[CLOSED]

[saisamour]

WHO| Enjolras and Marius
WHAT| Awkward bro-times commence
WHERE| Commons, Speakeasy
WHEN| Sometime when Enjolras returns to the Capitol and before the crowning
WARNINGS| To be updated accordingly!


In the course of time since he had poisoned himself in the last Arena to the days following it, Marius had come to accept the truth that he is, perhaps, not very masterful at formulating plans to slip Cosette out of the Capitol. Or at least not without a certain amount of help from someone else. Still, he’s discerned that in this world there are many more who are treacherous and fickle, and—Cosette notwithstanding— no one else holds his complete trust.

(Sometimes he would catch himself wishing Courfeyrac was here, and guilt overcomes him every single time.)

So the news that Enjolras has won the Games comes initially as a surprise, followed by an irrational sense of betrayal. It should not have been Enjolras who had won, who was never to fight again. It should have been Cosette, for her eyes are only fit to see the beauty of gardens and stars and a moonlit night, not a slaughter. But Marius casts the resentment aside because Enjolras might not have been a dear friend of his back in Paris, but his sense of righteousness is one that he knows well. And he knows that Enjolras, at least, will tell no one of his plans.

A couple of days after Enjolras has been announced the victor, Marius writes down a note and, after some hesitation, hands it to an Avox to be delivered to Enjolras that very same day.

Enjolras,

I wish to speak with you. Meet me at the Commons tonight.

-M. Pontmercy

And so, at the said time, Marius waits. He is positioned close to a wall, fiddling idly with the bottom of his coat, with anxious thoughts furrowing his brow and a distant look settling in his eyes.

Comments

[orestes]

Tonight was vague in a style typical to Marius, but six o'clock found Enjolras leaving the sanctuary of his room in the District 5 suites for the Commons, nevertheless. He'd struggled not to thank the Avox who had silently delivered the note. It was an uncomfortable exchange, the budding familiarity of which in no way alleviated its awkwardness. Marius wasn't hard to find in the flurry of activity that swarmed in the Commons. His friend was, eternally, it seemed, a bastion of dreamy calm in the deluge of the Capitol.

"Good evening, Marius." The casual sentiment of the greeting belied the purposed tone in which it was delivered. It wasn't as much a hello as it was a question as to the occasion of their meeting. Distantly, Enjolras wondered if perhaps Marius knew any of the Argot had been so insistent he learn. "I trust you have been well since the Arena."

[saisamour]

Indeed, Marius is far too deep in contemplation that he does not even notice Enjolras's presence until the man speaks. Enjolras's voice is an abrupt jolt cutting straight through Marius's stream of thought, and he appears a little startled when he straightens up and turns to Enjolras. He forces away his surprise with much haste, however, and gives him a slightly awkward nod in response.

"I suppose so." But the eye-bags in a sickly shade of grey under his eyes might say otherwise.

He fidgets then; he has never been particularly good at weaving cryptic messages, but the constant fear that harm might come to Cosette with one misplaced word or phrase from him has turned him more than a little cautious. So he speaks with each deliberate word carefully measured, "It has occurred to me that we have not spoken much, ever since I have busied myself with Cosette and her arrival, and I would wish to apologize for such display of unmindfulness, and perhaps also remedy it accordingly. As such, I have been wondering whether you might want to go for a walk about the Capitol with me?" There's a beat before he quickly adds, "O-Only if I am not intruding on any of your other obligations for tonight."

[orestes]

"Not at all," it isn't necessarily meant to be a reassurance, but Marius has the air of a scared mouse more often than not and, abruptly, Enjolras realizes perhaps why the young man might have been drawn to Courfeyrac. Their Centre had been just that, a stabilizing entity. It's with less guilt than he should probably feel for such a thought that Enjolras wishes Courfeyrac were here with them now.

"Where would you like to go, my friend?" He hears himself ask distantly. It isn't in his nature to make such plans and the words themselves seem unnatural on his tongue. "I would prefer somewhere out of the public eye, if it is all very much the same to you."

[saisamour]

The little knot of nervousness in Marius's stomach loosens considerably at that, and he purses his lips together into a thin line as his expression turns thoughtful. During his spare time ever since he had arrived at the Capitol he had taken to walking along its streets and corners, often-times in a state of daydream or reflection, but nonetheless he had been able to note several establishments during his spare moments of attentiveness.

Still, there is a great difficulty in choosing an appropriate establishment. He's silent for a few moments before his expression brightens considerably. "There is a place I have seen that might suit us both, then."

With that, he leads the way to the elevator as he tries to map out the most discreet path to what he recalls is named The Speakeasy.

[orestes]

With a brief nod, he followed Marius calmly, a companionable silence settling over the two of them on their elevator journey. While he can be verbose, neither of them were easily conversational individuals, so Enjolras didn't think much of the lapse in time between them. Though at this point, he too is more than familiar with the wide streets of the Capitol, he's content to let the younger man lead them to their destination. If he were to be honest (to himself or Marius, he wasn't sure), Enjolras would admit that the venture was actually less about humoring the his friend, and more about the benefit that might come from a change of venue. Try though he might, one could not hide forever.

"Have you had occasion to visit the library here?" The inquiry was mild and polite, devoid of any true curiosity. "They edit the books, censoring, removing pieces they find to be offensive. It's quite the experience to read a work which you know to contain thoughts and passages, and then to find them lacking."

[saisamour]

Marius stills for a fraction of a second at the comment, and when he resumes his pace it grows a little more hurried.

"I have." Vaguely. He doesn't offer anything in addition to that, however, a sudden panic latching onto him as he thinks of who might be eavesdropping on them at this very moment, and how anything he says in dissent to the Capitol, no matter how mild, might be reason for harm to come to Cosette.

He pauses for a moment then, and glances around, partly to confirm that he is still on the correct path, partly as an excuse to avoid Enjolras's gaze. After a few seconds he turns to the left. "I believe it is this way."

At a distance, the Speakeasy's brick façade comes into view, red-orange against the dim light of the nearby lamps, the glow from inside the bar spilling onto the pathway in the same sunset colors.

[orestes]

It's always been hard for him to distinguish between Marius being utilitarian in his conversational habits and Marius being, well, distant. Enjolras isn't accustomed to being the polite, conversational one, not really. He can manage, and has learned to do better within the Capitol, but he still considers smalltalk to be an unnecessary strain. As such, they again lapse into silence as they walk.

The Speakeasy is a relatively foreign place to him. Valeria's idea of a bar had been significantly more posh, Oscar had preferred coffee, and Eponine, ice cream. Though it isn't familiar at all, the moment they walk in, the dim, gold-tinged light reminds him of the warmth of the Corinth. It's a fleeting sensation, but it's welcome all the same.

"Do you prefer a table, or the bar, my friend?" They have options, of course, and being the current Victor, Enjolras could probably have created options even if they were not readily available to them. It was simply a matter of preference.

[saisamour]

Marius's face lights up upon feeling a momentary sense of pride in himself—which was not one he could say he often felt, especially in the light of recent events in the arena—at his suggestion of venue; the Speakeasy had a busy and bustling crowd, and their conversation will more than likely be drowned out in the boisterous laughter often erupting from tables and the incessant chatter permanently hovering throughout the room.

His forehead creases a little at Enjolras's query and he pauses in thought for a brief while, before he says, "A table, perhaps."

Preferably one in the far corner of the room where no one could observe them, but he was not one to impose himself too much.

[orestes]

"Very well." Opting not to wait for Marius to dreamily make the arrangements for them, Enjolras took the lead, walking confidently over to a small table in the back of the establishment. On a certain level, he's aware of the abruptness, but expects Marius to follow him all the same. "There we are, then."

He pulls out a chair for Maris before falling into one himself. There was, of course, the matter of getting them drinks, but it could wait for the moment. He had no doubt that one of the eccentrically dressed women shuffling around the bar with trays would be along shortly to attend to them. "Now, Marius, what is it you wanted to discuss?"

[saisamour]

Marius jumps only a little at the move, his eyes following Enjolras before the rest of his body does. He allows himself to settle on said chair, his spine refusing to touch the wooden backrest due to the constant anxiousness that plagues him. Enjolras's answer is immediately responded to in a low voice, so that to possible eavesdroppers, his words are lost in the constant buzz that surrounds them. "It is about Cosette."

Marius is aware of the danger involved in his request, the bias and the near-impossibility and the certain amount of madness. But he asks it anyway, with voice unwavering. "I wish to sneak her out of the Capitol."

[orestes]

Well, that was certainly unexpected. Frankly, Enjolras had expected some benign request, perhaps for advice as Marius seemed unable to commit full to any aspect of his life that did not involve some foolish love affair. It was bold, and Enjolras found himself smiling in spite of himself.

"We have no idea what anything in Panem is like outside of the Capitol, my friend." It isn't a dismissal outright, merely a reminder. It would do no good to send Cosette away to a work camp, or something worse, which is what everyone had described the districts as. "Have you researched anything about this? Or are we to come up with a plan here?"

[saisamour]

That there is no outright dismissal at all is more than a positive response for Marius, and the smile caused his eyes to widen just a fraction.

At Enjolras's question he turns a light shade of pink, as if just realizing how foolish he must have sounded, speaking of daring flights with little knowledge of how to execute them. "N-No, not very." Still, it seems to him as if any place is better than the Capitol.

But he sounds hopeful when he adds, "That is the reason for my requesting to speak with you, Enjolras. I do not think my talent lies in plotting escapes."

[orestes]

A derisive snort follows the insinuation. At present, Enjolras feels talented in little more than beating his head against a wall, or railing against the proverbial (or not so proverbial) omnipotent entities lording their power over them. Neither of which are particularly productive skills, or helpful to Marius' venture in any way.

"I would not wish to send your mistress into unknown danger. Until we have reliable information on the Districts --which will not be simple to acquire, believe me when I say I have tried-- I cannot suggest sending her to any of them." A frown works its way across Enjolras' face. How could Marius be so shortsighted? As the saying goes, better the devil you know than the one you do not know. "Besides which, it would be foolish to think that the Capitol would not simply find her and bring her back. No, Marius, I would help you protect her if it is within my power, but that is not the way."

[saisamour]

Everything inside Marius wants to protest, to vehemently insist that he cannot accept that response because the only reason he lives is to see to Cosette's safety. But Enjolras is right; even if she does escape to the districts, who is to say that they are not even worse than the Capitol? That the Capitol does not have eyes even there?

"Then..." His look is one of helplessness now, as is eyes dart from Enjolras, to the table, then back to Enjolras again. "Then what else is there to do?"

[orestes]

The expression returned to Marius is one of conflict. Enjolras, as a rule, does not approve of Marius' foolish attachment to Cosette, no matter how nice a girl she might be. Love is all well and good, but to him, it is a distraction which one would be best to avoid for as long as possible, particularly in such a dire situation. On the other hand, it would take a harder soul than his not to feel something at the hopelessness seeping from his friend, if they are even to be considered friends. Rousseau was correct, it seems, to contend that pity is the first instinct of man.

"I do not know." His reply is quiet and sincere. There is an opportunity here, to be certain, but he has no idea just what it will be. "But I will find out. I have heard of Tributes being removed from the Games, and perhaps that is a place to start."

[saisamour]

"Will you?"

Immediately, his entire countenance transforms; his spine straightens and his chin lifts, and the tiniest hint of an optimistic smile takes form on his face. "Oh, if you could, I would be forever in debt to you."

Marius is about to add that he will do anything Enjolras asks short of risking Cosette's life if he is successful in taking her away from the Games, but a server approaches them just then to ask if they wish for some drinks. With a rising blush in his cheeks upon realizing that they had yet to order anything in this establishment, he turns to Enjolras with a question in his eyes. "Is there anything you would like?"

[orestes]

"Whatever you are drinking is fine, my friend." Enjolras hadn't missed their failure to order, but figured whatever it was Marius needed could take precedence for the moment. Besides which, people tended to give him a wide latitude since the Arena, unsure of exactly where they stood with the tempestuous Victor. While the Machiavellian implications of such a contention horrified him, Enjolras could not argue with the fact there were benefits to being feared as well as loved.

"There was another Victor who petitioned for Capitol citizenship shortly after I arrived here, as did a Tribute she killed." He frowns, struggling to remember the details of Momoko and her companion. It's been a long ten months and Enjolras often considers it a marvel he can remember his own name, let alone the political affairs of Panem. Had they both been granted it? And if they were, did that contribute to the fact that neither of them were here now? In petitioning for Cosette's release would they be making more of a target out of her? And, if so, was it not better to keep her in the relative immortality of the Arenas than expose her to life in the Capitol? She's unsuited to the brutality, that much is sure, but what are the dangers of an alternative? "I am unsure of the specifics, but the institutions do exist. We would not be forging into uncharted territory."

[saisamour]

A distraught, perplexed expression crosses Marius's face then, and he puzzles over what to tell the waitress until he settles for two glasses of some vague, Capitol-brand fine red wine he recalled from when he and Ian had been forced to dine together.

Once the waitress leaves, he listens quietly with marginally wide eyes. Should apprehension show itself in Enjolras's demeanor Marius would barely take notice at this point, as all that occupies his mind is Cosette free of the horror of the Games, Cosette's hands untainted, Cosette relieved of the pain of death.

"Where must we go for that?" His tone is overly eager, but he finds that he can hardly suppress it. "Will you accompany me? How soon can this be done?"