(no subject)

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

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.

Comments

[playswithboys.livejournal.com]

Tour around the continent? That was pretty impressive. Brian's parents were always doing stuff like that, they had more money than they let on sometimes. So Brian hadn't been going to school or anything.

found this place... So it seemed he'd done the same to Brian too. She wondered if he'd done it for Wensley. She wondered if he'd done it for all of them.

"Must have your mum upset that you're not at uni," Pepper guessed. "But you must've kept busy all that time on the continent. That's really cool. What're you going to do here?"

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"She wants me to have a job more'n anything," Brian said. "Dad, now. Dad wants me at uni, he says I could be a barrister or summat if I 'pplied myself. But I don't really want to. I don't feel much like a barrister."

He rubbed his head. He knew his dad had money cos he'd gone to a good uni and gotten a really good job, but Brian didn't know what he'd do with all that money. His parents still kind of confused him.

"I don't know what I'm gonna be doing here. Maybe room service with Hugo. You met Hugo?"

[playswithboys.livejournal.com]

Brian as a barrister? There was a funny idea. Brian responsible? There was an impossible one.

Brian as room service?

Pepper almost fell out laughing. "You coming to people's rooms with those little carts that wouldn't even reach your knees, and popping corks on champaign? I'm going to order room service all the time!"

She paused as she registered the rest of what he'd said. "Hugo? No, I haven't really met anyone 'sides Brenda. Been keeping out of the way, really. Have you seen Wensley?"

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"No, I haven't. I'm hoping to, though. We haven't seen each other in a while..." Brian scuffed the dirt.

He'd been having a hard time talking to Wens, for reasons he hadn't been closely examining.

"I haven't met Hugo either. Just Brenda and Adam and you."

[playswithboys.livejournal.com]

Seemed like both she and Brian had abandoned Adam and Wens, then. It wasn't the best feeling in the world, when Pepper got down to thinking about it. Then again, Wensley was harder than Adam, always had been. Too many barriers to deal with.

At least she'd had a reason to be gone, being at school and everything. She had expected that to make her feel better than it did.

"Looks like you an' me are in the same boat, Bri. Met the same people, and haven't been talking to lots of 'em for a while. For diff'rent reasons, 'course."

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"Yeah. But it's gonna be okay, now. I mean, we're here."

[playswithboys.livejournal.com]

Pepper eyed Brian curiously. How much had Adam told him? And if he hadn't told him anything, was Pepper allowed to tell? She somehow thought that she wasn't.

As the Them, Pepper had always sort of unofficially been Second-In-Command to Adam, and she'd always thought it was because they knew she'd beat them all up if they didn't allow it. But now she was beginning to wonder if Adam actually had always had a reason for allowing her just a little bit closer. Didn't mean much, and she still didn't really know a thing.

But maybe Brian shouldn't know.

"Yeah, it's gonna be great," she told him, trying to sound as sure of herself as possible. "I gotta car too, so we can all pile in and go to the beach. Adam said."

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"A car? Really? Wow." Brian beamed. Then frowned. "You all right, Pep?"

[playswithboys.livejournal.com]

Pepper shook her head. She really had to remember that the rest of the Them were the only people who could read her real easy. She wasn't used to people being able to do that anymore - no one could at uni.

"Fine," she told him with a smile. "And yeah, a car. Remember my mum's old Volkswagon? The little tiny thing with all the peace signs painted on it? It's fine different colors? Well, the mushrooms she did back in the 60s are startin' to get to her I think, and she forgot my birthday this year, so to make it up to me, she gave me the car."

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"Then we can go to the beach, all of us together." He grinned. "Pep, you ain't worried, are you? S'gonna be great, all of us here. I mean, we're s'posed to be together."

He was happy. And he wasn't questioning it.

[playswithboys.livejournal.com]

The really truly funny thing about Brian was how he always managed to say something exactly right when you least expected it. Like, I mean, we're s'posed to be together.

Maybe that was the point, and she had forgotten it somewhere between Tadfield and London when she'd left.

"Nah, Brian. 'M not worried. We'll go to the beach and have a picnic. We'll be together again."

She gave him a half-hearted punch in the stomach for old times sake. "Why'd we stay away so long, you think?"

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"Dunno. Going out and seeing things, I guess. The continent was brill, but it's not Tadfield."

Brian had had to get out for a while, was glad his parents had taken him along. He knew, even if he didn't know he knew, that it was really better to get away to grow up a little. Because things had to change.

If he'd stayed around Adam, he wouldn't've changed at all. And that wouldn't have been good.

He was back now, though.

[playswithboys.livejournal.com]

Pepper wasn't sure she'd left for the same reasons Brian had. She could see he'd needed the time away, time to be his own person, and it had clearly helped him a lot. He was brighter than ever. But Pepper'd always felt like she was trying to be someone else after she'd left. And some things had changed in her, but most of the facade needed to be shed now.

She was missing something. Felt like the woods, maybe, or a big backyard.

She missed the apples Adam stole for them.

"No, nothin's Tadfield," she agreed, looking around. "And nothin's quite as huge as this place. I haven't even seen a tenth of it, and I always feel lost no matter where I am."

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"We can explore. It's like an adventure," Brian opined. "These gardens are beautiful, aren't they? And there's the woods back there. And a library and everything."

[playswithboys.livejournal.com]

"We can explore. It's like an adventure."

Pepper felt her stomach shoot into her throat. She'd been waiting for someone to say that. She wondered what kind of books were in the library.

"The gardens are beautiful. Or they will be once I weed them, which will probably take all summer." She laughed. "I noticed the woods, though. I've been fighting the urge to run in there all day."

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"Come oooon, Pep. I'll help you weed if you come running with me now..." Brian bounced forward, tapping her on the shoulder, and then back out of reach. "Tag!"

[playswithboys.livejournal.com]

Pepper shook her head in bewilderment. What was it with these boys and tag now that she was back?

Not that she minded it...

"Arg, no fair, your legs are longer now!" she scolded, sprinting after him. "Adam!" she called back over her shoulder. "Brian and I are running into the forest! You better come quick, or we'll get up to all sorts of trouble without you!Bring Wensley while your at it!"

She knew that Adam probably couldn't hear her (though her voice was actually quite loud when she shouted), but they had this thing - Adam always seemed to come when Pepper called, unless he couldn't. She wondered if it was still the same now. Without bothering to look over her shoulder, she barreled after Brian into the lush green jungle ahead.

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"Whoo-hoo!" Brian led the way, catcalling back now and then-- but when they got into the forest proper, he had to concentrate more on watching his feet and trying not to trip over things.

He dodged behind a stand of trees, halfway turning 'tag' into 'hide and seek.'

[playswithboys.livejournal.com]

Pepper looked up ahead to find... Brian was gone. Hrmph. Well, fine. She would just have to try and remember what made one good at seeking. She hadn't done it in a long time.

She slowed down and tried to listen. It was windy and hard to hear above the trees. She stepped quietly because the Them had a tendency to move from their hiding place, even though they weren't supposed to.

It was getting darker and harder to see, but Pepper kept a careful eye on the ground, hoping she wouldn't trip over a root and ruin the game.

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

Brian watched in delight as Pepper started going in the wrong direction. With a grin, he slipped away from this hiding place and went to one behind her.

He'd jump out and yell 'Boo!' and then run again, if he could jus get close enough.

[playswithboys.livejournal.com]

Pepper was craning her neck to see around tree trunks. She could do this, she knew she could, he wasn't exactly a tiny guy anymore, she just had to -

There was a crack behind her.

She whipped around and smacked Brian's shoulder. "You're it!" she shouted triumphantly as she bolted away and looked for cover. "Nice try, Brian!" she called back to him as she ran.

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"...bugger," Brian said under his breath, and then took off after her. "I'll get you," he promised.