knowntoherfriends | Why Should I Worry?

Entry tags:

who: spot conlon: brooklynishere

Why Should I Worry?

Moving out of London had never been a thing that Jackie would have even considered, not in a million years. But after what happened to Nancy, after who caused it... She had to get out. She couldn't stay in that city, nut just because she saw Nancy everywhere she looked. Without Nancy, she had no one helping keep what she was hidden from Fagin.

There was only one option. Grabbing what little she hat and hopping on a ship as far away as possible.

Brooklyn was not like London. Well, actually it was in a lot of ways. It wasn't like London in the important way - there was no Fagin here, no Nancy, Jackie was totally on her own and had to make her own way. So, of course, she started lifting papers - papes, they called them - to start selling. This didn't sit too well with the leader of the territory - or so he was called. Spot Conlon made it clear to her how things where done around here.

Never let it be said the Artful Dodger couldn't move with the flow.

So she followed him, listening to how it was. This was only a stop gap anyway. A chance to learn the city. The Artful Dodger would known this place as well as they'd known London. It would be hers, soon enough.

Just needed to keep certain things out of people's notice.

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"...No problem." Spot replied, a little stiffly. "Sorry about him, he's... a flirt."

A flirt Spot normally didn't have that much of a problem with.

Unfortunately, he was a gossip as well, and Spot could only imagine what rumours he was going to start spreading after that little exchange.

"He was..." too close, she wants to say, but she just shakes her head. "He reminds me of a bloke, only he has better hygine than the one he reminds me of."

"He's mostly harmless," Spot forces himself to say "he just sometimes struggles to take no for an answer."

"If he bothers you again, just tell me, I'll deal with him." he shrugs "You's Brooklyn, so we'll watch your back, right? Even with something like this."

She gives a nod, fully understanding what Spot was saying. Still... "How comes he flirts like that?"

"Like what?" Spot looks confused. As far as Spot's concerned there's nothing strange about Harry's flirting. It's a little sleazy and overbearing, but nothing he hadn't seen from a dozen other boys.

"...you ain't interested, right?" he doesn't know why he needs to make sure, he just does.

How could she explain it?

"I thought, for a second, that he saw through it," she shrugged. "That he saw an' he would make it known." There's a scoffing laugh. "Interested? In someone that flirts where it ain't wanted? Leave it out."

"Oh..." Spot frowned for a moment, then shook his head "No, I don't think he saw through anything, he...uh... he ain't interested in that sorta thing, if you get my drift." he was being deliberately vague just in case there was anybody around who might overhear something they shouldn't, but he was trying to tell her that Harry didn't like girls, he wouldn't have flirted with her if he'd known.

"Good." he added.

"Oh." She understood, 'course she did. Living in the part of London she did, it was hard to not know.

"... You ever been at the recieving end of it?"

"From Harry? Once or twice." Spot shrugged "Not really from anybody else though."

Which wasn't true at all, but Spot wasn't very good at realising he was being flirted with, the only reason he recognised it from Harry was because the boy was particularly heavy handed.

"I ain't interested either."

She gives a look. "Plenty were flirtin' with you in there," she points out.

But it's good to know, that he wasn't interested in Harry. She's not sure why it's good to know, but it is good to know.

Spot turned to her with a confused look.

"In there? No they weren't. Who was flirting with me in there?"

He thought back to the people he was speaking to, tried to figure out who on earth she could be talking about, but he honestly had no idea.

"That one what didn't like me, but didn't want an argument with you," she pointed out. "They were battin' their eyes an' everything."

"Don't be ridiculous," Spot rolled his eyes "No they weren't."

"It doesn't matter anyway," he added after a moment "I ain't interested in them, either."

There was only one person he was interested in, and he wasn't letting himself think about it.

"Yeah they were." She frowns. "You were gettin' a lot of eyes at you."

She's not sure how she feels about that. Or why she's not sure how she feels about it.

"Eyes, sure, people keep their eye on me 'cause of Brooklyn's reputation. It ain't like that." Spot dismissed. What did he have going for him in a romantic sense? He was grumpy and defensive and always put Brooklyn before anything else, why would anybody want him?

"It is a bit," was the quick comment back. "I reckon people like that focus, I always heard that was meant to be appealin'." Nancy had always claimed Bill's focus on his work - such as it was - was a draw. She ddn't really want to think on Nancy though.

"Meant to be appealin'?" Spot repeated, raising an eyebrow at her "Ain't appealin' to you, then?"

He didn't know why he was asking, what was it to him whether she found it appealing or not, he didn't care... Honest.

"It's got somethin'," she admits. "Not that I think on it. Ain't one for that type of life." But there's something in the way she says it, like ... maybe she's not 100% as convinced and that worries her.

Spot isn't sure how to take that. Part of him is disappointed somehow, part of him picks up on that unsurety and thinks maybe it's not so bad, that there might be hope - only he doesn't know what he's hoping for.

"You lookin' for somethin' different then?"

"Can't go lookin' for anythin'," it's like she's trying to force herself to believe it. "Got to keep the act up."

"Well sure, but what if it's somebody who already knows?" he's not talking about himself, he's talking about some other person, somebody else who knows the truth, it's purely hypothetical, definitely not him.

If it was someone who knew? She stops for a minute, considering it. Someone who knew, someone on her side who would help keep it low. Someone like...

"... Might be alright. Maybe."

Even though she's feeling tight and worried at the idea, but also curious and interested.

It felt like a triumph, and Spot refused to let himself think about why. He shrugged.

"Ain't like you need to or anything, just, don't think you can't have it if it's something you might want. There's always ways."

"Ain't never thought on it before," she admits. "The lads back in London... there was ways things was done, and I weren't for it." She knew what she meant, even if Spot didn't. "An' thinking about it maybe happening always seemed like a bad idea."

"Well you're not in London now," Spot pointed out with a shrug. He could understand her reticence, of course he could, and normally he wouldn't be advocating for recklessness, but it felt important to make sure she knew it was an option.

"But if you trust somebody, and you know they won't give you away, the option's there."

Why Should I Worry?

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