As it turned out, mentally preparing herself to actually go in for the hug was a little harder than anticipated, but Cosette couldn't help wondering if Éponine had been as trapped in her life before Fandom as she was here in this carnival.

Well, she'd been trapped once, too, and Father had saved her, so oughtn't she follow his example?

"Thank you, no," she said politely, put a hand on the counter, and hopped over with no regard for whether such a thing was unladylike. "But I've something to give you after all."

Then, before she could reconsider or Éponine could ask, she rushed in and hugged Éponine as hard as she could.