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brindab@carleton.edu *sighs and looks over the papers* All right, first things first, what's your real name? First and last.: *a slim young woman with chin-length, ash blonde hair snaps shut the somewhat rusted latches of a large, waterstained wooden trunk, and then takes a seat on top of it, crossing her legs and smiling* Lisette Hanlin. *bobs her head, causing her straight, short hair to swish lightly across the back of her neck* *scribbles it down on the paper* Next.. um, do you have a nickname? And if you do, how'd you get it?: Even though there's lots of nicknames I could have for Lisette, I really don't use any of them. I mean, I'd probably respond to things like Lisa, Liz, Lis, and so on, but I've never really thought of adopting them as sort of "official" nicknames. *shrugs her shoulders slightly* I guess I just like Lisette. You know, two syllables, with the nice crisp "t" sound at the end. *offers a slightly sheepish smile* That's an odd thing to say, isn't it. I'm sorry. *laughs quietly* *nods a bit* When's your birthday and how old are you and all?: I'm fifteen years old, although I'm nearly sixteen--my birthday is July 27th. *deftly tucks a few strands of hair behind her ear* *smirks a little* Next is looks so.. tell me what you look like, all right? *rolls his eyes* Humor me...: I suppose you're writing this down for other people, and that's why you want me to explain. *gets a slightly malicious smile on her face* Well, I suppose I'd describe myself as a tall, buxom young woman, with curling raven tresses down to my perfectly formed waist. My eyes are brilliant emerald... *trails off, chuckling and giving Ransom an apologetic glance* All right. Fine. *smiles* I'm not particularly tall, only about 5'2", and pretty much ordinary street-kid skinny. I've got regular darkish-blondeish hair like everybody else, and plain brownish-greenish-muddyish eyes. *scratches absently at a cut on her elbow* I'm not very striking, or even very pretty at all. I guess I'm nice though, which is pretty good. *shrugs a little* Small consolation for not being gorgeous, and having some wealthy young man from the Upper East Side just happen to be passing through Bay Ridge, and see me standing there selling newspapers with my beautiful black hair barely confined to a braid, and my radiant complexion and vivid gaze capturing his heart instantly, and then begging me to marry him and getting borne off to some really nice mansion someplace... Hmm.. *writes down some of that then looks back up* What kind of person are you? What's your personality like and all that?: I guess I have a really vivid imagination, which can sometimes run away with me and sort of pull me out of the real world. I guess you already noticed that. *one corner of her mouth pulls up in a bemused smile* But in general, I'm a friendly person, pretty open about things, and I'm nice to people, even strangers. I have what's been called a "service" personality: I'm good at serving people, which is why I do pretty well in the newsie business. *shrugs her shoulders lightly* I guess I'm also pretty smart. I read a lot. I'm close friends with the man who runs the lending library about a mile or two down, and I've read almost all his books. I went to school, too, until I was about fourteen. I finished all my lessons in that short a time. *little grin* I'm not trying to brag, but it's kind of an important part of who I am. I want to be a doctor, but I don't have the money for medical school yet. I'm also a girl, which makes it a bit harder, but I'm not concerned about that. Once I have enough money, and I'm a bit older...well, it's my aim, anyhow. Hopefully I'll get there. *smiles* *raises an eyebrow then grins* If you say so. *teasing, of course* Okay, so do you have any friends around here?: Well, I just got here a short time ago, so I don't know anyone particularly well yet. I promise I'll get back to you as soon as I've made some real friends. I mean, I met Juliet and Morning when I first arrived here, and Charity soon after because she's the leader, but I don't know anyone that well at this point. Still... *shrugs a little* I have a particularly good mind for names and faces, so I should get to know everyone pretty quickly. *nods some and taps the pen on the paper* And, uh, you got anyone special in your life right now? *grins* You know what I mean.: *makes a face at him* Yes, I know what you mean. No, I don't. Well, only in my imagination... *chuckles lightly* So, you got any family? *scratches his head with the end of the pen* Mother, father.. sisters or brothers? Anything like that?: Oh, I've got family like Harlem's got rats. *smirks* Well, my mother is living and well in a Bay Ridge tenement apartment. And I have four sisters and a brother. My brother's the oldest, George. Marie is younger than I am by a few years, and then Sarah, and then Rhia and Cassie are twins, and just little girls. My father just died a short time ago. He was too good for this world, as they say. It's cliched. It's also true. *spoken a bit defiantly* *sighs, looking at the next question* Now you don't gotta say, but it'd be nice if you at least gave me something to write down... how'd you come to live at this fine place? *small smile*: *smiles* I like sharing everything about myself, so you don't have to worry about -me- keeping secrets. Pretty soon you'll be wishing I kept more things to myself, I imagine. But anyhow, really, everyone just has variations on the same story. My story is just about my family disintegrating. A couple of years back--just after I finished school, actually, my brother George and my sister Marie and I went out looking for jobs to help out the family. My mother worked in a clothing factory doing piecework, but she didn't get paid nearly enough. Sometimes she would bring work home that my little sisters could help her with, even if it was just by sorting fabric or putting on buttons. Anyhow, my father was a part-owner of a sort of handyman's store down the street from where we lived. Even though he made more money than a lot of people these days, between his income and my mother's, and the needs of six children, we were strapped for money. I started selling newspapers, Marie collected scrap metal, and George worked in processing. After all, he is the oldest--he's seventeen. George and I decided to find our own places to live. I knew about lodging houses for newsies because of my work, and he had made some friends down at the processing place who had offered to let him live with them. I offered to take Marie along, but my parents wanted to keep her and the other girls at home. Anyhow, I went and lived at the Harlem newsies' lodging house because I knew a girl who lived there, and she helped me to get a bunk. But then when my father died, George came to tell me and I moved back into the house. The place was much too crowded, with sorrow and with growing people, and I decided to see if I could come here. I still go home fairly often to give my mother money and to see my sisters. *smiles* I told you this story was more than you cared to hear...
*nods and scans over the application* I think that's it... anything else you wanna add?: |