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Post by Spot Conlon on Jan 2, 2017 23:17:39 GMT -5
Spot Conlon was waiting at the bridge. He wasn't sure if Lacey and the other girl had left for Bronx already or not, but he wanted to be there just in case. Also, he wanted to just be alert. It was really strange for that girl to appear at the front door of the boys' lodge. Something just wasn't right. He had to be alert and aware so something like that couldn't happen again.
Cloud was still unsure of what to think. He voiced his concerns, but even he had to admit there was something odd about the whole thing... Spot just hoped it wouldn't mean bad news for Darcy. He hadn't even seen her yet!
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Post by Whisper on Jan 3, 2017 2:16:59 GMT -5
Whisper had made sure to wake up a while before everyone else, making her way outside with her jacket that she had been given by Spot the previous night and her scarf being the only things there to keep her warm. Her mind was on her assignment from Rip, and the fact that she had one day to do everything that she had promised, or else she could be risking much more than she had thought.
Upon catching sight of a familiar boy standing at the bridge, Whisper made her way over, having managed to slip out essentially unnoticed by Lacey as she had gone to get her papers. "Ya waitin' for someone?" She asked.
If she was going to get Spot to Queens, then she would have to somehow convince him to walk her back... Through Queens. It would be easier said than done, and she knew that, but she didn't have a choice. She had too much to worry about.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Jan 3, 2017 10:36:37 GMT -5
"Ya waitin' for someone?"
Spot turned and immediately frowned when he saw that Whisper was along. That was setting off alarm bells in his head, and of course, his birds weren't up yet... just his luck.
"You're up early," he commented, watching her closely. "It's still cold out... You should head back to the lodge until it warms up foist."
He hoped he could encourage her to return to the lodge so he and Lacey could walk her back to Bronx together. It would be easier to keep an eye on this strange girl that way.
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Post by Whisper on Jan 3, 2017 10:42:02 GMT -5
"You're up early."
"Hardly." Whisper shrugged, a small smile forming on her lips. "It was hard ta sleep."
"It's still cold out... You should head back to the lodge until it warms up foist."
Whisper shook her head. "I've got a baby sister, Spot. I ain't waitin' any longer ta head back. It won't be that hard. But I really appreciate what ya guys did for me last night. It was real nice of ya." She flashed him a small smile, stuffing her hands into her pockets and beginning to walk off towards Queens. It was one way to the Bronx, and she just hoped that Spot would do something.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Jan 3, 2017 10:58:11 GMT -5
"Hardly. It was hard ta sleep."
Spot raised an eyebrow, but remained silent. He couldn't just judge her on sleep. After all, he had had a hard time sleeping.
"I've got a baby sister, Spot. I ain't waitin' any longer ta head back. It won't be that hard. But I really appreciate what ya guys did for me last night. It was real nice of ya."
He frowned, in understanding but frustration. He could understand wanting to return to your sibling... but something was off. Especially the direction she was going in.
"Wait," he grabbed her arm. "I'll take ya back ta Bronx." He motioned the way she was going. "That's a dangerous way to be headin'. Queens don't like people crossin' from Brooklyn even if they ain't from Brooklyn. You're sure ta be jumped by Queens or the gangs if ya go that way," he hinted at her mistake last night, trying to see if she'd slip up again or confess.
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Post by Whisper on Jan 3, 2017 11:07:39 GMT -5
"Wait."
Even though she had partially been expecting his reaction, a slight squeak of shock escaped her lips as Spot suddenly grabbed her arm to keep her from going towards Queens. Towards home. However, as she looked back at him, she knew that she couldn't let her slip up now.
"I'll take ya back ta Bronx."
Whisper was beyond relieved. At least she seemed to have gotten her theory right about not letting girls go somewhere alone. The only problem was the direction. She would be able to get him close to Queens the other way, but probably not inside. That could be an issue.
"That's a dangerous way to be headin'. Queens don't like people crossin' from Brooklyn even if they ain't from Brooklyn. You're sure ta be jumped by Queens or the gangs if ya go that way."
Although Whisper hesitated at his words, considering Queens was the one place that she knew like the back of her hand, she didn't slip up. At least, she tried not to, slowly nodding and biting down harshly onto her bottom lip. "Alright... If that's what ya want... It's just a lot faster this way? You'd be tryin' ta take me all around the city. That way there's just the one...?"
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Post by Spot Conlon on Jan 3, 2017 11:33:17 GMT -5
"Alright... If that's what ya want...
Spot held her arm tightly, but not too tight. He wasn't trying to hurt her, just keep her from running off. "I insist."
"It's just a lot faster this way? You'd be tryin' ta take me all around the city. That way there's just the one...?"
He narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. "What do you know about Queens?"
Depending on her answer, Spot could learn alot. Most people knew Queens was dangerous, and even more knew that it was a bad idea to jump from Brooklyn to Queens. The boys would jump you and you'd get a good soaking. At this moment, it seemed like this girl knew nothing about how dangerous Queens really was or was hiding something.
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Post by Whisper on Jan 3, 2017 11:37:32 GMT -5
"I insist."
Whisper was a bit nervous, although she did her best not to show it, simply clearing her throat and nodding her head.
"What do you know about Queens?"
She swallowed thickly. She didn't know how to answer without seeming to know too much or too little, and she was momentarily rendered speechless. Plus, the look in his eyes was unmistakable: He didn't trust her. Not at all.
"Well, um... I know that there are gangs, I guess. But I've never had any problems with 'em. Are ya sure it's not just dangerous if you're a newsie?" Whisper asked, raising an eyebrow and trying to ignore the fact that her voice was momentarily much quieter than it had been before. She didn't know what would happen if she was found out, but she knew that it wouldn't be good.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Jan 3, 2017 12:01:54 GMT -5
"Well, um... I know that there are gangs, I guess. But I've never had any problems with 'em. Are ya sure it's not just dangerous if you're a newsie?"
Spot raised an eyebrow. "Gangs don't care about who you are... and Queens' newsies don't care either. If you ain't one of them, they are gonna jump you." He narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. "You're from Bronx, right? Queens knows Bronx is friendly... but they don't care especially if you cross from Brooklyn."
There had been so many stories of foolish newsies who crossed into Queens from Brooklyn. Not all ended well... Queens were not gentle at all with their soaking. Whisper didn't seem to be afraid of Queens... he was suspecting that she might be from Queens. But he couldn't be sure. He just knew she was hiding something. There was no way she hadn't heard at least one of the stories about crossing through Queens.
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Post by Whisper on Jan 3, 2017 12:05:19 GMT -5
"Gangs don't care about who you are... and Queens' newsies don't care either. If you ain't one of them, they are gonna jump you."
Whisper frowned a bit. "The Queens' newsies aren't all bad. Yeah, there are some that're bad, but some're just people, y'know?"
"You're from Bronx, right? Queens knows Bronx is friendly... but they don't care especially if you cross from Brooklyn."
She nodded, huffing slightly and sighing. "Then we'll do it your way. I've just got a feelin' that ya don't wanna be around me for that long. It doesn't really feel like ya feel... Comfortable."
It was true. Spot really did seem on edge, and there was something about his attitude that was making her paranoid. If she made a run for it now, maybe she could break away from Spot and make it back, then explain the situation to Rip and hope that things would go moderately well?
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Post by Spot Conlon on Jan 3, 2017 12:12:38 GMT -5
"The Queens' newsies aren't all bad. Yeah, there are some that're bad, but some're just people, y'know?"
Spot's eyebrow raised again. She seemed rather defensive... "No," he said slowly. "Not all are bad, but when the majority are, ya have ta judge 'em all ta stay safe."
"Then we'll do it your way. I've just got a feelin' that ya don't wanna be around me for that long. It doesn't really feel like ya feel... Comfortable."
He didn't answer just studied her with his cold blue eyes. She was definitely hiding something. She was rather defensive about Queens. He tightened his grip around her, sensing that she might want to run. It didn't hurt to be careful after all.
"You're from Queens... aren't you?"
It was odd. He had this weird feeling that Rip was apart of this. But that didn't make sense! Rip was a lone wolf. He always acted on his own.
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Post by Whisper on Jan 3, 2017 12:16:03 GMT -5
"No, not all are bad, but when the majority are, ya have ta judge 'em all ta stay safe."
Whisper understood his reasoning, although she still didn't think it was fair. She didn't think that she was a bad person. Her sister most definitely hadn't been a bad person. Whisper did what she had to do to make it in a tough borough. That didn't make her bad, did it?
"You're from Queens... aren't you?"
The tightened grip on her arm caused Whisper to wince, and his words only made it worse. She was too flustered to know what to do, although she looked him straight back in the eyes, her harsh gray eyes never leaving his. "I'm from the Bronx. I told ya that already."
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Post by Spot Conlon on Jan 3, 2017 12:24:15 GMT -5
"I'm from the Bronx. I told ya that already."
Spot wasn't convinced. There was a hardness in her eyes that didn't seem to affirm her words.
"Did Rip send you?" he asked, voice lowered, eyes never leaving hers. He was still very sure that she was from Queens, maybe he was jumping to conclusions... but he had to know. He just couldn't shake off that bad feeling. It was like Rip was watching him...
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Post by Whisper on Jan 3, 2017 12:28:34 GMT -5
"Did Rip send you?"
Whisper's heart was pounding so loudly and quickly in her chest that she was almost sure that Spot could hear it. She swallowed thickly, "Let up on my arm, will ya? I don't know who 'Rip' is."
She hated lying. She hated it and she wanted to stop, but she couldn't afford to now. Rip was dangerous, and if she did something that badly that would mess with his own plans, she didn't know how it would be dealt with.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Jan 3, 2017 13:09:02 GMT -5
"Let up on my arm, will ya? I don't know who 'Rip' is."
Spot loosened his grip on her. He still didn't have any solid proof... but he still didn't believe she was telling him the truth.
"Let's just cross the bridge," he muttered.
Hopefully, they would bump into someone in Manhattan that could help Spot see if Whisper was truly from Bronx or not.
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Post by Whisper on Jan 3, 2017 13:14:44 GMT -5
"Let's just cross the bridge."
To say that Whisper was relieved was an understatement. She nodded, beginning to walk with Spot and huffing slightly. The long way around would take them quite a while, but as long as Spot didn't know anything about her for sure, then she could work with it. Perhaps she could find some way to bring Spot close enough to Queens for Rip anyway.
"I don't get why ya don't trust me. I didn't do anythin'." She muttered under her breath, her hair once again acting as something for her to hide behind.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Jan 3, 2017 18:59:44 GMT -5
"I don't get why ya don't trust me. I didn't do anythin'."
Spot purses his lips but said nothing as they walked across the bridge. It was odd that she mentioned trust like that, but then she didn't know him so he couldn't exactly blame her for not knowing. Most people in Brooklyn and some in Manhattan knew Spot rarely trusted anyone until he knew them.
"I don't trust people right off the bat," he muttered.
He glanced at her as they entered Manhattan. "You gotta show that I can trust you."
It was his way of giving her a second chance of sorts. He still didn't trust her, but he was willing to give her a chance to proof his doubts wrong. He wasn't completely heartless.
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Post by Whisper on Jan 3, 2017 19:04:02 GMT -5
"I don't trust people right off the bat."
Whisper nodded a bit. That was fair enough - she was the same way. Trust was hard to regain once you had lost it, and with Spot, she didn't feel as though she had ever earned it in the first place.
"You gotta show that I can trust you."
She frowned a bit, "Well, how do I do that?" She didn't really know the Bronx very well - she didn't know any other borough very well - although she knew that she would have to figure something out about where she was staying... And about the baby sister that she had. The only problem was that her real life sister was sitting underground in the graveyard in Queens.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Jan 3, 2017 21:58:56 GMT -5
"Well, how do I do that?"
Spot turned towards her. "Tell me the truth."
He nodded in the direction of Brooklyn. "Gettin' lost from Bronx inta Brooklyn even in this cold weather don't make sense. But... even more so, how'd you end up at the boys' lodge? That's what really don't make sense." He put his hands in his pockets, stopping at the edge of Manhattan. "The girls' lodge would have been easier ta find and closer too, whether you came from 'Hattan or through Queens." He looked back at her. "So... why did you end up there?"
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Post by Whisper on Jan 3, 2017 22:30:46 GMT -5
"Tell me the truth."
Whisper's heart almost immediately dropped into her stomach.
"Gettin' lost from Bronx inta Brooklyn even in this cold weather don't make sense. But... even more so, how'd you end up at the boys' lodge? That's what really don't make sense. The girls' lodge would have been easier ta find and closer too, whether you came from 'Hattan or through Queens."
Every word that he said just made her more and more panicked. She didn't know what he would do. She barely knew anything about Spot, much less what he was capable of when it came to someone being associated with Rip.
"So... why did you end up there?"
Whisper swallowed thickly, forcing down the lump that had formed in her throat as she momentarily gauged how quickly she would be able to get away and head back to Queens if she ran now. She didn't know whether Spot would chase her or not, or whether he could keep up with her. But she wasn't sure if she wanted to find out.
"I told ya everythin' that I know, Spot... I don't know how else I can put it..." She did her best, trying one last time to see what would happen. If he reacted badly, she was ready to run for her life.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Jan 4, 2017 10:09:13 GMT -5
"I told ya everythin' that I know, Spot... I don't know how else I can put it..."
Spot could see nervousness in her eyes. It still didn't tell him what she was hiding, and she clearly wasn't going to tell him. It looked like he would have to get his answers elsewhere. Perhaps Sand could give him some sort of clue to what was up with this girl.
He sighed and nodded off in the direction of Bronx. "Let's keep going."
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Post by Whisper on Jan 4, 2017 11:20:59 GMT -5
"Let's keep going."
Whisper was grateful that Spot was willing to drop it for now, although she had the sinking feeling that something was going to happen before she got back home, and she didn't like that at all. Perhaps some sort of distraction would be good?
"If it was the boy's lodge, then why was Lacey in there? What's goin' on with you and 'er?"
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Post by Spot Conlon on Jan 4, 2017 13:08:46 GMT -5
"If it was the boy's lodge, then why was Lacey in there?"
Spot's eyebrow raised. He didn't like the way she asked that question.
"What's goin' on with you and 'er?"
He kept his face neutral, but he was scowling inwardly. This was something he had been hoping to avoid. He didn't like people talking about him and girls. For some reason, he felt more defensive about Lacey. Now was not the time to get defensive though. He needed to stay calm and think straight.
"She's one of my boids. She an' Cloud were reportin' ta me about some things," he answered coolly as if her question didn't bother him, even though inside he was incredibly irritated.
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Post by Whisper on Jan 4, 2017 13:12:53 GMT -5
"She's one of my boids."
Whisper was slightly surprised. So girl birds were a possibility then? She hadn't really known that before.
"She an' Cloud were reportin' ta me about some things."
She raised an eyebrow, but didn't bother commenting any more on it. "If ya say so..." In all honesty, she didn't care much about it. She just didn't understand why it was such a big deal that she had been in the boy's lodging house if another girl had been in there too which he didn't seem to care nearly as much about.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Jan 4, 2017 13:43:50 GMT -5
"If ya say so..."
Spot bit his tongue. He wasn't caring for her attitude, but he needed to keep back his Irish temper. It was never good to get angry at moments like these. Getting angry could ruin his chances of knowing what this girl was hiding. Silence might be the key to finally figuring things out.
"Well," he broke the silence as they reached the edge of Bronx. He was disappointed that he hadn't seen any familiar Manhattan newsies. "Finally at your home borough."
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