Bunks

[copper]

Phoenix nodded. "And snowin', an' the wind is freezin' cold." She shivered. "I love winter. I jus' don' like the cold."

[Cheater Hollander]

"Sounds wonderful." Cheater replied sarcastically, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Winter's never been one of my favorite seasons. Fall, though..."

[copper]

Phoenix chuckled. "Oh, a right ray o' sunshine, it is." She held out her hand. "I'm Pheonix. Good to meet yah."

[Cheater Hollander]

"Cheater." Cheater replied with a grin as she shook Pheonix's hand. "I don't think I've ever seen you before. How long've you been in the Bronx?"

[copper]

"Only for a couple months." Phoenix said, running a hand through her hair to see if it was dry yet. "What 'bout you?"

[Cheater Hollander]

[No idea how to do this, but she's got TB... so... um... yeah.]

"A couple of years." Cheater said, and opened her mouth to say something more, but instead broke into a coughing fit. She hadn't been feeling very well lately, but had thought nothing of it...

when she took her hand away from her mouth, she found a couple spots of blood, and she paled.

[copper]

((yeah, i had to figure out how i was gonna pull it off with one of my other characters as well.))

Phoenix sat up straight, her face concered as Cheater coughed. "You alright?" she asked, "Dat didn't sound too good."

[Cheater Hollander]

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine..." Cheater mumbled, smiling slightly at Phoenix. She cleared her throat and tried not to wince as that action hurt her chest (around the lung area). "Just... a cold, I guess."

[Cheater Hollander]

[[Cheater has left the building.]]

[lily]

Lily stepped quietly into the room, looking around at what was to be her new home. She noticed someone was laready there and chanced a small smile. "I hope I ain't distoiybin' nobody."

She suddenly felt overwhelmed and sat down on a vacant bunk, resting her head in her hands.

She didn't know the first thing about selling papes. Lily was tired and confused, and wished very hard for some guidance or something like that. She dug into her messenger bag and pulled out a very worn book of fairy tales. Lily didn't open it, but just looked at the cover.

The once-bright picture was now faded. Lily smiled at it.

"And ta think," she said aloud, "I wanted ta live in one o' dese once. Right now, I'd just be happy wid somebody tellin' me how ya sell a pape."

[copper]

"Well," Phoenix said, walking into the room, shaking snow off her coat and hair. "First. you'se gotta know how to lie when there ain't no good headlines. Then yah's gotta learn how tah run, foah when yah get caught lyin' about the shitty headline. And when there is a good headline, yah gotta know how tah sell it. Cough, whimper, plead, flash a little ankle... you know." She sat down on her bunk, pulled a tin out from underneith a loose floorboard under her bed and dropped about twenty-two cents into it. She looked at the other girl. "You think you can do that?"

[lily]

Lily blinked as another girl walked into the room and gave advice on how to sell a pape. She was very straightforward, but it made sense. Lily's head cleared a bit and she smiled.

"Thanks for da tips. Now I know what I'm doin'. The name's Lily, by da way. What's yours?" Lily held out her hand for the other girl to shake.

[copper]

Phoenix cracked a smile and shook the other girl's hand. "Nice tah meet you, Lily. I'm Phoenix." She dropped the hand and returned to taking off her boots and wringing out her socks. "It ain't all dat hard when you'se get the hang of 'ow thing are done. I take it you ain't nevah been a newsie befoah."

[lily]

Lily nodded. "Nope. Dis whole newsies t'ing's new to me. I'm just glad I got a dry place ta sleep now. Livin' in the alleys of New Yawk in the wintah? Yeah, it ain't so much fun."

Lily's stomach then made a loud growling sound and Lily turned red. "Hey, Phoenix, do ya know where I can get some grub? This stomach o' mine just spoke up an' it's cravin' somethin' nice and hot ta eat."

[copper]

Phoenix chuckled. "Nah, it ain't no fun, I'll give yah that." She raised an amused eyebrow as Lily's stomach growled. "Yeah, there's a pizza place not far from heah. You like pizza?"