"She was a one-night stand, really," Claurant explains, voice a little too light for the words he's about to deliver. "She's also dead, so. If there was ever going to be a ring, I certainly wouldn't be wearing it now." He knows there are plenty of widows who never remarry, whose hearts are forever broken by the loss they've endured... but he's not that sort of person, as callous as that may be. His father's death showcased that well enough.
Claurant shrugs, taking the glass and clinking it against Richard's own. "I didn't really know her well, honestly, and neither did Lucie. I know it's cold, but it's just... a thing that happened. A tragic thing, but a thing nonetheless, so. You didn't offend me at all by asking."
He chuckles, taking a sip of his wine. "Again, it's fine. Though now to make it fair I have to start prying into your love life."
Richard doesn't really think it's all that cold, Claurant is just being honest. He didn't know the woman very well so why should he be grieving forever because of one night of passion?
"Feel free to pry but I'll warn you now there's not much to tell." He says with a snort and then takes a large gulp of wine.
Just wait until you hear about how he grieves his father, Richard.
"Oh, I'm prying." Claurant gives him a devilish grin before he returns to the stove to finish off the gravy, stirring animatedly while he talks. "You're far from ugly, Richard, and there's a soul for every hole so to speak, so I expect someone took interest at some point. Yes?"
"What makes you say that, hm?" Claurant asks, too busy stirring to take a second look at Richard. From what he has seen however, he wouldn't at all call him ugly; he's got a rugged, kind-of-nerdy charm to him that he's sure would catch the eye of plenty a person, provided there was a personality to match.
"Oh, you flatter me," he says at the line comment, circling his way back to Richard's previous statement. "But see what I mean. There's interest out there, you just have to find it, darling. Or let it find you. Trouble loves walking in through an open door."
"Because it's the truth." He's not blind or dumb, he knows what he is. A 42 year old nerd who is out of shape, has a lot of body hair (especially around a full moon) and no ambition or prospects.
"I don't have big bulging muscles or rugged good looks." He takes another gulp of wine and snorts.
"And I'm too old and fat to be a twink so that basically leaves me in the 'undesireable' bin."
"You can't be that much older than I am, in that case, we're both old." Claurant's the sort to already stress that he's forty years young, thank you, but for sake of commiserating with Richard he'll refrain.
"Perhaps not to the masses, but when have the masses been correct about anything, Richard? Ignore them. If they don't want you, you have to prove to them how much of a loss that is. Which, I wholeheartedly believe you can do."
He snorts again and finishes off his glass of wine, reaching around Claurant to pour himself more. "It doesn't matter if the masses are correct or not, it's simple math. If 99% of people find you undesirable then 99% of people aren't going to fuck you."
He shrugs, "It's just the way the world works and no amount of me proving anything will change it."
"40, actually. I'm flattered you think I'm 35, however," he says, batting his eyelashes at him.
Perhaps Claurant's had it terribly easy in comparison, when it comes to his dalliances. He may not be the proper person to empathize with Richard's predicament, as he's not exactly seeing what Richard is. Claurant can see the off-beat charm in him, anyway, or perhaps he's easy to please.
"99%, I think, is an over-exaggeration. But I can't really fault anyone for being dramatic, now can I?"
"Are you seriously only TWO years younger than me?" Richard asks and then rolls his eyes, "Fuck yooou man. You look great. Especially for someone who has a KID."
In all honesty it's Richard who looks like a Dad.
"And I guess not, seeing how you have a flair for the dramatics yourself."
He catches a glimpse of himself in the reflective handle on the pan, smirking at Richard's remark. He does look good for his age. Given his lifestyle, he really shouldn't, but his father also looked absurdly, oddly young for his age. Maybe it was whatever strange, eldritch thing flowed through them, the blood of ancients keeping them younger and healthier than they ever really should be.
He's not going to delve into that, however. Not over dinner, not to Richard (now, anyway).
"Well, if it helps any, I thought you were younger than I was until you mentioned your age." Claurant sets about plating their dinner, since it's just about done.
"A flair for dramatics may as well be my middle name. Come, sit, I'm almost done."
[ooc: thank you, I love that scene so I had to make an icon to capture it.]
"Bullshit you did." Richard says with an eyeroll because there's no way that is true, he looks his age if not older depending on how shitty he is feeling.
"Kay." He says and then motions towards what he thinks is the dinning room, "Just in here?"
"Oh come now, I thought you were late-30s!" he calls, more focused on spooning out the roasted carrots without spilling any than the conversation, hence it taking him a while to reply. He glances over his shoulder again towards the room Richard's gone off into it, nodding his head once like it could be seen.
"There's perfect. I'll join you in a moment!"
And join in a moment he does, bearing two plates to set down wherever Richard decided to sit. When he chooses, Claurant takes the seat across from him, doubling back briefly for his wine.
"Dig in, by all means. It is still hot though, so be careful."
Richard doesn't need to be told twice to start eating, as soon as Claurant is seated and says dig in he does so, forking a large portion into his mouth and chewing happily.
"Holy shit, this is really good." He says between bites, "Where did you learn how to cook so well?"
Richard honestly still doesn't know how or why Lois has agreed to go out for drinks with him but he isn't about to ask in case it fucks everything up, he rarely has anyone let alone anyone as gorgeous as her saying yes to such things so instead he just shows up at the Two Parrots a few mins after 8pm wearing what he hopes is casual but suitable attire for such a date.
I mean, if it is a date. He's really not sure if it is or not, he hopes it is and he tells his heart to stop beating so hard when he sees Lois sitting at a little table near the back.
"Uh hey." He says once he is close enough that she looks up. "You been waiting long?"
Lois meant what she said about wanting to keep things casual. She’s not thinking of this as a date. More just drinks with a guy whom she wants to get to know better. After getting a bit carried away with their sexting the other night, Lois thinks she ought to at least give Richard a chance. It was… surprisingly enjoyable.
She’s wearing what she wore to work that day, a white shirt with black pants and a black vest and her chunky loafers. When he approaches, she looks up at him from her bottle of beer.
“Hey. Not too long.” Lois smiles at him. “Nice jacket.”
“It is,” she confirms. “I keep myself busy.” Lois could do less, but that’s not the type of person that she is. Her work is her life.
“I’m looking into the unsolved murder of a gas station owner from three years ago. The police think it was a robbery gone wrong, but I’ve uncovered some things that are making me think differently.”
Lois inhales, contemplating. “I don’t want to say too much, because it will all be in my article, but there was evidence that has come up missing. Suspicious coincidences, things like that.”
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2025-12-08 04:58 pm (UTC)"I mean, I don't see a ring on your finger."
And he kind of assumed Claurant was not into women.
no subject
Date: 2025-12-09 07:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-12-09 08:07 pm (UTC)"I didn't mean to make this weird....I uh...stick my foot in my mouth a lot."
no subject
Date: 2025-12-10 06:41 pm (UTC)He chuckles, taking a sip of his wine. "Again, it's fine. Though now to make it fair I have to start prying into your love life."
no subject
Date: 2025-12-10 09:08 pm (UTC)"Feel free to pry but I'll warn you now there's not much to tell." He says with a snort and then takes a large gulp of wine.
no subject
Date: 2025-12-11 12:42 am (UTC)"Oh, I'm prying." Claurant gives him a devilish grin before he returns to the stove to finish off the gravy, stirring animatedly while he talks. "You're far from ugly, Richard, and there's a soul for every hole so to speak, so I expect someone took interest at some point. Yes?"
no subject
Date: 2025-12-11 06:17 am (UTC)"And yes, at points in my life people have taken enough interest that I'm not standing here a 42 year old virgin. Thank god."
"But it's not like I have a line up out the door like you probably do."
no subject
Date: 2025-12-11 09:00 pm (UTC)"Oh, you flatter me," he says at the line comment, circling his way back to Richard's previous statement. "But see what I mean. There's interest out there, you just have to find it, darling. Or let it find you. Trouble loves walking in through an open door."
no subject
Date: 2025-12-12 06:49 am (UTC)"I don't have big bulging muscles or rugged good looks." He takes another gulp of wine and snorts.
"And I'm too old and fat to be a twink so that basically leaves me in the 'undesireable' bin."
no subject
Date: 2025-12-12 02:51 pm (UTC)"Perhaps not to the masses, but when have the masses been correct about anything, Richard? Ignore them. If they don't want you, you have to prove to them how much of a loss that is. Which, I wholeheartedly believe you can do."
no subject
Date: 2025-12-15 01:55 am (UTC)He snorts again and finishes off his glass of wine, reaching around Claurant to pour himself more. "It doesn't matter if the masses are correct or not, it's simple math. If 99% of people find you undesirable then 99% of people aren't going to fuck you."
He shrugs, "It's just the way the world works and no amount of me proving anything will change it."
no subject
Date: 2025-12-15 08:03 pm (UTC)Perhaps Claurant's had it terribly easy in comparison, when it comes to his dalliances. He may not be the proper person to empathize with Richard's predicament, as he's not exactly seeing what Richard is. Claurant can see the off-beat charm in him, anyway, or perhaps he's easy to please.
"99%, I think, is an over-exaggeration. But I can't really fault anyone for being dramatic, now can I?"
no subject
Date: 2025-12-16 06:57 pm (UTC)In all honesty it's Richard who looks like a Dad.
"And I guess not, seeing how you have a flair for the dramatics yourself."
no subject
Date: 2025-12-17 11:31 am (UTC)He catches a glimpse of himself in the reflective handle on the pan, smirking at Richard's remark. He does look good for his age. Given his lifestyle, he really shouldn't, but his father also looked absurdly, oddly young for his age. Maybe it was whatever strange, eldritch thing flowed through them, the blood of ancients keeping them younger and healthier than they ever really should be.
He's not going to delve into that, however. Not over dinner, not to Richard (now, anyway).
"Well, if it helps any, I thought you were younger than I was until you mentioned your age." Claurant sets about plating their dinner, since it's just about done.
"A flair for dramatics may as well be my middle name. Come, sit, I'm almost done."
no subject
Date: 2025-12-18 03:30 am (UTC)"Bullshit you did." Richard says with an eyeroll because there's no way that is true, he looks his age if not older depending on how shitty he is feeling.
"Kay." He says and then motions towards what he thinks is the dinning room, "Just in here?"
no subject
Date: 2025-12-19 01:08 pm (UTC)"There's perfect. I'll join you in a moment!"
And join in a moment he does, bearing two plates to set down wherever Richard decided to sit. When he chooses, Claurant takes the seat across from him, doubling back briefly for his wine.
"Dig in, by all means. It is still hot though, so be careful."
no subject
Date: 2025-12-21 07:09 pm (UTC)"Holy shit, this is really good." He says between bites, "Where did you learn how to cook so well?"
for @superjournalist (tfln drinks continued)
Date: 2025-12-22 05:08 am (UTC)Richard honestly still doesn't know how or why Lois has agreed to go out for drinks with him but he isn't about to ask in case it fucks everything up, he rarely has anyone let alone anyone as gorgeous as her saying yes to such things so instead he just shows up at the Two Parrots a few mins after 8pm wearing what he hopes is casual but suitable attire for such a date.
I mean, if it is a date.
He's really not sure if it is or not, he hopes it is and he tells his heart to stop beating so hard when he sees Lois sitting at a little table near the back.
"Uh hey." He says once he is close enough that she looks up. "You been waiting long?"
no subject
Date: 2025-12-22 02:53 pm (UTC)She’s wearing what she wore to work that day, a white shirt with black pants and a black vest and her chunky loafers. When he approaches, she looks up at him from her bottle of beer.
“Hey. Not too long.” Lois smiles at him. “Nice jacket.”
no subject
Date: 2025-12-22 07:07 pm (UTC)He slides into the booth across from her, nodding at the beer.
"Good choice of beer, I went to their brewery last month."
no subject
Date: 2025-12-23 01:13 am (UTC)“Yeah?” she asks. “I’ve actually wanted to go, but haven’t had a chance to yet. Work’s been busy.”
Fortunately, she likes what she does, so being busy isn’t the worst thing in the world.
no subject
Date: 2025-12-23 01:24 am (UTC)"Chasing down leads, uncovering horrible secrets and the like? What are you currently working on?"
no subject
Date: 2025-12-23 01:30 am (UTC)“I’m looking into the unsolved murder of a gas station owner from three years ago. The police think it was a robbery gone wrong, but I’ve uncovered some things that are making me think differently.”
no subject
Date: 2025-12-23 03:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-12-23 03:16 pm (UTC)Things that don’t add up.