undergrounds | gonna drink bacardi like it's yo birthday [nancy's 20]

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gonna drink bacardi like it's yo birthday [nancy's 20]

Twenty. Gods, Nancy could hardly believe it. She didn't expect to still be here for this day, truth be told. She knew the sort of life she lived, and the sorts of people she associated with. But against all odds, here she was. Twenty-years-old by Fagin's count, and as wonderful as that was...

It was odd. She'd been a teenager for so long, and now she was officially a twenty-something. An adult, for real this time, not like when she'd turned eighteen.

It didn't exactly help that Charley Bates had decided it was a great idea to call her 'old'. She'd hit the back of his head for that, refusing to consider herself old. She was still so young, at least in comparison to those she spent most of her time around, people that were centuries older than her.

This, of course, caused her some angst. She hadn't particularly wanted to celebrate her birthday. It wasn't anything to be glad about. She was, as she realized, three years physically older than Cooper. And that just felt... weird. She knew, mentally, he was far older than she was. And as he always said she was stuck with him until she was old and grey, but...

Would he still love her, then, she wanted to know? How weird would it be, an haggard old woman next to this cute seventeen-year-old kid. A chill ran up her spine when she thought about it, comparing the wretch that Fagin was to her hypothetical-old-woman-self.

If she lived that long.

Still, people want to celebrate with her. Eames, wonderful Eames, had surprised her with tickets to go see a show on the West End, and taken her out to an amazing restaurant. She'd even brought cake over to the boys', knowing a few of them had saved up to get her something. Or, likely, stole it. But she didn't reach out, not really. If you were lucky enough to know it was her birthday, however, she'd happily entertain any and all plans. There was no need to be rude, after all.

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Nancy's 20 aww yiss.
Uhm, this is an open post. A few starters in the comments. Want something specific? Please let me know!

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Nancy shakes her head, and automatically goes to the fridge, fishing out a beer for the boy, and one for herself. It's never too early to start drinking. With a quick twist of her wrist in the air, both the bottle caps pop off, so she can hand one to him.

Now it's time to start opening her gifts. Especially while he starts talking about Cooper and Fagin. "I'm not going back to him," she promises. He'd beaten her something fierce when he'd found out Nancy had opted for Eames' protection. He'd said she'd be back, that she was always welcome, but under him was the last place she ever wanted to be again.

She knew what would happen, when she came crawling back to him.

"I was thinking maybe Christmas?" She proposes. "I want him to get to know you lot." It was important to her that her boyfriend got along well with her friends. And so far, it had been fruitless. But she could keep trying.

The wrapping paper is off her gift, and she gasps, running her hands over the fabric of the gloves and hat, before putting said hat on over her messy bun. "Oh, Dodger- you all shouldn't have. THey're lovely and-" she gasps again, as she looks at the bracelet.

"I'm getting too used to men buying me jewelry," she says with a laugh, sliding it on. "Really, this is beautiful." And it means more to her than anything anyone else had given her for her birthday, too.

There's a muttered thanks as the Dodger takes the beer, taking a drink from it straight away. There's a nod as Nancy confirms what he already knew: she wouldn't come back to Fagin. A part of him wonders if it's just a matter of time. When Sikes' gets out... Actually, he didn't like thinkin' on that much. The man had a temper at the best of times, finding out what had been going on while he was inside would make it worse.

"Don't know what the lads'll make of you bringin' someone new at Christmas, Nance," he says carefully. "It's fer family, an'... well, he ain't family." He shrugs at the end of it. The lads were kind of hard to read; they'd play nice in front of Nancy, if she did bring her new bloke round, but the minute she wasn't look, all bets were off. He does grin widely.

"Yeah, but those men ain't me an' the lads," he cheeks, sitting down and taking another drink from the beer he was given. "Sorry we don't have nicer paper."

No, When Bill got out, he'd have nothing to do with the old devil. And, therefore, so would Nancy. Because what Bill wanted, he got. especially from her.

Nancy's jaw clenches for a moment. "he's my family," she tells Dodger, hardly realizing what she means even as she says it. No one else got that title but the boys and Bill, before. "And I'll bring him if I want." She wanted her friends to like Cooper. Was that too much to ask?

"no, you ain't, thank gods for that." She takes a drink of her own beer.

At least, Nancy hoped Bill would have nothing to do with him. After all, till he got back on his feet, Fagin was a sure thing for gettin' work. For Bill, if you wanted to be technical. Though the way he left... The Dodger weren't sure if Fagin would want Sikes back, beyond the want of that temper and strength to be pointed at people what he didn't care for.

He stares. "He's yer family?" It was not what he expected to hear from her, not now at any point. Seems too soon, far too soon, for her to be declaring her new fancy man as family but there she was, bold as brass. "Long asyou give me time to get 'em warned."

An' that was a loaded statement, an' all. "Work been bad?" He knew, of course, he'd always known. It was work, an' he had no right to look down on it. No one did.

"He is." She's terribly bold about it. "He's taken good care of me the past six months. And I love him. That makes him my family. Don't mean he has to be yours, too. So you let 'em know I want my brothers to meet my boyfriend." Never mind that this would likely backfire. Especially when Fagin found out.

She rolls her eyes at the idea of work. "you know you're too young to hear about it."

The Dodger takes a drink of the beer to keep from saying anything. Six months? Still too soon. Especially since that both them know that any fancy man she has is just... temporary. He gives a nod. "Reckon I c'n get them behavin' long enough. You'd be better bringin' some gin with you, keep 'em sweet."

He rolls his eyes. "Like how I'm too young to be drinkin'?"

But she doesn't like to talk about that. Hell, Cooper doesn't even know. Caroline knows his name, and that's it. She keeps him close to her chest.

"Always do, don't I?" she winks.

Another eye roll. "that's different." at his age, she'd been working the streets for a year. but she wanted to keep him away from the bad parts of her job.

Keepin' close to her chest... Yeah, that were going to work out well for a relationship. The Dodger would laugh, if he weren't worried about how it might all explode. He'll be there, if she needs him. He always is.

"Just a friendly reminder from one what gets told there ain't never enough of the stuff," he said, holding his hands up in a gesture of mock-innocence. The gin never lasted, an' it was drunk like water. Someone would probably say somethin', if they ever came by, but no one ever did. It was how the crook had always operated, keepin' his kids fed an' drinking gin from the moment they could reach the bottle on the shelf.

"Now, that depends on who yer askin'" he said, deliberately playing up his cheek. "'Cause if you go with all that legal stuff, then I c'n have sex before I c'n drink."

"I'm not made of money, you know," she says pointedly. Business has only recently picked back up for her, but September and October were awful months for her. "But I'll do what I can."

Nancy whacks him on the side of the arm. "Still too young for either regardless. Besides. what I do ain't proper talk to be talking to anyone about." She didn't tell anyone, honestly. Eames only knew a bit, and that was about the odd night with Cesare and his friends.

"Nance, you know you just gotta bring yourself," the Dodger reminds her. Honestly, it wouldn't hurt those lads to go and see about their own gin for once, instead of waiting on someone else to bring it in. Some of them were getting too reliant for the Dodger's tastes.

"Ah, so we're pullin' politeness. Fair enough." He shrugged, expecting that to be it. She could tell him or she could leave it, he wouldn't push either way

Nancy gives him a look. "Yes, but it don't hurt to bring gin, anyway. Makes up for all the times I'm not there anymore." She missed them so much, but life had been better for her since she'd moved out of the den. "I'll bring the best I can."

Plus, she could drink it, too, and she was sure she'd need it. She and Cooper could drink an entire distillery dry, she was sure.

"I know you want to know the details, but work is work is work." And she's going to leave it at that.

"How's things with you lot?"

He nods, because he can't disagree with her logic. The lads didn't like Nancy not being around as often, they were selfish like that. That wasn't to say the Dodger didn't like that she wasn't around, but he were dealing with it. He always did.

"Eh, same as always with Fagin," the Dodger responded with an easy shrug of his shoulders. "We're either not bringin' in enough, or we're his perfect kids, couldn't ask for better."

Damn it, damn it, damn it. She presses her lips together and takes a drink of her beer.

"Yeah? Sounds like every day with him." She still saw him, still gave him a good portion of her earnings. That always got her an earful. "Can't say I miss him."

"Yeah, well, you know how he is," he said, tapping the side of the bottle. There was a frown on his face, a clear sign he was deep in thought about something that he really didn't want to bring up. He sighed, he couldn't avoid it.

"Nance, you do know it's a bad idea to bring round yer new fancy man, right?" he said. "Not just cause of what the lads might say, but ... who they'd be encouraged to say it to."

Her brow furrows, and she closes her eyes. God damn it. God fucking damn it, how could she forget. She'd been dealing with Fagin for twenty years now, of course he'd find a way to tell Bill. To ruin everything she'd been working on building for herself.

She loved Bill. Always had, always would, but he wasn't here right now.

But they all knew how it would end. And she wanted to savor this while it lasted.

"He's locked up. He can't do nothing." But he would when he got out. And with time to stew, his anger would be a hair trigger.

"He don't have to do anythin' right now," the Dodger found himself stressing the words. "But the fear of 'im... well, that's sent better people running out of town, you know that." They all knew how dangerous Sikes' temper was, and that it would be worse for being locked up all this time.

"But if I don't tell you, then Fagin'll use it. And, nah, I ain't for that."

"better people ain't me," is her response, but he's right. Fagin had always kept her on a tight leash. Blackmail and careful manipulations kept everyone at his side.

"He doesn't scare me. He never has." There were moments when she'd been terrified of him. But she'd been younger, twelve.

But the thought of his anger when she saw him again- it'd been a long time, but she knew how hard his fists could be.

"An' I ain't saying you got to get rid of the fancy man, neither," he added quickly. "He makes you happy an', well, you deserve to be happy, Nance." There's a quick flash, the sincereity of the Artful Dodger never stays around for long. It's quick, and it's gone as soon as it arrived, trying to work out what they can or can't do about this situation.

"You can't bring him 'round the den, that's signin' away any chance you've got here." He's speaking out loud as his thoughts come together. There has to be a way for Nancy to stay happy, but keep the old devil from using her happiness as a way of baiting the wolf.

She'll have to get rid of him eventually. She knew that, logically. But dealing with it, accepting it, was so much harder than she wanted to deal with right now.

"I don't have much of a chance at all, do I?" She says, and abandons the beer in favor of something stronger. She turns around, pulling out a bottle of gin from the cabinet. Bitterly, she pours it and quickly follows up with a drink. Much, much better.

"I want him to meet you all. But I can't." Another part of her life she had to hide away.

"Don't say can't." He's standing, starting to wander around the room with his hands in his pockets, looking at the stuff without seeing it as he thinks. "There's always a way to stop the ol' crooks fun, we just ain't seein' it yet."

"I'd have to ask, but you lot are always welcome here." But if they all came, Fagin would know.

"The devil's got ways of knowing everything." Secrets, in the den, were hard.

"He's got eyes an' ears all over the city, Nance," the Dodger replies evenly. "You ain't keepin' it from him, you just got to know how to use it so you got the power an' he don't."

She could have laughed.

"He'll always have the power, won't he, though?" That's how he operated. Everything was about control for the old man.

She pauses, only to glance towards the front door. "Cooper doesn't know, you know."

There was only a shrug in response to the question about Fagin. The answer was obvious, they both already knew it, but still... A shrug was the best way to respond, even if it wasn't the most accurate. And then his eyes narrowed in confusion

"...An' why ain't you told him yet?"

"It hasn't come up," Is Nancy's easy response. it hasn't. and she doesn't want to volunteer that information. Especially knowing Cooper has his own temper, and Bill is currently a chained wold.

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