Smoke and Mirrors

[Jacque]

Jacque took a few moments to loop his tie into a full Windsor knot. He had always preferred the full over the half. Only takes one more loop and doesn't look by default like you've never tied a tie before. His fingers reflexively pushed, grabbed and pulled the silk black tie like they'd done the same task a thousand times before. He chose a pewter vest over a white dress shirt with a royal blue pocket square for a pop of color. He rented a set of dressy dancing shoes, since Vivian had suggested it as a possibility. It never hurt to be over prepared.

He pushed the vitae to his face and limbs to walk among and interact with the kine seamlessly. Entering Smoke and Glass, he greeted the host with a hint of eagerness, "Good evening, I'm here for Vi....Miss Vivian." It wasn't until he began to speak the words that he realized her instructions left off the respectful prefix.

He follows the host to the lower levels, a million thoughts racing through his mind as he weighs the pros and cons of the new variables. Another hint perhaps? Perhaps unnecessary when talking about one's self. Am I reading into this too much? What if I'm right to notice it? Shit. There really isn't a fully safe option here. If she did it on purpose and I ignore it, it could all wrong. She's either extremely clever and screwing with me or I'm a complete idiot. Jacque subconsciously rolls his eyes: Probably both.

As the door opens, he takes note of the Jazz music before spotting Vivian and moving her way. If she stands or moves to meet his approach, he'll greet with a faire la bise or if she stays seated he'll slide his fingers along the edge of the table while he pulls out his chair and seats himself.

"You look absolutely ravishing. I must say this seems like an excellent choice to start our evening. Very top notch."

[Jacque]

His Beast clenched its grip against Vivian's close proximity and the stronger presence. It wanted out, it wanted away. Jacque endured through the exchange and repressed the cowardice to silence.

A look of surprise flashes across Jacque's face, "You own it? Very impressive." Then it hit him as his mind processed the details of what she said. Jack. Simply Jack. Not written. Not open to interpretation. Not possibly just one's self and unnecessary. Directly to me. Spoken. Clear. He briefly tries to read any signals from Vivian, but alas he hasn't spent enough time with her to know anything but her engaging nature.*

His facial expression shifts to normal very briefly before a second look of surprise presents itself. Perhaps it was a second wind from learning Vivian owned the place... or perhaps Vivian would know better.**
Looking to the host, "Vesper please and, at the risk of contradicting the Lady, made with Gordon's". Flashing a coy smile to Vivian he adds, "Top shelf the rest of the way though."

Brushing a hand down his vest to clear any recent wrinkles, "You're too kind." followed by motioning to the booth, "Why don't we catch up a bit?" He waited for Vivian to seat herself (and offered a hand for balance as needed) before seating himself.

And there it was. She said it again. Simply Jack. This time Jacque's face did not react as distinctly as the first time, masked with the contemplation of her question about music choice. "The Jazz is just fine. Your choice in sound system is exquisite. You can really hear the depth of the brass contrast with the brightness of the saxes."

Closing his eyes to take in the music, and secretly to contemplate taking the leap he reopens them with a playful grin, "Did your upbringing include learning to play any instruments, Vivian?"

  failure*

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-02-13 22:52:04		Jacque rolls 3 to get a clue about Vivian's first name use (WIT+EMP) (10 Again)		1, 5, 3		failure

  1 success**

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-02-13 22:54:36		Jacque rolls 6 to try and conceal his reaction to Vivian's implied flirting (wit+sub) (10 Again)		4, 3, 4, 9, 2, 3		1 success

[Jacque]

Jacque nods and responds as they make their way into the booth, "Not many have the appreciation of the original drink and what it meant to Mr. Bond. Most recognize the signature movie adaptation of 'Dirty Martini, shaken not stirred' but the Vesper is far more intimate of a story. My only regret is that I'll never get to truly experience a real one, considering Kina Lillet is no longer made. The bitter is what makes the Vesper the Vesper."

He slides in the opposite side to face Vivian as they chatted as much as allowed by the size of the booth, close enough for pleasant conversation but reasonable spacing to not be presumptuous.
Chuckling at the response he nods, "No doubt. It is very difficult to find someone unhappy with hearing common jazz."

"Do you enjoy the whole of his collection or was it just happenstance? I always felt he captures endurance through sorrow quite eloquently.", Jacque smiles to Vivian as he awaits her response. He found himself appreciating the depth of the casual conversation.

Jacque nods to the server with a silent thank you before returning his full attention back to Vivian, "Not in several, several decades. Once upon a time I was versed with a flute or saxophone. Later, I found myself learning the violin which ultimately led me to my true love of all the instruments- the cello." Jacque looks down at his hands and struggles to mimic a few fingerings before shaking his head grinning, "My, it has been an eternity since I even thought about playing. I imagine it would be like riding a bike but I'm fairly confident I couldn't play anything worthy of your ears anytime soon."

"I was a lawyer of many trades back in the day. Practiced and enjoyed both prosecution and defense until it was no longer safe to continue to do so without undue risk to the Masquerade. Now I'm a bit of a professional bookworm. If you're ever looking for me and I can't be found, check the libraries. I soak up random bits of knowledge as much as possible to keep my mind active and sharp. There are only extremely rare instances where I'm not to be found there, such as when intelligent and beautiful women invite me to be locked in a booth with them.", he concludes with a playful grin and wink.

"What of yourself, Vivian? How did you make it across the pond and ultimately become one of the most influential members of the Domain and successful entrepreneur of class and culture?"​, he asks as he motions to the surroundings.

[Jacque]

Jacque shrugs lightly, "There are arguments as long as the ocean is wide on that very subject. I know the company itself does not have a substitution with the bitter. Having never experienced the taste personally it felt like an exercise in futility to try and pursue it."

His face simply could not hold back the ear to ear smile as Vivian laughed, submitting to enjoying the catchy song that began to play over the speakers. Seeing her so spirited melted away any last pretense of reservation Jacque was clinging to. He began gently rocking his shoulders in rhythm and by the third verse he was bobbing his head from side to side.

"Ah yes, he certainly did have significant religious overtones in his music. Just so you know, you may have heard me quote scripture once or twice but the Bible was just another of many books to read. It had some nice stories that resonated with me for either ironic reasons or matters of morality but outside of that I don't hold myself to be a man of such faiths.", he smiled before adding, "Hallelujah is such a wonderful song. I can't help but always hear it as a love affair that's gone terribly sour or even unrequited. That could just be a man's perspective though." he adds with a shrug of his shoulders. "The verses were formed from several stories from scripture depicting men who fell from great positions of power and stability due to women who successfully made them blind with love before tearing them down. The word 'Hallelujah' in the context is a fond memory of the intimacy of making love. The act itself being the deepest form of worship between two individuals... but they worship each other."

Jacque pauses briefly and taps his chin, "Or, he could be simply characterizing his relationship with God as an unrequited love."

He eases back into a reciprocated playful demeanor, "Never would I ever dream of standing you up, dear Vivian! But perhaps I was feeling a little... adventurous in accepting the host's invitation."

"Well I for one appreciate that you chose this coast. I've visited the east coasts a handful of times but something always draws me back here. Did you ever pick up on any French while you were in Canada? If I recall correctly some provinces have a strong presence in them but I cannot recall if Toronto was one of them."

"It is a rather boring story, actually. I ran out of books to read," he offers with a mischievous grin before returning to a more solemn expression. "I pursued this 'life' as a way to continue my studies and chase those extra morsels of knowledge for many more years to come. I had not considered the fact that I would outlive everyone I knew and considered family. Once I was void of any mortal ties I decided there was nothing left for me where I was and sought out a larger Kindred presence. Sacramento was close by so if I found myself not enjoying the area I could return fairly easily." He shrugs before the return of the grin, "Turns out there are a significant amount of libraries here."

Jacque carefully runs a hand along the edge of the table a little ways towards Vivian before using it as leverage to scoot a small bit towards her. Something about her was alluring and he found himself unable to resist the pull. The conversation, the intimacy of the setting and the mood in the air had him completely fixated on her. Using his other hand, he slides the Vesper closer to him before lifting it to his lips.

[Jacque]

"That is a shame to hear!" Jacque was equally confused and curious on what could stand in the way of the Daeva before him. She was well established and respected in the Domain and the owner of a high class establishment. Certainly he felt the occasional pleas from within time to time, invoked by the sheer dominance of her own Beast but that only lent itself further to the question of: "What stops you?"

He doesn't know why he asked about the language. He had used the one short phrase he learned a million times to lure drunken kine for feeding but it made something within him positively purr to hear the language float from Vivian's lips. "I've always had some interest in the language, but also never took the time to learn it.". He wanted to ask her to keep talking, but a single judicious thought leashed him from tipping his hand.

"I positively love to learn new things and I'm quite lost without an active 'pursuit'. To avoid such a quandary I often seek out Trivia nights at random pubs." He smiles, hearing her become more casual with him. Focusing in on her captivating 'Come Hither Eyes' he adds, "Books are, of course, the easiest way to achieve that but some of the most satisfying things come with experience." He glanced down at the shoes with a glimmer of pride, rentals or not they certainly caught her keen eye in a positive manner.

"I still can't get over you not being able to be spontaneous as often as you'd like. You're absolutely delightful, Vivian!" He turns and shifts his posture a bit, tucking his leg under his other to allow him to face Vivian as much as the space allows for, "If you could do any one thing your heart desired this evening, what would it be?"

Jacque waited eagerly for the answer, with a hint of wishful confidence that whatever desire she responded with he'd be able to accommodate.