i'm leaving you my last curse

[bravebartender]

Comments

[pricetags]

Even from a hardass like Whittemore?

( No, Serena's not. )

Maybe it will be a good thing for me to partner on. Keep me inside. Oversee the stuck up werekanima.

( It's -- confusing -- what to call him. But everything he is does reflect his personality. )

[dupes]

I'll never say no to your help. And we could probably use a literal network.

[This kind of infrastructure requires communication pathways, so that is something Shep could help with. But before they can dig further into that, both their phones buzz with a message from their boss.

Annie sighs as she flips over her phone.

Hope you both had a great Thanksgiving. Let me know when you get back to the office.

Which is Abernathy shorthand for something's on fire and get back soon.]

And duty calls.

[drugdeals]

( And he could be the voice on the network, just not the face of it. Jackson can be the face. Alternating with Annie and Serena. He can't be the only face.

Shepherd checks his phone. He exchanges a look with his partner, nods, and goes to say his goodbyes in the other room, starting with Lucas who gives his brother a -- stiff hug -- it's still new. But he's him. And -- their family's bigger again.

Going into the living room, he plops down on the couch laying back, legs crossing. )

How was your first American thanksgiving? Did you get the bigger half of the wishbone?

[blyth]

[He's home at this point, slightly buzzed and stretched out on his bed. But he smiles when he sees the text appear. He's been doing that a lot when Luke texts him. He's trying not to read into it.]

I don't think there was a wishbone. There was fancy catering, so they generally keep the bones away from things.

If there was, though, Maud would have probably fought me for it.

[drugdeals]

Nothing to fight over, you each take a side, and you break. Means good luck. But, guess I can be your good luck tonight. What's a fancy high rise law firm Thanksgiving's like anyway? Tell me, there's an open bar.

( There has to be, right? )

[blyth]

Oh, yes. Very good open bar. And good food, though most of them were focused on the alcohol.

Have you heard of Brogan Ford?

[Robin is not a music person, but apparently he is a person who is important according to Maud.]

[drugdeals]

Free alcohol. It attracts everyone.

... The hot Irish singer?

( Ed Sheeran meets Taylor Swift meets Lewis Capaldi? )

[blyth]

That's the one. Apparently one of the paralegals at work is his brother. And so was the bartender. Apparently he has seven brothers.

Lord only knows how he manages that. I can barely handle Maud.

[drugdeals]

Lord only knows how their parents manage that.

I think I read something, though, about his big family. All guys. Two of his brothers work there. Was he there? Does he need a lawyer. There's your in.

[blyth]

He was not, and entertainment law is not my foray. But I'm sure some other lawyer who hears it in the office gossip will try and make their pitch.

How was your dinner? Everything go alright with your brother?

[drugdeals]

Remind me what law is your foray. I'll have a dollar in my back pocket for a rainy day.

My brother has a lot more in common than my niece than we all realized, that kind of bonded everyone. And we got the whole story. Where he's been. Why he left. My sister's happy and that's what matters. And he helped me on a job back around the time I met you, so I already had my time with him. I think we trust him as a family now.

Very not the drama I was expecting.

[blyth]

Corporate law. Very boring. Lots of bylaws, but also why I had to take the bar again because regulations are much different here.

[It's also much stupider, but that's America for you.]

But good. Holidays are not the place for drama.

[Though his parents never seemed to believe that.]

[drugdeals]

Right, right. You know people who do well on tests are sexy?

People who don't do well on tests (me) are also sexy.

I have a long lost brother and you have Brogan Ford's brothers. Very different Thanksgivings.

[blyth]

Is it testing in general that makes it sexy, or is it the text taker? ;)

We did have very different Thanksgivings. But both worked out better than we expected?

[drugdeals]

Maybe it's in the holder of the pencil?

Yeah, I guess they did. And both ended pretty nicely, if I do say so myself.

[blyth]

That they did. Maud was disappointed that there isn't Turkey Hunger Games, but I think she'll get over it.

Perhaps maybe you can tell me more about yours in person? When you're back in the city?

[They've done their fair share of cute texting. Could they actually escalate to spending time together in person?]

Maybe over a drink?

[drugdeals]

Turkey is like the least interesting food you could set a Hunger Games around. It should be something messy, that you wouldn't want someone to watch you devour. Like ribs. Ribs Hunger Games. The copy writes itself. Also, you can picture the poster.

( sauce-stained faces. )

My Hunger Games. My hunger games would be siblings based. One victor. It's in our lore and everything.

( is he kidding? )

But, I'm holding you to that drink. And maybe if that drink is followed by dinner, I wouldn't be opposed.

[blyth]

I believe the narrative for the Turkey Hunger Games is that they are all trying to avoid slaughter to earn the treasured Presidential Pardon. She also wondered if you hunted your own turkeys as a holiday tradition.

I do not question what goes on in her mind.

I also would be interested in dinner, but lack the schedule to guarantee it. Drinks are more likely, but I'll do my best to free myself from the grips of Pearson Specter Litt at a reasonable hour for dining.

[drugdeals]

I do not. My family did not. I'm sure there are families that do. And, right. Literal Turkey Hunger Games. Is that one a trilogy, too?

I'm not opposed to a late dinner, either. Why live in NYC if you don't take advantage of the city that never sleeps?

[blyth]

I'm afraid to ask, but knowing here there likely is a turkey uprising waiting in the wings.

Fair enough. I just want to ensure we'll be able to take our time.

[He doesn't want to feel like they have to rush. A date is a luxury, in his experience, so he wants to be sure that they both have time to enjoy it.]

[drugdeals]

I like a man that takes his time.

[blyth]

Good.

Another American question for you: how awful is Black Friday? Are there truly fist fights in department swords? Maud is considering observing in the wild, which naturally means I may be forced to attend as well.

[drugdeals]

I don't do Black Friday, never have. Suburban America does it worse. I haven't heard of any New York mobs. Does she have a destination in mind or is this a store crawl?

[blyth]

Probably a shopping center of some kind. I think she wants to observe more than anything else.

[And spend quality time with her brother so they don't have to realize that this is the first Christmas with just the two of them just yet.]

[drugdeals]

Plenty of those to find.