Freedom is within you

[libertin]

Who| Courfeyrac & Open
What| Post-Arena life adjustments and such. Basically, Max & Cindy are both gone and his world is a bit more dim.
Where| Training room, or elsewhere if you prefer.
When| Forwarded to after Max is killed by Kevin in the Arena, but before she's come back.
Warnings/Notes| Talk of character death? Tag in whatever format you like, just specify location!

Courfeyrac felt numb. Every ounce of emotion had been drained from him, every hope was gone. He'd been almost glued to the television once it got down to the final two. Max and Kevin. Vengeance would be hers and she would win and then he could go back into the Arena knowing that she was safe at least. But fate had other ideas, and as he watched the screen helplessly, his sister was turned to a bloody, lifeless mess.

It was enough to make him sick. It was enough to drain him of every human feeling, and once he felt empty, he was quickly overcome by a second wind of unstoppable rage.

He stalked out of the common area of the District 11 suite and toward his own room, literally knocking things over in his fury as he stormed passed. Furniture was kicked over, mahogany table flipped. If there had been china or glass around, he'd have thrown it to the ground. All he could see when he closed his eyes was her body, bloodied and mangled, with Kevin looming over her like a giant. Courfeyrac hadn't been so pissed off in a long time.

But that might've been it. It could have ended there. A day or two of rage over the injustice of watching Max die and he would have gotten over it. Except the hours continued to tick by and she had yet to return. He'd expected that she would come running to him, or bound up to him and scold him for fretting, at the very least. Instead, she was gone. Vanished. No more. Just like Cinderella.

He was so close to becoming morose over it all. That happy, jovial gent was ready to retire for good and let the sullen, mournful brat replace him forever. He didn't care about anything anymore. He had nothing left. His lover was gone. His language was gone. And now, the one bright spot that he'd cherished had disappeared too. Of course, there were friends and other company, but what good were they when he'd left his dear little Max all alone to die?

He couldn't stand the guilt. So instead, he took to beating the crap out of the available training dummies. He might not get the chance to kill Kevin with his bare hands, but he'd avenge his Max somehow.

Comments

[libertin]

That... wasn't what he'd wanted to do. He'd meant to lash out, yes, but to actually make her cry? No, no, he was not a malicious man. He'd never hurt anyone, especially not a woman, especially not an innocent girl. Courfeyrac's expression softened again and he turned back to take a step toward Mariko.

"You're right. I don't know anything about you, except what I see here right now. And you do not know me. Can you see now that it unfair to judge others by first impression alone?"

[arrhenphobia]

Again, Mariko took automatically steps backwards as Courfeyrac came closer to her.

"No! No! No! You don't get to say. Do you think I don't know what you are like? What all men are like! No!"

[libertin]

"Yes, my dear. Yes, I do." He stood firm, somehow seeming quite a bit taller than his 5'8" stature generally allowed. "You do not even know my name. You only know that I am a man, and therefor you say I am horrible, awful, horrendous. That is awfully misandrous of you, miss."

[arrhenphobia]

"I don't need to know your name." She growled threateningly. "You have already showed who you really are during these few minutes. You stormed around, destroyed everything in your path and then tried to use the fates of poor girls to justify your violent behavior!"

Mariko straightened her back and lifted her chin up, trying to hide her uneasiness and fear behind her defiant pose. "And then you call me by sweet pet names like "my dear" just so that I would soften to you! And when that doesn't work you try scare me and shout pointless accusations! If that isn't awful and villainous I don't know what is."

[libertin]

That was the moment that he finally raised his hand to her, drawing it back to slap her across the face. But he stayed himself at the last moment, remembering that in spire of everything she said and how vicious she acted, he was still a gentleman, and a gentleman never hit a lady, no matter how vile she was. So instead, he simply settled for snarling, "And you are the reason some women are referred to as bitches. If you think I am violent and destructive, then you are a fool. Now leave me be or else I may lose my temper in earnest next time."

[arrhenphobia]

Mariko let out a loud and horrified scream on the exact same moment when she saw him raising his hand. She covered her face, waiting for the hit to land on her. But when it didn't come the strength completely vanished from her legs and she fell on her knees, paralyzed by the fear. There was no use in fighting against her tears any more as they flooded out uncontrollably.

She was almost hit. No one had ever hit her.

Usually she would have a snarky comeback. She would bite back twice as mean as he did. But now she couldn't think of anything. He nearly hit her! That was the only thing she could think of. Sure, she might have gone bit too far, as usual, but she hadn't provoked him to use any violence! At least it proves that she was right all along.

The fear she currently felt toward the man before her was unparalleled. Even the terrors she experience out in the arena wasn't anything compared to this.

end?

[libertin]

Horrified at his own actions, Courfeyrac stalked out of the room again, slamming his door shut behind him. He prayed that God would forgive him for this sin, that his wrath would subside and his true colors would shine through again. But he had little hope. He was alone, he had nothing, he was a failure. And he was a coward now, too.