X. Just X, Okay

[David Jennings]

As a healer, David sometimes found himself working odd hours, which could be frustrating, since it seemed specially designed to interfere with any plans he might want to make. Though, truth be told, he obviously didn't mind that much on a day-to-day basis, or he'd have picked a different career years ago.

Still, it was nice to occasionally be able to have a schedule that people would call "normal," and doing things like eating breakfast after sunrise. A feat in itself in winter.

As he arrived at breakfast, it was to find his sister already there. "Good morning," he said.

@'Nathalie Jennings'
@'Elsie Beauregard'

  

[Nathalie Jennings]

Thankfully, Nathalie's schedule had not been utterly horrible as of late. She was working late yes, but not overnight or any time incredibly late. It seemed her brother was not having such luck, but he was assistant head, he was far more important.

By no means was it early when Nathalie wandered down to breakfast, but their minimal household staff was quite used to their varied and mismatched schedules. Nat was enjoying an orange scone and some tea when David made his own way into their sunny little dining room. "Is that really you, dear brother?" Nat squinted, smiling playfully.

IT'S THE DRABBLER BEE #remember

  

[David Jennings]

David smiled, saying, "It feels as though it's been years since I last saw you." If one healer's schedule was difficult, it was certainly impossible with two. He wondered how families with even more than that under one roof got on at all. Though he supposed it might work out well for families that didn't get along. There'd hardly be time for arguments.

After seeing to his own breakfast, David sat with a cup of tea and a plate of toast. "So strange to eat breakfast at nearly the proper time," he quipped. "And you are you doing this morning?"

  

[Nathalie Jennings]

"Almost proper." Nathalie laughed, taking a sip of her tea. There wasn't much normalcy to their work, which was something her mother tended to forget when she insisted that Nat be social in addition to working. It was probably part of the reason she'd been discouraging about the field in the first place.

Reaching for the tea, Nathalie poured herself a second cup and dropped two sugar cubes into the cup. "Doing alright. Suppose I can't complain. Though waking up to a letter from mother is always a treat." She hadn't been awake enough to deal with that last night.

  

[David Jennings]

David took a sip of his tea, raising his eyebrows. He usually took a lack of letters from home as a good sign--no news was good news and all that. He was probably being unkind, but he didn't really mean it that way. Most of the time, anyway.

"Oh?" he asked, setting his cup down again. "What did she have to say? Anything I should be worried about?” Well, if it had been some terrible news, he thought his sister would have said so already. David bit into his toast, thinking he should have put something on it first.

  

[Nathalie Jennings]

"Oh, the usual." Nathalie leaned back with her tea and sighed softly. "Why don't you come home, give the season another shot; you shouldn't work so hard; et cetera." She very nearly rolled her eyes. She got the same letter in some variant every month or so; it made her a little sour.

Giving her teacup a pensive stare, Nathalie looked back up at her brother with a wry smile. "She wishes ever so much that we come home and visit for a few days very soon." She said in a voice that was a perfect mimic of her mother's.

  

[David Jennings]

David began spreading butter on his toast, not really caring that it was half gone already. He shook his head at his sister's words. They didn't particularly surprise him, of course--and he didn't entirely disagree, but he was wise enough not to say this to Nat. He did enjoy having a reasonably pleasant home life, after all--but still, it sounded very like their mother.

"Well, we could at least manage that," David said, taking another sip of his tea. "That sounds like less of a commitment than an entire season, at least." Not that he was thrilled with it either.

  

[Nathalie Jennings]

Nat supposed that visiting wouldn't be as bad as being forced to attend the season under her mother's watchful eye. She'd done that, once was enough. "She will no doubt, turn it into some dinner party for all of Papa's friends with sons." Nat chuckled, followed by a long sigh. "But if it will satisfy her for now we probably should. Perhaps if we give her short notice it won't turn into a whole affair." That might work. Might. Her mother always somehow managed to work pure miracles in less than a week's time when it came to even planning.

  

[David Jennings]

David didn't think it would hurt if his sister met whoever their mother wanted to throw at her, but he also thought it wisest not to say so. He liked keeping his nose out of this--it was less mess for him to deal with. There was also the fact that he liked that his mother was focused on Nat and not him. "I am sure one night won't be so bad," he said. "One night is still less commitment than a season. With any luck, it will pacify her for a bit." David thought it was a reasonable enough compromise.

  

[Nathalie Jennings]

Nodding along, Nat saw her brother's rationale as perfectly reasonable, though it didn't make it any more alluring. She had to wonder what her mother would resort to by her twenty-fifth birthday; spinsterhood was looming ever closer. Nathalie obviously didn't mind, but it was probably driving her mother like a gale-force wind. This summer would certainly be busy. "Naturally, I suppose I'll write to her this afternoon then." There would be no avoiding it, but that didn't mean she had to like it. "I anticipate the summer to be excruciating, however." There was no denying that, even David would see.

  

[David Jennings]

"One thing at a time, I think," David said. He finished his toast and the last of his tea. "Forgive me for such a quick visit, but I have a few errands I need to run before the morning's out. He offered his sister a wry smile. "Who knows when our schedules will overlap like this again?" David chuckled, then stood to excuse himself. He had every intention of making good use of this rare time when he was free at a reasonable hour. His errands weren't even particularly important, it was just so novel to get them done efficiently.