tushanshu | Aux armes, citoyens (Video)

[Enjolras has looked better, certainly, though he's about as polished and as formal as he usually is, clad in his new light grey linen coat and waistcoat, even a loose cravat despite the heat. He's certainly sweating for the effort, all the same, his hair showing definite curled frizz that escapes its braid. There's also something about him that looks tireder than usual, but still, his expression is friendly enough as the vid feed starts.]

A great number of things have lately come to my attention, but among the most important is the fact that I must, that it is imperative for me to find activities of a less solitary nature than I've had since our return from...our return from war.

For a long time, it occurred to me that putting aside all reminders of it were the better way but I think, instead, that something active, some way of keeping my most relevant skills fresh, perhaps bettering, them, will be of more benefit here in the long run, and could help me socially as well. If I might train with...

That is to say, I wish to improve my ability with a blade. I fence in the foil discipline, and trained a little in it here, before the war, and can pick up an epee as needed, provided you are not freakishly tall [There's a wink to show it's a joke]. Is there anyone here who might be willing to go a few rounds with me, either for simple exercise, or, perhaps, if we suit and you find that you have things to teach me, for lessons of a sort?

Do please let me know, it may be nice to find action that I might do something with and about again, action I can control I... [That's enough for now, he realizes, breaking off with a little abrupt wave of his hand.]

Anyway, please do let me know.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The references...Versailles was a name that sounded vaguely familiar to her, though she couldn't recall why. Cake meant nothing. Nor did the name Marie Antoinette; it was too fast in the past by her time to be culturally relevant beyond the study of history, and she had never made it to that lesson in her studies.]

[As such, she could only wonder what a dessert had to do with anything, and why that woman in particular's was so note-worthy.]

...so maybe we both still have a lot to learn.

...Is that a bit too before your time? Sorry, I tend to... It's strange to think that things have changed so much from what I am used to in your timeline's France.

[Enjolras gives her a little smile there.]

I'd have probably run in and wrecked havoc anyway, if I'd been offered the chance at trying to be diplomatic. It...came later. Partially. We are still learning though, yes. Everyone is, or should be. Otherwise...I don't think we manage to grow much, and I hate to think I'm the same as I was three years ago entirely.

[She smiled back, shaking her head.]

A little, yes.

[It didn't bother her, though. Not any more than it usually did whenever she thought of not knowing things. She would learn. Eventually.]

I can't say for certain what you might have been like in those times....I'm not even sure how much you've changed since you've been here, because you've always seemed...better...at it than me. Always.

[From the eyes of a child. The memories of a twelve year old girl.]

Ah, well. Not so terribly important as all of that.

[At least in that reference point, anyway. The rest of the revolution, well, there'll be time to go over what matters there. And it's not necessarily the points that people might expect. Still, nothing too immediate there, anyway.]

Better? At being here?

[Enjolras is blinking at that because it's not what he'd have considered at all. And well, it's pretty untrue.]

I just got really lucky and had friends to show me how it was done here for the first several months. I don't know that I could do it myself. I'm not as brave as some people.

[She shook her head.]

No. I mean, not just that. Better...at everything.

You're a lot braver than you think.

And the same applies to you.

[She grinned.]

You're deflecting. [Says the mirror herself] Every time I compliment you, you always try to turn it back on me.

Ah, and you fail to see the courage and goodness inside yourself as well. But thank you, for your faith in me. Just know that I have it in you as well. [She's grown a lot, Enjolras thinks, since they first met at all.]

[And he did it again, further proving her point. She couldn't help grinning at the irony.]

I'll tell you what. We'll make a deal: you stop deflecting so often...and I'll try to look for those things you keep insisting I have.

[At this point, she had grown enough to understand they might actually be there. And she was willing to accept that.]

Does that sound fair to you?

[Enjolras has to laugh himself, catching it a bit late. It's less
deflection so much as...he's honestly not paying much attention to it most of the time.]

I believe that I can work with that. I will attempt to be more mindful of my attempts at doing it then. Rather fair.

You have yourself a bargain.

[Habit. One that might take time to kick. For the both of them.]

If I were actually standing in front of you instead of talking to you through monitors, this is the part where I would say we should shake on it.

If we were standing in front of each other. Well, then, the next time that we are, I'll owe you one.

I'll look forward to it.

See you soon, then.

Aux armes, citoyens (Video)

video

Re: video

video

Re: video

video

Re: video

video

video

video

video

video

video

video

video