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Post by Lacey on Jul 3, 2016 13:04:03 GMT -5
Lacey was a bit tired from the day of selling, the stresses of work and selling papers along with having to run around and do things to prove her loyalty and worth to Spot all sending a million different thoughts through her head. She was grateful for the chance to prove that she was a valuable part of Brooklyn, most definitely, although a part of her wished that it involved a bit less running across the Brooklyn Bridge. She figured that she would get used to it after a while, but until then, she was going to be quite miserable about it.
So, for about ten minutes, she had just been standing by the edge of the bridge, looking out at the large towns on either sides of the bridge, as well as the water and the boats beneath her, just trying to pass the time before she would have to go back in and get some sleep. It was maybe an hour or two before the house was shut down for the night, although if nothing happened anytime soon, she figured that she would just head in, anyway. The sun was beginning to set, pink and purple shimmering in the sky and over the water below her.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Jul 3, 2016 13:14:51 GMT -5
Spot had been pretty busy. Selling had gone okay, not one of his best days to be honest. He had to discipline two of his boys and was now a bird short. Maybe it was a good thing that he was considering adding Lacey to the group. And he did need to get some new recruits in.
But that wasn't all that he had to do that day. He had promised Thunder and Jasper a visit in Staten, and then he had also promised Racetrack that he'd play a round of poker with him. It had almost slipped his mind until the Manhattan newsie bumped into him on his way from Staten Island. Racetrack reminded Spot of his promise so he had to hurry back across the bridge to grab his deck of cards. Race had lost his in a marble match or something like that.
There was no need to hurry though. It may be getting late, but it wasn't like Mr. O'Quinn cared if Spot came into the lodge at midnight. He just felt it'd be best to rush in and out of Brooklyn. He didn't really want to talk to any of his boys after having it out with Lucky and Cricket.
He swung his cane impatiently as he hurried to cross the bridge. He stopped short when he noticed someone standing at the edge of the bridge. He gripped cane tightly, just in case this was a fight waiting to happen.
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Post by Lacey on Jul 3, 2016 13:21:31 GMT -5
The faint sound of footsteps approaching brought Lacey out of her trance, turning briefly to see Spot walking across the bridge, his cane in his hand. She sighed, holding up her hands briefly. "'m unarmed. No need ta fight."
Of course, she wasn't surprised that Spot had been in Manhattan. The only thing that confused her just a bit about it was the fact that she had been speaking to Jack for him about things, and then he had gone over there anyway. She supposed that it was a thing mainly for safety reasons, and if she knew Spot as well as she thought that she did - which still wasn't much, but it was something, at least - he was probably either speaking to Jack or playing a game with Racetrack over there. "You need somethin'?"
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Post by Spot Conlon on Jul 3, 2016 13:28:56 GMT -5
"'m unarmed. No need ta fight."
Spot relaxed and lowered his cane some, but not all the way, he still needed to confirm who this person was. As he came closer, he realized it was Lacey. He shouldn't have been surprised to see her on the bridge. She was probably keeping an eye out on things like a proper bird would. Looked like she was a pretty good choice after all.
"You need somethin'?"
He cocked his head slightly and placed his cane in his belt loophole. "Just pickin' up something at the lodge. Any news from Kelly?"
He hoped Lacey had word with Jack. He didn't get a chance to talk to him since he was just breezing through Manhattan. It was pure luck that Racetrack had caught him. Most of the 'Hattan newsies didn't even catch a glimpse of him when he was just passing through, and he liked it that way. He didn't like rumors being spread about his trips outside of his borough.
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Post by Lacey on Jul 3, 2016 13:35:31 GMT -5
Lacey had to admit, seeing him put his cane away allowed her to relax just a bit more, glad that there wasn't going to be any need for her to start thinking about planning her funeral anytime soon.
"Just pickin' up something at the lodge. Any news from Kelly?"
Lacey sighed, "He said he hadn't hoid much 'bout Rip. He said he'd try comin' over here sometime so that he could talk ta ya face-ta-face, but he ain't sure when it'll be. 'Parently, all 'Hattan newsies know 'bout Brooklyn now's that you're still leadin', and things're goin' well." She shrugged softly. Jack did seem to be slightly worried when she had mentioned someone called Rip, although she still didn't know why. There had never been any question to the newsies that she had met that Spot Conlon was the best newsie in New York, purely because he was able to sell well, flirt with ladies whenever he needed to, and make sure that he had ears and eyes everywhere to look out for Brooklyn.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Jul 3, 2016 13:43:54 GMT -5
"He said he hadn't hoid much 'bout Rip. He said he'd try comin' over here sometime so that he could talk ta ya face-ta-face, but he ain't sure when it'll be.
Spot nodded, frowning some. Well, if Jack hadn't heard anything big about Rip, that meant he was still in planning mode. That was good news. And well, talking face-to-face with Jack soon would be a good idea. There were others things that they needed to discuss.
"I'll probably talk ta him sometime soon. Maybe even tanight," he added but more to himself than to Lacey.
" 'Parently, all 'Hattan newsies know 'bout Brooklyn now's that you're still leadin', and things're goin' well."
A slight smirk tugged at his lips. It was good to know that more of the 'Hattan newsies were hearing about Brooklyn. His borough wasn't one to be messed with, and he did his best to gain the fear and respect from all the other boroughs. He just hadn't been able to do that with Queens, but that was whole 'nother story to worry about.
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Post by Lacey on Jul 3, 2016 13:50:41 GMT -5
"I'll probably talk ta him sometime soon. Maybe even tanight,"
Lacey smiled slightly, although it came off as more of a half smile. "As long as ya know what you're doin', then do't. Just make sure that you're careful. We don't have anyone here who could take over as leader if somethin' was to happen to ya." She smiled a bit. Despite what a lot of people could have thought looking from the outside in, Spot was a wonderful leader when it came to protecting his borough and the newsies that were included in it. He had times where he only thought about himself, but he was human. For the most part, he made sure that the people there were safe, and he was willing to step in if something went wrong. It was admirable.
"Jus' one thing, though... Who's 'Rip' and why're ya so scared of 'im? You're the toughest newsie out there." She asked curiously, although she had a slight feeling that it was a bit of a touchy subject, and one that he wouldn't want to talk about. It never hurt to ask, though. Unless he was gonna beat her with his cane or soak her for it.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Jul 3, 2016 14:04:35 GMT -5
"As long as ya know what you're doin', then do't. Just make sure that you're careful. We don't have anyone here who could take over as leader if somethin' was to happen to ya."
Spot nodded. It never hurt to be too careful, especially if he was leader. He hadn't exactly set up who was going to lead Brooklyn next once he was too old to be a newsie. Another thing to think about doing in the near future.
"Jus' one thing, though... Who's 'Rip' and why're ya so scared of 'im? You're the toughest newsie out there."
He couldn't help but tense at the question. He never liked it when someone else brought up Rip. He made him a bit defensive and snappy. "I ain't scared of him," he growled a little. "We... just got problems." He found him repeating Dragon's words about the two boroughs' relationships. "Queens and Brooklyn just don't get along." Though he quickly added, "And may never get along."
Dragon was set on the fact that Brooklyn and Queens would always be enemies, but Spot didn't really see it that way. If it weren't for Rip and at all that mess, Spot believed Queens would be a great ally. It wasn't that Manhattan was a bad ally or anything like that. Manhattan just didn't have the fight in them. They were too soft. Now Queens? They were more like Brooklyn, just tougher.
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Post by Lacey on Jul 3, 2016 14:11:36 GMT -5
"I ain't scared of him. We... just got problems."
Lacey sighed softly, nodding at his words, although wishing that he wasn't so defensive about it. She understood that Spot was a tough person, and he was quite closed off from having personal connections to anyone, but she truly did wish that he would relax sometimes. She figured that it would help him a lot.
"Queens and Brooklyn just don't get along. And may never get along."
Lacey frowned, "But why can't it ever change? If it's just this one guy, then when 'e's too old to be a newsie, then the fightin' can stop." She figured that it made enough sense, although she wasn't expecting quite the same reaction from Spot. He was stubborn; anyone who had spoken to him at any point in their lives knew that. It wasn't like he was going to back down for someone like her. She was just a random girl from his borough who ran errands for him. That was it. He was the high and mighty leader of Brooklyn.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Jul 3, 2016 14:18:28 GMT -5
"But why can't it ever change?"
Spot snorted. He had asked the same thing to Dragon. But he wasn't about to answer like him.
"Didn't say it couldn't change. Just that it might not."
"If it's just this one guy, then when 'e's too old to be a newsie, then the fightin' can stop."
He sadly shook his head. "It ain't that easy. Queens hates Brooklyn. They've been like that since before I was leader. They got the mindset from Rip and whoever the leader was before that. Unless the new leader changes his mind, Brooklyn and Queens won't get along."
Though, it would be nice if the problem was just one guy named Rip. Sadly, Queens was stuck in their feud with Brooklyn. And well, Spot knew that most of his Brooklyners felt the same for the most part. It wasn't a one man problem. It was a borough problem. That's why he had to set up a no crossing into Queen's territory rule for his boys and gals. Queens wasn't safe for a Brooklyn newsie period.
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Post by Lacey on Jul 3, 2016 14:23:30 GMT -5
"Didn't say it couldn't change. Just that it might not."
Lacey rolled her eyes. Spot was apparently going to begin getting sarcastic, and while she could have released a whole bunch more sarcasm back at him, she held her tongue for her own sake. She was thinking that it would be a wise decision to not get in trouble with the leader of the newsies.
"It ain't that easy. Queens hates Brooklyn. They've been like that since before I was leader. They got the mindset from Rip and whoever the leader was before that. Unless the new leader changes his mind, Brooklyn and Queens won't get along."
Lacey took a moment of silence just to think about things, although she slowly began finding words - carefully chosen words, at that - to begin formulating a sentence.
"Then why couldn't someone they don't know go over there 'n' give ya some eyes on the inside? 'S what people do in wars 'n' stuff." She suggested. "If someone's good enough at talkin', then anyone's mind can be changed. It may be hard, but the right woids can do anythin'." She spoke softly and slowly, leaning back against the bridge and looking directly at the boy in front of her.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Jul 3, 2016 14:29:44 GMT -5
"Then why couldn't someone they don't know go over there 'n' give ya some eyes on the inside? 'S what people do in wars 'n' stuff."
Spot raised an eyebrow. That was an angle he hadn't really thought of. It could work, but then again, it could backfire. One could never be too careful.
He shrugged. "Can't give a reason why it couldn't or could work. Queens can be unpredictable at time. Can't be a Brooklyner for one thing... Might talk ta Jackie-boy and see what he t'inks about it."
"If someone's good enough at talkin', then anyone's mind can be changed. It may be hard, but the right woids can do anythin'."
He nodded slowly. It didn't sound like a bad idea. Maybe Davey would be interested in helping out with that. It could work. He just needed to test things out before going full steam ahead with this plan. He did value advice, but he liked to be careful just in case the advice wasn't quite right.
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Post by Lacey on Jul 3, 2016 14:37:12 GMT -5
"Can't give a reason why it couldn't or could work. Queens can be unpredictable at time. Can't be a Brooklyner for one thing... Might talk ta Jackie-boy and see what he t'inks about it."
Finally, Lacey's advice seemed to be getting through to Spot. It not being someone from Brooklyn made absolute sense, although from what she had seen in the strike, there was one boy in Manhattan who could probably pull it off. At least... If the Queens newsies hadn't memorized his face from the rally or anything. "Everythin's unpredictable at times. 'S how things work." She shrugged slightly.
"Just be careful. I don't want anythin' happenin' to ya. You're the only leader we've got. You don't have a backup, so if this 'Rip' guy's really dangerous... You've got everyone behind ya here. We won't let anythin' happen to ya." She smiled sweetly. It wasn't a fake sweetness, either. It was a genuine smile - and one of the first that she had given anyone in years.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Jul 3, 2016 14:51:41 GMT -5
"Everythin's unpredictable at times. 'S how things work."
Spot shrugged back and grumbled, "Not as much as Queens though..."
"Just be careful."
He snorted softly. He was always careful, maybe too careful. No need to tell him that.
" I don't want anythin' happenin' to ya. You're the only leader we've got. You don't have a backup, so if this 'Rip' guy's really dangerous... You've got everyone behind ya here. We won't let anythin' happen to ya."
He was taken back at her sweetness. It felt... genuine. Most girls were just sweet so they could push him around and finally be his girlfriend (not like it was really going to happen though.) It was nice to know that she thought Brooklyn would back him up. His newsies were loyal, but sometimes, he just felt like they didn't always have his back. If they had, maybe Darcy would still be here, and Rip wouldn't be so revengeful.
Though genuine it was, the sweetness made a little uncomfortable. He wasn't exactly the greatest conversationalist when it came to "normal" stuff.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be careful," he lightly waved her off, falling back to his usual poker face.
((Just giving you a heads up. I have to run some quick errands so I might be offline for a bit. X3))
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Post by Lacey on Jul 3, 2016 15:00:06 GMT -5
[As will I! Lunch and movie with a friend.]
"Not as much as Queens though..."
Lacey shrugged. She wouldn't know, she supposed. Spot probably would know better than anyone else.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be careful."
Of course, something about the way that Spot had reacted told her that he didn't know entirely what to say. However, she just shrugged that off, clearing her throat and forcing her face back to her normal sort of blank expression. "Good. If something does happ'n, though, you've got us." She smiled a bit, a faint blush forming on her cheeks as she quickly looked away, back at Brooklyn. She could hear the sounds of splashing and laughing in the distance from the boys as they played in the water, although her attention and thoughts were still elsewhere.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Jul 3, 2016 15:04:33 GMT -5
"Good. If something does happ'n, though, you've got us."Spot nodded. "Yeah..." He fingered his cane and glanced toward Brooklyn. He probably should go and fetch those cards now. He cocked his head toward his borough. "You headin' back?" It was his way of offering to walk her back since he was going that way himself but without actually asking. It wasn't too late so he could just walk her to the borough and head of to his lodge. ((Ah fun. I'll be just chilling online so whenever you reply I should be on. ))
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Post by Lacey on Jul 3, 2016 15:11:41 GMT -5
"You headin' back?"
Lacey glanced back up at him as he spoke, a small smile quirking the corners of her lips upwards. Slowly she moved away from the edge of the bridge, nodding a bit. "If you're comin' back with me." She replied. Of course, if he was going to just leave again afterwards, that was fine with her. Spending time alone with someone like Spot was both comforting and uncomfortable at the same time. It was hard to describe. However, she felt as though her loyalty to him as a leader was growing.
As she began walking, the breeze around them seemed to pick up slightly, although it was a pleasant warm sort of air that blew her hair back from her face. "You headin' back to 'Hattan for somethin'?" She asked, figuring that it would make sense for him to go over there for one reason or another. She had heard from quite a few people that he came back later in the night quite a lot to the lodging house.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Jul 3, 2016 15:29:11 GMT -5
"If you're comin' back with me."
Spot flicked up his cap and nodded. "Gotta pick up something at the lodge."
"You headin' back to 'Hattan for somethin'?"
He glanced at her as they made their way into Brooklyn. "Race invited me to a game of poker at Medda's." He purses his lips. "You're welcome ta join if ya like. Don't have ta play or anything. Might want ta get ta know some of the 'Hattan newsies."
He fidgeted some. He wished he wasn't so awkward around girls at times. After all, this wasn't a date! He was just asking if she wanted to join the boys at Medda's theatre. "You don't have ta if you don't want ta..."
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Post by Lacey on Jul 3, 2016 22:30:18 GMT -5
"Gotta pick up something at the lodge."
Lacey nodded a bit, smiling softly. "Sounds good to me. Have fun with that." She smiled a bit.
"You're welcome ta join if ya like. Don't have ta play or anything. Might want ta get ta know some of the 'Hattan newsies."
Lacey was slightly taken aback by his offer, although she wasn't complaining. Getting to spend time with Spot and some of the Manhattan newsies sounded like fun, and perhaps getting to know more about Spot sounded like it could be a lot of fun. "I would love to."
[So sorry! My friend ended up staying longer and she's sleeping over. I'll be on more later.]
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Post by Spot Conlon on Jul 3, 2016 22:36:25 GMT -5
"Sounds good to me. Have fun with that."Spot cocked his head slightly and shrugged. Running back to fetch a deck of cards was exactly fun on his list, but who was he to judge about fun? He didn't really do fun much these days unless Racetrack or Jasper dragged him into doing something they dubbed "fun." "I would love to."He nodded quickly and picked up his pace. "The 'Hattans are nice. They won't mind ya joinin'... Some of the other boys from Brooklyn might be there too." He stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Of course," he added quickly. "There are several goils there too." He didn't know Lacey extremely well, so he wasn't sure if she'd be comfortable around so many boys. He thought he should let her know just in case that there were indeed a few young ladies like herself who liked to hang out at Medda's. ((It's not problem I'm glad you can get on whenever you can.))
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Post by Lacey on Jul 3, 2016 22:51:18 GMT -5
The 'Hattans are nice. They won't mind ya joinin'... Some of the other boys from Brooklyn might be there too."
Lacey smiled softly, biting her lip. "That's good. It should be interesting getting to see a game of poker that won't involve violence towards whoever wins." She nodded. Plus, she would get to see Spot in a less formal setting, and she figured that it couldn't be a bad thing.
"Of course, there are several goils there too."
"That's good." She smiled a bit. It would give her someone to talk to if all else failed, and she was grateful for that.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Jul 3, 2016 22:58:05 GMT -5
"That's good. It should be interesting getting to see a game of poker that won't involve violence towards whoever wins."
Spot chuckled some. "Heh, the boys in Brooklyn don't cause too much trouble to winners now, but you're right that 'Hattans rarely get violent."
"That's good."
He was relieved at her response. He really wasn't good at this friendship with a girl thing. If he struggled befriending guys, you can bet befriending a girl was ten times harder!
"I'll be right back..." he said quickly as they arrived in front of his lodge.
He hurried in and gave a curt but respectful greeting to Mr. O'Quinns before hurrying upstairs to his bunk. It didn't take too long to find his deck among his things. He did stop by to change caps and suspenders. He didn't like wearing his red ones too often when he was out. It practically screamed attention from girls. It was too bad. Those were his favorite pair.
He came back out and motioned with his head that he was ready to go.
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Post by Lacey on Jul 3, 2016 23:59:07 GMT -5
"Heh, the boys in Brooklyn don't cause too much trouble to winners now, but you're right that 'Hattans rarely get violent."
Lacey actually found quite a bit of comfort in those words, considering violence wasn't something that she was overly fond of. However, it was something that she had gotten quite good at dealing with after a while, and she had learned never to question the boys' methods on anything.
She nodded briefly as Spot entered the lodging house to fetch the cards, humming softly to herself and running her fingers through her hair as she waited for him. It didn't take long for the boy to arrive again, motioning wordlessly that they could begin walking. Walking with Spot was a bit intimidating, especially with how many looks she was receiving from all of the newsies around them. However, she did her best to shove that aside, not wanting to make things seem awkward.
"How do you play something like poker?" She asked, hoping to start up some sort of conversation that wasn't uncomfortable for him.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Jul 4, 2016 0:08:12 GMT -5
"How do you play something like poker?"
Spot was a little surprised at the sudden question and glanced over at Lacey. "You've never played?"
But then again, not a lot of girls played poker so it shouldn't be too surprising that she didn't know how. He was just so use to all the boys playing and such that he forgot that not everyone played the card game.
"Well... It's pretty simple really," he started slowly. "There are several different hands and you want to have the highest. But if you don't, you want ta fool the others inta thinkin' you do have a high card so they'll get scared and pull out."
((Sorry, but I gotta end here for tonight. XD Ita getting late for me over here. If you'd like, tomorrow we can move this over to Manhattan. If not staying here is fine. Whatever works best for you! Have a good night!))
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Post by Lacey on Jul 4, 2016 1:16:58 GMT -5
"You've never played?"
Lacey blushed a bit at his question, shrugging and looking away. "Nah, I never got 'round to it. Cards never seemed like a way to pass the time. I just sit back 'n' listen to people."
Hearing him explain how to play made her realize exactly why a poker face was called just that. Spot had mastered it, and she figured that she knew why now, with how often he seemed to play it with Racetrack. "'T sounds interestin'." She nodded briefly. "Could I... Watch you? I can keep a poker face too. I promise."
[That works for me! I have to get off for the night as well. We can move if you'd want.]
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