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[FIN] "Them wanta see ya." {Olivia + The Freds} Goto Page: 1 2 [>] [»|]

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PostPosted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 10:33 am


It is a wonderfully golden afternoon when the messenger is sent for her: much of the day has until now been spent in play, with all of her usual friends about her, ready to devote themselves to her amusement. Although the urchin that approaches the group is not one of her usual set, she has seen him before; he is the lowest of the low, a scrawny and often skittish street-child. Today he has a nice new shirt, which means by the standards of the children she plays with he has come into an exceptional piece of good luck, and his expression is especially earnest.

"Miss 'livey," he calls to her, and the others push and shove and pull him up front when he hesitates to stand too close. Once set before her he hesitates, momentarily frightened even of her, which certainly may seem unusual, until finally the message bursts out of him all at once. "Them wanta see ya," he says solemnly, hands folded behind his back. "They ain't mad, jest currous, they says."

There may be some murmuring amongst the others, and the little urchin stands a bit taller as if in protest that they might not believe him, puffing his chest out with pride: "They gaves me a whole shirt of me own to tell ya! From they own hands, they did. Both of theys was real nice, and both of theys smiled!"

The other children might and might not be able to pick up on who he's talking about -- there are plenty of people who could be "them," but not many that would be spoken of in pairs. The Freds have a curious reputation amongst the lower classes, for they do keep a stern watch over their own streets, and are known generally to be involved with smuggling, which amongst the poor is seen as a reasonably honorable trade. They are not known for harming or stealing children, and in fact will sometimes give enterprising children a few coins to run little errands for them.
PostPosted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 3:19 pm


The golden-haired girl wrinkled her nose at the boy's use of proper address. She had broken her friends of it quickly enough, but it seemed this one knew no better. She did not have the heart to scold him, however, since he seemed liable to bolt if she so much as looked at him wrong. Instead, she shushed her friends when they started scoffing at him.

"Which them?" she asked, curiosity piqued. From the sounds of it, they must be older. How else would they be handing out shirts as payment? She had never had cause to meet any of the older people from her friends' world before. What could they possibly want with her?

Nyx Argyros

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PostPosted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 6:13 pm


"They's the two of them," he says, falling prey to a common confusion among very small children -- that everyone knows the things that they know. "The two of they is all alike, and ain't nobody can tell they aparts." The words escape all in a rush, and he is so excited about his message that he stands nearly on his toes to deliver it to her, as if he is offering her the chance to meet with the gods themselves. "They's the Freds, miss 'livey, them is important people. You gots to come, miss 'livey, they already gives me a shirt!" He is practically bouncing now with worry that she might decide to decline this invitation, but he does not appear worried that some ill might befall either of them .. then again, he doesn't look like the sort that'd be clever enough to pick up on it if the twins did mean her harm.

But the others will have plenty of information about the Friedrichs Grimm, if she asks for it: the cons they like to pull, their family connections and their work, and -- this being used to show her how gentle they are -- that the Freds never beat anyone who doesn't owe them money.
PostPosted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 9:16 pm


She did ask, and her puzzlement only grew. What could such people possibly want with her? Most respectable young girls would decline such an invitation - assuming they received one in the first place - but Olivia was hardly a typical young girl. She was curious as to their interest in her and she by far exceeded the typical limits for fearlessness of even the most reckless youths. So, she handed the ball she had been holding to the nearest of her friends, brushed her hands off, and informed the earnest messenger that she would be delighted to meet the Misters Friedrich if he would show her the way.

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PostPosted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 9:57 pm


The boy is delighted at her willingness to come along, and if he is a bit quiet on the journey, he is also nimble and quick and knows what routes to take so that they are not stopped by well-meaning adults. And instead of heading into the poorer sections of town, where her safety might be suspect, he takes her to an area that borders the poorer and the slightly-better off areas mostly inhabited by tradesmen. There are taverns and cookshops, and though there is movement in and out of them, Olivia has arrived at an in between hour -- the lunchtime crowd has long since gone their way, and the dinner crowd has not yet arrived. He takes her up through an alleyway and into the kitchen entrance to one of these taverns, where it seems that the staff has paused in their work to share a cup of tea.

Two men sit at the table, surrounded by cooling loaves of bread and pots of stew set out to slowly bubble until they are ready to be served, and it is perhaps only when they look up to greet her that she will notice what is strange about them. They look as much like each other as if one is only the reflection from a mirror, stepped out of it to pass the time; it would take close observation or familiarity to be able to spot the tiny differences between them. They even smile in the same way at precisely the same time, standing up so that they might execute identical courtly bows.

"And here she is, our little lady of the streets!" First tips up his head to grin at her, and then straightens so that he might hold out a chair at their little table.

"We weren't sure if you'd come," agrees Last, tipping his own head up: he steps sideways from them both, snatching a loaf from the shelf and offering it to the urchin who has brought her here. Eyes wide with delight, the boy snatches it and is gone in a moment.

"But we're glad you're here. Tea? Cookies? Wine?" The last is offered teasingly, though they do not expect her to take them up on it: it is perhaps meant to show that they are beyond rules here, the rules that would ordinarily forbid someone so young from accepting such a beverage.
PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 8:26 pm


Without so much as batting an eyelash at their deteriorating surroundings, Livy followed the boy to the tavern and calmly observed the twins when they greeted her. She giggled and curtsied when they bowed and sat in the proffered chair and smiled prettily when they offered her treats. Despite her apparent good cheer, her brilliant blue eyes did not miss Last's offering to the boy. A shirt and a loaf of bread? Quite the payment.

"Tea, please," she said whilst helping herself to a cookie. She would have gotten it for herself, but it was on the other side of the table, quite out of reach. Following their oddly coordinated and strangely graceful movements while she waited, Livy was struck by an odd appreciation for the Freds. They really seemed quite charming, though she knew better than most her age that appearances could be very deceiving. Still, her first instinct was to like them. They had a roguish charm.

Nevertheless, it was most unusual for someone to want to meet her. Normally, it was the other way around. Olivia tended to be the one to initiate meetings with strangers, what with her sense for time. Naturally, she was terribly curious, but she decided to let them make the first move for a change.

Nyx Argyros

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PostPosted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 7:42 am


It is in any case up to the Freds to pour her tea for her, as courtesy demands -- and they seem to enjoy the gallant front they are putting on for her, as if it's all just a great game, to pretend to be noble. It gives everything they do a childish air, an edge of silliness, that makes it hard to picture them as dangerous.

"As you like, sweet lady," says First, pouring the tea and then setting it before her, along with a twist of paper that holds sugar enough for her to sweeten it if she so desires. Then he will seat himself, as will his brother, nearly at the same time. They have in the process switched places; where First sat before, now Last sits, and vice versa.

"We're the Friedrichs, little miss -- on account of the fact that I'm Friedrich," Last begins, with a grin.

"-- and so am I," First also grins, taking a cookie himself. "Not very creative, were our da."
PostPosted: Mon Nov 26, 2012 6:57 pm


"Thank you," she said and added some sugar to her tea before taking a sip. The girl did not even hesitate to procure another cookie for herself. Sweet lady or not, she clearly had no compunction against making herself at home even here, in the company of two members of society's underworld. Then, she tilted her head at them - a gesture that later in life might appear unconsciously sophisticated and even predatory, but right now just gave the impression of a curious bird.

"Then how does anyone tell you apart?" She wondered, seeming torn between offense on their behalf and mischievous glee at the prospect of all the trouble they could get into tricking people into thinking there was only one of them.

Nyx Argyros

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PostPosted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 6:43 pm


"Oh, there's the trouble, I'm afraid." Last chuckles, with every bit of the mischief that so appeals to her: he finds himself tickled by Olivia's fascinated interest.

"Most folk can't." First gives her a wink, as pleased with their paired names as she is -- being indignant about their matched names does not occur to him or his twinsib.

"It don't bother us none, though." Last leans back in his chair, tilting it onto the two back legs as he watches her. "Bothers other folk sometimes, but it's all one and the same to us."

First nods amiably at this, witha hint of amusement at those in the past who have been downright unnerved at their sameness. "I've the notion," he tells her, tipping his head in her direction, "that you won't be bothered. To them that know us well, he's Last, on account of he were born last."

"And he's First, on account of he were born first." Last grins, as if this is a great joke, inviting her to share it with him. "And the silly bloke's bet me that next we meet, you'll be able to tell us apart! A whole gold piece!"
PostPosted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 5:11 pm


Oh, they were a pair, weren't they. Olivia was very pleased with their good humor because really, what fun was anyone if they could not laugh. She tilted her head the other way and frowned a little at First. "It doesn't seem wise to make a bet without first meeting who you're betting on," she observed, heedless of how unwise it might be considered to openly disapprove of anything they might do, but then a grin broke free. "But I think you might be winning that bet. First and Last, how clever!" she giggled merrily.

Olivia might not be the sort of hedge witch who could pick out the one grain of truth in a barrel full of lies, or make a charm to enhance odds, but she was a clever girl and terribly observant. Besides that, she fancied herself a bit of a people person. If anyone stood a chance of learning to tell them apart, she figured it was her.

Nyx Argyros

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LoveByLetters

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PostPosted: Sun Dec 02, 2012 10:06 am


Nor will anything ride on her knowing which is which, other than the gold piece between them -- not like when they usually play their little game. Thus far they like her: so many higher class brats would be snobbish around them, or afraid of them, and she's neither. She's just a happy little gel with a cleverness they can spot that others might not be so keen to notice, but they fancy themselves clever little lads, so it pays to tip their hats to her, so to speak. "Oh, we asked after you a good bit before we sent lil' Druther with your invite," First tells her, still grinning. He doesn't see anything wrong with this sort of spying about; if anything, at his level it's something of a compliment.

"Heard plenty of good," Last agrees. "That you're as bright as a new pin,"

"And sweet as a lark. Seems true enough." First nods agreeably, giving her another wink.
PostPosted: Sun Dec 02, 2012 1:20 pm


At their compliments, a pretty little blush added a rosy glow to her cheeks and she peered up at them through her lashes, momentarily at a loss for words. Of course, a lot of adults cooed and fussed over her, but they hardly counted. All they cared about were appearances, after all. If she looked like a lady and acted like a lady, that was all that mattered to them. But First and Last? Livy was certain that appearances mattered less to them than other things. The streets tended to sort out one's priorities and even if they weren't urchins, they surely lived in the same world.

"Why did you ask after me?" she asked at last, seeing nothing more wrong with it than First, but still being at a loss as to what about her could interest them.

Nyx Argyros

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 6:39 pm


"Couple've reasons," Last begins, watching her carefully now, because at least one of the reasons they're about to propose may go right over her head .. or it may not. "One, 'cause you're a nobble. You act like you ain't, which is a credit to ya, I gotta say, but you still are." His tone isn't angry or condescending, simply matter-of-fact. Whether or not her blood is strictly blue, she is worlds away in class from the children she plays with, and from the brothers sitting across from her.

"If something happened to Druther, nobody'd know but us, and like as not there ain't nobody'd care." First picks up the thread of conversation just as casually, watching his twinsib pour them both another cup of tea. "But if something happened to you, your lot'd swarm all over our streets like hornets. So we needed to know whether it'd be best to chase you off .."

" .. or if you really were as clever as was said, and it'd be wise of us to befriend you. You're only a little thing now, but little girls grow up. And them as is their friends when they're little gels got a good chance of being their friends when they's all growed up." Last spreads his hands out in front of himself as he lays their plan out before her for her approval, and as calculated as it may be, they aren't known for being traitors. It could be that they'd be good friends to have.
PostPosted: Wed Dec 05, 2012 9:05 pm


Livy's first instinct was to protest that she was not a "nobble". Her papa was a merchant, if a wealthy one, and everyone knew nobles thought themselves too high and mighty to dabble in trade. However, she had the feeling that that was not the point. In fact, she was quite certain she knew exactly the point the Freds were making. Her own mother had made it time and again, usually in the form of a lecture on the many reasons why she should stop running off to play with urchins. Oh, yes. She knew well that her family could make a lot of trouble for her friends if anything were to happen to her. Of course, with the confidence of youth and her own unique brand of unshakable certainty, Olivia did not believe it would ever come to that.

The girl offered Last her empty teacup as she continued listening to them.

She frowned at what she heard. It seemed that even here, there were games to be played. Livy liked games, of course, but she did find the ones that the society ladies played to be rather tiresome and the game that the Freds were suggesting sounded much the same. Of course, the Freds had the decency to lay out their cards first. At least they were honest about it - a step up, one might say.

"What if papa weren't a merchant? What if I were like anyone else on the streets?" she wondered, neither dismissing them outright nor agreeing to anything. Not that they had actually made an outright offer, anyway. So far, they had only said things. Was it her papa's money that interested them? The ladies cared an awful lot about money, but Livy did not see what she could do about it. But if not the money, then what?

The girl did not pretend to know all the rules of the game, or to even really understand it, lat alone why it was so popular, but she was beginning to realize that it was nearly inescapable. If she were going to play, then wouldn't it be better to be on a more honest field? Maybe they would even teach her the rules.

Nyx Argyros

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LoveByLetters

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 8:05 pm


They both seem to like this answer very much -- as they like her the more that she says and the longer that she's around them. She doesn't protest, she doesn't argue, and although she may not seem to like what they're saying, she thinks about it before she answers them, even as a youngling. To them that's as fair a sign of cleverness as any, and they're as tickled by her boldness as they are by Rajani's sharp tongue, all too often sharpened on them!

Last laughs heartily, though he does not miss his cue: he refills her cup and makes sure that the sugar is still within reach. "Oh, you'd've heard from us long afore now if you weren't a nobble!"

His brother grins an agreement, giving Olivia a cheeky wink. "Got that right. Would've snapped you up fore you could so much as blink! Best way to stay in business, makes sure that them as is cleverest is working for you!"

"Anyway," Last continues, unable to give up his grin, although his tone suggests a more serious intent behind his words. "Your position just meant we hadta wait, kinda. Don't do no good to steal you, and don't do good to tell you nothing until we know you're old enough to hold your secrets to your own."

"There's those that don't much like us," First complains, sounding truly hurt, as if he can't really understand why. "So we hadta be careful-like."
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