not knowing what you’d like —— ever opinionated & vocal , former count could not begin to understand that kind of emotion . the more explanation for this aesop fed , the clearer this fog of puzzlement became . unlike himself , the embalmer straddled a thin line of UNCERTAINTY when it came to such freedom of choice , hardly experienced & hardly ever given a say in the matter . as they sit quietly together glancing along the catalogue & the assortment of interior styles & designs offered , & photographer cherishes their warmth & the gentle touch of their careful affection , joseph is once again reminded of how vastly different people’s lives play out .
❝ —— our home … ❞ frenchman repeats the words in softness , slow & hushed & allowing of the sentiment behind it all to gulf & eat him whole before he exhales with intent .
❝ i had only moved a handful of times . however , a long , LONG time ago , when i was but a young boy , my family were forced to make a rather big move . un autre pays . i detested the idea . ❞ cerulean eyne affix themself on the sight of gloved hand atop his own as he speaks . if there was an art to making a home in memories of pasts romanticized & nostalgic , JOSEPH HAS MASTERED IT SO , & his camera by which such art is made . he recalls it so : all the golds & silvers , the marbled floors , the outrageous number of empty rooms & more space than they knew what to do with , & all the prideful displays of wealth . but it was HOME ——— full of all the warmth & smiles of associated with the word . frenchman’s next home was cold , dark , the stark contrast of death & infection & tragedy . ever since that day , hadn’t he become entranced by the past ? ❝ … i am realizing now that , perhaps i have been too fixated on the idea of recreating my childhood home . you are right in finding a style that suits the both of us . ❞
joseph desaulniers’ gaze finally looks their way , softens further , & the smile that turns up the corners of his mouth remains pleasantly fixed in a gracious curl , with sentimentality — hope — as he himself settles more comfortably . for a moment , hunter simply watches , folding & crossing over his legs . petite digits linger , shifting to capture gloved ones between his own . aesop always seems to have that effect on him , bringing on a sense of comfort different to the one photography brought him . he is reminded of a home he had forgotten .
feeling less of a weigh upon his chest , frecnhman is quick to return with typical boldness , hands still interlaced with one another . ❝ it’s never too late , ma chérie . even if you are unsatisfied with how it looks , we can always replace it . if the home is trop petit , we can expand . ❞
more reminder than boast , a man unburdened by a lack of wealth for all his life , a man who never thought anything less of living to the fullest . & did the man before him , did aesop carl not deserve to have the best ? the most luxurious ? sitting himself closer to better view the catalogue shared , joseph calls over one of the employees , ❝ excuse me . we would like EVERYTHING here . ❞
❝ you had to move to england ... right ? ❞ embalmer cautiously asks, afraid he may allow some bad memories to resurface. when this world had transported him to memories of joseph past he had heard some rumors of this big move in the hallways. however, seeing as it had been such intimate memory he had never spoken of it before. after all, how can someone fit in the mention of having seen someone’s younger self and dying twin so casually into a conversation. it breeds a new uncertainty now that he thinks about it. just as he has seen some parts he probably should not have seen. how much has joseph seen of his past?
mulling about it longer he then adds, ❝ i do not think that building it a little bit after your childhood home is a bad thing as long it is not a replica. ❞ he know that is he is going to walk a thin line with his next inquiry but he dares to say it. ❝ it must have been a nice place, but why did you wish to recreate it ? i can only imagine it must pale in comparison and could never compare to the original. ❞ would it not only enhance the feeling of what was once lost? expanding on the feeling of what is lost and the loneliness that comes with it?
❝ ... to think you have the time and energy for all of that. ❞ embalmer sighs as he shakes his head. ❝ i would much prefer for this all to be soon over and never having to do this again save for a few modifications as time progresses. ❞ what he means to say is that he is tired of having strangers ( builders ) walking around the place where their house once stood.
gaze remains affixed on the photographer when he sees him getting into that too comfortable pose again. the pose that tells him he is up to something again. and before he can stop it the man broadly exclaims that they wish to purchase everything. ❝ no ! we would NOT like to buy everything. ❞ head snaps back towards joseph’s direction. ❝ i know you are eager to spend money but no one needs 120 different tiles. ❞
fortunately the employee finally offered another solution that would put a halt to all these antics. ❝ you both could create moodboards. ❞ they say, ❝ if you give them to one of our designers they will handle the rest and merge both your preferences. ❞ aesop was quick to agree to the idea.
after handing in their moodboards both were invited for a little chat with the designer. it gave the designer a chance to listen to their individual wishes without the other interfering. ‘ is there something you would like to see in the house ? ‘ embalmer thinks about it, but quickly comes to the conclusion that he doesn’t have anything in particular he must have. however as he looks at joseph in the corner of his eyes he thinks of something. ❝ actually, there may be something. ❞ he starts, ❝ would it be possible to have some kind of studio ? for painting, photography and the like — in our old home we only had a darkroom in the basement. ❞ and unbeknownst to the embalmer he ended up fueling the photographer’s bad habits. ❝ a room that is bright and warm. ❞ filled with hope.
it has been months since they gave the designer authority to design their house and today is the day they finally get to see their new house. standing in front of the door he looks at the key in joseph’s hands. ❝ if it is going to be anything like the front yard i would say they have already succeeded. ❞ especially the custom number sign attached to the wall with their names on it is a nice touch.
with a deep breath they open the door to their new abode and for a moment it feels as if his heart had stopped. to think, that what is right in front of them could be called his. something to call his own, something he never had. always on the move to ensure he and his mentor would never be found out. but now, now he has a place to call his own.
in the corner of his eyes he notices a door that doesn’t look too different from the rest of the doors on the second floor. yet, embalmer gets an idea what is behind and stops joseph from opening it. ❝ wait, do not open that one yet. ❞ he supposes the look he gives him is warranted, but he wants that one to be a surprise. especially when joseph will note the lack of a room for his photography and other artistic endeavors. ❝ let us leave that room for last. ❞
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