She registers his expression properly this time, the way he's sneering, the way he's glancing at her like she's a bit of dirt on his shoe. She's probably made a right show of herself scoffing the grapes like a pig, shovelling them into her mouth one after the other. It makes Eponine want to hang her head in shame, and to drop the bowl of grapes and refuse to be his sick entertainment.
"It's not fair," she mutters when she hears his proposal. "That ain't fair." She looks up at him properly, a glare of hatred in her eyes. "You already had payment from me, M'sieur. I told you how I came to be here, as you asked, and you gave me the grapes. That weren't free."
She scowls, looking down at the bowl of grapes again. Her voice is hard as she continues. "But it don't matter what I think, does it, because I am here and you are free not to come again. I am not so stupid, Sir, as people say. I know what you are about... but maybe I don't care."
Eponine looks once more at the grapes, taking a minute to actually make up her mind once and for all. If she starts, if she backs down, there's no going back.
But she wants tea. And she wants the attention from this handsome man, no matter how cruel he is.
So she closes her eyes. "There's a man, so tall is he, you know? As tall as a giant, Sir. And so strong, Sir. I have seen him crush those ball things in his hands, you know? And -" she drops her voice to a whisper and presses her face right to the bars. "He said he wished it were a guard's neck, Sir." Eponine shakes her head and says earnestly, "M'sieur, I know killers, Sir. I know evil, and this Amos, yes, he is so. And the girl he is with, Sir? He terrorises her always. It ain't so good to see - and she scared of him, for he won't let her from his sight. She's younger than me, Sir, and the gentle of it, but he is wicked to her. Always he is with her, Sir. He is wicked."
Eponine doesn't even know Amos. He's someone she's seen in passing, that Jolie was with, that she's noted for his size. But it doesn't stop her from twisting Amos' friendship with Jolie into something that sounds a lot more sinister.
"I think I have earned a cup of gin for such a tale, Sir." She grins
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"It's not fair," she mutters when she hears his proposal. "That ain't fair." She looks up at him properly, a glare of hatred in her eyes. "You already had payment from me, M'sieur. I told you how I came to be here, as you asked, and you gave me the grapes. That weren't free."
She scowls, looking down at the bowl of grapes again. Her voice is hard as she continues. "But it don't matter what I think, does it, because I am here and you are free not to come again. I am not so stupid, Sir, as people say. I know what you are about... but maybe I don't care."
Eponine looks once more at the grapes, taking a minute to actually make up her mind once and for all. If she starts, if she backs down, there's no going back.
But she wants tea. And she wants the attention from this handsome man, no matter how cruel he is.
So she closes her eyes. "There's a man, so tall is he, you know? As tall as a giant, Sir. And so strong, Sir. I have seen him crush those ball things in his hands, you know? And -" she drops her voice to a whisper and presses her face right to the bars. "He said he wished it were a guard's neck, Sir." Eponine shakes her head and says earnestly, "M'sieur, I know killers, Sir. I know evil, and this Amos, yes, he is so. And the girl he is with, Sir? He terrorises her always. It ain't so good to see - and she scared of him, for he won't let her from his sight. She's younger than me, Sir, and the gentle of it, but he is wicked to her. Always he is with her, Sir. He is wicked."
Eponine doesn't even know Amos. He's someone she's seen in passing, that Jolie was with, that she's noted for his size. But it doesn't stop her from twisting Amos' friendship with Jolie into something that sounds a lot more sinister.
"I think I have earned a cup of gin for such a tale, Sir." She grins