What would you rather watch? Midget Porn or Strip Teasing

Who: Lily and Laura
When: Afternoon (After Ian and Laura are done)
Where: The Alexandrian Library

There was nothing like reading a good book when you're supposed to be working and working is what she was supposed to be doing. Books needed to be shelved upstairs in the reference section (the seniors everywhere apparently had term papers that they wanted her to research for them). But here she was in her favorite corner in the Adult Fiction section, heels kicked off and legs kicked up over the arm of the chair, thoroughly unladylike and not giving a damn because Paris and Helen were finally together, damn Troy and Greece and the rest of the gods.

Laura should have been long gone. She almost hadn't come at all, really. For some reason, it was always like this. Always a mad scramble to cover her ass. It never occurred to her that she brought a lot of it on herself or that some of it was just her own paranoia.

When she'd come in, that was easy enough. The note was addressed to Laura, not to Culligan. Whoever it was expected a girl, so she'd shown up in a dress, which was a cheap knockoff of the latest style, and a pair of red heels. Not exactly standard for an afternoon at the library, but Laura couldn't remember the last time she'd been in one.

Now she needed to get out and not be followed, so it was time to retrieve her ratty boy clothes from the men's room. Except there was someone in there. And someone else coming toward the quiet little corner of the building. Instead of standing around outside the door, she walked past it, moving toward a random bookshelf. All of the books seemed to be about war or romance. She was just barely registering titles as she ran a finger along the spines. Bump bump bump bump. That helped her focus a little better. She was listening for footsteps or little rustles and shuffles that would mean someone was coming, or maybe just hanging around. There was a muffled flush and not long after, footsteps away from the door. Then again... footsteps away. She started back toward the bathroom, and made a slight detour when another man walked by, but he had his nose in a book and was headed for a table. The coast was clear and Laura darted through the bathroom door so she could grab her bag from the cabinet where the janitor kept extra toilet paper and cleaning supplies and get into a stall before anyone else showed up.

What Laura didn't realize what that she was being watched. Almost fifteen years working in the library, breaking up kissing couples that thought closets and corners were perfect hide-aways had ingrained the habit of constantly listening in Lily's head. So she was watching as this girl, terribly overdressed for a jaunt in the library duck into the men's room. Lily couldn't be positive, but she had a hunch that there was a beau hiding in there. She sighed, slipping her sensible pumps on and set the book on the cart before heading towards the bathroom door, smoothing any wrinkles in her black skirt, adjusting her red silk blouse. She made sure to be as quiet as possible entering the bathroom, not wanting to give her current position away.

Lily could see the bright red heels, a vibrant splash of color against the plain, black and white checkered tile.

Next to those bright red shoes, a rather small pair of work boots shuffled as Laura buttoned her pants and dug in the bag for her shirt. She thought she heard the door open, but there were no heavy footsteps, or any other noise she might hear over her own movements, so she simply assumed it was her nerves making her hear things. A couple of hairpins hit the floor, followed by the dress, which was quickly scooped up again.

Lily slowly walked closer to the single, occupied cubicle and leaned a hip against the cracked and chipped sink. She straightened her shoulder and cleared her throat, bringing on the role of The Librarian. "Either you're getting ready to have sex with a midget or you feel it necessary to change clothes in the men's bathroom. Which is it?"

Laura jumped, dropping, and then picking up the shirt, which she'd been holding in her teeth while she folded the dress. "Which are you most likely to stay and watch?... cause I'm doing the other one." She waited, hoping the nosy bitch would get offended, or just nervous about hanging out in the wrong bathroom, or that she'd figure out it was none of her damn business what midgets do in the mens room. Unless she'd been followed... Laura went still, waiting for the reply, and considering her options. Her best bet was if some guy walked in to take a piss. If she thought God was listening, she'd have prayed for that.

Lily couldn't help but laugh, shoulders shaking with breathless giggles. She tried to catch her breath, taking in gulps of air, her face flushing from laughing. "Not sure," she breathed. "Although the latter could be constituted as incredibly creepy and I steadfastly try not to be that." She managed to regain control of herself now. The girl sounded young, and from glimpsing her, probably barely over fifteen, if being around high school students helped any. "You're lucky we're slow right now. This would be a bit awkward if there were more people in here."

The latter. Her brother used to say that all the time because he thought it made him sound smart. Okay... so it did. It didn't mean he really was smart. Whoa.. wait... "So if I can tell you where you can do something not creepy, like watch live midget sex, you'll go away?" Laura grinned a little, in spite of the situation at the idea of more people showing up. She was in a stall and wearing pants. It wouldn't be nearly as awkward for her as for the woman questioning her if there were more people around.

"Weeeellllll..." Lily drew out the word, shrugging her shoulders before realizing that the girl wouldn't be able to see her. "You see, you're not supposed to be in here -- which you clearly are aware of, since you were biding your time to come in here -- and it's my job to escort you out. Really, I could you ban you from the library, but I don't think you're the kind of girl who comes here often. So the only other thing I can really conclude is that you were meeting with the man I saw you with earlier and now you're dressing up as Oliver Twist early for Halloween."

"Well... now we have it all sorted out. I'm a mouth breathing illiterate cross dresser, and you're a nosy pervert... how about if you wait outside, before some poor guy comes in here to take a whizz and thinks he walked in the wrong door." Laura hastily pulled the shirt over her head, tucked it into the baggy pants, and began pulling up her suspenders. If she could get the woman to wait outside, she could be out the window and down the street before it occurred to her to check up. If she could do that, it didn't matter if she was followed, or if this was just some random good citizen keeping the local library a wholesome place.

Shaking her head, Lily strode to the cubicle door. Unless the door was falling off its hinges, nothing was ever replaced in the bathroom (something that someday she wanted to amend). She grasped the handle, lifting the door slightly on its loosened hinges, undoing the sad excuse for a lock and swung it open (backward doors were another common place). She looked down at the girl, eyebrow raised, one hand on the door, the other on her hip. She looked rather comical, half dressed, hair a bit messy from putting her shirt on. This was the most excitement Lily had in awhile, and even if this girl was mouthy, it was better than eternal silence. "Well, I could teach you how to read if you'd like," Lily said amiably. "Or you could come with me and have a cup of hot chocolate. There might even be cookies." Lily did not usually do this, but she wasn't exactly sure how else to get this girl out of the bathroom without, most likely, getting belted across the face.

When the door started to rattle, Laura threw the strap of the bag over her head and across her chest, which pressed the baggy shirt down showing that she was, indeed, a girl, crammed her cap on her head, leaving curls dangling here and there, and jumped up on the toilet. When the door opened, she was braced against the stall's walls, wild eyed and thinking more of stabbing than hitting. But her knife was in the pocket of the coat, that she was currently half sitting on, as it lay over the tank of the toilet. Options... options... over the wall, under the wall, straight through the bitch...

Lily smiled up at her, hiding her nervousness. This girl was like a cat, ready to move at the slightest noise and Lily really wasn't exactly dressed to go into battle. "You know, if you're trying to dress as a boy, you'd probably want to bind yourself next time," she suggested lightly, trying to sound calm and casual but the girl, clearly street smart, would probably be able to sense the subtle quaver of nervousness. Lily did not look aggressive or threatening, at ease and welcoming. "But I'm quite serious. Jessica makes the most delicious chocolate chip cookies."

The woman wasn't coming in after her. She was still blocking the door, but she acted like she thought cookies were supposed to make Laura forget everything else and come running. Okay... maybe she could use that. She crawled off the toilet, stepping down into the narrow space at the side, rather than out front where the woman could reach her, grabbing her coat by the collar. She was still breathing a little fast, but her eyes weren't as wild. The girl waited there to see what Lily would do next. If she came in, a heavy boot heel to the instep should distract her long enough for a getaway.

The tension that had started to gather in her shoulders lessened some as the girl seemed to calm somewhat. Still wary, but that was understandable. Lily removed her hand from the door, plucking ineffectually at the silver bracelet on her left wrist. "I'm sorry for freaking you out. I'd be freaked out too if someone barged in like that... so... sorry." Lily actually looked a little ashamed at this. "But you can't be in here, sweetie..." Lily kept plucking at her bracelet, eyes darting over to the door but no one had come in yet. "Are you okay?"

Sweetie? Seriously? Laura couldn't remember being called sweetie by someone who wasn't up to something in all her life. What the hell? Cookies, sweetie, and are you okay? She stared at the woman for a moment like she'd just grown an extra head or something. "I'll be okay if I can get out of here. Who the hell are you, anyway? One of Santa's elves?" As long as Lily stayed near the door to the stall, Laura stayed crammed next to the toilet. She was not going to get within arm's reach.

Lily pressed her lips together in a thin line and took two deliberate steps back, clearing the doorway for the girl to get through. Well, what was she supposed to expect with a kid like this? "I just figured you might like something hot to drink, since it's raining a bit outside again. And my name's Lily. Or... Miss Mayfair." She rolled her eyes. "I really don't care."

"Ah shit. Rain?" Laura's shoulders slumped a little. By the time she got back to where she belonged she'd be soaked and freezing. She seemed to be getting more comfortable with the woman since she was keeping her distance. Lily? Figures. Lily White. Peace Lily. At least on the surface. "What I really need is a smoke." Laura cautiously left the stall, eying Lily as she took the bag off and pulled her coat on. She continued to watch in the mirror as she properly tucked her hair up under her cap. Then she turned around, leaned on the sink and took a pack of camels and a zippo out of her coat pocket, pausing only to ask, "You want one?"

Lily crinkled her nose a little bit and shook her head. She was able to relax now that the girl had seemed to ease up and she wasn't so scared of her now. "I really shouldn't," she declined, thinking of the cigars her grandmother liked. "But as long as you're in here and not in the stacks, I don't mind." It suddenly seemed natural, the two of them in the men's room; one dressed as a pageboy, the other in expensive, muted colors. "I've told you my name, so what's yours?" she asked amiably, still keeping her voice casual.

Laura shook the pack, clamping her lips over the cigarette that poked up and flicking the lighter across her thigh to open it, and back across to light it. She eyed Lily again as she tilted her head to light up, then as she flicked the zippo closed, "You can call me Frankie." That was a good name that worked for a boy or a girl. She was starting to wonder what the lady wanted. And if she was going to call the cops or something. It might end up taking some fast talking. "I wasn't meeting that guy. He's... old..." Not that age ever bothered her if the guy wasn't old enough to call grandpa. "He thought he knew me from someplace. We talked about it.. and figured out he was wrong. Must have just reminded him of somebody else."

She grinned crookedly, eyes crinkling only just. "Yeah, he works at the Drake. I don't even remember his name. Seems to keep a low profile." Lily blew at the smoke wafting towards her, eyes still on... Frankie. "Still, are you in some kind of trouble? You know with the whole..." She indicated the outfit that Frankie was wearing.

Laura slowly exhaled. She shrugged at the mention of where Ian worked, feigning disinterest. "There's always trouble. Mostly there's some guy killing girls. It's safer to be a boy right now... You're not going to tell anyone about this, are you?" She straightened a little, giving the woman a worried look. It was only halfway acting. She felt better having changed her clothes, but she didn't know who sent that note or where that person was. She needed to make sure Lily White would keep quiet.

Lily shook her head. "Your secret is safe with me. Promise." The girl looked so young then, frightened and nervous and Lily bit her lip, still not sure what to do. "You're careful, right?" she asked, referring to the killer still at large. She needed to know that Frankie was safe. She hated these encounters, young children working on the streets and the idea of the girl being a prostitute flitted through her mind and her heart ached. This city was absolute hell.

"Yeah. I'm careful. Part of it is more time dressed like a boy. I got a few friends who look out for me..." That part was mostly a lie, but she might have trouble leaving if she told this woman she lived in a broom closet by herself. "Makes my work easier, too. Some guys in my neighborhood figure if you're not selling it, it's free.... well... it is free, but for the asking, not the taking... you know..." Laura was still nervous, but trying to put Lily at ease enough to just let her walk out. Or maybe even walk a little way with her. If someone was out there, they'd be looking for a girl by herself. Not a woman and a boy. That would be perfect.

"Well... if you ever need anything, I'm always here," Lily said with a shrug. She didn't mention the fact that she was at one of the schools twice a week because the likelihood of the girl coming to look for her there -- if she ever did to being with -- was slim. She probably hadn't been in school for a long time. "Some days it's really just me working here. If you ever need a place to lay low or something, I could always use some help." She'd even pay her for it. And there'd be food, but Lily wasn't sure if that would offend her like it did Ki the other day.

Laura took a last long drag, stepped back into the stall to flush the butt, still always paying attention to where Lily was, and then grabbed up her bag. "Yeah... maybe if I'm passing by some time..." That probably wouldn't be often, but if she was out this way, she might want to come in out of the weather or something.

Lily nodded with a small, awkward smile and opened the door, holding it open. "I think this might be a better way out than trying to squeeze for the window." It was not a suggestion, even if was said with that little smile. It was a little victory for the day.

There was no hint of hesitation as Laura walked out the door past Lily. She pulled her hat down low, and walked with a surprisingly masculine swagger. Feet wide apart and slightly stompy. She looked back with a smart ass smirk, sparing the woman a parting shot that she would have considered hilarious, but might have burned a bridge had it been overheard. "See you around."

The smirk faded as she walked out the front door, still clinging to some of the earlier paranoia and thinking now about where she was headed. There wouldn't be hot chocolate and cookies, that's for damn sure. She had hoped when she went into the library that whoever she was meeting there would do something or offer something so she didn't have to go back. Maybe that's why she stayed so long. Laura popped her collar up against the wind and drizzle, put her head down, and started walking.