He had a careful, mad love affair with nights like these.
They had happened so rarely back on earth that they'd become something terribly secret with him. Sacred and safe that none of his comrades or colleges would ever understand or expect it of him. Back then as now, he'd bring fine bottle of red wine. Something from his private stock of Domaine de la Roman"e-Conti, or bottles from places history had no longer remembered...He poured himself a glass or two and contemplated the stars and memories. He could chart them if he wanted. He could say where this constellation or that one was, years ago during some fateful time he did not wish to remember but did anyway, because such was the nature of the beast and that is how Julian did things.
It was like cutting oneself not for pleasure or pain, but to simply see if he remembered what the wound felt like.
Winter had come and if he remembered to do it, he could take a lungful of air that was so cold sometimes it felt like ice in his heart. Occasionally that thought with that feeling made the stone-faced man actually grin. But it was not a pleasant grin. Not a grin made for pretty eyes or people who were afraid of the night. Star filled or no. Dawn was taking its sweet time to get there and in the meantime, no one thought anything of a man on a balcony in the middle of winter in nothing more than a lounging robe and a glass of wine, letting the cold in to sweep past thick curtains.
Julian heard the door click but did not turn. He had not only heard Addison coming from down the hall but could smell him.
"How many of them made it in the move?" Julian asked him lazily, holding up his glass to a sky as that reminded him of head full of black hair on a pillow, bedecked in tiny diamonds.
"As far as I can tell?" Addison began, putting his hands in his jean pockets to keep them warm and stand in the frame that lead from Julians sprawling hotel rooms to the balcony. "All of them. All of the bottles are intact, as well as the barrels. They're in a rented warehouse secured by a couple of our own. I'm sorry Boss, I know you hate having your people split up—" Addison said, just as Julian turned to send a dark look over his shoulder. "But someone's got to watch that stock pile and I don't trust a single soul in this town yet.
"Mebbe you can start interviewing a few people now that we're here for good, eh?"
Julian turned back to the strange mash up of lights that dimply tried to echo the sky, and did not quite succeed. Yet, it had its merits and was beautiful in its own rights: a mix of ancient torch fire and electricity.
Julian didn't respond to Addison's suggestion of hiring new people. It wasn't the point of coming here; Julian didn't want to do what he had done on Earth. He had left all of that behind, abandoned it in his own way for his own reasons...And now he wished to have nothing to do with what was. With the politics and the politesse, of boon making and holding and convoluted rules from convoluted, twisted creatures that were constantly on the verge of tearing each other apart....And having to keep the peace in all of that.
No, Julian thought. That's not what he wanted. Power and money' Yes. Of course. That was at least, something he was built for. Something he slept and ate and understood more than anything else. Something, you could even say, that was in his blood.
But now he was free. Free to do as he wished without having to govern more than his own people. What should he do'
"What more do you know of this DeMuer man?" Julian asked. Addison, half turned around to leave as Julian had a habit sometimes of going off into his own little world and forgetting, often for hours, that he was in the middle of conversing with one of his own...He stopped and leaned a shoulder against the wooden door frame.
"I could go on all night about what can be found on him publicly. He's got a rap sheet of interesting things to recite that I could keep your ears burning 'till morning I imagine." Addison glanced up at the still dark sky and back. "But that's just the thing. It's everything you already know and more. Everything the gossip rags and newspapers and anyone with eyes in their head could find out.
"You want to know more, well, that'll take something else." The blond man narrowed his eyes a moment. "Anything deeper than that will take careful work, and honestly?" Addison eyed the wine bottle and then looked out over the town itself.
"You think it would be a bad move?" Julian finished for the man, setting his wine glass on the balustrade. "Ayup." "Because he would know immediately that someone was digging around." "Ayupyup." "And it would put him and his people on guard and make them suspicious." "You got it, Boss," Addison grinned. "And that's why I like you." Julian frowned briefly. "It's how I would react to it," quietly said then leveled the Addison another one of his infamous looks, picked up his wine glass and turned all the way around to lean against balcony rail.
"Then I suppose that I shall have to do this the old fashioned way, won't I?" Julian mused. "Thank you, Addison." The larger of the two men, Addison grinned easily at Julian and tipped an imaginary hat that wasn't here. Thinking he was being dismissed, he turned around again.
"Oh, and Addison?" A peculiar note in Julian's voice had the taller, bigger blond man freeze in place like a child knowing that it's recent attempt at subterfuge with their report card had been caught.
"Good work recently with Lunar Enterprises. I'm amused at the name, but you've done well. Take the day off tomorrow and enjoy yourself," he said, entertained. Julian knew the man would have at least three devastatingly beautiful women hanging from his arms in no time and possibly drunker than any man legally should be a little after that. "But do try and be in a reasonable state by evening."
Addison turned around to lower a grin so radiant and utterly boyish Julian wondered if it might blind, then walked backwards to the door the entire way, saluting profusely.
"You got it Boss man, sir. I live to serve!" Julian rolled his eyes and turned back to the night. It was always waiting for him anyway and welcomed him with open arms.
They had happened so rarely back on earth that they'd become something terribly secret with him. Sacred and safe that none of his comrades or colleges would ever understand or expect it of him. Back then as now, he'd bring fine bottle of red wine. Something from his private stock of Domaine de la Roman"e-Conti, or bottles from places history had no longer remembered...He poured himself a glass or two and contemplated the stars and memories. He could chart them if he wanted. He could say where this constellation or that one was, years ago during some fateful time he did not wish to remember but did anyway, because such was the nature of the beast and that is how Julian did things.
It was like cutting oneself not for pleasure or pain, but to simply see if he remembered what the wound felt like.
Winter had come and if he remembered to do it, he could take a lungful of air that was so cold sometimes it felt like ice in his heart. Occasionally that thought with that feeling made the stone-faced man actually grin. But it was not a pleasant grin. Not a grin made for pretty eyes or people who were afraid of the night. Star filled or no. Dawn was taking its sweet time to get there and in the meantime, no one thought anything of a man on a balcony in the middle of winter in nothing more than a lounging robe and a glass of wine, letting the cold in to sweep past thick curtains.
Julian heard the door click but did not turn. He had not only heard Addison coming from down the hall but could smell him.
"How many of them made it in the move?" Julian asked him lazily, holding up his glass to a sky as that reminded him of head full of black hair on a pillow, bedecked in tiny diamonds.
"As far as I can tell?" Addison began, putting his hands in his jean pockets to keep them warm and stand in the frame that lead from Julians sprawling hotel rooms to the balcony. "All of them. All of the bottles are intact, as well as the barrels. They're in a rented warehouse secured by a couple of our own. I'm sorry Boss, I know you hate having your people split up—" Addison said, just as Julian turned to send a dark look over his shoulder. "But someone's got to watch that stock pile and I don't trust a single soul in this town yet.
"Mebbe you can start interviewing a few people now that we're here for good, eh?"
Julian turned back to the strange mash up of lights that dimply tried to echo the sky, and did not quite succeed. Yet, it had its merits and was beautiful in its own rights: a mix of ancient torch fire and electricity.
Julian didn't respond to Addison's suggestion of hiring new people. It wasn't the point of coming here; Julian didn't want to do what he had done on Earth. He had left all of that behind, abandoned it in his own way for his own reasons...And now he wished to have nothing to do with what was. With the politics and the politesse, of boon making and holding and convoluted rules from convoluted, twisted creatures that were constantly on the verge of tearing each other apart....And having to keep the peace in all of that.
No, Julian thought. That's not what he wanted. Power and money' Yes. Of course. That was at least, something he was built for. Something he slept and ate and understood more than anything else. Something, you could even say, that was in his blood.
But now he was free. Free to do as he wished without having to govern more than his own people. What should he do'
"What more do you know of this DeMuer man?" Julian asked. Addison, half turned around to leave as Julian had a habit sometimes of going off into his own little world and forgetting, often for hours, that he was in the middle of conversing with one of his own...He stopped and leaned a shoulder against the wooden door frame.
"I could go on all night about what can be found on him publicly. He's got a rap sheet of interesting things to recite that I could keep your ears burning 'till morning I imagine." Addison glanced up at the still dark sky and back. "But that's just the thing. It's everything you already know and more. Everything the gossip rags and newspapers and anyone with eyes in their head could find out.
"You want to know more, well, that'll take something else." The blond man narrowed his eyes a moment. "Anything deeper than that will take careful work, and honestly?" Addison eyed the wine bottle and then looked out over the town itself.
"You think it would be a bad move?" Julian finished for the man, setting his wine glass on the balustrade. "Ayup." "Because he would know immediately that someone was digging around." "Ayupyup." "And it would put him and his people on guard and make them suspicious." "You got it, Boss," Addison grinned. "And that's why I like you." Julian frowned briefly. "It's how I would react to it," quietly said then leveled the Addison another one of his infamous looks, picked up his wine glass and turned all the way around to lean against balcony rail.
"Then I suppose that I shall have to do this the old fashioned way, won't I?" Julian mused. "Thank you, Addison." The larger of the two men, Addison grinned easily at Julian and tipped an imaginary hat that wasn't here. Thinking he was being dismissed, he turned around again.
"Oh, and Addison?" A peculiar note in Julian's voice had the taller, bigger blond man freeze in place like a child knowing that it's recent attempt at subterfuge with their report card had been caught.
"Good work recently with Lunar Enterprises. I'm amused at the name, but you've done well. Take the day off tomorrow and enjoy yourself," he said, entertained. Julian knew the man would have at least three devastatingly beautiful women hanging from his arms in no time and possibly drunker than any man legally should be a little after that. "But do try and be in a reasonable state by evening."
Addison turned around to lower a grin so radiant and utterly boyish Julian wondered if it might blind, then walked backwards to the door the entire way, saluting profusely.
"You got it Boss man, sir. I live to serve!" Julian rolled his eyes and turned back to the night. It was always waiting for him anyway and welcomed him with open arms.