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Post by Administrator on Apr 15, 2010 0:11:24 GMT -5
Place your bets here! Win, Place, or Show, check the odds, and put your money on the horse you like accordingly.
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Post by soothsayer on Feb 4, 2011 18:53:19 GMT -5
*NEW DAY ~ OPEN* Soothsayer waited in line to place his bet, he was sure he knew who the winner would be. He shifted from one foot to other restlessly, he hated waiting in lines. All he wanted to do was place the bet, get himself a beer, and find someone to watch the race with. Part of him was hoping to run into Smarty again but he doubted she'd come to Queens even if her life depended on it. He smirked to himself, that girl was a tough nut to crack but he didn't mind putting in the legwork. She'd break eventually and then she'd be his. He wondered what she was up to and how things were going in Brooklyn for her. She had seemed to be doing fine when he saw her at the boxing ring, but you could never really tell with the Brooklyn lot. He had still enjoyed her snarkiness though. He still couldn't believe she was still holding out on going on a date with him. Sure, he knew what Brooklyn thought of Queens kids, but he had no problem getting into a fight with one of them to prove he was no pansy. Soothsayer was sure it would happen one day, his mouth tended to get him into a lot of trouble but he'd done a good job of not making trouble with Brooklyn. He didn't want to considering the girl of his dreams lived there. Finally the line started moving a little and then it stopped again. He heaved a huge sigh, becoming extremely agitated. What was taking them so long? At this point the race would start before he even had a chance to make a bet and then he would be pissed. His eyes danced around the crowd looking for a familiar face, he wouldn't mind running into Calico or Styx. It had been a long time since he'd seen either and him and Calico were usually inseparable. Where was Calico without his mouth piece? Up shit's creek, that's where. |
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Post by Pallet O'Shea on Feb 7, 2011 12:52:33 GMT -5
Pallet stood in line to place her small bet. She wasn't much for gambling, usually she just came to watch the horses race because they reminded her of home, but today she had decided to put a little money down on the horse everyone was saying was a long shot.
Pallet stepped up to the counter after the man in front of her left. She bit her bottom lip as she caught the way the guy behind the counter was eying her up and down like she was a piece of meat. She nervously cleared her throat and held out her money for him to take as she told him what horse it was for. The man took the money but before she could pull her hand back, he grabbed onto it and yanked her as close as the counter would allow--the edge of it pushing harshly into her stomach where more than likely a bruise would appear later.
"What's a fine thing like you doing here all alone?" he sneered, causing Pallet to cringe.
"Sir, would you please release me? I've placed my bet, you got my money, now let me go!" Pallet tried to put strength behind her demand, but she kept getting flashback of the last time she was in such a situation and it scared her. She barely made it away before the worst could happen, and the guy then was much smaller than this one. A lone tear made its way down her cheek.
"Now why would I want ta be doing that?" he brushed his lips across the palm of her hand and looked up at her. "You don't need ta be gambling. I've got a sure fire way to could easily triple your money... How 'bout you come back here so I can show you..." He began to leer at her.
More tears began to run down Pallet's face and her eyes began frantically searching for someone who would help her. She turned her head to look at the man behind her, but judging by the smirk on his face and the way his eyes wandered up and down her body, she realized he wouldn't be any help. Oh, God she thought to herself. I should have never come here alone. Someone please help me!
Pallet tried to pull her arm free to no avail. She closed her eyes when she felt the man behind push her even closer to the counter and leaned forward to smell her hair, and the man behind the counter began placing kisses further up her arm. More tears slid down her cheek as she silently cried from the fear of what would happen to her if no one stepped in, and from the pain in her stomach from being pushed into the counter. "Please let me go..." she whimpered. What these men were doing was holding up the line, so why isn't anyone concerned?
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Post by soothsayer on Feb 7, 2011 13:25:35 GMT -5
Soothsayer tapped his foot impatiently as the line once again came to a dead stop. He let out a heavy sigh and stepped out of line to see what the hold up was. As he got closer to the counter his lips twisted into a sneer and he strode the front of the line. He stopped beside a girl he didn't recognize and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, tugging her away from the two me. "Hey, doll, you finish placing that bet yet?"
He winked in her direction to get her to play along before turning back to the man behind the counter and the other man who were both glaring at him. "Where's the ticket?" He pointed to the money the girl had handed the man behind the counter. "She gave you her money and yet she has no ticket."
The man behind the counter sneered at him and quickly filled out a ticket before holding it out to him. He snatched it quickly from the man before handing it to the girl. Sooth removed his arm from her shoulders and moved forward to press his face against the bars, "See you do something like that again and I'll make sure you're little buddy is never up to finishing the job."
That said, he turned around and faced the other jackass who had been willingly helping the pervert. Before the man could say a word to him, he pulled his fist back and punched him in the gut causing the man to bend over as he let out a wheeze. Sooth kicked him in the face then before turning and grabbing the girls hand. He dragged her away from the counter before the bulls could see what the commotion was about. He was a little disappointed he didn't get to place his bet but he always loved saving a damsel in distress.
When he found a couple of empty seats, he stopped dragging the girl and plopped down into one giving her a bright smile. "Does trouble find you often?" He asked in a cocky tone of voice, but those that knew him knew it was just the way he was. He held out his hand to her, "I'm Soothsayer, by the way."
She didn't look very familiar so he doubted she was from Queens. He knew most of the people around his part of the city even if they didn't live at the lodging house. She didn't like hoity toity so he figured if she had lived in Queens he would have run into her at some point. "Where ya from, dollface?" He wondered briefly after asking that if she would smack him in the face like he knew Smarty would have. 'Nah,' he thought after a moment, 'Smarty's one of a kind.'
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Post by Pallet O'Shea on Feb 7, 2011 14:52:48 GMT -5
Terror washed over Pallet when she felt herself being tugged by yet another person, but as soon as the strange boy spoke the terror was replaced with relief. Someone had come to save her. Not caring one bit that she didn't know this boy, she wrapped her arms around him and whispered into his chest a sobbing "Thank you."
Pallet quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks and turned back to the two men as her savior confronted them. She took her betting ticket from him with shaky hands and shoved it into her pocket. After the boy, punched and then kicked the man who had been standing behind her she watched him crumple to the ground behind her as the boy led her quickly away. As they moved further away from the now forming crowd, she began to feel more and more at ease.
Pallet looked down at Soothsayer before slowly taking the empty seat beside him. "Not usually..." She took a deep, calming breath before continuing in a whisper, "Only once before a long time ago... and I didn't have anyone to save me then... but... he wasn't as big so... Well, I escaped before anything really bad could happened..." She combed her fingers through her hair trying to straighten out the mess one of the men caused. "I'm Pallet. From the Bronx."
Pallet dropped her hands into her lap, giving up on the tangled mess that was her hair. Catching sight of the red marks around her wrist and the brush burn the man's stubble had caused on her upper arms, she softly touched it and began running her fingers gently up and down the length of her arm, staring down at it and wishing the action would make it disappear. The marks on her wrist would most likely become bruises in the morning; a reminder for the next few weeks of what could have happened to her had she not been rescued. Without looking up she asked, "Do you often find yourself rescuing damsels in distress, Mr. White-Knight?"
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Post by soothsayer on Feb 7, 2011 15:08:57 GMT -5
He frowned when she related her story of what had happened to her before and shook his head a bit. Soothsayer would never understand men who got their jollies out of hurting pretty young girls. It wasn't something he'd ever contemplated doing even when he was at his wits end with a girl. Sure he had tossed Smarty over his shoulder a couple of times, but that was because the girl was wily and he knew she'd run the first chance she got. He'd never actually put his hands on a girl with the intention to do her harm or something else of that nature. "Well Pallet from the Bronx," He said with a wide smile. "Do you usually wonder around Queens by yourself?"
Normally, that wouldn't be a problem because Queens wasn't a borough you could find a lot of trouble in, but this girl seemed to have a knack for it. He wouldn't tell any of the girls at his house though to come to the track alone because this was where a lot of hoodlums gathered and you could find more then a spot of trouble here. He glanced over at her and saw her wrists. Barely holding back a grimace at how raw they looked he shook his head again. "I'll be right back," He said as he stood and wondered over to get a beer from one of the vendors. Once he was back he took one of her arms gently in his own and held her wrist to the side of the cup. It wasn't especially cold but it was cool enough to over some sort of comfort.
"Not too often," He said with a chuckle. It wasn't often he came across them. "So what made you come to Queens to see a race?" Soothsayer was curious about the girl since she had come all this way from the Bronx by herself. He wondered if she'd been hoping to see someone and smirked at the idea. He wasn't fond of going to Brooklyn but he'd walk through there now and again hoping to catch sight of Smarty. The girl was elusive though and harder to track down then a lot of other people would be.
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Post by Pallet O'Shea on Feb 7, 2011 15:51:03 GMT -5
Pallet winced at first when her wrist and the cold can made contact but after a few seconds it felt good--soothing. She looked up at Soothsayer and shook her head no in response to his question about wandering Queens alone. "Not really. Anytime I've been this way, there's always been someone with me. A friend or two or one of the Bronx boys..."
After the incident from years ago, it had taken Pallet a long time to trust any of the opposite sex besides her brother Shamrock and her best friend Lord Byron. But, she slowly made progress; learning that most men weren't like that. The few Bronx girls that knew what happened--like Lexi and Rori--helped her learn there was ways to protect herself, and the few Bronx boys that knew--like Byron and Dodger and River--showed her how most men really acted. Within a few years, she had improved greatly and her friends were proud of her progress. No matter what, she couldn't let what happened today erase away all her progress.
Pallet offered Sooth a slight smile. "To see the horses. They remind me of home back in Ireland. My family owned a ranch raising beautiful, prized Irish horses. Whenever I'm feeling homesick, I either come watch a race or go down to the stables. Being around the horses--the smells and sounds--reminds me of my home in Galway... I don't ever really bet on the horses, just watch. Today, was supposed to be something new..." She reached her free hand into her pocket and pullet out the betting slip and offered it to the boy beside her. "Here, please take it. You didn't get to place your bet because of me... It's not much, but I want you to have it..." She gave him a genuine smile, holding the ticket out to him in her hand.
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Post by soothsayer on Feb 7, 2011 19:56:33 GMT -5
Soothsayer listened to her explain that she usually came with some friends or a boy from the Bronx. "That's probably a smart idea. Most of the time you won't run into guys like them but they do linger around the track." He gave her a wide grin, "Course now you're with me so you won't have any problems." Well, he couldn't really guarantee no problems but he could guarantee that he'd look out for the girl.
"Ah, a fellow Irishman or well woman in your case," He stated with a wink. He shook his head when she held out her ticket to him. "I can manage without betting on a horse for a day." Calico had been trying to get him to stop coming here and wasting his money anyway, but he loved the track. He loved the atmosphere and he fit in with it most days but not when men were taking advantage of an innocent girl. "Besides if your horse wins you'll be put out you gave up your ticket."
He leaned back in his chair and propped his legs up on the empty seat in front of him. It was nice to meet another person from Ireland, but he didn't really associate himself with the country that much anymore. Certainly not the way Styx or Nike would, he'd been in New York for far too long and he was just a New Yorker now. He preferred it that way actually, Ireland held good memories for him but it also held bad ones and he didn't like to relive them.
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Post by Pallet O'Shea on Feb 8, 2011 8:22:11 GMT -5
Pallet smiled at Sooth and shoved her betting slip back into her pocket. "Well, I'm not so sure I'll be winning anything but thanks. I picked the longshot..." She turned to face the track. As much as they had been talking, the two almost didn't notice the horses were already halfway through the race.
Pallet turned back to her new friend and gave him a weak smile before pulling her now-less-sore arm back into her lap. "It feel a bit better. Thank you," she whispered. She looked down at her arm and caressed the sore spots gently with her fingers one more time and then folded her hands and laid them in her lap. "You should drink that before it gets too warm. Warm beer isn't as good." She motioned to the beer in his hand that he used to sooth her arm.
Pallet tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and stood up and got on her tiptoes so she could see over the crowd in front of her. The horses were almost to the finish line and the crowd was going wild. A few feet to the finish line her horse pulled ahead and won the race, amazingly enough. She began jumping around excitedly. "I Won!" she shouted. "I actually Won!" She turned around and jumped into Soothsayer's arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. Then, without even thinking she planted a big kiss right on his lips. After a few seconds she opened her eyes and realized what she was doing. She quickly detached her lips from his, dropped her arms, and took a step back from him.
Pallet began biting her bottom lip and couldn't make eye contact with Sooth. "I uh... I'm sorry... I uh... didn't... I didn't realize... I... I didn't mean anything by it..." She tucked her hair back behind her ear again before adding in a whisper, "I'm sorry." She sat back down in her seat with her hands in her lap and stared at them, picking at a string on her skirt. She hadn't really ever won anything before so when she realized her horse had actually won, she got really excited. She was embarrassed with herself, and hoped she hadn't made Sooth uncomfortable now. She hadn't meant anything romantic by it; she was interested in and just getting to know Styx. Sooth just made her feel comfortable and she got a little carried away in her excitement.
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Post by soothsayer on Feb 18, 2011 14:03:22 GMT -5
Sooth grinned and shrugged his shoulders, “You never know, lass, long shots are sometimes the best ones to bet on.” They did, after all, offer the biggest payout since no one usually bet on them. He wasn’t the type to bet on a long shot, he was more likely to bet on the horse that was sure to win.
He nodded his head a bit and lifted the beer to his lips to take a large gulp and ended up drinking more then half of it before setting it aside for the moment. “Aye, you’re right there warm beer is never a good thing.” He smirked slightly and stood up as well to see over the crowd and watch the rest of the race. He couldn’t believe his eyes when her horse pulled in front of the others and actually won. It was an automatic reaction for him to wrap his arms around her and return the hug, but he was more then surprised when she kissed him.
A chuckle fell from his lips as she started stammering and he reached out to mess her hair, “No harm done lass.” Though he did check the crowd because it would be just his luck that Smarty would be there and see it, but she wasn’t so he heaved a sigh of relief and gave Pallet a friendly grin. “Congratulations on the win, you should go collect your money.” He didn’t mind being kissed by a pretty girl even if it was just because of the excitement and he wasn’t going to harass her about it when she’d obviously been caught up in the moment.
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Post by Pallet O'Shea on Feb 20, 2011 18:08:10 GMT -5
Pallet was relieved that Sooth took the kiss so well. She was embarrassed about it as it was, so if he had made a big deal about it she would feel extremely uncomfortable. She combed her fingers through her hair to straighten out the mess he had made, as she watched him scan the crowd. Oh shit, I didn't even think about him having a girl who could have seen that and taken it the wrong way, she thought. She smiled weakly at him.
Sooth's comment caught Pallet off guard. Oh, shit. She didn't even think about having to collect her winnings from the same man who harassed her earlier. She bit her bottom lip and looked up at her new friend. Maybe she wouldn't have to face that man again if she got Sooth to take her winnings. "You know what... You should really have it..." She smiled her most charming smile and held the ticket out to him. If he took the ticket and claimed the winnings for himself, she could duck out of there and head back to the Bronx without having to face that man again.
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Post by soothsayer on Feb 22, 2011 13:52:22 GMT -5
Soothsayer shook his head at her words and grasped her elbow to pull her up. "I'll go with you, but I'm not taking your ticket." Sooth wasn't the type to take something like that from someone he didn't even really know. "Come on, let's go get your money. You can buy me a pretzel as thanks." He tossed her an easy grin and led the way over to the window to collect the money that Pallet had won. He was going to have to get going soon anyway, he had told Calico he'd meet him so they could sell later in the day.
"So, what're you going to be doing with the rest of your day?" He asked with a large smile, "You heading back to the Bronx or are you gonna stick around our lovely borough?" He didn't want to leave her here to fend for herself when she was obviously still shook up about what had occurred earlier, but he didn't want to blow off his friend either.
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Post by Pallet O'Shea on Mar 5, 2011 21:13:38 GMT -5
Pallet smiled at Sooth's kindness and nodded her head in agreement. "Aye. That I could do." Buying him a pretzel was a poor way to show how grateful she was he had rescued her, but she could see he wasn't going to give in and take her winnings. Walking alongside of him, she whispered "Thanks." It was under her breath so she wasn't even sure he could hear it, but that didn't matter.
Pallet contemplated his question for a couple minutes before giving him an answer. She had come to Queens for the sole purpose of visiting Rockaway Beach hoping to be inspired for some new paintings, but she got distracted yearning to visit the horses at the tracks. She looked up at Soothsayer and smiled, "I'm not sure. I'll probably wander around Queens a bit hoping for some inspiration for my next painting. I might make my way to Rockaway..."
Pallet and Sooth made their way to the back of the line to claim her winnings. When they were within a few feet of the Betting Booth--the man behind the booth within sight--Pallet inched closer to Sooth and unconsciously gripped his hand with one of her own hands and his arm with her other. The gesture made her more comfortable, knowing that Sooth was right there.
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Post by soothsayer on Mar 13, 2011 21:24:46 GMT -5
Sooth nodded at he response to his question and wrapped his arm around her shoulder when he realized how tense she'd become when they'd gotten closer to the ticket booth. He wasn't used to being a knight in shining armor for a girl but he didn't mind. It gave his ego another boost, that it probably didn't need but he'd take it. "I'm not inspiration enough for a painting, lass?" He asked with a large smile to show he was joking. He hoped he could get a laugh out of her and relax her a bit.
When they reached the counter he slid the ticket towards the attendant and scowled at the man while he waited for the money. Men like that one were the kind that made Sooth sick to his stomach and he couldn't stand it. It took all the restraint he had not to attack the man again, but with the bars between them he couldn't do much but threaten. When the man passed him the money, he counted it and nodded before handing it over to Pallet and leading her away from the window.
"Well, there you go, all your money and no more problems." He said with a smile as he pulled his arm away and tucked his hands into his pockets. "Just got to remember to be a bit more careful next time, lass. Not every guy wants to rescue a damsel in distress even when they're as bonny as you are." He grinned and pulled his hand from his pocket for a moment to run it through his hair. "You ever need someone to come to the tracks with you you can come find me. I live at the lodging house and it's not that far from here."
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Post by Pallet O'Shea on Apr 23, 2011 20:34:04 GMT -5
Pallet smiled and took the money Sooth offered her. "Thanks for all your help Sooth. I'll remember the offer for next time. I definitely wont be coming down here by myself again. I've learned my lesson." She pocketed the money.
Pallet held out her hand to Sooth. "Thanks again." They shook hands and she gave him another grateful smile before turning to leave. It was getting late so she decided to head straight back to the Bronx. She'd stop by the Queens Lodging House tomorrow morning to see if she could catch Styx.
((End of thread))
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