"Excellent. Thank you so much, miss. And you can just call me Nick for now; after what I've been through you can probably understand that my reluctance to reveal too much personal information. Should I be here at any specific time or whenever I can get in?"
Nick remembers how barren the safehouse is, then adds one more request.
"Oh, and on that subject, do you have any watches handy? I may have another appointment tomorrow so I want to be sure to schedule accordingly."
Actually finding... something... that would fit, Jared looks up and realizes that the attention of the two employees is fairly well occupied by two of his companions. Seeing that Daphne appears to have snagged some garments of her own, Jared follows her lead and wads the clothes up as best he can and strolls to the door, using his body to block his new acquisition from the shopkeepers while trying desperately not to draw attention to himself. "I'm *not* going to be the only one walking around half naked!" he thinks to himself.
AriviaI Like A ChallengeEarth-1Registered Userregular
edited February 2011
"Thanks!"
Marissa ducks into the shower and emerges some minutes later. Now clean of the dirt and grime, she looks even better, her hair shining and skin radiant. She pulls on a white sundress with a red tulip pattern and a pair of wedge sandals, waving goodbye to Sam as Marissa glides out of the store.
Daphne heads out with the others hiding her newly acquired wardrobe. As soon as she is able she ducks out of sight and changes into something a little more suitable. She sighs, the sleeves are a little long and the skirt is a bit threadbare, but nothing she isn't used to. "Well, at least we won't be arrested now..."
The clerk pulls out a old, battered digital watch and hands it to Nick. "It chimes every hour on the hour, but aside from that, it works fine! Come in tomorrow around noon, you can help us out with the hungry lunch crowd, and we'll give you a bite to eat, too!"
Everyone else heads out of the charity store, assembling a bit down the block. It doesn't look like anyone cared to pay attention to the two erstwhile thieves, although they do feel a bit uncomfortable with the crime.
Jared and Daphne, you're going to need to make degeneration rolls for your petty theft. Ignoring the rules of ownership and property is a little too similar to how the Fae act, and as such, it dings your Clarity.
Daphne looks down at herself and her new stolen clothes. Was this really what she had been reduced to? Stealing clothes from the needy because she has none of her own. Is this really the life she returned to? Her brain whirls, sickeningly, and her shaky hands begin picking at the ends of her sleeves in an obvious nervous tick.
She blinks away tears. She needed these clothes and there was nothing else she could do, but it is still wrong. Whirling so silently the others almost don't hear her, she walks back into the store and up to the clerk.
"I can sew!", Daphne blinks, realizing she needs to think before she speaks. "I mean. I am good at fixing clothes. Half the things in here have a tear or hole in it somewhere. I can patch them up. You don't even have to pay me much..."
"Why, we're always happy to have volunteers, but most people don't feel the need to throw themselves at me like that..." The clerk pauses, looking at Daphne, and suddenly blanches, speaking very quickly. "Oh yes of course a day's labour would be fine payment for these, we always have clothes that need patching and... rags... that need stitching! Come on in around noon tomorrow, and we'll put you to work for a bit, that's fine payment, yes, yes. No need to give us money, we are a charity, after all!"
She takes a deep breath, a tiny bit of color returning to her face.
"Just... don't steal from here again. We can't have that, no we can't! It's always good to be honest!"
A wits+empathy check isn't required to tell that she's freaking out for some reason or another, but it may give you a bit more insight into why she's freaking out.
Daphne, too caught up in her own mental maelstrom to pay attention to the clerks problems, just nods. "I... I am so sorry. I just ... I don't have anything else and I want to pay you back. I promise to be back tomorrow to help. I promise..."
The hem of her sleeve is already starting to fray a bit from the amount she has been picking at it.
Maxine nods, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself. "That's fine, I'll see you tomorrow! Just please come in, I'd hate to see someone... make a fool out of me.
Nick:
She turned white the moment she realized that Daphne had stolen the clothes. Something about the idea of stealing terrifies her. That's not a normal reaction anyone should have to shoplifting, obviously.
You also notice that she seems willing to accept basically any payment so that Daphne wouldn't be considered stealing. Maybe not abnormal for a charity worker, but combined with her previous reaction, it seems like she really doesn't want anyone stealing from the charity store.
Also, you make no progress with the watch. It's currently 4 PM, and it beeps very loudly, four times, before turning off.
Jared watches Daphne run back into the store wearing her newly acquired "purchases" and is thoroughly confused. Why risk discovery by going back to where the employees might see her?! He shakes his head and tries to stay out of sight of the store windows while waiting for the rest of his companions.
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AriviaI Like A ChallengeEarth-1Registered Userregular
edited February 2011
Marissa leans against the storefront next to Jared, idly kicking a few pebbles into the street.
Nick decides to not advertise the fact that he and Daphne know each other at this point. He thanks Maxine for the watch, privately hoping that he can find a way to shut it up when he has some more time, and heads out to Jared and Marissa. He notices them both wearing new clothes and realized that neither one came anywhere near the register.
"Whatever you guys do, do not go in there wearing those. Let's go find some food as soon as Daphne gets out."
"The lady in charge has some... issues. Deep-seated ones, if I'm any judge. Anyway, Daphne and I are going to come back tomorrow to work off what we owe for our stuff. Either of you have any thoughts on getting food for the day? We could try out the soup kitchen; that's where I'll be tomorrow anyway."
"I promise I will be back tomorrow, bright and early." Daphne thanks her a few more times and then walks out the shop still feeling nervous. Upon getting back outside she glances back at the others. "Sorry, I just... I couldn't take things from them. They are only trying to help people..."
Slouching against the wall Jared bides his time waiting for Daphne and the others to come back outside. Marrisa's arrival was uneventful but Nick seemed to be disapproving of his new acquisitions. "Well pardon me for not being all suave like you..." he sulks to himself. "I figured not going back in was obvious, but Daphne ran back in without saying anything."
"So now two of them have jobs for tomorrow and somehow I doubt *she's* going to have any trouble finding a waitress job or whatever. And they probably all think I suck for not managing to get my clothes the 'right' way..." Just then Daphne returned with the news that she'd worked out a deal to pay for her clothing, so now he really was the odd one out. "Well this sucks." He pushes up off the wall, "We eating now?"
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AriviaI Like A ChallengeEarth-1Registered Userregular
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"Yes! Come on!" Marissa grabs Jared's hand and starts pulling him down the street, looking for restaurants along the way to the soup kitchen.
Nick hangs back a bit, somewhat bemused by the sight of Marissa leading Jared down the street like a hyperactive puppy out for walkies. Once he allows a little distance to form between them and him, he decides to check on Daphne.
"Hey, is everything all right? You looked a little... panicked back there for a bit."
The soup kitchen is a fairly tight cluster of homeless people, although most of them already have their bowls of soup and are standing around or sitting at one of the picnic-style tables, talking with each other while they munch away. It looks like the lunch hour is almost over, as the two harried attendants finish serving up the last of the rather large line(easily 20 other homeless people around.)
One of them catches sight of the motley and waves his hand in the air. "Oy, you! Come grab some soup, there's a bit left, and you look hungry!"
On her way over, Marissa managed to spot two restaurants. One of them appears to be an adult-only affair, a strip club/lunch joint, specializing in Cuban cuisine, going by the catchy name of 'Banana Skins.' The other is a slightly more dignified 'Macy's Diner,' a little greasy-spoon joint, where a glance at the menu indicates that literally everything is fried.
"How typical. Marissa drags him all the way to the soup kitchen and then runs off at the first opportunity. Oh well, can't really blame her, I'm starving myself." Jared heads towards the soup line, "I can't even remember what the last real meal I had was." His stomach rumbles in agreement as he arrives at the servers. "Hungry indeed. Whatever you've got, I'll take," he tells the attendant.
Once he gets his food, Jared steps away and goes looking for an empty table. "Maybe that club place needs bouncers or something. I guess I can check that out after this. Don't want to be the only one with nothing to do."
Daphne was too busy being lost in her own little world to respond. She heads towards the soup kitchen on seeming autopilot. The lights only come back to her eyes when she is sitting down and holding a bowl of soup her in hands.
"Stew is the same everywhere..."
With a slightly unnerving speed she starts eating. Eating was never a luxury for her and it shows. Her entire life has been an endless sprint of jobs and work so food was just something that took up time in between. She eats like she is on the clock and soon the bowl is quietly set down in front of her, empty and mostly clean.
After finishing his soup, Nick takes a look around the room. About two dozen people, counting themselves; no other changelings immediately apparent. I wonder how many of these same faces I'll be seeing tomorrow, he thought.
The soup is simple but good, some sort of ham and tomato blend that's filling, but most of you have tasted better at home. There is something incredibly satisfying about your first meal at home, though. You feel a little more at peace with the world. Food, clothes of your own, and a place to sleep that you can call home, for now at least. It's more than you ever had at the hands of the Fae.
One of the soup-handlers comes by to the motley after finishing serving the last of the crowd, and he gives you a slight smile. "Hey, I noticed you guys are new, and you were poking around the store earlier. Just wanted to say welcome, we don't mind repeat visitors or anything... everyone who works here was homeless or beggars once too, we know what it's like to have nothing and nowhere."
He gives a genuinely friendly smile and heads back to the soup pot, dragging it towards the kitchen to clean it out.
+1 WP to everyone, you're all feeling good. Up to you where you go from here! Your basic, primal needs are taken care of!
"Just that bowl of soup made all the crap we went through to escape worth it." Jared finishes off the dregs of his meal. "So it sounds like you guys already have plans for keeping busy tomorrow... I guess I'll try over at that club, see if they need a bouncer or something. Not sure what else I can do now..." Jared looks forlornly at his hands. "I'll head over there and see if there's anyone to talk to, then go crash back at the room. It's been a long... day?" He can't even really remember how long they'd been fleeing for.
Jared's back to full WP.
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AriviaI Like A ChallengeEarth-1Registered Userregular
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"Mmm, nope! No plans! I'll come with." Marissa wipes her hands off with a paper napkin, sinking an effortless three-pointer into a garbage can.
Daphne reluctantly lets go of her bowl. Someone else cleaning it for her seems rather unnatural.
"Going back to the room sounds good. I don't want to be out after dark. They said things can get dangerous..."
Her eyes flick around the room and that nervous energy comes back to her features. She glances from person to person, obviously not wanting to head home alone.
"Jared, you and Marissa take care out there. I'll head back with Daphne and see what we can do to make that rathole more comfortable for the four of us... if anything."
The tone of Nick's voice is far from optimistic. All four of them remember how barren their little safehouse is. He takes a look at his watch, noting that there's still a lot of day left by most indications.
"We've still got a long road ahead of us, it would seem, and the real fun hasn't even started yet if my guess is right. We'll catch up with you guys in an hour or so. You ready, Daph?"
Daphne nods before turning back to the others, "Just ... be careful. Please?"
With that she manages a weak smile and begins heading back towards their new apartment. A part of her brain stays on the lookout for anything that could, at some point, be considered furniture. Or a blanket. Or anything really.
Excited to finally be proactive, Jared gets up and gets ready to head out, "Sounds like we have a plan. We'll see you guys back at the room in a little while." Catching Marissa's attention, he beckons to the door and they head out. As they approach the club, though, social anxiety starts to overtake his initial enthusiasm. "Never even been to a job interview, let alone dressed like a down on his luck ex-basketball player." Once they get to the club, Jared subtly steps behind Marissa, "You should probably handle this. They're probably more interested in hiring someone like you anyway."
It's still early in the day for Banana Skins, and so there's no real crowd or lineup, although you can still hear the pounding bass-line of some Cuban rock thumping inside. The bouncer stands by the door, a tall Cuban man, heavily muscled by any mortal standards. To Jared, he's the first person he's seen that's his own size.
As Marissa walks up, he lets out a long, slow wolf-whistle. "Hey, sweet-cheeks. You look like you could use a bit of money and a place to stay! I can put in a good word for you wit' the boss if you want to give me a private screenin' interview!"
As Daphne and Nick head back to the safehouse, Nick takes one long curious look at the grocery store at the far end of the street, his keen eyes picking out a cat-like person tending the fruit stall, her long tail whipping around behind her as she cautiously stacks the merchandise with an odd feline grace.
Taking the time to look around for some abandoned bedding or something that would at least be a makeshift sleeping mat, Daphne notes an abandoned pile of bedding leaned up against the tenement the safehouse is in, down the narrow shadowed alleyway.
"Hey Daphne... we've still got some time before the other two get back, right? I want to check something out. I think I saw someone we should meet. You coming?"
Daphne's eyes fall to the bedding in the alleyway. She barely glances at Nick, "I need to check something out too..."
She always preferred objects more than people. Objects could be fixed. Objects never beat her. As she heads towards the allleyway she does have enough common sense to keep in sight and always take note of where Nick is, even if he is a bit hard to see.
Reaching the bedding she scrounges around, seeing what condition it is in, if it could be repaired, and if there is anything else she can snag for their bare apartment.
The bedding is in serviceable condition, a few pillows, a light comforter, and even a mattress. The only downside is the giant bloodstain marking them, still slightly damp and sticky to the touch. Aside from that, however, it's all perfectly salvageable!
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AriviaI Like A ChallengeEarth-1Registered Userregular
Before she even realizes what it is her mind is going through the motions and making plans to take the stains out. Worst case scenario she could remove the stained fabric and.... wait blood? Fresh blood? Blood means....
Sprinting back like a cat who just discovered it was raining outside she easily catches up to Nick and sticks close to him. Her eyes are wide and searching. "I think I will just stick with you... and lets go inside soon... please?"
Posts
Nick remembers how barren the safehouse is, then adds one more request.
"Oh, and on that subject, do you have any watches handy? I may have another appointment tomorrow so I want to be sure to schedule accordingly."
Marissa ducks into the shower and emerges some minutes later. Now clean of the dirt and grime, she looks even better, her hair shining and skin radiant. She pulls on a white sundress with a red tulip pattern and a pair of wedge sandals, waving goodbye to Sam as Marissa glides out of the store.
Everyone else heads out of the charity store, assembling a bit down the block. It doesn't look like anyone cared to pay attention to the two erstwhile thieves, although they do feel a bit uncomfortable with the crime.
She blinks away tears. She needed these clothes and there was nothing else she could do, but it is still wrong. Whirling so silently the others almost don't hear her, she walks back into the store and up to the clerk.
"I can sew!", Daphne blinks, realizing she needs to think before she speaks. "I mean. I am good at fixing clothes. Half the things in here have a tear or hole in it somewhere. I can patch them up. You don't even have to pay me much..."
She takes a deep breath, a tiny bit of color returning to her face.
"Just... don't steal from here again. We can't have that, no we can't! It's always good to be honest!"
Wow, three 1's. These are the types of rolls I am used to.
Daphne, too caught up in her own mental maelstrom to pay attention to the clerks problems, just nods. "I... I am so sorry. I just ... I don't have anything else and I want to pay you back. I promise to be back tomorrow to help. I promise..."
The hem of her sleeve is already starting to fray a bit from the amount she has been picking at it.
Two hits!
He can't help but notice the clerk's... emphatic reaction.
Nick:
You also notice that she seems willing to accept basically any payment so that Daphne wouldn't be considered stealing. Maybe not abnormal for a charity worker, but combined with her previous reaction, it seems like she really doesn't want anyone stealing from the charity store.
Also, you make no progress with the watch. It's currently 4 PM, and it beeps very loudly, four times, before turning off.
Jared watches Daphne run back into the store wearing her newly acquired "purchases" and is thoroughly confused. Why risk discovery by going back to where the employees might see her?! He shakes his head and tries to stay out of sight of the store windows while waiting for the rest of his companions.
"Whatever you guys do, do not go in there wearing those. Let's go find some food as soon as Daphne gets out."
"So now two of them have jobs for tomorrow and somehow I doubt *she's* going to have any trouble finding a waitress job or whatever. And they probably all think I suck for not managing to get my clothes the 'right' way..." Just then Daphne returned with the news that she'd worked out a deal to pay for her clothing, so now he really was the odd one out. "Well this sucks." He pushes up off the wall, "We eating now?"
"Hey, is everything all right? You looked a little... panicked back there for a bit."
One of them catches sight of the motley and waves his hand in the air. "Oy, you! Come grab some soup, there's a bit left, and you look hungry!"
On her way over, Marissa managed to spot two restaurants. One of them appears to be an adult-only affair, a strip club/lunch joint, specializing in Cuban cuisine, going by the catchy name of 'Banana Skins.' The other is a slightly more dignified 'Macy's Diner,' a little greasy-spoon joint, where a glance at the menu indicates that literally everything is fried.
Nick heads for the line, passing by Marissa and Jared as they check out potential employment options.
"You guys coming in or are you making another stop first? There might not be any left later on."
Once he gets his food, Jared steps away and goes looking for an empty table. "Maybe that club place needs bouncers or something. I guess I can check that out after this. Don't want to be the only one with nothing to do."
"Stew is the same everywhere..."
With a slightly unnerving speed she starts eating. Eating was never a luxury for her and it shows. Her entire life has been an endless sprint of jobs and work so food was just something that took up time in between. She eats like she is on the clock and soon the bowl is quietly set down in front of her, empty and mostly clean.
One of the soup-handlers comes by to the motley after finishing serving the last of the crowd, and he gives you a slight smile. "Hey, I noticed you guys are new, and you were poking around the store earlier. Just wanted to say welcome, we don't mind repeat visitors or anything... everyone who works here was homeless or beggars once too, we know what it's like to have nothing and nowhere."
He gives a genuinely friendly smile and heads back to the soup pot, dragging it towards the kitchen to clean it out.
"Going back to the room sounds good. I don't want to be out after dark. They said things can get dangerous..."
Her eyes flick around the room and that nervous energy comes back to her features. She glances from person to person, obviously not wanting to head home alone.
The tone of Nick's voice is far from optimistic. All four of them remember how barren their little safehouse is. He takes a look at his watch, noting that there's still a lot of day left by most indications.
"We've still got a long road ahead of us, it would seem, and the real fun hasn't even started yet if my guess is right. We'll catch up with you guys in an hour or so. You ready, Daph?"
With that she manages a weak smile and begins heading back towards their new apartment. A part of her brain stays on the lookout for anything that could, at some point, be considered furniture. Or a blanket. Or anything really.
As Marissa walks up, he lets out a long, slow wolf-whistle. "Hey, sweet-cheeks. You look like you could use a bit of money and a place to stay! I can put in a good word for you wit' the boss if you want to give me a private screenin' interview!"
As Daphne and Nick head back to the safehouse, Nick takes one long curious look at the grocery store at the far end of the street, his keen eyes picking out a cat-like person tending the fruit stall, her long tail whipping around behind her as she cautiously stacks the merchandise with an odd feline grace.
Taking the time to look around for some abandoned bedding or something that would at least be a makeshift sleeping mat, Daphne notes an abandoned pile of bedding leaned up against the tenement the safehouse is in, down the narrow shadowed alleyway.
She always preferred objects more than people. Objects could be fixed. Objects never beat her. As she heads towards the allleyway she does have enough common sense to keep in sight and always take note of where Nick is, even if he is a bit hard to see.
Reaching the bedding she scrounges around, seeing what condition it is in, if it could be repaired, and if there is anything else she can snag for their bare apartment.
Sprinting back like a cat who just discovered it was raining outside she easily catches up to Nick and sticks close to him. Her eyes are wide and searching. "I think I will just stick with you... and lets go inside soon... please?"