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?"

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.)