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Post by Whisper on Jan 4, 2017 14:08:27 GMT -5
Whisper was reluctant to come back at all, although she knew that she would have to face Rip eventually. She would have much rather done it on her own terms than to have him find her and confront her about it, and so the choice seemed obvious. She had to head back to the cemetery.
Upon her arrival, Whisper made her way to the makeshift grave for Key and sat down, her legs pulled in to her chest as she let out a shaky sigh. Things most definitely hadn't gone well, since Spot seemed to have been suspicious from the beginning, and lying had been a lot more difficult than she had thought that it would be. It was much harder to act when she wasn't getting too much out of it, since her life wasn't dependent on it. While she had never come right out and said the truth, she might as well have.
Burying her face into her knees, Whisper waited to see if Rip would show up at all that day.
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Post by Rip on Jan 4, 2017 14:26:45 GMT -5
Rip stumbled into the cemetery. He grit his teeth as he forced himself into a steady position. Today had been a bad day... His lip was bleeding and there were various bruises across his torso. He hadn't cared about the cold and once again ripped his shirt off. He was holding it over his shoulder as he headed towards the back of the cemetery. Seeing Key's grave always calmed him down somewhat and made him feel a little better about his day no matter how bad it had been.
He had just reached the tombstone when he realized he wasn't alone. His vision was still a bit fuzzy from the several knocks he had gotten to his head.
"Wh-who's there?" he asked raspily, taking in deep breaths to keep himself steady and awake.
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Post by Whisper on Jan 4, 2017 14:29:44 GMT -5
"Wh-who's there?"
The raspy voice caught Whisper off guard, lifting her head and beginning to open her mouth to reply before she saw the state that Rip was in. Her grey eyes immediately widened, and she shot up to his side.
"Rip, it's me. But what happened to ya?" She managed. She wasn't much good when it came to medicine, but from the way that he was breathing and seemed unsteady on his feet, it seemed pretty obvious to her that he should have been sitting down. "Sit down. You're gonna hurt yourself standin' up like that." She whispered, doing her best to remain calm despite the fact that she was freaking out. What had happened to him?
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Post by Rip on Jan 4, 2017 14:53:57 GMT -5
"Rip, it's me. But what happened to ya?"
Rip blinked a few times, trying to focus on who was next to him. "Wh-Whisper?" He squinted to make sure he was right. "What... you doin' here?"
"Sit down. You're gonna hurt yourself standin' up like that."
He shrugged her off, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious about being shirtless. He didn't care if people saw, but right now he was in a vulnerable state. His walls tended to come down when at the cemetery. Especially when he was close to Key's grave. He didn't want people seeing how he was treated. He was stronger than that.
"M'fine," he managed to growl raspily. "Just bad day at work..."
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Post by Whisper on Jan 4, 2017 14:57:35 GMT -5
"Wh-Whisper? What... you doin' here?"
"I just got back from Brooklyn. Figured I would find ya here at some point..." Whisper mumbled, although she was becoming increasingly worried as she realized Rip really couldn't see very well.
"M'fine. Just bad day at work..."
Whisper shook her head, "You're not 'fine,' Rip. Ya look like someone soaked ya just for the fun of it..." She really was worried. This was the toughest newsie in Queens, and if someone was out to get him that could do something like this to him, then how bad was his 'work'?
"I'm just tryin' ta help ya, Rip. I ain't gonna do anythin' if it ain't gonna help ya. Now sit down." She snapped.
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Post by Rip on Jan 4, 2017 15:28:24 GMT -5
"I just got back from Brooklyn. Figured I would find ya here at some point..."
Rip furrowed his brows slightly. "Back... already?" He seemed confused. "Thought you were coming tomorrow..."
"You're not 'fine,' Rip. Ya look like someone soaked ya just for the fun of it..."
He snorted, crossing his arms. "M'fine!" He insisted. "Had worse..." His hand want instinctively to his shoulder, hiding the mark from view so Whisper wouldn't try to see it if he turned his back. "Much worse..."
"I'm just tryin' ta help ya, Rip. I ain't gonna do anythin' if it ain't gonna help ya. Now sit down."
Rip scowled, eyes becoming clearer. He sat down only to to get her quiet. Her snappy voice was giving him a headache. "I'm sittin'... now calm down and lower your voice..."
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Post by Whisper on Jan 4, 2017 15:32:22 GMT -5
"Back... already? Thought you were coming tomorrow..."
Whisper frowned a bit. "Ya told me ta meet ya here yesterday after the evening papes got sold. They told me ta stay the night, but I don't think Spot trusted me at all. Told 'im I was from the Bronx, so he walked me back there, but we went the long way. I don't know if I can help."
"M'fine! Had worse... Much worse..."
She sighed softly, "That ain't a good thing, Rip. You's gonna get yourself killed."
"I'm sittin'... now calm down and lower your voice..."
Whisper nodded, sitting down beside him and quickly inspecting him for any sort of larger cuts, although she found none. His hand was blocking his shoulder from view, however, and she carefully grabbed his hand to move it away. "I'm just tryin' ta help..."
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Post by Rip on Jan 4, 2017 15:41:58 GMT -5
"Ya told me ta meet ya here yesterday after the evening papes got sold."
Rip raised an eyebrow. "Pretty sure I gave ya two days ta report back. One day ain't enough time for nothin'."
"They told me ta stay the night, but I don't think Spot trusted me at all. Told 'im I was from the Bronx, so he walked me back there, but we went the long way. I don't know if I can help."
He chuckled darkly. "Of course you went the long way... Spot would be boneheaded if he went the short way ta Bronx. Boys here would have shown no mercy to him or you if ya came from Brooklyn. Spot's bein' cautious as always."
"That ain't a good thing, Rip. You's gonna get yourself killed."
He snorted. "It's fine... won't get killed like that... can't. Not until I get Spot."
"I'm just tryin' ta help..."
Rip growled low and jerked away from her. "Don't. Touch. Me." He warned in a low voice, hand tightening over the mark. "I manage fine."
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Post by Whisper on Jan 4, 2017 15:47:35 GMT -5
"Pretty sure I gave ya two days ta report back. One day ain't enough time for nothin'."
"Whatever, that don't matter now. Spot ain't gonna come ta Queens, and nothin' ya can say ta him's gonna trick him into it." Whisper mumbled, her voice lowering significantly.
"Of course you went the long way... Spot would be boneheaded if he went the short way ta Bronx. Boys here would have shown no mercy to him or you if ya came from Brooklyn. Spot's bein' cautious as always."
Whisper frowned, "But I'm from Queens. I know how ta take care of myself, Rip, no one's gonna touch me."
"It's fine... won't get killed like that... can't. Not until I get Spot."
She sighed, "I don't even get what 'e did. He seemed nice enough ta me. He just wants ta take care of his borough and his newsies, just like you." Of course, after she said it, she wasn't sure if it was true about Rip at all. She just hoped that it was.
"Don't. Touch. Me. I manage fine."
Whisper winced a bit as Rip tore away from her, frowning ever so slightly but leaving it. "Ya obviously don't. Someone beat you up real bad. I'm worried. You're the leader of my borough, and you're supposed ta be keepin' us safe. I don't understand why ya have such a hard time acceptin' that people do wanna help you. I wanna help you."
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Post by Rip on Jan 4, 2017 16:01:12 GMT -5
"Whatever, that don't matter now. Spot ain't gonna come ta Queens, and nothin' ya can say ta him's gonna trick him into it."
Rip had a dark look on his face. He was starting to wonder if he had a made a mistake about letting Whisper help him. He moved his right hand to cover a cut on his side while keeping his left covering his mark. He still had one card. "There is one way... ta get him ta come."
"But I'm from Queens. I know how ta take care of myself, Rip, no one's gonna touch me."
He barked a laugh. "It don't matter. Boys don't care if ya are from Queens are not." He looked over her with a serious gaze. "You step from Brooklyn inta here, those boys won't hesitate one second ta soak ya." He stared up at the sky. "They ain't as bad as in the past... I stop 'em when I can. But I ain't there all the time."
"I don't even get what 'e did. He seemed nice enough ta me. He just wants ta take care of his borough and his newsies, just like you."
Rip snorted. "Of course ya don't..." He got back onto his feet. "He fooled ya good..."
"Ya obviously don't. Someone beat you up real bad. I'm worried. You're the leader of my borough, and you're supposed ta be keepin' us safe. I don't understand why ya have such a hard time acceptin' that people do wanna help you. I wanna help you."
He turned away so she couldn't see his face. "Jus' a bad day. Nothin' ta worry about." He clenched his fists. "Now leave... you've done what ya said. And that's all I need."
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Post by Whisper on Jan 4, 2017 16:08:11 GMT -5
"There is one way... ta get him ta come."
Whisper frowned. She had a feeling that he meant Darcy, and that wasn't going to be good at all. She didn't want anyone getting hurt, but it seemed as though that was all that Rip wanted.
"It don't matter. Boys don't care if ya are from Queens are not. You step from Brooklyn inta here, those boys won't hesitate one second ta soak ya."
"I can defend myself. That ain't your problem." She growled back.
"They ain't as bad as in the past... I stop 'em when I can. But I ain't there all the time."
"You're from a gang, aren't ya?" Whisper narrowed her eyes back at him. "That's your job. That's the only way that they would possibly listen to ya. I ain't dumb, Rip, I can put things together. But ya don't need to protect me from gettin' soaked. I can handle it."
"He fooled ya good..."
Whisper rolled her eyes, although she didn't say anything in reply. She didn't know what to say anymore, if he was going to shoot back some sort of quip with everything that she said. What was the point?
"Jus' a bad day. Nothin' ta worry about. Now leave... you've done what ya said. And that's all I need."
She scoffed, shaking her head and rising from her spot on the ground. "I could ruin your chances of gettin' back at Spot in an instant, Rip. I ain't scared of ya. I could warn Darcy, or warn Spot, or Lacey or Cloud or one of them. But if you're gonna be this kind o' person, then I don't see why I should allow ya ta hurt someone who didn't do anythin' wrong!"
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Post by Rip on Jan 4, 2017 16:52:48 GMT -5
"I can defend myself. That ain't your problem."
Rip glared at her. "Not my problem? How the hell it ain't my problem? You're a Queens newsie and I'm leader!" He stopped to catch his breath. "Bein' leader means I watch out for Queens."
"You're from a gang, aren't ya? That's your job. That's the only way that they would possibly listen to ya. I ain't dumb, Rip, I can put things together. But ya don't need to protect me from gettin' soaked. I can handle it."
He gave her a cold look. He knew most newsies knew that he was apart of a gang. It really wasn't anything new. He just didn't care for people mentioning it.
"Never said ya were dumb," he growled. "To quote you 'sorry for caring' as your leader." He turned to glare at the sky. "Never asked ta be leader..."
"I could ruin your chances of gettin' back at Spot in an instant, Rip. I ain't scared of ya. I could warn Darcy, or warn Spot, or Lacey or Cloud or one of them. But if you're gonna be this kind o' person, then I don't see why I should allow ya ta hurt someone who didn't do anythin' wrong!"
He laughed. It was a bitter one... he didn't care if she warned them. He could always figure out another way. But he laughed at her ignorance. Spot was far from innocent.
"I guess you didn't hear me the other night." He shook his head and carefully pulled his torn shirt back on. It was starting to get really cold.... "Spot ain't innocent. That guy has blood on his hands."
He began making his way to the exit and glanced back at Whisper. "Warn 'em if ya like. I can always find a new way."
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Post by Whisper on Jan 4, 2017 17:05:39 GMT -5
"Not my problem? How the hell it ain't my problem? You're a Queens newsie and I'm leader! Bein' leader means I watch out for Queens."
Whisper closed her eyes tightly. She didn't like the life that she had somehow gotten dragged into by parents that she had never known. She didn't like all of a drama that came along with being a newsie. She just wanted to have her sister there with her and be happy, but it was too much to ask, apparently.
"Never said ya were dumb. To quote you 'sorry for caring' as your leader. Never asked ta be leader..."
She couldn't believe what she was hearing. He didn't want to be leader? Then why was he? The position of leader should have gone to someone who didn't get into gang activity and all that. Rip quite obviously did.
"I guess you didn't hear me the other night. Spot ain't innocent. That guy has blood on his hands."
Whisper sighed softly. She didn't understand why everything was so confusing all of a sudden. What had Spot done? What 'blood' was on his hands? Had Spot really killed someone?
"Warn 'em if ya like. I can always find a new way."
She bit her lip, hesitating for a moment as she watched Rip walk away. Going back to Brooklyn would give her absolutely no one trusting her - Spot didn't, Lacey didn't, and now Rip didn't. She had somehow managed to find a way to ruin everything by doing hardly anything at all.
What meant more to her? Queens, or the safety of other newsies, no matter what borough they were from?
Biting her lip, Whisper left the cemetery, making her way directly back towards Brooklyn.
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