stauncherhearted: (devious)
nancy. ([personal profile] stauncherhearted) wrote in [community profile] undergrounds2015-07-18 10:42 pm

I feel it in the air

[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!]

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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!
detectiveofthewest: (Heiji: haha no way)

[personal profile] detectiveofthewest 2015-07-19 04:50 am (UTC)(link)
"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.

Option Three

[personal profile] necromancynow 2015-07-19 04:54 am (UTC)(link)
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?
chronobreak: (Default)

Option one

[personal profile] chronobreak 2015-07-19 02:06 pm (UTC)(link)
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.

[personal profile] necromancynow 2015-07-19 08:04 pm (UTC)(link)
"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'?"
detectiveofthewest: (Heiji: huh?)

[personal profile] detectiveofthewest 2015-07-19 08:09 pm (UTC)(link)
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.
chronobreak: (Cocky)

[personal profile] chronobreak 2015-07-20 01:06 am (UTC)(link)
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.
Edited 2015-07-20 01:30 (UTC)
chronobreak: (Default)

[personal profile] chronobreak 2015-07-20 05:17 am (UTC)(link)
She's cute, but he knows better than to judge people on their appearances alone. At the mouth drop he nods, looks like he was right about the woman being a fellow pick-pocket. It's only slightly surprising he hasn't run into her before. London's a big place though.

"What do you want to do about it?" He's willing enough to come to an agreement if they can settle on one.
chronobreak: (Default)

[personal profile] chronobreak 2015-07-20 06:00 am (UTC)(link)
There's a whole bunch of things he could say. 'I know how to use a moment.' 'I can make every second count.' But that's hinting at more than he's really ready to reveal to a stranger.

"I've had a lot of practice."

[personal profile] necromancynow 2015-07-20 05:42 pm (UTC)(link)
"That's perfectly all right. I understand we're getting a bit rare these days." He leaned forward, lowering his voice as if to impart a secret. "School costs, you know. Terrible."

Nancy! Of course. Now he remembered. "Pardon me, but I believe I may have seen you around before. I buy a lot of supplies, you see. For my practice."

(Medical or otherwise.)
detectiveofthewest: (Heiji: ?)

[personal profile] detectiveofthewest 2015-07-20 05:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Heiji sighed with relief. "Yeah, that sounds good, these guys aren't too picky, so -- "

"I want ham!" announced Sakura loudly, startling Jason. Kiku tried to shush her for the sake of decorum, but it was really too late at this point.

"Uh. So maybe we should get at one with ham," said Heiji. Ume was getting a little red-faced at the teasing and buried her face in the book she'd brought -- which just so happened to be one of those ones about the boy wizard.

The waiter came by the table, looking like someone approaching a demilitarized zone. "R-ready to order, then?"
detectiveofthewest: (Heiji: wink)

[personal profile] detectiveofthewest 2015-07-20 10:31 pm (UTC)(link)
"Wine and pizza, huh?" said Heiji, giving Nancy a brief wink. "Classy."

He sipped gratefully at the glass once it arrived. It was pretty good, considering this was a chain restaurant. And once the kids had made their orders, they quieted down just a bit, having had an actual Adult listen to them and take down what they wanted. At least until Tsubaki started making funny faces at the boys.

"You deal with this all the time? I don't know how ya do it."

[personal profile] necromancynow 2015-07-20 10:36 pm (UTC)(link)
"Well, know is a bit strong, but yes. It's hard to get the sort of 'pharmaceuticals' I need sometimes. I had to search high and low trying to find this particular item. But then someone told me your father might be able to get some for me."

He shook his head. "The modern world has so many advances. But sadly, a lot of... manufacturers... are tightening their belts. The recession, perhaps."

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