Well, Mervin -

[jamesmcginty]

I'm heading down to check out the protests, since you were worried about them. The factories here are worse than Port Martin, but it's nowhere near as bad as the stories coming out of Lorena Station. Work on your ship, get some rest, and don't worry about me. Feel free to grab the bread. I'm pretty sure I can buy something while I'm out. Or give up and buy some flour and just make something in that tiny thing masquerading as an oven.

Never thought I'd miss bread. The bread shortages have been the oddest things lately. Maybe I am becoming French?

Walk's good for me too.

Love,

James

Comments

[onlycopinparis]

There IS blood on his hand now, isn't there? That makes it hardly the time to make threatening insinuations about his cousin. "Is it now?" Javert can't help but ask as he moves to get a look at the blood. "Well, there's an interesting set of circumstances. I can hope you don't plan on going down the same road he's chosen...Let's see if the bullet's lodged itself or grazed you...." he adds quickly.

[avian_cat]

"Hey, Redeye doesn't have any standing warrants on him right now," Tom says frowning at the long tear in James' coat. It looks like the bullet grazed, and was partly hit the edge of a buckle on his braces and the bulk of a waistcoat. "You should probably press something on there to slow the bleeding, James -"

James winces. "And now I'm feeling it. Shock I guess. I'm just an accountant, officer, and - that stings, Tom."

Tom's fishing out a handkerchief. "I think that's it on the ground. A bit lopsided. I think your braces braced you." Tom crouches down to point out the bullet and there's another report as something hits the bricks above his head.

[onlycopinparis]

"Just an accountant." It's an interesting position for someone related to an infamous pirate, someone CLOSE to said pirate, to be in as a line of work, that's for certain. Javert's eyes narrow a little, but he's filing it away as something to be explored later.

"Do you require a doctor? That'll have at least one around. I may not agree with all they do here, but at least the crowd's prepared."

His lips twitch a little at Tom's comment, involuntarily, and then Javert is bolting back up.

"HOLD YOUR POSITIONS ALL OF YOU!" He's yelling at the crowd. "THE NEXT MAN RESPONSIBLE FOR LETTING SOMETHING FLY *WILL* REGRET IT."

[avian_cat]

Tom's kind of automatically ducking nearer to James and reaching to support the hat he's not wearing. He's - pretty sure someone up in one of the balconies just called him a rich something or another. Right right. "And I'm just a dilettante."

He's - admittedly not liking watching James cautiously check if the wound's clean enough and pressing the handkerchief. It doesn't look that bad. Probably just some bandaging and taking it easy. His Lidavian accent is showing through a bit. "Doctor might be good. James would probably swear he could head back, but I've seen your stitches."

"They're not awful," James protests. "I could go to a clin -"

"You're bleeding on me, and I've seen that Necker Clinic you wrote me about," Tom says, "Mervin'd yell at me if I left you - with a generous officer and no medical care. Doctor, sir? No need for us to take more of your time."

[onlycopinparis]

"I'll see who can be obtained." Javert starts through the crowd, calling for a doctor, and that's when someone else steps out of the crowd.

"James!" Grantaire's surging forward, hoping he's not hurt. "Are you all right? What can I do?"

[jamesmcginty]

"R!" James grins and moves to touch his arm and then realizes he's a bit bloody. Well, he's standing? Small progress. "I'm sorry. I think I'll be okay? There was a police officer looking for a doctor."

Tom waves brightly. "Hi. I'm useless, but I can help get him wherever it'd be okay." He pauses and then offers a grin. "My name's Tom. You're the artist guy from back in college, right? Watercolor, the winter semester?"

[grand_error]

"Artist Guy, that would be me." R's trying his best to appear casual, as if he's not freaking out inside. He's always anticipated the day one of his friends ends up hurt, but this is completely different, somehow, the way his heart is pounding. "Hi. I'm Grantaire."

And then he's looking back to James. "Why are you sorry? You didn't come here to get hurt. I'm sure Javert's going to find someone who..."

The Inspector isn't very long, before he's tugging over a concerned lookng Combeferre, who's immediately settling into action.

"Grantaire, I didn't know you were here. Ah...thank you for keeping an eye on the wound...wait." He stops a second, noting that look of concern, and a small smile spreads on Combeferre's face, even as he's splashing his hands with a bit of water mixed with cheap alcohol. "I didn't realize you were friends." he says instead.

[jamesmcginty]

"I'm his," James says automatically, and then ducks his head a bit. "I mean - we're friends for ages. College. I don't think the fellow with the gun realized that bullets necessarily will come back down again?" James tries, trying to keep an eye on the Inspector.

Tom's casually leaning on the wall. He doesn't like that it rather looked like someone may've been trying to make it look like the cops shot someone in the crowd. Or they were targeting him. Not that it's that unusual, just - a political rally out here and killing the Lidavian heir seems like a firecracker waiting to pop. "Or they did. You need me to walk you back, James? Is Mervin over?"

"At the docks." James probably shouldn't say that with Javert there. He looks over at Grantaire. "You're with this, right? I - my hands are a mess, aren't they. I should head back. Maybe you could come along?" He was planning originally on buying more bread or something to make some, but -

[onlycopinparis]

"Science." Javert's tone is rather dry there. "Go and figure." It's probably a testament to the lack of educational system, or something, but he doesn't want to go there right now by any means. As far as the people themselves...that does remain to be seen. If people strive to break up this rally...well.

Javert doesn't know much about his mother's contacts through her life, mainly that she had them and that the most public part of what she did was a coverup for something else, and that mysterious circumstances, such as shots erupting from a group you'd normally think too disciplined to respond to something like this, would fit the circumstances. It may be paranoia, but then again...

***

"Not exactly WITH it." Grantaire's quick to answer. "Keeping an eye out for the idiots who organized this, but."

Combeferre, to his credit, doesn't really respond with more than an eyeroll while he's trying to take care of the hole in James. He'll soon be done with most of the patching up, though.

"I could come along, that is." R adds, nodding at Combeferre. "You want to get out of the brewing storm or does l'ange de la mort request your presence?"

[jamesmcginty]

"I could stay, if you're watching things here? I'd be - uh - how much do I owe you for this, doctor?" James is trying to not wince too much. "I'd be okay, wouldn't I? All I'd have to do is not do too much?"

The shock's definitely wearing off a little, and it's making the twinging more obvious. Sort of a gnawing pain and he can feel his pulse in his ears. When did he start clinging to R's hand?

[grand_error]

"Pretty sure they're about to break things up, best they can." R frowns, scanning the crowd, his eyes settling on Enjolras, glowing red as ever, Courfeyrac and Feuilly at his sides as they settle into what looks like a typical rushed conversation with Enjolras pointing across the way at the group of them, looking...is that actual concern on his face? Wow. Wow. He's a little stunned to see that.

"They usually break off like that when things go wrong and tend to back off to try another day." He adds, focusing MOST of the attention on James. "I'd as soon get you out of here before anything else goes wrong. And you." he nods at Tom. "In case someone's decided to get a little anti Lidavian. You're the roommate, right?" He feels like he'd recognize the eyes immediately just from hearing about those.

"I've got someone to actually be concerned about right now." He adds, a little amused at Combeferre's face when he says that. "What?"

[avian_cat]

Tom looks at R sharply and tries out a smile. "Yeah. Formerly of Lidavia. Seemed safer to travel." And please don't guess who he is of Lidavia, right? "James is pretty worth being concerned about in my opinion. He put up with me."

"You weren't a hard roommate at a -" James hisses quietly as he tests the bandages. "That'd hold, I think. How bad does it look?"

"I've seen worse," Tom says quietly nudging James' glasses back up his nose. "Look - they'll be breaking stuff off. Maybe the doc'll clear you for following Grantaire a bit, and then he'll take you back. You've got food in the apartment right?"

James holds up his hands. "I do. I do."

[grand_error]

"Seems like a smart idea to me." Combeferre's still checking over James and winding a bandage around his wound now. "I can't say I wouldn't advise anyone to do the same. Insurrectionists as we are, there are so many more sensible ways to make a point about political power and its shift. Today for instance." he sighs deeply. "Whatever that was should not have happened."

"It wasn't an officer either." Grantaire nods, groaning. "I didn't see who sent it but..." But it was probably another assassin, he thinks, but doesn't say. "Someone wants to discount this cause and all of you. Be careful." he adds to Ferre.

"I don't want any of you to get hurt. AND." He nods at James. "I don't want my... my people I know...to get hurt either. Especially. Never mind." he practically mumbles, and flushes a little.

"Are you okay to move?"

[jamesmcginty]

James touches Combeferre's arm. "Thank you for this. I didn't see who shot. And I mean - it could've been upward?" There was always those warnings about shooting up during holidays and all that. And then he's flushing a little. Especially him? "Is that all right, officer? Can we -"

Tom's scrubbing off James' hands. In his opinion, James seems a bit shaken and - yeah. Get him somewhere quiet. "I'll hang around a bit, but I was supposed to meet someone soonish. I think I saw someone up on the second floor watching where we were. I'm staying down at the Plaza Hotel. If I'm required later."

[grand_error]

"Someone on the..." R nods, frowning, glancing up himself, though nothing is there now when he tries to see. That could be a real problem somewhere along the way.

"Why don't we get you to somewhere close by,then? We have a bit of time before soon, I hope."

"I may need a statement later." Javert is saying. "But by all means, I know where I can find Grantaire, and if you aren't far...It works enough." And he'll probablly find nothing if he tries. It's frustrating but he does understand and waves them off now. "Come. Get him somewhere safer"