The Oak

[Skittery]

He grabbed the scarf and rubbed it inbetween his fingers. He was a little hesitant to use it at first, glanced up at Drifter taking note of the hair that had been covered. He decided that if she didnt want him too she wouldnt have given it to him and proceeded to blot his face.

"DC...you really have drifted 'round." He chose to mimick her now, laying on his right side. "I ain't evah been out of the city, born 'ere and will die 'ere most likely too"

[drifter]

'...born 'ere and will die 'ere most likely too."

Drifter sighed quietly, wondering if he couldn't leave or wouldn't leave. There was a big difference, but it'd probably be a little rude to ask him like that. Glancing at the passerby, she told Skittery her story.

"Well I was born on Boston an' I lived theah with me Ma and Pa but they both passed on befoah Ise was eight. Then I bounced 'round to whoevah would take me in, that's how Ise met Ace. At ten I left Boston foh Philly, spossedly had family theah. Well, theys was dead befoah I got theah so Ise took to playin in the streets foh money. A couple of newsies took me in and I helped em sell theah papes by playin foh the crowds or lookin real miserable like," she then laughed,

"Ise was pretty good at both. That's when Ise started goin by Drifter. At 13 I left foh DC and got work as a laundress in some hoity-toity Senatahs place. Was good work, but when he left office Ise decided to leave town and thought that NY would be worth a try."

She looked up at Skittery again, and smiled a bit sadly, "To be honest Ise stahtin' to get tired of all the movin. Bosron will always be my first home and Ise wanna go back someday, but until then Ise ready to stay put foh awhile."

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[Skittery]

He watched her as he listened, somewhat amazed by the fact that she had been to other places and seen different things. His existence was such a meager one.

"I aint never been in no rich guys house- only get to imagin'. Must of been real ridiculous in that Senators house, all them things we never get." He rolled onto his back, not noticing his forgotten crown slide off into the grass, and watched the clouds.

"My life aint that excitin'" He never really told people about his past but he just was comfortable with Drifter - she wasn’t picking, poking or trying to press his buttons like so many of the others did just waiting for him to explode. "Born in Harlem. Never really knew my pops, mother aint nothing to be proud of either - doin what she had to get by with me. She died I think I was eight and I just lived on the streets. Didn’t become a newsie till I was ten after being in the refuge..." He was vague but it was a lot for him to say. "So I’ve been on my own since I was a kid - not much of a childhood." He wasn’t bitter or anything, just accepted it as the way things were.

[drifter]

Drifter sat up and reached over Skittery for the fallen daisy crown. She sat back next to Skittery and stretched her legs out in front of her. Drifter placed the crown on her lap, not wanting to crush her favourite flowers. She was pleased Skittery shared his past with her. It was a sore point for many of the boys, and him telling her said a lot.

She looked down at the boy, wondering how little he got to lay back like this. He seemed to be wound awfully tight when she first stumbled upon him but was fne enough now.

"Yea, it was real weird seein how much food and money they wasted. Spendin hours cleanin fancy things that cost moh than I made in a yeah."

When he mentioned the refuge, she flinched a bit. No matter what city you were in the refuge was a nasty place to be.

"Well, I'd hahdly say yoah on yoah own. The othah newsies in yoah house have yoah back I bet, no mattah how much of a pain theys may be. And now yous gotta friend in the Bronx. It's like Ise tell Ace, wes bettah people foh livin through all we been though."
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[Skittery]

He let out a snort but didnt take his eyes off of the clouds that were slowly floating by. "Yeah a bit better than a group of heathens.." He saw them all as mongrals, kids trying to be adults but barely past puberty - it was too much responsibility for most of them and that was one of the reasons he was so short a lot of the time.

He adverted his eyes so he was looking up at her and flashed a small smile "Friends are good - an' havin' another one aint bad even if ya do live in the Bronx." a hint of rivalry was in his voice "Jus wonder where i'se gonna be when im to old fer dis life..." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

[drifter]

Drifter chuckled at Skittery's snip at the Bronx, boys and their territoy issues. Thinkinb bout Skittery's future caused Drifter to laugh a bit harder.

"If youse don't learn to have fun and relax moh you'll end up like Crazy Ol' McGinty back home. He was old, wrinkled and bald, and was always yellin at us kids to keep quiet while wavin his cane in the aih. 'Cassionally he'd throw something foh good measuh. Trust me, youse don't want that," she said with a giggle, picturin Crazy Ol' Man Skittery. She then became a more serious.

"If Ise lucky I'll end up a washahwoman. Ise wasn't brought up to be something more respectable like a seamstress or maid. Prolly end up with a regulah litteh o' kids too," she added with a snort. If there was one was area in which Drifter was a bit bitter, it was her real future, not the rosey one she liked to pretend existed out there somewhere. She knew how it worked for good Irish girls like herself. Nothing was expected for them but to grow up, get married and have lots of good lil Irish babies. "I ain't exactly lookin fowahd to doin the wash beahfoot and pregnant. Ise not naive, I know how it works. Can't give up though, without hope you might as well be blind."

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[Skittery]

His eyes shot open and he sat up to face her. He did not find the humor in the situation. "That aint funny!" He snapped, his nose was wrinkled up and his lip slightly curled. "I know how ta have fun jus' fine - I just don't always go outta my way ta find somethin positive in misreble situations!" And with that he let out a "hmpf" and set his chin on his knee. He really did need to loosen up but he would never admitt it.

After a few deep breaths he spoke more calmly " I ain't gonna be some crabby old crazy man no more than yer goin' ta be some baby maker. Ya can hope all ya want but if ya dont do nothin' about it then you are gonna be washin' some rich ladies knickers..." He eyed her for a moment longer then pulled a cigarette from his pocket and placed it inbetween his teeth as he searched for a match.

[drifter]

Drifter snorted st Skittery's outburst and shook her head.

"One minute Ise too optimistic foh you, the next I'm too down? Skittery, youse one confusin fella."

As she spoke, Drifter reached into her case and pulled out a box of matches. She didn't smoke, it was gross really and she didn't know how any of the newsies could afford it either. But until the other day she had been sleeping on the streets again, and matches always came in handy. She reached out to hand him the box and kept talking.

"Hope's alls kids like us got. I can play an' play an' play, but youse really think ise could evah make a real livin from it when Ise too old foh the streets? End up actually livin' in one of the fancy houses Ise used to work in? Wes both know that ain't nevah gonna happen."
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[Skittery]

He grumbled a bit about confusion being exciting and finally pulled the cig from his mouth. "Sorry - ise wound tight sometimes an' jus' burst..." He gave her a half smile and pulled a match from the box with his grubby digits. Using his pant leg he light the match and then his cigarette letting in a few stinging breaths.

He exhaled through his nose. "No neither one of us will live in a fancy ol' place - unless we marry rich which aint likly. Not too many kids in our place make it outta da slums..."He shrugged, "Who knows though, maybe youse can make it with yer fiddle an' I'll find a hunk a gold - Pulitzer was poor to ya know.." He was uncharacteristically optimistic, it must have been the tobacco - or maybe not. "Or we'll die tamorrow in the guttah" And with that all his positive energy flew away with the wind. He held his cigarette towards and raised his eyebrows in ofference.

[drifter]

Drifter wasn't so sure she'd understand Skittery like she understood Ace and the kids before him, but that amused her to no end. She put the matches back in her case and half listened as the boy spoke and half wondered what other goodies she had in her case and forgot about. She tended to do that.

"Or we'll die tamorrow in the guttah."

Oh yea, that was the Skittery she was beginning to know and love. She grinned at the boy, more at ease when he was his snarky self.

"Ise dunno 'bout turnin' up dead tomarrah," she said with a cheeky grin, "Ise don't remembeh seein that on the schedule. Ise think Ace's showin me the ropes tomorroh. Should be interestin' to say the least. I'm not even positive wheah one burough ends and the next begins."

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[Skittery]

He returned her grin with a toothless smile. He was throughly enjoying her company. She was calm and positive but not so excessivly happy or optimistic that it was annoying. He pushed the cigarette back inbetween his lips and after a drag puffed the smoke out in little puffs like a steam engine.

"You'll learn the city fast - kind of forced ta because some of the boys, erm an' girls, get a bit territorial. Them Brooklyn kids, they can be a bit gruff- lotsa big heads ovah there..." he let out a snort, Brooklyn got on his nerves a lot - or at least their leader did.

Using her scarf he patted some of the moisture from his face and then replaced his neglected hat over his hair. "If ya need anymore 'elp ise happy ta give ya some, that is if Ace don't cover everythin'." He glanced at her as he took another drag. "I know Manhattan better than he evah will"

[drifter]

"I'd love to take you up on that offah some time," she said quietly, "Just gotta tawk Ace into lettin' me outta the Bronx. He's a bit protective o' me. Seems to fohget Ise been on my own 'til now. Can't be too upset though, he only does it cuz he worries I'll get myself in trouble."

She rolled over onto her belly and watched the people walk by. She really hadn't seen much of the city, adn though Ace was going to show her the ropes, as leader he didn't really have time to take her around the city.

"You know," she said with a mischeviou grin, "Hang 'im, I'll nevah see the city if Ise wait foh Ace to take me. He ain't got time foh that. When yous up foh it Skits, I wanna see 'Hatten."

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[Skittery]

"Don't seem like ya need a babysittah ta me" He scooted back and used the tree as a backrest. It was obvious she was independent and capable of taking care of herself - her history alone proved that.

Hang 'im I'll nevah see the city if Ise wait foh Ace to take me Skittery's face curled into a smug grin. He was thrilled that she accepted his proposal; he had had his doubts if she would even consider it seeing as how he was like a loaded gun always snapping and snorting. His grin only expanded when she called him "Skits", a lot of people called him that but not usually the day he met them, and it showed her acceptance despite his faults.

He took one more drag and then snuffed the rest of the cig out on the heel of his boot. "I'm up for it anytime - even now." He looked back over at her. "I ain't got any plans - thats why i was sittin' under dis tree in the first place, an' I sure didn’t expect a friend fallin' ovah me" He snickered a little.

[drifter]

"I'm up for it anytime - even now."

Drifter sat up on her knees with a big smile, she hadn't been expecting that. Scooting over to where he was by the tree, she grinned up at him nodding her head. She was pretty damn excited, not only was she finally getting a tour outside of the Bronx, but sneaking around behind Ace was pretty exciting in itself. She was also a bit pleased that Skittery seemd to finally be warming up to her.

"Really? You'd take me now?" she asked quickly, before he could change his mind and she was stuck sitting in the park all day. "And that was an accident mistah, don't be lettin' it go to your head," she scolded playfully.

Standing up she offered her hand to the boy, "Well, what are we waitin' foh?"

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[Skittery]

Skittery laughed a bit and pulled his hat on tighter. He gathered his big giant stick/staff-thing and the crown that was ling on the grass where Drifter had been sitting. He took her hand and hoisted himself up. "Ain't you a little eager.." he gave her a twisted grin and started to walk along the path the way he had come hours earlier. He turned and looked at her waiting for her to meet his side. "Any part of da city you really wanna see? Or is it my selection?" He rested his weight on his walking staff and raised his eyerbows. "The Red Light is always a hot spot for tourists..." he joked.