Alone

[Firecracker]

"Yeah, Nevada.... I know her," she responded quietly. BOY, did she know her. She knew her smile, her laugh, even the way the sun could highlight her face in all the right places.

Before she could lose herself further in her thoughts, she forced out a slight smile. "She's a friend."

[Wraith]

"Really? Small world," she said with a smile, then bit her lip. "I think she's my friend too. It kind of took a while for her to warm up to me," she admitted in a small voice. "She, uh...kind of, maybe thought for a while that I'd slept with her husband...but I didn't," she added quickly.

[Firecracker]

"Oh, well... if it makes you feel any better, I didn't know she was married until a couple of days ago," Fire shrugged. Truthfully, she almost wished that she had never found that out to begin with. "I haven't really seen her all too often lately, sorry to say."

[Wraith]

"Me either," she murmured, once again missing Tristan and his family with all her heart. But Kennedy lived with them, and that made things unbearably awkward.

[Firecracker]

"Although... she knows where I live again now, so even if I wanted to hide from her, I think she could probably find me," she teased, clearly trying to make the best of an awkward situation. "So... how do you know her? Did she used to live here before she met Tristan?"

[Wraith]

Wraith shook her head. "They were both Brooklyn newsies. I was in Brooklyn once, and Tristan...kind of helped me out." Saved me from a rapist in an opium den was probably too much information. "Um...w-why would you want to hide from her?"

[Firecracker]

"Not hide per se," Fire shrugged. She bit down on her lower lip, trying to figure out the best way to handle this . Sighing slowly, she began to crack her knuckles. "Just... give her her space, I suppose. Let her spend time with her family while I figure myself out."

[Wraith]

Wraith nodded slowly. "That can be hard. Figuring yourself out, I mean. S-sometimes you just...don't know what you want or need anymore."

[Firecracker]

"Boy, don't I know it!" Fire agreed. She twirled her hair around her finger once more before pulling her finger out, her eyes focusing on the curl as it sprang back into place. "Sometimes, it just seems like you'll never be able to do it."

[Wraith]

She sighed and nodded grimly. They were on the same page, all right. "Alcohol doesn't help much. Just a tip," she said wryly.

[Firecracker]

"Damn, and here I thought I was on the verge of an important discovery," Fire joked, finally letting her guard down just a little bit more. "I discovered that ages ago. I think that's why I prefer to be alone."

[Wraith]

Wraith could see that Fire was getting more comfortable, letting her guard down a little, and it made her want to do the same. She cast about for some kind of tidbit she could offer. "My brother's in the Refuge," she finally confessed. "He and his girl got arrested together. I usually like to be alone too, but...not all the time."

[Firecracker]

"I'm sorry about your brother," Fire replied apologetically as she turned her head to look at the other girl. "I've never been to the Refuge, myself, but I've heard stories." She paused, realizing that that maybe wasn't the best thing to say to a girl whose brother was locked up there. "I... I'm sorry... That was out of line."

[Wraith]

"No, it's okay," Wraith assured her. "He's...he's been in there before. And I've heard all the stories, too." She didn't mention that he'd gotten thrown in on purpose this time or that he was trying to get the place shut down, but somehow, even that thought didn't comfort her. "I always told him I'd be fine on my own, so I guess I should be trying harder. To be fine."

[Firecracker]

"Well, I might be wrong, but you seem to be doing okay," Fire replied with a slight smile. Hey, if she couldn't be optimistic for herself, she could at least be optimistic for others! "You've got a place to stay, that's a start. A bed, a quiet rooftop to spend time on top of, food. See? Maybe you're doing better than you think."