Welcome both old and new readers. Next up is Mouthpiece. Hope y'all enjoy, review if you wish too. As usual I don't own West Side Story.
They had been kids still in school when Mouthpiece and Riff met. They hadn't been friends right away either. You see, he had a reputation for talking frequently. It seemed the boy could never shut up, hence the nickname Mouthpiece.
When he joined the Jets a few months after it formed, Riff and the other members were quick to realize that there was more to Mouthpiece then his way with words. The boy was smart too, able to keep secrets and for all his talking could easily give cops like Schrank the run around by acting like he wasn't given information due to all the talking he did.
If you asked Riff, he'd say that the other boy was a natural when it came to conversation. While they did much more fighting then talking, once Mouthpiece got going, he was easily able to extract information without the other person realizing it. He even did it to Schrank and Krupke a few times before the two police officers caught on.
Currently Mouthpiece walked alongside Ice, yapping away about something he'd heard. Only half paying attention, when the Hawks, another gang on the streets were mentioned, Riff tuned in.
"Can ya repeat that buddyboy?" Riff asked. He wanted to make sure he overheard that right.
Mouthpiece turned his gaze to Riff. "The Hawks got into it with the Emeralds. They'll still be fightin' at the next rumble but theyll be weakened." He repeated smoothly before flashing a grin.
Riff nodded to himself. He shared a glance with Tony who had also been listening. "I want ya to go around and see what else ya can find out during your patrol." Riff didn't make it an order. He didn't have to.
Mouthpiece gave Riff a salute with two fingers. He got to talk people up which is what he was good at. "Ya can count on me, Riff!" He said brightly.
Later on after patrols he and Riff met up. Riff shook his head in slight amusement at the energetic countenance of the other boy.
"Did ya find anythin' else out?" Riff asked, crossing his arms over his chest, keeping his eyes on him.
Mouthpiece gave a smirk in return. "When don't I?" He teased before becoming serious. "The only new piece of information is that Schrank and Krupke will be kept busy the night of the rumble. So will half of the rest of the police force. The rumble should go uninterrupted by cops."
Riff rose an eyebrow as he processed this information. After a few moments he spoke in a more contemplative tone. "Any idea why?"
Mouthpiece shook his head. "Whatever it is, the cops are keeping it very hush hush."
Riff clapped his hand on the other Jets shoulder. "Ya did well, buddyboy."
Mouthpiece may have gotten his name from the near nonstop talking he did but it served the Jets well and Riff was proud of him for putting the skills he had to use.
For Mouthpiece, Riff was like an older brother, among the closest he had to one like the other Jets who were older by a few months. making him proud was something he strived to do. The praise he got made him beam a thousand watt grin when he thought Riff wasn't looking. If Riff noticed, he didn't say anything.