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 Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 3:29 pm
 Here we stand or here we fall
History won't care at all
Make the bed, light the light
Lady Mercy won't be home tonight ※Erik Lafayette※ Erik smiled at Joseph when he said dinner was the least he could do. Honestly, he didn't feel like he'd needed to do anything but his mother had taught him to never turn down someone's way of saying thank you. He looked back over the menu as he fiddled with the sleeve on his hoodie. It was the one unconscious movement that had stuck with him. He noticed the waitress reappear with the wine and gave her a once over before taking a sip of the wine. [color-gray] Man has good taste in wine. When Joseph prompted him to order first he glanced back down at the menu before deciding on a personal pizza with pepperoni, bacon and mushroom. He watched the girl write his order down and couldn't help the way his brain kicked in. Watch everyone, pick up on the little details of things they may not tell you. It can give you an advantage. Another lesson from his parents. It was second nature by this point when he glanced at the girl. He picked up on things like the indent from a ring on her ring finger which was normally a sign of divorce or an ended engagement, the studs in her ears were fake pearls but the gold necklace with a single tear drop diamond was real, her hands shook a bit as if she was nervous. He tore his gaze away from her and back to his wine glass. He couldn't pull those type of reads off Joseph, the man didn't show any outward flaws. You don't waste no time at all
Don't hear the bell but you answer the call
It comes to you as to us all
Yeah, we're just waiting for the hammer to fall, yeah
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Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 4:10 pm
 Joseph listened to the other man place his order as he swirled the wine around a bit before taking a sip of it. For being a rather casual Italian restaurant the wine itself was actually rather pleasant on the palate surprisingly enough. He could actually tell that it was a wine that was aged in an actual wooden cask and not a metal one like most cheaper wines were. Granted he could also tell it wasn't aged as long but that wasn't an issue for Joseph as it was still a very good wine. Once it was his turn Joseph's face remained completely indifferent as he turned his gaze up from the menu after thinking of what he wanted "I'll have an extra cheese pizza with the grilled chicken and peppers" it had actually been a very long time since he had pizza and he remembered that peppers and chicken had been his favorite combination back then. Joseph looked at the waitress and noticed the shaking, was she nervous or was it just something she didn't have control over? It was rather hard to tell but she did seem sweet so as long as the service was good he'd leave a good tip. He'd turn his attention back to Erik as he stared at the other man for a moment. What should he do now? Discussing work seemed like something poor to do during such a casual outing so maybe discussing his interests? "So earlier you said you enjoyed Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet? May I ask what you find so appealing about the story?" actually it would be nice to see another persons perspective on it. Joseph always had a poor opinion on the story itself but maybe there was something he was missing. Granted he did admit that he was a hopeless romantic so maybe it was just something that Erik would understand. (OOC: )
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Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 7:16 pm
Here we stand or here we fall
History won't care at all
Make the bed, light the light
Lady Mercy won't be home tonight ※Erik Lafayette※ Erik turned his attention back to Joseph when the other asked his opinion of Romeo and Juliet. "I don't know," he said with a shrug ",a story of young star crossed lovers, set to be enemies because of their families, who give up everything including their lives to be with one another. It just resonated with me. I mean the fact I was sixteen when I first read it and harboring the hugest crush on one of the boys I went to school with might tie into that. Our families hated each other, still do. Plus it's written beautifully but I expect that from all his works. Same reason I'm a devout fan of Poe." Erik was well aware he had a bit of an idolized look on love and romance, it was a large part of why he and his family fought like they did. They wanted him to marry some young woman because her family would be a financial asset and he had adamantly denied. His mother had said marrying for love was foolish, which perhaps spoke more about her own marriage than she realized. His brother had married for money and status and his sister was set to do the same. He wanted love. "I guess I just can relate a lot to those feelings," he explained ",it's the same with Beauty and the Beast.You don't waste no time at all
Don't hear the bell but you answer the call
It comes to you as to us all
Yeah, we're just waiting for the hammer to fall, yeah
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Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2019 5:51 am
Joseph made sure to remain attentive when Erik began his explanation as to why he liked the story so much and honestly it was exactly what he expected to hear. It certainly did seem like something that would be personal to the person who loved it so much. He remembered being a young man in High School, younger than his peers and absolutely hating the story with a passion. But then that might have just been his adolescence souring the story for him, it was a very real possibility. But then the idea of sitting down to read it again made the CEO want to shake his head at the thought of it. The older man would nod his head a little bit "Hmm...I suppose that I'm simply too jaded to see the story quite like that" he stated with an indifferent shrug before listening to the other man's final explanation and let out a thoughtful hum "How so? Isn't Beauty and the Beast a story about a young woman falling in love with an ugly beast for who he is?" his attention was certainly captured as he would admit that Joseph enjoyed learning about his employees. He never really had the time or ability to do it since many seemed to fear his mere presence most of the time. It was actually nice to be out with someone for once, even on a work night. (OOC: )
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Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2019 1:57 pm
Here we stand or here we fall
History won't care at all
Make the bed, light the light
Lady Mercy won't be home tonight ※Erik Lafayette※ "Stockholm syndrome I believe is what they call it now," Erik joked ",but yes I believe that is the most basic form of the story. However it's also a story of personal growth through love. At the beginning of the story the Beast is a self centered tyrant but after spending time with Belle and realizing his feelings for her he changes into a much better man. At the end of the story he puts her happiness before his own and lets her leave. I could breakdown just about any Disney movie into something deeper." He was enjoying having someone else to talk to. It'd been ages since he'd been able to talk to another person quite like this. There was also a huge part of him hat simply enjoyed sharing his breakdown of children's films. It was something he and his friends did often when they were together, which hadn't been much recently as he'd become something of a hermit since his split. He took another sip of his wine and directed his attention back to Joseph. "Now I will be the first to admit I do love the sound of my own voice," he stated ",but I have been doing most of the talking so far. Tell me about yourself, I tried to google you but came up very short." He was honestly wondering if Joseph would just skirt the issue or if he would open up. You don't waste no time at all
Don't hear the bell but you answer the call
It comes to you as to us all
Yeah, we're just waiting for the hammer to fall, yeah
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Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 5:33 am
Joseph only grinned a little bit at the joke his companion made as he let out a single sound that could have been identified as a chuckle. He then listened to the other man begin to dissect and pick apart the the story of Beauty and the Beast with a bit of interest. It was interesting to hear such a unique take on the classic fairy tale that Joseph would admit was one of his more personal favorites among the Disney movies although not his number one. As he finished speaking Joseph took another drink of his wine and nodded his head, everything spoken by Erik seemed very accurate to everything in the movie "Personal growth through love...heh...it truly is a movie for children I suppose" maybe that comment might have sounded a bit cynical but it was just his own personal view on the idea of it. Joseph wasn't a huge advocate for love in any capacity, maybe once upon a time but not anymore these days. Joseph then looked up a bit when Erik asked him to talk about himself and how info of him online was scarce, just as he intended. He remained quiet for a moment before shrugging his shoulders a bit as the CEO rested his chin in the palm of his hand and looked out the window to the rapidly darkening sky "There's not much to say" he started "What you found online was the gist of it, I'm simply the CEO of one of the fastest growing toy companies in the world" he spoke with an air of indifference "If you mean personal things even then there's not much, I don't normally go out. And if I'm not working then I'm at home reading or sleeping" it was the bare minimum without a doubt and half of what he said was obvious but the rest was completely true at least. Joseph really didn't go out unless it was strictly business related, those parties thrown where executives and big company owners gather to casually make business deals were the worst. He only stayed to get relations with key groups that would favor the Measly Myers brand before leaving as he hated those kind of gathering "I apologize if I'm not very good company Erik" he apologized before looking back at his companion. Joseph was good at maintaining his business face but in such a casual setting he didn't even know how to relax to the point where his business persona was all he had. (OOC: )
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Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 4:52 pm
Here we stand or here we fall
History won't care at all
Make the bed, light the light
Lady Mercy won't be home tonight ※Erik Lafayette※ Erik raised an eyebrow at the simple answer but outside of that he kept his face neutral. He could truly relate to that honestly, when he wasn't working he was home with his cat. His friends begged him to come join them for various reasons but he tended to decline. He had a good group of friends but sometimes their idea of fun didn't match up with his, plus more than a few of them could get quite rowdy, he'd been thrown out of more than one establishment because of that. He did frown a bit when Joseph apologized for truly nothing. He took another sip of his wine and cleared his throat. "You have nothing to apologize for," he answered ",you're plenty fine company. You're an introvert, there's nothing wrong with that. I can actually relate very well, when I'm not working I'm at home with Antoinette. I have friends, good friends, who are always trying to get me to go out with them but I'd rather be at home." He offered Joseph a smile. He personally thought people could be draining and he was often tired of having to keep up a certain type of attitude to deal with them. Hell, most days it took all he had to talk himself into getting out of bed. "What motivates you," he asked. It was a question he had asked many people in his life as he felt you could learn a good deal about a person from their answer. His sister had said money, his brother said power, his ex said being the best. He was interested to see where Joseph would fall. You don't waste no time at all
Don't hear the bell but you answer the call
It comes to you as to us all
Yeah, we're just waiting for the hammer to fall, yeah
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Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2019 7:56 am
Joseph would casually listen to his companion dismiss his apology as the other didn't see it as a big deal. He tilted his head just a little bit as the other began to speak about Joseph'd blatantly obvious introverted nature and how Erik had friends who wanted to go out when he didn't. He let out a thoughtful hum when he finished speaking about them and nodded his head a little bit "I see, maybe you could say we're kindred spirits" his tone was flat and his face was almost completely neutral save for the small quirk in the corner of his lip that showed the faintest smirk. It was meant to be a joke but Joseph's humor didn't often shine through that much to others, not that he could blame them. However Erik's next question caught Joseph off guard as his face broke it's neutral and indifferent appearance as his eyes grew slightly confused and he began to look a bit thoughtful. What motivated him? Money? Not really. By this point Joseph could retire already and live comfortably for the rest of his life. Power? Who cared about something as flimsy as power? All it did was draw unwanted attention. Love? That was a joke. The more Joseph thought about it the more he struggled to come up with an answer, it was a simple question with a difficult answer for the CEO. His mouth opened several times as if to speak, only to close as his blue gaze became fixated on a single spot on the table. What motivated him?! What made him get out of bed in the morning to go out and do what he did? But the more he thought about it...the more the honest answer became clear "I don't know" he finally responded to the question with the best answer he could give. The CEO shook his head a little bit "If you asked my younger self I could have given you a real answer but...I don't know what motivates me these days..." Joseph explained with a noncommittal shrug of the shoulders "I mean...I suppose my responsibility to the company but...it's not true motivation..." Joseph had lost that spark he had a long time ago he now realized, the spark of inspiration and a desire and joy to come to work each day. He didn't have any motivation for anything, he simply did it out of habit and necessity. (OOC: )
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Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2019 12:29 pm
Here we stand or here we fall
History won't care at all
Make the bed, light the light
Lady Mercy won't be home tonight ※Erik Lafayette※ Erik watched the other think over the question thoroughly. It was interesting to see the battle of warring emotions on his face. He was quickly learning Joseph played himself rather close to the chest so to speak. When he couldn't come up with an answer Erik nodded. "It's not an easy question," he answered ",that's why I ask it. Though responsibility isn't a bad place to start. It shows you care enough about others in some capacity to take them into consideration. With out you there the company would most likely fail and many people would lose their jobs. I've heard worse answers." That was true, more true than he cared to admit. He'd seen people's motivations change and shift over time which wasn't uncommon. There was no wrong or right answer to the question. "My father said his was to make his family happy," he said after a beat ",however after I left he said he wanted the perfect family, two very different things. Motivation is one of the things constantly changing and shifting in our lives so saying you don't know isn't uncommon. My own bounces back and forth depending on the day." You don't waste no time at all
Don't hear the bell but you answer the call
It comes to you as to us all
Yeah, we're just waiting for the hammer to fall, yeah
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Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2019 6:16 pm
Joseph no doubt was a man who wore his heart on his cheek, he didn't like other people knowing what was going on in his head. That was why he felt genuinely uncomfortable once he realized that Erik had seen his unguarded expression for a moment there. As much as he liked Erik and thought he was a pleasant man to be around he wasn't sure he liked it but at the very least he didn't seem to mind it nearly as much as he should. It was probably because Erik was his personal secretary so eventually it was bound to happen that the other man would see the more human half of Joseph Myers. Still though as Erik spoke he nodded his head a bit, he supposed it was true. He did care for his employees, if he didn't do his job then many men and women who had family's to support would be out of a job. Yeah there was the Vice president of his company but he only held so much power and had so much knowledge about the true inner workings of the company. Joseph was a control freak who handled ever single important transaction and signed off on every deal, the Vice president was not much more than someone who walked around to different offices checking in on everyone and made sure his word reached them. Maybe he should give some more real responsibility to the VP of Measly Myers, if anything happened to the CEO then his company would be doomed and all the employees laid off. Once Erik began to speak of his own family Joseph noted the tone of the other man and nodded his head a little bit "It sounds like your Father started with a truly good intention..." he then shook his head "However...a "Perfect" family? That's a joke. Perfection is an impossible concept that no man or woman could ever hope to achieve" Joseph then sighed a little bit "But then I cannot blame him, I used to strive to be perfect as well..." (OOC: )
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Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2019 6:54 pm
Here we stand or here we fall
History won't care at all
Make the bed, light the light
Lady Mercy won't be home tonight ※Erik Lafayette※ "Perfection is a foolish thing to strive for," Erik stated bluntly ",no one is perfect, it's one of the things that make us all the same. More than that perfect is boring. There's nothing unique and fascinating about perfection, nothing to learn from it." He'd never personally understood the drive to be perfect, though to be fair perfection was always something he'd tried his hardest not to be. When he was younger he'd been quite the rebel, even wound up with his face on the cover of the local news sites more than once. He'd done everything he could to tarnish the illusion of perfection his family put out. Moving to America had been the biggest middle finger he could have sent them. He thought a bit about Joseph's comment about his father having good intentions and he supposed he was right. In the beginning his father hadn't been that bad, as a matter of fact the two of them used to be quite close. "I suppose he did start off with the best of intentions," he sighed ",but of course you know what they say the road to Hell is paved with." Oh that sounded really bitter. He was a bit bitter at his family and despite his best efforts still had a bit of a chip on his shoulder over how they'd treated him. You don't waste no time at all
Don't hear the bell but you answer the call
It comes to you as to us all
Yeah, we're just waiting for the hammer to fall, yeah
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Posted: Sat Apr 27, 2019 3:28 pm
Joseph listened to Erik speak and nodded his head in agreement with the others statement. He couldn't have been more right. The CEO had for years of his young life tried to be the perfect man in every way he could be. He was hard working, took care of his body, was polite and courteous to everyone, constantly sought out bettering himself in even the smallest ways. However in the end he ended up giving up, specifically around the time that his family and friends had become complacent and unwilling to do the work he demanded. By that point Joseph had worn himself down with trying to achieve an impossible concept like perfection and ended up just going with who he was naturally instead of trying to change who he himself was as a person "Indeed, I learnt far too late into my life that it was a fruitless endeavor..." he commented with a shake of the head as Joseph remembered all that lost time trying to be something that was impossible. Joseph took note of Erik's tone and his comment and realized that his employee must harbor some rather unpleasant feelings towards his Father. Well it was frankly none of his business so he wouldn't pry too deeply into it. Suddenly the lights would dim considerably which caused Joseph to snap out of memory lane to look over his shoulder and see several servers begin to place candles on the table and light them up. Their waitress would pass their table and explained that this was something they did at a certain time to, as she described it "Set the mood for guests". Once she was gone Joseph would stare at the candle for a moment before looking up at Erik as an amused smirk appeared on his face "Well isn't this lovely" he made a single noise that could resemble a laugh before he took a sip of the red wine before pouring himself more "Just a truly romantic evening" once again his brand of dry humor tended to fall flat for most people so he wouldn't be surprised if Erik didn't find the humor in it. Besides who would enjoy the idea of going out on a date with someone as bitter as Joseph Myers? (OOC: )
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Posted: Sat Apr 27, 2019 5:22 pm
Here we stand or here we fall
History won't care at all
Make the bed, light the light
Lady Mercy won't be home tonight ※Erik Lafayette※ Erik blinked around when the lights started to dim and the staff began lighting candles. He raised an eyebrow in slight confusion until the waitress explained it was to "set the mood". He smiled back at Joseph and snickered a bit. He'd taken a sip of his wine just as Joseph made the comment about it being romantic and he choked. He covered his mouth with his hand to muffle his coughing. To say the quip had taken him off guard was an understatement. He regained control of himself and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about that," he said sounding far too flustered for his liking ",seems you caught me off guard. Good job. Though I do wonder if you made that joke simply because you thought it was funny or because I'm gay?" He didn't mean anything malicious by it as Joseph didn't strike him as homophobic but he'd had friends who took his sexuality as an excuse to think he's like certain types of jokes. He took a deep breath before draining he last of his glass of wine. "Try not to make jokes when I'm drinking please," he said ",I'd like not to choke to death on my wine. Plus you'd be out a very skilled employee."You don't waste no time at all
Don't hear the bell but you answer the call
It comes to you as to us all
Yeah, we're just waiting for the hammer to fall, yeah
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Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2019 7:18 pm
Joseph would blink a bit and a look of worry grew on his face when the other man began to choke on the wine he was drinking. The CEO would get ready to stand up to help the other man when he managed to clear his throat and collect himself. Once the other man had begun to speak after his coughing fit Joseph quickly shook his head at the apology, was it something he'd said? The flustered tone of his voice did however tip Joseph off that it might have been his bad joke "No, you're perfectly fine" as the other man began to explain about how Joseph had caught him off guard. As Erik continued on though the CEO realized how his joke must have come out and he quickly shook his head "I'm the one who should be sorry, I hadn't meant any harm from it. My jokes tend to fall flat..." he apologized to Erik, he really should just not bother with humor as it just wasn't his thing. He would then nod his head a bit at the secretary "Deal" he would then offer the smallest smile to show his amusement before his smile turned a bit more serious as he looked the other man in the eye "If I say something that makes you uncomfortable please don't hesitate to speak out, casual interaction is not something I specialize in" he would admit to his own weakness and flaw with the other man. It wasn't something he was ashamed of per se but he wasn't exactly pleased at his own shortcomings. (OOC: )
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Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2019 8:56 pm
Here we stand or here we fall
History won't care at all
Make the bed, light the light
Lady Mercy won't be home tonight ※Erik Lafayette※ Erik waved a dismissive hand as he poured himself another glass of wine. He'd only asked from his personal experiences not because he thought Joseph held some kind of prejudice. "You're over thinking my question," he said with a smile ",I was only asking because in my experience people use me being gay as a reason to unleash the gay jokes. I didn't think it was a conscious thing on your part." He wasn't easily offended and was able to distinguish a joke from not. A good portion of his friends had a rather dark and wicked sense of humor to the point if an outsider heard a normal joking interaction with them said onlooker might presume they were bullying each other. Beyond that when he'd come out to his family he'd had every awful, horrid name they could think of hurled at him. His sister had commented that he would probably wind up with some horrible disease, his brother has wished violent acts on him and his parents had called his a disgrace to God and nature. With family like that who needs enemies? "I'm not easily offended but I can assure you should you insult me you will no," he said while taking a sip of his wine ",the French are not nearly as passive as people believe we are."You don't waste no time at all
Don't hear the bell but you answer the call
It comes to you as to us all
Yeah, we're just waiting for the hammer to fall, yeah
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