Topic: Wine and Kismet

Lelah · Date: 2011-03-24 18:31 EST

Vivienne Westwood and Christian Louboutin might be a bit much for a night at the Red Dragon, but LeeLee did have an image to uphold. Even if no one else in the Inn recognized her. Dashing up the front porch steps and ducking inside the Inn, she shook the rain from her umbrella and set it pointed end down next to the door. A quick scan of the room revealed exactly one familiar face. "Alain!" she called out and waved to him.

Alain turned briefly from the man to whom he was talking to lift a hand to Lelah and cocked a grin at her, before and turning back to his conversation. The man with Alain followed his hand-wave in polite curiosity. He gave a secondary bob of his head in greeting toward Lelah.

She headed towards the bar, smiling politely to the couple with Alain. "How are you this evening?" she asked, aiming the question at all three of them. Not spotting a bar tender, she moved behind the counter and helped herself to a bottle of Silver Mark. Gotta impress the money guy, after all.

Alain's eyes narrow on (and smile at, really) the emerging bottle of Silver Mark. "I'm doing very well, thank you, Lelah. Have you met Mr. Marx here before, or his friend Lenuta?" he asked with a look between them.

"No, I haven't had the pleasure." Lelah popped the top off the beer, set it aside, and offered her hand first to Lenuta and then to Marx. "I'm Lelah Rivka."

The woman in the silk suit pressed forward as Lelah passed her by, before she started for the break. Getting a little too crowded back there for her taste. Of course, this meant that, once through the break, she started down the bar towards Alain and Julian, eyes slitting in some subtle amusement. "I do not think we've met, no. It's a pleasure, Lelah."

"Miss Rivka, a pleasure. I am Julian Marx." Bending over Lelah's hand politely in terribly old-fashioned greeting. But he did not presume to kiss her knuckles, letting go and righting himself to listen intently on whatever secret Alain gave away. A small nod given. That information was filed away and noted! "Excuse me, let me fetch you a glass of Argento Luna, Alain, one of my private reserves."

Lelah blinked in shock at Julian's greeting and a tiny smile curled one side of an otherwise cynical mouth. "Well," she said. "That's not something I expected to encounter here." She grabbed the beer and headed around the counter to settled down nearish Alain, dark eyes missing nothing.

Prim and proper, the woman called Lenuta eased herself up to sit on a stool, silk-clad leg crossing at the knee. She settled her elbows at the back bar, taking a sip of brandy. Bright green eyes tracked the room, and all of the little things going on in it. There was a subtle turn of her head though, listening as much as she watched.

Julian made his way behind the bar. "Would you also like a glass, Miss Rivka?" Offering as he passed by rows upon rows of bottles and glasses. Drinks, alcohol and such that Julian did not give pause to. "And you, Lenuta?" Two toned eyes sought her out and settled after he pulled from Alain and Lelah.

"Sure. That would be lovely, thanks," Lelah answered Julian. Then she tipped a nod towards Lenuta. "That's a great suit," she said sincerely. "What label?" Forgive our Miss LeeLee; she's a bit of a clotheshorse and a complete slave to the fashion industry.

"No, thank you," Lenuta said, lifting the snifter of Jinar's she'd just poured. "I am..covered, if you will." Perhaps a smile tugs at her burgundy mouth - before she offered that very smile to Lelah. "Laurent."

Julian nodded and busied himself by removing two fine, fluted wine glasses. Setting them on the bar on a clean area, Julian bent to a small, wooden compartment recently built in the last few months since his arrival--locked. His key of course, fit perfectly and opened it. He removed a bottle that was possibly amidst one of the oldest wines left on earth. And that wasn't boasting if it was the truth. The glass was certainly old; handmade with imperfections and waves within it. There was no paper label but a family crest melted into the glass itself. He poured fingersful into one glass then the other without spilling a drop. Even pouring it seemed like something he took a bit of pride in doing. "I hope that it is to your liking, and your cellar's liking," small grin Alain's way. He pushed the glasses forward and then put the bottle away. And locked it.

The wine could be described various ways. Brilliant, elegant, lucious with a full enchanting depth. A hint of earthiness and some said it reminded them of old Italy, spring time and full bloom. Julian made his way back around the bar to stand near Lenuta.

"It's gorgeous." Lelah sipped her beer and then glanced at Alain. "Did you get that contract, Alain?"

Alain's jonesing pretty badly for a cigarette. Left hand strays to his jacket pocket, then drifts away. "Yes," to Lelah. ?Everything looks to be in order. We'll have it back to you by Friday."

Of course, Julian's brown eyes turned hawk sharp a moment as Lelah spoke to Alain. "And would it be rude of me to ask 'what contract?" Head tip between the two.

Alain knows how to taste wine. Perhaps not 'professional' tasting, this is a glass he intends to enjoy at least as much as he analyzes, but somewhere along the line he's been taught the right way to do this. Quite possible through the Rhovnik family, or the nagging of a personal assistant. "Mm." He nods to Julian's question, then looks to Lelah. "Miss Rivka, if you please," with a look back to Julian. "I think she can explain it a bit better than I can," he added with a bit of a grin.:

Lelah watched the wine ritual with a brow raised and accepted the glass with all the reverence it so clearly deserved. She swirled the glass, lifted it to take a delicate sniff, then an equally delicate sip. "Oh, my," she breathed. "That is gorgeous." She took another sip. "Wow." Then she caught Julian's question. She gave Alain a little smile. "Mr. DeMuer has invested in my film studios," she explained.

Julian graciously lowered his head in thanks again. Both for Alain's obvious appreciation and Lelah's compliment. He seemed as genuinely pleased with their enjoyment, and showed a hint of well-deserved pride. "Thank you, I should hope that my family would be proud." A moment, and perhaps even he gave a side-eye to the coat Lenuta sat upon. "What sort of films might you be interesting in producing?"

Alain's eyes drift back to Lelah. For a moment his expression is very hard to read. Then he returns more of his attention to the wine.

Lelah · Date: 2011-03-24 18:34 EST

?Whatever I can,? the little brunette answered Julian. ?I hope to cultivate some screen writers here, maybe some other directors, too. Just so I don't have to do it all myself."

Julian's dark eyes cast and skip across Alain, knowing or perhaps giving a very good poker face, then settling on Lelah. "Everything and anything?" He seemed to pause at that. "An interesting choice, if anything. I do not recall many studios originating from here."

Alain takes another sip, then after another very brief look at Lelah, decides to offer, "You see, RhyDin hasn't had any serious efforts at its own film industry in the past, at least that I'm aware of, but it could certainly benefit from using local talent and telling stories more suited to audiences in cross-realms nodes like here, in RhyDin, or Star's End, or other cities much like ours. As it stands, Star's End seems to get most of its films from places like Earth."

A brow rose at Alain's inscrutable expression, and Lelah wondered for a moment if she'd said something to offend him or if she had spinach between her teeth or something. "Well, not everything and anything. There will not be any horrible horror movies or insipid comedies. I'm hoping to bring a bit of class and culture to the city. Maybe make Rhy'Din's version of Gone With The Wind or Casablanca."

The inscrutable expression shifts into something a little warmer, nodding to what Lelah offers. "Precisely what this city needs."

Julian's brows rose agreeably toward Alain. "I was thinking along those lines, myself. This is a unique opportunity for her. And for an investor, of course," he said with a small nod. "Culture...This city could benefit from it." He said it with actual earnestness, and toward Lelah. "Though...if you can make a Vivian Lee that is not half as screechy as the original, you will make a fan rather quickly."

Lelah sipped the remainder of her wine and set aside the empty glass. So much going on tonight. Covert looks between the very dapper Mr. Marx and the lovely Lenuta. Whispered secrets between Julian and Alain. Slightly worrying looks cast in her direction from Alain. Her head was fit to explode from trying to figure it all out. "I often wonder if she was hired before Selznick heard her speak," she said, pushing all the silent conversations to the back of her head.

"That may be the case," Julian said. Given the times back then? It wouldn't be something he'd toss out. It was his habit to clasp his hands behind his back when they were idle. He often did not make it a habit to sit, either. It wasn't intention should be found disconcerting. "Have you all the investors you need then? When should I be looking forward to your studio's first film?"

"I'm actually looking for one more investor," Lelah explained. "There's been a bit of a...problem...with a potential investor not being...available...for a while. So I can either wait until those issues are ironed out or I can seek alternate funding."

"A delicate decision,? Julian mused. ?That depends entirely on the investor, I suppose. Are they prone to..." What was the word he was looking for? "Rash reactions?" Some people were entitled and behaved that way.

Alain hears thunder in the distance, away to the south, maybe somewhere over Cadentia, and lets his eyes drift over to the windows, then back to Lelah and Julian. "It's something to consider, if you're interested," he grinned at Julian. "Make a good return and put more theatres in this city in the process. She's been quite successful on her home world..."

And if Lelah weren't slightly intimidated by Alain, she'd have hurled herself at him and hugged him within an inch of his life for saying that. Instead, she just rewarded him with a huge smile.

"No harm in waiting it out, if you can afford to." Julian slipped a hand into the ridiculously expensive, hand-tailored Armani, to a small pocket on the inside of the jacket. "However, should they take too long, might I offer a back up solution?" And just as he says it, Alain's 'something to consider' mirrors his own words.

And Alain's eyes narrow, smile growing sly as he adds, "And if a shark hesitates at the kill, it's no one's fault but his own when there's nothing left to eat." Screw the other investor. This is DeMuer, the cut-throat businessman letting his attitude be known. He dips his head, though, deferring to Julian and what he has to say.

"Oh, no,? Lelah explained. ?It's nothing like that. He's got...health issues, with an unknown outcome."

Of course, had Alain known the other man's fate, he probably would not have offered this. But even with the phrase 'health issues' thrown out, he doesn't appear remorseful.

Julian did not grin, per se, but the turn of his mouth was a hint of the same emotion Alain threw his way. "If I were anyone else, I suppose I would quip about great minds." A unique business card, made from aged, smooth, green ancient glass--the same as his wines, was held out toward Lelah. His business, his contact and address was stamped into the delicate silver.

"A back-up solution? I'm intrigued." She took the card, handling it by just the edges. She could not keep the fact that she was impressed off her face. "I'll send you a proposal package in the morning," she said immediately, looking up at Julian, both brows raised in a 'is that all right?' sort of way.

"That would be most advantageous. If you cannot get a hold of me, my man, Addison, will get to you. He is essentially my right hand and handles as much as the business as I do, Miss Rivka. "

She slipped the card - oh-so carefully - into her bag and nodded. "Perfect," she said with a smile. Her dream was getting closer and closer to becoming a reality.

"I do hope so," Julian replied to Lelah. "I look forward to reading it, and should be able to respond to you as soon as I can."

"Thanks for the wine," Lelah said, sliding off the stool, "but since it appears that I'm about to get all the investors I need, I'd better get home and get to work." She passed out smiles and nice to meet yous and great to see you agains and headed for the door.

((Adapted from a live scene. Thanks to the players of Alain DeMeur, Carefully Tailored, and A Little Light.))

Lelah · Date: 2011-03-24 19:20 EST

After leaving the Red Dragon the night she'd met Julian Marx, Lelah went immediately home to the carriage house loft she was renting in New Haven. She let herself inside and was met by the funny chortling bark of her Basenji housemate, Oscar. ?Hey there, my love,? she cooed at the dog, who rewarded her with a wagging of his stumpy little curly tail. ?Guess what?? she said to him as she dropped her bag on the console table that sat next to the front door and dumped her damp umbrella into an antique ginger jar at the table's foot.

She headed towards her bedroom, the click-click of her heels accompanied by the smaller, scratchier clicking of the dog's nails on the hardwood floors. ?I found another money guy,? she explained as she shed her Vivienne Westwood and Christian Louboutin in favor of Old Navy and Puma. ?He's real suave, this one. Old World manners and apparently Old World money, too.? She sat down on the edge of her bed and patted a spot next to her. The dog hopped up, circled twice, and then settled down next to her. ?His girlfriend was classy, too. All cool and long legged and supermodel gorgeous. I wonder if she can act,? she mused, envisioning Lenuta's gorgeous face on a big screen. ?Worth looking into, I suppose. C'mon, buddy,? she said, sliding off the bed and heading back into the front part of the loft. ?We've got work to do.? The dog followed obediently behind her, settling under the kitchen table when Lelah sat down.

She glanced through the remaining proposal package, the one that was supposed to have gone to the Grangers. She felt a little guilt tugging at her heart when she realized that she was going to cut Jon out of the investment, but he was still in the hospital and there had been no word as to how he was doing. As much as she loved the guy, she knew that if she wanted her own dreams to come true, she couldn't afford to put them on hold until Jon got better...if Jon got better. So she began to alter the proposal package to better suit the sort of man she thought Julian Marx was.

She left out the spec script, hoping that Julian would be happy with a silent partnership along the same lines that Alain DeMeur had agreed to. She included the exact same financial information that Alain had received, as well as her marketing strategies. She also included her own brief resume, highlighting the Oscar and Golden Globe wins. Then she drafted a cover letter:

Dear Mr. Marx:

What a stroke of luck to have met you last night in the Red Dragon Inn! I truly feel that kismet has brought us together and I feel blessed that you are interested in potentially investing in my film studios.

Enclosed, please find all the financial information and projections for the first five years of the studios' existence. The projects the studio will produce during this time will be based on scripts that have earned top dollar and have drawn the biggest crowds on Earth. Please note that departmental budgets are on par with industry standards across the board. However, because of the uniqueness of Rhy'Din's population of mages and wizards, there is almost no budget for special effects. Instead, I have allotted industry standards wages for typical FX crews.

The bottom dollar, which you can see illustrated on page 56, is $750,000 (USD). This buys you a 16% share in the studios and a seat on the board. The other investors, Mr. Alain DeMeur and Ms. Mataya De Luca, have bought in for the exact same amount. I will carry the other $2.25 million of the initial investment, which entitles me to a 51% share of the studios and the title of CEO. I hope that this is acceptable to you.

Please review the attached documents at your earliest convenience, and get back to me with your reactions. I do hope we can do business together.

Sincerely,

Lelah Rivka

She packaged up the documents, included her letter, and sealed it all in a large manilla envelope. She left it on the console table next to her bag and headed off to bed. First thing in the morning, she'd drop off the package at the address on the business card Julian had given her...and cross her fingers. The dream was so close to being fulfilled, she could taste it.

Carefully Tailored · Date: 2011-03-28 05:12 EST

The thing was, he liked to have his fingers into his paperwork too much. A little too much, his aid and right hand man Addison, would say, while rolling his eyes and sighing that long suffering sigh. It's a sound all employees had for the Bosses' that they held special places for, even if they wanted to strangle them for stepping all over the places they should be working on. The little Victorian era hotel Julian had all but taken over had become, for now, his headquarters. The hotel? It didn't complain. Not once did they say anything about the sleek, black cars that pulled in the circular brick drive way at all hours of the day or night?dropping off all manner of things and people, starlets and the rich, or even the filthy-poor reeking of the docks.

They never complained with piles and piles of mail were delivered to their white-washed sprawling front door, or the body guards that seemed like shadows flickering from one place to the other. Julian Marx paid, in full, for their inconvenience. The owners of the hotel had made more money in the months Julian had taken over their place than they had in the years they'd been opened.

Sometimes, money truly could buy happiness.

His desk in his private suite was a magnificent, glorious creature of intimidation and beauty. A balance for all of the things Julian was himself, though he did not see the connection between the two. On his desk was a plain, manila envelope which he had torn carefully open to spread its contents over that desk of his. To pour over it like a man might pour over a lover on a bed.

Addison watched Julian with faint amusement. He wondered if Julian even realized how he looked as he poured over things like that?business deals ,contracts, mergers and propositions.

"So?" Addison prompted, pushing from the wall near the door. If it weren't for the fact Addison's breathing made the most noise in the room then, Julian would have almost forgotten he was there.

"So?? Will I invest?" Mismatched eyes, one that seemed forever black due to perpetually widened pupil, and the other that appeared light brown because it reacted, narrowed on Addison, who barked a short laugh.

"Of course you'll invest. It's a good idea. Solid, too. And the best god damn deal that's practically rolled into your lap and writhed in it since you got here."

Julian said nothing in response at first. Addison's course nature could at times bring the man no end of amusement and at other times...No end of annoyance.

"What I mean is?are you going to live in a hotel forever?" Addison hunkered over Julian's desk, opposite the man bent over Lelah's proposal, splaying fingertips against the wood to look his boss eye to mismatched eye.

"You know we are forever grateful to you Julian,? Addison murmured, his tone losing its school-boy charm. "And the hotel is beautiful, make no mistake, but it's not a home. Nobody feels really at home here. Your people don't feel at home. That's not good for them." Sometimes Julian needed a reminder, a nudge to remember that while business might be what he thrived upon?amidst other things?his people needed his attentions too. Not just his projects.

"Mm? Yes, I know Addison," Julian exhaled, reading Lelah's letter for a five or sixth time. "It takes time. I don't want to purchase something built on some magical gate or spot or god forbid, ancient dragon burial ground or... worse. Rhydin's...it's not like earth. My lawyer's aren't even sure they can make sense of half of the properly laws or values yet. They assure me that they'll have some places for me to look at soon you know what?" Julian leaned back, hands on the table and spine straight in his chair.

Addison knew that look. Julian's features eased. The jaw wasn't so square and he lost the noticeable crease between thick, black brows when he was mulling. The man reeked of satisfaction. "Didn't I say you were going to accept??" Addison began.

"I'm going to accept," Julian shot Addison a look. The blond man had the grace to do nothing more than grin.

Julian reached down into the drawers under the desk. He removed a rich, creamy white envelope affixed with elegant scroll work in the paper itself. When he would finish writing it, he would seal it archaically and perfectly with a measured splash of vivid red wax: a seal depicting a wine glass and grapes. Lelah's name is scrolled in midnight ink on one side in a hand that could be called nothing less than precise, strict, controlled and as elegant as the paper the ink sunk into. The paper Julian wrote upon was hand pressed and as thick as its wrapping.

Miss Lelah Rivka,

Fortune must have smiled upon our meeting that evening, Miss Rivka, indeed. Rhydin's culture is vast and colorful, but it needs bright, strong individuals to lead her to finding her own.

I believe that you, as well as your Studio might just be that brightness. I have reviewed your proposal and find it most agreeable.

Enclosed, please find my contact information, that of my lawyers and of my CEO Addison, all of whom can field any questions you may have. Due to my current work load I am available during the evenings only, so should you have need of me, please feel free to contact any of the above for any concerns.

I too, look forward to seeing what you bring to life here in Rhydin.

Sincerely,
Julian Marx.

Addison leaned up from looking over Julian's shoulder, smug. "I totally called i?" Julian handed the man the sealed note with a flat look.

"You'll deliver this personally," Julian shot back. Revenge for annoying him no doubt, making Addison do footwork better suited to someone far beneath him.

"Your wish is my every command!" The blond man flippantly bowed, taking the envelope and grinning like a fool the whole way out the door. Julian's patient sigh followed Addison out and sent the man cackling all the way.

Lelah · Date: 2011-03-28 17:24 EST

Maybe she was getting ahead of herself. Maybe she was putting the cart before the horse, counting her chickens before they were hatched, and all the other cliches her mother was forever spouting at her. But she fancied herself a good judge of character ? especially when it came to men ? and she knew deep down in her heart of hearts that Julian Marx would be the final link in the chain. She knew that he would invest in the studios and help her put her mark on the map of Rhy'Din and goodness knew how many other realms.

So, really, signing the contract to buy the old warehouses that stood along the north shore of the river that split the city in half wasn't wishful thinking. Signing the contracts for the architects who would design the studios' office building and back lots and post-production facilities wasn't acting prematurely. Hiring the crew who would first demolish those old warehouses and then build her studios' physical home wasn't jumping the gun. Lelah knew that by year's end, her very first movie filmed entirely in Rhy'Din would be on the screens of the city's theatres and people would know her name and face here, just as they knew her on Earth.

When she returned to the carriage house loft in New Haven that evening, her landlord's butler met her at the manor house's front gate with a delivery. It was an expensive, creamy white envelope, sealed with old fashioned wax. The imprint in the blood red wax was that of a wine glass and a bunch of grapes. LeeLee couldn't keep the grin off her face as she ran her fingers over that seal. She thanked the old man and sped up the steps that led to her front door above the manor house's garage.

Oscar once more met her at the door, turning circles as he picked up on his mistress's excitement. She gave him an absent scratch and flung herself down on her couch, still running her fingers over the seal on the envelope. ?It's almost too pretty to open, pup,? she said to the Basenji. ?Hell, I need a knife. Maybe I can save the seal if I slid a blade underneath it.? She stood and moved into the kitchen to dig a paring knife out of a drawer. Turning to lean against the counter, she carefully worked the blade of the knife under the seal and released its hold on the paper, keeping the seal intact. She grinned and pulled a single, thick sheet of paper from the envelope and scanned it once quickly.

An excited shout of ?YES!? rent the air. Oscar hopped up on his back legs and joined in Lelah's squeals of joy with his own chortling barks. ?He agreed, Oscar!? She fell to her knees and scooped the dog up into her arms, squeezing him and covering his face with kisses. ?He said yes! He's investing! And oh my god! He called me bright.? She smirked, one corner of her mouth tugging up in a smug smile. ?That's one I haven't heard yet.?

She sat down at the kitchen table and began writing another letter to Julian. This one would act as a cover letter to the contract that stated the exact terms of his investment and would ? hopefully ? be sent back to her with a big, fat check. She just couldn't keep the grin off her face as she wrote.

Mr Marx,

Thank you so much for your investment in 21twelve studios.

Enclosed, please find the contract outlining the terms of your investment, as well as a time line of construction on the studios' physical home. Ground breaking will begin next month, and you're more than welcome to stop by the site whenever you have the time.

If there is anything else I can do for you, please do not hesitate to call on me. Once again, thank you for your confidence.

Sincerely,
Lelah Rivka

She sealed this envelope after adding the contract and wondered briefly if she shouldn?t invest in her own seal. Maybe she could use royal purple wax and find a seal with a movie camera on it. Giggling over this idea, she headed into her bedroom to change. She was going to head out to the Red Dragon tonight and celebrate, and tomorrow ? after she recovered from getting her drink on ? she'd launch Phase One of her marketing strategy with a trip to the offices of the Rhy'Din Post.

Carefully Tailored · Date: 2011-04-02 01:40 EST

Julian Marx didn't exactly answer Lelah back with a letter. Instead, he sent her his right-hand man, Addison, directly to the address in which she let him know where to deliver the check--in two with some very serious heavy-weight looking guys. These weren't the kind of body guards you saw running alongside the presidents car, svelte and stone-faced. These two men towered beyond six foot and were dressed in nothing but the best.

They made the perpetually Cheshire grinning Addison and his lazy golden pony tail look like a rumpled kid. Pushing six foot himself, that wasn't easy.

There was an incredible amount written on that check, in the envelope which Addison presented nonchalantly over to Lelah, hand-pressed paper crinkling. Julian wouldn't have sent it by the mail and certainly wouldn't have sent it unprotected.

Inside the envelope was a short note folded over a surprisingly very plain looking check.

Miss Rivka,

Your invitation to stop by the site is very generous. I believe that I shall take you up on that offer very soon. I must admit that I am terribly curious as to how it will all come together.

Thank you for such a unique opportunity, I am eager to watch a fantastic addition to Rhydin flourish.

--Julian