Ooh, shiny!

[Ershey]

Ershey couldn't help it. It was so pretty, so sparkly and so shiny. How could she ever resist the lady's bracelet? She had on so many other ones that she definitely wouldn't miss this one. Ershey grinned, gripping the bracelet in her hand and stuffing it in her skirt pocket as she quickly made her way towards the opposite side of the street.

Suddenly, she heard a shout then a clamor and she knew it was her cue. Ershey giggled to herself then started running past the crowd. Let's do this.

[Wraith]

Wraith had an established method for selling newspapers. She wandered the streets, ghostly and forlorn, and brandished them silently at everyone she passed. Men and women alike melted at the hollow look in her eyes and forked over a penny. She preferred the evening edition, when she had a cloak of darkness to protect her; right now, she was squinting and skittish, like a vampire in the sun, but the papes were still selling quick enough.

Until some giggling maniac crashed into her and sent them flying. Wraith started backward with a gasp and darted about in a blur, determined to pick up all the papers and vanish into the crowd before the laughing girl could say a word.

[Ershey]

"W-what the fu--," muttered Ershey as she fell to the ground, papers flying everywhere. She heard the cops and there was no time for her to react. Not caring about who or what she ran into, Ershey quickly got up and ran to the closest alley she could find, weaving in and out of passerbys as fast she can.

[Wraith]

Wraith dropped the last paper into her bag, relieved that the mystery girl had just taken off--and then saw why she was running.

Uniforms. Police uniforms. Wraith's heart pounded like a bass drum. All the air went out of her lungs. Suddenly her hands were shaking, her palms were sweating, every nerve was on red alert. Police. In another instant, the bag was over her shoulder and she was running, practically flying, down the street, weaving through the crowd so expertly that they barely got in her way. She took a hairpin turn into the nearest alley and...there was the dark-haired girl who had run into her, just standing there. Is she really trying to hide?

Without a word, Wraith tugged the girl behind a pair of wooden bins, pulling her down so that they were practically flat on the ground. A moment later, footsteps approached the alley. A gruff voice shouted, "No one here!" and the steps retreated. Wraith remained curled up in a tight ball with her eyes closed, waiting for her pulse to return to normal.

[Ershey]

Ershey was ready to push the girl and give her a mouthful but decided to keep quiet once she saw the cops nearing closer. She stayed crouched down next to her, keeping an eye out as the cop left the alley, running back out onto the main street. Ershey caught her breath for a couple minutes before slowly standing up and looking around.

She looked down on the ground, suddenly noticing the small girl curled up in a ball. "Hey, uh, they're gone," said Ershey, feeling her pocket for the bracelet.

[Wraith]

Wraith was still shaking. She clenched her muscles, trying to make it stop, but the dizzying fear had only just begun to fade. With an effort, she managed to open her eyes and look up at the thief. "Are you...sure?" she whispered.

[Ershey]

She looked at the girl in confusion. The cops were after me, not her. Why was she so worried? She sighed, taking a few steps up and down the alley to make sure that the cops were gone. Peering out onto the main street, she saw that the cops were running farther down, completely off track from where they were.

"I'm sure," said Ershey, walking back to the girl. "Are you going to be alright? They weren't looking for you, were they? 'Cause I'm pretty sure I was the one who stole somethin'."

[Wraith]

Wraith shook her head to clear it. "Yeah. No. They're not looking for me." She had made damn sure of that.

Pulse and breathing almost normal now. Not bad. She rose to her feet, checked on her papes and the money in her pocket, glanced at the girl with her shiny bracelet. To her surprise, she realized she had seen her around the lodging house. Normally, Wraith didn't say a single word to anyone that she didn't have to, but they had just been through a bit of an ordeal together, and that lowered her guard just enough to satisfy her curiosity. "You're a newsie, right? What do you need to steal for?"

[Ershey]

"'Cause I like it," said Ershey simply, amazed that the girl was questioning her already. I could steal whatever I want, dammit. "It's nice and the lady was distracted, so I snatched it."

Ershey pocketed the bracelet, slightly worried that it'll bring added attention to herself. The cops were gone and she didn't want to attract any more. "Have I seen you around before?" She was oddly familiar but she couldn't put her finger on it.

[Wraith]

No use denying it. It wasn't like she was the one who'd been caught doing anything sketchy. "Duane Street lodging house," she said softly, looking anywhere but at the girl. "I'm Wraith."

[Ershey]

"Oh," muttered Ershey, recalling staying at the lodging house for a couple days before moving over to Manhattan. "I'm Ershey. Ersh, for short. Thanks for pulling me back there."

[Wraith]

Wraith blinked and nodded. She didn't really expect thanks, as a rule. What was she still doing here, anyway? She could be gone before this Ershey blinked; that was her specialty.

Only...there was something she wanted to say. It was stupid, she'd probably get punched for it, but she tried to say it anyway, stumbling over the words. "You...you shouldn't steal like that, just for fun. It's...if you got caught...the Refuge is really bad, my brother..." Very good, Wraith, very linear. "You shouldn't get mixed up with the bulls," she blurted out, and edged toward the mouth of the alley, already scanning the crowd in the street for a gap to vanish into.

[Ershey]

Ershey frowned as she listened to Wraith's words. She thanks her and this little girl reprimands her for stealing? Really, now? She raised an eyebrow at the girl, not sure whether she should take her seriously or ignore her ramblings altogether. She didn't look too right in the mind, anyway.

"Yeah, well, it's my problem, not yours," said Ershey, refusing to explain herself. She got the bracelet and the cops were gone, that was all that mattered. "Right, so I'll be headin' out... be careful next time."

[Wraith]

At that, Wraith actually gained control of her nerves for a moment and snorted. "You didn't even know how to hide."

With that, she made a quick dash out of the alley and disappeared. Or so Ershey would think when she came out. Really, Wraith positioned herself carefully behind a freakishly tall man selling hot corn out of a cart, and kept an eye on the alley. There was something intriguing about this Ershey girl. Wraith's brother Goblin could have read her feelings, thoughts, and intentions from her face and body language. Wraith couldn't discern any of those things and normally didn't care; she was definitely the mind-your-own-business type.

But no one stole like that for fun. Not something so valuable, not in broad daylight, in a crowd. Something about Ershey's secretive attitude reminded Wraith of herself, and she was...curious.

[Ershey]

Ershey rolled her eyes and started walking out of the alley, not even taking the time to look back to check on Wraith. She was not about to let what people think affect what she did, not now. She had a reason for everything and didn't expect anyone to understand.

Ershey began taking side streets, avoiding crowds and cops altogether, not feeling up for another chase by the cops. She sighed, making her towards the Bronx as she zigzagged in and out of buildings. Her eyes peeled for anyone suspicious. She finally reached a run-down warehouse. She felt the bracelet in her pocket, making sure that it was still there and tapped on the window.

((Feel free to take charge of the cop if you want! )