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Post by Bumlets on Sept 28, 2008 17:16:43 GMT -5
Bumlets was sitting down in the common area of the lodging house, it wasn't really cold but it wasn't warm either. The chair he'd found was warn threw but that didn't bother the Manhattan boy one bit as she twirled his stick against the carpet that was warn as equally as the chair.
Unlike most Bumlets had many things on his mind, twirling his stick was a sign of deep thought and since no one was around at the moment he was doing just that. He could be considered a serious boy, fringing on manhood but he didn't see it that way at all. He was thoughtful, contemplative and he was loyal.
Maybe that was what had been weighing his mind down that evening. His loyalty, his mother was fairing well as was his sister-- for the most part but he'd given a good portion of his earnings to his sister and her family and now he was going to be at the bread cart every morning for the next month. Sadly he knew it to be the truth.
With a grunt he leaned back in a brooding manner that would have either warned people to stay away or beckon them to come and join him.
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Post by Anthony Higgins on Sept 28, 2008 17:29:19 GMT -5
The door to the lodging house barged open, and in scrambled Racetrack, looking frightened, but with a reckless grin stamped across his features. He slammed shut the door and sighed heavily, doubling over with his hands on his knees and trying to catch his breath. He was wheezing a lot, which could signify a problem, but he didn't quite care enough. Just like he didn't need glasses, either. He needed to cut back in smoking if he was going to do another epic escape like that again.
He looked up to see Bumlets sitting in the common area. Race raised a hand in greeting, straightened, and collasped into the chair nearby where Bumlets was. "If this copper comes in here lookin' for a kid who swiped a deck of cards...", Race pulled a new deck of Bicylces from his vest pocket and put it on the table, "we blame Jake." He grinned at Bumlets, almost pleased. It wasn't often that Race decided to steal, but after he'd found he lost the nine, ten, two and five of hearts, the ace, three and seven of clubs, the four and six of diamonds, and the jack, king and eight of spades from his old deck, it was time for a new one. He hadn't even noticed before he'd cheated on a game of poker with some Harlem kids.
"So what's doin', Bumlets?" Race said, no longer wheezing. The episode forgotten, he put his cigar in his mouth and fished through his pocked for a match. "Anythin' good goin' on?"
((Kinda short...sorry.))
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Post by David Jacobs on Sept 30, 2008 12:08:56 GMT -5
David needed to talk to Jack, it was urgent. Actually, not so urgent, but he just needed to talk to him. Sarah said she hadn't talked to him in weeks, and David was well worried about him. He took the steps of the lodging house two at a time and walked in through the doors. He was greeted with, "Hey Davey's, Hey Dave, how's it rollin'?" and other greetings. He smiled and said hello, then walked into the common area of the lodging house.
He saw Racetrack who was grinning wildly, and that could only mean trouble. And he saw Bumlets, who was sitting in a chair not looking so happy. David looked from Race to Bumlets, and then looked around. "Hey, have you guys seen Jack?" He asked as he came closer to them.
"If this copper comes in here lookin' for a kid who swiped a deck of cards...we blame Jake."
David rolled his eyes, "Racetrack, what did you do?" He asked, of course David eventually figured out that Race stole a deck of cards. He shook his head disapprovingly at his comment about blaming Jake. David just couldn't believe that Race would steal something, then again most of his friends had to steal to live. He might as well get used to it.
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Post by Bumlets on Sept 30, 2008 13:05:14 GMT -5
Hey, have you guys seen Jack?"
"If this copper comes in here lookin' for a kid who swiped a deck of cards...we blame Jake."
"Racetrack, what did you do?"
Bumlets looked back at David and tipped his hat up off of his eyes when he heard David enquire as to what Race did, it was obvious mostly. Shifting his broomstick he poke Race in the arm with it as a kind of silent reprimand and he looked back up at David.
"Ain't seen' im today," Was Bumlets' reply as he glanced over at Race once more, he'd heard Race enquire as to his own well being and seeing how he looked incredibly satisfyied with himself the darker haired boy with the broom stick shrugged. "Nothin' goin. Just wonderin' how I'm going to eat for the next month..." Eating woes were a common thing in the lodging house, though he really should stop moping around about it.
His dark eyes flickered back to David and he tapped one of the chairs with his broomstick as in offering him a place to sit, "Have a seat, Dave. Might as well wait here for him until he gets back."
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Post by Anthony Higgins on Oct 5, 2008 10:09:11 GMT -5
"Nothin' goin. Just wonderin' how I'm going to eat for the next month..."
Race shook his head. "Ain't we all..." he said solemnly. Newsies all over Manhattan were worrying about their papers. Scabbers were getting more and more of the sales because all the real newsies had other things to worry about, and couldn't sell as much as they used to. Racetrack hadn't been to the Sheepshead in several days, and he was practically suffering withdrawal.
"Hey, have you guys seen Jack?"
Racetrack looked up to see David making his way over to the table. He hadn't heard him come in. Dave hadn't been around the lodging house too often lately, and if he had been Race hadn't seen him. He scoffed good-naturedly as David approached, "Hello to you too, Davey..." he said. He knew that Dave knew he was just messing with him. He liked to give Dave a hard time sometimes, but they were pretty good pals. Bumlets answered David's question before Racetrack could: "Ain't seen' im today."
Race spoke up, "He went to Harlem, I think. Talking to Vice about the mess." Race knew better than to mention their current situation directly, because he had no idea who was on edge and what would happen.
"Racetrack, what did you do?"
Race smirked. "Nothin' I don't normally do, Davey..." he said casually, and picked up the deck of cards. "Anyone for a quick game?"
"Have a seat, Dave. Might as well wait here for him until he gets back."
Racetrack nodded in agreement and gestured to the seat. Three could be company too, and at least now there would be a lot more conversation.
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Post by David Jacobs on Oct 16, 2008 14:45:46 GMT -5
"Ain't we all..."
David kept quiet, he knew he was luckier than almost all of the newsies. He had a free roof over his head, he came home to a guaranteed meal, and he woke up the next day knowing it would all still be there. In a way, he felt guilty when he was around the newsies. He was so much more fortunate than they were, and he felt bad about it.
"Ain't seen' im today."
"Hello to you too, Davey..."
He looked from Bumlets to Racetrack and gave Race a look, "Hello Racetrack." He said, monotonously. "Do you have any idea when he'll be around?" He asked Bumlets, he would be the one who would give David a straight answer and not mess around. David wasn't in a messing around mood, then again when was he ever?
"He went to Harlem, I think. Talking to Vice about the mess."
His attention turned back to Race, well this was a first. He got a straight answer from Racetrack. "He's in Harlem..." He repeated, just to convince himself to let him know it was okay. He didn't have to be with Jack all the time, he could let it go, Jack needed to handle this...he didn't need his help. David took a deep breath to try to calm himself down.
"Anyone for a quick game?"
"Have a seat, Dave. Might as well wait here for him until he gets back."
David looked at the chair, and then at Bumlets and Racetrack. Yeah...might as well, He thought as he sat down. "Sure, I'm up for a game." He said slowly. He wasn't the best at cards, playing with the newsies was almost intimidating for him. At least it would help get his mind off of things...
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Post by Bumlets on Oct 16, 2008 16:20:47 GMT -5
"Anyone for a quick game?"
"Have a seat, Dave. Might as well wait here for him until he gets back."
"Sure, I'm up for a game."
Bumlets looked up and nodded, leaning back a bit as he motioned for Race to deal him the cards. He was a talker when he was in the mood but today was not one of those days. Still he considered what was going on outside of the lodging house with some interest as he'd considered it. Thinking of how to help and what to do next. But Dave-- well Dave had his hands full.
"What's the word on the street. Race?" he himself had been far to busy taking care of his sister to really know what was going on outside of his own space. His mother needed him to help at home a bit and his sister was going to get fired again if she didn't get well.
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Post by Anthony Higgins on Oct 20, 2008 17:19:27 GMT -5
"Do you have any idea when he'll be around?"
Race scoffed. "I don't know nothin' no more. Before Jack left, me and him had one hell of a scrap." The slight fury in Race's eyes began to show again as he recounted the story to David. "Me an' the boys agreed, he ain't been himself. Too busy all the time. I practically been the leader of this damn place, and without any of the perks..." He fumbled with his cigar, exhaled smoke, and continued. "If it weren't for Specs and Snoddy, I think I woulda hit 'im. If he hadn't decked me first..." He didn't particularly enjoy talking about it. Aside from Mush, Kid Blink and Chance, Jack was his best friend. The fact that everything going on had brought them close to punching each other unnerved him considerably. He, however, wasn't about to let on.
"Sure, I'm up for a game."
"Swell. Who's up for Gleek?" He shuffled the cards and began dealing them out without waiting for a reply. He didn't know Gleek too well; it was the oldest of card games; but he would fake his way through it as best he could and see where it brought him.
"What's the word on the street. Race?"
"Whaddya mean, the word on the street? What's always the word on the street? Everybody scared outta their minds, depressed and on edge." He himself was on edge, if no one else had noticed. "Ante up..."
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Post by David Jacobs on Oct 22, 2008 19:13:06 GMT -5
"Me an' the boys agreed, he ain't been himself. Too busy all the time. I practically been the leader of this damn place, and without any of the perks..."
David nodded, sadly. "He hasn't been himself." He said, quietly. It bugged him that Jack hadn't been around as much. He hated it, he just really hated it that Jack couldn't be there. He needed him, Sarah needed him, even Les needed him. But he was too caught up in the whole mess, and then when David tried to help, things didn't turn out so well. They always argued, and it usually ended with a "You need to stay home with your family, Dave." He hated being treated like he was just some dumb kid with a family, he wanted to help...
"Swell. Who's up for Gleek?"
Maybe he was just some dumb kid with a family, he didn't know what Gleek was. He cleared his throat awkwardly, "Um..what's that?" He asked, quietly. He didn't want to admit his street knowledge was zero. In order to survive in the world you needed to be both book and street smart. David only had the book knowledge.
"What's the word on the street. Race?"
"Whaddya mean, the word on the street? What's always the word on the street? Everybody scared outta their minds, depressed and on edge."
David nodded, "Its awful, everyone is afraid to step out of their boroughs because they don't know what'll happen." He shrugged, "I can't wait until this mess is over and done with." He said as he placed his ante on the table.
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Post by Bumlets on Oct 23, 2008 2:07:04 GMT -5
. "I don't know nothin' no more. Before Jack left, me and him had one hell of a scrap." The slight fury in Race's eyes began to show again as he recounted the story to David. "Me an' the boys agreed, he ain't been himself. Too busy all the time. I practically been the leader of this damn place, and without any of the perks..." He fumbled with his cigar, exhaled smoke, and continued. "If it weren't for Specs and Snoddy, I think I woulda hit 'im. If he hadn't decked me first..."
"He hasn't been himself."
Bumlets sighed and shook his head as he listened, having been involved in his own life he hadn't really noticed Jack being gone but he could tell now that his family in the lodging house needed him just as much as the one on the outside. With a sigh he glanced over a Race.
"Look," he said in the tone that meant, pay bloody attention. When Bumlets had something to say it was generally coming from somewhere and it was quick. "Fact of the matter looks like we can't always rely on Jack for leading us. He's my friend to but I've got enough problems without having to worry if I can count on him or not to be there when we need him..." He didn't want to sound like he did but it was true that he had pulled back because there was a lot demanded of him alone. But with Jack?
"I'll talk to him--" was how he finished the thought, Bumlets was the calm one. He always saw things logically with an analytical point of view that got others paying attention when he opened his mouth.
"Whaddya mean, the word on the street? What's always the word on the street? Everybody scared outta their minds, depressed and on edge."
"Its awful, everyone is afraid to step out of their boroughs because they don't know what'll happen." He shrugged, "I can't wait until this mess is over and done with."
Bumlets tossed in his ante and leaned back, that thoughful scowl on his face before he snorted, "I'm having a hard time getting to my mother's because of all this mess." His mother lived in Hell's Kitchen, and he normally had to either go around Midtown or go threw it to get there. It made his jaw clench. "Look I don't know about the two of you but I'm done. I'm done with a stand off-- either we file a truce or we go to war...."
((he got a weee bit upset---- heh... guess it just clicked what was happening and he lost his temper.. oops.))
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