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Aveline de Grandpré (liberatrice) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2014-04-05 21:30:00

Who: Lo and Aveline
What: Aveline's had enough of the moping
When: 4/1 or so
Where: Lo's office, then a Caribbean restaurant
Warning: PG
Status: Complete!



Aveline had seen Lo’s posts on the network for the last ten days, and in her estimation he needed a pick-me-up. She’d made sure she didn’t have class that day, and after ringing up Lo’s secretary, she was able to head right into the office and knock on his door. “Hola, carnale, are you going to mope in here all month?”

Looking up, Lo’s eyes were uncharacteristically bloodshot. He was wearing an immaculately cut suit, but it wasn’t as perfectly pressed as it normally was. Instead, it looked like it might have been slept in, and he smiled wryly at Aveline. “That was the plan, why do you ask?”

“Sa se pa bon.” Aveline said firmly. “You’re coming to lunch with me. There is a new Jamaican restaurant in town, and I know you like spicy food. I won’t take no for an answer.” She understood needing to grieve, but she’d seen it too many times to allow it to continue unabated.

“I could use some food, yeah.” Lo smiled sheepishly and sat back for a moment before standing up. “Do you want to drive, or would you prefer I poof us there?”

“We can probably poof; I know the area even if I do not know the restaurant.” Aveline nodded when he stood. “I am glad you aren’t arguing. I can argue, I promise.” She smiled a little, hoping he did. She wouldn’t really be hard on him, but people in his mindset usually needed a kick in the butt to get them going.

He offered her his arm as she smiled at him, returning it with one of his own. “It’s all right, I’m kind of argued out.” He’d had to be a dick earlier to a producer on the phone which had actually been somewhat therapeutic.

“Good.” Aveline inclined her head, taking his arm. “I tease, but I simply want to see a friend start to move on. You cannot do it entirely yet, obviously, but you also cannot remain mired in pain forever.”

Feelings were a thing that Lo sucked at. Hell, he’d only told Scud that he loved him once, and even then it had been saying that he felt the “el word” for him. Not exactly eloquent. So he simply nodded. “Okay, so think of this restaurant, we’ll be there soon.”

Aveline nodded, closing her eyes and thinking about what she knew of the place. She felt the same pull as last time, and when she opened the again they were in the alley behind the restaurant. “Nice.”

“It’s a perk,” Lo smiled. “Thanks for this. I don’t think I realized I needed it until just now.” He chuckled to himself, ducking his head sheepishly.

“Who else would I choose? You are the one I know who loves spicy food the most.” Aveline smiled a little. “I have a few others who enjoy it, but they will all complain afterwards.”

“You know, I should in theory be allergic to spicy food. I’m first gen Romanian. We’re not known for our spicy food,” he chuckled.

“Romania ... that’s near Russia, yes?” Aveline tried to remember her geography lessons. “I know the Russians are fond of heavy things. Beets and vodka.” She led him out of the alley, toward the door.

“It is. And that’s about right for what I should be eating if I was stereotypical, yeah.” He was charmed that she didn’t mention immediately vampires or impaling. It was refreshing.

“What provoked your love of spicy food, then?” Aveline asked, smiling as she held the door.

“There was a Thai restaurant close by where my aunt worked, so she brought it home often.” To him, that was home cooking. He smiled when they walked in, asking the waiter for a table for two in Spanish. That gift never got old either.

Aveline did like the language thing - very handy, even if she couldn’t swear in Creole around him anymore. In the same language she said, “If you ever meet any of my friends from home, you will confuse them very much. I look forward to it.” A tall gangly white man speaking fluent Creole? Definitely amusing.

“Oh, my tailor in Vietnam is so confused every time I understand him.” Lo couldn’t help a wry, knowing smile. “I hope to meet some of your friends. Is it too soon to say I count you as one of mine?” He normally wasn’t this chummy with clients, but it was comforting somehow.

“No, I don’t think so.” Friendships often happened quickly. He’d been a gentleman, and he could easily have tried to hit on her when they met, but hadn’t. Aveline appreciated that. “I have been told I make friends easily.”

“You’re kind, so I think that helps.” He pulled her chair out for her, sitting down and examining the menu when it was presented. He kind of wanted one of everything.

“I try to be. Mama taught me to be kind first. And only to be horrible if it’s deserved.” Aveline winked. Creole women had their way of being sassy.

“Be kind, and take no shit,” Lo grinned. “That’s always been my philosophy. I’m a peaceful, kind person, but if you break that, God help you.”

Aveline laughed. “I could not agree more. People think that I am a doormat until they come across the rough side of my tongue.”

“Kindness and weakness aren’t the same things,” Lo beamed. He held his water glass aloft, grinning and toasting her.

“Exactamente.” Aveline smiled, inclining her head and returning the gesture. The waiter appeared and she ordered for herself, waiting for Lo to get the spiciest thing on the menu.

Lo didn’t disappoint. He ordered one of all the things that were marked as spicy, grinning at the waiter’s reaction. Hey, he was already a bit of a troll at heart before the demon thing.

Aveline had to bite her lip not to laugh delightedly at the waiter’s shocked expression. “I was going to buy you lunch,” she murmured as he walked away, “but you just ordered half the menu.”

“Nope. My job is to make you money, not spend yours.” He shook his head. “I’m paying.”

“If you ordered only one thing, I would insist on paying.” Aveline replied, chuckling.

“Well, I’m going to pay, so there.” Lo stuck out his tongue, grinning. But then there was bread, and he started to nibble.

“Is this your feared tone you scare everyone with?” Aveline teased. Really, for his fearsome reputation, the man had always come off like a puppy dog to her.

“No, no it’s not. Honestly, I probably wouldn’t do it around you, if only because I don’t want to scare you.” He took another piece of bread, hoping he didn’t look like a pig.

“I don’t want to sound emasculating somehow, but you have only ever been polite and kind to me.” Aveline looked down, smiling a little. “I have only heard legends of the temper you have.”

“I don’t really have much of a temper, I just know how to fake it well.” Lo ran his fingers over his lass, chuckling to himself. “I just sound scary, but I’m not, not really.”

“Your secret is safe with me.” Aveline crossed her heart, as if they were back in primary school. But she did mean it.

Lo grinned, leaning back. “Do you have any deep dark secrets I should know about?” He folded his arms, smirking.

Aveline pretended to think. “Mm. When I was a child, I wanted to grow up to be a tree? I practiced very diligently at holding my arms out like branches.” She took a sip of her water, smiling.

Well, that was just cute. Lo smiled, taking another sip of water. “I think I always wanted to be a lawyer.” He’d originally wanted to try to change the world. That had changed as he’d aged.

“Oh? That’s rather nice, I must admit. I had no idea for some time. I thought about the law myself, but I have no head for it.” Aveline shook her head. “I got involved in immigration issues - a lot of Haitians come to Florida illegally because the U.S. government does not think Haiti is a disaster.”

“I wanted to do immigration things. I still do, honestly, because so many of my clients have to film overseas.” He blinked, then smiled. “If you ever need me to help out with pro bono work, let me know.”

Aveline blinked. “I ... well. I’m not an attorney. I just tried to help get people here. I never got charged with anything though,” she added hastily. “No PR nightmare.” She’d just been so angry when she’d seen the devastation.

“I am, though. Legitimately, let me know if you know anyone who needs an attorney.” Lo leaned closer to her. “I mean that.”

"I will." Aveline saw he was serious, and smiled a little. "I absolutely could have been charged. But never was. I am not sorry I risked it ... This woman was living in a shack. Another earthquake and she would have lost it all." She'd tried to get the woman a fake passport, but had managed to keep her name out of it in the end.

Lo shook his head. “I’m not sorry you risked it either, to tell the truth. There’s a lot of great things about this country, but there’s no end to the fucked up shit there is, seriously.” Sometimes - more often than not, if he was entirely honest with himself - he hated the entertainment industry for perpetuating unrealistic standards of wealth.

Aveline just nodded. “I still give money to organizations. I’m ... so happy I can give more now.” Genuinely. One of the first things she’d done after getting back from her first meeting with Lo was to call the Haitian Fund, back in Miami, and give them the good news.

Smiling, Lo leaned back. “How’s the work treating you? Not too badly, I hope?”

“Oh, no. It is embarrassingly easy.” Aveline blushed. “They tell me how to move, I move. And no one has been impolite, except one photographer, but I gave him the rough edge of my tongue and he shaped up.” She couldn’t help but grin a little.

Lo smirked. “If anyone does that again, let me know. I can do the same and make his career vanish.” He liked to save that for people who deserved it, but at the same time, there were a lot of douche photographers out there.

“I appreciate it, but I gave him the one chance and he shaped up. It’s all right.” Aveline smiled - she appreciated his offer, but most of the time, she could handle it. The waiter arrived with their food then, eyeing Lo a little warily, which made Aveline giggle.

Unable to contain his giggles, Lo feigned a cough. Once the food was settled down, he started to eat with relish, eyes closed in contentment. “I want to live here,” he murmured in a moment when his mouth wasn’t full.

“It’s good? Good!” Aveline rather liked seeing him happy. She liked seeing people happy, period. He’d been so sad. And in her culture, affection and friendship - and love, for that matter - were shown with food.

Lo chuckled, dabbing at his mouth with a napkin. Even though he ate enough to sustain a football team, he was rather well-mannered while doing so. “I’ll have to take you to a nice restaurant in return,” he beamed. “Or In N’ Out, or cronuts, or something. Your pick.”

“I am not familiar with either of those things. Is it a California thing?” Aveline was enjoying her chicken, but she was curious about what he was talking about; it all sounded Greek to her.

“In N Out makes my favorite hamburgers. Cronuts are a New York thing - they’re doughnuts that are layered and flaky like croissants. I’m sort of a ... well, I’m kind of a food snob.” He winced at the admission, knowing how bad it sounded.

Aveline did laugh. “Uh-oh. You may have a problem if you ever meet my family, if you don’t like my mother’s food!” She took another bite of chicken, wiping her own mouth. “No, I understand. There is food snobbery, though, and then there is turning up one’s nose at food kindly offered. The latter is the offensive behavior.”

“If she can cook a quarter as well as this, then I won’t turn my nose up at anything she gives. When I say I’m a food snob, I mean I like good food. I don’t care where it comes from. There’s a taco truck I visit once a month. I’d eat there every day, but then it wouldn’t seem as special.” He grinned, scooping up more rice. “I eat with my fingers when I go to India for real Indian.” He was slowly becoming expert at picking up different flavors, and laughed whenever people thought Indian food was just curries. “And don’t get me started on the differences between Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Japanese food.”

Aveline smiled, listening. “It sounds as though I could learn. I know what I like, but there are some things which I have not experienced. California has already been fun for that, though - I never had the chance to try Vietnamese, or real Chinese food as opposed to the Americanized things like chop suey.” She’d been embarrassed to find out that wasn’t real Chinese food.

“We should go out for dim sum sometime,” he smiled. “Or I could take you to get good pho.” Dear god, just saying the word made him drool a little.

“That is the noodle soup, right?” She’d heard the term, but her memory was fuzzy.

He nodded. “Pho means noodle, quite literally. Rice noodles are kind of my favorite thing in the world.”

Aveline had to laugh. “I wish I would have known; I would have offered to go there. The mere thought seems to make you happy, which is what I wanted in the first place.” He had a nice smile, she decided.

“Well, we’ll have to go next time.” Huh. He wanted to hang out with her more.

There was going to be a next time? Aveline blinked, but really, that was all right with her. “I have one advantage in this profession,” she said, sipping water. “I do not gain weight, really. My metabolism is like the proverbial hummingbird.”

“Me. Too.” Lo sighed to himself. “I was always skinny, then one day I woke up built like this.”

“It is the dreams, yes? I do think I have more muscle now than I used to.” Aveline looked down at her arm. “I do a lot of mad things in the dreams that I need it for! Running, jumping, climbing buildings - ”

Lo grinned. “And what are you doing while you run and jump and climb trees, huh?” Besides be pretty.

“I am an assassin.” Aveline said simply.

His eyes lit up. “Well that’s ridiculously awesome. That’s way cooler than being a really crappy demon.”

That got her to laugh. “My dreams take place in New Orleans, in 1760 or so. I help free slaves.” She was proud of them - she only wished she had powers to do that much good here and now! “That Aveline is fearless.”

“I think this one is as well, she just hasn’t had as many opportunities to show it.” Lo smiled, feeling a swelling of pride that he knew her. She was a good friend, and he could always use more of those.

“You’re very kind.” Aveline smiled, looking down shyly. “I just wanted to give you a good afternoon, and you are saying very nice things to me.”

“You’re a good friend,” Lo shrugged. “I don’t have friends who aren’t good people.”

“I will keep that in mind the next time I annoy you.” Aveline smiled again, feeling pleased that she’d had the idea to invite him out. It was turning out to be fun for both of them.