While Rebecca was off in Brooklyn and Katherine was interviewing Jack, Elizabeth was left alone with the remaining newsies. At least she knew one of them. Crutchie hadn't been assigned a place to go, due to his leg, so he was just going to hang out in the lodging house for a little bit with some of the other newsies who hadn't been given places to visit.

She followed the group of kids back towards the lodging house for a minute until one of them, Finch, noticed she was there. "Hey, you, what's you doin'?" he called back to her, as the rest of the newsies stopped in their place to turn and look.

Elizabeth paused for a second, surprised that she had been noticed so quickly. Then, she shrugged and replied, "Looking for something to do, now that my friend and sister have split off in other directions."

Crutchie, with a smile spreading across his face, hobbled back in her direction. "If ya want, you can come along. Can't promise it'll be fun for ya, but you'll at least have people to talk ta," he offered, gesturing back towards his home.

With a smile of her own, Elizabeth admitted, "I was hoping you'd allow me to do that."

And with that, she was off towards the lodging house with the newsies, this time actually being invited to go. By the time they reached the door, she knew the names of the newsies who were along with them, and they knew her own first name. In the small group, there was Finch, Albert, Elmer, Romeo, and Sniper, and there would be more newsies showing up whenever they got back from their assigned neighborhood.

They entered the lodging house and Elizabeth was stunned at how small and cramped it was. There were beds upon beds lining every wall, with very little space to move between each bunk. It was incredibly dirty, with thin sheets draped down from the top bunks due to them being thrown off in the mornings, and articles of clothing were strewn around strategically for the newsies to dress quickly so they could go and be ready to sell as early as possible. No matter how dirty and uncomfortable it may have seemed, Elizabeth still thought it felt homey, due to the boys acting like so much of a family in this place. Maybe that was what made it not so bad for them to live in.

The newsies shuffled over to their bunks and sat down, instantly starting to talk and joke around as they normally did. In the homey place, Elizabeth wasn't really sure which space to call hers for the brief time she would be hanging out there, until Crutchie flagged her over and invited her to sit on one of the beds beside him. With a smile, she did as she was told, sitting down on the edge of the bed while offering her thanks.

Albert was clearly curious about this girl who was getting herself involved in the strike, and the newsie made that known when he asked, "So, why you's doin' this? Do you gots a job at The Sun like that otha goil do?"

Elizabeth shook her head, smiling at the newsies as she spoke. "Oh, no. Katherine's the only one who actually has a job, though I'd like to have one. Rebecca, my sister, and I were just tagging along for the day when this opportunity presented itself, and she said we could help her out if we wanted to. So, we did," she explained, shrugging at the end.

Elmer tilted his head in curiosity as he heard this, and inquired, "So, what would ya want ta do, den, if ya don't wanna be no reporta?"

A grin spread on Elizabeth's face as she thought about it. "Well, if anything," she began, "I'd want to be that female doctor I was telling you all about at the deli. If I can't, I'll be a nurse, or something else. I just want to help people in any way I can, you know?"

The newsies all nodded in understanding, seeing what she meant. It was clear that she had a good heart. Elizabeth just had that air about her, that aura of goodness and desire to help the lowest common denominator. Maybe that was part of her motivation to help out, more than just being friends with the reporter that was a part of this.

As the group sat there, some of the others got into their own conversations. Elmer and Albert started talking about something that Elizabeth couldn't quite make out, while Romeo, Finch, and Crutchie discussed the plans for tomorrow. That left Elizabeth to start talking to Sniper. "So, how long have you been a newsie?" she asked the younger boy, trying to make conversation.

Sniper sighed before he responded, "Since I was little. Got no ma o pa, so I's needed ta feed myself somehow."

Elizabeth immediately regretted asking the question. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories," she apologized.

Sniper waved it off with a flick of the wrist, leaning back against one of the posts on the bunk he currently occupied as he replied, "No worries. Was a long time ago, I's over it." After a moment or two of silence, he started talking again. "So, if yous don't work, whaddya do?"

Elizabeth shrugged, playing with the hem of her dress as she explained, "Read, mostly, or spend time with Rebecca and Katherine. There's not much for a woman to do if she's not working or raising children or something."

"Then why don't you get a job, like that friend of yours has?"

With an unladylike eye roll, one that was more fitting on Rebecca's face than her own, she explained, "Because it's not appropriate or necessary when I'm still living with my parents, according to my father. He takes care of all of us, and he says that when we're older and married, we won't be working either, so we shouldn't get used to having for a job. We must always depend on a man." Elizabeth groaned slightly, a frown playing on her face. "He'd never approve of me getting a job taking care of a neighbor's children for an evening, let alone a regular job. It's hard enough getting out to spend time with my friends without the accompaniment of one of my male friends. Going to a secret job, if I could get one, of course, well...it's just not worth the hassle." Her cheeks immediately filled with a darker shade of red than before, realizing how much she had said.

Sniper nodded in understanding. "Well, if ya eva want a job fer a day, ya could come work as a newsie like us, if ya wanted," he pointed out, gesturing at the rest of the newsies around them.

"Oh, trust me, my sister's already thought about that," Elizabeth admitted with a laugh, and Sniper let a smile form on his lips as well. "That was her plan for this morning, actually, until you all went on strike. I think she was a little disappointed at first, until she realized why you were doing this."

Sniper was surprised by this at first, then realized what kind of person this girl's sister had seemed like at the deli and it all made sense. "Really? Well, once all dis is fixed and we gots our normal rate back, you and your sista still could. I don't know ya that well, but I think we'd all be happy ta have ya with us."

As everyone chatted, Crutchie reached to the other side of his bed and picked up a tattered piece of fabric, likely from an old blanket. "Hey, Romeo, pass me da pen, would ya?" he asked, flagging one of the newsies down on the other side of the room.

Romeo heard this and picked up a stick of something black, maybe some charcoal that Jack used in his art, then tossed it over to Crutchie, who managed to catch it in his left hand, the one that didn't normally handle his crutch. "What you doin' wit' it, Crutchie?"

"Makin' a banna," Crutchie replied as everyone else's gaze fell on him.

"A banner for the strike?" Elizabeth asked curiously. When Crutchie nodded, she flashed a smile in his direction. "I bet it'll look great. It'll show your spirit and passion for the cause," she told him honestly, yet kindly.

"Yeah, sure will," Finch commented, but it was clear in his eyes he didn't really believe this. That same look was present in most of the others' eyes.

Luckily, Crutchie didn't seem to notice the other people's disinterest. He sweetly thanked the others as he printed out the word STRIKE in big letters down the strip of fabric, then hid it underneath his bed to be ready for the morning.

Within seconds of hiding the creation, Race ran through the door. While Crutchie passed the charcoal back to Romeo, using Elizabeth as the middleman, Race slowed down to a stop in the middle of the doorway, catching his breath as he leaned against the doorframe. "Hey, Sniper, pass me a cigar," he said as soon as he was back to normal, straightening up.

With a small wave to get the guy's attention, Finch called out, "Ey, Race! How's Midtown?"

While Sniper passed over the cigar in question, Race replied, "Meh. We's gonna see. All comes down ta Brooklyn, as normal." He lit his cigar and took a drag while everyone nodded, though Elizabeth slightly cringed at the smoke that was beginning to permeate the air around her.

"Because Brooklyn's the motherload, right?" Elizabeth then asked, remembering Jack's words from the deli.

Race nodded, sitting down on a nearby bunk as he told her, "You got it...what's yous name? I don't think I caught it."

"Elizabeth," she quickly supplied. But, she hesitated on whether or not to add a last name. Should she tell them who she really was? "Hughes," she finally added, the surname sounding like an afterthought. She was part of a rich, well-known family, as was Katherine. Maybe it would be better if she went with a more common last name so she didn't stick out.

Luckily, the others didn't seem to notice the suspicious pause she had taken when she introduced herself. Instead, Race tipped his hat in a gentlemanly fashion as a joke, to which the whole group snickered, before he spoke again and changed the conversation back to the original topic. "So, we's just gotta wait until Jack and the others get back from Brooklyn, and we'll know."

Elmer nodded in agreement, and quietly added, "Hopefully none'a them get caught by the goons and hauled to the Refuge. It's gettin' late and that's when they come out."

While the other newsies nodded in agreement and muttered comments of their own, Elizabeth lifted her head in curiosity. "The Refuge?" she asked. She had heard of the place before, but these kids all seemed afraid of it. From what she had heard, it was just a place for kids on the other side of the tracks, a pseudo-orphanage. What was so scary about it? "What's the problem with the Refuge?"

Crutchie's face paled at her question, and he looked over at her nervously. "Think of the worst place you can think of, den multiply it by ten. That's the Refuge," he explained with a frown. "Kids like us, we gotta avoid it or we's in all kinds of trouble."

The other newsies all nodded in agreement, and Elizabeth immediately understood that that place was problematic, but she wasn't going to get more than what she already had. She just nodded and changed the conversation topic to something happier.

Within twenty minutes of Elizabeth's question, the conversation was dwindling again. That was the moment when Katherine came knocking on the door to the lodging house. "It's open," Romeo called, quieter than he normally would have spoken, but loud enough for the woman to hear.

Katherine heard this and opened the door, stepping inside quietly. "Sorry, don't mean to interrupt whatever you all are doing, but I'm just looking for Elizabeth," she called when she entered.

Elizabeth turned around on the bunk to get a good look at her friend. She gave her a small smile as she asked, "Oh, are you finished with your interview with Jack?"

Katherine nodded, stepping further into the room so she was between a couple of the bunks. "Yes, I think I've got everything I need, personally," she informed her friend. "So, now your sister should be on the way to Brooklyn as we speak. I'm heading back home to type up my article. Do you have anything to add, or are you good?"

"Something to add to your article?" With a shake of her head, Elizabeth responded, "No, sorry. But, I probably should head back with you, you know, so I can get started on Rebecca's replacement clothing."

"You know," Katherine started, "that's probably a good idea. I've got fabric at my apartment, so you can get started while I type." As her eyes landed on the newsies, she gave them a smile. "We'll see you all tomorrow when we get your photo taken, right?"

The group nodded as Elizabeth stood up and smoothed out her dress, leaving a slight streak of charcoal on the fabric from when she passed the stick back over to Romeo. "Good luck, you all. See you in the morning," Elizabeth told them, then left with Katherine by her side as muffled goodbyes accompanied them out the door.

When the two girls were out of sight, Albert shrugged and fell asleep almost immediately in his bed, causing the other boys to lower their voices. While the boy slept and other newsies filtered in from their assignments, Race finally took the opportunity to ask the question that had been in his mind since the deli. "So, how'd ya know the goil, anyways?" he inquired as he put his cigar to his lips.

"She bought a pape from me yestaday, and she was real nice, and she said she was gonna come and buy my papes all the time, like a regulah customah. We don't know each otha too well, just a little bit, but she's nice, as you all got ta see today," Crutchie explained as he pulled his bad leg up onto the bunk he currently occupied.

With a shared glance, the other newsies gave responses of understanding, though there was more that they wanted to ask. "Alright, whateva you say," Romeo murmured, and the conversation about the girl was over. Instead, it ended up turning to various other things, almost causing some of the newsies to laugh so hard that Albert would wake up. At least it acted as a distraction from what would happen the next morning.