tu_vas_triompher

Food is one of the best ambassadors. Having eaten ham and cheese with Harry Percy, Jeannot Feuilly feels more than confident enough to follow him out to the lake, even though--

"Do you know how to swim?"

Jeannot does not. Would he rather admit that, or admit that the water looks really quite cold?

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From:

harryhotspur

"N-n-no," Harry admits. "But one m-m-may w-wade in, w-where it is n-not so deep."

From:

tu_vas_triompher

Well, that's all right. Jeannot nods and promptly begins rolling up the ragged legs of his trousers. "--So--um--do your people have a farm, or--?"

He still hasn't really managed to place Harry Percy.

From:

harryhotspur

Harry kicks off his shoes and yanks down his stockings.

"M-my father is an earl."

From:

tu_vas_triompher

"Um--what's--" It's not a French word, and Milliways hadn't translated. He does his best to repeat it correctly. "What's an earl?"

From:

harryhotspur

"Oh, uh--" Wait, he knows this one! "A comte."

From:

tu_vas_triompher

He'd been standing on one foot, rolling up the trouser leg, and falls over, ignominiously.

He should leave.

But in his defense, the boy doesn't look like the son of a Comte! And he'd--he was the one who started talking first!

(Jeannot should really leave.)

From:

harryhotspur

"I shall be earl after," Harry says, unconcerned by this reaction. "But first shall I be a kn-n-night."

From:

tu_vas_triompher

"I'm sorry--I didn't know. I'll--"

There are probably going to be English noblemen descending on him from every direction any minute now. He gets back to his feet and starts edging away.

From:

harryhotspur

"N-nay, do not go," Harry says, bewildered. "I w-w-would show thee the frogs."

From:

tu_vas_triompher

"Well--are, are your people here?" He looks over his shoulder. There are a lot of kids here by themselves.

From:

harryhotspur

Harry shrugs and shakes his head. "Are thine?"

From:

tu_vas_triompher

"No, but--"

Well--

Well, all right. It would, after all, be incredibly unfair if he got in trouble for talking with a count's son, after the count's son was the one to talk first. He scratches his head fiercely and tries to look as if he hadn't been on the point of running away. "So, um, so where are the frogs?"

From:

harryhotspur

Harry beams. "Come then!"

He jumps into the water up to his knees and starts sloshing his way over to a little inlet.

From:

tu_vas_triompher

Jeannot hurries to catch up, not wanting to seem afraid. "Have you been here long?"

From:

harryhotspur

Harry shakes his head. "But a day or two. I kn-now n-not how I came. And thee?"

From:

tu_vas_triompher

"Same thing. I was just, I don't know, at the workshop, and then I came here." He wobbles for a second, nearly slipping on an underwater rock.

From:

harryhotspur

Harry instinctively reaches out a hand to steady him. "W-what m-manner of w-work dost thou do?"

But before he can pause for an answer, he cries "There!" and flings himself forward in pursuit of a frog.

Edited Date: 2016-04-13 09:36 pm (UTC)

From:

tu_vas_triompher

"I work for a--" A sign-painter. But Harry's already gone. "--That's not, um--there's a better way to catch them?"

From:

harryhotspur

Harry looks over eagerly (and dripping). "Ay, is there?"

From:

tu_vas_triompher

"Yeah. They're--they don't see too well, I don't think? Anyway, as long as you don't put your hand over them, they'll usually stay still? So you--" He looks around. Where's a frog? "You go slow, and just slide your hand up underneath from in front when they're sitting at the side of the pond. I mean--it's not like it works every time, but--"

And then they'll sit in your hand for quite a while and you can look at them. But he's probably offered too much advice already.

From:

harryhotspur

"O, thou'rt--!" He can't think of a word to convey how awesome this is, so he just makes a gleeful sound and gives Jeannot a delighted, playful shove. "O, o, find an-n-nother!"

From:

tu_vas_triompher

He very nearly knocks Jeannot into the water with that shove, but not quite, so sure, he'll look for a frog. It's easier out of the water, in fact. You go along slowly, and then you hold very still, and you just slide your hand up from in front-- The first frog leaps away, but the second one allows itself to be lifted, shuffling its clammy little feet to balance better on Jeannot's hand.

Edited Date: 2016-04-13 10:30 pm (UTC)