#ᴄʜᴀᴛ ;; claude

[morethandusting]

who: @ccogsworth where: fifi's apartment

It had been too long since they last caught up over a glass of wine. After they'd gotten coffee that one day she was in desperate need of advice. Even in such a short period of time so much had felt like it changed. Claude would certainly frown upon her actions but the girl couldn't pass up something that felt right, regardless of whether it was foolish or not. Her ex-boyfriend was known for being as popular with the ladies as he was clueless. That had been one of the problems in their relationship before it had come to an end. Now she was stumbling down the same path knowing very well she couldn't be the one girl he had on the hook. She knew Claude would be able to reason with her and possibly knock the sense she needed back into her. Fifi brought the wine glass up to her lips, taking a sip of burgundy that matched her lipstick. "I needed to get at least one glass in before I told you what happened," the girl said setting down an empty glass. "Now, I know it was probably stupid but c'est la vie non?"

[strangcbeauty]

who: @ccogsworth where: les trois compères

Gaston had come into the shop today and driven her up as wall as usual which meant a glass of wine once she got off was necessary. In fact, she might even have two. No one quite bothered her like him as he never seemed to take a hint and continued to pursue something she'd told him was never going to happen. Still, he would come in, talk about how boring books were, and she'd rebuff his advances until he called it a day. Belle released a heavy sigh as she sat at the bar, swirling her wine in the glass as she tried to slough-off the weight of the day. They were starting to clean up when she saw Claude approach her and assumed it was to let her know it was time to leave. "I'll finish this up and get out of your way, I know you are closing soon," she said giving him a small smile. "Unless I could convince you to sit and have a drink with me?"

[morethandusting]

꙳ ꙳ ꙳

It hadn't been an easy conclusion to come to, knowing that her dating history with Blaise had ended in flames. Claude had every right to be concerned and she could only nod in understanding as he spoke. None of it would be easy but if this was truly what she wanted then these were things that needed to be done. Angelique was the first thing she needed to face which included the consequences of her actions. What had started as a simple work friendship had somehow become all that more complicated when it was discovered they had their eyes on the same man. It had all started long before Fifi even knew her name. "I wish it wasn't... I know that's awful to say. It would be so much simpler if this didn't feel right. Everything in me wants to go against it but my heart won't let me. He's done all I've asked of him, showed me how it won't be the same as before..." Her voice faded off, getting carried away in her thoughts.

Regardless of how things between between her and Blaise, a conversation needed to be had with her friend who still didn't know of Fifi's involvement. "I didn't know when we became friends, I barely know now what all happened between them. But I know I have to talk to my friend. I have to start there and pray it doesn't effect anything for Adam." That would only make things worse and send her into another spiral. Still, these were the choices she'd made for the man she loved which meant she had to let the chips fall where they may.

Claude wished she would've taken a different route to getting to Blaise, but the brunette was sitting in front of him now, and there was not much more he could do. Somehow, the woman who they'd surrounded themselves with had completely fallen head over heels with his best friend, which was the case for a few of the women who worked for Adam, somehow. Two of them had stood the test of time and Blaise shenanigans to keep wanting to stay with him, though his friend had made his choice with the one who sat across from him. "Your gut, or your heart?" Claude questioned, knowing the difference between the two. "And you're sure that that's true, that it's real?" Not that he wanted to discourage her so as to sabotage his own friend's happiness, but Claude knew to his core how much of a womanizer Blaise could be. "No, there's really not. But I hope it goes well, for your sake. I heard you did become quite good friends, didn't you? Angelique can be temperamental, but she's very good at her job, from a business perspective, strictly."

[morethandusting]

꙳ ꙳ ꙳

Fifi had cared for Claude since their first meeting, finding a friend in him before she did in Blaise. That was why it had been difficult to not speak as they did once. She hoped that this was the beginning of gaining back that friendship that she so desperately craved. A smile was sitting happily on her face while she listened to him, nodding where appropriate to signal that she was paying attention. Even a laugh made itself known at one point. "You've got me there, I guess it is long overdue anyway," the brunette said with her eyes softening as she looked at him. His ask of the time was a friendly reminder of the curse that hung over them all in its own unique way. The girl nodded looking down at the one on her own wrist, happy to provide the help where she was able. "It's only a little after four, think you can squeeze me in?" Fifi wiggled her eyebrows as her smile returned to her lips. "You know I'd get lost without you anyway."

Claude didn't know that Fifi and Adam really spoke besides anything work related, so he had to assume that the tantrums she was referring to were ones in regard to the keeping of his house. Of course the restaurant could be performing better, but Claude was working on it. Really, most of the blame could be placed on him for that, and he didn't like to point out his shortcomings, not even to people as close to the business as Fifi. "We're always looking for ways to improve, but it is doing well, yes. Thank you for asking." Much like Belle, Claude always found room for the people who he and his friends held close to them, and Fifi was included in that, as was Angelique. Even if Blaise wasn't dating them any longer, they still deserved the best treatment he could offer; none of them had done anything objectively wrong. "Of course I can. I'm the one who handles the seating, you seem to forget," he reminded her with a hint of a smile. "Oh, right now? Do you happen to know the time?" Claude asked, instinctively turning to the watch that was absent from his wrist. "As long as I have enough time before the dinner shift, that would be lovely."

[morethandusting]

꙳ ꙳ ꙳

Few people knew the entirety of what had happened between Blaise, Fifi, and Angelique but Claude had a front-row seat for most of it. There was a feeling in the air that she'd recognized from before when she'd left Blaise's apartment without a word and started to thoroughly avoid him if their work ever crossed paths. Now the tables had turned again in a way she hadn't expected but couldn't deny that she had been welcoming. "It won't be easy, something just tells me it's going to be worth it," the brunette confessed softly. Her words were ones she wouldn't have believed if she'd told herself a year ago. Things had changed but it wasn't all that simple. As the question she'd been waiting for finally came she exhaled the knot of air stuck in her throat. They both understood who he was referring to without a name and Fifi was already giving a small nod as he finished speaking. "I know, I guess I wanted to make sure it was really real before I got ahead of myself. Perhaps a bit of fear as well," she replied honestly, a sad smile being all she was able to give. "Though there is never really any good way to go about these things, is there? But I know now what I need to do." Things were really happening with Blaise and they had enough avoiding of the truth in their past to bring it into their future.

Fifi was right: it was precisely the opposite of what he wanted to hear, even if it was what was going to make his best friend happiest. It made him feel a sense of guilt for wanting what was the least dramatic for the restaurant, despite that being his very profession. Blaise had pointedly not wanted to tell Angelique about all of this, either, and there was a chance that Fifi would be feeling the same way. "I understand. You deserve the time and space to do just that," he agreed. There were many more nuances to this than just rekindling an old flame. "Of course I want nothing more than for my friends to be happy, which includes both of you. I simply imagine this relationship to have more bumps in the road than the typical one." He gave her a tight-lipped, apologetic smile. Claude was a fatal realist: he couldn't help but point out what negative could come in the future without feeling the guilt of not giving a warning. "Have you thought about telling her?" he asked, assuming he didn't need to give a name. "I'm afraid she's going to find out either way, no matter how hard you might try to keep it from her. It's a small restaurant, you know, and I must admit, my personal opinion is that she deserves to hear it from one of you."

[morethandusting]

꙳ ꙳ ꙳

Fifi was flattered by the offer, giving him a smile that was closely followed by a shrug. A part of her didn't even know where else she'd go. This was the closest thing she had to a home anymore and she didn't want to lose what little she had left. "Perhaps, though I would actually quite miss his tantrums," she lightly joked hoping to ease the air between them. Even though things had ended she harbored no hard feelings towards Claude, even Blaise, as much as she wished she could. She wasn't able to hate him. "I'm so glad to hear. I hope the restaurant is doing well?" After the breakup, she didn't visit often but still dreamed of the food. His offer brought a smile to her lips that she was unable to hide her joy at hearing that. "You think you could squeeze me in? I might have to take you up on that. I must admit I haven't found anywhere else that makes quite a delicious creme brulee." Though simple it was the perfect way to finish a meal, especially paired with a glass of red wine. Fifi had missed nights there with them as they packed up, keeping them company, and laughing about something that happened earlier that day. She hadn't been ready to let go of that part of her life yet when it disappeared. "I was about to take my lunch if you would like to grab something together and catch up?" Fifi knew there was a possibility he would say no but she couldn't pass up an opportunity to potentially open the door to being in each other's lives again.

As much as he wanted to snort and agree with her, he kept his composure, only giving her a shake of his head as though she were talking crazy. He was sure that she had some intelligent qualities under the surface, though he hadn't seen them himself in quite a while. "Oh, you know that can't be true. Adam would write a stunning recommendation for you." No matter how well she'd done in her job, it was true: his friend wasn't cruel enough to ruin her chances at something else, not when she'd meant so much to their best friend. "I can fortunately say the same, thank you. The restaurant is doing well, and so are Blaise and Adam," Claude added, in case she had wanted to hear about his best friend. It was just vague enough in case she didn't, though. "You should come by sometime. You do know that it would be complimentary, right? I'm sure the rest of the staff would love to see you, too. We'd always make space for a last-minute showing."

[morethandusting]

꙳ ꙳ ꙳

Fifi was making sure that the entryway looked in tip-top shape after seeing a bit of dust on the fireplace, not wanting anything to be out of place. She enjoyed it, as tedious as it was, even if not everyone understood. It helped keep her mind off the more pertinent things in her personal life which lately had been none other than her past coming back to haunt her. Most of the time she didn't see Blaise or Claude unless needing something from the restaurant. Today when she caught a glimpse of him in the house she was surprised to see them at the home. Adam wasn't all that fond of visitors. "Claude," she paused as they'd both been caught off guard. A gentle laugh escaped at his comment, an eyebrow rising at him. "Do you think a girl with no sense of direction would be able to get a job somewhere else?" As they were all a bit stuck here due to the curse that they had thrust upon them. "Not at all, always a pleasure to see you. I've been well, and yourself?" Fifi had missed the friendship she formed with him while she was dating Blaise, wondering if it was still something she could have.

who: claude & @morethandusting where: adam's estate

Claude wasn’t usually one to take meetings outside of his own place when it was with Adam for fear of running late, but his friend had thankfully texted him when to leave.  He hadn’t been around the Estate in a while for that very reason, and he’d honestly forgotten that Fifi still worked there. The look of her caught him by surprise, as if he’d seen a ghost, but he simply stood a bit taller, clutching onto his briefcase for his life. ���Oh, hello I was just heading out. I had to see Adam about something.” He paused, thinking of his friend for a moment before speaking again. “I didn’t know you still worked here, I didn't mean to disturb you and your work. How have you been?” he asked, offering a hint of a smile.

[morethandusting]

꙳ ꙳ ꙳

Fifi knew it was only a matter of time before word got around. Things like this didn't stay quiet long, especially within the walls of the Bete estate. Somehow her identity had been hidden and as appreciative as she was for that, it also meant she would need to make her own apology tour while confessing to those close to her. After receiving a message from Claude she was relieved to know that there was at least one less person she would need to inform of her decisions. Even without saying she knew that he had an idea of what had been going on, Blaise having never been known to keep things from his friend. That didn't mean she wasn't a bit nervous about the conversation that would be had now that she was here. Claude saw through the cracks in them both and Fifi didn't entirely know what that would entail in this situation. "I had figured so," she said softly, setting her teacup back down in its place. The brunette inhaled deeply so that she could prepare herself for what explanation she'd need to give next. "I'm still sorting it all out myself, it's been quite a whirlwind of a few weeks." Fifi smoothed her dress on her leg before looking back up to face what was in front of her. "I still love him, no matter how many times I pretended not to though I know that isn't what you want to hear."

who: claude & @morethandusting where: claude's apartment

Claude admittedly did not like to invite people to his personal place of residence, especially not any women. There was really no reason for any to be invited over, especially not for personal reasons. For a man, he had his place in remarkable shape, but a few select women who had been over had taken it upon themselves to suggest design changes he might want to make (namely, a certain blonde with whom they all worked). However, he thought it might be best not to discuss a matter like this in public with Fifi, who had been there for the fallout of Blaise's elaborate dating life. She had "won" him, in the end, but there had been women before who no longer wanted to spend their time with Blaise after hearing of his reputation. With tea brewed and served in cups on his coffee table, Claude finally took a seat. "I must admit that I had a reason for inviting you here, though it's really to give you privacy and the freedom to speak freely," he confessed. "I simply wanted to see how you might be feeling after what I heard about last night."