Tweak

InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Anxiety is freedom."

Gina Renaud | Mercedes Mondego (justonefish) wrote in bellumlogs,
@ 2010-07-21 10:58:00

Entry tags:

count of monte cristo, fernand mondego, mercedes mondego

Who: LXG! (Lucas, Xavier, and Gina)
What: Dinner
Where: D2
When: Wednesday at 6
Warnings: Xavier's thoughts will most likely be more violent than 300, both Kill Bill movies, and Natural Born Killers smashed together.

Gina had been having an odd day. The night before, she had woken up in confusion after a dream that she still couldn't figure out. Edward was, of course, dead. She knew that. She had come to accept it. Despite the fact that she hadn't seen him for ten years prior, it had still been so hard to come to terms with the fact that he was truly dead. At the hospital, she had been a zombie. She went through the motions and did her job, but there was little heart in it. Though she considered telling Lucas a few times simply to get it out of her head, she didn't dare. After all, he always got so resentful whenever she mentioned Edward.

Luckily, they were going to have dinner with Xavier that night. It was a welcome distraction from the thoughts in her head, and it was nice to be able to put all her focus into something positive. By the time six o'clock had rolled around, the table was set with three places and several plates of food. Oven-baked chicken with a teriyaki glaze seemed like a good way to go, along with boiled potatoes, a veg medley, and oven-warmed bread. Pleased with the spread, Gina ducked into the bathroom to touch up her hair as she heard a knock at the door.

"Lucas!" she called, standing in front of the mirror and fussing with an obnoxious cowlick. "Lucas, honey, can you get the door?"

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whatbefell
2010-07-22 12:06 am UTC (link)

Xavier looked up, barely hiding a glare at Lucas for being so callous to her. For God's sake, if he had to take her - couldn't he treat her nicely? "It's excellent, Gina. Perfectly moist." He didn't know and didn't care as he still hadn't eaten anything, but he'd say anything to appease her.

He picked at his chicken, taking a bite - it was a tad dry, but again, he didn't care. Lucas' question surprised him and immediately he thought it was a trap. "I've never left England before coming to the States," he lied. "I've always wanted to go though."

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justonefish
2010-07-22 12:10 am UTC (link)

Lucas' reply silenced her, and her gaze fell to her plate without another word. She offered Xavier a small smile at his comment, simply nodding.

At Lucas' question, she glanced to Xavier, taking a sip of her white wine. At least that was excellent. She glanced to Xavier, smiling very faintly. "It's quite nice," she said. "I would recommend it. The countryside, though. Paris is a bit much for me."

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charmed_lies
2010-07-22 12:15 am UTC (link)

"The small port cities were always my favourite. Our visit there felt like I was coming home." He lifted his glass of wine and took a small sip, setting the glass down carefully and turning back to his meal.

Lucas could feel the way his heart quickened, an uncomfortable, tense feeling settling through him. There was no way that Xavier could be Edward; they looked and sounded nothing alike. And if they had been... Gina would have noticed. She would have said something, wouldn't she?

He gave a sidelong glance towards her wife, catching that faint smile that she gave Xavier, and his hand tightened around the handle of his knife for a small moment. Perhaps they had already talked. They already knew something and they were hiding it from him. It would explain the tension, the little looks they threw one another.

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whatbefell
2010-07-22 12:21 am UTC (link)

He nearly laughed again as they said what they'd liked. Of course Xavier had been to France - had purposefully avoided Marseille and Paris, instead visiting Bordeaux and Nice. It made sense with the fables - far too much sense. He swallowed the laughter down, along with a gulp of the very good wine. "I'll have to visit sometime."

Something unsettled him with the silence and the looks Lucas was giving. His hand gripped his fork more tightly as he ate more of the slightly-dry chicken. Change of subject such as- "How are those dreams treating you?" He winced as he immediately asked it. Fucking moronic.

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justonefish
2010-07-22 12:25 am UTC (link)

"You should," Gina said softly. "It's a great trip to make."

Swallowing a lump of potato, she instantly felt it stick in her throat. Coughing, she covered her mouth with a hand until she forced it down, looking about sheepishly. "Excuse me," she said. Dreams. They didn't need to talk about dreams. She could still feel Edward behind her, whispering in her ear as he showed her the cell where he died. She remembered the look on his face when he proclaimed Lucas a monster, and the harried panic that had consumed the dream's end.

Saying nothing on the matter, she merely took another sip of wine. This was going worse than the time her father had tried to feed her youngest sister, at age seven, whiskey.

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charmed_lies
2010-07-22 12:33 am UTC (link)

There was a loud CLANK as Lucas abruptly slammed down his silverware, settling an icy look on Xavier the minute the topic had left his lips. "I think I'm going to go take a walk. Go on. Finish dinner without me. I'm sure I won't be missed."

He made a show of wiping his mouth and folding his napkin, laying it over the meal he had barely touched before pushing his chair back and rising to his feet. The last of his wine was consumed, barely tasting the delicate white that deserved to be appreciated, and Lucas strode away from the table, the anger practically rolling off of him in tangible waves.

Not another word was said as he grabbed his keys from the small table near the door, the door slamming in his wake, leaving him to stand out in the hallway in front of D2, breathing hard, feeling suddenly faint. This was not going well. Not going well at all. Something was dreadfully wrong and the two of them?

They were in on it together. People didn't give looks like that unless they knew something.

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whatbefell
2010-07-22 12:38 am UTC (link)

Both of them were unsettled by the mention of them. Xavier held his breath as Lucas walked off, not saying anything until the door was slammed. He shut his eyes, not looking to Gina and started breathing again.

It had been Lucas in his dream and he'd been unsettled by it - it was the only solution. He couldn't know Xavier was Edward - he wouldn't leave him alone in here, would he? Hopefully that was writen off, hopefully he was scared, hopefully his act had been a lie and what he'd said about creating him wasn't true.

His eyes rose to look at Gina, pausing before saying, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin your dinner."

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justonefish
2010-07-22 12:40 am UTC (link)

When Lucas rose, Gina flinched visibly. "Lucas," she said as he turned to leave, though she didn't go after him. When he was angry, it was best to stay out of the way. Going after him in this state would be asking for trouble. Biting her lower lip, she looked to Xavier with a sigh.

"It isn't your fault," she said quietly, doing her best to hide the anger, fear, and utter confusion churning inside her. "Sometimes these things just happen."

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whatbefell
2010-07-22 12:53 am UTC (link)

Xavier pressed his lips together, fiddling with his fork before letting it fall. "The building has everyone on edge," he said, taking a deep breath. He stared at her for a long moment, before looking to the door and if Lucas would come back.

He couldn't - he couldn't not take advantage of this moment to make sure. "Gina, I know this is the worst timing. But I have to ask - I've had some strange dreams here as well." Not a lie and it was the best cover. "I wanted to ask you two as you...are those I trust in the building." Far from it. He looked back to her, expression shaky. "But have you had any?"

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justonefish
2010-07-22 12:56 am UTC (link)

At his question, her eyes widened. She should have lied. She should have said "no" and just left it at that. But she couldn't. Xavier seemed like a nice person, and he had taken Lucas' outburst in such stride. Despite the tension in this dinner, he had proved himself to be a man of good character. Especially since he seemed to be the only person in the room willing to tell her the truth, she at least owed him the same respect.

"Yes, actually," she said, fighting to stay composed. "I have." She looked to him, taking a sharp breath to steady herself. "Do you really think it's the building behind all of this?"

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whatbefell
2010-07-22 01:14 am UTC (link)

Xavier didn't know what he felt about that. He was torn - had it been that dream with him then or something else? Was this a good thing or bad? Jesus, he'd given too much away at the end - she knew he was alive...

"I do," he said, taking a deep breath. Looking to her he went on, "I believe in what's happened around the building. I've seen enough of it to believe it. I wouldn't be surprised if dreams were a part of it as well." Xavier paused before venturing. "Can I ask what yours was...about?" He added quickly, "I'd understand if it was personal. I'd like to know if there's some rhyme or reason to this - that's all. And to get a decent night of sleep again." The weak smile he gave her didn't reach his eyes.

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justonefish
2010-07-22 01:41 am UTC (link)

Though she was slowly having to face the madness that happened in Bellum Letale, Gina was still having a hard time really accepting it. After all, magic stories and pixie dust didn't happen in real life - it just couldn't. However, Xavier seemed reasonable, and if he thought there was credence to it... She couldn't finish that thought.

"I guess that makes sense," she said quietly. It didn't make sense at all. But his question made her stiffen. She looked to him, eyes wide. "I...I'm not sure if there is," she said carefully. "And it was personal. Very personal." She frowned, looking down at her plate. "Do you remember my fiance, that I told you about? Edward? It was about him." She sucked in a sharp breath. "I dream about him all the time, but...this was different. I'm not sure I'm comfortable going into further detail but...there is a difference."

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whatbefell
2010-07-22 01:45 am UTC (link)

Xavier exhaled and slowly nodded. It had to have been him, it had to have been her... He tried to ignore the prickling feeling behind his eyes. It had to be true then. She'd written him, she hadn't known, she'd seen him at the trial...

Oh Gina.

"That's fine," he said, a weak smile offered to reassure her. There was a long pause, before he added carefully, "He seemed to matter a lot to you when you spoke of him."

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justonefish
2010-07-22 01:54 am UTC (link)

Just thinking about it made her want to break down and cry. Maybe this building was prophetic? Maybe it was trying to tell her something. Or maybe she knew all along, and it was just nudging her along. But if that was true, then-

Could Lucas have done it?

Thankfully, Xavier interrupted her. She looked over at him, nodding. "He does." She paused, realizing what she had just said. "I-I mean. He did, he meant...so much." She sighed, resting her knuckles against her lips. "I'm really sorry, I...I don't mean to be rude, but I think that with all that's happened tonight...I need some time to think."

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whatbefell
2010-07-22 02:02 am UTC (link)

Xavier knew a dismissal when he heard one. Nodding, he got to his feet. He pulled out his briefcase though, leaving a file of papers on Lucas' chair. "Can you make sure that gets to him? I know he was...out of it, but I think he'd feel better with the plans. It details everything."

He moved to the door, pausing at the doorframe. Leaving like this was necessary, but he couldn't leave her as she looked like that. Lips pressed together, he fought for the right words - anything that could reassure her - before going with the truth. "Gina?" He didn't wait for her to look up, going on gently. "I'm sure you still mean a lot to him too. Wherever he is." He left before he could hear an answer, letting himself out and shutting the door quietly behind him.

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justonefish
2010-07-22 02:10 am UTC (link)

When he set the papers down, she nodded. "Yes, of course," she said as she looked up to him. "I'll put them on his desk." If she were in a better frame of mind, she'd have tried to read them just to find out what the hell was going on. But she knew there'd be no reading while she was in this state of mind. None at all.

As he left the table, she looked down at her lap, holding in the tears until she knew that he had left the apartment. It was hard to do anything but bite her lower lip, staring at nothing. When he said her name, she glanced up without moving her head, eyes straining to catch a glimpse of him that was more fuzzy than clear.

His words brought the tears, and she couldn't hold on. She began to cry, clapping a hand over her mouth and slumping in her chair. The tears came hard and fast, slicking over her cheeks. She didn't know how long she sat there, crying, but she felt sorely dehydrated when finished and she had absolutely no desire to do anything but crawl under the bed and collect dust for a thousand years.

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