Story written in collaboration with drakken
Jean-Ferdinand (Aldrich) Giroux-Krier was created by and belongs to drakken

Being nervous usually wasn’t something the feline experienced. During the holidays when Aldrich was younger, wondering whether or not he’d see his parents or grandfather - those may have been the only times he’d ever been nervous or felt anxious. He’d gotten over it now and replaced it with something else. Leon’s position switch had really rocked him. He was standing there outside the bar, chewing idly on a claw and wondering how in god's name someone started a conversation. ‘Good afternoon?’ ‘Fancy seeing you here?’ ’Fuck, I feel like a stalker.”

His chance to figure words out came sooner than later when he heard the door open and turned quickly, coughing to clear his throat, smoothing down his shirt: “Hello Miss duPont-” He blinked at the not-mouse that gave him a questioning look and deflated at getting the wrong person. Had he missed Lisa? “I’ve been waiting out here for fifteen minutes since I saw her in there…” He turned from the door and began to pace to the side. “Ugh! Why can’t I just go in there and talk to her like a normal person!”

Aldrich wouldn’t have to wait much longer as the mouse suddenly burst through the doors. She Could barely stand up straight and hung on to the frame. Aldrich could hear the bartender call after her.

“You… gonna be alright heading home? Let me at least call you a cab!”

“Fuck you, I’m fine,” Lisa replied back. Lisa went to take a step forward but was blocked. “You…?”

“Miss duPont!” his hand dropped from his mouth and dipped into his pocket while the other offered itself to her. “My apologies. I meant to…” he trailed off once his attention fully focused on her. Aldrich had been to and hosted enough parties to know at first glance a fur who was drunk. He wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt and peg her as just tipsy. “Are you drunk?” it came out a bit too fast and he added onto it, trying to save the abruptness in his voice. “I, uh, I mean, you know- I’m not opposed to drinking.” His extended hand pulled away to run through his hair. “Are you okay?” That seemed like the correct thing to ask.

Lisa’s eyes were looking past Aldrich. “Me? Yeah. What are you… doing here? What? Is everyone related to that fucker in some way?!”

Aldrich raised a brow and switched his hands; the one in his pocket now out, phone in hand. “Well, we’re in Vegas. And I, uh,” paid someone to search for connections to you– “Wait. Related to who? I have no relatives in the states.”

“Fucking, good.” Lisa rubbed her eyes with her fingers. “Do yourself a favor and stay out of this place. No good comes from that guy!” She pointed back at the bartender. “Wait… Why are you here?” she asked again.

Right. No good came from her- well, he wasn’t sure what the relation was. “I’m here to see you.” He half-smiled then grimaced a bit. Ohhh, he really sounded like a creep right now. He had to fix that somehow. “I was exploring Vegas and happened to come here,” he didn’t even enjoy bars or drinking. “You see, I don’t really leave home a lot.” Yes, yes, he could play into the young-adult-finding-himself, or some shit, route. “I was coming in when I saw you and…” Got nervous. Right. “I wanted to talk to you after the game, but you ran off after talking to Tyriq. I don’t care about what history you two might have. He’s just my teammate.”

Aldrich stopped himself then. “Can I take you to your hotel? We don’t have to talk. I’d like to just make sure you get out of here safely.”

“No… It’s fine. I’m just… You caught me at a bad time.” Lisa tried to stand up straight and sober up the best she could with will-power alone. “Hotel… I actually didn’t book one. I was gonna…” She thought for a moment. She actually had no plans past coming to the lounge. “I think I need one,” she chuckled. Lisa brushed her hair back and tried to fix herself up. “Sorry I look like a mess. I’m… going through stuff. Did you say you wanted to see me?” Lisa was finally, albeit slowly, picking up what Aldrich was saying.

Good thing he’d pulled his phone out and preemptively texted his driver to pull around. “Well,” he offered his hand to her once more but rather than for a handshake, it extended out, palm open, waiting for her to take it. “I can get you a hotel. I’ve invested in several here, so it won’t be a problem. My driver will be here in five minutes, and we can go to the one closest to the airport.”

Lisa looked at his hand and slowly took it. “Oh, okay… Thanks.” She was feeling light-headed and was in no position to take herself anywhere on her own, as much as she didn’t want to admit it. But it was a good thing Aldrich showed up when he did. She agreed to wait for his driver as long as they could move away from the lounge. “Please. I gotta get away from here.”

Aldrich made sure to hold her hand firmly but gently, ready to steady her if need be. Their height difference hadn’t quite set in for him even after all the games he’d played against her. Every game against Lisa, he was in a zone where his only focus was to survive against one of the best PG’s in the league. Now, being so close to her, it clicked and made him smile a bit. This was the first time he was taller than a point guard he respected. Leon was taller than him. Silvius, too. Even Vera (by one inch). “Let’s go. We can meet my driver on the curb.”

The two waited for his driver to show up together. Lisa wobbled a bit as she stood there, thinking about the last thing David said to her. What was it that Lisa really wanted? Her head ached over this and eventually she asked Alderich if it was okay if she sat on the curb. But soon the driver came and the two arrived at the villa. Aldrich did most of the talking for Lisa as she stood there, eyes barely opened. This was strange for Lisa. She had only started drinking since around 2021 when things changed for her forever. Her being this drunk only happened to her once before, and she had promised she’d never do it again. But there she was, swaying in the hallway outside her room.

Aldrich opened the door for her and Lisa fell into bed. “Thaaaaank you, Aldrich,” She muttered into her pillow.

He chuckled at the sight and sound of face-in-pillow talking. “Of course. No problem.” his driver waited for him outside of the villa; ready to head out whenever Aldrich was ready. Except rather than getting her to bed and heading out, he took a seat on the small lounge sofa up against the wall, to the left of Lisa’s bed. “I’ve taken care of any expenses you may have. The room and food are paid for. I’ve left a small prepaid visa on the kitchen counter.” He paused and looked down at the floor, thinking of what to say that wasn't about him spending money. “Is it alright if I ask?” he looked up at her. “Is something happening with you? Are you hurt? Are you not playing as a guard anymore?”

Lisa’s ear twitched at first, but when his words finally reached her, she sat up quickly in her bed. “What?! I! Of course, I’m still playing! W-who told you otherwise?” She grabbed a pillow and hugged it tight.

“Ah…” her response was interesting and didn’t worry him any less. “No one said anything to me. I’m just…” wondering what it was that he wanted. “You know what happened with Leon. I was worried you might be…” he motioned in the air with a hand, frowning a bit and then letting out a huff. “Quitting? I don’t know. I thought about doing that when Tennessee lost in the finals. And then again last year when we couldn’t even make it to the fucking semifinals.”

Aldrich leaned back against the couch, sinking into it, thinking hard about trying not to think too hard. “The only other respectable point guard who’s moved for their career, gives their best to be the best, and is someone I can actually acknowledge is you, Eliza.” he caught himself with that “Er. Miss duPont.”

Lisa rubbed her head. “Ugh, please don’t call me Miss duPont.” She barely liked being called Eliza, or at least she was just starting to realize. “But… you… ‘acknowledge’ me?” Lisa then scoffed. “You should talk to my father,” she grumbled. “But… Why? I didn’t do anything. It’s not like I ever made MVP or won a series or anything.”

“Do you not know you’re one of the best point guards in the entire league? You’re a five-time all-star, you’ve made it to six playoffs, you make seventeen million a year. I know you’ve been snubbed of being a starter for all-star and have been voted for in MVP talks.” He put his hands in his lap and looked to the ceiling. “As a starting point, you have some of the best stats. When I play against you, I actually have a challenge. You’re fierce on and off the court.” the image of her punching David got a snort-laugh out of him. He imagined himself in her place and his grandfather in David’s. “I could talk to your father if you wanted me to. I have American business partners.” But he strictly prohibited himself from doing business with any family members of friends or anyone in the FBA. Always a just in case thing for him. “I’ve never reached out to him because of his relation to you. I didn’t think it was appropriate.”

Lisa smiled. She had never been praised the way Aldrich was praising her. It started to make her feel like she really did belong in the FBA. All the talk from her father truly made her feel like she was wasting her time, but Aldrich was different. He truly admired her.

“Thank you…” she said into her pillow, hugging it tighter. “I don’t know what to say. I’ve been told…” She stopped for a moment. Should she say anything? The way she felt in the moment, it didn’t matter. She continued. “I’ve been told that what we make is pennies compared to what we could be making.” She figured Aldrich would understand what she was talking about. “That what we’re doing is a good ‘hobby’ but that’s it…”

This felt all too familiar to Aldrich. Years ago, he’d been told the same thing by his grandfather - just one month after his father’s death. The older Scottish fold had yelled at him about having wasted his time on a sport. How his father died and even after it, the son still wanted to ‘play’ instead of taking over the legacy. “I think,” he started, standing up from the couch and making his way to sit beside Lisa. “We both have expectations of ourselves that we’re failing.” What Lisa’s entire expectations were, though, he’d never know or would pry to know.

Speaking just from his own life, he went on and gave Lisa a wry smile. “My grandfather told me he wished I would have died instead of my father.” he laughed despite the weight of what he’d just said. It was hard not to when he thought about his grandfather having to fight off his guard dog shortly after saying that. “It really didn’t even make sense. My parents had a car accident. Was I supposed to be with them? Go drive myself? At the age of fifteen? Well.” Maybe this was a bit grim. He apologized in a cough to clear his throat, and moved on to what he was really trying to say. “I’ll never know your relationship with your father. You’ll never know mine with my grandfather. However, we both decided not to live up to what they wanted from us. We’re living up to our own expectations. To do what we want to do.”

Aldrich remembered hearing about Lisa’s scar. Of course, he remembered watching the footage, too. Then the press conference where she addressed it. “Life is too short to not do things you love. Basketball, being in the FBA, that isn’t something money can buy us. It couldn’t buy our skills and strength to keep doing this year after year. My salary here means nothing to me. I’m here to do what I love as a job. Isn’t that just what streamers do, and what people who game professionally do? I help my family’s business out, of course. But being here is my main focus. I don’t have anything to prove to my grandfather except to show him that I’m still here, becoming one of the best, and not quitting.” He finally gave himself a chance to breathe and scratched awkwardly at the back of his neck. Was that weird of him? It almost sounded like he gave a pep talk or something, and Lisa was his senior. “Sorry. I just mean that even though we come from money and have family who want to control us, we’re our own people.” he pointed at her neck. “No one can put out our fire except us.”

Lisa instinctively grabbed at her own neck. And suddenly, she couldn’t control herself. Tears spilled from her eyes as she buried her face into her pillow. She wasn’t concerned about Aldrich seeing her this way, because he was right. It was up to them to do what they wanted. After a while, Lisa sniffed and pulled away from her pillow. “I’m sorry. I just. I keep hearing two different things. Either it’s up to me what I want to do, or it’s for my own good what they want me to do. It’s kinda nice to know you understand me and are saying I should do what I want… But…” Lisa paused. “What do we do when we’re done, when we retire? What happens when we’re too old to play anymore and they force us to leave?” Lisa started to panic.

“Uhhhh,” he wasn’t good with people and… them expressing emotions. A hand reached out and pulled back and then reached out again. It lingered a moment before gently resting on Lisa’s shoulder. “It’s still our choice? No one can control the future.” His father would still be here if that were so. “Even those weirdo’s who try to make a whole life plan. The future is never set in stone or a straight line. It’s about how we adapt.” Words he had to keep telling himself for the past couple of months. Since the beginning of the season, really. “I proposed to Sandra the day she left on her mission, and she said no. I felt a little empty but got it together for the team. Prince Tomas, Miss Gray, and Miss Beller let me be the captain of the Wildcards. They let me come to Vegas for a new start. I thought about quitting last year but then I’d be letting myself down, the fans down, and the people who love me and supported me to get here, down.”

His hand pulled away and reached for his inner suit-jacket pocket. “I don’t know what I want to do after basketball, but I also know that I can decide that all by myself, for myself.” He placed his handkerchief on top of Lisa’s head. “You’re too cool to let your dad boss you around. I’d like to see him keep up with you on the court or have the three-point accuracy you do. You’re two very different people. Maybe he needs to figure out what he really wants before trying to make you do anything, like–like making up for his own mistakes or regrets? I don’t know. I actually don’t know anything about what I’ve said so far.” Aldrich laughed and smiled. “But it’s nice to talk to someone instead of beating up basketballs and watching k-dramas for my woes.”

Lisa chuckled. And then there was that one word he used. Adapt. Adapt. It was on all her posters: “Grow, Adapt, and give ‘em hell.” She had forgotten about this. And Aldrich was right again. No one could tell her what she wanted, now, or later. It was up to her to decide that for herself. “Thank you… so much.” Lisa rested her head in a friendly way on Aldrich’s shoulder. “I’m sorry for pouring this all on you but… I’m glad I did.” She sniffed and wiped her nose. “I just have to figure out what I want, that’s all. And… I know I will. Thank you, Aldrich.”

“It’s okay.” he retrieved his handkerchief and tucked it back into his inner pocket, being careful not to move too much with Lisa resting on him. “I’m glad I could help out one of my idols. I can cross that off my bucket list, I guess?” he snickered. “I wanted to ask if you were okay and I guess I sort of did that…” In a way. Now if he could only do the same for himself. “I should get going so you can rest. If you want, I can leave my number. Whether or not you use it is up to you.”

Lisa gripped his arm. She kept her gaze forward and spoke softly. “Can… You stay a little while longer… At least until I fall asleep? I know it’s a weird ask, but…” She sniffed. “I don’t think I wanna be alone right now. Is… is that okay?”

The cat nodded and flopped back onto the bed. “I don’t mind.” he wanted to apologize for having beat her and her team. Some part of him felt like that snowballed some things for her that got them to this point. He felt…bad, for once. But just like any other time, all he could think to do was offer something up. “If you’d like me to talk to your father to try and get him off your back a little, I wouldn’t mind doing that either.” The thought sounded great to Lisa. She mouthed a response but before anyone knew it, Lisa was fast asleep.

Aldrich stayed an hour after she’d fallen asleep. Everything in the villa was above par and she could order any food she wanted once she was awake. Yet, the cat decided to take some time and make her a quick parfait for breakfast. On the counter next to the pre-paid visa he’d left her, a card with his number and small note. ‘Thank you for talking to me. I don’t trust adults too much but you’re cool and nice. Remember that a phoenix always rises from the ashes stronger. Goodbye.’