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Post by street on Aug 30, 2009 14:11:00 GMT -5
Street smiled at his joke. Then she realized what Eddie used it for. "He uses a silk hankerchief for that?" She asked, sounding slightly disgusted. She laid the hankie on the counter and touched it no more.
"I used to do that. Pickpocket, nickin' odds 'n ends outta stores. You do the same thing too long, odds stack against ya, and people start to notice, start rememberin' your face. How long you been playin' at this, darlin'?" He asked her. Street shifted. She knew the odds, people were starting to shoo her out of their stores as soon as she entered. The places she usually stole from where starting to display their wares inside only.
"About eight years, since I got turned outta the orphanage. I do other things though, I hustle boys outta their wages, and work odd jobs here and there. Newsie, factories, shopkeep. Whatever comes me way, but I am best a pickin' pockets. Quick fingers ya know..." Street wiggled her fingers sadly. "What do ya do now? Ya can't be a factory worker, you're dressed too nice." Street looked at him appraisingly.
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Post by dannyblue on Aug 30, 2009 23:27:09 GMT -5
Danny chuckled, "Yeah, well, he'd a good lad, ain't he? Not too bright, though. Says it feels better 'gainst his nose." He shrugged and took a long sip of Coke.
When she asked him about his own job, his face darkened slightly, but he avoided the question entirely as Eddie came back out. "Hey, Eddie!" Danny picked up the once stolen hankie by a clean end and held it up. "Look what the little miss found next to her seat! You must've dropped it on the floor."
"Thanks, Dan." Eddie smiled, and traded the hankies with him. Danny tossed his wadded used one down the counter a bit, "Oh, you keep it, Eddie. In case you need a back up. Don't thank me, though. Thank the little girl here." Danny jerked his head towards Street.
Eddie smiled to her, "Oh, sorry. Thanks, sweetheart. My grandmother gave me that a long time ago. I use it all the time."
Danny gave a short stiffled laugh, "No joking. Listen, get her something nice, a little desert or somethin'."
"Danny... She's dead, though."
"The girl, not your gran!"
"Oh! Right! Sorry..." Eddie disappeared into the kitchen again and Danny chuckled, eating his sandwich.
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Post by street on Aug 31, 2009 14:54:59 GMT -5
Street listened to him with interest. Street noticed him evade her query, but thought better of pursuing it, if he didn't want to tell her, so be it. "Oh, sorry. Thanks, sweetheart. My grandmother gave me that a long time ago. I use it all the time."
"Oh...I-it was nothin'." Street replied feebly. She ducked her head, just a little ashamed. It was one thing to steal from someone, but another to be thanked for stealing it...even though Eddie didn't know she stole it.
"Oh no, that's okay. Honest." Street mumbled, but she ordered a simple ice cream anyway, trying to hide her smile of delight. "Uh, thanks, Danny-sir. Why'd ya tell him that anyway?" Street asked him. "I knew ya lied, but I didn't know that ya lied ta everybody."
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Post by dannyblue on Sept 3, 2009 17:56:25 GMT -5
"Eddie's not the brightest candle on the cake," Danny muttered as Eddie disappeared in the back to make her ice cream, "But he's a good man. Honest bloke." His voice took his regular tone, "If he found out you took his gran's hankie he wouldn't be angry, he'd been heartbroken. He's got a soft spot for kids such as yourself, Street. Out of their luck, out on their own sort of kids. You can call a shovel a spade if you want, but who'm I hurtin' with that lie? Not a soul."
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Post by street on Sept 3, 2009 20:51:53 GMT -5
"Eddie's not the brightest candle on the cake," Danny muttered as Eddie disappeared in the back to make her ice cream, "But he's a good man. Honest bloke." His voice took his regular tone, "If he found out you took his gran's hankie he wouldn't be angry, he'd been heartbroken. He's got a soft spot for kids such as yourself, Street. Out of their luck, out on their own sort of kids. You can call a shovel a spade if you want, but who'm I hurtin' with that lie? Not a soul."
Street sighed. "I guess I understand. If someone took my key, I'd probably lose myself along with it. He seems alright, but I gotta survive, ya know. I ain't gonna let them hoity-toitys at the top push me aside like I'm nothin'. I'm somethin'. And if I go hungry, so be it. Starvin' proves my humanity because I starve just like hundreds of others, and them rich ones would starve just like me in my case!" Street huffed.
"But... Aren't ya hurtin' yourself? I mean, yeah, ya made Eddie feel better, but what about yourself? Aren't ya afraid of losin' who ya are if ya lie, because you're always makin' stuff up? How do you know what ya believe in anymore?!" Street asked him, demanding answers this time. "Please explain ta me how ya can call yourself Danny when ya hardly know what's the truth anymore..."
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Post by dannyblue on Oct 9, 2009 19:17:56 GMT -5
Danny's gaze darkened for just a moment. He turned away from her, taking a hard gulp of his soda. "'Danny' doesn't matter much anymore. No one cares. Includin' me, just about..." He watched Eddie through the partition at the back wall exposing the kitchen but kept his voice soft just the same, though it was obvious Eddie couldn't hear them. "In England I used to be somebody, you know? People looked up to me. They said, 'Ah, yeah, Danny Blue, he's somethin' special, alright.' ...Here, I'm lucky if I can pull a small con or two. It's not that I ain't lost me touch... I'm loosin' the thrill of it. I'm not hurtin', no. Not for money. I'm fine there... As for who I am now... That's best to be left alone, little girl."
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Post by street on Oct 13, 2009 17:13:34 GMT -5
Street looked at him. "I could imagine ya in England with a cane and a bowler hat, always checkin' the time just ta have the thrill of takin' yer watch out." She sighed. "Maybe... Ya need ta find a new hobby? Like go ta the library or try a different type of con. I bet ya have a lot of money, huh? If I had money, I would find my family and make them apologize. Then, I'd probably buy sweets and make myself fat like all them really rich ladies are. Ya can usually tell how much money someone has by what they weigh." She shrugged. "I'm not makin' any sense, yet again..."
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Post by sammie on Feb 25, 2010 20:05:52 GMT -5
[ New Day : I'm kind of going with the whole battle wound saga being over, and though it sadly never got played out, assuming she was there  ] There was a slight breeze blowing in from the northwest as Sammie walked briskly through the city streets, a stubborn winter wind that fought futilely against the coming spring. It was balanced in such a way with the warming sun that Sammie found it perfectly lovely, and couldn't help but prematurely lament the impending heat of summer. Those moments between the intensity of the seasons were always her favorite time of year, and in the current moment were what tended her toward smiling at those she passed in the street and offering little hellos to those who shared in her exceptional mood. It wasn't often Sammie ended up in the Bronx on her daily walks, but the weather had her enchanted. For the first time in weeks she was able to forget the trauma and toil of the past few months and finally breathe again. To be able to feel the cold air within her lungs and watch it visibly escape in small puffs of steam was exhilarating. She looked up as a group of about eight or nine children exited a nearby establishment, causing the bell above the door to jingle softly and the smell of fresh bread to wave across all those within its reach. Sammie turned abruptly toward the aroma as it reminded her of her hunger, but before going in she held open the door for the last of the young gang, watching them take off across the street with a returning sadness in her eyes. One child lost to violence was one too many for Sammie, and many more than that had perished under her care in the past month. She wrapped her shawl tighter around her arms as the now bothersome blast of cold air left her suddenly chilled and rushing inside. |
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Post by Doctor John Smith on Mar 25, 2010 22:20:27 GMT -5
John Smith pored over the latest issue of The Mayflower, virtually oblivious to the world around him as he read. The Mayflower was his favorite periodical, full of information on how to grow the nicest, most luscious plants and flowers, ads for seeds and bulbs and saplings for sale, and all the newest information to hit the horticultural world. Well, maybe "favorite" was a bit too hasty. He couldn't forget the New England Journal of Medicine. Or Cosmopolitan, especially while they were publishing that lovely serial novel by H.G. Wells a year or two back. And Good Housekeeping! Goodness, how could he forget that one, full of all those wonderful statistics on household contraptions as it was! "One of his favorites," then. Definitely in the top hundred. Eyes not drifting from the pages of an article on a new varietal of rose bush, he reached for his coffee cup, sipping delicately. As his gaze traveled from the bottom of one column to the top of the next, he happened to spy a familiar brush of blonde hair just a few stools over. "Why, Nurse Bensen!" he exclaimed by way of greeting. "What a lovely coincidence, I was just thinking of you! See here!" Nimbly hopping off his stool, the Doctor carried his magazine over to where his colleague stood pondering the menu and displayed the magazine's page, which featured a large reproduction of a pale yellow rose blossom. "A new crossbreed of rose has been created. The Hovyn de Tronchère--named for the Maurice Quentin de la Tour painting, of course, Madame Hovyn de Tronchère--isn't it lovely? I don't know why, but I saw this lovely rose and thought of you! I quite like roses, I think. Such soft, delicate petals wreathed in briers of prickling thorns. What a clever trick of Mother Nature's, don't you agree?" ((Click the underlined text for a picture of the Hovyn de Tronchère rose blossom.)) |
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Post by Cheater Hollander on Feb 21, 2011 12:07:50 GMT -5
[New Day]
Cheater took a seat at the counter, attempting to get up onto the stool in such a way that she still appeared dignified by the time her feet had found purchase on one of the rungs. This, being a difficult task for anybody let alone someone of her stature, resulted in several minutes of standing there, simply observing the seat to find her best possible method of climbing up. Had a booth been available, she might have chosen that, but it seemed as if Stu's was the place to be, at least during the afternoon.
A soft growling noise from her stomach made her scowl and, mentally telling her impatient body to calm itself for a couple more seconds, she got on the stool in a less-than-dignified manner. Honestly, sometimes she wondered if her stomach was some kind of separate entity, merely using her as a means of gathering food.
Which, if that was the case, was a poor choice on its part. The last trip she had taken, never mind that it had been a few weeks ago, had taken up so much of her money that she was already questioning how she would afford this meal, let alone any others during the week. Nevertheless, she ordered her soup and bread and sat, her feet swinging back and forth as she attempted to figure out some solution to her money woes.
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Post by jewelkent on Feb 21, 2011 16:57:00 GMT -5
Jewel had decided to walk to Stu's diner that day for a nice hot bowl of soup. She was freezing, and her usual brown jacket did her no good this time. She held onto her cap, and walked into the diner. She looked around, and sighed. Happy to get out of the cold for a while finally, she took off her coat, straightened out her skirt and blouse, and proceeded to go find a table.
She soon found a space at the counter. She walked over, and sat down, ordering a bowl of soup. She was exhausted from walking around all day.
Just then, she turned, and noticed a girl sitting next to her. The girl didn't look quite familiar to her. She remembered about what everyone had been telling her lately about trusting people.
She then turned to the girl "Wow, what weather we're having, huh? Thank God for places like this." She said with a smile.
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Post by Cheater Hollander on Feb 21, 2011 17:15:37 GMT -5
Cheater was startled out of her thoughts by a voice. Turning, she found herself staring at a girl that seemed... completely unfamiliar to her. For a moment she wondered if perhaps she had met the other girl the last time she had been in the Bronx. When no memories surfaced, she mentally shrugged it off. This was just another opportunity to make a new acquaintance.
She offered the girl a smile, nodding in agreement. "And last week was so beautiful, too. I almost thought I wouldn't have to wear my coat again." Not that it would have mattered, she thought, absentmindedly pinching the edge of her coat between her fingers. The thing was so old and thin that wearing it made little difference in the cold.
"But hey," Cheater's smile grew slightly as a thought came to her, "it won't be around that much longer-- spring'll come before you know it, then you have a little while until summer, right?"
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Post by jewelkent on Feb 21, 2011 17:46:54 GMT -5
Jewel offered the girl a smile back. This girl seemed very friendly to her, but she had the feeling that she needed to get to know her a little better first before making that decision.
"Yeah, it was beautiful the other day, and I wore a skirt out with no problem...I go to wear one now today, and it's damn freezing out here." She said.
Then she smiled again as she thought about what the girl said about Spring coming "Oh yes, I cannot wait for Springtime to get here. All this cold weather is making me crazy, and sleepy. I also can't wait for summer to get here. That's always been my favorite season." She said.
She then turned to the girl again, and stuck her hand out to her "By the way, I'm Julianne, or 'Jewel' if you prefer. I work as a newsie in the Bronx...and you are?" She asked, still smiling.
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Post by Cheater Hollander on Feb 21, 2011 22:44:14 GMT -5
"You, too?" Cheater's surprise was poorly hidden as she shook Jewel's hand. "I'm... I mean, I've been a newsie, I am one... also in the Bronx," she paused to formulate her thoughts into something understandable before continuing. "I got back maybe two weeks ago-- went on a little trip, but I guess maybe I just hadn't seen you around before. How long've you been here?"
Cheater felt a bit bad for not knowing Jewel if, in fact, she had been present prior to Cheater's trip. However, the fact that they lived in close proximity could possibly result in some form of a friendship.
Realizing that she had failed to introduce herself, Cheater shook Jewel's hand once more. "I'm Ella... or 'Cheater', whichever works."
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Post by jewelkent on Feb 21, 2011 22:54:13 GMT -5
Jewel nodded "Yup...me too. I just transferred to the Bronx Lodging House from the one in Brooklyn about a month or so ago...I hadn't been in the city in a while before all that. I was in Philadelphia for 3 years working as a newsie there." she said.
"So, you're a newsie here too, huh? Well, you and I were very lucky to meet here today. You'll be about the 5th or 6th person I've met from The Bronx. This is so great. I love meeting new people." Jewel said, happily.
"Where had you been for 2 whole weeks before coming back here?" she asked Ella
Jewel shook Ella's hand "It's great to meet ya, Cheater. I'm sure since we work together, we'll get to be friends." she said.
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