After Gavroche leaves, Eponine lays her head back onto her pillow, unsure of what to feel. Gavroche always cheers her up, but today she feels completely empty after he leaves. Marius. He is the one person she wants to see, and Eponine knows that he does not have any classes today, so why would he not be here? Does he really care about her so little? To Eponine, Marius is everything. But to Marius, what is she? Actions speak louder than words; obviously she means very little. She can't help but wonder why, even though she knows far too well why no one will ever love her. She's a gamine, poor as dirt and about as worthless as the scum off the street, which is exactly what she is. She's not beautiful like the bourgeois girls, she doesn't have any money and no matter how hard she tries, she will never be loved. This realization hits her harder than anything else in her life. She had long since accepted that she was poor, and she would never be beautiful or wanted by Marius. Although a small part of her still feels there is a way for them, her head, her intuition, knows better than to believe such desperation. But to never be loved? To never be accepted? What if that is her future, her fate? The world had long turned its back on her, but this, this is too much.
In the time that Eponine and Gavroche spent talking, Grantaire stumbled off to his room, grumbling about a headache. Enjolras reads a law book, but finds it difficult to concentrate with so many things on his mind. Usually, his thoughts consisted only of the revolution. Patria. The people. That is his life, but now he also has the worry of a young woman to care for, which, shockingly, he has little experience with. More concerning than the girl herself is her family, if he can even call them that. What father could do something so terrible to his own child? His own daughter? While Enjolras' own parents were less than supportive of his political endeavors, he knows they would never lay a hand on him. At least he would be able to protect himself and stand a chance, while Eponine is harmless, unable to put up a fight. No wonder the girl followed Marius about like a shadow, if her own home life is that terrible, surely she would cling onto anyone to get her away from there. But why Marius? Of all of the group, he is by far the worst one she could have turned to. He is not a bad person, he truly has good intentions, but he is oblivious to the world around him. Enjolras would go as far as saying that he is even self absorbed. She deserves better.
Enjolras hears a muffled sound from his room, and he quickly runs to it, fearing the Patron-Minette has somehow discovered Eponine. Without thinking, he grabs a candlestick from the kitchen. While this is probably not the best weapon of choice, Enjolras doesn't have the time think twice. Eponine looks up from the bed as Enjolras storms in. Normally, if a man came charging at her with what appeared to be a candlestick her first instinct would be to run and protect herself, but Enjolras looked so silly she could barely conceal her smile of amusement. "Monsieur Enjolras, may I ask what the hell you are doing?" While she knows it isn't cry ladylike to cuss, she is so amused she doesn't even give a damn. The spectacle before her even stops her tears, which she quickly attempts to conceal.
"Eponine. Um, I." Enjolras suddenly realizes he has made a complete fool of himself, and he cannot even put together a coherent sentence. "You see, I fear that the Patron-Minette is after us, and somehow discovered your whereabouts. I heard a sound from here, and naturally I feared the worst." Even to Enjolras' own ears, it sounds rather foolish.
Eponine simply raises an eyebrow. "And the candlestick?" She gestures at the candlestick, which he is still holding in his hand.
"A weapon to protect myself, and you of course." Fantastic, now he sounds both incompetent and selfish. Enjolras blushes feverishly, completely embarrassed of himself. Eponine finally releases the laugh she was holding in, adding salt to Enjolras' already wounded pride.
"Let's say the Patron-Minette were to be here, you plan to take them down with a candlestick? And when the revolution comes, how exactly do you plan to defeat the National Guard? By throwing your law books at them? Oh no, perhaps you can just chuck wine bottles at them, after all your friends seem to know quite a lot about those!" Her voice drips sarcasm which each word, and Enjolras is stunned, the last thing he expected her to do was start mocking him. Enjolras relaxes slightly, thankful she wasn't upset with him, like many would have been in her situation. Enjolras then notices her tears stained face, although Eponine is obviously trying to conceal it.
There is an awkward silence between the unlikely pair. Both are embarrassed of their own actions, Enjolras for running into her room with a candlestick to take down some of the most dangerous men in Paris, and Eponine for being caught crying. For most young teenage girls, crying is not terribly unusual, but for Eponine, showing emotion does nothing but harm. Showing any emotion on the streets is just asking for it, and showing emotion at home is a death wish. Enjolras searches his mind for the right ways to approach this situation. Enjolras looks at each moment in life as a situation in need of fixing, and everything is capable of being fixed if you play your cards correctly. But dealing with an obviously distraught young woman? "Is everything all right, Eponine?" Enjolras finally asks. Usually, he never speaks unless he is confident with his words, and never asks unless he already knows the answer. After all, he does wish to become a lawyer someday, but in this situation, all he wants to know is if she is okay.
"Yes, I am quite well." Eponine responds curtly, much more harshly than she intended. At this point she does not even car about being rude, all she wants is for him to go away. He has already has seen too much, far too much of her emotions. And quite truthfully, she does not even know if she is okay. Is she? Of course, she's been through so much in her past, she cannot just break down now. Yet another part if her knows that she is not okay, for obvious reasons.
Eponine is lying, clear as day, and as much as Enjolras wants to press for answers, he does not want to overwhelm her. She's extremely guarded, but Enjolras' wishes she would just be honest with him. It is clear that her misfortunes in life make her more guarded, but why will she not answer a simple question with an honest answer? She's so frustrating; his admittedly weak attempts at reaching out to her do nothing to help either of them, so what's the point in trying? "I have some school work to attend to if you don't mind. Just call if you require anything. Oh, and Joly should be stopping by soon to check on you." His tone is more commanding, an order not a question. Eponine immediately notices his sudden coolness, and she knows she brought it upon herself. Very well, two can play at that game. If there is one thing to know about Eponine Thénardier, it is that she will never back down from a challenge. Little does she know, she may very well meet her match in Adrien Enjolras.
Eponine would be lying if she thought that Enjolras' reaction was rather unexpected. In mere seconds, he went from an embarrassed, concerned young man, to an icy cold commander. From what she had heard about him, he was normally quite serious, but it was not the seriousness that shocked her but the time period in which his intensity changed. Before her eyes, he became a different man. Out with the feelings, the concern, which was quickly replaced by a man of marble. It confused her. She knows far too well how quickly emotions can change, experiencing her very own father's moments of rage and turmoil. Obviously, thankfully, Enjolras is nothing like her father, but he definitely has a very peculiar way of expressing his feelings. Whatever. Let him be distant, it is probably better for both of them that way. Eponine tries to roll onto her side, but finds the pain too intense to even do that.
While she's trying to get herself into a comfortable position, there's a knock on the door. "Eponine, Joly's here to check on your injuries." Enjolras tells her from the other side of the door, before entering with Joly in tow. Joly gives her a warm smile, something that Eponine is not used to, but she does her best to happily return it, although it looses the effect as she grimaces trying to sit up.
"No no no! Eponine, just stay still! If you want to heal properly and as quickly as possible, you absolutely cannot strain yourself. How are you feeling?" Joly is in full doctor mode now, his only concern being the patient before him.
"I'm doing just fine, thank you." Eponine responds, not really looking up at either of them. She winces as Joly wraps fresh cloth around the wound on her stomach, particularly as he wraps around her broken ribs.
"Have you found it difficult to breath at all?" Joly asks her while examining her ribs more closely.
"A little bit." She tells him, although honestly it hurts like crazy. Every breath she takes reminds her of her awful night.
"That is due to your broken ribs. While they are healing, you will be experiencing some pain. If it gets worse, or does not seem to be getting any better in the next few weeks, do not hesitate to get me. Also, this is very important, you cannot over exert yourself, or you will delay the recovery or it may never heal correctly. That means bed rest, and lots of it. Enjolras, keep an eye on her of course." Joly nods, finishing his diagnosis. Eponine looks up for a moment, having brief eye contact with Enjolras. His blue eyes have the gentle expression they held earlier, but just like that, it is gone. "So how are you two getting along?" Joly doesn't want to pry, but he, along with the rest of the Les Amis, is more than a little curious about how Enjolras is responding to having a young woman in his bed.
Eponine raises an eyebrow at Enjolras, daring him to speak first. His stony expression does not change, but his eyebrows furrow together as he tries to think of an appropriate response. While they aren't at each others throats, they were not exactly getting along famously. It isn't just Enjolras' fault, she makes it equally difficult to get close. Not that he wants to get close of course. He is here to keep her alive and well fed and nothing more. "We are getting along just fine, Joly." Enjolras tells him sternly, hoping Joly will drop the subject. Eponine just nods, not bothering to agree nor contradict him.
"Very well then, I will get going then. I will be back soon, Eponine." Joly gives her a respectful nod as he makes his way out the door. Enjolras follows suit, slightly awkwardly. "Enjolras, I think you and Eponine will be getting along very well."
Enjolras narrows his eyes at the other man, although he knows his intentions are nothing but good. "And what makes you say that?" He asks, wondering where this was coming from.
"I don't know. Well honestly, I think you two both have rather strong personalities, so will you will either kill each other or become great friends. I'm just being optimistic and hoping for the latter. Good day, Enjolras." With that, Joly gathers up the last of his medical supplies and heads out the door.
Enjolras wrinkles his nose, considering what Joly has said. It's true, Eponine is very stubborn, not unlike himself, but her heart is also in the right place. He has never met anyone so similar yet different to himself before her. There is something special about her, a spark, a fire in her, and he can see it. With that being said, he has no time to bother with relationships of any short, especially of those exceeding friendship. Even if he did have the time, she loves Marius, and even though he may not love her back, that is what she has chosen for herself. His life is the revolution, and that alone. They both have chosen their own paths, two paths that are sure to never cross.
I hope you enjoyed and thank you for reading! Please follow/fave and review, I'm always looking for constructive criticism and any thoughts you have!