milliways_bar | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

There is a lot of activity at the stables today. Valjean managed to track Javert down yesterday (despite concerted efforts by the latter to avoid him), and persuaded him to donate his stockpile of spare bricks to the repair effort. They have to be brought over from the church building site, so Javert is rolling piles over in a wheelbarrow while Valjean knocks the fire-damaged wooden planks out of the back of the stables. There are some large bags of supplies ready to be mixed into mortar, and Valjean is hoping to get the two worst damaged stalls fixed by nightfall.

At least one of the two will welcome help!

[OOC: I've just had an hour of my life cruelly stolen, so I'm going to crash pretty soon. Feel free to threadhop if desired, and I'll be around all day tomorrow to continue. Thanks to all who've tagged! <3]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

'I care.'

It is as much a surprise to him as anyone.

'He and I have a long past, and I do not want this added to it. Of course it would not bother him, he forgives anything. But I do not want him to know.'

He will not sully the man with such knowledge, nor does he want something so intensely personal open for public scrutiny. Valjean's scrutiny, such as it would be.

"And he and I being around you at the same time makes you nervous because...?" he asks.

His eyes shift left and right, and he looks even more nervous.

'I told you why.'

It is the truth! Just not the whole of it.

"No, you told me you didn't want him to know we'd fucked," he says dryly. "There's a slight difference."

He winces at this crassness, and looks around again. Valjean is not in sight, but he does not want anything to carry.

'I told you, I do not trust that I would not make it obvious. I am not good at lies, you may have noticed.'

He is good at acting like an aloof and offhand robot, so he could have just done that and Valjean would be none the wiser. But it would not be very kind to Ganymede, would it? Javert might be ashamed of his own urges, but he is not hypocrite enough to appear to condemn a man he has enjoyed himself.

"Act like yourself and you won't," he says. "You're not normally this awkward around anyone, least of all me in front of anyone else. I think last he checked you disliked me for my society-collapsing immoral ways."

It's intended to be self-deprecating and helpful. Ganymede is really very good at coming across like that.

'And now I am immoral, and a threat to society.'

Oh, the irony. His smile is wry.

'He is used to me being awkward around him by now. Never mind. I will try.'

He does appreciate the help. None of this is his strong point, and he is thankful he can point Acajou out from here.

'There he is. As you can see, he is quite well.'

The stallion looks good, in fact. Well conditioned, well fed, in all-round rude health.

"Oh please," he says. "You're not, nor am I."

Ganymede steps up on the fence, clicking his tongue to call the stallion to him. "I'm glad he's alright. I didn't think you'd let him be hurt, though."

Acajou gives a good excuse not to have to answer that, which is good because Ganymede would probably not like his answer.

'He was very scared, and behaved rather badly. I suppose we cannot hold it against him.'

He leans on the fence, and watches the animal. He has come to quite care for him.

'If you would still like to sell him, I will find the money.'

"Fire does tend to scare them," he says, rubbing his hand down the stallion's nose. "Will you now? You don't yet know how much I'd sell him for."

'You mentioned the possibility of paying in installments. But if you have changed your mind, or would rather not, just say so.'

He will live with it either way.

"No, no. I will still sell him to you; how much would you pay for him in your world?" he asks. "I will ask two-thirds of that."

He is instantly suspicious.

'Why only two-thirds?'

"It's an easy arbitrary amount," Ganymede says with a shrug. "Why not?"

More suspicion.

'Yes, but why not the full amount? I am not asking for a favour.'

He does not like favours. Abhors them, in fact. A favour made him throw himself into a river.

"And I'm not giving you one," he says. "I'm telling you how much I want for a horse."

Fine. If it is going to be that way. He would estimate that a horse of Acajou's quality would be worth about five hundred francs in his time.

'Seven hundred francs, I should think. That is what he is worth.'

"Not bad for a good horse," Ganymede says, glancing over and scratching under the horse's cheek fondly. "That should be fine, then."

He's easy with money; he has so much of it that he can afford it.

That must be nice. Except it is also extremely wasteful, and makes life far too easy. But Ganymede was once a prince, so Javert thinks no further on it than that.

'I have the first hundred, I will bring it next time I come from Paris. And then installments. And of course, I will pay his stabling and feed costs from here onward.'

Edited 2016-03-29 02:34 (UTC)

Ganymede is used to those thoughts being voiced. He's too used to it now to be bothered.

"As you like," he says. "You may always leave it for me at the bar if I'm not here. Now, would you like me to help you and Jean at the stables?"

'I will.'

Cheval has trotted over, and keeps nosing at his coat. Stupid creature. He pushes his head away.

'No, thank you. Unless you are set on it. I will tell Valjean I told you to go away, so he will not think you are lazy.'

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only