multiversallogs | It's like paradise, spread out with a butter knife

Aimery watched closely as Lex demonstrated and explained the rules, though he had just enough alcohol in him that his attention wasn't entirely on the game.

"Well a least I had it a little bit right. Pool still doesn't seem terribly difficult, though," Aimery lied as he took the pool cue, his smile dimming a little. Swatting the balls into the holes would've been far easier than... poking them into it. "And I am to knock the striped ones about, yes?"

He didn't wait for explanation, but moved around to where it seemed like he had a good shot —since he assumed he wouldn't be allowed to move the balls— and copied Lex, leaning over and lining up the cue across his hand. Aimery didn't get it quite right though and the end of the stick glanced off the side of the cue ball, knocking it and the one he'd been trying to hit off in opposite directions. He grimaced, then grinned and lined back up for another shot, shooting Lex an amused look, "Let me go again, you didn't see that one."

"Didn't see a thing," Lex says with a completely straight face. He rounds the table to stand next to Aimery and grabs the cue ball, placing it in the same spot as before. He takes his own cue from the nearby rack and leans forward, demonstrating the hold and stance without making any further motion.

"The trick is to not be so rigid with it. Don't jab at the ball, instead keep one solid motion with your arm. To use the horrible sounding cliche: stroke, don't poke." He moves his arm into empty air in the manner described.

"Also, separate your fingers a little on your front hand. It'll help the motion go more smoothly." Feeling like the detail is a little too minute to be seen properly through mere demonstration, Lex leans his cue against the wall and takes the liberty to curl Aimery's hand and begin the process of correct muscle memory. He then steps away, watching Aimery as he finishes his drink. "Try again, if you're ready."

Good, Aimery was glad Lex was a good sport about letting him have a second turn- not like some other friends that were sticklers for the rules. It bode well. Aimery couldn't help but smirk at the cliche and give a tight-lipped nod, "I think I can manage that."

His smirk shifted a little when Lex leaned in and moved his hand, though Aimery didn't protest or comment further, merely raised an eyebrow and let his eyes trail appreciatively up the other man's arm before looking back where he was supposed to be looking, ie at the table. He took a deep breath, aimed, and 'stroked' as instructed. Alas, he apparently didn't do it hard enough; the cue ball hit the stripey one, but the latter stopped just short of the pocket. Aimery stood up and half-frowned, then shrugged and gestured at the table for Lex to go ahead, "Ah well. Would you show me again how it's done?"

Aimery was in a playful mood, though. He leaned his cue against the side of the table and picked his beer back up for a sip, but he kept one hand resting on the tabletop, just barely touching the felt as close to the cue ball as he could without being suspicious, and concentrated, choosing not to let anything but the table touch the white ball.

Lex catches the look and the eyebrow raise, returning the look with a casual smile as he gives Aimery room to shoot. He watches in appraisal of Aimery's shot among other things and finds the results to be satisfactory. "Don't sell yourself short. That's already a lot better."

Not one to turn down an invitation to show off a little, Lex picks up his own cue and sidesteps to the right for a better angle. He leans in, lines up the shot... and solidly hits the five ball, passing right through his intended target. He slowly pulls himself back up and holds the cue between both hands. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that minor incident, would you?"

"Hm?" Aimery lowered his beer when Lex spoke, eyebrows up and face a picture of blatantly false innocence, "Apologies, I was drinking. What incident?" He glanced at the table, then frowned sympathetically, "Oh, did you miss?"

He grabbed the errant five and put it right back where it was, then grabbed his cue and stepped clear of the table, giving a nod at it. He couldn't help the teasing in his voice as he added, "Didn't see a thing."

Meaning, Lex had given him a do-over, so he would do the same, and since Aimery was no longer interfering, normal physical rules would apply.

Lex shakes his head with the comment, giving Aimery a wry smile. He sees what you did there, and is admittedly impressed and intrigued by it, but he's not going to reveal as much, not yet.

He doesn't bother rearranging the balls and shoots from where he stands, easily dropping the intended ball into a pocket. He lines up again and doesn't miss for two more turns.

When his turn is over Lex promptly leaves without saying a word and returns with a brandy for himself and another beer for Aimery. He sets down his own drink and stands next to Aimery, lifting the beer to him as if in a toast, but not actually offering. "This is for after you tell me what you did to the ball."

He watched, impressed in return, as Lex silently showed off just how good he was at the game, but frowned and looked distinctly disappointed for a good half second when he walked away. Aimery had thought it was a good joke, he didn't see the need to storm away, and he was just lining up another shot (half practice, half 'see how much I don't care that you just ditched our game') when Lex returned. And with a beer! Good, Aimery's was practically empty anyway.

"I didn't do anything to it," Aimery insisted as he straightened up and reached out to grasp the neck of the bottle with two fingers, but not actually taking it, "I simply made it so nothing else could do anything either." And with that, he chose not to let Lex touch the bottle and pulled it straight through his grasp, a much-too-pleased-with-himself grin on his face. He took a swig, then shrugged, "A talent I picked up in Bete Noire, though it's a bit of an involved story."

This time Lex sees the choosing much more clearly and he still can't help but be amazed. It takes a lot for his normal poker face to show a range of expression, but Aimery succeeds in getting Lex to show a mixture of both genuine surprise and amusement.

"If the story is involved, that only makes it more fascinating." He turns on his best charming smile and shifts his weight to lean just slightly closer to Aimery before picking up his glass and taking a sip, looking at the man half expectantly over the rim. "If you have the time and the inclination I'd like to hear it."

Lex is very much interested in the paranormal and is not above a little flattery to satisfy his curiosity.

That's a good thing because Aimery was extremely susceptible to flattery, even though he had every intention of explaining it even without. He still planned on keeping his ability secret for the most part, but (especially since he was tipsy) Lex seemed exactly the kind of person it would be useful to tell, one who knew the city and might appreciate all the possibilities of his gift. He nodded and leaned the cue against the table next to him, figuring pool could be set aside for the moment.

"Not long into my stay in Bete Noire, I befriended a man possessed by a spirit- I can't recall what kind, my memory is still cloudy when I think of people, but it drove him to violence and unpleasantness. I didn't know until after we became close, he treated me quite well and seemed to succumb only rarely, so I turned a blind eye to it." Aimery gave a little shrug, almost apologetic, as he knew that in retrospect was a terrible decision. He was also careful not to put a label on the kind of relationship he'd had with the man, though he figured it would be fairly obvious.

"One night, while the stars were falling from the sky and wishes literally came true, I accidentally wished to be like him. I became possessed by the same kind of spirit, gained all of it's thoughts and abilities, including that one." He'd been looking about as he spoke, occasionally giving slight gestures, but then he looked straight at Lex and lifted his beer for emphasis, "But I was never violent. He found that amusing."

It was an important note, at least to Aimery. He shrugged and relaxed again, continuing his story a bit more soberly, "It lasted two weeks before it left us both as normal men again. A few months later there was some kind of poisoning in the city's water, some kind of radiation that changed people. I regained the ability to choose and never lost it even when the radiation wore off and everyone else returned to normal."

Lex listens carefully, amazed at how much the man is opening up after how little he has known him. He finds it interesting that Aimery stresses how he was never violent, it wouldn't have made a difference to how Lex thought of him or his ability.

"Bete Noire sounds like quite the place," is all Lex will say regarding that. While he would definitely like to know more about the city, he can't see it for himself. What he can see is Aimery and that's who he intends to learn of and from.

"I assume you have other uses for your gift besides party tricks."

"It certainly was," Aimery said with a disappointed sigh before taking another long drink of his beer. He missed it already, and what's worse, he knew there were people there that he should miss, yet couldn't remember. But, like Lex, he realized it was better to focus on the now, on people there and not faces he couldn't place names to.

"And yes, I do. It was quite handy in my previous line of work. I could unlock doors when a key was lost and keep the whole place tidy and spotless in a fraction of the time it took before." As he spoke he lifted one arm and held it out in front of himself, then poured a little bit of his drink onto his sleeve and let it soak into the fabric. After putting the bottle down on the edge of the table, he brushed the beer out of his jacket and onto the floor with a flick of his hand, leaving both the fabric and his skin completely dry.

"It has more personal uses..." he casually turned his hand over and reached one finger through Lex's jacket to stroke his bicep for a brief moment —half demonstration, half flirt— then dropped his hand back to his beer and finished his sentence, "...and I suppose it might be beneficial to a thief as well."

Which was not an admission of guilt.

"Well. For a brief moment I considered offering another use for your abilities." He gives Aimery a look of appraisal, running a finger against Aimery's sleeve as if somehow hoping to replicate choosing for himself.

The touch quickly vanishes and Lex uses both hands to grip the tabletop and lean back. "But now with thievery in the picture I'm not so sure." If one were to overhear their conversation they would be absolutely certain Lex was serious, but the way he gives the slight tilt of the head puts that into doubt.

His eyebrows went up at that look and touch to his arm, and he briefly considered choosing to let Lex's finger through to touch him but then Lex pulled back and continued speaking. Aimery couldn't help the flicker of disappointment on his face before he mimicked tLex's head-tilt, then crossed his arms and leaned the side of his hip against the table.

"I said it would be beneficial to a thief, not that I was one," he protested, still not denying or confirming anything. He didn't want to have to lie, but he could skip around the truth, especially when he was getting the impression that Lex wasn't as bothered as he was trying to make it look. "What offer were you considering before you decided to make such offensive implications?"

He didn't manage to sound quite as serious about being offended as Lex had, and there was still a mischievously interested quirk to his lips, but he tried.

"Omission is the easiest way to hide the truth," Lex counters. He's not trying to corner Aimery in a lie and his voice is as casual as his stance, but he wants Aimery to know that he's not easily fooled.

"And you don't look too offended. I was thinking that if cleaning is as easy for you as you demonstrated you might be able to help me with my own. It would be quick and painless for you and I can promise a nice paycheck."

He glances to Aimery's hands and then his face. "But now I'm not so sure if I could trust you in my house." A bit of the serious facade purposefully slips away. He's offering Aimery a job, but he's certainly not done here if the other declines.

Aimery had thought Lex's distrust was on principle, but was he really concerned that Aimery would steal from him? Now that was offensive.

"And I'm not so sure I would want to work for someone who would rather assume I'm a petty burglar that would rob a friend and employer, instead of simply asking what I was alluding to. If you had asked, I would have explained how I used it to safely relieve a notorious gang of all their earnings, putting them out of business and providing for the future of my charity hostel." There were more minor omissions, like that he'd had help and that earnings didn't mean only money, but Aimery was annoyed enough that he didn't mind doing it if it might help prove him to be a, well, mostly honest man.

He sighed and tapped his drink on his arm idly, "Though I suppose I'd have assumed the same as well. What sort of cleaning?"

Edited 2011-08-18 19:07 (UTC)

It's common knowledge where Lex comes from that the young heir doesn't trust anybody. If he finds a fault in someone that is potentially dangerous to himself, he'll test them at length, preferring to protect himself rather than give the appearance of being nice.

However, this is also a party and he would rather not sour an opportunity. He will definitely continue to prod at Aimery, but now isn't the the time to bring up theft. Lex is very pleased that despite any annoyances, Aimery still managed to tell him information about himself, a step in the right direction.

"I apologize. I don't want to insult you. A kind of, butler type position occurred to me. I have a large house and if cleaning is easy and effective for you as you demonstrated I thought that the job might be a good fit."

Aimery can always say no and Lex would gracefully bow out, but he isn't going to count this one as over just yet.

The frequent flow of personal information was due to Aimery's propensity to brag when insecure and alcohol loosening his tongue; he was a good person, why hide the evidence of that? Even though it would have been harder to prove than other patches of his history.

"Apology accepted," Aimery said with a firm nod, his mild bristling dissipating just as quick as it came up, though there was still a little bit of annoyance evident in the stiffness of his posture. A job offer was much more interesting to focus on than a slight that he possibly might have deserved and wasn't intentioned. He knit his brows a moment, confused, before he realized 'butler's meaning had probably changed.

"What would my duties be besides cleaning and seeing to your wine? Is 'butler' like a... head servant?" Because that he could manage, especially if it paid well, and he doubted Lex could possibly be as high maintenance as Gundred had been.

Lex assures Aimery that he's right about the general meaning of the word, but also that he'd be expected to be on hand for cooking and answering the door and general duties around the house. They come to an agreement and Lex offers for Aimery to come by the house and not only have a look for himself, but also meet the other man he'd be working for.

He buys another round for the both of them, this time two glasses of wine as a celebration should at least appear to have some class. "Congratulations, Aimery. I can have paperwork drawn up later, but in the meantime I'd prefer to do and conclude business with a bit of wine." He holds out his own glass toward Aimery in a toast to the other man. "Cheers."

Aimery nodded agreeably as he took the offered glass and held it up in return toast. Then he took a long drink, following it with a sudden, amused look, "Does this mean I have to call you Mr. Luthor now?"

He sat his glass on the edge of the table to pick up his cue and resume their game, and it only took him a moment or two to for him to line his shot back up. Aimery actually managed to knock a ball into a pocket... but not the one he intended. It was a solid. Oh well.

"We're still at a party, aren't we?" is the answer given, and Lex watches Aimery resume the game. Hitting any ball at all is at least progress, but it's going to be a long while until Aimery can accurately call himself a pool shark.

"Why don't we switch it up a bit? You take solids, there's only four left if you include the eight ball and I still have all the stripes." It then occurs to him that Aimery has no idea what the significance of the eight ball is. "Number eight is to be shot last, regardless of what color you're using. If you've knocked in all other balls, then you can take aim at the eight ball. If you knock it in at that time then the game is over."

"So. Solids. It's still your turn. If you win I'll get you another round unless you're a gambling man and have something better in mind."

"That's very kind, and I am not too big a man to accept," he said in answer to the offer to switch, even though Lex had already 'agreed' that it was Aimery's turn again. That amused him, though he couldn't pin down why, except maybe the generous, collected confidence implied in giving up such a lead. Such an appealing trait.

"And gambling, well," Aimery continued as he moved around the table to get another shot, aiming for a solid, "I have on occasion, though considering how terrible at this I am, I suppose I shouldn't wager something I'd hate to lose." Which wasn't much. He went quiet a moment, concentrating on keeping his hand stable during the shot, but only succeeded in knocking the balls around, none in the pockets. "Ah well. How about this, loser buys the next round and tells a secret? Unless you've something better in mind."

"That seems like a perfectly acceptable wager to me." Lex walks around the table, eying the different angles for the best shot. He finally chooses a spot and after much sizing up doesn't take much time to hit a solid into a pocket.

He then moves to the opposite side and aims, hitting the intended target solidly but it stops just short of the pocket and moves a solid to teeter on the edge.

Grinning at Aimery and his own bad fortune, Lex gives the other man an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Come on, let's see you make this one."

"You recall you're meant to hit the stripes now, yes?" Aimery commented, perhaps a little cattily, as Lex knocked the first ball into the hole. He made no move to stop him though, just stood by, holding his cue and sipping his wine while the other man set up a perfect, impossible to miss shot for him.

"You needn't win for me, you know," he sighed after the good natured pat, his tone some mix of amused, annoyed, indignant, and endeared. And drunk. Aimery headed around to line up his cue and sink the barely-balanced ball, then moved a little ways away to aim for the remaining non-8 solid. That time he did a little better, managing to at least set himself up for a possible-score on his next turn. He turned a playful glare at Lex and wagged his finger at him, "Now, don't you hit my balls again."

He didn't get to say that very often.

Lex counts himself lucky that he had stopped drinking just before Aimery made that last remark because he laughs and has to rest a hand against the edge of the table to keep himself steady. He manages to feign seriousness though his eyes give away a lingering amusement. "Never again, that was my mistake."

He can't bring himself to say the word balls like that.

Though he's not drunk like Aimery, Lex is feeling the effects of the alcohol. He shoots one of the stripes in and misses the second when he ordinarily would have banked that one in, albeit with a little concentration.

"At this rate you may be winning for yourself anyway."

Lex laughing like that was worth the indignance of having the game so heavily swayed in his favor, and he managed a dubious pout for a moment when Lex answered. There was so much he could say to that, things that would escalate the innuendo and flirting... but he couldn't follow through on it. So he just mmhmmm'd quietly and returned to his drink, not bothering to hide his admiring of Lex until it was his turn to go. "Maybe, if I'm really lucky."

He was lucky, in a way, that Lex hadn't jarred the shot he set up before, which left him with just the eight. The angle between it and the cue was perfect to knock it in a corner pocket, too, except for a lone stripe blocking him from being able to just tap it in.

Well, would be blocking him, except for the whole, choosing thing. Aimery didn't hesitate on choosing to 'stroke' his cue through in order to sink the ball and finish the game. He held up his arms over his head in triumph, then realized how ridiculous he looked and settled for a smug grin instead. "I win! Looks like I get better with more alcohol and you get worse. I'll have to remember that."

It's like paradise, spread out with a butter knife :: [OPEN]

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