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 Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 12:28 am
Rory nodded, having the same thoughts. "W'll hae a month t' figure it out, aye."
"Her brother, yeah," Mr. McCormick said, nodding. "Keagan's halfbreed. After their annulment, Keagan pretty much adopted her t' th' clan, so tha' makes Fao an' her siblin's, in th' eyes o' th' clan anyway."
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 12:37 am
Lee looked behind her, looking at the door her essentic had been hiding behind. "We should tell Lauss, yeah?" Surely he'd be happy for them, wouldn't he?
Fao as in Faolan? The man she'd married before? He became her brother? What kind of strange relationship did those two have exactly? "O-oh, I see. I'm sure he'll attend. I can't speak for the fellow, though. I've never met him, to be honest." He chuckled uncomfortably for a moment, realizing how odd that must sound. Mr. Katan couldn't help but feel a small sting when he heard she'd been adopted into the clan, perhaps considering this Keagan man her father instead of him. He frowned as he looked back at her, admittedly not blaming her if that was the case.
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 12:45 am
"Oh, gods, he'll prolly wanna help plan it. W'll hae t' get him some weddin' books now," Rory laughed. "Yeah, lass. Let's gae tell him then w' can head o'er t' your brother's an' tell him an' Elle, too."
Mr. McCormick noted the man's expression. "It ain't tha' she replaced one family wi' another. After th' annulment, she still needed a link t' th' clan. I guess Keagan felt fae her some. Last child he adopted was Fao, an' tha' was almost thirty years ago." He watched the man a moment, then sat down next to him. "They ne'er did anythin'. Rory talked wi' me some about it when he asked me advice. Fao married her t' rescue her from whate'er situation wis gaen on there tha' she needed him t' come get her an' almost fook up his own marriage o'er. They stayed married long enough fae him t' get her a home o' her own an' in school, then they got th' marriage struck an' he introduced her t' Rory figurin' th' lad could help her settle in at school. She an' Rory ain't really been apart since. You hae me word, though, she an' Fao are more siblin's than anythin' else."
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 1:10 am
Rory really did know Lauss too well... She giggled, nodding in agreement. Lee felt a bit worried over how Ellandra and Faolan might react, sure that they'd think the two were moving much too fast. But they needed to know, that was true. Nodding, Lee tugged Rory's arm as she moved over to the bedroom, knocking on the door lightly before letting herself in. Spotting Lauss in the same chair, with a stack of three books sitting next to him and a new one cracked open in his hands, Lee didn't bother moving too far into the room. "We kinda have some news..."
Lauss finished reading the last of the sentence he was on before looking up at his master, tilting his head as if to tell her, "go on...".
Lee looked up at Rory, shrugging with a smile. "You can say it this time." She giggled, hoping to pay him back for stealing the job of announcer before.
He had never needed reassurance more in his life, and he was more than thankful for Mr. McCormick clearing things up. Mr. Katan nodded, not having it in him to talk about Faolan at the moment, only because the man reminded him of a rather depression period in his life. His eyes falling back down to the table, he shook his head, finally regarding the man with a weary smile. "I have to say... I've never seen her this happy before. You raised a good young man, but... Honestly, I imagined something so different from this for Lee." He paused for a moment, chuckling to himself softly. "But what do I know? This could very well be better than anything I imagined." He turned to the man, a slightly concerned expression on his face. "You don't think they'll have children as quickly as they got married, do you?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 1:27 am
Rory grinned at Lauss. "Lee an' me are gettin' married in a month. W'll get you some weddin' plannin' books so's you can help out wi' all tha'."
Mr. McCormick smiled a bit. "Nae, I donnae think there will be grandchildren fae awhile. At least, not on purpose. Rory's been lonely most o' his life. He's a good lad an' w' always tried t' make him feel normal, but some things are hard t' o'er look an' kids can be cruel. Adults, too. Lee's th' first person he met tha' knew about his curse an' doesnae care about it. Oddly enough, I think he might be th' first person she met tha' really saw her." He settled back in his chair, giving a shrug. "It's not suprisin' they wanna be married so quick. They need each other. Children, though, neither are ready fae. Rory wants t' graduate school first an' certainly wants this place set up more proper first. It's not unusual fae didikai t' hae children young. Hell, I wis Rory's age when me oldest daughter wis born an' Maddie wis only 14, but th' lad's a bit different. Maybe it's from all them years o' bein' alone or th' deadspeak, but he's pretty mature fae his age an' definitely has his goals pretty well planned out." He grinned at Mr. Katan. "Bet you could show him how t' work in your company an' in a year, he'd hae moved up from th' lowest position t' whatever position is just under you wi'out your help on gettin' him promoted. He did tha' in th' stables, you know. He's a hard worker an' a lot smarter'n me. He gets th' brains from his dam."
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 1:51 am
Lauss blinked, then looked back down at him book, saving the page he was on. "Okay," he spoke in a pleasant enough tone, though wasn't very wordy at the moment. It really didn't affect him much, anyway. He'd make a mental note that she was engaged, and in a month's time would be married, but that was about it. "Does this mean I should call you Mrs. McCormick?"
Lee smiled at him, a bit confused by his casual reaction, but shook her head. "You can still call me Miss Lee."
"That's good." His smile returned to him, and he looked over at Rory. "Please inform me when those books arrive. I haven't done much research on marriage or weddings, and if I am to properly plan, I need more information." How much did he need to know, really? A few books should clear this up.
Lee coughed, nodding a bit before turning back. "Well... You have fun in here, I guess..." That hadn't been what she'd expected, but at least he wasn't upset.
"Well... that's a relief. I can't imagine her with children right now, anyway. She's never been good with kids." Mr. Katan cocked his head, more than a little confused when Mr. McCormick started talking about "curses" and "deadspeak". He'd leave it be for now, but when it came up later -- and he was sure it would, as this seemed to be a pretty big part of the boy's life -- he'd ask more. Chuckling a bit, Mr. Katan shook his head. "I can't say I'd mind having a boy like him working for us." He ignored his wife's small scoff and continued. "I wish I could say the same of Lee. Don't get me wrong, she's not dumb, but she has no motivation, no desire to work hard. Perhaps Rory can help her with that." Lee took after her father in many ways, and one of those was her intelligence and drive. She wasn't the brightest, and wasn't the hardest working, but... Actually, there wasn't much she had going for her but her looks. Perhaps he should be a bit more thankful that she found Rory. Who knows how long she would have sat there waiting for a husband otherwise...
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 2:04 am
Rory just chuckled at Lauss' reaction and looked at Lee. "Not exactly what I wis expectin' o' him."
"Lee's got a job workin' in th' ticket booth. I understand she's doin' pretty well at it an' keepin' up wi' her studies," Mr. McCormick said, shrugging. "She seems plenty motivated an' if she wisnae workin' hard, Keagan would've fired her by now. Rory tells me he e'en helped her set up an account t' save her money in. Maybe comin' t' Farstep wis th' best thing fae her, eh?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 2:19 am
Either he had been reading a really good book or the essentic wasn't quite at the level of emotional awareness to where he could appreciate such a step. Lee just shrugged, hoping he'd understand better when the day actually came. While she had Rory separated from the group... "So... no honeymoon?" She tried to hide her disappointment and sound purely curious. That was supposed to be the fun part, though. Then again, there really was no point, considering they'd already went through the act that the vacation was meant for. Quite a few times actually. Wow, Lee should be ashamed.
"You don't say..." Mr. Katan smiled faintly in the direction of his daughter, a feeling of pride bubbling up inside of him. His little girl was growing up so fast.
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 2:29 am
Rory shrugged, leaning back against the wall. "I ain't really sure what tha' is, love. I know what a weddin' night is, but I ne'er heard o' this honeymoon thing." And by the look on her face, he had the feeling he should know and was missing something important.
Mr. McCormick had a thoughtful expression. "You know, lad, she's seen Rory's world an' actually lived in it. It might not be a bad idea t' hae him spend a week wi' you an' really see her world. You want him t' take care o' her an' all, yeah? H might understand her better really knowin' what th' outside is like."
"Anson, no," Mrs. McCormick hissed, swatting her husband upside the head and none too playfully this time. She spoke quick and somewhat harsh to him in didikai, definitely not pleased with his suggestion.
The man simply held up a hand and she quieted down. "Easy, wife. Tha' wis a long time ago. Rory's not a boy anymore an' he can take care o' himself. A week outside ain't gonna make him faeget who he is. It'll do him some good. He's too much in your way o' thinkin' about th' outside an' he should know there's more than just stupid men tha' would beat a child t' death o'er a supposed theivin'."
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 2:44 am
Lee smiled playfully, excitement in her eyes. If she worded this right, there was really no way that he could say no. "It's sort of... a vacation that's all about being romantic and having fun, and... there's lotsa sex." That about summed it up. She put enough emphasis on that last part, hoping that might sway his decision a bit.
Mr. Katan looked to his wife, then back to Anson, a curious expression on his face. "If he'd like to, we wouldn't mind having him over for a bit." He was speaking for his wife now, just because he knew if she had been asked, she wouldn't have agreed to it. "Honestly, we probably wouldn't notice he's there. The wife and I spend a lot of time away, and the house is big enough to where I wouldn't run into him too much. About when where you thinking?"
Mrs. Katan sulked a bit in her seat, not happy that she was still sitting in this cramped little home and listening to these two go on and on, now in an even worse mood that they were inviting a pikey to come live with them for a week. Would she ever get a break from these people? Her interest was perked, however, when she heard why Rory had been whipped. A supposed theft? Why did she doubt that Rory was innocent?
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 2:50 am
Rory smirked playfully. "You think all I want from you is sex, eh?" He pulled her over into a hug. "So, it's basically a trip, yeah? Lee, I really donnae think w' can afford tha'. Most o' my savin's went t' buy this land an' build wor cottage. I donnae e'en hae an idea on where t' gae anyway." He hated disappointing her, but truth was, he didn't have the funds to really treat her to a nice vaction now.
"You could take him back wi' you today. I wis thinkin' you might show him your company. He'd ne'er want t' work there, but he might find it interestin' t' know more about your job. He'll be your son-in-law, after all," Mr. McCormick said, giving a slight shrug.
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 3:02 am
"Why not? That's all I want from you." She giggled, teasing him more than usual. Biting her lip and looking down, Lee nodded, keeping herself from sighing and making him feel bad. It wasn't his fault, after all. "It's okay." Glancing up at him, she smiled. "The cottage is worth it, anyway." She was being sincere, and didn't regret having gotten a home instead of a silly vacation.
"You think?" He looked surprised, hoping Mr. McCormick was right. Even if Rory had no interest in movies, it would still be nice to show the boy what he did. "I suppose we could ask him..."
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 3:18 am
Rory smiled, ruffling his girl's hair. "Ah, lass. I'll make it up t' you. Our first anniversary o' marriage, w'll take a trip, a proper honeymoon. Should hae enough money saved up by then between th' two o' us." He moved to walk back to the kitchen. "W' should gae check on th' parents."
"I saw a few movies when I wis younger, but w' ne'er really let th' kids out much t' th' outside after what happened t' Rory. He developed a strong dislike fae outsiders an' their world," Mr. McCormick said quietly, leaning closer to Mr. Katan. "I donnae want t' see him hatin' somethin' he really doesnae understand. W' see tha' too much in how th' outsiders view us. I'd be sad t' see it in me own son. Maybe stayin' wi' you an' your wife he'll see some good t' th' outside. It certainly would help him understand Lee better. In a lot o' ways, he's as sheltered as she wis."
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 3:31 am
Lee smiled up at him once more, nodding with agreement. She'd actually been saving her money, as planned, but still didn't have as much needed for a trip. She could wait a year and a month, couldn't she? Taking Rory's hand as he headed back into the kitchen, she was glad to see the men talking as if they were friends.
Mr. McCormick's words raised a bit of concern in Mr. Katan, though he couldn't help but appreciate the small amount of trust Rory had given both Lee and him. Nodding silently with understanding, he couldn't help but agree with the other man's words. Leaning back as he saw the couple come in, Mr. Katan cleared his throat lightly, greeting them with a nod. "Rory, your father and I have been talking... How would you like to come stay with us for a bit?" That didn't sound too inviting, did it? Almost a bit creepy, really. He looked to Anson for help with the wording.
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 3:37 am
Rory blinked. "I'm sorry. I think I stepped int' an alternate universe. Let me gae out an' come back in."
"He's being seriousl, lad," Mr. McCormick said before the boy could leave again. "You an' Lee should gae spend some time wi' her parents. She's prolly missed them an' it'll do you some good t' get out o' Farstep awhile."
The boy rubbed at his arm, not sure what to say at first. "I like Farstep, though."
"I know you do, boy, but think o' this as a chance t' get t' know Lee a little better. Your mum an' me can finish wi' settin' up th' house fae you," Mr. McCormick said, smiling.
Rory looked at Lee, knowing she'd want to go for awhile probably. "Alreet. It cannae hurt t' gae visit. Might get a chance t' discuss th' handfastin' more."
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