Baron Samedi ☠ Nate Simmons (baronsamedi) wrote in paxletalelogs, @ 2011-09-02 20:00:00 |
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Entry tags: | apollo, baron samedi |
don't ask me when but ask me why
Who: Julian & Luc
What: Discussing business. Maybe a few other things.
Where: CASKET
When: Shortly after this phonecall.
Notes: Placeholder for a Gdoc. Finished.
Julian was sorting through paperwork - always paperwork. There was so much paper involved with running a business, it was ridiculous. He almost missed the days where he was running around like a chicken with his head cut off, making sure the bar was stocked, and then something was always going wrong with the sound equipment on the stage. There was even one time when one of the speakers had caught fire, and that had been an interesting evening. He found himself smiling at the memory, pleased to remember all of the sweat and toil that had gone into erecting this establishment.
A light rapping of knuckles on his office door had him laying down the sheets of paper on his desk and calling out a simple ‘come on in’; it swung wide, revealing the barback who’d been working this evening, a nice young man named Gerald who had aspirations of being a bartender himself. The young black man was great with customers and certainly was picking up the ropes of slinging drinks quickly, and Julian had to pat himself on the back for another talented find that would only add to CASKET’s appeal. Rolling in with the opening of the door was the loud, vivacious sound of the current band, mixed with the noise of a million conversations. Just behind him stood a silhouette, presumably Luc Haust, the man Julian had called a little over twenty minutes ago.
He rose from his seat, stretching out a hand to the tall blond man in greeting. “Luc, glad to see you again. Get you anything to drink?”
Luc had made a few phone calls on his way over to the club - first to Harvey for a list of numbers, and then through those channels to put out the original feelers for the event. He’d gotten a few choice artists (and bands) together, leaving a few other avenues open for the moment, just in case the work he’d already done proved to be sufficient. Plus, that would leave some on the back burner for later, should he and Julian decide to work together for something like this again. Luc dipped into the office, offering Gerald a smiled thank-you when the man moved past him and shut the door behind him.
“Already took care of that, but thank you,” he said as he shook Julian’s hand in that salesman’s fashion that came oh-so-naturally to him. He held up his other hand to indicate the glass of scotch he’d picked up for himself when he’d gone up to find the barback. He had foresight like that - especially when he was doing business deals, almost all of which required an alcoholic beverage of some sort. Had to be well-lubricated and whatnot.
“It’s good to see you too,” he agreed, finding himself a seat to lower himself into. He crossed one long leg over the other, resting his glass against his knee and settling himself back in the chair as much as it would accommodate. “Well - I’ve talked to some people.. I don’t like to come to things like this unprepared.” He smiled and pulled his BlackBerry out of his pocket, just to have it at the ready, and took a sip of his whiskey. “But, before we go through that, I was just wondering what kinds of bands you’ve had play here before? Just to get an idea.”
Julian smiled pleasantly at the sight of the glass in Luc’s hand - another point in Gerald’s favor, or at least whoever was manning the bar tonight. Most likely Lisa, something Julian would take note of. He was very glad to see that not only his customers were being taken well care of, but also his potential business partners. There was nothing quite like good hospitality, and he made it a very important, if not golden rule, at his club. Sounds that had been vibrating into the room previously were sealed off once the door shut, leaving only the faint sound of bass and other instruments thrumming through the walls.
He took his seat again, sliding the papers in front of him into a neat stack. The office they were in certainly reflected Julian’s sensibilities - the coloring wasn’t markedly different from that within CASKET itself, keeping the themes of red and black flowing throughout the room, though they were certainly not as dark or heavy. The fact that the lighting was much more pronounced aided in keeping the color choice from becoming overbearing; framed photos on the walls showed a tasteful collection of images that showed the growth of the business over the years. A few showed Julian shaking hands with some B-list celebrities, each signed with a thick black marker.
There was very little in the way of personal items in the room; it was quite evident that the space was used for business, to concentrate on business. However, there was one faint spot on the wall where it seemed another photo used to hang, but had since been removed. The missing photo was upside down and deep inside one of the drawers of Julian’s desk. Sitting straight, he folded his hands atop the paperwork he had previously been shuffling through. “I like to try out local bands, and a pretty wide variation of sound. Jazz, blues, some modern alternative, but I’d like to avoid things that just don’t fit with the vibe I’ve created here,” he stated in reply, trying to create a decent picture for Luc to work with. “You know, anything like metal, or pop. I’m looking for smaller bands, not necessarily because it’s a lower price - more to try something new.”
Luc pursed his lips with thoughts, biting at the inside corner of the bottom one and working it between his teeth as he ran through some names in his head. Luc knew a lot of people (though, by the looks of the pictures in the office, Julian knew his fair share of folks, too - and Luc could appreciate that) - but local bands? That wasn’t exactly his forte, truth be told.
“Well, see, here’s the thing,” he said, adjusting himself in the chair so he was seated more professionally. “Local bands.. aren’t really my thing. But - “ He broke off to smile, glancing down at his BlackBerry as he scrolled through some numbers, then back up to meet eyes with Julian. He ignored the fleeting thought of just how attractive Julian was, knowing better than to even entertain that - even if it was true. “Well - I just had a meeting with Butch Walker a couple weeks ago..” He wasn’t sure if Julian would know who he was, and felt compelled to give him a briefing on his credentials. “He’s.. well, he’s been in the music industry for a very long time. Very successfully. It actually took me six months to even meet him face-to-face, but he was working on his new album. He’s one of about ten people I would even wait that long to have a meeting with, truthfully. The music he does is very..” He laughed a little, taking a sip of his drink as he tried to figure out a way to describe him. “Well, here - “ He pulled his iPod out of his pocket (he never left home without it) and selected this song before handing it over, earphones and all, to Julian.
“This is from his latest album. He just came out with a new record and I know he likes to play smaller venues. I’ve only seen him live once, but he’s a wonderful live performer. I know he’s going on tour and when we last talked he said he’d hoped to find a couple new venues this go-round.” He gave a shrug and settled back in the chair again as he leaned back in the chair once again. “If you like his stuff, I can give him a shout - I can’t promise him this weekend, but I can promise him fairly soon. And we can still find some others for the meantime.”
Julian nodded appreciatively, recognizing the name - he certainly wasn’t as in the know of the music business, mostly because it was only one aspect of his club, but Walker was familiar to him from his own band days. The song had him listening quietly for a moment before a large smile spread over his face. “That’s perfect.” He leaned back in the chair, slouching just a little as the song played out in its entirety. Again, he was glad at his own luck - Luc certainly seemed to know what he was doing, and he did it well. The move into Pax Letale was definitely showing to be fruitful, and it excited to Julian to see what else he might end up wringing from the building and its tenants.
“I actually have a few acts still lined up, but things can always be switched around to accommodate him ,whenever he would be available. He’s welcome to a tour of the club, if he needs convincing that it’s a viable venue.” His hands fell to the armrests of his chair, a searching look coming into his eyes as he studied Luc anew. “But I have to say, you aim to please, don’t you?” He noted lines around the blond’s eyes, maybe a little bit of weariness. Despite the man’s outgoing and externally cheerful demeanor, Julian could read a little scribbling of melancholy, perhaps even depression.
In some ways, Luc reminded him a little of one kind of person that would come through his father’s funeral home: the kind that were trying to move past the loss, putting on a show for the rest of the world. It certainly wasn’t Julian’s place to assume, and it would be a horrible business practice to ask something of such a personal nature - so he chose to refrain from commenting.
Luc’s expression brightened at Julian’s familiarity with Butch Walker. “Even better,” he grinned, more than just a little satisfied with his successful recommendation, and he tipped his glass in Julian’s direction - a semblance of a toast - before knocking back the remaining contents. His other hand was already firing off a text to the man himself, knowing it wouldn’t take the musician long to reply back - the man had a deeply intense relationship with his phone. But hey, Luc wasn’t one to judge someone of such great talent - and the man definitely had talent.
“I like making things happen for people, yeah,” Luc replied once he’d hit send (being blonde sometimes he needed to focus on one thing at a time). He shrugged a shoulder and gave a weakly abashed smile. “Tiny satisfactions.”
Butch was quick to reply and Luc glanced down at his phone when the song “Wreck Me” by the singer’s side project 1969 rang out - Luc had set the ringtone after the meeting because, yeah, he might have had a.. moment. Working with a lot of famous people, those were rare anymore - but hey, it wasn’t like Butch Walker had to know. The reply was simple enough.
“He says he’s in Los Angeles right now. He says he can swing by Monday if you’re free to check it out.” Luc glanced up from reading off the text back to Julian’s eyes, and he really was trying not to get too distracted by just how intensely beautiful they were - because now was not the time nor the place. “And he’s looking for something in this area anyway.”
Nodding in reply, he was glad that all of this was falling into place so easily. Things were rarely if ever difficult for Julian - but he was always of the opinion that things needn’t be. One just had to know the right people, say the right things and stroke the right egos. Being kind and generous had its payoffs, and he was always quick to find a bad apple in order to remove it before it caused too much damage. Julian leaned forward again, putting his elbows on the desk and folding his hands in the air, a faint smile curving his lips.
“Perfect, again, Mr. Haust. I can definitely see that you’re going to be an invaluable contact for my business.” A hand disengaged from the other and moved to a drawer, pulling out a bottle of Bicardi rum along with two well shaped cigars. Even though the deal wasn’t entirely sealed yet, Julian was in a good mood and good moods were always beneficial to the other party. Setting the cigars down, he selected one to offer to Luc while his hand fished in the drawer again for his cigar snipper.
“You must be eighty or ninety percent business, then, to be doing so well and have such lucrative contacts. No time for other, less stressful activities?” There was no use in interacting with people without knowing a little bit about them. Julian was certainly the curious sort, and since he suspected that he and Luc might end up doing business even more in the future, he figured that it wouldn’t do any harm to have a little less business like conversation.
Luc didn’t really smoke (well, cigars anyway), but he wasn’t one to be rude and decline hospitality either. He took the cigar with thanks, turning it in his fingers as he studied it - like he was appraising it, but he would have to know more about cigars to do that. Mostly just looking at while he sat down his empty glass on Julian’s desk. Once settled in his chair again, he took a second to text a green light back to Butch, getting an almost instantaneous ‘k cool’ in reply; once that was done, his phone went back to his pocket.
“Oh, eighty percent is a little.. generous,” he responded with a slight chuckle, trying to resist smiling too broadly at the remark - lest he appear guilty. “I do work a lot sometimes, and then I’ve gone three weeks without a thing I’ve had to do before. It ebbs and flows, depending on what’s going on - and I can almost always find time for things I really want to do. Besides, it’s never really ‘work,’ if you know what I mean. But thank you for thinking so anyway. I will take it as a great compliment.” He laughed outright and gave a nod, and he would have saluted with his drink except his glass was empty - though it wasn’t a big deal. Truthfully, with how much he’d been drinking lately, it wouldn’t hurt him to dial back just a tad.
“I can’t imagine how busy this place must keep you.” He made an offhanded gesture to indicate the club, as if it weren’t obvious what they were talking about. “Beauty comes with much pain, and it is lovely here. How long have you had it again?”
After resting the snipper on the desk top next to the cigar, Julian produced a glass before nodding at Luc’s, inquiring if the other man desired a refill. Excess was never the name of the game with him - just simple pleasures, in good quantities to the extent that they lasted a good, long time. He poured himself two fingers of the rum, leaving the bottle standing uncapped on his desk. Lifting the glass, he gave it a small swirl. “Going on fifteen years, now. Been working on it since I was I was in my twenties. Didn’t do it all on my own, though,” he added, perfectly willing to give praise where it was due, even if recent events destroyed his desire to give forth the name of the person who’d given him so much help.
“But that’s good, should always do what you enjoy. Then you get paid to play, so to speak,” he added, nodding toward Luc’s earlier explanation of his work habits. Julian could certainly respect someone who not only brought their A-game to play, but also knew how to have a good time with it. He rarely ever saw a reason to do things he didn’t like; that’s what other people were for, just to get things done. Julian took a small draw of the rum, setting the glass back down. “I’m glad you enjoy my club, though. I assume you and Ms. Castle had a pleasant time when you were both here last?”
Luc’s brows went up a little. “Fifteen years? Wow.” The surprise was apparent in his voice, and the respect reflected in his eyes as a reverent smile played across his lips. He let Julian refill his glass, taking a sip off it as he settled back in his chair. Julian certainly didn’t look like the time in the business had caused too much wear and tear - but he imagined that was a good thing, considering how it could have.
He laughed a little at the ‘paid to play’ remark, nodding in agreement. “Exactly.” Because he was absolutely right, and Luc liked that - someone who understood that all work and no play made everyone a dull boy. ‘If you’re bored then you’re boring,’ he often quoted, something that sounded better when people assumed that he’d come up with it himself - rather than ripping it off “Flagpole Sitta.”
“Oh, we had a great time - what I remember of it,” he affirmed, and he was only halfway kidding - because he did get quite drunk (not that that was unusual for him, simply a fact from that evening). He did recall dancing with her, and somehow getting a cab home at some point.. so it wasn’t like there was much worth remembering, if one got the drift. But, even if there had been, Luc was never one to kiss and tell. “But, all-in-all, it was a good evening.”
Just as he was about to light the cigar, however, his phone went off - and it made him cringe visibly when Britney Spears’s “Overprotected” sang out. It was the only song he could stand hearing on a frequent basis, and he’d set it for her rep’s ringtone. He considered it a warning, truthfully. “Good God, this woman will be the death of me,” he groaned, eyes rolling as he fished for the BlackBerry in his pocket.
“Hold on,” he said to Julian before he picked up the call. “Yes, Ms. Tremond, can I call you right back? I’m in the middle of a meeting.. yes, thank you.” He hit ‘end’ and let his fingers curl around the device as his attention returned to Julian. “Well, that’s Britney Spears’s minion, which means I have to go play Beastmaster,” he explained with a grimace before laughing it off. He pushed himself to his feet, draining his glass and setting it on Julian’s desk - freeing up his hand to offer a farewell handshake. “So, if you want, I can come by Monday with Butch to check it out. Or I can just leave you two to work out the details.” He shrugged a shoulder indifferently. “If you think my being here will help the cause somehow, I can work it in. If not, I’ll be more than happy to stay out of your way.” His smile was a clear indicator that his feelings wouldn’t be hurt if Julian thought it best to leave him out of the specifics. After all, it wasn’t entirely his business anymore - his job was pretty much finished now.
“That’s too bad,” Julian replied, leaning forward in his seat to deposit his clipped cigar on the desktop. He rose from his chair to see Luc out, which was only polite, especially after everything he’d just offered the club and its owner. He offered the slightly taller, blond man a hand for a quick business-like shake, his smile denoting the friendliness behind it.
“I’m sure I can handle things from here on out - but certainly still feel free to stop by the club, any time. You’ve been a huge help,” he responded to the last stated question; Julian definitely enjoyed having control over every small detail that went through his club, and this was no exception. Plus he had experience of hiring talent before, even if it wasn’t ever someone with as big of a name; the mechanics couldn’t be that different. Pulling back his hand, he ran it down the front of his jacket, smoothing out imaginary wrinkles.
Then he moved around the desk, going to his office door and holding it open for someone he assumed a new business associate. “Drinks are definitely still on the house,” he added, his smile quirking a bit mischeviously.
“You’re very welcome. Call me anytime,” Luc replied with a nod, because it really was no trouble at all. And, frankly, Luc liked raking in more connections - and making new ones for others in the process. He liked networking, he couldn’t help it. It was just another flavor of accomplishment. “I can’t promise I’ll always answer, but I will always call back.”
His brows notched a little at the prospect of free drinks, because that.. well, Julian probably didn’t know just how much Luc drank, but it could probably save the blonde a significant chunk of change. Not that Luc worried about the money, he just figured.. well, it was a kind of commission for his.. introduction services rendered. Yeah.
“Thank you. I’ll have to take you up on that soon.” He flashed another grateful smile and ducked out the office door, making a bee line for the front of the club.