Free Companies Inc. Presents:
Writer's Block Strikes Again!
A slightly deranged fic by Keza, your favorite Procrastinating Queen
AN: It's 7:41pm on Monday night, I'm sick, tired, and have a double entry journal to do. Hell, what am I talking about? I can take more medicine, drink more caffeine, and do the journal tomorrow. Hey, I just realized I've been spelling "medicine" wrong for like five years. Learn something new every day, eh? (Falco appears to drag the rambling author away) TODAY IN SCIENCE I LEARNED THAT PLANTS AND B-(Duct tape is sealed over mouth and author is thrown in the snow)
AN2: What else would author notes be for other than rambling?
That was a rhetorical question, Falco.
AND ONTO THE REAL STUFF
Last Chapter: Racetrack and Kid Blink officially cure Manhattan (in a day! Wow!) and move onto bigger and better things. Or, um, at least bigger things. No, wait, it's not bigger either. Never mind. They move on!
+
Nothing disturbed the quiet dawn mist. Nothing, that is, save a slight figure crouched on top of the Lodging House roof. The feminine form was dressed almost entirely in black, to match her short hair of a similar color. The only exception was a fuzzy pair of cat's ears perched on her head. They seemed to be attached by a headband of some sort. She carried a moderately sized net, the corners of which were weighted down with small stones. Inch by inch she crawled down the roof, heading towards the nearest entrance to the house, which happened to be a window she had opened earlier. Her legs shook slightly as she eased herself to the window ledge.
"Be a lion, not a mowsse," she reminded herself with a fierce whisper. "A lion!" She paused a moment on the window before slipping into the bunkroom. Klopman's footsteps were heard faintly from the stairs, and she quickly dove into the washroom and hid in a stall.
"BOOTS! Skittery. Skittery! SKITTERY!" and so on.
The boys were just beginning to rise, grumbling and groaning like they always did. Except one.
"I think I'll go for a WALK outside, now! The summer sun's callin' my name!" Pie-eater bounded into the middle of the room, slid on his knees to a stop, and cupped a hand around his ear after this last line. The girl in hiding, or Polecat, (because "the girl in hiding" is much too unwieldy) couldn't resist.
"I hear ya now," she sang in response, then widened her eyes and clamped a hand over her mouth. Luckily, no one seemed to notice this voice, and Pie-eater just kept singing and prancing around.
"I just can't stay inside all daaa- OOF."
Itey had pushed Snitch off their at the exact time Pie-eater walked under it. A chorus of "thank you!" and "thank the lord!" chorused through the room. Itey nodded nobly and leapt off his bunk to join the others in getting ready for the day.
Snitch untangled himself from Pie-eater and frowned down at the boy.
"Heya Pie-eatah… You'se ok dis mornin'?"
"Oh, I'se jus' DANDY!" Pie bounced up, patted Snitch on the head and skipped merrily into the washroom. Snitch shrugged, even more confused when he heard Pie's muffled voice exclaim- " I dunno 'bout you, Snoddy, but I'se had the BEST dream las' night…"
Of course, through all of this, was I sleeping peacefully away? No, I was being used as a rug. Damn boys. Gotta remind them to wipe their feet next time. Now my vest is all muddy!
Athena was sitting on the edge of Blink's bunk, swinging her legs off the side and generally just watching my fellow newsboys as they cleaned up - just like she planned. I noticed a pad of paper to her right, littered with notes. Good. Another one down.
I got up from my oh-so-comfy position on the floor and absentmindedly grabbed for a cigar. My fingers clawed at empty air, and I sighed, retreating to the washroom to relieve myself.
In theory.
But I was in for a little surprise when I opened the nearest stall door. A girl in black, with what looked like cat ears on her head lunged forward, knocking me backwards.
"FUCK! Sorry Race," she apologized quickly, then continued on her rampage, whacking me with a net on the way by. I trust it was an accident. Blinking the stars and birds from my eyes, I glanced up in time to see her catch Snitch with the net and tie him down. No sooner had she done that, however, than a thoughtful look entered her face. She whipped the net off of Snitch with a muttered 'nevermind' and set about ensnaring Dutchy.
The morning routine halted for a moment as we observed the girl as she set about trying to catch as many of us as she could. Unfortunately, the net could only cover one person. She finally settled on Specs, who struggled wildly and shouted a series of dismayed "Guys! Guys, help! Comeon guys!" No one really moved, except Dutchy, but then Snoddy shut him in a stall.
"Sorry, it's too amusing," I explained apologetically.
"Oh yeah, REAL amusing!" Specs cried.
"ATHENA! I know you're in here! Help me carry this bad boy out!" the cat-girl screeched. Athena appeared grumpily, but took an arm and helped all the same. There was a few moments of awkwardness and silence, but then the routine got back on schedule.
Now that I think of it, we forgot to let Dutchy out.
+
"Where we headed to taday?" Blink asked as we left our friends at the distribution center.
"Brooklyn," I stated. At this point the air in front of us shimmered, and a blonde haired girl stepped out of thin air (or thick air, as we were near some factories). "Uhm," I commented slickly.
"Heya Kez," Blink continued walking and talking as if nothing had happened. Keza has a paranoid air about her, and she kept glancing over her shoulder as she walked with us.
"Hey guys, just to let you know, you're going to Harlem."
"I'se thinking we could do Brooklyn today-"
"Uh, no, you're going to Harlem."
"Er… Ok."
"Why?" Blink again.
"Cause it'll piss Falco off majorly!" Keza shouted gleefully, then ran off.
"Probably to find Pie-eater," I remarked.
"Dat could explain 'is dream las' night," Blink pointed out.
"Oh deah…"
+
"Hahlem, heah I am!" I announced. A seagull cawed back, annoyed. "Well, dat's a bit anti-climatic, wouldn't ya say? Blink? Uh, Blink?"
But Blink wasn't in this world, rather, he was off staring at some girl. Again. But this time the girl, a real catch with bright red curls, was staring back and…. Drooling? Ok, that definitely just turned me off. But Blink didn't seem to notice.
"Holy… Mother Almighty in the Bright and Sunny Sky Above Graced with Doves and Flowers of all Colors and-" smack! "Dammit Race! What was dat fer?"
"You'se know, you maniac. Jeez."
The girl looked away for a moment to mop her drool, then approached us.
"Heya Race… Heya… Kid," she added suggestively. "What are you'se doin' in dese parts?" I made a disgusted noise and wiped some spit flecks from my face as she over-pronounced the last word - on purpose, I swear.
"Oh, ya know, jus'…" Blink started casually.
"Playin'? Partyin'? Practicin' piano? Pickin' a peck o' pickled peppahs?" I was covered now.
"That's ENOUGH guys," I warned in my special warning voice. Blink and the girl collapsed against each other, laughing their damn heads off. I contemplated using Blink's eye patch to wipe myself off.
"Sorry Race, I couldn't resist," the girl said once she had controlled her giggles. "I always get dis way around me boy Blink, and I guess sometimes I abuse da powah."
"Race, dis is Tigah," Blink added. "Tigah, Race."
"Spit shake and you'se dead," I muttered.
"So Kid and I have a bit of a past," Tiger explained as we grabbed an early lunch.
"Yeah, met 'er last week," Blink confirmed. Tiger elbowed him sharply. "Uhh… I mean… A year ago last week?"
"Riight. So, you'se an author, eh?" Tiger nodded.
"You'se could say dat."
"So what's yer Writah's Block problem?"
"Da ink ran, cheap frikkin' t'ing," she muttered bitterly. "I made the mistake of putting a pitcha of Kid where I was woikin," came the explanation a few moments later. "The drool… An'… Da papah… An'… Da ink… Didn't mix too well."
"I see." I didn't, of course. "So wouldn't da solution just be to take away the pitcha?"
"But den… Den I couldn't see me Kid!"
"You'se could look at 'em when you'se wasn't writin'."
"Oh yeeeeah. You'se right!" she looked astounded. I was hurt. "Well, t'anks Race. I guess I should go see if da fan has dried out dose oddah papahs yet. Tah-tah, boys!" She skipped out, winking at Blink on her way through the door.
"It's always you, idn't it?" I grumbled. "You'se always gettin' em."
"Hey Racey!" a cheerful voice called from the other side of the restaurant. Bookie was standing on her chair, waving wildly.
"BLINK! OUT DA DOOR! NOW!"
+
Something big, bigger than a mere man, must be helping us on this quest of ours. Because I don't think it was just a coincidence that we fell through some rotten boards and literally 'crashed' a tea party. A tea party involving the crazy-cat-girl from before, along with a tied-down Specs, and another girl, taller with brown hair and matching brown eyes. I picked myself up from the debris of the ruined table, apologizing profusely. Blink set about untying Specs.
"Oh, so you'se come in heah, break ah table, an' now you'se gonna take Specsah too? I don THINK so!" the cat-girl snarled, stepping between Blink and Specs.
"Ah, Polecat," Specs said sweetly. "These ropes really are starting to hurt… Could I just take 'em off for a second or two?" Polecat melted under the newsies' gaze, and nodded for Blink to continue.
"So anyways, Lightfoot, I'se jus' walkin' down the street, an' who do I see bu- Yes, Race?"
"Sorry, didn't mean ta stare. But could ya, uh, explain a few t'ing fer me?"
"Like…?"
"Who're you? Whose she? Why da hell are you'se havin' a tea party with Specs!"
"Hey, I wanted no part a' dis party!" Specs protested loudly.
"Ah, well, I am Polecat," the cat-girl said. "Mrrow. Um, and dis is Lightfoot."
"mmphay," Lightfoot mumbled, then pulled a brightly colored candy wrapper from her teeth. "I mean, Hey."
"She's a strange addiction ta Stahbursts," Polecat explained to me. Lightfoot smiled, then popped a yellow square into her mouth. Dozens of them, all different colors, lay scattered around.
"And Specs is heah cuz Polecat's got an in-fat-u-a-shun wid 'em!" Lightfoot said gleefully, after swallowing. Polecat smacked her.
"SHUSH. Oh wait, everyone already knew dat. K, nevahmind. Sorry Lightz."
"It'll change tamarrah though," Lightfoot continued. "What's tamarrah, Wednesday? I t'ink Mush is Wednesdays." Polecat glared. Specs rubbed at red marks on his wrists. Blink smirked, and I just sighed again. I seemed to be doing a lot of that. Sighing, I mean.
"Listen, I don really care 'bout anyt'ing besides curin' you guyses Writah's Block," I told them.
"Too late," Lightfoot informed me. "Why do you think we was havin' da tea party? It's dis new cure fer Writah's Block. Slackah made it fer us."
"Glad I didn't try any," Blink muttered.
"Yeah, and it's woikin' great!" Polecat said giddily.
"Ok, but I still don't get why Specs is heah."
"EYE CANDY!" the girls answered simultaneously, then both passed out.
"Come on, before dey wake up!" Specs hissed, grabbing Blink and me and propelling us out the door.
+
And now it's mid-afternoon, and Blink and I are taking a break in Central Park before we proceed. It turns out Blink actually did try some of Slacker's 'miracle tea,' so now he's sleeping the effects off while I debate on where to go next. Hopefully things will continue as successfully as they've been going.
+
Thus ends chapter four. You know, I feel better now. Though that's probably just the tylenol kicking in. Oh man, I had the coolest dream about David Sidoni last night, so I just had to incorporate it into the story, You know, in the beginning. Yeah. Re-read it.
Next Chapter: Blink wakes up sober (in theory) and the boys frolic off to…. To…. To…
And to the Featured Authors of Chapter Three: Which included, if you're keeping track: Polecat, Tiger, and Lightfoot McCoy - If any of you strongly disagree with how I wrote your character (remember I only had that profile thing to go by) then please contact me by review/e-mail/AIM and tell me what's up! I'll edit it quick-like.
Tiger: It's ok. I drool sometimes too.
Polecat: I meant to put something more in about your head-band ears, but I forgot. Whoops. (You know, like them falling off or something.)
Lightfoot: Starbursts are good. Sorry I didn't get anything about Swifty in. He says hi.
Wake me when it's over…
-Keza