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 Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2008 6:28 pm
"How ugly Paris is in a white nightshirt!" Eponine exclaimed, the words forming from a half-treasured echo. The solitude of the expanse of snow on all sides lent the feeling that she was the only one in the world. A pale shaft of sunlight reflected off her face, her breath coming out in steam. Of course it wasn't due to any normal human body process- her designers had kept the necessity of special effects in mind. Only her footprints behind distrubed the slumbering creature called Snow.
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Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2008 6:47 pm
Tromping through the snow, well bedecked in a forest green parka, a suitable knit hat, and light pair of gloves, Shane whistled lightly as he went. Even though no more solid ideas for lyrics had come to his mind since Moira's return, he was in an overall excellent mood. After all, what man wouldn't be when a lass as pretty as her had expressed the possibility of being interested?
Cocking his head to one side, he stopped mid-whistle as he thought he heard a familiar voice shout something to the empty gardens. Raising an ebon eyebrow as he picked up his pace, he smiled with delight as he realized it was just Eponine. Recalling her tendency to be nervous around people, and react terribly when surprised, Shane slowed his approach and raised one gloved hand in the air before calling out to her. The last thing he wanted to do was give the poor girl a heart attack.
"Hello there, Eponine!" Smiling gently as he continued towards her, he wondered how she had been doing. Especially after that last run in at the gardens, with the multitude of people that had been about.
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Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2008 7:40 pm
Despite Shane's rather considerate caution, Eponine jumped hard enough to send herself flying back, sending up a plume of snow rather like the sudden blooming of a flower. Thankfully the snow masked the layer of ice on the ground below, so she did not repeat her mad skidding "oops dance."
Her head popped up with a slightly startled smile. She was glad to see Shane- one of the only two people she didn't need to leap away from.
"Shane!" she squeaked, her metallic heart still pounding hard, but never the less a slightly nervous smile on her face. "I thought you were-" Thankfully, she stopped before saying 'the Manager.' "....How've you been?" Eponine brushed and thumped her coat, trying to shake off the snow, still fighting the urge to skitter away. "I've been good, actually, I'm just fine-" She bit her lip, realizing Shane had not asked her yet.
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Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2008 8:49 pm
Chuckling slightly as the lass skittered across the snow, he tilted his head to one side. For a pretty lass, she sure had no confidence. An eyebrow raising as she started to say who she thought he was, Shane wondered just who she thought he was that would scare her as bad as she had been. Frowning slightly as he wondered at it for a moment before finally tucking it away for later perusal. Wouldn't do to scare the lass by frowning at her, after all. Not after she jumped from a simple greeting!
An amused, friendly smile touched his lips as he gave a small shrug, "Well as can be expected, I suppose. Not liking this cold too much." Eyes narrowing slightly as the girl repeated herself, he found himself curious as to just how long she'd been out in the chill weather. Perhaps he ought suggest they move inside, where it would be warmer and more comfortable?
Glancing around as his breath created white puffs in the air, he smiled, "It is beautiful, though, isn't it?" With a gesture towards the snow and the way the icicles had frozen to create an array of shapes and sparkles in the light of day, he added, "The ice catches the sun's rays so neatly..."
All right, so maybe even though his Muse had abandoned him, the Irishman couldn't resist trying his hand at creating lyrics every other second. He had a song to write, after all. Moira had mentioned wanting to hear one - and so he needed one. A new one.
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008 6:12 pm
"Cold is nice but it's too chilly right now," Eponine said, but giggled at Shane's last sentence and looked out at the snow. She kicked the part of her brain that was actively searching for an escape route. At least the rapidly-processing circuits kept her hydraulics warm.
"Pretty," she agreed. "The sno-ow shines like silver," she sang, a tenative few notes so geared into her memory before she realized it. "Oops... Umm... Old folk song!" she lied, playing with a handful of snow. "That's... A nice cap you have?"
She had seen knitted caps before, on children in the park, and in one unfortunate instance, on Angel. They were linked to other people- the makers who made the cap, the merchants who sold it, and the parents and grandparents that lovingly selected one for the children. Even now Eponine wondered who had bought that cap for him, who had made him put it on in the cold weather. Her own raggedly brown hat was made by robots for robots and was only there to serve as an indication of her character's poverty. It didn't keep her head warm- metal, cold, cold metal, did not freeze. She continued staring, enraptured, at the wooly knitted cap, absorbed in her thoughts.
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2008 8:16 pm
Nodding in agreement with Eponine, an eyebrow of his slowly arched as she giggled. Making a note in his head that clearly, that line would not go over well in a song. He didn't aim to make people giggle with his music, that was certain.
Smiling as Eponine broke into song, Shane chuckled. The lass was definitely interested in music, a quality he could understand - and cherish. Giving a small shrug to indicate that he didn't care if she broke into random song, he found himself grinning as her eyes found his cap.
One hand rubbing at it a little, he smiled, "Thanks, lass. Got it a long time ago, 'm afraid, or I'd go nab you one as well!" Noticing how he continued to stare at it, he gave a small sigh. It wasn't as if he was that attached to it, it was just a nice hat. It was cold outside...but he'd be fine for a bit without anything to cover his head...
Removing the hat, he held it out with a smile, "Here, lass. Its yours if you'd like it." His free hand reached up to brush his hair back into its usual array. Eying the snow in Eponine's hands, a mischievous thought worked its way into his brain. If the girl took the hat, or even if she didn't, Shane knew precisely what his next course of action would be. Struggling to keep the mischievous smile off his face he knew was bound to grow, his eyes smiled at the girl, hoping she'd accept his friendly gesture. Anything to help her relax around him would be well done indeed!
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Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 11:02 pm
Eponine's eyes opened so wide that a careful observer could discern little metal wires around the edges that made them 'go.' Shane held out the little wooly hat.
Should she take it? Could she take it? The little robot even forgot humans did get cold ears.
"I-I can't take your hat," she mumbled. "I mean, it's yours and all..." Theatre robots, who (or which?) had a set costume to identify its part in a play. A robot only got one costume, and had that same costume since its manufacturing date.. Eponine didn't know what to do. "I mean, it's your hat," she continued, yet all the while, her hands inched towards the woolen wonder. Did humans feel differently about their clothing? Estrelas (representing 100% of all humans she had explored the rooms of) had two outfits, and Shee had- well, Shee had clothes.
With a quick, almost desperate motion, her hands shot out, frying air particles with its friction, and tugged the hat to her. And then, amazed at her daring, she froze, not knowing what she did or what to do? And what possessed her to grab the hat?
She looked questioningly at Shane, unable to read beyond that grin.
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Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 8:02 pm
Watching the lass' eyes dance about, Shane thought he saw something different about them, but decided it must be his imagination. After all, a human's eyes generally all looked the same. Maybe she hadn't slept last night, and that had left her eyes bloodshot? Giving a small nod to himself as if to confirm that yes, that must be it, he realized that Eponine was talking once more and threw a friendly smile on his face.
Amused at how she seemed to be unsure about taking the hat, he waved it about just a little. In an almost teasing manner until the woman snatched the hat right out of his hands. Torn between shock and amusement, Shane's face went from surprise and standing there mouth agape, to outright laughter. Ah, but the lass was amusing if nothing else!
With a wide grin, he finally managed to get out an amused, "Aye, lass. You can have that hat, its no trouble at all, really." If only all lasses were so easy to please, men would be giving them wool hats left and right! Chuckling just a little at how pleased the girl looked with her new prize, Shane concluded to find her a scarf to match it. It'd look cute on her, and if it made her happy, maybe she'd start to trust him eventually.
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Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 8:47 pm
The open honesty on Shane's face surprised her. He didn't seem to be tricking her and didn't seem about to snatch the hat back and declare the whole thing a joke.
"Is it mine?" she mumbled, still half-convinced it was just a cruel joke. The hat was already warming in her hands, soft and fluffy, her eyebrows set in disbelief. "I can have it?"
With another lightning-quick motion, she pulled the hat over her own brown hat, lucky that her fragile frame could fit both on. Then she looked out, her eyes shining and her face glowing from underneath the painted-on dirt smudges. She almost seemed a new person, a little fluttery cherub. She seemed too shocked at the world to smile.
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Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 10:57 am
Still surprised by Eponine's forwardness, a trait Shane would not have guessed she had, but also still highly amused at how the gift of the hat seemed to have amazed her, Shane managed a short nod in response before finally convincing his vocal chords to work past laughter. "Aye, its your's. I wouldn't say it was if I hadn't intended to mean it that way!" Grinning at the last to show he was just being playful, another surprised look expanded across his face as she thrust his hat over her old one.
Scratching the back of his head, he laughed, "Lass, you might want to wear just one hat at a time..." Raising one hand to tap at his chin thoughtfully, he stared at her hats for a moment before giving her another insufferable grin, "Although, it does look cute on you that way, I have to admit." She just looked too happy for Shane to not compliment her. He didn't think he'd ever seen the lass look so...exuberant and cheerful. It was a nice change, and one he hoped wouldn't end.
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Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 2:27 pm
If she could, Eponine would have flushed a bright pink out of sheer exuberance. She finally smiled from under her smudges of dirt, almost showing her teeth. No one had ever given her a gift before! The patrons of the theatre- a few of them, on a whim, sometimes sent her flowers or other things, as a joke, or a wish that she had been human. Of course the manager had confiscated them on the rare occasion that a gift had made its way all the way up past the worm-worn stairs to her "dressing room." And Estrelas' idea of a present... As nice as it was to wake up on a chilly day and find your door jammed open by a bundle of parsnips...
"Thank you," Eponine blurted, "Thank you!" She definitely had not been expecting this. Bless Mr. Shane! Was she a human now, now that she had a hat? Now that she had connections? Relations? The robot girl suddenly stopped, remembering something that previously would have never occured to her. "But won't your ears get cold?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 11:05 pm
The lanky Irishman smiled at the sheepish show the lovely lass in front of him made when he gave her the hat. It made his own smile turn into a large, proud grin, pleased that something so simple had given joy to a girl who he thought had needed it desperately. Maybe now she'd let him c***k away at that armor she wore so thickly wtih the first act of friendship so readily accepted?
A very faint blush of his own made its way to his suddenly colder cranium as he scratched the back of his head, "You're welcome, lass, 'twasn't a problem at all." With the mention of the possibility of his ears getting cold, his grin turned sheepish, "A bit, lass, but 'twill be worth the trouble to see that smile o' yours." While he didn't want to ruin her fun, and he certainly didn't want his hat back now that he'd seen how happy it made her, he also wasn't willing to lie to her. If he did and she found out, Shane had a feeling that would make this untrusting lass run from him even faster next she saw him. And so, the Irishman settled himself to chilled, red ears, and turned his mind to wondering if perhaps he couldn't get the lass Moira to warm him up after this was over.
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Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 6:39 pm
Eponine hurridly tied the hat strings around her neck. So humans didn't get cold as easily as she thought they did!
She flushed embarassedly as he mentioned it being worth seeing her smile. It was too close to Les Miserables- when Eponine, that Eponine without the PROTOTYPE001 in front of her name, did everything, everything, to make Marius smile.
She reached up and patted the hat, trying to prod it into the same shape as she had seen in Shane's head. "Err!" she squeaked, ducking her eyes again, suddenly conscious of the smiling. It was quite something new that she had never experienced before in LOTUS, to have someone smiling at her when she wasn't on stage. How did it feel? She wasn't quite sure yet, but so far, she thought it... It felt sort of nice!
Eponine continued petting the hat. "Does everyone have hats?" she asked curiously, but then gasped. What. A. Weird. Question. Not human! "Err, I mean," she began, her circuitry firing off like little machine guns, "I mean... Do a lot of people have hats in Ireland?" Okay, so it was perhaps still a strange question, but it could be passed off as curiousity about his homeland rather than curiousity about his specie.
But Eponine did feel nice- she felt very, very nice indeed. She petted the hat, unable to stop a smile of sheer glee from crossing her face.
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Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 3:57 pm
Though Shane was unabashedly amused at how pleased Eponine was with such a simple thing as the hat, it also left him curious as to what sort of a life she had led in the past that a winter hat would make her so happy. Placing his curiosity off to one side, not really wanting to scare the lass off when she was only just beginning to open up to him, at least in a small way, he instead just watched her happy behavior, unable to resist the grin that touched his own face. Really, being a bit cold was more than worth it when it made someone that genuinely happy.
Watching the lass pet the hat, he chuckled just a little - she was happy to the point of almost being cute, sort of like a little sister. He really didn't see too many girls as matching Moira in anything, and so when he looked on Eponine, he really began to see her as the little sister you love to dote on just to see her smile again. When asked if everyone had hats, he actually only took it as a question from someone who might have been in the poorer streets of her country, perhaps not accustomed to seeing people with amenities like a hat regularly. Although the question was changed to be more specific to Ireland, Shane went ahead and answered them both, just to be polite.
"Nay, lass, not everyone has a hat. Some can't afford them and all that." With a shrug, he added, "The same really goes for Ireland. Many do wear hats, but not everyone does." Another grin touched his lips as the lass before him continued to pat the hat and appear to be almost gleeful, and so he ventured another question, "So what brings you out here today, lass?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 1:50 pm
Eponine considered this for a while, her mouth hanging open a centimeter.
Back at the theater, not all the robots had hats. Most of the ones from Les Miseralbes either had poor, raggedy ones or none, because of problem with ventilation and heat release, a problem that thankfully had been fixed with her. She hadn't seen the other robots that much, really, unless if from afar counted.
She grinned genuine back at Shane. "It really means a lot to me," she said truthfully. Images of children and parents playing in the parks and grandmothers knitting hats flashed dreamily across her mind. What a dream! What a dream! What a kind man, to give her a piece of it!
"I-I just wanted to get out a bit. In the snow," she said, almost startled. Wait. Was that something that humans did? It seemed strange, that a person susceptible to pneumonia and colds and influenza and skin cancer and tuberculosis and Ebola and sleeping sickness would dare come out. "I mean, not that. Well. I-" Eponine looked around wildly for an escape route. "I mean, it's a normal thing, right? Because.. Well, why are you out here?" she asked, desperately changing the topic.
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