Help a Turtle Out

[ginsu_master]

"Right."

Leo is having a staring contest with the Front Door.

"Look, I need to get my brother Raph, in Tortall. So he can watch our other brother, Mikey, your Barman, give birth. ...I never said it made any sense."

Bowing at the waist, he asks, "Can you please help me?"

The door swings open...

Comments

[mnt_raph]

Raph does a double take.
Not only did he not hear her walk up behind them, but...well, lookit what she's wearing!

His eyes narrow.

"You're enjoyin' the shit outta this, ain't you?"

[becareful_boyo]

"Mayhap a little," Abigail tells him. And by a little she means a lot. "But look. I brought you your clothes."

She smiles cheerfully. Raph hasn't forgotten he's wearing naught but a sheet, has he?

[ginsu_master]

Leo just shakes his head in that tolerant, loving way parents and older siblings have without looking at either of them (yes, that way that makes all their younger siblings want to punch them in the back of the head). Yup. Raph is so married and didn't tell him.

"Pants are an excellent plan," Leo agrees. "She's far too good for you, Raph," he then teases, as much as he is any good at it.

[mnt_raph]

"Preachin' to the Choir, Leo. I been tellin' her that for ages now."

There...there's a certain damn-near-palpable level of schmoop to his voice when he says that.

Oh sure he's still pissed off at Thomas, because that was a SHIT prank right there.
And...chances are good he won't be looking Leo in the eyes anytime soon.

But Abigail? All rumpled and in his clothes? That's kinda hot.

[becareful_boyo]

Raph gets a warm, nowhere near proper smile.

"He says that like I argue," notes Abigail, letting out a snort. "You two plan on knockin' both your heads against that door all night?"

One eyebrow goes up in an impressive arch.

"Plenty of drinks and seats by the fire, to keep us busy while we wait for poor Thomas to show up. It's as much his place as mine. Seems like he'd have to come out sometime."

Leo had seemed to have something on his mind earlier, after all -- some reason for being here. That didn't entirely escape Abigail's notice. Raph can kill Thomas another time.

[ginsu_master]

"I would enjoy that a great deal, but I'm afraid I must steal Raph for a short time." He darts his eyes at Raph. "The baby is coming," he explains.

[mnt_raph]

There's fewer things in the universe that'll put a damper on a guy's mood quite like hearing that his baby brother is in labor.

"....WHAT?!? Well why the fuck didn't you say so?!"

Because clearly?
This is all Leo's fault.

[ginsu_master]

Leo just shakes his head.

"Like I said, pants are an excellent plan."

[becareful_boyo]

"Aye, they can be," Abigail nods.

Depends on the situation, of course.

She glances at Raph, decides he's been dealt one too many surprises this evening to be much use, and instead focuses a steady look on Leo.

Sweetly: "Where're you stealin' him off to, then?"

[ginsu_master]

Leo glances at Raph over Abigail's head before meeting her eyes. "Our youngest brother's home," he answers vaguely.

[mnt_raph]

What Raph really wanted to do was pinch the bridge of his nose, but when he moved to do so he was reminded of the fact a) he's still wearing a sheet, and b) he's still holding the hammer Thomas threw at him.

One of those has to go, and quickly.

"She knows," Raph says to Leo while handing the hammer to Abigail.

Ahh, sweet blessed facepalm. How he's needed you.

"Right. Right. I'll get my gear. FUCK."

With that Raph turns and goes back towards the ...er..."guest room."

[becareful_boyo]

"Well now." She nods slowly. "I see then."

It sounds like she truly does. A steely look in her eyes, she nods at Raph and doesn't so much accept the hammer as take it right out of his hand and look like she might like to whack someone (probably Raph) with it.

To Leo: "How fares Mike?"

[ginsu_master]

"As can be excepted, given the situation. Our other brother, Don, is with him still." In conclusion: Mikey is fine because he has Don. Nothing can go wrong if you have at least one other brother there!

"I would stay longer but..." he looks rather sheepish. "Our duty as uncles call."

And looks even more sheepish as he continues. "It really is a pleasure to finally meet you. Raph speaks," like a smitten idiot about you, "very highly of you. Often." To everyone he meets.

Before he can think better of it, Leo leans down slightly and kisses Abigail's temple. Hurrah! A sister-in-law he isn't always existing in slight terror around!

[becareful_boyo]

"Well, the man's got half a brain at lea..."



Leo kisses her forehead and Abigail blinks up at him with an owlish expression.


Raph will be so disappointed he missed seeing his brother manage to stun Abigail into silence with a simple forehead kiss.

She sniffs, finally, and gives Leo's arm a quick touch.

"I've a gift for Mike." She blinks again. "I'll fetch it, shall I?"

With a determined nod, she moves away.

[agoodmusekickin.livejournal.com]

The front door cracks open, and in strolls a very pleased-with-himself Thomas munching on an apple.

"Where'd everyone go? Decide they've had enough air?"

Yeah, it never does occur to Raph that Thomas escapes through the kitchen window.

[ginsu_master]

Leo folds his hands in his long sleeves and looks almost vaguely annoyed.

"That was not how I wished to first meet your sister. I'm going to see that ever time I close my eyes for weeks."

[agoodmusekickin.livejournal.com]

"Only when you close your eyes, huh?" he says sardonically....almost for the apple's benefit.

"Could be worse. Could be you share a common wall with that room."

Is all he's saying.

[ginsu_master]

His right eye twitches. Raph was always very active when they were younger. He only imagine-- no, no he won't. He does not need that image in his head any more than he needs to know ANYTHING about Mikey's sex life or Don's adventures on the internet.

Leo shakes his head. "You could have waited until I had a proper introduction before playing that prank. I like to at least shake hands before I accidentally molest someone."

[agoodmusekickin.livejournal.com]

Thomas's eyebrows raise slightly at the use of the word "molest."

"Was more to be a prank on your brother than on you. Raises the bar rather high, that one. So you've my apologies for being caught in the cross fire."

[becareful_boyo]

Abigail returns right about when Leo makes the joke about proper introductions.

It was a joke, wasn't it? Consider: as introductions go it was particularly memorable, and a proper introduction should be memorable, lest the people doin' the meetin' forget all about it.

This is unassailable Abigail logic.

"Nonsense," she declares breezily, stepping up beside Leo. "Plenty of folk wouldn't mind bein' caught in that crossfire."

A playfully bright smile directed at Leo, she continues, "Family doesn't need to shake on it 'less a deal's been struck. Give this to Mike, would you?" and passes Leo a small, soft bundle bound in leather.

[ginsu_master]

Leo ducks his head and just tries not to be even more embarrassed.

"I will try to return him to you soon."

[becareful_boyo]

"See that y'do," Abigail replies. "I'll be wantin' a few words."

If it sounds ominous, that's probably on purpose. Raph hadn't even stopped to consider that she, known to Mike and more than a little curious about their 'Milliways', might like to go along.

The nerve of that stupid, stupid man.

Abigail lifts her chin, nods to Leo and sweeps out into the courtyard, ignoring, for the moment, that she really won't be able to go far until they leave and she can return inside to change her attire. There's a point to be made. Maybe Leo can explain it to Raph.

[mnt_raph]

Raph enters the room mere seconds after Abigail has made her purposeful exit. For a brief moment he's surprised not to see her there waiting with Leo and Thomas.

It's only after that moment passes that Raph realizes the absence is an intentional one. Thomas' expression is a dead give away to that.

"Hope you're fuckin' proud of yourself," he says as he adjusts the strap of his rucksack on his shoulder.

[agoodmusekickin.livejournal.com]

"Me?! You're taking this to be my fault? I'll take the blame for many an offence, Raphael, but this here's got little to nothing to do with me."

Briefly he turns towards Leo expecting the other man to provide confirmation for his point.

...yeah, maybe that's not the greatest of all possible ideas.
Thomas steps slightly to the side away from Leo.

"Look, if it helps you sleep through the night, you just go right on thinking that. But know this, the longer you go thinking that particular untruth, the longer that peaceful sleep'll be alone."

[mnt_raph]

That right there might be a bit too much metaphor for Raph to comprehend in his current mental state. Which is why his response is not much more than a gruff snort, and a muttered, "Whatever."

He starts for the door, pausing to point an accusatory finger at Thomas.

"I'm ain't finished with you. Come on, Leo."

Leo bows respectfully and without further comment follows Raph out of the tavern.