Peepling Wedding (Leader, Dates, Staten Islanders)

[Peep]

Peep stood at the counter inside the Staten Island Lodging House. He was wearing a tuxedo and his hair was combed back and he looked dashing. He twisted a piece of paper in his hands, waiting for the door to open and his parents to come. It was his wedding day. He was seventeen, leader of Staten Island and engaged to Darling. He remembered (vaguely) the first time he met her.

It had been on the beach, and he was newly appointed and he had it had been raining a bit. He believed he had questioned her about his lost shoes.

But then she left for Iowa, and Peep still remembered the kind and sweet girl from the beach, but she was a friend... But she came back. And he had realized how much she meant to him. She was the person who kept him from throwing Chance out. The person who stopped him from killing Jumper. She was the person who kept him sane and looking forward to another day with his newsies. Peep turned, the paper now in a ball, as the door opened.

Three people entered the dimly lit building, blinking at the change in light. The first was a tiny old man who was hunched over from age. He had black hair with grey streaks in it and his black eyes were crinkly from years of laughter. The second was a tall and imposing woman with lots of blonde hair, sharp blue eyes, and a nose that could cut butter. The third was a young woman who was pretty and had soft brown hair.

Peep looked at them, not sure if he should say something, when the old man spoke. "Nicholas! Liebchen, come." His voice was rough and gravelly and accented with German and New England. Peep approached his father and hugged him. His mother did not have patience for heartfelt reunions.

"Where's she, then? Or did she run off?"

"No Mother. She is coming." He spoke carefully, with measured beats, before his mother surveyed the Lodging House and he dared to smile at his older sister. "Welcome to Staten Island..." He said. "The wedding is going to start in about an hour or so. The priest still has to come..."

Peep glanced at the stairs.... Where was Darling?

[Darling]

Adrianna "Darling" Kensington was getting married at the age of eighteen (though she still thought of herself as seventeen, seeming as she'd only turned eighteen a month ago). She was not in her dress quite yet, for the thing was a trial to get into, but it had been sent by her grandmother, who thankfully had bought it when she had gone to Iowa. Darling had gathered enough sense to ask her grandmother to bring it with her to the wedding. The elderly woman, however, had not been able to whether the long train ride to New York and had instead mailed it. Which baffled Darling when she had opened the parcel to find the dress completely perfect and in tact.

At the moment, she was wearing a simple white gown, which she would keep on until half an hour before the ceremony. Her main focus at the moment was trying to make herself look more than halfway decent. She couldn't stand makeup, so that had been out. That left her hair, which she was fine with putting up for the wedding. Darling had almost finished putting her hair into a fashion similar to what it had looked like upon her return to Staten Island. But one section kept slipping out into her face and she was short the bobby pin to do the corrective action. Perhaps Peep had seen one?

Just thinking of the name made her smile. He had just been made leader when they had met, and she could remember slightly their first meeting on the beach. She remembered ithad been drizzling or sprinkling that day and she had been letting the moisture wash over her. He had asked her about his missing shoes. It wasn't long after that she went away to Iowa and had been introduced to scores of men. All of whom either did not like her or she did not like them. T was once she had returned to Staten that she realized that She was really in love with someone, Peep.

Darling blew the rebellious strand of hair out of her eyes before making her way downstairs, hoping no one noticed she wasn't wearing shoes at that moment She kept her eyes down as she made her way, calling softly, "Peep, you wouldn't happen to have seen a hairpin, have you?"

She glanced up once she had come off the stairs and pulled up short. Her gaze flicked between the trio of newcomers and Peep for a moment before making the connection. These were her future in-laws. She smiled a tad bit wider and folded her handbehind her back just as the pesky loose bit fell into her face again.

[Peep]

Peep turned at the sound of Darling's voice, unable to swallow the happiness that consumed him. He took two wide steps and ended up by the foot of the stairs as she came down. He offered his hand to her as he produced a hair pin from behind him on a small, rickety table. "Here," He handed it too her, slipping it into her hand as he turned to his family. His father's cane thumped on the floor as he approached. His mother's nose crinkled as she followed in the man's wake, his sister bringing up the rear. "Father, this is Adrianna." Peep introduced her to his father first, for his father was the nicest of his parents.

The old man's mouth widened into a smile as he wrapped his thin arms around her. "So glad to meet you!" He cried. Peep turned to his mother.

"This is my mother, Kai Schyuler. Mother, this is Adrianna. Darling, this is Anna, my eldest sister." Peep spoke very carefully, for his mother was a stickler for grammar and proper English. Anna waved cheerfully before drifting off into the parlor, to look at the surroundings. Mr. Schyuler joined his daughter, speaking in whispered German. Peep's mother stood silently as she looked at Darling, before opening her bag and pulling out her knitting.

"You knit, girl?" The woman peered at Darling imperiously, not quite demanding but not asking gently either. She shoved the knitting into Peep's hands and then walked away, to place her husband in an armchair.

Peep turned to Darling, setting the knitting down on a table. "Sorry. They can be..." He was lost for words. Difficult... Horrible? Judgemental? He didn't know. He let the statement trail off. Peep bumped his foot off the bottom stair gently, sure she would reject him now that she had seen his family. And what would his mother say to Spot and Doll? What about Jack? Scout? Queenie? He smiled a bit. That would be funny. But still, his mother could be harsh... maybe he should brief her on the customs here, but no... That would make her tie him up and carry him back home in chains. Peep squinted up at Darling. "I am very sorry..."

[Darling]

It was amazing what a single glance at a face could do to a person, especially when the face was that of one Adrianna Kensington's fiancé. The young lady was beaming by the time Peep handed her the pin. "Thank you," she replied, taking the pin and pulling back the strand of hair before pinning it back. Darling stepped off the last step and glanced at the older man as she was introduced to him.

Before she could respond with a 'it is so nice to meet you', she was being hugged by her future father-in-law. She hugged him back, shocked by the immediate friendliness. "Happy to meet you, sir!" she chuckled.

After being introduced to Peep's mother, her smile turned to a friendly smile, which was accompanied by a nod. She waved back to Anna and retook the first step, thinking she could just slip up there to get something from her bunk. This hope was slightly scrunched by the question of if she did any knitting.

The answer was honestly 'barely any'. Her grandmother taught her only the basics before giving up, for Darling was not exactly the best student. But, not wanting to seem like the undereducated newsie she was, replied with, "Only what my grandmother taught me."

She waited until the Schyulers had gone to sit down in the parlor to breathe and lean against the stair railing. Her lips twitched with a forgiving smile in response to his apology.

"I actually think that went pretty good." Darling shrugged, folding her hands in front of her. It was the truth. She'd totally expected things to go way worse. It was now only a matter of surviving the rest of the day without getting too jittery or nervous.

[Peep]

Peep admired Darling for her calm assement and handling of the situation. His familt was hard to deal with, and she was dealing with them magnificently. Peep smiled slightly at her response to his mother's demands. She was clever. This was good. Even Peep's mother had nothing to say. Instead, she raised her eyebrows and marched into the parlor, where she promptly scolded Anna for touching something. It wasn't out of concern for the item, she just didn't want her child to touch anything.

"That was wonderful!" he whispered happily to Darling. Making sure no one was watching (especially his mother), he kissed her gently on the lips. "Now all that's left is for the others to show." He glanced nervously at the door. Darling had been accepted by his parents, but what about the leaders... What about Jumper? Stopping this frightening thought dead, Peep put on a smile and winked at Darling. "I think its bad luck for me to see you before the wedding." He teased.

He leaned back against the counter and twiddled his thumbs. He felt quite uncomfortable in a tie with his hair combed back. He ran his fingers through it quickly, making it more natural. His suit jacket was laying across the dusty counter. He had forgot to clean! He was in panic mode, what should he do? Should he clean? Or just leave it? He sighed. He would leave it. Peep looked to see if Darling was still on the bottom step or not. She made him feel braver. And right now, he needed a good shot of courage.

[Jumper]

Jumper didn't like dressing up. He also didn't like standing still. And this is what he had to do. He stood in the lodging house parlor room, stiffly, wearing clothes probably cleaner than he had ever worn in his life. His face and hands were washed, no dirt, no smudges, hardly any ink stains. His hair was still slightly messy, not quite as crazy as sometimes, not sticking out as much. It was....managed. He had been given strict orders to stay still, not touch anything or anyone, and to be quiet. So there he stood, everything all locked up inside, hands clenched into fists at his side, frowning at people as they passed, mouth pressed tightly shut, like a jack in the box ready to spring.

He didn't like these strange people walking through their lodging house. He didn't like that because they were here he wasn't supposed to do anything. He didn't understand what the big deal about weddings were anyways. Why couldn't the cake explode? Wouldn't that be a great finale? Thinking about this, he gave a small cackle, before realizing he wasn't supposed to and looking around to see if anybody heard, returning to glaring at the newcomers.