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Post by Rip on Feb 28, 2017 22:05:51 GMT -5
Rip felt a bit cranky as he headed to the distribution center. He hadn't slept too good, but he felt like actually getting up and doing some selling today. Selling helped take his minds off things sometimes. Made him feel slightly more relaxed. He remained silent as he made his way past the boys checking up on them. Not too unusual, but his demeanor lacked its usual bite. Something was obviously on his mind to make him gentler than usual.
He had a few things on his mind and wounds to attend to so he wanted to try taking things a little easy. No need to worry about plans with Spot for the moment. It seemed like he might not have to do much anyways in that area. Things would fall in just nicely if he waited and bided his time carefully.
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Post by Whisper on Feb 28, 2017 22:19:12 GMT -5
When selling began the next day, Whisper hadn't gotten much sleep at all. She was exhausted, and it was obvious from the dullness of her eyes and the slow movement of her body to the distribution center. She wasn't in the mood to sell all that much, although she figured she could buy maybe five less papes than normal and pull things off more or less.
Everything changed, however, when she spotted Rip buying his papers. Almost immediately, Whisper shuffled out of the line to walk by his side, determined to ask him about the day before so that she would have something to tell Jockey - just in case he hadn't spoken to Rip himself. "Where were ya for most of yesterday? Ya had people worried about ya, y'know..."
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Post by Rip on Feb 28, 2017 22:36:05 GMT -5
"Where were ya for most of yesterday?"
Rip fought back a yawn before just giving up. "Does it really matter where I was?"
He wasn't in the mood for explaining himself, even more so while he was still half-asleep.
"Ya had people worried about ya, y'know..."
He blinked rapidly and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. "What?" He must have heard her wrong. Still sleeping... "What'd ya say?"
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Post by Whisper on Feb 28, 2017 22:40:57 GMT -5
"Does it really matter where I was?"
Whisper nearly scoffed, but she managed to stay silent. She wasn't in the mood to fight with Rip about it. She didn't have the energy to deal with his snarky comments this early in the morning.
"What? What'd ya say?"
"I said," She began over enunciating, "Ya had people worried about ya, y'know." The surprise on Rip's part that seemed to come with the idea of people worried about his surprised Whisper a bit, although she didn't mention it. "Jockey and me, we looked around for ya for a long time..."
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Post by Rip on Feb 28, 2017 23:10:12 GMT -5
"I said. Ya had a people worried about ya, y'know."
Rip squinted down at her, still a bit confused and surprised at her statement and a bit annoyed at her over-enunciation. "I ain't deaf or stupid... jus' wanted to be sure I heard you right," he grumbled.
"Jockey and me, we looked around for ya for a long time..."
He cocked his head slightly before yawning again. "Yeah... Jock did say somethin' last evenin'..." He was yawning again. "Don't remember what he said." And he didn't really remember what he had said. That was a bit worrisome. "I was at my place anyways," he brushed her off some, not sure he liked people being worried about him. "Nothin' too unusual. Mr. Folwell knows I don't always stay at the lodge."
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Post by Whisper on Feb 28, 2017 23:17:20 GMT -5
"I ain't deaf or stupid... jus' wanted to be sure I heard you right."
Whisper raised an eyebrow, although she didn't argue. She knew better than to be sarcastic with Rip too much all at once.
"Yeah... Jock did say somethin' last evenin'... Don't remember what he said."
Whisper narrowed her eyes a bit, although she once again held her tongue. It wasn't her place to say anything about the way that Rip was running his life. Besides... He did look terribly tired.
"I was at my place anyways. Nothin' too unusual. Mr. Folwell knows I don't always stay at the lodge."
She frowned, "Where's 'your place'? And why do ya look like ya got soaked if ya were just stayin' at 'your place'?" While it wasn't too obvious, there were bruises that she could see across Rip's face and hands, and some of the skin on his knuckles appeared to be scraped raw and bloodied. He didn't look all that great.
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Post by Rip on Feb 28, 2017 23:48:03 GMT -5
"Where's 'your place'?"
Rip scowled a bit, but it was weak even for him. He was too tired to get really angry and too tired to really think about what he was saying. "Warehouse... I got my own warehouse, 'kay?" he grumbled. "That's where my place."
"And why do ya look like ya got soaked if ya were just stayin' at 'your place'?"
He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh lay off, would ya? I'm tired... an' as for this," he gestured towards some of his bruises. "I got inta a bit of a tussle the day before yesterday 's all. Got nothin' ta do wit' may place."
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Post by Whisper on Feb 28, 2017 23:53:35 GMT -5
"Warehouse... I got my own warehouse, 'kay? That's where my place."
Whisper narrowed her eyes, although she nodded. She didn't need much more of an answer than that, so she wasn't going to push her luck any more than she already was. She tended to do it with Rip a lot.
"Oh lay off, would ya? I'm tired..."
"I can tell," Whisper muttered, "Me too."
"An' as for this, I got inta a bit of a tussle the day before yesterday 's all. Got nothin' ta do wit' may place."
Whisper raised an eyebrow. She was hesitant to believe him, although she didn't really have any reason not to. She would have to talk to Jockey about it when she met up with him again, which would probably be after selling. "Was it because of the gang?"
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Post by Rip on Mar 1, 2017 16:54:55 GMT -5
"I can tell. Me too."
Rip managed to keep back his yawning now and waved her off. "If ya can tell, than leave me be an' get some rest yourself."
"Was it because of the gang?"
He was scowling again. He hated when people brought up the gang even though it was fairly common knowledge. "Yeah... but it ain't nothin' serious so drop it," he growled as he turned away from her to begin selling.
He had special plans for today that put him in a slightly nicer mood despite being sleepy and grumpy. Perhaps that was why he wasn't being extremely snappy.
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Post by Whisper on Mar 1, 2017 18:02:35 GMT -5
"If ya can tell, than leave me be an' get some rest yourself."
"What kinda newsie would I be if I did that?" Whisper raised an eyebrow. She had to sell to make a living; she couldn't afford to miss even half a day of selling. She had to work extremely hard for every penny that she earned.
"Yeah... but it ain't nothin' serious so drop it."
Whisper nearly groaned when Rip once again refused to actually talk to her. While she knew that it was none of her business, she still didn't entirely appreciate being kept completely in the dark when all that she was trying to do was help.
"Fine." She muttered, stepping back from him and getting back in line to get her papes. If he didn't want to talk to her, then she didn't want to listen.
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Post by Rip on Mar 1, 2017 18:22:50 GMT -5
"What kinda newsie would I be if I did that?"
Rip huffed. "I didn't say not ta sell at all. Jus' ta get some rest..." He used his free hand to dig around in his pockets. "If you're worried about restin' and not sellin'..." He tossed a small but decently hefty wallet. "Take that."
He had enough money stashed elsewhere so it wouldn't be much of a loss to him. Besides, he was selling today so he'd be fine regardless. It wasn't a common occurrence, but occasionally Rip would help out newsie down on their luck.
"Fine."
Rip barely heard her as he yawned and gave her slight nod. He was ready to get selling over with for the day so he could get other things done. After all, it was pretty rare for him to get an off day from the gang to lick his wounds and do what he wanted to do for once. To something that wasn't gang or Brooklyn related was truly a rare occasion.
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Post by Whisper on Mar 1, 2017 18:34:06 GMT -5
"I didn't say not ta sell at all. Jus' ta get some rest..."
Whisper rolled her eyes slightly, sighing. How was she supposed to get some rest if she had to spend the whole day selling papers?
"If you're worried about restin' and not sellin'... Take that."
Catching the wallet, Whisper was surprised by the weight. It wasn't heavy, but there was definitely some change in there, and the fact that he just freely gave it to her surprised her. "What?" She asked, a slightly dumbfounded tone to her voice. Why was he just giving her that? He didn't seem to like her very much.
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Post by Rip on Mar 1, 2017 18:39:27 GMT -5
"What?"
Rip sighed and turned, slightly annoyed with himself for actually hearing her question. If he had just walked a little faster, he probably wouldn't have heard her. "Is there a problem?" he asked, arching a brow. "'Cuz I'd like ta sell some of these before the evenin' edition comes out. Got stuff ta do, ya know."
It was still pretty early in the day, but time could fly sometimes. Today wasn't one of those days were Rip felt like wasting time. Today, every minute counted.
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Post by Whisper on Mar 1, 2017 18:49:00 GMT -5
"Is there a problem? 'Cuz I'd like ta sell some of these before the evenin' edition comes out. Got stuff ta do, ya know."
Whisper bit her lip. "Why'd ya give me this? Won't ya need it?" She asked, holding up the wallet of money. While she was grateful, she couldn't help but feel guilty for accepting money when he struggled with it (she assumed) just as much as she did?
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Post by Rip on Mar 1, 2017 19:00:15 GMT -5
"Why'd ya give me this?"
Rip raised his eyebrow once more. So that was what she was asking about. "You seemed worried 'bout restin' an' not gettin' any sellin' done," was his simple reply.
"Won't ya need it?"
He snorted softly. "If I needed it, I wouldn't give it ta ya. I'm sellin' the mornin' an' evenin' editions today so I'll be fine."
He didn't really need to sell the evening edition, but he did want to have some extra pocket money just in case. He had a little something he was thinking about buying.
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Post by Whisper on Mar 1, 2017 19:07:35 GMT -5
"You seemed worried 'bout restin' an' not gettin' any sellin' done."
Whisper had to admit, Rip's sudden kindness stunned her. While his tone of voice and attitude wasn't all that great, there was definitely something behind his actions that was nice. She was grateful for that.
"If I needed it, I wouldn't give it ta ya. I'm sellin' the mornin' an' evenin' editions today so I'll be fine."
Biting down harshly onto her bottom lip, Whisper hesitated. "Well, um... Thanks." She mumbled. She was grateful, and she figured that she would at least pay most of the change back later. But for now, having some time to rest would be nice - especially with her lack of sleep the night before.
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Post by Rip on Mar 1, 2017 19:48:59 GMT -5
"Well, um... Thanks."
Rip nodded curtly and turned to go on his way. Whether she thanked him or not, it didn't really matter to him. He was just fulfilling some of his duty as leader of Queens. Helping others was part of the job, not that he did it very often. He was busy with gang business and keeping boys out of trouble. Kindness wasn't always the first thing on the list, but occasionally it would creep up. Rip wasn't heartless after all.
He yawned and rubbed his face some, trying to look more alert as he made his way to his usual selling spot. Couldn't fall asleep on the job now.
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Post by Jockey on Mar 2, 2017 19:14:15 GMT -5
Jockey was running a little late for selling, but he wasn't planning on selling. He just wanted to see if he could catch Whisper before he sneaked into Brooklyn for work. He wasn't sure when she would like to meet up to head to Manhattan. It was still early, so it would be very possible to catch the nun if they headed over right now.
His eyes lit up as he spotted her though he pursed his lips some as he noticed that she had just finished a talk with Rip. He supposed that wasn't a bad thing, but still... the guy could be a bit rough around the edges. Especially in the morning!
Once Rip was out of earshot, he hurried over to Whisper. "Good morning," he greeted.
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Post by Whisper on Mar 2, 2017 19:37:13 GMT -5
"Good morning."
Whisper nearly jumped at the sound of a voice beside her, although she relaxed when she realized that Jockey stood by her side. "Ya scared me a little." She giggled, "Good mornin' ta you too."
Glancing back to where Rip was, Whisper lowered her voice a bit, turning her attention back to Jockey. "Did ya talk to 'im last night? He said ta me that he was at his 'warehouse.' I dunno if he's tellin' the truth or not..."
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Post by Jockey on Mar 2, 2017 19:47:37 GMT -5
"Ya scared me a little."
Jockey gave her a sheepish look. "Sorry, didn't mean ta scare ya."
"Good mornin' ta you too."
He grinned, happy to see that she was in a good mood. "You sleep well?"
"Did ya talk to 'im last night? He said ta me that he was at his 'warehouse.' I dunno if he's tellin' the truth or not..."
He glanced back at Rip and nodded. "Yeah, I did. He was tired... but he said the same thing ta me about a warehouse. I don't think he'd really lie about somethin' like that." He shrugged. "But he did mumble somethin' about visitin' someone after sellin'. Don't think he meant for me ta hear that though," he admitted. "But I was um, actually wonderin' if you wanted ta see about meetin' that nun?"
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Post by Whisper on Apr 5, 2017 23:08:08 GMT -5
"Sorry, didn't mean ta scare ya."
Whisper shrugged, "It don't matter now. I swear ya came outta nowhere, though..."
"You sleep well?"
She nodded. Sleeping hadn't been too bad, although she was still just as tired as any newsie would be. Sleep was always fleeting.
"Yeah, I did. He was tired... but he said the same thing ta me about a warehouse. I don't think he'd really lie about somethin' like that."
Whisper huffed. So perhaps Rip hadn't been lying, but that didn't make things any less strange. Why had he gone in the first place?
"But he did mumble somethin' about visitin' someone after sellin'. Don't think he meant for me ta hear that though."
Her eyes lit up. That was more of what she had been looking to hear. "We'll have ta look more into that at some point."
"But I was um, actually wonderin' if you wanted ta see about meetin' that nun?"
It hit her all at once like a freight train. Whisper had forgotten all about the nun that they had planned to meet that day, and was almost instantly more awake than she had been before. "Um, yeah, absolutely. Hopefully we won't've missed 'er yet." She smiled sheepishly.
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Post by Jockey on Apr 6, 2017 10:48:35 GMT -5
"It don't matter now. I swear ya came outta nowhere, though..."
"Heh heh, you flatter me," Jockey said sheepishly. "I'm really not that stealthy."
He nodded a bit after her. It was good that she was able to get some sleep. Back at the boys' lodge, it could be hard to find sleep. He wasn't sure if it was the same for the girls. All the same, sleep was important and if you could get it, you were lucky.
"We'll have ta look more into that at some point."
Jockey nodded again but in agreement this time. "Mhmm. Rip don't go visitin' other people much." He pursed his lips slightly. "They usually come ta him." He quickly corrected himself. "I mean he usually comes. Not they. I don't really think Rip got any friends except one guy."
Allies possibly. But most definitely not friends.
"Um, yeah, absolutely. Hopefully we won't've missed 'er yet."
He smiled. "That's good ta hear." He glanced up at the sky. "Still pretty early so I think we should be able ta see her."
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Post by Whisper on Apr 6, 2017 16:12:45 GMT -5
"Heh heh, you flatter me. I'm really not that stealthy."
Whisper shot him an eye roll in return, although she didn't reply.
"Mhmm. Rip don't go visitin' other people much. They usually come ta him. I mean he usually comes. Not they. I don't really think Rip got any friends except one guy."
She frowned, "Who's the one guy?" She wasn't entirely surprised that she didn't know, although she had a sneaking suspicion that it was common knowledge that she had just never paid attention to.
"That's good ta hear. Still pretty early so I think we should be able ta see her."
Whisper nodded, practically bouncing on her feet from the adrenaline that was beginning to pump through her system. She wanted to put more of the clues together and figure out what was going on... Perhaps this was her chance to figure out what was up with Rip.
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Post by Jockey on Apr 6, 2017 17:46:14 GMT -5
"Who's the one guy?"
He scrunched up his nose in thought. "His name's Ace I think. That's all I really now. Well, that and that he's not from Queens." He frowned a little. "Probably the only guy that don't get soaked when he comes into Queens," he added a bit bitterly, rubbing his healing black eye.
Jockey remained slightly as the two of them made their way towards Manhattan. He was glad it was still early so newsies weren't selling just yet. The fewer people seeing them leave, the better.
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Post by Whisper on Apr 6, 2017 19:06:22 GMT -5
"His name's Ace I think. That's all I really know. Well, that and that he's not from Queens."
Whisper frowned. Why was Rip friends with this guy if he wasn't from Queens? How had they even met, much less become friends with one another? Rip seemed to hate everything outside of Queens, so what made Ace so different?
"Probably the only guy that don't get soaked when he comes into Queens."
She frowned softly, biting down onto her lip gently as she watched Jockey rubbing his eye. "Are you alright? Really? Can I get ya anythin'?" She asked, genuine concern lacing her tone as she followed him out of Queens.
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