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Gina Renaud | Mercedes Mondego ([info]justonefish) wrote in [info]bellumlogs,
@ 2010-07-06 15:44:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:count of monte cristo, mercedes mondego

Who: Xavier and Gina
What: "First meeting" (i.e. Gina has no clue and Xavier wants to shake her)
Where: Some place nearby that makes good cocktails
When: Friday June 25th at 7 PM
Warnings: Total obliviousness, angry thoughts, and possibly an inappropriate story or two.


By the end of her first week at Bellum Letale, Gina was exhausted. She had been at the hospital for more hours than she could count, juggling patients and the rumors of all this strangeness going on in her new home. Her time with Lucas since her arrival had been fairly limited, with both of them seemingly coming and going at all times. And so she felt a little bit guilty about abandoning him on their first Friday night in New York. However, it was important for her to know the men he dealt with. Lucas rarely included Gina in his work, which she didn't usually mind. But lately he had been so secretive that it was beginning to grate on her nerves. If she couldn't get answers from him, then she would simply have to befriend his newest associate and get answers from him instead. Besides, it was good form to be a supportive wife.

For a casual meeting, she wore a knee-length skirt with an asymmetrical hemline and a simple blouse. Her hair was straightened and styled nicely, and she put on just a dusting of "going out" makeup. She looked put together, pretty enough to please but not enough to distract. After picking up her purse, she left the apartment and took the elevator downstairs.

It stopped on the second floor and refused to budge, and so she walked the rest of the way down to the lobby. Once there, she stood quietly, glancing about the vacant room. It occurred to her that she didn't know what Xavier looked like, but it didn't quite bother her. Once she saw a man that seemed to be the appropriate age - i.e. not a child - she would ask if he was indeed the man she was looking for. If not? She'd just wait until the proper man did.



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[info]justonefish
2010-07-07 10:25 pm UTC (link)
"Isn't it?" Still giggling, she took another sip of her drink, shaking her head lightly. She knew it was probably mean to laugh about this, since really, it was terribly rude of her to do that to Lucas. But some things were hard to program yourself to do. When you loved a man so much that it consumed you once, it was very hard to forget it. Gina had trained her mind, but her body seemed to act on its own still. She'd have to have a word with it at some point.

"Oh good," she breathed when he said he didn't find her terrible. "I know it's an awful thing," she said with a shake of her head. "And I can't imagine how embarrassing it must be for a man, to hear that." Realizing she was getting away from herself, she stopped, resting a few fingers over her lips with a giggle. "Oh! I think I've had just a little much," she said sheepishly.

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[info]whatbefell
2010-07-08 04:27 am UTC (link)
He continued to shake his head, far too amused by her own laughter to say anything more. If he didn't have time contraints, lies, and the simple fact that he was supposed to be dead, he'd lean across the table and explain things then. But he stopped himself, with a wry smile, reaching for his drink to take another sip.

"You have," he admitted. "But don't worry, I won't tell Lucas if you won't." The smile was conspirational, as he gestured towards her partially eaten salad. "Eat. It'll absorb some of the alcohol."

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[info]justonefish
2010-07-08 10:47 am UTC (link)
When he pledged not to tell Lucas about this terrible slip-up, she smiled, nodding. "Thank you," she said, picking up her fork. "I feel so silly, I can't believe I got giggly like this on our first meeting." Her cheeks burned with embarrassment as she took a bite of her salad. Just as she opened her mouth to apologize again, she paused, nose wrinkling slightly. "I should probably just stop talking, huh?"

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[info]whatbefell
2010-07-08 03:31 pm UTC (link)
He didn't move to take his fork - there wasn't any need to eat anymore and she hopefully wouldn't notice. "No, it's charming," he said honestly. "Most of my conversations revolve around interest rates and returns. It's a nice change."

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[info]justonefish
2010-07-08 03:40 pm UTC (link)
Eating a bit more of her salad, she looked over at him. Though her second drink was still half full, she had decided not to finish it. After all, if she had any more, who knew what she might tell him? It was already wildly inappropriate that she had told him about a problem she and Lucas had in bed. Knowing the way this was going, if she grew any more inebriated, she'd start doling out casual sex advice to strangers as they passed.

"Well, I'm just glad that I haven't utterly repulsed you," she said with a sheepish smile. "I promise that I have many other stories that aren't quite so...risque." Chewing on a piece of tomato, she absently noted that those were clearly the more boring ones. But she wasn't about to tell him that.

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[info]whatbefell
2010-07-08 06:59 pm UTC (link)
"You'd have to do much more than that to make me repulsed," Xavier said with a smirk. The waiter approached but Xavier held up a hand before he reached their table. They were fine and didn't need anything else. Definitely not.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Is that an offer to share some more then?" He paused then ducked his head. "Forgive me, if I seem too eager to hear about you."

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[info]justonefish
2010-07-08 07:35 pm UTC (link)
She shouldn't have taken such politeness to be real, but his assurances made her smile. "Well, thank you," she said, spearing another forkful of her salad and eating it.

At his question and apology, she giggled, shaking her head. "No, no, it's fine!" she said, nodding. "Really. It's good for us to know each other. You'll be working closely with Lucas, so I don't want to be a stranger to you." She smiled. "I've heard so many horror stories about the terrible, nagging business wife. I'd hate to turn into one!" She decided not to mention that she had met quite a few of them in person, and that they were just as horrible as the stories suggested.

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[info]whatbefell
2010-07-08 07:46 pm UTC (link)
Xavier leaned back in his chair, hands resting on the arms as he listened to her prattle on. He'd have been content to say that way forever and was glad she seemed to not be wary of him. Most of those "business wives" were - or they tried to pull him into a closet. "You're not at all, I can assure you. If you start acting like one though, I'll warn you. How's that?"

The fact that she said know each other though wasn't too reassuring. He didn't have many anecdotes as Xavier and didn't feel like sharking them. Usually he twisted ones from his own past, making them work with his own backstory.

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[info]justonefish
2010-07-08 07:56 pm UTC (link)
At his offer, she giggled, nodding. "I'd like that," she said. "It's always good to have somebody around to keep you in check." She tried to do that for Lucas. There were good things about him, sure. But his ego often got in the way, and he had this nasty habit of going after weakness when it would be better to just leave well enough alone. She tried her best to temper him, but it wasn't always easy.

"If you don't have somebody that isn't afraid to tell you the truth, then you'll never know about your own faults. Will you?" Smiling, she ate another forkful of her salad, slowly beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol subsiding slightly.

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[info]whatbefell
2010-07-08 08:12 pm UTC (link)
No, Xavier didn't intend to tell the truth. He couldn't and wouldn't - not until the proper time came. Lucas would know, every last detail by the time Xavier was finished with him - and his name would be the last thing he'd hear when he died. His real name. Gina, the more time he spent with her, he wasn't sure on. Did he have to take revenge on her?

He wasn't sure anymore and that disturbed him. He reached for his drink, taking another sip with a grimace. Another moment and the glass was empty and he looked up at her, smiling but it didn't reach his eyes. "Will I what?"

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[info]justonefish
2010-07-08 09:03 pm UTC (link)
His question made her pause a moment, unsure of what he meant. When she realized, she shook her head. "It was rhetorical," she said with a smile. "Sorry, I didn't word it very well. I meant, you really won't know your own faults if you don't have people around that are willing to point them out." She shrugged, finishing off her salad and laying the cutlery down on the clean plate. "It's just an observation, really." She shrugged.

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[info]whatbefell
2010-07-09 04:25 am UTC (link)
That made more sense. Xavier shook his head, an embarassed smile settling on his face. "No, my fault entirely. I'm just caught up in talking to you. That's all." The truth.

Noting her clean plate, Xavier looked over his shoulder to the waiter. A motion of the hand and he set off to get a menu. "Did you want dessert?"

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[info]justonefish
2010-07-09 09:20 am UTC (link)
His comment brought a genuine smile to her face. "Awww!" she said, tilting her head slightly to the side. "I'm sorry to distract you," she said, smile splitting into a large grin. "I'll do my best not to in the future."

The question of dessert made her shake her head. "No, thank you." Mixing sweets with alcohol had never done well for her stomach. If she had gotten tipsy enough to spill about saying Edward's name in bed, she had had too much for dessert. "I'm all set."

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[info]whatbefell
2010-07-09 07:27 pm UTC (link)
"Feel free," he said honestly. Another motion of his hand and the waiter came with the bill instead. Xavier passed his credit card back with a nod, before looking back to Gina. He couldn't help but smile at her. "I hope I didn't bore you too badly."

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[info]justonefish
2010-07-09 09:25 pm UTC (link)
As he paid the bill quickly, she looked over at him with a genuine smile. "Thank you," she said. It was so kind of him to pay, and she really was thankful. Pushing her plate away and piling her napkin on top to make life easier for the waitstaff, she paused as he expressed hope that he hadn't bored her.

"Bore me?" she asked incredulously, eyes widening. "How could you bore me?" Honestly, she looked shocked. "You're far from boring, Xavier. No, I'm afraid I've bored you with all my giggling and carrying on." She giggled again despite herself, shaking her head. "No, no, I've had a wonderful time. Thank you very much."

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[info]whatbefell
2010-07-09 09:36 pm UTC (link)
He pushed his chair back once the bill was taken care of, slipping his wallet into a coat pocket. There wasn't any restraint of his smile towards her as he motioned to the way out. "I'm glad I didn't."

"You haven't, I assure you." The lack of lies in this continued to astound him. It wasn't often that he had a chance to be this honest - and how ironically so. "You're very welcome," he said, gesturing towards the door. "Shall we head back?"

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[info]justonefish
2010-07-09 09:59 pm UTC (link)
She stood as he did, only needing to place a hand on the back of her chair for a moment to steady herself. Once on her feet, she was fine, shouldering her purse and moving to his side. "Oh good," she breathed with relief.

The invitation to go back to Bellum was met with a smile and nod. "Absolutely," she said, walking with him out of the dining area and out onto the street. The night was still quite warm, and she was comfortable as they walked along the street. "Well that was lovely," she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I've had a great time."

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[info]whatbefell
2010-07-09 10:23 pm UTC (link)
Xavier nearly moved to give her an arm, but stopped himself. That would be too familiar and a line he couldn't and wouldn't cross. Pulling Gina from Lucas was a possibility - one that made more sense with each time he talked with Lucas - but he wouldn't do it by seducing her. Not himself or by anyone else. Poisoned words would do well enough.

She seemed fine though and he kept a steady, easy pace as they walked back. "I'm glad," he said, giving her a grin. "Next time we'll have to bring Lucas along." Throw her off track, though it was one of the last things he wanted to do. Being around his old friend left a sour taste in his mouth.

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[info]justonefish
2010-07-09 11:02 pm UTC (link)
The weather was perfect for walking, and she found herself slowing her pace just slightly so they could spend more time on the trip back. "Oh yes, definitely," she replied with a nod. "That'd be great." And she meant it, for the most part. Being around Lucas when he was paired with his business buddies was usually alright, but she knew that she was often there just to look nice. Xavier, however, didn't seem like that at all.

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[info]whatbefell
2010-07-09 11:07 pm UTC (link)
He slowed his pace as she did, not wanting to rush her. Going back wasn't that appealing either. "Excellent, we'll have to set a date then." His tone was casual, though his smile at her began to grow a little wistful. Like old times then - except Gina would be on Lucas' arm instead of his own.

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[info]justonefish
2010-07-09 11:19 pm UTC (link)
"Great," she said with a smile. "My hours should be more flexible now that a lot of the emergency patients are either finishing their recovery or already home." Shaking her head, she sighed. "And I'll be doing a real orientation now." She glanced up at him, giggling. "I was just thrown in there a few hours after my plane landed, I don't think I know where anything is in that hospital." She wasn't sure why that was funny, but it was.

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[info]whatbefell
2010-07-09 11:28 pm UTC (link)
They neared the building and Xavier moved a bit faster in order to get the door for her. "My schedule is pretty free as well. Finding a time shouldn't be that hard for all of us." He laughed as she did, lightly. "I'm sure that's not true."

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[info]justonefish
2010-07-09 11:37 pm UTC (link)
"Then we should be able to do this soon!" she chirped, all positivity. As he got the door for her, she smiled. "Thank you," she said, sweeping inside and crossing the lobby towards the elevator. "Oh it is," she said with a chuckle. "Whenever possible, I asked somebody else to get things for me while I stayed with the patients."

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[info]whatbefell
2010-07-09 11:39 pm UTC (link)
Xavier followed her inside, letting the door shut behind them. As she moved to the elevator he raised a brow. "It doesn't work that well, you know." Just another quirk of the building.

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[info]justonefish
2010-07-09 11:49 pm UTC (link)
"Doesn't it?" she asked, blinking. "Oh." Frowning, she looked up at the stairs. "I suppose we should take the stairs then, huh?" When he didn't disagree, she shouldered her purse and began to climb. "How long has the elevator not worked?" she asked. It couldn't have been broken long. Surely they'd have gotten it fixed if it had broken a while ago.

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(no subject) - [info]whatbefell, 2010-07-09 11:51 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]justonefish, 2010-07-09 11:59 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]whatbefell, 2010-07-10 12:26 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]justonefish, 2010-07-10 12:32 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]whatbefell, 2010-07-10 12:43 am UTC

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