The Front Desk

[Administrator]

There's a tin can here, with a sign in front of it saying, "Put Rent Money Here."

[Brooklyn]

Phineas Jesse Roberts entered the Bronx Lodging House with sure steps. He went right up to the front desk and rang the bell once, twice, three times. He tapped his fingers on the desk and took a heavy drag on his cigarette. He was hungover, he had not flirted with a girl for two hours, and Doll had not found his present. He scratched his head absently, nearly knocking his once white newsie cap off. Almost all of his tattoos could be seen. The anchors on his hands, the tattoos on his arms and wrist, the tattoo on his shoulder. The only ones that were hidden were the ones on his feet, his knees, and across his chest. Hopefully, if all went well, they wouldn't been hidden for too much longer.

He had come to the Bronx Lodging House for one reason; to find a girl. All the girls in Brooklyn were avoiding him. They knew the meaning of all his bracelets. But the girls in the Bronx were hot anyways. And he was feeling depressed ever since Doll had gotten married. And now it was even more dangerous for him to be near her. Best he avoided her until Spot got back, even though it would kill him. He was going to distract himself with girls, booze, tattoos, and cigarettes. No... That's what he did everyday. Then how would he distract himself?

How? He looked around the Bronx lodging house and wondered where Queenie was. Now... She was nice. Almost as good looking as Doll, but not quite. And there were other good looking girls in the Bronx. Maybe one of them was hanging around. Impatient as always, he slapped the bell once more, sending it flying across the room and into the wall, leaving a dent. He cursed and cradled his hand in pain. "Ouch!" He said, and then sucked on the small indent the bell's knob had left on his palm.

Brooklyn was in the house.

[Penny]

Penny stared at the dress that was once hers. It still is, she reminded herself. The dress was beautiful. Dark, rich red, long, lacy. It was a dress of someone much richer then herself. Way richer. That was me once... she thought. Penny would give almost anything to be who she was a couple of years ago. It was the life. Servants for everything she needed. Hell, I had a special servant who's job it was to buy the paper, Penny thought. And here she was, selling them on her own... Penny's nickname had more the one meaning. Her parents, while they were alive, called her Penny. It was a typical nickname of the name Penelope. Also, she was now working for every penny of her life.

What she would trade for that life again! Penny would give everything that held any meaning to her to be wealthy again. Never going to happen though... She thought with sadness. Penny needed to give up that dream. At that moment a loud Ding! sounded from nearby. The Front Desk? she thought. Nobody ever rings that thing, they just drop off what they need and leave... Penny put away her dress and peered into the area. A boy was standing there with his hand against his mouth. Queenie would probably expect me to be welcoming to this newcomer... she thought and walked out into the open.

"Good afternoon," Penny said, sounding far more proper then her current state of living. "May I help you?"

Word Count;; 294
Muse;; It's all right...
Tags;; Brooklyn

[Brooklyn]

Brooklyn stopped his montage of swearing and turned around to look at the source of the voice. He was confused... She was speaking like a hoity toity, yet looking like a newsie. And if he must say so, a very pretty newsie. "Um... Hello?" He said, unsure of himself. He fiddled with the bracelets on his left arm. There were none on his right. "I'm not sure if you can help me, but... I was looking for a friend." He said, laughing. Sure, a friend. A one time friend with major benefits. Yeah, that was it.

He looked at her. "You a Bronxie?" He asked cheerfully, taking his hat off because he was obviously in the presence of a lady. He took another puff of his cigarette and then looked at her. "Does this bother you?" He asked, holding up his cigarette. He then put it out, it was the polite thing to do. He offered a hand, an ink stained hand from his paper selling. "I'm Brooklyn, and I'm from Brooklyn... Just in case you can't make the connection." He winked playfully.

He smiled at her and scratched his cheek. "Um... But I guess you could call me Brook if you want to. But whatever. Do you have a name? Or do angels have no names?" He asked, playing the pick up lines early.

[Penny]

Penny stared at the stranger. He seemed overly friendly. Especially for just arriving here in the Bronx... He must be judging off the stereotype that all Bronx newsies are good natured... Not me so much, I used to be, but not anymore... Penny thought with a sigh... "I'm not exactly sure making friends with random strangers is a responsible move," she said, hesitating answering straight out. She didn't know if she'd be able to be his friend. She wasn't a quick judge or stereotype.

"You a Bronxie?" the boy asked. Penny narrowed her eyes a bit. She assumed it'd be obvious that she was from the Bronx. She was in the lodge for God's sake! "Yes, used to be from Manhattan, but I moved here. I felt that I'd rather follow Queenie then Jack any longer..." she said. Round-about lying. Yea she used to be from Manhattan, but she didn't move here because of leadership, but because she was being recognized... Yes, it does very much, she thought, but didn't voice her opinion. She wasn't at Tea with her mother anymore. She was a Newsie. They had a different way of life. Instead, Penny just shrugged and shook her head.

"I'm Brooklyn, and I'm from Brooklyn... Just in case you can't make the connection," Brooklyn said, offering his hand and a coy wink. I do believe he's flirting, and he's clearly a Newsie, she thought, shaking his hand. Penny was one of the few Newsies that she knew that had a hand washing fetish. After work, she just sat there and washed her hands repeatedly. "My name is Penny," she said, smiling despite her better judgement. "What's with the bracelets?" Penny had never seen a man wear jewelry like that before... Penny merely rolled her eyes sarcastically when Brooklyn delivered his witty line. Angel? Ha!! Me? Yea right... Only if I were one of Satin's monsters in disguise as an angel... she thought, destroying her selfconfidence as per usual.

Word Count;; 394
Muse;; It's actually good!!
Tags;; Brooklyn

[Brooklyn]

Brooklyn looked shocked. "I'm not a stranger!" He said, chuckling. "I'm Brooklyn. You know the borough, you've heard about it, well... I'm it... Only, I don't push people off bridges. Believe me, it's happened to me and it is not fun."

Brooklyn nodded, understanding her. "Queenie's much better then Jack." He grinned. "I've live in Brooklyn all my life. Part of with my family, then I was kicked out and forced to live on the streets. All because of this." He pointed to the sun tattooed on his left shoulder. "That's when I met Doll and Spot and became a bird. An official Brookie." He smiled.

He grinned. "Penny, that's a pretty name. I'll tell you a secret. My real name's Phineas Jesse Roberts. Mouthful huh? Family name, you know." He shrugged. "But I prefere Brooklyn." He glanced at his bracelets, unsure of how to answer. He settled on, "It reminds me to stay on my path of true love." He shrugged, "Cheesy, but it's true. I need to remind myself of my true goal. To put a bracelet on my right wrist." He held it up. On his wrist was tattooed the word 'J'adore'. "See? It's saved for my love."

[frixie]

Frixie fumbled around upstairs in the Bronx Lodging House. She'd just finished washing her dark hair and now she was rummaging through her few belongings in search of her favorite red rouge. After a moment of picking through the stuff in the box beneath her bed, she found it. She went to the bathroom, which was surprisingly peaceful without all the girls trying to get ready at once. She brushed the make-up across her cheeks expertly and then stroked some on her lips. She smacked her lips together and examined herself quickly. She'd spent the day finishing off the papes she'd bought that morning and she felt she deserved some time to make herself look nice.

When she was finished, Frixie grabbed a cigarette from her secret stash and lit it with a stray match. She took a moment to enjoy it before sighing contentedly and making her way downstairs. Once there, she looked around for signs of anybody. They weren't in the dining room or the living room. She shrugged and moved towards the front entrance, flipping her wet hair over her shoulder. When she appeared near the front desk, she was mildly surprised to see a punkish looking guy talking to Penny, one of their newer newsies. She puffed away on her cigarette, eyeing him strangely.

[Penny]

Penny shrugged. "I may have heard of the Borough, but that still makes you a stranger," she said. She was serious. Her mother had once told her that she had to be careful when meeting new people. She's supposed to act respectful, but at the same time aloof. She felt that she'd done that this time. Usually she's either too friendly or too disrespectful. "People are not strangers forever, eventually they became anywhere from acquaintances to friends to enemies, it's all a matter of the personality will collide," Penny said, sounding as wealthy as her birthright. As per usual, she thought, thinking her usual catch phrase.

Penny nodded her agreement. However, Jack had never done her wrong. He actually helped her in the beginning, helped her get through and adjust to her new life. It was best though, if one must lie, to see the lie and through even when it seems the other has it figured out. If you stick with it for long enough, the other person will believe that they have the wrong truth... A bird? Penny had heard that mentioned once or twice, and she was curious as to what it was. "What is a bird?" she asked, hoping her questions wouldn't be seen as rude.

"Penny, that's a pretty name. I'll tell you a secret. My real name's Phineas Jesse Roberts. Mouthful huh? Family name, you know, but I prefere Brooklyn," Brooklyn said. Penny could respect the nickname rule of the Newsie world, although she was only allowed to be called Penny, in her old life, when there were no guests in the house. True love? she thought. That's so cute! But wait, if all the other bracelets represent, I'm guessing, other girls, some path to true love. She must be taken... "If you don't mind me asking, who is she? Is she already married?" Penny knew that the question was impolite, but she wanted to know terribly so.

Word Count;; 387
Muse;; It feels a little worse then last time, but still good...
Tags;; Brooklyn

[Brooklyn]

Brooklyn grinned at her. She was funny. "But we don't have to be strangers, do we? I mean... we can be friends, eventually...?" He asked hopefully. He listened to her philosophy calmly, not quite grasping it. "You're deeper then the Atlantic Ocean, girl." he told her.

He laughed. "A bird... How to explain it?" He tapped his chin. "Um... It's my job to make sure Spot knows everything there is to know about New York City's boroughs. I'm a... spy." He finished. "But this is not an information gathering trip, I gave myself the day off." He shrugged. "I'm extrememly lonely and it isn't good when I'm lonely." He chuckled.

Brooklyn looked at Penny, his face suddenly very sad. He bit his lip and rubbed the back of his neck, knocking his hat onto the floor. He bent to pick it up and he did so very slowly. As he stood again, he looked at her and sighed. "Yeah, she's married. I try every girl I can to try and find someone like her, but I cannot. There is no one in the universe like her." He sighed. "I'm not gonna tell you who she is, because it's too painful. Everyone knows her... Someone would tell her husband." He hung his head. "I'm a horrible person, aren't I?" He sighed.

He looked up at Penny again, but someone else caught his eye. He glanced at the girl and waved to her cheerfully. "Hullo." He said, not really expecting her to say anything back.

[frixie]

Frixie pulled her cigarette back and blew smoke in Brooklyn's direction, glaring at him suspiciously. She'd heard him explaining what it was to be a bird to Penny. If there was anything she disliked more than boys from Brooklyn, it was spies from Brooklyn. Not that she had anything against Spot or Doll. Hell, she didn't even have a problem with Doll being in charge of the Birds. She just had issues with them spying on her borough, as if they were doing something wrong. She hated the feeling of having someone hanging over her shoulder.

"Hullo," she repeated mockingly. "Nice day, huh? Decide ta take a trip to the Bronx?" she asked icily. She wasn't the leader and she could certainly never fill Queenie's shoes, but Frixie felt somewhat responsible for the lodging house when no one was around. It seemed sort of...vulnerable. She brought her cigarette back to her lips and stared at Brooklyn, as if daring him to respond to her.

[Penny]

Penny couldn't help be smile back. She liked Brooklyn. He was funny and suave, but in a comical way in which she couldn't believe actually worked... "I don't think that friends is too far from the realm of possibility," Penny responded a slight laugh in her voice. She shrugged at his deep comment. "Yet, if you thought about, it's very true," she said with a smile. I haven't smiled like this in a long time... Penny thought.

Penny nodded as he talked about what a bird was. That makes since... she thought. "So you're a floater, sort of, like a bird? That makes sense, actually, surprisingly," Penny said, nodding with comprehension. Then it dawned on her. Then it dawned on her, what if he were here to spy on her borough? She stopped the thoughts when Brooklyn spoke again. "But this is not an information gathering trip, I gave myself the day off. I'm extremely lonely and it isn't good when I'm lonely," he said. Thank God... If he were here to learn things, I would never forgive myself... she thought. "Glad to hear that you're not here to gather information. I'd have to chase you out of here, and that would be terribly rude..." Penny said. "I can give the company of a friend," she offered, but had a sneaking suspicion that wasn't what he wanted...

Penny felt terrible for asking about his true love when she saw the sad face. Oh, dear, I knew that I should have asked, it was rude... she thought was sadness herself. She listened intently and nodded sympathy when it was warranted. "Not horrible, just in love. People will do anything for it," Penny said with understanding. She remember when her friend ran off with the painter's assistant because she loved him. He wasn't the suitable suitor. Penny felt bad for her hopefully new friend and put a comforting hand on his arm.

Word Count;; 386
Muse;; Woo!
Tags;; Brooklyn, Frixie

[Brooklyn]

Brooklyn looked at the newcomer with slight surprise. She was... distant. For once, he felt turned off. He smiled anyway, and said, "It's a lovely day for a walk," He said, "You shouldn't miss it." He hinted, then turned his attention to Penny. "Friends. You know, I'd really like that." he told her.

He looked confused. "Floater?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowing. "What's that mean, like a dirfter or something?" He was trying to figure this out. He had never heard the term before. Brooklyn looked overjoyed at her offer of friendship. He clapped his hands cheerfully and grinned. "Friends! Yay!" He crowed, smacking his hand off his lef excitedly.

Brooklyn smiled sheepishly. "I'm seventeen, I shouldn't be in love." He joked. He shrugged, however, and smiled when she touched his arm. He patted her hand gently and smiled down at her, his brown eyes very warm. "Thanks for understanding." He said, his smile turning wistful.

[frixie]

Frixie, for one of the few times in her life, actually gaped at Brooklyn, her cigarette falling out of her mouth in the process. Was she hearing things or had he actually hinted that she should go take a hike? Her! In her own boarding house?! She hardly ever came across newsies with the gall to talk to her like that...especially not ones from Brooklyn! She felt anger boiling inside her. The little jerk! Did he really think he could just barge into her lodging house--her home--and insinuate that she was the one who should get lost? He was crazy if he thought so.

She stomped on her cigarette, which had landed at her feet and scowled at Brooklyn. She intentionally scoffed at his talk of love and ran a hand through her hair, which was still wet. A kid like him wouldn't know love if it smacked him in the face, or so she thought. "Is there somethin' ya actually wanted? 'Cause Queenie ain't here if there is. An' if there isn't, there ain't really a reason for ya ta be here," she told Brooklyn, her voice dripping with its usual venom.

[Penny]

Penny looked shakily at Frixie. She'd never seen anyone talk to her like that and Penny guessed that only two people in New York would be able to get away with it. Queenie was one, but Queenie woud never. The other was Spot. Everybody was scared of that guy... I know I am, and I'm not afraid of a lot.... "Well, you float, or travel, from area to area searching for your information, so you are kind of like a floater," Penelope said, trying to explain her words. "Love can come to anyone, it just takes the right person."

Just as Penny was about to say something else encouraging to her new friend, when Frixie spoke. Her words were sharp and meant to hurt. "Is there somethin' ya actually wanted? 'Cause Queenie ain't here if there is. An' if there isn't, there ain't really a reason for ya ta be here." How dare she? Penny thought in awe. Brooklyn was a guest and should be treated as such. She turned her brown gaze on Frixie respectfully. "He has every right to be here," she said, her voice holding an air pride and properness. "Since you feel that Queenie is not here, so he has not reason to be here, then he is my guest. He may stay."

Word Count;; 261
Muse;; Eh....
Tags;; Frixie, Brooklyn

[frixie]

Frixie looked at Penny in a surprise. Talk about a slap in the face! And she hadn't even seen that one coming! She huffed angrily. She hated feeling undermined, and that's all Penny and Brooklyn seemed to be doing to her currently. Not only had Brooklyn hurt her pride, but now Penny seemed to be siding with him. One of her fellow Bronxies...and that hurt a lot.

"Fine," she said through clenched teeth, glaring at Brooklyn. "Let him stay if he's yer guest, Penny. But I'm stayin' right where I am, too. It is my lodgin' house afterall. An' I better not hear nothin' about anythin' in the Bronx gettin' back ta Doll today," she said seriously, pointing a finger at Brooklyn.

She took a seat right beside the two of them, mostly just out of spite. She twisted her hair around a finger and rested her bare feet against a nearby bookshelf. Not that there many books laying there. Let this Brooklyn learn who she was. She wouldn't be thrown out so easily.