[Text]

[serpentinthegarden]

Hey people. All this nonsense talk of dreams aside...

I'm looking to hire some one for a few hours, light work, nothing illegal, at least its only vaguely illegal. You're end of the deal would be on the up and up. Must be a good shopper and willing to look the other way.

[ All this typed up on one with one hand while he wrestled a small girl he had tucked up under the other arm down the sidewalk and right past the world's least observant cop. She was tiny and wearing only a potato ack that had been fashioned into some sort of dress, a street kid who even while she was being carried away very few paid attention to. ]

Oh, also female. Very important that you have to be female. It will never work if you aren't. I've tried.

If you are interested send a prompt reply otherwise I'll have to think up something else.

Comments

[desperate_times_right]

[Of course everyone's cross with him for shopping for women’s clothing and not for kidnapping a child.]

Okay, where's she going, then?

[serpentinthegarden]

[ Clearly a guy shopping for lady's clothing is the greater threat! ]

I'm still working on a few details.

[desperate_times_right]

[Oh. Great. Wonderful.]

Ah. Think she’ll be working? If she's near machinery you don't want anything that might get caught.

[serpentinthegarden]

She's six.

[ That would be a no. He had no plan but shuffling her off to some nasty old factory hadn't even occurred to him. ]

I'll try to find some rich childless family to pawn her off on. Can't be too hard. Maybe I can say she is an heiress.

[desperate_times_right]

[They must both know that doesn't mean anything. She’d worked alongside kids that young, once. It's no life, but it's better than trying to survive on the street.]

Oh, all right. Think big. Get your patsy to buy her something a little fancier then, with embroidery or something. There's this nosy old couple who live up by me who could use a distraction.

[serpentinthegarden]

[ But for the grace of... someone... goes Crowley. If he hadn't made his escape to the streets then he could have looked forward to life inside a shoe factory. ]

This a rich nosy old couple?

That could work... older married couple. She might end up getting spoiled like they were her grandparents.

[desperate_times_right]

Is there another kind?

[They can certainly afford to sit at home all day gossiping about who visits her house.]

[serpentinthegarden]

I would have to look into them. Make sure they aren't into anything weird.

[desperate_times_right]

Into wanting me to get married. Ugh. You’d be doing me a huge favour.

[serpentinthegarden]

They could worry about getting this hellion married instead! Once she's old enough.

I like it.

[desperate_times_right]

I can drop you my address if you want to come by and take a look at them.

[serpentinthegarden]

Yeah. Once I get this brat cleaned up we will drop by, do a bit of a test run, see how things go. What's your address?

[desperate_times_right]

[It takes a second, but she manages to send him a map location.]

Ignore the fancy street name, it's just the new end of 35th. A bit north of the theatre district.

[serpentinthegarden]

I dig it.

[ Which was slang for 'I know the area' in this case. ]

Thanks for the intel. I might have been days at finding a new place for her.

[ Weeks or months were much more likely! ]

[desperate_times_right]

Oh, no problem. If she can get these guys out of my hair it's win-win.

[serpentinthegarden]

Why are they so obsessed over who you marry anyway?

[desperate_times_right]

Concerned for the state of my soul, I think. Too many friends over.

[serpentinthegarden]

They would love me. I can't even go near a Church.

If this doesn't work you could take to dressing like a nun. You wouldn't have to worry about any more marriage suggestions.

[desperate_times_right]

No thanks! I might catch fire.

[serpentinthegarden]

It would probably be better to avoid it.

[desperate_times_right]

It’d probably cramp my style downtown, too.

I don't think they're bad people, they're just bored because their kids moved out.

[serpentinthegarden]

Idle hands are God's playthings.

[ He would have said the devil's playthings as the quote actually went but this family seemed to play for the other team. ]

[desperate_times_right]

Ha!

I'm sure they'd love a project.

[serpentinthegarden]

Annabelle will be a project! I figure she has been living on the streets for years and she has gotten very good at stealing anything that isn't nailed down. And she runs off if you aren't watching her.

Hope they can handle that much trouble.

[desperate_times_right]

They've lived next to me since '21, I think they'll be okay.