Chapter Text
The first time Jane and Beau met was at a rather boring business party. Ferdinand had dragged the cowboy along, mostly to make himself appear much more knowledgeable. Beau at the time was quite new to the business world only recently becoming business partners with Mr. Berkley. Before this he was a farmhand on his family's farm in the Shua region, it was all he had really known and it showed in his behaviour. He didn't have the manners or skills Ferdinand had coming from a wealthy lifestyle but he had his charms. It's a shame those don't often work on business men though. Defeated after a few incredibly awkward interactions he moved over to the bar to get himself a glass of scotch, landing him right next to Phillip Abernathy who at that point was done with all these annoying rich folks. It wasn't even entertaining to them anymore how each one battled to be the most rich and most impressive, after a long night even that loses it's charms.
"You look worse for wear, darling. No offense," Phillip turned to the man next to him with a slight smile. "Not enjoying the party, are we?" Beau would be offended despite the no offense but this is the first person who treated him with some decency so he's not going to lose that moment. "Somethin' like that." He takes a sip from his scotch, exactly what he needed right now. "You don't seem to having all that much fun yourself though." Truly this wasn't an attempt to insult him back but Beau didn't mind returning the favour ever so slightly. Phillip really didn't look like they were enjoying themselves, mostly just waiting to head home as their parents socialised further. "I'm not. Rich folk challenging other rich folk to battle in wealth, well it quite frankly gets boring after the first hour. It gets interesting again when they all had a bit too much to drink, just have to make it to that point" They finished their drink and ordered another one immediately. Beau did dig their style, they clearly weren't like the other men at the party and he appreciated their sense of realness. "Suppose I'll need a much stronger drink then. I'm Beau by the way." As he finished his scotch, he ordered another drink one similar to Phillips. "Phillip Abernathy." Both men clinked their glasses as they silently agreed to keep each other company until the evening got interesting. "You alone here? Or did ya come with a business partner or somethin'?" Beau asked, Phillip had been turned towards two business men arguing at this point, Beau didn't need to be looked at to be talked to so they kept their attention on the other men. "Family business, my sister is somewhere here roaming and no doubt getting her ears talked off about market values and what not. Truly we don't need parties like these but our parents like us to show face at these events every once in a while to stay relevant." Beau nodded as if he understood that kind of lifestyle, he did not. His parents laughed at him when he said he wanted to try something else than the farm, imagine they just send him to random parties to just... be there. "How about you? Any interesting business partner I should keep an eye out for?" Phillip asked, curious as to who brought this cowboy to this prestigious yet boring event. The cowboy answered by pointing at Ferdinand, currently laughing a rich person laugh with other rich people laughing rich person laughs. "The tiefling in the ochre suit, Ferdinand Berkley. He's my business partner." It earned him an nod from the drow next to him. "Interesting. He doesn't seem to pay much attention to you, darling. You might need a better business partner some time, get out while you can." Beau was about to answer but instead someone else took the lead.
"Who's getting out while they can? More importantly, can I join? If one more of these men calls me 'babycakes' or 'sweetcheeks' I may have to cast spirit guardians." A sweet yet clearly irritated voice of a woman answered. Beau was trying to place where the voice was coming from but Phillip explained quite quickly by moving aside so Jane was in view. She was wearing an incredibly expensive looking evening gown with matching gloves. Her hair done up in a delicate and precise updo that must have taken hours to do. Her makeup was perfect, even someone like Beau could see the effort put into it. She was gorgeous, practically radiating elegance. Beau snapped out of his dumbfounded amazement though, there was no time to be dumbfounded when you had to be charming. He tipped his hat to her and flashed a million dollar smile. "That would be me. Though I'm afraid we're not talking about the party and more so my business arrangements." Jane was just as enchanted by Beau and it only got worse when he started talking. That accent did things to her she's not proud to admit but it's roughness battled every clean rich folk voice she had to put up with for the past few years. The way he adjusted himself when she entered his field of vision to seem less macho manly and more respectful and don't even get her started on that smile. "That's a shame, I was hoping someone would be interested in running off to the garden with me..." Phillip understood clear as day what Jane was hinting at and ordered yet another drink. "Not me, sweet sister but perhaps Beau would like to join you." Beau did want to join her, he was hoping for it actually but now that he got put on the spot it all seems a bit more difficult. He hadn't been saying the right stuff until Phillip came along and what if he made things awkward with the incredibly pretty lady. "But of course, I'd be honoured to keep you some company, miss..." All he wanted was a name but he also got the cutest little smile along with it. "Jane Abernathy." Phillip ordered him another drink as well and handed it over with a slight wink and a knowing smile. "Trust me, darling. You're going to need this one." They walked off to encourage some rich men to argue some more after that, leaving Jane and Beau all alone. For a little bit it truly felt like they were the only people in the room, both had only eyes for the other and it was clear they had an interest. So clear that someone else approached to break that silent staring contest they were having.
"Ah. Beau. I was wondering where you went." Another clean rich person voice, one belonging to Mister Ferdinand Berkley. It was the first time Ferdinand had given Beau any attention even after the cowboy shot him some pleading 'help me out' looks during particularly awkward situations. When Beau had stood with Phillip it seemed that disinterest remained but the minute he was in the company of a pretty lady Ferdinand was a whole lot more engaged. "And who is this gorgeous lady you're with?" The question felt gross, because truly it was meant that way. Ferdinand was mocking his business partner and in the process trying to secure Jane's admiration. It had worked on the other business men in the past. It's why he brought Beau along to these events, Beau made him look good. As he was about to answer, Jane instead took the lead and answered Ferdinand's question. "Not interested." She grabbed Beau gently by the wrist and pulled him away, inadvertently being the first time Beau disrespected Ferdinand in any way. He had spoken his mind before sure but Ferdinand made it very clear that was not their dynamic, he knew more than Beau so he was not to be spoken back to. With a glance back it was clear the tiefling was not interested in the behaviour displayed especially by someone like Jane who was clearly beneath him. "He is not going to like that..." Beau mostly mumbled to himself as they got to the garden of the ridiculously lavish mansion the party took place. "So? I didn't like him being so degrading yet he still did it."
Jane was about to sit down on a marble bench near the fountain but due to recent rain it was not exactly a desired location to sit down. Nothing too bad but she was not about to ruin here dress with it. The cowboy noticed this and without a second thought took off his suit jacket and placed it down on the bench. "Here. Don't worry, he paid for it anyways. Not that I uh... Can't afford a suit. I just... Yeah. Okay. I'm going to stop talking now." For the first time at these business parties Jane genuinely laughed, the man before her was a charming little mess. As she sat down, she patted the suit jacket space next to her. Beau was an exciting mystery for her, what was a man like him doing at a party like this? What were his plans here? How good at kissing is he? Was he a business man or just brought along for some other purpose? Most importantly, how good at kissing is he? She inched a bit closer when Beau did sit down defeated after his recent stumble. "Well if he paid for it then I certainly don't mind using it for this purpose, it did look good on you though." Jane was looking at the stars for a bit, playing hard to get for a man who really hadn't shown that much interest in her yet. She was just hoping he would. Beau was certainly looking at her, it seemed that every part of Jane was perfect. Even things others would consider imperfections were carried so well by her it all seemed to just create it's own sense of perfection. A woman completely and utterly out of his league was what she was and yet she was interested enough to go to the garden with him. "Oh please. Nothing compared to you though." A real gotcha moment, a second of interest and Jane knew he had fallen for her tricks hook line and sinker. Her tricks being the easiest of flirts and the slightest showing of ankle of course but still, Beau was were she wanted him. She didn't like men acting like they were above her, smarter than her, better than her. She wanted someone who laid their jacket down on marble benches and then awkwardly stumbled to claim he did truly have the money to pay for one but this one wasn't exactly his. It was around the time her parents had started pressuring her to find someone nice at these events, she wasn't getting any younger. To come home with someone like Beau would piss them off but did she care? For a horrifying second she just realised what she had been thinking, she just met this man and she's already thinking about bringing him home to meet her parents. Dear gods, perhaps she's the one falling for his flirts hook line and sinker instead.
She composed herself, determined to carry this through cool and collected. "So what is someone as charming as you doing at a party like this then?" A change of subject to keep him on his toes, though she was genuinely interested in the answer. "Ferdinand mostly pulls me along, I more so handle the social side of our business. His social skills leave much to be desired when it isn't laughing with other rich men." He decided to be honest, no use seeming cooler than you are. No amount of cool could ever measure to Jane's cool. "Ah. Yes. They certainly do." Jane has a slight shudder, not from the cold but from the mere thought of Berkley. Beau however did interpret it as cold and instead offered his hands to keep hers warm. His hands were rugged and had a few calluses remaining from his years on the farm. They were much larger compared to Jane's who did eagerly place them in his, now pretending to be a bit chilly after all. She noticed every little detail about Beau and each one just presented a new mystery. "These don't look like the hands of a man that just handles business." She looked up at him playfully, figuring Beau out was but a game to her. He could keep his secrets but she quite liked seeing what he was willing to give up. "Used to work on my family farm. Now I get to go to parties and drink expensive alcohol for a living." Beau didn't actually leave the farm for those reasons but he thought it sounded interesting. Clearly that wasn't the case for Jane who was not at all impressed by that mindset shared by all the other man at the party. "No uh I... Well I had this idea to help out some of the lesser areas in the Shua region. Ferdinand was interested in funding it." Back on track, that's the stuff she likes to hear. Business with an actually good purpose, to help. All that wealth getting a rightful place in the grand scheme of things. "That's nice. Very noble. Perhaps my family could fund it too." She rubs his hand a tiny bit with her thumb. She would spoil the living daylights out of this man if he was hers, everything his sweet little southern heart desired would be his. "Oh that's very kind but I think Ferdinand has got it covered. He's... He's got money to spare really." Again talk of Ferdinand, it seemed talking about Beau's business would always bring up that man so she decided to change the subject.
"Hm... Any other interests?" The charming and correct answer with be a flirtatious 'you.' but Beau held back. He didn't want to only pursue Jane, he wanted to really talk to her. "I quite like flowers, oh linedancing! I'm an excellent linedancer. Don't ask me to dance any other type of dance, I will have two left feet." Another laugh from Jane, he liked hearing it. It was so gentle yet so real, up until tonight he hadn't spend time with someone real in a long while. "I don't think I've ever actually seen people linedance before. Didn't know it was a passion for some." To have never linedanced was a pure shock to Beau but easily changed. He faked a more earnest surprise, overdramatic but deep down he meant it. "Never ever? Oh sweetheart, you are missing out! There's events in the Shua region all the time, you simply must go." That nickname 'sweetheart', it made Jane's stomach go all aflutter. Sure, she uses darling for damn near anything and everything but that sweetheart in this moment was specially used for her and her alone. "Well, dear. Perhaps you could take me some time then." She made the first move, playing hard to get left her system within five seconds for Beau. She wasn't much of a dancer but Beau's excitement was what made it seem worth going, especially if he's with her. "I'd love to." Beau smiled softly, he wasn't sure if Jane meant it as friends or more but he didn't mind. He just wanted to get to know Jane better in any way. He wondered about it for a tiny bit, would Jane really have asked him out as in... a date? This consideration displayed just clearly enough on his face for Jane to pick up on it and with that Jane had another thing she liked about the cowboy. He didn't assume she was going to be smitten just because he said a couple words. Many of the men she'd met before assumed such a thing, surely she couldn't refuse them after they had just flaunted their wealth for five minutes. "As a date, if that's what you want as well. Wear your best outfit, with the hat please. I like the hat." He didn't mind her demands, he quite liked them actually. Jane knew what she wanted and Beau was damn good at following orders. "My best outfit won't be a suit or anything though. Hope you don't mind, sweetheart." A man who wasn't like all the others, exactly what she needed. "I prefer it actually. The suit looks nice on you but it doesn't feel like you... The hat does." She inched a bit closer, one of her hands still in his and the other on his arm, tracing little imaginary nonsense patterns. With that move he had lost all ability to speak, to make witty and charming comments. Jane was so close to him, he could smell her perfume so clearly. A floral scent, he had always loved flowers but somehow appreciated their smell even more now as Jane wore it so well. The moonlight hit her so nicely, illuminating her white hair with an iridescent glow. Just like when they had been inside everything else faded leaving just them. "Are you alright, darling?" Jane asked sweetly, she knew exactly what was happening but liked to hear it from Beau. With her question he had noticed he'd been staring at her for far too long without saying a word, though clearly she didn't mind. The silence between them had been comfortable but by now Beau manage to regroup and break it once more. "I'm better than I've ever been." He moved a hand to her cheek, just to return the favour of contact she had given him. Jane could have kissed him right then and there if it wasn't for Phillip appearing in the garden.
"Sorry to ruin the moment but father dearest wants to go. A maid spilled champagne on him." It was so very clear they were trying not to smirk at that even though it brought them the upmost joy to see their father enraged like that. Jane sighed and got up, already missing the warm hands of Beau. "Right..." She turned to Beau. "I'll see you later to plan our little... get together." She hesitated, for a slight second then placed a gentle little peck right on Beau's cheek leaving the red remainders of the lipstick she was wearing. "Bye, Beau." With those words, she turned to Phillip who held out their arm for her to hold. "Consider your business partner, Mr Beau. I'm not getting a good feeling from that Ferdinand Berkley." Phillip was sincere and more serious than when they had stated the champagne incident, they kept an eye on Berkley through out the night ever since Jane was obviously irritated by him. Something about that man felt off and usually they are right on the money with these sorts of things. The two Abernathy siblings walked off to join their parents leaving Beau alone in the garden, with bright red lips on his cheek, a wet suit jacket and a future to consider. A future with Ferdinand but more importantly a future with Jane.