La Pomme Interdite ~ A Restaurant in England

Vinzent strode up to the fine French restaurant, face neutral but eyes wary. Despite his taste for luxury the wizard had never been here before. It would be an interesting change of pace, although attempting to lose his bodyguard was easier said than done. Vinzent had to wait until Julian had gone home for the night before slipping out on his own. It probably wasn't the best idea, but the wizard made sure he was relatively careful.

He had made the reservations in his own name, taking a chance that Corvus knew how to pronounce it. To Vinzent's frustration a lot of people seemed to stumble on his Russian surname... some of them, in fact, did so on purpose.

As he was led to the designated table he'd reserved - conveniently semi-private so as not to encourage eavesdroppers - Vinzent discovered his potential business partner had yet to arrive. A glance at his watch told the wizard it was still early. With not much else to do Vinzent took a seat and observed the comings and goings of various patrons through cold and calculating eyes.

Corvus apparated at the street where La Pomme Interdite was located. It was lined with restaurants with similar attributes. All with foreign names and foreign chiefs to seem exotic and elusive. All with different motifs and themes to illustrate grandeur.

The doorman stiffened at Corvus' apparence, ready to usher him in. Corvus was dressed for the occasion of course. Formal wear (ooc: the trousers he would actually be wearing is black slacks). Not that he wore anything else. He was held great pride in his appearance, his Pureblood breeding wouldn't let him do less. The opened door, Corvus paused to let his date overtake him. Ladies first.

Ariadne had followed suit as far as dressing up for the occasion, although it had taken forever for her to agree upon something with Corvus. In the end, she'd left the house wearing a clingy grey dress that hinted at rather then outright revealed her curves, while still maintaining the dignity of her class. She strode through the door without a word to the doorman, and then paused, waiting for Corvus to enter.

"The reservations are under his name, you said?" she verified, looking around but not seeing Zolnerowich. At least the wizard had done well getting a somewhat private table, as agreed.

Once Ariadne had entered, Corvus instantaneously followed, placing a hand on the small of her back and he walked besides her, the distance between them minimal. A simple gesture to let everyone know Ariadne was his date.

He gave a curt nod at her question.

The receptionist smiled at the couple and welcomed them. "Dinner for two?"

Vinzent sipped at a glass of water he had been provided with, making sure to cast a drying spell upon the vessel. The last thing he needed was for the condensation to drip onto his suit. A smirk crossed his face to learn he hadn't quite overdressed for the occasion, though he wouldn't have cared if he had. Instead of his usual suit with a white shirt, Vinzent had donned a red-and-gray silk button-down, his typical black trousers, and a slightly different black overcoat with tails that had large silver buttons. His shoes were also black and well-shined to look as if they were brand new.

((reference pics - Silk Shirt; Coat))

Even from this distance, Vinzent heard the door open. Although he was a handful away from fifty years his hearing and other faculties were still sharp. As the receptionist inquired about a dinner for two the wizard lost interest on listening so intently over the din of other patrons. ’Where is he?’ Vinzent wondered with a sigh, tapping a finger impatiently on the fine tablecloth. The politician wasn’t exactly well-known for his patience. He snuck a glance at his watch with a frown. Almost time. Vinzent decided to give Corvus a rather generous half hour to arrive. Anything after that and the wizard wasn’t going to stick around.

Aridne returned the maître d' a cold smile of her own, glancing about distractedly.

"Actually, we're joining a party already here, I believe. The reservation is under the name of 'Vinzent Zolnerowich,' has he arrived yet?" She disliked the feeling of being out in the open like this, so exposed, and it was clear she wanted to be seated immediately. The maître d' nodded and grabbed a pair of menus, stepping out from behind the welcome stand.

"Of course -- right this way, if you please."

Corvus followed the maître d' and Ariadne making sure to lag a little behind as he casually took in his surroundings. He scanned the restaurant's patrons identifying the who's who of the night. He wasn't exactly paranoid, but he liked to know all the layout of any given place, the flow of people, the exits. He did all of this at a glance of course. He had trained himself to take as much information as he could with just one look.

As they neared their table, Corvus caught up, and was at Ariadne's side. When they were close enough, Corvus spoke. "I apologize for our lateness, Mr. Zolnerowich. Might I introduce my -" Corvus smiled at Ariadne and turned back to Vinzent,"- associate, Ariadne Grey."

Vinzent watched from his perch so to speak as a couple were being led around by a maître d'. It was about then that he remembered: hadn't Corvus stated he would be bringing an associate? The wizard had forgotten that little detail until just now. He shrugged the lapse of memory off without concern. If they were truly allied to similar causes the evening was sure to be beneficial for both parties.

Eyes of ice narrowed slightly as he thought for sure the wizard approaching his table was Cygnus Aquila. But no: the gait was decidedly different. Vinzent was by no means friends with the Ministry wizard, but he'd passed the youth often enough to know that couldn't be him just by the walk. Perhaps that was a bit eagle-eyed of him, but with two daughters and a son Vinzent developed that skill quickly - especially when Charisma started getting into his potions supplies.

When it appeared the couple were in fact the pair he'd been waiting for, and Corvus spoke, Vinzent stood. Although he had gotten quite impatient the wizard waved off the apology and bowed. It wasn't a full bow, or even half of one, but it was a gesture of courtesy all the same. "A pleasure to meet you both," he replied, extending his arm to shake Corvus's hand. Vinzent intended to greet Ariadne with a kiss on the hand instead of a handshake, as per the custom he had grown up with.

Ariadne gave Vinzent her most inviting smile as he kissed her hand. An old-fashioned wizard, then, she noted, filing that away for future reference.

"The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Zolnerowich," she said simply, with perfect pronounciation. No rookie, she'd practised in front of a mirror until she'd gotten it down pat. There was nothing much left for her to do except wait for Corvus or Vinzent to pull out her chair for her, as this was mostly Corvus' show to run. Her job was simply to sit there, look pretty, and agree with anything they said -- not the most entertaining, but one she could do easily.

Corvus shook the man's extended hand without hesitation and after a good firm shake, let go. He let Ariadne greet their new associate as he stood by and pulled a chair, for his date.

"I hope you were not waiting for a long time." Corvus continued, and as he said it he couldn't help but admire Ariadne's lovely show. He lingered a moment perhaps too long, at Ariadne's from and forced he's attention to Vinzent.

OOC: Room for one more?

From his peripheral Vinzent watched Corvus pull out a chair for his, if Vinzent may say so, lovely associate. He smiled appreciatively at Ariadne's perfect pronunciation of his surname. "Please," the wizard murmured, gesturing to where Corvus stood waiting. His other arm hovered behind Ariadne in a polite state of barely-touching, his hand almost but not quite giving a nudge for her to join and be seated.

The wizard strode back to his seat, waiting for Ariadne to sit before doing so himself. His attention shifted from Ariadne back to Corvus. "Not long," Vinzent answered automatically. What he considered a long time and what was a long time were two different things, and thus had to concede. Besides, it wouldn't do to be rude to his potential new allies. "I wish many of my case clients were at least half as timely as yourselves. But that's an entirely different matter.

"I encourage you both to order whatever you'd like from the menu," Vinzent offered in a tone that suggested he was paying for their meals tonight. He wasn't sure whether they preferred to discuss business or dinner first, but he was putting that statement out there anyway. It would display the wealth that came with some pureblooded upbringing and showed that, to the right people at least, Vinzent could be pleasant and generous.


((OOC: I'm fine with it.))

Neris arrived in a short black dress clutching the gold chain on her hand bag as she strode past the maître d' without so much as a backwards glace or a word about being seated with an arrived party. She saw the gold hair of Corvus, she knew where they were seated.

She glided smoothly over to where they were sitting with Zolnerowich. Corvus had mentioned that he and Ariadne were meeting with this special wizard and Neris had all but invited herself along. Of course it had been sanctioned by Corvus whom she hoped now trusted her after her little incounter with her blood traitor cousin.

"Mr. Zolnerowich." Neris said in her silky voice. "And Corvus darling." She came up behind Corvus and laid a hand on his shoulder, leaving it there a moment too long. Pulling herself up a chair, Neris seated herself between Ari and Corvus.

"Sorry I'm late. I got caught up." She said with a flutter of her lashes.

Corvus had just sat on his seat when a sudden newcomer arrived. Negris Greengrass-Boutin, one of his latest recruits. He had mentioned the dinner to her earlier, though, in foresight, he probably shouldn't have. She had asked if she could go, but he thought the answer was obvious enough that he didn't have to voice it. Clearly, he should have. He took note of it, but his politeness did not allow him to protest. He flashed her his smile, while standing up. "My dear Negris." He greeted. This turned out to be a waste of energy as she had pulled herself a chair and made herself at home. Corvus sat down again. "What a lovely surprise." Corvus said it genuinely. An expert liar.

The maître d', a little bit flustered that a patron had escaped without a formal greeting passed menu's around quickly. Sensing that the guest in front of her were about to discuss something of the utmost importance, she left them alone. All one had to do anyway, was look at what they wanted, say it aloud, and poof, it would be there. Also, there were waiters pacing around for anything extra any costumers would want. Her work here was done. She returned to her station at the front.

"Mr. Zolnerowich, might I introduce Negris Greengrass-Boutin?" Corvus presented.

Ariadne had a bit more of a hard time keeping her smile firmly in place upon Neris' unexpected arrival, especially when she squeezed herself in between herself and Corvus, entirely uninvited. It was all Ariadne could do to resist the temptation to grind her heel into Neris' foot when she laid her hand on Corvus and called him "darling". Even Ariadne, who had known him for years, would never behave in such an insipid manner -- the man deserved respect, not simpering servility.

"Hello Neris," she said simply, turning back towards Zolnerowich. The younger witch was definitely not her favourite, but they needed all the help they could get at the moment, and now was definitely not the time to pick a fight with her. Although, Ariadne had plans to roundly abuse her for her stupidity as soon as this meeting was over. Her job had now gotten a little more difficult, as she'd have to find some way to prevent Neris from saying anything stupid in front of Zolnerowich. The evening could not be off to a worse start.

"You know, Mr. Zolnerowich, I've never had the pleasure of dining here before. What would you recommend?" she asked, turning attentively to the menu.

At the sudden arrival of a newcomer, and realizing said guest was yet another of the female persuasion, Vinzent made to stand. He was halfway out of his chair by the time Neris sat down and thus returned to his seat. "Miss Greengrass-Boutin," Vinzent echoed, nodding a polite greeting. In truth he knew her slightly more intimately than his words expressed.

"We've met," he explained to Corvus simply but jovially. "Always a pleasure, and a lovely surprise, indeed," the wizard added, favoring Neris with a brief sideways glance.

Vinzent could almost feel the slight tension on the other side of the table and schooled his face to not appear aware of the climate shift despite the amusement it brought him. Unfortunately they seemed to be as good at playing their roles as he, for the wizard couldn't quite pinpoint which individual (or individuals) possessed the suppressed chaos. It is said that good things come to those that wait. Perhaps all that was needed was to observe his potential associates a bit more.

"An excellent question," Vinzent replied, picking up and glancing at his own menu. "I regret to say this is also my first time dining here. An acquaintance of mine recommended this establishment not more than a week ago," he explained. "They did share with me that the moules à la crème Normande and the bouillabaisse are both excellent... and the apple and pomegranate tart is, if you'll forgive the expression I'll quote: to die for." A smirk crossed the wizard's face as he thought about the phrase that had been used. It seemed to him that it would be more beneficial to say it was 'to kill for' the dessert rather than 'to die for' it, assuming one wanted to take it literally. But oh well: his acquaintance's words, not his.

All the players on table were set.

A slight flicker of a frown appeared on Corvus' face when Vinzent had mentioned he had met Negris before. Something he did not already know. Corvus banished it from his face as quickly as it had come that unless you were staring directly at him, you would have missed it. If he had known this before hand he might have asked Negris to accompany him instead of Ariadne. Nothing against Ariadne of course, she was practically his lieutenant, but nothing could replace a reassurance of a familiar face. He eyed his menu disinterestedly. "Forgive me, but my curiosity just cannot be suppressed: How do you know each other?"

Ariadne was surprised but relieved that Zolenerowich knew Neris. If he was already acquainted with her, then there could be no need to apologise for anything stupid she did or said. At Corvus' question, though, she couldn't repress a tiny smirk. She was fairly sure she knew what the connection between the two must be, judging from the little she knew about the witch, although of course she could be wrong.

"Ah, yes, I see it there. I've had bouillabaise before, I think I'll try it again, then. It's a little too early to think about dessert just yet, I'm afraid." She glanced over to Corvus briefly, wondering when the small talk would end and the real discussion begin. Her powers of hospitality were few and quickly running low.

“Indeed,” Vinzent remarked to Ariadne about dessert. It was admittedly too early for such a thing. The bouillabaisse didn’t particularly entice him, but that was due to his general disinterest in fish and some (but not all) varieties of seafood. Escargot, on the other hand... that looked interesting for starters. So didn’t the lobster thermidor...

Eyes the blue hue of ice set themselves immediately upon Corvus with a blink, then to Neris, and finally to Ariadne. A brief hint of a smirk twisted the left side of Vinzent’s face. Now that was an interesting question. And it had an interesting answer, though probably not one meant for dinner conversation. “Intimately,” he replied without missing a beat or so much as thinking about staining a blush across his pallid cheeks. “We were together, for a short time.”

Neris's laugh was light, like tinkling glass. Neris too was unashamed of her encounter with Zolnerowich. It was before he had announced his minister candidancy but damn did she pick well. "Far too short." She said with a wink across towards Vinzent.

After a quick glance at the menu, Neris continued. "I believe I'd like to have have Mr. Zolnerowich's dish." She announced to the table without a hit of irony. In fact the sexual innuendo had escaped her entirely.

Neris never was one for meals. She would likely pick at her food until it was all shifted to a new location on the plate and then call it a meal. Neris took a sip of water and finally addressed Ariadne "Watch the bouillabaisse Ms. Grey." She said with another tinkled laugh. "You know what they say, those who eat bouillabaisse tend to be blubberous."

Corvus carefully observed the exchange between Vinzent and Negris, waiting for anything he could use. They had been intimate. Interesting. He took note of it.

He idly flipped his menu. He ordered some wine, and just as the words passed his lips, his wine glass started to fill up with the deep burgundy liquid just enough for a taste. Corvus picked up his glass, tilted it, and let the liquid fill his mouth savoring the aged drink. Corvus informed it was satisfactory and the glass filled up again, this time, a generous serving. Corvus wasn't actually one for alcohol. Not that he minded the taste, in fact, he rather enjoyed it. It was merely the effect it had. It dulled his senses, dulled his nerves. In short it weakened him. And Corvus avoided any sort of weakness. However, he did permit himself a glass or two now and then. Especially for social occasions.

All small talks aside, Corvus wanted to know the exact point of their meeting there tonight. "Mr. Zolnerowich, to be completely honest, I was quite surprised at your invitation."

It was not without a struggle that Ariadne supressed a fit of laughter at Vinzent's answer. She got the feeling that she'd get along famously with him, which was something of a relief given how little she liked their newest recruit, Neris. Her insipid comment about Ariadne's choice of meal only further cemented her belief in Neris's stupidity which had begun during their little excursion to Ireland together. That little stunt with the graffiti had forced them all pretty much underground, unable to go about their usual activities as well now that the wizarding community was on red alert. Neris had considered it an artistic flair, and didn't seem to understand why Ariadne had screamed at her after she read it in the paper.

"You do realise that's fish, don't you?" she asked incredulously. Ariadne would have expected the supposedly sophisticated and worldly witch to at least pretend familiarity with the light dish that after all hailed from her father's home country. She followed Corvus' example and ordered a drink from the menu, shaking her head slightly as she set it aside to pick up her glass. It was going to be a long night, apparently -- might as well enjoy herself a bit. She sipped slowly from the glass, looking over it at Zolnerowich in expectation of his answer.

The smirk on Vinzent’s face spread to a grin at the confirming comment and subsequent wink from Neris. “Perhaps that could temporarily be remedied sometime,” he returned to Neris, adding a wink. His expression widened if such a thing were possible at the woman’s announcement, determined to keep his laughter at the innuendo internal.

As everyone seemed to be ordering their drinks, Vinzent did the same: murmuring one that sounded enticing to try just a taste before approving of a more generous portion. While he didn’t make a big show over the item ordered the wizard certainly wasn’t cutting any cost corners. His portion of his parents’ family fortune made certain Vinzent, his children, and his eventual grandchildren at the very least would be set for life. Add that considerable wealth to his salary as a Wizengamot official gone politician...

He took a sip from his glass almost meditatively, having already had the drinking vessel halfway to his lips when Corvus posed his question. “Yes, well...” Vinzent began cordially, pausing to make sure they didn’t have any eavesdroppers. Certain they weren’t being paid any suspicious amounts of attention he continued. “The way I comprehend it, we have a mutual problem and a mutual goal. The goal is self-explanatory, obviously, by the lack of ‘undesirable clientele’ at this table. Our problem is that we both need some more good people on our sides.

“I’ve invited you to make a proposition to ally our agendas and create an even more powerful network. Individually we have each made progress, but together?” Vinzent paused here to smirk since his earlier grin had faded. “To put it simply, I wish to join your association, although in return I would like for as many of your followers as possible however many or few to vote for me in the upcoming election. Many great changes will be made to our mutual benefit, if I am made Minister.” The wizard laced his fingers and rested his elbows on the arms of his chair, watching the trio closely to see what they thought of his plan.

Neris was hanging on to every word Vinzent eloquently spoke. Although her usual man was a great deal younger, Neris had to give it to Zolnerowich, his words were enough to convince anybody to follow him, in politics or in play.

"Surely our votes are not in question!" She remarked as his request was made. Between you and the muggle's pawn there isn't much of a choice now is there!?" She said a little too loudly and added another vexatious laugh to finish.

Neris took a sip of her wine which had just arrived. With her wine glass pressed to her lips, she cast a sideways glance at Corvus who had not said a word since Vinzent began. Neris realized that she had interjected . She was not dense enough to realize that she had likely spoken out of turn.

"Heh." She said with a quick smile and a light pat to her overly styled hair.

Corvus was simply too focused on what Vinzent was proposing to give any thought to Neris. On principal, Corvus didn't trust politicians. Heck, on principal, Corvus didn't trust anyone. Unless of course he had some sort of insurance. It just wasn't in Corvus to trust anyone. Trust was too unpredictable. Corvus liked to work with certainties. He liked to work with things that had a straight answer. He didn't really like beating around the bush (though he could, if it was necessary but generally he preferred not to).

"Mr. Zolnerowich," Corvus replied slowly. "There is no denying that your proposal is appealing. As you said, it is beneficial to both of our causes. But forgive me, for showing a reluctance at accepting your proposed alliance immediately, I am no stranger to the empty promises of a politician."

He picked up his wine glass. "Words are easy to say, but hard to follow. Once you are in office, you shall be in a position of great power." He paused and looked at the distorted view of Vinzent through the glass. "And as we all know, power tends to corrupt even the best of us."