Who: Luke and Renard What: Pizza and talking. Where: A pizza place. When: Backdated to before the Arbor Day party and before this. Warnings: Nada.
Having pizza with someone he didn’t know wasn’t something Luke usually did, but if Mr. Todd had been a friend of Alfie’s then chances were high that he was a decent person. Google also proved to be a useful tool in ensuring people were who they said they were; he blamed Mockingbird and the recent vigilante disasters on his growing paranoia. After his classes ended he had just enough time to drop his school stuff off at home and change, since first impressions were important and his jeans had definitely seen better days.
Luke took his motorcycle as always, preferring that over the whole car-and-driver thing that rich people apparently used. He arrived at the pizza place a little early but decided there was nothing wrong with that, opting to wait inside just near the doors rather than outside.
Renard had never been the type of man that didn’t know who he was meeting, particularly when he set up the arrangement. His methods of research generally included Google, but further research was needed, particularly when he discovered that Mr. Henry had been adopted by Mr. Brandon. It piqued his curiosity, though he’d never outright ask about any of it. Better to let the two of them tell him in their own way.
He strode into the pizza place dressed casually in black pants, shiny black shoes, and a blue button down shirt. A light windbreaker served as his jacket, and Renard looked every bit a businessman on vacation. He spotted Luke immediately, offering the boy (anyone under 40 was generally considered boy by Renard) a warm smile and held out his hand. “Mr. Henry, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said warmly.
Luke was seated on one of the waiting benches when Renard entered, trying to watch the door without staring. Personally he’d choose pizza over a fancy place any day even if the wealthier residents of Seattle like Thomas and Orin Monarch never would have come here, but he didn’t put himself in their ranks just yet.
Thanks to his prior research Luke had no trouble recognizing the man, and he got to his feet as soon as he stepped inside. He wanted to make a good impression, especially since Renard was a friend of Alfie’s. “Good to meet you too, Mr. Todd.” Luke shook his hand with practice gained from meeting important people at Thomas’ side, his smile faintly hesitant yet genuine. This was hardly the sort of restaurant that required a reservation, but it went without saying that they wouldn’t have to wait. “Do you want to sit?” Even as he asked a waitress appeared, one who’d made it clear earlier that she recognized him from one paper or another, all too eager to lead the way.
To say he was impressed with Luke’s manners would have been an understatement. Renard nodded as the waitress came up to them. “Yes, that’d be good,” he replied, offering a warm smile to the waitress who seemed to only be concerned with Luke. She led them to a booth about halfway down the wall opposite the pizza counter and handed them both menus. Renard glanced through the menu, but settled on two slices of extra cheese, extra peperoni.
“How long have you been in Seattle? It’s quite nice, from what I’ve seen of it,” he observed, glancing around the pizzeria. The weather was a bit chilly, but so was New York so that wasn’t too bad. He had already gone to say goodbye to Alfie, but he felt as though it was just the beginning. There were many people he still wished to meet, and more places to explore.
While Luke may have been uncomfortable he was far from rude, so rather than ignoring the waitress he followed suit and offered a smile as she led them to their booth. He’d been here enough times to no longer need a menu, but he took his anyway though he ended up ordering the same as always; two slices with cheese and bacon, as odd as it may have sounded.
He actually had to stop and think for a moment. “Almost nine months, even though it seems like longer sometimes.” This summer it would be a year since he’d left, and how much his life had changed since then never stopped surprising him. “It… has its perks,” he said with a short laugh. “How long have you been here?” Not necessarily Seattle, but on this side of the portal in general.
Nine months was certainly a short time for most, but Renard could understand how it could feel like much longer. He has only just arrived a few days ago, and already it seemed like a month or so. "About five years or so, though I've never thought to travel to Seattle. It seems a bit calmer than the city, but still exciting," he replied, knowing full well what Luke meant by the question.
"Alfie and I though, I've known her for years. She was decades ahead of her time, But that hardly stopped her," Renard added, a certain fondness creeping into his voice. He still hadn't quite transitioned into the past tense, but he hadn't noticed. "Did you become acquainted with her through Mr. Brandon?" he asked with only mild curiosity. The waitress arrived then with their order and Renard picked up a slice, neatly folding it in half and taking a bite.
In comparison to five years, his own time in this world didn’t seem so long after all. By the time he reached that length of time it would probably end up feeling like a couple of decades at the least. “Exciting is a good word for it. A lot seems to happen here.” Luke realized he didn’t really know how things were elsewhere. There were a lot of similarities between this world and Musings, sure, but there were a few differences too. “Where did you live before Seattle?”
He didn’t know Alfie as well as Thomas had, but even in the time that he’d known her there was a truth to Renard’s words. She wasn’t like anyone else he’d ever met. “Yeah,” he said carefully, using the pizza as a distraction as he thought of what to say. It was easy to find out that Thomas Brandon had adopted him, and Renard had probably discovered it by now. “She was involved in a lot of the paperwork when he adopted me, and from there… I guess she became sort of a friend.” It still sounded strange to say, being adopted, but at least he didn’t stumble his way through it anymore. He was even getting a lot better at referring to Thomas as his ‘dad’ when he was around other people, though he still called him by name when actually talking to him.
Renard smiled. "I'm just here on vacation at the moment, but I could see it becoming a bit more permanent situation," he clarified, though not in the least bit condescendingly. His meeting with Thomas Brandon would do much to determine whether or not he would return to New York. "I live in New York City, where my company is based out of," he added, answering the question.
He ate his own pizza as Luke replied. It wasn't from Brooklyn, but it was still pretty good pizza. He could hardly comment on her relationship with the boy, but he was glad to hear that they had become friends. "Alfie's the best sort of friend. It's quite difficult to hide anything from her," he said instead, smiling.
“I lived there back home,” he said, with just a hint of nostalgia. “I looked up your company, FoxTech. If you decided to make your vacation more permanent, would you be doing business in Seattle?” Luke was genuinely curious, and Google had been surprisingly helpful even though he was hardly business savvy. His college studies only went so far, and when he’d expressed concern about his lack of knowledge before becoming Thomas’ heir Alfie had reassured him that was what she was there for. Unfortunately she wasn’t anymore, and Thomas was busy enough already.
Luke chewed on his pizza and nodded. She had definitely been perceptive. “She never treated me like a kid,” he said thoughtfully. “A lot of adults tend to do that, but she… treated me like an equal.”
Renard smiled. “I’m sure a trip to New York City would be feasible once classes are over,” he suggested. “It’ll be much nicer once the weather lets up.” He was only mildly surprised at Luke’s curiosity and offered a shrug in return. “For now, I’m simply on vacation. FoxTech has done quite well as of late, so an expansion wouldn’t be out of the question.” Renard enjoyed more of his pizza before continuing.
“She always had a way of making one feel comfortable. Are you interested in business, Mr. Henry?” He asked merely because of Luke’s own curiosity, plus he intended to ask Thomas what his plans were for Thomas, Inc. The loss of Alfie would have also affected the business, and Renard was always looking for the best possible path for FoxTech.
It would be a lie to say he’d never thought about visiting New York, since the only place he’d seen since crossing over was Seattle. There was obviously more to the world than that even if it didn’t seem that way sometimes. “Maybe,” he shrugged, taking another bite of pizza. “Getting out of Seattle for a bit might not be so bad.” Luke nodded at Renard’s answer, resisting the urge to ask what kind of expansion he might have in mind. Even though he wasn’t even close to being as business savvy as Thomas, he could at least pretend.
That wasn’t as easy of a question as some might think, and Luke didn’t rush to answer it. “Yes,” he said after a pause and a thoughtful swallow of pizza. “I feel like… I’m a little behind, though, and I’m trying to catch up.” Being named Thomas Brandon’s heir had changed things quite a bit, but it also gave him direction for a future he’d always been so uncertain about.
“A change of scenery is always nice,” Renard commented, polishing off his last bit of pizza. He thought how to best reply to Luke’s answer. He had taken his time answering, and sounded quite sure of himself, and for that Renard was grateful. Seattle was becoming more appealing by the minute. He wiped his hands on a napkin before replying.
“Business often makes even the best of us feel a bit behind, but you’re doing quite well so far, Mr. Henry,” Renard replied, a knowing twinkle in his eye. He wouldn’t ask if the boy had approached Thomas about the subject, but there were other things he could ask. “Have you declared a major yet?”
Renard had a point about the change of scenery, and it might be fun to play tourist in a way he never had the chance to back home since he’d never traveled and living in New York kind of took away from the thrill of it. He finished his first slice of pizza and paused before starting on the next.
“Thanks. I’m trying.” Luke wasn’t sure if he believed that, but it was nice to hear. Trying to keep up with things on a daily basis was tiring and making sense of the business world was more complicated that it seemed. “Uh… no.” He thought over how much would be too much to day for a moment. “I was indecisive for a while, but I’m thinking of going into business… it would make sense, I think.” Unless Thomas didn’t actually want him taking over the company someday, or even becoming involved at all.
He sipped his drink thoughtfully as he mulled over Luke’s reply. Renard was certainly pleased that he was undecided. It made any potential job that much easier. “Business would certainly be a good option if you do want to work closely with the company. I, myself, was an engineering major for my undergraduate education and went back to receive my MBA years later,” he replied, pointing out that there were other options depending on his interests.
“Is there any particular area of Thomas, Inc that you’re most interested in, or would you prefer to know a little bit about everything?” Renard was curious about just how much Luke had thought about where he might find himself in the company.
“I have a friend in engineering,” he said thoughtfully, though that was about as far as his knowledge went in that area. It might be a useful area to look in to, especially considering how he spent his nights, but Luke couldn’t exactly vocalize that. “Why did you end up going back for your MBA afterward?”
He was honestly more than a little embarrassed about his lack of knowledge. Inheriting the company someday wasn’t written in stone, but for someone who would likely end up being involved in Thomas Inc. somehow he wasn’t as informed as he would’ve liked to be. “A little bit about everything,” he said decisively. “I don’t think I know enough to choose right now. It’s not that Thomas hasn’t… I mean, I’m not sure he knew I was interested.”
Renard nodded thoughtfully. “Well, I started with a double major in Engineering because I wanted to work in that specific field. I went back for my MBA because I wanted to start my own company. Having an MBA gave me guidance, and it gave me a bit more credibility in the field,” he explained. “Plus, I had my daughter to care for as well. Going back for my MBA meant I could provide for her later on and through college.”
He could tell Luke was a bit embarrassed by the whole conversation, but he didn’t let on that he knew. “I’d suggest taking general business courses and economics. Those will be a good way to get that basic groundwork,” Renard advised warmly, trying not to seem too pushy while still giving him feasible advice.
Luke nodded. “That makes sense. Looks like it worked out for you too,” he added with a hint of humor. It did occur to him that up until recently he’d been procrastinating on figuring out his school situation, not only because he’d never really figured anything out but also because of the countless other things that came up nearly every day. “Is your daughter here too?” He realized after he’d asked that it might be prying, so he looked down at his pizza and took another bite.
He was grateful for the help even if it was subtle, which was actually better than having it forced on him. “Okay. I’ll look into it.” He made a mental note to ask Thomas if there was any way he could start taking more of an active role in the company, even if it was just through observation. “Thanks.”
"That it did, but the key was learning from my mistakes, and the mistakes of others. You'll never stop learning in the business world Mr. Henry, and I dare say you'll never be bored," he replied with a smile. "She is, but in New York. She may come if I decide to make this a more permanent situation, or she may not," Renard added with a bit of a shrug.
He wiped his hands on one of the napkins from the tin and let it fall on the empty plate. "It's been wonderful chatting with you, Mr. Henry," he said warmly, sliding out of the booth and holding out his hand. "I hope everything works out well for you."
"Learning from my mistakes?" He couldn't help a small laugh. "I think I can do that, Mr. Todd." Being bored and settling into a mind-numbing routine day in and day out had been one of his main concerns career-wise, but the ever-changing nature of business did appeal to him. "Oh. Well, maybe I'll end up meeting her sometime."
Luke finished the rest of his pizza and stood, making sure his hands were clean before shaking Renard's hand. "You too, Mr. Todd. Thanks for the advice."