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Characters: Enjolras, Les Amis, Other Friends (I'll edit those last two things as we head in here!)
Date: Christmas Eve- Early Morning
Location: The Cafe the boys tend to congregated at, Wood Sector
Situation: Réveillon is celebrated as part of the French Christmas traditions. And it's Christmas Eve here, so... :D
Warnings/Rating: Will Update!

Somehow, even in as strange a place as the turtle can be, and even in a time of such great sorrow as the loss of the Empress (a term he'll stubbornly use with his last breath), and the departure of Jehan, Christmas has managed to make its way around again, and this past year...when Enjolras thinks of it is nothing short of astounding. For him, it meant the rebellion, death, being born again, and all of the adventures here, finding his place with Etienne, growing closer to others than he allowed himself in life, and while he's not given to outward expressions of his sentiments, still finding that difficult in many cases, it bears some celebration nonetheless.

On Christmas, in France, after the midnight Mass, the one time a year Enjolras could drag himself to church, comes Réveillon, a time for staying awake, gathering close and, admittedly, overeating and drinking. Who could say otherwise of a meal that traditionally hosts thirteen desserts? Here, on the Turtle, some things were not able to be found but even so, the spirit of the thing is good enough, and, he managed to find a local equivalent to citron that, well, it's a miracle it hasn't all vanished by this point, because it's really good. In any case, it's set up in the cafe, along with a meal that may not be totally traditional but works out well, regardless.

So, here they are, old friends, and perhaps some new, on Christmas Eve, a little earlier than usual with no Mass to run off to, and warm and comfortable and here. That bears some celebration with friends, doesn't it?

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[Christmas for Eponine had once been a time of joy. The inn was overflowing with revelry, she always managed to receive a beautiful amount of gifts. Then everything changed when the man in the yellow coat arrived, taking Cosette away from them. He'd given her gift upon gift upon gift, more than the Thénardiers had given their own children. Since then, Christmas was a time that the Thénardiers loathed.

Most Christmases in their later years were filled with drinking and arguing, no gifts to speak of. They had no money for shoes, why would there be gifts? It was another day for them, excepting the midnight mass. They would dress in the raggediest of their clothing and huddle at the church, seeking alms. Eponine and Azelma would watch the Mass, no longer believing in God, but finding solace in the beauty of it all.

But here, there was joy and celebration. Cosette was not here. There was food, drinking, and deserts. Dressed festively, Eponine has happily arrived at the cafe. She's not an Ami, despite being a sister at arms at the barricades. Still, the invitation had been extended to her, and she was loathe to turn it down.]

Eponine!

[And Enjolras is approaching, not to hug her, no, but to give her a smile and usher her inside, regardless, glad that she could make it. He did bring along the present he'd chosen for her, from the markets, to slip her later on, so that's a good opportunity. And also, good to see her in general.]

It's good you were able to come join us.

Bonjour! Joyeux Noël! [Eponine greets, moving into the warmth of the cafe.]

I am as well! It has been a long time since I have had a pleasant Christmas. I am happy to spend it amongst my friends.

Then I am glad that you can have it with us, yes. It has been...quite the year for us, hasn't it?

[A tiny hint of sorrow, just a shade, passes over Enjolras's face there, as he considers all of it, but then, well, there's a smile since, for all that has been lost, a good deal has been gained as well. Her friendship not the least of those.]

If it had to end the way it did for us, then I am glad we have been granted here.

I wish that Gavroche were here. [And that is what she'll say on the subject. Her darling brother. He, above her, should be here.

Still, it is a lovely thing to be here. If such a thing should have come from the barricade, it should have been this.] As am I. I trust that you have been well.

And Prouv...Jehan.

[Funny that Enjolras must still correct himself, much as he was working to become closer to the others here. His smile is a little sad as he nods at Eponine.]

I suppose this is a time for remamembering them as well, along with the other things we do here tonight. I've been...well. The Empress and then Jehan have had me in a bit of shock, but...I am holding, I suppose. A good deal of things have helped.

And you?

Yes, m'sieur Prouvaire as well.

[Many of them had granted Eponine permission to use their first names, or at least, knowledge of them. But Jehan seemed the sort to remain monsieur.]

We shall drink for them both.

I have been well. [She pauses] Will Courfeyrac be here this evening? I do enjoy his company. And Joly as well!

[He did, at that. Enjolras had been using the more informal here, because the setting felt right for it, but in his head, the man would always be Jean Prouvaire. He felt a little stabbing sensation as he'd realized he never had found out what the man would have preferred he use and in which contexts. Too late now, he thought, letting himself be sad a moment, before nodding.]

Mmm perhaps we should. And what obscenities will I manage to spew forth for everyone this time, I wonder.

[It's a joke, of course, but, Eponine saw him drunk that night. She'll know the truth in it.]

They ought to be. So far as I know, everyone will be here, and a few other friends. They ARE both quite amazing, aren't they?

Perhaps you will surprise us all again this time! [She gives a tight smile all the same. Few people could surprise her.]

Good! I do wish to see them both. Good, kind, handsome gentlemen they are.

Perhaps so. [Anything, after all, is possible. But if he ends up ranting in Provencal, well, that's on you, Eponine.]

They are indeed. I am glad that you get along so well.

[Hey, she's still speaking mostly in Argot, so deal with it or something, Enjolras.]

I am as well! Oh if I had come to your barricade as myself instead of a man! Think of what would have happened then! But no, I am content to be your friend here and to have known you then. Your sister at arms surrounded by brothers! Come, we should have a toast!

[Well, so long as they vaguely understand each other? At least Enjolras has friends who should be able to interpret if things get too odd.]

Had you come as yourself...we would have wished to keep you from the fighting, yes. We may have had a use for you in rolling bandages or some such thing, but...that would have been far different indeed. They used to joke I had no idea what a woman was, and I spent so little time with them.

This island's brought us many things, including that kinship. I think a toast would suit us well. What shall we start with then, sœurette?

Nothing would have stopped me. [It was true. Rolling bandages was useless, when she'd come to die. But that was in the past, and they had the results here. They knew who she had been at the barricade, and who she was now.

Eponine raises her glass but pauses almost immediately after.] Sœurette? I am your sister, then? Is it because I am younger, or I am smaller? Perhaps I am both, I shall not lie to you, I am surely eighteen by now. But now you know what a woman is, and will pronounce one your sister! Should I be offended or pleased to have you as a brother?

To know you now, I do not disagree.

[They did indeed, and well, she should be remembered as a part of them because of that. So *Sœurette indeed, in every way that mattered.] *

*We became such, on that day, those who were not already so. We had a sort of baptism there, and you are much younger than I am indeed. I've only ever been brother to the others of my friends, so you might ask them about that last part. *

*[Then he's pausing, a wry smile crossing his face as a thought occurs to him.] *

*However, Courfeyrac may well...exaggerate if you ask him. *

A baptism of blood, was it not? [She has to look wryly at him.] But come! Now you must tell me your age. I am seventeen, as I have said, or I was, but surely I will soon be eighteen! I do not understand how time works here, but it does not matter. I shall never be eighteen in Paris, that much we both know.

[She smirks at him.] So I shall not ask our Reynaud then? Or should I dare?

For some it was that. For some others of us, a bit different. [What had it been for him exactly? He's not entirely sure. Baptism by sorrow, and loss, and hard decisions...either way, this is not the time to speak much of it now, so instead, he's smiling a bit.]

As for how time works here, I am much at a loss. It seemed to be still June when I arrived, but it feels as though the seasons here are off for that,or perhaps we do not age once we are here, but I am twenty six. Quite a bit older then, really.

And I SUPPOSE you could, if you take what he says with a grain of salt in mind.

So you are! [She laughs, though.] But age means nothing. Certainly not here, when we are dead. You look my age, though I have been told I look both younger and older than my own age. But I am here and I am in better health, so if that holds water, I suppose I shall ever know.

Then I shall ask him!

No, no it does not seem to at all. Well, briefly when we were smaller, I suppose it did. Only in terms of size and such though, really.

[And he's eyedarting a little, remembering that experience and poor Marius having to handle it. Of course, it's funny now that he's made up for the damages. Not that he would do them again but...He's studying Eponine now, carefully.]

You seem closer to your age here than when you first arrived, I think. It suits you better, certainly.

[And Enjolras can only hope that Courfeyrac will not quite exaggerate the stories of him as a brother now. He makes a mental note though, to keep an eye on his friend and to be within kicking distance should that be required.]

But shush! We shall not say that out loud when others are about! That is for you and I to keep to yourselves. The rouse must still be played. [Poor, darling Marius. She'd slept with him night after night, and had been the one to soothe him when he'd had terrible nightmares. She'd stroked his head, held his hand, even sung to him. And he accepted it, for she was a child.]

Do you mean to say I was young then? Or old then? You must clarify, Apollon, if you mean to complement me.

Indeed, you are right.

[No one else seems to be here just yet, but even so, Enjolras is glancing around the room sharply, almost making a show of that for Eponine. ]

Our secret. And ah...

[How DOES this work, really? Complimenting women without making them think you mean anything? When you are barely sure how they think or do much of anything? He understands their biological function, and would not now deny that a woman may be capable in near anything she wishes, as much as a man, but he will never understand their thoughts regardless.]

Well, much better than when you arrived. Pretty, in fact.

Pretty! Oh, Apollon! You find me pretty! You must tell the others, let them know this news! Enjolras has declared me to be pretty! [It had been so long since anyone had called her that, and now... Now she could almost feel it. With a giggle, she took one of Enjolras' hands, spinning around with him.]

Me! A pretty girl! It is true, it is true! Oh how my father would say otherwise! It was better that I were not pretty near him, he would ruin it. But here he is not here, and here I am pretty! Oh, do tell the others, do!

Well, it IS the truth.

[He does spend a bit more time with women these days, so he's sort of worked out what they find pretty about themselves, along with what his friends have noted they like. It's given him something of a picture of beauty, though, when one of your lady friends is Iskierka, well, results may vary.

Healthy Eponine though, is pretty, like many of the mistresses he's watched his friends spend time with through the years, and there's a bit of him that is thrilled to see that reaction, almost as if she were a real little sister, or well, one he's known for far longer at least.]

And of course I can tell the others. They will likely laugh that I have noticed, but allow them. Our sister of the barricades is radiant here.

They shall not laugh, we will not let them! They will all sit amongst themselves and agree, that I am pretty and radiant! [She really is all aglow.]

I was often told I was pretty as a child. But then I grew and became ugly. The outside reflects the inside. Perhaps now here, that is why I am pretty!

I could not see them laughing at such, no. At me, perhaps, that I am the one to realize it. They may be a bit shocked.

[There seems to be a perception, among his friends, that beyond merely not knowing what women are, in a practical sense, or that they exist, that Enjolras's taste is a bit...off. It probably is his fault somewhere along the way, but they may laugh, he thinks, at something involving that perception being true. Not in a bad way though.]

And they would hardly deny it. It's good to see you happy and beautiful. I dare to think that even Marius may notice.

Do- you do?! [Sorry, were you talking about something else? Eponine is now 24601% focused on the idea of Marius thinking she's pretty.]

You must tell him and make him see it! If you are the one to realize it, even he cannot disagree! And he shall tell me!

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