Lower City, Corus | Sunday Evening

[noearsyet]

George slid into an open spot at the the dicing table, greeting the other lads with an open grin and sharp eyes. They were all men he’d known since he was just a minnow - some had been wee minnow with him, running errands and picking pockets, but others were hard-eyed older ones who’d been in the Rogues’ Court for more years than George had been

Comments

[weetinyreese]

There was something different about Kyle today. He was aware of his surroundings, of course. Little could change that. But the fear that was usually there, fear and wariness of something not human lurking around the corner, was gone. He looked about as content as a Reese ever was and that contentedness had nothing to do with the wall he was leaning against.

[noearsyet]

He knew it would be wrong to try to keep his friend here instead of going back, knew Kyle wouldn't ever be willing to agree to it anyway, but the thought still crossed George's mind as he saw Kyle waitin'.

"What, she got better things t'do?" he teased, wandering up towards him staying just out of reach of a punch.

[weetinyreese]

"Hundreds of them," Kyle replied, taking a swipe anyway. "Where have you been?"

[noearsyet]

"Hundreds? Couldn't be that bad now, could ye?" George smirked, dodging back just because. "At th' Dove. Money t'take, people t'see." He shrugged, figuring Kyle would know who he was talking about.

[weetinyreese]

"You couldn't have won that much. You're still here."

[noearsyet]

"Aww, Kyle, lad, I wouldn't be goin' anywhere wit'out ye." He glanced around. "Besides who knows what type of trouble y'd be gettin' in without me."

[weetinyreese]

"I don't get into trouble," Kyle managed to say with a completely serious expression, largely because he believed it. "I keep other people out of it."

[noearsyet]

George snorted and wrapped an arm around Kyle's shoulder to tug him down the street. "Yeah, let's be seein' if you can keep us out of trouble tonight then, hey? We can be givin' it a test."

[weetinyreese]

"Last night in the city," he pointed out, scuffing his feet until he fell into step beside George. "And you want me to keep you out of trouble?"

[noearsyet]

Oops, was that George trying to slide his foot under one of Kyle's scuffing ones. Maybe he was just afraid Kyle would scuff right through a puddle of...well, who knows what was in some of those puddles. "I said try."

[weetinyreese]

"You're setting me up to fail."

[noearsyet]

"Nah, settin' ye up t'fail would be takin' ye back t'Rispah's," George teased laughingly.

[weetinyreese]

"She said to come back any time," he said with an uncharacteristic air of smugness.

[noearsyet]

He cracked up, dancing away from the splash of a bucket being emptied onto the street. "That's me boy. Sure ye don' want t'be stayin' another few days? Mr. Bond won't be mindin'."

...exams, pazams.

[weetinyreese]

Kyle looked over at George, taking care to follow his lead with dodging the lively street folk. "I can't stay, even for a few days. Maybe I'll come back after we win the war."

[noearsyet]

He looked up in surprise. "Not staying fer graduation then?" George had no idea what the school's obsession with graduation (and why it had to be a week after exams ended) was, but he realised he'd bought into it a little - at least as far as Kyle was concerned.