Brooding (c)

[Goblin]

In an empty bunkroom on an evening when everyone else had somewhere to be, Goblin was lying in bed and smoking--which you weren't supposed to do, of course, but he'd stopped giving a damn. He stared at the ceiling, inhaled smoke, ignored the kittens wrestling at the foot of his bunk, and tried to think of things that weren't Maggie.

It didn't help that Wraith was friends with her now and had started carrying messages between them. Beyond the fact that she definitely wasn't all right, Goblin didn't want to know. He just wanted to brood. Possibly forever. And jump off the roof, but then he'd be leaving his little sister alone in the world (again).

[Cavalier]

((Oh, geez, I want to huggle that kid sooo bad!))

Cav had spent his first week in Manhattan feeling sorry for himself, and half-annoyed at Footsteps for being such a goddamn martyr. He hadn't made any friends, which was typical, and he only ever talked to Goblin -- when Goblin wasn't sulking and whining about Script dumping him.

But now they were on Week 3 post-Refuge, Cav had gotten his shit together enough to feel better, only think about 'Steps a few times a day instead of every minute, and explore his new surroundings. What he found was...interesting. To say the least.

When he came into the bunkroom to find Goblin in more or less the exact spot he left him, he scoffed. "Seriously? You're seriously still in bed?"

[Goblin]

"Yep," he said. The kittens got bored, jumped off the bed, and bounded over to Cav, running around his feet in a frenzy. They hadn't been getting much attention lately.

[Cavalier]

Cav wasn't exactly a cat person, but who could say no to desperate kittens, so he sat on Goblin's bed, leaning down to scratch them absently.

"She's just a girl, Goblin."

[Goblin]

"Uh-huh. Like Footsteps is just a girl, right?" If only he were good at hiding like Wraith, he could escape Wraith and Cav and their attempts at being all concerned. The only way he was going to get over this was if someone turned back time and made it so Eastman never got his hands on Maggie, and he never got her thrown in the Refuge, and they were still happy together. Or even if he never met her...yeah, that would probably be best.

((I think he may be the champion brooder of the whole lodging house.))

[Cavalier]

Cav shot him a look. "Footsteps and me are probably never gonna work out, and I've accepted that. Seein' as how I'm not the one who's been pouting for three weeks, you're not really in a position to judge." He sighed and turned to get a better look at him. "Look, it happened. It's done. Ya hurt her, she dumped you. You can't change the facts, so deal with it."

((Yes! And Cav's understanding of 'sympathy' is minimal...))

[Goblin]

((But I love him for it.))

"I'm dealing!" Goblin informed him. "I'm selling papes. I'm eating food. With you and Clara showing up every five minutes, I'm even kind of socializing. What have you been up to, anyway?" He blew a smoke ring at one of the kittens. She jumped up and batted at it, then looked irritated when it disappeared.

[Cavalier]

((Me too!))

Cav didn't answer right away, deciding how to phrase his next sentence. He decided to go with blunt. "Gypsy's out of the refuge."

[Goblin]

"Yeah? How?" he asked, only somewhat surprised. If Cav hoped this information would shock him out of his stupor, he was wrong. Sure, Gypsy was a heartless bitch who'd ruined dozens of lives, but she hadn't actually been the one to ruin Maggie's, which meant it was hard for him to summon the energy to care.

[Cavalier]

"'Parently, the day after they took Script, they took Gypsy. Two days after your sister and her friend broke Script out, Eastman was beatin' on Gypsy for not paying more attention." He paused. "Jimmy Connelly and Tristan Shamien went in there, guns blazin'. Scared the shit outta Eastman and broke out Gypsy."

He let one of the kittens jump on his lap, petting it idly. "Jimmy Connelly's the one who been taking the girls for Eastman. Guess he's got a thing for Gypsy or somethin'."

[Goblin]

Normally, he would have been gobbling up all this information like it was some fancy dessert. Now he had to make a conscious effort to follow it all. He didn't react until Cav mentioned this Jimmy guy's role in the operation; then his eyes narrowed. "Well, there's a match made in hell," he muttered. If only he were up to planning another murder or two.

[Cavalier]

He waited another beat before he continued. "I ran into Gypsy. She's splitting her time between Connelly's apartment and...well, here."

[Goblin]

He finally sat up and looked at Cav. "She's staying here? Is she insane?" Not that Gypsy's insanity was actually news. "Does...does Script know? 'Cause if Gypsy ever goes near her again..."

[Cavalier]

He lifted his gaze to glance at him. "I, uh...think Script'll be fine...she's...being looked after..."

[Goblin]

Goblin looked at him and just raised an eyebrow. But it was a very eloquent, 'what the hell are you talking about?' kind of eyebrow raise.