A catch all. Partially open

[gardienne]

Who: Eponine and Sigma: Eponine and Felicity: Eponine and Howard: Eponine and anyone else who wants to jump in!
What: A catch all post for catch-ups with various people she's in a bad mood with.
Where: Out and about in the Capitol: locations include the park and a local French style patisserie shop.
When: Some time after Jessica has worked her magic and helped Eponine on her way to a makeover.
Warnings: Eponine should just come with a warning sign, methinks. I'm gonna go on a limb and say 'talk of homosexuality, possibly in a negative light', 'talk of social class', 'talk of Harley's march of shame through the Capitol'.


Eponine and Sigma

Perhaps he knew where to find her? Perhaps he knew that she'd be sat on the bench overlooking the pond where they'd fed the ducks on that gloriously happy day when she came back to the Capitol. She was sat on the bench now, with her feet drawn up, staring at the pond. For once, she was wearing a couple of warm looking cardigans, and a shawl on top of that. She had a thick wooly hat as well, to disguise her newly bald head. What was she thinking? Not much. She was just sort of... staring. Meditating on how she had ended up in such a position, and how she could possibly get out of her mess. She turned her head when she heard footsteps, though, and scowled when she saw it was Sigma. She'd been avoiding Sigma since Harley had caught her, and she didn't want to see him now.

"Go away, Monsieur." Eponine said.


Eponine and Felicity

As the morning stretched into afternoon, Eponine ended up at a new favourite little cafe of hers. She liked it in the patisserie: the owners tried their best to speak French, and they loved having Eponine chatter it at top speed. For her part, she thought it was hilarious. Their French was dire, and it was nice to feel superior to people for a change.

So having had a looong conversation, half in French and half in English, Eponine was sat in the window of the cafe. On the table in front of her were several croissants and a little pot of strawberry jam, and another of marmalade, and a glass of orange juice, and a recorder that Eponine was fiddling with. The owners had asked her to record herself speaking so that they could play it in the cafe and inject a bit of authentic Paris into their business, and she was diligently trying to do as she had been asked. But it was frustrating, and Eponine swore under her breath, before trudging back to the counter. But so cross, so frustrated was she with the recorder that she didn't even look where she was going and bumped into someone awfully familiar.

Immediately, Eponine scowled and her free hand went to the turban style hat covering her baldness.

"Excuse me, Madame." She muttered, keeping her eyes averted.

Eponine and Howard

It had been a long day, and Eponine was quite drained by the time she had dragged herself back to the Tribute Towers. She went straight for the lift, but once inside, decided to just ... just not go to District Three. She didn't think she could cope with Jessica and Maximus and Marius - oh God, Marius. But where could she go?

She ended up on the rooftop. She could be alone up there, at least. Eponine settled herself down amongst the flowers, and lay back, looking straight up at the evening sky. After all of ten minutes, she began to wish that she'd brought food with her, but she was too comfortable, too absorbed in her thoughts about Sigma and Felicity to be bothered to move.

Eponine didn't hear the door open, nor did she hear Howard's footsteps until he was almost on top of her. But , with him barely five feet away, Eponine heard, and turned and groaned. No more. Please.

She closed her eyes, and flopped back over onto her back. "What do you want, Monsieur?"

OPEN

She stayed on the roof all night. It was a little chilly up there, and definitely damp, but she didn't really care. For a while, she simply wandered, pacing the garden backwards and forwards, looking quite the ghost in her pale dress and light pink turban. The singing gave her away, though. Her hoarse voice travelled in the still air as she sang ditty after raucous ditty about love and men and death and murder. But, for a change, her mind was quite at peace. Perhaps things could be different after all?

Her song stuttered into silence, though, as she heard a footstep somewhere behind her.

"Be careful, Monsieur. Or is it Madame? This is not the arena and I do not want to die."

Comments

[revvinguptheharley]

Harley dodged gracefully leaning backwards and letting the passionate fist whiz by.

"Then maybe you should stop acting the part."

She continued leaning backwards till she was doing a hand stand, and lowered her body down till she was on her feet once more.

"That fire you feel is good. Use it."

[gardienne]

Eponine watched her contortion trick with distain. "That is not a ladylike position." She shook her head. "Then again, you are no lady. Now, if you please, go away."

[revvinguptheharley]

Harley huffed in indignation and put her hands on her hips.

"You don't know a thing about what it takes to be a woman, let alone a "lady". And even if you were right does it make you feel better to point it out? Because your opinion doesn't matter to me and it sure as hell doesn't matter to most of this world. Not until you become someone they like."

[gardienne]

"I AM a woman." Eponine insisted indignantly. "I don't even care if you think nothing of me, it is MINE - My opinion, and I shan't let you change it. "

She shrugged. "Perhaps they enjoy to hate me. It is not the strangest thing to hear of, you know?"

[revvinguptheharley]

"Are you kidding?" Harley barked out a laugh. "Everyone loves a good villain! I should know I was dating the best villain of all time. You're more like a barely lovable underdog you know? Like even if you do nice things sometimes your luck is awful and your attitude is worse."

She couldn't help but smirk "Opinions are like armpits brat. Everyone has them and they all stink."

[gardienne]

Well, that was funny, and Eponine cracked a smile.

"But still," she pressed. "Does it make you happy to call me such names? I have been called worse, by my Pa and by Montparnasse, no less, so I do not care what you call me. But I AM curious."

[revvinguptheharley]

Harley looked puzzled at first, and then giggled.

"Aw you little raggamuffin! I call everyone nick names! It's just one of my cute, highly marketable quirks!" She winked. "Just like longing for love and acceptance is yours."

A pause.

"OK well that's really more like a core personality trait but you get the point."

[gardienne]

"I do not long for love." Eponine objected. Was it really so obvious that she did.

She took a deep breath in, and let it out slowly. "Go away. Go away or I shall set Bisou on you and you shan't live to tell the tale."

[revvinguptheharley]

"Oh yes. I am so scared. See how I tremble?" Her voice was dry and flat as she held perfectly still.

She would make Eponine back down first "And just what is a Bisou?"

[gardienne]

"You should be. Bisou is my dog. She is big with sharp teeth and a loud bark and she will BITE you if I tell her to. You will see."

Eponine was NOT backing down.

[revvinguptheharley]

"Aw!" Harley cooed switching gears. "I love dogs! Is she huge? What breed is she? Is she a normal color or did you get one of the funny colored capitol canines?"

It was like someone had flipped a switch.

[gardienne]

Eponine sort of closed in on herself. Was this another joke? Why was Harley acting in such a way?

"I'm not telling you nothing. She's MINE."

[revvinguptheharley]

She pouted and deliberately turned up her nose.

"I don't wanna steal your dog dummy. I'm not some kind of insecure, irrational child who steals peoples pets. If I want a dog of my own I'm perfectly mature enough to go buy one."

"I just thought you might like the chance to brag about how wonderful your dog is."

[gardienne]

"Not to you, Madame." Eponine was quite firm on that one. Unless Bisou was sinking her teeth into Harley's leg, Eponine wouldn't let Harley know a single thing about that dog. Just in case this obviously crazy lady found some way to use it against Eponine.

[revvinguptheharley]

"Well that is just incredibly petty of you." Harley admonished folding her arms in defiance.

"Though I'm sure you could care less about how petty you are."

[gardienne]

"No, I do not." Eponine copied Harley's stance. She was getting fed up of this, this woman constantly picking at her, gnawing at her self confidence.

"Now please, have you had enough yet? Will you leave me alone?"

[revvinguptheharley]

"You could have walked away at any point." She pointed out unable to keep herself from grinning. "Or are you afraid if you turn your back on me you're gonna get your butt kicked again?"

[gardienne]

"No."

Yes.

"I was here first. I shan't let you chase me away."

[revvinguptheharley]

"Hmm...well that's fair I suppose." Harley turned on her heel and took a step away...

...before flipping backwards, twisting in the air and landing right in front of Eponine to pull a scary face and laugh manically.

"BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

[gardienne]

Eponine had started to relax. She thought she had won. She was quite sure that she had won. Haha, Harley, you are only so tough as the Patron Minette, and I get my way with them!

But then Harley performed some strange manouveur and was back in front of Eponine, and she shouted out in alarm, and then rage.

"OH JUST GO AWAY! GO AWAY, YOU HORRIBLE, HATEFUL WOMAN! GO AWAY AND LEAVE ME BE."

[revvinguptheharley]

Harley straightened up pretending to dust off her hands and then pet Eponine on the head like a child.

"No, I don't think I will."

[gardienne]

Eponine flinched away, and backed off just a little bit, so that Harley couldn't touch her.

"Why? I am no fun for you. Find that dreadful Homura and play with her."

[revvinguptheharley]

"Now now." She wagged a finger "Homura isn't dreadful. A little gloomy perhaps but not dreadful."

Then Harley paused and looked thoughtful.

"Well she does seems to dread things. But that's hardly her fault."

[gardienne]

As if Eponine cared about the nuances of 'dreadful'. She folded her arms and said flatly,

"Well, horrible, then. She is about the most horrible person here. Or, at least, I thought she was."

She glared pointedly at Harley. Homura talked in circles, but Harley was almost as bad at doing that.

[revvinguptheharley]

"Clearly you forgot about the people who brought you here in the first place." She chuckled idly bouncing on one foot like she was playing hop scotch.

"Or the guys who cut out people's tongues. Or the guys who laugh at you on TV. Or that guy at the bar who never gives me enough sprinkles on my dessert."

Harley had her standards.