Title : Les Delys D'Elizabeth
Author: Crazysnape/psykogleek
Beta readers thanks to ThisKlaineStory
Disclaimers: I own nothing but words
AN: Hello, first thanks to the followers and favorites !Now my problem remain as last time since only the beginning of the story has been corrected.
English isn't my first language so if you are interested by some beta reading (by some I mean a lot since the story is quite long), do not hesitate to tell me.
Now, good reading
Chapter 2
September 2011 Lima Ohio
To Kurt Hummel senior year - which began a month ago - started off on the right foot. To be honest, it already seemed like the best year he spent at McKinley High. Not that it has been a huge achievement since last year, and the death threat he received were only the climax of three years of bullying. He got the feeling that his chance turned for the better.
First, because the beginning of the school year came with the greatest news: Azimio Adams, his worse nightmare had transferred to who knows where. That meant he was now able to walk in the hallway without being afraid of getting hurt or slushied.
Secondly, Blaine, his boyfriend for nearly a year decided to leave the Dalton Academy to join him in his public school. Of course, they shared none of their classes except for Glee and some lunch since Blaine was a junior, but his presence helped to ease the stress. He appreciated to be able to spend more time with him than the previous year, but their time was shadowed.
Indeed, he was on his way to graduation. As were his friends Sam, Santana, Rachel, Mercedes, Mike and Finn. And the discussions they had about their future plans let him puzzled. He wasn't sure of what he wanted, of course he had some ideas, but nothing carved in stone like Rachel or Mercedes.
So, he listened to everybody's dreams and ideas, trying to find which one could be the one for him, and it was complicated. How can you know at 17 what you would want to do for your whole life? It seemed so frightening.
Rachel, his stepbrother's girlfriend, was a little brunette full of energy in Broadway's mode ever since Kurt met her. She was actually talking about NYADA, the school of her dreams for weeks now.
The New York Academy of Dramatic Arts was a very competitive school, which could lead them to sing and dance on the big stage of Broadway. Her way of talking about the school made it very attractive to him, and knowing that Blaine wanted to go there too, gave to the school tons of bonus points. Imagining his life in New York was easy. Kurt had gone there last year for the National competition of Glee, and he knew, he just knew he could be very happy there. Currently, Finn was also thinking about heading there.
To Kurt, his brother wanted it more because Rachel would be there than for the acting lessons he wanted to take. Showbiz wasn't for Finn, he was far too straightforward, too honest, too kind, and maybe also naive too.
However, to avoid any influence on his part, Kurt kept his thoughts for himself
His relationship with Finn had been complicated: they went from enemies to sort of friend, before passing from unwelcome crush to an endless fraternal affection. All that to say that it would be a big fat lie to say his presence in New York didn't tip the scales in the NYADA's favor.
But should he choose his future based on others' life? He wasn't so sure, but he kept listening anyway.
Mercedes might be one of his best friends, but he was sure that he didn't share her was looking for a midwife training, which meant working with pregnant people, watched vagina, blood, hospital and babies. He didn't like much the first three and a bit more the last, but from very far. Newborn children had always been frightening creatures, though ever since Finn trapped him into watching "It's alive" it had gotten worse. He wasn't even sure he would be able to be a dad in the future, or just if he adopted an older child, like twelve years old or something.
The projects of the rest of his friends were more than blurry. Mike was torn between following what he craved for and go to the Boston Dance School, or what his dad wanted for him which was medicine. Santana and Sam they were like him, plan less at the moment.
They all shared one purpose: to leave town and see Lima far in their rear-view mirror.
On that side, Kurt wasn't different from his friends. He wanted to leave, as soon as possible, but he was a bit more hesitant on how to leave. To be true, it was becoming an obsession, up to the point that whatever people were talking to him about, he always took it back to that.
"Hey Kurt, what are you going for the funny assignment Mrs Blaire gave us for Glee Club next week?
"I'm not sure, maybe "The white stripe: I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself."
"Kurt? How is that a funny song?"
"A what? Funny? Oh, uh, you're right, I might choose something else..."
"Hey white boy, decided! Are you with Tina and GAP or me and Bath and Body? Seems like we can't agree today..."
"Mmmmm, I don't know where I am going, yet, but I narrow it to 4 possibilities..."
"What are you talking about Kurt? We gave you two choices: GAP or Bath and Body?"
Puzzled, he concentrated on what the girls had told him before answering "Sorry, but I am with Tina on this one, I think there is a sale."
"Son, can you help at the shop tomorrow, Tony is still sick and we are a bit late"
"Sorry dad, I can't, the garage is your dream, not mine. That must be one of the few things I am sure of."
"Kurt?"
As if he was emerging from a dream, he saw his father observing him, clearly bothered, and he quickly corrected himself. "But of course I'll be there by the end of school"
"Kurt, did you see that? There is a special screening of the Wizard of Oz this weekend. On Saturday. Do you wanna go?"
"No, you know movies aren't my thing, I think I am going to leave it to Artie, sweetie"
"Kurt? The Wizard of Oz? Your favourite movie and you don't want to go?"Kurt shook his head "What? The Wizard of Oz.. You're right. It's not on Friday night? Cause you know how my dad is about family night...""I just told you, it's on Saturday."
"Oops, I'm sorry must have been distracted."
"It happened very often lately, do you want to talk about it?"
"No, thank you, I just have a lot of thinking to do."
"Okay, if you say so..."
"Kurt! Bro, I've a problem, I was watching 100 feet with Sam and Artie, and I realized something; I really don't want to do that. I hate the idea of scaring people!"
"Finn, I can't help you, I can't even help myself, how could I hope to help you?"
The silence that followed his stunt made him feel bad. Then, even if he didn't believe becoming an actor was Finn's best future choice he added, "You don't have to play in horror movies, you know? You can do Comedy or a romantic chick film. You have that very cute boy-next-door look."
At this word, Finn smiled "Thanks Kurt, you are right... No horror for Finn Hudson!, his brother took a break and added "I know Rachel pushed you to go to NYADA with her, and I know you would be great there, but you realizes that it's not your only option, right?"
Kurt gazed at Finn "You think?"
"Yes, I know that you loved performing and I won't lie: you are great at it, that Victor/Victoria duet you did by yourself was just in-cre-di-ble...".
Finn never told him that. Actually, no one said anything about that performance. Except for Mrs. Blair's comment on how he hadn't done what had been asked since it was impossible to do a duet by yourself. So hearing Finn's compliment, on a song he worked so hard without any recognition was good, no it was a wonderful sensation. He felt his cheeks getting warm "Thank you." He said to his brother as he went toward the door and stopped just before passing though it.
"You're welcome, anyway, as I was saying, you're prodigious on stage, but there is another place you are more than wonderful and I think you love it just as much, if it's not more. Do you see what I mean?"
Kurt bent his head on the right side, trying to understand what was Finn talking about, but he didn't.
"Well, not really. Can you be more precise?"
"A kitchen, bro! You love cooking! You love to organize meals, and all that stuff and you are really good at it."
"Les éclairs?"
The grin breaking on Finn's face said it all."Yeah? Now I hope it's my birthday every week, it was just… delicious."
Kurt thought about it for a really long time. His brother was right, cooking and baking gave him an incredibly good feeling. It was peaceful, and he adored when people tasted his creation and melt with pleasure. Finn's words started to turn in his head. His brother was right, he loved taking his sweet time in a kitchen and whenever he felt sad or had a problem, he started cooking. The bigger the problem was, more complicated the recipe was. He should have noticed: he cooked every night since he started to wonder about his future.
He browsed in the Internet looking for a culinary school, as well as the art's ones. Going to NYADA with Rachel was still a possibility, but it wasn't the only one anymore. Who would have thought that Finn could help him to open his eyes and realized all his possibilities?
There were the Institute of Culinary Education in New York, Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Dallas, The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Washington, The French Culinary Institute in California (...) and the Bocuse Institute in... France.
They could all give him a good education, but he couldn't say why; but one of them attract him more than the others. He could be very happy in New York with Rachel and Finn, or in California, but going to France would be like a dream becoming true. The Bocuse institute was very well known and select, but nothing prevented him to try. To him it was a bit like Harvard for Tina. She always said she wanted to try to enroll there.
She didn't really care if the answer was a refusal or an acceptance, she just wanted a letter with the Harvard seal.
Six months later
The sun was hidden, and the weather sort of windy, but nothing could have stained his happiness. Today, Kurt Hummel was finally graduating. There was a time, he felt as if that day would never come, but he was pleased to say: he had been wrong.
"Mercedes Jones!"
Kurt watched his best friend proudly walk on the stage, shaking hands with the teachers, hugging tight Mrs Blair and Miss Pilsbury. After that, he looked without really caring two idiot jocks accepting their diploma under the applause of a crowd just as stupid before smiling.
"Finn Hudson!"
Kurt didn't know how it was possible, but his brother managed to look good in that horrible purple dress. He wiggled in his seat ready for his turn as he clapped as loud as possible. The year had been complicated for Finn and they had to work hard to get him here. So Kurt was happy for him.
"Kurt Hummel!"
He took a deep breath and slowly headed in Principal Figgin's direction. Gosh, he couldn't stand that guy, a simple puppet only interested in money, a man who didn't move a finger to prevent bullying to climb out of hand, neither for him nor anyone else.
He heard cheers. Most of them hypocrite, he was sure of it. The "That's my boy" that rang in the air eased the bitterness he felt toward most of the people around. He reached to grab the sheets of paper, ignored Figging's hand as well as most of the teachers ones, he briefly talked to Coach Slaop, Miss Pilsbury and Mrs Blaire.
They had their share of disagreement in the past, but they remained the only adults on whom he knew he could count on in the school ground. Not that he took much advantage of that fact. As his dad would say "Kurt, you are too damn proud for your own good"
He was about to leave the stage when he saw his boyfriend grinning at him, proud. He heard his voice in his head "courage". That was what Blaine used to tell him, so he stopped. He barely hesitated one second before turning around and doing something quite unusual to him, or rather, unique. He smirked, he gave them a bird before joining his friends on the side.
It felt amazing.
Four weeks later
Since the graduation party, the time had flown like a dream. He spent the evening with all his friends from the Glee Club remembering the past and making suppositions about their future.
Some more joyful than others.
After some hesitations, between his stardom dreams and culinary ones, the sign he had been looking for came. Indeed, he was lucky enough to be accepted at the Institut Paul Bocuse. It was the opportunity of his life.
He had a long discussion with his father (convincing him of what a chance it was, took time), with Blaine ("yes, I know, love, France is further away than New York, but it's only three years, and I promise to come home whenever I can") and had been the hardest to persuade. He could still hear her "Kurt you can't do that! You can't drop me up like that, I need you to be there so my dreams can come true!"
Luckily for him Santana poked her nose into the discussion, and without knowing how it happened Santana the spicy cheerio ended up moving in New York with Rachel the Diva.
Mercedes headed for California with Mike.
Sam, his brother in all but blood, was held back for one more year with his darling, his wonderful Blaine. Tina and Artie were junior so they had one more year too. Some of the guessing were amusing, others less. He couldn't help, but smile when he imagined Santana and Rachel sharing their flat. Then, he thought about who else should be with them, but changed his mind and his smile disappeared.
He would think about Finn and his completely insane decision to enlist in the army. Kurt conceived his desire to follow his father's step, but Finn was one the sweetest guy Kurt knew! Always trying to help, to do the right thing. Kurt was afraid of what the army would make of him. It was hard to accept they were all going in their separate way. Some of them were already gone, and his own flight was leaving from Dayton the next day at ten past three, in the afternoon.
Kurt checked his suitcase one last time. He couldn't afford to forget anything. He was about to start the longest travel of his life _ not that it meant much since the further he went until now was New York for the National Glee championship in junior year.
And the experience, though wonderful at the time, couldn't compare. He was about to leave his country, his family, all he ever knew for a whole year at least and realizing one of his dreams: living in France, learning to cook in one of the finest schools.
He went to bed early that night. Some people said it was better to not sleep a lot before a long journey to rest on the way, but he had the feeling that wouldn't be his case. He wasn't the kind of person who enjoyed sleeping outside of his bed, or worse in a public place.
That was why he went to bed pretty early, and he set his alarm clock at 10 A.M. to spend some time with his boyfriend and listen the long list of recommendations that his dad had without doubt to pass him.
The journey to the airport went rather quietly. Carole, his step-mom, was sitting at the front with his dad, and he was in the back between Blaine and Finn.
He listened to the discussions, but didn't take part of any, only collecting the sensations they bought him. Soon his brain was full of stupid questions:
What if the flight was delayed?
What if he didn't like the school?
What if his future room-mate, Kin, was more nasty in real life than on the Internet?
What if he hated living in France?
What if he didn't speak French as well as he thought?
What if he didn't understand a word of what people told him?
What if he was bad at cooking?
And the worst, was that the questions turning inside his head were always the same, like an endless cycle.
He was relieved to see the airport. He would finally have something to do. Firstly, finding a place to park the car, then register his bag, and to finish finding the gate on the indicated panel.
After that, it was time to say goodbye: He delayed it long as he could: dreading to his relatives leave, but when he was the last passenger he had no other choice. He hugged Carole, Finn, his dad, and terminated with Blaine. He watched them one last time before fishing his ticket out of his pocket and handed it to the hostess.
The hallway leading to the plane seemed long, but Kurt was conscious it was only his imagination. Five more paces and he wouldn't be in Lima anymore.
He had dreamed of this moment for so long. But in his dream he has been just excited and happy, here it was mixed with worry and sadness. Fear of being alone in a foreigner country, the sadness of leaving his family.
His chest was compressed and breathing started to get harsh. His legs were in jelly, and he crossed his fingers, hoping that his seat wasn't in the back, unsure to be able to arrive in one piece.
Row 6 seat C.
He sighed with relief when he felt the fabric of the armrest under his hand. He did it. He stayed motionless for a while, waiting for the first plane of his long journey to take off.
Unfortunately, it was a bit late. Some Robin White, whose bags had been registered had some problems in the airport so they all had to wait for her. It lasted half and hour, luckily the stopover he had in Chicago was five hours long, he would have hated to miss the next flight.
The take-off felt different than last time, maybe because he didn't have a panicking Sam beside him. He felt as if he was lifted from his seat just as his heart was lumping in his throat. It was a bit like in an elevator, but more comfortable and with more exciting destination.
And, suddenly he had a foolish grin on his face. The reason of his presence in that particular plane fell on him: in a bit more than a day he was going to be walking on the French ground, before that it would be the British one. Moreover, seeing that the second stopover should last a bit more than 10 hours he should be able to leave the airport for a bit.
The five hours of wait in Chicago didn't seem too long, he read a book, drank two Moka, talked to Rachel for a bit. She was in New York since about a month now, and all the things she told him confirmed he made the right decision: NYADA wasn't for him.
The second plane was a bit more stressful. Firstly, because he had to fly a long time above the ocean and he kept on imagining the plane crashed in the water and his body sinking under, a bit like Jack in Titanic.
Then, the flight by itself wasn't peaceful and nor were the few minutes of sleep which he managed to catch.
Indeed, he was in the middle seat, surrounded by a huge man who snored and a very old woman, so frail he had been scared to hurt if he were to touch her by accident. Which meant that he didn't move during nine hours despite of his need to go to the toilet. The hostess woke them up for a snack rather disgusting, which he ate anyway, while picturing the beautiful things he was about to learn how to make. He tried to watch the movie proposed: something shitty with a very pregnant Katherine Heigl. The kind of movie you still understand despite a nosedive, that you watched on the T.V, but are ashamed to spend money for at the movie theater.
He was about to start a Friends episode when the seat in front of him went backward and trapped him a bit more. He would be glad to reach London and not just because he would visit a bit of the City.
When they finally reached their destination, he waited for most of the passengers to leave before trying to walk out himself he hated being pressed that way.
He quickly headed for the train station in order to enjoy the city as long as possible. Luckily the trains were fairly numerous and soon he was breathing the polluted air of London.
Since the snack was bad, his first goal was finding a place to eat, not a McDonald nor any other American restaurant. He ate a typical fish and chip. A bit oily, but he could get used to eat it once a while.
After that, he wandered around, just enjoying the atmosphere of the place and stretching his legs before the next flight. He managed to see Buckingham Palace and that was as beautiful as he expected before turning over to the airport, not wanting to miss his plane.
Kurt couldn't believe it, in a few seconds, he would tread upon the French soil, at last. He pinched himself to be sure, but the sharp pain confirmed it wasn't a dream anymore, it was a reality. Once again, he let passengers in the hurry rushed toward the exit. It felt like the first day of sales. Why were people always in such a rush? He had the feeling it was a question which would endlessly be unanswered.
He stared, dull, as the crowd cursed the slowness of the people before them, before standing up and reaching for his hand baggage. The mob was so dense that the luggage conveyor belt was made invisible. He looked around a few minutes, then he found a hole in the crowd. Luckily, his huge suitcase was easily recognizable and one of the first to arrive, so he was one of the first to escape.
Now, he needed to find the train station and head for the city center of Lyon. He could try to directly reach the residence in Ecully, but he was too tired. His only dream at the moment was to find a bed and sleep like a log.
He didn't take the time to look for the best price for the hostel and he went to the first he found. The hazard was nice with him. The Hôtel Athena Part-Dieu looked nice from the outside, and he was surprised to notice that the inside wasn't too bad neither. He had slept in way worse when he went to Chicago with the Glee club.
The bed wasn't as big as the one he had at home, but it was comfortable. From what he saw about the residence where he was about to reside during his education, the room was still up standard. The inside of the room was orange, not a color he would have chosen himself, but it was still better than the pink of Rachel's room. He let his suitcase on a corner and immediately went for a well needed shower.
Gosh! He really really really needed it. He gobbled more than he ate the sandwich he bought in a bakery on the way. He put pajamas on and took out his didn't have the time, nor the energy for a long discussion, but he still had to tell people at home that he arrived.
As soon as the E-mails were sent, he hung "do not disturb' up at the door, set his alarm clock and he barely had the time to lay his head on the pillow before the sleep came.
Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba
Sithi uhm ingonyama
Nants ingonyama bagithi baba
Sithi uhhmm ingonyama
Ingonyama
Siyo Nqoba
Ingonyama
Goodness me, there was a time he liked the music Sam set for his alarm, but the Circle of life's was really starting to get on his nerve. He won't keep it much longer.
Indeed, even when he loved the song, to sing it almost everyday - for at least all morning long - tended to be annoying. Anyway, he stopped it, but he made no move to get up: reality finally catching him: he was in France!
It was true, it wasn't Paris, but Lyon was still France and he had a hard time to believe it. Slowly, he went to the bathroom to get clean, and dress up: he hadn't reached his final destination yet.
He got down to the living room and ate the breakfast. The first thing he noticed, was the bread, and the croissants. He got a thought for his father and his diet, but for once he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he took a bit of both, along with a glass of juice and a coffee; then, he sat at a table in a corner.
The place was far from being full, but that was fine with him. He wanted to enjoy his first meal in France in calm. The bread was crusty and the pastry, delicious. Smiling, he thought that he could get used to it.
The journey to the residence wasn't long, around half an hour at the most. Therefore, he took advantage of that time to watch the city and try to immerse himself in it.
It was so lovely, very different from where he was living. And, he got the feeling he could be happy here.
The residence was exactly like he saw on the internet. Nothing really fancy in the outside. Or rather, as his father used to say: it was not much to look at.
It was a big block of white and grey, nothing really nice to look at, to be honest it was mostly sad. Pulling on his suitcase he headed for the entrance, his room was on the second floor. He briefly wondered if his roommate had arrived yet. He knocked at the door, waited a few seconds before coming in. Apparently, his co-tenant had arrived, but wasn't here at the moment.
He froze at the door, and looked around him.
The interior was as bad as the outside. And yet, he was lucky since the walls were painted in a pale blue instead of the white he saw on the pictures. A single bed which looked kind of uncomfortable, a desk with the matching chair and a closet. The wardrobe was so small that Kurt wondered where was going to put his clothes. Not wanting to lose his head before the start and took a deep breath, and began to unpack.
His room-mate having taken the right side of the room, he headed for the left one. Everything was a matter of organization and he was well known among his friends for his organizational skills, it was time to put it in good use.
It was like an irritating game of Tetris, where the pieces were not really made to fit. He was so focused on his task that he didn't hear the door opening behind him. Therefore, he jumped and screamed higher than Rachel the day she met Patty Lupone, when he turned and found himself face to face with a sitting young man. The stranger was sitting on the chair by the desk.
Behind long straight black hair, appeared the blackest almond-shape-eyes, a skin fair and pure, and a faint smile.
"Bonjour." the voice was shy, and the slight Asian accent. (Hello)
"Bonjour." He cursed himself, his voice had been dismal and the smile on the new-comer's face froze.
Realizing they were both as awkward, he started again and held his hand "Salut, Kurt, Kurt Hummel." and he was proud to say he even managed to smile.
"Bonjour, je m'appelle Kun Gao. Bienvenue." (Hello, I am Kun Goa, welcome.)
"Désolé, j'ai mis un peu de ..." he tried to find the correct word, but couldn't. Fortunately, he made a sign with his hands to show the room and Kun filled for him. ( Sorry, about the...)
"Bazar?" this time the smile was freer. (Mess?)
"Oui." He looked at his bed completely covert of clothes, books, bags. (Yes,)
"Pas de soucis, j'ai fait pareil en arrivant. Prend ton temps." (No problem, I did the same when I arrived. Take your time.)
"Merci. Tu es arrivé il y a longtemps?" (Thank you. Have you been there for long?)
Since then, Kurt and Kun began to get to know each other. It was funny to meet someone whose background was so different, but yet, sharing the same sort of dreams and hopes. When Kurt put the last of his clothes at his place, his new friend stood up, saying he would make some tea, then he offered one to Kurt.
Tea, wasn't, without a pun, his cup of tea, but as he didn't want to erase the good start they had, he nodded. Kun came back ten minutes later, while Kurt was fighting to connect his computer.
The young man held a mug in each hand and he gave one to Kurt. Circumspect, Kurt blew on it, appreciating the colour - a mix of green and yellow. That was pretty and staring at the round dancing on the surface was soothing. Then he took a light sip. The rich flavour was very nice in his mouth. And for the first time, he found himself liking the tea.
Kurt grinned and looked at Kun "C'est bon, merci. Qu'est-ce que c'est? Je ne reconnais pas le goût."(That's good, thank you? What is it? I don't recognise the taste?)
"Long Jing. C'est du vrai, si je peux dire, je l'ai amené avec moi. » (Long Jing. Authentic one. If I may say, I bring it with me)
Frowning, Kurt asked "Du vrai? Parce qu'il y a du faux thé?" (Authentic? because there is fake one?)
Kun, giggled "Aussi étrange que cela puisse être, oui, il y en a du faux qui provient de la province du Sichuan au lieu Hangzhou. Chez nous, nous reconnaissons les contrefaçons, mais ailleurs pas toujours. Tu aimes?'" (As strange as it may be, there is. There is false tea coming from the province of Sichuan instead of Hangzhou. From where I come from, we recognize the real from the false, but It's not the case everywhere. Do you like it?)
Kurt nodded, and they finished their tea in silence. Kun helped him with his computer. Neither of them was good at it, but after fighting against it for about twenty minutes, it finally worked. Kurt hesitated one second. Should he look at his E-mail and maybe Skype with someone for a bit or get a look around his new home. He glanced at Kun and casually asked him "Tu me fais visiter?" (You show me around?)
The huge smile lit up the boy's face "Ok, je vais aussi te presenter à quelques personnes." (Okay, I will also introduce you to a few people.)
The common kitchen was simple, but it contained the required minimum; just as was the living room which held a TV and four sofas, some chairs with a matching table, and the sport club would they feel the didn't make much an effort in the decoration, but to Kurt it was just as well. A few weeks ago, he had dreamt the whole place was decorated Versailles like, and it was a true nightmare.
On their way, they ran into different persons, and for one second Kurt felt as if he was back at Dalton. He shivered: the only positive thing about Dalton - free bullying apart - was his meeting with Blaine, but he had missed his girls. He doubted that he would ever come across someone he loved as much as Santana or Rachel here, but he could still hope.
Before going to Dalton, he used to judge people on the clothes they chose to wear. For example, he avoided people who wearing Tracksuits, brown shoes or bow ties. Blaine was lucky they met when he was wearing his uniform, or he would have never dared to come close to him because of his bow ties obsession. During their visit of the living room, a boy and a girl interrupted them. They were very similar, both had blond hair, blue eyes and a mole under the right eye.
"Excuse-moi, Chanel ou Hermes?" (Excuse me, Chanel or Hermes?)
Kurt exchanged a look with Kun, who shrugged.
"Pardon?"
The girl rolled her eyes and spoke to him slowly as if he was stupid.
"J'ai dit: Chanel ou Hermès?" ( I said: Chanel or Hermes?)
The boy put a hand on her arm "Sophie, calmes-toi. Tu n'es pas clair. Excuse là." (Sophie, relax. You are not clear. Excuse her, please)
"Je suis capable de m'excuser toute seule Simon! Je n'ai pas besoin de toi ! Et ma question est très claire ce n'est pas de ma faute s'il ne pige rien!" (I can apologize by myself, Simon! I don't need you! And my question is very clear it's not my fault if he does not understand a damn thing!)
She was talking very quickly and Kurt didn't fathom all she was stating.
"Elle parle de ton foulard." Simon said. (She is talking about your scarf)
Kurt touched the foulard around his neck. Finn and Rachel offered it to him for his last birthday. He stared at the girl and spit "Pas que cela te regarde, mais ni l'un ni l'autre. C'est du Prada. Bitch!" and he turned back toward Kun. " Si nous sortions? L'air est irrespirable dans cette pièce." (Not that it's any of your business, but neither one nor the other. It's Prada. Bitch!) (Could we go out? The air is unbreathable in this room.)
Kun smiled, and from the gleam in his eyes, Kurt was sure he understood the double meaning. "Okay, allons-y." (Okay, let's go)
Tomaso, to whom Kun wanted to present Kurt, joined them on their walk. If Kun was from china, Kurt from USA, Tomaso was from Spain. He was a tall and very skinny man, who talked with his hands. The man was always on the move.
He was so different of Kun, that it was odd to observe them in interaction. One was really serene and always focus while the other was talking a mile a minute.
The park wasn't spectacular: a few scattered trees, two benches, no flowers and the lawn was in tough condition. It looked more like grass or weeds, but it was nonetheless nice to walk around, and breath the fresh air.
It was the second year of Tomaso at the institute, so he relished them with tales of how the lesson took place, explaining how the teachers were and how competitive the school was. They took turns to explain their experience in the restoration area and Kurt shyly admitted he never cooked for anyone other than his family or friends. When they headed back to their respective room, Kurt felt restless. The discussion he had with his new schoolmate left him aware of his lack of experience. He knew he was here to learn, but it was hard to feel so pulled down even if it was unwilling.
He ate the rest of the food he bought before coming and finally tried to contact his home, but it was too early for his dad to be back from work and Blaine wasn't connected either. Despite of the early hour, he started getting ready for bed. He was tired and since he didn't get to talk to any of his friends he felt stressed and restless. Kun went to the living-room to talk a bit more with Tomaso, but when he came back nearly four hours later Kurt's eyes were still wide awake.
"Kurt? Tu ne dors toujours pas?" (Kurt?You still do not sleep? " )
"Non. J'ai sommeil, mais je ne sais pas pourquoi je n'arrive pas à m'endormir." (No. I am tiered, but I don't know why, I can't fall asleep.)
"ça t'ennuit si j'allume une bougie avant d'aller me coucher, l'odeur made à dormir paisiblement." ( Would it bother you if I light a candle before going to bed, the smell helps me to sleep peacefully.)
Kurt glanced at his new friend and he could tell the candle wasn't for him, so he nodded, "Quelle parfum?" (Which flavor?)
He still remember when Tina claimed to have found a candle supposed to help to sing better. They all agreed that It was stupid, but they all tried it nevertheless, and the odor was just disgusting.
"Angélique de Chine. Ne t'inquiète pas c'est très doux." (Chinese Angelica. Do not worry, it's very sweet.)
"Je te fais confiance, vas-y." He crossed his finger, hoping he wouldn't regret it. He didn't. Indeed, he didn't even hear Kun coming back. (I trust you. Do it.)
The next day arrived too fast at Kurt's taste. He had never been a big sleeper, usually, he could easily run on six hours of sleep. However today he would be happy to stay in bed all day and sleep for just as long. Could it be because of the jet lag? Of the sorrow of not having talked to anyone from home since he arrived? He didn't know, but sadly Kun put some music on, around ten a.m. and Kurt was forced to get up.
It was something he never heard before. Some Chinese Pop music called Eason Chan Kun informed him soon. The song was lovely to listen and it was a chance. Kurt would hate to do to Kun what he did to Finn and Sam when they blared that awful Gun and Roses' song until midnight during Carole and his dad's honeymoon. He smiled, thinking of their expression when they both realized all songs on their computers and iPhones were swapped to a compilation of Lady Gaga's songs.
"Kurt, lèves-toi, je discutais avec Tomaso hier, et quand je lui ai dit que nous trouvions notre chambre trop triste, il a proposé de nous amener dans quelques boutiques pour décorer un peu tout ça. Dépêches-toi, il nous attend dans 30 minutes." (Kurt, wake up! I was talking with Tomaso yesterday, and when I said that we found our room too sad, he offered to take us to a few shops to decorate it a bit. Hurry up, we are meeting in 30 minutes.)
30 minutes? How could he be ready on time? Funny how the idea of shopping upped his morale wherever he was. He couldn't tell how he managed it, but he passed through the door with two minutes to spare. They were lucky to have Tomaso with them. Lyon was bigger than he thought. And, he may have a lot of qualities, but the sense of direction wasn't part if it.
Côté Maison, Le carrée des artistes, heritage, Tomaso has shown them a lot of shops: none were in their price. It was a strange experience to shop with people whose taste he didn't know. They didn't have a lot of money; Kun wanted something to put on the wall, like a picture, or a painting. Tomaso led them to a shop called 'autour de l'image'.
They browsed in the shop attempting to find a picture they could agree on. It was hard. Kurt proposed to look at the cubism picture having always like it, but as soon as Kun saw them, he vetoed.
After that, his roommate glanced at Mannerism pictures, then Renaissance's ones, but Kurt didn't enjoy the religious theme or the atmosphere. They kept on wandering around, but the Rococo wasn't for them, neither was Fauvism nor classicism. At the end, Tomaso, probably fed up to stay in the same boutique, showed them some works of a man called Braque.
Georges Braque.
And they finally agreed on L'Estaque. They both loved the colors, and the senses they got from it. And, it was enough: Kurt didn't feel like discussing until they found the perfect Picture as he would have done with Blaine or Sam.
After all, it has been just a mean to bond with new people and to visit a bit of the town before classes start in two days. They stopped to eat at a small restaurant. It wasn't chic or anything, but the food was good. There were lots of dishes with cheese. He tried the goat cheese's one, thinking about his brother who loved all cheese things. Then, he had a heartache, Finn will not have a lot of opportunities to eat goat cheese where he was. Kurt doubted that the army food was very gourmet.
Kurt made the most of the visit and he bought some of the stuff he missed. Mostly food and things for school, then they headed toward the Clipper as was called the residence.
When they arrived, they were jumped by a group of young women, who were talking very quickly to Tomaso while Kun and him exchanged a wary look, not sure to really catch what was happening.
Kurt noticed the words "fête" "alcohol" and "danse". Girls, here, seemed to be more like Mandy the bitchy cheerios and Rachel on her Broadway crack than Mercedes or Tina, but he was still happy to see that Snobbish Sophie wasn't the only the feminine representative.
As soon as the three of motormouth left him alone, Tomaso turned toward them: "Okay, il y a une soirée organisée ce soir pour que tout le monde fasse connaissance, 19 h dans la salle commune, vous pouvez amener un truc à boire ou à manger. A+ les gars" (Okay, there is a party tonight to help everybody to make acquaintance. 7p.m in the common room. you can bring something to drink or eat. See you guys A + guys)
And, he fled.
Kurt tried once again to Skype with someone from home. He was lucky this time. Blaine was here, and he nearly cried when his face appeared on the computer. They talked for nearly one hour and it felt good, even if hanging up was hard.
He arrived at the party a bit later than he intended to. The music was on, too loudly to allow discussions and drinks were turning around. He didn't want alcohol. He didn't enjoy it and what would always be remain as the Bambi's events didn't encourage him to try again. But, despite every one of his refusal, he found himself with a glass full of something brown. Kun told him it was homemade mead. Something the double S distilled just for the party.
Kurt wanted to know who the double S was, but he only asked about mead. The answer: "something with honey and water". He stared at his glass a few seconds before giving it a try. It wasn't too bad, actually. A bit sweet, nice mouth, so he kept on drinking it, sipping it as slowly as possible to avoid someone trying to give him another drink, a hard liquor.
"Salut, désolé pour hier, ma sœur peut être un peu vache quand elle est énervée. Heureusement que ça arrive rarement. Tu es mal tombé. Oh fait, je m'appelle Simon. Tu es nouveau ici?" (Hi, sorry for yesterday. My sister can be a bit harsh when she is angry. Luckily, it doesn't happen very often. With you it was a bad timing. By the way, I am Simon. You are a newbie?)
Suddenly, Kurt lowered his eyes on his glass and he knew who the double S were. Simon and Sophie what-is-their-names. He didn't want to judge them on the bad impression they gave the day before. To be honest, on the bad impression she gave him the day before, so he smiled and said:
"Kurt Hummel. Oui, je viens d'arriver. Je suis en première année, et toi?"(Kurt Hummel. Yes, I just arrived. I'm in first year. And you?)
"Deuxième, tu verras les gens sont sympas. C'est un peu compétitif, mais l'ambiance est excellente " (Second one. You will see, people are nice here, kind of competitive, but the atmosphere is great)
They kept on talking, a very, very long time and Kurt was pleased to have given him a chance. The young man was very funny, he knew tons of people and all seemed friendly. His sister came to talk to them, this time she looked calmer, nicer. It was up to the point where Kurt wondered if she wasn't bipolar. It was a turnover MD Jekyll and Mr. Hyde like.
She was very interested in fashion. Her previous question about Channel was authentic, but plainly destined to be hurtful. They talked for a while, exchanging tips on clothes and cosmetics. It felt like talking to Mercedes or Rachel or Tina, but she was more careful than his girls about the kind of products she put on herself. Nothing with paraben, or sulfate de sodium, tried to avoid Triclosan and other agents, because they were bad for health. She went as far as making the most of her cosmetic to know what they were made of.
She was well-informed in all that and offered to give a look at his products to give him some advice, but as it was very late, they decided to postpone it to the next day. Kun was already gone to bed. It was nearly 1 am when he went to sleep. The remains of Angelique's smell in the room told him that Kun didn't just light the candle for him the day before. The odour was kind of heart-warming, and sleep came easily that night.
The following day went more smoothly than Kurt expected. He spent some time with Kun and Sophie. As her brother said, she was kinder when she wasn't angry, and she helped them a lot to set up. The first day of school finally came, and despite the usual lack of sleep that forerun the first day of school, he was ready on time. He had to be at school at 8 am, in clothes clean, correct and with all his belonging. The list was long.
Loaded down, Kun and he took the bus. The arrival at the school was kind of surrealistic. Dalton was a beautiful school, but Kurt still had difficulties to realize he was about to spend the next three years in a small castle. A French castle, which, from his search, had been built more than a century ago and looked like one of the 'chateau de la Loire'.
He wouldn't dare to confess it to anyone, but the first time he came, he felt like Harry Potter must have for his first day in Hogwarts.
The place was really huge! It had three buildings: the Food and Hospitality research Center, the pedagogic building and le château. It was so enormous that the visit lasted most of the first day.
Three floors in the Education building, two at the research center and four in the castle. They spent some time in a classroom, going over how the year was going to be spent. Developing the four Main Training Modules which were: Training and practical applications, Organization of production Operational Management and Entrepreneurship and innovation. Then, the chef talked about the four months internship in France they all had to find for their second semester.
Kurt tried to listen as carefully as he could, but it was harder than he thought. The teacher was speaking faster than he was used to and the vocabulary wasn't always easy to understand, or it might be the accent.
Despite those difficulties he knew that he made the right choice. That school was made for him.
Notes:I hope you like to take a look at Kurt's life. The next chapter should be here around the 20 of September, and remember If you are up for some corrections...