|
|
Post by Avalanche on Jul 24, 2008 14:00:43 GMT -5
He just smiled. "Hey hey now don't go gettin all shy on me just 'cause ya lost. Takes more courage to admit that ya need help than ta refuse it and do it on ya own." He looked her up and down once. "Look at you I thought you was a native, proved me wrong," he said with a small smile to her.
"Well, I wouldn't have any problem helpin' ya find ya way home, that is dependin' on where ya goin'. Believe you me, you dont' wanna get yaself lost in New York at night. Anywhere in New York mostly but... Bronx streets ain't the safest ones ta be on, once the sun goes down." He was just trying to be nice. She could refuse his help if she wanted to, and he'd take no offense.
|
|
|
|
Post by Alexandreia Halliway on Jul 24, 2008 14:31:33 GMT -5
Lexi certainly wasn't going to refuse the help, she knew most cities weren't safe but she had no idea how bad the Bronx was and she wasn't willing to find out. "That would be great." She smiled, "What made you think I was a native?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Avalanche on Jul 24, 2008 14:39:38 GMT -5
"The way ya stand and carry ya self. Hell for all you woulda known I woulda grabbed ya and carted ya off ta my evil lair and done who knows what. But you stood and fought back like a true New York goil, not some new kid," he explained. "Plus ya just sorta blend in, which is good in dis city," he explained.
"Alright, so let's get Lexi home... where is ya home kid?" he asked her with a smile. He called everyone kid, if he thought or knew they were younger than him, they were automatically 'kid'. It was an old habbit, that was all.
|
|
|
|
Post by Alexandreia Halliway on Jul 24, 2008 15:41:04 GMT -5
It took a lot more than calling Lexi kid to offend her. She just smiled, "The newsgirls lodging house in the Bronx. I don't think I've wondered out of my part of the city....or at least I hope not." Lexi laughed and pushed hair off of her face, "Thank you so much for offering to take me home. Even though you did try to push me in the river." She was just joking and it showe din her eyes.
|
|
|
|
Post by Avalanche on Jul 25, 2008 11:35:16 GMT -5
"It's my pleasure miss," he said with a small laugh. "Honest, any time you get lost, if ya can find me I can getcha anywhere ya wanna go," he reassured her.
"And no, ya ain't wondered out of the Bronx, close! But not quite," he laughed a little. "Alright, so, you're a newsie?" he said. After all, since she lived in the Newsies Lodging House, it was a fair assumption. "Under the ever Artful Dodger," he said with a smile. "You makin' it alright doin' that?" he asked. It didn't make too much sense to ask a newsie if they liked their job, it was better to ask, in Avalanche's opinion, if you were making enough money to survive.
|
|
|
|
Post by Alexandreia Halliway on Jul 25, 2008 13:43:47 GMT -5
Lexi raised an eyebrow at his question, "We make it just fine." Of course, they used to have more money in Jersey City when she'd gamble. For some reason she had good luck with cards and when she didn't she knew how to win by distracting the other players or just out right cheating. She wasn't gambling anymore though and she refused to play poker, that's why they moved here. Lexi wasn't willing to get into the same kind of trouble again. "Where do you work?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Avalanche on Jul 25, 2008 13:56:18 GMT -5
"Docks," he said in a one word answer. "Down in Brooklyn, unloadin' the ships and all that," he explained. "A lotta guys who get too old ta be newsies get hired down there b'cause their already strong, and don't ask for much money because they ain't used ta havin' much. So they pay ya enough ta eat, and reference ya ta a cheap apartment building, and ya set 'less you can find somethin' bettah ta do," he explained. Though of most of the other jobs in the world you needed some prior knowledge or training before you can do them.
"So... lemme see," he said thinking about it. 'If you ain't a New York native... my guess... well you probably came from somewhere close ta here... Vermont maybe?" he asked looking at her with a curious and playfully charming smile.
|
|
|
|
Post by Alexandreia Halliway on Jul 25, 2008 14:08:52 GMT -5
Lexi laughed, "Not quite, Jersey City." She smiled and pushed her hair back off her face again, wishing she'd tied it back this morning before she left. She was incredibly curious about the dock work, but figured he didn't want to talk about work. It didn't sound like the best job and she hoped neither Reid nor Perry ended up there when they were older. "Isn't Brooklyn some distance from here?"
She wasn't positive where all the boroughs were but if she was still in the Bronx then Brooklyn had to be a distance because she felt like she'd walked forever before she'd ended up here. "How'd you end up coming across me?" As soon as she asked she felt like maybe it wasn't her place, "I'm sorry I tend to let my mouth run away from me. It isn't my place to be so nosey."
|
|
|
|
Post by Avalanche on Jul 25, 2008 14:57:53 GMT -5
Avalanche smiled brightly at her. "It ain't bein' nosey askin' someone that," he said. "I mean... if I didn't wanna tell ya I wouldn't, but that'd be dumb," he said shaking his head. "Naw, I was on my way ta see the Artful Dodger myself," he said with a small smile. "He's an old friend of mine, and a good guy. Hadn't seen him in a while, so I thought i'd swing by and say hello," that and he wanted to know how the newsies were doing in general. He'd heard angry talk on the way there, and was curoius as to why.
"Jersey Huh? No wonder you look like a New York Native, that's about as close to this city as ya gonna get without acctually runnin' inta it," he said with a smirk. "You all alone in dis city? I mean... well that was a dumb way ta put it I guess. What I mean is, any of ya family 'round here?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Alexandreia Halliway on Jul 25, 2008 15:29:30 GMT -5
"Two brothers, actually, running around here somewhere. Probably back at the house by now though, I decided to wonder off on my own for now. Plenty of free time, what with the raise with the papes and all. I can't afford to be putting out more than we're making like that." Lexi twirled a piece of hair around her finger as she rambled on, she tended to get lost in her thoughts and go off on randomn tangents. "I was looking for a job earlier, but there doesn't seem to be much work here besides factories."
Wrinkling her nose at the thought, Lexi shook her head, "Which I'm not entirely willing to do at this point. Maybe I'm just looking in the wrong area." Lexi sighed and a slight frown came across her face before she looked back at Avalanche and planted a smile on it. "So how'd you meet Dodger?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Avalanche on Jul 28, 2008 8:59:12 GMT -5
Avalanche couldn't help but chuckle. He was a bit curious about those brothers of hers, but decided not to ask too many personal questions, sometimes they were the ones that hurt the most. "Job huh?" he decided to take that part of the conversation instead. "Well, I know sometimes the shops around here look for girls ta work b'hind the counters and stuff. Maybe in the back room. Depends on how annoyin' ya wanna be," he said laughing a little. "Go in, and see if they got any positions available, and b'fore they say yes or no, start listin' off what cha good at, or how ya'd be a good person ta hire," he smiled a little. "Just... careful, and make sure ya talk to the manager, not another clerk or worker or somethin'," he informed her before she went around telling her life story to every New Yorker.
"How do ya not meet Dodger?" he asked laughing. "I knew Dodger, and a lotta the long time newsies when they was pretty young. I used ta be Queens Leadah, b'fore I got too old to really be a newsie anymore. Loses it's... simplicity with age," he confessed. "Dodger and I have been good friends for years," he added.
|
|
|
|
Post by Alexandreia Halliway on Jul 28, 2008 10:11:46 GMT -5
Lexi nodded, taking his advice in, she hadn't really gone into many of the stores but that was a good idea. When she got back to the lodging house tonight, she'd have to make a list of things she was good at and reasons why they should hire her. That way she'd be prepared tomorrow when she went looking again. Most of what he was saying was common sense, she wasn't sure why she hadn't thought of it herself. Probably because she really didn't want to have to get a job like that. Then again who knew, maybe with a job like that she wouldn't have to go back to selling papers if the price eventually went back down. "I guess I should do that now, before the other newsies decide to start doing it. Thanks for the advice though, it's always nice to hear it from people who aren't family."
Lexi nodded when he started talking about Dodger, it made her sad to think that most of her friends that she'd known for years she'd left in Jersey City. Then again she'd always have her brothers and thats really what matters most. "Big, mighty leader, huh?" Lexi grinned at him and nodded along with what he was saying. "I know what you mean, I feel like I'm getting to old to continue selling papers, but it's just so easy at this point. I don't think I'll go back to selling papers, I have my family to think about." Usually she wasn't this open with people she just met, but there was something about Avalanche that made her feel completely comfortable. Besides she doubted that what she was saying was that personal.
|
|
|
|
Post by Avalanche on Jul 28, 2008 11:01:51 GMT -5
Avalanche smiled. "Hey any time, it's what I'm here for, and good at," he added with a slight chuckle. "He thought about soething for a moment, and realized what she had said. "Hold on," he sometimes got so wrapped up in what he was saying he forgot to listen, "the price went up again?" That was annoying... He groaned, because he knew how this was going to end, and it was badly. "So, how high did they push it up this time huh?" he was nearly afraid to ask.
Avalanche nodded. "And I ain't gonna lie ta ya, it's hard, if you've been sellin' papes for years to wake up in and realize that ya gotta get to somewhere other than Distribution. Gives you a weird feeling..." Avalanche's whole life had been the newsies, so when he out grew it... and was technically an adult? Avalanche never fully grew up, he was still a kid at heart, or that's how he acted, didn't mean he didn't have a serious side, but to him, life had always seemed like some odd dream that he could wake up from at any moment, so he made the dream the way he wanted it to be. He couldn't quite explain growing up... because he didn't want that. Avalanche was New York's Peter Pan.
|
|
|
|
Post by Alexandreia Halliway on Jul 28, 2008 11:25:37 GMT -5
Lexi frowned a bit, "Ten cents to the hundred. I heard that's what they raised it last time. Its bad enough if you gotta feed yourself but with two brothers too I really can't afford it." Hence the reason she was out looking for a job. "It isn't right that they do that, not right at all. There are so many kids starving on the streets and they raise the prices, just for an extra couple pennies in their pockets." Lexi shook her head, powerful men were mind boggling to her. They always thought about that extra dime when they could be thinking about the harm their causing the working class. Of course, that'd be asking to much of them.
With a sigh, Lexi tried to give him a smile, "I know, I've been selling papes as long as I can remember. Now though it's gonna be hard and I need to find something to feed my family." Lexi was not looking forward to giving up her freedom, but she supposed that's what happened when you decided to grow up. She had responsibilities to live up to and she wasn't going to disappoint again like she had in Jersey City. She'd always chosen the easy way out and all it had earned her was misery and she knew that she'd have to work hard to be able to achieve the things she needed to.
|
|
|
|
Post by Avalanche on Jul 28, 2008 12:25:29 GMT -5
"Eh, people that old and that stupid are always the guys they put in charge," he said with a chuckle. 'Ya wanna decent leadah? Make Jack Kelly the head of the New York World... now there's a guy who'd do the job some dignity." But Avalanche had a lot of respect for Jack Kelly, especially since the man got back from Santa Fe, he learned things there and grew up. Avalanche thought highly of him personally.
"Hey now there girly," he said with a bright charming smile aimed straight at her. "Just 'cause ya gotta find a different job dun mean ya can't keep ya old friends," he reminded her. "Why my best friends is still newsies! And I ain't been peddlin' papes for years," he reminded her. "Dun you go forgettin' the little people... 'cause it's the little people who ain't nevah gonna forget about youse.
"So!" he said as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Where ya gonna start lookin' for work at? There's a lotta stores around the Bronx, and a few more in Queens even. Brooklyn is pretty tough I'd avoid that, and Manhattan seems a bit overrun acctually." He was trying to help her find a place where she could work, and not get ignored at every shop she went into.
|
|
