Family Relations (Part Twenty Four)
Wednesday, September 24th, 2014 08:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
challis_2070 posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
mindcrackloveLink to Part Twenty-Three http://mindcracklove.dreamwidth.org/823419.html#cutid1
First cut takes you to the story, second to the notes.
Dinnerbone yawned as they once more sat in the gazebo. Pyro was looking antsy, and Dinnerbone didn’t really like the probability of this going well. Pyro only had a week left here, with that little time he might not hold his tongue if the soldier said something…unfortunate. And given what the solider had been saying, that seemed close to a forgone conclusion.
He knew that the world wasn’t as nice of a place he had hoped, but the more time he spent with Pyro, the more, well, upset at the whole situation he got. The idea of taking up arms against ones country had made no sense, but now, he could almost see why you’d feel like it was the last option available to you. Particularly if you didn’t see the country you were fighting against as your own.
-----
BTC sighed as he made his way to the park and the gazebo for the second time. While what he hoped to accomplish today was still fairly…nebulous, he was mostly hoping to convince the native kid that BTC and his people were in the right, and that he should side with them. What siding with BTC meant and what that would mean for the kid, he didn’t really know, nor care all that much about. BTC was and his country was, in the right, and therefore, the kid should agree with him.
The lieutenant had put him a bad mood this morning, though. He’d told him again to leave the native alone. It honestly made no sense though. The lieutenant must want the native on their side, right? So why would he tell him to stay away from him? No, the lieutenant must have meant something else, like make sure the kid understands him properly, or something.
He shook his head to clear it as he walked up to the gazebo where the native and his cousin were already sitting. There were a few other people around, but only one in any near proximity. Hn. Might have to remember to stay quiet so that man wouldn’t hear anything that needs to stay…quiet.
-----
Pyro watched as the soldier walked up to the gazebo and sat down.
“Hello Connolly.”
“Hello.”
BTC blinked at him for a moment, seeming to not know how to continue the conversation.
“So, um, how are you doing?”
Pyro blinked at him slowly.
“I’m fine. I’m going home to Ireland soon, and then you’ll probably never have to see me again.” He said, speaking fairly blandly. He sound more amused than annoyed, though. Of course, it also wasn’t true, he was planning on trying to visit come this summer, but hell, he didn’t need to mention that now.
“Oh? You’re going to the province, then?”
He stared at BTC for a long moment. What the…are you that restrained by your blinders that you can’t even try to see past them?
“I’m going home to Ireland, as I said.”
“Which is the province.”
Okay, seriously now. What are you even going for?
“Which is Ireland. As I just said.”
“You’re from Belfast, which is in Northern Ireland. Which is the province.”
Dinnerbone looked like he was going to have a minor seizure, but Pyro figured he’d be fine.
“No. I’m from Belfast, which is in Ireland. And that is, as I said, Ireland.”
The soldier blinked at him, looking very vexed.
“No! Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, it’s not part of the republic, damn it! It might be on the same island, but they’re not the same thing! What the hell are they teaching you, even‽”
Pyro stared at him and grimaced slightly at him.
“They’re teaching me the truth, leathcheann tú.1 Ireland is a free republic and that means the whole damn thing, not just part of it.”
“Ireland is a republic, yes. The province, however, is part of the United Kingdom. Sharing a name doesn’t make it automatically a part of something else!”
“Why no, of course noooooot. It’s the whole shared history, language, ethnicity, and desire of the people that does that.”
“You mean the fact that it was colonized by England and wants to remain in the United Kingdom, of course.”
“You mean the Irishmen you’ve confused and confounded to the point that they identify with their oppressors, of course.”
BTC blinked at him and ground his teeth.
“No. No. You just aren’t. You have to. If the province could just understand that being part of the UK is good, god damn it. Why can’t you. Why…” BTC was brought up short by the sharp Hnnnnn sound that Pyro had made.
“What is…why are you so interested in me, soldier? Why me? I am not the only Irishman around here, much less in this country, so why do you bother me, and not them? Or do you have a very busy day? NO. Don’t bother answering, I’m not finished. I want you to bloody well leave me alone. You can’t even talk to me without trying to needle me, why don’t you just leave well enough alone and stop fecking bothering me! It’s only a week, I’m sure you can do that, at the very least!”
BTC stared at him and started to stutter.
“Well? Can you at least leave me alone for the week I have left here?”
“I…fine. Just…fine. Whatever.” With that, BTC grumpily stomped out of the gazebo and away from them, leaving them once more alone.
“Imeacht gan teacht ort.”2
They stared at each other for a long moment.
“I…really, really hope he does leave you alone…”
“So do I, god damn it! Aaaah, let’s just go the hell home now.”
Dinnerbone quickly packed everything back and they head home, Pyro still grumbling about how much of a bastard the solider was being.
-----
Pyro yawned as he sat in his room, contemplating the day.
He rather hoped that the soldier would leave things well enough alone, but the man was acting like a bull dog with a bone, not letting go for anything at all.
And then too, was the issue of him…’seeing things’. Well. Not exactly. He knew what he saw or rather, who he saw. Now, he wasn’t much one for conspiracies, but…
Hadn’t his mother always told him Once is interesting, twice a coincidence, and three times was enemy action? And he had said the same thing, the last time they met. And Pyro was entirely certain it was him, he’d met the man enough times before to recognize him.
So then the question became, what the hell was he doing here? And always nearby? So then the question was more one of, was he being watched? And who sent him? Was it máthair3 or was it…well, the War Council would have no reason to be watching him, right? Right? He was never certain who was and wasn’t watching, anymore.
-----
Notes, etc.
1 You idiot.
2 “May you leave without returning.” Or, in other words, go somewhere else and die.
3 Mother
Link to Part Twenty-Five http://mindcracklove.dreamwidth.org/876975.html#cutid1
First cut takes you to the story, second to the notes.
Dinnerbone yawned as they once more sat in the gazebo. Pyro was looking antsy, and Dinnerbone didn’t really like the probability of this going well. Pyro only had a week left here, with that little time he might not hold his tongue if the soldier said something…unfortunate. And given what the solider had been saying, that seemed close to a forgone conclusion.
He knew that the world wasn’t as nice of a place he had hoped, but the more time he spent with Pyro, the more, well, upset at the whole situation he got. The idea of taking up arms against ones country had made no sense, but now, he could almost see why you’d feel like it was the last option available to you. Particularly if you didn’t see the country you were fighting against as your own.
-----
BTC sighed as he made his way to the park and the gazebo for the second time. While what he hoped to accomplish today was still fairly…nebulous, he was mostly hoping to convince the native kid that BTC and his people were in the right, and that he should side with them. What siding with BTC meant and what that would mean for the kid, he didn’t really know, nor care all that much about. BTC was and his country was, in the right, and therefore, the kid should agree with him.
The lieutenant had put him a bad mood this morning, though. He’d told him again to leave the native alone. It honestly made no sense though. The lieutenant must want the native on their side, right? So why would he tell him to stay away from him? No, the lieutenant must have meant something else, like make sure the kid understands him properly, or something.
He shook his head to clear it as he walked up to the gazebo where the native and his cousin were already sitting. There were a few other people around, but only one in any near proximity. Hn. Might have to remember to stay quiet so that man wouldn’t hear anything that needs to stay…quiet.
-----
Pyro watched as the soldier walked up to the gazebo and sat down.
“Hello Connolly.”
“Hello.”
BTC blinked at him for a moment, seeming to not know how to continue the conversation.
“So, um, how are you doing?”
Pyro blinked at him slowly.
“I’m fine. I’m going home to Ireland soon, and then you’ll probably never have to see me again.” He said, speaking fairly blandly. He sound more amused than annoyed, though. Of course, it also wasn’t true, he was planning on trying to visit come this summer, but hell, he didn’t need to mention that now.
“Oh? You’re going to the province, then?”
He stared at BTC for a long moment. What the…are you that restrained by your blinders that you can’t even try to see past them?
“I’m going home to Ireland, as I said.”
“Which is the province.”
Okay, seriously now. What are you even going for?
“Which is Ireland. As I just said.”
“You’re from Belfast, which is in Northern Ireland. Which is the province.”
Dinnerbone looked like he was going to have a minor seizure, but Pyro figured he’d be fine.
“No. I’m from Belfast, which is in Ireland. And that is, as I said, Ireland.”
The soldier blinked at him, looking very vexed.
“No! Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, it’s not part of the republic, damn it! It might be on the same island, but they’re not the same thing! What the hell are they teaching you, even‽”
Pyro stared at him and grimaced slightly at him.
“They’re teaching me the truth, leathcheann tú.1 Ireland is a free republic and that means the whole damn thing, not just part of it.”
“Ireland is a republic, yes. The province, however, is part of the United Kingdom. Sharing a name doesn’t make it automatically a part of something else!”
“Why no, of course noooooot. It’s the whole shared history, language, ethnicity, and desire of the people that does that.”
“You mean the fact that it was colonized by England and wants to remain in the United Kingdom, of course.”
“You mean the Irishmen you’ve confused and confounded to the point that they identify with their oppressors, of course.”
BTC blinked at him and ground his teeth.
“No. No. You just aren’t. You have to. If the province could just understand that being part of the UK is good, god damn it. Why can’t you. Why…” BTC was brought up short by the sharp Hnnnnn sound that Pyro had made.
“What is…why are you so interested in me, soldier? Why me? I am not the only Irishman around here, much less in this country, so why do you bother me, and not them? Or do you have a very busy day? NO. Don’t bother answering, I’m not finished. I want you to bloody well leave me alone. You can’t even talk to me without trying to needle me, why don’t you just leave well enough alone and stop fecking bothering me! It’s only a week, I’m sure you can do that, at the very least!”
BTC stared at him and started to stutter.
“Well? Can you at least leave me alone for the week I have left here?”
“I…fine. Just…fine. Whatever.” With that, BTC grumpily stomped out of the gazebo and away from them, leaving them once more alone.
“Imeacht gan teacht ort.”2
They stared at each other for a long moment.
“I…really, really hope he does leave you alone…”
“So do I, god damn it! Aaaah, let’s just go the hell home now.”
Dinnerbone quickly packed everything back and they head home, Pyro still grumbling about how much of a bastard the solider was being.
-----
Pyro yawned as he sat in his room, contemplating the day.
He rather hoped that the soldier would leave things well enough alone, but the man was acting like a bull dog with a bone, not letting go for anything at all.
And then too, was the issue of him…’seeing things’. Well. Not exactly. He knew what he saw or rather, who he saw. Now, he wasn’t much one for conspiracies, but…
Hadn’t his mother always told him Once is interesting, twice a coincidence, and three times was enemy action? And he had said the same thing, the last time they met. And Pyro was entirely certain it was him, he’d met the man enough times before to recognize him.
So then the question became, what the hell was he doing here? And always nearby? So then the question was more one of, was he being watched? And who sent him? Was it máthair3 or was it…well, the War Council would have no reason to be watching him, right? Right? He was never certain who was and wasn’t watching, anymore.
-----
Notes, etc.
1 You idiot.
2 “May you leave without returning.” Or, in other words, go somewhere else and die.
3 Mother
Link to Part Twenty-Five http://mindcracklove.dreamwidth.org/876975.html#cutid1
