[Closed] It's been a long road to a place called home.

[undercoverprincess]

Who| Cindy (undercoverprincess) and Courfeyrac (libertin)
What| Oh you know wh-- conversations.
Where| Oh you know-- District 11 suites.
When| Before motorcycle fun times and injuries.
Warnings/Notes| It could go either way, but the main one is shippy things with possible cursing. Will update if needed.

What he'd said in the arena had been part of the most fun she's ever had in an arena, beyond surviving and making it to the end. That wasn't the case this time, and while you could call Cindy's torture from Shepard as a high point, it wasn't her high point. And even though what they had done together, her and him, it was marred by the death of his friends.

They were among the first that Cindy kept an eye out for, when she died. Not meeting with them, but seeing that yes, they were still here, and in good shape. Right after the arena, she'd had no time to think of anything except getting the newest drafts done and to the printer. Attending parties and dodging questions about 'them' with a coy smile.

So much more sensibility she could have when it made people more interested. Her stylists certainly were, as well as her escort. Oh, the plans they had made for them to finally see each other! Somewhere in public, with a lot of fans. Perfectly dressed (probably something French themed oh god no), and did she mention the public part?

No. Cindy would play that game, up to a point. It was once they showed her the ball gowns that she said 'hell no', and went about this her own way. Which was to look good in some nice lingerie (plenty covered by the slip), later at night, when people would not be around, and to bring food. Real food. Not sugary snacks. Real food, like wine, cheese, sandwich makings. They needed to eat a lot more, now that they were back. Who says she doesn't know what to do?

Cindy knocked on his door. It'd be rude to just walk in.

Comments

[libertin]

Though he'd contemplated knocking on her door all day long, Courfeyrac was still nursing the humiliation of having a broken nose and the pain from having let Max set it for him. His mind was set on Cindy and on how simple it would be to just man up, knock on her door, and ask if she'd care to socialize with him, but somehow, something was making him nervous. It certainly wasn't the external pressure from the fluttering escorts or from Enjolras and company. He was very certain of his ability to ignore everyone else. The only other answer he could come up with was an internal one. Maybe he really was in over his head. What if she'd changed her mind about the things they'd said and done in the Arena? Could he withstand that sort of rejection? Sure. But did he want to? Hell no. He was confident that they would pick up where they'd left off, but that self-doubt was just beginning to settle in.

It was a good thing he had little Max to distract him from the trouble of his mind. Between his angst over Marius and the others and his sudden case of insecurity over Cindy, he was a wreck, and a useless one at that. Max had done well to force him to eat and talk with her. She seemed to have little patience for the injury to his face and vanity, but she'd proved loyal enough, checking on him regularly throughout the day and into the evening.

In fact, Max was about due for a visit to Courfeyrac's room...

He was lying in bed, contemplating his next move with a cold compress on his face to reduce the swelling of his still unfortunate looking nose when he heard the knock at his door. In an instant he was on his feet to answer. An instant after that, it occurred to him that it might actually be Cindy at the door and not Max. After all, would Max bother to knock? His heart started racing. Slowly, he pulled open the door, compress held to his face with his other hand.

"Cindy?!" He somehow managed to sound in control of himself as he greeted her, smile so wide that it actually made his face ache. His eyes went wide as he took in the sight of her. "I-- eh, hello."

[undercoverprincess]

"Hey there." Cindy smiled, tilting her head slightly to look at the compress. "Can I come in?" And even if you didn't want her to come in, she was coming in, sailing past him and dumping small box she had with her on the bed. Turning back around, she put her hands on her hips, looking at him in concern for a long, silent moment, before she went to him.

"What the hell happened with your face?" Did he get in a fight? Post-Arena, of course, but he still looked a little bruised. She reached out to take the compress from him, so she could see, and then press it back on his face herself.

"What happened?" Said more softly. Intimately. Very, very concerned.

[libertin]

It hurt to wince, but he was wincing anyway, the entirety of his face, throbbing and pulsating, and all of that sensation zeroing in on his nose. All at once, the anxiety he'd experienced the previous evening came rushing back. In an instant, he was a stupid, fool of a child, fretting over whether or not the girl he fancied would think him handsome.

"It is nothing," he said, perhaps hoping that she would belief him if his fib were convincing enough. Immediately, he realized he was in error and that honesty would always be the best policy with Cindy. "That is to say, it was only Enjolras. He was trying to defend your honor."

The way Courfeyrac said it, it sounded like a joke. In truth, Cindy's honor had been only a small factor in their reasons for fighting. But that was the only reason he cared to discuss at that moment.

"X5-452 set is for me. She says it will heal itself." He tried to smile then, to ease Cindy's mind. "Until then, you must forgive my unseemly appearance."

[undercoverprincess]

Honesty was always the best policy with her. She respected someone a lot more if they didn't put on the whole bravado that people seemed to expect from them, especially with men. That said, Cindy rarely told the truth, but that didn't mean anything.

"Oh, was he now?" Cindy raised an eyebrow at that. Then who was it that was attacking her honor? She'd have to find out at some point, and she stored the information away for later.

"As much as I like the guy, I do hope you gave him something back." He was only human, so his healing time would take a little bit, unless the Capitol helped. Which they probably would, and she couldn't tell him to tell them no.

"It looks like she did a pretty good job on it." Another note to thank her. "Don't worry, really. You look good. It gives you some character, people love not knowing the story behind bruises. It makes you look like you get in fights all the time, and win."

[libertin]

"I did win, for the record." His words had a sense of pride in them, accented by the way he seemed to finally relax. "His eye looks far worse than my nose does."

But enough talk of Enjolras. It was boring to speak of him when all Courfeyrac had wanted to do for the last several weeks was talk to Cindy. He'd imagined this moment over and over again, replayed how it could turn out a thousand different ways. None of his fantasies had involved her arriving at his door in revealing lingerie and bearing sandwich makings, which wasn't a bad thing, of course. It was only unexpected. Now he wasn't sure if she wanted to eat or make out or talk or... do something else. Or perhaps she wished to do all of the above. But in that case, in which order should they begin?

"I am happy you came, Cindy." Remembering himself, he ploughed ahead, stepping closer to her, reaching to take her hands. "I should have come to see you sooner. I hope you can find it in you to forgive me, my dear."