Bright sunlight flooding through the windows wasn?t enough to lift the black mood that filled the open studio. Johnny had been trying to concentrate on a devilishly tricky bit of engraving, and the impatient slap of paint on canvas ? more, the anger-disappoinment-bitterness that echoed back through the bond of the twins ? was extremely distracting. Eventually he just threw his carving tool down on the scarred wooden table and spun his stool to face Juli. ?Wha?matter, Juls? Yer drivin? me inta yer black over there.?

After holding in her feelings for almost ten days, she felt the steam release from within like a valve slowly turned open. Paint brush was dropped and her gaze held at the window before she spun around to face him. Shoulders shrugged lightly. "Nothin'.... everythin' an' a countless number of things 'tween th' two." Her lips curled into an apologetic curve. "Sorry ta let it bother ya."

Leaning back against the table, he props up his elbows on the surface and frowns at her briefly. ?Yer holdin? back. Talk ta me, Juls.? And then he slipped briefly into twin-speak, the language they had developed in shorthand before they learned to speak in full words. ?Y?hur?side, Juls. Le?i?ou ta me?? Not really unrecognizable, the words, just compressed. What was very clear was the concern and the worry in his voice, that he was projecting back so strongly.

Her own elbows rested on the worn wood of the table top, chin cupped in her palm. A sigh escaped her audibly. "Have ya ever thought th' world was one way, only ta find that what ya thought was real wasn't?" The furrow of his brow indicated that her question was cryptically confusing. She continued on, trying to explain it to him. "Coming here was a fresh start, yea?" Several other sentiments raced across her mind, but she left them unsaid. "Just don't feel like it, lately."

?Huh.? The breath of air he let out was almost explosive, and he rubbed an open palm against the stubble on his cheek as he thought that over. ?Well?n, wha? happened? Though? ya were settlin? in all righ?, makin? frien?s an? tha?. I know it weren? no fun gettin? caught ou? at th? farm ? wish I could?a got ta y?all ta help, bu? ya know how th? roads were. Or,? and the rubbing paused and he considered before he went on, ?wha? din? happen??

She held up a hand, her head still rested in the other. It wasn't his fault and such a thought had never even crossed her mind. "Ma gets worried over th' other two, and neither of 'em helps matters at times." That was part of it, yet not the whole part. Her mouth open, she abruptly shifted gears. "Am I the sort of gal a man would want ta kiss or not?"

Well, that caught him completely off-guard. He looked at her puzzled for several minutes. ?Ya go?ta un?erstan? tha? ain? th? kinda thin? I usually think abou? ya, ya know? Bu? I?d think yer fer sure th? kinda gal a guy?d like ta kiss. I mean, yer pretty, smart, talented. Mebbe a li?l intimidatin?, bu? no? fer a guy who?s worth th? wantin? ta kiss. Wha? guy ya talkin? abou?, Juls? Yer gettin? me all twisted aroun? now.?

She nodded slowly to confirm one question and shrugged her shoulders in response to the others. Bright green eyes veiled with tears as her twin gave voice to all she had been wondering. "Seems it's all about town, and I don't rightly know. He didn't mention a thing ta me, even when I took him some of th' chili ya made." Cheeks flushed with embarassment at the whole reveal, having told no one until now. "I thought th' same myself, but th' girls say th' paper have him kissin' his new lady all about th' town. I'm sure ya know her, it's th' potter tha' made th' mugs fer th' Dragon."

More and more confused, he raked his hands back through his hair, then reached over to gather her up into a hug. ?Ya took him some?a tha? chili? An? kissin? Piper? Lor? an? Skies, Juls, I don? know wha?s goin? through th? man?s head, I purely don?. Wha? d?ya wan? ta do abou? it, ya think?? He was looking out the window over the top of her head ? a feat more difficult with his tall twin than with Sianna.

"I don't know." It was all she could manage as she hugged him back. "But there isn't much I can do, is there? Don't wan' ta mess up things for th' wedding, don't wan' th' girls ta find out, or anyone else fer that matter." She sighed again. "Ya were right th' first time, I jus' hurt inside."

A quiet sigh that he mimicked. ?Wish I could stop th? hur?in?, Juls. Ya know tha?. I?ll keep th? whole mess quiet if?n tha?s wha? ya wan?. I?d offer ta talk ta Peredhil, bu? I get th? feelin? tha? wouldn? do much but piss me an? him both off. Ya know wha?, though. If?n he was th? guy fer ya, there?s no way he could jus? turn off like tha?. I know. If?n it was righ?, ya?d both have known, an? there wouldn? have been any question.?

She pulled back a bit and gave him a curious look. "And just how did ya get so wise so quick, Jo?" What he said rang true and made sense, but it still left the issue of 'why' unanswered. Nor did it give her any clear sense of how to move past it just yet.

A short laugh and he ruffled her straight blonde hair. ?Experience.? His voice softened. ?I was flirtin? with a fair few girls when I met Sianna. Bu?? din? take long at all ta know tha? she was differen?, an? tha? there wasn? anythin? tha? would come between us.? Gentle smile as he resumed his lean against the work table. ?Yer stronger?n I am. I run away from thin?s, an? ya stand up ta them. Mebbe ya should stand up an? talk ta th? man.?

Eyebrows had lifted at the unexpected confession. Flirtation, outside of the jovial, good-natured teasing he was known for, was not something Juliane had ever seen in her twin. Her own lips lifted in an indentical match to his. "Somehow I'm not convinced tha' I'm stronger, leastways I don't feel tha' way." A shake of her head. "Nah, probl'y's best I don't. Unlikely ta change anythin' and could upset things ta boot. I'll just keep my distance and by th' time th' wedding comes, all will be water through a mill."