(no subject)

[lark_in_flight]

What comes through the door first, along with the sight of sleeves and voluminous skirts, is a voice: Cosette is calling back over her shoulder, "Papa, are you ready? Marius and I are quite -- oh!"

Hello, Milliways!

Well, she didn't expect to come here, but she's quite pleased to have done so, after a startled moment. It's been several weeks, on her side of the door. She steps in all the way, and closes the door behind herself. She might as well say hello to her mother and any dear friends and perhaps have a little something while she's here, right?

She's a little more tan and freckled than usual; not a great deal, because hers is an era of bonnets and lace gloves and parasols and so forth, but all the same she's done a certain amount of tossing propriety aside enough to bask in the Italian sunlight on this trip. And she looks even more glowingly healthy, and happy, than usual.

Her skirts rustle, and she glances down in time to spot a small and shaggy grey dog trotting quite unconcernedly forward. With a surprised laugh, Cosette bends to catch her up. "Why, Panza, you naughty thing! Very well, come and get acquainted with the good society here."

Comments

[harryhotspur]

HEY A DOG

--aaaand someone's scooping up the dog but Harry had already taken a step towards it and now it's too late for even someone with Harry's lack of respect for social niceties to pretend he wasn't drawing near.

also he's definitely met her before and definitely can't remember her name

"--good day."

[lark_in_flight]

It's okay, she'll put the dog back down soon, no doubt!

"Oh, hello!"

help what is his naaaaaame he was at the Twelfth Night party but so was most of Milliways

"How are you, monsieur?"

The dog looks around with bright-eyed curiosity. She's the sort of shaggy mutt whose eyebrows give her a perpetual, and entirely misleading, worried look; as a matter of fact Panza is full of proud confidence in her mastery of all situations and all surroundings, including weird multiversal bars.

[harryhotspur]

"Very well, madam," Harry replies, with the slightly stiff manner he adopts whenever he's making a conscious effort to be Polite. "A fine dog you have."

[lark_in_flight]

Cosette beams down at Panza with the unmistakeable look of a person who is both charmed by animals generally, and at least slightly besotted with this particular one.

"Do you hear that? Here, ma puce, go say your polite thank-yous to the gentleman."

So saying, she sets the dog down on the ground.

"Thank you, monsieur. She simply adopted us of her own accord. I can claim no credit! Not even in choosing her, since you know she followed my husband home and sat right down in the garden. She's a sweet little thing. Panza is her name."

[harryhotspur]

Panza, who knows a sucker when she sees one, promptly drops to the floor and displays her belly, which even a Stoic And Serious Knight like Harry Percy can't resist.

"A fine way to come by her!" Harry laughs. "Art certain she hath no other master?"

[farouche_bravoure]

Fantine strolls in to the bar with François on her shoulder, just as Cosette snatches up the small gray dog.

"Oh! My dear, you're here, from Italy? But--who is your friend?"

[lark_in_flight]

"Hello, mother!"

Cosette starts towards her for the usual cheek-kissing of greeting, and then remembers that she's holding a dog and her mother has a skylark on her shoulder. So -- uh -- she'll just hold off for a moment.

But beam!

"I am, yes. The door just opened. Isn't she sweet? This is Panza. Panza, ma puce, say hello to my mother. You must be very sweet to her, you must be the very best of friends."

She sets the dog down. Panza seems curious about the entire bar as much as about Fantine in specific, but she does essay a brief tail-wag and amble forward.

[farouche_bravoure]

"Panza! Oh, how sweet!" Fantine, priorities in order, pats the dog before leaning over to kiss Cosette's cheek. "But when did you find her? Is she an Italian dog?"

[lark_in_flight]

They're the correct priorities! Cosette beams, and returns the embrace. As for Panza, she seems to be either sufficiently mollified by Fantine's attention or sufficiently confused by the concept of a bird riding around on someone's shoulder that she doesn't attempt to snap or bark at the bird.

Cosette laughs. "Why, you might say she found us! She was a little stray in the market, there are many of them about. Panza is the town, we named her after it. But you see she followed us home, she sat herself right down in the garden and insisted upon joining the household. Marius is her favorite. She follows him about with the sweetest manners!"

Well, mostly. Every so often she provides a contribution unfit for polite company. But generally!

[idareyou]

"Cosette! My dear!"

Oh, this was a good day to come to Milliways! It's been a few months for her, but this morning Mary had thought Oh, perhaps today I'll see what's happening in Milliways, and look--it's Cosette!

She bustles over--though a bit less bustly than usual; even the drapey medieval gown doesn't hide her growing belly--and squeaks happily at the sight of Panza. "What a funny silly little creature! The dog, I mean, of course, not you Cosette."

Cheek-kisses?

[lark_in_flight]

Cheek-kisses!

"Mary, my dear! Oh, it's so lovely to see you. And oh, oh!" Squeak of glee! "You look so very well!"

Well means well, and well also means pregnant omg :D :D !!!

[idareyou]

Mary beams. "Thank you, I feel well!" (Which...likewise means "well and also pregnant," honestly.)

She holds Cosette at arms' length for a moment, looking her over, and then pulls her in for another hug. "And you look well. You have been in the sun! And you look beautiful!" It may not be at all the fashion to tan, but Cosette really does look beautiful. "What have you been doing? It's been a few months for me, has it been long for you?"

[lark_in_flight]

"Oh, no, I'm dreadfully freckled, I'm sure I look an utter hoyden!" But she's giggling through it, and of course hugging back with the arm not clutching Panza (whose tail is starting to gamely thump at her back), and generally glowing with pleasure.

"It's been -- oh -- just over a month, I believe? Not quite so long, I think, but still entirely too long without seeing you, my dear. We're in Italy, did I tell you we were going? Ischia, it's an island, it has spas. Very healthful waters, you know. People go there for their health. I've never been out of France before at all, we're not at all in the habit of such grand travels, but my father was very ill some time ago. The doctor here, M. Joly, he suggested that Father would do well to take the waters and the sun. And you know, he's looking ever so contented, it's wonderful. It really was the right thing to do. And it's delightful! I would love it just for making Father happy, but Marius and I are having a wonderful time too."

"Oh, but here I am making you stand! Come, Mary, let's sit down and have a good little gossip."

[a1enzo]

A dog! Minus likes dogs. Dogs are good to play with and occasionally sleep on. And this dog is with a known Nice Person!

Minus hovers over, chiming, with Enzo following quickly after. "Oh, hi! We met at your party, right? Minus, make sure the dog wants to play first."

[lark_in_flight]

Panza sits back on her haunches, not so much frightened as confused by this floating tentacle-y green thing bobbing nearby. But if Minus makes the right kind of bobbing gestures for her to interpret it as a toy, her shaggy tail will start to tentatively wag soon.

"Hello, monsieur!" Oh what is his name? "Monsieur Matrix, wasn't it?" Please let her be right, she thinks; she met a lot of people at the party, which was utterly delightful except when it means she gets the names muddled later.

"It's lovely to see you again. And your little Minus! Panza, ma puce, play nicely with Minus. --You see, she's new to Milliways, she'll never have seen such a little wonder before. Perhaps in the fish market, but not flying and so clever as yours."

[a1enzo]

Minus turns a somersault and waggles his tentacles at Panza. Hopefully she won't be too perplexed by his lack of an odor.

"That's right! Enzo is fine, though. You're, uh, gonna have to tell me your name again," he adds, slightly embarrassed. "But it's nice to see you too! And Panza, she's cute. Have you had her long?"

[lark_in_flight]

She's kind of perplexed! But she's a more sight-oriented dog than a scent-oriented one, so she's starting to get intrigued by all the bouncing and wiggling going on. So she trots forward a few steps in tentative investigation, tail down between her legs but the very tip of it wagging.

Cosette laughs. "I'm Cosette Pontmercy. And well then, I can admit to you that I very nearly didn't remember yours, monsieur, I was hoping very much that I'd gotten it right."

"No, just a little while. A week or two. She followed us home from the market, she quite insisted on joining the household." That's with a fond look down at Panza, who already has both Pontmercies wrapped around her shaggy grey paw.

[soldier_blade]

ooc: room for one more?

[lark_in_flight]

[OOC: Sure, go for it! :) I won't be awake for too much longer tonight, but I should be around tomorrow night to pick the thread back up.]

[soldier_blade]

Sonya hadn't been to the bar in what felt like ages. She's a bit of a mess this time, having been working at her uncle's garage, but she's been trying to clean herself up as much as she could with a damp rag.

She only just recognizes the girl as she enters, her door fixed in a way that's almost behind her. Yet, soon as she calls that out 'excuse me', she gets a look at the small dog. "Oh my god, puppy!"

[lark_in_flight]

Cosette is surprised into a giggle.

"Here, ma puce," she says to the dog, setting her down. "Go say hello to your admirer."

Panza takes a few ambling steps forward, and then waits. She's the kind of dog who likes to make humans do the work involved with admiring and petting her properly.

[rudderless]

Eponine....well, frankly, she's never seen Cosette look so happy nor glow so brightly. It's a state that suits her. Eponine has no idea how she feels about that.

By her side is Franz, her brother's Dog, who may be large but is very sweet. When he sees Panza, his ears perk up and he sits up, his expression filled with interest. Eponine's expression is far more wry, and she keeps a hand on his collar.

"Is he yours?" she calls.

[OOC: and one more? :D]

[lark_in_flight]

Oh! It's -- it's -- it's that woman, who said she knew Cosette from long ago, who said she knew Marius but also said she saved him, who said so many things that Cosette didn't know at all how she felt about, so much so that she'd nearly put that entire conversation out of her mind. But now the woman is giving her that wry expression (and she doesn't know how she ought to feel about that either) and greeting her, and it all comes flooding back.

It takes her a moment or two to respond.

But by the end of that pause of frozen uncertainty, it's stretched long enough that she feels rude for it. And that spurs her to take a few steps forward, and determinedly say, "Why -- yes. She is. Is that fellow yours?"

Light conversation! She can do that! At least briefly! While she tries to figure out how she feels about anything, and whether this is a conversation she wants to have, and why just remembering the name Éponine (and such a funny, fancy name it is, like something out of an old novel) makes something tighten inside her.

[rudderless]

It is indeed - and it's something of a comfort to Eponine to see her own uncertainty mirrored back. The situation is awkward but then, life itself can be. And she'll take awkward over painful if given the chance.

"He's mine and Gav's," she says, scritching Franz gently at the crown of his head, and the dog slowly gets up, his head lolling contentedly back onto her knee for a moment before he steps forward and sniffs curiously at both the new dog and its mistress. "He got him from an old friend of his - and when Gav's not around I take care of him." She cocked her head toward the empty spot at the booth beside her. "You can sit down if you like."

Eponine can remember a time when the name Cosette caused pure acid to invade her throat; a sad, deep jealousy, for Cosette was lucky, and Eponine - perhaps somewhat deservingly, at least in retribution for her snobby rudeness as a child learned or not from her parents, had not been. Not until now.

[lark_in_flight]

Gav -- Gavroche, her brother? Or someone else? It's not a nickname Cosette has heard, but it seems a reasonable guess.

The uncertainty is one more tiny push off-balance, though, and she already feels off-balance, but she doesn't know why, she doesn't know why everything to do with this mysterious woman makes her feel as if there are too many things she can't recall, and all of them important, and all of them horrible, looming around her like dark monsters in a wood.

Her father always chased off dark shadows, just by being nearby. But he isn't here, and neither is Marius. Her mother is, but she'd have to flee this conversation and go in search of her, like a skittish child. She doesn't like feeling this way; she wants to like everyone, she wants to be brave, she doesn't want to jump at shadows and find herself fretfully lost for words with everything Éponine says.

Panza, perhaps picking up on her mood, growls protectively at Franz. It's that that startles Cosette out of herself -- and makes her giggle, suddenly, brief but with a vast rush of relief. "My little protector, are you?" she says, holding the little dog close. "Now then, he seems a very gentle soul."

Does she want to sit down? She's not at all sure. But she doesn't like not being sure. And what is she worried about, truly, here in the middle of the bar? All at once, before she can change her mind, she moves quickly forward to sit herself right down in a chair. "Thank you," she says, staunchly, though she's still holding Panza close.

But, then, perhaps that can be taken as only her keeping the dogs apart. And it's that too; Panza is not normally intimidated in the least by large dogs, but she's aware that her human is tense, and so she's watching Franz and Éponine both with mistrust.