Print

[Emma-la]

Maggie rubbed the back of her neck, more than a little embarrassed but not particularly surprised. “He’s not a night person,” she said with a weak grin at Nico, a halfhearted attempt at a joke.

[kristina-la]

Thomas sighed, "No, mom it's alright. I...did not expect him to be thrilled with me," Thomas said, "I...I abandoned you. and the shop. He's right to be angry with me," Thomas said. He'd expected his father to at least say something to him though; to yell. He would have preferred that.

[Emma-la]

Shirley sighed deeply. “He’ll come around,” she promised. “You’re back now, that’s what matters. You can still take over the shop, just like we’d planned.”

[kristina-la]

Thomas shook his head, "no...no mother, you misunderstand. I will not be staying here. This...this is just a visit," Thomas tried to explain, "and I am not taking over the shop," he said firmly.

[Emma-la]

She put a hand to her chest in shock and made a face like a fish. “Thomas,” She chided. “We’ve talked about this, I understand that you needed to run off and find your girl but you’re supposed to take over the shop!”

[Eraisuithiel]

"What's so great about this little shop of yours?" Nico asked Maggie, probably a little louder than he should have.

[Emma-la]

Maggie opened her mouth to chide Nico but her mother beat her to it, her eyes honing in like a hawk. “This little shop of ours is a very respectable business,” she said primly. “What exactly do you do for a living, Nicholas?”

[Eraisuithiel]

Nico had to fight to avoid rolling his eyes. "I'm a mechanic," he told her. "And, uh, before that I was a soldier."

[Emma-la]

Her entire demeanour changed at the word soldier. Her previously cold treatment of Nico changed to a much more respectful one. “Oh, I see. I didn’t realize you fought in the war.” It was new information to Maggie too, and she raised her eyebrows at him. Was he lying?

[MercyResurrected]

Peggy held Thomas' hand tightly and shook her head, "Thomas and I have a farm we run together upstate. It is...unfair to ask him to stay in a life he does not love. And I cannot stay in the city. My illness doesn't allow me to stay in sunlight and it's very noisy in towns during the day when I must rest."

[Eraisuithiel]

"It's all right, I just prefer not to talk about it," Nico replied with a shrug. He then looked at Maggie and grinned at her. "Isn't that right, darlin'?"

[Emma-la]

Maggie wrinkled  her nose and smiled back at him, trying her best not to get caught up in the facade. “Right,” she agreed. Shirley still didn’t seem to love her daughter’s chosen man but made no more comment on it, deciding instead to answer Peggy. “With all due respect dear, my son has never voiced any complaints about running the shop.” The realization was hitting her that her son had married an invalid and now she was taking him away from the business. “You’ll just have to speak to your father about that, Thomas.” She marched into the kitchen. “Come, eat.”

[kristina-la]

All his life, Thomas had honoured his parent's wish for him to carry on the family business even though it was not the life he desired, because he could not bear the thought of breaking their hearts. He groaned and followed his mother to the kitchen, "Ma, stop. please listen to me. Running the shop, it is not what I want to do with my life. I just never said anything because I did not want to upset you and father," he admitted, "If I stay and run the shop, know that I will be miserable for the rest of my life. Do you really want that? is it really worth my unhappiness?"

[Emma-la]

Shirley felt heartbroken at his words. “Don’t you talk to me about unhappiness,” she told him. “You went off and found a new life and got married and now you run some farm? Without even a goodbye? You ran off in the middle of the night, never to be seen again! Do you have any idea what that did to your father and I?”

[|ĸιrα|]

Charles shuffled toward the dining room, wanting to get out of the awkward situation with his family. This had been more of what he was expecting, and leave it to their father to start it all up. Plus, the promise of food was always appealing. Especially his mother's cooking.