Warren & Jean-Paul | Tuesday Afternoon

[x-quebecois.livejournal.com]

Jean-Paul drags Warren into town to see a newly finished building in District X that he thinks might work for Warren's practice. Then they visit the nearby cafe.


Jean-Paul considered walking up to Warren's place in the more traditional way, but why bother when the other man was a flier and would obviously understand that it was simply easier to use the window. Tapping lightly on the pane of glass through which he could see his friend, he raised his eyebrows as he got the other mutant's attention and then gestured toward the latch keeping the window closed.

Warren was used to using windows himself - sometimes, it was just easier. At the tap at the window he looked up with a smile, getting up from the desk he'd moved into his room and going to let Jean-Paul in.

"Hey," he greeted the other mutant with a smile, opening the window so he could climb in.

"Bonjour," Jean-Paul said, balancing on the sill for a moment before dropping lightly to the floor. "I am not disturbing you, I hope?"

"Not at all," Warren said with a smile. "Just reviewing my finances. It's all terribly interesting stuff."

The Quebecois returned Warren's smile with one of his own, though his expression morphed into one of slight skepticism at the mention of the other flier's finances. "Oui, and you know. There are people you might hire to do this for you so that you might go do more interesting things."

"I do have an accountant," Warren shrugged. "Just going over paperwork he's sent me. I have property to buy and a business to set up, I want to make sure I'm not going to begger myself in the process."

"These are the more interesting things of which I speak," Jean-Paul said, grinning brightly for a moment. "I have found a building. It is not one of those that the agent in District X showed us months ago, but it is recently renovated, near the coffee shop that is popular. Very nice, oui? I thought you would like to see it. There is a 'space available for sale or rent' sign in the window and there are many floors."

"... that sounds perfect." Warren grinned back. "Or well, I probably won't need many floors, at least to start off with. But I'd love to take a look at it." Once he had found the space for the office, he and Jennifer could start work on getting things up and running.

"Oui, and so you should come look at it now," Jean-Paul said, nodding toward the window. "I do not think you will beggar yourself, as you say. It is District X, after all, and while the building is very nice, it is still not so high on the realty list of high priced items." The Quebecois quirked an eyebrow, then reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a key. "Also, I might have taken the key to get inside and so it would be good if we were very quick."

Warren just laughed.

"Alright. Let's go. And hopefully we won't get arrested for trespassing."

Jean-Paul's expression made it very clear that being caught trespassing was one of the last things he was actually worried about - and then he was climbing back up and out of the window, stepping into empty air as he waited for Warren to follow.

***
Having unlocked the door and let themselves in, Jean-Paul hadn't hesitated for a moment in investigating the first floor. "It seems there is a basement," he said, peering curiously down a set of stairs behind a door in the hallway at the back of the building. "And there is still electricity." Flipping a switch on the wall, he illuminated the basement, but didn't actually step down to looking around it - what interest was a basement, really?

"Basements can be useful." Unlike Jean-Paul, Warren was curious about the basement - the condition of the basement would say a lot about the general attention to the place. He slipped past Jean-Paul to head down the stairs, taking a look around as he went. It actually looked fairly decent - clean, clear, and lacking any evidence of strange leaks or anything like that. "This one doesn't look too bad."

"Very good," Jean-Paul muttered from the top of the stairs, wrinkling his nose before following Warren down. He didn't tend to like underground places, but at the least this basement was clear of general rubbish. "Unfinished, but then it would not be so hard to finish it, depending on what you wanted to use it for, oui?"

"Exactly." Warren glanced over to Jean-Paul. "It wouldn't be a bad space for an archive room. Or a library. Or both, really. Once we've got enough files and books that we'd need it." He glanced around again. "Or I suppose I could turn it into a conference room, but I don't think that would give the right impression."

Jean-Paul actually cracked another smile at that. "Come into my dungeon-like conference room said the lawyer to the client..." He shook his head, pacing one wall and then checking the supports just to have something to do. "Archives - oui. I could see this. Bookkeeping is important. It would be best to have someone start that from the beginning, would it not? And a starting location, it would be good." Quirking an eyebrow, he asked, "But would you not keep your books with you, in your office? For reference?"

"Depends on how many books you have, really. And I'd prefer to have as many as possible. It's also useful to have a pool of books, at least once you've got more than two people working in the firm." He grinned. "Shall we head back upstairs?" He didn't need to see any more of the basement.

Walking back upstairs, Jean-Paul shrugged and went to investigate the thing that always interested him most when looking at new buildings - the windows. They were large at the front, getting smaller toward the back, which he supposed made sense for a business building. "The upstairs windows are nicer," he commented, pointing at the ceiling over their heads.

"How much of the building do you think I'm going to need?" Warren asked, sounding bemused. He was moving through the first floor, getting a sense of the layout and trying to picture the place with furniture in it. And people.

Jean-Paul only shrugged, smiling a little again. "Maybe you will decide to live here, also, and so need the other floor."

"Maybe," Warren murmured. There were complications with that, in relation to the team. But he'd made it work before, and it wouldn't be too hard to split his time between here and the mansion. He smiled back at Jean-Paul.

"This was a good find. It's a good space."

"I know," Jean-Paul said, tone just a little smug. "It is only recently finished, you see. And the coffee shop, it is very good."

"I remember," Warren grinned. "I'll have to bring Jennifer here, see what she thinks of it. I don't think my life would be worth living if I chose a place she didn't like."

"Yes, it is very bad when your female friends do not like the things you pick for them," Jean-Paul said nodding. "But since she likely will not see it immediately, we should go enjoy the coffee shop, oui?"

"And potentially dangerous. But that sounds like a great idea." He extended an arm towards the door. "After you."

"Merci," the Quebecois said. Taking the key from his pocket again, Jean-Paul tossed it back to Warren as he headed for the door. All in all, it had been a productive day. Now, if he could just keep other people from looking at the place until Warren and his friend made their decision, everything would be wonderful.

Warren caught the key, and after one last look at the place, closed and locked the door. He was hoping Jennifer would be free sometime soon to check the place out.

The sooner, the better, really.

He tossed the key back at Jean-Paul, then started meandering towards the coffee shop.

"Thank you," he said quietly, glancing over to the older man. "I appreciate your help." It was almost strange, how things worked out. Once upon a time he had resented Jean-Paul, and now look at them.

Jean-Paul snatched the keys from the air and stepped lightly off the brick stairs, hitting the pavement with an easy stride. "It is nothing," he said, though his tone made it obvious he wasn't dismissing Warren's thanks. Sometimes it was just easier to let another person's appreciation slide under the radar than to deal with the baggage that often came with it.

Not that this thanks felt weighted down, oddly. More that it was free of old animosities. And that knowledge settled on his shoulders strangely. It wasn't often he managed to so thoroughly work his way around from disliking someone, after all. His history was littered with the casualties of his temper. "Come, there is a special today. Scones, I think, and a cup of coffee or tea."

"Scones and tea. That sounds remarkably good." Warren smiled, completing the rest of the short walk in relative silence. He nodded to familiar faces as he did, more or less feeling like he was in place where he belonged. It had been a while since he'd felt that way.

Jean-Paul gave a small salute to one of the men leaving the cafe as he and Warren entered, then felt a smile curling up the corners of his lips as he caught sight of the barista, Maddie, standing behind the counter. He ordered his usual coffee and a scone with nuts in it, then stepped to the side with a significant look at Maddie. He was fairly certain she got the point - she wasn't to accept payment from Warren.

Warren ordered tea and a fruit scone of his own, and was promptly turned down when he tried to pay. Glancing over at Jean-Paul, he smirked a little, but said nothing. He did his own share of insistence on paying for people, and not enough people just accepted it gracefully. He took a seat while they waited for their drinks.

"So what are you doing with yourself now that you're back? Other than hunting for real estate on my behalf."

Picking at the corner of his scone, Jean-Paul considered the question - what was he doing now that he was back in the States? "I have called to make sure the girl I was protecting in Denmark is well and suggested they take on another speedster... I am working cases, small things, for X-Factor. Going back and forth between the mansion and District X, of course. In truth, there is not much more for me to do. I have been more seriously considering opening a version of my bistro here, in the city. Though I do not know so much about the restaurant itself." He shrugged, popping a bit of scone into his mouth as Maddie approached with his coffee and Warren's tea. Once she'd returned to the counter, he tipped his head to the side just the slightest bit. "But you, you are very busy with your studies and your practice, with the team also and things."

"It keeps me out of trouble," Warren said with a shrug. "I don't like not working. I could easily not, but it seems like such a waste. Or that I'm taking my privilege for granted." Which was something he tried not to do.

"And there's always so much to be done. There's not a shortage of things that need help around - in District X, or the rest of the city. Etc etc."

"This is true," Jean-Paul agreed, wiping his fingers on a napkin before picking up his coffee and holding the cup between his palms. "You are thinking of helping more, are you not? After your work with the Clinic and things... it is good. Improving the neighborhood can only lead to better places."

"Exactly," Warren agreed. "There's a lot to do. I visited a shelter while on a case for X- Factor, Callisto works there. I'm thinking of talking to her, seeing what I can do to help out."

Sipping his coffee, Jean-Paul considered Warren for a moment, then said, "You are... very civic minded, as they say. I did not know this about you, before."

Warren shrugged. "In the scheme of things, I'm one of the lucky ones. When my wings emerged, the Professor took me in. My trust fund makes more money in a week than most people see in a year. I got to go to college, get an education, and I don't have student loans to pay back. My dad's a jerk, but he's never cut me off. I can pass if I want." He shifted in his seat. "The way I see, it's my responsibility to help out where I can. Not everyone is as lucky as I am."

Jean-Paul mulled that over - it wasn't a difficult concept to grasp, after all, but it was something that he'd never really considered in terms of Warren specifically or anyone else generally. He supposed he could be considered one of the 'lucky ones,' as the younger mutant put it, despite the tragedies of his early life. Once Belmonde had taken him in, his life had been better than most. And yes, he still didn't know how to talk to his sister without igniting some kind of bizarre battle of wills most of the time, but he did have a sister, which was more than some people.

"I know I have offered this before," he said, shifting his grip on his coffee so he could break off another piece of his scone, "But I would like to say it again - if there is something I can do to assist you in these things, please tell me. Finding real estate, it is not so difficult. But making a difference... making a difference is something I would like to do." There was a very brief pause before Jean-Paul asked, "Have I ever told you of my time in the foster system? It was not so much the same as here, in the United States, but... I do not think I have mentioned it before."

"The more the merrier," Warren said with a quirk of his lips. Warren didn't see helping out as something solely his job - he had something of a knight in shining armor complex, but he wasn't much of a lone wolf. He would always prefer to work with others than by himself.

"You haven't," he continued, sobering and speaking quietly.

"Mm..." The Quebecois considered that as he ate his piece of scone, then shrugged. "It was not so good, my time there. I was in my first home at the age of five, you see, but I was difficult. And so I had many homes." He paused, frowning for a moment, then continued, "My last home came when I was sixteen. It was a good place. I was lucky. Many are not - there are several children at the mansion now who have had similar experiences, I think. I am not so sure that being involved directly would be a good idea." His powers troubles were under a sort of relative control, but ever since he'd begun decreasing his medication regime, he'd been having more nightmares and that didn't seem to bode well for him. "But if there was something we could do, or that I could do, at least, to help children... maybe this would be a good thing. There is still no community center and I know you have mentioned this in the past."

Warren nodded. "There's so many different ways to contribute, and it's not always directly hands on. Don't underestimate your ability to find good real estate." He smiled faintly. "Just keep your ears open. Ask questions. See what it is that people want in the community, and where they need help to do that. In the end, it's better to support the community to become what it wants to become, rather than try to push on it something we think it wants." He grinned. "At least that's my plan. And then just poke my nose into things to see how welcome my help would be."

Taking another sip of his coffee, Jean-Paul nodded. He'd once been quite active in both gay and mutant rights, but had since fallen out of the spotlight. For the most part, he was quite alright with that, but sometimes he felt like a bit of celebrity might help with causes like this. Of course, that was neither here nor there - and Warren had more than enough celebrity clout. "As you say, there are many possibilities." Raising his cup, he took another sip of coffee and nudged his scone across the table toward Warren. "Try it. Yours has different fruits, I think."

Warren blinked a moment, realising he'd let his tea go cool and hadn't touched his scone. He grinned a little sheepishly.

"You're terribly distracting, did you know that?" Regardless, he reached over and broke off a piece of Jean-Paul's scone, popping it into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed, nodding a little. It was good. "If I unearth any projects to work on, I'll let you know." As he'd said, the more the merrier.

Jean-Paul's grin, when it emerged, was just ever so slightly wicked. "I did know, though I admit, I am often told this under other circumstances. And thank you. I would appreciate that."

Warren just winked, settling back to actually consume his own scone and tea with a smile. Things, at least for the moment, looked like to be turning out pretty well.