|
|
Post by Styx Kennedy on Sept 7, 2009 1:27:54 GMT -5
Styx wiped his hand on the back of his pants and took another sip of his drink, giving Half Pint a friendly wink before sitting down. “Yeah we’ve met a couple a times around Queens. Ain’ that right boyo.” He looked back at Snoddy, “So what’s this all about?”
"So, Styx... You come with Matchstick?"
He snorted in amusement. “Not bloody likely. I don’ really get along with the kid actually. Bit of a pansy.” He finished his drink and set it on the floor by his chair, pulling two cigarettes out of his pocket. Styx stuck one in his own mouth and offered the other to Snoddy. “Smoke?”
|
|
|
|
Post by dewey on Sept 7, 2009 11:16:01 GMT -5
Dewey rolled his eyes in frustration at the kid's willingness to admit that he had been alone. Stupid kids. They didn't know the first thing about an effective lie. Oh well, I guess it was a long shot to start with he thought, beginning to drift away from the happily chatting kid. He still had to find a way to make it look like he had come in a pair. After all, people may have been sympathetic to a cute little kid but he would just get chewed out if anyone found out he wasn't following the rules. He looked around the crowd yet agin for someone who looked to be alone and to his immense disappointment the only success he had after what seemed like several minutes of searching was a little black boy standing in the back corner, apparently tryin his best to become invisible. He desparately scanned the growing crowd once more, determined not to get stuck with a kid again but his efforts were fruitless. He finally resigned himself to his fate and trudged over to where the kid was standing. Not feeling very patient at the moment , he decided to use a bit more forceful approach this time. He dropped a (relatively) heavy hand on the kid's shoulder and knelt down to look the kid in the face. "Hey, kid, if anyone asks, you came here with me, okay?" he told the boy in a voice that clearly left no room for argument. He was careful not to come off as a threat, but his expression was rather serious, nonetheless.
|
|
|
|
Post by elifreeman on Sept 7, 2009 11:24:41 GMT -5
"Hey, kid, if anyone asks, you came here with me, okay?" he told the boy in a voice that clearly left no room for argument. He was careful not to come off as a threat, but his expression was rather serious, nonetheless.
Eli looked up at him with relief. "G-good! I'm not the only one. I-I was afraid that I would get yelled at..." Eli shook his head. He had been a little scared when the boy had laid his hand on him, he had thought he was going to kick him out or something... Eli was glad he hadn't been kicked out.
|
|
|
|
Post by dewey on Sept 7, 2009 11:41:45 GMT -5
Dewey chuckled darkly at the boy's comment "well, ya oughtta be, kid. And they'd be right in tellin' ya off. Ain't safe for a little guy like you ta go gallivantin' around on ya' own. I'm way older den any a' da boys what got taken so all I'm in danger of is my leader gettin' angry at me but you could get snatched like that." he snapped his fingers and looked at the boy stoicly, his hand still on his shoulder.
"Now what borough are ya from?" he asked, his tone lightening considerably. After all, he didn't want to scare the kid, just warn him "If we're gonna pretend we came together, i'm gonna have to know where we met up."
|
|
|
|
Post by elifreeman on Sept 7, 2009 11:53:13 GMT -5
"Well, ya oughtta be, kid. And they'd be right in tellin' ya off. Ain't safe for a little guy like you ta gallivantin' around on ya' own. I'm way older den any a' da boys what got taken so all I'm in danger of is my leader gettin' angry at me but you could get snatched like that."
"Why would somebody want to kidnap me when they can have one the other ones?" Eli asked, confused. "My mama said that I got get kidnapped and sold down south, like her father did, but I don't believe her." Eli didn't sound so sure anymore.
"I-I'm from Harlem. I'm a shoe-shiner, but sometimes I sell papes like my brothers. They work in Harlem only. A lot of people don't like to buy their papers from my brothers, so they have to hit our neighborhood only." Eli shrugged. "So, Harlem."
|
|
|
|
Post by dewey on Sept 7, 2009 12:59:52 GMT -5
Dewey stood up and lifted his cap of of his head, running a hand through his hair. "Well, it don't really work like that kid...da folks who're doin' all da kidnappin'...dey jus' want folks what dey can work ta death wit'out anyone who matters really takin' issue wit' it. I don' really t'ink dey care if dey got a black body or a white body after it's all said an' done as long as dey can get plenty a work outta 'em." He placed his cap back on his head before continuing "As fa gettin' sold down south...I don' t'ink dat's really legal no more." he said uncomfortably. Being from the south, he'd seen some of the old plantations where slaves had once worked and where most of them still worked on slave wages Technically, if this kid was already up here in New York but there had, in years past been some black families who had returned to plantations on somewhat questionable terms and if his mom was worried about it...but she was probably just scared because it happened to her pop.
No wonder the kid was alone. If he wasn't usually a newsie and his brothers didn't live at the lodging house then he wouldn't have really had any way to have heard the orders that the leaders had given about going around in pairs. He felt a slight twinge of guilt at the kid's comment about people not liking to buy from his brothers. That was nothing compared to what he and his cousins had done to the black kids in their town when he still lived in Tennessee. "Well, we had to have met up in the Bronx if I don' wannna get in trouble. You can jus' say ya didn't know ya had ta go around in pairs, alright? " he stated suddenly, bringing himself back to the situation at hand. "Is dere any kinda place dat ya usually go to in da bronx?" he asked the kid, willing his mind to stay in the moment.
|
|
|
|
Post by elifreeman on Sept 7, 2009 13:08:59 GMT -5
"Well, it don't really work like that kid...da folks who're doin' all da kidnappin'...dey jus' want folks what dey can work ta death wit'out anyone who matters really takin' issue wit' it. I don' really t'ink dey care if dey got a black body or a white body after it's all said an' done as long as dey can get plenty a work outta 'em." He placed his cap back on his head before continuing "As fa gettin' sold down south...I don' t'ink dat's really legal no more."
"Oh, I see." Eli nodded. "They just want workers..." Eli thought about this, his mother and father had told him stories about them having to work for long hours with no pay. He didn't mind working, as long as he got paid.
"Well, we had to have met up in the Bronx if I don' wannna get in trouble. You can jus' say ya didn't know ya had ta go around in pairs, alright? " he stated suddenly, bringing himself back to the situation at hand. "Is dere any kinda place dat ya usually go to in da bronx?"
"I go everywhere and anywhere. I have to travel for my job, so I've been just about everywhere... Except Brooklyn. I-I'm not allowed to go to Brooklyn." Eli said. "I'll go along with whatever you say."
|
|
|
|
Post by dewey on Sept 7, 2009 14:20:59 GMT -5
"Alright den kid, just let me do da talkin' if anyone asks" replied Dewey in a much more relaxed voice. He was good at coming up with stories on the spot and they always sounded better the spot so he figured they'd both be better off not planning ahead too much. After all, they might not even have to deal with it now that they were all paired up.
"I'm Dewey, by da way" he said, holding his hand low for the kid to shake. "I'm a newsie all da time so I get around too but I don' t'ink I ever been ta' Harlem. Ain't really on my beat, I guess..." he shrugged, pulling out a cigarette and lighting up. "don't smoke do ya?" he asked, offering the pack to the kid. He was a bit young to have already started smoking but he'd seen kids start younger, especially ones with older brothers.
|
|
|
|
Post by elifreeman on Sept 7, 2009 14:30:56 GMT -5
"Alright den kid, just let me do da talkin' if anyone asks" replied Dewey in a much more relaxed voice.
"Of course." Eli nodded, happy with this arangement.
"I'm Dewey, by da way" he said, holding his hand low for the kid to shake. "I'm a newsie all da time so I get around too but I don' t'ink I ever been ta' Harlem. Ain't really on my beat, I guess..." he shrugged, pulling out a cigarette and lighting up. "don't smoke do ya?" he asked, offering the pack to the kid.
"I'm Eli," Eli shook his hand. "I don't smoke. Mama cought Isiah smoking once and she beat him so hard that he really couldn't sit down for a week. Isaac and I thought it was pretty funny, but then Mama threatened to break our fingers if she ever caught us smoking, so..." Eli said, shaking his head and refusing the pack. "No thanks."
|
|
|
|
Post by dewey on Sept 7, 2009 15:22:12 GMT -5
Dewey chuckled at Eli's story and took a puff off of his ciggarette before replying "Yeah, my mama'd kill me too if she found out I was smokin'. She t'inks thirteen is way too young for it but I been doin' it off an' on since I was eight" he grinned at the thought of his first time trying one of his cousin, Malachai's ciggarettes. It made him so sick, he swore he'd never try them again but he'd changed his mind as soon as he saw his friends faces when he told them that he'd tried smoking already. "I didn't really pick it up fa good 'til I came here t'ree years back. Couldn't afford ta small like smoke when Mama was around but she ain't here and dere ain't nobody who's gonna tell her what I do so what she don't know can't hurt her, right?" he shrugged and leaned against the wall behind them "So, how long d'ya t'ink dis t'ing's gonna last? I'm rootin' for about five minutes but it don' look too good fa dat seein' as I been here about ten minutes and it ain't even a full house yet."
|
|
|
|
Post by elifreeman on Sept 7, 2009 15:40:47 GMT -5
Yeah, my mama'd kill me too if she found out I was smokin'. She t'inks thirteen is way too young for it but I been doin' it off an' on since I was eight" he grinned.
"My cousin Goldie told me she's smoked a couple of times, but you can never be sure with what Goldie says, you know?" Eli said, thinking of his favortie cousin who still lived down south. She was seventeen and a hand full.
"So, how long d'ya t'ink dis t'ing's gonna last? I'm rootin' for about five minutes but it don' look too good fa dat seein' as I been here about ten minutes and it ain't even a full house yet."
"I dunno," Eli shrugged. "Mama told me to be home by dinner, but I really want to know what this is about, so I'm gonna stay here until I find out." Eli thought for a moment. "Or until Mama sends someone to come and get me..."
|
|
|
|
Post by Half-Pint Dantès on Sept 7, 2009 18:01:53 GMT -5
Half Pint gave Styx a slight wave, and then watched as the two older boys talked with each other. He snickered in response to Styx comment about Matchstick being a pansy.
When Styx offered Snoddy a cigarette, Half Pint leaned forward and said, "I'll take one." He had never smoked before but he always saw all the bigger boys doing it so why shouldn't he?
|
|
|
|
Post by Brook LaRue on Sept 7, 2009 20:20:47 GMT -5
Brook shouldered her way into the Meeting not really knowing the reasoning behind it, she couldn't see over the shoulders of the boys in her way and she didn't recognize many of them. She looked for Jack knowing he would be standing up higher than most and for anyone else she recognized. But she got stuck behind some bigger boy with broad shoulders and her brow lifted when he turned around and winked at her.
She sighed and shook her head but he didn't move, just grinned at her like a dope and she just prayed that this meeting would end quickly. She couldn't see anyone else past this big dope and it wasn't like anyone could hear her if she shouted.
And he's still lookin at me.. she sighed on the thought as the larger newsie just grinned at her. She didn't even know what borough he was from, couldn't have been from-- well she had no idea. He could have even just been someone that wandered in off of the street. She backed up a little into another body and let out a small swear as she basically turned and smacked right into another. There were to many people here.
|
|
|
|
Post by Snoddy King on Sept 8, 2009 0:05:56 GMT -5
"Nah, thanks," Snoddy said, waving off Styx's offered cig. Sometimes he felt like the only kid in New York who didn't smoke...
"I'll take one."
Ah, geez... Apparently he was the only one. While Half Pint eyed the cigarette, Snoddy raised an eyebrow at the back of Half Pint's head curiously. This could get interesting, but like hell Snoddy would step in and cut the kid off. He was young, and Snoddy had taken to looking after him, but he wasn't going to embarrass him in front of Styx like he was a baby or something.
Instead, Snoddy shrugged to Styx, a 'if he wants it...' gesture, and continued on with his line of thinking. "So, if you didn't come with Matchstick, that means you came alone, right? And I got it on pretty good authority--" (He ruffled Half Pint's hair here.) "--that Prince told his kids they need to travel in pairs and take up sellin' partners." He passed a gaze around the room, stalling as he put his thoughts together, before continuing.
"I'm thinking maybe you need a partner who can look after you. Maybe someone who's a crack shot with a sling? Could watch your back for you? Someone quick, good appeal for the sympathy sell so he won't slow down your selling schedule..." Snoddy flicked his gaze down to Half Pint and back, hoping Styx would catch his signal. "I'm just saying, I think it'd be a good idea. Plus, you know, it'd make Prince happy, 'cause you'll be following orders."
|
|
|
|
Post by Kid Blink on Sept 8, 2009 1:25:24 GMT -5
Blink had intended to get to the meeting a little early--Blink was one of the kids Jack would often turn to first when he needed a soldier, and Blink, carefree as he usually was, felt the need to set an example during these dangerous times. Jack said "Be there," so be there he would! Apparently, though, it seemed several other people had had the same idea, as the place was already starting to get crowded when he showed up.
"Uh-huh," he muttered to himself, scanning the crowd. "No Brooklynites. Figures." He scoffed under his breath, those damn Brooklyn kids always ran around half-cocked, thinking they could take on the world and come out on--oh, shit, there was Fighter. Blink quickly ducked out of her line of sight, disappearing into a throng of Bronx boys.
Among the gathered kids, he spotted a familiar face, a face that looked a little distressed at the moment. And Blink could never resist a damsel in distress!
"Brook!" he shouted over the din of chatter. "Hey, Broo--get out of my way, oxbrain!--Brook!" She'd been penned in between several of the Bronx's Finest, and Blink didn't particularly like the leer the tallest one was giving her. Elbowing his way through the crowd none too gently, Blink pushed his way up next to Brook and fixed the guy with his most venomous glare.
"You mind, buddy? She's with me."
Taking Brook's elbow, he guided her back out of the group the way he came through (getting several annoyed words thrown in his direction as he butted people out of their way) and to the side of the hall, where he found a couple of empty seats to snag.
"Are you okay, dollface?" he asked her, straightening out her sleeve where he'd rumpled it from tugging her along behind him.
|
|
