RP: Brothers

[rar_stephen]

Date: Saturday, 14 September 1999 | Evening
Characters: Stephen Cornfoot, Liam Cornfoot (NPC), Joshua Cornfoot (NPC), Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson, Cho Chang
Location: Utopia
Status: Public
Summary: Stephen's brothers visit.
Completion: Complete

Comments

[rar_stephen]

Stephen didn't like this one bit. He didn't like not having talked to Cho more about his family and their strange dynamics, but then again, he didn't even like thinking about talking about his family with her. It seemed so...private and shameful. How did one even begin that conversation? Surely she wouldn't want to really hear it--she was always so polite, but no one really wanted hear about another person's shite.

Cho leaned toward him, and the irrational fear he had about his brother Liam charming the pants off her faded. Could it be that Liam wasn't her type? Wasn't he everyone's type?

Stephen shook his head. "Thanks, but don't worry about it," he told Cho. He wanted to explain to her that his brothers didn't notice him in that way--in a way that dealt with women. Then a slow smile tugged his lips. "You're--you're good at pool?" He shook his head again. "Don't tell. Let's surprise them."

[rar_cho]

She grinned when he liked the idea of her playing her best against the other teams. Stephen handed her one of the shorter cue sticks and she stood it by her side as everyone got ready. Stephen had said not to worry about his brothers but she knew how her own brothers could be and sure enough, Liam soon continued his teasing. He seemed nice enough though, and she grinned as she noticed he was now directing his flirting at Katie

[rar_stephen]

Cho mentioned she was 'good' at pool, but it looked more like brilliant to Stephen. He was surprised by her skill and total control of the pool table. Was there anything she couldn't do? Soon, she had won the game for him. He laughed at Liam's expression.

"Pool hustler," Liam teased. "Good thing we weren't playing for money."

Stephen rolled his pool stick between his hands and smiled down at Cho. "Your corrupt childhood sounds far more interesting than ours. We wouldn't been allowed within 50 kilometres of a pub."

[rar_stephen]

Joshua chatted with Angelina, who was a right friendly bird. They talked about Quidditch and her job at The Sweetshop, and by the time he was promising he would stop in to try some sweets, the pool game was finished.

"What the...?" he asked, and Angelina laughed. She leaned over toward him and smirked.

"She's good, no?" Angelina said. Then she looked over at Katie, and Joshua wondered if the two birds weren't exactly friends. So far, they had neglected to really speak to each other.

Joshua nodded. "She's good, yes," Joshua answered. He moved closer to Cho and Stephen; now he was really curious about the bird his brother seemed bent on keeping away from Liam. What was his baby brother up to? Could he be interested in a girl? Surely not. Stephen didn't exactly have the social know-how to date. And after Stephen found out about their mother's betrayal, he'd said some extremely unfavourable words about women as a whole. Joshua also thought Stephen had sworn to never fall victim to a woman

[rar_cho]

Cho laughed when Liam called her a pool hustler, "It's a good thing you're Stephen's brothers, or I just might have made a wager." She looked at Stephen when he said he and his brothers hadn't been allowed in pubs when they were younger. She explained how it she had been able to herself, "When I was a teenager, both my brothers were already in their twenties and they let me tag along with them." She smiled, "They also put me on my first broomstick and taught me Quidditch. I think my parents were just glad we were finding things to do that didn't involve flying and Bludgers."

She smiled when Joshua complimented her playing, "Thanks, Joshua." When he asked about her and Stephen, she grinned as his obvious curiosity. "No, I haven't even played pool in a while." She tilted her head, curious herself about Stephen's brothers. She smiled, "So, you're an architect? I imagine that has to be rewarding work, seeing your ideas and designs coming to fruition."

[rar_stephen]

Stephen hadn't realised there was such a large gap between Cho and her brothers. Of course, they'd never really discussed their families (much to his relief)--not in depth at least. He felt his shoulders relax somewhat at Cho's obvious comfort around his brothers. Now that Liam was leaving some space, Stephen exhaled a long slow breath.

[rar_stephen]

Joshua was again sideswiped by the fact that his brother, his non-verbal little brother, who felt more comfortable in a room full of inanimate objects had talked enough to a woman to tell her what his brothers did for a living.

But Joshua smiled at Cho. At least if his brother was going to decide that women were acceptable he had chosen decent birds to associate with. No use in starting the habit of courting dangerous and neurotic birds.

"I am," he answered. "I love having the creative outlet as well as a chance to use my brain. I work hard, which is understood if you're a Cornfoot, but it helps that I enjoy my work as well. How do you spend your time?" Other than talking with my brother, he thought but did not add.

[rar_cho]

She smiled at Stephen before turning her attention back to his brother. She nodded as he explained why he enjoyed being an architect, and worked hard at it. "That's great you found something that challenges you like that." She smiled, "I have noticed Stephen's strong work ethic."

She darted a glance over at Stephen, glad he seemed more at ease now with the situation. "I'm at St. Mungo's, training to be a Healer. I understand your sister is a Healer." She grinned at Joshua, "The Cornfoots are quite talented, and diverse in their choices."

[rar_stephen]

Joshua laughed, aware that it had a dark sound to it, and he finished his pint. "Well, Cho," he said and still managed to smile, "is there anything other than a strong work ethic? Obviously Stephen hasn't told you much about--"

"--Joshua," Stephen warned. Joshua cut his eyes over to Stephen and nodded. Stephen may have been talking to Cho, but he hadn't been telling her much. Or he was picking and choosing what he told--which translated into 'leaving out the bad parts.'

Joshua looked back at Cho and smiled. She was a nice girl. No need to make her uncomfortable. "We are a talented bunch. It can be called survival, too, though." Cho mentioned she was in training to be a Healer like Gretchen. "Ah, Gretch," he said with a slow smile. "Met her yet?"

[rar_cho]

Cho immediately took note of Joshua's tone as he questioned just how much she knew about Stephen. She wasn't surprised when Stephen interrupted his brother. They exchanged looks, seemingly reaching an understanding. She took a step closer, placing her hand on Stephen's arm, until he looked at her again. She smiled as she lightly squeezed his arm, hoping to reassure him about the situation.

Joshua's cryptic remarks revealed much more than they hid, but he was again trying to make polite conversation. "No, I haven't yet met your sister." The Cornfoot brothers were so different, it made her wonder what Gretchen was like. She wasn't certain if Joshua had been trying to warn her off Stephen earlier, but wanted to make something perfectly clear. She looked at Joshua pointedly, "I'm looking forward to meeting her, as well."

[rar_stephen]

Cho squeezed his arm, and he watched Joshua's eyes follow her movements. She smiled up at him, and Stephen couldn't help but smile back--though it was a tighter smile. He didn't want Cho mixed up in his family's business. It would be different if the air had been cleared between the siblings and parents, but nothing of the sort had happened, and it may never happen.

Cho assured Joshua that she was ready to meet Gretchen, and Stephen cringed slightly. Gretchen was as predictable as a rattlesnake. Not nearly as lethal, but the Cornfoot children had been brought up in such a way that it left all of them a bit raw and frayed at the edges. Stephen could only hope that when and if Cho ever met Gretchen that his sister would at least be kind.

Joshua smiled at Cho. "Well, I hope you get the opportunity then. You can tell her we all shared a few pints. She'll get a kick out of knowing Stephen was out and about."

[rar_cho]

It was clear Stephen was still tense with her being around his brothers. She considered maybe it would be better if she just left, but figured his brothers would probably feel free to say even more to him then.

She didn't know how sincere Joshua was being, but something about the references he kept making about Stephen made her not want to trust his advice. "Thanks, Joshua, but I'm sure you'd rather have the pleasure of telling your sister how Stephen is doing."

Cho was looking around for Angelina when she saw her coming back from the bar. She had thought Katie would be with Ang, but saw Katie dancing closely with Liam on the dance floor. She smiled at Angelina as she rejoined them. "Hey, Ang. Interested in playing a game of pool?"

[rar_angelina]

Angelina sipped her glass of water and walked back to the pool table. "Hey," she said and she glanced around to see where Katie had gone. Before she could ask, she saw Katie was dancing with one of Stephen's brothers

[rar_cho]

Angelina looked around the pub for just a moment, until she noticed Katie was on the dance floor with Liam. Cho didn't know what was going on there but before she could ask, Angelina had intuitively questioned whether everything was okay. Cho nodded, not wanting to say anything but instead looking at the brothers, hoping Angelina would understand.

Cho could have hugged Angelina when she managed to lead Joshua away to discuss architecture. "Good to meet you, Joshua." She smiled her thanks to Ang as they walked away.

She turned to Stephen and grinned, "Alone at last. I get the feeling we should enjoy this respite while we can."