#thread: isabeau + olivier

[gvldntrbl]

Beau + Olivier @theartofruling

Location: Coronation Celebration Dinner & Party, Kings Hill Castle

-⚜️-

It was practically foolish of Olivier to think that perhaps life in Lume could occur without unexpected trouble. One moment, Olivier was enjoying himself - albeit too much - privately with his date on the balcony. And the next, sheer and utter chaos unfolded before his eyes. Shrieks shook the celebration hall while cries for missing people met the hybrid's ears. While Olivier may have had less loved ones to check for than others, he was still fortunate enough that none of them were among the taken. His date included.

After making sure that his loved ones were okay, Olivier caught sight of Beau and made his way to her. "Hey, are you alright?" He asked, looking her over quickly. "Is anyone with you missing?"

[gvldntrbl]

-⚜️-

"Put together?" The hybrid damn near parroted with a growing, amused smile. "Are you just saying that because I'm wearing a new cologne?" He asked Beau in a light, playful tone. Olivier was more than aware that that wasn't how the madame rolled. While a talented actress when needed, Beau wasn't a disingenuous being. "I'm not the poster hybrid for having a family stick together. Not really. So I won't lie and say that I know where Zinnia's coming from." He sighed and his shoulders raised with a shrug before continuing. "Perhaps she's worried about the changes that's happened since you and him broke up. But I think she knows that even with you no longer being together, you're still a family. Her family. Except now, everything looks different. And not at all how she wanted it. So she's trying to parent-trap you back together." Ollie chuckled. "It's cute in a twisted sort of way." When Beau said that Zinnia was unaware of the specifics of her parents' breakup, Olivier made a face. "It's fucked, from her point of view, but on the adult side? It sounds like you two at least did that part right. Even in splitting up, you two were still trying to protect her. Regardless of her being an adult now, too." Ollie practically complimented to Beau. "The respect is mutual. You're as smart as you are beautiful. Plus, you're wickedly talented in bed. What's not to respect?" The hybrid replied. Moments later, he laughed, dark eyes spinning in their sockets at her quip of the moniker. "Why am I not surprised that you'd point that out?" He asked Beau, still chuckling as she sat on his lap. "What's your name? Besides Million Dollar Beau?"

"It took me eighty something years to get to this point." Olivier reminded Beau. "A part of me was sure before but... I wasn't in the place for it. Hell, it was hard for me to say that parenthood isn't for me and to not feel terrible about maybe taking that future away from someone else. Simply because of the fact that they loved me." He paused, truly considering Beau's words. "I'm so firm in it now because there was always a part of me that felt so undeserving of having someone want and love me back the way that I wanted and needed them to. So yes, I was plenty afraid. I still am." Ollie confessed to her. "But I don't want to fuck it up this time. Not again. Not with her." A faint smile touched the hybrid's features at Beau's offer to kick Penelope's ass. It made him laugh a little. It also made him feel even more loved. "Feel free. I won't make any moves to protect or help that vampire." He answered with another shrug. "Wait, if you can't fight. Then no. I don't want you to get hurt. Or for something to happen to you." Ollie replied with a shake of his head after receiving that specific information about Beau. Still, he joined her in laughter as she accepted his handshake. "Oh, it's something, alright." He murmured, his tone agreeing with her. Dark brows lowered, listening to Beau as she shared what she'd lost. "Is your heart still not available for offers?" He asked her, sending Beau a curious look with a tilt of his head. "I don't think you've lost Zinnia. Not yet. When she starts to talk about you the way that I speak about Penelope, then you'll have lost her. But if she's fighting for you like you say that she is, then she still loves you, Beau. She still wants what she thinks is best for her mother. Even if right now, you don't want it for yourself." He finished, lightly poking Beau in the side with an index finger. "Just do me a favor? Don't let it take eighty-something years for you, too. I'd hate to see that." Olivier paused as he let out a sigh. "Perhaps, one day, you two can talk about that. It might help her see you as you are. As a whole person and not only as her mother."

Beau playfully rolled her eyes, but her smile was rooted in place. “And you know I enjoy hearing myself referred to as beautiful by a well put together, about his business, handsome man.” She always enjoyed hanging out with Olivier. She didn’t have to dilute her own big personality for his. There was room for both of their egos in the same space. “You could charm her but that would do nothing for her want to have her family back together. She wants me and Kaan back together but doesn’t really know the specifics of the breakup.” Her brow rose when he said being well respected was new. “You know I’ve always respected you. Regardless of the business you’ve done. Legitimate or not.” She placed a hand on his chest, meeting his gaze. “While Big Business Benoit sounds sexy. It also sounds like a porn name.” She grinned. “It sounds like damn good business really.” She paused in thought. Her lips pursed as she mulled over the question. “Definitely worth a couple million at least.” 

“I am almost jealous of how sure you are. No fear, just you know you want it and you’re so firm in it.” For her, she had just finally figured herself out. She was firm in her love for Kaan, but the future she gave the first time wasn’t as authentically her as it was something she was striving to give. “Want me to kick her ass?” she offered. “I can’t fight but I can try for you.”  She shook his hand, laughing. “It’s nice to know that self sabotage isn’t as lonely as I thought.” When he asked what she had lost recently, her answer was immediate. “Kaan. He was the last thing I lost before I realized I should just stop trying to offer my heart. My body is just fine of an offering. Zinnia’s I hope I don’t lose her. I hope one day she will see how much I had to go through to make sure she was alive, well and happy.” 

As they spoke about self sabotage, Beau wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. The irony of having a heart to heart in a brothel was not lost. “I think I’m in that stage of keeping people at a distance. I love Kaan, no doubt about it. I think my problem the first time was I was me, but I knew exactly what he wanted and I became his version of Beau. I love my job, but I didn’t do it the way I should. I stopped doing even my VIP duties for my regular clients. I just became Kaan’s future wife, and I wasn’t ready to be a wife. I wasn’t ready to have kids. I thought I was. I thought I could, but when it was put up or shut up time, the answer was no. He was all or nothing. Now…Now I’m in the figure it out phase. Still trying to see where I can compromise and where I can’t.” When Olivier mentioned his mom taking away all that he had amassed. “You know your friends and your family won’t let that happen, right? She can try all she fucking wants. The people who love and care about you aren’t going to let your mother sabotage your happiness. I’ll lead the charge if I have to. Because I like seeing this side of you.” 

[gvldntrbl]

Olivier, Isabeau + Katherine @theartofruling​​ @ocean-eyeslnrp​​

Location: At The Secret Garden HQ in Southland

-⚜️- 

It was odd, how another un-welcomed meeting with his own mother re-calibrated the hybrid’s priorities. At least the ones that were business related. Whenever his grandparents met their final deaths, it was assumed that Penelope and his uncle, Beau-Alexander, would inherit Domaine Benoit. The only problem that Olivier had with that was that he’d never seen his mother do anything for the family business. From his understanding, and personal recollection, Penelope was more fond of squandering the Benoit fortune and enjoying life as an heiress. One without any responsibilities. Unlike Olivier. One of his first memories were joining his grand-pere on business. Of playing half-speed hide and seek with his uncle in the vineyards at one of their many locations. It was how the hybrid in the family of vampires was trained to be a sommelier. Hell, Olivier still leaned on that discipline when sampling wines and other spirits his family sold. He was, almost always, one of the first partakers of the product and could provide a hybrid’s perspective when needed. It was with facts such of these in mind that Olivier scheduled a meeting for himself and the dual-owners of the Secret Garden. If he could negotiate a mutually beneficial contract between the Secret Garden, including its Riverboat Casino, and Domaine Benoit then... Olivier was one step closer in ousting Penelope from the safety of his grandparents inheritance. A feat that he most certainly could live with.

“Ladies,” He stood and greeted both women with a smile before he shook their hands. “Thanks for meeting me.” Ollie waited until they were seated to slip back into his own chair. “As you both know, I’ve been a repeat patron of your wonderful establishments and it came to me... that I was doing you two a disservice. How could I spend time in your brothels, on your riverboat, spend my own coin there and not even bring up business with you? My grand-mere would hit me over the head for the oversight.” He paused as the apples of his cheeks rose and Olivier shook his head, more to himself than anything. “She’d also blame it on the ignorance of youth. For which, I apologize.”

“How is business going with your current spirit distributor? Are you satisfied? And if not,” He leaned back, against the spine of his chair. “I want to change that for you. Right now. So, what can I do to make that happen?”

[gvldntrbl]

-⚜️-

"I have met me, yes." Olivier replied with a smirk, glancing at the woman in his lap. "But no, please, do go on with your flattery. You know how I love to hear great things about myself from beautiful women." The hybrid hummed under his breath as she spoke of her busy schedule. "That sounds like a lot. Nor does it sound like an easy feat. But if there's anyone who could make it look good and easy to outsiders, it'd be you, Beau." He paused. "Disgruntled? What's happening there? I don't need to charm Zinnia, do I?" Ollie offered. At Beau's laughter and subsequent joke, Olivier joined her in laughing. "Well respected? That's new. Not that it's bad, it isn't. But you know that I've been leaning more into my Big Business Benoit persona." He shared truthfully. After all, Beau and the Secret Garden locations were one of Olivier's first major successful negotiations as an extension of Domaine Benoit. And not his own off the books work. He chuckled again. "Your expensive ass, my expensive lap. Breaking even or breaking chairs, sounds like we're in business." He paused, face scrunching in playful musing. "How expensive do you think I am? As I know your ass is worth more than one comma."

"The thing is, Beau, I want this forever. I don't want 'for as long as I have it'. I've lived long enough without it to know that... I don't want to do that again." He answered her truthfully in a low voice. A morose, empty chuckle passed his lips in reaction to her question. "...My mother." When Beau spoke of being a self-saboteur, Olivier offered a hand to shake. "I am too, nice to meet a fellow saboteur." He listened as she spoke before asking. "What have you lost? Recently." Ollie curiously asked her. "That sounds like good process. Even if Zinnia's disgruntled. She's here. And she loves you."

He paused again. "I used to self-sabotage because... it was easier keeping others at a distance. It's not like I didn't have chances at being this happy before. I did. Back with Damien. But we both knew what was expected of us and that was okay. This time, I finally accepted the adage that in order to have something different, I had to do something different. This time, I don't want the different to stop. I want it for every day and time I sabotaged myself because I thought that I didn't deserve it. Even if I know, somehow, Penelope could try to ruin me this time. The closer I get to others, the more she can see how much I care. And she could try to take that from me so that I go back to having no one but my family."

“Forgotten you? Have you met you? You’re rather unforgettable at times so that would never happen.” Beau nodded when he understood. “Pulling off this twenty-four-hour bachelorette party to the specifications of the Goddess? That hasn’t been easy. On top of making sure everything keeps running at the other locations. Plus, I have a disgruntled twenty-one-year-old who’s upset with me.” Her daughter’s life had been changing rapidly, transitioning into a vampire, and dealing with her parents’ breakup. Beau understood. As she got comfortable in Ollie’s lap, she laughed. “Not even a fancy, yet comfortable, well-respected chair?” She practically snorted when he said he would send her a bill. “How much, let’s compare, we may break even, considering my ass is also expensive.” 

She shook her head at the notion of expecting something bad to ruin his happiness. “Don’t go down that road. Enjoy it for as long as you have it. Do you see anything on the horizon that could ruin your happiness? I’m a perpetual self-sabotager. When life and love are falling into place, before something can happen, somehow I always try to save people from me. As if I can divine that shit is going to go down, when really it’s just fear of losing what I have. That fucking fear costs me no matter what.” That was what she wanted to stop, being so caught up in the fear of losing everything that she takes herself out of the equation unintentionally. “I am. All that self-sabotaging I just mentioned is what I’m working on. I’m even going to be spending the camping trip with my ex and our daughter. So progress. I hope.” 

[gvldntrbl]

-⚜️-

"If it wasn't for our business, I would've thought you'd forgotten all about me." Ollie replied, a hand flattening to his chest while sending her a faux wounded expression. "It's okay," He said with a light chuckle not surprised at all by her settling in his lap. "You're busy." Hell, they both were. "I know how things are." When Beau replied and suggested that her simply sitting in his lap equated to a charge, the hybrid almost let her slide off of him. "I'm not paying to be a chair. If anything, I'm sending the Garden a bill. My lap's expensive, Beau, you know this." He smarted, shoulders raising in a quick, dismissive shrug.

Still, he chuckled at her joke. "Life's been... good. Surprisingly." Olivier replied, answering his friend and business partner honestly. "A part of me is wondering when the proverbial fang will drop and take away this happiness." His chest moved with a laugh when she spoke of Toni claiming him as a conflict of interest in Beau's attempt to befriend her. At least he never had to doubt where his girlfriend's allegiance lied with him. "How have those talks been? Are they helpful enough so that you're.... working on whatever you wanted to see her about professionally?" He asked Beau.

Who: Beau + Olivier @gvldntrbl

Where: Riverboat Level 3 - Garden Bliss

With everything under control, Beau could mingle and have some free time. She spotted Olivier and decided to join him. Beau smiled in greeting as she approached. "Hey, I haven't checked in, in a nonbusiness partner capacity in a bit, so I figured this would be the perfect time." Instead of a seat of her own, she sat in his lap. "I'm calling this a lap service. Pay one of the girls on your way out," she joked. "How's life been? Considering we've been like two ships passing in the night a lot, and considering that I started seeing your lady in an unofficial capacity, she told me it was a conflict of interest and took me on more as a friend who goes out for drinks weekly than a client, I'd say we have loads to talk about." She was almost sad when Toni said there was a conflict, and she wasn't so sure she could be as confidential because her loyalty was with Ollie if any business best interest came up.