Lakeside Picnic Tables

[Prince]

Bring your food and watch the water. It's rather enchanting really.

[sprite]

[new day}

Sprite took a seat at one of the benches, pulling out a piece of bread shed saved from earlier, she started to snack on it her eyes fixated on the squirls as the raced around the park trying to get as many acorns as possible to tie them over for the winter.

She flicked some blond hair out of her face, her mind wandering to things. She wondered where denim was, she hadnt seen the girl for quite some time, then again she hadnt even looked. Maybe she would soon just to make sure she was alright. She took another bit, zoneing out a bit.

[rookie]

[[[New Day]]]
"Extra! Extra!" Rookie called a bit nervously. "Mayor's daughter with pneumonia! Near death!" She walked around the picnic tables, waving her papers around to all the picnickers and their families and friends. "Could this affect his plans for next year's race for office?" She hawked out her headlines, flipping her strawberry blonde locks off of her back every now and again to keep the heat off her neck. The more she hawked, the more interest she collected.

A man approached her and asked for a pape. "That'd be one penny, sir," she said with a smile. She handed him the paper in turn for a penny and thanked him. She shoved the penny in her pocket and expected for the man to leave. But instead, he warned her off away from his family, and she quickly trotted away, afraid not to. So she moved to another part of the picnic areas, continuing her call.

As she hawked, she looked around, nervous about meeting the other newsies. She was nervous, as this was her first day as a newsie, and she didn't know how the others would accept her. Since she used to live here, she was very aware of the Brooklyn Newsies' reputation, and now that she was a newsie, she was very cautious. She didn't want to be in anyone's selling spot, or taking customers from anyone, because she realized it could lead to the rearrangement of her face.

[Fighter Mallory]

Fighter sat on top of one of the picnic tables, smoking a cigarette and looking around. She was scanning the crowds to see if anyone looked like they could spare some food, not that they'd know it. Unfortunately since the incident at the bar she hadn't been able to work that much since her shoulder was still sore and her face still bruised. The owner also didn't want her working the floor just yet and had her in the kitchen for the most part helping him prepare meals, which meant she was more than a little low on funds. As she continued to study the people around her she spotted Rookie, noticing the girl didn't seem to have much experience and seemed to be looking around nervously. With a smirk, she stood and started to make her way over. "You from 'round here?"

[rookie]

"You from 'round here?"

Rookie did all that she could not to jump at the sound of someone addressing her specifically. Instead she turned around a little quickly and looked over to see another girl walking towards her. Rookie was a little skeptical about the bruises on her face, but didn't show it on her face, just silently wondered about it as the girl approached her.

"Sort of," Rookie replied, resting her papers at her side. One of her fingers played with the pages as she spoke to the girl. She knew that she was in Brooklyn, and in Brooklyn you had to be pretty tough. Usually she could stand on her own, but seeing as this was her first day, she was nervous. "I used to live here, but I moved and now I'm back, but this time I'm taking on a different profession." She indicated to the stack of newspapers at her side. "Are you a newsie too?" Her voice held no accent, because she brought up in a rich home, learning proper grammar and english skills. In fact, it hardly held a New York accent at all.

[Fighter Mallory]

Fighter raised her eyebrow at Rookie, not used to the higher class accent being on someone who was a newsie; especially a Brooklyn newsie. She shrugged it off though figuring it had to do with the fact that the girl had just moved back. "When I need the extra money I'll sell some papes 'ere or t'ere. You stayin' in the lodgin' 'ouse or did you just pick t'is up as a habit?"

Being the skeptical Brooklynite that she was she didn't think that this girl could possibly be staying in the Brooklyn lodging house. She seemed far too timid for Spot to want around, in fact, she seemed like she'd fit in better with the Queens girls. Fighter glanced around still trying to keep an eye out for someone who wasn't paying that much attention to the food on their tables.

[rookie]

"That must be nice," Rookie said, noticing the raised eyebrow but ignoring it. "Being able to decide when you want to do this and when you want to do that." She was very conscious of her upper-class accent, and had spent half the train ride up from North Carolina practicing one. But she found she couldn't, it just didn't sound right to her. She hoped she would eventually pick the 'street-accent' up and lose her high upper-class one in turn.

You stayin' in the lodgin' 'ouse or did you just pick t'is up as a habit?"

"I'm staying at the lodging house," Rookie elaborated. "I haven't been over there yet, I'm trying to get re-used to Brooklyn before I go there. I know Spot's reputation, and I don't want to go up to him looking like a cornered mouse." Basically, that's what she was, but she was working on it. While down in North Carolina, she paid one of the girl newsies in Charleston to teach her how to fight before she came back to New York. She was the best, but she could defend herself.

[Fighter Mallory]

A gleam came to Fight's eyes with her first comment, "Pick an' choose? 'oney, I don't t'ink so. I work just as hard as the next newsie, I just know t'at I can't sell papes forever and I try to get work other places. I don't want to share a bunkroom wit' a bunch of other goils till I'm t'irty." She didn't like that comment one bit, it was a little too snobby in her opinion considering the girl didn't even know her name. 'Hoity toity lil....' The thought subsided when Rookie continued.

Fighter smirked, she could try pulling the same gag she did on the last girl who had gotten on her bad side too quickly but she decided to give this one a chance. "Spot ain't so bad, just don't get in 'is way and don't do nothin' to make Brooklyn, you, or 'im look like an idiot. Other t'an t'at it's a nice place to call home till you get on your feet and get money in your pocket."

[rookie]

"I didn't mean it like that," Rookie said quickly, putting her hands up. "I just thought you meant-" She stopped herself and shook her head, and lowered her voice and calmed it from getting over-defensive. "I thought you meant that you had another job, and if that wasn't cutting it, you'd sell papers." She paused and listened to her continue.

"I do not plan on getting in the way of Mr. Spot Conlon. No way, no how," she said with assuredness. "I've heard not-so-nice stories about what happens when you make Brooklyn -or Spot- look like an idiot."

It took her a few moments, but she finally realized that she hadn't properly introduced herself. "I'm Rookie, by the way." She smiled, hoping not to make any enemies on her first day. She didn't mean to, but looking back she saw that her words could have easily been misinterpreted.

[Fighter Mallory]

Fighter just gave her a blank look when she first started talking, she wasn't in the mood to get herself worked up over nothing. When she looked the girl up and down she highly doubted that she would be picking a fight with someone she didn't know especially not with how intimidated she seemed to be by Brooklyn and its inhabitants. When she called Spot Mr. Spot Conlon Fighter couldn't help but smirk, "I'm sure the stories are a little blown out'ta proportion. Like I said Spot ain't so bad, he looks aftah his newsies, he just likes gettin' the respect he desoives. I'm sure he'd love to 'ear you call 'im Mistah Spot Conlon and all, but I wouldn't call him t'at. 'Sides the most Spot'll do to ya is tell ya to find another borough to stay in, he don't hit goils."

With a nod, Fighter spit in her hand and held it out, "Fightah Mallory, good to meet you."

[rookie]

Rookie smiled in relief as she heard Fighter's description of Spot. Some fears she held against him melted, and was very relieved to hear that the 'you can't hit a girl' rule applied up in New York also. "His reputation preceeds him, newsies in North Carolina know of him. They've told me that he's pushed people off of buildings, but I don't think that's true...is it?"

As she heard her name, she was a little perplexed. Fighter? Hmmm. "Nice to meet you, Fighter," she said none the less. "So where abouts do you live, since you said you don't live in the Lodging House..."

[Fighter Mallory]

Giving Rookie a shrug, Fighter smirked, "There's lots'a stuff I don't know 'bout our feahless leadeah so maybe...." She honestly didn't know, she'd heard a lot of stuff about Conlon and really she had no idea how much was true, how much was an exaggeration, or how much was just a flat out lie.

"I do live in the lodgin' 'ouse, I said I don't want to live there till I'm t'irty." Fighter pushed a strand of hair off her forehead. "I still work as a newsie on my days off from my other job."

[Joe]

"Youse my deah are already t'irty, we just havent gotten ta puttin ya in da nursin home yet." Joe said as he sauntered up to the girls a smoke in his mouth and a smirk on his lips.

[Fighter Mallory]

Fighter turned to look at Joe and gave him a mock-offended look, "Oh yeah? If I'm t'irty how old 'xactly does that make you, huh?" She smirked and punched his arm lightly before taking a drag of her own cigarette.

[Joe]

"ya eldah so ya bettah respect dat." He said smirking down at her and pretending to rub his arm as if it had hurt.