Braddock LeBeau (princeofthieves) wrote in marvel_nextgen,
@ 2010-09-03 00:35:00

Entry tags:

inactive - braddock lebeau, inactive - gretchen wagner

Killin' Time in New Orleans (Gretchen)
The Big Easy was treating Brad & Gretchen better than he'd hoped for. A few picked pockets here, a few poker games won there and soon, the Prince of Thieves and his Princess were staying in one of the nicest rooms in one of the better hotels of the French Quarter. He also secured new dresses and other clothing for the Blue Beauty, allowing her to chose her personal garments for herself, of course. While Braddock was definitely a gentleman, his thoughts of Gretchen lately were less and less platonic.

When favored him with her kiss, he felt himself catch fire inside.

Coming home from another busy day at "work", Brad knocks on Gretchen's door, holding a small box in his hand.

"I have something for you, Princess." he says, offering it to her when she opens the door.

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indigogirl
2010-09-03 05:51 am UTC (link)

As a source of income, as opposed to a fun trick, Gretchen preferred thinking about the poker; it was more sporting. And it wasn't likely to cause much in the way of harm -- except to oneself if one was careless, but she trusted Brad not to be.

And Brad was great. And kissing him had more and more appeal every time.

Gretchen smiles as soon as she opens the door to him, and then looks interested in the box when he offers it. "Why thank you

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	princeofthieves 2010-09-03 06:26 am UTC (link)
	"You're welcome, chere." he says, waiting for her to open it. When she does, she will find a pair of ruby earrings that match the fiery color of her hair. They have a weight to them, and if Gretchen has any knowledge of jewelry, she'll know that they are very real. "I hope you like them." he says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	indigogirl 2010-09-03 06:39 am UTC (link)
	She can tell. "Oh, I do. Brad, they're lovely." First things first. She hands him the box back as she puts them on. Then she pulls him in for a long, slow, thorough kiss. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	princeofthieves 2010-09-03 06:43 am UTC (link)
	I could be flat broke, not have made a penny all week, and even been mugged, and today would have been worth it just for this. he thinks as they kiss. He holds her close, enjoying the feel of her against him. When the kiss finally breaks (and he's in no hurry), Brad smiles. "How is your day goin', Gretchen? Are you hungry?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	indigogirl 2010-09-03 06:51 am UTC (link)
	She's in no hurry, either, and stays close even when they come up for air. "Well enough. Been reading," She gestures to indicate a stack of newspapers and magazines -- local, national, and international -- on the table. "Just trying to sort out all the differences. Local politics is...it's insane, Brad. And yes, i am definitely hungry." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	princeofthieves 2010-09-03 07:02 am UTC (link)
	"Okay, then we'll go to dinner at the that new Catfish place that just opened, and you can tell me all about what you've been learning." he says, kissing her forehead. "May I have the honor of a date with you, Gretchen?" he asks. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	indigogirl 2010-09-03 07:08 am UTC (link)
	She smiles. "You certainly may, Brad." And it only takes a few moments preparation before she's ready to head out, and reaching for his arm. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

princeofthieves
2010-09-03 07:16 am UTC (link)

He takes her arm and leads he from the room and the hotel, walking her down Baker Street to Carl's Catfish and Hush Puppy Palace. The place is very busy, but there is a table near a window, which Brad grabs for them.

He'll order catfish and coleslaw, along with some extra hush puppies, because he knows Gretchen loves them.

"So, what did you learn today, my darlin'?" he asks.

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indigogirl
2010-09-03 07:34 am UTC (link)

And between bites of delicious cornmeal goodness, Gretchen quietly tells him about some of the significant differences both in the global sociopolitical situation and, even more dramatically, locally. The corruptions running New Orleans are distinctly different in this facet of reality, and Gretchen discusses the publicly-available information with the kind of analysis that one might expect from the heir to a tiny but strategically valuable Central European nation.

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princeofthieves
2010-09-03 07:42 am UTC (link)

Braddock looks thoroughly disgutsted, not at the food or Gretchen, but at her information. The corruption in this city was off the charts, and it bothered him that the Guilds didn't seem to have the interest in giving back to the community that his father did. Where they were from, it was a respectable thing to be a Thief or an Assassin. Here, no one had managed to put together the information his father had and clean up the city.

He leans in closer to her to speak, not wanting anyone to over hear this next question.

"How hard do you think it would be for a well-organized person or persons to take advantage of the situation here and turn it into a gainful enterprise, Princess? I mean, let's say you, as Queen, are considering annexing a struggling country into Ruritania's fold.

What steps would you take to ensure that your dominion came to pass and was successful?" he asks.

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indigogirl
2010-09-03 07:57 am UTC (link)

Gretchen's thoughtful.

"I think it'd be tough, but conceivable. Something that'd be important to remember would be that it's not the kind of unified place one can just take at the center and watch the rest follow. One'd need to pay close attention to various communities in many different wards, or they'd just keep rotting alone on the periphery. And I do mean rotting, considering the apparent level of efficiency of demolition and rebuilding permits." She rolled her eyes.

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princeofthieves
2010-09-03 08:05 am UTC (link)

"So, would you say getting the support the most impoverished wards would be the best to gain momentum in order to get some of the others to take notice? Help them out, show what you can do, and build relationships with important people from the others?" Brad asks.

He'd need capital for that. Lots of capital. Enough to sweeten the pot for people to take a look around here. Of course, the Guilds will want their cuts. He'd need contacts, connections and a lot of cash.

He has absolutely none of those things, currently. But...there is a way to get them.

It just can't involve Gretchen.

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indigogirl
2010-09-03 08:25 am UTC (link)

Gretchen nods, then sighs in the face of how purely-speculative that seems. She knows how hard this must all be for Brad. From what she's been able to find, Strelsau isn't as dramatically different in this facet of reality as New Orleans is. Gott in Himmel, she misses it. Misses the days of pushing the envelope on her personal comfort zone with a little Old Town mischief here and there, instead of being thrown out of the mailbox entirely in this not-so-brave new world.

"On one brighter note, they do have an adorable local superhero team, apparently just doing a few things here and there, stemming from about halfway between here and the Garden District," she says cheerfully.

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	princeofthieves 2010-09-03 06:04 pm UTC (link)
	"Is that a hint, my Sovereign Lady? Do you want to go see this superhero team?" he asks with a smile. If she wanted to go and see these people, he would take her. His sister, Lyta, lived somewhere in town, too. He considered calling her to see if she'd be up for a visit while they were here. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	indigogirl 2010-09-03 11:05 pm UTC (link)
	"I'm honestly not sure. The sound lovely, but I'm not sure if dropping in on people without any invite is something I want to keep up. But yeah, they've got, among others, a terrakinetic, a literal Greek God, someone in a fantastic devil costume of which I completely approve, and a winged girl." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

princeofthieves
2010-09-04 03:08 am UTC (link)

"A winged girl? Well, that will make for the second winged woman I know of. Did I tell you that my sister Lyta has wings? She looks like an angel. We had an uncomfortable conversation about that before I knew she was my sister." Brad says, enjoying the catfish.

"Why don't we at least take a look at this place, then decide what to with the rest of the night?" he suggests.

After a moment, his eyebrows shoot up. "I meant to tell you! There's a poker tournament next Wednesday, and I think I can make the buy-in, but I need a beautiful woman at my side to keep my fellow players off-balance.

I was going to ask this princess I know if she might like to wear her new earrings that night and join me?" he smiles.

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	indigogirl 2010-09-05 05:53 am UTC (link)
	"Well, their place is right along the streetcar line. And oh, that's got to be awkard!" Gretchen smiled. "I believe she may be willing." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	princeofthieves 2010-09-06 09:10 pm UTC (link)
	"Yeah, it's not one of those things I'm going to talk about around other company." Brad says, reaching across the table to take her hand. "Very good. I don't think I can lose now; Lady Luck is on my side." he says, laying his lips along her knuckles gently. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	indigogirl 2010-09-07 05:36 am UTC (link)
	And she smiles when he does. "Those were some good hush puppies." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	princeofthieves 2010-09-08 01:58 am UTC (link)
	"I thought you'd like them and I'm glad you did. So, what do you want to do with the rest of our night, Princess? We can do anything you wish." he says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	indigogirl 2010-09-08 08:26 pm UTC (link)
	"Let's start with a walk and see how we want to progress.' And when their business is concluded at the establishment, she'll stand and reach for his hand again. It's the same way her mother tends to reach for her father's at State Occasions: with a half-formal, half-amused sort of grace. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	princeofthieves 2010-09-17 01:05 am UTC (link)
	-(END)- (Reply to this)

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