Afternoon at the theater

Who: Roy and Maddy
Where: Around Town, Hill Street Theater
When: Late Morning/Afternoon

Roy was heading back towards the old bank building after having fixed up a local woman's sink. It had taken him most of the morning, and he was a little on the drenched side. Some people didn't understand how pipes worked, and thought shutting the tap off meant shutting the water off, and he'd been assured it was off yet it wasn't...it hadn't been the most pleasant experience. Eventually it had got done, and she'd even paid him what might be considered well, for the area.

That just didn't make him less wet. And he still had to walk home and it wasn't that warm out. Plus there was the wind, which wasn't so much helping dry his hair but just make it more unruly than usual, and the water had kicked up the fact that it kinda curled on it's own, and....Roy could be having a better day. End of story.

Maddy, on the other hand, was having a pretty decent day. She managed to score herself an apple from the local grocer and was balancing on one foot on top of an old fire hydrant with her sketchbook balanced on top of her head. The only movement she made was taking a bite of her apple and chewing slowly. The wind pulled strands of messy blond hair from her ponytail and she ended up chewing on a few strands that got caught in her mouth.

Her eyes followed the people who sent strange and confused looks her way and her eyes moved from the plump Scandinavian women with a bundle of french bread to a guy who was looking like a drowned rat with curling hair.

"Hello, Roy," she called imperiously, lifting the hand that wasn't holding the apple and waved to him in a regal fashion.

Roy looked up immediately at hearing his name, even if he'd been a little lost in his own thoughts, and it took him a second to come back to himself enough. Then he smiled. "Hey, Doll." he said, walking over more towards her. "How's it going?" he asked. He hadn't seen her in a while. At least a week, and this town...well. A week could be a long time. Felt like a long time, anyways. But he was glad to see her anyways. She was a dynamic personality, and sometimes it was just good to be around her. She tended to bring out a less-quiet side of himself, and it was refreshing occasionally.

Maddy inclined her head, imperious and regal still. "I'm proving to the wind that I am stronger than... it." Looking down at him still, she took in his wet clothing, the goosebumps that had sprung up across his bared skin. A sudden, strong gust of wind sent her wobbling slightly, what with her concentration on something else so she decided to jump down, sketchbook in one hand and she offered him her partially eaten apple. "Hungry?" It was all she had. She eyed his wet clothing critically, wondering if maybe she had anything in her storage closet that would fit him.

Roy automatically reached out to try and steady her, just in case she fell, which he didn't want her to do. Not that she didn't do that kind of thing a lot. It wasn't like 'cautious' could be applied to the girl. But still, he did it anyways, something in him ingrained to try to help girls avoid injury. He took the apple, and took a bite, before handing it back. "Thanks." he said. "How was the experiment to prove things?" he asked. "Did you win?"

"Of course I won!" Maddy told him fiercely. "I always win." She smiled up at him then. She hadn't seen Roy in awhile and she fought the urge to lean into him. Roy had something about him. Something that reminded her a little of Jack. That comfort that could be there if she decided that she needed to be comforted. Like that seemingly instinctive, helpful hand he gave. "And it looks like you need some warm clothes." She pulled a pair of thick, blue knit gloves from her pocket and handed them to him. "They're too big for me." She eyed him again. Yes... she at least had a good jacket that would fit him.

He chuckled a little. "Caught onto that, huh?" he asked. "I'll get some. But thanks," he said, putting the gloves on for the moment, because his hands were freezing. "What I really need is to get inside, I think." he added. Then he smirked just a tiny bit and eyed. her. "Are you sure you won, D?" he asked, as if he wasn't at all sure she was right about that. "Sure-sure? No doubts at all in your mind about it at all?"

Maddy gasped loudly, putting a hand on her chest and giving him a shocked and offended look. "Why Mistah Grady, I do declare!" she said in a very fake, very exaggerated southern accent. "Are you accusing poor ol' me of not being sure if she won something?" She scoffed and looped her arm through his and started leading him down the street to the theater. She was pushy like this and her play-acting was more pronounced than usual from spending the day yesterday with Finn.

Finn who, she was quite sure, didn't realize she was a girl but that wasn't something she decided to think about.

In an effort to shield poor Roy from as much wind as possible, Maddy decided that they'd take the back way to the theater. While it was longer, going through the alleys would shield them from much of the heavy winds.

Before they got to an alley proper, Roy laughed a little, and without warning, he grabbed her, something easy since she'd taken his arm in the first place, and he spun her around a few times, letting her feet fly out as much as he could get them to. He of course held on tight, and made sure he wasn't going to drop her or anything, but he gave her a good few spins before he finally put her back on her feet--not letting go just in case she didn't have her balance, and he grinned. "I think the wind might've won." he told her.

Maddy gave him a look. Not one of her Looks, but a look just the same. A look that said that while she was amused, she did not entirely approve of Roy's shenanigans. "Or do you think you won on the wind's behalf, hm?" She reached up and pushed the apple into his mouth, forcing him to bite down on it to keep it from falling and to keep him from answering. "C'mon you. Let's get you into something not wet before you get pneumonia." She was serious about that part. She would be very unhappy if Roy got sick and she wasn't going to let him, especially since she had clothes for him that were a lot closer than his place at the old bank. "And if we're lucky, there'll be some food still hot!"

There was dress rehearsal going on that day in preparation for opening night tomorrow night and since Maddy helped out from time to time, helping someone run lines when she was around or watching someone's kid while they rehearsed, Maddy got some perks. Namely being that after the cast had their lunch, she could take part in sampling the craft service table. And with it being winter, there was plenty of delicious, hot things to take sample of.

He bit the apple, and grabbed it with his free hand. "Maybe I'm an agent of the wind, and you just didn't know it." Roy suggested, grinning at her. Yep, there was something about her that brought out different aspects in himself. So he rolled with it. There was an element of whimsy that she kicked up that he enjoyed. "But sure, lead on, you seem to have a clear idea where you're headed." And he didn't have anything else he needed to do, at least, not yet, so he could afford to hang out with her for a bit. "Where are we going?" he asked. Not that he really cared, so much. He was cool with going wherever.

While Maddy was aware of the effect that she tended to have on men (not to say that Roy wasn't a man), she was fairly oblivious to the feelings she tended to evoke in her companions. To her, Roy was a a fairly happy person when they spent time together. She could make him laugh and sometimes, with the way he laughed, Maddy wondered if he ever got to laugh with other people.

She didn't answer his question and Roy would most likely assume that she was simply choosing not to tell him, but with her facing away from him, she simply did not hear him. Not everything, anyway. She caught 'lead on', but the whistling of the wind carried his words away from her good ear.

So Maddy said nothing as she led the way through the maze of alleys, walking confidently, well, confident for Maddy anyway. She hopped from time to time, a skip, anything to alleviate the want to climb from fire escape to fire escape, leaping like a monkey in her concrete and steel jungle.

The back of the Hill Street Theater came into view, with a couple of fancily-dressed actors smoking just outside the open door. While the regular directors of the theater let new actors know to leave her alone, Maddy still felt a little nervous around the new men. The men that watched her closely. So Maddy slowed down and wrapped her free arm around Roy's waist and tossed her hair. "C'mon darling. I want to take your clothes off." Which... she did. But then she was going to give him other clothes to replace the wet ones.

Roy smirked at her not answering, figuring she was being secrative, something that he often thought when he didn't realize she hadn't heard him. So, he let it go and just let her lead him wherever. He was glancing towards the actors, who when she spoke, looked over, and when her words sank in, he turned a dark red. While most certainly not the first time the girl had done something to embarrass him, and wouldn't be the last, it was still a little much to have a girl saying something like that out loud where just anyone could hear. Add on top of that the fact that now the actors were really looking, and some were snickering, and god. So, he might've said something, but in the end didn't, ducking his head down a little further, and he hurried her along, towards the door it had looked like they were heading towards.

Maddy pulled him inside, pulling her arm away from his waist. "Don't worry, Roy, I don't bite," she told him with a grin once they were away from the backdoor. It was much warmer inside the theater, even being backstage. "C'mon, I've got some clothes you can wear. You can cut off the frilly cuffs if you want." And so her true intentions were revealed as she beckoned him to follow her up the rickety back steps to her attic room.

Roy felt the heat on the rest of him right away and was grateful for it, though his cheeks were still merrily burning red. "I--" he started, going to address things, but then she was walking away so he followed, skipping over the multitude of issues she'd just brought up by what she'd said and what it implied and all of that. "You realize I'll just...dry off if I wait long enough, right?" he asked, looking up the steps, then starting to follow her, though it felt vaguely like someplace he shouldn't be allowed to go.

She didn't hear him -- again -- and so she smiled brightly at him when she threw open the door to her little apartment, otherwise known as the glorified attic above the lighting booth. It was organized, boxes piled up to create a bedroom by the small, grimy window. There were pictures tacked up everywhere. Some colored, many just plain black and white. They were all different. Some of the skyline from the window, some drawn during a performance. People in the park. But the predominant subject was a young man at various ages. From somewhere around the age of fifteen to what could be assumed to be around thirty.

Maddy however headed over to what seemed to be a disorganized... organized wardrobe. There was a 16th century gown next to a broken and dented suit of armor and overalls and plaid shirts were spilling out of a box on top of a battered steamer trunk.

He ducked inside and looked around, immediately getting the feel that this was her living space. It was warm up there, too, but then heat tended to go up, or something. It was why his vault in the bank building was on the highest floor. He took a few moments though, to just look around, see the drawings, take in the space in general. He noticed the one figure that seemed to pop up a lot. One that kept appearing, even if the backgrounds changed. He walked over closer towards her. "D, I'll dry, it'll be fine." he told her. "I like your drawings." he said, looking around at them again.

"Here!" Maddy appeared from the "wardrobe" with a pair of stained jeans from a play about Jesse James' murder (there were some fake blood stains on the denim), a plaid shirt with some cigarette burns on the sleeves and a jacket. The jacket was long; a dark brown, suede duster fit for a cowboy outlaw. "Dry clothes. I was going to give you the jacket from Christmas but I had to fix it." There had been a long tear across the back and she'd gotten one of the costume designers to help her fix it. She held the clothes out to him, expectant. "There's a curtain over by the heater you can change behind and we can get your clothes dry. It still seemed like she was just ignoring him, but she hadn't heard anything.

He looked over the clothes, then back to her again. Well, she seemed insistant. And she mentioned getting his clothes dry, so he was assuming it'd just be a temporary change. "Alright, D. You win." he told her, then headed back over towards where the curtain was, and he changed, making it really really quick. He dragged his fingers through his hair to calm it down, which worked for the most part. That didn't mean it wasn't still a bit of a mess of waves or anything, but it was better than it had been outside. Then he ducked back out, looking for a heater, or someplace to hang his clothes so he could dry them out. "Who's the guy?" he asked, as he found a chair to hang his clothes over.

"My brother. It's my way of remembering his face. I don't have any pictures of him." Nearly ten years and every time Maddy felt that she was forgetting his face, she'd draw him. She'd try figure out how he might look now, fully adult with no traces of baby fat in his face. That way maybe she'd recognize him on the street if she ever found him.

Roy didn't have many pictures of any of his family either, so he could sympathize. He also looked over at her, keeping his gaze there for a few long moments. "He gone?" he asked, walking over to sit near her. It was better than feeling like he needed to duck all the time to avoid the ceiling knocking him in the head.

She shrugged. "He left the orphanage when he turned 18. He couldn't stay, you know? But he got lost so... I gotta find him." Finn was the only other person that she brought up to her little home and that had been months and months ago when they watched the dress rehearsal for Carmen, so it was strange for her to speak of Jack to someone, to have that person look at all his pictures. The thought that Roy might know Robert crossed her mind and she frowned a little, wondering if he was going to ask about that. And would she answer him if he did?

"When was that?" Roy asked, tone light. A little soft. He could tell it was something that was important to her, and he could most certainly understand that. "What've you done to find the guy? What's his name?" he continued. It wasn't like he couldn't ask around. And it was different than some of his own siblings, who were kinda sorta around occasionally, even if he didn't know where they were all the time. Just the little ones, who were still in the orphanage.

She sighed quietly, scratching her head and pulling her hair out of it's ponytail so the tangled blond locks fell around her face and shoulders. "Almost ten years ago now. I left..." when he started putting his hands in my underwear "Right before I turned eleven. So just under five years. His name is Jack. Jack Keyes." She only said her last name in case Roy knew of Jack. Because she trusted Roy and his kind face and the way he spun her around or grabbed her hand to make sure she didn't lose her balance.

Jack Keyes. Roy noted the name but didn't actually recall hearing it before. "I'll ask around." he said. "I haven't heard of him or met him or anything, but I'll try looking too, kay, D?" he asked, giving her a little reassuring smile. "Sorry about it though, it sucks not knowing." He paused, then shrugged, glancing away a little before he laid his eyes back on her. "My dad went missing. Still no idea where he went, or if he's alive or what." he offered, so she'd know she wasn't alone. It wasn't something he talked much about either, if he could help it but this felt like an extenuating circumstance.

Maddy nodded, looking at him finally, and bumped her shoulder against his to show her appreciation. "You hungry? I smelled chicken soup down stairs and if you want, we could watch the play for free." Her voice was much lighter now, traces of sad memories gone. "We can even watch in one of the private boxes." The Walker box was especially extravagant with comfortable chairs and it's own personal heater.

Roy quirked a little smile. "Yeah? The Walker box, huh? Sure. And food sounds good." Hot food sounded especially good, considering. But he'd not really seen a play before so he was happy with that too. His clothes had a better shot of being dry when they were finished as well, so he was game. "Is the play good?" he asked, getting up and offering her a hand up while he was at it, another automatic sort of gesture at the moment.

Maddy looked at his offered hand for a moment before sliding her small one into it and taking his help to stand up. Awkwardly, she pulled away from him and plastered a smile on her face. "It's funny. Long lost twins and mistaken identities. Quite entertaining." She jerked her head for him to follow her. Sketchbook under her arm, she led the way down the steps backstage. The cast was on stage being given directions for their dress run, so they were alone when they reached the table full of food. There were some finger sandwiches, cookies, pies, and soup. Nice, hot soup. "Take whatcha want," she told him, popping a cookie in her mouth.

Roy went for a sandwich, and some soup, and he snuck some cookies too. So, he was hungry, and he wasn't entirely positive when the next time he was going to get so much offered at once, so...yeah he'd take it. Especially since from the look of it, it was something that was a regular deal, so she probably didn't have to try and hoard it. "So lead onto the Walker box then..." he said, still looking around the building as they went. He noticed a few things that looked like they needed some maintenance, but that was just him. He always saw things like that. Didn't make the place any less interesting a place. Maybe it added character. Like having a girl living in the attic. That would give a place character too. "So, you little miss royalty around here? he asked.

"Of course I am," Maddy said primly. She nudged aside the decorative curtain that lead to the hallway where the private boxes were. Usually she sat in the Pennington box because it was closer to the maintenance door and she could just come in from her room, but they had food so... "Don't know why the Walkers have such a good box though. They're not usuals." Maddy juggled her soup and sketchbook to open the door to the box, opening the door with a flourish. "But they have a heater and it's center stage." She threw him a grin and led the way in.

The box, like the ones around it, was glamourous. Everything seemed to be edged in gold (but was actually very carefully applied gold paint) and the carpet was dark to better hide any stains that happened. Maddy set her soup on one of the little tables between the four seats in the front of the booth and sat down, kicking her feet up on the low banister. "Have a seat, my good man," she said, this time adopting a fake, British accent, pitching her voice comically low and gesturing to the seat beside her. "Today, we watch 'Arsenic and Old Lace'. Have you ever heard of it?"

Roy smirked, and sat down, the clothes he was wearing feeling odd to him. They fit okay, but it was weird wearing any clothes with blood stains on them--even if they were fake ones. He looked a little uncomfortable, though it was just the weird setting. To say he'd never been anyplace like this before would be an understatement. So, it was odd, and part of him wondered what might happen to him if the Walkers found out he'd been in their box. He couldn't imagine they'd take it well. He did try to relax though, his companion's manner helping a bit. "Think it's safe to say I haven't heard of almost anything they've put on here." he told her. "Sorry, D. Was never a big theater man." And by that he meant 'my family couldn't anywhere near afford it'.

Maddy threw him a brilliant grin. "Well then you're in for a treat. It's about these two old ladies that like to poison lonely old men and the poor police officer that's on their case." She noted his uncomfortable state and reached over in a fond manner and gave him a gentle rub of the shoulder. "Relax, Roy. Enjoy yourself." She made a show of getting comfortable, splayed haphazardly in her seat looking for all the world like there was absolutely nothing wrong with sitting in the Walker box. And there wasn't. Not while she was around.

He quirked another half smile. "Sounds...interesting." he said. And he made an effort to relax. It was just he knew the Walkers were involved with the people he worked for, and while he'd never directly had anything to do with them? That didn't mean they couldn't decide to. And if they did that they could decide to do terrible things to him, and generally speaking, it was just nerve-wracking. But, one thing he knew for certain was that there was nothing that drew attention more than looking like you didn't belong where you were. If you looked nervous, people remembered you. If you just appeared like you were meant to be wherever you were? People didn't. He was good at not being remembered. So, he forced himself to at least appear more relaxed than he was.

The play started, the piano sending a rousing, comedic melody through the old theater while the actors onstage did their best. Maddy looked over at Roy again, who still looked a bit stiff and nervous. "Do you want to move to another box?" she asked, leaning over close to him so her voice wouldn't carry.

She was closer than he'd anticipated, since she'd leaned over. "No, I'm fine." he said, giving her a little smile, and covering the little jump he'd done since she'd been nearer than anticipated. "Don't worry." he said. And he'd just keep the horrible scenarios that ran through his mind to himself, which he was used to doing anyhow. When one had a nihilistic button in the back of one's mind, you didn't go sharing that.

Maddy looked at him seriously. "Are you sure?" She was still very close to him, looking at him very seriously.

Roy reached out and mussed her hair a little, an affectionate gesture. "I'm sure, D. Don't worry so much." he told her. She was a sweet kid. He really did have to give her that. Even if she was dynamic, and he knew she could be a bit overt and some people thought too abrasive or explosive, she was sweet, somewhere in there. It was something he could appreciate, and he hoped that the city didn't drain that out of her.

She ducked her head and moved away, brushing her hair back with her hand and threw him a mock indignant glare. "Good, because these chairs are damn comfortable and I ain't movin'." She didn't worry so much, per say. She just wanted him to be comfortable, since he was her "guest" in a way. And even though she had Finn and Dodge, she figured that she was probably closest to Roy. Roy who was only a couple years older than her versus Finn and Dodge who were either much older or acted much older. Roy who vaguely reminded her of her brother from time to time.

He chuckled a little bit. "Wouldn't dream of asking the Queen to move." he told her, looking back to the stage, though he was sort of already lost as to what was going on. He was pleasantly full though, when he was finished with his food, something that didn't happen often. In the back of his mind, he felt a tiny bit guilty, wondering how his siblings and cousins were doing, if they were fed. If Marian was. He hoped so. Today was kind of full of ups and downs apparently.

The two were quiet as the play went on, sitting in companionable silence. Roy watched, Lily half-watched, half sketched a profile picture of Roy in her sketchbook. When the designated time that intermission was planned for came, the actors left to take a break. "Your clothes are probably dry by now," Maddy told him, putting the finishing touches around Roy's tired eyes. It wasn't that she was trying to tell Roy to leave, that she no longer wanted his company. It was just that his clothes were most likely dry by now and that she wouldn't be hurt or offended (Maddy scoffed at the idea of being offended or hurt) if he chose to shake a leg and head home.

"Yeah, probably." he said, glancing over at her as she spoke. After he'd kind of gotten into watching the play, it had been interesting. Possibly not anything he would have chosen to go see if he'd had a choice, but beggars couldn't be choosers, and that was more or less what he was. He could still appreciate everything else. The fun of getting to watch a performance in general, the atmosphere, the location, the company. "How long do they usually take a break for?" he asked. Then he noticed that she was drawing something. "Got a new masterpiece?" he asked.

"Fifteen minutes," Maddy said and carefully ripped the picture out of her sketchbook and handed it to him. "The second half is another forty-five minutes or so." She enjoyed the company, she'd at least admit that to herself. Usually she watched the plays on her own. Sometimes Finn would stop in too. "If you want, I can tell you when something more exciting is going to be rehearsing." Something that was closer to his style is what she meant. To Roy, Maddy would seem mostly uninterested in what was going on, and to a certain extent she was. She lived at the theater after all. She listened to the scenes and the run-throughs constantly.

Roy took the page when she handed it over and held it up. He smiled, looking a touch surprised. "This me?" he asked, looking back her way. He didn't think anyone had ever drawn him before. And, like he'd said to her earlier, pictures weren't out there much. He didn't know if there were any of him specifically. "Can I keep this?" he asked. He had a place for it in the vault.

"Of course. Got no place for your ugly mug," she said with a smirk, feeling satisfied. She snapped her sketchbook shut and slid out of the chair. "C'mon. Let's get your clothes and send you out the front door this time." She noticed he was uncomfortable around the actors earlier and wouldn't send him out the back door.