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Post by Jockey on Feb 26, 2017 21:20:52 GMT -5
"A-Are you sure? Uncle Kurt never said he had a brother..."
The old man adjusted his glasses as he looked down at the names. "Sure am. It's right here." He pointed to the family names and connections in the book. "Don't make mistakes in these books," he added as he closed the book.
Jockey frowned. The old man was right. It did say that Frederich was Kurt's brother... things were getting really strange now.
"Do ya know where we could find Frederich?"
The old man frowned thoughtfully. "Can't say that I can. Just know he lived in Queens with Mr. Kurt Richardson according to this census." He patted the book as he went to return to its rightful place. "Along with Frederich's two boys and his wife."
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Post by Whisper on Feb 26, 2017 21:29:02 GMT -5
"Sure am. It's right here. Don't make mistakes in these books."
Whisper believed it, although it was difficult. How was she supposed to suddenly switch gears entirely? Were they really searching for someone who was a part of Rip's family?
"Can't say that I can. Just know he lived in Queens with Mr. Kurt Richardson according to this census. Along with Frederich's two boys and his wife."
Her eyes widened, turning quickly to Jockey beside her. "'Good riddance of Frederich's son'?" She whispered, only then turning her attention back to the old man. "Thank ya so much for your help. I really 'preciate it." She beamed, grabbing Jockey once more and beginning to pull him out of the building.
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Post by Jockey on Feb 26, 2017 21:52:39 GMT -5
"'Good riddance of Frederich's son'?"
Jockey raised an eyebrow. He really wasn't seeing where this was going...
"Thank ya so much for your help. I really 'preciate it."
The old man gave her a smile before disappearing down the shelves again. "Any time, miss!"
Once Whisper had pulled him outside of the town hall, Jockey was ready to finally talk. "What was that all about? 'Good riddance of Frederich's son'? What does that mean exactly? I'm not following..." He sighed. "At all. Do you?"
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Post by Whisper on Feb 26, 2017 21:57:14 GMT -5
"What was that all about? 'Good riddance of Frederich's son'? What does that mean exactly? I'm not following... At all. Do you?"
Whisper sighed, "I'm not sure. Maybe. I figure it would be better to figure out where this 'Frederich' is first, though." She had a few different possibilities of what could be happening, although she didn't know whether any of them were right. If things kept adding up, then she could explain them to Jockey later. She just didn't want to confuse him.
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Post by Jockey on Feb 26, 2017 22:48:06 GMT -5
"I'm not sure. Maybe. I figure it would be better to figure out where this 'Frederich' is first, though."
Jockey pursed his lips. "Right... I guess that might be a better way to start. But where do we look? I don't think he was livin' with Mr. Kurt when we visited the place." He frowned a little. "Only way ta really know is ta ask people who know Mr. Kurt I guess..."
He wasn't too familiar with people who knew Rip's dad. He barely knew who Rip's dad was after all. This could make things a little harder. But they did have a last name to go with so maybe it wouldn't too hard?
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Post by Whisper on Feb 26, 2017 23:07:04 GMT -5
"Right... I guess that might be a better way to start. But where do we look? I don't think he was livin' with Mr. Kurt when we visited the place."
Whisper nodded, sighing dejectedly. They had a lead, although it seemed to fizzle out the moment that they thought that they knew something. How were they supposed to find Frederich if they had no idea where to look?
"Only way ta really know is ta ask people who know Mr. Kurt I guess..."
She sighed softly, nodding slowly. "Should we ask around the neighborhood? One of the neighbors has gotta know 'im from somewhere..." She wasn't entirely confident with the idea, although she figured that it was better than nothing. If Jockey had a better idea, though, it would have been absolutely welcome.
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Post by Jockey on Feb 26, 2017 23:58:43 GMT -5
"Should we ask around the neighborhood? One of the neighbors has gotta know 'im from somewhere..."
Jockey sighed, knowing they didn't have much of a choice. "Probably the best choice we have. Just a little ways from Rip's old house should be a good start." He scratched the back of his neck. "I can always check out Rip's old workplace. I know he worked with a blacksmith for a little bit. Maybe the blacksmith'll know somethin'."
He shrugged, open to Whisper's comments. "We might find out something faster if we split up."
((Hey just a heads up. It's midnight over here so I got to hit the sack. XD Nice chatting with you as always! Hopefully I can get on some tomorrow.))
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Post by Whisper on Feb 27, 2017 9:34:34 GMT -5
"Probably the best choice we have. Just a little ways from Rip's old house should be a good start."
Whisper nodded. That sounded like a good enough idea, and they wouldn't be risking making Kurt suspicious if they stayed far enough away from where he was.
"I can always check out Rip's old workplace. I know he worked with a blacksmith for a little bit. Maybe the blacksmith'll know somethin'."
Whisper's eyes lit up, "That'd be a great idea! The blacksmith'd gotta know somethin' about where Frederich could be, or even about where Rip could be. Maybe Rip used ta have a place that he'd be, and the blacksmith had heard about it somewhere..."
"We might find out something faster if we split up."
That was the moment where Whisper first hesitated. She knew for a fact that the area that they were in wasn't entirely the best, although she also knew that Jockey was right. She could run if she had to, and she could fight if it came to that. It probably wouldn't, but she was prepared. Nodding her head, Whisper complied. "I'll ask the neighbors if ya get the blacksmith. Where are we gonna meet up again and when?"
[No problem at all! I passed out pretty early last night. I look forward to talking to you more!]
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Post by Jockey on Feb 27, 2017 9:59:50 GMT -5
"That'd be a great idea! The blacksmith'd gotta know somethin' about where Frederich could be, or even about where Rip could be. Maybe Rip used ta have a place that he'd be, and the blacksmith had heard about it somewhere..."
Jockey grinned as Whisper's eyes lit up. She looked rather pretty like that know that he thought about it. But he must say, he was glad she liked his idea. It seemed he wasn't entirely useless. "Thanks!"
"I'll ask the neighbors if ya get the blacksmith. Where are we gonna meet up again and when?"
He pursed his lips and wrinkled his forehead some in thought. "Hmmm... how about in an hour in front of the library?"
An hour should give them time to find people and ask a few questions. And, the library would be a good place to meet. The other newsies rarely went over there so no one would see them and think it was suspicious.
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Post by Whisper on Feb 27, 2017 17:25:28 GMT -5
"Thanks!"
Whisper grinned. Her time with Jockey was definitely productive, and she appreciated that. He knew everything that she didn't, it seemed, and it was incredibly helpful.
"Hmmm... how about in an hour in front of the library?"
She nodded. An hour would be plenty of time. "Sounds good. I'll meet ya there. Stay safe." She smiled, stepping away from Jockey and making her way towards the outskirts of Queens. Hopefully, the neighbors would be nicer than Mr. Richardson himself.
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Post by Jockey on Feb 27, 2017 19:09:41 GMT -5
"Sounds good. I'll meet ya there. Stay safe."
Jockey nodded, grinning back. "You too. I'll see ya in an hour then."
He gave her a quick wave of goodbye before heading towards the blacksmith. It was a good distance away so an hour would be perfect time to get there, ask questions, and come back to the library. He was good friends with a few of the blacksmiths that worked at the racetrack so he shouldn't have too much trouble talking with them and getting information.
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Post by Whisper on Feb 27, 2017 19:14:27 GMT -5
"You too. I'll see ya in an hour then."
Whisper nodded, a soft grin on her face as she walked. It wasn't the best part of Queens, although it wasn't as bad as it could have been. There were times where gangs would be out roaming the streets, and that was always the worst time to be out walking around. They showed no mercy.
Walking up to a few different houses, Whisper was able to get some pieces of information here and there, although no one seemed to be sure where Frederich lived anymore. Some people said that they knew him, and could describe his face, but nothing was quite concrete enough to give her the information that she needed. The most that she could find out was that he had moved out of that part of town and was now probably living in a slightly more upscale part of Queens - although Whisper doubted that it would be the upper end of the city.
Sighing, Whisper began making her way back to the library. Maybe they could find something there?
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Post by Jockey on Feb 27, 2017 21:44:20 GMT -5
Jockey hurried back to the library. He had learned quite a few things at the blacksmith. It had taken a little while though. He had to talk to several of the smithies before he finally got some solid information. It wasn't the best news for them, but it was something, right? And well, the smithy did guide him to another source. That had to be good.
He was panting softly as he finally arrived at the library. He had to do some running to dodge some of the boys who had finished selling the evening edition. He smiled as he spotted Whisper already waiting for him.
"I hope," he gasped a little. "I hope I didn't keep ya waitin' too long?"
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Post by Whisper on Feb 27, 2017 21:47:45 GMT -5
"I hope I didn't keep ya waitin' too long?"
When Whisper finally spotted Jockey coming towards her, a small grin broke out onto her face. She did often times find herself happy around him, and she assumed that it was the good companionship that she found with him that made her feel that way.
"No, not at all. Did ya find anythin'? No one had a real solid answer for me, but I know that 'e moved inta a better place than where 'e was. Not even sure if it's still in Queens, but it's gotta be a nicer neighborhood..." She sighed. Her concrete information was severely lacking, but she hoped that Jockey had found something more.
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Post by Jockey on Feb 27, 2017 22:03:45 GMT -5
"No, not at all."
Jockey gave her a relieved grin. "Oh that's good. I was worried I'd be runnin' way late," he chuckled softly.
"Did ya find anythin'? No one had a real solid answer for me, but I know that 'e moved inta a better place than where 'e was. Not even sure if it's still in Queens, but it's gotta be a nicer neighborhood..."
He cocked his head as he listened to her and nodded. "Yeah, I think I got somethin'. An' you ain't too far off. Apparently, Frederich went West for better chances and left his family in the care of Mr. Kurt." He sighed before pressing on,"I know that ain't the best news for us, but there's a little somethin' that might help... I was talkin' ta the blacksmith an' he told me that we might be able to talk to a nun that knows a little about Frederich. I guess she knew him an' his family before he left."
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Post by Whisper on Feb 27, 2017 22:09:23 GMT -5
"Oh that's good. I was worried I'd be runnin' way late."
Whisper laughed, "I can wait. Promise."
"Yeah, I think I got somethin'. An' you ain't too far off. Apparently, Frederich went West for better chances and left his family in the care of Mr. Kurt."
She bit her lip. Frederich was gone? There was no way that they were going to be able to find him if he had gone out West, so what were they supposed to do? How could they find Rip with a huge piece of the puzzle missing?
"I know that ain't the best news for us, but there's a little somethin' that might help... I was talkin' ta the blacksmith an' he told me that we might be able to talk to a nun that knows a little about Frederich. I guess she knew him an' his family before he left."
Whisper's eyes lit up, "We've gotta talk to 'er!" She exclaimed. "Where is she?"
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Post by Jockey on Feb 27, 2017 22:27:53 GMT -5
"I can wait. Promise."
His grin widened some. "Well, that's good ta know."
The guys had a habit of ditching you if you took too long to meet up with them after all.
"We've gotta talk to 'er! Where is she?"
Jockey chuckled a bit at her excitement. "Don't get too excited, 'kay?" He looked a little more serious. "She works with some of the nuns at the Refuge... but," he gave her a small smile. "We might be able to catch her in the mornin'. Smithy said somethin' about her helping the other nuns give bread and milk ta some of the newsies in 'Hattan."
So all in all, the news wasn't so bad, was it? Sure, they hadn't found Rip... but they had gotten more information on him that could help them help their leader.
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Post by Whisper on Feb 27, 2017 22:34:50 GMT -5
"Well, that's good ta know."
Whisper grinned. She liked to think of herself as a patient person, although she did have a certain threshold that shouldn't be pushed. Jockey had seemed perfectly fine to her.
"Don't get too excited, 'kay?"
Whisper's grin faded. Was there something more serious that he hadn't told her at first? Was the nun a bad person or something? ... Not that Whisper assumed that any nun could be a bad person.
"She works with some of the nuns at the Refuge... but we might be able to catch her in the mornin'. Smithy said somethin' about her helping the other nuns give bread and milk ta some of the newsies in 'Hattan."
She nodded slowly. That would have meant that they were done with their search for the day, and Whisper knew that she wouldn't be sleeping too well that night. Hopefully, they would be able to find Rip the next day and make sure that things were going alright. "Alright." She whispered, letting out a small sigh of defeat.
"I guess I'll walk with ya back towards the lodges then?" Whisper offered.
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Post by Jockey on Feb 27, 2017 23:11:37 GMT -5
"Alright."
Jockey could tell she was a little disappointed, but he could also see that she was glad there was some good news involved. "It ain't the best, but it's better than nothin' right? And I for one would rather not go anywhere near the Refuge," he admitted honestly. "That place can be a bit scary."
He had never been of course, but he had heard plenty of stories that made him wary of the place. Oh sure Mr. Snyder had gotten in trouble shortly after the strike, but somehow things happened and he was back in power. Things were remaining just as they were on the inside. The outside people were the lucky ones in so many ways.
"I guess I'll walk with ya back towards the lodges then?"
He nodded. "Sounds great. Who knows?" He smiled. "Maybe we'll bump inta Rip."
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Post by Whisper on Feb 27, 2017 23:17:59 GMT -5
"It ain't the best, but it's better than nothin' right? And I for one would rather not go anywhere near the Refuge. That place can be a bit scary."
Whisper nodded. She had heard plenty of stories about the Refuge, and that wasn't someplace that she wanted to go, whether she had Jockey there with her or not.
"Sounds great. Who knows? Maybe we'll bump inta Rip."
She giggled a bit, nodding and shrugging at the thought. It would be slightly frustrating if they had been searching for nothing, although it wouldn't be unwelcome. It would certainly make her night a better one.
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Post by Jockey on Feb 27, 2017 23:49:31 GMT -5
Jockey smiled as Whisper giggled. It was nice seeing her happy. She had looked so serious when they first met. It was very nice to see a change. And well, it made the day seem much better than it had been. There had been so many questions and worries earlier in the day, but now they seemed to have mostly disappeared which was a very good thing in his opinion.
He stopped short as he saw a familiar newsie climbing the fire escape and into the lodge. Nudging Whisper gently, he tossed his head toward the direction of the boys' lodge. "Looks like he's back."
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Post by Whisper on Feb 27, 2017 23:52:06 GMT -5
"Looks like he's back."
The nudge caught Whisper a bit off guard, although upon seeing the shadowy newsie climbing into the lodge from the upper level, Whisper had to bite her lip in order to keep herself from groaning aloud.
"Great. Glad he's back." She muttered, a bitter yet amused tone to her voice. "It was still a fun adventure. I'm glad I met ya."
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Post by Jockey on Feb 28, 2017 11:27:37 GMT -5
"Great. Glad he's back."
Jockey cracked a small grin. "One less thing ta worry about. I'll try an' talk ta him and see what's up."
"It was still a fun adventure. I'm glad I met ya."
"I feel the same," he agreed. "But I think we might want ta keep this between ourselves. This whole Frederich and Rip thing, I mean. At least until we know more."
There was still so much they didn't know so they needed to be careful. Rip was the very last person he wanted to know about what they were doing.
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Post by Whisper on Feb 28, 2017 17:13:10 GMT -5
"One less thing ta worry about. I'll try an' talk ta him and see what's up."
Whisper nodded. She was eager to hear where he had been while they had been searching so desperately for him, especially since things had seemed to come up out of nowhere. Had he vanished like that before? Was it something having to do with the gang? Or was there something serious going on with their leader?
"I feel the same, but I think we might want ta keep this between ourselves. This whole Frederich and Rip thing, I mean. At least until we know more."
She nodded in agreement. She could keep that a secret, and she would have to find a way to see what had been happening, too. Whisper didn't want things to go too far.
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Post by Jockey on Feb 28, 2017 20:50:58 GMT -5
Jockey gave Whisper a small smile as she nodded. "A secret it is then." He sighed a bit glancing back at the lodge. He wasn't sure how things would go with Rip, but he had to try. He was worried about his leader and the borough after all.
"I guess I'll see ya tomorrow?" he asked. He wasn't sure if she wanted to meet tomorrow right away or sometime later.
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