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Post by Daphne Manos on May 1, 2008 15:24:10 GMT -5
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Daphne trudged through Brooklyn with a smile on her lips. This was her first mission. She felt like holding up a pretend gun and crouching down. Maybe she could even do a few rolls and duck and cover acts. It would definitely add to the effect. Instead, she strolled down the streets, trying to look normal.
Suddenly, she felt someone collided into her. Falling to the ground, Daphne growled. "Montre où votre aller!" She exclaimed, her voice dripping with her French accent. She could pull off several different accents and many different languages. It was something she was proud of. She muttered a curse in French and then stood up.
When she stood up, she came face to face with none other then the King of Brooklyn herself. Was it a bad thing when you collided with your target? Daphne tried to hide the surprised expression on her face, probably failing. Spot was exactly what she thought he would be. Handsome, intimidating, and intense. His eyes were intense.
Daphne shook her head and turned to walk away. She would wait a few minutes and then she would follow him. This was her mission. Follow Colon. Easy enough. This part didn't intimidate her, it was the becoming a newsie and spying on him up close that intimidated her. Why couldn't Cole do this? Oh that's right, Spot would recognize him. Pshh. Coward.
She turned to walk into the alley, hoping Spot would continue walking and leave her alone.
{If you need translations, let me know}
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Post by spotconlon on May 1, 2008 17:21:10 GMT -5
What a day, boy. What a goddamn day. Anyone who knew Spot Conlon was savvy to the fact that not much could put the Brooklyn leader in a good mood, but it didn't take much to put him in an even worse mood. He'd sold all hundred of his papers in nothing flat, all right. The headlines and the selling weren't the problem. The problem was that he'd just learned from Jack Kelly that Mike Greaser was running around New York again. Needless to say, Spot had been less than thrilled to hear that news. He had his own things to worry about, with a lot of his boys coming down sick and some kid almost drowning at the docks the other day. On top of that, he was having problems with some of the boys who'd taken to fighting each other in gangs within the group of Brooklyn newsies. He would have to deal with that as soon as he could but for right now, he was too miffed to do anything.
He was walking at a brisk pace back to his usual post near the docks. The crowd on the street was going slow, and Spot had no patience for people who didn't bother to walk fast enough to please him. He rammed into a brunette girl in front of him, meaning to push past but not meaning to knock her down. He was about to leave it alone--tough for her, he had things to do--but she decided for some reason to start yelling at him in some other language he didn't recognize.
"Montre où votre aller!"
He whirled around as the girl rose to her feet. She looked him dead in the eye, and Spot gave her a glare right back. He made especially hardened, fixing on her what the fellas had taken to calling the Conlon Stare. It had stopped tougher guys than this dame in their tracks. The girl shook her head and turned away. "Ay!" Spot called after her. He wasn't finished with her. Yell at him, would she? He didn't care what language she spoke, she was getting English from him. And if she couldn't make do, that wasn't his problem. "Ya got somethin' ta say ta me, goily? Do ya?" He positioned himself in front of her, glaring threateningly. "Cause you betta say it. Otherwise we'se gonna have a problem."
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Post by Daphne Manos on May 3, 2008 11:06:31 GMT -5
"Ay! Ya got somethin' ta say ta me, goily? Do ya?Cause you betta say it. Otherwise we'se gonna have a problem."
Daphne sighed as he yelled after her. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? It was going to be hard enough for Daphne to get into the Brooklyn newsies, but now she had made the leader of them mad. Daphne knew it was going to be a problem for her. And to top it all off, Daphne had a smart mouth that she had a hard time controlling.
He positioned himself in front of her, glaring down at her. Daphne couldn't lie, she was a little bit intimidated by him. Her facial expression didn't falter, though. She kept a hard stare and replied, "I said, watch where your going..." Her voice sneered.
She mentally slapped herself. She was getting herself in trouble. He was going to hate her now and wouldn't let her into the newsies. Oh well, she had tried. Cole probably wouldn't except that, but Mike might.
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Post by spotconlon on May 5, 2008 18:21:10 GMT -5
"I said, watch where your going..."
Her stare was hard, but Spot had seen worse. Hell, he had dished out worse. He almost smirked at her naivety, but he decided it was better to keep a straight face. Her glare was harsh, but he made his harsher. "I don't watch where I'm goin', ya broad. People get outta the way." He didn't expect everyone to know who he was. It was a good goal, of course, and he was damn close to it. But he got his fame with the newsies and not with the coppers, and that was fine with him. But when people didn't know who he was, he made sure they learned damn fast.
He shoved her a bit, lightly, to show her he had control of the situation. "An' the next time you come around here...it'd do ya good t'remember that. Otherwise I won't be so nice all of a sudden."
((SO crappy...sorry!))
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Post by Daphne Manos on May 5, 2008 23:23:04 GMT -5
"I don't watch where I'm goin', ya broad. People get outta the way."
Daphne returned his glare, flinching ever so slightly under his cold stare. She felt as though he was digging into her soul. Even Daphne had to admit, it was a bit unnerving. She controlled it and fought to keep the fear out of her eyes. Instead, she replaced it with a severity that would surely put the King of Brooklyn in his place. "And who are you to assume that everyone is going to get out of your way?" Of course, Daphne knew who he was; everyone did, but she decided to play dumb.
She was probably pushing him to his limit, and Daphne knew this; but she didn't want to give of the innocent, obedient girl. That is not what Brooklyn was looking for. They were looking for someone who could fend for themselves and stand up for themselves. But Daphne knew that they weren't looking for smart mouths who disrespected their leader. Finding the fine line was proving difficult to Daphne.
"An' the next time you come around here...it'd do ya good t'remember that. Otherwise I won't be so nice all of a sudden."
When Spot shoved her, Daphne scoffed. "What, ya gonna fight a girl?" She asked, her voice suddenly changing to a Brooklyn accent. She'd traveled enough to be able to catch up on these different accents. She smirked, hoping to catch him off guard.
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Post by spotconlon on May 6, 2008 14:18:31 GMT -5
"And who are you to assume that everyone is going to get out of your way?"
Spot scowled. "Ya don't come around here without knowin', goily. But cause ya don't, lemme be the first t'teach ya. I'm Spot Conlon, king of the Brooklyn newsies." Spot rejected the term leader most of the time. A leader sounded elected. If you were a king, you got there on your own and the others had no choice in the matter. "And that means I got a whole army of the toughest kids in New York on my side. So you better watch y'self next time you come round here."
"What, ya gonna fight a girl?"
He scoffed and sneered at her. He didn't bother fighting girls. Girls didn't know how to fight, and usually they tried all these dirty tricks, like flailing their elbows around or kneeing a fella in a weak spot that other boys would consider foul play. "Girls fight foul. I don't fight 'em if I can help it. But I know I can get at least three fellas who wouldn't have a problem with it. No, I ain't too scared to do it myself. Thing is, doll, I don't have to do nothin' by myself."
He began sizing her up. He wasn't used to strangers hanging around Brooklyn. Usually the new kids hung around Manhattan or Queens and made their way over to Brooklyn at some point when they had already been established. "So whaddya want from me, kid? You ain't gettin' no apology, so forget that right now..."
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Post by Daphne Manos on May 7, 2008 12:29:22 GMT -5
"Ya don't come around here without knowin', goily. But cause ya don't, lemme be the first t'teach ya. I'm Spot Conlon, king of the Brooklyn newsies."
Deciding to go about this differently, Daphne stuck out her hand and said, "Nice to meet you. I'm Daphne." Mike and Cole had told her to keep her name for now. If something was to happen where she suddenly had to leave Brooklyn, then she would changer her name. But for now she was just supposed to get into the Brooklyn newsies. From what she could see, she wasn't doing a very good job....
"Girls fight foul. I don't fight 'em if I can help it. But I know I can get at least three fellas who wouldn't have a problem with it. No, I ain't too scared to do it myself. Thing is, doll, I don't have to do nothin' by myself."
Daphne had to agree with the part about girls fighting dirty. Kicking a guy or scratching them wasn't fighting, it was just stupidity. Daphne only believed in doing that if you were in the worst situation possible. She had to roll her eyes at this guy, though. Did his newsies just worship him? They were like his slaves.
"So whaddya want from me, kid? You ain't gettin' no apology, so forget that right now..."
Daphne hesitated, "I wanna be a Brooklyn newsies." She could imagine the reaction she was going to get. First off, she was girl. Second, she'd given him lip and probably was considered to be on his bad side. Daphne mentally slapped herself. Why didn't she learn to control her mouth?
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Post by spotconlon on May 7, 2008 20:13:08 GMT -5
"Nice to meet you. I'm Daphne."
She stuck out her hand. Spot looked at it coolly, regarding it carefully. What was she playing at? First she was trying to match him glare for glare, and then she was being meek-and-mild, trying to get into his good graces. She was on to something, and he didn't like it too much. "What d'ya think yer doin', Daphne?" he said, stressing the name almost like he would a curse word. "Yer pullin' somethin', I know it. And ya best tell me what it is before I gotta find out myself..." He had the feeling she wouldn't be too happy if he had to resort to that. Spot wouldn't be happy with you if told something he didn't want to hear, but he would be fuming if he found out you were hiding something from him. Some fellas had learned that the hard way. He ignored her extended hand.
"I wanna be a Brooklyn newsies."
He looked at her, and then forced a chuckle. "You kiddin' me, right?" he said, his smug smirk punctuated by a glare that was anything but amused. Kids from the other boroughs always thought they could take Brooklyn, especially if they were one of the bigger, badder kids from their own turf. But boys didn't know: no matter how tough you are, somebody in Brooklyn is tougher. Spot himself was of slight build, but he could soak anyone, anywhere, and his glare could make a grown man flinch. And he couldn't believe this girl thought she could live as a Brooklyn newsie. "Ya give me cheek, ya turn full around, and ya tell me ya wanna join my newsies?" He scoffed. "Fat chance, sweetheart. Maybe go to Queens, I hear they'se a little softer there..."
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Post by Daphne Manos on May 8, 2008 10:03:14 GMT -5
"What d'ya think yer doin', Daphne? Yer pullin' somethin', I know it. And ya best tell me what it is before I gotta find out myself..."
Resisting the sudden urge to roll her eyes and scoff at this guy, Daphne replied, "Well, I was introducing myself...." She pulled back her hand and wiped the sweat off unto her pants. To say she wasn't nervous, that would be a lie. Even Daphne was intimidated by him. It wasn't just the fact that his cold eyes seemed to burn her soul, it was the fact that he decided whether she got into the newsies or not.
"You kiddin' me, right? Ya give me cheek, ya turn full around, and ya tell me ya wanna join my newsies? Fat chance, sweetheart. Maybe go to Queens, I hear they'se a little softer there..."
Daphne licked her lips and looked away. Inhaling deeply, she turned back to him and nodded. "Thats about right...." Queens? No, Daphne did not want to go to queens. She wanted to be a Brooklyn newsie, she needed to be a Brooklyn newsie. What would Mike or Cole say if she came back and completely failed them? She cringed just thinking about it.
"I don't wanna be a Queens newsie... I wanna be a Brooklyn newsie..." She realized now that she was basically pleading with him, but she didn't know any other way. She'd basically blown her chance of wooing him into letting her become a newsie, that would probably never happen now. It was actually Mike's idea for her to go to Brooklyn. He figured she would attract some attention, considering she was girl, but Daphne wasn't so sure now.
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Post by spotconlon on May 8, 2008 20:19:56 GMT -5
"Well, I was introducing myself...."
"Ain't that swell," Spot muttered darkly. "Ya did a nice job of it, too..." At this point he was just mocking her. Spot considered himself good at a lot of things, and knowing how to get under people's skin was one of them. Granted, it was more trial-and-error than anything, especially when dealing with strangers. But he figured that everyone had the right button to push to break them. Spot was all about breaking someone so they could respect him. If he couldn't do that without breaking a sweat, he would threaten or soak them until they feared him. He didn't think there was much of a difference. The other leaders were too soft. Spot sometimes told his boys to respect all the leaders, but there was only one they had to fear...him.
"Thats about right...."
He sneered at her. "Aw, ain't you sweet. Yer just a regular doll, ain't ya?" He dropped the sarcasm, fast as a whip crack, and his face was stony and cold again. "That ain't gonna make it here, doll. That pretty face of yours is gonna get beat in more'n once. If ya can't handle it - which, from what I seen, ya can't - ya might as well beat it now." he didn't want to waste his time talking to wanna-be Brooklyn kids who wouldn't last a day.
"I don't wanna be a Queens newsie... I wanna be a Brooklyn newsie..."
"Oh I see," Spot said, voice dripping with animosity. "Ya just wanna hang out with the big boys, is that it? Whaddya call it--association, is all it is. Well that won't go over well here, kid. If you can think you can last more than a day here as a newsie..." He didn't know what he would do if she could. He'd be surprised as hell, without a doubt. But he wouldn't be too impressed. It took a lot to impress him.
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Post by Daphne Manos on May 9, 2008 14:25:27 GMT -5
"Ain't that swell. Ya did a nice job of it, too..."
Daphne inhaled deeply and looked away. Spot was everything she'd heard and more. He was intimidating, smart mouthed, and just all around frustrating. Whatever she said, he would come up with something to say that would frustrate her. She decided to ignore his last statement; replying back would only cause problems.
"Aw, ain't you sweet. Yer just a regular doll, ain't ya? That ain't gonna make it here, doll. That pretty face of yours is gonna get beat in more'n once. If ya can't handle it - which, from what I seen, ya can't - ya might as well beat it now."
"But I can handle it! You haven't been talking to me for more than five minutes... How would you know whether I could make it or not?" She snapped. Just because he was the leader of the Brooklyn newsies, who called himself the King of Brooklyn, he didn't have a right to judge her. She could make it as a Brooklyn newsie, she knew she could, all she had to do is prove it to him.
"Oh I see, Ya just wanna hang out with the big boys, is that it? Whaddya call it--association, is all it is. Well that won't go over well here, kid. If you can think you can last more than a day here as a newsie..."
Daphne looked at him hard and replied, "What if I made it for one day? What would ya do?" She stared at him, never faltering under his gaze. She was going to get into the Brooklyn newsies, she was convinced.
((That was crappy, haha))
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Post by spotconlon on May 9, 2008 20:14:39 GMT -5
"But I can handle it! You haven't been talking to me for more than five minutes... How would you know whether I could make it or not?"
She was getting smart again. Spot gave her his worst death glare to put her in her place. "Watch your goddamn mouth. I may not know you, doll, but I know Brooklyn. Ain't nobody knows Brooklyn better than me. And you...you ain't Brooklyn." He glanced down at her, sizing her up. "You ain't even close." Not just anyone could walk into Brooklyn acting like they belonged. Spot could tell at a glance whether or not a kid was Brooklyn born and raised. The kids who tried always tried too hard or not enough.
"What if I made it for one day? What would ya do?"
Spot was silent for a moment, which might have been a good sign or a bad one. He was actually considering. Spot wasn't a gambling man, but deals he could do. There was nothing more he liked than a good haggle, a deal that worked out in his favor. And this was shaping up to be something that might turn out in his favor, and if he played his cards right. And Spot Conlon always played his cards right.
He regarded her for a moment, and smirked. "I gotta say, that interests me." Maybe she was smarter that he was giving her credit for. He thought for a moment more. "Alright, Daphne. Since I like a good deal, and the occasional laugh, I'll make you a deal. If you can spent twenty-four hours as a Brooklyn newsie...and I mean live, sell, eat, sleep and fight like a Brooklyn girl...you can stay. Now don't think I'll make this easy for ya. I'll be puttin' my own elements in the situation, got that? And if ya cop out..." He paused, and smirked again. "Whaddya gonna do if ya cop out? I don't do nothin', 'less I know what's in it for me..."
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Post by Daphne Manos on May 10, 2008 13:31:23 GMT -5
Watch your goddamn mouth. I may not know you, doll, but I know Brooklyn. Ain't nobody knows Brooklyn better than me. And you...you ain't Brooklyn. You ain't even close."
Daphne flinched under his glare. When he was glaring and yelling, Spot was very intimidating. But when he said she wasn't Brooklyn, her anger took the best of her. "Maybe I'm not Brooklyn, but I won't ever be if you don't give me a try!" She took a step toward him and glared back. Spot was short, but she was even shorter than he was. Compared to him, she looked like a shrimp.
Daphne shifted her weight as he stayed silent. Was that a good sign or a bad sign? She sifted again and cleared her throat awkwardly. Should she say something or wait for him to talk? She decided upon the latter. She stayed silent and watched him.
"I gotta say, that interests me. Alright, Daphne. Since I like a good deal, and the occasional laugh, I'll make you a deal. If you can spent twenty-four hours as a Brooklyn newsie...and I mean live, sell, eat, sleep and fight like a Brooklyn girl...you can stay. Now don't think I'll make this easy for ya. I'll be puttin' my own elements in the situation, got that? And if ya cop out...Whaddya gonna do if ya cop out? I don't do nothin', 'less I know what's in it for me..."
Daphne listened, a spark of hope rising in her. She would show him. She could last 24-hours in Brooklyn, no problem. When he said a good laugh, Daphne grunted and rolled her eyes. That stupid smirk of his never left his face. When he asked what she was going to give him if she failed, Daphne shrugged. "I don't know..." she mumbled. "But I won't cop out..." she added quickly.
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Post by spotconlon on May 10, 2008 22:47:43 GMT -5
"Maybe I'm not Brooklyn, but I won't ever be if you don't give me a try!"
Spot narrowed his eyes at her. He knew that if you weren't Brooklyn, you could never be, no matter how much you tried. Kids who were Brooklyn-born were tougher than anyone, and you didn't have to tell them twice. Still...the girl brought up a good point. Spot was stubborn, but he wasn't stupid. He knew when someone else was right, and as long as he wasn't wrong, he didn't mind. Slowly, he nodded at her. "Maybe you're smarter than I first thought, Daphne..." he mused thoughtfully.
"I don't know..."
"You don't know?" he exclaimed. "Listen, doll. I don't do anything unless I know what's in it for me. And if there ain't nothin' in it for me, I ain't interested." He gave her a cool glare. "So you better figure out what you gonna do if you decide to cop out." He didn't like it when he couldn't win from something. There had to be a way for him to get something out of a deal. Otherwise, what was the point?
"But I won't cop out..."
Spot chuckled dryly. "I seen fellas bigger'n you who've left without a second thought after three hours." He took a step toward her, towering over her and standing close. "What makes ya think you can do it, if others haven't been able to?" He wanted to know what she thought set her apart from the others, and why she wanted to be Brooklyn so badly, and nowhere else would do. He was mildly curious about her, he had to admit. He didn't meet many girls who thought they could come to Brooklyn and be one of the guys. Only a few girls had been able to do it, and they had taken years to prove themselves. What could this girl do in a day?
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Post by Daphne Manos on May 11, 2008 12:23:17 GMT -5
"Maybe you're smarter than I first thought, Daphne..."
Daphne scoffed, but covered it up with a cough. She wanted so badly to reply sarcastically, but thought better of it. At least he was being somewhat sociable, and Daphne wasn't about to make him mad again. At least they were getting somewhere.
"You don't know? Listen, doll. I don't do anything unless I know what's in it for me. And if there ain't nothin' in it for me, I ain't interested. So you better figure out what you gonna do if you decide to cop out."
Daphne sighed and crossed her arms. "Fine, how 'bout.." She thought for a moment and then continued, "If I cop out, I will give you my earnings for that day..." She watched him carefully, hoping he would except this. It was the best she could give. It wasn't like Daphne was going to offer him a date or anything...
"What makes ya think you can do it, if others haven't been able to?"
As he stepped closer, Daphne didn't falter. She wasn't going to back down now. She replied coyly, "Because I just know...." Wow, what a great comeback! She mentally kicked herself, but continued to wear an emotionless mask.
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