Dinner's On Me, The Diplomacy's On You (Ricky) FIN

[ZANDER “ZEUS” DEVEREUX]

Zander was happy to have Richard laughing. It was a point of pride to get Richard to enjoy himself. He was always so stiff. He needed to relax and enjoy himself once in a while, and no one else in his life seemed to see that. Perhaps it was just that Zander was the kind of person who liked to enjoy life and thought others should, as well. He paid attention to things like that.

"Speaking of secrets, I trust you will continue to keep our monetary arrangement between the two of us? That is to say - you won't reveal the truth of the crash to your brother?"

Zander couldn’t help but frown. Now, where had that come from? Sometimes he wondered if Richard had some super power that made him able to parrot Zander’s own musings.

“Believe me, Richard – the last person I would want to tell is Hector.”

He could imagine how Hector would react to knowing who had been manipulating the stock market. Even though he had only discovered it, Zander wasn’t so sure he would be let off any easier than Richard would be.

“After all, he just may be the type to shoot the messenger and I am far too pretty to die.”

Zander winked, trying to be humorous, even though the prospect was far from it. He’d seen the look in his eye when they’d discussed their father, briefly. He had no doubts that his older sibling was capable of murder – family or not.

“And I must admit, I do enjoy our arrangement.”

He didn’t need the money, but it gave him an excuse to be in Richard’s life and to spend time with the man. He normally dumped the money off on charity, or perhaps to buy lunches and snacks for the office, but Richard didn’t need to know that. All Richard needed to know was that he wasn’t going to be telling Hector. Hector may have been his new found brother, but he and Richard had history that trumped that.

“I have been curious, though – what exactly made you want to undermine Hector? I’ve been puzzling it out and it seems like more than just losing your job to the man.”

There had to be something else. That or Richard was secretly childish and throwing a tantrum. Just the thought made him stifle a laugh. Richard was far from childish.

OOC: No worries, Ness! I wasn't exactly on top of this, either!

[RICHARD PLANTAGENET]

“Believe me, Richard – the last person I would want to tell is Hector.”

Richard attempted not to look as relieved as he felt, but it was difficult. The fact that Zander had frowned before answering was also something of a relief - as though he hadn't considered the possibility of telling the mayor. Clearly he was closer to the man who was paying him to keep his mouth shut than he was to his new found brother. He attempted to distract Zander from his expression all the same by taking another, slightly heftier drink from his glass of wine. Relief was not the sort of expression he wanted to reveal.

“After all, he just may be the type to shoot the messenger and I am far too pretty to die.”

Plantagenet swallowed and frowned himself, unable to help doing so at the thought of Hector killing Zander. Not that he particuallrly wanted Zander to die but if Hector killed Zander - his own brother - even metaphorically, Richard hated to think what Hector would do to him. Would he follow through on the threats he'd made when he first strong armed him into being part of his underground operations?

"Knowing him, he may very well be the type," Richard replied, seeming, for all intents and purposes, deadly serious. Not a wise move considering Zander didn't know about Hector's connections with the mob but then, how would Zander figure that one out?

“And I must admit, I do enjoy our arrangement.”

Richard smiled again, though thinly.

“I have been curious, though – what exactly made you want to undermine Hector? I’ve been puzzling it out and it seems like more than just losing your job to the man.”

Richard attempted to sound offhand.

"He and I had been business associates for a number of years before he entered politics," he explained. "I hadn't expected it of him...the position meant a great deal more to me than it may first appear..." He stopped himself. Then,

"I don't wish to discuss this."

[ZANDER “ZEUS” DEVEREUX]

Zander watched Richard from his periphery. He looked like he was troubled, well, Richard’s version of it, which was only a slight frown that others would put off as nothing. The swallow really tipped him off. Now, that was worrying. Zander composed himself enough to keep it from his face – he hoped.

"Knowing him, he may very well be the type.”

Oh, now that was troubling. Richard at least tried to reassure him about things like that. Now he was going to have that nigging in the back of his mind whenever Hector was displeased. He would just have to win him over with his charm and cooking skills.
Richard didn’t linger, though, moving on as if he wanted to think on that as much as Zander.

"He and I had been business associates for a number of years before he entered politics. I hadn't expected it of him...the position meant a great deal more to me than it may first appear..."

That was fascinating. He was not aware that Richard and Hector had any such interactions. It made sense if he thought on it, seeing as how they had both risen to power and that Richard now hated him. It sounded as if Hector had an enemy for life by pulling that move.

"I don't wish to discuss this."

Zander nodded, knowing Richard would not have said that unless he meant it. He was not stupid enough to push the issue. He thanked god right then that the waiter came over with a tray laden with food. He made a mental note to pass an extra twenty to the server before he left. The timing was impeccable.

“Ah, dinner!” Zander announced.

He supervised as a plat was set in front of Richard, and three were set in front of himself. He had ordered much more to eat, both famished and a hearty eater. He had been looking forward to the food part of the meal all day.

“I hope you’re hungry. It looks as if they have out done themselves again!”

And not a moment too soon...

He left the conversation there, hoping Richard would either pick something more to his liking to discuss, or perhaps he would just choose to enjoy the meal.

[RICHARD PLANTAGENET]

The expression on Zander's face as Richard explained how things stood between himself and Hector was not exactly a pleasant one to be witness to. The younger man was clearly troubled by Richard's words - and why should he not be? Richard himself knew Hector could very easily - literally- kill the messenger - the fact Zander was unaware of the literal implications of his turn of phrase and still worried clearly indicated to Richard he had spoken unwisely.

Here Zander had come to him for counsel and advice on his new found relationship with Hector, and Richard couldn't help but take the opportunity to destroy the man's reputation and credibility as much as he could. No wonder Zander didn't look as composed as usual. Not only had Richard advised him here and now about Hector, but for some reason he'd come to be a sort of advisor to Zander in the sense that he had more experience and so called 'pearls of wisdom' to impart to the younger man - his belittling of Hector was not keeping up his end of the deal.

As Zander nodded, Richard having explicitly stated his wish to discontinue the topic, the older man had to admit he was pleased. The man knew better than to pry into his affairs.

Somewhat miraculously their dinner arrived almost as Zander made the gesture, signalling the end of that portion of the conversation at hand. However, Zander tried too hard to continue avoiding the previous issue with his exclamation, to which Richard made no reply.

“I hope you’re hungry. It looks as if they have out done themselves again!”

Richard looked over at Zander, one eyebrow raised. Never mind how he felt about the food, what was Zander doing with three plates of it? Even after all the time they had known each other, Richard had yet to get used to the younger man's eating habits. That and he was making the now painfully awkward situation worse.




ooc: Hahaha, way to make things awkward Rickyboy! XD Sorry I didn't give you much to work with there - Rickyboy's being awkward himself. =P

'It sounded as if Hector had an enemy for life by pulling that move.' - You've summed the Hector/Ricky thing up so well in that sentence, I shall have to give you points! :3

[ZANDER “ZEUS” DEVEREUX]

Zander nearly dived into his dinner with both hands. He loved the food here. He had his fork in hand, stabbing at one of the potatoes on his plate with gusto. He had it in his mouth before he even thought about politeness. He had a lot of food to get through. He’d ordered a steak, salad, potatoes, asparagus, garlic bread, fresh mushrooms, the assorted veggies – sans carrots – apple sauce, and even some risotto because he’d been peckish. His meal dominated over half of the table. He was certainly going to be full for the night. Well, hopefully. He might snack later...who was he kidding, he definitely would.

He caught Richard’s raised eyebrow and shrugged innocently. He had yet to meet anyone who could out eat him.

“I had a stressful day,” he replied. “Stress makes me eat.”

It was true. He’d been munching on everything he could find all day. It was mostly candy, though, and that was never filling. So to have actual food available was something he was going to enjoy.

“Don’t mind me. Dig in,” he offered. “Make sure to save room for dessert – they have amazing pie here.”

Just the thought made his stomach growl. He picked up his knife as well, cutting into his steak and popping a piece into his mouth. He actually did groan then. It was amazing.

“You know, next to my mama’s cook, no one makes steak better than these guys.”

He savored another bite, for the moment not thinking about what he wanted to say or what Richard had told him. Right then, the only thing that existed with the slab of A1 steak in front of him.


OOC: No worries, Ness! Sorry it took me so long to get this up for you! It took a while to get this together. And yes, he so gets Richard, as much as he can, haha!

[RICHARD PLANTAGENET]

ooc: I’m so sorry this has taken me so long – being busy + lack of muse(!) = no posts from The Ness D: And this post is rubbish because Ricky’s still being awkward – I’m sorry!



bic: Despite the awkwardness the conversation had stumbled to, Richard found himself almost tempted to laugh at Zander’s explanation for his eating habits. He’d had a stressful day – really, what sort of excuse was that? It was only then that Richard came to the conclusion the stress could have had something to do with Hector – a valid reason to be in such an emotional state – and he managed to stop himself from laughing.

Instead he did as Zander offered, cutting his steak into strips with his knife before proceeding to cut the first of the strips in half, putting down the knife and picking up his fork to eat it. It was unorthodox, but it was a routine he’d established, given his disability. He understood where Zander was coming from when he said the steak was excellent, but that did not mean he was going to start aimlessly chatting about the food as his companion was in a vain attempt to alleviate the tension of the conversation.

He continued in this vein for a few moments, enjoying the silence the meal had allowed the conversation to descend into – it wasn’t often that Zander was quiet for long. But what was there to say? Hector had taken his position and now he hated the man – Hector failed to see the problem but then Hector failed to see the whole picture…

The silence wasn’t exactly pleasant. It was more one of those moody, dismal silences that neither party quite knows how to negotiate. Though doubtless Zander would be the first to speak – Richard was well able to remain silent – brooding and plotting inside one’s head lent itself to such.

[ZANDER “ZEUS” DEVEREUX]

Zander glanced at where Richard was carefully cutting his meal into bite sized pieces. He supposed that made it easier to chew. He looked at the size of the piece he’d cut for himself and shrugged, shoving it into his mouth anyway. He made sure to chew thoughtfully, thinking it would be uncomfortable to choke in front of Richard’s careful preparation. He was also enjoying the food far too much.

He glanced at his companion. He could practically hear Richard thinking. He wasn’t talking, but he was thinking enough for three men. Zander hated when he did that. He hated quiet period, but with Richard it seemed far too oppressive.

“You know, I think I feel better now. Good food can do that,” he mused aloud, not caring if he got a reply or not. “You know, we should do this more often.”

Not that he needed the excuse to go out and eat a steak, but it was always nice to sit and dine with a friend or business associate or whatever he and Richard were. At least this way he could actually see the man once in a while.

“Discuss business and gossip and eat,” he continued, spooning the risotto into his mouth and humming as he chewed it down. “I could write them off as business dinners.”

He could definitely talk Jeffry into writing it off somehow. It might even be legal. If it was, he was going to claim he thought it up himself.

“You probably write off things like this all the time.”

He shoved more food in his mouth, fully aware that his ability to make conversation went right out the window when he was more focused on his dinner. Richard was probably used to it by now.

[RICHARD PLANTAGENET]

The remainder of the meal passed in this vein - Richard remained silent, steadily working his way through the meal before him, but his silence was punctuated by Zander attempting to carry on the conversation where it had left off or strike up a new one entirely. Richard acknowledged these attempts at conversation - he did not ignore Zander - yet he did not contribute to the conversation any to help ease the awkwardness. The silence - pleasant on Richard's part and not so comfortable on Zander's - abated somewhat as the latter paid the bill and Richard thanked him for his invitation.

However, Richard was the sort of man who always had to have the last word, and in this case there was no exception. He got to his feet as though making to leave but remained standing to address Zander, looking for all intents and purposes like a teacher reprimanding an errant child.

"When you next see Hector, remember what I said - learn to tolerate his flaws. Believe me when I say I do the same."

And with a wry, secret sort of smile he turned on his heel and began his unsteady progress to the exit.



ooc: Fin for the Rickster - thanks for such a fun thread! Feel free to round things off with a final post from Zander. ^^

[ZANDER “ZEUS” DEVEREUX]

Zander tried to make conversation throughout the meal. He’d talked about everything he could think of. However, Richard wasn’t committed to it. Zander didn’t mind too much. He was used to carrying conversation. Finally, when they were finished and Zander had sent the waiter away with his credit card, Richard stood and loomed over him for a long moment. He felt like a child when the other man did that.

"When you next see Hector, remember what I said - learn to tolerate his flaws. Believe me when I say I do the same."

Zander merely nodded as Richard smiled wryly and started off towards the exit. Zander slumped back in the booth considering that. It had been an interesting conversation, and he supposed Richard was right, just as he always was. He had a point – everyone was flawed, everyone had their own way, and if Zander really wanted him as a brother, he would need to accept that. Besides, if Hector were perfect, that would make things far too easy, and that was when things got boring. At least this way would keep him on his toes.

“Well now,” he mused. “I think life just got a bit more interesting.”