| DC/Marvel: Age of Infinite Heroes | ||||||||||
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Jean-Phillipe actually shows up in a flash red sports car at the Institute to pick up Lore. Though of course it has a hard roof, as it is cold and snowy. He heads into New York City with her dressed to the tee as is he, and he speaks about a variety of different things...such as what different silverware is used to eat what, and talking about the order to eat food, and even a bit about general types of wine go with what food. He mentions about bringing you to Romeo's Italian Restaurant, which is a major elite place that generally always takes reservations to just get in. "I secured a private room to make it a little more comfortable for your first time there to get used to how to eat, sit, and drink. You will want to be careful what you order depending on your outfit as well, due to risk of stains," he advises. "And there will be more food than you can eat Lore, hope you brought a grand hunger with you."
Dressed in a cream colored dress and a white wrap, Lore is kind of excited to be going out to dinner. Particularly so since she's getting to go out with Jean-Phillipe! She fidgets a little in the car, having a hard time finding a comfortable position for her wings and holding her wrap tight in an effort to keep them neatly confined. The winged teen's eyes widen a little at the thought of going somewhere so fancy, even though it's not that big of a surprise that they're going there since they're both dressed so fancy. She nods, looking a little relieved that she's not going to be out on display in front of everyone for her first lesson in fine dining, "Okay... So I guess I stick to cream sauces, since I'm wearin'-" She corrects herself, "Wearing this?" She can't hold in a giggle at the thought of needing to have a healthy appetite for dinner, "I don't have a problem eating a lot." She just burns it off when she goes flying, after all!
A wink from Jean-Phillipe. "You will want to know how to curb your appetite if those around you expect you to not have one, but I want you to enjoy yourself at this outing." He explains how to place the napkin, it isn't a bib for goodness sake! He talks about keeping your elbows off the table, and other little countless tips. But he soon pulls up outside of the place the two are going to eat. He says, "Wait for me ma petit," before getting out of the car. He hands his keys off to a valet who gets wide eyes at his mask. Jean-Phillipe merely looks amused and chuckles lightly before opening the door for Lore and offering a hand down to assist her out of the low riding car. "Ma petit. Shall we begin our wonderful night together?" The Frenchman's tone is light and flirtatious.
Lorelei listens, taking mental notes of the tips. She blushes a little at the thought of needing to pretend not to be able to eat enough to feed a small family all on her own and nods, "I think I can do that..." She can't help but look out the window to stare at the restaurant as they pull up, nodding mutely when she's told to wait. Her cheeks are lightly flushed under her subtle makeup when he opens her door and offers her a hand out. A little hesitant, the skinny girl places her hand in her escort's larger palm and lets him help her out of the car while keeping her other hand firmly clutching her wrap, "Thank you." She smiles a little shyly, looking through her lashes and batting her eyes a couple of times, unconsciously flirting.
A low chuckle comes from Jean-Phillipe as he then leads you inside the place, a doorman opening the door for the two of you. At the host stand, he says there are reservations for Jean-Phillipe. The host nods and in his tux he regally gets two elegant menus and bows low before leading the way to a private room. Jean-Phillipe leads you via his arm to the private room, and nods in approval as it is opened. It is one of the smallest rooms, because it is only for two people. The table is fully set and the host sets the menus down before saying, "The waiter will be with you briefly."
As the door almost fully closes all but a slit, Jean-Phillipe moves to pull out the chair for you, "Sit, but do not quite touch the chair so when it is slide in you can easily move with it gracefully." All these little tips to remember!
The winged teenager gives the doorman a small smile and quietly mummers thank you as they're let inside. Lore remains quiet while they're lead to the private room that was reserved for them, her hand light on Jean-Phillipe's arm. She flashes another little smile to the host as he sets the menus down, just letting her 'date' do all the talking, for the moment. Then she's being instructed in how to sit and she licks her lips, doing as she's told, "Thank you." She falls into the chair when it's still only halfway pushed in, however, not quite getting the hang of how to let someone else push her chair in for her. The girl makes a face and sighs, not quite ready to remove the wrap and let anyone that walks in the room see that she's so obviously a mutant, yet, "Sorry... I guess I need to practice that a little."
"That's the point," Jean-Phillipe teases you, and then moves to gently snatch the wrap away to hang it over the back of your chair. "You are with me ma petit, there is no reason to fear anything." He then moves to take his seat across from you, picking up his menu to look over it. "The main course will be third, with dessert afterwards. They only serve four courses including dessert instead of seven here. Still, very reasonable," and he glances over the list, thinking of going for something with veal. Compassion is not part of Fantomex's genetic make-up apparently. "Would you like to try a spot of wine today along with a soda?" No, he isn't going to get Lore drunk, instead only providing her with a few tastes and to teach her how to drink it.
Lorelei gasps when her wrap is snatched away, half turning in her chair as a small feather (though still the size of a large pigeon feather) flutters to the ground from out of the wrap, "But-" She sighs, blushing, "What if the waiter doesn't like muti- mutants?" She turns back the right way in her chair as he sits, her back straighter than normal and her wings held tensely as she opens her own menu to see what she might like to try. For her part, she doesn't care if it's veal, pork, chicken, or even venison; she grew up going deer hunting with her dad, after all. She doesn't have a problem eating Bambi, why would eating baby cows bother her? Her eyes widen at the thought of four courses, much less seven, "Seven courses? And some people would expect me to not eat a lot?!" She just shakes her head, completely at a loss as to how people can think that they can serve someone that much food and not have them eat it. The offer of wine has her blushing lightly, again, and nodding, "Yes, please." She hasn't really done any drinking since she arrived at Xavier's, after all.
"His issue, not yours ma petit. And I suppose I could always hide his body in the dumpster out back," wiggling his eyebrows jestingly. Jean-Phillipe would not really do that. A nod at that, "Oui, when you are ready I'll take you to a place in Italy to eat that serves such, and even in Paris there are some wonderful places to enjoy delicious food." Jean-Phillipe has selected and sets the menu off to the side to designate that he is ready to order.
The waiter comes in at the time, and seems to double take at Lore and Jean-Phillipe both! But he recovers quickly, this being quite the upper class establishment! He had knocked slightly before entering, and bows a bit careful of the tray he carries. He goes to pour water into glasses, two wine glasses already setting out. He asks about drinks, and Jean-Phillipe orders a wine that will go well with his meal, and glances at Lore to order her own soda...though he could likely order for her, he wants her to learn to speak comfortably with people even if they may be a bit awkward with her.
Lorelei bites her lip for a moment, frowning at his words and startling a little when he casually jokes about killing the unknown waiter before anything's even happened. She blinks a couple of times and finally decides that he's just teasing her, so giggles, though she still sounds a bit uncertain, "Hopefully the waiter will be understanding, then." She shakes her head in wonder at the idea of being taken somewhere overseas to experience a seven course meal, "That could be cool." Fun? Exciting? Either way, she would probably enjoy it!
She flushes when the waiter enters, self-consciously settling her wings a little closer against her back and giving him a slightly guarded smile. The girl is obviously uncomfortable ordering, her voice a little too quiet as she orders a Coke.
The waiter then bows once more and goes to fulfill the orders while taking the pitcher of water with him. Once he leaves, leaving the door only slightly ajar once more, only then does Jean-Phillipe speak.
"Pick your meal and let me know. We will need to practice you speaking confidently in public with your wings out, be it in your normal accent or in the one I am teaching you, be it in respectable shops or in an alleyway. If you can, ask if you can practice in the Danger Room with pretend people until we schedule the next lesson. You are a beautiful young woman ma petit, there is no excuse for you to be so docile and every reason for you to have great confidence."
The girl blushes and nods, sighing, "I guess I'm just 'frai- afraid that..." Lore doesn't finish the thought, instead just sighing again and blinking at the homework that she's been given, "I, uh... I've been getting extra training from Mr. Wagner in the Danger Room." She makes a face, "He and Mr. Summers caught me smoking." And she got off pretty easy, all told! "I'll work on it, though." She peeks at the menu again, stumbling through the pronunciation of what she wants to try.
A nod at your order, before Jean-Phillipe says in nearly perfect Italian accent how to properly pronounce it, at least one region of Italy's accent. "Then let 'Mr. Wagner' know about your assignment from me and he can likely assist you. He appears less human than you ma petit, and the opposite of your more appeasing so-called angelic appearance. He likely has many useful tips on building confidence, and standing up to critisms. I merely opt for the policy of 'Don't care', but many cannot be like that. Kurt appears to be one of those types." Where he can't just not care.
Lorelei slowly repeats the proper pronunciation a couple of times until she doesn't stumble too much over the words. She nods, reaching up to tuck a loose lock of hair behind one ear, "Yes, sir. I will." She blushes lightly, "Yeah, he is kind of the opposite of what I look like." She's come to accept that she does, at least vaguely, resemble an angel with her wings, but she still prefers to try to hide them when she's in public. She straightens, "I don't think I can just 'not care' about what people think about what I look like." Even if she isn't totally comfortable being fashionable, yet, though she does enjoy some of the looks that guys give her now that she's trying not to look like a street urchin all the time.
A sly smile appears beneath Jean-Phillipe's mask, showing through slightly, "Do you care what I think?"
But then there is a light tap on the door and the door is slide open while the young man brings in a small, wheeled cart only half into the room as she sets the soda before Lore, and the bucket of iced wine upon the table. He goes to open the wine bottle, when Jean-Phillipe waves at him.
"Non. I shall do that, I consider it an honor to open one's own wine," the French accent obvious. The waiter however nods with respect and asks about the order. Jean-Phillipe orders what he wants and then says, "The young lady would like," before ordering what Lorelei wishes.
The waiter nods at the order without needing to write it down and then moves to unload the anti-pasta upon the table before bowing and taking his leave once more with the cart in tow.
When the door is closed to all but left slightly ajar once more, he lifts his mask up to the bridge of his nose finally and raids an olive to pop into his mouth to bite down on it before he goes to open the wine with finesse and grace, making a bit of a sound that always comes with opening a bottle, but not losing any of the wine.
The girl blushes and bites her lip, shrugging one shoulder at the question, "Yeah..." She reaches for her water glass just to have something to fiddle with, "A little, anyway." Lore likes that he thinks she's beautiful. She'd maybe like to see him without his mask sometime, but she doesn't want to maybe say the wrong thing and make him mad or offend him, or something. When the waiter returns, she quickly folds her hands in her lap, trying to just give him a polite little smile, but with eyes wide as though she's been caught doing something she shouldn't have.
Lorelei hesitates for a moment before taking a little nibble of her own anti-pasta, being careful not to smudge the light pink lipstick she's wearing, and watches as Jean-Phillipe opens the wine. The small sound of the bottle opening makes her flinch a little, but only because of the suddenness of the sound. She's never really been around when there's a bottle of wine being opened, after all. All of her previous experience with alcoholic beverages has been with the cheapest booze she could get her hands on, after all.
Jean-Phillipe carefully pours a half glass for himself, and then motions for you to hand your own wine glass over. When you do so, he only pours you enough for two to three mouthfuls. He then hands it back to you before setting the wine back into the ice bucket. "Ma petit, I like the fact that what I think matters to you, even if only a petit. You are one of my most favorite ladies in the world. And I only have five I honestly like in the entire world. I can easily pretend to be a people person, but in reality, I do not honestly like people in general. As a result, what they think or feel, how they see me or what they believe I am like, makes no difference to me. After all, it is I that I must live with everyday, not them." A very gentle swirl of the wine, and then he lifts the glass to breath in its fumes or scent. Then tilting it slightly, he takes a sip before lowering it. He lets it linger on his tongue for a second or two before swallowing it. "It is decent wine."
The skinny winged teenager hands her glass over when he motions for it, blushing brighter as he speaks, telling her that she's one of his favorite ladies. She ducks her head a little and fidgets in her chair while he talks, nodding when he says that he's the one that has to live with it, not the people that judge him. She peeks up at him through her lashes, "I suppose I shouldn't let what people think about me matter so much." She just feels so very self conscious about the way she looks and about being a mutant. When he's tasted the wine, she reaches for her own glass and just takes a small sip, not used to trying to actually appreciate what she's drinking, "It's good." Maybe? She thinks.
A quiet mmmm, "No. But, being well thought-of is not a bad thing. I find, I like some individuals to think well of me. I suppose, Alex has spoiled me. He thinks highly of me, and so I am prone to enjoy the attention. Terrible influence," and a lop-sided smirk at that. "You can tell him I told you that too," he teases. "Ah, ma petit, in Europe, you only need to be eighteen. I wish to take you to try some wonderful wines all over the world one day." He then actually smiles, a real to goodness smile! "It is nice to think of tomorrow and long-term plans that are fun. It was not a luxury I had in the past." But a slight shake of his head, has Jean-Phillipe shaking the strange mood.
"Now, why do you not tell me of your studies recently," wanting to give you practice with the accent and pronouncations, he has noticed you have been using shouldn't instead of should not for example. Jean-Phillipe smiles slyly then, "And I will ask at times how you may practically use your knowledge in life."
Lorelei giggles and nods, "I'll tell him." She bites her lip lightly at the comment about only needing to be eighteen in Europe, "For what? To be able to drink?" She looks down into her glass, slowly swirling the small amount of liquid in it and blushing faintly, "I started drinking when I was fifteen... Not long after I left home." She wrinkles her nose slightly at the thought of him not being able to make long-term plans before. Then again, she didn't have any plans for any farther in the future than where to sleep or get her next meal not all that long ago, herself.
Then he's asking about her studies and she relaxes a little, at least moderately comfortable with the subject. Or she is until he tells her that he's going to be asking about practical applications for what she's been learning. Lore shrugs, "Classes are... Well, it's hard, but kinda- kind of interesting, anyway." She takes another tiny sip of her wine before setting the glass down and fiddling at the fabric of her dress where it covers her lap, "Warren is teaching me to drive right now, and showed me how to tuck my wings up so I can hide them under my clothes easier. It kind of hurts to do it, though..."
"I would suspect so. It may have its uses, so learn the techniques well. Practice driving whenever you can in all weathers and times of day and night." Fantomex then hrms, "I wonder if you could program the Danger Room for a defensive and offensive driving course in a sort of 'real environment'. That could prove interesting. I miss not having the Danger Room from Xavier's." Jean-Phillipe takes another sip of his wine, "What about your educational classes?"
"I beat Warren in a race the other day, and he said I earned a prize for doing so." Lore sounds pleased with herself for winning, even if the other winged mutant probably DID let her win, "I asked to learn to drive." She nods at his suggestion, though the thought of trying to drive at night has her making a face, "I can't see in the dark, though..." She shrugs, "They're alright. I've got a speech to do for my business class next week, and we're learning about forces in physics right now."
A nod at that, "Not seeing at night is difficult, and night vision goggles are only so useful if you can be blinded. But you should speak to Hank about adapting for that, perhaps even if it is just light sensitive lenses." Then back on track, Jean-Phillipe says, "And what will the speech do to assist you, and how can you make use of such skills in life? And what about forces in Physics?"
Lorelei nods, "I hadn't thought about that." She can see flawlessly, and at a pretty good distance, when it's light, but once the sun goes down she's basically blind. The teenager frowns a little at his questions, "Well, the speech will teach me how to ta- speak in front of a crowd," even if it is just in front of the class. "Learning about forces helps me..." She trails off and frowns, looking thoughtful as she tries to figure out just what it could be used for in real life, outside of the classroom.
Jean-Phillipe does not push, and soon the waiter knocks lightly again, with Jean-Phillipe pulling his mask back down. Spaghetti is served on plates, with meatballs and a red tomato sauce with them on a separate plate. He then bows and takes his leave after making sure no one needed refills.
The mask comes up partially again, and this time Jean-Phillipe gets real food, putting the meatballs on the side without tons of sauce. He is wearing white himself and he has amazing reflexes, but he rather not risk a stain so he does not overly indulge. How he manages to eat those long noddles elegantly however...well, it's Jean-Phillipe, "Please, eat. And also, continue to think on forces and how you can apply those to real life situations, be they everyday or in combat."
Lorelei continues trying to think while the spaghetti is served, stalling by taking a sip of her soda, distracted enough that she only offers the faintest of smiles before the waiter leaves again. She blinks a couple of times when he invites her to eat, as well and blushes lightly, being very careful of the sauce and her cream colored dress, "If I use what I'm learning it could improve my flying?" Like with his instruction with her flying over the pool at the school.
Jean-Phillipe didn't think of that, but nods in approval, "Entirely possible. Anything else?" He does not have any really preconceived answer that Lorelei is to give, as this is a lesson for her to think for herself and develop skills that may teach her techniques that will save her life in the future. He pauses in his eating to take another sip of wine, in no rush as he enjoys the food set before him.
Slowly chewing a bite of noodles, Lore looks thoughtful for another moment, "With my wind powers? Like, I could figure out how strong a wind it would take to move something or to cushion someone's fall." She pauses for a beat, "Or, if I can call a strong enough wind, I could make someone fly, or it could help me carry something too heavy for me to lift on my own?"
"It sounds like you are starting to think of how to apply what you learn to real life applicants. Now that you are starting to develop concepts for that - and you want to do this with everything you learn - while you have the time in your life, you should start getting used to applying your knowledge and testing your theories out for practicality." Great, now Lore has more homework with trying to use her homework to real life. Jean-Phillipe appears vaguely amused as he swallows another bite, "You will feel much more productive in life and successful once you succeed in this endeavor."
Lorelei makes a face at the thought of yet more homework, but will still do it. Working with Jean-Phillipe might mean that she's busier than a lot of the other students, but she wouldn't give it up for anything! "Yes, sir." For one thing, she loves that she's learning things that none of the other kids at school are being taught. For another, she genuinely does like spending time with the white clad thief! "I still gotta-" She rolls her eyes and corrects herself, "I still have to have time to clean the stables." It's been her chore ever since she first arrived at the school, though she's not getting any allowance for doing it right now.
"Not a problem. You work at your own pace, and drive yourself to your own heights of successes or failures. You are your own master Lore, or rather mistress. It is up to you what you complete or not." A challenge of self. It would not work on everyone as some people set themselves up for failure, but Jean-Phillipe seems to believe that Lore is not one of those.
"Yes, sir." Lore smiles a little, already mentally working out a schedule for when she's going to get everything done. She's been working hard in the time that she's been at the school, trying to get caught up to the other kids her age in classes. It's tough and keeps her busy most of the time, not to mention her extra lessons with Fantomex, and now training with Kurt in the Danger Room, but at least she's not falling any farther behind. Nothing can be harder, at least physically, than living two years on her own and surviving, if not exactly thriving, when she needs more food than the average teenager.
Jean-Phillipe chuckles, "You do not need to call me sir, ma petit. Call me, Jean-Phillipe. I like my name coming from your lips." Awww, flirting, how dare he! There there is warmth in his tone, and playfulness as well.
Lorelei blushes and bites her lip, focusing on her nearly empty plate for a moment as she nods, "Sorry, Jean-Phillipe." So many people she's supposed to show respect to want to be called by their first names! "My mama drilled it into my head to say sir and ma'am." Not to mention that it's rude to call adults by their first names. She peeks at him through her lashes, cheeks flushed, as she daintily wipes her mouth with a corner of her napkin and carefully refolds it in her lap, "Thank you for dinner tonight, by the way."
"The main course needs to arrive, along with dessert."
But the waiter seems to know the cue, and arrives to delivery bread and the main courses. He bows respectfully once more as he takes his leave, after refilling Lorelei's drink, and with Jean-Phillipe's alright (mask back down), refilling his wine glass.
The mask goes back up once the waiter leaves again, and he lifts his silverware, reminding you of the proper uses for each one before he begins to eat. He is taking his time before he finally says, "Ma petit, I may be more worldly, but I honestly do not see much difference between us. I either like someone, have a use for them, or find them annoying. You fall very much into 'like'. As a result, it is only the fact you are a little on the innocent side and the difficulties it would cause my relations with Alex and the X-Men, that I have not already attempted to seduce you and treat you truly as an adult. So I would advise you to worry less about respect, and be more conscious of the fact that I do find you attractive and it is only my so-called self-developed morals and need for Alex's approval that keeps me behaving." He think winks a blue eye at you. "And on a side-note, Pete is an idiot to not properly string you along till his moral compunctions are done with, because you are only going to become more talented and beautiful with each passing year."
Jean-Phillipe does not only see the Lorelei before him now, but he believes he sees the Lorelei that she can become. It is that one, that he has become obsessed with and has hinted at many times in the past.
The arrival of the waiter and their main courses is almost a relief for Lore and she gives him a small, friendly smile and quiet word of thanks as he refills her drink and sets her plate in front of her. Then Jean-Phillipe is talking about liking her, earning a bright blush that she tries, without success, to hide, "I'm not all that innocent..." She's just naive much of the time. She peeks at him through her lashes, her blush burning brighter at his casual mention of seducing her, "I-" She licks her lips and takes a quick gulp of soda, "I like you, too, Jean-Phillipe. You don't treat me like I'm some little kid or like I'm stupid just because I sound like a hick." Not to mention he's mysterious and she really admires how 'together' he has his life.
Then he's calling Pete an idiot and the girl scowls, "Mister Wisdom ain't-" She sighs, "Isn't an idiot. He's... He's looking out for what's best." And she obviously has more than a little crush on him, "He gave me a place to stay and talked me into going to Xavier's instead of just growing up on the streets and probably getting killed or freezing to death." When he tells her that she's going to be even more beautiful as she gets older, though, she flushes again and falls silent, her eyes returning to his plate. After a moment, she peeks at him through her lashes again, "Do you really think I'm going to be all that great?"
Jean-Phillipe is chuckling then at Lorelei's defense of Pete, "I wonder if someone said the same for me, if you would be so defensive. Should I be jealous ma petit? And how can you not be good for him? He's acts like a grumpy old man, I should know, he's my field leader now." Another bite of food, humor still in his tone. "Oui ma petite, tres belle." One last bite is taken and then the fork set aside along with the knife.
Jean-Phillipe then looks at you, seeming to carefully weigh something or consider something. "Lorelei," he starts out, sounding more serious than his usual. "You are as child-like as you permit yourself to be perceived, as mature as you decide to act, and as in control as much as you wish to seize. Others, it is the world's way, will strive to take everything from you. It will take and take, it will use you till you are a dry husk if you permit it. It is up to you to make sure your needs are tended, you grasp what makes you happy and pleases you, and you stand up for what you believe in. Yes, at times there are things outside of your control, but they are few and far between. There is much you have full control over, and more if you strive for it. When you experience self-doubt, when you pause before you leap from fear, it is all your own doing because you gave up your own self-empowerment. I can tell you this often in many, countless ways. But in the end, ma petit, you must believe it with your everything. Then, you could soar without even wings no matter where you are."
Lorelei ducks her head as she finishes what's on her plate, tearing off little pieces of bread to nibble, "Well... Yeah, I would." Maybe not quite as vehamently, but she would still stand up for him, even if Pete doesn't entirely approve of the fact that she spends so much time with the former teacher. She blinks a couple of times at the news that her friend is her mentor's field leader and looks up at him, "He is? He told me he was working with you, but that he couldn't tell me what y'all are doing."
Then he goes serious and she returns his look with wide eyes, her expression slightly startled that he thinks that she can do all of that, that she should do things that make her happy, as well. She bites her lip, remaining quiet while he speaks, only moving to pop another piece of bread into her mouth and chew slowly. The girl remains quiet for a long moment when he's finished, "I haven't let myself really be a kid since I left home, and I was afraid for so long before then that my parents would find out that I'm a mutie that I..." She makes a face, "Well, I turned into a brat for a couple of years. I couldn't keep my wings secret from Cori, but I only told her because we shared a room and I couldn't hide them from her." She shakes her head, "I haven't talked to any of them since I left; I had to worry too much about making sure I had somewhere to sleep at night and at least enough food to keep me going until I could find something else to eat."
Lore straightens, "I'm not a kid anymore, I haven't been one in a long time. I know how to take care of myself, and I've got friends now that look out for me, not to mention that all of the teachers at the school are there if I need them, too." She sighs, "If it's up to me to make sure that I grab onto things that make me happy, then why can't I smoke?" She isn't as grumpy as she had been, but she still wants a cigarette, "Mr. Summers took my last four cigarettes, even though I was planning on those being my last ones. I know I've been crabby, and I know it's because I've been wanting nicotine." She can't help but smirk faintly and shrug, "I'm never scared to leap. I've got wings to catch me if I start to fall." Wings to catch her and carry her away if things get too hard; she's already done basically the same thing more than once in her life.
Jean-Phillipe chuckles with a low tone, "I won't tell you either." Not that he can't, but that he won't, ironic difference there. "Well, does smoking make you happy or is it a crutch? There is a difference between the two ma petit," he advises. "Does smoking a fag," yes, he just used the British term with it, sounding very much like Pete in that moment, British accent and everything, "bring you joy, or is it a stress reliever?" He then shrugs, returning to his normal French accent, "If just a stress reliever, there are other ways to relieve that. I personally highly suggest sex, but that would be a bit difficult for you to arrange right now. Exercise is another route I use myself, so is meditation. But the end choice is yours. Someone cannot make you truly stop smoking, it has always been a personal choice."
Lorelei frowns a little at his question, taking a sip of her nearly empty soda, blinking a couple of times and blushing when he slips into a British accent for a moment. She considers the question and finally shrugs, "I guess it's mostly a stress reliever. When I started, it was to try to keep warm." A little hand held fire was better than nothing when out in the cold, after all. The suggestion that she use sex as a form of stress relief brings another bright flush to her cheeks and she ducks her head again, just shredding the bread in her hands, "I've been going flying a lot when I can't stand to be around people anymore." She takes a deep breath, deeper than she would have been able to do when she was still smoking, "I won't smoke anymore, I suppose... I don't cough as much as I did when I was, anyway." And that's a good thing.
"Le pain pauvres." The poor bread, and Jean-Phillipe is looking at it as you shred it. "You forgot yourself ma petit, your sub-conscious is controlling your actions," his tone lightly teasing as the two of you are in private quarters right now. "I should behave though, yet, I enjoy making you blush. If you need a new stress reliever, do let me know. I do not mean sex," a teasing wink then. "I meant another form of exercise or activity."
His comment has her blinking and suddenly dropping the remains of the bread onto the pile of crumbs on her plate and quickly folding her hands in her lap as she wipes her fingers off on her napkin, "Sorry." Lore blushes even brighter at his comment about enjoying making her blush and bites her lip. Then he's offering another form of stress relief and she turns absolutely scarlet, the blush not fading a bit when he reassures her that he doesn't mean sex. When he clarifies, she looks at him curiously, once again peeking through her lashes, "Like... maybe learning how to fight?" She wrinkles her nose, "I know how to runaway, but that doesn't help if I've got to be there to try to protect someone who can't runaway like I can."
"Sure, ma petit. Wolverine, he is a good teacher. But I take it you want to learn more than his timed classes teach? Or something unique?" Jean-Phillipe watches you, his half raised mask exposing his lazy smile as he studies your blushing. He does so take obvious enjoyment from it.
Lorelei nods, shrugging a little, "Wolverine kind of intimidates me..." He might be a lot more casual than most of the teachers at the school, but there's just something about him that makes her nervous. She nibbles on her lower lip for a moment, "I'd like to learn how to fight with..." She shrugs, picking at one of her fingernails in her lap, "I don't know... Maybe batons or something. Or a staff. Something I can carry with me, you know?"
"He is infamous from the rumors, black ops." A smirk comes from Jean-Phillipe. "I find it highly amusing that he is at a school. I tired it though, it...changes you. I think that is why he remains. He wants that change inside him. As a result, he is not as frightening as he could be ma petit." But then gently he says, "Do not pick your fingernails, keep control over your body language ma petit. As for batons or a staff," he appears thoughtful. "Batons would be best, lighter weight, more flexible for your movements, and better defense options."
The reprimand, mild though it is, has Lore quickly clasping her hands in her lap for a moment and blushing, again, "Sorry." She wrinkles her nose a little and shrugs, "I guess it's just 'cau- because he seems so serious most of the time... He and Mr Summers both." She keeps her hands in her lap for a few minutes while he thinks over what she's wanting to learn, smiling a little when he seems to agree with her that it would be good for her to learn to fight with batons, "That was kind of my thought on it. Something light enough that I can carry it even when I'm flying, but not something like knives." She makes a face, "It's one thing to dress out a deer; it'd be totally different to do that to a person!" Not that she's ever actually dressed a deer, but she did watch her dad do it a couple of times.
Jean-Phillipe then nods, "Very well, next month, we will start training you on batons. I will search for some that will be the perfect length and weight for you." His fingers tap the table briefly as he appears thoughtful, "I like ones with surprises. I will think of something specials for yours ma petit."
Lorelei tilts her head curiously, "Surprises?" She blinks a couple of times, "What kind of surprises?" The only thing she can think of, and probably only because she mentioned something about it a moment ago, are knives hidden inside of them. She doesn't want to actually kill anyone, though; just hurt them enough that she, or whoever she's defending, can get away or do whatever it is that needs to be done to keep people safe.
A quiet mmmm, but Jean-Phillipe then nods and leans back in his chair as he works on finishing the main dish now, taking another drink of his wine as he does so. "We shall just how to see, surprises can be a good thing, oui?"
Lorelei ducks her head for a moment and nods, shrugging one shoulder, "Yeah, I guess they can." She stops fidgeting as much and reaches for one of the longer shreds of bread on her plate, quickly popping it in her mouth and chewing slowly as she falls silent for the moment.
Jean-Phillipe smiles with humor. He says nothing for a little while as he finishes eating, though on his second to last bite, the waiter knocks lightly on the door and slides it open to reveal a desert cart. He smiles politely, "Would you both like dessert?"
Jean-Phillipe pops in his last bite, chewing that and letting you answer for yourself this time as there are three layers of trays with desserts on the darn thing!
The sight of all of those desserts has Lore's eyes widening a little and she bites her lip for a moment as she quickly scans the offerings, "Um..." She points to a dish of cream brulee, blushing faintly as she offers a small, shy smile, "That looks delicious." She pauses for a moment, "I think I'd like to try it, if I may."
The shy voice has the waiter smiling gently, "Of course." He moves to select it from the trays and removes the dirty plates to hold within one hand. He then looks over to Jean-Phillipe.
Jean-Phillipe takes another sip of his wine before pouring himself some more and mmmms, "The fruit one, it appears to tantalize me this time around."
It is set in front of him and his plates are then removed by expert hands. The other attendant pulls the cart away as the waiter steps out and expertly uses an elbow to slide the door almost fully closed.
Jean-Phillipe picks up his dessert fork, and with a wave of it, digs in to take a bite and mmmms, "Sweet, but not too sweet."
Lorelei offers another shy little smile to the waiter as he sets the dish in front of her, "Thank you." She fumbles for a moment with her silverware before selecting the correct utensil and breaking the sugar crust on top of the custard and taking a small bite, wrinkling her nose slightly at the burned taste of the sugar, but not commenting on it. It's not exactly to her tastes, but she's not about to waste food! She's gone hungry far too many times to be willing to be picky about something as silly as that.
Jean-Phillipe chuckles, "Once you get past the topping, can you still enjoy it ma petit? If not, I'll order you a different one."
The girl ducks her head a little and blushes, "It's not that bad. I've just never had anything like it before." Lore shakes her head, "I can eat it. I just didn't expect it to taste like it does, is all."
A nod at that, "New foods, new people, all new things have their own flavors and style. One should not always hold preconceived conceptions. Some surprises can be good, others, not so good, oui?" Jean-Phillipe smiles at that. "When the time comes, I will take you around the world, and you will see countless styles and experiences countless flavors of people and tastes of food." He talks about it as if it is a grand thing, and to him, it is.
Lorelei nods, slowly eating her dessert, "I had to try it to know if I liked it or not." She smiles, blushing at the thought of going around the world with him, excited by the idea despite the blush, "It sounds like it'll be a lot of fun." She just has to work hard at her lessons and practice blending in!
A nod at that, "Well, let us finish up our dessert then ma petit, and then I shall drive you back home; hopefully full," Jean-Phillipe observes with a light smile.
Lorelei nods again and giggles a little at the comment about taking her home full, "At least for a couple of hours..." Maybe even until morning, if she's lucky! It doesn't take her long to finish her dessert, dabbing at her mouth with her napkin when when she has, "Thank you very much for dinner, Jean-Phillipe. It was wonderful."
"Ah, it was my pleasure ma petit. Your presence often brings me much joy, and I am a selfish man, it does bring me pleasure to be happy." A bit of silliness Jean-Phillipe's way. Still, He finishes his own dessert and sets the fork aside, using a napkin himself before pulling his mask down into place A light tap of his glass, and the waiter appears.
Soon, the bill is quietly handled with a credit card. And when the card is returned, Jean-Phillipe signs it, before rising from his chair to then pick up your shawl and pull your chair gently back, offering a hand to assist you to stand before wrapping your shawl about your shoulders.
Jean-Phillipe whispers quietly within your ear, "Time for home Cinderella."