Could You Repeat That? (Evony)

[Dominique Chevalier]

Bunk beds. God damn bunk beds. And 12 people in a room? Dom had stared, before throwing his stuff onto a top bunk and making sure the top bunk next to it was left for Carter before saying, frankly, that if he stayed in that depressing lodge anymore he was likely to bring it down around their ears.

So he went for a walk.

There was so much earth, and that, Dom admitted grudgingly to himself, was something of a plus. Not as picturesque as the black forest perhaps, but after he'd kicked his shoes off and kicked his toes in the dirt he felt the anger pull out of him to add its heat to the magma core miles beneath his feet.

Sitting down (dirt getting on his clothes wasn't a problem when he could just pull it all off), the terrakenetic set about separating the minerals into tiny crystals in his two hands, brows furrowed in concentration.

[Evony Vasiliev]

There had been the standard prep talk before all the students dispersed, the generally ridiculous rules that the old psychic presented to them forcing Evy to crinkle her nose in the process. Five days of this! Five days to reconnect with nature, enjoy the native scenery and ensure she made a new friend or two. Cabins had been a relatively easy task, the lithe acrobat claiming her nest on the upper bunk near a large rectangular mirror. Perfect. What was even more perfect was the company she was sharing during the stay. Lucy, Lux and the rookie were just three amusing individuals sharing the space with her and the Blue bird instantly knew that it was going to be more than just a normal camping trip.

Although there was the worrying development of Lyra sneaking her bat into the cabin. Now that was some crazy serial killer shit or something, too much Friday the 13th for her.

Unpacking had been easy and soon enough the porcelain skinned swindler found herself without a thing to do. Steal things maybe? Nope, she had only just restocked the morning before setting off and she knew that there was nothing of worth in the middle of nowhere. Talk to Lucy? Probably not, the girl had learnt that the Australian needed space and was going to grant her that for now. Play with Lux? That kid wasn't anywhere to be found, probably pleasuring that obsessed manchild of hers.

So what was she left to do? Explore of course. The great green expanse welcomed her into its spring kissed maw, enveloping the girl in speckles of sunlight and a stray breeze whistling through the foilage. As per habit the girl had forgone wearing shoes, climbing trees was simply easier without them.

Evony's bare feet quietly slinked through the moss covered rocks and patches of flowers, occasionally pausing to gaze at her surroundings. One such observation period brought her a glaringly beautiful scene, one which made her skin crawl and her nostrils flare with some unkempt anger.

It was him. Adonis reincarnated into the body of an obnoxious bourgeoisie snob.

He was several yards away, gleaming under a soft kiss of sunlight playing with something and generally looking like some renaissance sculpture come to life. But regardless of how irrevocably beautiful this boy was his very appearance frustrated her. He was the reminder of a big mistake, a stupid moment of jealousy and mismatched communication.

She didn't know what to do really. Walk on? Turn around and never return? But she remained frozen for a moment, thinking back to a particular promise she made to a certain brown eyed beauty.

Damn promises.

Taking in a deep breath and furrowing her brow the diminutive thief took her first tentative step forward, bridging the gap between herself and Dom. This better work out, and in the least embarrassing way as well.

"Urgh...fuck." She mumbled under her breath, grudgingly advancing whilst keeping her gaze solely on the ground. This was not going to be fun at all.

[Dominique Chevalier]

The advantage of being seated and concentrating was that when someone started to get closer, Dom knew it. Their feet were sending ripples, like raindrops on water but with more substance. He glanced up and saw the blue head of hair bobbing towards him, and his brows snapped together.

Since the Talk, Dom hadn't been speaking to Lucy. He wasn't avoiding her, per say, and when she greeted him he'd raise a hand in reply, but they hadn't talked. And as far as Dom was concerned, this one, the waif who had decided it was her place to start throwing hits, was at fault.

So he didn't exactly greet her with a smile. Dusting his hands off, the blonde pushed himself to his feet and with a flick of his fingers banished the dirt that clung to his jeans. She was staring at the ground like he was a Gorgon and might turn her to stone with one glance at his face. "What the hell do you want?" he asked shortly.

[Evony Vasiliev]

The brilliant red polish that adorned her toenails provided a wondrous contrast with the emerald foliage that brushed past her dainty feet. Evony would have preferred to stare at her feet all day than grudgingly submit to some ridiculous promise she kept Lucy, but it had been nagging in the pit of her soul for several weeks and she knew that it was bound to happen one day. But him, why him? It made it all the worse knowing what sort of person he was, even if such bias was based off secondary sources like Luxanna.

Taking in a deep gulp of crisp forest air she flickered her eyes over to the handsome boy, now standing amongst the red barks like a polished hunter. Damn him and his fucking good looks. Clenching her jaw the Blue bird ignored his less than welcoming greeting and stopped above a log a few meters away from where he stood. From her vantage point she was now at eye level with him, 'equals' in the most literal sense of the word.

Releasing a strained sigh the porcelain skinned swindler glanced around, looking for any possible escape route just in case something bad happened. Who knows, maybe the rich boy was going to toss dirt at her.

Clenching her little fists Evony gazed at him right in the eyes, her brow clenched and her cheeks flushed with a tinge of red. This was fucking ridiculous. She couldn't even see the bruise anymore, but maybe that was the lighting. Gnawing on her lower lip she remained static for a moment, just glaring at him like he was some jihad terrorist or something equally distasteful.

"Sorry for ruining your face." She blurted out, dryly and peppered with disgust at even having to allow something so vile to pass from of her mouth. It was such an ugly sentiment and she remained atop the log for a second more before hopping on to a nearby rock, even further away from him. Her gaze swing away from him the instance the rods passed out of her lips and she was left dully staring at a twig. But oh how she'd do anything to be with that twig than apologise to him.

[Dominique Chevalier]

Dom stared back at Evony as the girl glared at him in silence. It was more than a little creepy, honestly. he didn't feel like putting up with the unstable girl's weird shit right now, and since he didn't have to the terrakeneitc turned to leave. Fuck her and her staring, she could stare at a tree instead.

And then she apologized.

Or something like that. Honestly, only someone who was drunk and a little deaf would have called something do loded with disdain an apology, and Dom chucked dryly with a slow shake of the head at the very idea that his face had been ruined. "How heartfelt," he said quietly. "Your sincerity does you credit, really it does, but I call bullshit."

It was obvious from Evony's demeanor, her tone, her words, that she did not wish to be there, saying anything resembling an apology for her actions. Which meant she was there on someone else's wishes. A teachers? Unlikely, Dr Neville hadn't seemed it give the matter much thought. Who else would the blue haired chit obey then?

Dom scowled. Of course. His toes dug into the ground as he rubbed a hand over his face. "So, she sent you, I take it? To make amends?"

[Evony Vasiliev]

Evy was not in her element, so far from her usual standards that she internally berated herself for even committing to the promise. This sculpted French boy was the very cusp of what the thieving acrobat disliked, he was a privileged snob and from what her peers have told her, quite arrogant as well. Simply bowing out the apology felt like a betrayal to her worldview and it took a lot of self control not to scamper away and lick her wounds for another day. She had to confront this now.

Releasing a strained breath, Evony felt a snarl ripple across her lips, the disgusting bluntness of his words smashing any attempt at making this easy. Damn him for being smarter than he looks! "Take it or leave it joli garçon." She uttered with the briefest hint of a smirk, Evony knew that the boy hated her Meridional French and would toss around her accented version just to spite him.

However, deep within the blue haired thief just wished he had accepted it right then and there. Not only would that of made it much easier for both parties but it would remove the lingering guilt that tugged at her heart.

It was a brave suggestion he made, thinking that the Australian was the one that sent her on her merry way. What a funny thought, even Evony allowed a sour chuckle to pass over her lips. "No she did not. I came on my own accord." She said in a controlled tone, crossing her arms as she observed his body language. What was it about Lucy that attracted all these strange folk, Evony included? Clearing her throat the diminutive acrobat glanced back at him, a peculiar expression on her porcelain features.

"I don't want that one...action to fuck around with my conscious for the rest of the year." The Blue bird frowned, not entirely happy that she was practically forcing herself to explain her current actions. He didn't deserve this, she was allowed to play the bitch for as long as she wanted. But, part of her demanded she ease the tension...her father would have wanted it. What good was an enemy anyways?

[Dominique Chevalier]

Dom's expression hadn't changed one iota as the girl in front of him snarled. He wondered if she was that oblivious to her own expressions; didn't she get just how obviously frustrated she was at having to be here? Maybe she was just a very poor actor.

"Oh, well I leave it then," Dom said, the corner of his mouth twitching up. That wasn't exactly how apologies usually went. He assumed, anyway, Dom didn't make them very often. "Vous pensez que je suis assez," he added with raised eyebrows, sweeping his eyes over the blue haired girl. "Vous n'êtes donc pas aveugle." She wanted to try french? He spoke quickly enough that most non natives would struggle; it would be interesting to see if she had understood.

The laugh didn't discourage Dom from the issue for a second. "So it was your idea to apologize?" He asked, "despite how painfully disgusting you appear to find it, no one suggested this to you? Again, I call bullshit. I expect if I asked Lucy, she would confirm that it's bullshit."

He sighed, tilting his head as he looked at Evony curiously. There was, finally, some emotional honestly. "Understandable," he agreed, "guilt is an annoying thing to carry," which was why he never bothered with it, "but I don't give a fuck about your conscious. That's your problem, not mine."

[Evony Vasiliev]

There was the classic tale of the Prince and the Pauper, dazzling rich boy befriends the wily peasant and all becomes good and wholesome in the world. But that was a fairy tale and this was a painfully awkward confrontation between some self entitled prince and a petty criminal. In this instance, amidst the heavy foliage opposite the brooding blonde boy did the porcelain skinned thief feel as vulnerable as an animal stuck in a zoo. Apologising seemed to wreck any notion of confidence and the Blue bird was left with a sour taste in her mouth, just another setback to this scenario.

The girl let out a sharp breath when he rebuffed her apology, furrowing her brow before taking a glance at the environment around her. This was a perfect day to relax, not play mind games with this manboy. His fluid flurry of French was not ignored and an amused simper crossed her peachy lips, taking in his verbal diarrhoea. Of course, patronise the gypsy. "J'essaie de ne pas être." Evony said with a straight face, cocking a brow with a knowing smirk. Growing up in Europe had to count for something didn't it?

Allowing a sharp breath of air to shoot from her lips she shuffled in her place, slightly uncomfortable with the boy's constant questioning. Rolling her eyes she took a step forward, her petite feet caressing the speckled face of a grey stone. "Go ahead. She's probably playing around in her cabin at the moment. The girl doesn't know I'm here." She said quietly, thinking back to the Lucy's mentioning of having a nerf war with Sawyer and Lyra. Hopefully they'd shoot the boy down if he was to enter.

She took a moment to think in silence, allowing a breeze of wind to reinvigorate her. "I don't find apologising enjoyable, especially if it's to the face of some bourgeoisie mascot." Evy uttered, gingerly combing her slender fingers through the waterfall of cerulean hair. Honesty seemed to be her best ally at the moment and in truth, she did not care for how he took it. As long as she said what had to be said.

Pursing her lips she gazed at the boy, not as harshly but certainly staying wary of whatever trick he'd pull from that tailored sleeve of his. "I've apologised. My problem is gone now, I'm completely happy to move on." Evony said quietly, furrowing her brow as she thought long and hard about how Dominique had publicly humiliated her during the talk. The memory stung.

[Dominique Chevalier]

Evony's coy and satisfied smile at Dom's french hardly registered. "Good for you," he said, the word loaded with some unidentifiable resonance. It was rare for anyone who had merely traveled through france once or twice or even a dozen times to be able to keep up with native speakers but, miracles could happen.

As she continued to defend the suggestion that she had decided to apologise without any prompting, Dom just grinned. She didn't want to be there, he didn't want her there, and to claim otherwise would have required at least some semblance of sincerity from the offset. There had been none, and he didn't need to ask Lucy to be sure of that. Chevaliers didn't do self doubt.

He might ask Lucy later anyway, though. It couldn't hurt. Well, it couldn't hurt him.

The insult slid off like water off the proverbial duck's back, and certainly didn't help reassure him that that she was sincere. "Good for you," he said honestly, "there's nothing to be ashamed of in selfish actions, in my opinion. It doesn't matter if I accept your apology because you're not sorry you hit me, you're sorry that you were caught out for it. If you had told Lucy yourself after it happened, my announcement wouldn't have mattered. She wouldn't have been blind-sighted. But, you didn't, and that is what you are sorry about."

By now, Dom's frown had deepened. The fact that she was meant that she and Lucy must have talked, made up even, because why else go through with what was clearly uncomfortable if there wasn't something riding on it?

And that didn't put him in a mood to be gracious.

"And so you came here to spit out words at me without any kind of emotional meaning behind it, because it satisfies your ego. But, as I said, that isn't my problem." He sat back down again, legs out in front with his bare feet still curling in the soil. "So you and your apology can fuck off now. I don't want to talk to you, and you don't seem particularly keen on talking to me. Stop wasting my time."

[Evony Vasiliev]

With brows furrowed and lips pursed into a thin line Evy could think of nothing more than how badly this had gone, even worse than she envisioned. Sure, the thief wasn't planning on befriending the guy but there should have at least been some peace laid out between the two. But no, both were too stubborn to see eye to eye and Evony was left wrinkling her nose from the sheer failure of this entire scenario.

Clenching her jaw the girl held back the toxic vitriol, the stupid verbal vomit that was bound to get her in more trouble. The Australian was going to have to deal with this, even if both warring parties didn't exactly reconcile.

Taking a step back the Blue bird gave the scenery one last gaze, watching nature embrace the beautiful boy before allowing a strained sigh to pass over her lips. She cared not for what the angry French boy said to her, it was just a burning stream of anger and loathing and the porcelain skinned thief wasn't going to allow that to ruin the camping trip. As far as she knew, this entire scenario was going to be kept secret, Lucy did not need to know.

"Fine. Just know that it won't happen again." Was it the punch or the apology she was talking about? Evy would leave that a mystery, he seemed smart enough to translate her moods anyways. Her words were frosted with a cold delivery and yet, somewhere deep down the girl wished that she could have translated some level of sincerity better. Evony did not have the time to worry about Dominique, he was an obstacle she had overcome and if this is how it was to end then so be it.

Biting her lip the blue haired swindler swivelled on the balls of her feet and set off, allowing the gentle tug of the wind to send her back around in the direction from where she came. She was going to leave the boy in his little dirt pile, he looked like he was having fun anyway. It was time to find an Australian.

[Dominique Chevalier]

If Dom had known Evony considered what he said to be angry he'd have been pretty surprised. He wasn't angry about the apology, because it wasn't his problem that her motivations were off. Dom didn't get why people thought they had earned his anger when the majority of the time he never cared enough about them to get angry. Like, right now, for instance.

He was disgruntled at best, and that was to do with someone else. Someone he was already wondering if he should call.

The conversation was over, and so when Evony spoke there wasn't so much of a flicker of the eye from Dom as he dug his hands into the earth and raised a tall, perfectly symmetrical cylinder underneath him. Rising several feet up on his makeshift platform, the terrakenetic raised a back rest and settled back for a nap.

Up here, it was unlikely anyone else would be able to bother him.