Come together

Arienne was at the park, for the benefit, or whatever it was they were calling it. She was currently by herself, though she was hoping to catch a few different people if she could. Arden, perhaps. Gem. Nathaniel, if he happened to be around. She wasn't sure he would be, with the events going on. She could hope, however. She wasn't sure if her brother was around, but if he was, she wanted to see him as well.

Finding herself a tree to sit under, she sat down, and clasped her hands demurely in her lap, legs curled beside herself beneath her long skirts. It gave her the perfect view of where she and her mother had been standing when the rain of spikes had come down, when her mother had died. It was just a few feet away, and it made her smile to consider the memory. The blood, the terror, the screams and the crowd rushing around. Nathaniel, right there with her.

Not needing much in the way of an incentive to get out of the house, on seeing the announcement about the festivities at the park Jessie had convinced her dad that they should go. They’d met up with some other members of the clan when they arrived and the day had turned into somewhat of a James family outing. Now though, she slipped away from the rest of the family and struck out on her own deciding to see if she could find Arden or anyone else she knew.

As it was, it didn’t take long for her to spot a familiar face and she headed over. She and Arienne weren’t exactly friends but they shared a couple of classes and she obviously knew her from the student council. “Hey Arienne,” she said, offering a small wave as she approached the older girl. “How are you?”

Looking up, Ari smiled sweetly at Jessie James. "Hello, Jessie." she greeted. "Nice to see you." she said, sounding genuine. "I'm hanging in there." she answered. "I believe being here to take part in this will be helpful. How are you?" It was always good to be polite and interested in the people around her, to show them that she wanted to know about them and their lives. It was all part of her image, and she always kept up with it.

It was common knowledge that Ari’s mother had died in the attack on the park so Jessie was glad to see that she seemed to be holding up well. “I’m good thanks,” she replied, stepping closer so she too was under the branches of the tree. “Have you enjoyed the music?” she asked, indicating to the bandstand. The question felt like awkward small talk the moment it left her mouth but she wasn’t sure what to say - she had never spoken to Ari outside of school and other than giving condolences about her mother, something she could imagine the other girl must have been sick off by now, she was a little at a loss.

"It's been nice to listen to, yes." Ari said. "Actually, it's just sort of nice to not be in school, and have a nice day in general." she said, in a tone that suggested she was confiding in Jessie. "Want to join me?" she asked. "It's a nice spot, not too busy but not too far away from everything."

A little surprised by the openness of her answer and the following invitation, never the less Jessie smiled and bobbed her head in agreement. “That’d be nice,” she said warmly, going to sit beside her. Glad she had worn the pants Becky had bought for her, it was easy for her to take a seat on the ground and look out at the proceeding around them. “You picked a good spot to people watch,” she observed, charm bracelet jangling as she made herself comfortable.

"That's sort of what I wanted to do. Just...see something nice here. Especially after what happened, it's actually proving to be theraputic to see smiling faces around." Arienne told her. Hearing the jingle, she glanced at Jessie's wrist. "My, that's beautiful." she noted.

“Well that’s good,” Jessie replied, smiling. “I admit, I like to do it too, though if I’m honest it’s because I like to see what people are up to.” At the compliment, she offered her wrist so Ari could take a closer look if she wanted to. “Thanks, it was a present from my dad,” she said, her smile grew a little brighter at the mention of her father.

Smiling at that, Arienne did take a closer look at Jessie's wrist. "It's definitely lovely." she said. "And nice, a gift from your father. I don't usually get gifts like that from him. Generally it's my brother who does that sort of thing." she said, then held up her own wrist. On it was a delicate silver bracelet made up of fashioned musical notes.

Jessie shrugged a little self-consciously. “Me and my dad are closer than most,” she explained, arm dropping back to her side. “But it’s cool your brother likes to.” Seeing Ari’s bracelet, she let out a low, unladylike whistle - she didn’t know much about jewellery but even she could tell how well made it was. “Wow, that’s pretty.” She looked back up at her and smiled. “Your brother has excellent taste.”

Arienne laughed lightly, smiling genuinely. "Thank you. And yes, he's got an artistic sort of eye, as it were." And granted, that artistry lent itself to very different sorts of things, but he could also be given to beauty. "It was a random gift, just something he gave me out of the blue. I really loved it though. I suppose it could be said that we're closer than your average siblings, like you say you're closer with your father. It's nice to hear, actually. Close families are so important."

“Same as,” Jessie said with a small laugh, rattling the charms on her bracelet for emphasis. It was nice, she reflected, finding she had something in common with the older girl who she had always found a little intimidating. Not that Ari came across that way, Jessie felt a little like that around a lot of the wealthier students at school with the exception of Arden who had randomly sat down next to her at lunch one day, started talking and had just never really stopped. “You’re right about family though,” she agreed. “Sure they can be overprotective but I can’t imagine not being close to my dad or being able to talk to my aunts about stuff.” The lack of mention of her mother was probably telling but she never felt like she’d lost out by Ronnie not being around.

Leaning back comfortably against the tree, Arienne focused her attention on Jessie, smiling lightly as she listened to her. "Your family is overly protective as well?" she asked. "Mine are. Sometimes I feel like I'm not allowed anywhere that isn't previously approved. But I know they have my best interests in mind. It sounds like your entire family is close?" she asked, inviting her to continue speaking of her family.

“You could say that,” Jessie said, her easy smile taking on a wry note. “But I know it’s ‘cause they want to keep me safe so I can’t be too mad about it, even if it gets annoying sometimes.” It was one of the few things that ever caused friction between her and Jesse and while she understood his reasons why, it did little to ease her frustration, as much as she might pretend otherwise. At Arienne’s question, she found herself nodding again and her eyes flicked over to the crowd, seeing if she could spot any of her family. “Yeah, we are. Me and dad only moved out of my grandparents place this year so I was kind of raised by everyone.” Spying her grandparents, she rested an arm on her knees and pointed them out. “There they are now,” she said with a smile. “My dad’ll be around somewhere and my aunts are here too.” She turned back to her companion and tilted it. “What about you? Is it just you and your brother who are close or is the whole family like that?”

Arienne followed where Jessie pointed, and she smiled. "I don't really have family elders. They're either in Italy, or passed on." she admitted. "They look like very nice people." she said, and that was true. They had a sort of easy manner to them that she noted seemed to follow along with their granddaughter. Naturally nice people had their uses, that was for certain. "As for myself, mostly it's myself and my brother. Especially now. I've actually started staying with him instead of with my father. He...isn't taking the loss very well and his reaction to that is to be even more overly protective and has gotten a little impossible. It's hard to imagine, but he's overly protective as well as distant and oblivious, if you can picture that."

Jessie couldn’t imagine life without her grandparents any easier than she could life without Jesse and she felt a stirring of sympathy which only grew larger as Ari talked about her father. It had to be hard for her, only really having her brother there for her after loosing her mother and had she known the older girl better she might have hugged her. “I think so,” she replied, her thoughts flicking to her mother again; a woman who was never there and on the rare occasion she showed up, showered her with advice she didn’t need and warnings she’d heard a million times before - it was suffocating.

"But being with my brother at his house it's much better." Arienne was quick to reassure, giving a light half smile. "I don't really want you thinking I come from some awful home life or anything. I don't. It's just different than a lot of people's. Yours sounds like a wonderful environment to hail from and return to."

Appeased by her smile as much as her words, Jessie nodded. “I’m lucky,” she replied, smiling softly, knowing that families like hers weren’t as common as she might want them to be. “And I don’t get into too much trouble so they must be doing something right.”

"In this city that's saying quite a lot, yes." Ari agreed with a good natured little laugh. Then her image was squeaky clean as well. Student body president, no one had a bad thing to say about her. It was something she worked quite hard at maintaining. "Sometimes I feel a little bit like everyone else is bound and determined to cause trouble, and I've never really been into that sort of thing."

Jessie could hardly claim the same thing and she flushed a little. Sure she wasn’t out there causing trouble but she loved the excitement of it; of being somewhere she shouldn’t, talking to the wrong person. She might look every inch like the school girl she was but the butterfly knife tucked into the pocket of her blazer and her taste for seeking out trouble told a different story. Not that she was about to admit that to Ari, hell no-one knew about that side of her. “Nor me,” she replied, the lie coming out far more smoothly than she expected.

Arienne saw the little blush, and she smiled, a little secretively. "You get into more trouble than it appears?" she asked, thinking that could be the only real source of the blush. "I'm not as much of a goodie two shoes as everyone thinks." she said, just to give Jessie slightly more room to work with if she wanted to.

At the accusation, Jessie had been more than ready to deny anything of the sort but something about what Ari said afterwards made her pause. Glancing round to check that no members of her family had surreptitiously snuck up behind her to eavesdrop, she gave a small nod. “I mean nothing major but yeah,” she replied. “What about you?” she asked, the revelation that there might be more to the other girl than she let on a fascinating one.

Ari glanced around as well, laughing just a little. "It's possible I occasionally say I'm going to be somewhere and I go elsewhere entirely." she admitted, voice low and conspiratorial. "For instance, I'm not allowed anywhere near the boardwalk, but I couldn't resist going a while back, and am sure I will return at some point." She smiled. “So I suppose it’s not trouble per se, but my family might consider it such.”

“Oh I get that,” Jessie replied with a small chuckle. “For me it’s the Sprawl though; my dad would freak out if he knew how much time I’ve spent down there.” She grinned, enjoying the opportunity to chat about this with someone who could understand. “Why aren’t you supposed to go to the boardwalk? If you don’t mind me asking,” she queried, curiosity piqued.

"It's supposedly a 'bad element' that's there." Ari said, which wasn't the real reason. The real reason was because it was owned by the Konovich family, and they might do something like kill her on site or hold her for ransom if they knew who she was. Then again, when she'd gone, she'd met Nathaniel, and...well. That had changed her entire life. "I think they're just too uptight."

Speaking of uptight, that was when Ramona happened to catch sight of Ari and Jessie where they lingered under the tree. She’d been heading back towards the bandshell, never too far from the watchful eyes of one of the two men her father had protecting her these days, walking with a pleasant smile as she sipped her drink. But at ease or no, Ramona always looked a bit tightly wound.

Maybe it was her fashion sense, maybe the poise she’d been taught to carry herself with. Whichever it was, it didn’t deter the largely-oblivious girl as she altered her path to head their way, waving as she drew closer and stopping shy of the two of them. “Hello Arienne,” she greeted, a warm smile on her face as she nodded to both girls. “I’m glad to see you could come out. And hello, miss,” Ramona added for Jessie’s sake, silently balking at the sight of the other girl’s outfit. Pants? How... unladylike.

“Hello,” Jessie replied warmly, unperturbed by the girl’s arrival - clearly she knew Arienne and, for all that she might not look the part. she’d been taught good manners. Her conversation with Ari would just have to wait. “I saw you playing earlier, it was beautiful,” she said, figuring it was a good place to start to talking to someone she didn’t know.

"Ramona, this is Jessie. Jessie, Ramona." Arienne provided. "Join us, Ramona. It's a nice place for the moment, and we were discussing areas we aren't meant to go due to overly protective parents." she said, catching her up on things. Ramona knew all about that. In fact she could see the body guards standing in the near distance that were shadowing her.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Jessie,” Ramona was quick to offer, lighting up a bit at the invitation. She glanced back over one shoulder towards the rotunda, wondering how long she had before eventually playing another song, but if time drew close? Well, one of her guards would just have to inform her, it was expected. “Which areas of the city?? It seems as if their protectiveness is well merited these days, albeit... chafing,” she shared with a fainter smile.

“And you.” Scooting back a little to make room, Jessie hooked her arm around her legs, her eyes flicking between the two other girls and the bodyguards nearby and found herself wondering how stifling that had to be. “I’m not supposed to go anywhere near the Sprawl,” she replied, glancing back at Ari, waiting for her to continue - she was happy to let the older girl take the lead.

"And I'm not to be anywhere near the boardwalk." Arienne said, smiling. "But I've been there, and Jessie's taken some excursions to the Sprawl." she said. "Sometimes, one needs to get away." she said.

The Sprawl? That was where the poor in the city lived, Ramona knew that much, but she didn’t even get driven through it all that often. As for the boardwalk, she had no idea why her father sometimes mentioned the place while yelling at his staff, but it had been mentioned before. And both girls had gone to these places?

“I’ve yet to visit either, but I hope to some day take a walk through Chinatown. My maid shops for jewelry there, she’s shown me some lovely bits of jade. What’s the Sprawl like, if I may? It must be compelling, if you’d break the rules to go there,” she told Jessie, falling back on the more stilted presentation that had been the norm before starting public school. “And Arienne, you’ll have to tell me your secret to gaining such freedoms,” Ramona added, figuring that with Jessie’s demeanor? It was probably easier to sneak away from whatever rules she had. They probably didn’t involve bodyguards.

It was hard for Jessie to explain what it was about the Sprawl that was such a draw to her; it wasn’t one thing in particular that kept her coming back to, arguably, the worst part of the city. “There’s a lot of people there,” she explained, her eyes brightening slightly as she began to talk about it. “The buildings that aren’t already falling down look like they’re a hair’s breadth from doing so but that doesn’t stop the place from feeling so alive.” And maybe that was part of the appeal, the sheer variety of people there, all unknown to her, a wealth of mysteries.

"My method that particular night was sneaking out whilst my parents understood me to be asleep." Arienne said. She was listening to Jessie though, and what she had to say about the sprawl. "That's a lot of what the boardwalk seems like as well. So many different sorts, all mixing with one another. Though I imagine there's more individuals from uptown going through the boardwalk than the sprawl, but I'm unsure."

Settling down in the grass for the moment, Ramona set her drink aside to smooth her dress out as she listened, her smile brightening just from listening to the other girls. “It sounds... overwhelming,” she said eventually, just imagining the details lurking inside the skyline she saw so often. “The sheer variety of it would take me more visits than I can imagine with either spot, though that wouldn’t keep me from making the attempt.” No, what kept her from it was the men who watched the grounds of her father’s home. “Perhaps some day an opportunity will present itself?” It had once before with her walk with Ari, after all.

”I hope so,” Jessie said, flashing Ramona a smile - there was a curiosity in her that struck a chord with her own and she found herself wanting Ramona to get that chance. “Though they say, the best opportunities are the one’s we make for ourselves. If you wait for one, it might never happen.”

"Well said, Jessie." Arienne said, smiling fondly at the girl. "Perhaps we should all make a plan to make it happen. The boardwalk first, then maybe a night into the sprawl?" she suggested, a conspiratorial note to her voice as she leaned closer between the girls. "Could be fun, and with the three of us, it could be all the more entertaining."

A night venture? That idea immediately raised butterflies in Ramona’s stomach, but she had Jessie’s words lingering in her head. If she never tried, she’d never know. But it’d take planning, some way to get past her overseers... maybe some money, if they ran into trouble? “I... I wouldn’t decline the idea,” she agreed eventually. After all, the last time Ramona hadn’t tried to take a chance? It had literally disappeared, along with the boy she associated with it.

The prospect was more than appealing to Jessie and she already started thinking of the best way to get out of the house for the night without arousing any suspicion, Jesse had a real knack for knowing when she was lying so she’d have to be careful. “I’m totally game,” she chimed in, excitement already brewing at the prospect of hitting the Sprawl after dark.

"Well then we'll need to figure out when we're doing this. From there, I'm sure we can make the appropriate plans." Arienne said, always one for plans. And with this, she'd be able to strengthen bonds with Ramona, and Jessie might one day be useful, so she could always cultivate that friendship as well. Just because she couldn't see a use right now didn't mean she wouldn't later.

“My evenings are always free,” Ramona chimed in with a touch of nervous excitement, containing herself as she spotted one of her guards moving through a little knot of people to keep a better eye on her. “After dinner, my father pays little mind to what is going on in the house, which should work in my favor.” And her siblings paid her no mind any of the time, not to mention they weren’t the brightest lot.

“I can probably do any night as long as I know a little in advance,” Jessie mused. There was no way of knowing in advance what Jesse would be doing but even if he was home, it was a common enough occurrence for her to go out in the evening to the cinema or a friend’s house so he shouldn’t ask too many questions. “My dad trusts me to look after myself so he won’t mind if I tell him I’m going out with some friends.” Which wouldn’t even be a lie which made things that bit simpler for her.

"Well, it's the weekend. We could always do this tonight. Is that enough warning?" Arienne posed, thinking if they jumped on this while people were excited to do it, it would be more likely to happen. And with Ramona, she believed one needed to strike while the iron was hot.

And while Ari was right, it was also harder when things like this were sprung on her. Ramona didn’t usually take the unexpected well, she was too used to a controlled environment. But if the opportunity was here? She had to at least try. “I would have to find a fitting opportunity tonight, but I know my father has a... business meeting,” she answered, resisting the urge to give Ari a knowing look. “I think I could slip away.”

Jessie looked thoughtful and cast her eyes out across the crowd, looking for any members of he family. “I think I’d be able to slip away after dinner,” she said thoughtfully. “I can tell my dad I ran into some girls some school and got invited to go out with them, he’d be fine with that. He’s been telling me I should spend ore time with my friends anyway.” She looked across at Ari. “Will you be able to get out okay? I know you said you were staying with your brother at the moment.”

"I will be able to." Arienne confirmed. She smiled at the both of them. "So it's settled then. Tonight, we'll get away together. Let's shoot for eight o'clock, and go from there. We can meet at the library first. After that? ...we'll let the night decide where we're taken."

With her social nature, Arden shined in these sort of things. And she had taken to this particular event with a fervor: taking back the park, refusing to surrender to the terrorizing acts of others, it was an embodiment of every ideal that had burned within her since the massacre Sunday. Her clothing was bright, brighter than usual even, a mix of oranges and reds and yellows that probably esured the girl could be easily spotted from the Empire State Building all the way over in New York. It had actually made her aunt a bit nervous, paranoid that such a thing also painted a big bright target on her niece’s back, but it was a point Arden had refused to budge on. Such a event needed to be embraced, especially as Arden had helped her family in the planning, and the tragedies of the past week had resulted in a darker wardrobe than normal: so Arden had a lot of dreariness to compensate for.

When she spotted Ramona off the bandstand, she lit up; of a mind to brighten at seeing everyone here today even if the girl was a bit... odd. “Ramona!” she called out, breaking with the small group she had been conversing with to bound up to the girl. “I heard you play, it was excellent.” Weird little duck though the girl was, her performance had been something Arden had truly enjoyed.

It was probably a lost opportunity that Madeline hadn’t set herself up a little booth to sell some paintings that day but she wanted to enjoy the day, not sit still and hope that people bought things.She had a hard enough time bringing herself to come back to the park. She didn’t need to worry about bringing her work with her. The young woman hated to admit that she snuck glances up at the sky every so often, wondering if another barrage of death was to rain down upon them. There were so many people there. No. She was not going to think about those things. She was going to munch on her elephant ear under a tree, fingers covered with powdered sugar and resolutely tried to enjoy the day.

Jason had been accompanying Dodge around the festival as he’d wanted to put in an appearance - after all he’d been present at the attack and it never hurt to show one’s face when there were so many society types in one place. So many in fact that Jason had spent most of his time with one had firmly in the pocket oh his pants so he wasn’t tempted to pick the occasional, well loaded pocket. Dodge had headed off with Thomas now though and he’d agreed to meet them back at the apartment so he could enjoy the sights and sounds of the festivities for a little while.

He was doing just that when he spied a familiar blonde beneath one of the trees and he ambled his way over, the tiny painter had been on his mind since Dodge had mentioned her at dinner so it was a pleasant coincidence to run into her at the park. “Somethings never change do they Maddy?” he said, a smirk pulling on his lips as he saw her covered with sugar attempting to eat a pastry that looked too big for her, just like she had when they were children.

Madeline raised her eyebrows as the familiar form ambled over to her and the look turned shrewd. “That they don’t. I see you still like to show that you’re the better person. You’d never be caught covered in sugar, would you now?” The shrewdness was lightened by the playfully serious tone and she wiped her hands off on her handkerchief before getting up and offering him the plate. “Want some? How’ve you been?” She wondered if Dodge had told him about their meeting, if there was to be a scolding for bothering him. Dodge had seemed quite unsure of what to do when they parted ways the other day.

“Of course not,” he shot back, imitating her tone and expression to perfection as he approached before breaking out into a grin. With his free hand, he tugged off a piece of the pastry and popped it into his mouth, shifting his weight to his good leg as he did so. “I’m well,” he said around a mouthful of dough, not feeling a need to stand on ceremony with the person who known him since he was a little boy. “How about you?” he asked once his mouth was empty, brushing his hands together to get rid of the clinging sugar.

Madeline shrugged, waving towards her face with the bandaged hand. “Bruised up but alright. I think. My cheek has stopped hurting so I could finally cover it up.” She hadn’t liked walking around with the ugly bruise on her face and up close there was still tell-tale signs of discoloration but overall it wasn’t noticeable with passing glances. “Don’t know how long I’ll be stuck with this though,” she said about the bandage. It would scar. That much was clear. “I can paint with it and that’s all that matters. She wanted to ask him how his leg was but didn’t. He hadn’t offered anything on that front and she wasn’t going to pry. “Your friend was less than forthcoming when I asked after you. I think I frightened him.”

Jason frowned a little at her injuries but was glad to hear it hadn’t affected her ability to paint, he knew how much it meant o her, how much she depended on it for her livelihood. “Yes, Dodge said you’d crossed paths,” he commented at her mention of his friend. “You’ll have to forgive him, with everything that’s been happening recently, he’s more paranoid than usual.” Not that he felt his friend’s fear was unjustified. “Did you have to give him quite such a verbal run around?” The question was teamed with a twinkle in his eye so the admonishment was only a gentle one at best.

Madeline laughed, a light sound to keep from pulling at her sore cheek and she shrugged, munching more on the pastry. “I couldn’t resist. It was too fun. I should’ve been offended that he didn’t recognize me. He who prided himself on knowing everything.” Not that her and Dodge had interacted as youths. “Really, it was hilarious. You should’ve seen the look on his face. You would’ve loved it.”

He quirked a small smile at that; it was rare for someone to catch Dodge out and he was sorry to have missed it. Still, with recent events being what they were and the uncertainty surrounding Eric, he was feeling more protective than usual. “I’m sure I would have,” he agreed, reaching over to tear off another piece of pastry. “He’s looking far too serious these days for my liking.” Sure Dodge put out the smiles he was supposed to but Jason knew when they were real and when they were just for show, saw him behind closed doors when he let the mask drop.

She made a thoughtful sound and nodded her head over to a bench nearby. Standing for so long on his leg couldn’t be good for it and Madeline didn’t want him to be in any pain when he didn’t have to be. “If he’s been far too serious, I can only imagine how you’re doing,” she said softly. Jason was good at faking, of pretending nothing bothered him too bad but she knew that seeing his best friend was weighing heavily on him, especially given all the drama that had been going on in the city on top of it.

Happy to take up Maddy’s suggestion of a change of locale, Jason winced slightly as he moved towards the bench, a typical side effect of him standing for too long, and sat down on it with a grateful sigh. There were distinct advantages to having a friend who knew you well enough to want to make you comfortable without drawing attention to it. The flip-side to that was there really wasn’t anyway of hiding anything from those kinds of friends. “I’m worried,” he said plainly, not bothering to beat around the bush or dress up the truth with fancy words, there was no need for that with her. “About Dodge, about everything that’s been happening, about Emily...” He pinched the top of his nose and took a deep breath. So much seemed up in the air these days, so out of control, he had no idea when any of it was going to come back down and what would happen when it did.

The thing about Madeline was that she was a surprisingly easy person to talk to. This was a fact that surprised her from time to time after someone spilled to her what she assumed they hadn’t meant to divulge. That was just the kind of person Madeline was and she used it the best she could to help her friends and while she may have friends like Shoshannah, Roy, even Marian and Eily, Jason was her oldest friend, someone whom she looked up to like a brother when they were children, when hard times had befallen her. “Let’s start with Emily,” Madeline decided. That was a new name and Jason didn’t normally have girl problems that weighed on him so this must be important.

It amazed Jason that months could by without seeing his friend but when he did they could talk like no time had passed. He was all too happy to have the opportunity though because while Dodge was his best friend without question, the connection he had with Madeline went deeper than that, forged at a time when there had been precious little to cling to. “She’s having trouble with work which she’d probably be able to handle but she’s also got some guy following here around and it’s got her rattles.” He sat back on the bench and sighed again. “Dodge has put eyes on her and I’ve got a good idea of what I’m gonna do to this guy when I get hold of him but until I find out who it is, I’ve just got to wait.” And one thing Jason really hated was waiting.

Madeline frowned as he explained the situation. She knew too well what it was like to have unwanted attention, had even had her own fair share of unwanted admirers in the past and she knew how annoying and disturbing it could be. “Understandable. Is she okay? A friend of yours or...?” She wondered who this girl was. Not that Jason would let someone hang up high and dry, but she’d never heard of Emily before so she wondered if there was more to it.

“A former ‘or’,” he said, the barest hint of a smile tugging at him mouth as he knew exactly what she was getting at. “From a while back though. One of the few who I’ve actually become friends with. And she’s okay, he’s not done anything, but she’s feeling vulnerable so I’ve told her I’ll look into it.”

“Then it will get taken care of,” Madeline assured, putting a hand on his shoulder and giving him a comforting rub. “You have eyes everywhere. You’ll find out who this guy is and make sure he doesn’t bother her anymore. Remember that weird man who used to be at the park all the time when I first started painting? There’s weirdos everywhere and they get taken care of.” She smiled at him encouragingly. “Right?”

That got a real smile out of Jason and he reached up to lay his hand over hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Right,” he agreed. Really Emily and her stalker was the most manageable of all the problems swirling around but on top of everything else, it had just felt like he was trying to keep up an ever growing house of cards. “Tell me Maddy, why do you always know what to say?” he asked, reaching over to brush a stray piece of sugar from her face.

Madeline laughed at the compliment and squeezed his shoulder. “I’m just wonderful. I know everything there is to know and therefore know everything I need to say to make it all better,” she explained with a satisfied smirk. “Now there’s what’s going on in the city and Dodge. I’m going to take a wild guess and say both of those are kind of connected?” Madeline sobered up when she asked the question. It was a fucked up situation and Madeline had certainly thought about getting a train ticket and getting out of the city. She suspected there were many who did. Anything had to be better than fearing for your life. As a precaution, her eyes ticked up to the blue sky. Not a pipe in sight but she was managing well enough.

Laughing out loud, he squeezed her hand again. “But of course, how could I have forgotten?” he teased, the familiar banter a comfort. It was short lived though in the wake of her next question and he nodded. “You’d be right,” he said,smile quickly disappearing under a frown that made him look older than his twenty-six years. “Dodge loves this city and to see what’s happening to it, hell to be there when it happened, it’s got his freaking out in a way I’ve never seen.” There was also the Eric issue but he was wary to tell her that in case she ended up crossing paths with the vet. He did see her glance upwards and his frown deepened. “Shit, don’t tell me you were here that night too?”

Madeline looked back at him and held up her bandaged hand with a wry look. “I was drawing some of the people. It all looked so nice with the candles... I lost my sketchbook. Still upset about that.” Her eyes grew distant for a moment and she looked down at her skirt, plucking at the hem. “It was horrifying. By rights I shouldn’t have my hand but I do. All I could do was scream and cry.” She sounded bitter about that, that she’d been so frightened and not level headed like she felt she should’ve been. Looking back at Jason, her eyes were haunted as she remembered the night and shaking her head, she banished the memories. “It was a horrible night. It’s going to take awhile for anyone to get over it. He’ll get through it. It was only a few days ago.”

Seeing that look in Maddy’s eyes, Jason instinctively wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer into a tight hug, careful to mind her bandaged hand. “I don’t think anyone should be able to get over that quickly,” he said, frustration evident in his voice. Not that he would have been able to protect anyone from a rain of metal pipes falling from the sky if he had been there but it still ate at him, knowing the two people he cared most about had been in danger and he hadn’t been there to help. If this did all trace back to Eric, the vet was going to find out just how dangerous Jason could be.

She leaned into the hug, returning it tightly and rested her head on his shoulder. She really needed it. As much as Madeline hated to admit it, she was still nervous being out there in the open, exposed for any danger and Jason’s hug was comforting as it always was. “I’m okay,” she assured him with a squeeze. “I promise.” He seemed like he needed that assurance and for the most part she was okay. Yes, there were nightmares and bouts of fear that something would rain down from the sky again. That was natural and to be expected. It wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle.

“You’d better be Maddy Keyes,” he said, gently resting his head on top of hers and planting a kiss on top of his hair. Outside of the crew, she was closest thing he had to family and he didn’t want to lose that. “But if you need anything I want you to come and find me okay? I know we don’t see each other as much as we should these days but that doesn’t mean I won’t be there for you in a second.”

“Promise,” she swore and pulled back so she could look at him. “I know you have a lot going on, a lot on your plate but the offer goes both ways here. I shudder to think what you’d do without me,” Madeline grinned and gave him a peck on the cheek. “We should try make more of an effort, hm? Maybe we can do lunch every couple of days. Might help you out, get things off your mind?” She missed him dearly since he’d been in the hospital and her distance by no means had been intentional. Having a narcoleptic for a boss meant sometimes she had to step up and that took time.

Loosening his grip on her so she could move, Jason left one arm looped over her shoulder. “Probably get into even more trouble,” he quipped, returning the smile which grew a little at his suggestion. “I’d like that. Maybe you could come over to the apartment sometime, so long as you promise not to tease Dodge too much.” Though it would probably do them all so good, a pleasant reprieve from the everyday worries that characterised their lives now.

Madeline raised an eyebrow. “An invitation to the inner sanctum? Why Jason Finn, that’s a mighty big invitation. Is there a dress code I need to abide by? You know how those Uptown folks can be.” She couldn’t resist the tease and it was nice to know she had somewhere to go that wasn’t her tiny apartment in the sprawl. “And I promise not to bother the big boss man too much either. I’ll bring a pie.”

“Like you couldn't play the part of the society lady if you wanted to,” he said with a grin. “And besides as far as I’m concerned you can wear what you like, you always look beautiful so no-one’s going to question you coming to visit.” He paused before adding with a grin. “Especially if you bring pie.”

The eyebrow remained raised. “You better not be trying to sweet talk me,” she warned, knowing his tricks and how much of a habit it was for him. It’s not that she minded, she just liked to mess with him. “We’ve closed the gallery for the next few days. Get it all fixed up again and cleaned. Our next show is going to be my work. Under a pseudonym though. Something french to get people in. You should come. And if you’re nice to me, I’ll make a painting for your apartment. And pie.” She was undeniably excited about the art show and she wanted to share the news with him. “Dodge thinks we’re showcasing someone else, but I think he might’ve been on to me. So you’re all invited.”

Jason pretended to look offended. “Would I ever?” he said, trying to sound scandalised and failing - he knew she was baiting him and he was happy to play along. He was happy to hear about her exhibition though, even if it was under a false name and he grinned. “I’ll bring the boys along,” he said, happy to come and see her work. “I’m sure Dodge will be happy to see it regardless of he know’s it your work or not. However any painting of yours we get I want your signature on, not some made up French guy. That way when you become a rich and successful artist I’ll be able to say I have a Madeline Keyes original.”

She inclined her head closer to his, unsure if they’d be overheard or not. “It the forgeries that’ll get me the money, what with this war going on?” she murmured. “S’why I was talking to Dodge the other day, trying to get that connection in. I’ll need people to find buyers for me to fund my original work.” It’s why she had wanted Dodge to think fondly of her. Nothing happened in this town’s underworld without him knowing about it. “I heard something about the Lotus pushing forged work?” She’d really meant to have this sort of conversation over lunch or in a dark alley but the conversation had come to this direction and she was going to go with it and she’d needed to talk to Jason about it anyway.

Sucking on his teeth a little, he looked thoughtful - things were hectic at the moment for sure but that didn’t mean he couldn’t give Maddy a helping hand. “I haven’t heard anything myself but then I don’t move in art circles much,” he said quietly. “But I think we know someone over in Chinatown who might be a way in. Let me check in with Dodge first then we’ll see about maybe getting a meet set up for you.” He was reluctant about letting her get too involved with the Lotus group but he also knew Maddy wasn’t as clean-cut as she appeared and besides, if she used them to get in then they would be able to protect her.

“It doesn’t have to be right away,” Madeline assured. “I know you’ve got other things on your plate but if you need a distraction, there’s one. And I’ll...” well she couldn’t pay them so that was out of the question. “I can figure out something to do. I can decorate your apartment. I doubt it’s as nice as it could be.” Because of course she was better than any high paid decorator.

“I’ll let you be the judge of that,” Jason replied with a small chuckle. They hadn’t done anything to the apartment after moving in, most of the furniture had come with the place and the decor had had been nice enough - given the kind of building they lived in it was hardly surprising - but he didn’t doubt that Maddy could make the place look better. “But we should probably check in with the guys before I let you start flinging paint around.” As for the meet, well, he would see what he could do.

“Uppity place like where you guys live? I’m sure flinging paint around would be completely out of the question. Moving furniture and getting some new decorations though? You’d be paying of course,” she smirked at him, pleased that she’d gotten his mind off of the things that had been plaguing him.

“So let me get this straight,” he posed, a faux serious expression on his face. “To thank us for setting up a meeting, you’re getting me to pay for a load of new decorations? Hardly seems fair Maddy.” The fact that he had no problem with the idea was irrelevant, he was always happy to spread the wealth around. Having grown up with nothing, he didn’t exactly miss the money when it was gone again.

Madeline matched the expression with a serious one of her own, folding her hands in her lap and making sure she seemed as innocent as possible. “A professional never pays for her own things,” she said, reaching up to tap him on the nose. “You’re lucky I’m not charging you for my services as well.”

Catching hold of her finger with ease, Jason gave up on the serious facade and grinned at her. “Am I now?” he said, grinning. “And there was me thinking our years of friendship meant something to you. Truly you have become every inch the legitimate business person that I am.”

She grinned back at him before taking on a perfectly innocent expression. “By the book is always how I do things. To deviate from the word of the law is completely reprehensible.” Madeline took the last bite of her pastry and wiped her hands on her handkerchief. “It’ll be alright, Jason. All you need is a little time and things will be sorted.”

“Oh absolutely,” he agreed, sounding for the world like he meant every word though the wide smile he was wearing told a completely different story. It dimmed slightly as the conversation took a turn back to the serious and he let out a small sigh. “I hope you’re right Maddy,” he said. Pushing himself up from the bench he offered her his elbow. “In the meanwhile, care to offer a gentleman a turn around the park my dear?” he asked brightly, wanting to enjoy the respite of the festivities and her company a little longer before heading back to the apartment.

She wanted to ask if he was sure, if it was okay for his leg because she worried but if he wasn’t fine, then he wouldn’t have suggested it. “You can win me something,” she suggested, smiling and slipping her hand through his arm. “I saw a very nice stuffed bear near the bottle booth if I’m not mistaken.” Anything to get their minds off of the city’s nefarious events.

Mickey wouldn’t have missed the festivities in the park for the world. He’d helped the church ladies bring in a few things, setting up a table with snacks and such like he usually did for them. Once they were set up they shooed him off, intent on sending him into the crowd to entertain himself. He shook his head as they put their heads together, likely gossiping about whatever was going on and likely a few words about himself. Shaking his head he moved farther into the park, slowly, but not letting his awkward gait get in the way of his movements.

Eily was in the park feeling vaguely like it was the only place she spent significant time at lately. But oh well, it was better than staying home and wallowing there, or wondering how much money she had left and how she and Patrick were going to make rent this month. The park today at least was a cheery place, even. She was considering going up to sing, but wasn't sure about it. At the moment, she was merely sitting at the base of the statue in the middle of the park, looking around at everyone else. She spotted a familiar face, and smiled, thinking at least the swelling and bruising on her was calming down. She still had the cast on her arm, but she looked less awful. "Mickey!" she called to get his attention.

Mickey’s own cuts were healing nicely and the bruises weren’t as darkly colored a they had been before. He glanced up at the sound of his name, scanning around the area before finding the source of the voice. They’d shared a moment at the gallery, yes, but Mickey was still a little surprised to see her speaking to him. Grinning he drifted across to her, laboring up and sitting with her. “Hey there.”

"How're you?" she asked, smiling at him. "Looks to me like you're healing up just fine." she noted. Even if she'd kinda liked him a bit roughed up. The ghosts of the altercation were still a little visible, she supposed.

“Doing well enough,” Mickey said with a smile in response to hers. “And you? How’s your arm doing?” He’d put the sling on it the night she got hurt, but seeing it in a cast now had him a little concerned. At least she’d been able to get help, get it patched up, and provided she wasn’t in pain, that was as good as it would get he supposed.

Eily shrugged one shoulder, looking at it. "It's okay I guess." she said. "Not the best fashion accessory I could have or anything, but I suppose it's better than anything worse." she decided. "It's healing. Though I guess I'm not going to be able to get it taken off for a long time. Longer than I'd like."

Mickey made a face like he was inspecting her, leaning back to do so. “I dunno, I think you pull it off quite nicely,” he quipped, breaking into a smile. “If anyone gives you trouble about, send them to me, I’ll explain how it’s well earned.”

She tilted her head as he was looking at her, then she giggled when he spoke. "Thanks. Good to know I can pull off that 'been in a fight' look." she said. "And oh yeah? What would you tell them?" she asked, arching a brow at him. "Pretend I'm someone demanding to know how that Eily O'Malley girl got a cast of all things! The shame!"

She cleared her throat and changed her posture. "Young man," she said, effecting an 'old lady' regal tone. "I was directed to you for an explanation as to how that O'Malley trollop got herself broken bones! Us ladies at the bridge game on Tuesdays think it's because she's been slumming it! No good can come of an O'Malley! What's the story then?" she asked, trying to keep a straight face but not quite managing it.

Mickey put on his best face, playing the part he usually shifted into when he was dealing with the older busybodies at the church. He was good at that, changing who he was depending on who he was with and how he'd fit in best. So good that he didn't realize he was doing it, it just came naturally. "I have to tell you ma'am, I think it might be my fault. Here she was at an upstanding party and all and then trouble showed up and the girl, tough as nails as she is, had to swoop in and save my ass, pardon my French of course." His smile was boyish, perfect for charming older ladies from their cold selves.

Eily laughed. "You're supposed to say you rescued me!" she told him, punching his shoulder lightly with her off hand. "I would never live it down if it got out that I was fighting at all. I'm supposed to be some delicate, shrinking flower, after all." she said with a little eye roll. Yeah, she was occasionally not at all pleased with that lot in life, but there wasn't much she could do about it either. It was just how society worked. But she also couldn't be too mad at Mickey.

Mickey grinned and rubbed at his shoulder as if where she’d hit him had hurt. “Yeah, but if I claim I rescued you I look like I did a lousy job,” he teased. “I gotta give myself some credit too don’t I?” He knew about the rules though, or at least some of them. The perk of living where he lived meant there were quite a few women who had to throw that notion of being delicate out the window when their husbands died or the need arose to just be more than flowers. “But if you’re determined to be something you’re not, maybe I can say that some thug had you and I had to swoop in at the last minute, which is believable since most of the city knows I don’t move too fast.” Still meant he’d save the damsel in distress and even though he was healing the cut on his eye and hands still proved it.

"Perfect." Eily said. "I can go with that, and hey. Maybe you'll get yourself some nice press in the process." she told him. Which he could possibly use, she didn't know. She guessed, however, that it didn't hurt for a higher social class to have heard your name before in a good tone, even if it was in passing. "So what you up to? Just spending the day in the park?"

Mickey grinned at her. "I guess it can't hurt right?" he asked. When she asked about his day he shrugged a little. "I helped the ladies from the church set up their table, but other than that I've just been enjoying the day. It's nice to see this, people having a nice time here again." He'd been at the park that night and survived the whole thing. "What about you?"

"Kind of the same thing. Just...finding someplace to be that isn't home right now." Eily said. "And it's a nice day, I wanted to be out in it. Sometimes it feels like we don't get enough of them, like it's always raining or I don't seem to find myself a day til it's past sunset. And damnit, I am a girl who's built to be in the sunshine!" she said, laughing.

"With hair like this I'm not surprised," Mickey said with a smile reaching out to brush a a strand of her hair somewhere near her shoulder. It was such a faint touch he wasn't even sure if he touched her hair at all but the idea of the gesture was there. Frowning just a touch he met her eyes with his. "Are things okay at home?" he asked quietly, voice low and concerned. He'd heard the rumors, read the papers, even seen some of the blowback in the streets but that was what the public saw and the look on Mickey's face said he didn't give a damn about that part. He was concerned for what was going on with Eily now, in this moment.

She gave a soft smile at the touch to her hair, though it faltered when he asked the other question. Her first instinct was to lie. To tell him everything was fine, to keep up the appearances. And if he was anywhere near high society, she would have without hesitation. But he wasn't. And he'd gotten a honesty out of her before, so after a very clear hesitation, she ticked her gaze downwards. "Not really." she said, voice very quiet.

That look and that voice had Mickey worried. Enough that his touch went from playful and bordering on flirting to something stronger, reassuring fingers on her elbow. “Can I help?” he asked. He barely knew Eily, if at all, but that hadn’t stopped Mickey from trying to help before. If there was something he could do to make things better for Eily, he was going to do it for her.

"Probably not, but it's sweet of you to offer." she told him, wanting him to know that, at the very least. "Things just...I don't know. I sort of feel a little like I can't possibly pick up all the scattered pieces of my life. I keep trying, but it feels like it's all slipping through my fingers at this point. It's just me and Patrick left, and we..." She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, the admission one that was hard for her to put out there aloud. "...we don't have anything." she whispered. The last thing she wanted was to be overheard.

Mickey listened attentively, eyes on hers as his thumb stroked her elbow in a manner to prove she wasn’t alone. He knew that admission was hard, it was hard for anyone, for him when he’d made it to the garage owner who gave him the job he still had now, but for a girl who Mickey remembered as having quite a bit then it must be even harder. Where Mickey grew up, that happened. People died, women were left without husbands to do work, children without parents to care for them. It was his own story. “Maybe it’s time to let it go then,” he suggested as gently as possible. “There’s more to life. You could find something else, a place where you’re cared for.” The someone who cared for her was implied, but he wasn’t thinking of himself in that moment. He rarely thought about himself in those terms. Eily though, Eily was lovely and the kind of women any man would do right by if he had the chance to cull her attention. She could marry reasonably well and fend for herself. She’d proved it to him, she was a survivor.

"I don't know what to let go. Society, that was my life. And it got taken from me, just as surely as my family members in the ground had theirs taken. I'm a ghost, right now. And I have to look after my big brother." she said, sighing slightly. She looked at Mickey. "I don't know where I'd go where I'm cared for. I'm one of those impossible things, after all. Society never fully accepted me as one of their own, but did accept me in some measure. And if I tried to go back to the sprawl, or whatever, I'd be...it wouldn't be pretty." she said. It could get her hurt, for one. She'd be just some rich bitch who deserved whatever they decided to dish out to her. "So the long and short of it is there isn't anyone around to care, one way or another. My society friends have more or less evaporated in the wake of what happened, and my family's all gone."

As she painted the picture, Mickey could see the paradox she was in. It wouldn’t be pretty back in the Sprawl, not with the right people and her people hadn’t all done right by those still around. It made her a walking target. What he got hung up on was the desire to be in society, even if they didn’t seem to want her, but he guessed that was his own outlook that jaded his view. He’d never been wanted in society, never would be. “I care,” he heard himself saying before he even realized the words were out of his mouth.

She smiled at him for that. "Thank you." she said. "You're very sweet." she added, since he was. Probably too sweet for a city like this one. It tended to eat the big hearted softies it produced. Still, she appreciated it, and that showed in her expression, in her eyes. "But I'm not really your problem. You barely know me." she pointed out. Which wasn't to say they couldn't get to know one another, and she did like spending time with him so far. There was something about him she couldn't quite put her finger on. It was just there.

Sweet. They never meant it condescending, but Mickey seemed to hear it a lot from women. If he was smaller he guessed it would come with a pat on the head. Pulling his hand from her arm he shrugged a little. “I help people I hardly know all the time. Just last week I fixed the plumbing for a lady ‘round the corner from me. Never seen her in my life but her kitchen had two inches of water and she was trying to bail out her window. Practically poured it all over my head.” That was just him. If he could fix something, he fixed it. Sometimes it was sweet, part of it was his Catholic upbringing, but most of it was just him being good at very little outside of fixing things. “You I at least know.”

She wondered what she'd said wrong, and watched him as he pulled away. She coudln't place what it might have been, however. So she went with everything else. "I don't have a broken sink." she said. "I have a broken life. I'm pretty sure different things go into fixing one than the other. I don't even have ideas on things myself, here. You'd be signing on for one hell of a lot, and who knows what it would even entail." she said, trying to be practical.

“I think they fix about the same way. You take the time to find the source of the leak, then figure out what you need to do stop it. Sometimes you just have to tighten something down, sometimes whole pipe needs to be replaced or reworked. I’d think the general idea applies to fixing just about everything.” That was how it had worked for Mickey. “Though, since I was once in similar, but bigger, shoes to your own, I know a bit more than everyone else.” It was a hint at his past, nothing more, but it was more than he usually gave. “Though if you don’t want me around, you can say that. I’ll stop trying to sully your reputation.” The last part was a tease, a small joke poked at himself, though it was accurate. If she was determined to return to polite society, spending time with him wasn’t going to do it.

She leaned back on one hand as she studied him, thinking that there was a whole lot there that he was missing, but then he put out the part about being in a situation like hers. "What do you mean, similar shoes?" she asked. It was a detail she didn't know, and it seemed like an important one. So, she went straight for that.

He shouldn’t have said it. She’d expect honesty out of him and he wasn’t sure he was willing to give it. He had to give her something though, something to keep her from deciding he was useless, which in the moment seemed important. “Similar shoes. Wasn’t always just me, taking care of just me. I had a family once too.” His had fallen apart far more subtly than hers, but it had fallen apart nonetheless. Unconsciously his hand went to the spot on his forearm where the rose for his sister was tattooed, but his shirt sleeves covered up the mark itself. “Then it was just me. And I made do.” Barely, but he did.

She had things she could have said. One that maybe he did make due, but it still wasn't like fixing a sink. That you didn't just replace a 'pipe' and things got better. Some things got broken and there wasn't a fix whatsoever. And she wasn't sure merely 'making do' was going to be good enough for her. But she didn't say any of that. Instead, she went another route. "What would you suggest?"

The question surprised him, but he glanced at her waiting a heartbeat as if she might take the question back. When she didn’t he took a deep breath, like he was thinking. “I would focus on finding people that really care. That care no matter where you are in life and use them to build yourself up again. Not in a bad way, but lean on them when you need it.” It wasn’t exactly what he’d done, but close in a way. He’d found one or two people willing to let him charm his way into their lives and as a result he’d found his own way.

He made it sound so easy. Like people were lining up to care. Or that she would absolutely require it, and she wasn't sure that was true. But in the end, she didn't say that either. Instead, she nodded slightly, and dropped her gaze to the ground a moment as she contemplated. "My brother cares. He just also can't hold a job, and spends our money on booze. Though I think he's laid off of it for a few days now, but still. Either way, I have to take care of him, and he doesn't make it easy. And there aren't people just wandering around, waiting to care about me. I understand what you're saying. And maybe that method worked for you, but you and I are different creatures." In a whole lot of ways. He was naturally sweet for one. Likeable. And a man, which was a whole other consideration in and of itself.

What she said about her brother didn’t surprise Mickey in the slightest. The city didn’t care for Patrick for a reason, but he kept that to himself. “There wasn’t really a line waiting for me either. Not even when I offered to go overseas and get shot at,” Mickey explained, voice patient. “But I figure you got one person lining up to help. I know I’m not much to look at, but it’s not too bad as far as safety nets go.” He paused for a moment, watching her, then looking back out to the park and the crowd. “I’m not saying let me come in and fix things Eily. That’s your business. Just sayin’ if you need somethin’, there’s someone you can call on.”

Considering that, she watched him as he looked away from her. "What would you do?" she asked. "If I said I was going to let you help. What would your first course of action be?" She figured she might as well hear him out, see if he had ideas. She wasn't sure she'd go with them, but hearing them would hurt nothing, and might help her.

Mickey shrugged a little. “This. Listening. I do that a lot.” He brought his eyes back to hers, studying her for a moment. “It’d depend on what you needed. Maybe it’s helping you with your brother, just giving you somewhere to hide out, or whatever. I’d probably wait for you to call the shots on that.”

Listening. That was sweet too. Something she probably didn't require, but it was sweet. A lot of people didn't listen at all. "I don't know what I need." she said, giving a light smile. "I need...income. I need to figure out a way to get myself moving again. I need Patrick to get himself together."

“So you need a job?” Mickey asked. “That’s doable. What kind of work would you be willing to do.” As for Patrick, that was a bigger case, but Mickey had a suggestion for that as well. “Want me to talk to you brother?” As much as he somewhat dreaded it, he couldn’t not offer it.

"No. He'd just punch you. Or...er...worse." Eily said, wincing as she thought about poor Jason. He walked with a cane these days because of her brothers, and Patrick was the one who was most likely to fly off the handle when told something he didn't want to hear, after all. So...yeah. She was so very much not putting sweet Mickey up against that. Hell and no. "As for a job, I've been trying to find one. I talked to someone at the Kitten Club the other night." she admitted.

"I can handle a punch Eily," Mickey said, a little offended that she didn't think that. "Pretty sure you've seen that in person." Still, it was kind of her to try and protect him like that, keep him from danger, he just hoped it wasn't because she thought he couldn't handle it. "At the Kitten Club? What would you do there?" he asked, hoping that the answer wasn't the obvious one.

"Mickey, the last person my brothers took issue with when it had to do with me was kneecapped." she said, not wanting him to take this lightly. She wasn't trying to say he couldn't take a hit, he was right, she'd seen it. But that was the least of the possible issue. "I don't want anything happening to you and I couldn't promise nothing would." she said. "Just please take my word for it, and respect my wishes." she said. "As for the Kitten Club, hopefully I could sing." she said. "It would pay better than a lot of jobs, and no one from society would turn up in a place like that."

Mickey didn’t like hearing that. He had to wonder what the guy had done to yield that reaction, especially when she said it had to do with her, but he didn’t ask. Instead he just nodded gravely. There wasn’t any need to make walking any harder for him than it already was. “No, that they wouldn’t,” he said about society getting caught at the Kitten Club. He had another urge to tell her that she should get a job behind a desk, secretary for someone, clerk or something that wasn’t a night club, but even with what little he knew about Eily, he was able to guess that telling her that wouldn’t be taken well. “I didn’t know you could sing,” he settled on instead, trying for a more positive look at things and cursing himself for suddenly considering the club as somewhere he’d frequent to keep an eye on her.

"A lot of people don't." Eily said. "I've been doing it since I was younger, though. I've been told I'm good. I just never had to use it before." she explained. She smiled. "Would you come see me?" she asked. "If I got a job and sang. I could dedicate a song to you, anything you want." she added with a little wink.

It wasn’t much but she was smiling again, which in turn had Mickey smiling. “Of course I’d come see you sing,” he promised though in the back of his mind that idea of protecting her still rang true. “And you don’t have to do that, dedicating a song to me. I wouldn’t be able to pick anyway.” That reminded him of her telling him he was cute at the gallery and he wondered if she was still thinking it.

"Well that just takes the fun right out of it. If I can't dedicate a song to you, then what's the point?" she asked, grinning at him. "I've got no choice. I'll have to do it anyways, should I see you out there in the crowd. So be prepared." she warned playfully.

Mickey couldn’t help the shy smile, shaking his head a little. “Why would you do that? People might assume things,” he said teasing a little. He didn’t think it would matter if anyone talked, they’d get one sentence in and then realize how ridiculous the idea of the two of them together was and let it drop.

She laughed, and reached up to muss his hair. "Sure they might. Then they'd wonder what they'd need to do to get a song dedicated to them." Eily told him, winking. "And then I'd have all sorts of people just falling over themselves to bask in my presence." She shook her head, laughing again at the ridiculousness of the idea. Though...maybe not that ridiculous. She knew she had talent. Maybe it was possible for her to do something a little bigger. Maybe all she really needed was her start.

“You say it like that and sounds like I’m going to have to be beating off wannabe suitors from here on out,” Mickey said. He grinned at her a little as she mussed his hair, reaching up as if to smooth it back into place.

"Hey, if that turns out to be your lot in life, I'll just have to make lots of money, and hire you as my bodyguard, just so I don't have to deal with those crazy suitors." she told him, as if this were a totally reasonable plan. Like it could happen. But part of her was wondering seriously if she should. If she could truly just go for it, throw her all into her singing. If she did do that she might need a bodyguard.

“Well provided you pay well I could be up for the task. There are worse ways to live than spending my days protecting a lovely lady like you.” Mickey smiled at her a little, letting his hand drift back to her hair that light half touch of brushing it away again.

It was kind of nice, that little gesture he did there. She liked it. But then, she was still kind of enamored with Mickey in general, just from the shared experience they'd had at the gallery, that fight they were in together. She knew he could hold his own, and that was something her true persona not only liked, but required from a companion. She was the kind of girl who was tough as nails herself, and any man who was going to be anywhere around her had best be able to look after himself as well. He seemed to fit that bill while also having the bonus of not being a total ass while he was at it. It was kind of a rare thing. "There you go, flattering again." she said, though it was clear she didn't mind.

“Is it flattering if it’s the truth?” Mickey asked, voice turning to something a little more confident and ever so slightly teasing. He meant it though, she was pretty and he couldn’t help but bask a little in her attention. He wasn’t a ladies’ man, never really had been. He’d been good cultivating friends and plenty of people considered him their best friend, but he had very few girlfriends. His handicap made him less appealing than most he supposed.

"I think it would depend on your intention with it." Eily said thoughtfully, pretending to eye him suspiciously. "So, what's your intention, sir?" she asked, sitting up straighter. "What designs have you got in mind when you say such things to me?"

Mickey faltered there, sheepish look coming back to his features. “Can’t say I have really Eily. I’m not the type to have intentions of any sort. It means making assumptions that you’d look at me more than twice and I know better than that.”

There was a big part of Eily that knew where he got that. She was high society, and he really, really wasn't. But she wasn't always high society, and really? She was only by way of reputation at this point. She wasn't really anymore, even if she wanted to be. It was an illusion at best. One she planned on building back into a reality, but still. Then there was the other part of her that was the O'Malley at heart, and rough Irish families were not the sorts that made high society, period. In the end, she wasn't even sure what she was going to say til she was speaking. "Now what's that, counting yourself out? That's not how people get ahead in this world, you know."

“Counting myself out of what Eily?” Mickey asked with a gentle laugh. “I’m not even in the game. You know that. I wasn’t in high school, sure as hell aren’t now. I’m as ahead in life as I’m going to get.” It made him think of Shoshannah surprisingly enough, though she fell into the same category. Another beautiful woman well out of his league.

"You realize that I called you over here, yes?" Eily pointed out. "I'd say that counts as me looking twice. I could have just ignored you entirely if I was worried about how things looked, or just waved but not called you over. But I did." She didn't really know what she was suggesting here, but she was continuing with things, she supposed. Following the conversation where it went.

Mickey wasn’t sure he knew what she was suggesting either, or if he did he wasn’t sure he believed it. Maybe she just meant it was okay to be seen with him, not something else. “So why did you call me over?” he asked, tone just a touch softer than before. He was curious where her thoughts were, what had her saying the things she was saying and where the motivation came from.

"I wanted to say hello." She said. "I saw you, and we haven't seen each other since the gallery, and...I don't know. I wanted to talk to you." she told him. Which was the truth. Even if they hadn't really hung out previously, that didn't really matter to her. She had wanted to see him again after the fact, even if she'd been unsure it would happen. When the opportunity had presented itself, she'd jumped on it.

“You could have come and found me,” Mickey suggested but it was light, paired with a smile. He wasn’t accusing her of not trying to find if him if she wanted to see him. There wasn’t much of a point of Eily showing up at the garage or wandering through the Sprawl. “Maybe next time we should just make a plan, rather than waiting on chance.” It registered that he was toeing the line of asking her out but he forced the idea away. He wasn’t. It was just another chance to talk.

"Maybe we should." Eily said, thinking she could handle that idea. "What would you suggest?" she asked, since it was his idea to start with. So he'd best come up with some sort of idea for them. Plus she wanted to see what he'd say, so she could have a better guess at the tone for things.

Mickey frowned a little not sure what to suggest at all. “I have no idea. Coffee maybe? Though I don’t usually go anywhere but NightHawk’s for that, but maybe lunch or breakfast?” He wasn’t exactly sure what the acceptable choice for activities was, nor was he sure what he wanted to imply with the suggestion.

"Well, you pick one, and pick a day, and I'll turn up." Eily told him, still of the opinion that was the man's job. Women didn't go making engagements with men like that. Even if it wasn't a proper 'date' or the like, it was still the man's job. So she was going to leave it in his hands, and follow along accordingly.

Mickey made a little face, not sure how he felt about being thrust with all the responsibility for another meet up. It wasn’t that he hadn’t wanted to see her, he did, it just hadn’t been at the forefront of his mind, not with everything else that had kept him busy. “What about lunch the day after tomorrow?” he asked, making a decision now because he wasn’t sure how else to reach her otherwise. “You have a preference outside of the diner or would that work?”

"The diner's just fine." Eily told him. It was about all she could afford, anyways, so yeah. She wasn't about to be picky. "What time?" she asked. The day after tomorrow, Nighthawks, and meeting up with him. She just needed that timeframe, so she could set it in her mind and be there when she was expected.

“I’ll be at the garage, so around noon? It’s easiest to take a lunch break when everyone else is at lunch. Less people come looking for their cars,” Mickey said, smiling more now that he’d picked the right thing. It had him a little excited about it, looking forward to it, which surprised him again.

"Noon sounds great." Eily agreed. "So, I'll see you then." she confirmed for the both of them, nodding solidly. "Until then, I suppose I should get going. See if I can't find my brother." He could be around, she wasn't sure. He tended these days to sort of breeze in and out with little to say in the meantime.

“Noon it is,” Mickey said as he stood, grinning at her. He faltered a little when she mentioned Patrick, but he offered her his hand to stand anyway. “You want me to come with you. To deal with him?”

She took the offer, it being a nicely gentlemanly gesture from him. And she was a lady. Kinda. She played the part well, anyway. "No, I'm sure it'll be fine. When we're at places like this, he gets sort of sentimental." she told Mickey, since well, it was the truth. There wouldn't be any trouble or anything. He did adore her. It was just the bigger picture stuff that Patrick had problems with.

Mickey took a moment to hold on to her hand a little longer than necessary but when he did let go of her hand it was a touch awkwardly, tucking it in his pocket. “Well if you’re sure then I should let you go,” he said with a smile. “It was good seeing you Eily.”

"It was good seeing you too, Mickey." Eily said genuinely. "I'll see you soon. Take care." she said, turning to head off into the crowd. She felt a little better for having talked to him, and she was looking forward to seeing him at Nighthawks. Maybe it'd do her good to spend some time with him more regularly. She'd have to see.