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Post by Spot Conlon on Mar 1, 2017 17:21:45 GMT -5
He knew news wouldn't come his way fast, but Spot couldn't help being a little antsy and impatient. Jack said he'd send news today after selling, didn't he? So where was he? Maybe he should give the guy some more time... After all, he did kind of sell really fast. Okay, so he didn't buy his usual number of papers. So what? He wanted to know what Jack had figured out. He needed to make out a new plan. Did he need to be more strict with his newsies and birds? On second thought, after that argument with Lacey, maybe he needed to back off. But nothing wasn't set in stone yet. He needed to get a better picture before making a final decision. Once he knew more about Lighter, he could figure out what would be the best decision for the borough. He just needed to be patient.
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Post by Jack Kelly on Mar 1, 2017 17:52:52 GMT -5
Jack had sold his usual hundred papers as quickly as he could. He had hit his stride about halfway through the morning, and he was feeling good. He had gotten as much information on Lighter the night before as he could, having even talked to Kloppman about her, although the general feeling was that no one really knew her.
When he made his way to Brooklyn, he immediately spotted an impatient and slightly worried looking Spot at the docks. Making his way over, he greeted him briefly with a head nod. "Found out everythin' I could. She's tricky ta figure out, though. Only a few people remembered her comin' at all, and she didn't stay too long. Went off with some other guy or somethin'."
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Post by Spot Conlon on Mar 1, 2017 18:05:21 GMT -5
"Found out everythin' I could. She's tricky ta figure out, though. Only a few people remembered her comin' at all, and she didn't stay too long. Went off with some other guy or somethin'."
Spot relaxed some as he saw the 'Hattan leader making his way towards the docks, though he was frowning as Jack gave him the news. "That's not good," he muttered more to himself than to his friend.
It seemed like this Lighter was slippery figure. They didn't have solid enough information to make any decisions yet.
He sighed. "You know who the guy was an' where she went?"
If they at least knew where she went, Spot could kind of get a picture of how serious things were. Depending on where she went could also possible help him on tracking her down and knowing more about the map and why there were kids gathered back in Brooklyn.
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Post by Jack Kelly on Mar 1, 2017 18:09:42 GMT -5
"That's not good."
Jack nodded, running his hands through his golden locks. He wished that there was more information out there - the fact that she had been there and yet no one really remembered much about her just made him suspicious of the small girl.
"You know who the guy was an' where she went?"
"Sounded like they headed off towards Staten. I have no clue who the guy was. Only thing I know is that he would be around our age now." Jack sighed. It didn't help too much, especially since they didn't know if Staten would be where they still were, but Jack figured that Spot could try asking Thunder about that. "Maybe Thunder would know somethin'? I'm not sure."
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Post by Spot Conlon on Mar 1, 2017 18:31:00 GMT -5
"Sounded like they headed off towards Staten."
Spot raised an eyebrow. That wasn't a place he would have expected someone to run off too, but that made things a little easier. He could just ask Thunder for information and keep things hush hush. No need to bother Biscuits and get people worried for no reason.
"I have no clue who the guy was. Only thing I know is that he would be around our age now."
He frowned deeply. It wasn't too much information... but it was something none the less. "Well, at least we know his age."
"Maybe Thunder would know somethin'? I'm not sure."
Spot nodded. "Yeah, that was what I was thinkin'. He might know somethin' or at least hoid somethin'... He'd be my best bet for findin' out anything over in Staten."
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Post by Jack Kelly on Mar 1, 2017 18:37:29 GMT -5
"Well, at least we know his age."
Jack nodded, although he felt bad about not being able to provide Spot with more information. He just couldn't find out much from anyone - his main source of actual information had been from Tumbler and Boots.
"Yeah, that was what I was thinkin'. He might know somethin' or at least hoid somethin'... He'd be my best bet for findin' out anything over in Staten."
He nodded again. "Yeah, probably. I'm sure he'd know something if anyone did - even before Biscuit." Jack added. He didn't know much about what was going on, but he knew that he would be on the lookout for a girl that looked like Lighter had been described to him.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Mar 1, 2017 18:49:45 GMT -5
"Yeah, probably. I'm sure he'd know something if anyone did - even before Biscuit."
A slight smirk graced Spot's lips. "Yeah, Thunder gets news fast."
Not that he didn't respect the Staten leader or anything, but he was proud of his older brother and knew his abilities surpassed Biscuit in some ways. To be honest, he had been surprised when his brother had informed him that he had turned down the offer of being leader of the borough. He knew Thunder was more than capable of leading.
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Post by Jack Kelly on Mar 1, 2017 18:54:35 GMT -5
"Yeah, Thunder gets news fast."
Jack chuckled a bit, nodding. "Yeah, that 'e does. Thunder's great." Thunder was someone that Jack had always though would make a really good leader. However, it had never happened, and he respected Thunder's choice to decline. That was his choice, after all, and being a leader definitely had its moments where things would be hard to deal with. It was just worth it at the end of the day when your borough was safe and running smoothly.
"So... How did things go comin' back last night?" Jack raised an inquisitive eyebrow, beginning to smirk.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Mar 1, 2017 19:09:28 GMT -5
"Yeah, that 'e does. Thunder's great."
Spot grinned, obviously very proud of his elder sibling. To him, there was nothing Thunder couldn't do.
"So... How did things go comin' back last night?"
He blinked in surprised before quickly realizing what Jack was referring to. He cleared his throat. "It went all right, I think." He shrugged lightly. "Took your advice an' think we got things straightened out so it ain't nothin' ta worry about now."
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Post by Jack Kelly on Mar 1, 2017 19:12:13 GMT -5
"It went all right, I think."
Jack grinned. Had it worked out in the way that Jack had wanted it to? Did Spot finally have a girlfriend? Or a girl that he was remotely interested in? He would take either.
"Took your advice an' think we got things straightened out so it ain't nothin' ta worry about now."
"That's good," Jack nodded, "I'm glad. But... Nothin' else happened?" He raised an eyebrow. He didn't assume that Spot was the type who would make a move either way, although that didn't mean that he stopped hoping.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Mar 1, 2017 19:56:06 GMT -5
"That's good. I'm glad."
Spot nodded back. "Me too." It would have made the next couple of days very awkward if things hadn't been sorted out like they were. It was good to know that he and Lacey had cooled their heads and talked things out.
"But... Nothin' else happened?"
He blinked, confused. "What do ya mean?" He cocked his head slightly. "I mean she did give me a scarf?"
He wasn't sure if that was Jack was asking about nothing out of the usual really happened. He spoke to Lacey and got things sorted out and she gave him a scarf. That wasn't anything that "happened" really. At least, not in Spot's mind. Though, he wondered if he should get Lacey a gift as well. Maybe he'd ask Thunder after getting more info on Lighter.
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Post by Jack Kelly on Mar 1, 2017 20:03:37 GMT -5
"Me too."
Jack was glad that things seemed to be back on track for Spot. Plenty of bad things had happened to Brooklyn lately, and it killed Jack not really being able to stay up to date on everything. At least now he had helped out with one problem.
"What do ya mean? I mean she did give me a scarf?"
A grin immediately graced Jack's lips, "Good. That's good." While Jack wasn't going to push it on Spot, he did definitely want to know who this girl was. Spot had never even questioned his feelings about a girl before, so there was definitely something the piqued Jack's interest in that situation.
"So, the scarf... Did she buy it? Or make it?" It was something that Jack could judge where the pair of them were with, so he figured that it seemed harmless enough for Spot to not have a hard time answering it.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Mar 1, 2017 20:22:54 GMT -5
"Good. That's good."
Spot gave his friend a perplexed look. Now what did he mean by that? Why was it "good" that she gave him a scarf? He wasn't sure he was following Jack's thoughts.
"So, the scarf... Did she buy it? Or make it?"
He shrugged. "I think she made it." He cocked his head once more. "Why you askin'? You need a scarf or somethin'?"
Spot obviously wasn't very used to dealing with these sort of situations because he had always been to ignore girls unless it had to do with the borough.
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Post by Jack Kelly on Mar 1, 2017 20:31:00 GMT -5
"I think she made it."
Jack grinned. There was definitely something going on with this girl. She had to like Spot... At least a little bit. She wouldn't have put that sort of time into making him something like that otherwise.
"Why you askin'? You need a scarf or somethin'?"
Jack stifled a laugh, "No, no... Not at all. Just, uh, make sure that you're nice to 'er, Spot. Wouldn't want the first girl who actually seems ta really like ya runnin' away now." Jack shot him a wink.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Mar 1, 2017 20:40:12 GMT -5
"No, no... Not at all."
Spot scrunched up his face in confusion. "Then why'd you ask?"
"Just, uh, make sure that you're nice to 'er, Spot."
He gave Jack insulted look. "I'm always nice ta goils, blockhead..."
He huffed some. He was practically the perfect gentleman when around girls.
"Wouldn't want the first girl who actually seems ta really like ya runnin' away now."
Spot looked up at his friend with a strange expression. "What?"
Lacey... liked him? It wasn't unusual for the girls in Brooklyn to crush on him, but it was a little strange to think Lacey would feel the same way. It made him frown a little. He wasn't sure if he liked the thought of Lacey liking him like all the other girls did. He respected Lacey and kind of separated her from the other girls. He thought of her more like he did his birds... so this could make things interesting. He might have to ask her about that, though something told him that wouldn't be a good idea.
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Post by Jack Kelly on Mar 1, 2017 20:44:19 GMT -5
"Then why'd you ask?"
Jack shook his head, forcing back his smile. "Nah, don't worry about that..."
"I'm always nice ta goils, blockhead..."
Jack shrugged. "In some ways, yeah... In some ways, it ain't that you're mean... It's that you're blind."
"What?"
He had to admit, he was surprised that Spot didn't seem to have thought about it. Jack thought that it was obvious, and it only confirmed his previous thought about the Brooklyn leader. "Ya really never thought about it, did ya?" He raised an eyebrow. "That's why I asked."
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Post by Spot Conlon on Mar 1, 2017 20:53:55 GMT -5
"Nah, don't worry about that..."
Spot pursed his lips. He supposed he should wait and bug Jack about it later. Seems like the guys felt like being mysterious. Oh well, he'd let the guy play that game. But later, later he'd get to the bottom of it. Conlons were very determined people when they set their minds on something.
"In some ways, yeah... In some ways, it ain't that you're mean... It's that you're blind."
He frowned, not understanding what Jack was referring to. "Blind ta what?"
"Ya really never thought about it, did ya?"
Spot blinked. "Why would I? Lacey is one of my boids. If she was like all the other goils in Brooklyn, I wouldn't have let her be one."
"That's why I asked."
He huffed once more, feeling rather perplexed. He didn't get. "Why would I think about it..."
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Post by Jack Kelly on Mar 1, 2017 20:58:15 GMT -5
"Blind ta what?"
Jack nearly rolled his eyes, "Ta lots of things, Spot."
"Why would I? Lacey is one of my boids. If she was like all the other goils in Brooklyn, I wouldn't have let her be one. Why would I think about it..."
Jack sighed. Spot quite obviously didn't want to think much about it, so Jack figured that it would be better to quit while he was ahead. "Well, fine, fine... But do ya still think that she's like all the other goils?" Jack raised an eyebrow, although he was willing to drop the subject there.
That was, however, until he realized that Spot had told him the name of who it was. Immediately, his eyes widened a bit. "Wait, Lacey?"
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Post by Spot Conlon on Mar 1, 2017 21:30:44 GMT -5
"Ta lots of things, Spot."
"Like what?" he pressed. It wouldn't be good for a leader to be blind about anything.
"Well, fine, fine... But do ya still think that she's like all the other goils?"
He pursed his lips slightly. She was certainly different... but there were definitely some ways were she was the same as the others. He was about to answer when Jack suddenly interrupted him.
"Wait, Lacey?"
Spot's eyes widened as well as he cursed under-breath. He hadn't meant to say her name out loud! This was supposed to be private. He didn't like giving out personal matters like that. Which was why he hadn't told Jack that the argument had been with Lacey. It wasn't right to broadcast his fight with Lacey. It wouldn't be fair to her. As a rule, Spot left names out but somehow he accidentally made a slip. "Shoot," he hissed quietly.
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Post by Jack Kelly on Mar 1, 2017 21:38:37 GMT -5
"Like what?"
"For one, like the fact that havin' someone that's there for ya through everythin' and is always there ta support ya isn't a bad thing." Of course, Jack wasn't going to force Spot into a relationship that he didn't want to be him, but he did want Spot to be happy and address things with whatever he was going to choose to do.
"On top of that, ya might've completely skipped over the thought that Lacey could've liked ya." Jack pointed out.
"Shoot."
Jack could easily tell that Spot hadn't meant to give away the identity of who he had been talking about. Jack didn't know Lacey all that well, only having met her a few times when she had been with Spot, or when she had come to Manhattan on business as a bird. He did, however, know her well enough to know that he wasn't giving Spot false information about her feelings for him.
"Don't worry about it, I ain't gonna say anythin'." He clapped Spot on the back. "I've gotta head back soon for the night, but if ya wanted me to, I could talk to Thunder tamorrow so ya didn't have ta make the trip down there." He offered.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Mar 1, 2017 21:45:51 GMT -5
"For one, like the fact that havin' someone that's there for ya through everythin' and is always there ta support ya isn't a bad thing."
Spot raised an eyebrow with a skeptical look. He really didn't think he was blind to something like that... but he'd keep it in mind just in case.
"On top of that, ya might've completely skipped over the thought that Lacey could've liked ya."
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn't deny that. To be honest, he had been hoping that Lacey's eagerness had been more out of respect for him as a leader and wanting to help the borough. Looks like he might have made the mistake that she might have been doing it to show that she liked him more than just as leader.
"Don't worry about it, I ain't gonna say anythin'."
Spot just scowled. He hated that he had slipped up like that. It wasn't like him... not like him at all.
"I've gotta head back soon for the night, but if ya wanted me to, I could talk to Thunder tamorrow so ya didn't have ta make the trip down there."
He quickly shook his head. "No, it's fine. I have some things I want ta talk ta about Thunder... an' I'm sure Jasper would like a visit." He had a faint smile on his lips at the thought of the youngest Conlon member. "Been awhile."
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Post by Jack Kelly on Mar 1, 2017 21:52:51 GMT -5
"No, it's fine. I have some things I want ta talk ta about Thunder... an' I'm sure Jasper would like a visit. Been awhile."
Jack smiled softly, nodding. "If ya say so. Just didn't want ya makin' the trip if that was all ya were headin' over there for."
While there were a lot of things that could be said about Spot, many of them being true much of the time, the one thing that always stood out to Jack about Spot was his devotion and loyalty to his family. His brothers and cousin meant the world to him, and seeing the look on his face whenever he would think about them was something that Jack thought was special.
"I'll see ya around, Spot," Jack shot him a grin, "Tell Thunder I said hello." Making his way away from the docks, the Cowboy made his way back across the bridge.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Mar 1, 2017 22:06:48 GMT -5
"If ya say so. Just didn't want ya makin' the trip if that was all ya were headin' over there for."
Spot nodded in understanding. "I appreciate the offer."
Jack was a good friend. He was lucky to have a fellow leader that he was actually close with. It made things easier, especially when the boroughs met up together on special occasions like for strikes. And well, once in a blue moon, all the boroughs would just meet together for meetings to see how things went. It was usually just among the leaders, but not all the borough leaders showed up. Rip never came to those and neither did the leaders from Jersey. Okay, maybe once would come but the other wouldn't. They weren't at odds with each other or anything like that. They just didn't care to come together.
"I'll see ya around, Spot. Tell Thunder I said hello."
Spot returned his grin. "See ya. I'll be sure ta give Thunder a hello for you."
The Conlons had always been good friends with the Cowboy. Jasper always looked up to the Hattan leader, perhaps not as much as he did his own brothers, but still he thought very highly of Jack Kelly.
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Post by Jack Kelly on Mar 1, 2017 22:12:01 GMT -5
"I appreciate the offer."
Jack nodded. It was the least that he could do with all of the other responsibilities and worries that Spot seemed to be having to deal with as of late in his own borough.
"See ya. I'll be sure ta give Thunder a hello for you."
He grinned, turning for a moment to call back to Spot. "And tell Jasper ta come and visit sometime! I'll have ta take 'im out ta lunch!" Continuing on his way, Jack walked with a spring in his step.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Mar 1, 2017 22:18:45 GMT -5
"And tell Jasper ta come and visit sometime! I'll have ta take 'im out ta lunch!"
Spot looked back up at his friend, grinning. "I'll be sure ta tell 'im that!" he called back. "He'll love that."
And poor Thunder probably wouldn't hear the end of it. Spot chuckled at the thought and headed towards the lodge. He was going to spend the night in Staten so he better let Mr. O'Quinn know before he left.
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