exsiliumlogs | [closed] yeah yeah and I'm alright

Entry tags:

[closed] yeah yeah and I'm alright

Date & Time: June 29 — July ∞
Location: Around Exsilium
Characters: Saul & TBA
Summary: A catch-all log for Saul's many business etc. meetings throughout the month, because otherwise there would be like a million logs up. Not even an exaggeration. An actual million.
Warnings: Drugs in Jesse's thread, violence in Coby's, sap in Effie's.

[Sometimes, the best way to get over something is to find a suitable distraction.

Since Saul's #1 distraction has always been work, he doesn't see why that can't be the case here as well — he may not technically be practicing law at the moment, but his skill set is undeniably useful. Extremely so. (As far as he's considered, anyway.) He doesn't need his own office or a secretary or a PI or a bodyguard to get plenty of shit done. He's Saul Goodman, for godssakes — what the hell good is he if he's not working?

His hands have been idle for too long, and look at where they've gotten him.

Devil's tools indeed.

So here he is, keeping busy. Training, doing business, drinking more coffee (and alcohol) than he probably should. Whatever works, right? Right.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Effie stared at him for a long moment, fingers tightening around the jewelled clutch in gloved hand. She could see it so clearly, her imagination was quite active when roused.

Cracked porcelain. Rats scurrying beneath their feet as they prodded at the rats on their plate with rusted utensils. For dessert there would be blood pudding, except it was likely real blood and by romantic flashlight one of them would pull out a pinky finger and laugh.

She shuddered, anxiously primping the curls at her neck with a scared look up at the man. ]

If there is any such thing... well.

[ Followed by a tightlipped smile.

Wasn't an unspoken threat always the scariest? ]

[That's some look, Effie. And Saul has a completely inappropriate response to it: he volleys a smile right back at her, obviously amused, and leans in a little closer so he can speak more softly.]

Don't worry. They season their meat well — you won't even know what you're eating.

[ha ha ha

this is your date, effie

you agreed to this]

[ Her response was to place two gloved fingers on Saul's chin and push his face away with a magnificent roll of her eyes. She further emphasized this with a long-suffering sigh. Effie often felt people didn't truly realize the value and extent of her patience. ]

I'm going to pretend you didn't say that, and you will generously offer me your coat because we are leaving now.

[Saul has 99 problems and they are all suddenly this right here. He jerks his chin back toward her, still grinning, and literally bites back whatever smart-ass retort he had in mind. If she wants him to be obedient, that's fine. He's cool with that; he can play along.

And he'll do so happily, too.

So, he offers her his coat. Generously.]

Here.

Oh, I'm fine thank you, but the offer is appreciated.

[ Effie strutted past him, pausing only to shoot him a teasing smirk over her mostly bare shoulder before continuing down the hallway with an even click of her impractically high heels. ]

[Did she just —

Saul stands there for a long moment, a little stunned. He should really stop underestimating people. It might have worked back home, where he could safely predict the actions of his mostly-similar clientele and associates with impressive accuracy, but there are too many people here from too many places he'd never even dreamed existed in reality somewhere.

Whatever he was expecting from Effie, this also wasn't part of it. He might as well wipe that whole slate clean right now before he's proven wrong about something else.

He lurches after her once he's snapped out of it as though being tugged by an imaginary leash whose slack has just run out (already too accurate a metaphor for his liking, but color him unsurprised — hasn't this been the trend, lately?) and hurries down the length of the hall to catch up.

The restaurant he leads them to is indeed only a few blocks away, but it's nothing like what Effie was picturing in her twisted little mind's eye. The establishment is small and cozy, the lighting warm, the crowd this evening small. It markets itself as an Italian restaurant, but with all that distance and time between what Saul knew as Italian food and what Exsilium knows as Italian food, it's not quite Italian food.

He wonders if Italy exists in Effie's world full of Districts.

As soon as they're inside — after he's opened the door for her, of course — he turns to her with an expectant look, silently waiting for approval.]

[ Italy had been a place at one point, but not anymore. Like most of the world it had been swallowed by water or obliterated by nuclear warfare and forgotten. The name wouldn't mean a thing to Effie if mentioned. All that existed was Panem, though the Capitol and Districts were so different from one another they may as well have been separate countries unto themselves.

When they arrived at the restaurant she was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't large, nor was it high-class but it had an ambience and she hadn't seen a single rat upon entrance. There were just enough people for the cuisine to look desirable, but not enough to feel cramped in the small space. Effie had never felt a need to be cozy, but with the weather and world being what it was... she almost preferred that the interior was honest and ambient rather than chic. ]

It's not awful.

[ That really was high praise coming from a Capitol woman. ]

Glad to hear it.

[Not awful.

He'll take it.

Saul's been here a handful of times and has never been disappointed with the food, but the atmosphere of the place is what had him choose this over all other options: it's difficult for him to get the seemingly ever-present chill out of his system even on the days where he sleeps in under the pile of blankets on his bed, but something about the soft glow in here makes him at least forget it for a little while.

He thought Effie might appreciate that — he just hopes it works for her as well as it works for him.

The other draw of this place was — and is — the much higher than usual Transport-to-Exile population frequenting it. On the off chance Effie might somehow wind up looking the way she did when they met, Saul figured this would be safer for both of them. At least he got something right.

It's not long at all before they're led to a table, and Saul would have pulled the chair out for her like the gentleman he's trying to appear to be, but the waiter beats him to it.

Hmph.]

[ The food resembled the restaurant. It wasn't avant-garde, but is was warm and comforting. Each dish was a modest representation of something she had seen or tasted at one point or another. Certainly not better or even on par with the Capitol cuisine, but definitely superior to anything she had eaten in Exsilium thus far.

The first course was finished without much fuss, her table manners impeccable. It was habit to peck from each dish like a bird rather than eat all of any one thing, she was used to consuming for pleasure and not practicality or thrift. She was finishing her second glass of wine when the waiter kindly brought over the dessert menu, and that was when her eyes really lit up.

All things considered, Effie was enjoying herself far more than even she could have predicted. For the first time since her arrival in Exsilium she wasn't plagued by worry or tension. ]

What do you think, Saul?

One of everything?

[And Saul has — surprisingly! — been on his best behavior, carefully keeping his own manners in check for Effie's sake.

(Which really translates to "for his sake," because he's trying to impress her, after all. It seems to be working.

Maybe. Hopefully.)

Down goes his third glass of wine and up go his eyebrows at her question. Is she serious? He can't tell. All he knows is that he's very near full and would be more than happy to finish filling up with more alcohol, but if she insists...

Better to clarify first, though.]

Everything?

There are only six to choose from.

[ She ponders the menu, the candlelight catching the shimmer in her makeup to create a soft glow. ]

Why not just try them all?

[ If he couldn't tell already, she was quite serious. More serious than she was about most things. ]

If it's a matter of money...

[Oh hell no. Saul instantly waves a hand, dismissing her concern and making that little flame flicker.]

Not at all.

[What he'd like to know is where Effie plans on putting it all.

Guess he'll find out soon enough, huh?

He beckons the waiter back over with a two-fingered come hither, then shuts the menu with all the finality of having decided and places it back in the waiter's hands.]

One of everything.

[ One of everything was exactly what they got. Pudding, cake, mousse and more; the waiter brought it all.

Effie almost squealed with delight when the small, surprisingly fancy dishes were set in front of them. She settled for an excited clap, and after downing her third and final glass of wine pushed a dessert fork towards Saul and 'dug in'- which was Capitol for take tiny bites of each one and flutter your eyelashes in mock orgasm if something struck your fancy.

Frankly, anything with this loads of sugar in miniature struck Effie's fancy when she was feeling out of sorts. ]

Oh my goodness Saul, the mousse is simply to die for.

[This is, by far, one of the strangest things he's seen in this place yet. How can she have a stomach big enough to fit all that food? She's dainty. And all that sugar — he'd go into sugar shock. Just looking at the cake has him almost going into sugar shock.

Maybe she was a hummingbird in a past life. That would make a whole lot of sense.]

Apparently.

[He's thinking of "die" in a slightly more archaic way, though.

And now that he's made a joke to amuse himself and probably only himself, he'll go ahead and try some of the mousse.]

Good, isn't it?

[ Effie's mouthfuls were tiny but numerous, darting from plate to plate with hardly any rest. She only stopped to daintily dab any small crumbs away from the corner of her decorated mouth. Each dish was about 50% gone before she looked up to Saul again, her brow furrowed with either disappointment or worry. ]

You've barely touched a thing... you're not on a diet, are you?

[He likes how she says that as though it's literally the worst possible thing he could say yes to. Not that he's going to, because he's not technically on a diet — so maybe his eating habits have been a bit weird lately, and maybe Walter's presence here has zapped his appetite much the way it did back home, but it's not technically a "diet"...

Here, Effie. He'll take another, considerably larger bite. Satisfied?]

No, no. It's great. I'm just full from dinner, that's all.

Well that's a relief.

[ She looked at him with approval, and then glanced away somewhat sheepishly before resting her fork on the corner of her plate. When all was said and done she'd polished off more than half of each one almost singlehandedly.

One might even suspect she had gone strategically easy on the main course to allow gorging on sweets later. ]

It's somewhat embarrassing to indulge around someone watching their waist.

Though I doubt it would have stopped me, I think a little indulgence was exactly what I needed.

[ She looked back up to him again with a surprisingly effusive smile. ]

Thank you for dinner.

[Yeah, he suspects as much. It's good to know she has a sweet tooth, though. He'll just go ahead and file that information away for later.

The smile catches him as off-guard as all of her eating did, and much to his own surprise, he finds himself sincerely mirroring it. She seems to be in a much better mood, and that was pretty much the whole plan, so: mission accomplished. He's apologized, distracted her from all the crap outside for a little while, and now —

He glances at his watch. It's not too late, but then again, he's been keeping odd hours. And considering all she just ate...

Unless she's not one of those people who gets sleepy after gorging themselves. That wouldn't surprise him.]

You're welcome. D'you want to head back?

[It's an offer, yes, he's more eager for her reaction to the question than an actual answer.]

[ Did she? Effie whipped out her powder case to fluff at her nose and stall for time.

What was there to head back to, really? A room full of strangers she didn't know or especially care to know? Her colleague and tributes who were less than enthused by her arrival and avoided her when possible?

Saul's smile was so broad and warm and she felt good for the first time since arrival. Dinner had been nice and she was a little buzzed now and felt a strange sense of calm and anxiety, knowing that this little slice of near normalcy was soon to end and that this was likely the closest she could ever get to the way things had been. ]

I don't know, do I?

[ She looked at him from over the golden compact rim, brow raised coyly. ]

[Saul is really not used to this, so much so that her response throws him for a momentary loop and he's left blinking at her. It's then that he finally thinks of Stephanie and all that happened and didn't happen between them. This leads him to knock back what little wine is left in his glass in an effort to gulp down the guilt suddenly lodged in his throat, and that leads him to feeling annoyed.

And he was doing so well, too.

Ugh.

But because he is who he is, none of that reaches the surface. He used to be good at covering up, was shit at it for a while after arriving here, and now his old skills are back and then some. So he plays off the desperate drinking as eagerness to get going, hides the hurt feelings with a playful smirk, and plucks the bill from the impeccably-timed waiter's hands.

He waves it at Effie.]

You've got until this is paid to figure it out. There aren't a whole lot of other places we can go, and this time of night isn't exactly good for sightseeing, but...

[She's free to finish that thought however she likes.]

Well.

[ Effie looked mildly irritated. Unlike Saul she was often extremely honest about her feelings and opinions, of which she had many.

It wasn't that Effie couldn't think of something to do, the opposite was true. She could think of too many circumstances, and right now all of them seemed better than simply going home to sleep and wake up to another dreary day in Exsilium.

When Saul was finished paying up she closed her compact and slipped it back into her beaded clutch, sipping at the water while mulling over her final decision. ]

You've seen my accommodations, why don't you show me yours. I've heard some buildings are better than others and I'm looking to move.

[...that was an awfully fancy way of asking to go back to his place. Then again, he's not surprised.

But then again again, he totally is.

He almost looks at his glass in a bewildered sort of way, like, Did I really drink so much that I'm hearing things?

Almost. Doesn't, though.

If he was grinning before, he's positively beaming now. It's clear that he thinks Effie's suggestion is the best thing he's heard all night, and though there's not quite any wickedness to the curve of his lips just yet, there's a twinkle in his eye that wasn't there a second ago. He straightens a little, smoothing down his tie and adjusting his collar before standing.]

I'd love to. Ready?

[Saul looked entirely too pleased by her response, but Effie was alright with that. After so many days of negativity and feeling both lost and scared she craved positivity. She was used to being surrounded by smiling, satisfied people. For all that the Capitol was criticized at least the people there were happy and enjoyed life.

Was 'freedom' really worth the misery and sacrifice? Not in her opinion, however uninformed it was.

Effie returned his look with a modest smile. ]

Very. Shall we?

[In the same way he did when they first met, he offers his arm for the taking.

There are about a dozen different ways this can go. Saul being Saul, he's already cycling through the possibilities, jumping a full five steps ahead before they're even out of the restaurant. He can't help it; this is what he does. Anticipates, predicts, prepares.

So he's a little quiet on their walk back, but that won't stop him from stealing glances over at her every so often. His gaze is a little more analytical and searching than one might expect, given the circumstances.

Never let it be said that he's predictable.

Eventually:]

You look really nice tonight, by the way.

[He still thinks she looks ridiculous, but it's a ridiculousness he's getting used to.

And maybe kind of likes, a little, if the boyish way he offers up that compliment is any indication.

ew]

[ Now it's Effie's turn to beam at him. Her pale foundation is thin today so he might even be able to see the faintest stain of pink in her cheeks. Mostly due to the wine, but some of it his compliment and attention. ]

It's so much less than I'm used to working with, but one does what they can to remain presentable no matter the circumstances.

[ Effie walks with her head a little bit higher, a bounce in her high-heeled step. At night it was more difficult to see the strife marring the streets, and she was happy for the breath of 'fresh' air after the cozy and warm restaurant and all the food they had eaten. ]

I don't like to do things half way, and a date is a date.

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