A Beginning with speedstergrl5

[theboyscout]

It would be his first solid opportunity to write about something serious. Kitten fairs and city hall were good topics to cut teeth on, sure, and the classified section always needed proofreaders and people with editing skills to man the graveyard shift, but Clark had been dying for months to try his hand at something worthwhile for the general

Comments

[speedstergrl5]

Mia was exhausted. She pulled off her wig and shoved it carelessly into her red purse as she crossed the street to the nearest coffee vendor. She needed caffeine and she needed it bad. Most of her night was spent in the company of pervy old men making her do unspeakable things to them, but lucky her it was a fight night. And on fight night's Rick let her take the entire day off. She could grab a coffee on the way to the apartment then scrub the night off of her before taking a long blissful nap. A small smile pulled at her lips at the thought of it. She let out a short sigh and reached into her purse again rutting around for some change only to realize there was none there

[theboyscout]

Clark had retrieved a copy of the Planet after a few minutes of watching people go past, flipping through a few sections until he found what he wanted. Some guy doing a crossword puzzle, and reading the comics, definitely looked more harmless than the same guy staring at everyone without anything else to do. He still kept an ear out for emergencies, and would glance up and look around like he was pondering the secrets of the universe

[speedstergrl5]

Mia glanced over her shoulder surprise on her face followed by a hint a trepidation. She gave the man half a smile, "Thanks," she said before turning back towards Eddie and arching an eyebrow at him. Seconds later there was a large Styrofoam cup in her hand and a package of cinnabuns. She turned fully around her purse over her shoulder as she sized up the man in front of her. "I appreciate that, it's been a long night for me," she commented slightly wary because she wasn't sure if he was just being nice or if he wanted something from her. It was hard to tell the good one's from the bad one's when it came to guys these days.

[theboyscout]

"You're welcome. Can't think of a better way to spend a few bucks right now." He glanced over at the guy, rearranging his expression into something appropriate for a man-to-man conversation. "I can cover anything up to a twenty, okay? If she's still ... thirsty." Said amount was produced from his wallet and set down on the little counter. "Like a tab."

His budget could squeeze out that much. "Long night for a lot of people around here, I think." Clark tucked his billfold away and stepped back, intending to retake his chair and sip some of his own coffee. "Hope it gets better."

[speedstergrl5]

Mia watched him curiously. He didn't seem like the type to hang around this neighborhood and she couldn't help wondering what he was doing there. She stepped away from the hut and shoved the cinnabons in her purse before wrapping both hands around the coffee and taking a step towards the dark haired man. She arched an eyebrow. "Thanks," she said before glancing around. "Are you waiting for someone? Because no offence, but this doesn't really seem like your part of town."

[theboyscout]

He watched her approach, head tilted to the side. "I'm waiting for -- yeah. Yes." A pause, and he slipped a hand into the interior of his coat, pulling out the ID badge with the Planet's logo embossed in the background. "Research for an article. Looking for someone willing to sit down and tell me their story."

His head moved, chin tilting toward the prostitutes gathered on the other side of the street; all of them looked older than Mia. It was possible, if not entirely probable, that he hadn't made the connection between her costume and theirs. Yet.

[speedstergrl5]

Mia followed his gaze towards the woman across the street. She knew most of them save for a few of the newer girls. "They aren't going to talk to you, trust me." She nodded towards his press pass, "Especially with that thing flashin' around." She caught his gaze and shifted on her feet, her tall boots starting to get the better of her. "A word to the wise, most of them are running from something and nobody wants to be in the paper." She said before bringing the coffee to her lips and taking a long sip. Mia moaned softly at the feel of the hot liquid sliding down her throat. God, she had needed that.

[theboyscout]

"But maybe one of them will. It can't hurt to try." He slid the pass back into the interior of his coat, and watched her for a moment - expression and body language - then gestured toward one of the empty chairs at the table.

"You're welcome to sit down and sip your drink for a few minutes. If you want." He swallowed another mouthful of his before setting the cup back down. "The best way to fix a problem is to shed some light on it, so people can understand and want to help. A story about what life is really like on the streets could be a start."

[speedstergrl5]

Mia watched him for a minute her eyebrow arched. "Trust me buddy, no one out here is going to be fixing my problems," she said, but she moved to the seat he pointed to and sat down. He seemed harmless enough and he did buy her some coffee. Sitting and talking with him for a few minutes couldn't hurt.

[theboyscout]

"Are they that unfixable?" Clark kept his voice level, and maybe a little overly light, but it was finally beginning to dawn on him that someone her age - or how old she looked - might be involved in the skin trade.

Sometimes being so sheltered on the farm during his youth had some less than happy repercussions when it came to not being shocked about the various ways the world worked.