007 | video

[dracobin]

I appear to have--damaged my harness, and also a dear possession of mine, while I was in the bottle.

[His ruff droops guiltily. Is that a note of embarrassment in his voice? Of course it is. He is nothing if not transparent.]

If there is anyone here with a talent for leatherworking, or perhaps metalworking, I should be very glad to hear it.

[private to anyone who encountered his mirrorverse self in Kithika]

I--I must beg your pardon, if I said anything to you that was very rude, or stupid, or both; you may rest assured I am in my right mind again, and the incident is unlikely to repeat itself, and I should like it very much if you forgot everything I--that is to say he--told you, and pay it no mind at all, because it is not true.

[Beat.]

And I should think it obvious that goes doubly for you, M. Pontmercy.

Comments

[video]

[bonjourguignon]

Ah, and would you then be the elusive Temeraire?

[A friendly smile!]

I have been looking forward to the day that I am presented with the opportunity to be acquainted with you, Monsieur! Iskierka and Enjolras, both good friends shared, speak well of you.

[video]

[dracobin]

Why, yes, I am Temeraire.

[He lifts his head, a little. The age, the mode of dress--it is a pattern he has learned to spot, by now.] Have they, then? Are you one of Les Amis?

[bonjourguignon]

[Pleasantly surprised there at the recognition.]

Indeed I am, and hoping to be friend to you, as well, M'sieur! My birth name would be Félicien Lesgle, though I am oft called Bossuet; I take no offense to any of these and more, so do take that as you please.

[dracobin]

Well, M. Bossuet, I am pleased to make your acquaintance.

[The words are offered tentatively; truth be told the last thing he wishes for at the moment is the reminder of anything remotely French, with the echoes of another Lung Tien Xiang still so strong in his mind. But that is certainly not M. Bossuet's fault, and he endeavors to look friendly, nonetheless.]

Pray, how did you acquire your nickname?

[bonjourguignon]

["Friendly" for a dragon is still too subtle to be determined, so it will remain in the category of "Not Hungry" for now. Smiling wryly.]

Do you take offense also with the man called Buonaparte? I assure you, M. Temeraire, that neither my bare crown nor my heretic's tonsure take the side of a man whose wings are immortalized by my father's name! My dear friend Joly would do you the favour of insisting upon its irony with much ado, as he is the one who began the feathered trend.

Yet though I may be an eagle of words (l'aigle de mots), the Bishop will not take the knee of this Lesgle de Meaux to the ground before a king, and for that I must thank my other dear friend, belated as of late, the ever-vibrant Courfeyrac.

[Bowing his head ever-so-slightly in respect and memory.]

Were you acquainted with the two, though only one remains after the other has since departed? Both have found their places at the sides of your friends Enjolras and Combeferre, after all, and you seemed to recognize me as A Friend in record time.

[dracobin]

[Temeraire follows the introduction only barely. He is certain there is a pun or two he must have missed, but he has ever been the straightforward sort, and it is with a bewildered air that he offers:]

--you are correct, Monsieur, I am no friend of Napoleon, and I am glad to hear you are not, either. But I have met nearly all the Amis here, I think, and also those who are now gone: you have all of you a curious sort of energy about you, which is not at all difficult to notice.

[bonjourguignon]

[Ah, Enjolras would have been right in noting that this Temeraire fellow resembled Combeferre rather well. It was an interesting personality to see coming from the visage of a dragon, where Iskierka's temperament seemed the more typical sort of personification of such dangerously large creatures. Stereotypes? What stereotypes?]

I am hoping that that energy garners a positive sort of curiosity rather than a negative one, m'sieur!

And that is well, then. They are good men to be acquainted with, even Pontmercy, whose political views can be improved significantly.

[dracobin]

Oh, yes: it speaks well for you, and your friends, that you should all wish to fight injustice together. [Earnest nodding: this sort of thing is terribly important, to Temeraire.

But at the mention of Pontmercy his expression grows oddly uncomfortable. At any other time the mention of the young man's political views would have drawn a disdainful snort from him, but the memory of Kithika is still a little too close for comfort. He can remember with utter clarity the echoes of loyalty, the warm, steadfast pride--]

--well, [he says uneasily.] He--has reasons for his misguided beliefs, I am sure.

[bonjourguignon]

Then I thank you to be in your good graces, M. Temeraire.

[Another bit of a bow, and a pleasant smile.]

His heart lies in the right place, but simply knows his North to instead be South. He comes around well enough when it counts. [Fondly.]

[dracobin]

[Uncertain:] Well--yes, I heard that he joined you on your barricade, when you fought; I suppose it must count for something, in the end.

[bonjourguignon]

Saved Courfeyrac's life, in fact, and little Gavroche's, too -- all of ours, really. He has a funny way of showing his affections, I would say.

[Like chasing after old men and sniffing their handkerchiefs. Y'know. A little special.]