve her clients and the firm she was a partner at. She had, of course, earned her posistion over years of hard work but she had no issue puttin gin the work. Mentioning even that she had taken Alexandre to work with her when he was an infact, and later a toddler, she'd had a crib and a playpen set up for him in her office so she could keep him with her at all times - because she couldn't have other children. It was obvious Alexandre had thus been spoiled by his mother, her always keeping him close and tending to him withouit the hjelp of a nanny or anything else like that.
Of course Alex was at an art museume, he liked to visit them often and Fiona and him were close as they were artists and had grown up together. It was no wonder he'd run into them together at such a place, when he was growing up he was always painting. It had slowed as he'd gotten older, once he'd graduated college the first time, because he'd gotten a job and hadn't the time. But it was still a passion of his which Colette would always encourage in her son - do what he pleased. Asking Rene about the sorts of things he sold she did seem interested, and she really honestly was, as she enjoyed getting to know her sons partner. If he was close enough for her son to bring here than Colette knew it was serious, and she wanted to know this person.
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Posted: Sun Apr 07, 2024 5:51 pm
There was a bit of mishceviousness to his smile as Alexandre was puzzling out what he'd said in French before focusing back on wha ttheir mother was telling him. It was a lot more than he'd really gotten out of the blond and he enjoyed hearing about it all. A lot of what she said helped provide some decent content on why the other was bratty and more than a little spoiled.
"I paint too, though on a much smaller scale. I can show you some in the future if you'd like. As for my shop, I mostly have furniture from the city of Versailles as well as some other odds and ends. I am looking into bringing art over once I get things settled a bit more but since it's just me running everything I don't want to bite off more than I can chew you know?"
He went into more detail about the ages and designs of some things as she asked him and since it was all stuff that belonged to his family he provided a summed-up history about things as well. It was easy to talk to this woman, much easier than Lorcan so if more of Alexandre was like this then he figured he'd be fine.
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Posted: Sun Apr 07, 2024 6:14 pm
Watching his mother, and his partner, talking he shook his head slowly. Of course Rene would get into his mothers good graces rather quickly. His mother was a social person and easy going and he wasn't surprised with her wanting to get to know his partner so well, she would want to be on good terms and to make sure her sons partner was a good fit. "I'm going to get some more food..." He whispered, speaking softly, as he got up on his tip toes in order to peck Rene on the cheek.
"Mother, I'll be back in a few." Because he very well might get caught up by someone else, or a few people, and find himself pulled into conversations with family members. It was always a possability and so he did have to take it into consideration.
Wandering off, figuring he'd find some seagood or something else, Alexandre weaved in and out and around family members. Greeting people here and there, or just nodding his head to people, the blond found what he was looking for - sea food. There was crab and fish and shell fish of various kinds. That was what he went for, getting himself in line, he talked to a distant aunt, of some sort or another, while waiting. She was around his age and somehow an aunt rather than a cousin,e wasn't even entierly sure, but he knew the last name. She had married into the family, rather than being born into it, and had been around for years, having married young, she was friendly and from New York originally.
His mother however was busy talking to Rene, interested in some things, she was happy to talk to him about his work and oh what a shame that he worked on his own! He should hire someone else to help him, espeically with moving things, but hw really was going to make it with the work ethic he had! Starting a buisness in a new country and working on his own as he was. It was something to be proud of and she was impressed. He also wasn't using his family name, it seemed, to get ahead of things. But she now understood why her son had pulled strings to help him, he did seem worthy of the help. He was trying his best and earning what he had and what he would, in the future, gain.
She seemed interested in purchasing some things, even looking at what he had in the shop, she would also be mentioning the place to others in the family as the items which Rene sold would fit in the homes of severl family members...mostly the older crowd though. But she knew what many of them liked, having been in many family members homes over the years. She had married into the family fairly young, while still in university, and so had gotten in close with the family over the years.
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Posted: Sun Apr 07, 2024 9:47 pm
Rene nodded after kissing the other back on the cheek. Even if they got lost in the crowd, he was sure Colette would be able to help him find Alexandre again. He was happy to keep talking with her, listening to the advice she was giving and taking it to heart. "Maybe in the future, I can hire help but I like talking with customers and managing things. My family ran various shops of their own even if they were quite different so I have at least a good start on how to manage though things over here are really different. I'm sure I'm not special when it comes to running a shop, I keep seeing so many small businesses here as well. Alexandre brought me to a small charity event that was run by a few of them and it was really fun."
Listening to their tale of where they came from and how they arrived here was nice, he felt a bit better about things given she'd also married into the family. Another person who'd made their home here with the rest of them it seemed like and he figured he'd be getting used to hearing that tale. It wasn't a bad one either and he wondered if things would work out in the long term so he would be seeing more of the family.
"Whenever you'd like to stop buy let either of us know and I can have it set up as an appointment so you can look around without worrying about other customers vying for things at the same time. I want to slide towards an appointment only schedule one day, so I can have a bit more time to rest between runs to the customs depot and customers. I appreciate the kind words and your telling others about my shop. It's a bit small and hard to see since it's actually down a stairwell form the main street but I might try and get a bigger shop down the line."
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Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2024 12:28 pm
Collete of course thought the idea was good, of him eventually getting help, he would then have more time to spend on other things including her son. Offering to help, if he needed any help with his buisness and laws and such in this country, she could find the help he might need with ease. "You may not find it to be special but to do it in a forigne country that you just arrived in. That is special. Most of the other buisnesses you see are owned by people who live here, who have always lived here." She spoke, staring up at the other. She might be taller than her son but she was not as tall as his partner.
"That would be a good idea for the buisness, it will give you time to do other things." Including it giving him time to find new things to bring into the shop, as he'd be able to look into estate sales and other thigns of intrest. He would need to do some travel for work, perhaps he would get her son to finally leave this city for a while. She knew her son had turned down several oppertunities and had never gone off on his own, as she had once thought he would. She had been surprised when he never moved to another country or went off on trips often, one or two a year. She would make sure he did well in his buisness, because she was certai nhe'd be joining the family in time. If her son was bringing him here, when he hadn't invited anyone else, she knew what it meant. It was, as far as she figured, a simple matter of time.
"Do you have any questions for me? Anything about myself, my son, or my family?" She asked gently, reaching up to touch Rene's cheek. "My son must care greatly for you, he has never asked someone here. I know he has dated a few people, I have met two of them before, but they were never brought here to join our family. I heard he brought you to his aunts as well." For produce and to mingle. She knew a lot, because the family knew everything which happened amongst their ranks, it meant everyone knew her son had found someone he was happy with. Happy enouigh to invite them to two family gatherings in a short amount of time. Not to mention a social event that wasn't just family.
For his part Alexandre was nibbling on some food while having been dragged into a conversation with a few cousins of his, all around his own age, while answering questions about various things which had been going on in his life including who he was seeing.
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Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2024 5:41 pm
Rene really could tell where Alexandre got some of his traits from as they spoke to him. Taking the compliments they gave as well as their agreement on his ideas for the future, he took a moment to finish up what he'd had on his plate before it got cold, covering his mouth as he chewed to not be too rude.
"I want to try and convince him to visit my home at some point but I know things are a bit busy sometimes with classes on top of my work. I need to go back to sort through some things though but finding the time is hard as it stands." He was also delaying it in case that ex of his was still lingering around his family home.
"How were his previous exes if you don't mind me asking? I can tell things may not have ended well with them since he doesn't really speak about things but I do want to sort of know. Especially if for some reason I stand out enough to be brought along to such nice gatherings. I am a bit curious of what you might have heard about me as well, but you don't have to tell me." Laughing just a bit, he waved his hand noncommittally through the air out of habit from the times he listened to all the old ladies gossiping back home.
"I do want to know about the family as well but with how big it is I have no clue where even to begin. He's told me some gossip here and there about customers of mine that he says the family knows or they know of the family. It seems like the world is a lot smaller here than I originally thought and it's been a lot of fun hearing all the new takes on things." That and the fact he just enjoyed how invested they were in gossip as well, it was hard to really get into things when the other person didn't really care or bother with things even if he didn't really care much about his own social position back home.
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Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2024 6:02 pm
Here Colette shifted her weight and motioned to a table and chairs, which were unoccupied, and took a seat for herself. Her hands resting in her lap she looked up at Rene. "To be frank the first one which I met I think was my sons attempt at normalcy, finding someone outside of our social circles and a commoner." Suddenly a certain primness came abotu her, the way she spoke and her choice in words, she was everything you might expect her to be...as well as a caring mother. "I do believe my son wanted someone normal and someone he could shower in gifts. Not to show off, he isn't like that when it comes to gift giving, but rather to give them everything they might have wanted or were lacking. To uplift them as it were." And she had n't midned the boy either, even if they were common. "Dark haired and blue eyes, he was pretty. Opposite of my son...but athletic and one who wanted to accomplish things. Aiden was in some ways a good fit...grounding but in other ways I think it was stiffling. Because my son found that they didn't want to be uplifted and rather he was brought down. He stopped attending high tea around that time....he didn't always have the time, of course, but it was more than that and they never turned up to any family events with him. He stopped attending as well." To make his own family with his partner and not leave them out of things. "They did things together though, he was happy with him, but I think he could have been happier." She would always think that, at least in that case, because he'd pulled away from family and Alex was an Evans and that meant something. You can't just replace family and make your own.
"The other one....that one he broke up with, rather than them leaving him as Aiden did. Tried to walk out and planned to walk out and leave a note behind, my son walked in just as they were getting ready to leave. Such a calous thing to do. But that's over now." Waving a hand about she was pleased when someone, a distant realitive, walking by offered her a glass of white wine which she took. Sipping gently as they walked off after bending to greet her and kiss her cheek, a gesture she returned.
"Now then, the last person he dated was someone from a high up family. Poor boy...his family touted him about like some doll to be dressed up and shown off." Tsking she shook her head, glass set down, it was not the way you treated family. They were people - not posessions or trophies to be shown off. You could be proud of them, of course, but some things were crossing a line and that family had done so with their children. "Boys parents are dead now...there wasn't a lot of information on it really. But the boy didn't like our world, and for good reason, but he liked my son well enough. I had tea with him a few times, very polite, though it seemed he wasn't as relaxed as he should be...as I wish he had been. It was a wrong fit again. This time closer, at least he understood things better and my Tink wasn't so stiffled and chained down. But it too didn't last...a mautual parting. The best I could hope for really." Another sip of her drink and she motioned to Rene.
"Of course my son gossips...it's what high tea is for. Though I suppose you don't know that yet." He would soon though, she was sure of that. "Wait till the first one you get invited to, if you enjoy gossip." Which she was certain he did, just listening to him she was sure of it. "No tell me...you come from a well off family, I know this, everyone here knows it. But, you had a reputation as does my son. I just want to make sure my son won't be avoiding his family or social events anymore. That he won't go alone either, not if he doesn't want to. You don't have to attend every event on the social calendar, but at least an event here or there with him, he'd finally coming back into the fold where he belongs and he is happier." Spotting her son not too far off she waved a hand, motioning him back over, she could see him occupied with a few family members his age. One in particular stood out, tall and slim with a braid of nearly white hair down to her waist. That one there was a PI who helped the family out in many ways ,while maintaining her own buisness.
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Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2024 7:09 pm
Following Colette, he sat down across the table and listened intently as they let him in on things. At first, it sounded similar to what he'd been doing back home to try and fall out of favor with his family but then again he hadn't been trying to find something more than a fling and it seemed very much like Alexandre had been trying for that for a while.
The second ex made him feel a bit shitty, given how he'd done the same to that woman he'd been arranged to marry but with much different results. Just thinking about it made the scar on his shoulder tingle beneath his clothes. If anything he was glad they'd been a terrible shot and hadn't bothered following up with a second one.
The last one, has his smile fall away for a moment as the situation hit too close to his own. Being brought out at every social gathering and shown off as a prize to be sold to the highest bidder for marriage, never even getting to stand against the set path they had for him. It hurt and had him staring at the glass of wine, wishing he had another of his own. It was far worse on his part, though he really couldn't know since he didn't know the whole story of this ex. Even down to their parents' passing, it feels too eerie a coincidence.
Shaking off the thought as they switched to a happy topic, one that had his focus since Alexandre had brought up the mention of high tea just a few minutes prior to meeting Colette. It did seem that new traveled fast though he couldn't be sure exactly what they all knew about his family. "I always attended events before and pending work conflicts, illness, or weather I really would enjoy attending things with him. I can make sure he visits his family more often, I wouldn't want him to feel like he can't since I don't have family left. I'm glad he is happier and that it's noticeable as well." It did help with his own worries about them vanishing again, all of this really helped. It felt welcoming here and he didn't have those looming expectations on him that he'd had in the past due to his name and family.
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Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2024 7:20 pm
Her son had never been trying to fall out of favor, he just wanted some slice of happiness and Colette knew it. She had watched, from a distance, as he tried to find it for himself. He'd tried to seek it in other places, places most in their family wouldn't look, and he'd found some happiness but it had never lasted. She'd heard bits and pieces, saw some things, but she never saw all of it especially the worst of it. She knew enough from her son though, he told her enough of what had happened, she was sure there was more to everything but she didn't need it really. Trying to push two very different worlds together the first time...she could only shake her head mentally at that, though also smile. He had tried hard and he had hoped and wanted.
"I'm glad to hear that. He wouldn't have to choose between two thigns he loves - family and his partner. The last relationship there was some balance but, more than the previous relationship, but it does seem like now might be the perfect balance. He won't be seen alone at social events, and I know he is working towards an actual career which will help with his social standing and the whispers behind his back." Not from their family, of course, but they all knew the whispers which followed him at events.
:I have a feeling you'll be sticking around from now on. I do hope you find a family in our family, as I did, you will always have a place in the family as long as you are at my sons side. It means you won't ever be alone and any help you need - will be answered." She spoke softly, a hand placed on the others shoulder. "If you are here...I am certain my son plans to keep you, as much as I hope you plan to keep him." Because she really did hope so, she hoped for many things but her sons happiness was above all else. Rene was social, events wouldn't overwhelm him, and he seemed to love her son enough as well. He might be just what her boy needed.
Watching as Alexandre finally got away fro mthe group he'd been with, the group laughing and wvaing him off, she watched as he returned and rested his chin on Rene's shoulder - replacing her hand there. "Welcome back, I see you got some more food." Sea food this time, from some shellfish to shrimp.
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