Written Wonderland

Juniper took a moment to reassess the situation. If they were really going to do something like this, there were a tremendous number of logistical hurdles to get over. Even if Serio could handle the marketing and Juniper himself could cover the capital investment, that still meant they needed to find a location that would offer what they're looking for, decide on the theme, find an accountant, find chefs, choose the musicians, design the drink menu, write the dress code, hang the tapestries... Juniper's mouth began to water a little. 

"In the midst of this Prohibition, it has to be a little bit of a secret already. As much as any of these clubs do, at least. It presents a difficult problem from a logistical perspective. That's my main concern in terms of investing interest here. But, I'll admit the idea has appeal, certainly." Juniper placed one hand next to his other on the table. 

Serio leaned forward a little, suddenly looking rather less aloof than he had been. He still wore his same calm friendly smile, but his eyes were just a little narrower, and maybe just a tad bit more intense, or at least more serious.

"Mmmhmm. There'd need to be a front of some sort, of course. Honestly we might be able to get some mileage out of posturing ourselves as a young, hip Shepard's - a place for men to gather and socialize amongst themselves, without the stuffiness of Shepard's or the distractions of The Mimosa Bloom."

"Yeah," Peter piped in briefly, "That'd already pique my interest."

"From there, it's a game of word of mouth," Serio continued smoothly - not unappreciative of Peter's comment, but seeing no reason to linger on it, "Which is one of my very favorite games." The calm friendly smile curled up into a more mischievous grin, and Serio's eyes let shine a bit of excitement.

Thinking of how he, only hours ago, came from Shepard's, Juniper could certainly imagine modifying that atmosphere for a younger male crowd, especially given the secrets buried within. Hell, they might even give Shepard's a run for its money. That appealed to Juniper greatly, even though it might mean losing some of the regular cigar orders he managed. It was honestly pathetic that that place considered itself a lounge at all. 

Juniper hadn't made time to go to the Mimosa Bloom, though from the sounds of it, it didn't sound like his speed. He was grateful that Serio seemed to understand that or at least not have a taste for it either. Too tame for him, maybe? From the look of that smile, Juniper was going to go with yes.

Thinking over the whole thing, Juniper was dangerously close to saying yes, but he'd done enough negotiation to know that saying yes at the first opportunity wasn't the best way to do business. But he didn't want to leave to sleep on the idea just yet. 

"And how would Ren feel about you jumping ship?" Juniper said cautiously, wanting to know how serious Serio really was about this plan. If this was just an entertaining idea for the night, Juniper didn't want to get too excited about a half-baked idea. 

"Ah," Serio's smile faded back into its calm friendly default, and he lightly clicked his tongue as his eyes looked down at his glass. "Not thrilled. He might already have an inkling that I'm getting bored, though; I've started grooming a replacement. Tonight's actually a bit of a test run for him. I'm hoping that if he does well, then Ren and I can part on good terms." He rocked his glass a little, watching the ice cube slide to the side.

"Besides," he continued, his grin regaining a bit of playfulness. "Our current idea shouldn't syphon too much business away from Mimosa Bloom."

Peter just about had his drink to his lips to take a sip, but had to pause to let out a brief chuckle.

Fair point. It seemed like Serio was sufficiently serious about this plan, and it made the nervous, excited anxiety in Juniper's stomach threaten to crawl up his throat. This...could...really... He wondered if it was even smart to allow himself to sleep on the idea (besides the thought that there was no way in hell that he would actually get to sleep) since he was afraid he would talk himself out of it somehow. And that was not something his intoxicated anxious self wanted at all. But, then again, a business deal is a business deal and must be handled appropriately. He attempted to hold back a heavy sigh.

"Gentlemen, you've given me quite a lot to think about. I am thoroughly intrigued. If you are as serious about this as it seems like you are, start thinking of how much upfront capital you might need to get going. If I cannot help you, then I may be able to find you someone who can." Surely that was vague enough to protect him from appearing too personally excited about the venture while showing the men that he was interested. 

((OOC: I would be ready for a timeskip at this point.))

Juniper received a call from Serio the following afternoon, consisting of an appropriate amount of smalltalk before getting right down to numbers. Some things remained variable pending decisions, such as venue and staffing expenses, but Serio provided ballparks and, to the extent that Juniper seemed interested, thoughtful commentary on how he came up with the numbers.

When it sounded like Juniper was still on board, or at least still willing to press forward for now, Serio inquired as to whether he was attending an upcoming party. He hinted that there'd be another attendee at the party Juniper might especially like to meet, though was a bit coy about details beyond that. In any case, it sounded like Juniper was indeed planning to attend, so the men agreed to see each other there.

---

The party in question was hosted at the townhouse where Amelia Rayne lived with her mother. Margery would of course be in attendance, and no doubt had some hand in the party's planning and execution, but the party was primarily Amelia's and her friend Colleen's. Suitors for each of the young women would certainly be among the guest list, but the girls had invited quite a few people, wanting to throw a nice bustling social event.

Serio was amused when Amelia made a point to come flirt with him not too long after he arrived at the party. They did certainly enjoy each other's company, but he couldn't imagine she was remotely serious about him. She partly just seemed to do it for fun; partly as a sort of 'I do what I want' statement; and maybe partly just to keep other suitors on their toes. Serio couldn't say he minded terribly; she was a good conversationalist, and watching the machinations behind it all gave Serio both entertainment and, to be honest, at least a bit of an ego stroke.

After some banter with Amelia, Serio quite expertly made his rounds, saying hi to all the right people and indulging in all the right conversations to boost relationships and trade appropriate amounts of gossip. It wasn’t too long before he ran into Juniper, and he greeted the man warmly. He made a point to introduce Juniper to a couple acquaintances of Serio’s who seemed to be primarily social contacts - folks Serio called friends or gaming buddies or things of the like. Chances were pretty high that each and every one of them had some utility to Serio via gossip avenues, status in certain social circles, etc, but if Serio was feigning his warmth towards any of them then he was masterful at it. He knew to ask after pets, hobbies, relatives - whatever would light up their interlocutor’s face and stir just enough smalltalk.

One acquaintance that Serio brought Juniper towards was a tall, lithe man with long platinum-blonde hair tied back in a low ponytail, and a slight british accent.

“Mr. Kade, long time no see.” The man greeted Serio with a nod and a warm smile, which Serio returned in kind.

“And whose fault is that?” Serio replied playfully. The man raised an eyebrow, but his smile didn’t falter.

“Touché. I’m Stateside again for the foreseeable future now though, so don’t forget me when you’re compiling guest lists.” The blonde gave Serio a brief, subtle wink, before turning his attention to Juniper and extending his hand, having sensed that an introduction was imminent and deciding not to dawdle about it. There- might have been a brief once-over that the blonde gave Juniper, but it was swift and subtle, and a bit difficult to discern the nature of. Perhaps just sizing up a new acquaintance.

“I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure. Stephen Pemberley’s the name.”

The man’s handshake was a bit on the soft and delicate side - although hardly timid - and his bright blue eyes gazed into Juniper’s with warmth and curiosity.

Since Stephen beat him to the punch, Serio took a sip of his drink and let introductions happen on their own. He could fill in gaps once the men had finished their initial greetings.

((OOC: let me know if there are other details ya need like décor or house layout or party atmosphere or anything. Also feel free to take liberties with esp décor and atmosphere since Colleen had a hand in those aspects. Also, Cory is present already at the party but I figure it seems like the party is big enough Juniper hasn't necessarily run into him yet. Although you're free to assume that Juniper has already seen him if that seems fun, and I certainly can provide more details of what Cory's been up to at the party so far, but it seemed less infodump-y to save those things for after Stephen if you're not in a rush to know about them lol))

The day after his conversation with Serio, Juniper had two minor business appointments but struggled to keep his mind firmly on either of them. Luckily, he'd built up enough muscle memory around how to make the deals he wanted that he was able to allow some parts of his mind to roll over the idea of this new venture. Eight-tenths of that allowance was ridiculously anxious and calculating all the ways this could go wrong, both personally and financially, such that he nearly decided he would simply back out, but the other two-tenths of that allowance had potent motivators behind them.

Among his chief concerns was the rumors that might begin to fly about the establishment. If the establishment itself were to incidentally become the subject of gossip--after all, you can't stop people from talking--then Juniper would be front and center in that scandal, and after what happened back in Chicago... 

Yes, the better option would be to play it safe, but... Juniper had the feeling he would sincerely regret not taking this opportunity, and that wasn't nothing. Besides, no one said Juniper needed to advertise that he was involved. After all, he went mostly unseen through many of his business arrangements. 

By the time Serio called in the afternoon, Juniper had wavered enough that he felt somewhat more confident in talking numbers. At least numbers were something he felt confident about, and what Serio proposed was more reasonable than Juniper would have guessed. There would be some need to move capital around, but it was very doable. Plus, given that Serio had experience in the industry, Juniper trusted the accuracy of the ballparks.

The time prior to Colleen and Amelia's party passed relatively quickly despite the fact that the concept of this new club would not leave Juniper's mind. He found himself dressing for the party, firmly in the realm of what was socially appropriate given the situation, this time in a tan vest and suit coat and crisply lined matching pants. He looked at his hats a little forlornly before leaving the house without one. 

At the party, Juniper lightly ignored the hosts, making a point of casually finding elsewhere to be when it looked like he might catch their attention. Though it was Colleen and Amelia's party, that certainly wasn't the reason he was here; there were plenty of contacts Juniper wanted to keep tabs on, even if he did not include Serio. 

Nevertheless, Juniper was grateful to see the man when Colleen looked deadset on heading Juniper's direction, giving him yet another excuse to avoid what Juniper knew would have been a tasteful yet intolerable confrontation, at least from his perspective. Juniper raised his glass to drink from it to disguise that he had seen Colleen and lowered it before turning to Serio. 

Serio's introductions were both more useful and entertaining as Juniper continued to get to know and develop an opinion of Serio himself. Juniper intended to remember everyone's names and typically had no problem doing so. 

When the two men got to Stephen and he extended his hand in Juniper's direction, Juniper shook it firmly, admittedly somewhat distracted by the man's accent. However, without missing a moment, Juniper said, "Juniper Lane" as though he were tossing it gently in the air. Not knowing exactly the relevance of this person, Juniper did not mention his own line of work, figuring the man could ask after it if he liked and largely waiting for Serio's cue.

"Juniper's relatively new to town, so I'm taking the liberty of introducing him to some fun people." Serio offered up with a calm smile once the men had finished their initial greetings. Stephen lightly touched his fingers to his chest in a playful 'who, me?' sort of gesture, which Serio appreciated but moved on from smoothly.

"And speaking of fun, how was that wedding?"

Stephen sighed and shifted his weight, crossing one arm over his chest and bringing his other hand up to his cheek in a bit of a playful-melodramatic gesture.

"I mean, about as fun as Philip and Miranda would ever let a wedding be." The tall blonde rolled his eyes just slightly and played at leaving it there, but he was also invested in keeping conversation going, punchlines be damned. Serio would probably pick it up, but Stephen wasn't about to make him do all the work.

"It really was a lovely time though. He smiled more in a 24-hour time period than I think I've seen him smile our whole lives, and that certainly wasn't nothing. My brother is an absolute bore, you see." Stephen directed that last comment towards Juniper, even leaning in slightly as though confiding a bit of a secret. His lips were curled into enough of an affectionate smile, though, that it was fairly clear he was in fact perfectly fond of his brother, and was just being playful.

"Not sure how much we should talk of marriage at this particular party, though," Stephen commented softly with a bit of a playful wink - mostly directed towards Serio, but certainly angled so that Juniper could see.

"Mm." Serio tossed a quick glance towards where Amelia stood chatting with some folks at the other end of the room. "Has Miss Rayne already interrogated you all about it?"

"Only the instant I stepped in the door. Although, she's also been doting a lot on someone new today... not sure if I should be jealous..." Stephen tossed his own brief, curious glance over towards Amelia. Serio lightly raised an eyebrow.

"Here I thought you'd be relieved about that."

Stephen blinked back to Serio, his expression looking just slightly surprised, although kept plenty steady. Perhaps in response to that, or just something else in the expression, Serio continued with a slight wink of his own,

"I've been helping Juniper here dodge Miss Shepard for a good chunk of the evening." For good measure, Serio very lightly bumped elbows with Juniper, hoping that this level of teasing was within bounds.

Stephen's gaze shifted to Juniper, and gave the man a brief once-over again, though his expression remained light.

"I can sympathize. Those girls are both a bit voracious." The man's expression and body language both seemed in line with a suitable lighthearted playfulness about the whole thing, but somehow, there was something...

"And, dare I say, have a knack for going after men who aren't actually interested."

Mmmyeahhhhh, he was definitely paying sharp attention to Juniper's response, lighthearted expression be damned.

Juniper got the impression that Serio saying "fun people" was supposed to clue him into something, and Stephen's gesture afterward seemed to confirm that was the case--after all, it made sense that the contact Serio wanted to introduce Juniper to would at least be all right with the idea of a gay club--but Juniper was doing everything he could to banish the thought from his mind because Stephen was... gorgeous. Unbelievably so. And when Stephen placed his fingers over his chest, he might as well have been striking a pose as far as Juniper's mind was concerned. 

As Serio and Stephen talked about the wedding, Juniper tried to keep a ridiculous grin off his face and managed for the most part, though every movement Stephen made, especially when playfully criticizing his brother, began a whole new wave of completely inappropriate thoughts in the key of This man's an actor, right? Surely? No one is that beautiful unless they're on camera. If I were a director, he would star in all my movies. Lead role. Every time. And maybe I could act in my own films! And write the script such that we... No, no, not going further than that. Wait, but modeling! Stephen could be a model! He could model suits, ties, shoes, hats--wait, no, we definitely shouldn't cover that hair--underwear... Gah! 

That was around the time that Stephen leaned closer to Juniper, and that ridiculous grin escaped his face for a few seconds before he managed to get it back under control. At least, until Stephen winked, and there it was again, back on his face. Ridiculous. Juniper mentally chastised himself and reminded himself to be professional. This was a business contact. Business...contact. 

When the talk began to veer toward Amelia, Juniper was grateful, at least until Serio said Stephen might be relieved about the fact that she was distracted. Yet another wave of wild guessing and making assumptions! Keep it together, Juniper!

And then Serio's arm hit Juniper's, which did knock some sense into him, briefly. Yes, he reminded himself, he had been avoiding Amelia. Wait, was that going to give anything away? Did Stephen already know? Juniper's stomach twisted uncomfortably. Was he ever going to get used to being introduced to Serio's contacts without feeling this way? Stephen's once-over was not comforting, but it did make his stomach untwist and start dancing instead. Juniper would have given anything to see inside Stephen's head at that moment. But, Juniper did not have to wait long before Stephen said "going after men..." 

If Juniper had had liquid in his mouth, he might have choked, but instead he managed to stay neutral in his expression, though he was certain his eyes widened. Was this gorgeous man... coming onto him? Oh lord, perish the thought! Perish the thought! Juniper couldn't help the blush that must have appeared on his face. He attempted to turn away slightly both in an attempt to calm himself down and to make sure that no one else was within earshot. 

Juniper wanted to say something witty, anything, to impress this man, to get this show on the road because he really, really did want this club to happen. Swallowing his anxiety temporarily, Juniper handed the conversation over to the more suave version of himself, who said, "Well, finding that crowd will be a lot easier soon if all goes well." Juniper then looked down casually at his hands with a small smile before tossing a subtly daring glance back at Stephen. The more rational part of his brain, offline as it was, threw caution to the wind, hoping that Stephen at least had some inkling of Serio's business plan or that Juniper wasn't stealing Serio's thunder. 

It was Stephen's turn to let his eyes subtly widen at Juniper's reply. His gaze shifted briefly to Serio, who at the immediate moment looked exactly the right amount of low-key smug as he sipped calmly at his drink. Apparently that was an expression Stephen had been hoping to see, as his smile widened, his eyes relaxed a touch, and he shifted his weight onto one hip, which his hand then settled nicely upon.

"Fantastic," he cooed softly, though his mouth enunciated each and every syllable with verve. "I know quite a few folks who'd love to hear that news."

"Mm. There's still quite a few things in the works," Serio chimed in calmly, "but balls are rolling. We'll certainly keep you in the loop."

"Marvellous," Stephen gave a sort of deep and graceful nod, "I'd love to hear more about it sometime, when we can chat candidly. Which I do hope won't be too far away." His eyebrows raised a touch at the last comment, and Serio gave a somewhat reassuring smile in return.

"I promise, we'll be in touch."

"Well, this has already been one of the more energizing conversations I've had this evening," Clearly pleased, Stephen's smile brightened, and he glanced over towards Juniper again. "Serio said you're new to town, yes? What brought you to these parts?"