Chapter Text
A handsome man stands still on the Promenade des Anglais, staring out at the Mediterranean; the warm spring air ruffles his hair as his eyes track the passage of a small sailboat.
He is slight of frame and of average height, but he holds himself like a man much taller. He wears a lightweight, ecru fil-à-fil linen suit; the single-breasted, ventless blazer is buttoned over a taupe linen shirt and slim knitted tie in Jordy blue that brings out the same in his eyes. He leans on a simple black ebony cane, chased in silver; occasionally he lifts it off the ground and taps it against the instep of his hand-made Italian leather balmorals. His face is tanned and the corners of his eyes are creased with age. Where there was patchy dark stubble when he was younger, there is now a short, well groomed beard. Hair that was once a mess of dark cowlicks is now cut short in the back and tamed in the front; the dying sun picks out the ample silver in it.
He smiles easily to himself, enjoying this moment of tranquility. He is happy for this freedom after seventeen long years of captivity.
He taps his cane a few times on the stones and makes his way to Vieux Nice, his favourite part part of town. Sitting down at one of the numerous cafés that line the cobbled streets, he orders socca, the salty crêpe a Niçois specialty, with a robust rosé from Aix-en-Provence. The waiter, an attractive youth, takes his order and comes back shortly with the wine.
While he is waiting, the shop across the way opens for business. The owner of the shoe store is dumping dirty water on the narrow street. In trying to rid the bucket of the grime at the bottom, he shakes grey droplets into the air. A few of those drops fall on the cuff of the older man's pants.
Rude.
He takes a sip of his wine and rises, crossing the street to the shoe store. His lips curl charmingly at the portly owner as he asks the man for his business card. As always, he can feel the constant presence of his spectral lover behind him. He knows that he is smiling. Will can hear his voice upon the warm breeze.
"Good boy."