04-09-2021, 03:52 PM
Outskirts of Downtown Lumiere, Cape Auria
April 9th, 2021, 8:27 PM
The Rouge Rose Bar was rather small, and decently outside the main area of Lumiere's prestigious Downtown Shopping District. Yet it still maintained a small group of regulars, who used Rose's location and discretion to hide what they don't want seen. And to Andrew Laurent-Cordonnier, Baron of Cordonnier, it was especially useful. He was a decently short man, in his sixties, with gray-white hair and a judging expression. His suit was custom-tailored at one of the boutiques in Lumiere, paired with a rather expensive tie and shoes. He did regret dressing up, because the weather seemed to be working to ruin his costly getup.
It was pouring rain in Lumiere, and although it was a bit of an inconvenience, the Baron had to admit: It certainly did camouflage his black car in the night. He got out and opened his umbrella, not wanting to get his expensive clothes or car wet. He had parked down the side alley next to the bar, adjacent to graffiti-filled brick and a set of garbage cans. He despised having to leave his car in such a horrid and undignified place, but it was a necessary evil.
He quickly moved to the front of the bar, trying his best to avoid patches of mud in his custom shoes. The bartender, Pierre, waved to him as he entered, while casually wiping a glass. "You can go on in. Scott's already in there." The Baron nodded his thanks, smiling a little. Of course Scott's already here. That bastard is always jumping the gun. He made his way to the back of the main room, and ducked into the bar's private meeting room through an old squeaky door.
Scott Lautrec, the heir to one of the biggest technology companies in Cape Auria, sat in one of the chairs around a circular table, idly shuffling a deck of cards. He wore his trademark cocky smile as he looked up at the Baron. "Andrew. Nice of you to turn up!" He extended his hand, which the noble shook, after some slight hesitation. Both men sat, and a waiter silently brought Andrew a glass of Scotch. He sipped part of it eagerly, disliking having to be alone with Lautrec. Arrogant Corporate Prick[i], He thought silently, looking down at his drink.[/i]
The door squeaked open again, revealing a man and woman, who both quickly took their seats. Thank God, thought the Baron, feeling relief at the arrival of friendly faces. Sarah Berenstein, a Member of the Representariat, sat to his right, glancing between Cordonnier and Lautrec with a slightly nervous expression. She'd seen some of the arguments between the two, and she was extremely hesitant to sit between them.
Jonathan Gerand, Owner and lead anchor of an up and coming Media Company, looked similarly cautious. He was a rising star in Auria, decently young for the amount of money and reach he had. The Aurian Clarity News Network, or ACNN, had a great outreach from all sides of the aisle for its concentration on being unbiased.
The waiter came by to pour the two newcomers some drinks. Jonathan checked his smartwatch, glancing at the one vacant seat left at the table. "He's always late the exact same amount of time. Gotta love his consistency. Does he do it for style, or to maintain control? He's a General, for God's sale. He already has power over us."
The Baron chuckled silently. General Jean-Claude Michellen was the Chief Commander of Cape Auria's army(or what passes for it). He was the essential de facto head of the Aurian Military, and everyone in Auria treated him as such. He was the member that the Baron was closest to, having been friends since they started their careers. And even though everyone respects him for his service and status, he still likes to make people wait on him.
The door opened once again, revealing the tall General, who clutched a glass of whiskey in his right hand. "My friends, I apologise. Pressing matters had to be attended to."
The Baron grinned and gestured to his glass. "I didn't know the bar was a matter of importance to the Aurian Military. I feel much safer at night knowing that we're free from the clutches of whiskey and Besae. Although it appears that you aren't so lucky."
Michellen chuckled and sat, raising his glass towards his old friend. "It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Would you deal, Scott? I'm sure those cards are shuffled by now. Wearing out the cards is not a good thing." His Franco-Aurian accent shone through when he spoke English, his "th" sounds sounding much more like "s". The others' accents were much more subdued, especially Jonathan's, who's TV career required an excessive amount of dialect training.
Lautrec placed cards in front of each player, then three in the middle, leaving the remaining cards in a stack. "Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen, place your bets." Everyone through a few chips in the center after carefully observing their cards.
The routine poker games had started about a year ago, with the General inviting all of them to the Rose for a drink, before they all got bored and played cards. They each put a few hundred dollars on the game each time, not too much, but enough to add some sense of danger and accomplishment.
The Baron sighed as he watched Sophie claim the pot, which she had one with two pairs, beating his pair of kings. "Damn. Sweeping the board early this time, are we?" Sophie just grinned and nodded. Both her and the General were wicked poker players, and most of their betting money always made it to one of them by the end of the night.
As Scott shuffled the cards, the General, looking cautions, spoke up. "To be frank, I called you all here for a meeting, because there is an opportunity that has come up, one I think we should take." Everyone looked up from their cards, waiting for him to continue. He hesitated, then spoke again. "You know the rumor that Lapointe is an Eirian spy, and that his wife's an Aurora?"
The rest of the table looked confused. "Yeah, but I don't think any of us believe it. This may be the "Lapointe Haters Anonymous", but we're not exactly conspiracy theorists." Sophie said, fiddling with the edge of one of her cards. "It's a stupid theory, and I'm kind of shocked that it has the amount of support it does."
"The latest polls show fifteen percent of Aurians believe it to some extent. People really don't like him, and they can't believe they re-elected him last year. But most people are indifferent to the theory, and that's a good thing. People who are indifferent can be persuaded.”
Andrew narrowed his eyebrows, seeing the direction the General was heading. "You want to reduce Lapointe's power, using the rumor he's an Eirian spy? How do you plan to convince the Masterial, or even worse, the Representariat. Lapointe's got the Baroness of Mur-Du-Nord, Velasè, running interference in the Masterial. And I believe Sophie will tell you the same applies to her house as well."
"Ah, but you're forgetting the kind of people that are convinced of it are willing to fight for it. I don't want to reduce his power, but remove it entirely. The system is overly modernized and stagnant, and we need to strike while the iron is hot." He took a drink after finishing his speech, waiting to see the reactions.
Jonathan was surprised, his wide eyes fixed on the General. "You're talking about overthrowing the Government. The Parliament. And why do I have the sneaking suspicion you want to overthrow the Monarchy as well. Don't get me wrong, I hate the Monarchy. But we don't have the ability-"
"That's where you all come in. We've got me for military matters, but the rest of you have your own importance." He nodded at each member in order as he began listing off their importance. "From the Business sector, to the Media, to Elected Politics, to Old Aurian Noble Politics, and I’ve got the military. We have what we need at this table. We just need to use what we have wisely. And get some help."
Sophie nodded slowly, a plan rapidly forming. “I’m on the Foreign Affairs Committee. You and me to contact Xiomera. Clever, and I can see it working. But what if the Xiomerans refuse us help? I doubt they will, because they need another friendly government in the region, but what if they do? What if they’re too afraid of restarting their war that they just refuse us, or worse, turn us over to the authorities? We would be putting our fates in their hands.”
“And that’s a risk we have to take. For Auria.”
April 9th, 2021, 8:27 PM
The Rouge Rose Bar was rather small, and decently outside the main area of Lumiere's prestigious Downtown Shopping District. Yet it still maintained a small group of regulars, who used Rose's location and discretion to hide what they don't want seen. And to Andrew Laurent-Cordonnier, Baron of Cordonnier, it was especially useful. He was a decently short man, in his sixties, with gray-white hair and a judging expression. His suit was custom-tailored at one of the boutiques in Lumiere, paired with a rather expensive tie and shoes. He did regret dressing up, because the weather seemed to be working to ruin his costly getup.
It was pouring rain in Lumiere, and although it was a bit of an inconvenience, the Baron had to admit: It certainly did camouflage his black car in the night. He got out and opened his umbrella, not wanting to get his expensive clothes or car wet. He had parked down the side alley next to the bar, adjacent to graffiti-filled brick and a set of garbage cans. He despised having to leave his car in such a horrid and undignified place, but it was a necessary evil.
He quickly moved to the front of the bar, trying his best to avoid patches of mud in his custom shoes. The bartender, Pierre, waved to him as he entered, while casually wiping a glass. "You can go on in. Scott's already in there." The Baron nodded his thanks, smiling a little. Of course Scott's already here. That bastard is always jumping the gun. He made his way to the back of the main room, and ducked into the bar's private meeting room through an old squeaky door.
Scott Lautrec, the heir to one of the biggest technology companies in Cape Auria, sat in one of the chairs around a circular table, idly shuffling a deck of cards. He wore his trademark cocky smile as he looked up at the Baron. "Andrew. Nice of you to turn up!" He extended his hand, which the noble shook, after some slight hesitation. Both men sat, and a waiter silently brought Andrew a glass of Scotch. He sipped part of it eagerly, disliking having to be alone with Lautrec. Arrogant Corporate Prick[i], He thought silently, looking down at his drink.[/i]
The door squeaked open again, revealing a man and woman, who both quickly took their seats. Thank God, thought the Baron, feeling relief at the arrival of friendly faces. Sarah Berenstein, a Member of the Representariat, sat to his right, glancing between Cordonnier and Lautrec with a slightly nervous expression. She'd seen some of the arguments between the two, and she was extremely hesitant to sit between them.
Jonathan Gerand, Owner and lead anchor of an up and coming Media Company, looked similarly cautious. He was a rising star in Auria, decently young for the amount of money and reach he had. The Aurian Clarity News Network, or ACNN, had a great outreach from all sides of the aisle for its concentration on being unbiased.
The waiter came by to pour the two newcomers some drinks. Jonathan checked his smartwatch, glancing at the one vacant seat left at the table. "He's always late the exact same amount of time. Gotta love his consistency. Does he do it for style, or to maintain control? He's a General, for God's sale. He already has power over us."
The Baron chuckled silently. General Jean-Claude Michellen was the Chief Commander of Cape Auria's army(or what passes for it). He was the essential de facto head of the Aurian Military, and everyone in Auria treated him as such. He was the member that the Baron was closest to, having been friends since they started their careers. And even though everyone respects him for his service and status, he still likes to make people wait on him.
The door opened once again, revealing the tall General, who clutched a glass of whiskey in his right hand. "My friends, I apologise. Pressing matters had to be attended to."
The Baron grinned and gestured to his glass. "I didn't know the bar was a matter of importance to the Aurian Military. I feel much safer at night knowing that we're free from the clutches of whiskey and Besae. Although it appears that you aren't so lucky."
Michellen chuckled and sat, raising his glass towards his old friend. "It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Would you deal, Scott? I'm sure those cards are shuffled by now. Wearing out the cards is not a good thing." His Franco-Aurian accent shone through when he spoke English, his "th" sounds sounding much more like "s". The others' accents were much more subdued, especially Jonathan's, who's TV career required an excessive amount of dialect training.
Lautrec placed cards in front of each player, then three in the middle, leaving the remaining cards in a stack. "Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen, place your bets." Everyone through a few chips in the center after carefully observing their cards.
The routine poker games had started about a year ago, with the General inviting all of them to the Rose for a drink, before they all got bored and played cards. They each put a few hundred dollars on the game each time, not too much, but enough to add some sense of danger and accomplishment.
The Baron sighed as he watched Sophie claim the pot, which she had one with two pairs, beating his pair of kings. "Damn. Sweeping the board early this time, are we?" Sophie just grinned and nodded. Both her and the General were wicked poker players, and most of their betting money always made it to one of them by the end of the night.
As Scott shuffled the cards, the General, looking cautions, spoke up. "To be frank, I called you all here for a meeting, because there is an opportunity that has come up, one I think we should take." Everyone looked up from their cards, waiting for him to continue. He hesitated, then spoke again. "You know the rumor that Lapointe is an Eirian spy, and that his wife's an Aurora?"
The rest of the table looked confused. "Yeah, but I don't think any of us believe it. This may be the "Lapointe Haters Anonymous", but we're not exactly conspiracy theorists." Sophie said, fiddling with the edge of one of her cards. "It's a stupid theory, and I'm kind of shocked that it has the amount of support it does."
"The latest polls show fifteen percent of Aurians believe it to some extent. People really don't like him, and they can't believe they re-elected him last year. But most people are indifferent to the theory, and that's a good thing. People who are indifferent can be persuaded.”
Andrew narrowed his eyebrows, seeing the direction the General was heading. "You want to reduce Lapointe's power, using the rumor he's an Eirian spy? How do you plan to convince the Masterial, or even worse, the Representariat. Lapointe's got the Baroness of Mur-Du-Nord, Velasè, running interference in the Masterial. And I believe Sophie will tell you the same applies to her house as well."
"Ah, but you're forgetting the kind of people that are convinced of it are willing to fight for it. I don't want to reduce his power, but remove it entirely. The system is overly modernized and stagnant, and we need to strike while the iron is hot." He took a drink after finishing his speech, waiting to see the reactions.
Jonathan was surprised, his wide eyes fixed on the General. "You're talking about overthrowing the Government. The Parliament. And why do I have the sneaking suspicion you want to overthrow the Monarchy as well. Don't get me wrong, I hate the Monarchy. But we don't have the ability-"
"That's where you all come in. We've got me for military matters, but the rest of you have your own importance." He nodded at each member in order as he began listing off their importance. "From the Business sector, to the Media, to Elected Politics, to Old Aurian Noble Politics, and I’ve got the military. We have what we need at this table. We just need to use what we have wisely. And get some help."
Sophie nodded slowly, a plan rapidly forming. “I’m on the Foreign Affairs Committee. You and me to contact Xiomera. Clever, and I can see it working. But what if the Xiomerans refuse us help? I doubt they will, because they need another friendly government in the region, but what if they do? What if they’re too afraid of restarting their war that they just refuse us, or worse, turn us over to the authorities? We would be putting our fates in their hands.”
“And that’s a risk we have to take. For Auria.”