Wings (December catch-all)

[wolfmarked]

Mama told me not to waste my life
Department store, Havering, December 5th

"I fuckin' hate winter."

Skip isn't directing the comment at anyone in particular, no, but she isn't keeping the thought to herself, either. Every so often, she pulls out a hanger, examines the piece of clothing... then puts it back. She sighs, flicking through a few more.

"Is it impossible to find something cute this season?"

At an end cap, she finds stockings. Thigh high, decently thick. And in a few different colours.

"See, this is what I'm talkin' about," she says, cheerfully.


Don't let what they say keep you up at night
Jolly Roger, all December

"C'mon, c'mon, break it up."

Her voice was easy enough as she stepped around the bar, waving off the two who were about to start going at it. There was always something, but, well, around the holidays it wasn't hard to wave off people by reminding them about their families. After all, she wanted to get through this with as little drama as possible. Everyone had a little more to deal with around this time of year, so she could try to lessen it.

And, then, she looked up when someone came in.

An easy smile, a push of her hair -- just a single strand that had come loose -- and a remark. "C'mon in. Grab a seat, an' I'll get you a drink."


Then they can walk on by
Southwark, mid December

Every day of classes before exams, Skip can be found at a coffee shop down the street from the University of Art. More than once, she has a portfolio and pictures spread out on an inside table, choosing them carefully, as well as the order to put them in.

Every afternoon after exams, Skip goes to a little diner she knows for a cup of soup. Just a little something to keep out the chill. Her book bag goes down every time with a thump, and she always sits at the counter, usually without asking if the seat is taken or not.


And I can't hear a sound
for Nancy, December 14th

Meeting with Nancy wasn't an unusual thing. After all, a regular at a bar -- both front and back room -- and a waitress who now got to moonlight as a bartender would know each other. And two girls like them? Well. Skip liked having someone to hang out with. They both got it.

Today, she smiled as she came into the restaurant. Her treat, she'd promised Nancy. It was a decent place. Nothing too upscale but somewhere nice and cozy for them to talk.

"First things first." She produces a small little box, done up in green wrapping paper with a red bow. "Happy Christmas."

But it was Skip. Just doing something nice... wasn't her style, even if she didn't mean for it to be like that.

"Now. Mind if I ask a little favour? I'm looking for a Christmas gift for someone."


Walk, walk on over there
North Pole, December 19th

She isn't going home for Christmas. Skip decided that long ago, and her father made it official this morning. It's safer for her to have her 'flat' at her aunt's place than to be in the house with her father and brothers for Christmas.

So she gets to spend Christmas basically alone. At least she has Christmas Eve plans, even if she hasn't made the person they're with aware.

But that's a week away. Which is why she's at the North Pole tonight.

She has high red stockings on with white heels. Unremarkably, her skirt is short but full, red and trimmed with white fur. Her shirt has long sleeves, but it's also red and trimmed at the cuffs and collar with white fur. It's entirely sheer, and her shirt underneath is white and a corset top, complete with red lace sleeves just off her shoulders.

When she drinks, she doesn't sit, instead just leaning against the bar. When she dances, she's always looking for a partner. Anyone who looks like they might be playing wallflower is fair game to be pulled into the fray.


Your words don't mean a thing
Birkbeck Tavern, December 26th

"Oh, God damn it! You gotta be blind! What the fuck kinda call was that?"

Boxing Day means one thing-- sports.

Specifically rugby, for Skip. She's got a Munster match on one of the pub TVs. For some reason, no one wanted to argue with her when she started demanding it, getting in her one opponent's face even though he was twice her size. Since then, she's gotten quite a few people pulled into it. Though they've got plenty of other games to be interested in.

"That's what I'm talkin' about! Oh, c'mon! Don' just let him--"

Then, on a shot of one of the players, she grins to herself and takes a drink of the pint in front of her.

"Fuck. Still way too hot."

Comments

[wolfmarked]

"I'm working on it."

She grinned a little wider and leaned forward. It was wonderful to have someone she could actually talk to. After all, it wasn't like anyone in her family wanted to hear about her sex life.

"He's pretty damn good, but, oh my God, he's so tame. Which," she smirked, "pisses him off when I say that."

[stauncherhearted]

Nancy can't help herself. She bursts out laughing, covering her mouth with her hands to try to be polite, but it's useless. "Oh- oh my god. I can-" Her eyes light up. "Tell him that in bed."

[wolfmarked]

"Oh, I have." Skip laughed, tilting her head back. Men's egos were fragile enough, but add the wolf pride to it? It made a great button to push. "He had me pinned the second after I said it."

[stauncherhearted]

Nancy beams. "Oh wow that sounds perfect! You just have to tap into that long-term, I'm sure. It's been a long time since I've done anything organically." That was to say, for Nancy, she hadn't actually had sex for fun in god-knew how long.

[wolfmarked]

"What's it like?"

Skip asks the question before she really thinks about what she's saying. Which usually isn't a problem, but, well. She likes Nancy. So, she'd prefer not to offend her. Still, she's curious.

"Getting paid for it, I mean. If that's okay to ask."

[stauncherhearted]

In Nancy's mind, curiosity is better than blind hate or disgust. She'd rather someone ask her the questions they want to ask, than to be rude and generally awful. So Skip, so long as she's polite, gets a pass to ask all the questions she wants. It's only natural to be curious.

And it's not every day someone's friends with a prostitute.

"It's alright," she says, taking a sip of her drink. Of course, Nancy's drinking. She is always drinking. "You can ask."

Setting the drink down, she racks her mind for the proper way to answer the question. "It's- it's methodical. When I'm with someone, I'm going through the motions and there's a lot of pretending going on. Sometimes when they know what they're doing, it can be really great, especially if there is a connection. But otherwise?" She shakes her head. "I'm reading them and trying to figure out what will get me the biggest tip."

[wolfmarked]

Skip nodded slightly, her hands folding together as she listens. Especially since she's been accused of basically being a whore herself. Not that she's ever asked for payment. Is it really her fault if she can usually convince men to buy her expensive presents or pay her rent or the like in exchange for sex? They knew exactly what they were getting into. So talking with someone like Nancy...

It's easy.

Because they can talk about this kind of thing, and there's no judgement between them both. Whatever they are, they are.

"I'll never get why people make such a big deal outta it, y'know? It's sex. If you can? Why not make a fuckin' profit?"

[stauncherhearted]

"Because people still have Victorian standards about sex," Nancy explained. "And the madonna/whore complex is still very much alive and well. Don't you know, us girls are supposed to be celibate until marriage. Anything else is dirty and wrong." she rolled her eyes. She hadn't been raised with any particular religion in mind, though Fagin was, oddly for a fae, Jewish.

"Really, a lot of what it is is that people think we're all forced into it." She had been. Originally. But times had changed, and so had she, and Fagin didn't keep her on the streets anymore. But it got her the best money, and allowed her to live the life she wanted.

"It's literally the same as any job. I just happen to use my body. But the stigma associated with sex-work... And blood-work, too in our particular community." She rolled her eyes. "I don't tell many people, I'm sure you'll understand." Abigail still didn't know, which seemed silly, considering Norrell knew.

[wolfmarked]

"Totally get it. Secret's safe with me."

Sex work. Blood work. Just someone getting by the best way they knew how. She's seen it before, and, well, like with Nancy, she usually gets along with them pretty well. After all, her family keeps those women under their protection. Her oldest brother sees to that. Part of the family business.

"Fuck all them, though. Whatever's gotta be done, you do, an' fuck anyone who says shit. Y'know?"

[stauncherhearted]

"Thank you." She smiles fondly at her friend. Skip was a good ally to have, knowing she could go to her with this sort of thing, that she could talk freely. She knew so many people had so many questions, but were afraid to ask. If they were polite about it, she'd happily answer questions.

"I know what you mean- but it's not what I think, more often n' not."

[wolfmarked]

"Ain' th' same at all, but I guess I jus' learned to ignore 'em. Got so sick of the fuckin' pity in their eyes. Stopped lookin' at me like that th' first time I tried t' scratch their eyes out. Or threw somethin' hard at 'em."

It's more than she usually says about herself. She likes to keep it light. Removed. Talk about herself? Really talking about herself? She doesn't tend to do it. She likes stepping around all of that.

[stauncherhearted]

"Yeah, but... it's different, I guess. Serving, bartending. Though you've got safety, with that. More witnesses. If I tried something like scratching someone's eyes out, well..." she laughs grimly, "what difference does one more dead hooker make in the world, right?"

She knew how dangerous her job could be, angry clients, just being on the streets alone at night put her at an awful risk.

Still, her curiosity is peeked about Skip.

"I never want anyone's pity, though. And I'll tell 'em to take it back."

[wolfmarked]

"Yeah, well." Skip shakes her head. "You gimme a few weeks, yeah? Maybe a couple months."

It's weird to say it. Even weirder to think about it. Seriously think about it. But it's worth considering. Maybe even doing it.

"Used t' be my older brother's job, keepin' th' girls on the street safe. Maybe I'll look into expandin' that sorta thing t' here. Y'know?"

[stauncherhearted]

She pursed her lips. "You thinking about joining me?" Better to just bloody ask then dance around it. If Skip was going to, well, good for her. She wouldn't necessarily advise it, but it'd be good to have a friend out there.

So her brother had been an ally for the girls. "Good on him. And you, too, if you do it. I can say I wouldn't tell you no. With tensions so high in London, too..." She shook her head.

[wolfmarked]

"That's the family business. Little bit of everythin', 'specially lookin' out for people who the cops don' give a shit about. It's what we do."

Well, and manage a lot of criminal activity. But that doesn't really matter. It doesn't need to be said. What matters is sticking with... well. They're friends.

"So. Maybe I oughta look into it."

[stauncherhearted]

The Hughes were people who just happened to care enough, to watch out for her likes. To take care of those down and out. It sounded too good to be true. And the only other person she knew, who did things like that... Under Fagin's watch, it had been too good to be true.

She swallows.

"That'd be... Maybe."

Skip wouldn't hurt anyone, but she wouldn't have expected that from Fagin, either, if she'd met him later in life. Not at first. And Skip, as far as she knew, wouldn't deal with fencing and picking pockets like Fagin did. She wouldn't feed off of children.

But it was still close enough to make Nancy wonder.

[wolfmarked]

Skip smiled a little. It was a weird place to be. She'd always just... ignored... her family's business. Sure, she knew it. Used it at times. Someone needed their teeth knocked out for doing something she didn't like? Her father or brothers were told. Just like she had them looking for the person supplying roofies to some guys around here.

"Like I said, I'll think 'bout it at least, y'know?"

[stauncherhearted]

"Yeah," she agreed readily, with a welcome smile and a nod. Phew, that was easier. It'd take her some time to get used to the idea, to think about it. But there was no guarantee yet, and no promise that Skip was anything even remotely like Fagin. So far, her care seemed genuine.

"If it's not you, then it's not you."

[wolfmarked]

"Least I can do is think 'bout it for you. Fuck knows someone's gotta start lookin' out for people 'round here."

She shook her head a little, leaning back.

[stauncherhearted]

She takes a drink before she can laugh. "'course. There's girls out there get caught up in it that don't deserve to be in it at all. Humans, not even our kind."

[wolfmarked]

"Yeah," she mutters. "That's who my brothers 'specially looked out for. Y'know? Witches? Wolves? Shifters? We got ways t' fight. Well, not the girls. Ones like me. But. Other than that? They..."

She shrugs.

"We take care of 'em, my family."

[stauncherhearted]

"Just human girls, then." She wasn't sure if that made her more at-ease with the subject, or more unsettled.

[wolfmarked]

"All of 'em. But human girls most. And the guys who get in it."

It's more than she likes to say, but it's something she can tell Nancy.

"We keep tabs on their bosses, too. Ones workin' for themselves? We take a small cut. Ten quid a month." Which wasn't a lot, no. More than reasonable fee for a self-employed girl. But it added up with enough girls under their protection. "Ones who work for someone else? We take it up with the boss. They don' wanna pay?"

She shrugs and shakes her head.

"We still look after the girls. Bastards don' get t' decide that. But the girls don' pay us."

They just found other ways to get paid. Not through any harm to the girls, no. God no. A lot of them ended up working either for themselves or for Percy. Which... those girls? Well taken care of. She knew a lot of them. Hung out with them when they weren't working.

"'Us.' I keep talkin' like I'm part of it. I just know 'bout it. More'n I'm supposed to. Always supposed t' be the 'good' one. Artsy, school kinda girl."

[stauncherhearted]

Hearing the business of it all has Nancy heaving a sigh of relief and nearly wiping her brow. She finishes off her glass, before pouring herself another glass of wine from the bottle on the table, and topping off Skip's. "Oh-! Good, that's good t'hear." She nearly laughs at herself.

Besides, ten was nothing.

Fagin was taking 30, in exchange for quite a lot of things, let alone all of his demands.

[wolfmarked]

Skip takes a drink herself and smiles at the sound of Nancy's voice. Sometimes, people freaked about the business. Sure, Nancy was on another side of it all, but. Never knew. So, that sound? Pretty good to hear.

"Think it's somethin' t' do with wolves, y'know? Our girls... Well. They matter. A lot. Guess my family, at least, kinda looks at all girls like that."