none of mun's theaters were showing the movie at midnight

[roseoftheunderworld]

[Eponine's really bad at this comforting thing, but...]

Mlle. Mundane, please do not be sad. Just because you cannot see it tonight does not mean you cannot see it at all. Perhaps it will not be so special, but there is little you can do for that. At least you will see it, no?

Please...do not cry. [She tried and therefore no one should criticize her.]

Comments

[euphrasie]

[ cosette wrings her hands around each other, brow furrowed. ]

She mustn't fret! My mun has yet to see it as well, in a few hours, actually.

[roseoftheunderworld]

[Oh.

Cosette.

Awkward.

Eponine draws herself up a little, but her expression remains impassive.]

I hope she was not disappointed, mademoiselle.

[euphrasie]

[ she shakes her head, tone somber as ever. but her expression is still warm, though she keeps a respectable distance. ]

Certainly not. Has yours has the opportunity to see?

[roseoftheunderworld]

Yes, she's...just returned.

[And her mun is not okay, clearly.]

I believe I've made her cry. [Whoops.]

[euphrasie]

[ here is an awkward and comforting - or meant to be comforting - pat on the arm. ]

My mun always cries wh-when Papa goes...

[roseoftheunderworld]

[Out of pure habit, she flinches and blinks a little owlishly at Cosette once her hand's been withdrawn. How do gentle touching and kind people.]

So does mine. [How eloquent. Eponine straightens in an attempt to regain what's left of her dignity.] She is...very emotional, I suppose. When it comes to us, especially.

[euphrasie]

[ it is a forward gesture, but she feels a strange bond to eponine, through various pathways. cosette does not venture for another pat. ]

Our stories and the stories of those we know - they seem to touch many lives.

[roseoftheunderworld]

[Forward, nothing. Eponine's barely used to being touched at all, unless it's for a malicious reason. A pat, something comforting and...even nice isn't what she's used to. But, if anything, her attitude's softened just a bit. And she nods.]

Strange that they would. Our lives are no different from others. [Or well. Maybe everyone else's where, but Eponine's still dubious as to why anyone would care at all about hers.]

[euphrasie]

[ she shrugs her shoulders. papa's story is nothing short of remarkable but she says nothing of that matter, never wanting to brag. ]

Even the most ordinary lives can carry something amazing, each one.

[roseoftheunderworld]

[Eponine would be inclined to agree, if she had any knowledge of Valjean's story beyond his coming to take Cosette away.]

Perhaps. [Her own? Nope. Nothing but a brief obsession with a man.] I suppose...it is not the individual lives, but all of ours together, no?

[euphrasie]

[ cosette marks her life by those she has loved and those who love her. a love of any kind is significant. ]

As a collection? As people in France's history? I suppose so.

[roseoftheunderworld]

[She shifts from foot to bare foot, uneasily.]

That is what my mundane say the...ah...book is. Our book. [Oh yes, Eponine, just jump right back into the meta will, you.] Not in all of France, but all of us. You and I and the others.

[euphrasie]

[ she has so many feelings, it is impossible to keep out of meta right now. perhaps another time... ]

I know that in some way, I wouldn't be myself without meeting any of these people.

[roseoftheunderworld]

[Well, of course, it's Les Mis. All feelings, all the time.]

The same can be said for any of us, I suppose. [Though Eponine has had much more negative impact than Cosette at this point. Strange that her first positive impact in years, apart from Marius, comes in the form of the girl she so tormented as a child.]

[euphrasie]

It is only now that I've had some clarity on the matter. Life seems to be a constant chain reaction of meetings, confrontations, and entanglements.

[ how else can cosette grow from such humble beginnings if not forgiveness? she is nothing but grateful for eponine's actions before her life's end. ]

[roseoftheunderworld]

Yes... [She pauses, thoughtful.]

You are not angry with me. [It's a statement, not a question, but there's still a sense of mild bewilderment behind it.] Why? [Again with the meta, Eponine.]

[euphrasie]

[ quickly, she shakes her head. ]

It was your parents who were cruel to me, who exploited my mother's concern and attempted to pull my father into another con. But you - you are not your parents.

[roseoftheunderworld]

[She shrugs. Maybe she isn't, but she's acted like them in the past. Necessary things to survive on the streets of Paris.]

I was as cruel as they were, mademoiselle. [She might have been just a little girl following mother's example, but that doesn't change things much. Does it?]

[euphrasie]

Marius brought out your kindness. [ she says this so simply, so matter of factly. there is no accusatory tone, no condescension. ]

[roseoftheunderworld]

[The lack of condescension earns a slight tilt of the head again. Cosette has every right to be condescending to her, and Eponine is reluctant to admit it, but had their roles been switched she herself might have been.

She shrugs, trying to rid herself of these feelings]

There was little kindness to bring out.

[euphrasie]

[ perhaps that was both a strength and a flaw of cosette's, her neverending hope that she could find the good in all, even those who had once been cruel to her. but then again, there were both strengths and flaws in being raised in a convent. ]

I honestly don't believe that.

[roseoftheunderworld]

But, why?

[She's honestly confused, not trying to play Devil's advocate or put herself down.]

I have never shown any to you. Or anyone else. [Besides Marius. And Azelma.]

[euphrasie]

I only mean to say that you must have shown compassion to another. [ not herself, not marius, though it seems that the conversation cannot stray from thoughts of him. ]

I still do not truly know you, but I often follow my heart on these matters.

[roseoftheunderworld]

[Not a surprise, given the feelings of both participants.]

Perhaps. [Her sister comes to mind, the only person left in her family she cares about. Even Gavroche doesn't get too much of a thought, he takes care of himself well enough. Still, compassion is hard to come by in Eponine's world and her definition is probably different from Cosette's.

She pauses.]

Then, I hope your heart is right, mademoiselle. [She does like to think that she could still be a good person, even with everything that's happened to her.]

[putthebottledown]

[ Where there's Grantaire, there's a bottle. Which he raises, of course. ]

When she sees it, I'm sure she'll be dazzled. My mundane tells me it is quite a show.

[roseoftheunderworld]

[A brief quirk of the head and oh! She knows you well enough for a smile.]

She is going today. It is strange for her to be so...excited to see all of us die, but in that respect she shall not be disappointed. [Really, though. Eponine's beginning to suspect some form of sadism here, no matter how well her mun's treated her.]