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Tweak says, "Oh my giddy aunt."

Laurent Rousseau (itsjustadream) wrote in light_of_may,
@ 2010-09-09 22:31:00

Entry tags:

2009-07-26

From the table in the corner
Who: Adam and Laurent
Where: Lenore Bookstore and Cafe
When: 3:00 p.m.

One of the best parts about not having to sleep was having all of the time in the world to do everything. Normally around now Laurent liked to poke around in the dreams of his sleeping fellow-vampires, but after perhaps an hour of that he had grown bored. Growing bored of dreams was something that had really only started to happen after he had met Rae and spent a considerable amount of time paying attention to reality and he had never quite gone back as far as that first century. Ah well, there was a new town to explore and he could always work on that outline for his next book. Now that people knew about vampires and that he was one his books had begun selling even better and his publicist had informed him that he was certain his next release would fly off the shelves. And when was he getting around to that? Laurent had gotten the hint, which was why he kept a notebook with him at all times. While he understood laptops and knew that they were preferable he still liked to do outlines and drafts on real paper, loving the feel of writing far more than typing. Someone else could always transcribe later if he felt like writing a whole book longhand too. That was what money was for, paying people to do things you did not want to.

A glass of fae-blood had provided him with the ability to face the sun though he still wore a pair of dark shades when he was walking out of the house, watching passerby and trying to decide whether he wanted to just go to the park or not. Not, he decided after realizing that with the weather nicer families would likely be flooding it. Sure he liked people but sometimes children could be annoying and - oh that was better. Lenore Bookstore and Cafe, same place he had met that green-eyed Locke kid the other night when his parents forgot to pick him up. Hey, maybe he would catch sight of him and make sure he was still hanging in okay. And if not, then he could sit there and smell the coffee and various other scents that came with a cafe and work on that outline. Or just people watch, he admitted when he slipped into the building. After a quick glance he settled in an out of the way booth that was not covered by sunlight streaming in through the windows. Sure he had fae blood in his system but his eyes were still sensitive to the light.

Pulling out his well-worn notebook - he always forgot to buy new ones until he used up the very last page and this one still had a good seven and a half left - Laurent uncapped his pen and tapped it on the table, tuning out his surroundings for a moment while he tried to think of what he was going to offer his publisher. Another assortment of half-truths about the dreamworld? Or maybe... they'd be interested in the memoirs of a vampire these days. His House would probably even approve. Oh, that was a good idea, he might have to do that. Just leave out the part where he had ignored the entire world in favor of perfecting dream walking and astral projection for a century or so. Yeah.

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findingthewords
2010-09-10 04:04 am UTC (link)

Even though Adam had been to the library the day before, that didn't mean his appetite for books and knowledge was sated, oh no. The last time he'd been to Lenore's had been for his book signing, and he hadn't had the time to look around for something to actually purchase. That was in part because of setting up and breaking down stuff for the signing, and having to deal with his agent throughout all of that; and then there was meeting up with Amina afterward. All good things, considering how he'd originally thought his night would have gone when he first learned Telyn had bailed on him.

On a Sunday though, there wasn't a better place to be but the bookstore, in Adam's opinion. The weather was nicer, and maybe he'd take his new purchase, whatever it ended up being, out to the park later and sit and read. Or maybe he'd snag one of the tables in the cafe and write for a bit, he did have all of his things on him. First things first, the boy needed coffee and so he snagged a table and set down his stuffed-full messenger bag down on one of the chairs. Adam took not two steps away from the table before everything toppled over, sending his papers scattering all over the floor.

Anyone else might have been pissed about it. Adam just shrugged and went to gather up all his papers, looking through them quick to see if they were in order. They weren't, but he started to set up little stacks on the table before him, completely unaware that a few pages had drifted in the direction of another table and the guy who was sitting there writing.

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itsjustadream
2010-09-10 02:52 pm UTC (link)

Laurent had an amazing ability to block the real world out. Shutting out reality was something that he had been told several times he should not to, but he hardly listened to what other people said. Unless they were an Elder then clearly they had no idea what they were talking about and he did not have to listen. Even if they knew what they were saying he would not admit that they were right and he was wrong, that was beyond ridiculous. So as he wrote he paid very little attention to his surroundings which was for the better, really, if he listened to every last thing that he heard then he would never be able to get anything of note written.

Of course even his focus could be broken and that happened when he realized that there were pages fluttering about his feet. Momentarily concerned that they were his Laurent leaned over and scooped them up. "Oh no," he muttered to himself, flipping them over and shaking his head before putting them all together. "Definitely not mine." They were written in English for one and, though he spoke the language so fluently by now that people hardly even caught the hint of an accent, Laurent always wrote in French. Looking around he saw a man gathering up papers and figured that perhaps it was his. "Excuse me," he called, holding the papers up and giving them a slight shake in his direction. "I think that these belong to you?"

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findingthewords
2010-09-10 10:05 pm UTC (link)

Adam and organization were never best friends. Even now, when he was trying to put his papers back in order, the piles in front of him were misshapen at best and one was completely sloping back towards the edge of the table. He assumed there was more to pick up still, and it hadn't occurred to him yet that, hur hur, not all of his papers were together. Most of it was mismatched notes, but there were a few complete scenes and he lost himself in reading over some of the pages quick, distracted by writing as only Adam could be.

The sound of someone else's voice startled him for a second, and Adam's head shot up. "Hmm? Oh!" He pushed a few strands of blond hair out of his eyes as he shot the guy a sheepish smile. "Oh, yeah, probably." He came over the few steps between them to take the papers, "Yep, definitely mine. I didn't mean to disturb you." He caught sight of a well-loved notebook on the table there, and while he wouldn't pry and see what the other guy was writing, at least he seemed to know the importance of writing in general. So few people did these days. Adam might be young, but he still preferred doing most of his writing longhand.

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itsjustadream
2010-09-11 12:19 am UTC (link)

"It's no problem," Laurent dismissed with a smile. There was a rather strong heartbeat coming from him so he was a human, but Laurent tended to figure that most people he met at places like this were. Vampires in cafes made very, very little sense. Not many of them carried a bunch of papers around either. Him? Exception to the rule. Or it wasn't even a rule, he just thought of it as one because of how he behaved and what he observed in those he paid attention to. What? Oh, right, drifting off again. Keeping his mind focused when he had been thinking about to write could be a bit of a trick.

"So," Laurent started again. "Those are a lot of papers - you a writer or something?" He had spent enough time around the humans of this time to know that adding that onto the end was okay. And, unlike the other night when he had come across Chloe, he was not really out to impress this young man. Though he was curious. Laurent had not expected to come across another writer in Scarlet Oak so this could turn out to be a sort of pleasant surprise.

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findingthewords
2010-09-14 04:34 am UTC (link)

Though it had only been a few months since the Light of May, Adam was not in the habit of trying to figure out if anyone was a supernatural or not. Hell, he hadn't realized Telyn had a familiar until her dog started talking to him, so it was entirely possible for Adam's head to be that far in the clouds. To him, the guy in the corner with the notebook was just that, a guy, no need to look into it any further of than that. Of course, if the secret should come out, Adam could be far too curious for his own good.

"Thank you," he said, tucking the papers back into place, one pile much bigger than the others. "And yes, I am." Kind of obvious to anyone who knew him and apparently, also to those who didn't. Papers set for the moment, he reached out a hand to the man, "Adam Rowe. You look like you're working on a piece yourself." He nodded towards the notebook on the table.

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itsjustadream
2010-09-14 08:24 pm UTC (link)

Laurent waved the thanks off. It was just a simple thing that he thought anyone would do. Or should do. Just watching while someone scrambled around to pick up things they had dropped instead of helping was so... barbaric almost. Laurent remembered the days when manners meant something and he tended to show his more often than not. It earned the occasional odd comment of 'when are you from?' but more typically people were simply grateful and that was it. Not that he thought they should even be that since, again, everyone should do it.

Accepting the hand and shaking it firmly, Laurent nodded towards the empty seat across from him, inviting Adam to sit with him. Writers needed to stick together after all. "Laurent Rousseau and yes, I'm trying to decide what my next book should be, the publisher is clamoring. If you're published then you know what I mean and if not... well... hopefully you will. And then again, one almost doesn't want to wish such blather on someone else." A smile let Adam know that, for the most part, Laurent was simply joking. Though he really did hate being nagged on about deadlines. He literally had all the time in the world and it was through no fault of his own that his publisher and readers did not. "This your sort of typical place for writing?" Some people needed absolute silence and others thrived with people chatting. Judging off the fact that Adam was here Laurent was going to say he was more likely to be the latter.

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findingthewords
2010-09-18 04:26 pm UTC (link)

The manners were most definitely appreciated, in this case. Adam was so disorganized to the point where he might well not notice anything was missing until he got home, and that would just suck on his end. Then he'd have to drive back, see if he could find said papers and hope like hell no one had thrown them away. Right now it looked like he had everything together, and that was a relief for the writer.

Laurent's hand was a little cold to the touch, but the firm handshake was enough to distract Adam from commenting on it. "Laurent, always good to meet another writer." And it was; this could be a lonely job, and it sucked to go through it all alone. "And I know exactly what you mean, this" - he gestured to all of his papers - "is bits and pieces of my third novel. I've sent my agent the outline, but it seems like she always wants more from me." Deadlines, they were the bane of Adam's existence. Nodding, he grabbed his things and took the empty seat across from Laurent, papers now set in front of him. "Yes and no, it really depends on the day. Coming somewhere like this is nice, if only for the opportunity to people watch, and gather new ideas that way."

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itsjustadream
2010-09-21 05:05 pm UTC (link)

Oh so he had been published. Laurent had never heard of his work but then he did not actually do a lot of reading. Perhaps that was a slight contradiction for a writer but Laurent had never been too fixated on reading past the 19th century. The quality of writing had gone steeply downhill and after having Chloe tell him about some of the modern literature and what it did to vampires well, his interest in reading new things was practically gone. "Like vampires after blood, that's an editor," Laurent joked with a grin. Though really it was true. If an editor wanted something then they were going to do everything in their power to get it. And then toss it back at you and declare that this, this and that needed to be fixed. Vultures.

But now Laurent was curious about Adam's writings. "What is it that you write?" He leaned in a little to glimpse the pages. If Adam did not want things to be looked at then he should not have had them laid out there where anyone could.

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findingthewords
2010-09-21 09:07 pm UTC (link)

To be fair, Adam hadn't read any of Laurent's work either. After this meeting, he'd probably head into the bookstore proper to find himself a copy and if they didn't have it in stock, he'd have them order it for him. He always liked to support the writers he met, regardless of the quality of his work. Adam read as much as he wrote, but it still seemed like there were too many things to do in the day to read everything he wanted to, sometimes. "I totally agree," he said, shaking his head. "Interferes with the creative process, I think, but it's all part of the business, sadly enough."

Adam was never the best at talking about his work, preferring just to let someone read it and decide for themselves, but he'd answered the question enough times by now. And he didn't really mind Laurent looking to see what he'd written, this wasn't anywhere near final draft material, anyway. "Realistic fiction, mostly. Putting characters together and letting them react off of each other and seeing what happens." Most of his works were based on reality, things he'd seen or done or had witnessed in passing. His last novel was based off a conversation he'd heard in a bar, and he'd let his imagination fill in the holes.

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itsjustadream
2010-09-24 10:33 pm UTC (link)

Laurent nodded his agreement. Right about now was where he had noticed people would normally take a drink of whatever it was they had but, alas, he was not at Heme and therefore unable to just pour a glass of blood to sip at. He almost hoped that one day some cafes would start to offer blood in addition to their typical fare. Maybe blood added into the coffee instead of cream and sugar... now there was an idea that had merit, perhaps he would have to see how that could go other with the others. Could not hurt. Pay attention to the man currently in front of you, Laurent, potential ideas can be saved for a time when you are not attempting to be social for god only knows what reason. Because Adam was a fellow published writer and Laurent did not know all that many of them. Especially not in a place like Scarlet Oak. If he had wanted to immerse himself in the literary scene then he would have found a reason to go to a much larger city, perhaps New York. But no, one fellow writer was plenty for him.

"Then it makes sense that you would find yourself in this sort of setting naturally," Laurent noted. His own works would not have been anything that he could pick up from a setting such as a cafe attached to a bookstore. But someone who worked with realistic fiction? Yes, he could see this making that work nicely. "A touch different than what I do, but if everyone wrote the same thing then none of us would make any money and everyone would get bored with what they have available to read. Pardon my saying, but you seem a little young to be working on your third novel. Some sort of a prodigy?"

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findingthewords
2010-09-27 05:28 pm UTC (link)

Adam would have sipped at a drink, if he had one, but he hadn't gotten that far yet. As it was he didn't know what drink he'd order and truth be told, talking with Laurent was more interesting at the moment. Adam could be focused, yes, but give him a new subject to learn or something intriguing to capture his interest and forget it, his curiosity had gotten the best of him. It wasn't often Adam met other writers, either, and he certainly didn't when he was back here in Scarlet Oak. In New York, being at Columbia getting his MFA in creative writing was one thing. In his hometown, not so much.

He nodded, fingers twirling his pen through his fingers absentmindedly. "What kind of writing do you do, if you don't mind me asking?" Just because he hadn't read any of Laurent's work yet didn't mean it would stay that way for long. And if it was different from the norm, Adam was all over that in a heartbeat. At the mention of his age, Adam had the good grace to blush a little, running a hand over his hair. "Um, something like that. A genius, actually. I'm 23." He didn't admit to that often - and usually not when he'd just met someone - but hey, Laurent had asked.

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itsjustadream
2010-09-29 04:34 am UTC (link)

So Laurent was seated with a real genius. Because they have to go and test that sort of thing these days. Back when Laurent had been a human things like that had not been all that relevant. If someone was smarter than normal then they would put those talents to use and there was no need for them to declare that they were a genius. But whatever made them happy. Hardly mattered to him whether a twenty-three year old was out publishing books when he had been well over one hundred before he had even started work on his first. Humans did have to do things a little faster thanks to their limited lifespan after all.

"I write about lucid dreaming and the meaning of dreams," Laurent replied honestly. Nowadays his books even came with a disclaimer about how they were written by a vampire from the House of Azrael who truly did know how these things worked. Said disclaimer should probably also point out that no regular human would be able to use them since they were only useful for vampires of his house, or perhaps the psychics who were able to play in the world of dreams as well. "Their popularity has skyrocketed since the Light of May and I'm pretty sure that's why they're so eager for me to get another one out. When supernaturals are still new and the 'in-thing', so to speak." Ugh, he hated some of the more recent terms and things that were popular. Sounded so unintelligent.

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findingthewords
2010-10-04 01:41 am UTC (link)

Adam was also of the opinion that there was no need to brag about being a genius. Most of his closest friends found out about it very early on, but it wasn't something he brought up on his own. Perhaps Adam's modesty wasn't always a good thing, he couldn't be sure. He just knew he was smart, and he loved learning new things, and he got bored too quickly if there was to occupy his mind. Laurent had nothing to worry about, as he had all of Adam's attention.

And hearing Laurent wrote about dreams? It seemed like a bit of an abstract subject to Adam, but that had never stopped him before. If anything, it was that much more intriguing to him. "Like, textbooks on how people dream?" he asked. "Or something more like dream interpretations and how to figure them out for yourself?" He'd read one of those so-called "dream dictionaries" once. It had belonged to a friend of his and for all his intelligence, some of the connections it made just didn't make sense to him. Sometimes stress dreams about not making a deadline were just that, dreams. "Anything with a supernatural slant to it has a better chance of getting published, you're right. I'll admit I'm one of those who finds myself curious more often than not. Where do you research about your work?"

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