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Post by dutchy on Jul 2, 2009 22:58:45 GMT -5
Dutchy plowed into Blink from behind, tripping over his own shoelace as he fumbled down the step leading into the main room. He grabbed Blink's shoulders for support and managed to steady the both of them before blushing in embarrassment and grabbing a wooden chair across from the sofa. He leaned over, without a word and immediately tied up the offending shoelace. Here Jack had called them down for something important and Dutchy makes a clown out of himself.
"You, uh, wanted to see us, Jack?"
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Post by Racetrack Higgins on Jul 2, 2009 23:09:01 GMT -5
Luckily, Race was about three steps behind Dutchy. He stood still to watch Dutchy make a fool of himself before descending the stairs the rest of the way (while making sure both Dutchy and Blink were firmly on the ground in one way or another) and looking at Jack. He knew it was something important. Otherwise Jack would have come up to get them himself. "Whaddya need, Cowboy?"
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Post by Bumlets Russo on Jul 2, 2009 23:53:20 GMT -5
Bumlets leaned against he wall, his arms around his broomstick as he looked down at Cowboy. It wasn't every day that there was a summons like that one, he nodded his head to show him that he was here too.
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Post by Jack Kelly on Jul 2, 2009 23:57:16 GMT -5
Jack looked at each of the boys in turn before speaking. He put thought into his plan, even though he was able to come up with it fairly quickly. He saw Bumlets at the top of the stairs and decided to talk to him in a minute. "Dutchy," he said, addressing him first. "I need you to stay down here for a while. I'm leavin' in a while and I'll be in my room; stay 'till I get back. Nobody leaves the lodging house, you got that? Tell the kids upstairs. Nobody leaves here, got it?"
Jack turned to Blink and Race. "You'se two need to go around and round up any stray kids you see hangin' around. I know Specs is out, but find anyone who should be here and bring 'em back. Look at the usual spots, got that?" Jack knew Race and Blink could both take care of themselves, but... "And just do me a favor and stick together, will ya?"
Then Jack looked up at Bumlets, on the landing above. "Bumlets. Keep the kids in line upstairs. Make sure no one gets desperate to go nowhere..." Jack knew some of the older kids snuck out at night to see girls or play poker games or one thing or another, and younger kids did it just for kicks. That wouldn't happen tonight. He couldn't get it. He couldn't tell anyone why, not yet, but he expected his boys to follow without question.
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Post by dutchy on Jul 4, 2009 19:26:16 GMT -5
"Sure thing, Jack." Dutchy nodded, standing up and straightening his waistcoat a bit from leaning over to tie his shoes. Even though it had been a few days, Jack taking charge and giving orders made things feel a bit better; a bit more under control. Now if he and Bumlets could just keep the kids in line...
Bumlets was quiet, but carried a big stick. He was also taller and had an air of authority that Dutchy didn't seem to possess. The younger kids usually mind Dutchy pretty well, but he wasn't known for discipline. Dutchy thought, as most of the older boys did, that the younger kids shouldn't be 'looked after' too much. You can't depend on nothin' but nobody as a kid on your own.
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Post by Kid Blink on Jul 7, 2009 16:34:02 GMT -5
Still reeling from Dutchy's unintentional gymnastic feats, Blink listened to Jack's orders. He could tell by the gravity in his voice that this was one of those moments when Jack was very, very serious, and he nodded.
"Sure, Cowboy, me an' Race, we'll get everyone gathered up." He nudged Racetrack with his elbow. "You an' me, we got dis, yeah?"
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Post by shortstack on Jul 7, 2009 16:56:38 GMT -5
Shortstack peered into the room it looked as if something important was going on. Hesitantly she questioned, "This da Newsboys' Lodge, right?
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Post by shortstack on Jul 14, 2009 19:43:12 GMT -5
Shortstack looked saw the expressions of gravity on the boys' faces and quickly decided she was probably intruding. "Sorry. Why don't I come back later...." She started moving backwards toward the door, tripping over her own feet before heading out of the door of the Lodginghouse.
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Post by Snoddy King on Aug 30, 2009 2:59:23 GMT -5
((NEW DAY!)) Snoddy plopped down heavily on the sofa. The room was empty at the moment, so he didn't feel too bad about swinging his long legs up on the cushions and stretching out along the length of the couch. He was careful to keep his shoes hanging off the end (Kloppman could get vicious about upholstery getting damaged by dirty soles), and of course he would move to make room if anyone else came in needing a place to sit. End of the work day, papers sold, nothing left to do. This was usually the time he liked to go hiking around the park, but Jack's orders had been that no one went anywhere alone. Snoddy figured he was much too large to be the target of another abduction, but Jack's rules applied to everyone, and he didn't make them just for the hell of it. Snoddy obeyed his orders whether he agreed with them or not. Besides, it seemed no one really got the same kind of kick Snoddy did out of climbing a tree to look for squirrel nests. Even if someone had been handy to ask to join him, he doubted they'd want to. Instead, he chose to stretch out on the sofa and work on reading a book Dutchy had loaned him-- Venus in Furs, by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch. Snoddy had thought it odd that, while Dutchy was reading this book, he'd only read it while there were few people around, and always kept his hands over the covers and the pages out of anyone's line of sight. Now that Dutchy had finished it and loaned it to Snoddy to read as well, Snoddy could understand why. ((Venus in Furs is essentially highly-literary erotica. It's about a man who is so in love with a woman that he begs her to dominate him and let him be her slave, because he feels it's the only way he can be close to her. And boooy does she ever dominate him. Click here for the Wikipedia article on it. Then go to your local library and check it out.)) |
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Post by Skittery James on Aug 30, 2009 3:06:44 GMT -5
Skittery had an apple in his mouth as he came into the room and leaned over the back of the sofa, smirking a little as he pointed at the page. "This is the good part.." A well read pessimist at least, Skittery had taken the book while Dutchy was sleeping late at night and gotten threw it a bit. He still figured every person within ten feet wanted something from him.. but well he knew his friends would at least tell him what they wanted and that saved all the second guessing.
He took a bit out of the apple and leaned over reading the paragraph again with a smirk, at least he wasn't reading it out loud. "Didn't know this was your thing.."
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Post by Snoddy King on Aug 30, 2009 3:39:10 GMT -5
When Skittery's arm appeared before him to point to a paragraph, Snoddy nearly jumped out of his skin. Far too engrossed in Severin's desperate pleas, he hadn't heard Skittery approaching--which was really something, coming from Snoddy, who practiced his tracking skills as a hobby. He quickly skimmed the area Skittery had indicated as being the best part: "How do you like that, slave?"
Then she flourished the whip.
"Get up!"
I was about to rise.
"Not that way," she commanded, "on your knees."
I obeyed, and she began to apply the lash.
The blows fell rapidly and powerfully on my back and arms. Each one
cut into my flesh and burned there, but the pains enraptured me. They
came from her whom I adored, and for whom I was ready at any hour to
lay down my life.
She stopped. "I am beginning to enjoy it," she said, "but enough for
to-day. I am beginning to feel a demonic curiosity to see how far
your strength goes. I take a cruel joy in seeing you tremble and
writhe beneath my whip, and in hearing your groans and wails; I want
to go on whipping without pity until you beg for mercy, until you
lose your senses. You have awakened dangerous elements in my being.
But now get up." Snoddy drew up his chin and nodded appreciatively. That was a good part. "Didn't know this was your thing.."Snoddy chuckled. "Hey, it's not my book. You wanna be surprised about something, remember--I'm just borrowing, Dutchy bought this thing, and read it in less than a week. I didn't know he was into this kinda thing." He glanced up, appraising Skittery for a moment, before shrugging. "You, though, no surprise there. How far'd you get before Dutchy snatched it outta your hands?" ((I soooo wasn't kidding. Go check this book out NOW. Unless you're Jace, in which case, get thee to a nunnery!)) |
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Post by Skittery James on Aug 30, 2009 3:46:51 GMT -5
Skittery smirked a bit and shrugged taking another bite of his apple. No one ever said he was the sunny type. But when you can't sleep and you see something being read by Dutchy of all people your thinking something along the lines of War and Peace not something that erotic. But eh, it was a good read at the time.
Smirking at his friend he used his apple as a salute, "It's always what you don't know about your friends that makes living here interesting, otherwise why bother." Shrugging he took another bite. This was the guy that actually disowned his own parents because he was a realist and he thought they were crazy.
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Post by Snoddy King on Aug 30, 2009 3:58:06 GMT -5
"Which makes me wonder, just what is it we don't know about you, friend?" Snoddy asked, shifting on the couch to look up at Skittery a little easier. Skittery was often an open book. An out-and-out pessimist, he seemed to think that secrets were bound to be revealed sooner or later anyway, a fact which made his last statement pretty intriguing. "You know, aside from your apple fetish," he amended, flinching a bit before wiping away a drop of juice that dripped down on his chin from Skittery's apple.
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Post by Skittery James on Aug 30, 2009 4:05:56 GMT -5
Skittery gave him an apple filled smile and wiggled it before he smirked, "Wouldn't YOU like to know?" Sure Skittery was the local pessimist. The world was ending, they were all dying one breath at a time. That was how he thought but he whipped his mouth on his sleeve and looked around a bit. "What do you think if this pairs crap?"
What did he really care about anything? Not much, but having someone even Jack telling him how to live stuck in his craw a bit more then Eric James would let on. He spent most of his young live listening to his father go on and on about helfire when his father himself was on hell of a sinner. Skitts, knew he was a sinner and had come to terms with this many years ago. So bothering with it now didn't matter.
"Specs was up all over Piper," he took another bite from his apple, honestly-- Specs amused the hell out of him for things like that. "An then Brook walked in and ruined his fun seems like..." he smirked, why did he take pleasure in other people's misery? He didn't really he was just amused that Piper actually let Specs get close enough to kiss her. Because anyone that knew Specs wouldn't.
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Post by Snoddy King on Aug 30, 2009 15:29:44 GMT -5
"What do you think if this pairs crap?"
Closing the book and tucking it into the inside pocket of his vest, Snoddy gave a halfhearted shrug. "I don't know. Seems practical for some of us. And it's not like Jack can go, "Okay, you, you and you, you guys can't leave alone, but everyone else is big enough to take care of themselves," you know? Imagine how angry you'd be if you were one of the ones he called out." He shifted on the lumpy sofa, and reconsidered. "On the other hand, that's why I'm stuck inside on a beautiful day instead of going for a hike." He looked up a Skittery a little hopefully. "You wouldn't wanna go hunting for squirrel nests, would ya?"
"Specs was up all over Piper. An then Brook walked in and ruined his fun seems like..."
Well, that was just like Skittery, to get all giddy over someone else's misfortune. But... well, it was kinda funny. Snoddy couldn't suppress his own smirk, he would've been certain that everyone in Manhattan knew of Specs's reputation--every Manhattan newsie, anyway. Specs was even worse than Blink with his womanizing. And poor Piper probably never saw it coming.
"How far'd they get?" he asked, unable to stop himself. Hey, finding out Dutchy had a secret kink, then getting to read all about it, had Snoddy's mind drifting to places it didn't really belong a lot lately.
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thanks admin!
