Lucy Martin<br/>Location: The GPC – Split Bean<br/>Tagged: Dylan Murphy<br/><br/>He began to describe his place, at least she assumed it was what his place looked like, and Lucy could feel the star struck expression cross her face. It sounded like something she would see in a movie, but it was a place here, in the same building she was living in. The entire moment seemed plucked from the silver screen. His hand covering hers’, in this place, as they talked, as he asked her out was as if it had been scripted, meant to be seen others, while a  romantic melody played in the background. It was her dream. Hearing him talk about it made her realize she was closer than she thought.<br/><br/>Before she even thought about it, the words came from her mouth. “I’d love to see it sometime.” Instantly she felt embarrassed and thought he might think she was pushing herself on him. “I mean,” she blurted out, attempting to recover the conversation. “I’d like to see it..first hand..you know.” She didn’t need a mirror to know she was blushing. The thought of being in his condo was a nice one, if she was being honest. It was a certain level of intimacy to see where someone lived. From what he had described, it was every bit what she thought his home would be.<br/><br/>“Maybe I could bring a bottle of wine or a plant or something.”  She felt awkward adding that last part in. Her gaze fell to his hand over her own. He was still warm, and his hands were so soft. Did he use lotion? It probably cost more than she spent on food for a week. Wanting to change the tracks with her train of thoughts, she looked back up to him. “ You find it admirable that I’ve set out on my own like I have. You were a cop. I find that admirable. You put your life on the line for others, people you don’t even know. That’s true bravery. Sure you got paid for it, but that couldn’t possibly cover for things you could have lost. I thank you for your service. It takes a special man to do what you did.”  Feeling better, more confident, Lucy decided to step out a bit further on the shaky limb she thought she was perched upon. “I meant what I said. A bottle of win sometime, maybe some cheese and crackers, a night taking in the sights of the evening sky. It’s another reason I love it here. The scenery. Sure we’ve got the smog, but not too far from the city is the most beautiful countryside you’ve ever seen. You see here we’re in the city, close to everything, but the country isn’t too far away. It’s easy to take a ride out there and just,” she took a deep breath, “breathe.” A smile spread across her face. “That’s something I’ve been telling myself to do a lot lately. Just breathe.”<br/><br/>Charlie (Sky) Winchester<br/>Location: Alley 74 and the inside of GPC<br/><br/>Charlie took a moment, noticing the thinning crowds, to look inside her hat. She had a good take for the morning, so much so, that she began to think about how to spend some of her earnings.  ‘Carrots. I’d love some carrots. Those won’t go bad out here, and I can eat from them for a little while. I could go inside and,’ her thoughts halted. ‘Me? Go inside this place for more than the bathroom?’ She sighed and looked out at all the people passing. ‘Why not? I’ve got money. So what if I don’t have a place to live?’ Putting Strings away in his tattered case, she snatched up her hat and took a bow. “Thank you ladies and gentlemen. I’ll be back. It’s time for a break.” She headed towards the door where Charlie was already shaking his head. “I can’t let you in. Come on. I’m already putting my job on the line by letting you in to use my bathroom.” Charlie tilted her head. “Come on Charlie. I’ve got money. Isn’t it good for the local economy if I go inside and spend some? Don’t you have an organic food store in there? I gotta eat, unless you’re gonna start bringing me food too. Plus ice cream Charlie! Do you know how long it’s been since I tasted the sweet, cold goodness that is ice cream? I could cool off in there, sit down for a minute, and buy some food, and then I’ll be out. Come on,” she nudged him. “You know you want to let me in. I won’t cause any trouble. I’ll say you were in the bathroom when I slipped in. Please Charlie. I just want to be like everybody else for a little bit. I spend my whole day, my whole life, not being like them. Let me be like them for a little bit.” She widened her eyes at him, smiling from ear to ear. It must have melted his heart because he opened the door and let her in. “Thanks Charlie,” she said, leaning up to kiss his cheek. It seemed more grand every time she went inside, but today there were other things on her mind. She looked through the glass doors where the strong aroma of coffee was filtering from. It was tempting, but no. She had other things on her mind. The sign on the wall told her what floors certain amenities were located at. Her eyes widened at the knowledge there was a library here. “Wow,” she whispered. “I’d love to spend some time in there. Ice cream. Yeah. That’s the ticket. Some of that, then this organic place.” With a nod, she headed off towards the ice cream shop.<br/><br/>As the door opened, she felt the rush of cold air and shivered slightly. There was someone at the counter already. That was fine. It would give her time to take in the place. She already knew what she wanted. Butter Pecan. It was her favorite growing up. Charlie carefully set Strings and his case down on a table and began to take off her coat. She pushed up her sleeves and spread her arms out, reveling in the cold. The weather outside was blistering, but it certainly wasn’t as comfortable as it was inside. “Aaaahhhhh,” she exhaled, loving the cold. Charlie liked it in here. Deciding she didn’t want to be on her feet, she sat down at the table Strings was on and waited. She was homeless, yes, but she wasn’t rude. There was no way she would jump in front of the girl already waiting. Besides this gave her more time to be inside, to really be a part of Gramercy.