(Untitled)

[jack_artful]

It wasn’t until Dodger had tumbled out of bed, hopped to the front door tugging his trousers on, stumbled outside with his hat in hand, shirt, waistcoat, cravat, and coat loose, rumpled, and untucked, and staggered out to Millbank street, with Westminster Abbey to his left, and the Thames in from him, that he realized something wasn’t right.  It

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[spirited_lissie]

Well, the garmets weren't as bad or confining as Felicity would've worn back home, and she had managed to arrange the simplest set she could find.

That didn't mean she welcomed the return of stays, or that the boots made walking difficult, but it was a slight less fussier than the rest of what the island-city-provided for her in way of clothing.

"Dodge!" She couldn't believe how grateful she was to see a familar face, especially in such a place that was not only large but everyone seemed like a phandom..or a hologram.

She ran over as best she could without slipping on her boots, grateful that atleast her skirt was of a manageable length.

"Where are we? The accents sound like London, but not the London I'm used to." She wrapped the brown frock coat tighter around her.

[jack_artful]

"Blimey, it ain't my London either, but it's close." He put a hand on her shoulder, with the sort of easy physicality he didn't think of with other children. "That's Westminster, that way, the abbey over there, the Thames yonder." He looked across the garden, to the river, and wondered with a twist in his stomach what Fagin's den would look like if he tracked it down in Spitalfields.

[spirited_lissie]

She didn't think much of his hand on her shoulder, just appreciated that atleast one of them had an idea of where they were.

Felicity looked around, trying to not feel as 'small' as she felt. The most she'd ever seen of such buildings was the compound and the Governor's palace.

"I've never been anywhere outside of Virginia, not if you count the island." She thought a moment. "Maybe..if this is still the 'island', do you suppose we could try to go places that we couldn't go before? Like exploring."

She'd leave it up to him on which places those were.

[jack_artful]

"Prob-ly is," Dodger said, and he would've thought he'd feel a rush of disappointment at realizing this was part of the island's magic rather than actually London, but the feeling never materialized. He suddenly realized that he didn't want to go back to his own London - and he'd have to give that a think-over later.

"If we do," he said, remembering his manners, "you'd best take my arm, miss Fe-licity." He held out his crooked arm. It wasn't just manners- he knew London, and a lady shouldn't travel alone. It wasn't just to stay proper, but he knew the sort of denziens that lurked in the darker doorways of the city.

[spirited_lissie]

Felicity's mouth quirked up a little. She was well aware of such decorum-she'd grown up with it even-but Jack couldn't have been maybe twelve years old if not younger. Besides, she'd taken weapons and self defence courses as well.

There was also a part of her that suddenly felt a little homesick. Father used to pretend she was a great lady, because he knew she didn't think of herself as one-pretending to be such again only brought back the ache that he wasn't here.

"You could call me Lissie, if you'd like. Coraline calls me 'Flick', because of a character in a story she watched back home, but I think 'Lissie' fits the time period here."

She took his arm. "One of us needs a walking stick. Grand people are always carrying walking sticks, and I've read stories of them being used as weapons in a tight pinch."

She normally didn't think of weapons that much, but this was a large city and she had read about how dangerous cities could be, especially to children.

[jack_artful]

"Lissie." He tested it out, then nodded decisively. "Aye, fits, it does. I nabbed a silver-headed walkin' stick off an old 'un, once - right life-preserver, it was. Very nice. But, blimey, I also saw a bloke get a good knock in with an umbrella, so I s'pose anythin' could be a weapon if necessary."

He guided her along, steady enough in the snow, careful to step them around puddles and muck.

[spirited_lissie]

She nodded

[jack_artful]

On the contrary, Dodger wasn't so surprised that a young lady would have to swing something hard and dangerous at a fellow. He was from a London where there was a street brawl on every corner, and spent his formative years surrounded by prostates and thieves - he knew how dangerous people could be, especially lecherous men. A cove had paid Dodger a pound, once, to stick a hand down Dodger's trousers - he doubted a girl his age, walking alone, would been offered the opportunity of it being a transaction.

"Who was the enemy?" Dodger asked, curious. "And remind me never to try 'n get a jump on you, eh?" He grinned. His talents lay in dodging, not fighting.

[spirited_lissie]

"The british army." She answered. "It's 1776 back where I'm from, and so many people are wary and distrustful of anyone having loyalty to the king or his armies." She didn't really like talking about it to be honest. Oh, she was glad that the patriots won-or would win-but she hated the thought of war and how it affected her and her friends back home.

She gave something of a mischevious smile. "Oh, I wouldn't go so far as to call myself a warrior. I've seen some of the older ladies in the class and they're far more advanced, but I'd like to think I wouldn't make it easy for anyone." She made a fist and punched it into her left palm.

[jack_artful]

"Ah, ol' Mad King George, the rummer 'un that lost America." Dodger said lightly, finding this all terribly interesting. America seemed an awfully foreign and adventurous place to him, especially only sixty-odd years from his own time. He'd heard about that whole former colony only in bits and pieces, from people calling out paper headlines on the street, and blokes muttering about politics in pubs. "What about a gen'leman partial to the Queen? You distrustful o' myself?

[spirited_lissie]

She shrugged. "I'm not my colony. My grandfather was still loyal to the king, even though my father worked for the patriot army, and my friend Elizabeth is from a family of Loyalists. Just because you're loyal to the English monarch doesn't mean I shouldn't trust you."

"Besides, the war would be over and done with when Queen Victoria takes the throne. Why should I hold a grudge over a war that ended decades before hand?"

It didn't make sense.

[jack_artful]

"People get awful non-sensible about wars." Dodger explained with a shrug, although he hadn't really been all that worried. He'd have noticed if she were suspicious of him - he'd been up to illegal activity too long not to reflexively keep a sharp eye out for any of that pointed his way.

[spirited_lissie]

Felicity nodded.

"I see how some wars need to be fought, like if you're invaded or some such thing, but people get so carried away. Back home, I knew this one girl Fiona, her family had to move back to Scottland simply because of his origins."

She shook her head. Such thoughts weren't ment for Christmas.

"Let's not talk about this. I'd rather explore the city."

[jack_artful]

"Sorry, m'lady," he said, easily enough. He pointed to the Palace of Westminster, that they were passing. "Parliament meets there, 'ouse of Lords, and 'ouse of Commons. Bunch of stuffy gen'lemen sittin' around in their Sunday best. Whole building burned down a-cause of an over-stuffed stove - too 'ot for them coveys, eh?" He grinned.