(no subject)

[road_to_calvary]

Valjean - no, Fauchelevent - looks surprised to find himself in the bar. As well he might - it has been more than two months since he left, and he has never had reason to get used to a door appearing from nowhere before.

He is dressed as peasant, with dirt on his hands and a mouldy-looking package under his arm. There is sweat on his brow, and a smear of mud down the side of his face as though wiping it away. His first action is to look around rather furtively - but then he remembers himself, stands tall, and allows his expression to fall into its usual placid thoughtfulness. Bar provides water and some rough, black bread, and he retires to a table with his lunch.

Comments

[ostro_goth]

"So you have gone to the country, also?" Teja asks, slowly walking towards Valjean.

He is wearing black and looking grim, as usual. The effect may be marred, however, by the small red-headed fellow of about fourteen months hanging on to Teja's finger and toddling beside him, which is the reason why Teja is going so slowly.

[road_to_calvary]

'Also, monsieur?'

He looks distracted by the question, but only for a moment. His attention is almost immediately taken by the little boy, and his face warms into a smile.

[ostro_goth]

"This is Egil," Teja says, following Valjean's gaze. "Egil, do properly greet Monsieur Fauchelevent."

Egil says something that sounds like 'Hello', followed by a mumble.

Teja smiles.

"Also, as Javert has done."

[road_to_calvary]

'Good evening, monsieur,' he says solemnly to the boy, but with the smile still firmly in place.

Only then does he look up, politely curious. Though if one were to look closely, a spark of interest is there in his eyes.

'Has he? I did not know that.'

He had to go somewhere, he supposes.

[ostro_goth]

Egil looks up at Teja, who nods.

He lets go of the Goth's finger and toddles towards Valjean, with a curious smile on his face.

"He has gone to a farm; the farmers took him in because he was ill when he arrived at that village," Teja says. "He has been back here since, and seems more content now than I had ever known him to be, before."

Egil extends chubby little starfish hands towards Valjean.

[road_to_calvary]

Almost automatically, Valjean reaches his hands out in return. He is unsure as to whether he should lift the boy, but it is instinct. He will let the boy decide if he will allow it.

'That is good,' he says, a smile in his voice. For the boy.

'I have never known him content.'

[ostro_goth]

Egil takes Valjean's hand and smiles up at him, looking hopeful.

"He has only about a quarter of his argumentativeness left," Teja says, about Javert.

[street_sparrow]

"Monsieur", Gavroche says with a smile. "You've left the city, I see?"

[road_to_calvary]

'For only a short time, monsieur.'

He smiles also, polite and calm.

'But yes.'

[street_sparrow]

Gavroche nods, considering. "With your daughter?"

[road_to_calvary]

'No.'

The package he entered with sits on the table, emitting a musty smell.

'She remains in Paris. I will return to her tomorrow.'

[street_sparrow]

"She seemed more suited to the city", he agrees, then, "Visiting our friend, then?"

[road_to_calvary]

He blinks in surprise.

'Pardon me?'

[fry_sandhu]

"Wash your hands!" Fry blurts out from nearby, unable to quite stop himself with seeing all that mud.

Then he looks nervous, because the last person he told that had a go at him.

[road_to_calvary]

Valjean blinks, and looks down at his hands.

'I suppose they are rather muddy, monsieur Fry.'

He will not, under any circumstances, raise his voice to a child.

'Do they offend you so?'

[fry_sandhu]

"You have to wash your hands before you eat or you can get ghastly-enter-itis." Fry says, quickly, looking a bit nervous.

[road_to_calvary]

'Is that so?'

He looks at his hands again. Valjean is from a time before germ theory. This is news to him.

'Well. A moment then.'

He retires to the men's room, and washes the mud away. While he is there, he washes his face as well. He does attempt to be presentable most of the time.

When he returns, he holds himself tall for inspection, hands spread with a smile on his face.

'Do I pass, monsieur?'

[fry_sandhu]

Fry jumps back when he spreads his hands, but looks over them carefully.

"Where are you passing?" he asks.

[road_to_calvary]

'Inspection, monsieur.'

He realises he must be specific.

'Am I clean enough?'

[electro_kinetic]

There is a little clattering noise from the next table over, which is sporting a familiar shock of bright blue hair and silver-glinting metal. Said owner of these attributes is working with a small plastic thing that can wave stubby round 'wings', mechanically chirping and trilling at her in an attempt to communicate, as well as parroting back her own recorded commands.

However, in its attempt to follow said commands it keeps coming precariously close to falling off the table, making Noriko lean over to catch it. The lowers pinned into her hair swing and chime with tiny bells each time she does, rather at odds with her mutterance of no not that way you stupid robot.

You may get a softball-sized robot escaping in your direction, Valjean.

[road_to_calvary]

Valjean blinks at the thing. He is somewhat hesitant in picking it up, because what is it? But he does so, immediately aware of how alien the material it is made of feels in his hand.

'Hello, Noriko. How are you, mademoiselle?'

[electro_kinetic]

"I'm good," she says lightly, looking over and extending a hand to take the robot back. "Getting used to the interrupted sleep patterns."

Her hair is loose about her equally bare shoulders, held back on one side with kanzashi ribbon flowers. She looks particularly civilian--in a manner of speaking--fiddling with the robot. "It's a robot, Jean. Just a bunch of circuits."

[road_to_calvary]

'Oh? You were successful in procuring employment?'

He smiles. That is good news indeed. He does worry about Noriko.

His eyes do travel back to the robot. He will get to that in a moment, perhaps.

[electro_kinetic]

"I love that you say that with such unshakable faith," she says with a mild laugh. "But yes, I'm now employed as an intern."

Beat. She nods to the robot. "With spare time to deal with tiny annoyingly cute robots."

[road_to_calvary]

The smile remains. Of course he has faith in Noriko.

'I am glad for you,' he says.

'Though I am not sure of the purpose of this...robot?'

The word is strange to say.