The Crates

[Banshee O'Hara]

Banshee wasn’t surprised to hear Avalanche switch tracks to list some of the downsides to the job. He wasn’t naïve enough to think that it was the perfect job, as he knew there was no such thing, but all the same, he did appreciate the honesty. Knowing some of the downfalls was just as important to him when considering something as knowing the benefits was. Shrugging lightly, he focused on the water. “Definitely a lot to consider…. Thanks. Be a little while yet before I gotta worry about it, but good t’ know about some options, yeah?”

[Avalanche]

"Exactly," he smiled at Banshee. He sighed a little bit. this kid was definitely a brooklyn boy. Quiet, didn't smile much, didn't react much at all... none of these were bad things, but he just... was difficult to carry on a conversation with. "So, how long you been down here in Brooklyn, and... if I may ask, since you gotta while before you gotta Quit the newsies... just how old are you?" He wasn't trying to scare him. It was just hard to tell these days and all. Avalanche, for example was 22, and one would never have guessed it, he didn't look like he was even out of his teens yet.

Avalanche tried taking in a deep breath, but that didn't go well for as soon as he did his shoulder hurt all the more, "ow..." he squeaked out a little. He couldn't help it, it was really quite painful. He was just trying to ignore it. But it was gonna be sore for a little while yet.

[Banshee O'Hara]

Banshee glanced back at Avalanche warily. Most of the guys he knew weren’t in the habit of asking questions about each others past and the like, and it was something he appreciated. Still, Avalanche seemed friendly enough and he had been more than open with him about himself… Studying him a moment longer, he shrugged. It wasn’t as if the guy was asking for his life story. “‘Bout six months, maybe? Don’t know for sure… Drifted around a bit before windin’ up here.” He paused before answering the question regarding his age. Not because he was hesitant to give it, but because he never really thought about it. He knew the date, but birthdays had come and gone without much concern over the years. “Seventeen,” he answered finally with a slight nod.

Banshee’s eyes widened a little when the man all but squeaked in pain. The sound seemed so foreign coming from someone of his stature that Banshee couldn’t help the smirk that hovered on his lips before spreading into a full fledged grin. He chuckled a little, the sound as sympathetic as it was amused, and he shook his head. “Don’t envy ya that at all, mate,” he said honestly. “I’d say I’d buy ya a drink, but unfortunately the bartender refuses t' serve me anythin' worth drinkin’,” he added with an annoyed frown and an apologetic shrug.

[Avalanche]

Avalanche only nodded to his answer. He was satisfied with it, and was just wondering the age and how long the kid had been around. After all, if he'd been here for years, well Avalanche would have felt fairly foolish not finding him sooner. He never asked anyone about their life before the newsies, unless they wanted to share. Ever. A lot of kids either didn't have a life, didn't wanna talk about it, or it wasn't a part of them anymore, so why bring it up? Some were all to eager to share their life story, and he didn't protest them either, but would simply listen to all they had to say, allowing them to say it.

Avalanche was a little shocked at the noise he made too. Avalanche started chuckling as the kid said he'd buy him a drink, but couldn't. Which only made it hurt more... which made him roll his eyes and groan. It was just irritating mostly. He didn't like being in pain, kept him from having fun. "Well maybe I'll buy you one some time kid, how's that sound?" he said with a smile. And he would too, he made it a personal goal, and a mental note that some day he wanted to buy this kid a drink. "Can't blame the bar tender's down here," he explained, "ya know they got enough with legal drunks on their hands. Older newsies who have any kind of strength on alcohol? ...yeah I can't see that goin' well. If ya ever go to McGinty's, ask for Red," he said. "Tell him Avalanche sent ya, and I said it was alright to give you what ya want. And tell him I'll cover it later," he added. That should get the boy set for a while. B'sides, Red wouldn't let a kid get alcohol poisoning. Drunk sure. Death no.

[Banshee O'Hara]

Banshee grinned. “Yeah, I might let ya buy me one sometime, but I’d still like t’ return the favor…” he said, and it was true. Banshee wasn’t in the habit of taking quickly to people, but Avalanche seemed decent enough. Little chattier and more open than he was used to, but not in a way that he felt was offensive. And he certainly saw the older boy’s point about older newsies fueled on alcohol, however, it made his life damnably inconvenient at times, as most of the time he was just looking to enjoy a quiet pint at the end of the day.

He raised his brow slightly at Avalanche’s generosity. “Thanks, mate… Payin’ for it’s no’ the issue, an’ no offense, but I’d as soon pay for my own vices, yeah? Nice t’ know it’s an option though, for the tight days an’ all…” he said with an easy smile. He’d never been one to turn down a friendly offer, but he did have his pride and he had no intention of abusing the offered privilege.

[Avalanche]

He shrugged “Whatever makes you happy.” He wasn’t going to offer charity if it wasn’t going to be accepted. He understood the man’s state of mind. Some kids had no problems at all taking the free things they could get, but apparently Banshee wasn’t one of them, and that was really okay Avalanche.

Avalanche wasn’t 100 percent sure that Red would give the kid a drink just because Avie said it was okay, but he truly believed so long as no harm was done, and no ill intentions had, what was the harm of encouraging the younger generation, so long as they didn’t get in to trouble? He saw no issue. Even if it wasn’t exactly legal, or well looked upon. Since when was it his goal to do what others thought decent? He sighed again making his shoulder still throb. “This ain’t goin’ away is it,” he said as he glanced down at the quickly blackening shoulder. Oh well, it’d be a great story to tell if he could come up with a good enough story. Well of course he could… he was himself.

[Banshee O'Hara]

Banshee was glad that his words didn’t seem to offend Avalanche. Not that he was overly concerned about offending people, but when he did, it was usually on purpose, and almost always called for. Leaning his head back against the crates behind him, he shook his head at the man’s quiet sigh. “I’d say ya’ve buggered it pretty good...” He felt bad for the guy, as, with his job, the best he had to look forward to was several days of agony, and the worst, no work at all. Seemed a rather high price for a bit of fun.

Comfortable with the silence, himself, and not one to make small talk, he still felt a bit compelled to do something to maybe distract Avalanche’s focus from the undoubtedly throbbing arm. He thought for a moment, his eyes roaming the water. His mind finally settled on something he thought was fairly neutral. “Ya said ya used t’ be a newsie… Here in Brooklyn?” He didn’t want to pry into the man’s past, but he figured the question was pretty safe, as Avalanche could say as much or as little as he wanted on the subject. And if he did choose to elaborate, well, Banshee wasn’t especially curious by any means, but he did figure it couldn’t hurt to learn whatever he might about the city he was now calling home.

[Avalanche]

Avalanche didn't mind the pain really. Well at the moment he did, and it would make work, what little there was to do, a whole lot more interesting in the worse way possible. However, he would manage, and to him it was worth it. Avalanche was too good at having a good time to let a little dislocated shoulder get in the way of some fun with kids. Though he wasn't all fun and games all the time, he did have a certain way about him.

However, and all the same, once Banshee asked him if he was a Brooklyn newsie Avalanche couldn't help but laugh, despite the pain in his arm. "I was never quite cut out for Brooklyn," he said honestly with a slight nod. "But I did used to be former newsie leader in Queens," he said. "I liked it there alright. And after I left Prince took over," he said explaining just a little bit. "It was always a nice place to be," he said, "lots of fun people, and not much fighting," which was just the way he liked it. And lucky for him, Prince was a very similar person, save for being a little more focused and less playful, so the place hadn't changed much at all since he left.

[Banshee O'Hara]

Banshee nodded at the man’s words. His admission didn’t surprise him, as Avalanche seemed a bit too easygoing to have been a product of Brooklyn. Not that it was a bad thing, nor did he think any less of him. He was just different, and Banshee wasn’t one to fault him for that. Besides, a leader? Now that was something in any borough, and though he knew that not all leaders were equal, it had been his experience that one didn’t achieve the position without something to merit it. He had to admit that the man had more than a little charisma about him, and, from what he’d seen in their short acquaintance, a seemingly level enough head.

“I’ve heard o’ Prince…. Mostly just bits an’ pieces here an’ there… Never met ‘im, though,” he said with a shrug. “Don’t get int’ Queens too often.” He had to smirk a little, as the very reasons that Avalanche claimed to like Queens for were the ones that had made it seem a bit dull the few times he’d gone into the borough. But to each his own, he figured as he fished another cigarette out of his pocket. He placed it between his lips and cupped his hand around the end to light it as the breeze kicked up a little off the water.

[Avalanche]

Avalanche kicked his legs up on the crate he was sitting on and attempted to get comfortable. as he enjoyed the warmer winter day. At least the biting wind had died down for the time being, a refreshing change. The breeze wasn't as bad.

"Yeah," he said nodding, "not many Brooklyn kids like ta make the trek," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck with his good hand. It was true, Brooklyn and Queens weren't the best of friends, and sometimes that made Avalanche a little sad. He knew that if they could just get Queens brains and Brooklyn's strength together, the two boroughs would be unstoppable in any situation. However, Prince and her kids being so focused mentally, and the Brooklynites tending to swing at anything that dared show an inkling of disrespect (and while Avalanche understood their thought, it was still a bit hasty thinking for him to understand), it just didn't seem that the two would ever be best friends. But then again, maybe Prince and Red could change things.

"But it is a nice place, not too different from anywhere else in the city," he said with a shrug, "but a nice place." He glanced up at the sky seeing it getting darker. "Look, ya dun... hafta stick around or nothin' feelin' sorry for me," he didn't want to make the young boy feel awkward mostly. "If you have other places to go or people to see, I'm sure I can walk just fine on my own," he said with a chuckle. After all he had dislocated his shoulder, not his hip bone.

[Banshee O'Hara]

Banshee nodded absently as Avalanche talked. It wasn’t that he wasn’t listening, more that he was getting restless. He didn’t really like sitting in one spot for too long, and he had been there for quite some time already before Avalanche had even made his ill fated appearance. Taking a drag from his cigarette, he let his gaze wander again, this time glancing at the slowly darkening sky. It was getting late, and his stomach was certainly letting him know it was edging past dinner, but he was indecisive on what to do.

Though it was a bit awkward making small talk, Banshee found it worth the slight effort he was trying to make, as Avalanche seemed like a decent sort. However, decent or not, topics were dwindling and the urge to be moving again was getting harder to ignore. On the other hand, Avalanche had been more than generous with his earlier offer, a fact that Banshee did truly appreciate, and he didn’t really want to repay it by seeming needlessly rude.

Avalanche’s last words caught his full attention, and he brought his gaze back to the man, the hint of a grin on his lips. Add observant to his list of qualities, Banshee thought, though he had to admit he hadn’t really been all that subtle with his growing restlessness. “No’ feelin’ sorry for ya, mate,” he said with a slight chuckle. “Was actually just thinkin’ ‘bout headin’ off t’ grab some dinner.” He shrugged as he got to his feet, his grin a little wider. “An’ I’d hope ya’d be walkin’ alright, as I’d no intention o’ helpin’ ya home.” Though the words were true, he meant no offense by them as he had no doubts about the man’s ability to handle himself. Shrugging again, he finished his cigarette and flipped the butt towards the water. “Was nice meetin’ ya, anyway… Hope the arm feels better soon, yeah?”

[Avalanche]

Not at any point had Avalanche expected Banshee to feel sorry for him and was sticking around just out of pity.He might have felt sorry for the dislocated arm, or perhaps more of an i'm-glad-it's-not-me feeling. Still Avalanche had considered himself a guest in Banshee's presence at that point, and if at some point the boy wanted to leave, he would have bid him goodbye, and that would have been that. All the same, he had been glad to get to know the boy while he had been there, and made a mental note that he was a good kid, if just a little quiet.

He couldn't help but chuckle when Banshee said he had no intention of helping him home. Of course he didn't, why would he? It would have been out of character, Avalanche figured, for him to do so.

"Thanks again for helpin me out," he said as he looked over at the younger boy. "I do appreciate it, and though my shoulder will be pretty colors, it could be a hell of a lot worse. Enjoy ya dinner, and should ya ever need anything, I live in the apartments on Kings Highway," he said. It was an open invitation to all newsies, should they ever need a place to hide, get food, or anything. Occasionally he even took kids when they were sick, and didn't want the whole city to get it."Take care of yourself," he said with a nod. And Avlanche had no doubt in his mind that this one would take care of himself, whether people liked it or not.

[Banshee O'Hara]

Banshee nodded with a little shrug, feeling slightly awkward as Avalanche voiced his gratitude again. “Wasn’t nothing’,” he said airily, with a gesture of dismissal. He knew the guy was being polite, but he had been thanked already and was ready to move on. In his experience, people just do what needs done without a lot of gratitude or reward. It was just one of those things that remained known but unspoken between the involved parties. Again, not to say it was right, but it was what he knew and was comfortable with.

He flashed Avalanche a grin and a nod. He planned on enjoying his dinner, though as he was pretty much always hungry, all it really took for him to enjoy food was that it was there and he was eating it. Still, when it did taste good, as he fully planned his meal tonight would, it was certainly not something he complained about.

Banshee tucked the bit of information of Avalanche’s apartment away. Not that he ever intended on hitting him up for help, still…. Never hurt to have a few extra aces in the deck in case things took a turn for the worse. “I’ll keep it in mind,” he with a nod.

“Yeah, you to,” he said, meaning it. “Might run across ya again, ya never know…. Come down here quite a bit an’ all….” He started to reach out to shake the man’s hand out of habit, then changed course as he remember the man’s injured arm, giving him a little shrug instead. “Well, see ya ‘round then, mate,” he said with a little salute as he turned and slipped through the stacked crates, headed towards the end of the dock and the street beyond.

[Banshee O'Hara]

*NEW DAY*

(Tag Shannon)

Banshee leaned back against a stack of crates, his knees drawn up and his arms resting on them. A cigarette trailed forgotten from his fingertips as he stared out over the water watching a distant storm roll in. It was one of the first storm of the year, and to Banshee’s thinking, it couldn’t have picked a better night to happen, as his mind was just as restless as the breeze that swirled around him. That, alone, was not unusual for him, however, the current reason behind his unsettled feelings was something he was still getting used to. Shifting slightly against the hard boards, he brought the cigarette to his lips only to realize it had burned out, and he tossed it into the water, the action barely registering as he tried to sort himself out.

As they often were when he was out of her presence, his thoughts were on what Shannon might be doing, though the normally pleasant wondering had given way to a slightly more apprehensive feeling that was fueled largely by his not seeing her at all that day. That fact alone wouldn’t have been cause for alarm, but couple it with the fact that their last meeting in the nearly empty pub the night before had raised far more questions than it had answered, and the end result was that Banshee’s mind was whirling with uncertainties. The conversation had been littered with innuendo, both veiled and not so veiled, and the fact that most of it had been started by himself had him wondering if he hadn’t overstepped whatever boundaries she might have placed on him.

Banshee’s musings were cut short by a slightly closer flash of lightning and the first splatters of rain hitting the boards and himself with slow, fat drops. Sighing, he got to his feet, no sooner buttoning his coat against the sudden chill that had moved in off the water, than the sky opened and a heavy rain began to fall. His first thought was to make a run for the lodging house, but he quickly realized that with as heavy as the rain was, he would get drenched no matter what. Hunching his shoulders in resignation, he pulled his coat tighter and made his way through the maze of crates to the open stretch of boardwalk beyond.

[Shannon Murphy]

It had been, by Shannon's standards, a rather pleasant day if anyone had cared to ask. With no evening shift at the pub she had been able to spend her day without the constraints of having to make it back to Brooklyn in time to sling drinks and sing songs with a happily drunk crowd. Not that Shannon minded working McGinty's, but she did cherish her days off, especially ones that she could spend wandering the city. She'd managed a trip over to Queens, dropping in for a few races at the track and spending the afternoon learning some of the ins and outs of the borough before turning back towards Brooklyn and home.

It was then that the sky had turned gray and cloudy, blotching out the setting sun until there was nothing left of it and she'd been able to hear the telltale sounds of rolling thunder still far out over the water. It had to be after dusk by the time she'd crossed back over into Brooklyn and though there was no doubt that if she hurried back to the apartment she'd beat the storm, she veered over in the direction of the docks. She always did like a storm coming in over the water and - though she wasn't inclined to admit it - she might have been trying to stop herself from wandering into McGinty's on her night off in the hopes of bumping into Banshee. The truth was, he'd rarely left her thoughts since they had found each other in the early morning hours at Prospect Park and his flirty, almost intense presence had by turns left her wondering and hoping.

She was just at the beginning of the docks, the maze of crates laid out in front of her when the first raindrops began to fall. A smile lit Shannon's face as she felt the water against the exposed skin of her arms and on the top of her head - the first storm of the very early spring bringing a surprising lightness to her heart - she had such a fondness for spring. Lifting her eyes skyward, Shannon felt the rain begin to fall a little harder, hitting and sliding along the curves of her face and soaking her clothes. She supposed to some it might be a chilly and unwelcome shower, but for Shannon it was an invitation to embrace the possibilities of new beginnings, to wash away the soiled thoughts that weighed her mind. So with a slight laugh and the sort of abandon that Sean was forever proclaiming would have her chasing trouble for a lifetime, Shannon lifted her arms and began to dance.