Theo watches the man slump into the chair. At least it feels like… something might've been at least bridged. As much as he hates pulling the "I have a child to take care of" card, it can sure as hell be useful at times. Especially at times that require Theo's success to even see Claire again. He has to wonder what she's doing… Perhaps she's coloring in a locked room, watching whatever loop of cartoons the Fantômes put on. She's a prisoner, but the Fantômes never treat her as such. Not a hair will be out of place on her head when they reunite, but the separation will always take a toll on her young mind. Theo's heart will always ache as Claire will cling to him in her sleep, screaming whenever the contact is lost.
He blinks away the memories of Claire and stares at Achille. Knowing that being stuck in the office for god-knows-how-long with a pouting man sounds like absolute torture, Theo clears his throat and speaks up. "You're free to go where you want now." He shrugs, taking a few steps to the window. It's a beautiful morning–partly cloudy skies, green landscaping, a cool breeze. "I won't interfere with whatever activities you might have planned. I'll just be there to intercept a bullet if anyone decides to shoot at you."
Theo at least hopes the prodding will get Achille off of his ass and out of the house. Before he even set foot on the property, Theo knew that Dimitri Marchand was not home. There's no use in staying at the manor unless it's to snoop, but he's not supposed to be without Achille and he doubts Achille will let some casual rummaging slide. The best way to get to Marchand will be through Achille. As much as he loathes to admit it, he and Achille will have to form some sort of a relationship (professional, preferably) and Theo will have to piece together his puzzle one bit of smuggled information at a time.
No one is going to kill him. What use is there to kill him? Police are tying to figure it out with the guy who tried to kill him at the party, but he is still not saying anything. Achille believes that he will be fine, yet he also doesn't want to be bleeding in an ambulance while making Margot and their mom distressed.
Although he does not want to admit it, the bodyguard is right. He should probably go out and do something today. Sitting around all day while frowning and having Emile just standing there would be a waste. He does not return to his work till tomorrow nor does he have any urgent errands to run. A day out in the city would be lovely nevertheless. No, he has no plan, but lunch is just around the corner and might as well use it to get to know Emile.
He stood up from the chair while tucking his shirt into his pants. "Alright well, we can go to lunch then we can go get your measurements for a suit then over to a favorite secondhand bookstore of mine," Achille wondered. "What do you think? Are you in the mood for anything? I know a lot of great restaurants we can go to. No reservations needed!" Wait, he doesn't need permission from the bodyguard on this. On the other hand, he would rather have Emile's opinion despite the fact that he hates this man. Yes he can hate a person but treat them decently; it's called being a good person and Achille strives to be one.
Literally anybody could be out to kill Achille–some ex that didn't take a break-up well, a particularly crazy fangirl, a hitman out to get Dimitri through Achille. No matter how glaringly obvious Theo finds the facts to be, Achille clearly will not hear it. Theo isn't going to waste time talking to a brick wall, so he sighs and watches as the man stands and fixes his shirt. Thank God, at least Theo's going to do something worth his time, even if that is just trailing behind Achille through whatever luxury stores and shops he finds.
Theo is mildly shocked when Achille actually asks him where he wants to go. "That's not my decision to make, Achille," he says, voice back down to its level cadence it had at the beginning of this entire encounter. "I'll be at your side wherever you go." Internally, Theo has to cringe. He's being payed and forced to do this; it isn't some romantic statement fit for a soap opera.
He can't help but wonder if he would have to pay for his own things… He doesn't intend on purchasing anything, but the question remains. It's not like Les Fantômes give him an allowance while he's on an assassination mission. He left his drained debit cards back on the counter of his vacant apartment.
Achille rolled his eyes. Come on! The man could have said something as simple as a café or a place that has Chinese or Italian food. A simple suggestion would have been greatly appreciated. It doesn't matter that he is the son of a rich man and Emile is just his bodyguard; they are both humans after all. Surely Emile had favorite foods or favorite places to go to. He will find out all of these things in due time.
"Fine," He huffed while crossing his arms. "I will think of something while I go grab my coat, wallet, and keys. Okay? I am sure that you will love it."
Well, he can only hope. He has no idea where they should go to eat. The fact that he is going out for the first time in three weeks since he almost died is asking him anxious. Guess that's why he is stuck with this tall surly man who is being paid to protect him.
He walked up to go fetch what he needed for the outing. Along with his wallet, keys, and sunglasses, he placed The Picture of Dorian Gray in his tote bag. Then he swiftly made his way down to the entrance all in about five minutes. "I think I know the best place for us to go!" He exclaimed. "Are you going to drive, Emile, or can I drive us there?"
As the heir rises to leave the room, Theo is quick to follow on his heels. He manages to keep a decent distance, but always keeps an eye on wherever Achille goes. When they reach the room, Theo stands just outside the door to check his watch and sweep his eyes over the elaborate hallway. What does he mean I'm going to love it? Theo almost doesn't want to know what this whole outing will entail. He wouldn't consider himself anxious… Maybe dreading would be a more proper word for the day. Luckily, Achille doesn't take long and exits the room with a tote bag in hand, successfully putting Theo's internal rambling to rest.
"I'll drive," Theo states, mostly because he doesn't trust Achille behind a wheel. "I just need you to give me directions." And a car. Theo will definitely need a car. Eugéne never mentioned any sort of vehicle, and Theo certainly doesn't have a car. Perhaps if he just follows Achille, the other man will lead him directly to what he needs. That seems to be his entire philosophy for this job… follow Achille around and pray that everything falls right into place.
Leading Emile outside, he begins to hum to himself. He took long strides along the path around the property. Momentarily, he closed his eyes while taking a deep breath. "Okay." Then Achille went into his bag to fish out the keys. It doesn't make sense to him how his father hired a bodyguard, but didn't go ahead to hire a driver too. Emile could be a terrible for all he knows. Despite this, he hands the bodyguard the keys. "I'll read out the directions as we go along. You better not get distracted. I really like my car."
He threw the one strap over his shoulder, continuing on the path to the garage. On the left side by the garage door, there is a keypad panel. While punching in the numbers, he whispered the numbers, "26021802." The panel made a ding sound then the door was lifted up to reveal two cars. He ambled over to the black one on the left. The silver one on the right is his mother's.
While waiting for Emile, Achille pulled out his phone to look up the directions for the place he has in mind. It's a modern French-styled restaurant that Margot goes to all the time; she said that the place has amazing food. He trusts almost every single thing his sister says.
"Well…," He looked up from his phone and glanced over at Emile, "I have everything ready! Are you good to go?"
Theo pockets the keys and nods. He may not be the best driver in the country, but he's the only person he actually trusts behind the wheel. He has control over where the passengers will be going. They don't have a choice but to follow. The last thing they want is to irritate a driver who could easily kill them in a matter of seconds. Sometimes they're driven straight to their doom, to a quiet place where nobody will hear the gunshots nor the screams.
Upon hearing the code recited, Theo instantly commits it to memory. He isn't sure if it'll actually be helpful to be able to infiltrate the garage, but it certainly doesn't hurt to know. All it takes a brief moment to note the luxury of the cars before Theo is at the driver's side of the black one with the keys in hand. It unlocks with a click and Theo is in the driver's seat with the key in the ignition. He has to adjust the seat to actually accommodate his long legs.
"Yes," Theo responds, looking over his shoulder as he backs out of the garage and onto the private road leading off of the estate. "Where should I go?"
He slid into the passenger side, closing the door once he was settled in. The seat belt buckle made a click sound before he pressed his back against the seat. It could just be him, but he could not ignore this strange feeling he was having. Usually he drives and he normally drives alone. Eugéne, Margot, and their parents have someone else do the driving for them, but Achille would rather do it himself. It made sneaking out to a party or for a hookup much more feasible….not to mention fun. Sometimes he would drive around the city on impulse, because he can. It is nothing but tragic how he cannot act upon those impulses anymore.
Upon Emile asking where to go, he took out his phone and scrolled through the directions. Now he does not know all of Paris like the back of his hand. There's so much, especially with all the tourist shit they have. "It's in Porte De Clichy about down the way from Square Ernest-Gouin," He explained. Turning his phone over, he held it out for the bodyguard to see. "We can go there then maybe the bookstore and we can walk around the park afterwards. That sounds like a perfect first outing as bodyguard and protectee. The weather is lovely too."
Achille brought his phone up to connect it to the car's speaker system. One could always tell that the bluetooth connected when it made a dinging sound. "What kind of music do you like, Emile?" He asked while scrolling through his music library. "You have to tell me. Not only do I want to know, but I want to hear it too. You have to tell me. Now."
"I know where that is," Theo confirms after briefly glancing at the map. It's a place where Claire had always wanted to go, but Theo had never been able to take her. Maybe when this is all over he'll take the time to give her a great day at the expensive shopping center. He'll have to start pinching pennies now. He can't take his toddler niece shopping and not get her something worthy of her "sparkle". God, she's going to want the prettiest, greenist dress from the bridal boutique and Theo will fold like a house of cards. He'll also have to avoid any sort of pet stores like the plague. Claire will want a chameleon and Theo does not have the energy to take care of a reptile and a child and a shitty apartment all at the same time.
As he pulls onto the main road, Theo looks over to Achille with a raised eyebrow. The man certainly babbled quite the bit just for a simple question. "Music?" He inquires, just to give him another moment to think. Well, he hasn't really listened to his own music in quite some time. It's been princess songs and that peppy pop star from the children's television channel. What was the last concert he even went to? It was in college… oh yeah. It was Bloodbath on a college trip. "Are you familiar with Swedish Death Metal?"
"Good. I think you will really really like it." Achille had no idea what he was saying. He's never been there and he might not like it; there's a good chance that Emile might not like it too. Not like that is a concern of his anyway, although he enjoys being right after saying things. Being right is a main component of his pride. Perhaps he is thinking too much, nevertheless…
A look of puzzlement appeared as he squinted at Emile. This guy sitting next to him listens to Swedish death metal. Swedish death metal. Achille just nodded to the bodyguard's question. He only knows about it thanks to Margot's boyfriend. Sure he doesn't know much about the man, but he won't forget the time he was dragged to a Meshu-something concert.
"You listen to that kind of music?" He paused. Well, he did ask what kind of music Emile likes and if it's Swedish death metal…then that's what he will play. Scrolling through all the related playlists available left him confused. Then he went on and asked, "Do you have any particular band in mind?" Half of the song titles made no sense to him. Part of him is still wondering how an irritable man came across such a music genre.
Theo absolutely does not buy into what Achille is trying to sell him. It's a shopping trip with a quirky cafe on the side of it. It's not exactly Theo's choice of a day out. His ideal day out would consist of buying himself a new pair of boots and laces, and then going home where he can sleep and stare out windows. Maybe he'll throw in a cheap order of fast food frites. He doubts that someone as high-and-mighty as Achille would settle for something so plebeian.
"Yes, I listen to that kind of music," Theo responds, tone slightly slimy with offense. Really, Theo doesn't quite remember how he first got into the genre. Middle school maybe? Knowing how eager to please Middle-School-Theo had been, it was likely due to some influence of a friend, if he could even call the extroverted jocks friends. It was more like he hung in the general vicinity of them, and they just never told him to leave.
He goes quiet for a moment to ponder what to answer. He can't go right out of the gate with symphonic black metal, no that might just give Achille a heart attack. Regular metal has always been too bland for Theo's own taste, leaving only one thing for a happy medium. "Try heavy metal to start. I don't want to be the one to kill you with what I usually listen to. Sabaton's a good start if you don't mind the history-buff lyrics. Great War's their best album." While his words are true (Great War is a great album), even Sabaton is a little mild for Theo's taste. He did see them in concert once in high school. Great show. Lots of pyrotechnics.
Achille brought his hand up to his chest. His jaw hung open. Kill him? Why would something like Swedish death metal kill him? It's not his first time listening to it. "I think your presence is more likely to kill me than this music," He huffed. His mind was still hung up about Emile's music tastes. There is so much he has to learn about this man and he will make this learning a new game for himself. Hopefully it will make this situation more bearable.
He mispelled Sabaton, but he managed to find the band; at least, he hoped so. All of the album covers for the band look like concept art for those war games that are so popular these days. It wasn't long for him to find Great War. What a weird name for a music album. His thumb hovered over the play button a while before finally pressing it.
Jumping in his seat, he immediately went to turn the volume down. Sometimes he forgets to do so, but it's not like he listens to whatever is being played right now. "This isn't bad," He shrugged, "Are you sure you want to listen to this, and not the other one? I can handle it."
Semi-expertly, Theo makes his way to the block. It would probably be difficult finding a parking space, but there should be a garage nearby. Achille shouldn't mind paying for parking. A meager ten euros from the massive bank account he keeps on a plastic card is absolutely nothing.
Theo sighs through his nose as the sweet, sweet vocals of Joakim Broden rattle through the speakers of the car. Of course it's not bad. "I guess if you want to listen to anything heavier, you should go for Dismember." The name, clearly, should say all of what Theo won't. He hasn't seen them in concert, even though he had the chance to. Nosebleeds, however, weren't worth a hundred euros. Plus, he would either have to find a babysitter for Claire or take her with him, and Theo definitely wasn't going to risk her young eardrums at a death metal concert, and he sure as hell doesn't trust anybody around his angel.
"What do you listen to?" Theo asks, mostly to judge the other man's music taste. If he says American Country music, Theo will stop this car and throw him out of it, the mission be damned.
Perhaps Achille is getting too focused on this whole thing with Emile and music. Somehow his mind became very fixated on it; not like he truly cared about this bodyguard's taste in music or anything. He just hates being with someone he despises. He hates having to be forced together while there is a high risk of there being silence. Silence is terrible; it is another thing that he hates.
Turning his head, he gazed out the side window. To him, it didn't really matter what kind of metal music they listen too. "We don't have to change it," He shook his head. Eventually his gaze lingered on the door handle while he zoned out, praying that they would be there any second now.
Something about Emile's question made him roll his eyes. "I like ABBA and David Bowie," He shrugged. His voice was quiet yet he found himself smiling a little. The word "like" does not match how much he truly loves those two musical acts. Sure there's also Depeche Mode, Charles Aznavour, and whatever his mom and sister listen to, but he always found himself blaring Bowie late at night or ABBA whenever he wanted. "We don't have to listen to either if that's where you're getting at, Emile. I know we are both two completely different people."
If Achille insists that they don't have to change it, then Theo won't. He's fine listening to the third track–82nd All The Way–based on Sergeant York during the first World War. The history behind the songs had always fascinated him. Becoming a history major had been his second choice to a chemistry one. Chemistry has a more useful skill set for his current occupation, but it's without all the fun of real events that shaped the present.
Okay, not the worst choices in the world. Theo fully believes that Achille and his sister would have gotten along. They have a similar music taste and a hobby for annoying Theo. "You look like someone who would listen to Bowie and ABBA," Theo notes, but there's no malice to his flat tone. "You could've mentioned the Beatles or what's his name… the American Cowboy. The one where all of his songs sound the same." Trailing off slightly, Theo shakes his head and briefly turns his full attention to the road as he turns closer to their destination.
"If you would rather listen to your music, I don't mind." Though the polar opposite of his own music taste, Theo doesn't mind listening to them. He has to appreciate the melodies and showmanship, but the lack of screaming and distortion keep it from being truly lovely music.
Staring off into the distance, he wondered if Theo was criticizing his music taste or not. It sounded better than how Eugéne would have reacted. Nevertheless, he rolled his eyes. "American cowboy???" Achille gazed over at Emile, trying to figure out who the bodyguard was referencing. His brows pressed together. After a few seconds trying to piece any clues together, he gave up. Oh well, he is sure that it was not that important to the conversation.
Immediately, he shook his head. "No, it's fine. Really, it is," He assured; not like it's really his music anyways. "It's nice." If this bodyguard is stuck with him and they both are terrible together, might as well try to make the experience a little more bearable for the grumpy thing. Is he being nice to this guy? Achille sighed. If he is, this is as nice as he will be momentarily. He will get this bodyguard fired one way or another; shouldn't really take that long.
A small smile rested on his face as he saw the restaurant farther down the street. People walked on the sidewalks while others zoomed around on scooters. A few clouds rolled over the sun. In the midst of his rather unfortunate situation, Achille found himself to be content; even despite listening to some Swedish band's album about the Great War.
"I think we're almost there," Theo mutters, briefly checking the GPS and then his surroundings. The plaza is something he's only seen on television or in pictures, nothing he could afford himself. He turns off the main street and into an underground parking garage, snagging a ticket at the dispenser before making his way into the complex. There's no parking available on the first floor, so Theo maneuvers to the second, where he manages to get a lucky spot near the elevator. He removes his sunglasses for the time being.
"You should lead the way," Theo instructs as he turns the car off and pockets the keys in one of his internal suit jacket pockets. It clinks beside his concealed pistol. "I hate to say it, but I don't know where I'm supposed to go." He watches the other man steadily, ensuring that he doesn't try any sort of funny business. While he isn't sure the precise locations of any specific buildings, Theo already committed the ariel map of the area to memory–all the the narrow alleys, all of the busy streets, all the rooftops and potential ways out. Well, Theo isn't sure how Achille could get away on foot. Theo has the keys and is much faster than the scrawny man.
He kept watching things as they passed by. It wasn't his first time here, but he always enjoyed looking around. Besides, it helped him come up with ways to escape from situations like this. When the car was parked, he sighed. Finally he can get out of the car. Achille was happy to disconnect his phone from the car bluetooth. He slid his phone into his coat pocket then glanced over at Emile.
An imaginary light bulb went off. Probably wasn't the best for Emile to tell Achille that he doesn't know where to go. While Achille had a poker face on, he already began to come up with a plan. He won't be running away of course. No no no, he has something better for the both of them. More fun for him, and hopefully more suffering for this bodyguard of his. Besides, it is a lovely day.
The faint sound piqued his attention, but he paid little attention to it. He was getting giddy from whatever he was about to do. "Well then…Follow me, my friend." Achille undid his seatbelt then got out of the car. He didn't even wait for Emile to get out. The moment the car door closed, he began to walk away. He walked as swiftly as possible without making it look like running or jogging. This isn't part of his plan though; it's just a warm up.
Theo is no idiot and he knows the second he locks the car that Achille is going to try something stupid–evade him, likely. Regardless of whatever the other man will try, Theo will just follow at his heels until he makes a break for it or chooses the wiser decision and stays put. Sliding his hands into his pockets, Theo follows just a few steps behind Achille as they make their way into the upper level. It's a warm day with a small breeze.
He slips his sunglasses over his eyes. His face is stone and paired with his fine suit, it adds up to a perfect equation of "do not talk to me or there will be consequences." Theo surely isn't a man who would commit any sort of wrongdoing against an innocent, but it doesn't hurt to scare them away–just a little bit. He quickens his pace ever so slightly and easily catches up to Achille.
"I have the sneaking suspicion that you're going to try something," Theo says just low enough for Achille to hear. "Are you going to make this difficult for all of us?" He inquires, his eyes hidden by the mirrored sunglasses as he briefly flicks them down to the shorter man.
This is going to be so much fun! He felt a buzz of energy while going down the stairs. The plan is simple: since he knows his way around the area, he will make the walk much longer than it needs to be. He could also just have them walk around in circles to see how long it would take Emile to notice. And yet, it seemed like Emile was already catching on to the plan.
The bodyguard's question made him scoff. Jesus Christ! He can do whatever he wants and it would take people days to realize that he was screwing around. Now this Emile shows up and all Achille needs to do is start walking before he suspects something. How? How? It was so frustrating for him already. He knew that he isn't the best actor or whatever, but he tried to be clueless. He blinked a couple times in hoping that his instant poker face would work on this guy.
His frustration outweighed his patience. Achille rolled his eyes at Emile. "No, we are just walking to lunch. Why would you be suspicious about something as simple as walking?" He huffed in an attempt to further fufill the role. In order to get to the place, you have to make a left, but Achille turned right. He shot a glare at the bodyguard. "You're just going to be suspicious over everything that I do? Right?"
The thing about Theo–he's used to lying scoundrels. He knows how to spot them, knows what stupid faces they make to try and seem as innocent as possible. He may not know exactly what the truth is, but he surely knows what the lie is. The lie in this case is Achille's claimed lack of shenanigans. There is about to be so many shenanigans and Theo really didn't get enough sleep the night before to deal with this.
"It's my job to keep you safe and I can't do that if you're so committed to throwing yourself into danger at every turn," Theo replies, turning his head back to the road ahead, however, Theo is keeping a side-eye on the other man's movement. Every single step he takes, Theo notes and internalizes and plans for the next. He's walking on his toes in case Achille makes a break for it and Theo's forced to sprint. There's very few times Theo thanks his high-school self for doing things, and becoming the hurdles star of his school has certainly come in handy for sprinting through alleys, warehouses, expensive mansions–all of it.
Theo looks around at their surroundings and notes the closest street name and landmark–a small floral boutique with prices much higher than Theo's budget. "How much longer until we're at lunch?" He asks, a sneaking thought wondering if Achille would be the one paying for the meal. If not, Theo always supposes he could order a water and the smallest salad on the menu.
This is the least mischievous thing he has done. They are just going for a nice little walk. Achille already is coming up with some future plans he can use when they get to the restaurant. He wasn't going to run away now, but that doesn't mean he isn't going to in the future. By future, he means as soon as possible.
He rolled his eyes. Geez this guy is stiff. Does Emile really care about protecting him or does he care about Eugéne being his patron? God that is so depressing; having any relation with Eugéne is terrible to begin with. "Oh Emile, you poor thing," He sighed. "I do not throw myself into danger, or anything for the matter. I simply attract, that's all."
For awhile, he didn't say anything. Instead, he kept his eyes forward while pretending to be on a stroll. It is a lovely day. It wouldn't hurt to go on a little walk before eating. Achille finally decided to respond to Emile. "We will be there soon enough. Be patient," He assured. They were walking in the opposite direction. He wondered if Emile would ever find out. The man is clever enough to already know he is up to no good. Oh well for only time will tell.
