On my own (Spot)

[spotconlon]

"Fine, how 'bout...If I cop out, I will give you my earnings for that day..."

Spot considered. He wouldn't mind getting the girl's earnings. It meant more money for him with less work, which was always appreciated. But several questions remained. Spot was a businessman at heart, and having become a first-class haggler he knew to cover every loophole. What if she didn't sell anything, she was so lousy a newsie? What if she copped out before the next selling day began? And if she didn't cop out at all, what would he gain from it? That was the bottom line. What would he gain from it?

Spot voiced his concerns. "Answer me this," he said. "How do I know you ain't such crap at sellin' you'll make anything? An' what if ya can't take it an' ya leave tonight? An' if ya do make it...what do I get from it?" He stared her down. He wasn't too sure if he wanted a new newsie going around, especially a girl. There had been too many girls going around lately, and he didn't like to too much. They were getting to be royal pains in the neck.

"Because I just know...."

Spot scoffed openly. "Ya just know, huh?" he echoed, ridiculing her. "Well, well. That gotta change things, eh? Ya just know...well, maybe I just know that you ain't gonna last a day. Cause my boys soak scabs, boy or girl. They don't give a damn, see. An' until I give the okay...you're a scab."

[Daphne Manos]

"Answer me this. How do I know you ain't such crap at sellin' you'll make anything? An' what if ya can't take it an' ya leave tonight? An' if ya do make it...what do I get from it?"

Daphne crossed her arms and pursed her lips. When he asked about her selling, Daphne racked her brain for something to say. Instead of trying to convince him, Daphne decided to go a different way. "I used to live in Chicago." Chicago? Daphne mentally kicked herself. "And I used to be a newsie. I was one of the best." She was lying through her teeth, but fortunately Daphne was very good at that sort of thing. She could lie about anything and get away with it. But Spot Conlon was not a force to be reckoned with. Daphne silently prayed he wouldn't be able to see through her lies.

"What if I got you a date with a girl?" She blurted out. Who was she going to get him to date? The only girl she knew was Bella (who also worked with Mike) but she was busy in Manhattan. Maybe Daphne could pick someone up off the street. Daphne suddenly remembered Mike and Cole's words. "You're attractive. Wiggle your way into his heart and get the good stuff." Daphne glanced at Spot. Yeah right, like that was going to happen. He was attractive, Daphne would admit that, but she highly doubted he would go for her.

"Ya just know, huh? Well, well. That gotta change things, eh? Ya just know...well, maybe I just know that you ain't gonna last a day. Cause my boys soak scabs, boy or girl. They don't give a damn, see. An' until I give the okay...you're a scab."

Daphne nodded, suddenly submissive to this boy. They weren't getting anywhere doing what they were now, so Daphne decided to turn the tables. "I know. But let me prove to you that I'm no a scabber." Cole and Mike owed her bad. This was harder than it looked.

[spotconlon]

"I used to live in Chicago."

Spot made a face at her. He didn't know where in the hell Chicago was, nor did he care. It wasn't anywhere near New York or Brooklyn, and those were essentially the only two places he cared about. As if he would ever go anywhere else, anyway. He didn't know why she was bringing up Chicago, and he hoped he was going somewhere with this. So far she was hardly impressing him. She looked weak. Too weak for Brooklyn. And he could see her intimidation sometimes, which was a bad sign for her.

"And I used to be a newsie. I was one of the best."

He cast an imperial look on her again. "Anybody can tell me that," he said coldly. "I don't care if it's true or no. You gotta prove it, and I may or may not let ya." A humorless smirk found its way across his features. "Dazzle me, doll. Whaddya got?" He wanted to see what she could do to impress him. That was one of the only ways you could get in with Spot's kids: impress or convince him, and either way it wouldn't be easy.

"What if I got you a date with a girl?"

Spot scoffed. He didn't do dates. He'd been with girls before, but never as his girlfriends. He was far more a one-night-and-goodbye type of fellow. He knew that his second reputation, less known and less prominent, was for his being a flirt, and the use-and-dispose type. He wasn't a prude, because that would be weak. But he made sure that people knew that he wasn't a romantic either, because that was equally weak. And although he wasn't interested in a date, a girl he could deal with. "Whaddya have in mind?"

[Daphne Manos]

"Anybody can tell me that. I don't care if it's true or no. You gotta prove it, and I may or may not let ya. Dazzle me, doll. Whaddya got?"

Daphne gritted her teethe together. He was getting on her nerves. All of the intimidation she was feeling moments ago was washed away when he called her doll. What did he think she was going to do? Swoon and then apologize? No, that was far from what she was going to do. He wanted her to prove herself? Well, he asked for it. She pulled her arm back and swung at Spot with her right fist. It wasn't hard enough to knock him off his feet, but it was hard enough to surprise him. Daphne was a good fighter; Cole and Mike had taught her a lot of what she knew.

"Whaddya have in mind?"

Daphne shifted uncomfortably under his stare. She knew how to lie, she'd done it so many times before! But all of the sudden, standing next to Spot Conlon, Daphne was nervous. She didn't have anyone for him. The only girl she knew was Bella and she doubted that was going to happen. Daphne didn't get along with girls as well as she did boys; it was how she was raised. She knew mostly guys, and she never thought anything of it; but now she regretted it. Shrugging, Daphne tried to look nonchalant. "Just a girl I know..." What kind of lie was that?

[spotconlon]

"He wanted her to prove herself? Well, he asked for it. She pulled her arm back and swung at Spot with her right fist."

What? This girl was taking a swing at Spot? Was she joking? Spot saw her fist fly towards his jaw, but it wasn't enough to make him avoid getting hit. When her fist came in contact with Spot's jaw, his head jerked to the side, and he grunted and immediately shot her a look. He was secretly so surprised that he didn't attack her or try to throw her out of his sight, nor did he even react explosively like he might have usually would. He instead took a few steps closer towards Daphne, until his face was nearly inches from her own, his eyes suddenly on fire and his voice low once the words slithered out over his tongue. "You think you can get away with hittin' me?" Spot said, completely ignoring the pain in his jaw (it could have been the adrenaline, but still) and staring into Daphne's eyes. These were not Brooklyn eyes, they were eyes that had just struck the face of the King of Brooklyn.

He'd gotten in plenty of fights before, but he never bothered fighting with girls- it wasn't worth it. Daphne had indeed hit him, probably the only girl to ever attempt doing so (while sober) with a clear intent to cause harm. And she wanted to be a Brooklyn newsie? She wanted to try to get Spot a date with a girl and bargain her way into his lodging house? Where had his head been- up in the damn clouds? He should have seen it coming, should have known. He must have been out of his mind to even consider letting this broad onto his territory like she belonged. This had to change, fast. Sure, she was pretty... good lookin'... yknow, for a girl, and she had a lot of charisma and a way with words even though everything that came out of her mouth was completely incoherent, whatever that meant, but there was no way in hell or in this life that Spot would let this Daphne become a Brooklyn newsie and stay on his territory. "You want me... to give you the okay on bein' a newsie... here... and you think you can get away with hittin' me in the face?"

(( Ack, I hope this is okay! ))

[Daphne Manos]

Daphne was actually completely surprised that she had gotten a good hit on him. She was expecting him to block it or for her to miss. Well, this was turning out a lot better than she had hoped. Spot took a few steps closer to her, and Daphne chose to ignore how close their bodies were. Instead, she stood her ground. There was no going back now. "You think you can get away with hittin' me?" Daphne kept her eyes on him as she replied, "You told he to show you what I got..." She shrugged, never taking her eyes off of him.

"You want me... to give you the okay on bein' a newsie... here... and you think you can get away with hittin' me in the face?"

After staring him down, Daphne finally took a few steps back. She wasn't backing down, just putting some space in between them. Spot Conlon scared her to death, and she didn't like the closeness of their bodies... even if she could smell his scent. Daphne kicked herself mentally, very angry at the fact that she was finding this.. this thing attractive. She tried to remain calm as she replied, "Don't you usually test your newsies fighting skills?"

It was true, he usually did. The way Daphne saw it, she was making it easy for him. Sure, she was probably sealing her own fate and creating a life long hate between the two, but Daphne really didn't see any way around it. Yes, she had acted rashly, but so far she was still standing. That must be a good sign? Cole was probably going to laugh at her and the fact that Spot didn't fall for her "charm", but she didn't care, she would just have to find a different way to get at him. She didn't care.

[Spot Conlon]

"You told me to show you what I got..."

Some excuse. She didn't have anything. She'd taken a cheap shot and gotten lucky, and the force behind it didn't exactly blow him away, either. He'd gotten way worse, and she was going to have to do a lot better than that. "All you got," he sneered, "is a whole lot of nerve. Don' nobody hit me and get away with it." He leered over her, the ice in his eyes enough to dent metal. "Why I oughta run you outta here right now..." He knew he could, and if she decided she was either too brave or too stupid to do what he told her, he had the feeling that she could be persuaded. If not by him, Marlon and Decker would do a pretty fair job of it...

"Don't you usually test your newsies fighting skills?"

His eyes smoldering, he asserted sharply, "If I gotta test 'em, doll, they ain't gonna last a day." The boys he allowed around his docks just looked like they could take on a fight with anyone in New York. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had to test someone to see if they could fight. What did he care if they could fight or not? What, was he gonna stand around and give them a score? Gimme a break, he thought, almost bored. He had better things to do than give his newsies practice runs. If they couldn't fight, he would know within a few hours, because they would be the ones running.

But there was a fact that Spot couldn't ignore. This broad had taken a shot at him, which made her either gutsy or dumb, he couldn't decide which. She was apparently dumb enough to think a girl like her could last a day in Brooklyn, at the docks, no less. She was so ill-informed that it was almost amusing. On that train of thought, he started to wonder, maybe he would give her what she wanted, just for kicks. He was starting to consider it: she spent twenty-four hours in Brooklyn, see how she'd fare. The boys at the docks would rile her up good without his intervening, and odds were she'd cop out before the day was up.

But he couldn't offer her something for nothing. He had to get more out of it than just a couple cheap laughs. He studied her for a moment, and said carefully, "You wanna be a Brooklyn newsie? Make me a deal. If I let you be one of my kids and stay at the docks, you tell me somethin' real swell that I'm gonna get out of it. Ya got me?" He took his walking stick from his belt and crossed his arms with it in one hand. A pompous smirk came over him, accompanied by a glint in his eye. I'm waiting.

[Daphne Manos]

"All you got, is a whole lot of nerve. Don' nobody hit me and get away with it.“

Yes, thought Daphne, I know that. That is why I did that. Daphne had to laugh at where she was right now. This is exactly where Mike had told her not to be. He told her to “woo” Spot and make him want to let her into the Brooklyn newsies. From what Daphne could see, she was no where near that. But Daphne didn’t have to listen to Mike, she could get into the Brooklyn newsies her own way. And Mike would be none the wiser.

“Why I oughta run you outta here right now..."

Daphne raised her eyebrows. “You could try?” You’re pushing it, Daphne. Yes, she was. And she meant to. Daphne could be so reckless sometimes and that usually got her in trouble. Just look at where she was now. She could do many things without thinking, like punching Spot Conlon. She wondered if she would regret that later. Right now, she didn’t. In fact… she wanted to do it again. Maybe that is why she was trying so hard to push his buttons.

"You wanna be a Brooklyn newsie? Make me a deal. If I let you be one of my kids and stay at the docks, you tell me somethin' real swell that I'm gonna get out of it. Ya got me?"

Daphne crossed his arms, matching his position almost exactly. “And what, Mr. Conlon,” she mocked, “do you want?” Daphne could only imagine. But then, maybe Spot would surprise her. Maybe he would say something totally different then what she thought. We would see.

[Spot Conlon]

"You could try?"

Now she was getting on his nerves. He didn't know how many cheap shots she was going to take before she got it through her skull that she wasn't as tough as she thought she was. He sneered at her, "Are you just stupid or something'?" Everyone knew that Spot never tried anything. Trying indicated a chance of failure. Spot Conlon did. And he was about to walk away from her right now. He had half a mind to. If he walked away he had the feeling she would follow him, like the pathetic little wanna-be she was, and he'd have to tell his boys to take care of her, which they wouldn't have a problem doing, one way or another. He knew his boys would love to have a girl to mess around with for a while. Sometimes Spot wouldn't condone them messing around when he was in the general area: he always said to make it private. But this time he'd be willing to make an exception, this broad was peeving him so much.

Then again, the other half of his mind returned to what he'd been thinking for a while now. He knew watched this girl squirm would be entertainment within itself. And he demanded something out of the deal, as well. He was curious about what she had to offer. She was a pretty girl, no doubt about that, and he hadn't had a night with a girl in a while. If she had nothing else good enough, her looks for a few hours wouldn't be the worst trade... "And what, Mr. Conlon, do you want?" she said freshly. What an attitude. He glared at her and demanded, "What do you got?"

((Shortness. Sorry.))

[Daphne Manos]

"Are you just stupid or something'?"

Daphne chuckled, not offended in anyway. "No, not really," she replied nonchalantly. "Just curious. Someone told me the best and toughest newsies lived here. I have always been curious, and I wanted to know how tough you guys were." She looked Spot up and down, unable to deny to herself that Spot was handsome, like many girls had said. Instead of expressing this, Daphne continued. "So far, I have not been impressed."

That out to get him, she thought. Daphne really was trying to get him angry. She wanted him to take a swing at her, she wanted him to lose his temper. Call it self satisfaction, but Daphne really wanted to see if she could get the famous cool and collected Spot Conlon to lose his temper. She had sorta forgotten about her original mission.

"What do you got?"

Daphne knew what he was thinking, or at least had a good guess. But she would not give this guy a good time just to become a newsie. She had some dignity! She narrowed her eyes at him, losing her temper badly. "I have a lot. But none of it I am willing to give you!" She said, raising her voice.

Now, Daphne knew she was being ridiculous. She didn't even know if Spot was really thinking what she was thinking he was thinking. But it didn't matter now. She didn't want to be assumed as some common prostitute. She would not give her body away for money or anything else! No matter if she had been suggesting it earlier or if she had been giving signals, Daphne would not do that.

It angered Daphne that she had lost her temper before he had.

[Spot Conlon]

"No, not really. Just curious. Someone told me the best and toughest newsies lived here. I have always been curious, and I wanted to know how tough you guys were."

Spot openly rolled his eyes. Another one. If he had a nickel for every kid who waltz into Brooklyn saying they just wanted to see how tough his boys were, he would never have to sell papes again. He knew she was trying flattery, because nothing else seemed to be working for her. And you know what they said about curiosity. Too many people had been too curious, and look what it got them: either two black eyes and a fat lip, or thrown off the dock into the harbor, whether they could swim or not. Oh, they would fish 'em out before they killed themselves thrashing around, but it was a scare they'd never forget, and they wouldn't mess with Brooklyn again.

"So far, I have not been impressed."

His eyes flashed dangerously. "You wanna be impressed, ya two-penny broad?" he sneered, insulting her deliberately. "You wanna be impressed? We'll impress you all right. We'll impress you 'til you ain't got a tooth in your head and you're blind outta both eyes." His look lost it's cool nonchalance and became cruel. "Gentlemen don't hit girls? My boys didn't get where they is cause they're gentlemen. They hit who I tell 'em to hit. You ain't an exception." He knew one thing for sure: about half of his boys hated him with a passion. But that didn't matter, because they were terrified of him. He didn't care if they hated him, as long as they feared him. And no matter what, they would do his bidding without question. That was power. That was Brooklyn. That was Spot Conlon.

"I have a lot. But none of it I am willing to give you!"

He frowned at her, but shrugged imperially. "Swell for you, then. No skin off my nose. You don't got nothin', you ain't got a deal, neither." He replaced his walking stick in his belt and started to leave. "If I see your face 'round here again I'll beat it in myself, got that? Now get outta here, 'fore I throw off the bridge." He communicated with his eyes alone that if she challenged him, he wouldn't hesitate to make good on his promise. Spot was many things, but he was also a man of his word.

[Daphne Manos]

"You wanna be impressed, ya two-penny broad? You wanna be impressed? We'll impress you all right. We'll impress you 'til you ain't got a tooth in your head and you're blind outta both eyes. Gentlemen don't hit girls? My boys didn't get where they is cause they're gentlemen. They hit who I tell 'em to hit. You ain't an exception."

Daphne was a bit slightly taken aback, not expecting him to say all of that. She quickly regained her composure, not wanting to give him any pleasure in seeing her reaction. Conlon was everything that everyone said he was and more. He was one of the most intimidating person she had ever met. And she had met a lot. Spot was very different then Mike. They were both intimidating and they both had their own way of showing that. But Spot just made you feel stupid and like a little ant compared to him.

Daphne realized then that she was approaching this situation in the wrong way. True, she enjoyed making Conlon mad. It was quiet entertaining. But she also knew that he was making her angry and that she didn't know how much more of this she could handle. She also knew that if she went back to Mike and told him that she had not made it into Brooklyn, she would be fired... or worse. Daphne needed this job. Even though Mike didn't pay good, she still got a place to live, some food every so often, and protection. And if she got into the Brooklyn newsies, things could only get better. Daphne became desperate.

"Swell for you, then. No skin off my nose. You don't got nothin', you ain't got a deal, neither.
If I see your face 'round here again I'll beat it in myself, got that? Now get outta here, 'fore I throw off the bridge."

Daphne wanted to go after him, but she couldn't. Her feet were planted to the ground. Daphne never admitted it to anyone, but she knew she had a major pride problem. Her mind screamed at her to go after him, but her heart said to remain here and keep what dignity she had left. But she knew she had to stop him. Mike would kill her if she didn't. She had to convince him in the first place that she could do this, and now she had to convince Spot. Daphne sighed and then started to jog toward Spot. "Spot wait!" Why was she doing this?

[Spot Conlon]

Spot was already starting to forget about his encounter with Daphne soon after he walked away. He had better things to worry about, such as everything that was going on with Manhattan. Why Kelly couldn't keep his drama where it was supposed to be? If Spot had been in his shoes, Mike would have been gone three months ago. Instead, Kelly was beating around the bush and the problem had spread to all the other boroughs like a virus. Now, whether Spot liked it or not, he had to get involved. And he did not like not having a choice in matters.

He could just stay out of it, if he really wanted to. And at this point, it didn't seem like such a bad idea. He hated getting his hands dirty, after all. It was Kelly's battle, not his. And he would eat his hat before he got mixed up with Mike. Spot didn't sell out to anyone, especially someone called Greaser. But he would do his part. He didn't do much for other people, but when someone decided to declare themselves more powerful than the King of Brooklyn, that someone needed to be set straight, and how...

"Spot wait!"

Oh now what? Well, of course he knew. He could see it coming. They always did it. He stopped, rolled his eyes with a sigh, and pivoted around. "Can I help you?" he said, his eyes cold and his expression blank.

((Short. Didn't have much to work with.))