"You should be," Gabe said softly. There were reasons angels enjoyed posing as the homeless, the jobless, the wanderers. Places like this were beacons of light in darkness. They were built of hope. He smiled warmly at her. "I will. Thank you."
"Come on," Kelly said, and Gabe followed her toward into the lounge, slipping his hand in hers.
"Thanks for showing me around," he said with a smile equally as warm, but with a hint of mischief. Kelly's smile back was vaguely startled.
"It's okay," she said. "Well, this is the lounge. This whole building used to be this old hotel, so we've got a couple of big rooms around. This is the only public one; we've got others around the other floors so girls can hang around without risking anyone they don't know off the street just walking in ..."
Kelly knew a lot about the building. She had, as Janet had said, been around for a while--long enough for her time to be counted in years. She was the kind of person to ramble on a bit, but Gabe didn't mind. Everything he heard was one more thing to slot into place.
He asked her a few things about their policies, about how they handled certain situations. In particular he wanted to know how they'd react if one of their own turned out to be trouble, but he had to broach the subject carefully. From the way Kelly's face set when he did, it had happened before.
"We're here to help women," she said shortly. "Men are like ... like dogs, I guess. They've been badly conditioned. They need to relearn things. But when a woman comes in intending to use us without caring about the rest of the girls here, she's betraying everyone. Of course--" This was added rather bitterly. "--of course, that just means we get male cops in here claiming it's better for everyone to take someone or another away. It's hard to tell, when you can't trust either party, but given what goes on around here, it's better to err on the woman's side."
Gabe made a note of that. If the staff here found out what Marr had done, that she was an essential terrorist, they'd consider her a traitor for using them to her own ends. The problem would be that they'd have to prove that was what she was. These women had been hurt, and they were rightly suspicious of anyone claiming to take one of them away 'for their own good'.
He didn't ask what had brought Kelly there, but she volunteered it on her own. "It's nothing bad," she said. "Not compared to the others'. I was a backpacker. People would tell me I was dumb for travelling alone, but I looked at it as a way to stand up for my right to do it. I learned a lot from that. Comments, innuendos, people assuming things. One day I just needed a place to stay and this was all I could find. I just never left."
She noticed some of the questions he asked, about the building's layout. Its entrances, its exits. Noticed, but didn't ask about them, even though he could see the curiosity written all in her. As they walked she introduced him to a few of their staff, and a few of their longer-term residents who were now helping out--and even a few of the ones that still had darting eyes and nervous energy.
Gabe gave each of them a smile and a gentle hello, squeezing their hands if they'd accept the touch and giving them space if they didn't. By the time they reached the lobby again, he was certain that Kelly would recommend hiring him to Janet--if Janet hadn't already made that choice. Under other circumstances, it would have been an entirely enjoyable morning, and it had been even under these.
Except that he hadn't once seen Marr. He'd been introduced to one lady who had come in within the same timeframe, but he hadn't had a chance to try and talk to her, and he hadn't dared probe about anyone to whom he hadn't been directly introduced.
When they reached the main lounge again he turned to Kelly and squeezed her hands with a smile. "Thank you. That was fun. It's been a while since--Um." The smile turned wry. "Where I came from hope was a little thin on the ground. It's nice to see people doing something so positive."
"It's no trouble." She grinned and hugged him impulsively. "I'm expecting to see you here tomorrow. See you then, okay?"
"Okay!" Gabe laughed, hugged her back, and then let her go so she could head back to where she'd left her braiding. Then he went back to Janet's desk, intending to ask when he could start and give her what she'd requested--his thoughts.
no subject
"Come on," Kelly said, and Gabe followed her toward into the lounge, slipping his hand in hers.
"Thanks for showing me around," he said with a smile equally as warm, but with a hint of mischief. Kelly's smile back was vaguely startled.
"It's okay," she said. "Well, this is the lounge. This whole building used to be this old hotel, so we've got a couple of big rooms around. This is the only public one; we've got others around the other floors so girls can hang around without risking anyone they don't know off the street just walking in ..."
Kelly knew a lot about the building. She had, as Janet had said, been around for a while--long enough for her time to be counted in years. She was the kind of person to ramble on a bit, but Gabe didn't mind. Everything he heard was one more thing to slot into place.
He asked her a few things about their policies, about how they handled certain situations. In particular he wanted to know how they'd react if one of their own turned out to be trouble, but he had to broach the subject carefully. From the way Kelly's face set when he did, it had happened before.
"We're here to help women," she said shortly. "Men are like ... like dogs, I guess. They've been badly conditioned. They need to relearn things. But when a woman comes in intending to use us without caring about the rest of the girls here, she's betraying everyone. Of course--" This was added rather bitterly. "--of course, that just means we get male cops in here claiming it's better for everyone to take someone or another away. It's hard to tell, when you can't trust either party, but given what goes on around here, it's better to err on the woman's side."
Gabe made a note of that. If the staff here found out what Marr had done, that she was an essential terrorist, they'd consider her a traitor for using them to her own ends. The problem would be that they'd have to prove that was what she was. These women had been hurt, and they were rightly suspicious of anyone claiming to take one of them away 'for their own good'.
He didn't ask what had brought Kelly there, but she volunteered it on her own. "It's nothing bad," she said. "Not compared to the others'. I was a backpacker. People would tell me I was dumb for travelling alone, but I looked at it as a way to stand up for my right to do it. I learned a lot from that. Comments, innuendos, people assuming things. One day I just needed a place to stay and this was all I could find. I just never left."
She noticed some of the questions he asked, about the building's layout. Its entrances, its exits. Noticed, but didn't ask about them, even though he could see the curiosity written all in her. As they walked she introduced him to a few of their staff, and a few of their longer-term residents who were now helping out--and even a few of the ones that still had darting eyes and nervous energy.
Gabe gave each of them a smile and a gentle hello, squeezing their hands if they'd accept the touch and giving them space if they didn't. By the time they reached the lobby again, he was certain that Kelly would recommend hiring him to Janet--if Janet hadn't already made that choice. Under other circumstances, it would have been an entirely enjoyable morning, and it had been even under these.
Except that he hadn't once seen Marr. He'd been introduced to one lady who had come in within the same timeframe, but he hadn't had a chance to try and talk to her, and he hadn't dared probe about anyone to whom he hadn't been directly introduced.
When they reached the main lounge again he turned to Kelly and squeezed her hands with a smile. "Thank you. That was fun. It's been a while since--Um." The smile turned wry. "Where I came from hope was a little thin on the ground. It's nice to see people doing something so positive."
"It's no trouble." She grinned and hugged him impulsively. "I'm expecting to see you here tomorrow. See you then, okay?"
"Okay!" Gabe laughed, hugged her back, and then let her go so she could head back to where she'd left her braiding. Then he went back to Janet's desk, intending to ask when he could start and give her what she'd requested--his thoughts.