En Route to the Causeway, Thursday Afternoon

[filleauloup]

Éponine had hung back and waited outside the Portalocity office for a few minutes after watching the conversation that had taken place, and after Kennedy left the building. She didn't like how that encounter had looked from her vantage point across the street; she couldn't hear from there, of course, but Kennedy's body language was unmistakable

Comments

[brat_inslayage]

Once she was sure that her girlfriend was in a better mood, Kennedy hung up and tucked her phone back into her pocket. Okay, so that was that. Hopefully the whole portal situation would be closer to snag-free (she wasn't dumb enough to assume it would ever be perfect) from now on, and it hadn't even been that hard. A little flirting, a little smooth talk, piece of cake. Willow couldn't get too upset with her for that, right?

"Oh, yeah," she drawled, grinning in self-satisfaction, "I've still got it."

And now she just had to wait for that portal to show up, any minute now.

[filleauloup]

Éponine watched as Kennedy slowed to a stop, waited several breaths, then ran down the causeway toward her as if she'd been trying to catch up all along.

"Mademoiselle," she called. "Pardon, mademoiselle, but I've a message for you."

[brat_inslayage]

Wow, wasn't that way old-fashioned? How cute.

"Oh, yeah?" Kennedy asked, turning to see who'd been yelling for her and... huh. With that voice she'd expected some middle-aged guy, not a girl younger than her by a couple of years, maybe, and kind of cute if you squinted except that she looked like she'd really let herself go. Kennedy's Slayer senses picked up on a whiff of alcohol from her, too. Not that much, but it could explain the girl's bloodshot eyes and Marlon Brando-type voice, and she was getting kind of a panhandler-at-the-subway-stop vibe.

An instinctive look of disdain flashed across her face, but it was quickly hidden.

[filleauloup]

Éponine was familiar with that look, and recognizing it now didn't make her any more favorably inclined toward this girl. She looked her over, sizing her up: if her attitude hadn't already made it abundantly clear that she was rich and used to getting her way, her clothes certainly did.

Of course. Some things never changed.

"I've just come from the Portalocity office," she said, putting on a falsely sweet smile and hating herself a little bit for how easy that still was. "Seems your portal's been delayed until tomorrow."