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Post by Prince on Jan 28, 2011 18:22:58 GMT -5
Prince laughed. "Alright alright," she said with a slight nod. "Then I'll meet you back at distribution whenever you're done," she said with a slight nod. "Uh..." she thought for a second about anything else she might need to know. "Look out for cops," she said nodding, "stay outta the street," she was starting to sound like a mother, "The more headlines ya shout the better..." she looked at Roisin and chuckled. "Sorry," she said shaking her head and laughed a little. "Didn't mean to... talk down to ya or anything. uhhh..." she shrugged. "Yeah, ya need ta know anything else?" she asked with a bright smile. She was just trying to be helpful... .but she didn't know how to teach someone who already knew what they were doing.
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Post by Roisin Dubh on Jan 30, 2011 20:01:09 GMT -5
Roisin grinned and rolled her eyes good-naturedly at Prince’s last minute instructions. “No, I think you’ve about covered everythin’,” she chuckled, her green eyes dancing with laughter. She had gotten the impression earlier that her newsies, especially the younger ones, were quite fond of her, and she could definitely see why. Giving Prince a jaunty wave, she started down the street to pick her spot. “See ya in a bit,” she tossed over her shoulder just before getting lost in the crowd.
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Post by Prince on Jan 30, 2011 21:21:49 GMT -5
Prince waved back and couldn't help but smile at the girl. She took a deep breath and then walked about a block or so to her fountain, very close to distribution where she sold every day, where people expected her to be every day, and where she had usual customers every day, and today was no exception. Of course there were always a few who she'd never seen before, but there were a couple of steady folks who she practically knew by name, and where they worked and such. She was a well known person, and a well liked person in Queens, and she was alright with that. Maybe not feared, but... she didn't really want to be.
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Post by Prince on Feb 3, 2011 15:48:35 GMT -5
((New Day: For Collin))
Avalanche opened the door to his old home and breathed deeply as he allowed for Collin to come in as well. "Don't sit down," he said. "The last thing we need is for you to get the place all wet." He ran up the stairs into Prince's room. He grabbed a shirt, and the largest pair of pants he could locate and came back down. "You can put these on... and..." he also produced a coat. "Ain't this yours?" he said offering that to him as well. "There's probably a towel or two up stairs, so long as they're clean," he said. "You can dry off that Red-head of yours," he said messing up the elder's hair. He couldn't help but shake his head and smile. He couldn't wait to hear the explanation on this one... and to see Prince when she got home.
"I tell ya man, you got some kinda brain on you to try and out smart Misprint," one of Avalanche's many pet names for Prince. "But I gotta say, I think you done it... I'm kinda impressed he said nodding his head a little. And it's true, he kind of was.
Meanwhile, the Queens leader was still out selling, but she was selling her way towards the lodging house. She had gotten rid of enough of her papers at the fountain and was making her way back home. She figured she could get rid of a few papers before arriving at her own front door, and she wanted to make good time so as not to lull anyone into a false sense of security that she didn't want to speak to them. Her pockets were still heavy with the money that he had put into them, as the last few papers were getting sold.
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Post by Collin Russiani on Feb 4, 2011 18:34:57 GMT -5
Just stepping into the Queens lodging house with Avalanche at his side took years off of Collin's face. He looked like a little kid again, laughing and looking around like everything was new and shiny. "Some things just never change!" Brooklyn had changed a bit, not a lot, but enough under Spot for him to catch the difference. The Bronx was different, even Manhattan was different. But Prince was too much Avalanche's adopted child not to keep things, apparently, much the same. He took the clothes handed to him, and the coat, with a secretive little grin. "It is indeed."
He set the coat on the back of the couch for the moment, taking the shirt and pants with him up the stairs, though he stopped halfway up to finish listening to him, an amused grin on his face and strands of his wet, red hair dangling all over the place, getting into his eyes and sticking to the sides of his neck. "It was all to make a point, Alex." He tugged on his shirt with a wider smirk, letting his accent out on purpose. "Have you evah seen our dear Prince pushin' an adult into the water?" He winked before disappearing upstairs, almost having to himself as he found a clean towel and started to dry his hair out. That wasn't all there was to it, of course, but he was wet and cold and Avalanche could figure the rest out on his own.
It was an easy enough feat to shuck off the wet clothing and slide into the dry pants. They were tight, but they'd do well enough. At least they fit around his waist, and that's all he cared about. It was warm enough in the lodging house to wander back downstairs with the shirt just thrown over his shoulder, still running the towel through his hair. "Hey. She back yet?" He knew it wouldn't take her long.
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Post by Prince on Feb 4, 2011 19:14:54 GMT -5
"You Son of a gun!' Avalanche laughed as he figured out what Red had been talking about. He said it loud enough for the entire neighbor hood to hear, so Red, even though he was upstairs, head under a towel by the time Avalanche had figured out his plan... definitely still heard him. And son of a gun was the right term, he was too smart to be anything else.
Avalanche while Red was upstairs getting cleaned up had pulled a book off the book shelf and sat down to read it. Something by Dickens he imagined. The author's name had worn away on the cover... as well as the title, and he didn't bother looking to see what either of those were before sitting down in Prince's favorite chair. Avalanche looked up as Red came down stairs. Had Prince come back yet? "Well I haven't seen her so..."
"Okay!" she knew they'd be right in the living room and waiting for her, and if not, she was yelling loud enough for them to hear her up stairs. She slammed the door behind her and glared at the two, who she figured, were accomplices in the entire ordeal. "What the hell was that?" She didn't appear all that amused as she had been playing in public.
"Yeah she's here," Avalanche closed the book and replaced it on the bookshelf. He smiled and leaned against it, arms folded grinning a Cheshire cat grin. He was interested to see the scene unfold. Just how long he'd stick around he didn't know, since he already knew the punch line to Red's joke. But he'd decide that later. He glanced between the two of them, and simply waited for the fireworks to fly.
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Post by Collin Russiani on Feb 4, 2011 22:51:28 GMT -5
Collin had been called that before. Plenty of times, actually, and most of them by Avalanche. Prince had picked it up, a time or two, but it was mostly an Alex thing, and something Collin had missed. At least the other man thought it was smart of him, though they both knew it was only a step in the inevitable mile run that was bound to come his way sooner or later. This made her stop treating him like an adult, for sure, but that meant she was going to start treating him like a child. He needed to find the middle ground. He would, eventually, but it might be slow going, depending on how she reacted to what he threw at her. Sometimes it was hard to tell.
Well. That certainly answered his question, didn't it? "Hi, mavourneen, I'm perfectly fine. Thanks for asking." He snorted, tossing aside the towel and pulling the shirt on. It was tight, like the pants, but it would do, and he settled on the couch arm, facing her. "I really don't know. Why don't you tell me? There I was, minding my own business, sellin' some papes, and all of a sudden..." He spread his arms, trying to look innocent and failing. And suddenly the smirk was back, easy on his face as he ran fingers through his hair. "Come on, Prince. What do you think I was doing?" The thing was... she wasn't stupid. She was actually incredibly bright. She could have worked this all out already, but Collin was a tricky one and she was a little blinded because of her involvement. But he had faith.
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Post by Prince on Feb 4, 2011 23:10:18 GMT -5
Sorting it out was one thing. Putting the puzzle together was quite another. She probably could have figured it out, however, her mind was focused on another detail rather than the big picture. "I dunno Red," she said admitting it. Avalanche raised his eyebrows. See, he knew Red could outsmart Prince if he wanted to. "But I know you're tellin' my kids not ta listen to me." she took her hat off and let her hair fall down. She tossed it on the couch as she leaned against the back of it. She took a deep breath and just shook her head. It was difficult enough getting some of the older boys to listen to her because she was a girl, and what did she know? Honestly... more than they did but who would believe that?
She brushed her hair out of her face. "Please fill me in..." she said looking at him with sarcastic eyes. "Why are you out there in Queens jumpin up and down like some little twelve year old..." she trailed off as the sarcasm faded, and a look of realization came over her face, "kid."
She got it. She nodded her head with a smile, and then shook it, the smile staying right on her face. She looked at him again. "Nice clothes..." she added, still smiling. "Sorry," she practically whispered. She felt badly now, for everything. For thinking he'd changed, for thinking he was dumb, for thinking he was trying to steal her thunder. She'd jumped to so many conclusions and they were all wrong. Collin was just Red. He was just trying to prove that to her. It all made much more sense. And in all honesty, she was glad he'd taken the time to prove it to her. She blinked a few times and then looked away suddenly embarrassed.
Avalanche looked between the two of them not really sure of what to do, so he held his place.
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Post by Collin Russiani on Feb 4, 2011 23:40:55 GMT -5
For a moment he was rather dumbfounded. He hadn't thought about it that way, and honestly it wasn't what he'd done either. He would never tell her newsies not to listen to her. In fact all he'd asked was that they keep his being there a secret, and asked where her route was. Hardly anything worth mentioning, really. Complete strangers got more information out of them than that! But before he could say anything he saw the realization bleed into her eyes and he pushed off the couch to kneel in front of her, looking up into her eyes no matter how many times she turned her head away. "There's nothing to apologize for." It was soft and quiet, and he had her hands in his before he could even think about moving, both their hands rough after so many years handling papers, and their fingertips ink stained. Even his, they'd stayed dark even through the water. It brought back so many memories.
"But you know I would never tell your kids not to listen to you, right? I didn't do that. I just asked them to keep it a secret and asked where your route was. That's all. Okay?" He gave her a little smile, and Avalanche could have been on Mars for all he cared at the moment. It was just the two of them, and he was glad she'd realized it, glad she'd understood what he was trying to prove, what he was trying to tell her. Show her. Whether it stayed he didn't know, but it was a step in the right direction at the very least. His lips twitched up into a grin at the mention of the clothes, though, and he looked down for a moment, nose crinkling. "I think so. They make me look dashing, right?" He was aiming for a smile. A laugh would be even better, but he'd take another smile. Something other than the embarrassed way she was half hiding.
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Post by Prince on Feb 5, 2011 2:13:19 GMT -5
Avalanche stood up straight and let his arms hang down at his sides. Before, as he and Red had been speaking in his apartment, he hadn't been sure that Collin really had a chance. In all honesty, he kinda figured Prince would shoot him down soon as look at him. But as he looked at the two of them, he could see his assumptions were wrong. Perhaps there was something there, perhaps Collin really had a shot. If a man would fall into a fountain at just above freezing for a girl just because she pushed... and then tell her not to apologize, well then, perhaps these two had a shot.
Prince mean while couldn't help but smile at the clothes he was wearing and even laughed a little at the dashing comment. Quietly, but it was there. "Not quite the word I'd go for... juvenile maybe," she said as she smiled to him. "You know, if your clothes don't dry and you don't wanna wear mine home," of course she didn't know if he had to get back to the pub, or when, too late now, "you're welcome to stay here tonight. We always have a spare bed up in the bunk room made up for anyone new, or there's always the couch."
Prince wasn't sure what she was doing, but all of a sudden she didn't want him to leave. She would be quite content if he just returned to being a newsie, and moved to Queens, though she knew that wouldn't happen. But if she could get him to stay for a few hours at least, she'd consider it an accomplishment.
Without a word Avalanche slipped up the stairs. He was going to go get Red's wet clothes and hang them near the fire place so they'd have a better chance to dry. Better than hanging them outside anyway.
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Post by Collin Russiani on Feb 5, 2011 7:10:34 GMT -5
There were a lot of things Collin would do for Prince that he wouldn't do for anyone else. Being pushed into freezing water and then waving off an apology was the least of it, as far as he was concerned. But not the least bit important, it would seem. And he was hardly aware of Avalanche moving, his eyes focused on her, his hands still holding hers. And he let them go slowly, gauging to see her reaction more than any want to actually let her go. He'd happy hold her hand until the world ended, if she'd let him.
He laughed, smirk on his face as he leaned back and looked down at himself. "I'm always dashing, Prince, you must be mistaken." And he was wearing her clothes. What an amusing switch that was. Wasn't it usually the man who lent the clothes to the woman? But his clothes would be a bit too big for her, just like hers were a bit too tight for him.He blinked a bit at the invitation, as if he weren't expecting it, and he honestly wasn't. "Of course." The smirk slid into an easy smile. A real one. "I'd love to." Whether the clothes dried in time or not, he'd still like to stay.
The pub could do without him for a night. He'd made arrangements with the knowledge he might not be back until late, but this was much better. It wouldn't be a problem for him to just get up with them in the morning and head back to Brooklyn. Though it would be interesting to see her newsies' reactions to his staying over. Oh wouldn't that be a trip. Moving to Queens wasn't that far-fetched, possibly, but being a Queens newsie? He could only imagine what that would get him from the Brooklyn side of things.
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Post by Prince on Feb 5, 2011 14:51:11 GMT -5
She couldn't help but smile at him. She released his hands as he moved them away. Avalanche came back down the stairs. "Red," he said getting his attention, "your clothes are hangin' in front of the fire.
And by the time Red would look back to where Prince had been sitting she disappeared. Well not exactly as one could hear sounds in the kitchen of her now attempting to cook. She wasn't a bad cook. And since all the boys would be home soon she thought she'd maybe try to cook something. She hadn't cooked in a while and felt like it would be a good time. Especially since they had a guest that evening.
"Sounds like we got a cook in the kitchen," Avalanche chuckled. He couldn't help it as he headed towards the kitchen. Before he got a word out Prince handed him a piece of paper. "Be back," he said waving to Red with a smirk. B'sides, maybe leaving these two alone for a while would be a good idea.
Meanwhile Prince was boiling water and getting started on what she could. Spaghetti sounded like a good idea, so all she really needed was something to make the sauce. The spaghetti was already in the cupboard. Pasta was cheap enough that they could keep it on hand. And the boys would be delighted at the idea of free food. She was excited as she ran around the kitchen, hat still in the living room. She was boiling water, putting salt in it and trying to get ready to make sauce.
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Post by Collin Russiani on Feb 7, 2011 19:30:51 GMT -5
Collin would never stop answering to his nickname, too many years of using it, and he looked over when he was called, giving him a sheepish smile and a nod. "Thanks. I would have gotten to it... eventually." But it was a lie. He was far too engrossed with Prince, and he blinked when she disappeared though he heard the sounds in the kitchen easily enough and he laughed, looking up at Avalanche before climbing to his feet and stretching, laughing even harder when the other man came out of the kitchen two steps in, a paper in his hand. "Whipped." He grinned at him, winking, before starting towards the kitchen, peeking his head in to watch her run around.
She was right at home, looking excited to be making dinner for her boys, and he couldn't help but smile as he stepped up next to her, gathering all the sauce ingredients that he could find and setting them on the counter. "Just a regular sauce? Or something special?" He grinned sideways at her as he washed his hands and dried them on a dry towel hanging nearby. He didn't have anything on hand to really go crazy, but he could spice it up a little if she wanted. And this was familiar territory, safe, because Collin, when he used to stay the night here, would help make dinner and even breakfast, sometimes, for the little ones. But it had been a long time since they were in the same kitchen together, though he still handed her things she would need a few seconds before she would need them. That didn't seem to change all that much.
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Post by Prince on Feb 7, 2011 21:15:33 GMT -5
Just because Prince knew where everything was and how to boil water and make pasta… didn’t mean she was a good cook. She could make any kind of pasta and then it wasn’t hard to make a basic sauce to put on top of it. Unfortunately, half the time the water boiled over before she could reach it to get the lid off, and the sauce was edible but it always seemed to be missing something. Unfortunately Prince was too dedicated to the concept of following a recipe to try and expand or add things to taste. It isn’t that she was a bad cook she just wasn’t a good one. Imagine her relief when Red somewhat offhandedly offered to help.
She glanced at him and simply shrugged. “Honestly, whatever you feel like doing would be…” beyond helpful, “great,” she finished her sentence. “Avalanche was sent already for most of the things I usually use to cook with,” she said with a shrug. “You know, the stuff that goes bad… like tomatoes,” were not kept on hand. “But once he comes back you’re welcome to use anything he got,” she said with small nod to him. Then she quickly thought, “you don’t have to help if you don’t want to,” she said rather fast. “I was... I mean you’re a guest you don’t have to help cook dinner for pete’s sake,” she chuckled a little. Boy, she wasn’t very good at much was she? Not only was she being a bad host, and a bad cook, but she was fully missing many of the signals that Red was sending her direction. At least the first two things she believed she was conscious of. She quickly dashed out of the room back to the living room to retrieve her hat, and when she reentered the kitchen her hair was up, and she felt a little more comfortable in her own skin.
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Post by Collin Russiani on Feb 8, 2011 12:53:57 GMT -5
Collin was a passable cook. Certainly well enough for pub fare, and he was half Italian on top of it, so he could make pasta in his sleep if he needed to. But it wasn't so much her cooking expertise that made him smile, it was how comfortable she was running around making dinner for her boys. It probably had something to do with the fact Queens was the only borough with a girl as a leader, but none of the other lodging houses got homemade meals like this. Ever. Danny was the best cook Collin knew, and even he hadn't cooked for his boys when he'd headed up the Bronx. In Collin's expert opinion, and various tastings over the years, he'd suggest it was missing some spice. Something little to kick it up a notch, and he would have sent Avalanche for it first, but he hadn't thought of it.
"I figured that." He grinned, looking over what he had on hand to make the sauce. It wasn't much, and you certainly needed tomatoes. "I might send him back out for something else too." He'd pay for it, of course, that wasn't even an issue. If Brooklyn was closer he'd have nicked over to the pub to get what he needed, but this would do. And Avalanche was quick. This was his city when it all came down to it. He might live in Brooklyn, now, and work there, but Queens was always going to be a part of him. He almost laughed as she spit off at him, and he looked at her, eyebrow raised. "As opposed to the other few times you've put me to work in this very kitchen?" He sounded more amused than anything. "I want to help." He wasn't really trying to send out signals, he knew she was rather oblivious, but he did have to hide his little sad smile when she came running back in with her hat on and her hair tucked up out of sight. He liked it down, but he knew she felt more comfortable with it up.
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(c)Red
