Chapter 9
Poison sighed, closed her eyes, and leaned her head against the wall. She could feel the pounding in her head getting worse as every moment passed. Why did it have to be that? Why did it have to be something connected to her? Worst of all how was she supposed to tell the newsies in this borough what was wrong with Gypsy? As well as all the other newsies.this can't be the first time it's happened.and it probably won't be the last time either.
"She gonna be alright?" a voice asked breaking Poison's self monologue. She concentrated on trying to calm the pain in her head before opening an eye. When she discovered that only had a view of the ceiling she tilted her head back down to normal level to look at Moods with a heavy sigh conveying words through it without even needing to speak them.
"I dunno, her body is reacting oddly to that poison...I don't understand it though.I'm the only one that I know of that sells that variety of poison.an' it's supposed to work when ya drink it. But I ain't eva seen these effects from someone drinkin' it. So maybe it was administered some other way.dunno what way though.an' she doesn't seem to remember *how* she got poisoned in the first place."
"You mean to tell me *you're* the cause of this!?!" Specs interrupted shoving himself to the front of the small crowd in front of Poison.
"You never seemed to have a problem with my profession before, 'sides it not as if she went down without a fight. She has yet to do anything without a fight," Poison retorted lazily straightening up to stand in a more defensive position.
"Well, one of my best friends ain't never been hurt by it neither." He said moving into her personal space.
"You seem so sure that you know every single one of your friends run-ins with me. Do you always keep that tight a reign on your friends? No wonder you can't keep a girlfriend very long."
"You want to talk about relationships? Fine, you value your precious poisons and mind over anything living and breathing, I'm surprised Spot hasn't realized that you're just using him just like all your other boyfriends."
Poison went for her knife without conscious thought, before Soaker laid a restraining hand on her arm and Dragonfly spoke up.
"Knock it off you two, you aren't solving anything by your arguing an' you definitely ain't gonna come to an agreement over this so why try?" Dragonfly said softly from the corner of the couch she had curled up into. "We all have problems otherwise we wouldn't be here. But we look out for one another. That's the code we live by around here."
Poison shook off Soaker, who eyed her suspiciously for a moment, before slightly stepping back. Specs, on the other hand, continued to glare at Poison. It seemed as though he thought that if he could get rid of her, he could get rid of the root of all evil.
Poison pointedly ignored him as she said, "Look *I* don't know if I can help her but I know of someone who might be able to.she taught me a lot of what I know. She's kinda hard to find sometimes, but I can tell you where she holds shop most of the time."
At that moment Spot walked in, Poison glanced at him worriedly he shook his head slightly and she relaxed slightly while Specs sneered at his back until one of the newsies standing next to him elbowed him to knock it off.
"Anything that'll 'elp 'er, an' that'll keep you from making even more of a mess of this," Specs spat out.
"Fine, but you'll 'ave to take Gypsy an' Spot," she said in a calm voice fighting back the urge to throw her favorite knife at him.
Spot for once stayed silent, that is until Specs left to go get Gypsy from one of the bunkroom upstairs.
"What am I doin'?" he asked her leaning in the doorway as people moved away now that the problem was being solved.
"You're going to see Venom.she was a mentor of sorts to me before you found me half dead in that alley."
"Wait a minute, I have to go see the person that taught you how to poison yourself as well as others safely!?! I don't think so!" he said shaking his head emphatically at her.
"Yes, you do," she said glaring at him slightly, "Since I'm not allowed to on orders from Specs," she said sounding irritated, "She's nice an' if anyone can 'elp Gypsy she's gonna be the one. Not me. I'm still learning in a lot of respects.in a lot of respects I'd rather not admit to still be learning in."
"But why is she named Venom???"
"She has some of the most dangerous venoms known to man available to her and uses them regularly in her poisons."
".oh"
Poison smiled slightly, "Does that answer all your questions? An' will you *now* listen to me with the directions to her place? Course it'll have changed if da bulls have found her latest shop."
Spot nodded his head in agreement still trying to process all the information she had given him as well as remember the directions and passwords. Poison made him repeat back all the directions and passwords she had given him to make sure he had heard them correctly before nodding in satisfaction. Just as that was occurring Specs was coming slowly down the stairs with Gypsy.
"Good luck," she told them.
"We wouldn't need it if it hadn't been for you," Specs retorted.
Poison noticed Spots eyes flash in brief anger as he followed Specs out the door and surmised the walk to Venom's shop would be an interesting one to say the least.
When she was sure they weren't coming back for awhile she leaned back against the wall sliding down to the floor. It *was* her fault in some twisted act of fate that Gypsy was poisoned. How many others had it happened to and she just hadn't known about it? I gotta calm down. Think logically. She dug through her bag for her cleaning kit for her knives before divesting herself of her knives. She started at the bottom with the two knives in each of her boots, then carefully slid one of her two poisoned knives from he her sheath and handling it carefully laid it on the floor next to her before removing the other poisoned knife at the small of her back with the same amount of caution she displayed with the one at her hip laying it next to its companion. Next she unlaced both of her wrist sheaths flexing her wrists before sliding those knives out of their sheaths and inspecting them. Then she set to work cleaning them all carefully before putting them back in their place.
When she looked up, after she had finished cleaning her knives, she noticed that the once filled common room was now empty of people. She shifted her position slightly and leaned sideways against the wall and closed her eyes wondering, fleetingly, if Venom could help Gypsy.
~*~
"What was that all about?" Spot demanded as soon as they were outside of the lodging houses hearing distance.
"It's your girlfriend's fault that this happened, not mine, why don't you ask her? Especially since I'm a lil' busy trying to help one of my best friends out."
"She's not here to answer my questions. An' you're right; we should be concentrating' on Gypsy 'stead of on fightin'."
"Yeah! You're supposed ta be payin' attention to the sick newsie here." Gypsy said smiling slightly.
"Don't worry we ain't forgotten you. The shop supposed to be around this next corner here." Spot said looking around. It reminded him a little of the warehouse district in Brooklyn except a whole lot dirtier and with fewer warehouse buildings.
"Cheerful place ain't it?" Gypsy asked.
"Makes me want to spend the night," Spot agreed looking around, "There it is," he said nodding towards a building darker in the shadows of the flickering light.
They approached the building cautiously with Spot in the lead. He boldly knocked on the door though he certainly wasn't feeling bold. What was this Venom girl supposed to look like? His imagination, although unbidden, created a large, muscular woman. He shuddered. If that was true then what about her supposed kindness? People personified Poison as kind sometimes and *that* certainly wasn't a word he would use to describe her.
The door opened a crack and a hoarse voice asked, "Password?"
"Buttons," Spots said a little uncertain. Who with the name like Venom have a password like 'buttons'? He would have expected a more.dangerous sounding password like-arsenic-but maybe the whole 'buttons' thing was a way to keep the lucky guessers from entering and allowing those with actual business to be allowed access. The door opened with a whisper of a creak.
"Come on in."
Standing in the doorway was a slight Asian woman no taller then Spot with straight black hair knotted at the base of her neck.
"Venom?" Specs asked a little incredulously.
"Yes?" the woman answered in a slight musical tone now that she was no longer whispering to disguise her sex.
"I.I.I was just checking that you were who we were supposed to see.I don't exactly trust the person who sent us here," Specs answered.
Spot glared at him.
"Yet you came. That in itself either shows some kind of trust or desperation," Venom said with a calm voice seemingly unaffected, "have a seat," she said to Gypsy while she went behind the counter to fetch a pair of glasses.
When she came back around she walked counter clockwise around Gypsy, "Mmmm, Poison has gotten herself into a mess this time hasn't she; sold to the wrong person. I warned her about doing that."
Specs looked triumphantly at Spot for a moment before asking, "Can you help her?"
"Of course, I wouldn't be much of an apothecary if the teacher couldn't fix the students mistake now would I?"
This time it was Spot who looked smugly triumphant, while Specs stuttered out an excuse. Venom continued to circle Gypsy like water circling the drain, coming closer and closer until Spot was sure if Venom got any closer to Gypsy she'd be knocked off the stool. Then, all at once, she stepped away and went behind the counter combining one thing with another with seeming reckless abandon before coming back and handing the mixture to her. She took the bowl with trembling hands and upended it quickly into her mouth swallowing before she could actually consciously recognize the flavor of the mixture for the good or the bad.
Venom was watching her like a hawk, "You're going to feel tired quite soon. You'd probably better stay here, your friends can come by in the morning to see how you are if you want and I can make sure there are no complications as to what happened. But she should be right as rain."
Gypsy nodded her head in agreement already beginning to feel sleepy, "I'll see you guys in the morning." She said right before yawning and being ushered out of the room by Venom.
"Tell Poison this goes on her list, she'll know what it means," Venom said over her shoulder before closing the door in their face.
"I guess this means we head back and you tell me what this problem is that you have with my girlfriend," Spot said turning back towards the way they had come. He was planning on giving Poison a piece of his mind when he got back to the lodging house for letting him think all those things about Venom and not saying a word about what she was *really* like. He sighed slightly as they walked back in uncomfortable silence towards the lodging house containing its sleepy occupants.
Poison sighed, closed her eyes, and leaned her head against the wall. She could feel the pounding in her head getting worse as every moment passed. Why did it have to be that? Why did it have to be something connected to her? Worst of all how was she supposed to tell the newsies in this borough what was wrong with Gypsy? As well as all the other newsies.this can't be the first time it's happened.and it probably won't be the last time either.
"She gonna be alright?" a voice asked breaking Poison's self monologue. She concentrated on trying to calm the pain in her head before opening an eye. When she discovered that only had a view of the ceiling she tilted her head back down to normal level to look at Moods with a heavy sigh conveying words through it without even needing to speak them.
"I dunno, her body is reacting oddly to that poison...I don't understand it though.I'm the only one that I know of that sells that variety of poison.an' it's supposed to work when ya drink it. But I ain't eva seen these effects from someone drinkin' it. So maybe it was administered some other way.dunno what way though.an' she doesn't seem to remember *how* she got poisoned in the first place."
"You mean to tell me *you're* the cause of this!?!" Specs interrupted shoving himself to the front of the small crowd in front of Poison.
"You never seemed to have a problem with my profession before, 'sides it not as if she went down without a fight. She has yet to do anything without a fight," Poison retorted lazily straightening up to stand in a more defensive position.
"Well, one of my best friends ain't never been hurt by it neither." He said moving into her personal space.
"You seem so sure that you know every single one of your friends run-ins with me. Do you always keep that tight a reign on your friends? No wonder you can't keep a girlfriend very long."
"You want to talk about relationships? Fine, you value your precious poisons and mind over anything living and breathing, I'm surprised Spot hasn't realized that you're just using him just like all your other boyfriends."
Poison went for her knife without conscious thought, before Soaker laid a restraining hand on her arm and Dragonfly spoke up.
"Knock it off you two, you aren't solving anything by your arguing an' you definitely ain't gonna come to an agreement over this so why try?" Dragonfly said softly from the corner of the couch she had curled up into. "We all have problems otherwise we wouldn't be here. But we look out for one another. That's the code we live by around here."
Poison shook off Soaker, who eyed her suspiciously for a moment, before slightly stepping back. Specs, on the other hand, continued to glare at Poison. It seemed as though he thought that if he could get rid of her, he could get rid of the root of all evil.
Poison pointedly ignored him as she said, "Look *I* don't know if I can help her but I know of someone who might be able to.she taught me a lot of what I know. She's kinda hard to find sometimes, but I can tell you where she holds shop most of the time."
At that moment Spot walked in, Poison glanced at him worriedly he shook his head slightly and she relaxed slightly while Specs sneered at his back until one of the newsies standing next to him elbowed him to knock it off.
"Anything that'll 'elp 'er, an' that'll keep you from making even more of a mess of this," Specs spat out.
"Fine, but you'll 'ave to take Gypsy an' Spot," she said in a calm voice fighting back the urge to throw her favorite knife at him.
Spot for once stayed silent, that is until Specs left to go get Gypsy from one of the bunkroom upstairs.
"What am I doin'?" he asked her leaning in the doorway as people moved away now that the problem was being solved.
"You're going to see Venom.she was a mentor of sorts to me before you found me half dead in that alley."
"Wait a minute, I have to go see the person that taught you how to poison yourself as well as others safely!?! I don't think so!" he said shaking his head emphatically at her.
"Yes, you do," she said glaring at him slightly, "Since I'm not allowed to on orders from Specs," she said sounding irritated, "She's nice an' if anyone can 'elp Gypsy she's gonna be the one. Not me. I'm still learning in a lot of respects.in a lot of respects I'd rather not admit to still be learning in."
"But why is she named Venom???"
"She has some of the most dangerous venoms known to man available to her and uses them regularly in her poisons."
".oh"
Poison smiled slightly, "Does that answer all your questions? An' will you *now* listen to me with the directions to her place? Course it'll have changed if da bulls have found her latest shop."
Spot nodded his head in agreement still trying to process all the information she had given him as well as remember the directions and passwords. Poison made him repeat back all the directions and passwords she had given him to make sure he had heard them correctly before nodding in satisfaction. Just as that was occurring Specs was coming slowly down the stairs with Gypsy.
"Good luck," she told them.
"We wouldn't need it if it hadn't been for you," Specs retorted.
Poison noticed Spots eyes flash in brief anger as he followed Specs out the door and surmised the walk to Venom's shop would be an interesting one to say the least.
When she was sure they weren't coming back for awhile she leaned back against the wall sliding down to the floor. It *was* her fault in some twisted act of fate that Gypsy was poisoned. How many others had it happened to and she just hadn't known about it? I gotta calm down. Think logically. She dug through her bag for her cleaning kit for her knives before divesting herself of her knives. She started at the bottom with the two knives in each of her boots, then carefully slid one of her two poisoned knives from he her sheath and handling it carefully laid it on the floor next to her before removing the other poisoned knife at the small of her back with the same amount of caution she displayed with the one at her hip laying it next to its companion. Next she unlaced both of her wrist sheaths flexing her wrists before sliding those knives out of their sheaths and inspecting them. Then she set to work cleaning them all carefully before putting them back in their place.
When she looked up, after she had finished cleaning her knives, she noticed that the once filled common room was now empty of people. She shifted her position slightly and leaned sideways against the wall and closed her eyes wondering, fleetingly, if Venom could help Gypsy.
~*~
"What was that all about?" Spot demanded as soon as they were outside of the lodging houses hearing distance.
"It's your girlfriend's fault that this happened, not mine, why don't you ask her? Especially since I'm a lil' busy trying to help one of my best friends out."
"She's not here to answer my questions. An' you're right; we should be concentrating' on Gypsy 'stead of on fightin'."
"Yeah! You're supposed ta be payin' attention to the sick newsie here." Gypsy said smiling slightly.
"Don't worry we ain't forgotten you. The shop supposed to be around this next corner here." Spot said looking around. It reminded him a little of the warehouse district in Brooklyn except a whole lot dirtier and with fewer warehouse buildings.
"Cheerful place ain't it?" Gypsy asked.
"Makes me want to spend the night," Spot agreed looking around, "There it is," he said nodding towards a building darker in the shadows of the flickering light.
They approached the building cautiously with Spot in the lead. He boldly knocked on the door though he certainly wasn't feeling bold. What was this Venom girl supposed to look like? His imagination, although unbidden, created a large, muscular woman. He shuddered. If that was true then what about her supposed kindness? People personified Poison as kind sometimes and *that* certainly wasn't a word he would use to describe her.
The door opened a crack and a hoarse voice asked, "Password?"
"Buttons," Spots said a little uncertain. Who with the name like Venom have a password like 'buttons'? He would have expected a more.dangerous sounding password like-arsenic-but maybe the whole 'buttons' thing was a way to keep the lucky guessers from entering and allowing those with actual business to be allowed access. The door opened with a whisper of a creak.
"Come on in."
Standing in the doorway was a slight Asian woman no taller then Spot with straight black hair knotted at the base of her neck.
"Venom?" Specs asked a little incredulously.
"Yes?" the woman answered in a slight musical tone now that she was no longer whispering to disguise her sex.
"I.I.I was just checking that you were who we were supposed to see.I don't exactly trust the person who sent us here," Specs answered.
Spot glared at him.
"Yet you came. That in itself either shows some kind of trust or desperation," Venom said with a calm voice seemingly unaffected, "have a seat," she said to Gypsy while she went behind the counter to fetch a pair of glasses.
When she came back around she walked counter clockwise around Gypsy, "Mmmm, Poison has gotten herself into a mess this time hasn't she; sold to the wrong person. I warned her about doing that."
Specs looked triumphantly at Spot for a moment before asking, "Can you help her?"
"Of course, I wouldn't be much of an apothecary if the teacher couldn't fix the students mistake now would I?"
This time it was Spot who looked smugly triumphant, while Specs stuttered out an excuse. Venom continued to circle Gypsy like water circling the drain, coming closer and closer until Spot was sure if Venom got any closer to Gypsy she'd be knocked off the stool. Then, all at once, she stepped away and went behind the counter combining one thing with another with seeming reckless abandon before coming back and handing the mixture to her. She took the bowl with trembling hands and upended it quickly into her mouth swallowing before she could actually consciously recognize the flavor of the mixture for the good or the bad.
Venom was watching her like a hawk, "You're going to feel tired quite soon. You'd probably better stay here, your friends can come by in the morning to see how you are if you want and I can make sure there are no complications as to what happened. But she should be right as rain."
Gypsy nodded her head in agreement already beginning to feel sleepy, "I'll see you guys in the morning." She said right before yawning and being ushered out of the room by Venom.
"Tell Poison this goes on her list, she'll know what it means," Venom said over her shoulder before closing the door in their face.
"I guess this means we head back and you tell me what this problem is that you have with my girlfriend," Spot said turning back towards the way they had come. He was planning on giving Poison a piece of his mind when he got back to the lodging house for letting him think all those things about Venom and not saying a word about what she was *really* like. He sighed slightly as they walked back in uncomfortable silence towards the lodging house containing its sleepy occupants.