About That Favor (closed)

[Risk]

"No," answered Risk, shaking his head when he finally caught up with Macbeth. He didn't mind not taking part in their conversation. He wasn't even supposed to be here in the first place, anyway.

[Macbeth]

((It cracks me up every single time he and Rae fail to remember the almost-sex.))

She nodded and didn't say another word until they had reached the building, gone in the front door, and climbed two flights of stairs. Then she froze. There were screams coming from behind the door. "What in the bloody..." But she had already gone white with realization. She'd heard that kind of scream before. "Stay here," she told Risk curtly, and burst into the apartment, slamming the door behind her.

[Risk]

((Hahahaha its permanently blocked out of his memory ))

"Um, right..." muttered Risk, quite content with staying outside. His trips to Brooklyn always reaffirmed it. This place was crazy.

[Macbeth]

About an hour later, Macbeth emerged from the room, looking disheveled, exhausted, and completely stunned. There were bloodstains on her dress. She did not look like a fit guardian for any child. She slid down the wall to sit and rest for a moment and glanced at Risk, vaguely surprised that he was still here. "So...I just helped deliver a baby."

[Risk]

"Is this what normally happens when you visit Brooklyn?" asked Risk as he looked over at her. He spent his past hour sitting on the floor and playing cards. He actually met a couple of Brookies that decided to play poker up until they heard Rae's screaming. From then on, it was just him and solitaire.

[Macbeth]

((Haha! Love him.))

"Normally I never even go past the docks," Macbeth muttered. She stared at her hands in apparent awe for an unnecessarily long time. "No one died," she murmured, almost to herself, then shook her head and pulled herself together. "Well, back to the bridge with us. Good thing Jo's on our way. If we're lucky, we'll be back in Manhattan by sunset." She got to her feet and straightened out her hair and clothes as best she could, still a little shell-shocked by what she'd just done.

[Risk]

"Yeah, er, alright," nodded Risk, figuring it was better not to ask and just follow Macbeth. Nothing horrible had happened... so far.

[Macbeth]

She brooded in silence while they made their way out of the building and back toward the bridge. It wasn't until they'd passed the docks again that she finally spoke up. "Look, you know damn well I can take care of myself. And I never done nothing but yell at you and dig up all your secrets. So if you don't go looking for trouble, what the hell are you doing traipsing through Brooklyn with me to steal some thug's kid out from under his nose?"

[Risk]

"'Cause you asked me to," he answered simply, shrugging. "And I know you care about Jo, so I wanna make sure everything goes alright, y'know? I know how it is for family." He looked at her, wondering whether she'd understand.

[Macbeth]

She looked back at him and nodded after a moment, hesitating outside the door of the quaint little orphanage. "I was never any good to Ada," she admitted. "Any more than you were to Ershey. But she ain't around to forgive me, so..." So Jo was all she had. The only living memory of her family, the only person who needed her, the only shot at redemption. And that was something Risk could actually understand. Maybe that was why she'd asked him to come with her.

Never one for sappy moments, however, she opened the door and went inside, motioning Risk to follow her. "I'm here for Jo," she told a woman knitting in a chair; they obviously knew each other. "And this is my friend Alec."

The woman eyed Macbeth's dress, but Beth just glared at her. "I spilled tomato sauce on it. You gonna get me my niece or not?"

Clicking her tongue, the woman went through a door and soon came out leading a toddler by the hand. Jo immediately squealed, "BETH!" and waved her arms. Beth grinned and scooped her up, covering her face with kisses.

[Risk]

Risk simply nodded when Macbeth explained her relationship with Ada. Before he knew it, they had connected on an emotional level, something he didn't think would happen when they were both sober.

"Jo!" smiled Risk, waving at the little baby who excitedly grabbed his finger.

[Macbeth]

"Yeah, yeah, it's your best friend," Macbeth grumbled at Jo, smirking a little as she went after Risk's finger like always. With Jo in her arms and Risk in tow, she walked out of the orphanage and, taking a deep breath, started across the bridge. She really didn't know what the hell she was doing, bringing a baby back to a lodging house reserved for working kids who knew how to feed themselves. She didn't have her own place or a proper job or any way to support this kid. But she loved her and she was afraid for her, so she kept walking.

[Risk]

"Do we need to, uh, get anything for her?" asked Risk, wondering how the hell Macbeth would take care of Jo in a lodging house. The place was already noisy enough that having a baby would definitely raise a couple questions.

[Macbeth]

Beth was thinking about that. "Milk, bread, mashed-up fruit, tender meat if I can get it. There should be enough stuff in the kitchen for now. I was thinking maybe if I made a bed for her in the attic..." With luck, no one would notice for a while. Jo was too old to cry all the time. Beth could sleep up there with her. It would work unless it got too cold, unless Kloppman found out, unless Tristan found out...

She would not panic. She would make this work. Somehow.

[Risk]

Risk nodded, trying to think of the best possible solution. It didn't help that they were both dirt poor. It was then that Risk realized that they had more resources than he thought they had.

"I have an idea," beamed Risk. "Follow me!" He grinned, making his way towards Tibby's.