Sharing the Bounty (Tag: Gavroche)

[EPONINE THENARDIER]

Eponine looked at the open pouch in her hand, carefully counting out the coins she had managed to gather the day before, either on her own at the fair or later that night with Montparnasse. If the bit she had gotten on her own had been decent, the haul she had split with 'Parnasse made it a veritable fortune for someone like her. Of course she had had to fall back into her old life to get them, luring men into the shadows with the promise of a little fun. Once they were out of plain sight and distracted, 'Parnasse only had to knock them out and the two of them could easily pocket whatever the man had on him. She and 'Parnasse had always called this the "bait and switch" and they had run it some many times in the past, they had become a well-oiled machine. Eponine knew just how and where to pull the men to and could draw all their attention as 'Parnasse snuck up behind them. And Montparnasse never let the men get too far in the fun they were expecting. Much as she hated to admit it, it was lucrative, and they would good at it.

And Eponine could allow herself to resort to her old ways if it meant she could make more trips like this. Cinching the pouch shut, she slipped it into the front her corset and adjusted the food she carried in her other arm. Half a loaf of day old bread, a couple apples, it might as well have been a feast. But it wasn't even for her. It was for her little brother. She smiled a little as she thought of his face lighting up when she arrived. He was always happy to see her, even if they both tried to hide it under sass and friendly jest. Ever since she could remember, she had felt responsible for her younger siblings. Gavroche leaving home was a huge loss for her, but also a catalyzing event in her life. The lack of concern her parents showed at the disappearance of their own son chilled her. Seeing Gavroche from time to time on the street, seeing how he not just survived, but thrived on his own, gave her the courage to walk out some years later. While she had never done as well as Gavroche seems to have, she attributed that to the fact that she remembers a life of comfort, a time before their parents' criminal activities had sunk to the level they were at now. So she had a harder time separating herself from them.

Still she felt it was her duty to check up on the little gamin from time to time, and share her ill-gotten good fortune with him. So as the day drew to a close, she turned her feet towards the old elephant statue. She knew her brother had made a home for himself and some of his little gang in there, and it was the best place to try and find him. Nearing the decrepit monument, she dodged out of the way of a couple grimy children, laughing and running through the street, bringing a smile to her face. Even with the tension in the air from the parade and the sickness that had settled on the city, children could still find joy in their lives. She chuckled and stopped beside the elephant, cupping her hand around her mouth. "Oi! Gavroche, you in there?" She dropped her hand to her hip, doing her best to look like the perturbed parent rather than the affectionate sister, anything to get him to take the food she had brought with as little argument as possible. Not that she thought for a moment it might work.

[Deleted]

He'd been in the statue counting the money he'd been able to pick that day. It wasn't as much as he'd gotten in the past. It seemed what with the events of the last few days, people were walking around with less. He sighed and looked over at a pair of children climbing up to the tower portion of the elephant. It was one of the favorite places for most of the kids and although it was a tad dangerous, no one ever got seriously injured which was great. He didn't know what he would do if one of the kids broke a leg or an arm. He was used to dealing with sicknesses but an actual injury...he shuttered at the thought.

After watching the pair for a few moments, he moved over to one of the youngest kids that lived with him. Ahmeliya was only three and a half but they managed to keep her well cared for. She had been hopping up, trying to look out one of the windows. Gav wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up for a bit so she could see outside. She started waving to someone and making excited noises (she had yet to learn how to speak). Gavroche squinted, trying to figure out who his target was, but with the usual bustle around the Place de la Bastille, it was hard to tell what had her in a fit. "What is i' Meli?" He scanned the streets for anyone that she would have recognized but it seemed to be little use.

He put her down (even someone so young and thin still got heavy for an eleven year old to carry) and continued to watch out the window. Ahmeliya eventually got bored and waddled over to a corner to play with a rock that had been worn from use. Eventually, a figure broke of from the crowd and moved over to the base of the statue. That was when he noticed her. The tall woman (although white short from this angle) in a tattered skirt and corset stood near the entrance to his home. She had a basket under one arm and even Gavroche could smell the food from here. She called up to him after a moment. "Oi! Gavroche, you in there?" He grinned and thought about yelling back no. But then his eye was caught by one of the other children who was starting to grow sickly from hunger. Even if he wanted to mess with his sister, he knew that the boy needed food as soon as possible.

So instead, he poked his head farther out the window. "Yeah, were else would Ah be!?" He grabbed hold of the rope that had been attached to the tower that hung next to the window. This was a far more entertaining descent from the second most floor (for the older kids) and they had to get their kicks somehow. He landed cat-like on the ground a few feet from where his sister stood. He strutted over too her, doing his best not to seem overly excited. She would tease him if he showed too much happiness.

After his casual stroll toward her he paused and crossed his arms, jutting out a hip to mimic her own pose. "Am Ah in trouble? What'd ah do this time, forgit yer birthday?" Their banter was all in fun, of course. He loved his sister and knew she always had his best intentions at heart. He looked up to her and appreciated everything she did for him.

[EPONINE THENARDIER]

It took no small amount of willpower on Eponine's part to keep herself from smiling as her brother came into view. His face was bright despite the dirt of the life he led on the street streaking it. Much to her relief, he didn't look ill as many of those on the streets had in the last few weeks. His cheeky attitude was still very much intact and even if he was underfed, he looked to be in decent health. "Aren't you always in trouble? I just know you've been up to something you shouldn't have." The was a teasing to her tone, a light joking of a girl playing at being a parent. The corners of her mouth even turned up slightly. "I'll find out what it is, you know? You're always up to something you oughtn't." Breaking into a grin, she ruffled the young boy's hair before bending to wrap her free arm around his shoulders in a close hug. Once she had discovered just how little her parents cared for him, Eponine had promised to look after the boy, if only to herself, and knew she was possibly the closest thing he had to a mother, and she took that position very seriously.

"I'm just sharing the good fortune. I did pretty well at the fair and the parade." And after, but she didn't dare let on to her brother that she had run the streets with Parnasse the night before. There would be too much explaining to do if he knew that. Eponine had left their father's house and ostensibly her father's gang behind, but the dandy always seemed to find his way back into her life. Or she found her way back to him. Besides, it didn't matter where the money had come from if it kept her siblings and herself fed. She tossed him an apple with her free hand, knowing full well he'd catch it with easy grace. Eponine remembered her own early adolescence as a clumsy ungainly time, but it seemed that nature was being kinder to her brother. There were few in Paris that had the natural grace he did, shimmying up and down ropes and across rooftops and carriages. At times, Eponine teased him about being part monkey, or possibly cat.

"And don't you dare tell me you don't need it!" Eponine laughed as she lightly swatted Gavroche's shoulder and held out the rest of the food to him, grinning. "Go on now. What do you say?" She knew her brother well enough to know that while he might refuse outwardly at first, already his mind was probably working over how many of his little gang he could feed with the fruit and bread she carried. Eponine looked after him and he looked after them and that was the way of the world for the children of the street. In a way she envied her brother, the way he was hardly ever alone, always trailing a young boy or girl behind him. Usually more than one, and always with that same cheeky grin on his face. His spirits never seemed to dull and he never seemed lonely. It was as charmed a life as Eponine could imagine a street urchin could have.

[Deleted]

He couldn't help but smile. He had fought it for a bit but it never took more then a few moment with his big sister to crack it out of him. "Aren't you always in trouble? I just know you've been up to something you shouldn't have. I'll find out what it is, you know? You're always up to something you oughtn't." He lot his jaw drop as he feigned hurt. "Always in trouble? Naw! Always causin' trouble, but rarely ever in'i'." And he was right. Despite the many times he had been caught doing something he shouldn't, the number paled in comparison to how many times he had gotten away with things. He had no doubt that she would find out his various schemes sooner or later. She was almost as good of a sleuth as he was (and the only reason he was better was because of his size and dashing charm).

He tried to duck away from her hand as she ruffled his hair but there was little use. She pulled him into a hug and he resisted for a second (only to show that he wasn't desperate for her attention) before he wrapped his arms around her waist. When she released him, she spoke again. "I'm just sharing the good fortune. I did pretty well at the fair and the parade." He glanced over the rim of the basket and peered at the contents below. He tried to mask the surprise on his face but it was difficult. There was actually quite a bit of food there. This would probably be enough to split a evenly among all his wards - maybe with some to save for tomorrow!

The apple flew at him and almost without thinking his hand flew up to instinctively catch the projectile. He took a deep bite out of it to show her that he was eating something. Hopefully, it would be enough proof to keep her happy. Most of the food that was donated either by his sister or Courfeyrac and the other ABC guys was split between the other children first. Gavroche only ate if there was enough left over. While he didn't think his sister strait up knew how little he ended up eating, he knew she probably had suspicious. But with so much food this time, he could afford this bite to hopefully throw her off his trail.

"And don't you dare tell me you don't need it!" He often told her to take the food back (knowing full well that there was no real danger of her doing so) as a guise to make sure she didn't think he relied to heavily upon her help. He could take care of himself and the other children if he needed to. But secretly, he was desperately appreciative and she knew that without him having to voice it. Of course, that didn't stop her from trying to weed it out of him! "Go on now. What do you say?" He groaned. "When's the nex' shipmen'?" How'd yeh git all this? 'Ave yew 'ad any yet? Did Marius help yeh out?" He winked on the final question, drawing out his name. He was one of the few people who knew about Eponine's secret because that was how he worked. He knew a lot of people's secrets and often used them to his advantage. In this case, the advantage was getting to tease his sister.