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Returns
Jun 23, 2012 10:10:20 GMT -5
Post by Ladorak on Jun 23, 2012 10:10:20 GMT -5
"Well sure... it wasn't much of anything, really." That part at least was true. Boneparte wasn't exactly sure how he'd helped elevate the squirrel's mood, especially when he himself was so depressed as of late, but he figured it had to do with his presence or something, even though Boneparte himself was rather dreary these days. Still... it WAS better facing these trials with others, rather than alone. He'd sorely been missing Louis's presence, and having his friends about him was more important than ever now at this point, so he could understand Sciurus's point of view now as well.
He nodded as he listened to the amount of sessions that Sciurus undertook in a day. Nine to twelve didn't seem too bad. The latter could verge on a lot of work, but many Cosnair citizens did put in a lot of work these days to get by.
He was surprised to find that tactile hypnotists even existed. Boneparte figured most would be sensitive about that kind of thing... but if it worked... then supposedly it worked. He couldn't specifically remember how he himself had been induced... though the swaying pocket watch did sound rather familiar now.
He smiled as he thought about it, tempted to ask for a session, but he wasn't sure if he had time today. He was planning on inviting Sciurus to dinner tonight with Marmont and Junot, and seeing if they couldn't once more enjoy each others' company to the point of forgetting their woes.
After studying the lounge to his satisfaction, the meerkat shook his head and turned to address Sciurus now. "I think that's it for now. Lead on then, fearless leader!" he proclaimed, grinning as he folded his arms over his chest and gave the squirrel a nod. As they proceeded on, Boneparte decided to bring up the topic.
"Say Sciurus, would you like to join me for dinner tonight? I figure we can do this once a week or possibly more, if finances permit." the meerkat suggested. "Marmont and Junot I'm sure would be pleased to dine with us, and I think it'll be good to get out and enjoy the life of Cosnair a bit while we still are capable of doing so. Would help pass the time as well, and would certainly give me a pleasant distraction from the novel I'm currently working on." he said, not wanting to revisit that tonight.
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Returns
Jun 23, 2012 18:49:24 GMT -5
Post by Carrow on Jun 23, 2012 18:49:24 GMT -5
"So you say, mate. I know neither of us have been in the best of places recently, but it means a lot to me that you're here. You're going through a rough patch right now, but I'm sure that it'll pass. I like to be able to support my friends, after all, and at least I can be there for you as well," Sciurus said with a smile. It was difficult to express the affection one felt for a close friend, and even more so when they were one of the only things that one had left in life, but he was doing his best; he was so grateful to have the meerkat around that sometimes he couldn't put that into words.
The rodent could be quite an articulate creature at times, but every now and then, mere words weren't enough, and actions spoke far louder. Talking was all well and good, but Sciurus had to admit that he would have feel better about the situation his friend was in if he'd been able to do more to help. He knew they were both doing their best to pawdle things as they currently stood, but he knew also that he needed to stick by him through thick and thin. If he couldn't deal with Boneparte when he was at his worst, then he didn't deserve him when he was at his best. That wasn't what friendship was about, and he knew that.
Sciurus caught the smile on his friend's face as he looked about the parlour, and even though he didn't know a similar thing was on his companion's mind, he was tempted for a moment to ask him if he'd felt like being slotted in for a session sometime soon. It was too late for him right now, and he didn't want to give the meerkat anything less than his best. Maybe he'd bring it up later, as Boneparte really did seem quite taken with his establishment.
As it stood, he was as of yet unaware of the plans Boneparte had for the rest of the night. The meerkat soon finished up with his perusal of the parlour, and the red squirrel chuckled at his encouragement. "Heheh, very well then! I have some more of the place to show you, but I don't want to sound like I'm freezing you out or anything, so feel free to ask any questions that cross your mind," he told his companion. The rodent exited the parlour, making for his study.
Boneparte had a proposal for him, and the rodent listened attentively, his tufted ears twitching slightly as he nodded. "Yes, of course! I would very much like for that to become a regular thing!," he exclaimed, tail rising into the air to indicate his pleasure. "As you'll know, I very much enjoyed the last time we were out together, and to be honest, I feel like I should start getting out more. I have to work a lot in order to save up money for this Constantinople trip, of course, but having to deal with all of that and being left with no time to myself just won't do," he murmured, shaking his head.
"So yes, I would rather like to do that tonight, though I hope it's not too short notice for your friends, unless, of course, they've already suggested this themselves," he said with a smile. "I'd have to get changed before I went out, of course, as I'm hardly going to be going to dinner in my plain work clothes after wearing them for the whole day, but that won't take too long, so yes, let's do that after I'm finished with the tour," the excited red squirrel told Bonaparte. He greatly enjoyed the company of the meerkat and his companions, and whilst it would be slightly different tonight without Louis present, he was still sure he could have a good time.
As they reached the entrance to his study, Sciurus was about to enquire about Boneparte's novel, but he stopped himself before any such words left his mouth. From the meerkat's reference to an evening out as a 'pleasant distraction' from said work, the squirrel guessed that he didn't exactly enjoy talking about it, so he carried on with the tour. Opening the door to his study, which he had been able to enlarge slightly whilst there had been work taking place in his parlour, he led Boneparte inside.
"Here is where I do the majority of my research. Hypnotherapy is an offshoot of psychology, of course, and as such, some of my reading sessions can be quite intense. I don't get anywhere near as much time as I'd like for them these days, as I'm working so much already, so I prefer to unwind with some other literature, though I rarely, if ever, do that in here, for as you can see..." He gestured to the walls of the study, and Boneparte could see that a lot of space was taken up by books already. "...there isn't as much room as I'd like, even if I did enlarge this room earlier this year as well," he said, smiling. "I do that upstairs in bed, instead, and usually at the end of the day."
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Returns
Jun 24, 2012 10:25:49 GMT -5
Post by Ladorak on Jun 24, 2012 10:25:49 GMT -5
"Grand! I'm looking very much forward to dining with you then!" Boneparte exclaimed happily, spreading his arms wide to indicate how pleased he was at hearing this from the squirrel. "Fantastic! It'll do us all some good, I think." the meerkat nodded enthusiastically, clearly showing an elevation in his mood now, even if it wouldn't last.
The meerkat was shown into the study next, and whistled at the amount of books in here. "Are some of these the previous owner's?" he asked aloud, looking about him. "Yes... quite a lot of books on a plethora of everything... I don't see much on literature though, but as you said, you read that mostly in bed." He glanced about him, entering the study and conducting a sort of counterclockwise turn as he gazed upon the shelves and shelves of books. "Wow..."
Something suddenly clicked in his mind, and he turned to look at Sciurus. "Say, Sciurus, do you like Ossian? I happen to love Ossian myself." the meerkat told the squirrel. "I just love the epics that he's written, and the tales of Fingal in particular have captured my imagination on more than one occasion. He's certainly a force to be reckoned with." the meerkat said, grinning. "I think in terms of plays though... well I detest Shakespeare, but then again, I'm not really a fan of Welkinite literature anyway. To them... they represent the absolute basest in anyone, and considering they were working with my mentor to sell Personza out, I... yech. I don't like Shakespeare." he said, shaking his head. "I do however like plays, though I think tragedies make for more powerful stories, and I tend to prefer them over comedies." he related to Sciurus.
As the squirrel responded, a particular beast approached the doorstep of the house and paused. He was young, around Boneparte's age, and was an energetic looking ring-tailed lemur. He was actually a very old acquaintance of Boneparte, going back with him even further than Marmont did, and had spied the meerkat and squirrel in the street, but initially, he couldn't believe his yellow eyes. It couldn't possibly be Boneparte Lantzer... or could it?
Having seen the two go into Sciurus's house, the lemur had waited a bit to see if they would reemerge, and when that did not occur, he decided to go for it and stepped up to the front door. He now knocked several times, wanting to see if he was right.
Boneparte's ears stood up at hearing the noise, and he glanced at Sciurus curiously. "Are you expecting anyone?" he asked.
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Jun 25, 2012 3:39:03 GMT -5
Post by Carrow on Jun 25, 2012 3:39:03 GMT -5
The squirrel smiled, glad to see Boneparte's enthusiastic response to his acceptance of the invitation to dine out. That was clearly something they were both looking forward to, and he was unable to keep from chuckling slightly when he saw the meerkat react to the sheer amount of books he had in his study. He nodded when the previous owner was brought up again. "The majority of them are; he'd lived here for quite a while before I even arrived in Cosnair, though I made plenty of additions to our collection as well.
"The whole lot is mine now, of course - and yes, my literature is upstairs. I keep a much smaller collection of such things, as I don't really have space to put anything else in. There are no spare rooms here; each one serves a purpose, and one can't just go dumping books wherever one likes, after all!" He smiled at his companion, eyes twinkling mischievously. "I like to have a sizeable collection, all the same, and I enjoy keeping up with things, though these days I'm just as likely to go out like a snuffed candle once in bed as pick up something to read!"
He chuckled again. Even though the rodent looked tired, he hadn't been losing sleep; instead, most nights he passed out almost instantly. His eyes lit up at the mention of Ossian. "Oh yes, indeed I do! He's one of my favourites. When it comes to literature, there's nothing I enjoy reading more than a good epic. Of course, it was the Greeks who turned that sort of storytelling into an art form quite a while back, and I love their work, though if you asked me what my favourite story from that period was, I wouldn't be able to tell you!"
Smiling, he nodded at the mention of Shakespeare. "I haven't read too many of Shakespeare's plays myself; I find myself drawn to the language used in those plays more than anything else. I've heard that his plays don't really come alive until one sees them performed, but as of right now I am in entirely the wrong country for that, so I may never know whether this is true! Yes, tragedies can be quite powerful, I agree. I'd have to say I prefer them to comedies, too, though there's a time and a place for both..."
Sciurus's ears perked up also when he heard the knock. He had been about to expand on the works of various prominent authors that he'd read, but the knock distracted his train of thought. The visit, whomever it was from, was rather sudden, but it wasn't so strange for such things to happen these days, as he found himself working later than usual in order to fund the planned move to Constantinople. Even still, he'd been out for a few hours already, so had called a halt to business proceedings quite a while ago. He shook his head when asked by Boneparte if he was expecting anybeast, his blue eyes widening to indicate that he was just as curious about this happening as his friend was.
"Can't say I am, no - I've left myself open for walk-in visits, though, as has become the norm for me at this time of night, so I should see whom exactly it is that's outside. They could have been here earlier, after all, whilst I was out, and could now be back, in the hope that I returned. Hmm, in that case, it could be something urgent." He frowned thoughtfully. "In any case, we shall soon get to the bottom of things!" Nodding decisively, he left the study and padded over to the front door.
Opening it, he smiled when his eyes met those of what appeared to be a lemur. The colourful creature's appearance caught the squirrel's eye almost immediately. This was not a creature he had met before. Was he perhaps a new client? The squirrel's appearance was that of a warm and friendly creature as he gently enquired as to the ring-tailed lemur's intentions. "Good evening. May I help you?," he asked cheerfully. "You may come inside if you wish."
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Jun 25, 2012 10:39:58 GMT -5
Post by Ladorak on Jun 25, 2012 10:39:58 GMT -5
"Don't mind if I do!" he said, moving past the squirrel now as he saw Boneparte standing behind Sciurus a bit. "Excuse me! But is that...? It IS!" the lemur exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear now. He spread his arms wide, and embraced the startled Boneparte, who was utterly shocked to see this particular fellow before him. "The prodigal lemur has returned!"
"Bourrienne?" Boneparte asked, completely disbelieving it. Letting out an expletive (he was from the "country" after all), the meerkat gasped as he embraced the lemur back. "It IS you! What... what are you doing here? I thought you were serving in Stuttgart! You were appointed to Wurttemburg, right? What... what are you doing back in Cosnair?"
"I could ask YOU the same question!" the lemur called Bourrienne pointed out. "I didn't think you'd ever be back here, given the length of time you spent in Personza."
"Right... right... well you first!" Boneparte said, at a loss for words at seeing his old friend here.
"WELL... I WAS at Wurttemburg for awhile. However, I found that somehow, instead of being assistant to the ambassador, I suddenly found myself placed on the list of emigres, and forbidden from returning to Rosferia."
"What? REALLY?" Boneparte asked incredulously.
"Yes... apparently being a diplomat equated to having emigrated, so I was considered a traitor for a time and had to reside in Stuttgart until after Dragonis's fall. When he was killed, I was finally permitted to return to Rosferia, which I did in... October or so of last year. I've gone back to the Bohemian lifestyle we both shared in '92, and here I am!"
"Wow... I NEVER thought I'd see you again to be honest! I've uh... well I've run into some trouble. I was going to be transferred to a post I didn't agree with, and I came here to protest it, that didn't go so well... and now here I am. Forcibly retired and on half-pay." the meerkat explained.
"I told you the military would screw you! I told you!" Bourrienne pointed out. "What did I say? And here I thought you were capable of worming your way out of those situations. You did it last time, after all."
"Well it's still the only profession I'm good at, and the only thing I want to work in." the meerkat responded, shaking his head and biting his lip. "Oh yes! Sciurus Whirlpaw, meet Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne, my perhaps first true friend here in Rosferia." He introduced the squirrel to the lemur now. "He and I go WAY back. We both went to school at Brienne, where I met him. He was probably my only friend there..."
"I was!" Bourrienne interrupted. "I defended him from all the other rabble and stuck up for him!"
"Yes well... I was viewed as a bumpkin from Personza who had a bad accent, and Bourrienne was one of the only ones to actually stand up for me and support me from the other bullies at school, and we became friends. The school was preparing us for a miliary education at the Ecole Militaire here in Cosnair, but Bourrienne decided he didn't WANT to go into the military, so he DIDN'T proceed to the Ecole with me after we graduated." He gave his friend a feigned hurt look. "Instead, HE went to Stratospheros to get his law and political diplomacy degree! Oh so important!" he said, playfully mocking his friend. Bourrienne waved him off, shaking his head.
"I of course went to the Ecole, and got commissioned into the artillery. We both met again when I was in Cosnair last time. He was trying to secure a job to a foreign court, and I was well... trying to get leave to go to Personza. We saw quite a lot of things that year... the storming of the King's palace TWICE being among the most memorable. We uh..." he laughed here as he thought of it. "We lived the Bohemian lifestyle, renting a bed in the basement of this fellow's house, and basically just getting into all sorts of mischief back then, though we did watch our finances of course."
"At any rate, that all came to an end when Bourrienne got a job in Stuttgart at the court of the Duchy of Wurttemburg. He was an assistant to our ambassador there."
"Not QUITE the prestigious post I was hoping for." Bourrienne added. "I WAS trying for Serline, in Gradvar, but I ended up with Wurttemburg instead." he said, sticking out his tongue.
"Yes well... we parted ways then, and I went back to Personza in September of that year, as you know. We lost track of each other and well... quite frankly I didn't think I'd EVER see him again!"
"I saw you walk into this house with this squirrel, and thought it was you, but wasn't sure. Now that I am... it's so good to see you again!" the lemur exclaimed happily. "And yes... Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne, at your service!" he bowed low before Sciurus, in the manner he'd learned while working in the court of Wurttemburg. "And how do you know Boneparte?" he asked, straightening up now.
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Jun 28, 2012 12:24:48 GMT -5
Post by Carrow on Jun 28, 2012 12:24:48 GMT -5
Sciurus nodded, stepping back to allow the lemur into his home. The squirrel was then treated to a rather rare sight indeed: that of Boneparte Lantzer being at a complete loss for words. He'd never known the meerkat to come up short when thinking of something to say, but even as he observed the two friends reuniting from a slight distance, he could see the completely stunned look on his companion's face. He already liked the look of the creature Boneparte was now calling Bourrienne, but he was going to hold his peace until the two had finished catching up.
He moved a little closer, a small lump in his throat as he listened to the pair speaking. Evidently, they went back quite a while, but the red squirrel was not sure how long that actually was, as of yet. He'd have to ask about it, provided neither of them told him first, but going by the fact that Boneparte had now relocated his voice and was talking up a storm with his old friend, he knew it'd probably come out sometime. The meerkat seemed in rather garrulous form now, and Sciurus was thankful for that.
However, he noted with concern the reaction Boneparte gave the lemur's opinion that the military had 'screwed' him. That head-shaking and lip-biting indicated a creature who wasn't entirely sure where he'd go next. Sciurus had been there before, and now he was trying his best to assist his companion, but maybe Bourrienne's reappearance could have the desired effect on Boneparte. Sciurus was still trying, but he didn't feel his efforts were enough on their own.
Nonetheless, he gave the ring-tailed lemur another warm smile when Boneparte introduced him to the newcomer, offering his paw. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir!," he said eagerly, their eyes meeting for a moment. It seemed to him that Boneparte picked his friends quite well, and the rodent felt honoured to be counted among them. He wasn't sure he'd do well admitting that to the meerkat right now, though, as he was worried he'd set himself off crying; he could get rather emotional at times, after all. Maybe when he felt more stable...
He nodded as, between them, the two friends outlined the tale of how they had met, what their lives had been like, and how they had gone their separate ways. The rodent could relate to Boneparte's trouble in school, as he too had stuck out for reasons he had been unable to help. It was a shame how those who were among the brightest in the class were often picked on for it. He was going to save talking for when they were done, as he was listening so intently to the pair, but was unable to get a word in edgeways, as it happened.
Sciurus chuckled slightly when he saw the lemur bow before him; he'd never seen anybeast do that with him before, and it was a little odd, but he enjoyed it all the same. "Delighted to make your acquaintance, as said, Monsieur Bourrienne," the squirrel replied politely. "I'm honoured to have such a creature as yourself in my home," he admitted. It was an honour for him to meet any creature who was good company, and the lemur was no exception.
"It's nice of you to ask me how I met Boneparte," he said softly. He hadn't gone into this story for a while. "We met briefly three years ago when he was in Cosnair. I am a hypnotist by trade, and one day who should happen to walk into my parlour than this meerkat right here!," he exclaimed, voice rising in pitch as he pointed to his companion. "He'd come to me suffering from stress, so I did what I could to help him out, and I'm pleased to report that my methods appeared to have quite an effect on him.
"He didn't stay in Cosnair for too much longer, and when he left for Personza that September, I didn't think I'd ever see him again. Sometimes I worried about him, and then, after certain events transpired here last year that had a massive impact on my personal life, I was almost certain he wouldn't return. Two years, after all, is a long time, depending on how one looks at it. A few weeks ago, however, our paths crossed once more last month, when we happened to be reunited near the Jardin des Tuileries, and since then we've been spending plenty of time together. I was overjoyed to have him back in my life, as I'm sure you can imagine," he told the lemur, his eyes sparkling.
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Jun 30, 2012 21:45:39 GMT -5
Post by Ladorak on Jun 30, 2012 21:45:39 GMT -5
"Ah, I see, I see." the lemur nodded, listening to the tale and taking it all in. "So it was through simple luck then... just as luck has managed to reunite us after all this time!" Bourrienne exclaimed happily, pleased to see his old school friend once more. "I was around three years ago too, but I suppose we never ran into each other in that time." he speculated aloud.
"No... Sciurus was more of a casual acquaintance back then, I suppose. As I was looking to get out of Cosnair as soon as I could, I didn't think I'd see him either myself once I'd departed. You left first, and then I finally got permission to join the Personzan militia and escort my sister back there. Having done so... yes... three years is a long time." he said, shaking his head. How in the hell had it been three years already? Where had 1792 gone? How was it already midway through 1795?
"You know what we need to do?" the lemur suddenly suggested. "We need to start making our rounds of the city! The only way for someone in our position to get anywhere is get into the parties of the wealthy and elite! They have parties almost every night, and it's free food and drinks! If we go around knocking on the doors of our fellow Cosnairians, we might just get invited in! You never know!"
"Well... I dunno... it seems like we'd be imposing or... something." Boneparte said uncertainly.
"Oh come on! We have nothing to lose at this point! If you manage to bend their ear, it could work to your advantage!" Bourrienne suggested. "You just never know who you might run into, or who may be behind that door!"
"Well..." the meerkat thought a moment.
"Come on!" the lemur persisted. "We have nothing else to do in our evenings!"
"That IS true... what do you think, Sciurus?" Boneparte looked over at his squirrel friend now to get his input.
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Post by Carrow on Jul 2, 2012 8:38:26 GMT -5
"You could say that, yes," Sciurus responded with a chuckle, smiling broadly at the ring-tailed lemur. "It could just as easily have never happened, but I wasn't to know that having him walk into my parlour and ask for a session would end up changing my life. A lot's happened since then, but even if unfortunate circumstances have thrown the two of us, and by extension, the two of you, back together, we can all be thankful that these things paid off," the rodent said gently.
He and Boneparte had had a lot of hard luck up til now, but the squirrel was determined that they would end up doing big things together. If the meerkat's transfer came through, he would look forward to a new life; if it didn't, Sciurus was going to stick it out. He didn't have any other choice, after all, certainly not any other option that would enable him to stay by his friend's side - that, above everything else, was most important to him. In fact, a lot of his other woes weren't as significant when set against things like that. The point was that he was still there.
"It would seem we did indeed miss each other back then, but it's certainly quite nice to be meeting you now, Monsieur Bourrienne," the squirrel said gently, before addressing his friend. "A lot's changed since then, but there never seems to be a dull day in Cosnair these days, and I find that oddly thrilling. Obviously, I have my job to attend to every day - yes, it's every day now as I literally can't afford to take weekends off like I'd been able to do in the past - but things continue to change around us even if we don't notice. Certainly wasn't like this where I lived in Mossflower," he remarked, smiling.
The red squirrel's tufted ears twitched inquisitively as he listened to Bourrienne outline his suggestion. Sciurus looked rather thoughtful for a moment, before speaking up. "Despite the fact that I share the same misgivings about possibly imposing upon, and thereby running the risk of incurring the wrath of, those creatures whom we decide to pay a visit, it would be a nice way for us to make some new acquaintances," he said, smiling. Fates knew he needed a few more. Having effectively cut himself off from the world for eight months, the rodent was prepared to take whatever he could get.
"I think you raise a good point as well, Monsieur Bourrienne. It could be a gateway to better things for both of us. I just hope I don't feel too self-conscious doing it, though," he admitted, blushing slightly. "I've never so much as brushed shoulders with any of the so-called wealthy and elite, whoever they may be. I'm a... rather humble creature at heart, and as well as this, I've kept myself to myself for quite a while, relatively speaking. A few close friends have been made in the last few months, but otherwise, that's been it.
"Hmmm...," he said ponderously. "I think I shall go along with your suggestion, Monsieur," he said politely. "I think the risks are outweighed by the rewards... though there IS the small matter of the fact that we were planning to go out for dinner with a few other friends of ours," he reminded Boneparte. "I don't mind either option, but just so I'm sure, which one would you like to do? We could of course involve our lemur friend in our plans either way," he remarked, smiling once more as he continued to weigh up his options.
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Jul 2, 2012 13:50:57 GMT -5
Post by Ladorak on Jul 2, 2012 13:50:57 GMT -5
"But that's the whole point!" Bourrienne emphatically stated. "We can't simply do nothing and let our fates be decided for us! The more people we meet, the better our chance of forming important contacts later on!"
Boneparte nodded, as he assumed there was really no helping this. Sitting and moping in his hotel all day whilst he occasionally worked on his novel was no way to live. He DID have to get out there and see what opportunities could be had.
"Oh? Dinner?" Bourrienne asked, smiling now. "Let's all go out to eat then! It didn't HAVE to be tonight, after all, and besides, many parties linger long into the morning hours, so we could always head out into the city streets after we dine. Nothing's stopping us from fitting both into one night after all!" It was clear that the lemur was rather excited by this idea, and his energetic enthusiasm was apparent.
"We'll make it a night out, then." Boneparte added, nodding. "In the meantime, Sciurus was going to show me the rest of his house, so if you're interested... perhaps we could all tour it together, then get ready to eat?" the meerkat suggested.
"Sounds good!" the lemur said, grinning. "I'm glad you agreed! I don't think either of you will be regretting this! Lead on, then!"
It was a few weeks later during a particularly sweltering July that they found themselves outside a particular salon. La Chaumiere was a massive residence designed to look like a simple cottage on the outside. It was the home of Jean-Lambert Tallien, the current President of the Convention and the one most responsible for Dragonis's downfall last year.
A big part of that had to do with his wife. Tallien had been assigned to the Bordeaux region of Rosferia to enforce the Reign of Terror. He had fallen hard however for the bewitching beauty of Theresa Carrabus, now Theresa Tallien. Through her influence, the Terror had been drastically scaled back in Bordeaux, and when Tallien had been recalled to Cosnair, Theresa had gone with him. She was a reactionary of course, being a former noblemammal's wife, but when Dragonis had arrested her as such, she convinced Tallien to launch his own play for power, and through him, Dragonis fell. Now he was head of the Convention, and had married Theresa in December of last year.
Theresa Tallien ran a salon of intellectuals that flaunted the new hedonistic atmosphere of Cosnair. Wild parties went on during the nights her husband worked late, and famous personages often dwelt behind her closed doors, enjoying the deeper pleasures that life had to offer.
As this was a night that Tallien was working late, Boneparte and his friends could hear the merriments and festivities taking place within the massive manor. So far they'd mostly met with little success in their attempts at getting invited in to various places. Sometimes they got lucky, but tonight would be vastly different. As the meerkat reached a tentative paw out, he took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.
Rapping five times upon the heavy wooden door, he shifted his weight from paw to paw as he waited patiently for any sign of stirring in their direction from within. Perhaps about ten seconds or so had elapsed before the imposing looking door was thrown open, and a portly looking binturong glared down at them. "What the hell do you want?" he demanded gruffly, squintng to see them in the dim light.
Boneparte's eyes widened though upon glimpsing just WHO this particular binturong was. Could it REALLY be him? "P-Paul Barras?" the meerkat stammered.
"And just how the hell... wait a minute..." squinting more, the binturong's eyes suddenly widened. "My god! Boneparte Lantzer!" he said, as if the breath had just been stolen violently from his lungs. The smell of alcohol was heavy on his breath, but it was clear he recognized the meerkat standing before him almost immediately. "Why it IS General Lantzer! What in the seven hells are you doing here?" he roared, but in a jovial manner. His arms spread wide, and he embraced the meerkat in a great bear hug, causing an "oooof!" from Boneparte as he rapidly exhaled from the squeeze.
"Hahahah! Come in! Get in here! Come in!" the one named Barras motioned for all of them with unsteady waves of his paws, evident of how much he'd been drinking tonight. Boneparte looked at his four friends, nodded, and moved into the household.
Inside, amid glowing candlelabras and shining chandeliers hovered scores and scores of beasts, all dressed up and mingling around food tables, or punch bowls, or talking amongst themselves in corners. "Hey Stanislas!" Barras called. "Stanislas! I know he's here somewhere, blast it all."
"Stanislas Freron? He's here too?" Boneparte asked, eyes widening even more.
"Yes, yes, the old devil. We'll track him down... he needs to see you now heheh... but my god... what are you doing in such shabby clothing? Your boots are all muddy... your jacket looks like it's been feeding moths for the past month or so!" he chuckled uproariously, unable to contain himself at the meerkat's rather dismal appearance.
"Er... well... I've been retired, Monsieur Barras."
"What? Retired?" huffed the binturong. "What nonsense is that?"
"Well that's why I'm here. I was being transferred to the Army of the West... but you know full well that I wouldn't serve out there if it was the last posting on earth. Instead, I tried to fight it... tried to show I'd been victimized by the likes of Lazare Carnot and the War Ministry... I mean many of THEM are brigadier generals of artillery, yet THEY aren't serving on the front lines after all! They're just getting fed off the pay a brigadier general's commission makes. Alas... I... couldn't sway them so... here I am. Half-pay and down and out."
Barras snorted. "Damn that Lazare Carnot! What does he know about anything?" Barras asked, narrowing his eyes. "Blast him, I say! He doesn't know his business! Well I suppose he DOES but... I can't believe he's treated you this way! You're the hero of Toulon, after all! I should know, I was there!"
Boneparte nodded, pursing his lips. "Ah yes... I completely forgot you were in Cosnair!" Barras had been one of the representatives at the Siege of Toulon, but had since returned to Cosnair and been nominated as part-time commander of the Army of the Interior, having been won over by the reactionaries in overthrowing Milton Dragonis. Barras had led the police force which had personally stormed the Hotel de Ville, taking Dragonis and his few remaining followers into custody last year. He was now one of the most powerful and influential beasts in Cosnair, though that was coupled with a very shady, amoral, cynical, and cheating nature. He was a known cardshark, and had no qualms about cheating at the table if he sensed his luck was about to change.
"Ah right... Sciurus, Auguste, Bourrienne, and Junot, may I present one of the representatives who was with me at Toulon. Paul Barras. The one who was instrumental in bringing Monsieur Dragonis to justice, I think."
Barras smiled, and offered his paw to each of them. "You're all lucky I was retrieving something from my coat when I heard the knock on the door. Otherwise... you might never have been let in here!"
"Paul? Paul?" the voice was female, and through the crowd appeared one of the most exquisite and svelte mongooses that Boneparte had ever laid eyes upon. Gazing upon her froze him in his tracks; stopped him cold on his paws. His heart raced a little as she glided up to attach herself to Barras, looping an arm about his. She was gorgeous, and from what he'd heard, this had to be Madame Tallien. She planted a firm kiss on Barras's cheek, and from the way she held him... he could only assume that Barras was carrying on an affair with her. Most likely secret... but knowing Barras, it didnt' surprise Boneparte in the slightest.
This somewhat repulsed him, as did her scanty dress. It was very... see-through, in some places, and while it did get his pulse pounding, he wasn't sure that being so openly promiscuous was really his thing. As a reserved gentlemammal himself, her appearance at once enchanted and attracted him yet at the same time repulsed him and made him wary. "Oh! Guests I see? My, my, look at his uniform!" Madame Tallien laughed lightly as she looked over Boneparte's ragged clothing. "Oh you poor dear... no don't worry, I'm not mocking you." she reached out and ran a paw over his arm comfortingly. "I'm Madame Tallien." she introduced herself, confirming his suspicions. "Welcome to my house. Feel free to mingle and eat. It's all 'free' after all." she waved her paw about her, and this had been what Boneparte and his friends had been looking for, after all.
He bowed, and kissed her paw, as any gentlemammal would. "Charmed, Madame Tallien. General Boneparte Lantzer, at your service. Thank you, for your generous hospitality." He looked behind him briefly. As Sciurus was the closest currently to him, Boneparte nodded at the squirrel now. "And this is Sciurus Whirlpaw, a good friend of mine."
"He has such a funny accent, Paul." Theresa mused, finding Boneparte's speech to be unusual and not Cosnairian at all.
"He's from Personza." Barras pointed out to her.
"Ah... a Personzan, I see." she said, smiling. She offered her paw now to Sciurus, being well versed in this, as she had originally been married to a noble, after all.
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Returns
Jul 3, 2012 13:30:45 GMT -5
Post by Carrow on Jul 3, 2012 13:30:45 GMT -5
Sciurus would have normally been dressed up to the nines for even the possibility of such an event as this, but as temperatures had soared in Cosnair in July, by the time for them to pay the salon their first visit had come around, the rodent was really feeling the heat. It was the sort of warmth that hung around even at night, so he kept things simple: white shirt, blue bow-tie, black trousers. This was the lightest outfit he had, and he'd been forced to choose it as he hadn't fancied overheating.
He'd changed into it after calling it a day slightly earlier than usual (he had worked eight-and-a-half hours, from 8am to 5pm with a half-hour break for lunch). After this, he'd met up with his usual retinue of Boneparte, Auguste, Bourrienne and Junot, and had gone along with the suggestion that they should visit La Chaumiere. The red squirrel was quite sure that there was more to it than met the eye, though he had been unable to keep from smiling when he'd been told that it was the home of Jean-Lambert Tallien.
That creature had been responsible for Milton Dragonis's downfall, and Sciurus owed him, and creatures like him, a debt of gratitude. He'd have been lying if he'd said he hadn't felt intensely vindicated when he heard that Dragonis had been guillotined, though at the time he had been too lost in his despair to notice much. He'd have to make an effort to try and speak to Tallien if he got the chance. There was also something else he was looking out for... something that had only recently begun to cross his mind once again.
Hopefully they got in. From one night to the next as they endeavoured to gain entrance to these gatherings, their fortunes could vary wildly. The best thing about them for Sciurus was that the rodent was being well and truly brought out of his shell, even if, for all the friends he'd been making recently, there were just as many who didn't give him so much as a second glance. That was the problem with the wealthy: they could often be rather snooty, and some nights the squirrel felt like he wasn't wanted.
They were taking chances, and not all of them were paying off. Initially, it looked like tonight was going to go the same way, and the rodent was unable to keep from visibly flinching when his meerkat companion's knocks were met with a gruff and dismissive response from a... binturong? The creature inside looked like one at least, and the squirrel hadn't seen one in the fur yet, so he reckoned he should just go with his instincts. Suddenly, though, it became clear that the binturong and Boneparte knew each other, and Sciurus let out a small sigh of relief.
It was clear that the binturong was under the influence of alcohol to some extent. Evidently such things flowed freely at gatherings like these, and Sciurus told himself he'd try to stay within his limits tonight, because he'd genuinely scared himself last year, drinking alone and often in an empty house. He flinched again as the creature who had now been introduced as Paul Barras enveloped Boneparte in a powerful hug. Sciurus was glad he hadn't been the recipient of that embrace; he liked hugs as much as the next beast, but not ones that were likely to leave him with some broken ribs.
He followed Boneparte and his other companions inside, listening as a creature named Stanislas Freron was mentioned. There was another creature he'd have to try and meet, if indeed he was about. Barras certainly seemed to think so. Boneparte filled the binutrong in on his recent troubles, and Sciurus was unable to keep from smiling at Barras's indignant response to Carnot's actions, Sciurus rather intensely disliked that mustelid, and he was glad there was somebeast else who shared his views.
He warmly shook Barras's paw as it was offered to him. "Absolutely delighted to meet you, sir! I, for one, am rather glad that you played your part in bringing Dragonis to justice. He got what he deserved, in the end, and I am quite thankful to everybeast involved in that," he admitted, voice softening slightly as he tried to keep his voice level; he still had trouble remaining composed when he spoke of that creature. "I'm also rather thankful to you letting us in here in the first place. Certainly looks like things are in full swing!"
Barras was soon joined by a mongoose whom Sciurus had to admit was stunningly beautiful. It came as little surprise for him to learn that she was Madame Tallien. The squirrel had thought for a moment that this would be the case, upon seeing her, and was glad to have his suspicions confirmed. Sciurus knew how to conduct himself properly around jills, as he could be quite charming when required (and even when not required, like when working in his parlour, but he wanted to make a good impression anyway, as there were times in the last few weeks when his efforts hadn't gone down as well as he'd hoped.
Like Boneparte before him, the squirrel bowed and planted a kiss upon the mongoose's paw. "Enchanté, Madame Tallien," he said gently, smiling at her as his blue eyes met hers. His French accent was far from perfect, but it could often be surprising what one picked up after living in a foreign country for more then a decade. "It's wonderful to make your acquaintance. I must say that your home is rather beautiful, a venue aptly suited to things like this. I rather like it here!," he exclaimed, smile widening.
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