The Pond

[Administrator]

Watch out for frogs!

[Devan Harper]

Devan had only been in the city for a few days, but she was already terribly homesick. Why had she thought it would be a good idea to go off on her own? She had family and friends within the circus and here she has nothing. She didn't know anyone and wasn't even sure really how to meet people. Although Devan had never been one to back down from a challenge, she was beginning to think she was out of her league. How could her mother think that she needed this time away from the circus life?

Devan let out a sigh and stopped walking when she saw the small pond in the middle of the park. A smile crossed her face as she stepped closer and leaned down to run her fingers over the surface of the water. She knew she'd been restless when she was home, but she figured it was due to being in the spotlight so often. Ever since she'd perfected her first routine with the aerial silk, she had been one of the main attractions. She had been the 'Flying Butterfly'. She scoffed as she thought of the name and couldn't help but wonder who came up with the idea for it. All butterfly's flew, so it was a tad bit redundant in her opinion.

Now that she was away from them though, she wanted nothing more then to go home. She wanted her father to pat her head and tell her everything would be alright, she wanted to see her mother fly through the air. When she had left for this trip, she never realized it would be so lonely or that it would be so boring. Having no one to talk to left her with far too much time on her hand to think.

[Logan Doyle]

Doyle released an exasperated breath. The Boss had sent him wandering the city for the day, checking up on all their businesses in each borough so, after checking up on Manhattan, he had decided to escape from the bustle of the city and the constant complaints of their business managers. He could only take so much of hearing that businesses running badly shouldn't be blamed on the managers. Who fault was it then?! They hired the best--or what they thought was the best--so they wouldn't have to deal with this shit. Now, he had to tell the Boss. And, that wasn't gonna go over well.

Doyle wandered the pathways weaving through Central Park until he found himself stopping under a tall tree. He leaned up against the trunk, pulled a cigarette and lighter out of his right front pocket, and lit it. He puffed it a few times till it stayed lit and then exhaled, the smoke billowing around his head. He reached into his other pocket and pulled out a metal hip flask and downed a huge gulp of whiskey to chase the burn from the cigarette smoke. After returning the flask to his pocket and taking a long drag of his cigarette, he pushed off from the tree and continued on.

Doyle walked further along the path until he came to the pond. He stopped to stare out at the water with his hands shoved into his pockets and the burning cigarette dangling from his mouth. Before the incident that caused him to come to America, he would have taken the time to enjoy sites such as these but now... Now, he had different priorities.

Doyle reached up to take the cigarette from his mouth and exhaled a big puff of smoke just as he caught some movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head and caught site of a girl leaning over the water. As smirk appeared on his face as he took in the site before him; his current position giving him a fabulous view of her ass. If she knew what he was looking at, he'd probably earn himself a slap across the face--which has happened a couple times because he had made a lewd comment to the wrong type of girl--but seeing as she wasn't paying any attention he was in no hurry. After a couple minutes, he slowly pulled his gaze from the girl's ass and began to look over the rest of her. Beautiful long hair, a nice shapely body, long legs... just his type. Well, actually female was his type but right now it was leggy, beautiful brunettes.

Doyle took one last drag from his cigarette before tossing it to the grass, and grounding it out with his toe. He shoved his hands back into his pockets and made his way over to the girl quietly. Without making a sound, he took his hands from his pockets, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and leaned up against a tree a few feet behind the girl. "Didya lose somethin', doll?" he asked.

[Devan Harper]

Devan stood, startled, and turned to address the man who had spoken. She studied him unabashedly for a moment before replying. Devan was hardly the type of girl who was shy about checking a man out. She wasn't used to having to be because she was used to having dozens of men around her who would protect her from anyone. Plus, she had always figured if the opposite sex was going to objectify her while she was performing she had every right to return the favor. Of course she knew, instinctively, that she had to change her attitude a bit now that she was on her own.

"No, just enjoying the fresh air..." She trailed off for a moment, unsure of exactly what to say. Although she had never been someone to hide whether or not she thought someone was attractive she also had never really had the opportunity to interact with many of them. Usually they were customers of the circus and didn't stick around long after the show was over. She'd moved from city to city so often that the only people she'd had a real conversation with were her fellow circus performers.

"Haven't seen many places like this in the city," She said with a small smile. She hadn't really had enough time in the city to further investigate but judging by what she had seen she doubted there would be many others. It seemed like a nice place to come though if she ever wanted to be by herself. She was actually surprised to have run into another person here.

[Logan Doyle]

Doyle smirked at the girl unashamedly studying him and her obvious approval of his looks. So he did the same. His eyes began to scan up and down her body. Now that he was standing closer to her, he could see she was more beautiful than he first thought. Her eyes were a dark chocolate brown, when she smiled it lit up her face, her long brown wavy locks seemed to frame her face, and when she stood up straight, the top of her head came up to just under his chin. If he wasn't careful, this girl could possibly ruin his reputation.

Doyle shoved his hands back into his pockets and crossed his left leg over the right. "Central Park is pretty nice, and a good place to get away from the bustle of the city. Prospect Park in Brooklyn is also nice. There's also Rockaway Beach in Queens and Orchard Beach in the Bronx... I take it you're new to the city?"

[Devan Harper]

She listened quietly as he listed off the other places in New York that were beautiful like it was here. She didn't think it would be appropriate for her to wonder around the city by herself when she was so unfamiliar with her surroundings, but he had piqued her curiosity and she might have to go sight seeing when she had a free moment. A large smile crossed Devan's face when he asked if she was new to the city. "It's obvious, isn't it?' Her tone was light as she took a few steps closer to the man so that she wouldn't have to raise her voice quite so much.

"I just arrived a few days ago." But she had been separated from her family for nearly a month and she missed them desperately. Although his accent wasn't completely obvious it didn't sound native to New York. "And you, how long have you been in the city?"

It occurred to her then, that she hadn't even bothered to introduce herself. She wasn't used to having to, most people she met knew who she was since she was one of the headliners for her circus. Or she used to be at least. "I'm Devan, by the way."

[Logan Doyle]

Doyle smiled to himself as the girl inched closer. "Well, yeah. A bit obvious... I've been here for about six years, so you kinda learn to pick out the New York natives from the newcomers and tourists. You've got to, to be able to survive the streets on your own. Did you come here alone, from wherever it is your from?"

Doyle uncrossed his legs and stood up straight. He gently took Devan's hand in his own, bent over, and pressed his lips softly to the back of it. Then, he stood up straight again and gave her his most charming smile, "Pleased to meet you Devan. Logan Doyle, at your service; to do with what you will." He chuckled before adding, "Everyone calls me Doyle though."

_{((Occ: Sorry it's not as long as usual. I'm at work so the kids are stifling the creative juices.. lol.))}

[Devan Harper]

Devan smiled at his reply and nodded her head, she figured as much. "Yes, I came alone." At least as far as she knew, since she had no idea her cousin was in New York looking for her. "Oh, I'm from all over. We didn't stay in one place for very long."

A light blush crossed her cheeks when he kissed the back of her hand and she couldn't help the bright smile that crossed her face. He was such a gentleman and she was taken a bit by surprise. The man who worked at the front desk of her hotel had warned her away from talking to many people. He said the men of New York would only have one thing on their mind when they met her. "Doyle, it is then," She said with a smile. "So what brought you to New York?"

[Logan Doyle]

Doyle smirked at seeing the blush that appeared on his companion's cheeks. He had never seen a woman look so cute sporting bright red cheeks as this one standing before him. I wonder if anyone has warned her about guys like me, he thought to himself. If not, she could find herself getting into all sorts of trouble. He wasn't one to let a dame make him soft, but maybe he might have to keep an eye on this one.

Devan's question caught Doyle off guard. He'd have to be careful how he answered this one. He cleared his throat and raked a hand through his hair. "Well, uh... my family was murdered back in Ireland so I... I left. I left the bad memories behind to start over new here." He tried to keep his reasons for leaving as vague as possible. No one but the people he worked for knew his real reasons. Being a wanted murderer at the age of fourteen is definitely not a turn-on for the ladies.

[Devan Harper]

Devan couldn't help but gasp softly when he told her about his parents and automatically reached out to place a hand on his arm. "I'm so sorry," She said feeling as though those words were somehow lacking. She couldn't imagine having her parents murdered. She'd be absolutely lost if she didn't have them to go to. Even being in New York she knew where to find them and how to get in touch. If she didn't have that she wasn't sure what she'd do with herself.

"I don't know what I'd do if that happened to my family," She said quietly. It scared her a little bit to even think of something like that happening. She'd never lost anyone she cared about let alone in such a heinous way. After a moment she realized her hand was still on his arm and she pulled it back quickly not able to stop herself from blushing even more and stammering out an apology.

[Logan Doyle]

Doyle let her comfort him--or really, let her feel like she was comforting him. The gesture really did nothing for him any more. In his line of business, he couldn't let people see him as soft so he long ago learned to harden himself against such thing. He gave her a crooked smile and shrugged his shoulders, shrugging the uncomfortable feelings away. It had been years since anyone had him thinking about the family he had lost and he didn't want to start now. "I like to think it made me stronger and into the man I am today so I don't dwell on it. What's done is done."

Doyle pushed himself away from the tree and stepped within inches from Devan. "So Devan," he began, focusing the line of questioning back on her. "What brought a beauty such as yourself, to a big city like this... alone? Don't parents usually prefer ladies like you to travel with some big strapping cousin or brother or uncle? Weren't they afraid for your... safety?" He gave her an easy smile so as not to intimidate her. His proximity wasn't to scare her, it was more to challenge her--to judge how comfortable this girl was with the opposite sex. He wanted to see whether she was worth pursuing further in the future.

[Devan Harper]

Devan couldn't help but respect him for having that sort of outlook on his horrendous past. She wasn't sure she could be as strong as that, but then again she wasn't this man so obviously they weren't going to go about things the same way. "I suppose that's the best way to think about it," She gave him a small smile as she spoke.

Devan wasn't uncomfortable with his proximity, in fact, she hardly took any notice of it. Being raised in the circus life didn't exactly make her a lady who knew of propriety and such things. She tilted her head back slightly so she could look him in the eye as he questioned her. "Oh," She paused trying to think of the proper way to phrase her answer. "My parents are supposed to follow in a few months, they just wanted me to be able to stay in the same place for more then a month." She wasn't sure how to answer his question about them being concerned for her safety at first and then a smile crossed her lips. "Well, I do try to be in my room by dark as they requested and I don't wonder too far from the hotel." Okay, that was a blatant lie, but she wasn't sure why he was questioning her.

[Logan Doyle]

Doyle smiled a charming smile and looked down at her--seeing as she came up to his chest. "It's probably a good idea to not wander after dark. The city can be a dangerous place at night for someone who hasn't been here too long." The daytime could be dangerous too, but he didn't feel it was necessary to scare the girl; or to even let her know he was one of the ones who made the streets so. Maybe he'd have to pass it along that she was a friend. If his acquaintances knew he was looking out for her, they were more likely to leave her alone. At least until her parents came along to keep an eye on her themselves. He wouldn't want anything bad to happen to a beauty such as her, if he had a way of preventing it. He was growing kind of fond of her in the short amount of time they've been talking, after all.

"It's rare to hear of parents who would let their darling daughter out of their sight for even a few weeks, let alone months, in a strange city. To live alone. Yours must know you to be quite capable of handling yourself, if they let you do so...?" Doyle reached up and tucked a stray strand of hair back behind her ear, before tossing her a crooked smile. Was she the type of girl to give him a slap across the face for such a gesture? He was a flirt so he had experienced his fair share of ladies who would have. This one was hard to read though, so he wasn't quite sure how she would react.

[Devan Harper]

A large smile crossed her face at his words and she nodded. "So I've heard," She said lightly in response to his warning. It seemed that's all people said when they found out you were new to the city. Devan already figured it would be dangerous after dark. In fact, she figured it would be dangerous during the daytime too, but she wasn't going to let that stop her from wondering around the city. She'd been to other large cities that could be just as dangerous as New York City. Although New Orleans was one of her favorite places in the states it was extremely dangerous to wonder alone. Ki had usually walked with her wherever she went, but he wasn't in the city so he couldn't do that here.

She laughed when he said her parents must know she can handle herself. That was hardly the case, but they trusted her to use better judgment then she normally would. A faint blush crossed her cheeks when he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and she smiled. "I guess they just thought I'd behave and do as they asked," Devan shrugged as she spoke. Her parents had lectured her thoroughly before she'd left and told her repeatedly to curb her wildness. At least until they could be there to protect her. And Devan had stayed out of trouble so far. She figured she'd wait to have a grand adventure until Ki was there to join her. "So, what do you do to earn a living?"

[Logan Doyle]

Doyle noticed the blush that briefly colored Devan's cheek, and it made him smile knowing that such a simple gesture caused that reaction. He'd file that information away for later; the beautiful girl in front him was slowly becoming someone he would like to get to know better, after all. Running into her again was going to be a must, in the future.

Doyle tucked his hands back into his pockets, and he took a few minutes figuring out the right way to answer Devan's question. He couldn't just flat out tell her what he did or who he worked for. It wasn't smart to tell people--who had nothing to do with organized crime--that you worked for the Irish Mafia and you kill people when the need arises and that you run brothels and several other unsavory businesses. Especially not dames; most of the time it tended to scare them away.

Doyle looked up at Devan and cleared his throat, "Well, I'm what you would call an entrepreneur. My boss owns several different businesses around the city, and being his second-in-command it's my job to check up on them and see that those businesses are running smoothly and successfully, and to deal with their managers." ...And to get rid of anyone who tries to cheat us. But she didn't need to know that part...