milliways_bar | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Teja is sitting outside this evening, working his way through a ledger while keeping an eye on the four cats and one fox cub who are chasing something through the late summer flowers in the garden.

Maybe he is even guarding them from the potential wrath of a gardener?

The Goth looks at peace, almost content.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Hello, Teja." Gavroche looks fairly peaceful and relaxed himself, smiling at the cats and foxbaby where they're playing.

"Greetings, Gavroche," Teja says, seeming almost grateful to be distracted from his ledger. "How are you faring?"

"Very well." He grins. "Another friend from home. Only four missing, now."

"Yet another student from 1832?" Teja says. "I have known people to turn up in groups before, like the Nobodies did, or the vampires and weres from Asher's world; but that is truly unusual. But I am glad that, at long last, you have your friends again. As hey are dead in any case, why should they not come here?"

None of his own friends ever came, but such is the afterlife.

"And so it seems we are, more and more. This one is Joly, our medic."

"So he may work with Guppy, now that he is one volunteer short of what he had," Teja says. "If he is curious to learn of medicine as it evolved after his lifetime?"

"Oh, I'm quite sure he will be", Gavroche says, grinning. "He may drive Guppy mad with questions."

"Guppy is very patient with people," Teja says, with a little smile.

"That he is. And he can always point Joly at the library if it gets too much, we wouldn't see him for days."

"It must be a great draw for all your friends, to see how history unfolded after their ill-fated revolt, and to see how their chosen fields developed," Teja says.

"History, yes. I'm not sure how interested all of them really were in what they were supposed to be studying."

"At least your friend Joly seems to be interested in his field," Teja says, "but then, healers are different in that way -- they need passion."

"Oh, definitely." He smiles. "That was one of the things Bossuet went back and told him, some discoveries of modern medicine."

"It still did not help, did it?" Teja says.

"Not a lot. But if he convinced one person how cholera really spreads..."

"Then it would indeed have saved some lives," Teja nods.

"And that's not nothing. Any difference is better than none."

"One saved live saves a whole world, some say," Teja agrees.

Gavroche nods. "That's why it's my speciality. And Joly will do well here."

"I am sure that he shall," Teja says. "Most of your friends do well here, even though one must still worry about Enjolras and Grantaire. I have not seen the latter since we spoke. Lesgle is about often."

"Grantaire... nobody sees much, at the moment. I think Enjolras will be happier now with his friends around him."

"Grantaire would be even more alone, now that the others have come," Teja muses.

Pause.

"I saw one that looks much like him, but is in fact a monk."

"Alone in company, I think he maybe always was." He blinks. "A monk?"

"Indeed," Teja says, "a small and rather harmless monk that comes from England, about 240 years after my time."

"...have any of the others met him yet?" he asks, with the light of mischief growing in his eyes.

"I know not," Teja says. "They would be quite astonished to see their friend so changed."

"They would. I'm not sure anyone's ever called Grantaire harmless."

It's said with nothing but affection.

"I would not usually call a monk harmless on sight," Teja says, "but this one truly is."

He cranes his neck to look at the playing creatures, and calls out, "Puppy, no biting roses, they sting!"

The fox cub looks around with an innocent expression, but stops trying to eat the rose bush he is finding himself in.

"Aren't they meant to be? Not physically violent, anyway."

He keeps a casual eye on the animals.

"I do not trust clerics," Teja says, "but Brother Athelstan -- that is his name -- is truly harmless, friendly, and means well."

Gavroche nods. "Quite a difference. Not that Grantaire isn't friendly, if he likes you, but he does have a sharp tongue."

"Your friend would truly wonder if they met Athelstan, and took him for Grantaire at first," Teja muses.

The fox cub gives a little yelp -- perhaps he has discovered that roses have thorns -- and comes running over to Teja, who picks him up and scratches his ears.

"And there's no reason they wouldn't, if they look so alike." He peers at the fox. "Hello, Egil. Will you listen to what your papa tells you next time?"

Egil rolls up in Teja's lap and puts a paw over his snout; within seconds, he is fast asleep. Teja keeps stroking the bright red fur.

"They would at least for some bewildered minutes," Teja continues the conversation. "Which would be truly amusing to all concerned, later."

"I might even have to set it up, just for that. And oh, when Grantaire himself meets this monk..."

"Then they shall both stare, and be truly astonished," Teja says, amused.

Egil gives a deep, contented sigh that sounds almost like a snore.

"Is he comfortable there, or should you get him to his bed?"

"I do think it would be better to get him upstairs, and to his bed," Teja says, collecting his ledger.

"Then I'll see you soon. And I'll keep an eye out for your monk."

"Tell me what they said," Teja says, picking up his ledger and hoisting up the sleeping fox cub over his shoulder before going upstairs via the bypass stairs.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only