undergrounds | CATCH-ALL FOR OCTOBER

"You can go le petit mort yourself," Daryl snapped out after he'd manage to process that Jean-Claude had gotten his number and called him. He was not ready to be in that man's presence again. Especially not after the embarrassing way their last encounter had ended.

But he also had a good idea that if he didn't put himself in Jean-Claude's path sometime soon, the man would know he'd been gotten to. If he didn't already. And that just made him more of a problem because he'd have reason to keep pushing and teasing to try and push his buttons.

So after he said what he said, he stayed on the line. Let Jean-Claude have a few moments he could question if Daryl was even still there, before giving a slightly dismissive grunt, "It the paying kind of business? That's what this line's for."

Jean-Claude huffs out something of a laugh in response to the other man's use of French. Oh, he is charming, even when he is trying to get him to get lost. Jean-Claude understands that the other man would rather avoid him, and for the same reasons he would love nothing more than to give him no excuses to hide.

"It could be," he responds. "If you would accept payments from one such as myself, of course. I must still insist that we speak in person, no matter how secure you assure me you think your line might be. You must pardon me, mon ami. I am old-fashioned, and there is but one way to assure that no one else is listening."

Daryl was certain the insistence was just so the asshole could bother him in person. But it also wouldn't be the first time a client wanted to discuss matters one on one. Wouldn't be the last, either.

"Fine," he huffed out, not bothering to hide his annoyance. "Where and when?"

Jean-Claude does not particularly care whether he has annoyed Daryl or not. He is quite used to annoying other people, whether he means to or he doesn't, and he has no problems with the other man being angry with him, so long as he cooperates.

"Is there a place where you would prefer yourself, mon ami?" he asks. "Usually I would suggest to meet at my club, yet. I feel that perhaps you might prefer some alternate locale?"

"It's your job and your money," he answered, starting to pace to try and channel his agitation. "Anyplace that ain't your club is fine, s'long as I can get there safely."

Because Nest territory wasn't exactly safe for his kind.

"Safe for you and safe for me," Jean-Claude amends to Daryl's words, and contemplates his options. Where is safe for the pair of them. "It's a tall order, mon ami. Even where I live, it would not be fitting considering the locale. Perhaps I could suggest where you might live yourself...?" he asks, as innocently as he can, by which of course means not in the slightest.

There was no way in hell Daryl was inviting Jean-Claude over to his place. But Richmond was Daybreak territory. And as long as there was no fighting going on, the vampire wouldn't be hunted down if anyone sensed him there.

"There's a pub. The Duchess. On the Thames, right at the north side of the Richmond Bridge," he said after some thought. It was very close to his flat, but Jean-Claude didn't need to know that. And it was public so the other man wouldn't be able to pull any shit. Hopefully. "We can meet there after dark if you want."

Jean-Claude is continuously charmed by the notion that he only be seen in the darker hours, but he's not going to correct Daryl and point out his daylight jewelry. He would be a fool, and while he enjoys the man's company, he doesn't trust so much that, if things went sour, he wouldn't use the information against him.

"The Duchess," he repeats. "After dark, then. It's a date, mon ami. I will see you there." And he hangs up the phone before Daryl has room to protest one way or the other.

He does wait until after dark to make his way to the place. Dressed in his usual leather pants, frilly white shirt, and black frock coat to pretend that he is keeping out the chill -- vampires don't really care about the cold, at least not when they have been dead for as long as Jean-Claude has himself -- he looks rather out of place here. But that does not matter to him. It will make him easy to spot, if Daryl is already there. And if he is not, he will find himself a place at the bar to wait.

"It ain't a-" Silence. That fucker. "It ain't a date," he muttered to himself just to feel a little better.

It wasn't a date. It wasn't. Daryl dressing nicer than he usually chose to was just because the atmosphere of The Duchess asked for it. Being a classy place where people could get dinner and a drink right on the river and all.

He still wore his vest, of course, but it was worn over a black jacket and a blue and black flannel he'd even tucked in to the very clean dark blue jeans. Jeans which, amazingly enough, had no holes in the. Weren't even worn out. And his boots looked like they'd had a wash cloth taken to them to get the dirt off. Hell, even his hair had been pretty freshly washed and was quite fluffy when newly dried out. He did show up on his bike, however. He wasn't going to walk and make it obvious he lived close enough to do that.

They hadn't set an exact time to meet, but he tried to show up at a decent time. Jean-Claude standing near the bar, close to the entrance, made him easy to find. Did he ever change his clothes? Wasn't that the exact same thing he'd worn the first time they met? Daryl was certain it was the same pair of pants. Hard to forget how they hugged his thighs the way they did.

Daryl sucked in a breath and focused on keeping his eyes at... well, shoulder level at least. He moved over to catch the man's attention, "You ask for a table yet or we need to get one?"

Jean-Claude does have other outfits, but he likes this one the best. It's much the same as Daryl's vest, if one were to analyze the pair of them together. They're comfort for him, and they serve their purposes well. Jean-Claude's purpose of course to draw attention to his assets, as one might call them. And assets they certainly are. His legs and his butt have always looked amazing, in skin-tight clothing such as these. Daryl will simply have to run into him on a theme night at the club or perhaps at a costumed celebration with a dress code elsewhere if he'd like to see him changed.

Not that Jean-Claude does not appreciate the change in the other man himself. A smile spreads itself across his face as he takes a moment to look him over properly, his deep blue eyes sparkling at him as he makes his way back up to meet his gaze. "You are a vision tonight, mon chat," Jean-Claude says in greeting, and then continues, before Daryl can protest further (again). "I have informed our host that I am waiting for a guest, yes. Shall we let them know that we are ready to take our seats?" He gestures to the hostess beyond. He had had to do a little dance, to make certain there would be a table for them in the busy establishment, but Jean-Claude is old-fashioned, and he would hardly have cared to be caught so off-guard otherwise.

CATCH-ALL FOR OCTOBER

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