filleauloup | Serenity Cove, Sunday Evening

The day had passed largely without event for Éponine, as did most days to tell the truth. It wasn't until right around dinnertime, when she happened to notice the date, that she realized there was anything significant about it. But that was why she was here now, sitting up on the rocks beside the ocean, a bottle of something-or-other alcoholic (she wasn't sure which, she'd just grabbed one at random out of her stash) in her hand and a distant expression in her eyes.

How exactly did one commemorate the day one almost died, anyway? Was it even something one did? Well, it wasn't as if anyone had ever taught her differently, and besides, she wouldn't be here now otherwise; it seemed fitting, even if it was strange.

Besides, her brother, Monsieur Marius, that Courfeyrac fellow and the others in the Rue de la Chanvrerie that night, the others at the barricades of Saint-Martin and Saint-Denis . . . futile as it all might have been in the end, perhaps they deserved a moment to be remembered. She raised her bottle vaguely in the direction of what she imagined might be Paris, took another drink, and went on staring off into the distance.

[OOC: Because it is, after all, the anniversary of the June Rebellion. I had to, as usual. Open if you like!]

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As soon as the sun had set enough to be safe, Allie was out the door making her usual trek around the island. She was surprised to find someone in the cove, but it only took a second for her to recognize who it was.

"Hey," Allie called. "Want company?"

Éponine turned her head and blinked twice, slowly, as if she'd already had enough to drink that she needed the extra effort to get her eyes back into focus.

"I don't see why not," she said after a moment, shrugging, and gestured vaguely to the empty space beside her. "I might offer you a drink, besides, but I s'pose it would make you sick if you did."

"It would," she replied. "Which would be a waste." Allie easily made her way up onto the rock and sat down next to Eponine. "And a shame. More for you instead."

"As if I need more," Éponine scoffed mildly . . . and, yes, took another drink. "You're right, though. It would be a shame to waste it, and we can't have that."

She picked up a small pebble and tossed it toward the water, not especially knowing or caring if it actually made it that far.

"D'you get a chance to go see the place we're visiting this week, yet?"

"Too many years doing without. Old habits and all that," Allie said, knowing Eponine would understand.

"I've been over the last two nights. Big trees, and tiny bears with pointy sticks."

She did, at that. Even cheap gin had been hard to come by, and then sometimes it had been a choice between that and what might be the only meal she'd get all week. "Especially now I can afford the good stuff, hm?" She snorted. "I went yesterday. Isn't it funny, how things that small live among such giant trees! There was a great plaster elephant, you know, in the Place de la Bastille. Napoléon meant to make a bronze statue of it, only he never got 'round to the real thing. But the plaster one, it was hollow, my brother lived in it. Those funny little bears and their great big trees, s'pose they made me think of it."

"I lived in an old school. An elephant sounds more interesting. I suppose it's not a bad memory to have," she replied.

"That depends a bit on how you feel about rats," Éponine said dryly. "He didn't mind, so much, but as for me? No thank you, and if they've other places to be than scurrying about my head while I sleep, so much the better."

Which had no bearing on whether she'd actually gotten that preference most of the time.

"Better the rats than our father, though, one might think. Now, those giant trees? I almost think I wouldn't mind living in one of those."

"Rats were filling. If you caught enough of them." If you were desperate enough. And there were times Allie had been desperate enough.

"No, it would probably be nice," Allie said. "And safe off the ground."

The shudder and grimace Éponine offered at the mention of rats were probably a clear enough sign of agreement.

"Imagine, waking up and taking care not to roll over and fall right out of your house onto the ground!" she exclaimed with a laugh. "The view's pretty, no doubt, and there's something to be said for seeing anyone coming from far off. Well, if I had to find a new place to live, I think I might choose something like that. What would you prefer?"

"I like hot running water." Someone had been spoiled by her shower. "I think I'll stick to my apartment for the time being."

Éponine snorted. "Isn't that the thing! Me, I'm not giving that up without a damned good fight, not any more. Even feeling a little bit dirty now . . ." She grimaced and shook her head. "I don't care for that one bit."

Too much of a reminder, on some subconscious but fundamental level, of where she'd been. She figured Allie would understand.

Serenity Cove, Sunday Evening

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