A Lesson With The Laurents(Closed)

'Hm?' Fiora asked, momentarily distracted by the comment. 'Oh, oui. I shall have zee chef provide you wiz zee recipe. Do remind me.' She crossed her arms and leaned forward on the table.

Her friend was not finished yet. Throwing his hands up in despair, he slumped into his chair, picking at an invisible thread on his cuffs. The woman patted him encouragingly, voice shrill. She turned to James.

'What do you mean...broaden our minds? Are you suggesting that they are too small?' she demanded.

'Lucille.' Adrien snapped,instantly silencing the younger woman. It was the first time he spoke since he entered. 'Enough. He is our guest and we will not allow you to disrespect 'im.'

Fiora chuckled. ''e was merely suggesting,zat we look at zee problem from a different perspective.' The Grand Duelist directed her next line at James. 'I 'ope your experience changed you for zee better. I know the League 'as changed my perspective on power...especially Demacia's.'

Fiora shrugged, looking bored. 'I suppose zee silly girl decided she was in "love".' she scoffed. 'And 'er even more silly family decided to comply with her request.'

The rest of the group smirked in response; there was little doubt in the air whether or not that that certain family would be invited to any future outings with their own families.

Adrien leaned back in his chair lazily, stifling a yawn. 'It should not matter in zee end.' he declared. 'Demacia does not 'ave enough eligible women.'

Fiora blinked once. 'Perhaps your standards are too 'igh, Adrien.' she teased. 'You shouldn't be talking anyway; you 'ave caused more scandal zan zee girl's family 'as.'
Her voice turned almost icy then, and the group tittered, stifling laughter. Adrien's escapades were certainly not secretive; he enjoyed showing off and attending parties, and often left behind a trail of scandals and rumors in his wake.

Adrien scowled and covered up his embarrassment by grabbing a piece of fruit and taking an aggressive bite from it. The conversation lulled briefly as the small group relaxed.

The gossip continued for a little while longer. As the food steadily disappeared, however, the conversation died down.

Lady Laurent and her friends continued their idle chatter, but the younger group grew bored quickly. Coughing lightly, Fiora threw a casual glance at the small clock on the wall; the brunch was over and her guests would have to find a way to excuse themselves. Offhandedly, one of the friends suggested a trip to the stores for some new clothing. The other two agreed, politely getting up.

After declining the offer to join them and dodging what seemed like countless requests for her to attend yet another socialite event, Fiora had the butler escort them to their carriages. The second they left, Fiora slumped in her chair. Only Adrien and James remained.

Adrien laughed and stretched, nearly knocking a cup of sugar. 'Even more dreadful zan last time. Lucille, what a 'orrid girl.' he remarked, throwing his apple core onto the tablecloth.

Fiora rolled her eyes. The Grand Duelist found the brunches like duels sometimes. Witty repartee, dodging nosy questions...exhausting. But such was the life of a noble. One had to keep themselves alert at all times, for the position of your family was always up for scrutiny--even more so for the Laurents.

'You seem perturbed,' Fiora told James, perhaps picking up on his mild discomfort. 'You know the drill, of course. Keep your friends close---and zee enemies closer." She laughed at the cliche. 'If I 'ave to keep Lucille any closer, I might as well be kissing 'er.'

'Yes,' Adrien continued dryly. 'She only 'as eyes for Sebastien. I'll make sure he's busy again next brunch. Maybe she'll be even more disappointed.'

Fiora pursed her lips. 'You do zat.' she approved. Her eldest brother had not yet married, and time was running out--people were beginning to talk. No doubt Lucille's family had been positively frothing at the mouth to get their name up another rank in the upper echelon.

Adrien thought for a moment. 'She's not bad on zee eyes, though.' he remarked, not noticing Fiora gritting her teeth until after he said it. 'Oh--of course. Below me. Maybe not bad for a Marquer?' he commented, waving a hand at James. 'I'm sure she was stealing a few glances at you!'

Adrien laughed. 'Well said! I would die, regardless of her 'onor, if I was alone in the same room as 'er. You 'ave a way wiz words, Marquer. I like zat.'

Fiora smiled serenely, content despite the bashing of her supposed 'friend'. With a delicate sniff, the Grand Duelist got out of her chair and stretched before going over to her mother. She whispered a few words into the old woman's ear before kissing her lightly on the cheek.

When she came back, she spoke. 'I 'ave to say: you showed a remarkable tenacity during your lesson. Impressive. It is unfortunate we did not 'ave time for more. But if Adrien is willing, perhaps he can 'elp you again, if you would like.'

The older Laurent stroked his chin, thinking. 'Well, 'e can show up at zee beginner's class with zee other nobles. He isn't as green as zem, I should think. No pressure, of course.' he added teasingly. 'Dueling isn't for everyone.'

As the Laurents waited for James' reply, the butler slid into the room inconspicuously. It seemed the young master's visit in Laurent Manor was coming to a close, and he was ready to escort the man out.

As the butler led James out of the room, the two Laurents' polite faces dropped like a mask.

''e seems very polite and all,' Adrien murmured, stirring his tea idly. 'Where did you say you met 'im again?'

'La bibliothèque. Pourquoi?' Fiora replied, relaxing in her chair.

'Does 'is family not 'ave a personal library?' the older Laurent demanded. 'If 'e was from a family of importance, we would 'ave invited 'im sooner one occasion or another.'

'Zee name Marquer exists,' Fiora commented coolly.

Adrien shrugged. 'I believe it exists but something about 'im eez off. I kept quiet zee whole brunch because I was sick of zee fools Mother tells us to invite. 'e kept relatively quiet as well. Perhaps for zee same reason?'

'I wouldn't blame 'im for hating Lucille.' Fiora laughed, a steely look in her eyes. 'I admit zat I did not look closely into 'is name...Mother or zee butler usually does zat. But eet should not matter soon: invite 'im to your next lesson by mail to the Marquers. If 'e replies, then your suspicions were incorrect. And if he does not...' she paused and took a delicate sip from her tea. 'well...we shall see.'

--

The butler escorted James out of the manor. 'We hope you will grace us with your presence once again, Monsieur Marquer.' He laughed. 'Good journey to you.' With the farewell finished, he began to close the door.