"Wha-"
Eponine had started to reply, but Joscelin's sudden surge of violence had caught her off guard. For a minute, she struggled against him, but his superior strength meant that she was going nowhere, despite his shorter stature.

With the stake against her chest, Eponine freezes. It is like home, after all. She laughs, leaning her head back against the rough brick. She laughs, and it sounds a bit like a goose honking, or nails on a board.

"Out of line, mon petit monsieur? No, I do not believe I have crossed a line, or fallen from it. I ain't done a thing."

She struggles again to get away. "Now leave me be, or I won't get any money tonight."