thecapitol | Just watching the night sky...

Who: Eponine and OPEN
What: Eponine's pondering on a rooftop. Do come and join her.
Where: Rooftop of the training centre
When: Soon after the date auction
Warnings: Eponine - so generally quite dark thoughts... and I guess any warnings anyone else cares to bring with them.

At home, when Eponine had to think, when she had a lot on her mind, she walked. She walked and she walked sometimes, wandering the dirty streets of St. Michel until she reached the wider roads where the houses didn't bear down on her, and she could see the stars. She had a particular ditch she used to make for, a deep one, sheltered from the wind, and without too much mud in the bottom, cushioned as it was with grass. Sometimes, her nights in the ditch were the happiest she had had in a long time. She liked it at night better than the day; the streets were empty. There were no jeers or stares or catcalls, and she could talk out loud without people pointing her out as 'mad'.

She likes to walk in the Capitol too. Usually. She knows the place well by now, a year on. She knows the shortcuts and the places to avoid. But the stares - the stares she hates. She needs to walk now - there is so much on her mind after the date auction. Why she was strapped down for a start, but Howard and Marius too... and had that rock man really called her beautiful? She needs to walk... but at night, she is not allowed out of the Tribute tower - and she does not want to be shot again, so sneaking out is impossible. So she does the next best thing. She goes up to the garden on the top of the Tribute tower. Helping herself to an ever-blossoming lily, Eponine settles in the grass. Bringing the lily to her nose, she breathes deep, and just watches the stars. So beautiful... Slowly, in her croak, she begins to sing softly to herself.

"Mon ami me délaisse, Ô gai, vive la rose, Je ne sais pas pourquoi,Vive la rose et le lilas. On dit qu'elle est plus belle,Ô gai, vive la rose, Je n'en disconviens pas, Vive la rose et le lilas."

[Translates as My boyfriend dumped me, oh joy, long live the rose. I do not know why. Long live the rose and the lily. They say she is beautiful, oh joy, long live the rose. I do not disagree, long live the rose and the lily.]

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"Are you okay, Pruna?" Eponine looked at her companion in surprise.

Finding no problem at all with the cold, as used to it as she was, Eponine grabbed for her own tub - plain old vanilla for her - and tugged the top off. Without further ado, and in front of the freezer, she dug her fingers into the ice cream and began to munch.

Pruna just stared at her in disbelief before gritting her teeth and reaching forwards again. If Eponine could do such a thing Pruna would not let this cold defeat her.

She reached in again, using her sleeves to protect her hands and pulled the tub of ice cream down from the shelf. "I do be being fine." Her voice was a little grumpy.

Eponine carried on munching, completely unbothered by the chill.

"You do not sound fine, Pruna. You sound as if you are cross with the ice cream, but no, that cannot be. Why should you be cross with it?"

"I do no be being cross with it." She told her wrinkling her nose. She glared at the tub trying to work out how to open it. Food in containers was something else she was not used to.

"It do be being stupid."

"You cannot open it?"

Desperation has taught Eponine to makeshort work of obstacles like food wrapping. That, and Howard - Howard was used to such things, so he was a help. But she put down her own carton, and held her hand out for Pruna's.

"I will open it for you. I will not take it if you give it to me. You have my word, Pruna."

"You better no be taking it." She handed it over with the most suspicious look. "You will be being sorry if you do be."

She watched her carefully, in case she went back on her word.

"I have said I will not. I am not a liar."

She glared at Pruna, before opening the plastic seal as Howard had shown her, and pulling off the lid. She thrust it back at Pruna and picked up her own ice cream.

"I do not think your threats are scary. I think you remind me of my brother, you know? More than ever."

Pruna grinned and took the ice cream glad that Eponine truly wasn't a liar and kept her word. She shrugged not minding being compared to Gavroche, because from the little she had known of him he was cool and not stupid at all.

"The did be working though, you did no be stealing it."

"Why should I steal if I have my own, and a cupboard full behind me?"

Eponine sounded genuinely puzzled. She dipped her fingers into the ice cream and licked them thoughtfully.

"I was a thief at home, and a liar and all that is bad - a she-devil. But that I do not like. I do not thieve much here, for there is no point. In the arena, yes. Though Maximus killed me for stealing last time."

Pruna shrugged, "Mine do already be being open." That was a good enough reason in her mind.

She frowned at the idea that Eponine did not like stealing, it was fun, and a good way to practice not being caught. But Eponine did not seem like a like minded, just someone who told themselves they were good even when they did things that people thought were bad.

"And now he do be being a victor so you can no even be killing him back."

"But so is mine." Eponine didn't really understand where Pruna was coming from.

"What is the sense in looking for trouble, Mademoiselle? We are friends, no? I would not take from a friend. Not even in Paris when I had no food. I could have stolen from the people I know so I could eat. But no - I did not even do that, and it is the same here. I would not take your things. And I would not kill Monsieur Maximus. He is a bad man - but I would not kill him. I have killed once, but I will not kill again. I did not like it - and I will not be turned into a true murderer. That is one thing that this stupid place cannot make me do."

"We do be being friends?" Did people make friends so quick? She wrinkled her nose. Still not trusting her.

After all how did she know it wasn't some trick. And she frowned deeply at her saying she would not kill. It was a moment before she spoke. "Well I did be killing loads of people, but if you do no be taking my things I will no be killing you."

It was almost a deceleration of friendship... Sort of.

"Are we not?" Eponine was puzzled. She had grown used to that here, the fickleness of friendship. And quite frankly, she loved it. Always so alone in Paris, here she had any number of acquaintances she could say were her friends - even for herself, it made her feel loved. Like people out there cared for her.

She smiled ruefully at Pruna's offer though. It made her think of Montparnasse when they were both children, her and him, roaming Paris together. He was always much more handy with the knife, more willing to use it. More willing to threaten it and use it to keep her in line. She hoped Pruna wouldn't turn out like either her or Montparnasse.

Though in this place...

She laughed and held a hand out to shake Pruna's. "It is a deal."

Pruna shrugged, "I do no be having lots of friends, do you no be needing to be knowing each other better first?" She shook her hand though, she had learned how to do that.

"It do be being a deal and if you do be needing anybody to be dying ad do no be wanting to be killing them you can be asking me. But I will no be killing Sandy." She pointed at her, a warning.

"No!" Eponine's answer was swift, definite. But she considered Pruna's question, and after a moment, she shrugged.

"Perhaps. I do not know. I do not have many friends, either. But if we are not friends, then I am in trouble for calling you 'Pruna' without 'Mademoiselle'. That is bad of me. You could have me imprisoned for that, or whipped. So we must be friends... but I do not know. At home, only my sister was my friend. And here... I do not know. Madame Mona said we were friends as soon as we met, and she stayed true. She helped me in the arena when Don broke my ribs."

She laughed at Pruna's warning. "You need not, Pruna. I do not know your Sandy, but I will not kill and I will not ask for you to kill anyone. I do not care any more. I am not afraid to die."

"Well we can be friends." She wrinkled her nose again, "If you do be wanting to be being." She nodded because this place was weird and her sister had been her only friend at home too. Except she had never thought of her like that, just as her sister.

She nodded at the last, figuring that Eponine might not need anyone dead yet, but it might change. "That do be being good, it do be meaning you do be being brave."

"Brave or stupid, Mademoiselle. I have not said which yet." Eponine laughed.

"Come, let us be friends, and let us to bed. I am tired. It is good to have friends. Shall we take our ice cream too?"

"Stupid people can never be being brave, they do just be being stupid." She told her and then nodded, looking at her suspiciously. "Okay... we can be being friends." She nodded and held out her fist for Eponine to bump it. That's what friends did as a greeting. That or slapping hands but that was noisy.

"Yes let's be taking it."

Just watching the night sky...

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