I feel it in the air

[stauncherhearted]

[A July catch-all! Pick an option and say hello, or start something more specific in the comments. Hit me up on plurk if you want a specific starter!]

-

Option One
Nancy had gotten her start picking pockets as just a child. It was so easy, when you were so close to the ground, to look in purses, to bump into people and distract them while your friend grabbed their wallet or their iPod. Picking pockets wasn't hard at all, if you knew what you were doing.

Shoplifting had come next, as it often did for teenage girls looking for a quick high. It wasn't that for Nancy, unfortunately. It was a way to make money, to get what she wanted. Slide an important object into her purse and no one was any smarter. Wrap a scarf around her neck and pretend she'd been wearing it when she walked in. It was cake.

And okay, yes, it was a great way to get a quick high. This was what brought Nancy to Spittalfields market. It was a busy afternoon, the stalls were bustling, and no one was paying any sort of attention to what a petite girl like her was doing. So a few pieces of jewelry here, a few wallets there- tourists were idiots. They saw the 'Beware Pickpockets' signs and instantly checked where they kept their valuables. Easy marks.

Besides, she had to make up for the first week or so of the month when she'd been holed up in her flat, escaping the Hunt.



Option Two
The Thames was beautiful at night. The lights reflected off the surface, you couldn't tell how dirty it was, either. You could walk along, cross over bridges, watch people stumble home from clubs. There was a lot of time to think, too.

Of course, down by the water anywhere was where you could find her sort. A pair of fish-nets and high-heels, tiny dress. She hadn't had much luck in pubs earlier that evening, so now it was time to wait till bar close, when men started stumbling home, desperate for a woman. That, also happened to be when many vampires chose to feed. And that's where she made the real money.



Option Three
"I'm tired of having these bloody conversations!" Through grit teeth, a petite ginger paced quickly in front of the tube station. "No- no, you stop it.- Stop talking, and let me explain you devil!" On the other end of the line, a man prattled about, his condescending tone loud. If Nancy had been paying attention to him, he assumed so, unaware that, mid-way through his diatribe, she was rolling her eyes.

Finally, she'd had enough. "Listen here; I'm about to get on the tube. I can't talk. I'll come over before work tonight, talk with him- yes, yes, you'll have it, I got it all sorted, you'll have your potions!" Nancy nearly tosses the phone into her purse, violently pressing on her touch-screen to end the call.

"Bloody bastard."



Option Four
Wild card. Make your own, drop me a line, whatever. A few private starters in the comments!

Comments

p-i-z-z-a gimme pizza! (for heiji, featuring lots of kids)

[stauncherhearted]

If only there was some fun place where you could go for pizza and bring children so that they could run around and play and leave the adults so they could have some quality time drinking wine while the kids spent quarters on useless tickets. Oh and animatronic animals. But too bad, because if there were places like that, they were not on Nancy's radar.

What was on her radar was the delicious chain-restaurant Pizza Express. Classier than a pizza-hut, but nowhere near some artisan brick-oven flat-bread joint, it had good pizza for decent prices. And was good for groups.

Which brought us to the two young adults, Nancy and Heiji, and the hoards of children they'd managed to summon with them. Just getting them to sit down was hard enough.

"I'm really sorry if they've overwhelming." Or rob half the restaurant blind. "I told them all to be on their best behavior, but..." They were prepubescent boys. Things were going to get broken.

A harried waiter passed by, giving the two of them a look.

"Did we make a huge mistake?"

[detectiveofthewest]

"Uh, I'm thinkin -- hey! Don't put that on your face!"

Heiji's cousins had turned out to be four young girls that looked somewhere between ten and twelve, dressed in brightly colored dresses and skirts. One of them was trying to balance a plate on her nose, but she reluctantly put it back on the table in front of her when Heiji caught her. He sighed.

"Believe me, I understand. The struggle is real. Anyhow, like I was sayin', these two over here are Sakura and Tsubaki, and that's Kiku and Ume." Sakura was apparently the one with plate-balancing aspirations. Kiku was the only one waiting politely in her seat; Ume was playing with a condiment shaker by sliding it across the table.

[stauncherhearted]

"I've been dealing with this many kids for a while, but not often in public." She shook her head, curls settling over her shoulders.

"Right, so Sakura, Tsubaki, Kiku and Ume. That's Charley Bates over there-" she pointed at the boy who looked like he was plotting something. He was. But he kept making small talk with Kiku and Ume to cover his tracks. "Georgie," a boy with dark red hair who was hunched over his phone. "Georgie, put the phone down, or I'll take it from you!" He shoved it in his pocket with a grumpy sigh. "And Jason." Jason was urging Sakura to balance the plate.

"I should just be glad Dodger wasn't able to make it."

[detectiveofthewest]

This was a nightmare. It would be a miracle if it didn't all end in tears. "I'm startin' to think we shoulda invited more adults."

Ume covered her mouth to keep from snickering a little as Georgie got in trouble. Schadenfreude at such a young age...

Meanwhile, Heiji returned his attention to the menu, reasoning that since they were at Pizza Express, they might as well at least try to order some food. "So. What should we order? It's my first time here, so I'm relyin' on ya to make some expert recommendations!"

Sakura was now trying to get Jason to try and balance a cup on his elbow, through some convoluted line of reasoning that likely no adult would be able to grasp.

[stauncherhearted]

"Jason, be civilized!" Unfortunately, playing referee was taking more work than she'd originally figured. Get some boys in front of girls and it was all games and trying to show off and oh here was Georgie teasing Ume, getting Charley in on the act.

"We're going to get kicked out of here, I swear it." SHe shook her head. "I'd say get some appetizers, the dough balls are delicious, and maybe a salad as well. We can split a few pizzas, the boys will eat anything. How does that sound?"

Option Three

[necromancynow]

A tall, slightly sickly-looking man looked at her with some sympathy. "Having a bit of a rough night, I see."

Faust was blond, wearing a lab coat, and looked as though he hadn't slept in a day or two. He frowned a little, as if trying to place her face. He had the feeling her name started with an N. Nelly? Natalie?

[stauncherhearted]

With an exasperated sigh, Nancy ran her fingers through her long hair. "Yeah, that's- that's one way to put it. You think a man his age would know what no means." She knew he had no idea what she was talking about, but it felt good to gripe about it to someone who had no idea, who she didn't really have to watch her words about.

[necromancynow]

"Well, if he hasn't learned by now, I doubt he ever will," said Faust, smiling. Nora? He was so scatterbrained these days.

He held out a hand. "Johann Faust. I'm a doctor, and upon cursory examination, I would recommend telling him to... what's the phrase? 'Sod off'?"

[stauncherhearted]

Nancy raised both her eyebrows for a moment before laughing. How absolutely adorable! "Of course- that's my plan, anyway."

She paused a moment, unsure what to do with his hand before she took it. "Nice to meet you, Doctor Faust. I'm Nancy. Not a doctor, unfortunately."

Option one

[chronobreak]

When you grow up on the streets, you pick up a few tricks. When you realize you have some magical gifts, that give you more room for error and even more room for improvement, you brush up on those skills. It's not exactly legal, but it's not like he cares too much about that. The underclassmen aren't here to be a bad influence towards, and he's sure he should brush up.

So that man Nancy was about to pickpocket? There's an older teenager watching those movements and casually knocking into them. There's the usual sorry, and brushing down and Ekko comes away with a few extra pounds to his name and a shiny gold watch.

What she didn't see was the ten other times he screwed up and got caught. If rewinding is good for anything it's casually fucking up and getting unlimited tries until he 'wins,' at least for little things like this.

[stauncherhearted]

Oh look at that. Someone already bumped into him. There was a chance then that Nancy could use that poor civilian as her scapegoat. Perfect.

Wait. Wait wait wait.

That man had his wallet on him, right before she went to reach for it, and a watch, as well. She was sure of it. Looking around, she tried to spot the culprit, the other thief, and, that's when she realized it. It had to have been the boy who bumped into him.

Using her petite build to her advantage, she moved out of the way to come up besides Ekko. "Can I speak with you a moment? Away from the crowds?"

[chronobreak]

Shit he's been found out- wait. This isn't the guy he stole from. He can't quite help the flicker of a frown crossing his face. If she wasn't that guy, did he actually steal somebody else's target? Part of him is thinking, 'if you snooze, you lose,' but technically speaking he doesn't need either items he stole.

"What? Gonna knock me out in an alleyway?" He can't help being difficult either. But he's pretty certain he can get out of this, even if it does go sour. So he starts moving away from the crowd.

Once they're a far enough distance away, he speaks in hushed tones. There might be less people, but that means the people who are there are quite capable of listening in. "Did I steal your mark?" He seems at least a little concerned.

[stauncherhearted]

She was used to remarks like that. She was tiny, hardly 5' 2'', and was widely thought to be outright adorable. The results were that people didn't often think her capable of much of anything, let alone having words with them. They were always, always wrong. "We'll just have to see, won't we?" She offered, keeping her eyes fixed on the next open street.

Once there, she turned, and it only took a few feet until they were going to look just like two regular people having a conversation.

But then he speaks first and Nancy just has to stop, pause, and blink, picking her jaw up from where it hung slightly. "I- yes, yes you did." Which wouldn't have been a problem except she didn't know him and though she knew there were others, it was always odd running into pick-pockets that weren't in with Fagin.

Or were Kenzi.

3

[acrookedchild]

The tube was just easier than trying to drive. When she had somewhere to be outside the main city, Abby was happy to use her car, but, for the most part, it stayed in the garage at Geap Manor. Granted, she had all the hallmarks of someone who didn't want to be bothered ready to go. She didn't use the subway to make friends.

Her iPod earbuds were just hanging out of a pocket of her bag, ready to be grabbed and put in. She had a book in her hand, too. But all of that seems unnecessary when she catches just the tail end of a conversation. And a familiar voice.

"Sounds like a peach," she says after giving a little wave.

[stauncherhearted]

Seriously though, who the hell used the tube to try to make friends?

Weirdos.

"I wha- oh! Abby, hullo!" Nancy went from taken-aback by someone speaking to her to smiling brightly and waving at her friend. "Yeah, just dealing with business." She rolled her eyes. "Never work for family."

[acrookedchild]

"I'll keep that in mind." It's a complaint that's well meant, she knows. Not worth a reminder (even if she feels it in her gut) that something like that won't be a problem for her. "What kind of potions do you make? I've never really had much education there."

Unthank and her parents had focused on spells more than anything as well as a few charms.

[stauncherhearted]

Oh. So that was the truth Abby believed. Potions.

Not exactly wrong, mind you.

"Oh it's all over the map. He tends to take on odd-jobs that are needed. He's talented." She needed a drink. "He specializes in more difficult potions, though. That require well, his fae touch." She has to check herself to avoid cringing.

2

[vampiracy]

He's not looking for a woman, or to feed, but it's not so odd for him to spend far too long and stay out too late drinking. He's a creature of the night, is he not? Pirate through and through, there are some habits he still hasn't bothered to break. This one in particular he sees no need. He can't kill himself through alcoholism, now can he?

He spots a familiar face as he roams and he knows what she's up to and he should leave her to it, yet there's a hollow hit in the black pit he calls a heart seeing her. A better man would have tried to help her, but it's been a long time since he's been a good man.

"Lovely night, darling," he notes, drawing closer. He won't stay long, but he'll check in on her all the same.

[stauncherhearted]

She doesn't need help. Not if you asked her. She was sure of that. She made enough money, she had friends, she had the boys, the coven. There wasn't any sort of other job she was qualified for. She'd never been to school a day in her life, and though going into sex work hadn't been her decision, remaining in it was. Or so she liked to think.

A familiar voice calls out and she looks up. "Killian," she says with a smile. "Fancy seeing you here." He was a pirate. Of course he was down by the water. Just as she was.

She moves closer, heels clicking on the pavement. "Been a while. Where've you been?"

[vampiracy]

He'd have been annoyed if he knew her father had told her of his past, but it shouldn't have surprised him. He still sort of looked the part of pirate, even if he'd left his days of plundering and exploring behind him. Hard to get by on piracy these days, unless you were Cambodian, and he was most decidedly not. Now he just looks like a bit of an eccentric dresser, considering he can't quite give up on leather jackets and kohl under his eyes.

"Fancy that indeed." He hasn't been about for awhile, so he hasn't been round to see her father and he hasn't seen her either. "Belize, believe it or not." A vampire in a sunny, tropical place did seem a bit funny, but the fact he had a ring that let him walk in the sunlight was something he took ample advantage of. "How are you, love? Nothing horrid to report, I hope."

He manages to sound more or less genuine in the inquiry, and granted he can sound bloody fascinated in absolute dull conversation when he wants to, there's a part of him that relates to the situation the girl is in. Lost souls that were neglected when they needed help always seem to do that to him, even if he pretends otherwise.

[stauncherhearted]

He looks a bit, in Nancy's opinion, like one of the Lost Boys from the film, trying to go with the time, but never giving up on their punk-rock roots. It's a look that works for him. Others tried to pull it off and, well, looked like some sort of glam-rock reject. Killian was certainly handsome enough that he could pull it off. He had, and forgive her for using the world, the right sort of swagger.

"Belize! Oh!" She was practically swooning at the very idea, her features lighting up. "I've never been- you'll have to tell me about it. What was it like? Was it beautiful?" It's moments like this when it's easy to see how young she is, how eager she is for friendship and affection. It's nice not to have to hide anything from someone like she did with... nearly everyone else she knew. Eames, sure she didn't have to hide, and not really Kenzi, either. Though with Kenzi, she tried to keep the dirty details far from her. She didn't want to cause her best friend to worry. Or do something stupid like she knew she would.

"No, nothing horrid. There's a new coven for Circle Midnight, which is going to be interesting." She was one of the founding members, though her name was out of it. As far as the coven went, it was Sigyn that had done this, not Nancy. Fake names were always a wonder.

That, and "A friend of mine's got a newborn he's taking under his wing, as well." Cooper. Poor Cooper. She'd gone and poisoned him, to save her own life. And taking care of a strung-out-on-fae-blood vampire was hard work.

Two

[knightscode]

The dim light of the nearby buildings reflects off Lancelot's jacket and gives Nancy a little warning that he's coming. His radio chitters faintly but he reaches up to turn it down, frowns a little.

"Having a good night?" he prompts her, stopping a short distance away so she doesn't feel too pressured. After all, he has no proof that's she's loitering for the reason he thinks he is. Just an overall gut feeling related to her attitude, the way she's dressed and the way she watches people passing by. His clothing clearly declares him a Police Community Support Officer, so he doesn't carry any weapons or handcuffs, just a notebook and radio (and a frown of concern for her.)

[stauncherhearted]

Oh fuck.

A cop. Not good, not good at all. But he doesn't have evidence, for all he knows, she's just a girl walking home from the pubs. Which was exactly how she was going to play it, as she waved at him.

"Hullo, officer," she can see his shirt and badge in the light of the streetlights. "It's alright, yeah." She adjusts her purse, trying to appear casual. "Yourself? Catch any bad guys?"

She isn't mocking him, more so teasing than anything.

[knightscode]

He shrugs, just casual, and offers her an easy smile.

"Thursday night, the quiet before the storm. We usually get more work at the weekend, especially in the heat. People jumping in the Thames." Lance glances sideways at it, tilts his head a little. "Which... I wouldn't advise."

It may look pretty in the dark, all the city lights reflecting off it, but Lancelot still thinks he'd rather not be in it.

[stauncherhearted]

"Makes sense," she agreed, shifting slightly in her heels. "Trust me, I've lived here my entire life, I'd rather avoid taking a swim there." Dirty, polluted, filled with sewage, likely swimming with bodies and toxic sludge. No thank you.

"Heat and the moon always tend to bring out the trouble."