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Post by Avalanche on Jul 30, 2008 11:16:37 GMT -5
Avalanche smiled. "Sounds like a good kid," he said nodding. "How old is he?" Avalanche knew there were a few kids in Queens who were a bit younger. If Perry was looking for a few friends, he could easily find some there.
"Well anywhere ya go there are gonna be some people who are not all together friendly. Just the way the world works. The important thing to do is remember that even if they ain't friendly, you can be. And the nicer you are, the more confused they get. Infact, sometimes just being a good person is the best defence in the world." He smiled charmilngly at her. "However, i happen to think you're a wonderfully nice person," he added.
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Post by Alexandreia Halliway on Jul 30, 2008 11:49:12 GMT -5
That red tinge was back creeping its way up her neck. "Thanks Avalanche. I hope other people think so to."Mostly she hoped she had convinced her brother she was going to remain this way and not revert to the person she had been in Jersey City at the end. "I'm sure the girls here are lovely, so I bet it'll be real easy to make new friends."
Lexi paused her thoughts on her family, "Perry's seven, which in my opinion is a wonderful age. He's got the biggest imagination and finds everything about this city to be wonderful and adventurous." Lexi smiled at Avalanche, "He's a great kid." It was obvious that she thought the world of him and would do anything for him.
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Post by Avalanche on Jul 30, 2008 11:54:02 GMT -5
Avalanche could see her blushing and it made him smile to be honest. But when she spoke of her brother he took on a more serious tone. "Seven is a great age," he agreed. "Just be careful. I dun wanna scare ya, but kids that young somtimes get taken to the orphanage if they think they ain't got no parents, home, or family. I've seen 'em take kids far older than seven, but they take the younger ones, because they think their less likely to make it on their own," he explained. "Like I said I dun mean ta scare ya, just warnin' ya," he advised her. "But it really sounds like you got a great family. And, no offense, but it's obvious you care about 'em quite a lot."
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Post by Alexandreia Halliway on Jul 30, 2008 12:10:36 GMT -5
Lexi nodded, her face becoming tight at the mention of her brother being taken to an orphanage. She'd heard stories from a couple of girls about the orphanages in New York and had heard that they were worse than the ones in Jersey City by far. "They're the same way in Jersey City. It's why I tell him he always has to stay with me or Reid." It's also why in the back of her head she always worries about him when he isn't with her. She knows Reid would never mean to jeaporidize their family but he tended to be a little careless when it came to Perry, thinking the kid needed to be out more and enjoy his youth without his siblings hovering over him twenty-four, seven.
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Post by Avalanche on Jul 30, 2008 13:55:27 GMT -5
Avalanche listened. "Well from what I gather he's probably a very smart kid who would know better than to get himself carted off. From the way you talk, he sounds like a real smart boy," he said nodding. "I'm sure he's gonna be just fine," he said reassuring her.
"How old is your other brother?" he asked as they continued walking along. He wanted to hear about her family. It was an odd mix of emotion for him, he wanted to learn about her, but when she talked it reminded him of his family which both made him happy and sad. Lucky for him, he hid it rather well. His charming smile was able to conseal nearly anything.
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Post by Alexandreia Halliway on Jul 30, 2008 14:11:49 GMT -5
"You're right I know he knows better than to go off by himself, doesn't stop me from worrying about him though." Lexi tended to worry herself to death, which is what made her turn to alcohol in the first place. Dealing with being thrust into adulthood hadn't worked for her and she'd fallen apart and resorted to gambling to try to support her family.
"Reid's fifteen, but he acts older than he is. He's helped out more than I can say since we've been on our own." She didn't delve into what had happened to cause them to have to take care of themselves. One thing she wasn't ever willing to talk about was her father and her mother. "Here I am rambling about my family, not even bothering to ask about yours. Anyone special in your life?" She meant family or not because she knew a lot of newsies didn't have the kind of family that she did.
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Post by Avalanche on Jul 30, 2008 14:17:06 GMT -5
Avalanche smiled and listened as she talked about her family. He wasn't going to ask about being on their own, the only thing he'd ever ask about that is how they were managing. Newsies and former newsies alike know that you don't ask about another newsie's past. The reason half of them have nicknames is to forget about the lives they left behind.
When she asked if Avalanche had anyone special in his life he thought for a moment. "No," he said shaking his head. "The people I'm closest to are the Queens newsies, and that's just because I used ta be one of 'em. Beyond that... I had a brother and sister once, but that's about it," he said as though it was no big deal. But he hadn't seen them in years, and could only imagine where they were now.
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Post by Alexandreia Halliway on Jul 30, 2008 14:25:15 GMT -5
Lexi wanted to ask him about them but by his response she figured she shouldn't. Althought he acted as though he didn't mind not seeing them, she couldn't imagine that that was the truth, but she wasn't going to pry. He had given her the respect of not prying and she would return the favor. "It's nice to know you always have someone to talk to and I suppose thats what the Queens newsies are for you, huh?" Lexi still hadn't found someone who she would share her secrets with but she doubted that most newsies did. A lot of things that happened to them just weren't things you wanted to share with others. She didn't even tell Reid the full story about what had occurred the night she'd come home looking like she'd been tossed about like a rag doll.
"Well you've got someone new now who isn't a Queens newsie." She smiled at him, she felt so comfortable with him it's like they were old friends and she hoped he felt the same way. Not that she expected to hear his life story but if he ever needed someone to talk to or if he just wanted to get away from Brooklyn she would welcome a visit from him.
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Post by Avalanche on Jul 30, 2008 14:31:52 GMT -5
Avalanche smiled. "You're a sweet girl," he said nodding. "Kinda glad I saved your life," he added with a laugh. Alexandreia was easy to talk to if nothing else, or maybe it was just his imagination. Avalanche was usually an easy talking person.
"So," he said trying to get off the topic of himself and such (he was not one of his favorite topics), "where are your brothers this evening? Or, do you know?" he asked. It was just a curious question. What do newsies with a family do when they aren't out selling papers, or with their friends. He wondered just a little.
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Post by Alexandreia Halliway on Jul 30, 2008 14:54:32 GMT -5
Lexi smiled at his compliment before bursting into laughter at his next comment. "Saved my life, indeed!" She said with slight indignation in her tone, but she was just joking. Lexi shook her head and grinned up at him pushing her hair back.
"Perry's been saying he wants to go the park all week so I'm assuming that's where Reid took him today. I know he wanted to check around for some work but I told him I didnt want him working in a factory." Lexi despised the idea of her brother working those long hours in such a dangerous enviroment.
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Post by Avalanche on Jul 30, 2008 15:08:51 GMT -5
Avalanche nodded. "I have to agree, a factory is one of the more dangerous places for kids in this city to work. Not that bein' a newsie is exactly like livin' like a King, but it's at least a little bit safer without all that macheinery," he advised her. "So long as ya stay off the streets at night, it's almost safer," he added.
"Alright, well speaking of jobs," he said. "When you go around lookin' for one tomorrow, what cha gonna tell 'em?" He had advised her to just start naming off reasons she'd be good for the company, or where ever she was applying, so, he wanted to know what her reliable qualities were that she intended to "reel off."
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Post by Alexandreia Halliway on Jul 31, 2008 8:49:08 GMT -5
Lexi nodded in agreement with what he was saying, "That's what I'm afraid of with factories, the machinary. I've heard so many things about the factories that I could never imagine him working there, I would do nothing but constantly worry." She looked around, things were starting to look a little more familiar so they must be getting somewhat close to the lodging house.
"That I'm early to rise and late to bed so they can expect me to work as long as they need me too and they can rely on me to be on time and be there everyday." Lexi smiled and started listing off qualities about herself, "I'm a hard worker, I learn quickly, I can work all day without resting. I've got plenty of experience with that one since I've been working as a newsie so long." She paused, unsure of what more to say, "I suppose depending on where I go I may embelish a bit about my experience."
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Post by Avalanche on Jul 31, 2008 9:12:38 GMT -5
He nodded. "Sounds great, I mean, I'd hire ya. But do you have any proof?" he asked. "I mean you say all this stuff, and that's all well and good, and I believe ya, but in general, people won't know if ya just tellin' 'em stuff or if you can acctually do it. I mean, how is it you can survive on such little sleep? Well... they may not care about that, but how can ya work without a break, or how do they know for sure that you can get up in the morning, and not be late for when you're supposed to be there?" He thought about it a moment. "Did that make sense?" he said, it sounded confusing to him, and he said it!
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Post by Alexandreia Halliway on Jul 31, 2008 18:24:13 GMT -5
Lexi nodded her head thoughtfully, "I guess I need to put a lot more thought into it because the qualities I'm listing aren't really things I can prove on the spot." Lexi thought for a moment before shrugging, "My brother is good at thinking of things off the top of his head and I need to really plan out what I'm going to say. Do you have any suggestions?"
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Post by Avalanche on Aug 1, 2008 14:01:35 GMT -5
"Well, you're devoted to things aren't you? You have two brothers, who you are devoted to. So when you have things that are important to you, you follow through. And having and keeping a job is important to you. Perhaps the fact that you... well... don't have parents may be a strong point," he said. "Makes you appear responsible, especially as the oldest," he suggested.
Out of the blue he suddenly said, "you and I have a lot in common..." he said it rather quietly, and wasn't sure she'd hear him, but he continued on.
"Depending on where you go to work, say... if you work as a cook, you can easily say that you've cooked ever since you were a kid, when your..." he went quiet before smiling and laughing a little. "Maybe you should talk to your brother about some of these things."
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