Not many brewpubs placed so much emphasis on outdoor space, but then, Le Proven"al was a unique bar. Alain sat alone at a table, quite a few small glasses before him; sample-sized, all of them had featured at some point in a rather spirited argument he was still having with the master brewer, Gaston. Like most beer arguments, though, neither man was truly angry, and both were learning. Gaston gave a parting piece of advice, and Alain threw his hands up, laughing in exasperation. The master brewer retreated with a very Gallic shrug to order the fellow brewer a strong example of the smoked ale he had mentioned.
It was a pleasant late afternoon in RhyDin, and Alain reclined in his chair, pushing his sleeves back up to his elbows again, enjoying a cigarillo while he waited for his beer to arrive. For a short while that day, life had been very good, and he savored the peace while it lasted.
Le Proven"al was not on the list of places Caroline was known to frequent. In this case, however, that was a very good thing. After discreetly making enquiries, she had discovered that this was where the Baron DeMuer would be, at this time on this day, and had set time aside to make herself known to him. As always, she only just looked the part of a businesswoman as she came into view, having discarded her suit jacket in the back of the car and let her hair free of its restraints the moment she was free of the overbearing eyes of her grandfather.
Brown eyes swept the outdoor tables, relief clear for a moment in her expression as she noted the comfortable lounge of the man she had come in search of. Still, she took her time, stepping inside to order a glass of white wine before returning to the lingering warmth of the afternoon, approaching the Baron's table with an odd mix of hesitance and confidence.
"Excuse me," she apologised for interrupting what looked to be a lovely calm moment. "Is this seat taken?"
The Baron looked up from his thoughts to give Caroline a warm little smile as if surprised to see her (though neither one was surprised to see the other), giving a very relaxed 'what?s mine is yours' gesture to the seat next to him. He hated sitting at one-on-one meetings in this arrangement, seats close together, sharing a small sliver of the table instead of dividing the thing in half, but he knew that it would help the ambient noise of the Marketplace to further mask what they hoped to discuss this evening.
"Thank you. I hate to sit alone," she offered by way of an excuse for any curious ears turned their way, quietly lowering herself into the chair he indicated. "For some reason, unwelcome gentlemen seem to enjoy making a nuisance of themselves." She smiled as warmly as she could manage, years of practise helping to mask the nervous tension in her frame.
The ale and wine were delivered, but Gaston did not say a word as he set the glasses down, giving every indication he was indifferent to the business his patrons conducted; there was a reason Le Proven"al was favored for precisely this kind of meeting.
"To your health, madamoiselle," Alain said, raising his glass while a few people passed within earshot, adding with a faint hint of a grin once they were gone, "I'm pleased to finally meet you, Miss Granger."
She toasted him in return with her wine glass, glancing up at the passersby with feigned indifference even as she, too, lowered her voice just enough. "And I, you, Baron DeMuer. Please, though, call me Caroline. There are too many Miss Grangers in this city."
He chuckled. "Caroline. Alain's fine, or Al. You're very discreet. You must be a terror in the boardroom." It was likely meant as a compliment, if the man was half as abrasive a businessman as the press seemed to believe.
She laughed a little at that, his humor putting her more at her ease than she had expected to be. "I get my own way most of the time," she conceded with amusement. The smile did not last, however, fading as she drew in a slow breath. "This is a difficult situation, Alain. There are hundreds of people and their families depending on me, and right now I can't even protect my own family without supporting ....him." It would be a long time before Caroline would say the name Anubis Karos aloud outside the support of her family, the lingering effects of her incarceration still evident in the way she stiffened at even this reference.
"But you can protect them, all without paying his racket." He crossed his legs slowly, the nature of his expression changing in half a dozen subtle ways as the subject changed. His gaze was usually calculating, but that fact was all the more emphasized in moments like this. It was not unkind, however. "You must know the monster can be fought, or you wouldn't be here today." He took another slow sip of his ale.
"It's vital to the Agreement, something you've signed ....not to its terms, granted, but to the spirit of the Agreement. No good can be done by taking this stand, if our billions are going into hands like his, to fund his ..." He cut himself off, eyes studying her face for a moment, deciding it unwise to continue in any further detail. "You get the idea."
She did, in rather more detail than he might have used in his description. "My grandfather made the arrangement with him, directly because of what was done to me," she explained quietly. "Had I known, I would not have allowed him to give in without a fight. At present, nothing has been transferred, and I would rather not see anything go to that monster. I am not here to make excuses; I know I should not have signed the Agreement while still obliged to pay him, but it is something I believe in strongly."
She sighed softly, lowering her eyes to the glass before her, watching her fingertips smooth patterns into the condensation on the bowl. "I need help, Alain. I don't know what to do. All I know is that I want him out of our lives, for good."
It was a pleasant late afternoon in RhyDin, and Alain reclined in his chair, pushing his sleeves back up to his elbows again, enjoying a cigarillo while he waited for his beer to arrive. For a short while that day, life had been very good, and he savored the peace while it lasted.
Le Proven"al was not on the list of places Caroline was known to frequent. In this case, however, that was a very good thing. After discreetly making enquiries, she had discovered that this was where the Baron DeMuer would be, at this time on this day, and had set time aside to make herself known to him. As always, she only just looked the part of a businesswoman as she came into view, having discarded her suit jacket in the back of the car and let her hair free of its restraints the moment she was free of the overbearing eyes of her grandfather.
Brown eyes swept the outdoor tables, relief clear for a moment in her expression as she noted the comfortable lounge of the man she had come in search of. Still, she took her time, stepping inside to order a glass of white wine before returning to the lingering warmth of the afternoon, approaching the Baron's table with an odd mix of hesitance and confidence.
"Excuse me," she apologised for interrupting what looked to be a lovely calm moment. "Is this seat taken?"
The Baron looked up from his thoughts to give Caroline a warm little smile as if surprised to see her (though neither one was surprised to see the other), giving a very relaxed 'what?s mine is yours' gesture to the seat next to him. He hated sitting at one-on-one meetings in this arrangement, seats close together, sharing a small sliver of the table instead of dividing the thing in half, but he knew that it would help the ambient noise of the Marketplace to further mask what they hoped to discuss this evening.
"Thank you. I hate to sit alone," she offered by way of an excuse for any curious ears turned their way, quietly lowering herself into the chair he indicated. "For some reason, unwelcome gentlemen seem to enjoy making a nuisance of themselves." She smiled as warmly as she could manage, years of practise helping to mask the nervous tension in her frame.
The ale and wine were delivered, but Gaston did not say a word as he set the glasses down, giving every indication he was indifferent to the business his patrons conducted; there was a reason Le Proven"al was favored for precisely this kind of meeting.
"To your health, madamoiselle," Alain said, raising his glass while a few people passed within earshot, adding with a faint hint of a grin once they were gone, "I'm pleased to finally meet you, Miss Granger."
She toasted him in return with her wine glass, glancing up at the passersby with feigned indifference even as she, too, lowered her voice just enough. "And I, you, Baron DeMuer. Please, though, call me Caroline. There are too many Miss Grangers in this city."
He chuckled. "Caroline. Alain's fine, or Al. You're very discreet. You must be a terror in the boardroom." It was likely meant as a compliment, if the man was half as abrasive a businessman as the press seemed to believe.
She laughed a little at that, his humor putting her more at her ease than she had expected to be. "I get my own way most of the time," she conceded with amusement. The smile did not last, however, fading as she drew in a slow breath. "This is a difficult situation, Alain. There are hundreds of people and their families depending on me, and right now I can't even protect my own family without supporting ....him." It would be a long time before Caroline would say the name Anubis Karos aloud outside the support of her family, the lingering effects of her incarceration still evident in the way she stiffened at even this reference.
"But you can protect them, all without paying his racket." He crossed his legs slowly, the nature of his expression changing in half a dozen subtle ways as the subject changed. His gaze was usually calculating, but that fact was all the more emphasized in moments like this. It was not unkind, however. "You must know the monster can be fought, or you wouldn't be here today." He took another slow sip of his ale.
"It's vital to the Agreement, something you've signed ....not to its terms, granted, but to the spirit of the Agreement. No good can be done by taking this stand, if our billions are going into hands like his, to fund his ..." He cut himself off, eyes studying her face for a moment, deciding it unwise to continue in any further detail. "You get the idea."
She did, in rather more detail than he might have used in his description. "My grandfather made the arrangement with him, directly because of what was done to me," she explained quietly. "Had I known, I would not have allowed him to give in without a fight. At present, nothing has been transferred, and I would rather not see anything go to that monster. I am not here to make excuses; I know I should not have signed the Agreement while still obliged to pay him, but it is something I believe in strongly."
She sighed softly, lowering her eyes to the glass before her, watching her fingertips smooth patterns into the condensation on the bowl. "I need help, Alain. I don't know what to do. All I know is that I want him out of our lives, for good."