I only own Francis and Marceline.
The inn was in even worse condition than Marceline had expected. Boards were peeling up from the ground and she could have sworn a rat had crept across her shoe. The entire front room was in disrepair and she wouldn't have sentenced her worst enemy to this kind of squalor.
The people were even worse, the men grinning what she assumed was intended to be flirtatiously. Francis noticed this and wrapped an arm around her waist, glaring at some men, who then turned away. She smiled gratefully at him as they were approached by one man, better dressed than the rest. She quickly concluded that this was Monsieur Thenadier.
"Monsieur, Madame, won't you come in?" He smiled fakely. Marceline forced a grin.
"Of course we will, Monsieur, but we cannot stay. We're here on business." Thenandiers smile faltered but she pretended not to notice.
"What kind of business, Madame?" He asked. She grimaced at his grizzly appearance and cunning demeanor.
"I've come to collect Cosette for Mademoiselle Fantine." She informed him, presenting him with the note. He quickly scanned it and gestured for a woman to come over. She read the note as well before looking at the pair and smiling, her eyes filled with greed.
"I understand you've taken Fantine in. Bless your heart." Marceline smiled.
"A pleasure on my part, I assure you. Now, about Cosette..."
"Yes, of course. She'll be back shortly. Young lass went to fetch some water from the well."
"On a night cold as this? Not a brilliant idea, I must say."
"The dear offered." The woman lied, calling a child to her side. Marceline's eyes lit up at the sight of her and crouched to the pretty girl's eye level.
"What's your name, dearie?" She asked kindly, smiling at the brunette.
"Eponine." She said, shyly smiling back at the strange woman.
"Eponine. Pretty name for a pretty girl." The younger blushed. "You must be about... nine?" She nodded. "Good friends with little Cosette, I hope?" Another nod. "Wonderful. Listen, Eponine, I need to talk to Cosette. Do you think you could show me to the well?"
Eponine nodded and reached for her hand but was quickly pulled back by her mother.
"If you're in that big of a rush, I'll show you there myself." She said coldly. Eponine turned in her mother's arms and looked up at her cutely.
"I can do it, mama. Please?" Madame Thenadier's eyes softened at her child's plea and groaned in defeat.
"Alright. But come straight back, got it?" She nodded , gripping Marceline's hand and leading her out a back door, leaving Francis to the mercy of Mme Thenandiers.
Once they were out of sight of the inn, Marceline lifted Eponine onto her shoulders, the nine-year-old giggling as she did so.
"So you and Cosette are good friends, then?"
"The best. Mama and papa don't like her much, though." She said, picking a leaf from an overhead branch.
"Oh? What makes you say that?"
"They always make her do the really hard stuff. And when I try to help, they call me away. And they won't let her go to school with me." Marceline frowned and continued walking. "What do you need to talk with Cosette for anyways, miss?"
"Well, miss Fantine has found a place to live and has enough money to feed not only herself, but little Cosette. I came in her place because Fantine fell ill and is still recovering."
"Oh." The simple word was filled with as much sadness and disappointment as any nine-year-old voice could hold as the girl slumped against her head.
"You're really going to miss her if I take her away, aren't you?"
"Well of course. But it'll be better for her there. Right?" Marveling paused, rounding a low branch and smiling.
"Of course dear." She promised. A thought struck her and she paused, placing Eponine on the ground. "Hang on."
Eponine looked on as she dug in a pocket hidden in the folds of her dress skirt, watching her pull out a paper and graphite stick and scribble something. She then folded it twice and pressed it into Eponine's hand.
"Now you listen. This is my home address. Anytime you want to see Cosette, or even just talk to her, you write us a letter and send it here. I'll set something up so she or you can come visit. Kay?"
A grin became a full on smile and the girl threw her arms around her elders neck.
" 'Ponine?" The younger released the woman's neck and looked over her shoulder, smiling.
" 'Settie!"She ran up to the girl happily, The new blonde girl set down her bucket in time to catch her, swinging her around to work off the kinetic energy. When they both had their feet safely on the ground, Eponine took Cosette' s hand, pulling her toward Marceline.
"Cosette, this is..." she trailed off, looking to the woman for an answer. The reddish-brown haired woman crouched, offering a hand.
"Marceline Angevine MacGregor. But most kneh me jus by Angevine." Marceline told her, allowing her natural accent to show through. Cosette took the hand, smiling shyly as Eponine had. "I've come to take you home." The tiny girl's eyes widened, looking at the woman.
"What?"
"Yer mother is stayin' with my brother and I. An' now that she has a home with us, we'd like yeh teh stay with us as well." She smiled at the mixture of joy and awe on Cosette's face as the little girl tackled her, her arms going around her neck.
"Thank you thank you thank you!" The child squealed, unintentionally choking Marceline. The woman pulled her and Eponine into a tight hug, swinging them both around. She said nothing about the girl's tattered clothes or lack of shoes, setting Eponine down and lifting the blonde to her shoulders. Picking up the bucket in one hand and Eponine's hand in the other, the trio walked back to the inn in a comfortable silence.
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