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Post by Rip on Aug 6, 2016 21:14:09 GMT -5
Rip stood outside the distribution center, watching his newsies buy their papers. He wasn't selling today, but that really wasn't too unusual. It wasn't for sure, but most of the newsies knew that Rip worked for one of the most notorious gangs in New York. He got by with selling in the morning every other day since he had that other "job." But, he did try to sell the evening papers. He wanted his newsies to know that he was still like them in his own rough way. He wouldn't abandon the newsie life just yet. He still had half a year as a newsie... and well, this was his last chance to finally act on his revenge against Spot.
Most of his newsies thought this was a revenge against Brooklyn. He knew that in the past the leaders of Queens and Brooklyn clashed, but that wasn't his problem despite what many newsies thought. No, his revenge was on a much more personal level. He just had to wait for the perfect timing. One wrong move and he would miss his chance forever.
He clenched his fists. There was no way things could go wrong this time. He was doing this for Key.
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Post by Whisper on Dec 31, 2016 15:19:01 GMT -5
Getting papes in the morning had never been anything really special for Whisper. She would do it, and she would go sell, then come back, then go sell, etc. It all got quite boring the more that she did it, but she had never known anything else. She had been a newsie for her whole life, and she had gotten good at what she did, even despite her shy, silent attitude.
However, the fact that she was quiet did mean that she was typically more in touch with recognizing other things and communicating through body language, so seeing Rip - the leader of her borough - standing outside the distribution center with his fists clenched was a bit odd. She frowned, her grey eyes narrowing slightly at the sight as she made her way over to him, figuring that it could either go well, or terribly.
"Rip?" Whisper's voice sounded a lot quieter than she had wanted it to, although she quickly cleared her throat and continued. "What's on your mind?"
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Post by Rip on Dec 31, 2016 15:45:38 GMT -5
"Rip?"
Rip raised an eyebrow and glanced down at the newsie who had called or rather whispered his name. Surprisingly enough, Rip had sharp hearing. Perhaps that was why he didn't really have any birds.
He gave the girl a slight nod and continued watching the boys and girls buy their papes. Rip acknowledged her presence but remained silent. He was rather standoffish when it came to the girls of his borough. He protected them when necessary but other than that avoided them. When it came to leaders in New York, Rip was probably the only one who never talked with his girl newsies unless confronted by one.
"What's on your mind?"
He muttered a few German words under breath before turning his cold gaze on Whisper. "Doesn't matter. You already buy your
Rip was cold and standoffish, but he truly cared for his newsies. He had his ways of making sure the payment for papers was fair. The man at the distribution center was definitely afraid of the tall newsie.
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Post by Whisper on Dec 31, 2016 17:11:41 GMT -5
"Doesn't matter. You already buy your."
Whisper raised an eyebrow. She had known that Rip could have a bad attitude at times, although it really didn't seem to her as though his bad attitude was all that bad at all. At least, that wasn't how she would have described it. He wasn't pleasant, either.
"It matters. You're the leader of the borough. If you're distressed, we're all distressed, and there's obviously something on your mind." She pointed out, although she wouldn't press much after that. Whisper didn't like talking much more than she had to, and her voice could become quite raspy if she talked too much. She wasn't willing to kill her chances at selling any papes by talking to someone who quite obviously didn't want to be bothered. She had just thought that it would be the nice thing to do, and unlike what many people seemed to think about her, Whisper wasn't a bad or mean person.
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Post by Rip on Dec 31, 2016 17:42:05 GMT -5
"It matters. You're the leader of the borough. If you're distressed, we're all distressed, and there's obviously something on your mind."
Rip snorted. "Jus' cause there's somethin' on my mind don't mean I have ta tell anyone." He glanced back at the distribution center, the line was getting shorter. "You gonna buy papes?" He nodded toward the line. "You don't have to wait long now."
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Post by Whisper on Dec 31, 2016 17:48:15 GMT -5
"Jus' cause there's somethin' on my mind don't mean I have ta tell anyone."
Whisper sighed. She wasn't gonna try pushing it with him. She had heard plenty of stories about Rip, and she wasn't about to make him angry.
"You gonna buy papes?"
She shrugged; She probably would, although she really wasn't in the mood to go selling. If she had any other choice, then she absolutely wouldn't have. Instead, she bit her lip in defeat.
"You don't have to wait long now."
"Sure, I guess..." Whisper mumbled, casting one more quick glance at Rip before trudging into the line behind a small group of girls. She was a bit worried about whatever was on his mind, just because of all of the rumors floating around and the tension lately between Brooklyn and Queens. However, she didn't want to ask about it and risk coming right in the middle of something that was none of her business.
Placing down the money, she grabbed her papes and walked back to the entrance again.
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Post by Rip on Dec 31, 2016 19:26:41 GMT -5
"Sure, I guess..."
Rip nodded some and watched her go. He knew she wasn't a usual seller. She didn't like selling or something like that. He didn't know the specifics. It was all based on what he saw or heard. But still, he liked knowing a little bit about each of his newsies. It made it easier for him to keep an eye on them and know who was who. He didn't like spotting newsies from Brooklyn after all.
He leaned against the gate, watching the newsies head off to their selling spots. It seemed like it would be a normal day.
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Post by Whisper on Dec 31, 2016 19:33:48 GMT -5
Upon seeing that Rip hadn't moved at all as she made her way back, Whisper frowned. She knew that she should have dropped it, and she wanted to, but it just didn't seem normal for the leader to just stand there and guard the gates when nothing was happening. Didn't he at least have things that he should have been doing to take care of the borough?
"Do you really not sell much?" She raised an eyebrow, supporting her papes under her arm. She was mentally scolding herself for not just walking away, but Rip was the first person who had talked to her in at least a few days, and it was a bit frustrating to be the one who was constantly alienated from everyone else. "Is whatever's on your mind somethin' 'bout Brooklyn?"
In all actuality, Whisper had no idea if the topic was touchy or not, nor was she sure if she was supposed to know anything about it. But the tension had been obvious between the boroughs for quite some time, and she could only guess that it had something to do with the leaders. Besides, things hadn't been as bad when Dragon had ruled over Brooklyn. "Is it Spot?"
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Post by Rip on Dec 31, 2016 20:39:13 GMT -5
"Do you really not sell much?"
Rip had to admit he was surprised when Whisper approached him again, most of the girls tended to avoid him. Even the boys avoided him... but then again, he had been the one to push them away. He was honestly scared to have friends. He wasn't a good person... He didn't deserve friends.
"Sell in the evenings," he replied gruffly. "Got other things ta do durin' the day." He absentmindedly rubbed his shoulder. Most of the newsies knew what he was rubbing. After all, through most of the summer, Rip went around shirtless, so it was easy to see the various scars on his back and chest. But the most noticeable marking on him was the branding of a hand on his right shoulder. It was that mark that he was currently rubbing for it was a reminder of who he had to work for.
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Post by Whisper on Dec 31, 2016 20:49:55 GMT -5
"Sell in the evenings. Got other things ta do durin' the day."
Whisper raised an eyebrow, although she didn't pry about that. What he did with his day was his own business, she just hoped that it was something that was good for the borough, rather than something that he did just because he could. That wouldn't be a good thing to be the one to figure out. People would hate her more than they already did if she started telling 'lies' about their leader.
She knew that she had to trust Rip to lead the borough, but it wasn't easy when she didn't know anything about him. She couldn't feel safe being there until she knew for sure that he was loyal to the borough and not just using his position to exact petty revenge on Brooklyn.
"What's on your shoulder?" Her eyes narrowed slightly. Whether it was common knowledge or not, Whisper had never paid much attention to things like that. She would listen to people rather than watch. She would listen to the whispers.
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Post by Rip on Dec 31, 2016 21:08:17 GMT -5
"What's on your shoulder?"
Rip tensed at her question. He hated when people commented on that mark. He hated it almost more than anything. Even though he displayed it for all to see, it wasn't something he was proud of. He had never wanted it, but there it was.
"Jus' a mark," he growled.
Most of the boys had figured what the mark really stood for. It gave him more respect in some ways... but alot of fear as well. The White Hand was a symbol feared by most in Queens and New York. At night, whispers could be heard of the White Hand. Rip had to hurry with his plans before the White Hand called for him to start working at night.
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Post by Whisper on Dec 31, 2016 21:11:37 GMT -5
"Jus' a mark,"
Whisper raised an eyebrow. Just a mark? That was all he was going to say about it, when it was quite obviously bothering him in one way or another?
"Why's there a mark there?" She pressed, although she was fully prepared to make a run for it if it wasn't something that he wanted her snooping around about. Whisper could run - in fact, it was one of the only things that Whisper could do really well.
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Post by Rip on Dec 31, 2016 21:21:12 GMT -5
"Why's there a mark there?"
Rip's eyes narrowed dangerously. If Whisper had been a boy, he would have a knife or two flying towards her. But, she was a girl, so he wouldn't harm her. He left girls alone.
He let out a low growl and hissed, "That would be none of your business why it's there. If you know what's good for you, drop it."
No one needed to know it was forced upon him. He was a monster... He knew that all to well. And monsters deserved to be branded.
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Post by Whisper on Dec 31, 2016 21:24:50 GMT -5
"That would be none of your business why it's there. If you know what's good for you, drop it."
The growling didn't surprise Whisper. Nothing about the way that he reacted did. She had heard plenty of stories about him having reacted much more brutally to other people, and she was glad that he at least seemed to be holding himself back from hurting her. However, something told her that it wouldn't continue if she pressed it, so she complied.
"I hope ya feel better. I ain't tryin' ta hurt nobody." She whispered, her voice having quieted significantly as she tore her bright grey eyes away from Rip. "Sorry for tryin' ta care."
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Post by Rip on Dec 31, 2016 21:34:10 GMT -5
"I hope ya feel better. I ain't tryin' ta hurt nobody."
Rip snorted softly, not really believing that she wanted him to feel better. He would never truly feel better. He had lost the one bright thing in his life... how could he ever find happiness again? Then again... he didn't deserve it. Just like he didn't deserve being leader of Queens. He still didn't know what Blizzard had seen in him. He only stayed as leader because Blizzard asked him to, and he was fulfilling his duty until he could find a suitable replacement. One that did not hold a grudge against Brooklyn or the other boroughs. Though, that was going to be tough. It was partially his fault, since he hated Spot so much, but he could hope, couldn't he?
"Sorry for tryin' ta care."
His widened slightly in disbelief. No one cared about him, at least not for a long time. The last person who ever cared for him was probably Darcy and she was long gone unless rumors were true. People didn't care for monsters... He was too far gone, just like his father had said many years ago.
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Post by Whisper on Dec 31, 2016 21:39:07 GMT -5
The lack of a reply didn't come as a surprise, although the sudden change in facial expressions did. Whisper hadn't expected any sort of shock on his features, and so seeing it there was a bit of a surprise. Was Rip completely unaware that there were people who cared about him?
"Ya know, you're the leader of the borough. People care about ya whether ya think that they do or not. They feel like they can't tell ya, yeah, but that's because you're not lettin' them tell ya. You're forcin' yourself ta believe something that ain't true, and that ain't fair ta anyone... Especially ta you." She cleared her throat, her voice beginning to get a little scratchy with the way that she was talking more than normal. Whisper would usually go days without saying anything at all, just because her acting was what sold papes.
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Post by Rip on Dec 31, 2016 21:43:21 GMT -5
"Ya know, you're the leader of the borough. People care about ya whether ya think that they do or not. They feel like they can't tell ya, yeah, but that's because you're not lettin' them tell ya. You're forcin' yourself ta believe something that ain't true, and that ain't fair ta anyone... Especially ta you."
Rip looked away from her, not sure how he felt about her words. They seemed to hold some truth, but he couldn't be sure. He felt very doubtful and puzzled. He didn't like it, and didn't want Whisper to see that in his eyes. He didn't want to show weaknesses. He had to be strong if he wanted to accomplish his plan.
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Post by Whisper on Dec 31, 2016 21:47:05 GMT -5
The lack of response from Rip once again only earned a slightly dejected sigh from the female, and Whisper reluctantly decided that it was a lost cause. She couldn't force someone to realize something, no matter how true it was. That was something that Rip was going to have to do himself, or not at all.
"Good luck with sellin' an' stuff... Tanight." She sighed softly, slowly stepping away from him and pulling the papes into a more comfortable position as she began making her way down the slowly filling streets of Queens.
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Post by Rip on Dec 31, 2016 21:54:57 GMT -5
"Good luck with sellin' an' stuff... Tanight."
Rip glanced at her before giving her slight nod. "You too," he found himself saying. It was rather odd, since normally he would've been more snappy or have not replied at all. He was becoming soft again... that wasn't good.
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