neutral_omens | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Time: July 11, 2000
Place: Outside the manor, sunset
Status: Public
Summary: Brian has an evening jog

Brian had moved in several nights ago, and was already feeling better. Being around Adam always made things seem so much more purposeful. Adam was generally a good thing.

As he'd grown up, he'd come to understand a bit more of what happened-- but only a bit. He didn't feel like trying to decipher it all, cos it'd worked out for the best, really.

Despite purpose and faith, Brian wasn't completely satisfied, not yet. He did want things to do. Weekends down at the park wouldn't fill up all his time...

For now, though, he wasn't sure what was to do (perhaps meet this Hugo chap, learn about room service), so he was going on a jog. The manor was beautiful in the sunset.

He should have wondered how Adam'd come to have hold of such a huge house. What was meant by he 'kinda' owned it. But that was a flaw of his, wasn't it? Brian generally didn't wonder much, especially not when it came to Adam. Other things he might show some curiosity to, but not so much. He'd never liked deconstructing the world.

Brian was, in fact, a born follower. This isn't such a bad thing. Followers rarely start wars, and they usually wind up being essential. They can also appreciate beautiful things without asking themselves pesky questions..

He would have said 'wicked,' if he'd had much breath-- the place was full of gardens, though they needed a bit of a trim, and there were woods and a field...

It really was nice, here.

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Turning a brilliant smile on Brian, Adam sat beside him, one arm across his shoulders. "'m glad, Bri."

He was quiet for a moment, appreciating the view, then he patted the ground next to him in an invitation to Pepper to join them. Appropos of not much, he said, "Know what? I really missed you two."

"I missed you guys, too," Brian said. Almost unnecessarily-- the flying tackles usually cued people in. Still, if he couldn't state the obvious, what good was he?

"Imagine if we'd found this place as kids? We could've played Pirates saving the Rainforest."

Adam laughed. "With three milk crates as our pirate ship and Wensley bein' the evil developer wantin' to cut down the rainforest and build a shoppin' mall. I'd let you have the eyepatch this time, Brian, if I could have a hook hand and Pepper a wood leg."

"Wicked!" Brian had often envied the eyepatch. He'd rarely got to be a fun pirate-- his costumrey attempts had mostly involved stealing his mum's scarves and tying them on his heaad.

Brian had looked awfully funny with those flower printed pirate bandannas. That's probably why he never got the eyepatch.

Adam looked up. "C'mon, Pep, sit down. How would you stop the evil developer from cuttin' down the rainforest? Can you think of somethin' piratey?"

Damn Them and their contagious... she sighed and took her place at Adam's right, sitting on his fingers to let him know that he wasn't completely in the clear yet.

"Well, pirates ain't much for protestin', so I'd reckon that our plan would require use of the long guns. Or we could keel-haul 'im." Then she recalled one memorable holiday when they'd put Dog in a dress and he'd chewed it off. "Or! We could find his lady love an' hold 'er for ransom!"

"Who's Wensley's lady love gonna be then, if we three are pirates?" asked Adam, trying to look innocent. "Maybe the evil developer can just fall in love with one of the pirates and change his mind about cuttin' down the rainforest. That way we don't hafta hold anyone for ransom and can just focus on the keel-haulin'."

Pepper snorted. "Well, you know how it goes, I ain't gonna be no one's lady love. 'Specially not Wensley's. An' you can't be it 'cause your the Captain, and the Captain can't be fallin' in love with developers 'cause they don't mix right."

She peered around Adam, where a still-sweating figure gleamed in the low light. "What 'bout you, Brian? You wanna be the lady love, so we can skip straight to the keel-haulin'?"

Brian suddenly fell silent, looked away.

"...that's silly. The villain don't need a lady love."

Brian was being awfully quiet, but Pepper had a habit of continuing to talk even when she knew she shouldn't, so she pressed him. "Sure he needs a lady love. That's the new thing, haven't you heard? Villian's got to have depth now, otherwise he's borin'. So he's gotta have a love, or a really nasty past where his dad beat 'em or somesuch."

She really didn't get what the big deal was. Wouldn't be the first time Brian had to be the girl.

"It ain't gonna be me," Brian said shortly, and stood up.

Wensleydale and lady loves... maybe he'd devoted some thought to the subject. Not play, either.

Thing was, Wensley was likely to want one, eventually. Brian, on the other hand, would rather have a lordly love, and more than THAT, he'd rather have Wensleydale.

"Wensley's my friend."

Pepper blinked confusedly. She wasn't used to Brian being snippy like that. She hoped that his time away hadn't turned him into a big man with PMS. She didn't think she could take any of the male portion of the Them having worse mood swings than her.

"Yeah, Wensley's my friend too, wanker," she exclaimed jovially. "That's not we're talkin' about, though. We're talkin' about pirates" She looked to Adam to back her up, to catch the expression on his face. Was there something she was missing? Did someone have a fight and she didn't know about it?

"...right."

Brian frowned in concentration for a moment. And then another.

His face cleared. "I can't be his lady love if I'm bein' a pirate. So he'll have to have a tortured past, 'nstead."

Adam glanced between Brian and Pepper, letting some interesting pieces drop into place.

"All right," he decreed. "Nothin' sayin' the lady love can't be a pirate, too, but Brian dun't hafta be the one if he dun't want. I don't wanna give Wens a tortured past, though. How 'bout he has a pet jaguar from the rainforest and the three pirates hold him for ransom?"

"An' Dog can be the pet jaguar!" Pepper added excitedly. She was a little put out that he couldn't have a tortured past, but a jaguar was just as good really.

She looked up at Brian, hoping that was all right and he wasn't feeling morbid anymore. "How's that Brian? Think Wensley wants a pet jaguar?"

"Yeah!" Brian liked the idea a lot better, and took to it with enthusiasm. "Named Bagheera or something."

Pepper smiled. "Sure! Bagheera could work real good." She wondered if Brian had been reading the same books she had while they were away.

And because he was still standing, she crawled forward and tackled him, pulling his legs out from underneath him and sending him flying.

"HEY!" he said, flailing for balance. "No fair playing it on the ground, Pep!"

His landing was cushioned by the greenery. He still wasn't atall amused.

Much. He burst into a peal of laughter before he could stop himself.

Pepper crawled forward and started tickling Brian's sides, kicking Adam lightly with her foot to get him involved in the fray.

"Since when did we ever have rules about how I could attack? All that rugby make you go soft in the head and forget Our Rules?" She flexed her finger mercilessly, remembering again that Brian had the most ticklish ribs of anyone she had ever known.

"Hey HEY! Don't insult R-- DON'T DO THAT!" Brian burst into giggles, trying to punch her arm and block his poor ribs at the same time.

As a maneuver, it failed.

"Adam, Help! Help!"

Adam just sat and laughed, hugely comforted by the familiar display.

"I can't help," he managed to say. "Otherwise she'll come after me. Every boy for himself."

"Adam!" Brian said, looking utterly betrayed. "That's it, Pep! I'll just get you MYSELF." He folded over to grapple with her, trying for one of those wicked wrestling holds you weren't s'posed to be able to break.

Which was, of course, the point. Adam just laughed more. He'd make it up to Brian later.

Oh boy. If he was going to do wrestling holds, then she could do karate kicks right? She put a knee to his chest and pushed -

Oy, he was heavy.

"Adam?" she said desperately, being crushed under massive Brian-weight, "what good are you doing just sittin' there?" She looked up at Brian. "Get off me, you, or I'll bite you like when we were on vacation that time!"

Brian squeaked in remembered pain and crabscuttled back. "Not ON, Pep."