@vrnvuld
“ then take something from the bottom shelf. don’t waste a good bottle on chugging, ” arnauld sighed. “ besides, if getting drunk is the goal, you should care about percentages not the grape. ” why was it so difficult for everyone to stick to one or two glasses in the evening ? that was all you needed for relaxing. that was all you needed. “ who did you argue with ? ” he highly doubted she could top him, be it the person or the subject matter. as much as fanni’s response frustrated him, he couldn’t feel quite comfortable with his own approach. familiarity had tricked him into unpreparedness. he had been confident in his ability to predict her reaction but had failed to slow down to choose an approach. whether he would have been able to follow it through was also another question he would not get an answer to. “ hmm… ” he absent-mindedly moved the glass to make the wine swirl. hearing a somewhat original idea that wasn’t just an invitation for chaos from mimi managed to make him feel hopeful. “ it will be fair business and if someone gets upset, they should have worked harder to keep their clients. you’ll be able to shrug it off. ” arguments were only difficult if they were personal, he had come to notice. “ it’s quite alright. there’s not much else to talk about. ” the topics he chose for dinner parties were unlikely to engage mimi. “ i’ve been thinking about returning to paris. this place is too much of a bubble. it almost feels like the reality is being warped. ” [ ;; @hshmimi ]
Mimi snorted, “shall I go alphabetically, or chronologically? My father, this morning. He’s upset with Mama, and taking it out on me. --Then I argued with her, because he’s right to be annoyed. She’s been keeping...A gentleman, in Monaco. And sending ‘care packages’” of gold-flake champagne and boudoir photos, “to Klaus, in Switzerland. --He’s the one who wears the, uh, ‘boytoy’ necklace. --Although I assume he has...made himself known to you?” He’d asked to be introduced several times before. Mimi was used to it, unfortunately. Several schoolmates had kept posters of Arnauld above their beds. “But that’s par for the course,” Mimi shrugged. “The really annoying one was with the Panamanian Princess. Do you know her?” Probably not. Recognising lesser, foreign royalty by name was his assistant’s domain. --Mimi was sure he’d forget hers, if she didn’t wear it on a charm around her neck. “She was at the wedding; she was the sad one wearing white....Anyway, she’s gone on a bit of a power trip. It’s fucking with my investments.”
“Well, it’s a little more complicated than that,” Mimi hummed, “I’m supposed to be Godmother to their - Catherine and The Swiss King’s - new baby...Though, to be honest, I’m not much in the mood for parties and babies, recently.” Absent, manicured fingers drummed against the ornate coffee table. “Plus you’re right. This place is...We’ve been living too closely. We’re too enmeshed with one another. --Whatever happened to the days of having a foreign prince shipped over based on nothing but papal recommendation and a portrait? You got married, you made polite small talk for a few months, then you died in war or childbirth. Nice and straightforward.” She sighed, mock wistful, but it turned serious when she looked back to her cousin. “Though are you sure that’s a good idea? Being alone there? --At least here you have Giselle and Jules’ help...I’m not saying you’re overworking yourself,” she splayed out her hands in a gesture of surrender already. “I wouldn’t know ‘overworking yourself’ if it hit me in the nose. Arthur Jr. style,” she mimed throwing a punch, trying desperately to lighten the mood (and probably achieving the opposite) before she said, “but I know you’re not taking coke to party longer.”