(Summers House)
"Well if you would have me I have a few things I can teach and well I'm usually good with people..."
'I wouldn't ask if I wouldn't have you,' I assured her, 'And... yes.' I'd leave it for Ethan to crow with delight about recruiting former exotic dancers and others for the new Council
"Devlin, um he's destined to be a watcher and is in training with Tragedy..."
'If he's destined to be a Watcher, then it seems high time I met him... and who, or what is a Tragedy?'
'You know, a hero with intrinsic flaw...'
'Ethan...' I sighed, sounding far more put-upon than I felt.
'Shutting up now...'
"He's British..."
'English, Irish, Scots, or Welsh?' Ethan asked. 'We're usually one of those. Never met anyone who called himself 'British' before.'
'Can I ask you something?'
'You can ask, of course,' I said, before Ethan had an opporunity to comment.
"To be a watcher, do you have to be british?... Just seems to me, most watchers are british. Not that I had a watcher personally but well... yeah, you get what I mean."
'I suppose "No, you don't have to be, but it helps," wouldn't be much of an answer?' I asked, somewhat rhetorically.
'In about the same way one doesn't have to be African-American to play in your NBA, or get a contract with Motown -- but it helps,' Ethan added.
I wouldn't have put it quite that way, but the analogy was pretty good, actually.
"I don't think Devlin would interfere, I just have to explain to him what's it all about and what's involved and he'll understand, he's like that. Once he knows the facts, he acts on them..."
'Well, if he means to be a Watcher, he needs to start somewhere, and this seems as good a place as any,' I told CJ. 'It's one of the more difficult things to deal with -- problems that concern people you care about... but I'll never demand that people not care, or pretend not to.'
It was a good thing to start separating what the new Council was about, from the old one, right from the outset. 'Often, it makes you work that much harder... when you care.'
"I'm glad, it's kind of nice not to use too many words to explain how I'm feeling or what I'm thinking."
That was a bit odd... Good, but odd. There was a time when people seldom gave me credit for having any feelings at all, much less thought of me as an empathetic person. It felt... good.
It made Ethan happy, too -- never one to hide his feelings, I could feel the energy radiating through him, into me. (Where magic is involved, one can take this a bit more literally than metaphor.) It was the first time I started to really think that Ethan might not be miserable if he stayed.
"I know I've asked a lot of questions and demanded a lot of attention but do you know anything about the initiative?"
'Excuse me,' Ethan said, getting up quickly and shutting down, emotionally. 'I think I left a burner on in the kitchen...' It was an excuse, and I knew it. He knew I knew it.
'I knew something about them a few years ago... I had no idea they were still... that they were still being funded.' I stumbled over the words, a little awkwardly. 'Why do you ask?'
'I wouldn't ask if I wouldn't have you,' I assured her, 'And... yes.' I'd leave it for Ethan to crow with delight about recruiting former exotic dancers and others for the new Council
"Devlin, um he's destined to be a watcher and is in training with Tragedy..."
'If he's destined to be a Watcher, then it seems high time I met him... and who, or what is a Tragedy?'
'You know, a hero with intrinsic flaw...'
'Ethan...' I sighed, sounding far more put-upon than I felt.
'Shutting up now...'
"He's British..."
'English, Irish, Scots, or Welsh?' Ethan asked. 'We're usually one of those. Never met anyone who called himself 'British' before.'
'Can I ask you something?'
'You can ask, of course,' I said, before Ethan had an opporunity to comment.
"To be a watcher, do you have to be british?... Just seems to me, most watchers are british. Not that I had a watcher personally but well... yeah, you get what I mean."
'I suppose "No, you don't have to be, but it helps," wouldn't be much of an answer?' I asked, somewhat rhetorically.
'In about the same way one doesn't have to be African-American to play in your NBA, or get a contract with Motown -- but it helps,' Ethan added.
I wouldn't have put it quite that way, but the analogy was pretty good, actually.
"I don't think Devlin would interfere, I just have to explain to him what's it all about and what's involved and he'll understand, he's like that. Once he knows the facts, he acts on them..."
'Well, if he means to be a Watcher, he needs to start somewhere, and this seems as good a place as any,' I told CJ. 'It's one of the more difficult things to deal with -- problems that concern people you care about... but I'll never demand that people not care, or pretend not to.'
It was a good thing to start separating what the new Council was about, from the old one, right from the outset. 'Often, it makes you work that much harder... when you care.'
"I'm glad, it's kind of nice not to use too many words to explain how I'm feeling or what I'm thinking."
That was a bit odd... Good, but odd. There was a time when people seldom gave me credit for having any feelings at all, much less thought of me as an empathetic person. It felt... good.
It made Ethan happy, too -- never one to hide his feelings, I could feel the energy radiating through him, into me. (Where magic is involved, one can take this a bit more literally than metaphor.) It was the first time I started to really think that Ethan might not be miserable if he stayed.
"I know I've asked a lot of questions and demanded a lot of attention but do you know anything about the initiative?"
'Excuse me,' Ethan said, getting up quickly and shutting down, emotionally. 'I think I left a burner on in the kitchen...' It was an excuse, and I knew it. He knew I knew it.
'I knew something about them a few years ago... I had no idea they were still... that they were still being funded.' I stumbled over the words, a little awkwardly. 'Why do you ask?'