InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "MOAR ASYLUMS"

Michael B. Gustavson (bonjour_benoit) wrote in la_vie_rpg,
@ 2008-07-10 19:10:00

Off to the party
Who: Michel OT Hans
When: July 10, roughly 5:00pm
Where: Outside the Théâtre de Benoit, on the road
What: Hans picks Michel up for the dinner party

Michel stood outside the theater, leaning up against the doors while he waited for Varner to show up. He didn't know what type of dinner party this was, how formal he needed to dress, so he played it safe with a favorite black suit, crisply ironed by Adélaïde. The single-button jacket was cut a tad long, and the pants mildly loose to allow movement. He disliked wearing ties, preferring to allow one shirt button to be open, but he wore one; he'd allowed Adélaïde that much. She had selected a solid deep wine colored one.

He glanced at his watch - it was nearly 5:00pm. Hans should arrive any moment. Michel briefly wondered what type of car he'd be driving when he heard a loud rumbling noise coming from around the corner to his right.

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heil_hans
2008-07-10 09:33 pm UTC (link)

Hans pulled around the corner, driving a German-issue motorcycle with sidecar. He had a combat helmet on his head, and his long green officer's coat over a suit. That he looked somewhat ridiculous in this getup had not occurred to him. He'd been somewhat moody about riding the cycle again - but once he'd hit the open road, he'd remembered all the things he'd loved about it.

A wide smile was on his face as he pulled up to park in front of the theater.

"Benoit! Good evening- are you ready?"

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bonjour_benoit
2008-07-10 09:40 pm UTC (link)

Michel turned his head as the motorcycle came around the corner, and he watched as Varner pulled up to a stop in front of him. He tilted his head, eying the set-up in front of him.

"You do realize how ridiculous you look, right?" he asked, smiling a little. He shook his head. "One moment, I need to grab my overcoat." He turned and unlocked the theater doors, leaning inside to grab his coat off the rack just inside. He relocked the doors, double checking them before he turned and began walking towards the motorcycle.

"Adélaïde just ironed this suit, she would kill me if I rode in a motorcycle without something over it," he said, pulling the jacket on as he walked. He buttoned it, and stepped around to the sidecar. He climbed in, adjusting his suit and coat as he did. He did not want to get on Adélaïde's bad side.

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	heil_hans 2008-07-10 09:50 pm UTC (link)
	Hans chuckled. "It is difficult to ride a motorcycle without appearing just a little bit absurd." He was in a good mood tonight. He waited patiently for Benoit to settle into the sidecar, and offered "You may wish to hold on, however - I am not a very experienced driver and it has been several months since I last rode this." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bonjour_benoit 2008-07-10 09:58 pm UTC (link)
	Michel paused while buckling the helmet he found on the floor of the sidecar, then looked up at Varner. "I am immensely looking forward to this experience," he deadpanned as he finished buckling the helmet. "Onward, my friend." He gestured toward the road, then quickly grabbed the sides of the car as the motorcycle lurched forward and into the street. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	heil_hans 2008-07-10 10:01 pm UTC (link)
	Hans, after a bit of a false start, got the motorcycle going again. He liked to drive fast, and did not always avoid the potholes in time making for a somewhat bumpy ride. At least he didn't have to turn yet. "What do you think of my Frollo?" he asked, indicating the motorcycle with a pat that caused him to swerve slightly. "A beautiful machine, yes?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bonjour_benoit 2008-07-10 10:06 pm UTC (link)
	Michel gripped the sidecar until his knuckles were white, and he had a feeling he wouldn't be letting go until they arrived at their destination. "Frollo? You named your motorcycle Frollo? As in Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame?" He paused. "An interesting choice." Germans are strange - naming a motorcycle? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	heil_hans 2008-07-10 10:30 pm UTC (link)
	"I did not name it," Hans said, his grip on the handlebars tightening slightly. "My... friend did, before he went away. We went for a ride, and he said it was a fitting name." He fought the urge to say more - he was already saying perhaps too much. He hadn't meant to tell Benoit about Marie-Pierre at all. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

bonjour_benoit
2008-07-10 10:39 pm UTC (link)

Out of the corner of his eye, Michel saw Varner's grip on the handles tighten more than was strictly necessary for the turn they had just completed. He made a mental note of it, and the tone used to mention his friend. Now was not the time to ask of such things - he had no great desire to die in a fiery wreck this evening.

"I do not understand the compulsion to name inanimate objects," he said instead. "Jean-Gaspard has all his tools named, and you must refer to them by name if you want to use them. It's quite an odd feeling to refer to a mallet as Louis rather than mallet."

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heil_hans
2008-07-10 10:52 pm UTC (link)

Hans laughed. "Louis? Hah! What does he call the pliers?"

He tried to recall the direction to Jackie's house from here- he'd studied the address on the invitation and his map of the city, but the streets all looked the same at night.

Was it right or left up ahead? At the last moment he decided left with a rather too-sharp turn. "Sorry," he said, flashing an apologetic smile.

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	bonjour_benoit 2008-07-10 10:55 pm UTC (link)
	Michel's grip tightened as they took the turn way too sharply, and he struggled for a moment before replying. "The pliers? They are called Odette, and they are the only tool with a feminine name." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

heil_hans
2008-07-10 11:02 pm UTC (link)

Hans chuckled at that. "That makes a certain amount of sense, that this is a female tool. When I lived in Berlin, before the war- I worked with a Russian who treated his tools with great affection like that..."

For some reason, the ride was making him chatty. The alarm sounded in his brain, warning him that this was dangerous territory, but he ignored it for once. "I think this must be a trait in those who are gifted with such ability."

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	bonjour_benoit 2008-07-10 11:08 pm UTC (link)
	"Perhaps," he conceded, "although none of my other stagehands do such things." He paused. "At least not publicly. Who knows what they do in private. It bears not contemplation." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	heil_hans 2008-07-10 11:10 pm UTC (link)
	"I read your story," Hans commented suddenly, as he took a right - a bit easier this time. "Twice, in fact." He stole as much of a glance as he was able to without crashing to see what Benoit thought of that. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bonjour_benoit 2008-07-10 11:15 pm UTC (link)
	"Twice? My goodness, I suppose that means you enjoyed it. However did you manage to survive?" he asked with a slightly teasing tone and a bit of a smile. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	heil_hans 2008-07-10 11:22 pm UTC (link)
	Hans laughed. Yes, he deserved that teasing- he'd been in a terrible mood lately. Tonight though, some of the dark clouds that had surrounded him since the shooting were lightened. "With great difficulty I assure you," Hans said in mock-seriousness. "I nearly expired." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bonjour_benoit 2008-07-10 11:27 pm UTC (link)
	"Well, we can't have that. I shan't give you anymore happy stories - only sad ones, out of concern for your health and safety." It was good to see Varner laugh for once. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	heil_hans 2008-07-10 11:32 pm UTC (link)
	"Ach, no- I can take it," Hans insisted. "What does not kill makes for a stronger heart, yes? This will help me recover from my terminal sadness." That part, at least, was serious. Something about reading the story had put him in a better mood- it was a good story, and the ending though fictional, was fitting. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bonjour_benoit 2008-07-10 11:37 pm UTC (link)
	He gave a mock bow, keeping one hand firmly attached to the sidecar. "Only if you think you can take it, mon Herr. I would hate to accidentally aggravate your wound." He looked around. The street names did not look familiar. "Not to malign your navigational skills, mon Herr, but are you quite certain of where we're going?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	heil_hans 2008-07-10 11:44 pm UTC (link)
	"Of course I am sure, this is just the scenic way," Hans assured him. Scheiße He attempted a discrete U-turn by taking a series of turns to get them going in the opposite direction. "Just look at that amazing architecture." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bonjour_benoit 2008-07-10 11:48 pm UTC (link)
	"The architecture of my city, as lovely as it is, will not distract me from noticing that you just turned around," Michel noted with a smile. "Where is the dinner? I shall attempt to steer us back on track." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	heil_hans 2008-07-10 11:51 pm UTC (link)
	Hans sighed. Benoit did not fall for his clever ruse. "Reach into my coat pocket," Hans said. "The one close to you - there is the invitation, if you can read the address in this light." Perhaps he had the street wrong as well. It was entirely possible. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bonjour_benoit 2008-07-11 12:01 am UTC (link)
	Michel pulled out the invitation as instructed, then held it up so the light fell on it better. "This is near Notre Dame, how do you get lost going to Notre Dame? You merely head for the river." He shook his head in mock consternation. "Turn right at this boulevard, and follow it across the river." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	heil_hans 2008-07-11 12:07 am UTC (link)
	Chagrined, Hans did as he was instructed in silence. Once they were across the river, he glanced over at his companion in the sidecar. "Ah, forgive- I was talking and not thinking of my directions. From now on, you are our designated navigator." That this implied there would be other such rides he chose not to dwell on. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bonjour_benoit 2008-07-11 12:10 am UTC (link)
	"Wise, seeing as how I am a native Parisian, and you are, shall we say, a tourist," he said with a grin. "Turn right here, on Saint-Germain. Two streets, then turn right again." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	heil_hans 2008-07-11 12:19 am UTC (link)
	Hans laughed, his good mood still prevalent. "A poor tourist, it would seem, that I cannot even find the river. I assure you I have been there before! Many times." He followed the directions carefully, not wanting to get them lost again. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

bonjour_benoit
2008-07-11 12:26 am UTC (link)

Michel laughed. It was nice to see Varner in a good mood. Such a change from their first meeting, and that day at the theater.

"Up here, on the left."

After the motorcycle rolled to a stop and sputtered off, he clambered out of the sidecar, tucking the invitation in his coat pocket before unbuttoning it and withdrawing a box of chocolates, something just big enough for a decent sized dinner party to have one.

"Given your atrocious education in French ways, I figured you would not have known to bring something for the hostess."

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heil_hans
2008-07-11 12:34 am UTC (link)

Hans winced. "I knew there was something I had forgotten. I have been distracted these past few days- the theater, and the stories... I blame you, Benoit."

He smiled, and took off his helmet to place it in the sidecar along with his coat. He trusted that no one would have the audacity to steal either.

He ran a hand through his hair in case it was flatted from the helmet. "Do I look presentable?" he asked.

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	bonjour_benoit 2008-07-11 12:41 am UTC (link)
	Michel tossed his helmet into the sidecar as well. "I will fully take the blame for distracting you from life's minutiae," he said. "You look presentable enough." Michel took off his coat and draped it over his arm, and smoothed his suit jacket. He gestured towards the door with his free arm. "Let us eat, drink, and be merry." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	heil_hans 2008-07-11 12:49 am UTC (link)
	"Good plan," Hans said, and made his way to the door. He took a deep breath before knocking and trying to seem collected. (Reply to this) (Parent)