Brothers Can Be Insensitive

It\'s early evening and thick wet flakes of snow are drifting down from the clouds above. People are wrapping up business for the day and preparing to go home for the evening. Brenden Ferny approaches the pawn shop that his sister runs, his footsteps making squeaking sounds in the packed snow beneath his feet. As he heads into the shop he studiously shakes out his brown mop of curls, making a miniature snowfall in the entry of the store. \"Ada?\" ((RE))

[Ada(#23113)] A fat cresent moon wreathed in the smoke of Bree\'s evening fires hangs low over the town. Ada stands watching through the wavy glass embedded high in one wall, a wistful expression on her face until she hears her brother\'s voice. She turns swiftly a frown covering the sadness. \"What?\"

Brenden is smiling, as he often tends to be these days. \"Being mayor has the most wonderful perks. Did you know that?\" He unwraps a scarf from around his neck, crossing to toss it over a chair by the hearth, then reaches inside his coat to pull a tall bottle of wine from a hidden pocket. \"Care for a drink, dear sister?\"

[Ada(#23113)] He wins a smile from her despite her mood and a tendancy to disapprove of everything he is doing of late. \"And what would they be? What are you offering, dear brother?\"

\"Well, people like to give me gifts along with their requests for things to be approved. And so I have to share with you, a lovely red wine that I am told is one of the best vintages of the last ten years. Of course, we shall see. Do you have a bottle opener?\" Brenden moves over towards her business counter and begins rummaging around, setting the wine bottle down.

[Ada(#23113)] \"We shall see? Move.\" She unceremoniously uses her hip to push him out of the way and dips into a drawer and withdraws a corkscrew. \"Here. What kind of requests?\"

Brenden is still grinning when she pushes him out of the way. He takes advantage of her moment of distraction to reach and press his icy-cold hands to her neck. Then he snatches up the corkscrew she\'s offering before she can stab him with it and reaching for the wine bottle. \"Oh, official things. Permits, tax cuts.. things like that. Why do you look so grumpy tonight?\"

[Ada(#23113)] \"Damn you,\" she mutters and shivers. \"I\'m not grumpy,\" she snaps. \"I\'m...just...\" she shrugs and looks meaningfully at the bottle. \"Tax cuts?\"

Brenden snickers at her reaction, then focuses on working the cork out of the wine bottle, twisting the corkscrew in. His face crunches up as he pulls the cork free of the glass with a soft popping sound, then sets the bottle back on the counter to let it breath for a bit. \"Yes. Tax cuts. Official business. People ask for breaks on taxes, or a policy signed.. things like that. Mayor business.\"

[Ada(#23113)] \"Brenden,\" she says with barely concealed scorn, \"how will you repair the roads at the end winter if there is no money in the coffers?\"

\"Ada.. there is no money in the coffers -now-. Or wonderful Mr. Bywater left Bree in a rather pathetic state, as far as financing is concerned. If the roads are a bit bumpier, oh well. People can grumble.\" Brenden leans against the counter, his brown eyes watching his sister with amusement. \"You worry too much. People are more concerned about this supposed dragon more than anything else.\"

[Ada(#23113)] \"People like sensation but they also like their comfort and if the roads are impassable during the spring rains the merchants won\'t be happy and they pay the taxes. I should know.\" Ada leans her elbows on the counter, a favorite pose of hers when she is listening to her brother\'s flights of fancy. \"So what about the dragon?\"

\"Then it will be the merchant\'s problem. Where else will they go? Bree is the hub. If they cry I will tell them to pay more taxes, and then they will cry about that. The problem will sort itself out. Besides, the roads outside of Bree really aren\'t my problem anyway.\" He begins moving again, collecting up a couple of glasses to pour the wine into. One is offered to Ada. \"The dragon? Oh, I don\'t know. I haven\'t seen anything. The hobbits are all stirred up about it. I told one to find some heroes to go after it and she was satisfied.\"

[Ada(#23113)] \"Heros.\" Ada snorts and takes her glass. \"So what vintage is this and where from?\" She holds up the glass and the feeble light from the fire in the grate reflects ruby in it.

\"I don\'t believe there was a dragon. And if you don\'t do anything different and better than that fat dumpling of a hobbit why would people ever vote for you again, Brenden? Bumpy roads count. Security counts. Keeping folk in order counts. You used to be among the Kings of Misrule yourself. You should know.\" (R)

Brenden sips the wine and lifts his brows. \"This isn\'t bad. Maybe I should have saved it.\" He says, grinning. \"Where from? Oh.. I don\'t remember the name, some small village in the Shire I think.\" He takes another sip and rolls his eyes at her lecturing. \"I am doing things differently.. because I\'m actually -doing- things. That\'s more than Bywater ever did. What do you think he would have done about a dragon? He would have ran and hid under a rock.\"

At her reminder of his less than orderly days he simply shrugs. \"I\'m done with all of that. I\'m mayor now. You act like I don\'t care about anything.\"

[Ada(#23113)] \"I\'m your sister and you can\'t pretend with me. Besides your son and your reputation, what do you care about?\" She purses her lips and something of the old woman she could become is presaged in her bitter tone.

The young man, barely twenty-three, eyes her as his good mood begins to evaporate. \"Ada, have you ever considered trying to -enjoy- life a little bit? It\'s the dead of winter. Most people are relaxing while they wait for spring and the planting. You .. you\'re worse than my wife. At least Louisa makes an attempt to be happy once in a while... as much as I would like to see her trampled under a horse and cart.\" Brenden scowls and drinks down more of the wine. \"I swear, you revel in being a widow.\"

[Ada(#23113)] \"I hated him and his sweaty hands.\" She growls the words between gritted teeth but if he were to look closely he would see her eyes mist with tears. \"They are all old or pimply faced or interested in my shop. Not a one of them worth the breath talking to them. What am I going to do?\" Her sadness fires her anger and it spills from her like water in a millrace. \"Knit for my babies all winter?\"

\"Well he\'s dead now, so why are you even thinking about it? Just get over him and move on. You don\'t like the men that you see now because you never go out and have fun. You wear dark colors, you hide in this shop all day, and frankly? .. I think that scares younger men away. I would be.\" Brenden has never been especially eloquent.

Generally the young Ferny has never been one to pull punches either. He rattles on, \"I bring you wine to share, and instead of saying, \'Gee Brenden, how kind of you to stop in\' you just start chewing me out about what a terrible job I\'m doing.\" He waves at the glass that she\'s still holding, unsipped, \"Have some wine. Stop mourning a man you didn\'t even love.\"

[Ada(#23113)] \"You are stupider than I thought. I\'m not mourning the idiot. I\'m mourning the fact that there is not a single man worth wasting my time on. Getting out? Where? And what will people think of me if I didn\'t respect the time for wearing black. Now, I can start wearing colors again. And I will. You just watch.\"

A single tear slips down her cheek and she sniffs loudly. \"Thank you for the wine.\"

Alas, tears are not so effective on younger brothers that are insensitive. Brenden shakes his head slowly, his curls swaying. \"There are men, you just don\'t see them.\" He reaches to try and pull the cap she always wears from her head. \"Let your hair down, and eat something. You dress like an old woman and that\'s why you attract old men.\" He smirks, \"Just dress like Louisa does on a night out. Or Cordelia.. The men talk about -her-. You\'re pretty when you want to be, Ada. You haven\'t tried.\"

He reaches for the bottle to refill his glass. \"Drink. It\'s good.\"

[Ada(#23113)] She takes a gulp of her wine but eyes him dubiously. \"Oh! You have the right of it. Dress like a whore and I will attract all of the young worthies in town. But...\" She takes another drink, slightly more moderate. \"Some new clothes would suit but I would be the talk of the town were I to put off my widow\'s cap. I could reduce it though...wear a spot of lace in its place. Let my hair down,\" she repeats with derision, \"and be laughed at, is what.\"

\"No one will laugh at you, Ada, but the old woman that are too afraid to do the same. But, if you want to be miserable, keep at it. I won\'t stop you. It\'s your life, not mine.\" Brenden starts working through the second glass, but sets it down long enough to heft himself up to sit on the counter. \"Want me to pass a law that abolishes widow caps?\"

[Ada(#23113)] Ada guffaws at his proposal and the guffaw becomes giggles that slip her control. She barely manages to get her glass to safety before she doubles over laughing. \"A...hahahahah...a hahahah...law. Power has gone to your head, you loon.\" She catches her breath but not without a struggle. \"So who are my likely candidates?\"

Brenden is grinning as well, lounging up on the counter now with his legs hanging over the side. Bits of slush and mud slowly drop down to the floor as the heat melts the snow from his boots. \"How should I know? Just open your eyes, you\'ll see someone you like. Or go out to the tavern more.\" He finishes off the second glass. \"I\'d drag you myself, but I promised Louisa I would take her to a dinner party.\" That might explain all the wine he\'s drinking now. \"We\'re on this new \'try to be a real family\' kick..\"

[Ada(#23113)] \"Dinner party?\" A hint of jealousy shadows her eyes. \"We are getting high and mighty now. And what kind of man am I going to meet that hangs about in a tavern. For that matter, what would he think of me. I swaer we do not live in the same town at times.\"

\"Ada.. just .. find a man. Who cares about all the rest? You think about it entirely too much.\" Brenden rolls his eyes again. \"Spend a night or two with someone and I promise you\'ll feel a lot better.\" He studies the wine bottle, clearly considering a third glass, but decides against it. \"And of course a dinner party. Everyone wants the mayor over for dinner.\" He grins.

[Ada(#23113)]

Her cheeks redden in fury, embarrassment and perhaps desire. \"You can talk of sleeping somewhere with a trollop but were I to do that and it got around I could kiss my chances of being wed again goodbye. I won\'t be Goodwife Ferny that goes with them all.\"

She finishes her wine and holds out the glass to him. \"I\'m serious. Respectable, good looking, able to read and count. His own business would be good. Keep his hands out of mine then or a trader or maybe not a trader.\" She whispers, \"And good upstairs...

\"You expect too much. If you look for all of that you\'ll never find another husband.\" Brenden hops down off of the counter. \"You need to loosen up. Do that and I promise you would feel better. But.. I need to be going, dear sister. Enjoy the rest of the wine. Drink it all and you might find your standards far more reasonable.\"

[Ada(#23113)] \"Men can be loose. Women lose their reputations.\" She curtseys to him with all the airs of a noble woman except for the smirk on her face. \"Thank you for the wine, good ser.\"

Brenden snatches up the scarf to wrap back around his neck, laughing. \"Quite the reputation that you risk losing, Ada.. A prickly widower that\'s miserable all the time.\" He heads for the door quickly now before she can throw anything at him. \"Have a good night!\" He calls brightly as he slips out.