＆⋮ ❛ REMEMBER MY NAME

[rowanphilippe-blog]

inamorctas:

A disgruntled sigh parted from pursed lips out of the dissatisfaction from deciding against explaining what the meaning behind her previous words was exactly. “What do I think the metaphor means?” Giving a shrug of her shoulders, the blond offered the only explanation she could come up with without directly quoting John Green himself. “I think if a cigarette isn’t lit and one isn’t inhaling the said toxins,” a break in sentence flow proved that Vanessa hadn’t thoroughly given much thought to the analogy. “They would be avoiding any likely chance of obtaining anything cancerous while reigning power over the cigarette, which is where the metaphor lies.” After another drag of the cigarette, Vanessa lowered her gaze to the fag in hand while she tapped the visible ash off, attention inevitably being drawn toward the cars that Rowan spoke of. Undeniably, a hint of a smile etched onto the woman’s lips, probably the first time since the two had begun talking, offering a nod of compliance. “Would you say you’re one of the best in whatever sort of business it is that you are involved with?” Intrigued, Vanessa’s brows furrowed in thought. “With the way things are looking thus far, I’m fairly certain I’d need to be whisked away sooner than you’d think.” With her smile disappearing, the blond’s gaze returned to the male in near expectance. 

Rowan tried to keep a smile from showing, his attempts continuously wavering as he watched her sigh. He would be lying if that little moment between the two of them didn’t amuse him. He probably shouldn’t have pressed on with the issue, but knowing him, it was no use. He couldn’t help it. His blue eyes watched hers as she explained to him what the quote meant to her. A nod was the only reply that he could. She had given him a clear enough explanation so there wasn’t a need to push further into the topic. He followed the direction of where her eyes went. First to the cigarette daintily placed between her fingers, then to cars in front of them. “I would like to say that I’m the best at what I do. I get the job done quickly and efficiently.” That was a vague enough answer to her question, although it was quite accurate. If she wanted to ask him more questions, he would more than gladly to answer them. In turn, though, he would be asking her just as many questions. The last thing she just said made him curious. “If you ever need to be whisked away,” he took out a simple card with his name and number, “just call me. I’ll make sure to be there to do just that.” 

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jacquelineleblanc:

“If only, right?” She joked, sliding the euros off the counter and into her hand, “I’m Jacqueline. I’m afraid I’ve yet to learn yours myself, Mr..?”

“Rowan Philippe,” he grinned, “although, you don’t have to call me Mr. Philippe. Rowan’s just fine.” He took another drink from his glass, looking back at the emptying bar. “It’s nice to meet you Jacqueline.”

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henriandtheworld:

Henri shrugged a shoulder. It was okay that Rowan didn’t want to buy anything now, but he was sure sooner or later Rowan might want to buy something. Henri sucked on the end of his cigarette, inhaling the toxic smoke and breathing it back out again, shoulders relaxing slightly as the chemicals rushed through his body. There was nothing like a cigarette and the nicotine to relax you.

“Business is good.” Henri nodded, “as usual. There’s always someone wanting to buy something somewhere, there will never be a shortage.” Maybe he was jinxing things, but from experience, Henri had never seen a day where his drugs didn’t sell quickly. Someone somewhere would always need a hit, and with products as pure and as popular as his, Henri would never be out of business. He kept his blue eyes fixed on Rowan. “Found any nice cars?” The Ring had many businesses about the place, and for Rowan, it was something to do with cars. Granted, Henri didn’t really keep up to date with what everybody did, and he was somewhat curious about Rowan.

“What is it you actually do, anyway?”

Rowan nodded his head, he was glad that the drug business was thriving. A thriving drug business within a ring is one of the pillars of keeping the ring itself at the top. This meant that he could keep his job a little longer each day that every pillar in the ring stayed in tact. A crumbling foundation only gets worse in the long run if it does not get fixed.

He continued to smoke from his cigarette, feeling the man's eyes fixed on him. He felt no discomfort in this moment, just the feeling of being at ease. A drawn out, steady blow of smoke came out from his parted lips before turning to Henri, a slight smile on his lips. “They were the latest and greatest. Top of the line, really.” He slowly brought his free hand to rub the back of his neck. “But they aren’t like the cars I work on at my own garage. Sure, I can fix up these new cars to my liking but they’re practically built to perfection. Nothing truly beats the ones that I’ve actually spent time working on.” Not only that, but his most prized possession was the last car that his father and him worked on. He has maintained routine checkups with that car to ensure that it continues to run smoothly. It’s the main car that he uses on his jobs. 

“I’m a driver for the ring. If you need someone to drive a fast car to get your job done, I’m the person to call. I’ll work with any part of the ring.” He’s done a number of things as a driver for the ring. Getaway driver, quick transportation of drugs across the city, even a driver for the escorts at one point. He’s done it all. 

[rowanphilippe-blog]

jacquelineleblanc:

“Comprenable. Sometimes you just need a little extra boost, oui?” She smiled as she wiped down the spot where she’d just made his drink.

“Ouais, something like that. But this is all I’m going to be drinking for the night. Can’t be drunk off my ass,” he chuckled, placing a few euros onto the counter next to his drink. His lips stayed on the brim of the glass, his mind wondering. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name?”

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inamorctas:

Raising a brow, the blond offered an apathetic shrug of her shoulders. “I’m fairly certain adrenaline is easily replicable with any drug.” Now she’d taken a moment to fall silent, gaze averted toward the flame that flickered from the lighter as the male lit his cigarette. His sudden change in tone caught Vanessa off guard, shock was distinctive by heightened brows and widened eyes. “It’s not an original quote, therefore I couldn’t tell you what the metaphor might mean even if I had wanted to.” A white lie if there ever was one. While Vanessa was well-aware of the anecdote behind cigarettes being used as metaphors, she wasn’t about to explain that to the male standing before her as it seemed possible he might mistake her for the one that came up with it. Where Vanessa may have pegged Rowan to be verging on a more bitter sort of personality, the action of offering a cigarette had been appreciated. Taking a single cigarette from the pack, the woman returned the pack before offering a one-worded response, “Thanks.” Lifting the cigarette to her lips, Vanessa lit the end before taking a long, needed drag. “So, you mentioned cars.” Exhaling in the opposite direction of Rowan, Vanessa spoke again, “What is it that you do specifically?”

His eyebrows knitted together as he watch the surprise change her features. The entire quote situation just continued to confuse him more. Maybe he wasn’t into the hippest of things that are popular now. Hell, he’s still listening to albums that came out in the late 90s and early 2000s. If anything, Rowan was behind an entire decade so this was only him digging his grave deeper. He stuffed his left hand into the pocket of his jeans, continued to finish up smoking. “I mean, you have some idea of what the quote means. What do you think it means?” With the cigarette snugged between his pointer and middle finger, he used his thumb to tap off the excess into the nearby ash tray. His heart began to beat steadily and the thump in his ear slowly began to fade away. He looked back at Vanessa and nodded his head over at the cars parked in front of the house. “Getaway driver. An incredibly fast one at that.” The cars in front of them really didn’t do much for him. Sure, they were top of the line and probably weren’t bought legally, but he much preferred the cars in his own garage. “Need to be whisked away from a sticky situation, I’m your guy. Fast as possible, as far as possible.”

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malachiheron:

“But it’s more fun for me when you pay rather than catch you starin’ at me when I’m off the clock,”he countered but not before grabbing one of the bags of snacks and launching it at the other with a laugh. All in good fun, right? He fit in better with people who chose his company off the stage, proving to be more of a person than just a warm body that knew how to dance. Or so he wanted to keep it but he couldn’t help the way that he enjoyed the other’s company, giving him an outlet to relax. “You mean you’re not thirty already? Could have fooled me with the way you laze ‘bout here like you own the place.”

Rowan’s hand wrapped around the bag of snacks, a boyish smile with a quizzical sheen in his eyes. “What have the snacks ever done to you, man? Don’t take it out on them just because I’m not throwing some cash at you.” He tossed the bag onto a nearby table, his other hand still deep into the bag that was already open. The vibe from the two of them was a comfortable one, and nothing could really replace that. Regardless of the ring becoming his home, a safe haven even, he still had to make a good distance from everyone. This wasn’t the case with the blonde that he shared this room with. “Merde, no. I’m still three years shy of turning thirty.” He was truly taken aback, he nervously scratched as his beard. “Just because I’m not on the job as of right now, doesn’t mean I’m an overall lazy person, Mal. I’m just here to enjoy your company. Can’t I have that?”

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luciennekane:

Lucienne raised an eyebrow at the excitable young man who’d just walked straight into her. She shook her head, shrugging it off with a chuckle. “You’re lucky it was me you bumped into and not my wife. She’s not easily impressed by that sort of thing. Lucky for you, I’m far more easygoing.” The boy was endearing, young and attractive in that conventional sort of way, a little awkward, and very talented. She could see how people might let him get away with a lot. Lucky for him, it hadn’t gone to his head. 

She opened a nearby drawer and pulled out a lighter for him. Smoking was a nasty habit, but unfortunately relatively common within the crime rings of Paris. This lighter she used for lighting candles, not cigarettes. “Rowan, I was just about to take Hera for her afternoon walk. Would you care to accompany me?” It might calm him down a bit, settle his nerves, and she wouldn’t say no to some company.

Of all the people that he could have bumped into, it just had to be the Empress. His hand rubbed anxiously at the back of his neck as he looked apologetically at the woman before him. His gaze averting back to his feet, chuckling nervously. “I really am sorry. I didn’t mean for it to happen. I should have been more careful at looking at where I was going.” 

His head dipped momentarily before looking back up at her. There was a lighter being held up to him. At first, confusion laced through his face before a boyish laugh came out. He took the cigarette and placed it behind his ear so that he could smoke it later. “Thank you for the lighter, Madame, but I think I can go a few moments without taking a drag.” The offer to take a walk with her was presented to him. His hands were pushed into the depths of his pockets, contemplating on the offer. “Yeah, I can definitely walk Hera with you, if that’s what you want. Just around the property?”

[rowanphilippe-blog]

henriandtheworld:

As the weather was getting warmer, Henri found himself feeling a little happier. The sun stayed out for longer, there wasn’t that usual chill in the air that he detested. He enjoyed spending time outside and when he was traveling in the warmer parts of the world he spent almost 24 hours in the day outside. He liked the feel of the air on his skin, hair on his arms standing on ends, so he walked towards the door for a cigarette out in the open when he bumped into somebody. He let Rowan fumble over his words, waiting for the man to finish before giving him a simple smile back.

“A natural high? Maybe you’ll be after something to continue it on when you feel yourself coming down.” Henri watched Rowan for a moment, holding his right hand up that was holding the cigarette and lighter. “Let’s go outside, the air will help with your adrenaline.” It wasn’t a question, and Henri walked past Rowan, pushing the door open, waiting for the other man. Once they were both outside, Henri lit his cigarette and handed the lighter to Rowan. “You know you should do some breathing techniques to help too. In for four counts, hold for four counts, out for four counts and repeat.”

His head shot up to see who he had bumped into, Henri smiling back at him. The worry on his face vanished quickly as he took a step back. “As good as that offer is, and as amazing as the products that I know you have-- I’m going to have to skip out on it. I have a job later tonight that I need to make sure that the routes and everything are good to go.” Everything could be on the line if he doesn’t get every detail right. One wrong turn into an alleyway that could lead him to nowhere could run risks for the entire job to go to shit. He didn’t need that for tonight. Regardless of him knowing the roads of Paris by heart, the adrenaline could issue some major setbacks if he doesn’t keep it at bay. 

He nodded his head towards the door as if it was a silent agreement to join him outside for a smoke. He followed steadily behind him before bringing the cigarette up to his lips once more. The lighter was brought to the end and he took a deep breath in, allowing the smoke to fill his lungs. “I’ll definitely have to try that after the drive tonight. I typically just go back home and hit a few jays before lazing around.” He took another drag from the cigarette, tapping off the ash into a nearby ash tray. “How’s the business going? Shipment throughout the city has gone well, yeah?”

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gwenkyle:

“-Not looking where you were going?” The question - doused with an air of distaste - threads alongside the other’s words. She surveys him in response; stuffing her curled palms into the depth of her leather jacket and opting to permit him several minutes of her time. “Are you even old enough to drive? I’m gonna take a stab in the dark and assume you’re about fifteen.” 

Annoyance etched through his entire demeanor, it was an accident for fucks sake. He took a step back and tilted his head at the blonde. Surely enough, his adrenaline was still pumping through his blood. Not tonight, mate. Take it easy. “Obviously not since I bumped into you-- which I am sorry for.” He stowed the cigarette back into his back pocket, proceeding to have his arms crossed against his chest. “But I guess I don’t owe you an apology if you’re just going to insult me. Just remember that the next time you want a driver from the ring to pick you up, that they won’t come anywhere close to how fast I can get to you when you need it the most.”

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malachiheron:

“You’re hurtin’ my one feeling there, mate.” He retorted with a roll of his eyes before he pushing the hair from his face as he turned back towards the other one that’d made himself more than at home in the back room. Not many did, at least not ones that didn’t run the joint or work there, but Rowan was a bit of a different case – at least to Mal. “Pretty sure the new workout would kill you or at least try, sure as hell know that she tries to kill me every chance she  gets while callin’ it, keeping me on my toes.”

“Oh please, you know that I’m not going to pay just to look at you. I see you practically every day.” He popped a few more of the peanuts into his mouth before leaning back into his seat. His legs stretched out in front of him before a sly smirk graced his features. “Spot on, Mal. I’ll keep myself out of misery and just call it day after the morning run. Besides, I can’t have some beer belly going on before I hit my 30s. How sad would that be?”

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inamorctas:

With Vanessa, either she was overly observant or completely blind to what occurred around her, there had been no in between. Tonight, for example, had been the latter. Being in a world of her own, it’d come as enough of a surprise to be bumped into that the blond only mustered an excessive sharp intake of breath as a momentary response, though, inevitably found herself drawn back to reality after the male’s words registered – had it not been for the male’s smile, Vanessa undoubtedly would have blown the accident out of proportion. “It’s not a problem, no need for apologies.” Giving a huff, the woman’s hands found themselves riddled into the pockets of her jacket. “Being shaky isn’t any of my business.” Being a smoker herself, the woman pulled a lighter from her pocket before the lid  had been flicked off, offering it to the man moments later. “Surely you don’t use cigarettes for metaphors.” 

“It’s the adrenaline, nothing can really replace it.” Rowan’s face then contorted in confusion, he had no idea what she was talking about. A metaphor? He put back the cigarette between his lips, taking the lighter. The bright flame of the lighter lit up the cigarette. He took in a long drag before turning his head to avoid blowing the smoke into her face. “Cigarettes being used as a metaphor? What kind of shit is that?” The way that his statement came out was quite rough. “Erm, I mean, a metaphor for what exactly?” The confusion was still laced throughout his features as he took another drag. “Right, sorry -- how rude of me.” The man reached back into his pocket to offer her a cigarette with her lighter on top of the pack. 

[rowanphilippe-blog]

ginbouchard:

Gin sighed as she tried to fix the mess on top of her head. Typical Rowan. “I’m sorry, babe. Forgive me?” But before he could answer, sin rushed to get napkins for him. She placed them next to his cup then took her seat. “You weren’t home when I got there. Then I got your text. And now I’m here. Did you miss me while I was gone?” She took a sip from her cup before glancing out the window. There were jobs that she just lost track of time during and her latest just happened to be one. It had been three and half days by the time she was back in town; three and half days of no outside contact, just her thoughts and preparation and waiting. 

He took the napkins and began to pat at the wet spot on his pants, muttering under his breath. He leaned forward and ruffled her hair once more, winking at her. “The messy look goes well with your face, love. Don’t forget that.” He moved back into his seat, his arms crossed against his chest. “Of course I missed you. The apartment was lonely and tinkering around in the garage can only do so much.” Regardless of Malachi also being there, it wasn’t the same until they were complete. The three days without Gin seemed to drag along and blend into what seemed like an eternity. “Brunch and mimosas weren’t the same without you, sweets. Besides, there wasn’t free drinks without you so that was totally lame.”

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jacquelineleblanc:

“Starting to slow down.” She admitted with a nod as she arrived back at the counter with a bottle of Jack and some coke before grabbing a glass and filling it up with ice, then followed suit by pouring in the liquid contents and placing it on the counter. “What about you?” She asked as she put everything back in its place, “slow night or is it about to get moving?”

He lifted the glass to his lips before tipping it back, allowing the alcohol to move down his throat. He welcomed the slight burn of the drink. “It’s about to get moving, at least I think so.” His phone hadn’t gone off yet saying the job had been done so that he could collect the person. “Just needed a drink before it actually starts to move.”

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jacquelineleblanc:

“Hi, is there anything I can get something started for you?” She greeted the person who’d just settled at the bar, her eyes downcast for a few moments more as she finished wiping the bar before turning her gaze upwards, a friendly, polite smile making its way onto her lips.

Rowan nodded over to her as he sat at the bar. “Just a jack and coke,” he mused, leaning back in the stool. He returned the smile as he reached for the nuts on the farther end of the bar and popping some into his mouth. “Slow night?”

[rowanphilippe-blog]

The chill breeze of Paris hit his skin as soon as he stepped out of headquarters. After a little test run with one of the newly bought car for the ring, Rowan was on a natural high that left a wide smile on his lips. The surge of adrenaline and pleasure while racing around the property was something that he could never shake. He put a cigarette in between his lips, knowing that it’ll probably put his energy at bay. “Fuck,” he muttered to himself. “No fucking lighter again.” He returned back into the building, before unintentionally bumping into someone. “I’m so sorry, I was just--” He took the cig out of his mouth, passing on a charming smile as he lifted it up. “I’m on some high after driving those new cars, so I’m sorry if I seem a little shaky right now.”

[rowanphilippe-blog]

malachiheron:

“I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to charge you if you stare for that long.”

“Uh-- not to burst your bubble or anything, mate. But you do realize that we I’m just here for the free snacks and drinks. You just happen to be-- well, just here.” He winked over at him before chuckling as he leaned back in his seat. “Your abs look especially toned today, new workout that you forgot to enlighten me? I’m quite hurt, Malachi. Truly.” Rowan feigned a dramatic sigh as his hand clutched at his heart.

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ginbouchard:

To say the least, Gin was tired. There was nothing more needed after a job than a two-day rest and some madeleines. But, when her phone buzzed the second she walked into her apartment she knew that would have to be delayed. Thankfully her companion chose a smaller cafe, one hidden a few blocks over. First things first she placed her order, black coffee, two sugars. Spotting the back of their head, she snuck up behind to give them a scare.

“Ca va? What’s the emergency?”

Rowan had been sitting idly at home while waiting to do a job, but no one needed a fast car at the moment. It was getting insanely boring but there he was, twiddling his fingers in his room or working on his car. Sure, his car meant the world to him and daily maintenance checks made sure it kept running. He missed a certain someone that he shared his flat with. He sent texts to have her meet with him at the café not to far from their flat. When her voice rang through his ear, he jumped a bit, spilling some of his tea on his pants. “Ça va? Ça va?” He stood up quickly with a frown on his face before pulling her in for a hug. “I don’t know, a nice text saying you’re alive would be nice. But alas, here you are in the flesh without a scratch on you.” He pulled away and ruffled her hair on the top of her head. “Glad to see you home, sweets.”