Logs:Ambition

Ambition
Dramatis Personae Desi, Lucien
In Absentia	2020-09-02 "{One of these days I'll be telling you where your feet go and you'll regret all the nepotism.}"
Location <PRV> Tessier Residence - Greenwich Village
Understated opulence claims this spacious and well-kept townhome, the decor throughout the whole of it of the highest quality and carefully chosen. The front door opens onto the entrance hall, a closet close at hand to receive coats and shoes -- the pale hardwood floors gleam underfoot, unsullied by tracked-in mess from outside. The living room beyond the entrance is all dark woods and pale earth tones, comfortable couches and armchairs and a thick soft rug laid down beneath. Two large and painstakingly aquascaped aquariums flank the entrance to the dining room, with several brightly coloured species of fish within. Most of the rest of the wall space, notably, is taken up with shelves -- shelves crammed with books of every subject and genre. A study branching off of the main hall is cozy, small, done in pale blues and lined with books as well around the large computer desk and smaller futon, though these rarer books are cased behind glass. Another securely locked door leads to the basement, and another to the full bathroom downstairs. The kitchen connects to the living room; in contrast, it is sleek and modern and well-appointed, stocked by someone who takes their cooking seriously. And takes their alcohol equally seriously -- to one side of the kitchen there is a fully-stocked bar. The back door to the kitchen looks out on a small well-kept garden. The lower level of the house is mostly dark, save for a dim glow coming from under Lucien's door, a soft blue glow from the aquariums and the unsteady illumination of white candles flickering on the kitchen counter. Not entirely silent; the soothing strains of Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D play quietly throughout. Lucien is perched at the kitchen counter, in soft black pajama pants and a black tee with an Ace of Spades playing card motif. His laptop is out in front of him, an empty old-fashioned glass on a silver-flecked black glass coaster beside it. The front door opens and closes. Desi's footfalls are sluggish with her shoes on and sluggish after she's paused to remove them. She appears in the kitchen a few moments later, wearing a green cap-sleeve tunic and purple mesh layered skirt. She's in the process of pulling her hair loose from the bun, shaking it out. Then sinking into the seat beside her brother, shoulders slumped gratefully. "{Is he asleep?}" she asks softly. Lucien looks up once his email is through and his browser window minimized, his lips compressing slightly as Desi takes her seat. He vacates his in the next moment, slipping over to the bar to retrieve a fresh glass and shaker. "{For a short time, now.}" He hesitates over his choice of ingredients, glancing back to Desi. "{What does your tomorrow look like?}" "{Long,}" Desi replies ruefully. "{So long, but it starts late. I can take whatever you can dish.}" She runs her fingers through her hair and settles her cheek against the palm after. "{You did this every single day, for months on end--during your shows.}" "Mmm." Lucien plucks some bottles off the shelves. "{Indeed. I know several excellent bodyworkers, if you are in need of a recommendation.}" He is unhurried as he retrieves a lemon from the fridge, squeezes it. Sugars the rim of the glass. "{This will be over next week, at least. But the long and fruitful career I've no doubt is coming --}" "{I need every recommendation you have to give,}" Desi groans, stretching in place. She comes up smiling, though wanly. "{That long and fruitful career seems a long way away, right about now.}" Lucien does not immediately answer this. He adds ice and lemon juice to the shaker before the liquors, shakes it together. Strains the sidecar into the glass. "{I cannot blame you. At this rate it feels like perhaps this year will never end.}" He returns to the counter, setting the glass down beside Desi. "{Perhaps I exaggerate, though. If you are anything like the average dancer, it will be a brief but exhilarating career.}" "{Thank you.}" Desi pulls her drink in and takes a sip, sighing appreciatively. "{Mmm, and once I burn out on thankless ensemble dancing, I'll be perfectly positioned to launch my choreography career.}" She salutes her brother with her glass, green eyes glinting. "{One of these days I'll be telling you where your feet go and you'll regret all the nepotism.}" "{I suppose that gives me a few years yet to actually learn how to dance.}" Lucien settles himself back at his computer, though he doesn't resume his work just yet. He rests an elbow on the counter, propping his chin against loosely-curled knuckles as his other hand rolls absently at the trackball on his mouse. "{It is, perhaps, the very far future, but have you any particular post-graduation aspirations?}" Desi rolls one shoulder, then the other. "{I suppose it depends how Matthieu's checkup goes, in part.}" She takes a very deliberate sip of her drink. "{But either way I'll probably pick up more shifts at Liber T again. Perhaps look into some gig work--or just better-paying work. Start auditioning for thankless ensemble roles.}" When she shrugs, it looks almost like another stretch. "{I'm flexible.}" The compression of Lucien's lips is very slight. "{If you set your goals very low,}" he replies mildly, "{I suppose you will never be disappointed.}" The roll of Desi's eyes is theatric. "{I know what you're trying to do, but...}" Here she hesitates, looking down into her drink. "{I want to be able to help take care of him. You'll be running yourself ragged, especially when your auditioning picks up again.}" She glances up, as though she could see through the ceiling. "{There'll be time for starting my own troupe and taking the dance world by storm.}" "{Do you?}" One of Lucien's eyebrows hitches up. "{I have some concern for your future, it is true. You are graduating into a much different world than I have been working in. Half the theatres are still shuttered, half the companies on hiatus -- I can pull only so many strings before all the available positions will simply --}" His fingers unfurl, releasing a puff of nothing into the space between them. "{Past that, however -- do you suppose he wants you to put your life on hold?}" Desi draws breath to reply, then thinks better of it. Takes a sip of her drink first. Then, finally, "{No. But I do not suppose he's keen on any part of the whole situation.}" She glances aside at her brother. "{You do so very much for us all, and I never feel like I do nearly enough for you.}" She turns her glass thoughtfully and watches the play of light through the amber liquid. "{I want to choreograph. I know I'm good, even if I haven't got much experience. If you could help get me even considered for a position, that would be magnificent.}" "{I do not suppose so.}" Lucien's hand drops back to the mouse again, two fingers rolling over the smooth trackball, back and forth and back and forth. "{Perhaps one day, you will choreograph a routine that makes even me look graceful. And isn't on stilts. That would be some kind of payback.}" He turns his attention back to his screen, finally. "{Until then, I will see what I can do to set you on your way.}"