[center][color=gray][h1]The Louvre, Gala, Dance Hall[/h1][/color] [sub]Mentions: [@Days] & [@Estylwen][/sub][/center] [hr] [center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGtaQ3cLw5Q[/youtube][/center] [hr] The conversation within the little de Villiers reunion was going well enough. But aside from the occasional head nod or slight smile of approval, Nick allowed himself to get lost in thought after shaking Vandelez's hand. He wasn't jealous of Sabrina or the kids anymore, but still felt like the third wheel. Wanted to give them space. A chance to adjust to him being there. To realize that things were not going to be the way they were before the abduction. Found himself thankful. The sensation to his arm had finally come back, leaving Nick rightfully thrilled. For now, he simply didn't have the heart to tell Cosette to stop manhandling him like a personalized [i]Bearlieve Bear Talking Teddy Bear[/i]. She'd been through so much, so he'd grumble privately at Thierry about it later. It'd been awhile since he'd bitched about the mundane world after all. And he missed it- [i]not [/i]worrying about HiveMind's tomfoolery. [i]Almost[/i]. Who was he kidding? What would he do should he leave The Louvre behind? Go back to being a mechanic? Already tried that once and damn near wen- "Dance with me." [i]Shit[/i], Thierry... The song was slow and sappy, yet oddly relatable. Nick wasn't embarrassed by dancing with his husband, but still felt slightly out of touch with his surroundings. Sort of missed his combat boots right about now. Caught a glimpse of Nova and Mr. Voidlight's VP who seemed to be falling for each other, if they hadn't already. That strange sensation equally familiar whenever Nick locked eyes with Thierry. "Why is Rodrigo Vandelez here again?" He'd been looking across the ballroom as he spoke, trying to make sure Cosette and Aurélie were okay, "I mean I know there are Americans here tonight, but..." But the reaction Nick received startled him. Thierry seemed calm despite such a loaded question, "Are you armed?" While side-eyeing Thierry's family members as his feet moved under him, "As a matter of profession." Nick nodded. The Louvre be damned should anything happen to Thierry's kids so soon after such a heartwarming reunion. But the seed had been planted. Worry grew and threatened to form a lump in his throat. "I trust you with my life." I know." Nick started calmly enough, then leaned in on his husband's ear to whisper, "But some days I wish you wouldn't." The sight of his brother across the room caught Nick off guard. Was he... was he [i]recording [/i]this dance on his phone?! [i]Aaron, no! I have two left feet! [/i] [hr] [center][color=gray][h1]The Secret Admirer[/h1][/color] [sub]Interactions: [@Days] & [@Estylwen][/sub][/center] [hr] Of course The Louvre loves to party! "...It's located in the heart of France, after all!" Aaron unambiguously grinned as he pocketed his phone. Who was he speaking to? Just a little commentary. He'd just caught Nick on video acting like a fish out of water, and was [i]loving it[/i]. Never gonna let him live it down! But he really was happy for his normally cantankerous brother. The younger of the two brothers stayed off to the walls. But he'd spotted who'd he'd wanted to chat with- [i]His brother's kids. [/i]With work being so chaotic, Aaron hadn't had the chance to formally introduce himself to Cosette and Aurélie. Or at least not interact with them outside of work. And now, at The Louvre's Gala, was his chance to be the social butterfly that he really was. To really show just how polar opposite of his brother he was in these situations. Once close enough, he nodded at the girls with a grin, "Hey, how's it going?" And held out little mini snack cakes he'd pulled from a waiter he'd passed, "Want one?" He asked Cosette first, as she was rightfully the baby. "How have you been since getting back?" The question was in earnest. Aaron was genuinely curious, "I, uh, I've been busy with work, or I would have stopped by sooner." Busy? That was an understatement. Damn near drown in the paperwork. [i]HiveMind [/i]this, [i]HiveMind [/i]that. HiveMind, HiveMind, HiveMind. Well, at least he'd finally memorized how to spell Galloes properly. Kept switching the e and the o. And Ramses made fun of him for it a few times. That [i]jerk[/i]! There were no apologies about his brother's lack of social skills as he spoke, just a sincerity with his own lack of attentiveness about his expression. But, while Aaron was normally very socially interactive, "Interesting party! I'm seeing some peo-" His voice cut off as he locked eyes with Aurélie, then looked to Cosette. Nervously smiled a little, then continued his train of thought, "Lots of people here that I wasn't expecting to see. I'm used to being one of the oddball Americans roaming around..." There was... still time ... to [i]chat [/i]before Theo comes and fucks it all up, right? [i]Right[/i]?! Right. "Your dress is lovely!" Aaron managed to squeak with a smile, "And yours is cute too, Cosy." Yeah, he'd seen the rumors about Aurélie online. They didn't scare him at all, though they did bother him a bit. A lot of keyboard warriors that knew next to nothing about what the actual situation was. And while most people might have found such a negative attitude to be off-putting, Aaron felt there was something oddly familiar about it. Couldn't pin point exactly what in that moment. But there's definitely a slightly older grump that Aaron was used to dealing with... And while Aurélie was clearly timid due to the trauma of what had happened, Aaron couldn't help but ponder some of the grief she'd probably given Thierry back in the day. Wondered momentarily if her former attitude problem could take Nick's temper tantrums on a run for the money. "I'm excited to see what Theo's going to show us!" The younger brother found himself slightly lying, "I suppose you guys don't have insider knowledge you're willing to share? Can only imagine how proud your dads are." Considering Aaron didn't have any children of his own. [hr] [center][color=gray][h1]The Lollipop Girl[/h1][/color] [sub]Interactions: [@Estylwen][/sub] [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJEKHdvntPI[/youtube][/center] [hr] "You'd grow senile too, staring at this damn pyramid all day." Cress smiled softly at the HiveMind pet as a booming amplified voice rang out in the Gala. Theo's artifact must of been being introduced right about now... "I suppose I'll visit the after party to make up for all the boredom this office brings me." Could only imagine having to deal with this girl frequently and how annoying for Von it must be. She was loud and obnoxious. But Cress didn't let on his disapproval of her choice of seating as she casually sat on his furniture. Kept his smile warm and pleasant to work with. Besides, Little Miss It couldn't be all bad. Cress had even managed to convince her that he was The Louvre's council member! He wasn't, but the less she and her big business daddy knew, the better for the safety of the de Villiers- [i]for The Louvre[/i]. A chattering laugh escaped him, "No, I don't suppose Thierry was very happy about being evicted from his apartment." The lollipop. The [i]wrapper[/i]... Cress' demeanor shifted a bit as he spoke more formally to the woman, attempting to sound more like a cranky father, and less like she'd bothered him on a personal level, "[i]Manners[/i], my dear, [i]manners[/i]. Even if you're more familiar with farm life over in the States, we are not [i]heathens [/i]here in Paris." He held out his hand as if pledging some sort of allegiance to the girl, "You have my Scout's Honor!" But of course, it was just a necessary rue for what was to come. But then he blurted, "I'm assuming Von hasn't spoken with Mr. Augustus yet?" "Then again," Cress' smile was sly and deliberate, "I suppose you're not high enough on the totem pole to know that sort of thing."