Food Should Heal All Wounds

[Lord Laurent de Lac]

After leaving the household, Laurent wandered aimlessly through the city with a dark expression on his face. The argument was going through his mind over and over, making him more depressed as the hours rolled onward. Eventually, he ended up in the marketplace when the smell of delicious food wafted into his nose. The nose led the way, ultimately reaching one of the more popular inns in the city. It was frequented by nobles and wealthy merchants alike. The owner of the establishment was a woman with a kind nature, though few people could figure out where she was from and even fewer asked.  The atmosphere was warm and inviting, the food even more so.

Requesting a more secluded table, Laurent started off by ordering a bottle of wine. Next came the richest food the inn had to offer, including a desert. The food was delicious, well prepared and, most importantly, distracting. It was so good that he asked for another helping. The meal was concluded with dessert, even if he realized he was already quite full. The entire time he ate, he attempted to keep his emotions from spilling all over the table.

He was berating himself internally. Why was he so sensitive about this? Surely a man should have been able to tolerate such a thing. He should kept his chin up, stiffen his upper lip and gone about his day. That was not going to happen. Instead, he bore a truly morose expression as he idly picked at his dessert and opted to down his wine, instead. 

Lady Vivianne Trevelyan

[Lady Vivianne Trevelyan]

Vivianne was of a mind to treat herself to an excellent meal, so that was precisely what she did. The espionage business was progressing finely, she was glad to be back in Triadon where gourmands thrived, and she was feeling... celebrational. Finding one of her favorite taverns, she was preparing to be seated when her gaze fell on a somewhat familiar set of features. They hadn't been formally introduced, but the resemblance was unmistakable. The man with the impressive pile of dishes before him was a de Lac and likely kin to Thomas.

Intrigued by the amount of now empty plates, she moved over to greet him, arrested for a moment by the sheer misery she noted on his face. Great Triad, had their bitch of a mother arrived to ruin their lives further? Concerned, even if it technically wasn't her business, Vivianne appeared beside the table with a subdued smile and a friendly look. "Lord de Lac, I presume? Lord Laurent? May I join you?" She didn't know if he'd share what had him so unhappy, but for Thomas's sake, she had to try.

[Lord Laurent de Lac]

At first, Laurent did not register the voice of the woman. It was only after a moment that he realized someone was standing at his table. "Hm?" He toned in a distracted manner, his napkin coming up to dab at his face out of force of habit. Tilting his head, he took in the sight of the woman. He was not familiar with her, but she knew him. How? Must have been a friend of one of his siblings, he concluded. Laurent was never one to assume the worst of people, after all. "Er. Yes. I'm Laurent." Awkwardly, he moved to a stand out of politeness and indicated a share. "Feel free, but ... may I ask who you are?"

Room could be made on the table since he was done with most of the dishes. The bottle was about half empty. It didn't dawn on him to ask for another glass. Understandably, he was a bit distracted at the moment.

[Lady Vivianne Trevelyan]

He was, she noted, deeming it confirmation that he was upset about something. She recognized the signs of comfort bingeing only too well, having succumbed to it a few times herself. Sliding into a chair, she offered a warmer smile. "Vivianne Trevelyan. I'm a friend of your brother Thomas, and a fellow lover of fine food. How was the chef's best tonight?" She noted the half-empty bottle but said nothing for now.

[Lord Laurent de Lac]

"The execution was very well done," he found himself saying without really thinking about it. "The spices and herbs blended together for a tasteful experience, but I thought the sauce used was a little too runny. Some thickener would make it perfect, but honestly, it was a minor problem." The statement was entirely too technical. He realized it, too. A small smile formed. "It was good," he replied more easily, but then remembered she stated her love of fine food. Wait, didn't she say she was a friend of Thomas? Was this the woman he spoke of?

"You're the one," he stated more as a matter of fact than an accusation. "Thomas talked about you, and fondly, in his own way. It's nice to meet you." As morose as he was, that was not going to stop him from being extremely polite.

[Lady Vivianne Trevelyan]

So this was the brother who seemed to pour sunshine from his pores. One of a pair of twins, but there was precious little sunshine in evidence this evening. Vivianne was neither insensitive to another's unhappiness, nor oblivious to it, though she strove for tact and politeness before she started to pry into the heart of the matter. "I'll have to try it." When he declared her the one, she blinked, then laughed quietly. "It's nice to finally meet you too, Lord Laurent."

She gestured to one of the servers, the better to remove some of the dishes and see about a drink for herself. Once that was accomplished, she settled more comfortably in her chair and studied him before asking quietly, "Forgive me for straining our new acquaintanceship, but Thomas has spoken of you too. Very fondly. And what he said of you doesn't match what I'm seeing. If you'd like to talk about what has you upset, I am a very good listener."

[Lord Laurent de Lac]

At first, he hesitated at the question and then took another sip. "Oh, I am sorry," he realized. It was both politeness and initial evasiveness to her question. "I should have requested a glass for you. I should not drink this bottle by myself," he admitted sheepishly, "though it is quite tempting. It is a good vintage. It's from my liege lady's lands. The best." He was running out of evasive topics. His finger toyed with the glass.

In an instant, he almost started crying. The expression was there, but he quickly contained it. "I love my siblings. I would do anything for them. I would even die for them." He drew in a shaky breath, "I just want them to be happy and have a good life. But in order to reach it, you have to be able to ... embrace such a vision." A hand came up to rub at his mouth, trying to find a way to explain how he felt.

[Lady Vivianne Trevelyan]

He was trying to be polite, Vivianne gave him credit for the effort in the face of strong emotions, but what he needed more than the food or wine was a sympathetic ear and perhaps a neutral sounding board. Perhaps it was a weakness in herself, but she couldn't stand to see someone so truly, visibly unhappy. That he was Thomas's brother obviously factored into it, but there was still a basic core of decency to her that she refused to ignore or otherwise brush aside.

Listening quietly as she sipped her wine, her expression was calm and attentive as the mask cracked and the first signs of the turbulent storm he strove to contain broke free. Tilting her head in typical fashion, Vivianne spoke as gently as possible. "Some people see more clearly than others, Lord Laurent. And for some, embracing that vision can be... scary, perhaps? It means change, and nothing frightens people more than the unknown."

[Lord Laurent de Lac]

"I suppose," he breathed out. "Yes, you're right. I totally understand. I can't do it. I can't do it." He repeated himself, and he knew it, "I can't hold onto anger. I can't hold onto pain, shame, embarrassment, fear, ... I can't do it. I've seen what kind of path it leads you down, and it can break your spirit. My mother is a prime example of that. There's no point in hiding it. Everyone knows what she's like, even if they don't speak of it openly." Briefly, his teeth gritted, "I don't want to see my siblings go down that road."

Again, a hand came up to briefly cover his face and he drew a deep breath. "But I feel like a fool. I feel that I don't know what they've gone through and thus I can't possibly understand. That may be so, but ... " He sighed and looked down, feeling defeated. "I don't know. Between a chance of happiness and the certainty of a lonely road, I choose the former."

[Lady Vivianne Trevelyan]

The more she heard, the more she felt empathy for him. Little did he know that she carried a similar burden, but unlike him, she had the luxury of a parent who largely ignored her in favor of his own pursuits. Vivianne knew more than ever just how lucky she was to be able to forge her own path independent of her family. If not for Lord Rupert... she might very well fall into her father's disgrace when it came. A silent prayer thanked the Triad for the blessing, but this wasn't about her.

Considering what he said, she nodded slowly. "I think I understand what you're saying to a point. No one can ever completely understand what someone else has gone through without enduring it themselves, but... have you tried to see what happened from their perspective? It isn't always as easy as choosing happiness or the lonely road. Sometimes there are circumstances that make one more... likely than another."

[Lord Laurent de Lac]

Briefly, Laurent got frustrated. "So, what? I just resign myself to the fact that they are going to choose the lonely road and leave it at that?" Once he realized he was being unfair, he waved a hand dismissively. "Ignore that." He took a moment to stare thoughtfully at his wine glass. "I can understand it. I can understand why there would be an absence of hope, especially in light of what happened." He took a lengthy sip.

"I suppose that is why I suggested to fight it. To correct perceptions of others, to show that we are strong and capable, and that we can overcome whatever the past has thrown at us. It wouldn't be easy, but ... I would want to try." He frowned, then, "Then again, maybe I am being unfair. I shouldn't push what I would do onto others, especially those close to me." Laurent's gaze turned down, "I let my frustration get the better of me."

[Lady Vivianne Trevelyan]

"No," she sipped the wine and watched his frustration calmly, "but you can't decide for them either, Lord Laurent, however nice and easy it would be to let you. Look at it like this - the deeper and greater the darkness, the harder it is to find the light. And some people find the dark their natural milieu. They don't like sunshine, and while you can maybe drag them into the shade, you'll probably never get them out into the sun. It's frustrating for someone like you, who naturally craves the light of the sun, I imagine."

She was starting to gain some vague understanding of what was going on, but didn't voice her thoughts yet. He wasn't ready to speak of the Incident, especially when frustration remained so close at hand. "It's understandable. You love your family, my lord. As you said, there's almost nothing you wouldn't do for them, to see them happy. Unfortunately, there's limits to how much can be done, and that's the hard part - knowing when we can't do any more."

[Lord Laurent de Lac]

Laurent's frown grew deeper. "She said that I was on my own now," he said quietly. "I want to believe she didn't mean it, but it still hurt. I ... pushed too hard, I know that now. My intentions were good, but look where it got me." Laurent drained the rest of his glass, but refrained from pouring more into it. He didn't want to drink anymore. He firmly reminded himself that he should only imbibe when he wanted to feel even better, and not just better.

"Bah," he grumbled in a manner very much like his uncle. "I should have just left it alone. I regret even bringing it up." The glass was nudged away along with his dessert plate. "I should have stayed out of the way. You're right. I can't do anything more. I hate it."

[Lady Vivianne Trevelyan]

"She didn't mean it." Vivianne said it confidently, understanding only too well that words spoken in the heat of pain and anger were never the truest desire. They were only a defense mechanism, a means to end the barrage of pain and pressure. "I can only presume you speak of your sister. I've never had the pleasure of meeting her, but Thomas speaks of her with a great deal of affection and pride." She didn't add that she was aware of what happened to that sister; was there anyone in Demeria who was ignorant of the de Lac / de Vere feud and what brought it about? She wasn't that tactless. "As for feeling helpless... you're not. Not really. You just have to try a different means of bringing what you want to bear. I wouldn't let the first trial and failure deter you. You'll try and fail at things but it doesn't mean you give up."

A quiet, possibly bitter laugh sounded. "I'm living proof of that, my lord. I'm no failure, but I've made more than my share of mistakes and attempts that cost me dearly. But if I haven't given up, I don't think you should either. If anything," Vivianne raised her glass to him, "I believe you should go home, patch things up and find that new means of attack."

[Lord Laurent de Lac]

"Mm," he toned after taking in everything she said, nodding slowly. "I think ... I should wait a while," he stated in spite of her advice. "Well, at least a day, I suppose," he shrugged tightly. He needed time to lick his wounds just as Lisette did. Where was he going to sleep? The Inn seemed nice enough. If the food was of good quality, then the rooms were probably the same. "I don't know what to do, honestly. I know I shouldn't be discouraged, but..." he blew out a breath. It probably didn't help that he was a bit inebriated at the moment.

It struck him, suddenly, that he was envious of Thomas. Vivianne was a good woman. He wished he had a good woman in his life. Someone to have and hold. "Thank you for listening," he stated suddenly.