logomachist | do you hear the people sing?

It isn't their decision.

[It isn't his place to step in. It isn't his battle to fight. It's impossible, all the same, not to let his ire bubble up slightly.]

It's yours. And if it's what you want, and what will help you with your own life? It's not a waste of time.

I'd be taking up their time- taking classes and studying will take a huge chunk of time away when I could be helping out.

[Helping out. They both knew what she really meant.]

[His jaw is beginning to set. Enjolras can feel it shifting. It helps a bit to glance into the cafe, where the children are clearly calmly enjoying themselves, but it doesn't quite erase the twinge in his chest.

Not shouting is a difficult thing for overly passionate people.]

It's your time. You can spend it for them, if you want, but it's yours.

[She's done with this conversation- wrapping one arm around herself to grab her opposite elbow, shrugging at the same time.]

Whatever.

[Dismissive, closed-off once more.] We should go stop them from ordering every single desert available.

[Leaning when not to push is still clearly a difficult thing. His lips have to press firmly together as he moves to hold the door open.]

Keep thinking about it.

[There. Now he'll shut up.]

[The girl purses her lips for a moment.] Fine.

[Like it's no big thing. She pushes past him, bumping him with her bony shoulder unnecessarily, even as he held the door open.

She doesn't wait for him, before coming to sit with her siblings and quick chatting with them about they wanted.]

[Deep breath in; slow breath out.

This can be dropped, for now. This can be set aside for brightening into an easier aspect with the younger children. This can cede attention to quietly encouraging Gavroche and absently ordering more food than strictly necessary.

This won't be forgotten, but it can be left aside.]

[The more food they get, the better. Honestly, all three Thénardier children will be stuffing their faces with food the second they get the option.

They're all terribly underfed, underweight. Gavroche, who had more places to go than the girls, was the healthiest looking of the lot, but that didn't say much.

Azelma smiles up at Enjolras, sitting closer to him than her siblings. This gets a look from Eponine, but she doesn't say anything. When Azelma asks Enjolras about his love life, Eponine has to roll her eyes.]

Leave him alone, 'Zelma.

[Honestly, what's the point of a trust fund if not to ignore the bill when feeding children?

Enjolras, for his own part, does his best to keep nibbling. There's no need to accidentally appear full and put anyone else off from getting the actual nutrition they need.

He does stumble just slightly on a bite at Azelma's question.] It's fine. It's just not very interesting.

[No clue, she's never had one.]

Gavroche's is probably more interesting than yours, [Eponine says with a small grin, and Gavroche gives a playful 'Hey!' before pointing out that girls aren't what's important to him right now. This gets her siblings talking again, so Eponine can glance up at Enjolras.] She likes you.

[This is said with her mouth full]

[She's good with the kids. Of course she's good with the kids. It's still quietly reassuring to see.]

She's got some stiff competition, then.

[Not that Enjolras particularly paid attention to the small, shifting number of men and women who found themselves sighing after his gold hair and broad shoulders. Really, at the end of the day, who ever made it properly close to unseating Patria in a heart like his?]

Besides, [his lips twitch just faintly for a second,] as a wise man said, girls aren't what's important to me right now.

[What's so surprising, or rather, unsurprising, about Eponine being good with kids?]

She does?

[Eponine turns to him, pointing at him with a fork to indicate he needs to dish if he's got a girlfriend or a boyfriend or whatever because she doesn't keep track of anyone's relationship status except for Marius'.

And Montparnasse's, but they were supposed to get married, according to her father. He really did love Montparnasse more than her.

That gets Eponine to grin over her diet coke.] Boys, then.

[There's just something comforting about knowing responsible individuals were still capable of looking after children properly.

It's less comforting to find himself choking slightly on a second bite of food.]

--also not what's important.

[This moment right here, honestly, as more important than dating and kissing and whatever else it was people did with each other.

(Never mind that they'd gotten here because he couldn't, apparently, remember who he'd kissed the night before. What he gets for letting Courfeyrac talk him into having a drink, clearly.)]

[Enjolras is the only person in the world who would consider Eponine responsible.

A drink? No, if Eponine remembered correctly, he'd been trashed.]

Gotcha.

[She didn't really, but she'd let it go. Least he start badgering her about her own love-life. She didn't want to tell him about Montparnasse, and she certainly didn't want to confess her huge crush on Marius, either.

Not that everyone pretty much already didn't know.]

[Thankfully, other people's love lives are actually not at all on Enjolras's radar--except for, say, when it busts up a meeting and completely distracts an otherwise useful individual from being even partway useful.

There's no genuine interest in his half-hearted attempt at civility.]

You're all right in-- all that regard?

[Oh. He was asking about her love-life. Eponine swallows a bite of her sandwich.]

Yes...?

[Not because she wasn't all right- she was very all right when it came to her relationship. Really, it was the fact that he asked at all that shocked her.] Things are great, yeah.

[Which was Azelma's cue for "She and 'Parnasse are going to get married," in a rather throw-away manner, like it was no big deal, just some casual fact. Eponine takes another bite of her sandwich, hoping to prolong any other questions that were now going to fall her way.]

[Huh. That almost seems like something he should have known.]

Hm. [Eponine doesn't seem terribly bothered about it, and Enjolras certainly doesn't care much.] Congratulations, then.

[And back to the more absent sort of chatter he goes, prodding Gavroche about keeping up with maths.]

[She's so thankful he's underplayed it.]

Eh, nothing to congratulate. Dad just really wants him in the family and I'm the quickest way.

[Enjolras can mostly behave himself in front of children. He can behave himself best in front of children he actually rather likes.]

If you want to be.

[It's still a mostly.]

Not like anyone else would want to. And besides, 'Zelma is only fifteen.

[Eponine, at least, was almost eighteen.

Still, she shoots Enjolras a look that says 'drop it or I will punch you'.]

[There are children at the table. There are children, and Eponine's had a long day.

It doesn't stop Enjolras from making an arch look back in her direction, but it keeps his tongue in his mouth for the moment.]

[Eponine blinks.] What?

[Is it because she's so blunt? Because this is the way they talk in her family, okay?]

It's an important decision.

[To most people, at any rate. Enjolras personally would have ranked 'getting a GED' above 'getting married,' but that's a skewed sample.

Still, the underlying concern of abdicating free choice remains.]

Not really. Nothing would change. I'd just live with him.

[She takes another bite of her food.]

[That, at least, seems like a sensible enough manner to think about marriage.]

Do you want to live with him?

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