filleauloup | Fandom Causeway, Before Sunrise, Very Early Saturday (Reply)

Several things might have caught Éponine's attention, had she been in the right state of mind to notice. One: the narrow alley (if you could even call the tiny space between two buildings an alley) she'd been creeping through was suddenly less constricted and much more open. Two: the usual overwhelming reek of rotting garbage, human waste, and God only knew what else floating in the Seine that characterized most of her usual routes in this part of the city had disappeared in favor of a light ocean breeze. Three: the road beneath her bare feet was much colder than the paving-stones of Paris in June ought to be, even this early in the morning.

Under the circumstances, though, she was not at her most observant, and all of those peculiarities blurred into a vague, disorienting sense that she assumed came from being half-delirious. She wasn't sure where she was going or what exactly she was going to do; all she knew was that if the police had found her alive in that place she wouldn't have had a chance in hell, and damned if she'd let them toss her back in the Madelonettes. She'd sooner die out here on the streets than end up back in jug, thank you.

When her legs finally refused to hold her up any more she collapsed against the wall -- half-wall? That was odd -- and slid unceremoniously down to the ground. Even thinking about trying to get up was too exhausting; she didn't realize she was shivering, but she'd instinctively curled in on herself.

Allie	Allie would never forget how easily she slipped across the Causeway from her world to Fandom. And even if the way home was closed to her right now, she still worried that one day some rabid was going to follow that same path, right into the unprotected heart of Fandom. That worry had her both starting and ending her nightly wanderings at the Causeway. She'd make a futile attempt to cross back home then breath deep, checking for the stink of rotting flesh that would mean a rabid had come to town. This cold morning though, it wasn't the stink of rabid in the air, but blood, fresh and hot. Allie bit back on the Hunger that surged through her and focused instead on the huddled figure on the ground. "Are you okay?" she asked, dropping to her knees next to the girl.
Éponine	Was someone talking to her, or was this another hallucination? Éponine could never be sure. She raised her head and blinked blearily one or two times in a futile attempt to get her eyes to focus. "I --" she began, but her mouth and throat were so dry that it felt like they'd been stuffed with wool and her already hoarse voice came out like a croak. In her current state she was easy prey for the likes of her father and she knew it, but she couldn't manage much more of a defiant facade than shaking her head and wrapping her arms more tightly around herself. That was a mistake; trying to flex her mangled right hand drew a sharp hiss of pain.
Allie	"You'll be okay," Allie said automatically. Although by the strong smell of blood, she wasn't all that certain. "You need to see a doctor. Can you walk?"
Éponine	All things considered, she was rather better off than she could have been. At the mention of a doctor, Éponine shook her head (if weakly), though it answered the question of whether she could walk just as well. "Nothing to be done for it," she mumbled. "I've no money to pay." Possibly half those words came out audibly, if you had excellent hearing.
Allie	Fortunately Allie had very excellent hearing and while she hadn't had any dealings with the doctors on the island - Sorry Navaan, Allie would never consider you a real doctor - she was fairly certain that they wouldn't leave someone injured and bleeding just because they didn't have money. Hell, if money was an issue, Eric paid her well enough, Allie would cover the cost. "Not going to be a problem," Allie replied, moving in to either help the girl to her feet or lift her up, depending on what she seemed capable of. "Come on. It's not too far away."
Éponine	Éponine would have resisted more, but she didn't have the energy to spare, and looking as pitiful as possible had worked for her in the past anyhow. Mentally resigning herself to doing whatever she had to as compensation, she let herself get hauled to her feet -- though she almost collapsed again when her knees proved unwilling to hold her up. She let out a tiny, half-hysterical bark of a laugh, because she didn't even know how to react any more. "Oh, hell."
Allie	Allie had her arm firmly around the girl's middle by that point so she wasn't going to collapse all that far. "So walking is out then." Of course now she had a chance to better see the damage. Things were suddenly more urgent. "Okay, time to move. You need a lot more help then I can give you." Allie reached down to scoop her up, grateful for vampire strength.
Karla	Normally, Karla wouldn't be out at this hour. Hell's fire, normally Karla wouldn't even be up at this hour. But tonight her pleasant sleep had been broken by dreams of gunfire. Crying. Sacrifice. Death. Most of that wasn't out of the ordinary lately; Glacia had taken to haunting her dreams, too. But the gunfire...that was odd. And so was the feeling that she needed to be somewhere. To do something. And when Karla's dreams felt like true ones, she didn't stop to argue with them that it was a cold night before dawn and that she really would prefer to sleep in. She was glad she hadn't argued when she came upon the Causeway and saw one woman trying to help another stand--and all of the blood that surrounded them both. That much blood on the ground and not inside was a Very Bad Sign. Which was why she was now booking it over to them, calling in bandages and Healing webs as she ran. "What the Hell happened here?" she demanded. Hellos were for other people. People who weren't bleeding to death, for example.
Allie	No need for hellos, not when Allie was already on edge from all the blood. "Found her here," Allie said. "She's hurt. Badly, I think, judging by the amount of blood. I was going to take her to the clinic."
Karla	"I'm better than a doctor," Karla said, pulling her hair back and gesturing to Allie to put the girl back down again. "I'm a Healer. You ready to help me? Cause I need to see what I'm working with." Congratulations, Allie! You've just been volunteered to be a nurse. You and Navaan will have so much to talk about next time she wanders in!
Allie	"Healer better then a doctor? Really?" Then again, the newcomer seemed much more competent then the other doctor Allie knew on island, so she moved to set the injured girl down. "Are you sure this is the best place to work?" she asked. "I can move fast. Maybe we can get somewhere with some light?"
Karla	"Healers have magic," Karla said shortly. "And how fast? I can create light and warmth--" both of which were desperately needed "--but I'd prefer not to if I don't have to. Not when I don't know how much Craft I'm going to need to Heal her up properly." On the other hand, the girl was bleeding out, so fast had better be damn fast, but without jostling her too much. And close enough that Karla could get there quickly, too.
Éponine	She was distantly aware that there was some urgency to the way these strangers spoke about her, but much more concerned than predatory. That never happened, not to her. She wasn't sure what to think of that, and one corner of Éponine's mouth quirked up in a supremely sardonic smile. "I must be dead, then," she mumbled without opening her eyes.
Allie	"Not yet, and not if we can help it," Allie told her. "People here are strange like that." She focused her attention on the blonde. "I'm a vampire. Speed's part of the package. So the question is, can you keep up?"
Karla	Karla just barely choked down a "No biting!" at Allie's explanation. She hadn't been biting yet, so no reason to antagonize her. "Not with a vampire," she said. "Tell me where you're going and I can meet you there." Unless Allie thought she could take both of them without jostling the girl...?
Allie	Maybe if Allie was a little taller. But at only five foot nothing, even with vampire strength it was still a bit of a juggling act. "How about there?" Allie said, inclining her head towards the Magic Box. It looked like it would provide the warmth and light the Healer would need. Without them losing too much time waiting for her to catch up. "You said you have magic. That seems to be the place for it." She paused for a moment, listening the slowly weakening heartbeat of the injured girl as it fluttered unevenly in her chest. "But make up your mind. She's getting weaker."
Karla	"Do it," Karla said, already mentally composing an apology to Tara and Surreal. "I can get us in without breaking anything if we want, but don't worry too much about it. It's more important to get her inside." And then she took off in a sprint for the shop.
Allie	Allie took off at a run, reaching the shop door within seconds. "Don't worry. We'll get you taken care of," she murmured.
Éponine	Éponine opened her mouth to say something, but all she managed was a faint whimper. She had to be dead, or else she was close enough to it to hallucinate this.
Karla	Don't be silly, girl. Being dead wouldn't hurt so much! Karla reached the Magic Shop almost a minute later, not even pausing as she passed through the door. A moment later, she was unlocking it and opening it for Allie, turning on the lights, and vanishing everything off the counter. "Put her there," she instructed. "And take off most of what she's wearing. I need to see everything that's wrong."
Allie	She walked through the door. Yeah, Allie was just going to boggle over that trick for a while. But it didn't stop her from rushing in and placing the girl on the now clear counter. Allie didn't have any fancy tricks for making things disappear, she had to settle for ripping at at the torn and tattered top the girl was wearing. "The blood is from her shoulder and her hand. I can't smell it from anywhere else."
Karla	It hadn't been as easy as it looked! Surreal had put up a shield over the doorway that'd had to be broken before Karla could go inside. And, yeah, on the off-chance she'd thought they could get in and out without anyone knowing (ha, fat chance of that!), shattering the Green shield had thoroughly ruined that idea. But that was very much a worry for later. Right now, Karla had a patient to attend to. "You can smell--of course you can. Vampire, right." Checking the girl over with Healing Craft, she assessed what she had to work with. Malnutrition was a major issue, but there was nothing to be done for that now. "Hand is almost mangled," she murmured, voice going distant and flat with the majority of her attention on her Craft. "Bullet lodged in her shoulder. Major loss of blood, minor burns, infection threatening..." Karla had her work cut out for her.
Allie	"What should I do?" Allie asked, doing her best to both stay close but out of the other girl's way. It was vaguely reassuring that she at least seemed to know what she was talking about.
Karla	"You good with knives?" Karla asked, calling one in and creating a tongue of witchfire over the blade to sterilize it. "The bullet is still in her shoulder and it's moving around when we shift her. If you can dig it out while I fix her hand, that would be awesome. And then put some pressure on it; we need it to stop bleeding." And soon, if the girl's pallor was any indication. "Then if you could look around for blankets or something to cover her with? Her clothes are filthy and she needs to be warm." Odds weren't great that she'd be able to find anything, but who knew?
Allie	"I'm good at sticking them in people," Allie replied. "But I can try." The good news was the girl seemed to be far enough out of it that she wouldn't fight someone digging about in her shoulder.
Karla	"This is sorta like that," Karla said. "Just...try to be gentle and not poke around too much while you're searching for whatever's lodged in there." So...not really anything like that, no. Hopefully, that would be enough for Allie to go on, because Karla wasn't spending any more time talking. She dipped her Healing web into the blood that was still seeping, awakening the Craft that was woven into it and then sent her conscious mind into the girl's body, knitting up torn flesh, straightening broken bones, cauterizing veins, and ruthlessly destroying the signs of infection wherever they lurked.
Allie	At least one of them knew what they were doing. And it wasn't Allie. But realizing the seriousness of the situation, she took the knife and set to work.
Éponine	Being barely conscious, no, Éponine was not about to argue about Allie digging around in her shoulder with a knife, much less be completely bewildered about what Karla was doing. Eventually, though, when it was all done, she made a confused sort of grunt and opened her eyes. "Who -- what?" Actual sentences might take her a few more minutes.
Karla	"Shh," Karla said kindly from where she was inspecting the girl's shoulder. No more wound, not even a scar, and as far as she could tell, Allie had gotten all the pieces out. "Don't exert yourself. You lost a lot of blood. Far more than you can afford. So no fretting right now, okay?" Assured that the shoulder was healed, Karla returned to the girl's right hand, the site of the far worse set of injuries. "Do you hurt anywhere? Can you wiggle your fingers for me? I want to make sure everything's okay."
Éponine	There were strangers actually showing concern for her. The confused look on Éponine's face indicated that, especially now that she was somewhat lucid, she had absolutely no idea how to react to that, and when it sank in that her hand was intact, the look only intensified. So really, what else was she supposed to do except nod and comply? "This is the strangest dream I've ever had," she said with a tiny laugh.
Allie	Allie would more then understand that feeling. People being kind for the sake of being kind? Without looking to get something out of it for themselves? She was still getting used to it. Even if it did seem to have rubbed off on her. "Strange as it seems, this isn't a dream," Allie told her. "What's your name?"
Éponine	"Éponine," she answered, and wiggled the fingers of her right hand again as if she wanted to be sure it was really her hand doing what she was trying to do. She left it at that for now; no sense in taking the risk of anyone recognizing her family name. Now that her head wasn't quite so fuzzy any more, she had time to process that this . . . was about the nicest room she'd been in for years. Possibly her entire life, and this was not helping the confusion. She started to sit up (and if she noticed that her clothes were less intact than ever she didn't seem to worry about it), asking, "Where am I? I didn't think I'd blundered quite so far."
Karla	"This is Fandom Island," Karla said gently, moving her hands up to Éponine's head to feel for lumps or contusions. She didn't think the girl was suffering from a concussion, but there was no reason not to check. "You came across the Causeway. What's the last thing you remember? And can you tell me how you're feeling? Any pain? Any dizziness or nausea?" She'd ask if there was any confusion, but that was an unfair question to ask of someone new to the island.
Allie	"This probably isn't where you were looking to go," Allie added. "But it isn't a bad place. Just, sometimes a strange one. I'm Allison but my friends call me Allie." Because she should at least know the name of the person that had been digging around in her shoulder with a knife.
Éponine	"No more than usual," she said with a wry quirk of her lips. Really, a bit of lightheadedness was normal for her. "An island? Have I really gone that far from Paris?" Éponine shook her head, frowning, and began to explain in a half-coherent, rambling sort of way. "The soldiers took the barricade. Everyone else is dead, I'm sure of it, only I was quite surprised that I wasn't, as well. And then I thought, well, I don't care to be be shot by them, and anyhow I ought to perhaps deliver the news myself seeing as it was all my doing to begin with, so I snuck away. I only meant to find the Rue de l'Homme-Armé; I've no idea how I came here.." All things considered, it was best that she hadn't succeeded, but she couldn't know that.
Karla	"You've gone a lot further than you think," Karla murmured. No reason to worry Éponine with that now, though. "I'm sorry you lost your friends, but you're safe now. There are no soldiers here. No one's going to hurt you, okay? I'm Karla, I Healed you, and Allie was the one who found you. Do you think anyone's going to be looking for you? Family, friends, lovers, anyone?" Enemies? "If you think anyone is going to come looking for you, we can keep an eye out for them."
Allie	Allie had taken the opportunity to search around the shop for something for Eponine to wear. A t-shirt was the best she could find. "Here," she said, holding it out to the other girl. "You can wear this for the time being. Although you're still going to need a coat. It's cold out."
Éponine	Did Cosette count? Because otherwise, no enemies (except possibly her father's gang, but last she'd heard they'd been split on the issue), and please, as if Cosette would take that kind of initiative. Anyhow, she hadn't had a coat in longer than she cared to think about. This time, when she laughed, the sound was tinged with bitterness. "You needn't worry about that. They'll hardly notice I'm gone," Éponine told them as she accepted the shirt, but after she'd pulled it on her expression was somber. "What do you want from me, for all this? Mind, I'm still not certain it's all real, whatever you've done," she said, touching her shoulder.
Karla	"A thank you would be nice," Karla said mildly, reaching out to brush a hand across one shoulder of the shirt. "There," she said with a nod. "A good strong warming spell should keep the worst of the cold out until she gets a proper jacket." She looked back at Allie. "I'm a student, so I can't bring her back to the dorms with me. Can you...?"
Allie	"I've got space. It's pretty basic. But it's warm and dry." "Would you like to come stay with me? So you can rest?" Allie asked, focusing her attention on Eponine. "We can get you some food on the way there. And you don't have to worry about what I want." Since that seemed to concern her. "People were kind to me when I first came here. Now I can return the favor."
Éponine	"Spells," Éponine echoed with a laugh that abruptly chased her serious demeanor away, "and being warm and people being kind. Now I'm certain my head's gone funny again." Which was a yes, by the way. She might still be half-convinced that she'd have to pay this back somehow, but she was still opportunistic enough that she wouldn't turn down an offer, either. And wherever she was now, it was already infinitely better than what she'd had back home. She slid off the counter to her feet. "Thank you," she added (like she wasn't used to saying it) as she turned to Karla. "I'll owe you a favor for this."
Karla	Karla nodded. "If you insist, I'm not going to turn it down," she said with a shrug. She was familiar enough with the idea that everything had a price not to bother arguing over it. "But I hold you under no obligation." With Éponine down, Karla called in some cleaning supplies to start scrubbing down the counter with. Surreal wouldn't thank her for leaving blood and dirt and Darkness knew what else for her to clean up. "Shower, food, and bed in roughly that order," she told them both. "Something hot and filling, but not too rich." Not unless they wanted Éponine getting sick everywhere. "And if you start to feel unwell at all, take her to the clinic or come find me."
Allie	"Food, then shower, then bed," Allie corrected. "We can stop at the Perk on the way for oatmeal because I don't have anything in." For obvious reasons.
Éponine	Maybe not so obvious to Éponine, but then again nobody in her (lovely, vermin-infested) neighborhood ever actually kept food at home anyway. It would still take a lot of persuasion to disabuse her of the idea that this was a dream of some kind, but since it was a nice one, and she rarely had those, she didn't see the point in ending it too soon. There would be a chance to try and sort her head out later, when she didn't feel quite so shaky and weak. For now she'd settle for food and a place to sleep.