Wanton Wench

[raven]

Raven held two bags full of groceries in her arms as she carefully walked up the steps to the loft. True, they had plenty of space, but three flights up were a killer when you were carrying grocery bags and a were about to pop out a kid any second.

Raven took the steps one at a time and then paused at the second floor landing taking a deep breath. "Okay Mia...let's go." She rallied herself together and then continued down the hall when the door opened. She took a step back immediately as the hunch backed grey haired woman sneered at her.

"Putana," she spat immediately. Raven gaped at her with wide eyes, her jaw falling open.

"M'scuzi?"

"PUTANA!" The old woman screamed at her, pointing a crooked finger into her face. "Bastardo!" she pointed the same finger at her belly.

Raven glared, her cheeks becoming enflamed. "FANCULO!" She shouted back and was tempted to kick the bitch down the stairs.

"PUTANA!"

"BITCH! How do you know I ain't married!?"

"I know...I KNOW!" The old woman jabbed her finger repeatedly at Rae's face.

((I couldn't help it, this was too funny to resist. SO if anybody was coming for a visit or if Spot's home. HAVE AT IT))

[Macbeth]

((Couldn't. Resist. ))

Macbeth was taking a walk with Jo and decided to swing by Raven's...for the possibility of free food, of course, and maybe to ask a couple of questions. She came up the stairs, patiently leading her ratty-haired little niece by the hand, and arrived on the landing just in time to hear Rae's exchange with her neighbor. She marched right up to the woman and glared at her like a demon straight from hell.

"What the hell do you care, huh!? Mind your own goddamn business! See, I've got one of my own!" she added, pointing at Jo, who was sucking her thumb calmly, since her aunt screamed at people all the time. "Yeah, that's right, the putanas and their bastardos are taking over the whole damn building! So get the hell out while you still can!

"Hey, Raven," she muttered as an afterthought.

[raven]

Raven nodded a hello at her and looked down at Jo who was probably one of the most adorable little girls she'd ever seen.

The old hag actually hissed at them both and gave them the horns.

"Oh for fucks sake! Listen lady I'll rub holy water on my vagina to set it right with God, just lemme get up the fucking stairs!"

The old woman glared at them both. "Putana..." she spit at Rae's feet and then shuffled into her apartment.

"If I was really evil I woulda kicked her down the stairs...I thought about it." Raven sneered and then hoisted her grocery bags up a bit higher. "So whatcha doin here?"

[Macbeth]

Beth knew without a doubt that if that woman were her neighbor, one of them would be dead by now. She glowered at her door until it closed, then turned to Raven and more-or-less stopped glowering. "Just in the neighborhood. Want me to get one of those?" She hooked her arm around one of the grocery bags while still holding onto Jo's hand. "This is Josephine," she added.

Jo pulled her thumb out of her mouth and beamed at Raven. "Wabbit!" she said randomly.

Beth shook her head. "Too many afternoons in Central Park. She tries to chase the rabbits. Don't take it personally."

[raven]

Raven laughed, "Don't worry about it," She handed Macbeth one of the bags and then set the other one down on the counter.

"Hi Jo...do you want some milk?" She asked her. "She's adorable by the way." Raven began removing groceries from the bag, huge ripe tomatoes, purple eggplants, a chunk of veal.

[Macbeth]

"Ilk!" Jo agreed.

Macbeth smirked and ruffled her hair. "Yeah, kid, you got it right for a change." She raised her eyebrows at all the food and helped unload the bags, leaving Jo to her own devices. The little girl chose to crawl under the table, looking for bugs and dust motes and other treasures. "Do you know a guy named Tristan Shamien?" Beth asked with no warning. It had taken her days of asking around to come up with that name, and to figure out that her old acquaintance from Five Points had ended up in Brooklyn.

[raven]

Raven carefully set the job of milk on the table and found something for Jo to drink her milk out of.

"Why?" She raised an eyebrow at her. She didn't like when people asked questions about Tristan. There were so many things that he could be in trouble for.

[Macbeth]

"'Cause he came to my lodging house to threaten someone, and then he said he knows me from somewhere and wants to talk to me." Macbeth wasn't exactly the subtle and secretive type. She fished Jo out from under the table and boosted her into her lap, offering her the cup of milk. "Don't spill it everywhere, jan, this ain't our house."

[raven]

"It's alright, if she spills I'll wipe it up," Raven smiled at Jo.

"Well, he was Spot's right hand, basically monitored Brooklyn for him. We're pretty good friends." Raven responded with a shrug, "he's not a guy you wanna fuck with though."

"You'se eat? I'm gonna start making dinner soon."

[Macbeth]

Macbeth practically never ate when she was stressed unless someone was around to make her. She shook her head. "Let me know if I can help and whatnot." She took a napkin and turned Jo around to face her, wiping off her newly acquired milk moustache. As she did, she looked into the little girl's eyes, thinking back, frowning.

[raven]

"I got it, just sit and enjoy the smells," Raven said with a grin and she started up the stove, waiting for it to get hot.

"She is adorable," Raven moved closer to them and smiled at Jo. "Gorgeous eyes."

"So...why you asking bout Tristan?" Raven took a seat next to her and smirked. "There's always a reason somebody is asking after that boy and usually it ain't good. Though I doubt you wanna kill him or something."

((she should have Tristan's blue eyes))

[Macbeth]

((That's what I was thinking. It's perfect because Beth has black eyes like her mom, and Ada had green eyes like their dad, so she's gotta wonder about the blue.))

"They don't really fit with the rest of her," Macbeth commented, running her hand along Jo's chubby arm with its rich brown complexion. A shiver ran through her, and she glanced at Raven and shrugged. "Like I said, he wanted to talk to me about something. I think he knew my sister, back in Five Points. I'm sure it ain't important." She knew she should leave well enough alone...but she wanted to know, damn it.

[raven]

"That's why they're so striking," Raven said with a smile.

"Listen if he wants to talk to you, I'm sure it's important actually. Tristan don't go out of his way to talk to people he barely knows." Raven sighed.

"If he don't seek you out I would just leave well enough alone." She shrugged.

[Macbeth]

"Yeah? You're prob'ly right about that." She set Jo down to toddle around again. "So what's with the bitch next door? She do that often?"

[raven]

Raven laughed, "At least three times a week. Only to me, to Spot she's sweet as sugar, to me? Forget it. I'm satan's spawn. I usually just ignore her, but I couldn't handle it today. I feel like shit." She groaned and then rubbed the small of her back with her knuckles.

"I'm telling you, she's lucky she didn't accidentally trip down the stairs." Raven smirked at her.