Let the wine of friendship never run dry....

[le_centre]

Characters: Courfeyrac, Enjolras, Joly, Steve Rogers, Pepper Potts, Tony Stark, Emma Frost, Remus Lupin, Warren Worthington III, Elena Lagos, Pietro Maximoff, Wanda Maximoff, Laurence, Temeraire and Dr. Zack Addy
Location: A room that has space for a dinner party and a dragon
Time: Monday, 6pm
Content: Enjolras Can Be Charming, i.e. a dinner party for

Comments

[righteousapollo]

[ooc: red and black tablecloths? I love you, I do.]

Enjolras had quietly let himself into the room and watched with quiet amusement as Courfeyrac bounced around the room. He noted that the duck was still in one piece, thus making the whole night a vast improvement on that last ill-fated culinary misadventure from their university days. A few seconds later and he gave a small cough.

"Courfeyrac, this really is too good of you. Is there anything I can do to help?" He offered, coming around the table and already making a bee-line to put himself in charge of something left unattended on a side-board.

[le_centre]

[ooc; :D I loves me some musical references, I do.]

Courfeyrac lit up at once. He very carefully set the candle he was holding down on the table before flinging himself at Enjolras and greeting him with a bisous. "Enjolras, look! I did not make the duck explode like last time, and I did not set fire to anything! Not even once! Aren't you proud of me? And you can toss the salad, though I can do it- it's your birthday, after all, you deserve to be indolent for an hour or two."

[righteousapollo]

Enjolras obligingly returned the bisous before taking command of the salad-tossing. "Well, I suppose to make the same mistakes as last time would take Bossuet-levels of bad luck," Enjolras mused as he rolled up his sleeves and set to work. Glancing around the room at the veritable feast that Courfeyrac had laid on, Enjolras couldn’t help but add: "Thank you, Courfeyrac, for all of this. You really didn’t have to go to so much effort..."

[le_centre]

"Poor Bossuet," said Courfeyrac, with a wince. "We should have learned not to let me near flames after the first few times. Still, it's cooked! I cooked it all and nothing exploded!" He was terribly excited about this. "Not even the roast cow, though, granted, I didn't cook that."

He grinned at Enjolras. "I suppose I didn't have to, but I wanted to. You so rarely come to parties I ought to make it worth your while to attend one. Happy birthday, mon ami."

[righteousapollo]

Enjolras had smiled demurely in return but the expression faltered somewhat as he finally noticed the roast cow (it struck him as slightly ridiculous that he hadn’t clocked the thing sooner). Momentarily pausing in his work, Enjolras down the large salad cutlery he’d been using to dignifiedly savage the salad to give the cow an appraising stare. "It's certainly impressive. Where on earth did you get it from?"

[le_centre]

Courfeyrac smiled with remarkable innocence. "The kitchen staff here is so wonderfully friendly. Several of them are quite pretty besides. I mean, not the head chef, but... yes. I've always been friendly with the kitchen staff. Remember Louison? I ought to call her some time. I always get the feeling I ought to have tipped her more for having to put up with us all those years." He perched on the edge of the table. "The practical difficulties of inviting a dragon to a dinner party did not occur to me until after I had done so. That's the way of most things with me." He grinned, almost apologetically.

[righteousapollo]

"‘Putting up’ with us?" Enjolras echoed dubiously as he turned back to the salad. "I think we were their best customers! Surely nobody else spent as much time in there as we did; Grantaire alone could have kept them in business for a year."

OMG THAT ICON IS SO CUTE

[le_centre]

"Would you want Grantaire keeping you in business?" asked Courfeyrac. "He has a good heart, preserved in all the cheap vodka and tasteless beer he drinks, but, ah... you must admit he's not the... easiest drunk to have around." Courfeyrac swung a leg back and forth, quite sure that he had done his part already, and deserved a moment to slack off. "You know, I was always half-afraid Grantaire would get us kicked out because of all of the times he ranted about classical mythology as loudly as he possibly could. It's a good thing we had a backroom. I sort of miss that. Meeting in offices and the staff room isn't really the same."

I think I should take a moment to show off Hammie's icons

[righteousapollo]

Enjolras was annoyed to find that he had accidentally instigated a Grantaire Conversation. He finished the salad in silence then quickly pushed it aside, crossing his arms and leaning against the table that Courfeyrac was perched on. "It's for the best, I think," Enjolras said with a frown that suggested that he too might miss the old haunts despite what he said. "This way we get to help the next generation find their feet. What was it Combeferre said? 'the future lies in the hand of the schoolmaster' - or something like that," Enjolras finished with a reserved smile, knowing full-well that he had quoted his friend perfectly.

Me too!

[le_centre]

"Or something like that," Courfeyrac teased, with a warm smile. "Aw, I miss Combeferre. He did text me to wish me luck with your birthday, and to pass on his good wishes. Did you get his card yet? It's not the same without him here to very gently bring us back to order. You have me in a sentimental mood now."

Courfeyrac picked up a bottle of wine and contemplated it a moment, before opening a bottle of water. "Well, not the same significance, but drink with me to days gone by?"

augh, I really wish we had a Combeferre...

[righteousapollo]

[ooc: oh, what was that? Drink With Me? Quick, somebody find a flag for these guys asap]

"I’d be glad to." Enjolras moved to fetch two glasses, holding one and then the other out for Courfeyrac to fill. It didn’t strike him as odd that Combeferre would text a message via Courfeyrac - rather, it was testament to how well his friend knew him that he had predicted that Enjolras would not check his phone during the day’s lessons. "Yes, his card arrived yesterday. I think he must have sent it a few days early; he always was rather organized."

lol, he could teach Chemistry

[le_centre]

[ooc; lol, they can't hold hands without it. Otherwise it'd just be awkward.]

Courfeyrac grinned at him and poured water into both glasses. "There we go. To the life that used to be!" He raised his water glass in a toast. "I am in a horrendously sentimental mood now. I may just spout poetry at you, a la Jehan. If I start rhyming, dump your glass of water on my head." Courfeyrac began swinging a leg back and forth idly. "It's so odd not to have them here- I am delighted to have you and Jolllly again, but it's so very odd, sometimes. I had the vague impression that things were always going to go on as they were. When did we become so old? Makes one want to take to the streets, really, just to prove one hasn't lost the rebellious spirit."

Yes! Aaaah that would be awesome

[righteousapollo]

Solemnly raising his glass Enjolras repeated the toast and sealed it with a sip. "Not that what we did was just an excess of youthful 'rebellious spirit', of course," Enjolras said pointedly. "But I know what you're trying to say. We mustn't get complacent just because Henderson's been re-elected; if anything, we should be keeping up the pressure."

He paused as he swirled the water in his glass around thoughtfully. "I've made it perfectly clear to Joly that my obligations here are second to my political ones. If I should be needed elsewhere I have no qualms in leaving without a second's delay. Education is terribly important, yes, but the call of duty is necessary."

Stop making me want to app him, I suck at science

[le_centre]

"No, no, not in the slightest," Courfeyrac amended hastily. "Dieu, I know that it's not... I don't know, some game for rich young boys to play. We did what we needed to do, tragic as it was that progress could not be made any other way. Now that Henderson's been re-elected, I do wonder if it will be necessary again."

Courfeyrac downed his water and grinned at Enjolras. "Well, I'm with you. You know I'd follow you through fire. Following you out of a school building is less dramatic, but equally doable."

omg *___* /encourages you mercilessly

[righteousapollo]

Enjolras swirled his glass around, studying the way that the candle light played on the water thoughtfully before looking up and facing Courfeyrac properly. He set the glass down decisively then put a hand on Courfeyrac’s shoulder, giving him a rather serious look.

"I know," he said simply. Enjolras gave Courfeyrac’s shoulder a grateful squeeze before dropping his hand and looking back around the room resolutely. "Is there anything else I can do to help?"

*flail* Pick a different one! One that does not involve science!

[le_centre]

Courfeyrac's smile was much softer than usual. "Glad you do."

He followed Enjolras's gaze. "No, don't think so- just be as charming as I know you can be."