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Post by CLAUDIUS CHANDLER on Aug 22, 2012 8:24:56 GMT -5
Claudius knew he shouldn't be there, yet there he was. In a bar. Again.
The last time he'd sneaked into such a place as this, he'd been badgered by Osric Young, his self proclaimed biographer, and had been lectured by him on the perils of drinking too much. As soon as Osric left he'd done just that, as if to spite him as well as make the most if his rule breaking - he was technically still in rehab, after all.
But this time Zander had invited him out and although the CEO of Deveruex Industries was six years younger than him, Claudius felt it would be wrong to refuse or come up with an excuse. They were friends after all - both rich, both powerful. If there were a deeper meaning to their friendship Claudius couldn't recall it at present. He was too concerned with himself.
Sitting at one of the bar's tables, a glass of water in front of him which he'd failed to convince himself was a gin and tonic (but was unwilling to procure such a beverage as the memories from meeting Osric at the bar and his subsequent binge were still painfully fresh), Claudius waited for Zander to join him. Since Claudius usually ran fifteen minutes behind the rest of the world, as Hector exasperatedly told him, the fact he was the one waiting was unusual. Maybe this whole rehab affair had changed him in more ways than one.
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Post by ZANDER “ZEUS” DEVEREUX on Aug 23, 2012 5:09:06 GMT -5
Zander was running late – something he hated. Oh, it happened far more than he would have liked, but that was no excuse. His mother had raised him better than that. So it was with a quick pace that he walked down the sidewalk, moving around people like a snake in the reeds. Honestly, New York moved at a brisk pace from dawn to dusk, but as soon as the sun fell, it was painfully obvious that people slowed like molasses in winter. For a man running late, it could be difficult to understand how this city worked.
Pausing outside the bar, he took a moment to peer through the window to see if Claudius had actually come. It was a gamble, after all, but he was pleased to catch a glimpse of him already seated with a drink.
Claudius Chandler may have had six years on Zander, but he was certainly on the same playing field. A fellow CEO and lover of life, the pair got on swimmingly. Perhaps they got along a bit too well. Every time they got together, they drank, and Zander was starting to notice he was the only one who bounced back these days to the land of happy and sober. And the less he bounced, the more he did things that made Zander question his sanity.
The newspaper article, for example. What was he thinking kissing Hector? Now people were questioning if his brother was gay, and whether his friend was also in that boat. Now, folks were free to choose whatever lifestyle they wanted, but they had both forgotten something important – Zander. Neither of them had considered how it would look for him to be in the middle of this mess. Hector was supposedly his brother, Claudius supposedly his friend. He couldn’t help but wonder when they did things like this. And it would happen again if Zander didn’t say something to the more reasonable of the two. And once he was done, they could drink and be merry like always. He liked that Claudius didn’t hold onto things like that. It would have made drinking with him a bore.
Deciding there was no time like the present, Zander pushed the door open and walked in, looking around casually, as if he hadn’t been standing there and spying on the people inside like an urchin. His eyes purposefully landed on Claudius and he smiled brightly.
“Claudius! So glad you could come!” He greeted, flopping down across from him. “I feared you would be trying to keep a low profile after kissing Hector and having it reported to the entire city.”
And he still couldn’t envision any scenario that led to that. But he didn’t need to. Claudius would explain it all for him before he rolled up the article and beat him with it. His brother...honestly...
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Post by CLAUDIUS CHANDLER on Aug 29, 2012 11:08:24 GMT -5
When Zander entered the bar and made his way over, smiling brightly, Claudius was sure he could be forgiven for expecting a friendly greeting. However, despite his smile, what Zander said as he sat down opposite him sounded anything but.
“Claudius! So glad you could come!” He greeted, flopping down across from him. “I feared you would be trying to keep a low profile after kissing Hector and having it reported to the entire city.”
"Oh God," Claudius groaned, his usual grin sliding swiftly off his face to be replaced with a look combined frustration and fear at the inevitable route this conversation would surely now traverse. Really, it took all his willpower to stop himself slumping onto the table face first in a position of defeat. "First Osric bloody Young, now you as well?"
Having made this exclamation it occurred to Claudius he should probably set Zander right about what had happened, rather than letting him assume whatever it was he was assuming. Because the press was making a big deal out of it and really it hadn't been that big of a deal. Well. At the time it had been a big deal. But now? Did people seriously still care about what had happened?
"Look, Hector was drunk. And he kissed me, not the other way around."
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Post by ZANDER “ZEUS” DEVEREUX on Aug 30, 2012 14:11:11 GMT -5
"Oh God."
Ah, yes – that had been the exact same reaction Zander had when he’d read it. It was good to know that Claudius was on the same page.
"First Osric bloody Young, now you as well?"
“I have no idea who that is, but yes, me as well.”
Whatever that meant. Zander assumed it was something to do with scolding Claudius. If that was the case, he was on board.
"Look, Hector was drunk. And he kissed me, not the other way around."
Zander frowned, imagining it for a moment. Oh lord, that was not a mental picture he wanted.
“You kissed him, he kissed you, it doesn’t really matter. The fact of the matter is that you were swapping spit with him,” Zander pointed out. “If it had been anyone else, I would tease you mercilessly and move on.”
As it was, he would much rather be doing that, but this was his duty as a good brother – defending Hector by beating people like Claudius off with a stick. Maybe.
“But Hector?” Zander leaned a bit closer levelling Claudius with a look. “Do you have any idea what a terrible position that puts me in?”
Because, defending Hector’s honor aside, this all came down to how it would make Zander look. Claudius could do silly things like this, in fact he’d made it into the tabloids before, but Hector hadn’t. Hector was a perfectly respectable person to list as a long lost big brother, and now Zander couldn’t even tell people without this hanging in the air. And to think he’d told Richard he was going to use and abuse his place as brother to the Mayor of New York City. All of it was a waste now.
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Post by CLAUDIUS CHANDLER on Sept 2, 2012 16:39:10 GMT -5
“You kissed him, he kissed you, it doesn’t really matter. The fact of the matter is that you were swapping spit with him. If it had been anyone else, I would tease you mercilessly and move on.”
It was Claudius' turn to frown. He didn't appreciate the telling off he was receiving, but that wasn't to say he'd appreciate merciless teasing either. Well, that would be better than the scolding, but that was besides the point. Neither he nor Hector had expected or wanted this to happen, and to have it splashed all over the New York Times? That made it a million times worse.
“But Hector?”
As Zander leaned forward, Claudius instinctively retreated, sinking back in his chair a little. He didn't like the look Zander was giving him, nor did he appreciate the accusatory tone. However, he well understood how this must look to Zander, and was about to attempt to explain himself more coherently and in a way that would somehow be less incriminating when Zander spoke again.
“Do you have any idea what a terrible position that puts me in?”
Claudius could have laughed had the situation not looked so bad from his perspective. What a terrible position this put Zander in? When this had happened Claudius hadn't known Hector and Zander were brothers - Hector hadn't even known! This had nothing to do with him! This he endeavoured to explain to Zander.
"What a terrible position this puts you in?" Claudius snapped. "This has nothing to do with you!"
ooc: Sorry for the rubbishy post!
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Post by ZANDER “ZEUS” DEVEREUX on Sept 3, 2012 20:40:15 GMT -5
"What a terrible position this puts you in? This has nothing to do with you!"
Zander felt the childish urge to roll his eyes. How could he not see how this had everything to do with Zander? He was under no illusions that Hector hadn’t gone and blabbed all over the man about them being brothers. Zander had done the same to Richard, though, so he wasn’t one to talk. Had he been back in New Orleans, he would have drowned his sorrows with his childhood friends, Raul and Felix, but Ricky boy had turned out to be a far better choice than he would have imagined. He doubted he would have gotten the same sound advice from them.
He was alright with the whole thing now. Or he had been until he’d read that. He didn’t really care what Hector liked in bed, but when it was all over the front page with Claudius, it was a bit much. And yes, it put him in a position.
“It has everything to do with me,” Zander replied. “He’s the respectable big brother, and you’re apparently my best friend in this city, so it puts me in the position of being in the middle of this sexscapade.”
He doubted anyone would think he was a part of it, but it would bring attention to the company he kept. And, on a side note, he was generally the one who was in trouble for sexscapades, so it was odd to be on the scolding side of things. He didn't particularly like it.
“Now I have to do something eccentric to take the attention off of this. Do you have any idea how terrible I am about pre-planning my eccentricities?”
It was true. He just looked like he was trying too hard when he did. Thus the Superman debacle of 2009...
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Post by CLAUDIUS CHANDLER on Sept 11, 2012 18:55:22 GMT -5
“It has everything to do with me. He’s the respectable big brother, and you’re apparently my best friend in this city, so it puts me in the position of being in the middle of this sexscapade.”
Claudius felt like childishly pointing out that Hector was his best friend in all actuality but seemed to realize this would do nothing to help the situation or stop Zander's berating him. Instead he scoffed at Zander's use of the phrase 'sexscapade' - why was everyone assuming the worst in this situation? It had been one kiss - okay, two kisses - and nothing more. Why did people have to make assumptions, and stupid ones at that?
"It was hardly a sexscapade, Zander," he replied, with a roll of his eyes. "It was hardly even a kiss."
“Now I have to do something eccentric to take the attention off of this. Do you have any idea how terrible I am about pre-planning my eccentricities?”
"No I don't and no, you don't. You realize if you do something eccentric the press'll probably find a way to link it to this, what with you being Hector's brother and all? No, something else as crazy as this needs to happen, involving neither us nor Hector, and that'll take the attention off this."
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Post by ZANDER “ZEUS” DEVEREUX on Sept 12, 2012 22:19:39 GMT -5
"It was hardly a sexscapade, Zander. It was hardly even a kiss."
Zander shook his head a little, smiling. “Oh, I don’t doubt that, but it’s not about how I’m perceiving it – it’s how everyone else in the city is.”
Because that’s how it always went. It didn’t matter how those closest to it saw it, it was all about the people who were reading up on it and making their decisions based off that. And if Hector wanted a re-election, it would pop up then. It was one heck of a good slight of fortune that he and Hector hadn’t been eager to announce their shared blood to the world.
"No I don't and no, you don't. You realize if you do something eccentric the press'll probably find a way to link it to this, what with you being Hector's brother and all? No, something else as crazy as this needs to happen, involving neither us nor Hector, and that'll take the attention off this."
Zander was only half-listening to the tone and was running with it from there. “Of course I do and the press doesn’t know that. Only you and Ricky know that and...” he paused, catching onto what Claudius had actually said. “Claudius, what do you mean by that? Are you planning something?”
Thank god. At least he was thinking.
“Well, that’s something at least. I think I need a drink.”
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Post by CLAUDIUS CHANDLER on Sept 21, 2012 11:49:29 GMT -5
“Oh, I don’t doubt that, but it’s not about how I’m perceiving it – it’s how everyone else in the city is.”
Claudius scowled again at Zander's smile.
"Of course it is," he grumbled. "I don't get why people have to assume the worst, that's all. I also don't get why they can't just focus on their own crazy lives and leave us to live our own."
Well, thinking about it, Claudius could see why people would rather focus on the scandal concerning himself and Hector - they were both rich, powerful and more important than those who'd be reading the paper, hence they would be of interest. Ordinarily Claudius would have basked in the attention, but not in a case like this. Especially not in this case.
“Of course I do and the press doesn’t know that. Only you and Ricky know that and...Claudius, what do you mean by that? Are you planning something?”
Claudius was confused. How had what he'd said sounded like he was planning something? At the moment his only plans were to avoid incurring any more unwanted press attention and convince Zander he was blowing this whole escapade out of proportion.
"Ricky who?" he asked. "And no, I'm not planning anything - then again, we've seen what happens when I don't plan things..." This whole deal with Hector had not been anticipated by either of them, so why did everyone insist it had been happening for ages and it was only now it'd been let slip?
“Well, that’s something at least. I think I need a drink.”
"Well then, you go ahead and get one," said Claudius, pointedly picking up his glass of water and taking a gulp from it. "Who am I to stop you?"
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Post by ZANDER “ZEUS” DEVEREUX on Sept 25, 2012 2:52:07 GMT -5
"Of course it is. I don't get why people have to assume the worst, that's all. I also don't get why they can't just focus on their own crazy lives and leave us to live our own."
Zander refrained from commenting. The fact was that it was entertaining. People loved the juicy scandals because they gave them something to talk about. Their own lives weren’t exciting, so why not escape and judge the life of someone who you didn’t personally know, thus someone who couldn’t judge you right back? He saw it all the time when his Mama’s friends came to visit. They’d sit and cluck about it until their heads were full of gossip. It was easy when you didn’t know the people personally. Empathy was a terrible killjoy, after all.
"Ricky who? And no, I'm not planning anything - then again, we've seen what happens when I don't plan things..."
“Rick’s just a friend, so never mind that. But I will agree with you – when it comes to planning things, you do a good job at containing situations.”
Far better than Zander did. He winged everything because he just couldn’t anticipate how people would react, so why not dive in and go for it? Perhaps he’d convince Claudius to plan the distracting escapade he had assumed the other man would be planning already. After a drink...or five. Claudius was always much more agreeable after he’d had some alcohol in him.
"Well then, you go ahead and get one. Who am I to stop you?"
“Come now, Claudius – have a drink with me and shake off this dark mood you’re in,” Zander offered, waving a server over and ordering a bottle of scotch with two glasses. “Then we can plan something to get the limelight off of you and my dear, darling brother.”
Plotting and scheming always made people with money and means feel better, after all. Zander poured two glasses when the bottle reached their table, nudging one towards Claudius and holding up his own in return for a toast.
“To thwarting bad publicity...and good booze!”
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Post by CLAUDIUS CHANDLER on Sept 28, 2012 17:26:05 GMT -5
“Rick’s just a friend, so never mind that. But I will agree with you – when it comes to planning things, you do a good job at containing situations.”
Claudius was unable to help an inward smirk at that. Usually, Claudius was excellent at containing a situation and making sure it didn't get out of hand, especially in the business world where he managed to keep his shady deals out of the sight of prying eyes. He guessed he should be grateful it wasn't one of his underhanded deals that had been discovered by the NYT but he wasn't so sure this tryst with Hector was helping anything either, other than making his already bad reputation worse.
“Come now, Claudius – have a drink with me and shake off this dark mood you’re in. Then we can plan something to get the limelight off of you and my dear, darling brother.”
The planning sounded good, the drinking not so much. Well, that was a lie. Claudius wanted a drink - Claudius needed a drink. But after last time, how was he supposed to trust himself to have just one? And what if Zander told Hector about their meeting? Then Hector would know he wasn't sticking to-
His inner tirade of questions and worries ceased almost as soon as the Scotch arrived and Zander proposed a toast. How exactly was he meant to respond to that - he agreed with every sentiment!
“To thwarting bad publicity...and good booze!”
Claudius reluctantly (for all outward appearances) set down his glass of water and took up the glass of scotch as a replacement, almost gingerly. He raised it as Zander did before fulfilling the toast with a small, almost delicate sip - not like him at all. He was sure Zander would pick up on it but so what? He was trying to stick to the moral high ground here - as much of a moral high ground as Claudius Chandler could bear to stand on.
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Post by ZANDER “ZEUS” DEVEREUX on Oct 2, 2012 21:34:40 GMT -5
Zander watched as Claudius set his water down and picked up the Scotch. It was certainly an improvement. He sipped it like it was hot tea and Zander resisted the urge to role his eyes. He downed his own glass quickly, pouring another. If Claudius was going to drink like an old man, he was allowed to drink like an old man, but Zander was going to drink like he normally would.
“Now, that hits the spot,” Zander exclaimed, pouring himself another drink. “It was one long week.”
Board meetings that bored him to death, proposals to sign, then there was his little excursion with Ooblix. To say he was ready for the weekend to commence was putting it mildly.
“So, aside from the fiasco, how are things?”
It was always polite to ask, after all. When he considered how his own week had gone without the publicity of a scandal in the papers, he could imagine Claudius may need to commiserate more than he did. If not, he would be happy to keep talking. He was fairly adept at doing just that – talking to fill spaces. With how his father was, it was the only way to sit in the room with the man sometimes. He could babble on about anything really. After meeting Hector and Perry, and growing up with his own family, he was still left wondering where he had gotten that trait from.
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Post by CLAUDIUS CHANDLER on Oct 27, 2012 10:12:38 GMT -5
“Now, that hits the spot. It was one long week.”
Claudius nodded sombrely in complete agreement, taking a bigger gulp of his drink if only in order to make it look as though he really was enjoying it and not forcing himself to drink it for the company he was in. the problem was that he was enjoying it, immensely, and he was astonished at his own self control. He couldn't let himself enjoy it, though. He couldn't allow himself to fall back into his old habits, not after all Hector had done for him.
“So, aside from the fiasco, how are things?”
The CEO laughed, a small laugh, but bitter.
"Considering the fiasco and the fact Hector's trying to get me to stop drinking, not to mention the fact the stock market still hasn't picked up..." Claudius shook his head. "Things aren't good. And you're not helping."
ooc: See Lady Catherine post. I'm so sorry for the delay! D:
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Post by ZANDER “ZEUS” DEVEREUX on Oct 30, 2012 23:29:02 GMT -5
Claudius nodded, taking more interest in his drink. It was about time. For someone who liked alcohol so much, it was taking an awful lot of effort to get him interested in it. He even muttered a little laugh when Zander asked after him. It wasn’t a good laugh, but it was a start.
"Considering the fiasco and the fact Hector's trying to get me to stop drinking, not to mention the fact the stock market still hasn't picked up...Things aren't good. And you're not helping."
Zander took a drink, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Oh, so now it was his fault. If Claudius really wanted to do what Hector wanted, he wouldn’t have let Zander lead him to temptation so easily.
“I’m not helping? I thought I was being very helpful,” Zander commented, tasting his scotch. Sometimes a man just needed to drink. “There is nothing wrong with A single drink. Hector worries too much.”
Honestly, he was the preacher when it came to drinking. Just because his father...their father had been a drunk didn’t mean everyone else on the planet couldn’t enjoy a drink. Zander was pretty fond of bourbon as a Louisiana boy. If he listened to Hector, he’d be giving up his heritage as well as his fun.
“And the Stock Market will recover. There have been worse slumps than this.”
Richard couldn’t keep the stock market slumping forever. He’d probably let it recover when Hector was out of office just to spite him. That was if he and other not to be mentioned parties got tired of it by then. He hoped they would give it up sooner rather than later, especially when it was clearly causing many business people grief. Zander wasn’t one of them – he got his kickbacks and Devereux Industries was one of the only companies worth anything on the stock exchange – so he found it hard to relate until he was looking right at someone who was suffering for it all.
“If anyone needs a drink, it sounds like it’s you. So,” he paused to top off his drink. “Drink that and try to relax before your head pops off like a windup toy.”
The stress was just bleeding off him in waves. Honestly, Zander had never seen the point in stressing out over things. Life always came up daisies eventually.
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Post by CLAUDIUS CHANDLER on Nov 2, 2012 15:40:28 GMT -5
“I’m not helping? I thought I was being very helpful. There is nothing wrong with A single drink. Hector worries too much.”
Claudius wasn't sure whether to agree or not with that - he'd rather Hector didn't worry so he could enjoy his drinking without guilt but then, if Hector wasn't worried about him, for all he knew he could be in hospital or even dead by now. Besides, it never was just one drink with Claudius freakin' Chandler. Sometimes even two wouldn't cut it.
Instead of saying any of this to Zander, however, Claudius just nodded and took another sip from his glass.
“And the Stock Market will recover. There have been worse slumps than this. If anyone needs a drink, it sounds like it’s you. So drink that and try to relax before your head pops off like a windup toy.”
Claudius couldn't help but chuckle good naturedly at that and, to please Zander as well as himself, downed the glass in one, instinctively reaching to pour himself another almost as soon as he set the glass down. He would regret this later, he was certain, but it wasn't as though Zander would rat him out to Hector.
Having poured himself a second glass he found himself smiling, not his usual grin but a small smile, enough of a smile to contrast nicely with his previously glum expression.
"I realize it's a dull topic to discuss when drinking but I can't help being curious...how come Hamlet Enterprises is doing so badly with this bloody economic downturn and business is booming at Devereux Industries?"
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