WHO: Jo Harvelle & Remy LeBeau WHEN: 5/18/18, nighttime WHERE: Strip Club WHAT: Conversation at the bar. Match-Up! RATING: Low STATUS: Closed | Complete GDoc
Remy was a regular at the strip club, coming in to see Sage and bring her dinner sometimes. He loved that woman, and he didn’t mind looking at beautiful women, either. Seeing her, and them was not a bad thing, to him. The fact that he was very polite and tipped well didn’t hurt, either. One evening, after seeing Sage, he settled at the bar to get a drink. He never drank while playing, so he waited until he was almost ready to go first.
Nodding to Jo, the bartender, he put a $20 next to it as he smiled. “A whiskey, please.”
***
Jo gave a nod as she snagged a DOF glass and filled it with a few fingers of whiskey, then set it in front of him and scooping up the twenty. “Tab or just this for tonight?” Jo slid the cash into the till and closed it, then took a moment to lean against the back counter as she scanned the crowd to check for anything the needed doing - whether it was a table that needed bussing, a drink that needed filling, or any idiot getting too handsy with an employee.
***
Remy smiled as he took the drink. “Tab for now. S’been a long day, and sitting for a spell sounds pleasant.” He’d been around enough to know the rules and how to not annoy people, mostly, though being Remy, sometimes he did anyway.
He grinned at her as he sipped his drink and watched her watch the club.
“Y’done this before?” He waved a hand at the bar.
***
“Hm?” Jo looked back to him, then nodded. “Oh - yeah. I’ve worked in different bars off and on over the years,” she replied. “I actually grew up in a saloon my mom owned and ran, so I was helping out there as soon as I was tall enough to reach the tables.”
Mentioning her mom and the Roadhouse, Jo felt a faint pang of grief, missing both, but she pushed it away so she could focus on the present.
***
“Yeah? Sounds like fun.” he listened, curious, sipping his drink, and smiled a little as she talked about it. “I grew up running around New Orleans, mostly causing trouble as a kid. Learned security, on the upside, and acquisitions, on the downside.”
He watched her, nodding. It had been a long time since he had been in New Orleans last. Then memories brought pangs of both regret, and of gladness for moving forward. He was no longer the man he had been back there.
***
“Acquisitions,” she repeated with a wry smile, giving a quick shake of her head. “I’m betting that was a big part of your trouble, right? Back there, at any rate.” Jo didn’t really know him in Madison Valley aside from when he came in with or to watch Sage, but she knew about him a little from the comics she used to read when she was growing up. Gambit had a reputation, at least.
“Do you miss New Orleans?”
***
Remy squinted and shook his head. “Well, in truth, it was more because of a few bad eggs. I was never caught, or even suspected, as a kid, at my job. But the Grief between the Assassin’s and Thieves’ Guilds led to me having some wee issues.” He smirked.
“That and the fact that I didn’t mind my own business.” He shrugged. He never had.
“I do sometimes. It’s still home in a way that no place else will ever be. But I left there and I am happy with my decision.” he grinned again. “I do go back on Mardi Gras, though. Never miss one. Save since I’ve been here.”
***
Jo gave a nod, smiling a bit as she grabbed a glass and filled it with beer for someone waiting to one side. Once that was done, she returned her attention to Remy. “Bet you’ve got some stories about the trouble that got you into over the years. The not minding your own business part.”
Cocking her head slightly, she leaned back again. “I’m surprised no one’s thought to throw a Mardi Gras around here.”
***
“That would be fun. But I don’ think most are ready for the crazy that comes with Mardi Gras. Even tame Mardi Gras parties make the ones here look a little shy.” he was amused, but intrigued.
“It could be a new fun thing, next time around.” he chuckled. “And there is time enough to plan it for sure.”
***
“I don’t know - after a naked prom and a May Day orgy, this place might be able to take just about anything at this point,” she pointed out wryly. Picking up an empty glass, she filled it with soda, then took a sip as she shot him a grin.
“You should plan a decent one for next year.”
***
“Maybe. Madison is getting a little wilder than I had anticipated it getting.” He chuckled. Remy had not gone to the orgy, but he had been here for the prom. Why not? It had been fun.
He finished his glass and waved for another, nodding his head in polite request.
“I might do, but I’ll need help. Organization and me are not close friends.” He chuckled.
***
Picking up the whiskey again with a nod, Jo refilled his glass before setting the bottle back in its place. “You should talk to Lena Luthor, the party planner. She might be able to help you out with that.” Jo had never actually been to a Mardi Gras herself and her idea of a party was basically ‘hey let’s all get together with food and beer’.
***
Remy considered her words, and nodded, sipping his drink and thinking. The idea of working with people made him smile. “Could be a good idea. She certainly has thrown some good parties.” He smiled lopsidedly, eyes slowly refocusing on her as he spoke.
“Not a bad idea at all, thanks.”
He raised his glass to her in salute.
“How long have you been in these parts?”
***
“I’ve heard that,” she said with a smile, then grinned at the salute and nodded. “Anytime.”
At his next question, Jo gave a brief shrug. “Just since February 1st,” she replied. “Still feels like I’m settling in, you know?” Though she was starting to get a bit more used to things. And hey - at least she was alive.
***
“S’not a bad thing. This place can take some getting used to. And at least it seems to be settling down. For now.” He nodded, unsure how much he trusted this place to be settled.
“Got people you know here from back home? it helps.”
***
“You’ve got that right.” At his next question, Jo gave a nod. “Yeah - a few friends.”
Catching someone waving from the other end of the bar, she flashed Remy a smile. “Good talk, but I’ve got thirsty people to serve. Have a good night, Remy,” she told him, then moved down to serve another customer.