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Post by othus on Mar 24, 2021 2:22:15 GMT
After a busy week trying to keep people alive, Armand liked spending the weekend doing what he loved most: cooking. His Bistro was located on the outskirts of Paris, furthter away from the noise of the city, his place was small, for 30 people tops, but it was very popular among couples and women, Armand was sure it was because of his food, but the reality was something else. He began to set up the chairs and cleaned up the tables. It was still somewhat early to open the place, but it was just the right time to open up a bottle of wine and have a glass. Armand walked towards the furthest wall, where all the bottles were displayed in a rack that covered the entire wall, He reached for one of the bottles at the bottom, humming a song as he picked a random one and reached for his corkscrew. Just as he was about to pour a glass, he heard the front door open.
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Post by Vapovile on Mar 25, 2021 19:54:32 GMT
Through the front door, two red-headed girls strolled in. The skinnier among the two wore a simple black dress that seemed to have another article beneath, and the shorter girl had on an expensive-looking black shirt with a rose design on the bottom right, matching her shiny hair. She wore a lacy white skirt, and a pair of black boots that announced their presence. The taller girl wore a simple pair of black slip-on shoes that looked a little worn. The shorter one gave a small wave. "Hello, table for two please!" She said, hoping he spoke English. It was even odds if someone here in France spoke English.
Amelia leaned her arm against a wooden beam, looking around the place. She wasn't used to this kind of fancy restaurant, mostly cooking for herself or going to a cheap diner. Luckily, her new boss payed significantly better than her awful coffee shop job. Her eyes then fell upon the man working on a bottle of wine, her eyes scanning the room. Did this place have any other waiters? Ashlea had convinced her to come here to catch up, being the rich girl who has an eye for fancy places like this. Is this what it's like to be rich?
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Post by othus on Mar 26, 2021 1:39:19 GMT
Armand heard Ashleas's voice but kept pouring his glass, He was pretty sure he had arrived early so it was best to probably notify them the place wasn't open yet.
"Oh, apologies, we are not yet..."-He stopped when he turned around and looked at them. two beautiful Redheads, one taller than the other. Armand stood slightly dumbfounded until his glass slightly spilled on him, making him jump startled as he ran to set the bottle and the glass on the counter, rolling up his sleeves to cover the stain on his shirt.
Walking up towards them while still red, he gave them a big smile.
"Sorry about that, we um, open up in a couple hours but, please take a seat! I would hate it if you came all the way here for nothing!"
Armand readied two empty wine glasses and brought them the menu as well, he was astonished by how pretty they were, but it would be completely unprofessional saying anything at all, he was in quite a conundrum
"My name is Armand, I'll be your waiter and chef for today. Please, let me know when you are ready to order"-He said as he looked at both for a second and then got back to cleaning up the small mess he had created.
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Post by Vapovile on Mar 26, 2021 2:44:22 GMT
Ashlea hastily put her hand to her mouth to try and hide her giggle when Armand spilled his glass and hurriedly ran up to them. She knew exactly what was going on, especially seeing this behavior with her own husband. Amelia shrugged her shoulders and looked over at Ashlea. "I mean, if you're not open we don't really deserve special treatment." She stated. Ashlea then put up a hand. "Why thank you! Sorry, I guess we must have gotten the hours wrong. But your service is lovely." Ashlea told Armand, being a little more versed in getting special treatment than Amelia, who stood there dumbfounded. She sometimes got issues just asking for normal service sometimes, and he was willing to open hours early for Ashlea?!
The two took their seats and heard Armand introduce himself. Amelia's eyes widened when he said he was the waiter and chef. How did someone do both jobs?! She had worked in a restaurant before, and both the cooks and wait staff were always running around frantically. Ashlea didn't seem too bothered by it. "Nice to meet you chef Armand! I'm Ashlea Primrose, and this is my sister Amelia LeBlanc. It's her first time in France, so I had to show her someplace off the beaten path." Ashlea explained.
Amelia leaned back in her chair casually, but a sharp pain when the backrest pressed against her scar jolted her back upright. "Yep, first time in France. She's the fancy one here, if you haven't noticed." Amelia waved an arm at Ashlea, who puffed out her cheek. "Hey, I'm taking you shopping after this! Ahem..." Her eyes drifted to Armand. "Apologies. Let me see..." Ashlea began to read the menu, trying to decide what to get. Amelia just stared blankly at the piece of laminated cardboard. What were anything on here? Looking up, Amelia let out a small chuckle. "So uuuuuuh...so do you recommend, er, mon-sir?" She asked, clearly not pronouncing monsieur correctly.
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Post by othus on Mar 26, 2021 18:19:20 GMT
Armand giggled at Amelia's remark of Ashlea being the fancy one, clearly they got along great
"Perfect! If it's your first time here I will try not to disappoint!"-Armand told her excitedly, he listened to Amelia's broken french and got a little bit red, but made no comment about it.
"Well, Mademoiselle LeBlanc"-He jokingly replied to her in french as he got closer and pointed at the menu
"We are approaching brunch hour, so I would recommend Mimosas and crepes, just let me know wether you would like them sweet or savory"
As Armand got closer to the table he managed to catch a glimpse of Ashlea's wedding band. Unsurprising really, given how pretty they were. The more surprising thing was noticing Amelia didn't have one either. Ah, he was gonna regret not getting to know her, wasn't he? maybe he could try after they had brunch? complicated situation with her being accompanied and him being on the job...but professionalism came first after all!
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Post by Vapovile on Mar 27, 2021 21:48:51 GMT
"Mimosa, huh...?" Amelia mused, shrugging her shoulders. "Sure, I trust your judgement. Don't disappoint me, ok?" Her face grew a smile as she rested her hand on her cheek, elbow on the table and looking up at him. I have to admit, he is pretty cute. A little teasing wouldn't hurt...oh god, what had Caroline done to me?
Meanwhile, Ashlea pointed to her own menu. "I'll have the same, please. Thank you." She handed her menu to Amelia, who offered it back to Armand. "We'll take them savory. Hope you don't mind me speaking for you Amelia, you looked lost enough over there." Ashlea gave Amelia a smug sidelong glance, Amelia scoffing. "I was seeing all my options, Ashlea. I still remember how long you took to order coffee at my place. Practically had to teleport to Hawaii just to get the blend you wanted." Amelia joked, Ashlea rolling her eyes and folding her forearms on the table.
"Yeah, I used to be a barista at this fancy place in Canada. Though we only served coffee and pastries, not actual food like here." She said, motioning to the place around them. "Though I'm sure I could compete on some of these fancy foods, buuuuuuut I won't challenge our chef anymore." Amelia joked, giggling to herself. Ashlea's expression had already changed, eyes narrowing as she looked between them. She knew EXACTLY what was happening.
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Post by othus on Mar 28, 2021 3:44:41 GMT
Amelia's smile was melting him, it was actually quite interesting to see she also seemed to had some knowledge in all this, Armand giggled slightly embarrassed, ramdomly looking away and back at her as she told him not to disappoint her
"Well, you certainly seem confident, perhaps you can come by later and show me those skills, I am a fan of friendly competition! In the meantime, I'll be the one teleporting to the kitchen, this order is certainly not gonna prepare itself"-Armand replied amused by the whole interaction, he rushed to the kitchen humming and grinning like an idiot as he set everything in place, it took him a few minutes to prepare everything and finally came back with the order, he served Amelia first, her crepes had hearts engraved through heat directly, while Ashleas' had stars, it was obvious he had gone the extra mile on the presentation and preparation. Armand set the mimosas right next to their plates, the orange drinks fizzling on champagne glass.
"Here's your order ladies, I um, guess I'll be going back to the kitchen! do enjoy."-He told them as he turned around, dusting off his black apron.
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Post by Vapovile on Mar 28, 2021 23:18:04 GMT
Armand left before Amelia could respond to his comment about showing him her skills, but she knew by the reaction he was interested. Ashlea turned to her half-sister and leaned back, folding her arms across her chest. "You're unbelievable." She stated. Amelia waved her hands on the table. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Just a super nice waiter who wants me to show him some of my skills." Amelia took a sip of her water, Ashlea rolling her eyes. "Riiiiight...well I have a teleport scroll, so don't worry about me if you decide to ya know, stay for desert." Ashlea let out a small giggle. She had to admit, Armand was cute. But she was already with the love of her life.
Amelia swirled the water in her glass. "Thanks, Ashlea. We'll see how this goes." She casually stated, having been on many casual dates in the past. Most never lasting longer than a night, and a good portion of those never even getting to the bedroom after they saw her scar and called her disgusting. A frown descended across Amelia's forehead as the two began to chat once more.
Once the food was brought out, both of their eyes lit up when they saw the patterns engraved on their crepes. "Ooooooo, these look lovely." Amelia mused, prodding one of the hearts with her fork. "Consider myself not disappointed." Amelia gave a wink to Armand as he turned his head. She stared for a second, considering her options. Hopefully this didn't sound desperate at all.
Letting out a small cough, Amelia spoke up. "You know you can bring that wine you were about to open over here, right? We don't bite" She said, Ashlea only nodding and taking a bite of her crepe. Amelia wanted the spotlight now, best step aside for a little bit.
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Post by othus on Mar 29, 2021 6:11:51 GMT
Armand was getting somewhat anxious, she clearly winked at him! when she invited him to seat with them, something lit up in his eyes.
"I like the idea! please give me a sec."-Armand replied as he walked to the counter and brought back his overly full glass of wine, he took a seat in between them and gently smiled at Amelia, he looked at her straight in her eyes for a while and spoke his mind out
"I was actually really wanting to meet you...both! you girls seem interesting!"-He said as he cut eye contact, quickly changing the whole meaning of the sentence right as he remembered Ashlea was also there, Armand took a sip of wine and talked a bit more
"So...if you are visiting Paris, I imagine you already have a schedule planned for the day, yes? there's only so much time and soooo many things to do after all"--Armand looked once again at Amelia, he was obviously trying to tell if she was going to be free today.
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Post by Vapovile on Apr 2, 2021 4:59:33 GMT
Ashlea couldn't help but roll her eyes when Armand hastily changed his sentence to include her, putting another bite into her mouth. Amelia put her hand to her face to cover her dumb grin. He was awkward, but also kind of adorable. Usually Amelia tried to go after scarier-looking people because she thought it signified they would be more likely to be doms...but Armand might be charming enough on his own.
"As a matter of fact, my sister and I do have a few more places to visit. No doubt places just as fancy, only the best for a Primrose." Amelia gave a sideling smirk to Ashlea, who rolled her eyes once more. "You know it! I do enjoy the finer things in life, thank you very much." Ashlea put on her best haughty voice as she tried to play along. Amelia then looked back at Armand.
"Buuuut...I haven't seen any Paris night life yet, and married girl over here probably wants to go to bed early." "Hey!" "Soooo..." Amelia grabbed a pen from her pocket and a paper napkin, writing a series of numbers on it with a heart at the end. "How about you show me around, oui oui?" She gave a dumb smile and snorted at her joke, but instantly caught herself. She could NOT laugh that way! That was the laugh of the enemy!
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Post by othus on Apr 3, 2021 4:22:51 GMT
Ashlea had rolled her eyes so many times at this point Armand thought it was a tic. Just as Amelia laughed Armand giggled slightly surprised
"You have a lovely laugh, you know that? and um, I'd love to show you around! see you at 7 then?!"-He told her still smiling as he took the napkin.
"I am so, very, terribly sorry you have to go to bed early" He told Ashlea jokingly
"Maybe next time you can bring your husband! I'm sure it would be quite fun"-Armand said in a great mood as he bid them goodbye. he had clearly started the day on the right foot.
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Post by Vapovile on Apr 3, 2021 5:29:06 GMT
Amelia nearly blushed in embarrassment when Armand commented on her laugh, but was able to let out a few dry chuckles when he moved onto their date time. "Uh, yeah. 7 is great! Can't wait to see what fun evening you have planned." Amelia quickly recomposed herself, Ashlea deciding to jump in. "Yes well, I am sure Amelia will let me know of all the fun stuff that'll happen tonight. Thank you for the meal." Ashlea said, finishing her crepes and handling the bill.
Amelia waved to Armand as he left, head resting in her right hand. Ashlea looked over and gave a small smile. "You make it look so easy, you know?" She complemented, Amelia shaking her head. "What can I say, it's tough being this hot." Amelia gave a smug upturn of her head, Ashlea waving her hands dismissively. "I am serious! I struggled way more with that. I just kinda...lucked out with Malcolm." Ashlea looked down at the table for a second, but Amelia tilted her head back toward her. "And yet you're happily married while I'm still picking up random guys at bars. That's gotta say something, right? You're gorgeous Ashlea, and everyone knows it." She repied, Ashlea perking right back up. "I guess you might be onto something! Uh...thank you." She said with some hesitation.
Amelia looked on with a mixture of emotion. She got along with Ashlea far more than any other Primrose, and it did feel good to connect with her after being away for most of their childhood. But at the same time...Amelia felt some form of guilt. It must be difficult living with those two sadists, who probably didn't relate to her hyper femininity at all. A small part of Amelia's mind wondered if Ashlea would have grown up happier if Amelia was never taken away, allowed to grow up rich like all the others. But how would that have changed herself, she wondered.
---
Nearing 6:30, Amelia was busy at work finishing her look for the night. She wore her best black dress that hid her leotard well, though it was clear she had worn it several times from the worn fabric in places. She had borrowed some of Ashlea's makeup, so she looked great there. "Alright sir mon, let's see if you decided to ghost me or not." Amelia muttered, looking at her phone sitting on the hotel bed. Ashlea was reading a book on her hotel bed, giving a thumbs up to her half sister and squinting at the phone as well.
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Post by othus on Apr 4, 2021 4:29:20 GMT
Armand knocked on the door to their room exactly at 7, he was somewhat obsessed with punctuality, so, arriving early or late was not his style. He was wearing a black shirt with rolled up sleeves, grey chinos and black oxfords, it was clearly a big step up from what he was wearing at the Bistro, in his left hand, a beautiful yet simple watch adorned his wrist, while he held a bouquet of red tulips on his right. He sighed slightly at the sight of Amelia, but quickly composed himself
"Hi! are you ready to go? these are um, obviously for you"- He told her with a smile as he handed them over.
As Armand and Amelia left the hotel, he got the keys of his ride, a black Mercedes G wagon, he opened the door for her and got in afterwards
"Say, from 1 to 10, how confident are you in your dancing skills?"-He told her as he reached for the glove compartment and handed her a contestant number.
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Post by Vapovile on Apr 4, 2021 5:28:03 GMT
Amelia's eyes widened when she saw Armand when she opened the door, dressed a far classier outfit than she was used to seeing from dates. He even brought flowers?! Amelia hid her face behind the bouquet when she took them, hiding the blush. "Aaaaaaaaw, thank you! I'll just uh, put these over here. Do you mind finding them a vase, Ashlea?" She asked, looking at her half sister. Ashlea nodded. "I think I can manage that. Have fun, you two!" Ashlea waved them off as the two exited the hotel. Amelia practically fell over when she saw the type of car Armand drove.
While Amelia was used to seeing opulent displays of luxury from Caroline's clients...this one was specifically invited to her. Not just allowed on as a tagalong for another wealthy person. "That's a uh...nice car." Was all she could get out. Most she hoped for in a car was that it didn't have any fast food wrappers still inside, and this was actual luxury!
Looking at Armand with a confused expression, she looked at the number and gave a light chuckle, this time more careful to only involve her mouth. "A uh...dance competition. Well that depends; you mean actual dancing, or drunken weaving at a club? I am pretty good at the latter." She joked. If Armand was paying attention, he'd notice that Amelia wasn't leaning against the back of the seat at all, but tilted slightly forward. "So what sort of fancy dance competition did you sign us up for, and when's it start? Might need to start drinking now if you want a shot at winning." Amelia smirked and patted his leg. Then a thought flashed through her mind. Was that appropriate? Those pants were probably more than her monthly salary at the coffee job. And she just patted them with her gross peasant hands!
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Post by othus on Apr 4, 2021 7:34:40 GMT
"Oh, thanks! It's nothing special really"-He replied at Amelia's statement about his car. He noticed her posture but quickly forgot about it as she mentioned drunked weaving, he openly laughed and got somewhat red when she patted his leg.
"Well, it's salsa and we gotta be there by 10, so we still have quite a bit of time, i'm sure we can practice our drunken steps after a bottle or two"
Armand actually drove them back to his bistro, as he got out of the car, he opened the door for Amelia and helped her down, just as he took her hand, he guided her around the restaurant into stairs that lead into the rooftop which was all covered by a glass dome, a set of couches and a small bar adorned the area, the view of the eiffel tower in the background added quite a bit of romantic charm to it. Armand set some candles and put on background music as he grabbed a bottle of sparkling wine and opened it
"Don't worry, I promise not to spill it this time"-he told her slightly embarrassed from remembering that.
Armand sat next to Amelia and handed her over a glass of sparkling wine, he looked at her for a second and smiled
"Well, how about a game to make things more interesting? have you played ask me anything? you can either drink, or answer the question"
Armand set his glass on the table and began the game
"Alright, first question! on a 1-10 scale, how much of a good kisser do you think you are?"
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Post by Vapovile on Apr 5, 2021 0:19:01 GMT
"Salsa, huh...?" Amelia mused, having never tried to dance salsa before. But she trusted Armand to at least show her a few steps beforehand, now that she knew they had 3 hours before the actual event. But even if she made a fool of herself, who cares? Not like anyone knows her in Paris anyway.
She followed Armand up the bistro steps and looked out over the horizon, eyes fixed upon the shining lights of the Eiffel tower. "It sure is a pretty city..." Amelia commented, eyes darting back to Armand as he joked about the wine, smiling at the joke. "Oh, I'm sure you'll be more careful with me watching you."
Sitting down on a chair and taking the wine, Amelia had already taken a sip when he suggested they play a game. She looked at him with a small amount of confusion. "Ask me anything? Oh, this is like that bottle game my boss played a while ago, just with two people!" Her eyes narrowed, mouth growing a smile of excitement. "Ok, I'm game!"
She listened to Armand's question and tapped her glass thoughtfully. She wanted to just drink it so she'd be less sober, but this was also relatively easy. "1 to 10...I'd say I'm a solid 7. But I'm sure you'll be the judge of that soon enough." She gave him a knowing smirk and adjusted her hair in his direction, clearly flirting.
"My turn. What made a fancy French boy like you take an interest in this Canadian tourist? It's the red hair, right?" She ran her hair through the long red strands, letting it fall back into place. Armand could clearly see she used a little more expensive product in it compared to when she was there earlier, having borrowed some of Ashlea's shampoo too, which contained tiny particles that reflected the moonlight off her hair.
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Post by othus on Apr 5, 2021 3:45:39 GMT
"Hmmm, who knows? It is so hard to just pick one thing! could have been your hair, your eyes...maybe it was that pretty laugh of yours"-He teased her as he smiled and got closer to her.
"Honest, I like your personality, loved how competitive you got when we talked about food" He told her as he gently stroked her hair, yes, she was gorgeous, but she seemed to be plenty more than just that.
"So...earlier you said seven, wanna test that out?"
Armand told her as he lightly leaned in, resting one hand on her cheek while the other reached for her hand, letting her close the distance if she wanted.
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Post by Vapovile on Apr 7, 2021 7:43:21 GMT
Amelia puffed out her cheek when he mentioned her laugh, letting out a few dry 'ha ha ha's. His words were disarming, Amelia slowly feeling more comfortable around him. She leaned into the stroking, looking up at Armand and giving a smile. "Well if you insist, how about judging for yourself?"
The fire mage leaned in and locked lips with Armand, locking her arms behind his neck and leaning into it. She hoped to God he didn't try to hug her back, or she'd have to jerk back at the sharp jolt of pain. But she did savor the moment, allowing herself to lean back after several seconds and looked back at him.
"So, was that a 7, mossier?" Amelia asked, actually saying it halfway correctly this time. Ashlea had mentioned as much at the hotel, and Amelia made sure to go onto the Internet and try to learn how to say it properly this time. "And I do believe it's your turn to ask something of me. Oh I am SO invested now!" Amelia leaned back in her chair again...but the cushion pressed against her scar and made her jolt back forward, Amelia trying to make it look as natural as possible, like she was just adjusting herself in her seat.
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Post by othus on Apr 9, 2021 4:23:31 GMT
Armand smiled gently at her as he set a hand on her cheek, her french had gotten better in a few hours somehow!
"Ame, nothing that comes out of those lips could ever be just a 7"-Armand told her right before he saw her jolt back again, he had noticed her doing that quite a few times already, so he asked.
"Say, are you feeling ok? does your back hurt?"-He told her as he gently set a hand on her shoulder, maybe the questioning was weird, so he elaborated a bit to be more clear.
"Oh, I'm actually a doctor...paramedic really, it's just that I've seen you correct your posture once or twice since you got into the car, is everything ok?"-He asked somewhat concerned, after all, he didn't know if she actually had pain or if she was just feeling uncomfortable.
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Post by Vapovile on Apr 9, 2021 4:47:50 GMT
Amelia immediately froze like a deer in headlights when Armand asked about her back. Damn it, damn it! How was I so stupid to relax back into a chair?! She thought to herself angrily. Her mind immediately flipped to the various guys she took an interest in, led back to an apartment so they could enjoy a night together...and them immediately being disgusted seeing her back. "What the hell is THAT?!" Echoed through her mind. "Is it contagious?!" Another voice rang out. Her confidence repeatedly squashed when people saw this awful mark given to her as a baby, and that has dominated her life since.
Looking down, Amelia let out a sigh. "Ok, this is really awkward for me. But you are a paramedic, you who knows, you might have seen worse." Closing her eyes, Amelia turned her back to Armand. "You're not allowed to make noises. Promise me that, please."
Once Armand agreed, Amelia would pull down her dress and leotard straps, and push them both down slightly. Armand would then see the top of her scar, deep red and going at a diagonal from just below her top right shoulder blade down to just above her butt, though the bottom 2/3 was still hidden. The skin was noticeably more pale than the rest of her body, not able to expose it much to the sun or tanning beds. It looked like some of the skin was trying to grow over it, but without much success.
Holding her top half above her chest still, Amelia craned her head back a little. "So, what do you think? Pretty gross, huh? Got it when I was a baby, and now I can't even lean back in a chair. Fun fun fun times." She tried to joke about it, but anyone could see she hated it. A pit welled up in Amelia's stomach as she awaited Armand's response. This was the end of the date, wasn't it? Might as well get some overtime in with Caroline...
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