sirenspull_logs | Note to Self:

Hattie notices that Eponine is making an effort to avoid looking at her or making eye contact. Normally she'd be a stickler and force the girl to look at her, but for now she'll let her have her way and hopefully cool off a bit.

Of course that cooling off won't last long once Hattie takes the pad back and gives it a look with a neutral expression at first, then her brows raise, "So you can."

"Perhaps I should have specified and asked if you could write well. This is chicken scratch." Hattie copies the sentence two lines below, then sets it back in front of Eponine. "Write it again."

"And what, dare I ask, is a 'bogie'? Is that even a word?"

"A bogie is Argot. It is a word we use so people do not know of what we talk. I shall not tell you what it means." She picks up the pen, a small smile on her face. If Hattie's going to be so bossy today, Eponine is going to take the opportunity to annoy her as much as possible.

"It is not chicken scratch, Madame. It is true writing. Maman taught me when I was little, and I practised, whenever we had spare paper. And M'sieur Byakuya was teaching me. He said it was charming."

He didn't, but she doesn't care either. "Madame, is it that you were woken on the wrong side this morning?"

She finishes the sentences. Her handwriting looks a little better - but she's not trying again. It makes her feel rubbish to be corrected.

"Hmn." Hattie isn't nearly as effected by Eponine's secret as she might have expected, "Well it will not be a word that you shall be using in this house. You shall speak and write properly."

To the mention of Byakuya, Hattie suddenly slams her hand upon the table with such impact that the glass and fruit bowl upon it rattles. There's perhaps half a minute of silence, then she replies, "I am in trouble. It is none of your business nor your problem; focus on your own problems."

And with that she takes the pad again. It.. Is better, and she nods in approval. "I will teach you better. As a maid, you will need to leave notes or take care of inventory. Mister Gold works in a pawn shop, does he not? That applies for your work there as well."

".. And Byakuya did not say it was charming." is there a hint of jealousy there?

Oh, did that make her jealous? Eponine smirks.

"He did, Madame. Said it was charming, charming writing, and that I was a beautiful lady and he liked my hair. And he said I was very clever, Madame. He liked me, he did."

He said nothing of the sort, but Eponine likes winding Hattie up. "Madame, my only problem is of you being nasty. Madame, perhaps I can help you?"

...for a price, of course.

Hattie's eyes narrowed at the teasing. Unfortunatly she didn't know for sure if Eponine was telling the truth or not, but she hated, hated that he had paid so much more attention to Ella than to her. And he was paying attention to Eponine? There was no way she would ever believe that. "... Nonsense." she hissed between her teeth.

To the maid's concern, Hattie rolled her eyes, "Being 'nasty', as you claim, to you is the only way you pay attention, Eponine. If I give you any sort of lenience, you might do something foolish like, say, not return that pen you have in your hand."

"I have already told you what I want from you. Do as I say, and do it well. Nothing more and nothing less."

She drops the pen immediately, and to her annoyance, her face flushes.

"I'm not a thief and you don't have no right to say I am. Never have I stolen from you."

She might go completely out of her way to do so now though.

"Anyway, it's not nonsense. He LIKED me. He was teaching me, Madame, as equals, and I was helping him in sector ten because he did not know where to avoid. Me, I do. You stay away from the bars and the cafes and those dormitories and you are safe. But he did not know and he would get his throat slit. He did like me. He said I was pretty. The prettiest girl in sector ten, he said. And one of the nicest girls he knows."

He didn't say any of that; Eponine's lying through her teeth, but she doesn't care. It's funny to see Hattie's reaction - and it's always nice to give herself compliments.

"Oh? I do recall some of Ella's things going missing when we first met. I suppose they up and walked away?" Hattie notess, seeming a little amused by the claim. "But you're still technically correct, you have never stolen from me specifically."

The thought of Byakuya considering himself and Eponine equals really got her goat. Her eyes narrowed, and she clenched a napkin tightly in her grip. She's silent for a moment, then murmurs coldly, "There is no way that Byakuya would have any real interest in a whore who spreads her legs for money. All that he did and said for was out of pity. And you bought it. Pathetic."

That gets her. She had been laughing moments - seconds - before, when Hattie pointed out Ella's trinkets going missing. But her smile is wiped off her face instantly when Hattie calls her a whore.

Pity? Byakuya had been strict with Eponine too, and cold - but it made her think about the other people who were nice to her. Marius WAS only nice to her through pity - but what about Eric and Alan and - Deadpool? Did Deadpool pity her? Was that why he let her stay? Because she would let him have sex with her? You're cheap, Eponine. A cheap whore.

"I hate you, Hattie." Her voice is low, and she tries her best to master the slight tremble in it.

"I hate you. I hate you, I hate you, I hate you. I hate your stupid dresses and your stupid house and your - your manicures. I don't want to do this any more. I will not be pitied. I will not. I hate you."

She stands up abruptly, and makes to push past Hattie. She needs to get away and process that sudden revelation. Might Deadpool really just pity her?

The difference between Eponine and Ella is that Eponine won't 'stop' when told. The very moment the younger girl stands up, Hattie does so as well, believing she's about to get into a fist fight.

But when she instead professes her hatered, Hattie actually feels a pang of guilt. Letting her emotions get the better of her was nothing new but perhaps.. Perhaps she had gone to far. She wanted to hurt the maid but not quite like that, "Nothing I did for you was out of pity."

She lets her brush past; looking only to see if Eponine will either rush out of the house, or to another room. She'd go looking for her after about ten minutes.

Eponine doesn't know where to go. Should she rush out? She wants to - but she's scared that Hattie will report her to the police for theft or even Ella's murder. She'd rather be stuck with Hattie than in a cell.

She goes up the stairs instead, and slams into the room where she had left her tattered dress. Slowly, she takes the fancy maid uniform off, and rips the stupid hat thingy off her head. There. No more maid. She put her own dress on.

But what to do now? She sat on the floor with her legs drawn up to her chest, thinking. What was she supposed to do now? Go back and apologise? She couldn't.

Leave Deadpool? Well, she'd have to do that. Not a chance was she staying with him if he thought of her as a free whore or a charity case.

But what now? She sits. Just sits. Her face is completely blank. She's calming down.

Hattie needed to calm down a bit as well. She sat down, her brows furrowed, thinking hard about what she was going to do.

She messed up. And, perhaps for the first time in her life, she was going to have to repair the damage. But how? Eventually, however, she stands up, heads upstairs, and to the guest room.

"Eponine," she murmurs through the door. "I am not asking for your forgiveness. But I want you to know that I had no right to say what I did and only did so because I was angry and wanted to hurt you. My temper.. Needs work."

"I also want to say that I had lied to you. Byakuya likely saw the same potential in you that I did." ... "Are you asleep?"

When Eponine heard Hattie's voice, she looked up curiously. Was Hattie really apologising to her? Really?

She's stunned.

Eponine had never pegged Hattie as the type to apologise. She crawls across to the door, and sits with her ear pressed to it whilst Hattie speaks. She snorts a little when Hattie mentions her temper. Eponine completely agrees.

And for a moment, after Hattie finishes, Eponine's quiet, thinking.

"Asleep... no." She sighs and stands up and opens the bedroom door. She gestures Hattie inside before turning to face her.

"I don't care if you think I'm a whore, Madame. I know I am. It ain't nice, but it is what it is. And it keeps me alive. I don't care if you call me a thief or you hit me or - I do not care, Madame. But I will not be pitied. I don't need your pity. I don't need anybody's pity. I can look after myself."

She straightens her dress, smoothing it over her hips. "I lied about M'sieur Byakuuya. He did not like me much, either. He fired me before he disappeared."

Edited 2012-11-08 23:20 (UTC)

Eponine isn't the only one who's stunned, even Hattie isn't very proud of the position she's in. But she supposes she could live with apologizing so long as it's just between the two of them.

When the door opens, she notices that Eponine had changed clothes, once again in that raggedy eyesore of a dress. She doesn't step inside, though, giving the other some space for the moment. What surprises her is the truth at the end, and she wishes she could say she was surprised. "Byakuya is a difficult man to please. Probably even more than myself. But that he gave you a chance at all is quite telling, and I believe he let you go because he knew he was going to disappear." At least that is her guess.

"Do not classify all generosity of nobles as 'pity', it isn't that simple. As I said before I see your potential." Obviously she won't clarify on that. "I want you to see that you are capable of having something greater staying by my side." So then why is she blackmailing Eponine? Well, that's just because she likes not having to pay people.

She snorts at Hattie's imaginings of Byakuya.

"He fired me because I was arrested, Madame. You are right to call me a thief. He did not realise, I do not think, just what I am." She shrugs. "He would not get me out of jail. This is why, now, I must work for M'sieur Gold. But it is no matter."

Eponine folds her arms across her chest. Is Hattie lying to her?

"Marius pities me. And his friend, M'sieur Enjolras... do you think Deadpool does, too? He gives me food and things..."

She moves back into the room. Had she been alone, she would have sat on the bed, but as Hattie was staring right at her, she sat on the floor with her back to the bed.

"Do you really see potential in me? Just as a servant, though?"

Arrested? "Oh. Well, I suppose he didn't have any choice in the matter, there. Mnn, he's so handsome and cut-throat.. But.. He never treated me like a lady, just as some sort of commoner. Frankly, I'm glad he's gone- if I can't have him, then no one can." Yeah, that's it. And she smirks a little at the thought.

That aside, she replies, "I don't think I need to tell you that I would do the same thing should you get arrested again, at least not as you are now. You need to cast aside your ways as a thief." ... "Or stop getting caught."

"I specifically said not 'all' nobles. Marius probably does, yes. But you seem to be willing to go along with that so long as he marries you some day. As for Deadpool.. He isn't normal. I doubt he thinks about anything in a rational matter. I don't know, I just think he's dangerous."

"And yes, I do see it. And I am not answering the second question; it would give you a big head."

"He could have got me out. If you want cut throat, though, Madame, I will introduce you to my... I suppose, you would say husband? If he comes, Madame. But you might not survive the meeting... No, I do not think that you would save me. You would just tell them more bad things and make sure I face the gallows. I know this."

She sighs. "I need to get money from somewhere though. YOU do not pay me, and M'sieur Gold does not. And at Afterglow... I am not good at being a whore, Madame. It is only the men who like... things...when I get custom."

She won't go into more detail with Hattie though. It's not the thing for polite conversation. "So I do not always have money for rent - and Madame, I do not want to go to a dormitory. It was only once, though."

Eponine dismisses Deadpool being dangerous. Everyone in France is dangerous. It's not a problem for her. As long as he likes her just a little.

She smiles a little at Hattie though. "So you do think I am not to be a servant forever. I will never marry Marius; he will not have me. But a lady, nontheless."

"Of course he could have, but who would post bail for someone who they'd just met? I, for one, would have been pleased to finally have a weakness to exploit if he had done it. And I'm not interested in your husband. I doubt he is nearly as handsome or rich or powerful. And, for the record," she raises a hand to tap her own cheek, "Mnn.. No, I would not tell them more, you don't play all your cards in one sitting, you know."

Her brows furrow, "Wait, Mister Gold does not pay you either? I.. Hmn, I misunderstood the situation, so he is making you do favors in exchange for payment." ... "'Custom'? Well, never mind that, it isn't important right now. Listen carefully because this is a very simple truth- it is not something you will be able to see until the very end, perhaps, but if you master the skills I teach you, I will give you a paying job."

What she doesn't say is that she isn't the one that's going to be paying. And besides, Eponine could be a lady and a servent~. "Hmph. We'll see."

Edited 2012-11-09 00:33 (UTC)

"M'sieur - well, he has paid the police to let me out. Fifty thousand dollers, Madame. And now I must pay him back a little. So he has already paid my wages one hundred times and more."

She gives Hattie a surprised look. Is she really asking? She manages, "Unwilling-" before Hattie cuts her off. If there's enough money, though, 'Ponine will do it.

"A paying job? Madame, would you really?" a paying job. A real paid job! Never has she had one. "I can fo as you ask. You can pay me now. I will he good."

She adds with a laugh, "And if 'Parnasse were to come, I could stop him killing you by saying, 'No. This lady is good and I will not have you hurt her. He is handsome, though."

"F- Fifty thousand?" Hattie pales at the very thought, "Eponine, what did you do, steal a vehicle??"

On the other hand, does she really want to know? But yes, she does need to understand Eponine's situation better and at the moment it isn't looking good. She doesn't know how much Afterglow pays, but if Eponine is not working seriously, she must not get paid much anyway- not to mention it would be convenient for herself if Eponine paid off Mr Gold's debt faster; then she could have her for even more time.

"Of course I would," she then confirms, "You would have earned it, after all. And pay you now? Don't be ridiculous, you are not even close to mastering the basics."

"No. Never had I seen a car before here. What would I do? No, Madame. It was pickpocketing. And... Askin' on the streets. They don't like that here but at home, it is the place for whores to go. They found charges, people sayin' they recognised me and they said the newcomers should have higher bail prices because we disappear. He was good, M'sieur. "

"If you paid me, I would not go to XXX. I could sleep, Madame. I could have another dress.I can clean, and read and write, and your maths and play with your cat."

Hattie crosses her arms as she leans against the doorway, though breaks eye contact with Eponine at this point, ".. I do not have any money to pay you with at the moment," she replies. Naturally that is a lie. "As you can see I am the only person that lives here currently and the money I make has to go into this house. That is why I need a roomate or two. If I had one person who could pay, then.. Perhaps I could look into it."

"I am not in a good position. But, you could help me by learning what I teach you. The faster you learn, the sooner you will be able to leave XXX, you see?" For the moment Hattie doesn't comment about the shift in Eponine's deplorable manner of speech. One thing at a time right now. "I see, that is unfortunate. You've proven yourself to be quite a magnet for trouble, Eponine. But, I don't think you're a hopeless case."

"You're POOR, Madame?" Her eyes go round and wide, and she can't quite believe what she's hearing.

"But we can make money easily. Madame, we can sell things. All of your bits that have no use. And then you will have money and you can pay me too."

She sighs. "I am not a trouble maker. I do not mean to be. It is just... never do I want to be hungry again, or have to sleep outside again or have nothing, all over again. If thieving and, as you say, whoring, will stop my belly aching and my teeth chattering, then I shall do it. Just people who do not know such things do not like it."

She stands up again, and strips back out of her tatty dress and struggles into the crinolined affair.

"I'll learn. What do you want me to do?"

Hattie stamps her foot and immedietly yells, "I am not poor! And don't you dare tell anyone that I am do you understand me?" her face reddens, then quickly turns her head away, looking embarrassed. She wasn't poor, she just wasn't super rich; there's a difference!

"No we are not selling anything, nothing in this house leaves this house Eponine. I will get you your money, you are just going to have to wait for it; the only plan I am using is my own." Hattie seems firm and unwavering on this stance, "We've already agreed on a compromise. You may use the baths, you may eat what you like, and I will provide you clothing, that is all you are getting."

"Didn't you say you do not want pity? Then prove you are worthy by learning." the rest is said as Eponine changes back, causing Hattie to very silently sigh in relief. The damage hasn't been completely fixed but, things will mend over time.

"Today we will work on your penmanship, greeting etiquette, and how to properly set a table. Wash your face then meet me downstairs when you are ready."

Eponine can't help but laugh at Hattie's loss of temper, and she can't resist a quick jibe.

"You must watch your temper, Madame. It is running away again."

Nothing in the house leaves, does it not? Eponine might have something to say about that. She feels Hattie ought to lose a little something after the way she had spoken to Eponine.

Once Hattie leaves, she finishes getting dressed again and then obediently goes to wash her face, before going back downstairs. Hopefully Hattie won't notice, but the guest bedroom is now down one small crystal trinket dish.

Hattie's eyes widen in surprise, her cheeks somehow growing even more flush as she mumbles under her breath at the teasing, "Who asked you, anyway.." before heading off.

And missing items? Oh she'll notice all right, and in a way that Eponine will never expect, but that will come much later.

Back down in the kitchen, Hattie has prepared a number of tasks for Eponine that will keep her busy for a while. There's basic arithmatic, then penmanship. Once that is done, Hattie presents the next project.

"The last thing is inventory. From now on you are going to keep track of all the belongings in this house. Luckily for you I have already typed up the list in this book." which she drops onto the table. "It is much reading, but I believe you can do it. Your job is to go into each room, then write down how many of each item you see, that will be the master list. From tomorrow onward, if anything is missing, you will report it to me, all right?"

Note to Self:

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