(no subject)

[runningred]

There's a scruffy little street kid of ten or eleven loitering around bar. He's skinny and dirty but has the air of someone who can look after himself in a fight. In fact he looks like he's been in a few.

He's keeping very much to the edge of the bar, watching people come and go without bringing attention to himself. And if someone happens to leave food on a plate when they leave, he'll venture out to clean it up for them. And help himself to whatever's left. Food's food.


{ooc: Jay ate some Junior Mints at the beach party and got deaged. He's been aging up in jumps ever since. Open all weekend.}}

Comments

[street_sparrow]

Gavroche glances at him unobtrusively - and even if he doesn't know it's Jay, he knows this boy.

At some point, Gavroche speaks to a rat, and a little while later, it comes to Jay with a plate of fresh and untouched food all for him.

[runningred]

Jay stares at the rat for a long moment. He gets that they work here. He worked that out pretty quick but he doesn't know what to do now one is trying to present him with food. He shakes his head at it. "Can't pay. Got no money."

[street_sparrow]

The rat shakes its head, and attempts to convey in sign language that it's already paid for. One of the gestures is half in Gavroche's direction, before it remembers it was meant to be anonymous.

[runningred]

Jay looks over at Gavroche, unsure what to make of this. In the end, he takes the plate and eats, sitting where he can bolt for the door if he has to. But he keeps an eye on the man the rat might have been pointing to.

[street_sparrow]

Gavroche doesn't make any moves towards him, remembering all too well what it was like. If the boy wants to thank him, he can make the first approach.

[runningred]

Jay bolts most of the food, pocketing anything that will keep in swift, practised movements. He knows how to make food last.

After a while, once he's sure it can't be taken back and he has a free run if he needs it, he walks up to Gavroche. "Do you pay for that?"

[street_sparrow]

"I did", he says calmly. "And I don't expect anything in return."

[sunbaked_baker]

Some time during the day, a red-headed baker steps out of the kitchen for a break. The warm wave of deliciously-scented air follows her into the bar, smelling of fresh, hot yeast dough, melty and warm cinnamon-sugar, and vanilla frosting.

The baker stretches, then takes off her sunflower-dotted blue apron. She has some time to kill while the fresh-from the oven cinnamon rolls cool down enough to sell, so she heads over to the bar to settle in with a cup of tea and a book. Those trays of gigantic, gooey rolls should be safe left unattended in the kitchen for a little while, right?

[runningred]

Jay normally stays away from kitchens. In his experience chefs have knives and short tempers. But whatevers in there smells amazing so he sticks his hear around the corner, trying to suss out if it's safe to sneak in.

[sunbaked_baker]

There's no chef in here. At least no human chef - there are a few of the kitchen rats washing dishes in one of the far sinks in the huge restaurant kitchens. It's the afternoon lull before the dinner rush starts, so there is little to be done.

Closer to this side of the kitchens, the counters have wire cooling-racks set up upon them, and large trays of massive cinnamon rolls are there, fresh from the oven and still steaming slightly. The whole place smells of them.

[runningred]

The rats don't seem to be watching and the rolls smell so damn good. He drops down low, creeping closer to pull one loose, ignoring the heat on his hands as he tries to get one away from the tray before anyone notices.

[sunbaked_baker]

There are things one senses, and then there are things one just knows.

Some of the latter things come from being a big sister of two always-hungry boys.

"Those'd be better if you let me ice them first," comes a voice from the doorway. The baker, the red-headed woman who had left the kitchen earlier, is leaning against the doorframe. Also, against all odds, she's smiling. "The icing's already made; I was just waiting for them to cool down enough, first."

[runningred]

Jay drops to a sprinters pose, ready to bolt for the door, past her if he has to. But she doesn't seem like the sort to call the police.

[not_his_pa]

William's reading a new mystery as he absently eats from a plate of biscuits and ham that are on his table. All his attention is on the book because the big chase scene is happening and he wants to know who survives.

[runningred]

Jay's smart enough not to try to lift from a plate that someone's still near. And that's to some neglected meals, he's not so starving that he'd risk it. Doesn't mean he isn't eyeing the biscuits off. They keep well for later.

The kid doesn't look much older than Jay so he considers striking up a conversation... Still considering...

[not_his_pa]

The chase finishes and William looks up to reach for his coffee and spots Jay watching him, his face seems almost familiar,

"Hello?"

[runningred]

Crap! Busted. Time to go with plan B. "Hey. Good book?" He walks over, looking as nonchalant as he can.

[not_his_pa]

"Yeah, its a mystery about a detective,"

William looks him over, he's modern but that's a type of walking William knows well. So he marks his place and hands the dime novel over so the other boy can look at it. The paper's cheap and ready to fall apart with lurid illustrations and a story with a cliffhanger at every chapter end.

[runningred]

"I read a few of those sorts." The library is warm and there are bathrooms you can wash up in without anyone commenting.

[onceaviking]

Eric is still stalling.

And watching the child with detached interest.
Jay.

[runningred]

Jay knows when he's being watched. It's a survival instinct. He moves deeper into the edge of the bar, checking the guy out. Something about Eric gives him a weird vibe - one of those creepy/handsome guys that stop to talk to the street kids sometimes. Jay's not naive, he knows what's going on there. He just hopes he never gets desperate enough to join in.

[onceaviking]

Eric moves to the Bar to order a glass of blood. Looking around with movements at vampire speed, blurring his face while his body doesn't move.

Wanting to see how curious this version is.

[runningred]

Jay's very curious. About both the blood and the way his head keeps going blurry like that. But street kid!Jay is far, far more cautious than he was as a toddler and doesn't just come over and ask. Instead he watches, trying to keep to a blind spot Eric doesn't have.

[onceaviking]

"It's a lot easier to see what I am doing, if you come closer," Eric says, without looking at Jay.
It's obvious that he is addressing him though.

[runningred]

Jay scowls and steps to where Eric can see him. "And what exactly are you doing, mister?" There's a tone of challenge in that, fluffing himself up like a tomcat to seem bigger than he is.