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Post by Chuck Bass on Jun 8, 2009 18:11:39 GMT -5
*As his car pulled up in front of the townhome, Chuck saw someone waiting outside. Not having enough energy to care, he got out of the car and held the door open for Adrienne and told his valet to take care of the bag later.*
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Post by Adrienne on Jun 8, 2009 18:18:02 GMT -5
*Back in her Victorian clothes--a black, high-collared gown, as befitted her state of mourning--Adrienne looked very small indeed. She wasn't sure if there was ever someone she was so glad to see as her brother. Unfortunately, the gladness was mixed with a sudden wave of grief, and the tears finally came to her eyes when she set her sight on the tall, broad-shouldered man who was her twin.*
*By the time she exited the car, tears were streaming down her face, and she collapsed against her brother, body wracked in sobs, without a second thought.*
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Post by Nicolas d'Enjolras on Jun 8, 2009 18:20:55 GMT -5
*Nicki, for his part, looked red-eyed and tousle-haired, but nonetheless dignified. Towering over his sister by a foot, it was easy to wrap her in comforting arms, stroke her hair, and whisper soothing words. Right now, he didn't care where she'd been, or who with, it was just them, dealing with the tragedy that had befallen their family.*
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Post by Chuck Bass on Jun 8, 2009 18:29:03 GMT -5
*Chuck watched them from afar, trying to swallow back the jealousy that rose from the pit of his stomach. He wanted to move, to get back in his car and tell his valet to drive but he couldn't. He had to watch.*
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Post by Adrienne on Jun 8, 2009 18:35:13 GMT -5
"Nicki--" *She finally said into his chest, once she felt like her voice would function,* "Tell me it's not true. Tell me it's all a joke, that he inexplicably developed a sense of humor, tell me--" *But she stopped talking, unable, and collapsed back into sobs.*
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Post by Nicolas d'Enjolras on Jun 8, 2009 18:37:17 GMT -5
"Shh, Adi, it's going to be fine. We'll make it through this. We always do." *He murmured, in the general direction of her hair. He took her waist and guided her into the house, throwing a glance in Chuck's direction. Like Enjolras, he could communicate a lot without speaking, and this look was clearly disappointed.*
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Post by Chuck Bass on Jun 8, 2009 20:05:40 GMT -5
*Even after they had gone inside, he stood there, staring at the door they had entered. It wasn't until his valet called his name he tore his eyes away. After telling him to take up her bags after a while, he walked back home, alone.*
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Post by Nicolas d'Enjolras on Jun 8, 2009 20:30:55 GMT -5
**LATER**
*Adrienne had cried herself out, and was sleeping in her room when Nicki began going through his father's desk. It felt almost wrong, to be removing all traces of him before they had even had the funeral, but he had to do something.*
*Therefore, it was Nicki who found the unfinished letter addressed to one Chuck Bass, wrote a quick addendum, and then sent it over with a footman.*
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Post by Chuck Bass on Jun 8, 2009 21:20:59 GMT -5
*Once alone, Chuck found that he couldn't go on without some sort of alcoholic substance in him. His liquor cabinet was the first thing he went for when he walked into his home. Resisting the urge to just drink from the bottle, he poured the whiskey into a cup and downed it. The burn as the drink made its way down his throat made for an excellent distraction. Unfortunately, it only lasted briefly. Another drink, another moment fixated on the alcohol and nothing else.
This cycle was only broken when his valet brought him the letter. Chuck frowned. He didn't want to open it but he found his fingers breaking the seal regardless.*
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Post by Nicolas d'Enjolras on Jun 8, 2009 21:54:37 GMT -5
*The envelope was addressed in Nicki's neat, elegant hand--unlike the bold, manly strokes of Enjolras's or the feminine, delicate letters that seemed to contradict Adrienne's nature (but with which she wrote nonetheless). The short note, with the new Comte's monogram on the stationary, read:*
Mr. Bass,
In going through some of my father's papers, I came across this letter, addressed to you. Its lack of envelope is no evidence of espionage or subterfuge; you will see it is unfinished. I have not read the contents, merely the salutation, and hoped to honor my father's intentions as best as possible, given the circumstances.
The extent of your personal connection to my family being largely unknown to me, I will not presume to make any brotherly suggestion or veiled threat but this: do not hurt my sister. I bear no animosity towards you, and have no intention of doing so in the future, but she is the only family I have left, and she isn't as strong as she lets on.
Amitiés, Comte Nicolas d'Enjolras
*Well, it was short by 19th-century Victorian standards. Enjolras's letter was by far longer. The next sheets of paper were written in the strong hand of the current Comte's father, clearly a draft considering the blots and messier writing than was considered entirely polite to send in a formal letter. And it was very clearly formal.*
Charles,
I am not a man of elegant words when it comes to personal matters--that is my son, and while it is commendable, it is a quality I do not possess. I hope I may presume to refer to you by your full name, given the nature of your relationship to my daughter.
Like me, Adrienne finds it difficult to express her emotions in words, but is keenly perceptive of the thoughts and feelings of others. In Adrienne this was something she has always exhibited, while I developed it late--perhaps too late--in life, but I digress. What I mean to say is that I know what there is between you and my only daughter; if not in detail, I have guessed enough. I know her very well, well enough to recognize the look in her face.
It is not, however, for me to tell you what she feels. That is something she will have to struggle with herself. This letter is from me. And, as a father, I have plenty that has not been said. I regret my cowardice in not saying this in person, but my words have always found themselves wrapped around ideals and rhetoric, not emotions.
Do not hurt her. After losing her mother, and, for a long time, brother, Adrienne began to build a thick skin in addition to natural reservedness. I do not know what it is, but you've done something extraordinary if she's allowed you in (and I know her; she has). That comes at a price. She will be hurt easily, as she loves feels very rarely, but very deeply.
Let me say, if you have not realized it already, that I am fond of you. There are very few of whom I would approve for my child, but you two are suited in ways I expect neither of you realize. That does not change that I am her father.
It is my duty as an honorable man, knowing what I do, to insist you marry her. I will not. It would be hypocritical, for reasons I am sure she has explained, or will, and in addition, you are a good man, Charles--something I doubt even you know. I believe that you will
*But there it ended. What were likely some of the Comte's last written words (he did not like to write often) were left unfinished, mid-sentence. What Enjolras believed Chuck would do was left to Chuck's imagination.*
*What he had doubtless hoped in life is that Chuck would do the right thing--but what that was was a different matter entirely.*
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Post by Chuck Bass on Jun 16, 2009 22:59:31 GMT -5
*He didn't need to rest to know what the Comte had meant. Reading the last word in the letter sent a familiar sensation down his limbs. It was panic and he knew all too well. There was no wait or moment taken. By the time his valet returned to the room, Chuck was gone... the letter too was no where to be seen.*
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