The Letter -- open!

[Pie]

Balancing his plate on top of a glass of beer, Pie took a seat at the kitchen table while still going over the letter clutched in his free hand.

Christ, he'd just gotten back to the lodging house. His family couldn't stay out of trouble for one bleeding week?

He let out a loud, irritated sigh and unstacked his lunch dishes, then smoothed the letter out again and laid it flat on the table top to glare at it some more.

[Fae]

Fae came in with something wrapped in a napkin the young Irish girl fixed Pie with a smile and tugged on his neckhercheif. "Lo Pie-- whatcha scowlin over?" This was the bubbly, happy one. She was sweet, a bit eclectic, her dress covered by a rather large man's coat and a hat on her head that looked like it'd seen better days.

[Pie]

"My idiot brother," he grumbled as he folded the letter over and tucked it under his plate. "Honestly, family isn't worth the trouble most of the time." Taking a big bite from his sandwich, he gestured to her napkin. "What've you got?"

[Fae]

"You only say that because you have them," she replied with a smile as she found a place to sit down. "Granted though we make our own families was we grow old.." His question about the napkin had her unwrapping it, showing the odd looking pastry. "Was down near the points, a lad from Astoria brought me some of this. His mum made it-- said it was Baklava.. or somethin of the kind. Said it was sweet an' I should try it."

[Pie]

Pie nodded, very familiar with baklava -- his ma made it every Christmas, though she complained endlessly over the process. "You'll like it, kid, don't worry." He gave her a half-smile, but he was distracted by the letter peeking out of the corner of his plate. He nudged the dish over so he couldn't see the paper at all anymore.

[Fae]

She sighed and reached over sneaking the letter away from him and hopping onto a counter. "What kinda trouble you worried about Pie?" She knew she'd like baklava, she liked sweets. That was her biggest weakness.

[Pie]

The letter was from Pie's younger brother Cosmo, detailing how he'd grown sick of their mother's nagging and struck out on his own. Unfortunately, the younger Melas child was finding it difficult to make a living when one had no actual skills, and he needed some extra money.

It ended, of course, with a brief sentence saying that the money should be rushed over, as he was having a bit of trouble with a couple of guys he'd lost a bet to.

"I hope you're lucky enough to not have any brothers, Fae," Pie sighed with a frown. "They're stupid little things."

[Fae]

She actually smiled at him before she smacked him in the shoulder with the letter and waved it in front of him. "Sometimes, Pie-- ya have ta do whatcha don' wanna do for family. I had a family once, probably give the moon an' all the stars in the sky to have 'em again. Even-- if they were bein' annoyin' an just wantin' money because they were to stubborn to know that mum's nag because they worry.."

[Pie]

"This isn't the first time he's done this, or even the second, or third, and it certainly won't be the last," Pie muttered. "I'm tired of working hard for my money when I'm on my own, and then my brothers coming around and asking for their share of it, when I know they wouldn't do a thing for me."

[Fae]

She set the letter aside and watched him for a moment, letting her feet kick back and forth. "You can't pick em up all the time, Pie... nobody learns anything that way. It's like that old fable.. about the lion who thought he should have his due share. He hunted with three others and tired to claim the kill for his own since he participated in the chase, he was part of the hunt, he helped them track the stag and he helped bring it down. But he didn't deserve anymore than anyone else. --" she tucked her hair behind her ear and gave him a small smile. "Maybe it's about time you tell him he can't be a lion anymore.."

[Pie]

"Hadn't heard that one before," Pie said, lifting his eyebrows. He let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair, propping his feet up on the chair across from him. "He certainly doesn't deserve any help from me, but, if he's actually in trouble..."

[Fae]

Fae was full of fables and stories-- some from home, some she made up and others she picked up along the way. Dropping from the counter she sat on a chair next to him, "It's family... but you can't give him money--- he has to learn on his own.."

[Pie]

"Told ya," he said with a humorless smirk. "Family's too much damn trouble." Slowly, he sighed and drained the beer in his cup. "Guess I'll be payin' Cosmo's new friends a visit."

[Fae]

"You can't go alone," she about scolded. "May be your family, Pie, but you're mine." It was the truth, the boys and the girls really were the only family she had left and it meant a lot to her. Keeping them safe, helping them. "And I don't think you're that much trouble, you just need to smile more... handsome lad.." she nudged him in the shoulder with her hand, trying to get him to smile a bit.

[Pie]

Grudgingly, Pie let out a short breath of a laugh. "You're a peculiar one, little girl. Who's supposed to go with me, then? You?" He gave her a teasing half-smirk and gave her a glance-over. "Looks like you'd snap in half with a strong enough wind."