"—before midnight, before midnight," d'Artagnan yawns, giving a slight stretch as he upturns the wooden chair at the table, "of course, Athos. If you will, sir, I will be on my way—"
—and before his friend can say anything else, he dashes out of the modest housing of theirs, his booted feet slapping against the cobblestone roads with great force; it was his time of freedom, and he wasn't going to waste it here.
He grabs the reins of his favorite, Buttercup ( what other equine could fight for such honor? ), and slides onto his palm a cube of sugar for his horse to enjoy. After a moment of petting its nose, d'Artagnan hoists himself up, hooking his feet into the stirrups.
He can't help but to stop in his tracks when he hears sounds of commotion, and his brows furrow; Buttercup, sensitive to scuffles, twists her head to the noise. He gently steers her in the direction, fingers going to the hilt of his sword, before —
"Ah, darling," he says, mouth running before his brain can, "—it's been so very long, would you not agree? Pardon my lateness, if you can."
d'Artagnan doesn't know who the man is; in all honesty, however, he has no idea who she is, either.
"—if you will excuse us, monsieur, your afternoon will not be a bitter one."