The Todd Prince
A Sweeney Todd Tale
By Stuart Ryo
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Chapter 2: Toby in the Doghouse
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Sunday
Still Day The Second
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The streets of London were his to control. He was unstoppable, powerful, inconceivable, invisible...
Or at least he would be if he hadn't chosen the ginger hair dye.
Stupid, stupid Mr. Todd.
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Toby sat on his bed and frowned, half because his leg felt like it had been broken, and half because he just realised how stupid he was.
Stupid, stupid Toby.
How could he have bet the pie shop on such a trivial thing? It seemed to him that he could never make up for it - until a loud scream downstairs brought him to his senses.
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Downstairs, Ruby grasped her sister by the arm and yanked her off the floor.
"What do you think you're doing?" she hissed in a deadly whisper, "we don't steal anything, all right? Do you want to go back to the workhouse again?"
Gina screamed as her sister's nails dug into her wrist. Ruby was only four years her senior, but she was already acting like an adult. "Well?" Ruby shook her sister, who caught a glimpse of a boy running down the stairs before she dropped to the floor. Gina looked at the newcomer, who was still struggling with Ruby. He smiled for a moment, just a moment. But it was long enough for Ruby to come up with an iron pan behind him. Gina screamed.
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Lovett ran, her feet carrying her of their own accord as she tried to track down Todd. Where could he be? He wouldn't stray far...
Suddenly she stopped dead. She realised what Mr. Todd would think if she tried to find him herself. He would never trust her again, and Mrs. Lovett had gotten into a friendship with her neighbour. She wasn't prepared to let that go.
Turning, she walked away, but not back home. If she was going tosave her shop, she needed some outside help.
And she knew just where to find it.
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Toby awoke on the cold floor and tried to remember exactly why he was there. He had heard intruders downstairs and gone down..they must have knocked him out...he vaguely remembered a pretty face framed by auburn curls before he had passed out. Gingerly, he felt the back of his head. Nothing seemed to be broken or anything, so he assumed he was alright.
Still, better safe than sorry. He took a coat from upstairs and opened the door. He'd never trusted the hospitals, so there was only one place to go.
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Antoine looked up from his counter to see Mrs. Lovett standing there imperiously. He beamed.
"Nellie, how nice to see you."
"Don't try to mess me about, you toad, you know what I need." The woman scowled.
"Of course. Come this way." The frenchman swept a curtain aside and allowed Lovett through.
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It was a strange place. Antoine had knocked down a wall in his pharmacy and discovered an abandoned warehouse. Nowadays, it was a small village of tents and pipework that encompassed three stories.
Mrs. Lovett didn't care for any of the wares being offered, or any of the services and qualifications being called out by croaky voices. She only wanted the services of one grous in particular.
If they needed to hide here, then they obviously weren't legal.
They were the Autumn Leaves, most notorious spies in the criminal underground,
Needless to say, Lovett didn't trust them one bit. But at least they got the job done without any hassle.
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Antoine looked up from his counter again to find two girls standing there, out of breath.
"Gina, Ruby, I trust you have finished your...research?"
Ruby nodded, then walked forwards. Antoine moved to block her way.
"Not just yet, my petal. I believe you still owe me something."
Ruby scowled, then thrust her fist inside her coat and slammed a wad of banknotes on the counter.
The Frenchman smiled. "Excellent. Now, if you would be so kind to pay on time next week? I need to make a profit too you know, and I really wouldn't want to turn any of you out on the streets."
"I don't care what you say you want, Antoine. I know you'd throw us out very easily."
Antoine's face took on a hurt expression. "You really think that of me?" he asked. "Oh no, certainly not. You see, you are what separates me from all the other criminal informants out there. You have style. They don't."
Ruby just stood in the archway; Gina had already gone through. "Don't you think I know that?" she smiled, before vanishing into the depths of the warehouse.
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Toby, meanwhile, had taken a different route into our warehouse. He knew exactly where to find the stall he was looking for. Finally he emerged at the entrance of an extravagant but slightly grotty-looking tent. The sign above read: 'Docthor Vladamir, Qaulity Sturgeon'.
Toby just sighed and walked into the tent. Perhaps he would point out the spelling mistakes later.
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Vladimir tapped Toby's head, then straightened up with a satisfied expression. "Vell Toby," he intoned with a thick Transylvanian accent, "there is nofink wrong with you. Still, I suppose you must 'ave been vorried, eh?"
Toby jumped off the wooden table. "Thanks Doc," he said, then ran out.
And straight into the girl coming in.
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The swinger, however small he was, in Mr. Todd leapt up as he entered the crowded and noisy club. Two scantily dressed women danced about on a small stage, while a group of drunks in the corner shouted out various obscenities as they swigged back pint after pint of beer.
Todd ignored everyone as he sat down at the bar.
"Hi!" came a voice behind him. He whipped round to find an attractive (it must be said, enormously well-endowed in the bosom area) and black-haired woman. She gestured behind her.
"My friend really fancies you," she said. Todd looked around her to find an equally attractive but brown-haired woman sitting on a table. She waved to him.
He grinned. It looked promising, at the very least.
That gave a chance for the unassuming pickpocket to nip into his back pocket. He whipped around as her friend ran away. To her suprise, this..this ginger stranger just smiled disarmingly.
"How about a haircut?" he asked. "Free of charge."
Inside Mr. Todd was angry. But, he reasoned, at least Mrs. Lovett would be happy in the morning.
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Very Early Monday
Day the Third
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Todd sighed as the chair tilted back towards him. He set about cleaning.
It was just not going well for him so far.
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Mrs. Lovett smiled downstairs, in spite of herself. She had sabotaged Mr. Todds efforts, gotten rid of a pickpocket and replenished her meat supply in one stroke.
It was all going according to plan.
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End of Chapter Two.
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