Enjolras skips through the streets and finds a nice sunny pond outside of
dreary yukky ol' Paris.
Javert half-dozes a little way off from the edge of the pond, watching the
deep blue sky and the leaves of the surrounding trees, which are just
turning yellow and orange.
Marius shows up, sighing dreamily.
Eponine promptly shows up, sighing wistfully.
Grantaire wanders over and sits next to Eponine.
Marius looks at the pond and wanders. He nearly trips over Enjolras, who's
writing something. "Oh, pardon me!"
Eponine looks at R, "Hi, Grantaire." she looks over to Marius, "Isn't he
wonderful?"
Grantaire looks over at Enjolras. "Yes," he answers, in the same brainless
voice.
Enjolras hides his paper. "Oh, hello. Do sit down."
Eponine leans on Grantaire, "Why doesn't he like me?" she whines.
Grantaire puts an arm around Eponine and gives her an application to join
the 'Hapless Admirers' club. "I don't know. Do you drink?"
Marius sits down clumsily. "It's a beautiful day," he says, though he's not
looking at the day.
Eponine shrugs, "Sometimes, to get warm."
Grantaire nods sagely. "Does he know?"
Eponine frowns, "Know? I was hoping he'd guess..."
Grantaire looks at her in interest. "You want him to guess that you drink?"
Enjolras edges away from Marius and starts writing again.
Eponine blinks, "Oh. No." she blushes a little.
Grantaire squeezes her shoulder gently. "Don't worry about it. But if you
want him to know the other parts, you'd best tell him. They're not good at
guessing." He is reminded of his own troubles, and sighs.
Enjolras blows on the ink to dry it.
Eponine sighs, "But he's wonderful and I'm not. I couldn't just tell him..."
Grantaire sighs. "Yes, I know. But if you don't, he'll never know."
Grantaire adds, "And if he knows, he still might not care."
Marius falls asleep and dreams happy little dreams of Ursula.
Enjolras folds up his paper and puts it in an inner pocket of his vest.
Eponine looks at Grantaire, "You're a good person." she sighs.
Grantaire frowns. "I wish he thought so."
Eponine shifts her feet to one side, wriggling her bare toes in the nice
grass, and leans against Grantaire, tired from following Marius so far
across town.
Enjolras gets up and walks away from the pond. On his way past Javert, he
reaches into his vest and ever-so-subtly drops a note on the Inspector.
Grantaire watches him go and gives up. "Don't worry, 'ponine. I like you."
Eponine whispers, "Thanks."
Grantaire strokes her grimy hair softly. "I don't need to follow him, now.
I'd rather sit in the sunshine for once."
Javert stirs mildly as the red form blocks his view a bit, "Hm?" he asks,
but Enjolras is already gone. He lifts the paper and unfolds it, blinking and
trying to focus.
Eponine smiles mildly at the touch, a soft touch like that's so rare for her.
She shuts her eyes and lifts a coarse hand to place on his.
Grantaire smiles down at the wraith leaning on him. "Poor 'ponine. There
are brighter stars in the sky than Pontmercy, for everyone but you."
Eponine sighs, "Maybe there are, and I just can't see them."
Grantaire sighs, too. "I know the feeling."
Eponine looks out onto the lake. "I wonder if it's cold." she non-sequiturs.
Grantaire looks at the lake, and then the sky. "It's a beautiful day. There's
really only one way to find out, though."
The note says,
"Dearest Andrzej,
It is a lovely day, is it not? Find me at home when you are finished with
your duties for the day. I would speak with you.
Yours,
Marcelin."
Eponine stands up, smiles a little. "I will if you do."
Grantaire smiles back. "And I will, if you do." He starts taking off his vest.
Javert perceives the note vaguely, and tosses it to the wind, laughing a
little. Duties... whatever. No, no more of those. He's quit the police
department, for a more suitable lifestyle. Yes, he's going to be here, next
to the lake, watching the sky and the clouds and the sun and the stars and
the grass and the trees and the water.... for the rest of eternity.
Eponine has nothing to take off that would not make her entirely indecent,
so she goes as is, and stands near the edge of the pond, a little bit away
from the blissful ex-spector. "Want to swim with us, Andy?" she asks
politely. He shakes his head a little, a smile pervading his face.
Grantaire takes off his boots, too, and leaves a small pile of odds and ends
on his vest. Then, he jumps in.
Marius looks up at the noise, and is drenched by the splash. "What? Who?
What?"
Eponine smiles at Andy and jumps in after Grantaire.
Marius boggles at the spectacle of a young woman swimming in a public
place.
Marius asks hesitantly, "Grantaire?"
Grantaire laughs and splashes water at Marius. "Come on in, Pontmercy.
The water's fine."
Eponine swims underwater for a seemingly long time... she finds
Grantaire's ankles, and tugs at them, lightly at first, then harder!
Grantaire yells, then burbles as he goes under.
Marius edges away from the water, but it's too late. He's already all wet.
"Do you mind if I swim with you?" he asks.
Eponine entangles herself with Grantaire underwater, smiling happily to
him, her face inches away from his, and then she moves closer and sinks
her fangs into his neck.
Grantaire tries to get this psychotic grubby girl Off of him. He flails.
Marius asks, "Is anything the matter?" but there is no answer. He gets
worried, takes off his boots, and jumps in after them.
Eponine smiles, biting herself, then, on her wrist, and placing the limb
next to his mouth.
Grantaire weakly resists at first, then drinks.
Marius swims past, but the bottom was all muddy and now it's stirred up.
He can't see anything. He gets to the surface again, and yells, "Grantaire?
Eponine!"
Eponine brinks her mouth again to his neck, and drinks from him as he
drinks from her.
Javert smiles, sitting up a little, smiling toothily toward Marius, "They're
fine." he informs him.
Grantaire holds her tightly.
Eponine eventually stops drinking from him, and allows him to drink a
little more from her before pulling her wrist away, just to get him
started all right. She then takes his hand and kicks upward towards the
surface.
Grantaire thinks, eventually, that he might like to breathe.
Marius hardly registers Javert's comment. He yells again, "Eponine?
Grantaire?" and looks for them underwater.
Grantaire kicks against the water and heads for the surface.
Eponine comes up, a few meters away from Marius, smiling.
Grantaire breathes air. Mmm. Air.
Marius screams, "'Ponine!" and lifts her right out of the water, embracing
her. "Thank God you're alive!"
Eponine grins and breathes also, then "Oof!"s as she is lifted, turning
around, "Monsieur Marius!" come the sweet innocent words out of her
bloody, fanged mouth.
Grantaire gets out of the water just fine on his own, and smiles at Javert.
"Good afternoon."
Marius lets Eponine go, and shakes her. "Don't ever scare me like that
again!"
Javert smiles, nods, and thinks at Grantaire, >>> Good day. <<<
Eponine falls back down into the water, at being let go, but she stands up
again, "I won't..." she promises!
Grantaire nods. >>> This is interesting, Monsieur. Whyever do I feel this
way? <<<
Javert grins, >>> I suppose because Eponine took a liking to you. Call me
Andy. <<<
Grantaire looks curiously at his healed wrist. >>> All right...Andy. It's nice
to meet you. I think. <<<
Javert nods, >>> It's nice to meet you, as well, Pierrot. Don't worry, it took
me a while to get used to it as well. <<<
Grantaire sits on the bank next to Andy and dries in the sun.
Marius shakes his head. "I don't know what's gotten into you today, 'ponine.
Swimming in public!"
Eponine smiles sweetly, "The water is very nice, Monsieur Marius."
Marius frowns. "I know. I was in it, looking for you. I thought you'd
drowned!"
Javert pats Grantaire's shoulder gently, smiling and enjoying the warm
sunlight.
Eponine lowers her head, "I can hold my breath a long time, Monsieur
Marius."
Marius doesn't stop frowning. He just turns away and puts his boots on
again.
Grantaire gets dressed.
Gavroche sits down by Andy again. "Come on, 'ponine, lie down."
Marius glares at Grantaire. "Why didn't you make her come up for air?"
Grantaire sits down by Andy again. "Come on, 'ponine, lie down."
Eponine frowns a little, "I've been holding my breath ever since I met you,
Monsieur Marius..."
Marius ignores the implications of that.
Eponine keeps staring at him, "Monsieur Marius... let me come up for air..."
she steps toward him a little.
Marius starts feeling a little threatened and takes a step away from her.
"Eponine, are you quite all right?"
Eponine halts her approach, "I'm all right..." she speaks, though the
bloodstained pout on her face seems to say otherwise.
Marius looks at her worriedly. "Are you sure?" he says, reaching out to
point to the blood.
Grantaire observes and creates a wicked plan. >>> What was that note
Marcelin gave you? <<< he asks Andy.
Javert hrms briefly, face scrunching in attempts to remember what it
said. >>> Something... about a meeting. Hold on. <<< he stands up and scours
the area for the dropped note, finding it lodged in some reeds, and he hands
it to Grantaire.
Eponine brings a hand to her mouth, and looks at the redness. "Oh! Yes, I'm
sure... That's just... just..." she tries to find an explanation.
Grantaire reads it, and tells both Eponine and Andy, >>> I think I have an
appointment to keep. Shall I see you later, then? <<<
Marius embraces her again, worriedly, because he can't think of anything
better to do.
Eponine smiles in the embrace, and hugs him back, shutting up. >>> Okay.
<<< she sends to R. >>> No rush... *giggle* <<<. Javert sends mental
agreement as well, reclining back in the grass.
Grantaire heads for Paris and the home of a certain acquaintance of his.
Marius holds her at arm's length again. "Are you all right, then?"
Eponine smiles, dreamily, "Uh? Oh... /yes/ Monsieur Marius..."
Marius nods. "Good," he says, then lets her go and sits where he was
before.
Eponine tags after and sits next to him, smiling.
Marius thinks about his sweet Ursula and zones out.
Eponine watches his face.
Marius smiles foolishly.
Eponine does too...
Grantaire thinks toward Eponine, >>> Having any luck with your shining
star? <<<
Eponine thinks back, >>> He touched me. How about you? <<<
Grantaire answers, >>> I just got here. He hasn't had time to kick me yet.
<<<
Eponine smiles, >>> Let me know the updates... until things begin to go too
well for you. <<<
Enjolras looks up, "What are you doing here?"
Grantaire smiles. His fangs are growing in nicely.
Grantaire looks around curiously. "I just wanted to say hello."
Enjolras notes the teeth and wonders if he's just... missed that. "You can't
say hello to me when I leave home? Like you always do?" he sounds a little
irritable.
Grantaire smiles. "No...I wanted to do a little more than say hello."
Enjolras stands up, "What do you want, then?" he grumbles.
Grantaire sees his chance, and takes it. He takes hold of Enjolras's waist
and his shoulder, and bites his neck.
Enjolras makes a weird noise, kind of like a duck that's just been shot. He
strugles and pushes at his attacker, "Get off! Get out!" he yells, "You
freak!"
Grantaire completely and utterly fails to let go.
Enjolras lifts his hands and pushes at Grantaire's face, trying to move it
off of his neck, at least.
Grantaire grabs Enjolras's hands and holds them down. He tries thinking at
Enjolras. >>> Stop. You'll see. This is better. <<<
Grantaire thinks at Eponine, >>> He's fighting me. <<<
Enjolras can't hear it, of course. He struggles.
Grantaire drinks deeply. He's good at that.
Eponine thinks back, >>> Of course he is. You did, too, remember? <<<
Grantaire holds onto Enjolras tenaciously.
Enjolras stops moving, merely because he can't move anymore. He begins
to drift out of consciousness.
Grantaire lets go after a while, then bites his own wrist and gives it to
Enjolras.
Enjolras falls to the floor, undrinking.
Grantaire panics and slaps Enjolras, holding his wrist to the man's mouth.
A few drops of blood trickle down the dead man's throat, and it revives
him a little, causing him to begin to reflexively suckle, like a newborn
infant.
Grantaire nearly shouts for joy. "Yes, that's it."
Enjolras latches to the wrist and drinks.
Grantaire bites his lip, because this hurts like hell.
Grantaire looks down at Enjolras, hoping that he's going to be all right.
Enjolras is going to be all right. Physically, at least. He's not letting go.
Grantaire starts to get a little weaker, and worries, and tries to free his
wrist.
Grantaire pulls away as much as he can.
Enjolras finally falls away, and lays on the floor.
Grantaire frowns. "Do wake up."
Enjolras is awake. He's just lying there, feeling a little confused.
Gavroche runs one finger down Enjolras's cheek. "It's all right."
Enjolras eyes the finger, and sits up, frowning, not understanding, "What
have you done?"
Grantaire smiles. "I'm not quite sure."
Grantaire thinks at him, >>> Can you hear me? <<<
Grantaire smiles wider. "Good. I think you should meet some people."
Grantaire stands up. "Will you come with me?"
Enjolras stands up, reaching a hand to his neck to find the wound gone.
"Where?" he begins to wonder if he's dreaming.
Grantaire opens the door. "To meet my friends."
Enjolras scowls, "Why should I go anywehre with you?"
Grantaire frowns, and straightens his damp shirt. "You need to learn some
things I don't know yet. Please, come with me."
Enjolras frowns, but begins to think the friends might help him figure this
out, so he goes, silently.
Grantaire leads Enjolras to the pond.
Enjolras frowns as hhe's led back to where they were before, and he looks
around, "Where?"
Eponine sees Grantaire and Enjolras approach and smiles. "Look. Here they
come," she says to Javert, and looks over at Marius to see if he's asleep.
Marius snores gently.
Eponine gets up and embraces Grantaire. He says, "These are my friends."