It had been the night of the weekly O"Connor Clan dinner, when all of the family comes together at the house and enjoys a night of good food and catching up. Brenton hadn't been to it in weeks, maybe even a month. It hadn't gone unnoticed.
"So who's the girl you've been dating?" Quillan, the oldest sister, stood by the sink with a towel in hand, drying off a stack of just-washed dishes. Glancing over her shoulder, she looked at her brother. They were the only ones still in the kitchen. Everyone else had moved to the large living room and were joking and laughing. Well, most of them were. Kingsley was still a little too quiet. It gave point to what Quillan wanted to talk to him about. "You haven't brought her around yet."
Brenton had known this moment was coming since he started dating Eris. That didn't mean that he wanted to talk about it, not at all, but he knew he couldn't avoid it either, especially when his sister was like this. She was like a bloodhound - once she got on a scent, she was hard-pressed to let it up until she was content that she found what it was coming from.
"Her name's Eris," he said from his perch against a counter behind her. "She's smart and beautiful and tough as nails. Got a spitfire personality, too." He tried using a grin on her. "You'd like her."
"I hear that Fallon's already met her." Brenton tried to cover his wince. If Quill had heard from Fal that she's already met Eris, it was probably in conjunction with the whole entire story. The broken bones, the demon, everything. He tried to look unconcerned, shrugging.
"I think she liked her too."
"Sounded to me like this girlfriend has caused a lot of trouble so far."
"Now wait a second, Quill," he started, pushing himself away from the counter to take a step toward her. His sister tossed down the towel and turned to face him before he could get anywhere.
"Brent, you've already got demons and devils and every other black creature under the sun to handle. Now you're going to add a bunch of gods to the mix?"
"I'm handling everything just fine," he grumbled. Inside he was cursing his cousin. Not that it was really her fault. She wore the title of "Researcher" for a reason. Shouldn't really be surprising that she went and looked up what was listed under "Eris" in her books. "And it's not like I can't deal with a couple of gods who act like they're watching a soap opera. Seriously, Quill, it'll be fine."
"Oh really?" She put her hands on her hips, glaring at him. When she stood like that, Brenton knew he was in for a good fight. The best thing to do was to hunker down and just take it. Too bad he was too much of a fighter to do that. "So you're just going to "handle it' when they decide to do something about this little relationship of yours, or when they decide to take her back?" Before Brenton could begin to argue, she continued. "And what about our problems, hm' You think that just because you've got a girlfriend that things are going to get easier" Look at what?s already happened - you had a demon come to your place and attack you! What if she had gotten hurt, or worse, what then" There's only so much that Fal can do." When Brenton's eyes flicked over to the archway leading into the living room, Quill shook her head with disbelief. "Oooh no. No, you don't. She is not ready to take on anything like that right now, especially since she herself has just lost someone!"
He watched as his sister began to pace. Usually by this point he'd already be yelling back at her but he knew where this was going. He understood how much turmoil was boiling inside of her so, for now, he kept his mouth shut.
"You know how dangerous it is for us," she said, quieter now, walking to the far side of the room. "You know how dangerous it is for anyone that we bring into our lives." Stopping suddenly, she turned to look at him. The look within her eyes was deep and full of hurt. Brenton couldn't help but feel his anger being sapped away. "I don't want you to have to go through that, Brent, to feel what it's like to lose someone."
Stepping forward, he made it to his sister, wrapping both hands around her upper arms and looking down at her from his only-slightly superior height.
"I know you've been hurt, Quill." Calloused fingers gave her a gentle squeeze. "And I know Kings has too. Even Fal. But you can't expect me to live my life alone. I'm not going to let it lead me around, telling me who I am and who I'm not allowed to love. I may be like him, but I'm not going to end up like Sai."
"Alright," Quillan said after a short while of just staring at him, finally nodding her head. Somewhere in those stormy blues were tears, but she'd rather pluck out her own eyebrows than admit to them. "Just be careful, okay?" She tried for a smile, as rare as they were nowadays. She managed a half-hearted and lopsided one, but it was there all the same. "And maybe bring her around sometime. I think you may be right, that I'll like her."
Brenton grinned wide, sliding one arm around her shoulders to start moving them both toward the living room and the rest of the family. "Good. "Cause I think I'm right too.?
"So who's the girl you've been dating?" Quillan, the oldest sister, stood by the sink with a towel in hand, drying off a stack of just-washed dishes. Glancing over her shoulder, she looked at her brother. They were the only ones still in the kitchen. Everyone else had moved to the large living room and were joking and laughing. Well, most of them were. Kingsley was still a little too quiet. It gave point to what Quillan wanted to talk to him about. "You haven't brought her around yet."
Brenton had known this moment was coming since he started dating Eris. That didn't mean that he wanted to talk about it, not at all, but he knew he couldn't avoid it either, especially when his sister was like this. She was like a bloodhound - once she got on a scent, she was hard-pressed to let it up until she was content that she found what it was coming from.
"Her name's Eris," he said from his perch against a counter behind her. "She's smart and beautiful and tough as nails. Got a spitfire personality, too." He tried using a grin on her. "You'd like her."
"I hear that Fallon's already met her." Brenton tried to cover his wince. If Quill had heard from Fal that she's already met Eris, it was probably in conjunction with the whole entire story. The broken bones, the demon, everything. He tried to look unconcerned, shrugging.
"I think she liked her too."
"Sounded to me like this girlfriend has caused a lot of trouble so far."
"Now wait a second, Quill," he started, pushing himself away from the counter to take a step toward her. His sister tossed down the towel and turned to face him before he could get anywhere.
"Brent, you've already got demons and devils and every other black creature under the sun to handle. Now you're going to add a bunch of gods to the mix?"
"I'm handling everything just fine," he grumbled. Inside he was cursing his cousin. Not that it was really her fault. She wore the title of "Researcher" for a reason. Shouldn't really be surprising that she went and looked up what was listed under "Eris" in her books. "And it's not like I can't deal with a couple of gods who act like they're watching a soap opera. Seriously, Quill, it'll be fine."
"Oh really?" She put her hands on her hips, glaring at him. When she stood like that, Brenton knew he was in for a good fight. The best thing to do was to hunker down and just take it. Too bad he was too much of a fighter to do that. "So you're just going to "handle it' when they decide to do something about this little relationship of yours, or when they decide to take her back?" Before Brenton could begin to argue, she continued. "And what about our problems, hm' You think that just because you've got a girlfriend that things are going to get easier" Look at what?s already happened - you had a demon come to your place and attack you! What if she had gotten hurt, or worse, what then" There's only so much that Fal can do." When Brenton's eyes flicked over to the archway leading into the living room, Quill shook her head with disbelief. "Oooh no. No, you don't. She is not ready to take on anything like that right now, especially since she herself has just lost someone!"
He watched as his sister began to pace. Usually by this point he'd already be yelling back at her but he knew where this was going. He understood how much turmoil was boiling inside of her so, for now, he kept his mouth shut.
"You know how dangerous it is for us," she said, quieter now, walking to the far side of the room. "You know how dangerous it is for anyone that we bring into our lives." Stopping suddenly, she turned to look at him. The look within her eyes was deep and full of hurt. Brenton couldn't help but feel his anger being sapped away. "I don't want you to have to go through that, Brent, to feel what it's like to lose someone."
Stepping forward, he made it to his sister, wrapping both hands around her upper arms and looking down at her from his only-slightly superior height.
"I know you've been hurt, Quill." Calloused fingers gave her a gentle squeeze. "And I know Kings has too. Even Fal. But you can't expect me to live my life alone. I'm not going to let it lead me around, telling me who I am and who I'm not allowed to love. I may be like him, but I'm not going to end up like Sai."
"Alright," Quillan said after a short while of just staring at him, finally nodding her head. Somewhere in those stormy blues were tears, but she'd rather pluck out her own eyebrows than admit to them. "Just be careful, okay?" She tried for a smile, as rare as they were nowadays. She managed a half-hearted and lopsided one, but it was there all the same. "And maybe bring her around sometime. I think you may be right, that I'll like her."
Brenton grinned wide, sliding one arm around her shoulders to start moving them both toward the living room and the rest of the family. "Good. "Cause I think I'm right too.?