Claim - Promise
Title: Promise
Claim: Jane
Themeset/Theme: V, #8 Alone
Characters/Pairing: Jane, Bran, Simon, Barney (Bran/Jane)
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Summary: Jane promises to see Bran again.
Will left yesterday. The Drews are all getting ready to go, but Jane's done packing and so she's outside in the sunshine. She won't say that she's hoping for Bran to come along, but Simon at least has twigged that's exactly what she's doing. She's ignored Simon's cheerful taunting, and tried to ignore the fact that while Bran's been nice and all, he doesn't seem to like her that much.
She's not sure whether to be surprised or not when he shows up at the Trefeddian, the expression on his face half a smile and half-mocking, his hands in his pockets. "Well then, Jane Drew," he says. "I hear you're leaving tomorrow."
"You needn't look like that," she says, opening her mouth before thinking. "You know we are."
"Yes, I suppose you probably did mention it to me."
"You'll miss us," she says, again without thinking, and then puts her hand over her own mouth, because it sounded so arrogant, so... She looks away from him and fiddles with her hair ribbon, her eyes on the grass growing between cracks in the pavestones.
"I suppose I might."
"You'll miss Will, anyway."
"Yes, that I will." Bran sighs softly and moves to swing up and sit on the wall beside her. "I don't have many friends round here, you see."
"I'd heard something like that," she says, suddenly shy. Then, in a burst of inspiration -- "We'll come back, you know. Mother and Father really enjoyed this holiday. I want to come back, anyway. I don't know about Simon and Barney. I think they do. Barney likes Wales, there's all that Arthur stuff, like that... Corn March Arthur thing."
"Carn March Arthur," he says, quick and easy and very Welsh sounding, and then frowns. "Funny, I... It's nothing."
"This holiday went so fast," Jane says, fiddling with her hair ribbon again. "It feels like a blur. I can't remember what we did some days."
"Funny, that," Bran says, again, but he doesn't continue. He looks at her after a moment with his smile that always seems mocking somehow. "It'd be nice to see you again, if you're back this way, like."
"I'll write to you."
He smiles again. "I can't promise I'll write back, I have a busy life with the sheep, but when I can I'll write to you."
Jane slips her hand into his and ignores the way he stiffens up. After a moment, he relaxes, though he's still holding her hand gingerly as if he's afraid to break it. Or, more likely, afraid that she'll vanish. She's already planning the ways she'll plead to come back here, the ways to get Barney and Simon on her side.
She's pleased to note a smile of awkward pleasure, not even a tiny bit mocking, on Bran's face.
Claim: Jane
Themeset/Theme: V, #8 Alone
Characters/Pairing: Jane, Bran, Simon, Barney (Bran/Jane)
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Summary: Jane promises to see Bran again.
Will left yesterday. The Drews are all getting ready to go, but Jane's done packing and so she's outside in the sunshine. She won't say that she's hoping for Bran to come along, but Simon at least has twigged that's exactly what she's doing. She's ignored Simon's cheerful taunting, and tried to ignore the fact that while Bran's been nice and all, he doesn't seem to like her that much.
She's not sure whether to be surprised or not when he shows up at the Trefeddian, the expression on his face half a smile and half-mocking, his hands in his pockets. "Well then, Jane Drew," he says. "I hear you're leaving tomorrow."
"You needn't look like that," she says, opening her mouth before thinking. "You know we are."
"Yes, I suppose you probably did mention it to me."
"You'll miss us," she says, again without thinking, and then puts her hand over her own mouth, because it sounded so arrogant, so... She looks away from him and fiddles with her hair ribbon, her eyes on the grass growing between cracks in the pavestones.
"I suppose I might."
"You'll miss Will, anyway."
"Yes, that I will." Bran sighs softly and moves to swing up and sit on the wall beside her. "I don't have many friends round here, you see."
"I'd heard something like that," she says, suddenly shy. Then, in a burst of inspiration -- "We'll come back, you know. Mother and Father really enjoyed this holiday. I want to come back, anyway. I don't know about Simon and Barney. I think they do. Barney likes Wales, there's all that Arthur stuff, like that... Corn March Arthur thing."
"Carn March Arthur," he says, quick and easy and very Welsh sounding, and then frowns. "Funny, I... It's nothing."
"This holiday went so fast," Jane says, fiddling with her hair ribbon again. "It feels like a blur. I can't remember what we did some days."
"Funny, that," Bran says, again, but he doesn't continue. He looks at her after a moment with his smile that always seems mocking somehow. "It'd be nice to see you again, if you're back this way, like."
"I'll write to you."
He smiles again. "I can't promise I'll write back, I have a busy life with the sheep, but when I can I'll write to you."
Jane slips her hand into his and ignores the way he stiffens up. After a moment, he relaxes, though he's still holding her hand gingerly as if he's afraid to break it. Or, more likely, afraid that she'll vanish. She's already planning the ways she'll plead to come back here, the ways to get Barney and Simon on her side.
She's pleased to note a smile of awkward pleasure, not even a tiny bit mocking, on Bran's face.