A day or so after arrival

[gardienne]

[Eponine, having settled a little bit, has eventually gotten round to opening her book. Having never had one all to herself before, she settles down to practise her writing, quite oblivious that her writing could be seen by everybody else.]

My name is Éponine.

My name is Éponine Jondrette.

The Little Match Girl. The Little Match Girl.

It is a strang thing to write on the book, but per haps they think it is me.

They giv me matches.

I do not want to sell matches.

I had a bisckit today.

I will find a sossige and musturd tumorrow.

Comments

[under_the_wire]

[Next to all of Eponine's misspelled words, the correct spellings have been neatly written in a precise hand. Below her writing, they're repeated in the same hand. It seems to him like the writing of a child, so his first instinct is to go into teacher mode.]

strange perhaps give biscuit sausage mustard tomorrow

The name on the book seems to be how people know you here. You may find you have special abilities that go along with it.

[gardienne]

[She fair screams when writing starts to show up next to her own, and for ages and ages, she simply stares at it, trying to work out how it got there. She picks up her journal and shakes it, to see if that makes it go away. But, of course, nothing happens. Finally, ignoring everything Ja'far wrote, she scrawls,]

Is this part of the majick?

[under_the_wire]

[He provides a proper spelling for "magic" this time.]

It seems to be. Everything we write in these books can be seen by everyone else who has one. Did you see the page with the picture of a bear?

[He only knows that's what it was from the discussion that appeared beneath it.]

[gardienne]

I thort it was part of the story. The little match girl one. But no

every won can read this? And I make mistacks always. Not to many but enouf. That is bad.

[under_the_wire]

thought everyone mistakes too enough

There's no shame in making mistakes as long as you learn how to correct them.

I've not heard the story of the little match girl, so I'm afraid there's nothing I can tell you about it. My own book says "Biancabella," but I know nothing of that, either.

[gardienne]

I try, Sir. My mama taut me when I was a child, carefully she did. But I have not had practise proply writing in a long time. I was to be a proper lady whwn I was a girl

I canot tell you sir . As little time as I had to write, I had less to read. Books are so lovely. The students have them. I read some of Monsieur Mariuses once. See I do practise. I am not stupid.

[her reply takes ages: she really is trying hard with her writing.]

[under_the_wire]

taught properly when cannot

I did not grow up with books or writing, yet now it is how I make my living. You are lucky to have a mother who could teach you such useful skills.

[gardienne]

How is that so?

[Eponine cackles to herself overJa'far's comments about her mother. Eponine had idolised her when she was little, and she still loves her now. But likes her? No .]

Perhaps you are right. She taught me well. She liked romances, my mother.

[under_the_wire]

[Ja'far will not be discussing his own parents...]

I needed to learn, so I did. A friend of mine needed me to become very good at it, so I had to. I would hate to think of what would become of our country if I wasn't around to do all the work.

[Like right now.]

[gardienne]

Perhaps they will find anuther. Or maybe your world will stop if you are so important. You must be to fancy such a thing. I do not think Paris will stop because I am not there. Does noone else read where you are from ?

[under_the_wire]

[It may sound like bragging now that he reads back over what he wrote, but it's really not too far from the truth. He's sure his subordinates will be able to shoulder some of his work but his biggest job is something no one else is capable of doing. Somewhere, he's sure, his esteemed king is doing something very stupid and he's not around to put a stop to it.]

I don't mean to sound as if I think I am superior to anyone else. I assume you come from a country that is not ruled by a king with a tendency to wander away from his throne on whim and get robbed blind by bandits because he's too drunk to realize what's going on.

[Stupid Sinbad.]

[gardienne]

I wish I did. My king is stupid enough to stay inside, for he knows someone wud slit his throwt if he came from his place. I think it is a good thing if that happens to him.

[under_the_wire]

I know nothing of the state of your country, but I can well believe that that's the case, especially if he rules based on birthright alone. For all that he's an idiot sometimes, my own king is a good and just ruler who earned his position through his own skill and the love of his people.

[gardienne]

I can not beleve it, Sir. Such a thing does not happen, I do not think. I have never heard of a just king. except he is called that by the aristocrasy. perhaps that is why you like your king too?

[under_the_wire]

Had we a traditional aristocracy, I don't think they'd like him much. His father was a poor ex-soldier, driven to his death by a government that oppressed and exploited its citizens to maintain its military might. Suffering through that is what drove him to found his own country and rule it fairly. I won't say he doesn't make decisions I don't agree with at times, but they're never made at the expense of our people.

[And at times he's seen him agonize over those decisions.]

Our little country is a bit different from most, certainly very different from any in our world. Most of them are very much like what you speak of, some even worse.