The Clement Christmas Ball (Open to All)

Grayson chuckled as the young woman seemed a little flustered by her own surprise. "Likewise," he replied, figuring that since she corrected her first question that meant he wasn't supposed to acknowledge it.

He returned Victoria's hug, careful to keep both of their glasses from spilling. Her joy was infectious and put him immediately at ease.

"It's lovely to see you too. My mother all but kicked me out of the house," he explained. "And since I hadn't been to France in a while, I figured it was as a good a time as any for a visit. How long have you been here? Have you done any sightseeing?"

He remembered from their earlier conversation that she enjoyed the touristy activities like visiting landmarks--and there were plenty of such places in France. She seemed to be enjoying herself, so hopefully her visit was living up to her expectations.

He blinked, a bit surprised as she asked if he had a phone. As it so happened, he did have a mobile phone, though he rarely used it. He'd gotten one to keep in touch with his mother in cases of emergencies when a letter would be too slow. Luckily that meant he'd brought it with him on his trip, and he pulled it out now.

For some reason, though it did seem objectively noteworthy that she'd ask for his number after only really having met once, he found he didn't mind--in fact, he realized he would like to keep in contact with her; she seemed like she could be a good friend. Of course, he hoped that was all she was looking for. Her actions were a little forward and could be construed in a certain way, but he was inclined to believe that was simply her personality.

As she looked at him expectantly, he related his mobile number to her, mentally adding her to his rather short list of contacts. He knew many people, but most of them communicated in other ways.

"Not because she doesn't love me," Grayson amended. "She thought I looked a little restless and told me to take a vacation. I'll be back for Christmas."

He nodded, glad to hear she'd been happy with her trip. "There's quite a lot to see in Paris."

It had taken him nearly a year of living in France before he set foot in the Eiffel Tower, but that was because he tended to avoid the more crowded areas. The tower itself he'd found to be slightly overrated, but he knew that was simply his own preference.

"Have you been to the top of the Montparnasse Tower? It closes at 10:30, but the view at night is gorgeous," he recommended. When he'd left France, he'd spent his final night there, impressing the city lights into his memory.

"French is somewhat difficult, but certainly manageable if you want to learn. Or if you need anyone to translate for you tonight, I could help, though I may be a little rusty."

Having spent several years in West Africa, he'd picked up French out of necessity. When he'd moved to France, he'd had a little trouble at first because the dialect was different, but the mechanics were the same, and he quickly adjusted. He had been fluent at one point, but he hadn't really used it in a couple years, so he hoped he still remembered.

"I've been here for two days now, though I'm also going home tomorrow. I've been looking for a gift to bring back for my mother, but I haven't found anything yet aside from some sweets." She'd asked for strawberry bon bons, so he'd gotten some at a shop along with some chocolates, but he was looking for something more to make up for his absence. Even though she'd insisted on it, he still felt a bit guilty.

Shortly after he gave her is number, his phone buzzed and he looked down at the screen, unlocking it to read her text.


He replied, looking up at her, then saved her contact to his phone.

He chuckled softly as she babbled a bit, glad that she seemed to be clarifying her intentions. Friend stuff. He could handle that. He didn't have too many friends in the UK; it would be nice to be able to talk to someone who lived close to home.

"I'm afraid I don't use my mobile all that often. I never really have a reason to."

He looked up as the doors opened, and smiled when she turned to him excitedly with facts about the Clement family. He had known those things, but there was no need to put a damper on her excitement, so he simply nodded to show his interest.

"The European elite have a thing for tradition," he agreed. "In some areas, the middle ages are still alive and well. Though the Clements are a rare case--their arranged marriage worked out more successfully than most unarranged marriages, which is part of why France loves them so."

"Well, there's still time..." Grayson said, glancing at his watch. "If you wanted to leave a little early and come back. I'd go with you." He wasn't sure why, but he wanted to see her face when she got her first glimpse of the view. It was something special to him; it would be nice to share it with someone.

Grayson inclined his head when she mentioned it was a little late for Christmas shopping. "I know. Well, I've done most of it already, it's just this trip was a bit spur-of-the-moment, and I didn't think it would be right to come to France and not bring anything back, so I'm looking for one last thing."

He nodded at her suggestions. His mother, unlike his father and himself, tended to live humbly. She never got quite comfortable accepting expensive gifts, nor did she appreciate unnecessary glitz and glam. His presents to her had to be meaningful and practical. Take France home to her... an idea started to form. He hoped he'd be able to gather everything by the time he left the following afternoon.

"Thank you," he said to Victoria. "That's actually very helpful."

He shook his head as Victoria spoke about arranged marriages. He couldn't imagine it. Well, he could, but it wasn't a nice thought. Not for the first time, he found himself actually glad that his side of the family had lost its elite status. Otherwise, he might have been tied to some poor rich woman a long time ago, which would have been incredibly unfair to her considering...well. If his father hadn't already disgraced the family, Grayson certainly would have.

Grayson accepted Victoria's phone, studying the images of the wedding with a slight smile. "Indeed," he agreed with her comments.

"I can only hope I look half as beautiful on my own wedding day."

"I'm sure you will. So long as you marry someone who makes you happy."

He nodded as she pointed out the tears in Louis Clement's eyes. "They certainly are a rare couple."

He handed her phone back to her and craned his head a little to see over the crowd. He wasn't the tallest of men, but he was still taller than Victoria. He could see something--not the Clements themselves, but the crowd moving around them.

"They're coming this way, you should be able to see them soon," he said to Victoria.

"Of course," Grayson replied. He had wanted to stop by the tower himself at some point anyway, and now that he had the chance to go wtih someone else, he couldn't think of a better opportunity.

"As long as you're sure," he added. It did look as if Victoria had struggled a bit with the decision--she seemed quite excited to see the Clements, and Grayson didn't want to take that opportunity away from her if she wasn't absolutely certain.

"You'd be surprised," he said in regards to her comment about marriage. He'd seen some of his close friends' marriages fall apart, and he knew it wasn't uncommon. "That's a good attitude to have though. Never settle for anything less."

As the crowd shifted, reflecting the Clements' movement away from them, Grayson turned to Victoria, hoping she wasn't too disappointed. She seemed to be the type to make the best of the situation though, and she shrugged it off, suggesting they head towards the tower instead.

"Sure," he agreed. "It's about half an hour from here by car. It may be best to just find a place away from the crowd and apparate the rest of the way. The fireworks are already starting, but they'll still be going on by the time we get back. We might even be able to see them from the tower."

He held his arm out for Victoria as they began to move away from the crowd and off the palace grounds.

Artemis was glad that he was going to get to spend the night with Sierra. As she was his date for tonight’s event. It didn’t matter that they were just friends. At least he knew that he wouldn’t have to be there alone. As he knew that Lilac would be running around. Keeping up with the girl was sometimes hard work.

He then made sure to tell her that she looked good. Actually she looked amazing in his eyes. But he was going to keep that one to himself. Hopefully the evening would go well and smooth. At some point in the evening, he would have to go find Lilac.

“ I am sure that Lilac is somewhere.” He knew that the girl would not stand it one spot for too long. And he knew that he would bump into her sometime. Now he was going to focus on spending time with Sierra. “ It seems like I am yours this evening.”