004-- action

[ospreyed]

[Guess who's back, back again? Epiny's back, tell a friend.

Or don't, but come December 30th, you can spot Eponine making her way back to Cabin 11, wrapped in a new sweater, a gift from Enjolras. She's pale, her makeup completely gone, and walks as though, for the first time in her life, she's unsure of where she's stepping. She's wearing Dave's sunglasses again, of course, to hide the deep circles under her eyes, and, more startling than anything, is just now thin she looks.

Because for the past month or so, Eponine has, in case you missed it, living in the Big House, going through all sorts of withdrawal.

So you know how your liquor became milk, pot became easter grass, and cigarettes were replaced with candy cigarettes? That's her fault.

But you'll find her back, and even more withdrawn than usual. If you were one of the lovely people to come visit her, well... Thank you.]

Comments

[weneedasign]

[Enjolras spots Eponine making her way back to the cabin while he's heading back from the archery range. He slings his bow over his shoulder almost immediately, hurrying up until he falls in step besides her.]

Your captors have finally freed you?

[He offers her a small smile, happy to see her out again.]

[ospreyed]

Enjolras. Hey. [She turns to look up at him, but doesn't smile, her hands in her pockets.]

Yeah. A little too late for any decent celebrations. [Not that she could have them anymore.] Merry Christmas to me.

[weneedasign]

There's still New Years.

[Though he does agree, it's little unfair that she missed everything. Though it's also completely understandable.

Well. Not everything.]

You alright with making a detour to my cabin?

[ospreyed]

New Year's sucks. [What? It's very much true. ESPECIALLY if she couldn't get stupidly drunk off of champagne, or dance all night long with men who's names she wouldn't remember, and wake up the next morning hungover as shit, missing a shoe in Montparnasse's bed.

But, she shrugs.] Sure. Prolong the inevitable. [She sucks her teeth for a moment before adding,] Thanks for the book, by the way.

[swayer]

[ audrey doesn't feel quite at home in cabin eleven just yet, meaning she tends to spend time outside of it. why limit yourself to a few walls when there's the outdoors all around you (and agent cooper loves the outdoors)? she spots the girl walking back, in her general direction, and -

is she staying there? audrey pauses in her idle walking to lean over in the girl's direction. ]

Rough day?

[ that sure is a grin. ]

[ospreyed]

[Eponine raises her eyes to look over at the girl- a new girl, who must have arrived while she was in detox. Great. While the other girl smiles, she does nothing but shrugs.]

Best day of my life.

[swayer]

[ even if it doesn't show, that smile is entirely false. logically, this means she has a sister. siblings that aren't locked away are something new for audrey. rivalries with other girls - aren't. ]

That so? You'd think they'd extend an invitation about the party out there to everybody.

[ospreyed]

Oh, they did. [She remarked. Sure, a lot of people who weren't Hermes kids tended to stay in the cabin- Hermes was the god of travelers, after all. But there certainly was a resemblance between the two girls. The dark hair, calculating eyes, the slightly upturned nose. Hermes all the way.]

Guess your invitation arrived late.

[swayer]

[ she steels herself, and hopes it's not a motion detected. ] Better late than never, you know.

[ and then, with as dazzling a smile as she can muster. ] I'm Audrey Horne.

[ospreyed]

It was a shit party.

[great. This is not what she wants right now. Time to meet the new girl when she's fresh outta demigod rehab. But when did she ever get what she wanted?]

Eponine Thénardier. You just get in?

[swayer]

I have seen my share. [ the strange playfulness seems to leave audrey just like that, replaced with something more solemn and serious, as long as eponine would believe it. ] Nothing quite like this, though. I figured I should still try to find my way around.

[angeliaforos]

[It's no surprise he's going to come to visit her on the day she finally gets out of the Big House. He visited her a lot in there, and - well, there are few people at camp that Gabriel's tighter with than Eponine Thenardier.

So he hops off and climbs down visibly from his usual perch atop Cabin 14, a hoodie bundled up around him for once, going to go meet her as she walks.]

Welcome back to the waking world, Eps.

[ospreyed]

[Eponine scowls, her bright eyes narrowed as she looks up at him.] Fuck off, [She tells him as kindly as she can manage. Which right now, isn't that kindly. She's freaking freezing, even bundled up in her sweater and hat.]

I missed every damn celebration worth celebrating, and there's nothing worth celebrating with anyway.

[And now she had to face people she hadn't seen in a MONTH]

[angeliaforos]

No.

[His response is short and sweet, his tone conversational as ever. Already, he's thinking of shrugging off his hoodie. But he'll wait.]

You can celebrate with me. I'm worth celebrating with!

[ospreyed]

[Eponine stopped mid-step, turning towards him.]

Gabriel. Fuck off.

[She was not in the mood for fun and games, no way, no how. No more monopoly or anything. She wanted... God damn it, she wanted a cigarette, and she wanted to curl up in her bed and sleep for the rest of the week.]

[angeliaforos]

[Whoa, okay.

He blinks a few times, just staring at her.]

Really, Eponine?

[ospreyed]

What? [She challenges, not dropping her guard for a second. Bring it, Gabriel.]

[angeliaforos]

[He crosses his arms over his chest, frowning a little.]

What's with the attitude?

[Of course, she's been prickly towards him before, but not usually like this.]

[moointhedark]

[Charlie has had a very special talk about what withdrawal is with big brother E. Because of that, he's stayed away from the Big House for a while to get his thoughts in order. He may be bubbly and come off as a complete air head, but it doesn't take much for him to put two and two together on why Eponine's been so sick.

When he does finally come around to see her again, he finds that she's gone and so he tries the next best place -- Cabin 11.

Wrapped up in his parka, scarf, and one of those silly animal hats, he lings at the doorway of the cabin, clearing his throat to draw attention to himself. He's still not sure what to say or where to start.]

[ospreyed]

Charlie. [Shit. He... looks strangely serious for a bubbly kid who acts significantly younger than his age. But the way he's coughed gets Eponine's attention. She was sitting on her bed, doodling absentmindedly and chewing on pen-caps. A poor substitute for a cigarette.

She gives him a half-smile.] What's up, kid? Long time no see. [She puts her doodling aside and stands up, waltzing over towards him to ruffle his hair, like old times.

She hasn't seen him since he'd come to visit in the Big House. And that was only once. She won't lie and say that that, of all things, didn't hurt.] It's cold out, c'mon in. Take a seat. [She gestures at one of the messy bunks.]

[moointhedark]

[Charlie almost ducks his head out of the way; almost. He loves Eponine with all of his heart, but he feels hurt that she would do something so awful. Aren't drugs something bad people do? Good people don't do them, that's what he's been taught.

After a moment of internal debate, he scuffs his shoes to rid them of any snow before trudging over to take a seat at one of the beds.

He stares at her a long time before saying anything.]

Why... why would you do something like that?

[ospreyed]

Like... [Oh. Oh, no, Charlie, no. She can feel her heart sinking into her stomach as he speaks, the heartbreak evident in his voice.]

Charlie... Charlie, I'm... [she hangs her head.] I'm sorry.

[It's a first, that she'd say that. Though if he recognizes the importance of that statement coming from her is beyond her.]

I needed an escape. My friends offered... My parents kept pouring. I wanted the pain to stop.

[Suddenly, the image of Luke came to her mind, when he'd sat across from her at the diner one cold winter night. He'd already been ousted as a traitor, tried to kill Percy. But he'd bought her dinner, plenty of it, and sat and spoke with her. Was this how he'd felt?

How Jake felt, when she'd hurled insults at him through the door at the Red Room?]

I have so many excuses, Charlie. But they're not good enough, are they?

[moointhedark]

[There are a lot of things in the world Charlie doesn't understand and this is one of them, he knows that. He wants to, wants to get what would drive a person to that point and knows that Eponine has had a hard life, but he still doesn't get it.

He just can't fathom it.

He shakes his head. The excuses aren't good enough.

Eponine is a good, strong person. Good, strong people should above that kind of thing, shouldn't they?]

But why..? Why didn't you say no?

[ospreyed]

[Why couldn't she just say no? She chuckles darkly, shaking her head again. She can't look at him. Not right now. She can't face that heartbroken boy's dark brown eyes.

That hurt worse than any of the withdrawal so far.]

Because- because I can't. I couldn't. I didn't want to.

[moointhedark]

[He looks away. He can't look at her, can't. It hurts and it shows on his face.]

But you're Ep... It's bad and it's wrong and you shouldn't have ever...