[UNRECORDED]

[illdrinktothat]

Walter is infinitely grateful when the goddamn Victory banquet is finally over. It was a seemingly endless haze of hand-shakes and congratulations, Caro meeting people and having her picture taken, and him mostly just quietly plotting the death of everyone around him. Particularly anyone who insisted on stopping them to chat as the party was winding down. They stood between him and sleep. They needed to die. It's only fair.

Fortunately for all involved Walter did not go on a killing spree, but when he shoves his way onto the train back home he's not in a noticeably better mood, either. He finds the bar car and gets himself a drink and just... flops back into a chair, mostly scowling at the drink instead of drinking it. It might be a minute before Caro and Weyoun join him.

He's glad to leave the Capitol behind - oh is he ever - but he's also never all that happy about 12. It's... 12. It's home and he, for the most part, hates it, too. But he gets left alone in his house in Victor's Village and no one much pays attention to him, and he likes that arrangement just fine.

Of course... he's going to have a neighbor now. He'd say that's interesting but he already knows it's doubtful that'll change much. And this particular trip home comes with so much more in the way of potential problems than any others. Shit he can neither speak to anyone about or even do anything about.

Comments

[caroflower]

Having exchanged her ridiculous dress for something more sensible and bid farewell to Garak for the time being, Caro boards the train and heads for the food. She won't even pretend to be embarrassed about this. She's hungry and the quality of food available is about to take a nosedive. Oooh, is that cake?

She doesn't see Sullivan anywhere around, but he's probably retreated to the bar car. She's vaguely tempted to go pester him, but she just sits down at the table instead. Mmmm, food. If only eating was a Victor Talent.

[weyountrinket]

Weyoun is actually the last to board, having to stop and fuss at pretty much everything because that's what Weyoun's do. He's not terribly surprised that Walter is apparently present but also nowhere to be seen - in the bar car, presumably. Sullivan.

He quietly peers in on the dining car and finds Caro there, as he expected, and then goes about making a pest of himself in the bar car. Sullivan looks surprisingly sullen and most definitely far tireder than Weyoun's ever seen him look, but unfortunately for the Victor, Weyoun's having none of it. He's not very happy to see the drink in Walter's hand, either.

"You could try to keep yourself together for the ride back." Weyoun frowns loudly deeply. He makes only the slightest move that he may grab the liquor and - finds his wrist being held rather painfully tightly by Walter. Well, he does suppose he deserves that.

"I'll throw you from the fucking train if you try it, Trinket." Walter doesn't even sound like he's kidding, either.

Weyoun leans in awkwardly, given that he can't really twist his arm around much. He smiles tightly and lies through his teeth. "And here I was just going to get you some ice for that."

And that's what finally gets Walter to let go. "But you can get it yourself," Weyoun straightens and fixes his suit. "In the dining car."

And with that he swans out to go talk to the conductor.

[illdrinktothat]

Walter just stares irritably at Weyoun as he exits. He sees what he's doing. He fucking sees it. Fine, fine. After a moment or two he collects his bottle of scotch and his glass and heads for the dining car, and if there isn't ice there he may just follow through on his threat.

Of course what he finds there first isn't ice, it's Caro. And since she's for once neither covered in blood or in some ridiculous party dress, he has to take a moment to realize it's her. "Hey, sweetheart."

And then he's rummaging around for ice. He's a man on a mission.

[caroflower]

Caro looks up from her food at Sullivan's entrance. Her mouth is full, so she just nods hello. After a moment, though, she swallows and says, "The ice is over there by that big weird looking covered dish."

And if one were to look, one would see Caro has a glass of that weird Capitol iced drink that she still doesn't like. She's even drunk about half of it.

She idly scratches at her face between bites of food. Even though her face is completely healed, it still feels itchy and weird. A little bit like sunburnt skin, actually. And truth be told, she's a little disappointed she didn't get to keep her scars. She knew she wouldn't, but still.

[illdrinktothat]

"Thanks," Walter mumbles and makes for the aforementioned dish. Once he's got his drink nice and chilled, he settles down across the table from her and sets his bottle in front of him.

The face itching gets a raised eyebrow from him. "Don't let Weyoun see you do that, he'll freak out that you're going to damage their work or something."

Actually he's not sure that's true, but Weyoun's Capitol people and that tends to be their line of thinking. Gotta look perfect all the time.

[caroflower]

Caro raises an eyebrow right back. "Maybe that's what I'm trying to do," she says innocently. It's not really, at least not yet, but Caro might be testing the waters a little bit. Or maybe she's just being a little shit.

Spoilers, it's probably both.

[illdrinktothat]

Walter has to pause practically mid-sip of his drink and just... stare at her for a moment. He sets the glass down after a second, chuckling. "That so? There's easier ways of going about that, sweetheart. Unless you want to look like you clawed your own face up in which case, godspeed and good luck with that endeavor."

[caroflower]

She shrugs and spears another forkful of food. "I thought it was a good look for me."

After a moment she adds, "I'm sure there are, but I don't currently have a mirror or the right kind of knife. And I have a feeling they don't let brand new Victors have much in the way of sharp things."

Which isn't entirely true. In her cabin there is a very nice knife tucked into the bag of new clothes, all courtesy of Garak. He really is a thoughtful man.

[illdrinktothat]

Walter mostly just swishes the ice around in his drink absentmindedly. "Once it healed, maybe. It was lookin a little raw last I saw it."

He takes a drink and considers this carefully. "They really don't give a shit once you've stepped off the train. As long as you're alive for the Victory Tour." Alive. But he wonders if she could show up scarred again without problems. "Anyway, that might not be something you'd want to do yourself."

Faces are delicate things. Blood vessels, nerves; it's very easy to cut a little too deep and next thing you know you can't move or feel half your face. It takes a skilled hand.

This is almost an offer but he's still not entirely sure she's not kidding.

[caroflower]

"Well yeah." She scratches at her face again. It does actually itch, even though she knows it's all mental.

"You offering?" Caro asks, careful to sound casual about it. She did want the scars she should have had from her injuries, but honestly she figured she'd have to do them herself or at least expend effort to convince someone to help her. She also kind of figured she'd have to wait until after the Victory Tour, but she's certainly not going to complain about getting this done earlier.

[illdrinktothat]

Walter frowns thoughtfully and after a moment, nods.

"Why the fuck not." He half-shrugs as if this really isn't a big deal at all, discussing slicing her face open again. "Might as well make sure you don't fuck yourself up too bad."

[caroflower]

Caro decides to wait to ask about the scar she ought to have across her chest. That one she could probably do by herself anyway.

"All right. When should we do this?"

[weyountrinket]

It's right about then that the door to the dining car slides open and Weyoun joins them, just in time to hear Caro. He pauses at the doorway and tilts his head, one eyebrow raised curiously. "Do what?"

He continues on to get himself something to eat but still regards them both with equal amounts of suspicion and curiosity. "What is it you're planning on doing?"

[caroflower]

Caro makes a really obviously faked innocent face at Weyoun. "Oh, nothing in particular."

Sorry Weyoun, it's time to be a little shit again. She might even flutter her eyelashes a little as she takes another bite of... whatever this is.

[weyountrinket]

Weyoun just squints suspiciously at Caro and her innocent act, then at Walter who responds mostly by drinking and being quiet in a vaguely surly way. He really cannot deal with these two at all.

After a couple minutes have passed awkwardly, he decides to break the silence with what else but schedules. "We'll reach 12 late afternoon tomorrow. Not as early as I'd like to have gotten us there, but you will have plenty of time to settle in and figure out your new hosuing arrangements in the Victor's Village."

[caroflower]

"Oh boy," Caro says flatly. It's not that she's not excited to get the hell away from her parents, it's just... she'll have to go get her stuff out of the house. Oh well. Maybe she can pay a couple kids to do that for her. Or hell, she can just buy new things.

She scratches at her face again as she sort of... stares out into nothing. Ugh, parents. Oh god, and there's probably some sort of party thing she'll have to go to, too. Why.

[weyountrinket]

The lack of enthusiasm doesn't really surprise Weyoun any. SHe's not got a terrible lot back in 12, after all. Which reminds him. "We can have someone go and collect your belongings, if you'd prefer. I mean you are going to be far to busy to deal with your parents personally."

[caroflower]

Oh, bless you Weyoun. "That would be great," Caro says, perking up a little. She's still not super enthused, but hey. At least her only neighbor will be someone tolerable.

(Tolerable? Really, Caro.)

Then the rest of it catches up with her. "Aw man, there is another party, isn't there?" A "party" with the people from 12 she hates. Oh boy. "At least I won't be the piñata anymore." She hopes. And is mostly joking.

Oh good job Caro, way to bring the room down. She spears another forkful of food a little more forcefully than she really meant to.

[illdrinktothat]

"Always is. Won't be much to speak of, though, this is 12." Walter considers food for a few seconds before deciding against. He's at the point of tiredness where food in general sounds horrifying, honestly. "Bet you could probably sneak out of it after your initial appearance."

Not like she's going to be real popular there even with her win. Everyone's mostly going to be happy for the bounty of being a winning district.

The piñata comment prompts a brief exchange of Looks between Walter and Weyoun, but neither add to it. Walter already knows what he's going to do about that if it comes up, anyway.

[caroflower]

Oh, thank you. She shoots Sullivan a grateful look. Capitol parties were awkward enough, but at least the people there didn't obviously hate her. They just... were Capitol people. "Might as well confirm my surly reputation as soon as possible," she says more or less agreeably.

She sees Weyoun and Sullivan exchange looks out of the corner of her eye. Oh come on, guys. It was mostly a joke. It's not like 12 ever had parties, or that she'd have gone to them anyway. And besides, she doesn't plan on setting foot anywhere in 12 without her present from Garak. Just to be safe.

[illdrinktothat]

"That ain't gonna take a whole lot of work," Walter deadpans, and he's only a little serious. Well, maybe more than a little.

After a moment he stands and scoops up his drink and his bottle of liquor. "Now that that's settled, I am going the fuck to bed." He heads for the door and, presumably, for his room, pausing only to call back over his shoulder. "Wake me up when we hit 12's borders."

"That's late in the afternoon," Weyoun protests.

"That's the point, Weyoun. Goodnight." And with that he shuts the door behind him and makes off for some seriously much needed rest... hopefully.