Chaotic Kids

Quinn: "All right, I'll start over here." I said, heading towards one hallway. He was probably right, not looking through at all was likely a waste of time. I paused for a minute, thinking I'd heard something move, but dismissed it and started searching through the rooms. It wasn't loud and it could be anything. Rats were a likely culprit, but a lucky stray cat or a raccoon or opossum or something could just as easily be holing up in any given building. Probably nothing. And it seemed like most of these rooms contained a whole lot of nothing.... unless you count dust, anyways. I kept moving down the hall, opening doors and taking a quick look through for anything visibly useful. I was skeptical about finding anything but I'd finish the hall anyways.

Renee

Working up my courage, I opened the door just a little so that I could peer out. My other hand was gripping the strap of my bag as tightly as it could. Immediately, I froze. Stepping into one of the doors off the hallway was a boy, one I'd never met. I debated staying where I was for a moment, then dismissed the idea.

If they were searching the rooms as they'd said, then that meant staying where I was would be just as risky as darting out into the hall. Decision made, I kept an eye on the room he'd disappeared into and slipped through the doorway, attempting to make as little sound as possible.

Quinn: Another room, another load of.... yeah. Nothing. I was getting really bored at this point. Time to finish the rest of these rooms real fast and go find somewhere more interesting....

I spun back and headed out into the hallway right in time to spot..... a girl?! My eyes widened a little, surprised. Clearly it was NOT rats I'd heard moving earlier. "Sneaking around, huh?" I said as loudly as possible without yelling and hoping Riley would hear. "Just what're you doing here?"

Renee

I almost dropped my bag when he spotted me and I spun to face him. Panic fled through me and I gripped the cloth packet I'd been holding in my other hand just a bit tighter. From what I'd heard, they didn't live here, so maybe I could...
I put on my best intimidating expression, which probably wasn't much, and pulled myself up to my full height.
"I could-" I began, pausing to clear my throat when my voice cracked. "I could ask you the same thing."
At that same time I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and turned just enough to see what it was. Another boy, similar looking to the first, had appeared at the end of the hall. My escape route was thoroughly cut off. Wonderful.

Quinn: I laughed a little. She was trying to be intimidating. It was cute, but not very effective. "You could, but you're not exactly in any kind of position to be asking questions here." I pointed out, noticing Riley'd shown up. She was stuck and there was no talking her way out of this. There probably wasn't any need to hurt her, she didn't seem to be much of a threat (although there was always a chance that that appearance could be deceiving), but she could be useful. She might have something hidden here, or have something on her person that we could take. "What's in the bag?" I asked, nodding towards her backpack. If she co-operated.... great. If not, well, we could always just take it and find out. Even if it was just socks that didn't have holes in them or other small basics, that was something.... but she'd been trying pretty hard to not get caught, so maybe there was something more valuable in there.

Renee

I opened my mouth, then shut it, searching for a good, believable answer that wouldn't include them looking inside my bag. I wasn't actually sure how much of what I had on me I had sold the day before, I couldn't really remember much about what I'd done then- my cloth pouch could be blamed for that.
"My clothes," I declared after a moment.
It would seem that my attempt at being intimidating hadn't worked. Racking my mind for an escape, I realized that being caught what must have been outside of the usual territory had to be bad. No one messed with me typically, so I didn't really carry weapons on me. I had a small switchblade in my backpack, but that was it. People knew me and knew not to mess with me because of who I worked for.

Quinn: I raised an eyebrow, disbelieving. I glanced back at Riley briefly. "What do you think, hmm? I think she's lying, but you might be able to tell better than I can." I admitted. It wouldn't be smart to lie, but it also wouldn't be unusual and it seemed like that'd taken her an awful long time to answer. But then, I was better at bashing people's heads in than reading them. "You know if you're lying we're just going to take your stuff anyways, right?" I said, sighing. "It would make things a lot easier for everyone, you included, if you'd just co-operate."

Renee

"I think your right," the other boy agreed sending my stress levels soaring even higher.

What would happen if I just gave in and handed the bag over? If I lost everything I'd be in a bit of trouble. I was his favorite, though, so maybe it wouldn't be as bad as it could be. He'd probably raise my quota. Maybe lower the amount I was allowed to use personally. Maybe not give me my cut of the food for the day? Nothing too awfully horrible- nothing that I hadn't had happen before.
I clutched the bag tighter as I debated the idea in my head.

"For once," the other boy added as a seemingly after thought. "You're being right is a pretty rare thing."

Coming to a decision, I allowed the bag to slid from my shoulder but I kept a hand on the strap. Pushing away my reservations, I tossed it in the first boy's direction.

"Fine. Take a look."

Quinn: I shot a brief glare at Riley. "Shut up..." I grumbled, catching the bag as it was tossed over. "Well, thanks. This saves us both a lot of hassle...." I said, pleasantly surprised that she'd actually complied. I unzipped the backpack, taking a look inside. "WELL then. Looks like coming in here wasn't a total waste of time after all." I said, pleasantly surprised by the contents. "We'll be keeping this...." I said, tossing the bag back to Riley. "Is there anything else, or is that it, hmm?" I questioned. If there were other valuables she'd kept hidden I'd take those, too.

Renee

I scowled, clutching the small cloth pouch a little tighter in my hand, hoping that it was small enough not to be seen, but doubting it at the same time. Of course he was keeping it and of course he wanted whatever else I had. That's just how things worked. I winced just slightly when the sound of the other boy catching the bag reached my ears. The bag was definitely out of my reach now.

"That's it. No need to worry that you don't have everything," I snapped, hoping I sounded a bit more intimidating than before. It might have been a lost cause, but I could at least try. "I guess if you're going to be an ass, you have to be a complete one, don't you?"

I wasn't one for open confrontation, but I also wasn't one for losing everything I'd earned. My fighting skills were few and far between, and I was completely aware of that matter, but that didn't mean I couldn't pretend to think I could back up my tongue.

Quinn: "Of course. That's just how I roll." I said. Being an ass was in my bloodlines, its what I was good at. Though I was good at being observant too, sometimes.... and I hadn't missed the fact that she was holding something. "You say I've got everything, but YOU still have something in your hands.... let's see it."

I wasn't about to pass up an opportunity or leave behind anything valuable.... especially today, what with mom probably waiting to skin me as soon as I got home.

Renee

I gritted my teeth, staring at him for a long moment as I attempted to make up my mind. Settling on what was probably a stupid decision, I tucked the pouch in my pant-line the best I could, then rose a brow in his direction.
Again, open confrontation wasn't my thing, but was he really going to stick his hand down a random girl's pants just to get what she has on her? I'd like to wager not. I'd met a lot of those sorts, he didn't strike me as the type. Well, I hoped.
"You already have my bag," I informed him irritably. "Be happy with that."

Quinn: Inwardly, I was groaning. Really? She was going to play this game? I REALLY didn't want to injure her or have to go anywhere awkward for whatever she was hiding but if she was THIS desperate to keep it it had to be worth something, right? I was torn. I looked to Riley questioningly, looking for any kind of signal or feedback. Should we quit while we were ahead or was it worth it to try and get everything? I really wasn't sure, and I didn't really want conflict unless it was really necessary, especially with where she'd just stuck whatever it was she wanted to keep...

Renee

When he didn't do anything, I allowed a slightly smug expression to appear on my face. Apparently my move hadn't been as stupid as I thought. I turned slightly, so that I could keep an eye on both of them. The other boy had a small frown on his face, as if he was debating whether or not to go ahead and take it.
"Look," I said slowly. "I don't want a fight, you don't want a fight, you already have that entire bag. I'd say we're good, wouldn't you? Just leave me be and no one will have to feel awkward or violated because you just had to have that last little bit of stuff."

Quinn: It wasn't worth it. We still had a whole day ahead of us to find other stuff and a pouch that little couldn't have much in it. We already had the whole bag. I didn't feel like reaching down some girl's pants for very little actual gain. I frowned a little but backed off. "Let's go." I said to Riley. "We've got enough here...."

Renee

I could help it as my smug smile grew a bit larger.
"I'm glad your capable of reason," I commented cheerily, then paused, considering whether or not to continue on. "Hey, you wouldn't leave a girl without protection, would you? My switchblade is in that bag. I'd appreciate it if I could get it back. It'd be your own fault if I got hurt without it."
If I ran into some customers on my way home and didn't have anything to sell, I'd realized, things might get a little nasty.

Quinn: I glared a little at the girl, what little patience I ever had wearing pretty thin. "Like we'd really arm you? Sorry chickie. Its time that you need to be happy with what you've got. You're just going to have to make do." I said. Even with a knife she probably wouldn't be a match for both of us but people did stupid things when they were armed and she was probably a little cocky right now already. I wasn't about to give her back her weapon. I might be stupid but I wasn't THAT stupid.