Help from a Prince

who: Dodge and Laura
where: on the streets
when: late morning

Laura had spent the part of the night she actually slept in a doorway. She was stiff, cold, and hungry, but the first thing she needed was information. The paper said more O'Malleys were dying and it wasn't just the peons anymore. Her bosses could be dead, hiding, or doing the killing. She knew plenty of people to ask, but most of those who might know what she wanted to find out could be either dead or dangerous under the circumstances. There was someone, though, who Laura figured would know, or be able to find out what was going on.

She prowled the streets in her boys' clothes with her cap pulled low and her collar popped to keep out the cold and hide both her face and her tattoo. If she was lucky, she'd run into Dodge or one of his boys on a street corner somewhere.

Dodge was, as always, lording mercifully over his subjects. Typically this consisted of moving about the streets with the more elite group of his band, picking on locals here and there, lifting food from spare carts and mostly just causing trouble, and yet nothing too terrible. It was Dodge who spotted the unfamiliar street kid plodding about in front of them and with a flick of his hand his boys surrounded him, not quite to terrorize but enough to stop the kid from going too far. Nodding at him they pointed behind him, towards Dodge. "You seem lost," he told the kid, hands on his hips, fedora pulled down enough to mostly block his eyes and leaving just a sly smile visible.

The kid was already nervous. Being surrounded first made him turn as if to run, and then stop, half lifting fists before being pointed toward Dodge. Somehow, Dodge was more intimidating than expected. That was probably because the people who told Laura of him were not easy targets. She looked up at him, wiped a hand on her coat and stuck out her hand. "Culligan. That's my name. And I'm not lost. I'm looking for you." Hopefully that sounded more steady than she felt. She was usually pretty good at that kind of thing, but it had been a rough couple of days.

He watched the kid, noticing the anxiety, but not commenting on it, it wasn't really necessary. "Culligan eh?" Dodge didn't recognize the name, but that didn't mean everything. It usually just meant that the kid was new on the street. If he was looking for Dodge then that meant he wanted in the family, which was harder than most would know. "And looking for me?" Without a word he gave a nod to one of the boy's closest to their new comer and in turn the boy grabbed the visitor's hat. It bothered Dodge when he couldn't see who he was talking too, especially when they were on his turf.

Long hair spilled in waves from the hat and Culligan let out a yelp and turned to swing hard at the boy who had grabbed it. She slammed a fist into his gut and then jumped on him, swinging, kicking, and biting if she had to. Laura had been on the streets a couple of years, and for the most part taking care of herself. When facing a larger opponent, she couldn't hold back anything. Surprise was her only advantage and she couldn't let the boy recover from that, so the girl just went absolutely wild.

Dodge laughed as the other boys in the crew moved in pulling the girl off Mud, the boy she jumped. Mud was still looking a little shell shocked, but they had the girl by either arm and held her steady in front of Dodge. "So Culligan is not only a master of disguise, but she's a feisty little thing isn't she?" He leaned in a little closer, running a finger along her cheek and pushing a strand of her hair off her face. "She's pretty though." The smile he gave her was sweet and laced with a little bit extra.

Laura continued to struggle, making the boys work to hang onto her, until Dodge leaned in. She glared at him, clearly considering more violence, but then as he touched her and gave her that look, the girl took a shuddering breath and lowered her eyes. She was shaking, maybe from anger, or a reaction to the situation, or perhaps a mix of those things and something else. Things had shifted so quickly, she was having trouble sorting through it. It was starting to look like this might have been a very bad idea.

Dodge raised an eyebrow at her reaction to his touch, but again didn't bother to comment. He was rather charming after all. "Boys, let her go. I don't think she'll try and kill Mud again, right princess?" Leaning back, rolling a little on to his heels he watched her as the boys let her go begrudgingly. Mud was still holding his stomach and glaring at her, but above anyone else he would trust Dodge. "Boys, scatter." At the order, the band of urchins scattered, essentially disappearing. They were still nearby but definitely no longer in sight. "Now, you said you were looking for me. As a girl you'd know full well you can't join my family, so you must want something else." He picked up her hat, but didn't hand it to her. Instead he twirled it about on his finger, waiting for her answer.

When she was released, Laura didn't move. She didn't look up, nor did she respond to Mud's glare. Dodge had her complete attention, though she wasn't looking directly at him either. There was an odd calm to the way she spoke when she finally looked up, her gaze still not meeting his eyes. "I need help, but I can't say with what here." Not on the street. Sure, it sounded paranoid, even to her, but she had good reasons for it.

"Help? Well you've come to the right guy. Walk with me," he told her leading the way down the street. He wouldn't take her back to his place but he knew somewhere they could go and be essentially alone. "You hungry?" he asked looking down at her with a pleasant grin. Dodge pulled an apple from seemingly nowhere and handed it to her.

Laura fell in beside him without a word. There were no questions about where they were going, she simply followed, sticking close to Dodge's side. Hungry? She was starving. She accepted the apple and as they walked she quickly ate it down to not much more than a handful of seeds and a stem. Her nervousness had faded, apparently, and there was no sign of the defiance or aggression from earlier.

He watched her plow through the apple and briefly considered breaking his own rules and inviting her under his care. Dodge had helped Patrick create the band in order to help protect kids who needed it, feed kids who were hungry. That he'd also led them into danger had almost killed him. It still haunted him at night. Hell it haunted him throughout the day. They rounded another corner and he pushed open a door the an abandoned warehouse. It was a common hiding place for street kids, but they would be gone during the day. "After you my dear."

The bare remains of the apple were dropped outside as she stepped through the door, looking around to be sure they were alone. She didn't know how this worked or what she'd have to do to get the information she wanted, but there weren't a lot of options. Laura was more comfortable with him than she should be and she was well aware of that fact and the reason for it, but as long as he didn't know, it might be alright. As soon as he stopped, and it was clear they weren't going any further, she cut right to business. "I need information about some O'Malleys. I need to know if they're alive or not and where they are."

Dodge hated jumping right to business. Hell he hated business. Lazily he lounged against a column that held the building up. He wasn't too far from her, but there was still a safe bit of space between them. "Shouldn't be too hard to find out. Where they are hiding out might cost you a bit extra, but still reasonable." Eying her again, letting his gaze drift across her frame, he pushed the fedora back a bit and smooth the front of his vest and tie. "What's a pretty girl like you doing bothering with the O'Malleys?"

"I don't have a lot of choice about bothering with them. I can't go asking after them myself, though. Need to know I'm not going to get a bullet in the head if I go back to my place." Laura doubted anyone would go looking for her, personally, but if they were after Joey and his people, she would be easy enough to take out if she walked into it. She didn't mention that all she had at the moment was what she was wearing and carrying, since she couldn't risk going back to her closet. She'd figure out something, if he didn't.

"Everyone always has a choice," Dodge pointed out. "Sometimes it's not a good one, or the outcome is less appealing, but you are the master of your own destiny, beautiful." He shifted again, a graceful movement of his lithe form and crossed his arms over his chest. "Still, you sound like you need the info, considering it's life or death." That was a good sign for him. "So I figure it out for you, where do I find you?" The issue of payment wasn't in question yet. The cost of his help would depend on just how much danger he was putting himself or his boys into first.

Choice. Destiny. Laura was just staying alive, just as she always had been. The other option wasn't nearly as appealing. She hadn't thought of how she would get the information once he had it. If she knew a place where he could find her, she probably wouldn't need him. "I don't know..." There was a hesitation that showed her lack of thought on the matter. "I... maybe I could just find you?" Laura said, uncertainly. It really didn't make sense for her to be randomly checking in to see if he'd found anything, but it wasn't like she had other things to do or anyplace in particular to go.

Dodge's face showed concern at that. Street kid or not she didn't have somewhere she could be found which also worried him. Again he thought about breaking the rules, but they were pretty firm. There wasn't a place for a girl in their little boys' club. "Here's a tip on the house. There's a girl here, Gloria. She pretty much rules this warehouse or at least think she does. If you need a place to stay out of the way on a temporary basis, she's you're girl. Tell her I sent ya. If you stay here, send word back with one of my boys, she'll know how, and I'll find you here. If you go elsewhere...well, we'll still find you when we need you. My boys are good like that. Stay out of trouble hot spots and it won't cost ya extra for us to just find you."

Laura glanced briefly around the place and then back at Dodge. "I don't have anything to give her for it." She was admitting she didn't have anything to give him either, but that was, in her mind, a way of beginning to figure out what he wanted and how she was going to get it for him. If it was alright for her to go back to her place, there were some things there he might want, but she had decided to assume she wouldn't get any of that back. Going about it that way meant if things didn't go as expected, she'd be pleasantly surprised instead of disappointed. The part about staying out of trouble hot spots brought the barest hint of a smile to her face. That's what she was doing now and what she had been doing since the shit hit the fan. The last thing Laura intended to do was go looking for trouble.

"If you tell her I sent you, she'll probably want something out of me rather than out of you." Dodge cringed a little. Gloria would definitely ask for something from Dodge and hold little Culligan over his head until she got it. If only the girl could be swayed by money or food or anything else, but it seemed Gloria only wanted Dodge. Just the thought made him a little sick, but he'd found that he made more sacrifices than usual lately. A shiver danced up his spine and he looked over his shoulder, not for a person but for a ghost. "So who do you need information on?" he asked looking back at her.

His cringe brought a frown to her face. Something that cost him was probably going to cost her. And it didn't look like he was exactly thrilled about what Gloria would demand. She was digging herself in pretty good with Dodge. "Joey O'Malley and Mutt Hanlan." Bootlegging, drugs, and now and then a girl went missing around them. Laura looked away after supplying those names. "I need to know if they're alive and where they are... and if you can find out if someone is trying to get rid of them, that would be helpful." And it would probably cost extra. She thought about that cringe for a second, and made up her mind. "I'll be around. Not here... but probably not to far away." There were doorways and alleys and abandoned buildings all over the place. She could find someplace to get out of the wind and rain that wouldn't cost him anything.

Dodge kept his relief at avoiding Gloria's advances once again to himself, but let his concern for the girl drift to the surface. "I'll find out what I can. No promises that I can get all the info you want, but I'll find what's out there." Using his foot, he pushed off the column and closed the space between them. "Anything else you need," he said once he was close enough to look down on her. Instinctively his hand reached out to touch her hair. It was a light touch, just Dodge being Dodge, with no innuendo or anything behind it.

No promises. She had expected that. If they were dead, it might be that they would just be gone and no one would ever figure out what happened to them. If they were alive, it might be that they were staying that way by not letting anyone find them. It could be that she would end up with the debt, and no information. Again, Dodge moved toward her and she reacted by going still and lowering her eyes. As he touched her, she tilted her head toward his hand.

He felt that, the way she moved towards his hand and he let his hand catch her cheek. She seemed so young, so small. He tended towards older women, most of that appeal was that they were unattainable. This girl though, she was here and she was giving in to his touch like she needed it. "You're not afraid?" he asked calmly. He didn't expect her to be, because he wasn't a scary guy, but most street girls flinch at touch rather than lean into it.

Laura loved to be touched. She nuzzled his hand, eyes half closed, and answered him in a half whisper. "No." She was afraid of a lot of things lately, but not this. His calm confidence and authority, though it was only over a pack of street urchins, made it feel natural to her. He hadn't done anything but give her an apple and agree to look for information for her, but it meant there was something she didn't have to worry about because someone else was taking care of it. That was something she desperately needed.

"And what if I told you this is what I wanted for payment? Would you be afraid then?" It wasn't what he wanted. Not that she wasn't adorable and of course there were needs, but he wouldn't do that. He wouldn't take her as payment. Offering himself up was one thing, but taking advantage of someone in such a situation? That wasn't him. He was merely asking because he was curious.

"No. But I'd rather if it wasn't payment." A big part of the reason for her answer was that he would have this anyway, and it would leave her feeling that she still owed him. Laura wanted this apart from anything else. No distracting thoughts of how much was enough or negotiation, which would just make her angry.

"That makes two of us," he said softly. He hadn't given in to her nuzzling yet, but he was interested in her not being scared. Maybe she'd walked the streets before, although that usually tended to have a negative affect on girls. "But you will still owe me." Dodge didn't take his hand away. Part of him wanted to know how long she'd stay like that, happy at his touch.

As long as she had the touch, she would be happy. Laura would do nothing to break that contact. She looked up at him, and spoke barely above a whisper, "I'll owe you with or without this." As she often did, Laura wanted someone to be there, even if it was just for a little while. She'd rather owe him and have that, too, than have nothing but the debt.

What she said caught him off guard, enough to make him pull back some. "I wasn't expecting it," he told her honestly. "I just..." Well this one left him stumped. Perhaps there were too few women in the world who answered to his advances, and even less who actually advanced towards him. Sure he'd been with a fair share of street girls, but he was selective about who came into his bed. Sex complicated everything, even for the Prince of Thieves.

He pulled away and Laura's head moved forward with his hand. When he stopped with his fingertips still resting against her face, Dodge could feel the muscles of her jaw tensing and her breathing quickened slightly. Laura closed her eyes, fighting to maintain control of herself and said nothing. There was nothing to say, really. The choice was his.

She didn't seem to want him to pull away, that much was obvious. He stepped back into it, running his thumb along her cheekbone and watching her react. The entire moment was being categorized and stored for later use because one day it could be useful. "What's you're real name?" he asked, voice quiet again.

She shivered a little when he moved back. The tension in her body shifted and she pressed her cheek into his palm. Her full name was not something she often gave. Most people got one or the other and some got a regular alias or even something random that she made up on the spot. She answered Dodge, though. "Laura Culligan." Later, she'd wonder what the hell happened exactly, and how it happened so fast. She wanted someone else to be in charge, just for a while, at least. In the best of times dealing with everything every day stressed her out, and with all that was happening, she was starting to crack a little.

Dodge smiled, pleased that he got what he needed with minimal effort. "A pretty name for a pretty girl," he mused a sing-songy twinge to his voice. "So little Laura," he addressed her, tilting her chin up to meet his eyes. "I find out about your boss-men. If they are alive or dead, if it's only a matter of time before their numbers are up and where they are hiding out. I find you, and give you said information for you to do with it as you wish. Do I have that right?" It was important to be clear on the terms before either agreed to anything.

At the comment on her name and the light tone of it, she turned her head just a little to brush her lips across the meaty part of his thumb. It wasn't a kiss, exactly, just more of a nuzzle. For most of the time they had been talking, Laura had kept her eyes lowered, though she was very focused on him, however, there was no resistance to his lifting her chin and she looked him right in the eye as he stated his half of their deal. "Yes." That was exactly what she had come to him for.

Nodding he moved on. "Since I'm me," he gestured to himself laying a hand on his chest and grinning again. "I don't take from people who have less than I do; it's not right. Which means you don't have anything to give me and even if you did, you don't have anything I'll take." This was true, and not just him playing nice. He didn't believe in taking from those who had less, if he did, his band would fall apart. They stole from those who had too much and the occasional food vendor who probably wasn't going to sell the excess anyway. "So instead I'll give you my usual offer. You'll owe me, and when I need it, I'll cash it in. No questions asked on your part. Fair?"

At first, Laura thought he might be saying he wasn't going to help her because she couldn't pay him. Her brow furrowed a little as she tried to think of something to say to that, and then he offered his deal. That scared her a little. She'd much rather have some way to take care of it immediately than to have to worry about the unknown, which could come at any time. Of course, it didn't scare her as much as the possibility of being shot in the back of the head just for running into the wrong person on the street, and he was touching her, so she agreed to it. "Fair."

"It's a deal then," he told her, sincerity in his voice. Leaning back a little he offered his hand to shake, but not before spitting in his palm first. Gross yes, but it was tradition. It needed that something extra to make it official.

Gross, but not something she hadn't done plenty of times before, and certainly not the nastiest thing she'd done. Laura had been on the streets for a couple of years, and before that she'd lived with an older brother. She raised a hand, spit in it, and clasped it to his without hesitation. She would do whatever he asked, when he asked it. There was the condition that he get the information, of course, but she completely believed he would.

Grinning he gave her hand a tight squeeze. With another swift move, still with that grace, he'd left her side and her touch moving towards the door. "I'll be seeing you around then Laura Culligan" he called his back to her. Again, like the apple, he produced her hat out of seemingly thin air and tossed it over his shoulder to her. "Stay out of trouble and I'll find you."

Laura grunted when he pulled away so quickly, almost as if he'd done something to hurt her. The hat fell at her feet and she turned her back quickly and bent to pick it up. She didn't answer Dodge except to nod as she stuffed the hat on her head and she didn't turn around again, but stood waiting for him to be gone.

He didn't look back, just reached up to pull the fedora back down, and pushed the door to the warehouse open with an extended arm. He was gone before the door closed all the way behind him, disappearing as quickly as his boys had earlier, seeming to almost vanish in thin air.

She didn't move at all for a minute or two after the door was closed, and then she quickly swiped at her eyes with both hands. Laura took at deep shuddering breath, not having realized before then that she'd been holding it and wrapped her arms around herself trying to still shivers that had nothing to do with cold. It took long minutes to swallow up the need and twist it into something else. Culligan left the warehouse, with the cap pulled low and went in search of an easy meal and maybe someplace to get warm. She was on her own. Tough shit. At least she was alive for now.