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Devil's Nest, Friday Evening

Tiny was muttering under his breath as he rearranged the bottles behind the bar. The DJ was working his way through the greatest hits of Miley Cyrus and Allie was trying her best to ignore them both as she attempted to poke around a website on her phone.

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...

"Is it really as bad as all that?" asked Éponine without preamble, flopping carelessly down onto a barstool. "The year being almost over, that is? Good lord, the way some people at work were carrying on about it!"

Oh, and hi, Allie.

Allie looked up and shrugged. "It doesn't really make a difference to me, although I am going to like having the longer nights."

But it did get Allie thinking, it was strange to think she'd been there for almost a year now.

Almost half a year on Éponine's part, which, yes, was why it had been on her mind despite her professed nonchalance.

"Yes," agreed Éponine with a very slight frown, "it's going to be getting colder soon, isn't it? That's all I really care to know --" which would be worse, the cold or the hunger -- "but I won't freeze this winter, anyhow, and it's lovely here to be out at night, so what's it to me?"

"It'll be cold soon enough." Not that the cold was something that bothered Allie any more.

"I think a lot of it has to do with the school," Allie replied. "Some people leave, and I think it's time for new ones to come in. But that doesn't really matter to you and I does it?" The only student Allie knew was Stiles, and that was just the briefest of acquaintances.

"Hardly." So maybe Éponine laughed at that, and maybe it was a touch jealous. "It's only time, anyway."

She trailed off, humming absently, then burst out, "Is that what's bothering Tiny so much today?"

Not that she particularly cared. It had just come to mind.

"It's something I've got a lot of now." She still hadn't wrapped her mind around the concept of living forever. It probably wouldn't sink in until she watched someone she cared about die.

Tiny was still grumbling under his breath. "Someone keeps rearranging the bottles on the bar," Allie explained. "He's not happy."

Whereas Éponine hadn't quite wrapped her mind around the concept of living another few years, but it was the same sort of effect. "I've more of it than I know what to do with, myself. It isn't so vexing if I don't pay it much mind." Because nothing was more tedious than clock-watching.

She cast a dubious glance toward Tiny and the bottles. "Well, can he find them all, at least?" she asked.

"That's why I've been poking around on my phone. There's some online classes. They're free. Maybe I'll learn something." And it would give her something to do in the middle of the night while the rest of the island was sleeping.

Allie rolled her eyes. "If he looks. But that takes that extra moment or two."

She'd been about to suggest something about hiding a bottle or two just to play a prank on Tiny, but something more interesting had been said. Éponine lit up so much at the idea of free classes, her habitual dull gaze giving way to absolute attentiveness, that the figure of speech was almost literal. "Are there! What kind of classes? But you've got to show me where, and how! What do I need? I'll get it, I will."

This was what happened when she started to realize how much the education she was so proud of had actually been lacking. (Well, this and even more resentment toward her father.)

"All sorts," Allie replied. "Some, okay most are probably over my head but I'm still going to sign up for one or two. It can't hurt to try."

She went behind the bar, poured the other girl a soda and grabbed a bottle of True Blood for herself. "The classes are all online. So you'd need a computer. I'm probably going to have to see about getting one for myself. There's only so much I can do on my phone."

"Good lord, how am I going to afford that?" Éponine asked with a brittle laugh. "So many things one needs, just for the sake of learning! If it isn't ever so many books it's something else."

Without meaning to, she found herself recalling the times her father had tried to gain some benefactor's sympathy with some tale of how badly he wanted her and Azelma to learn a trade, but couldn't afford the long list of necessary items he would reel off. He'd never given a damn about that, of course, but it was a bit of a surprise to realize that there was some bit of truth behind at least that lie.

She jumped up off the stool and began to pace back and forth, frowning in thought. "Well, I'll get it. Somehow. D'you suppose the library up at the school might have one I can use meantime, though?"

"Yeah, it's not a simple as I thought it was once." Back when it was a big deal to find a new book in the ruins while she was scavenging to stay alive.

"I'm sure they do." From what Allie had seen, it was nothing but the best for the students. She was only a little jealous. "I've met the librarian a few times. He seems nice. He'd probably let you use one."

"We'll see about that," Éponine said, dropping back onto her stool with a resigned look. She didn't think they were likely to throw her out on sight, but she wouldn't get her hopes up too high about that. "Do they cost much, these classes?"

John had told her to come by, sadly they never got around to setting up a time to visit after dark.

"The classes? No. They're all free online for anyone to sign up for," she said. "I don't think they count for much in the grand scheme of things. Not like the way Jack goes to class at the school on the mainland. But if you want to learn something just for the sake of learning, it seems like it'll be a good place to start."

...

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Devil's Nest, Friday Evening

The Bar (8/30)

Re: The Bar (8/30)

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The VIP Area

The Dance Floor & Lounge

OOC