Open Post: La savate et le chausson

[futaille]

Much to his satisfaction, Grantaire has been able to keep up with many of his hobbies unabated during his time at the mansion. Not all of them, though, mostly because they were ones he'd go to specific spots for, and with those spots not being here in addition to an abundance of his other hobbies, they more or less fell by the wayside.

However, a recent chat with Dionysus has reminded him that he has very much neglected his 'hitting things' level. Although he didn't find a crash test dummy, the thought being on his mind ended up in him stumbling upon a small gym tucked away, complete with some equipment including a standing punching bag.

So he's discarded his waistcoat and cravat over a bench and is practicing his savate¹.

¹French kickboxing! During R's time it was basically for streetfighting, and just beginning to get formalized, but there are some cool vintage videos on youtube (Here and here) to give the... vibe.

Comments

[futaille]

"Truthfully, I didn't think I'd be anywhere. Just... gone. But if there was actually an afterlife... I very much doubt I was virtuous enough for heaven."

[lightbearinglord]

A fleeting frown touches Lan Wangji's face. He can't speak to the entrance requirements for whatever heaven does or doesn't exist in Grantaire's world, but Grantaire is kind, he is pleasant company, and he harbors a great deal of passion beneath his exterior of carefully-affected frivolousness. "There is no reincarnation cycle by your reckoning, then."

[futaille]

He shrugs. "It seems a selfish thought to me, hoarding the world to be enjoyed by the same people over and over and over again instead of making way for new ones."

[lightbearinglord]

His eyebrows twitch up, just the barest skepticism at this framing of the concept. Claudius received it, and called it heresy, with such delight, that he would hardly have expected Grantaire, of all people, to object more strongly. "What happens to the qi of those who die, then? That energy must go somewhere."

[futaille]

"I'd imagine it just disperses into the world like bodies end up doing. There's no reason it would need to stay together as one specific being."

[lightbearinglord]

"The spirits of the dead often linger," he points out.

[futaille]

"In your world, maybe. No real evidence of it in mine. Not many people believe in ghost stories."

[lightbearinglord]

"In this one, too." Lan Wangji is skeptical about the supposed absence of ghosts in Grantaire's world, but he has nothing with which to dispute that claim.

[futaille]

"It makes sense, I guess. If we can't leave, we can't leave."

[lightbearinglord]

There comes that tiny frown again. He hesitates. Keeping this from Grantaire would serve no particular purpose. They are not overly close, but Lan Wangji likes Grantaire, and Claudius loves him. "Wei Ying died," he says, "and returned thirteen years later. His spirit had suffered, but it was intact."

[futaille]

"Thirt--" He shakes his head. "That's a long time. I'm sorry."

[lightbearinglord]

That isn't why he told Grantaire, but the sympathy is kind of him. Lan Wangji looks away, only for a breath. "Thank you. He lives now."

[futaille]

He nods. "That's good. Not that you had to wait that long, but I'm pretty sure you knew that. Nothing like that happens on my world, though."

[lightbearinglord]

"Nor on mine," he says. Hauntings happen, and spirits become restless, and their energy becomes corrupted, and the dead speak or walk. But they do not return whole and alive, and he never anticipated that Wei Ying might. It was waiting only in retrospect. At the time, it was mourning without any anticipated end.

[futaille]

"You got a miracle, then. I'm fairly sure those are rare on any world out there. Well, more than fairly sure, as miracles are by definition not exactly common. I'd say you both deserved it but I'm hardly an expert on the deserving."

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji might object, and nearly does, but describing the circumstances to Grantaire is an unappealing prospect. He only directs another sharp look at him, then. "Because you think yourself undeserving?"

[futaille]

"Because determining who deserves a miracle is the domain of whatever force distributes the miracle, and far be it from me to speculate on the criteria."

[lightbearinglord]

"Mn." They have strayed from the original debate, but Lan Wangji suspects it might be an unwinnable argument. He doesn't need to convince Grantaire of what is true for him for the truth of it to remain. "I am unsure fate has such clear intention."

[futaille]

He shrugs amiably. "That's perfectly fair. I wouldn't say I'm sure of anything, so I certainly don't expect anyone else to be. I'm just tossing thoughts to the wall and seeing what sticks."

[lightbearinglord]

"You are sure of nothing at all?" Again, Lan Wangji is almost blatantly skeptical.

[futaille]

"I am somewhat confident that one added to one is two, so I suppose that was a slight exaggeration, but I have carefully honed my skepticism over the years."

[lightbearinglord]

"Are you not sure of your feelings for the young master Enjolras?" It's a somewhat pointed question, but also one prompted by genuine curiosity.

[futaille]

His eyebrows shoot up. "That doesn't count. Enjolras is... Enjolras."

[lightbearinglord]

He understands the fundamental sentiment, but not what seems to stem from it. If Grantaire is sure of Enjolras, then he would expect other certainties to build themselves around that. Enjolras is Enjolras is meaningless; he frowns and waits to see if Grantaire will explain.

[futaille]

"Right, that's a bit tautological. It's just that... He's the exception to everything. What belief I can muster has been spent on him. He just has so much of his own that it draws it out."