| Irish Reputations |
| Summary: | Lillie fixes to take Freddie along on her errands for the morning. The two chat and poke fun good-naturedly… then go to see Tilda. |
| Date: | 1944-03-12 |
| Related: | NA |
| Players: |
 .. .. |
Butler and Cherokee, Higsi
Tue Mar 12, 1944
The businesses along Butler Street are clearly meant for the upper-class citizen. A fine furniture store, a high-end clothing store and a radio electronics shop are just a few of the offerings on each side of the sidewalk-lined street. Butler Street ends at Cherokee Road, across from the Butler family estate.
The Butler Estate is a testimony to wealth and Depression-era survival. Surrounded by six-foot stone masonry walls, entrance to the estate is only granted through a stone archway that frames a wrought-iron gate. Through the gate, one can see the spacious, wooded yard and portions of the magnificent red-brick, Civil-War-era architecture of the main house, augmented with huge, dark pine beams and a clay-shingled roof.
On the North side of the Butler Estate, Cherokee Road ends and a turn to the east begins Cotton Street. Across from the Butler Estate, on both Cherokee Road and Cotton Street, giant houses loom on wooded lots with long driveways, announcing their owners' wealth and prominence to all who pass.
Weather:
It is winter. The weather is cool and clear.
(OOC: Mood music - "One Little Nephew" © Nightnoise)
===
<FS3> Lillie rolls Reaction: Failure.
Today is 'Tilda day'. Though now that the old girl is Lillie's only concern where once there were two (with Josie now out of town) she is still very much a handful. She is Tilda's helper; a companion. Lillie takes this job very seriously.
It's a day to snatch from the kitchen gods; the sort of late morning that goads most homebodies to throw open their curtains, crack the windows and start airing out houses that have become fusty during the winter months. Today feels like the first real sniff of spring!
At some point prior to today. Lillie came 'round the boarding house and made the offer to Freddie to join her out on the town, to meet Tilda and see exactly what has kept the little Empath so busy for nearly two years. As the russet sky lends itself over to true-blue — the day is promising to be decent — a sleek black bullet of a Buick creeps toward the curb just outside of the boarding house on Pine. Lillie kinda misjudges the girth of the car though… the rims of the thing scrape up against the curb while she tries to park the monstrous vehicle. Lillie, a small figure in the driver's seat, winces and curses in Irish, peers out through the window to see if anyone noticed her tiny eff-up. Lillie is a novice at driving, but she's better than she used to be.
Grateful to see the slumberous street mostly devoid of people, she eyes the entryway of Ellis house. She's here to pick up her brother, and she's clearly a bit excited. It's late morning; creeping up on 10:30am.
—
Freddie was hanging out by one of the front windows and did manage to see Lillie scuffing the curb as the giant black car pulls up to the Boarding House. With a smirk, he limps out and goes to lean towards the driver's side window, "Would you like me to do the drivin' this mornin'?" Although his prosthetic foot might be a little heavy on the clutch, he's got the right for gas and braking. "Or I can get a couple of phone books for you to sit on so you can see over the dashboard better?"
Surely she missed this sibling teasing.
—
She should have expected it. And in all honesty? Given the constant nights awake, worrying if her brother were either a prisoner of war or suffering and/or dying in a muddy trench? Lillie HAS missed it. Okay, sentimental (and macabre) as that just sounded, there's still that little flare of 'graaahh' in her heart that rears up, snags the challenge and seeks to return fire. It's a sibling thing. Once she called on Freddie and had shown herself back to the car, the Irishman socks it to her with poking fun. Lillie colors, peers out through the driver's side window with her nostrils flared. She's turned herself prettily today, hair actually styled and pulled back and up tidily… a touch of makeup. She always does herself up nicely for Tilda.
Her lips purse, she looks like she's ready to talk back at Fred.. but instead opens the car door to reveal something to the former soldier.
The massive door yawns open to reveal Lillie sitting in the driver's seat… on top of a couple of firm pillows. She then simply busts out laughing as the returning birds twitter passively.
"Snarky arse. Want to have a go at this rig, then? Do you miss driving?" She calls his bluff.
—
"Surely you didn't get all dolled up for me," Freddie grins but as she opens the door to reveal that she's sitting on pillows, he bursts out laughing. Once he's able to catch his breath, his hazel eyes still full of humor, "Well, now, I don't know. I'm half-tempted to get in and watch you try to drive like that." As for missing driving…that wasn't part of his physical therapy so it's been a while. Who knows what might happen?
—
The Empath giggles softly, very green eyes returning a like glimmer to Freddie's own mirth. Interesting how that works. They have their brown-eyed father and green-eyed mother, but it is to Eislinn — that mysterious, timeless maternal grandmother — that the hazel eyes can be traced. Freddie is the one to inherit those amazing eyes. So to see that mirth there only thrills Lillie moreso, so much so that his poking fun hardly bothers her as it used to years ago.
"Sit down and take a load off.. I've taken this drive dozens of times, it's just the ruddy parallel parking that sometimes tosses me." Lillie says with amusement, shimmying over to the passenger seat. "It's a pretty drive and I know the way anyway."
Waiting for her brother to seat himself behind the wheel, Lillie rolls down her window a bit. Despite having been a vessel for her learning, the actual car isn't dinged up badly at all. A scuff here and there on the front bumper and some scraping on the rims.. overall it looks alright! The interior is immaculate and well-cared-for.
"How was your night?"
—
Surely one day she'll become used to the poking again and the spats may return. But not today, it seems! Maybe Freddie was hoping to fire her temper some, but at least she doesn't seem to be getting angry at him. It's not the intent, after all.
His brows lift as she scoots over to let him drive and he moves his crutch to the back seat before sliding in. There's a test of the clutch a few times before he closes the door and shrugs. "Well, if I break it, I'll fix it." Maybe.
The figurative, wooden foot is place on the clutch as he puts the car back into 'Drive' and begins to move it forward. "It was fine, I suppose. Quiet. The whole town is rather quiet. Now, where am I going?"
—
Oh, Freddie can bet his Irish bippy that in a month or so, Lillie will be back to getting riled up. She's still in that glow of gratitude and.. yes, surprise. To this day she is still amazed that he is here. The worry exists that if she were to feel anything OTHER than gratitude, the fates would take him away again; the great machine of war would have need of him. Lillie does not understand how discharges work so it is entirely her naivety here to blame.. along with a powerfully superstitious conscience. So Freddie, for now, has a few more 'get out of jail free' cards to harangue his little sister with before she's firing back in the fashion she is known for.
Lucky fellow!
"I'm turned out for Tilda, not you." Lillie does poke back with amusement, having given up the wheel. Had Freddie balked she will have not forced him. "Trust me, the car survived me. It can handle a bit more grief… I believe you will be just fine. I take a roundabout route, past the town square. Keep to the quiet roads." She will tell him where to turn and when, without breaking stride.
"I have a couple of, ah.. disclaimers to offer before you meet this old girl. Or maybe it's more of a heads' up." Said with an impish glint to her eyes.
—
Freddie usually dresses fairly well, but Lillie's comment about her 'extra' has him glancing over quickly to her, "Should I have worn some Sunday Best or something?" is asked before his eyes go back on the road. He's focusing quite a bit as this is a very different feeling. If they're going slow enough, he might not need to switch gears until they need to come to a stop so that might be a help.
"You don't have a lead foot like I do…" not quite as heavy, "Or do you…" There's another mirthful squint there.
—
No need to worry about too fast or too slow; the roads, those that Lillie directs Fred onto, are all-but-deserted. People are either working or at home keeping house so there's few people out and about to worry over. Cars are either parked competently at the side of the road or nestled into driveways and/or parking lots. If Freddie gooses the accelerator a bit too heavily? Nobody there to judge! That they know of anyway~
"You're fine.. she'll eat you up." Lillie says as she peers out the passenger-side window, the pillows she used beneath her arse tossed into the back seat. Now one can see just how small she is in this car. She turns back to Fred, "Matilda Barnes is in her eighties, she is moneyed and sometimes.. lacks tact. She'll be very forward in her thoughts… ask some pointed questions… but she's a dear, really. She means well.. just doesn't know any better. She doesn't know much of life beyond being well-off… she doesn't know what it was like to grow up as we did. So pray, take no offense if she comes off as a bit, ah.. ignorant."
Then a little falling of her lovely features that Fred may not see, as he watches the road. "She's into the early onset of dementia."
A pregnant pause, "Lead foot… is right. You should see me on the country roads." Added mysteriously.
—
"I think I might be terrified to see that," is answered first as it's the easiest. Freddie is still mulling over Lillie
"I think I might be terrified to see that," is answered first as it's the easiest. Freddie is still mulling over Lillie's description of Mrs. Barnes but he finally offers, "I won't be offended by a thing, I'm sure. I can't imagine she'd be any more forward than other's I've run into…and if she is, I'll just have to redirect the conversation. Or flat out answer her." Shock her right back.
—
"In the beginning she used to startle me," Lillie laughs gently. "I didn't make a very reputable name for myself in the beginning as I felt the town out. She was one of the sorts who kept tabs on who I was allegedly 'dating' at the time.. very often, chewed the gossip cud… but we eventually met proper and got on well. She has tried a few times now to set me up with her grandson. I am not interested." Said firmly, then she softens as she watches the scenery change. "I must remind her here-and-there because she forgets. I guarantee in a couple of months she will get it in her head to try it again, and pose it to me as an idea that she just had." A sad smile.
"What I am getting at there, dear brother, is she'll probably dredge up a family relative of a like age, even if said person is already married off, and suggest you meet them. Charmer, you are.. she'll have a hay day with you." Lillie laughs outright at Fred's latter thought, "Hah! Good on you. I knew that you would be understanding." Said as the scenery changes to something more sumptuous: beautiful homes, fences.. the 'richer' part of town. "Right onto Butler," Indicated as the intersection approaches while they travel Cherokee. "See that big white house? You'll nose into that driveway. This is her car, you see."
—
"Speaking of this 'dating' business, I expect to be filled in. Or am I going to just run across someone who tells me that they're your boyfriend and I'll have to deck them?" Shoot first and ask questions later. Freddie follows the directions to the house and driveway, giving a low whistle before putting the car in park. "Nice place. Does she have anyone to help her out if she's becoming forgetful or just you? What happens when she needs help more than occasionally?" Talk about uncomfortable questions!
"So I'm to turn up the charm. Got it. And somehow gently put down any offers of matchmaking. Got it. Anything else I should be aware of?"
—
Oh yes.. Lillie has indeed kept mum on her 'dating life'. Maybe it's just a natural 'little sister' thing to do! Lillie's prospects in Boston were indeed 'weeded out' at the threat of being set upon by Badger. Granted now Lillie has another reason to keep her previous (and especially secretive: current) exploits to herself. For his safety, and theirs. But still, she's not going to lie to her beloved brother. The car is eased into the driveway in a much more graceful fashion that what Lillie had pulled off when reaching the boardinghouse. Once turned off, the 1940 Buick Century will tick slumberously as the engine cools. As she musters the words to explain her love life, Lillie addresses the easier questions first.
"She has other hired help. There's a wash lady who comes in to do the linens every Wednesday and Sunday. She also has a girl who helps to fix meals, is paid handsomely. I used to be that girl but now I.. I help her directly. Take her to appointments, to the personal dos. I help her with correspondence and bookkeeping. I've been.. promoted, I guess." Lillie smiles gently. "You'll probably see Geraldine here at least. Roger is here on weekends working the yard." Cripes, this woman is rich.
"I.. for a time, dated one of the town 'bad boys'.. but he was not bad. They've a reputation in town, however… have people been speaking to you of the Walkers, Fred?" Lillie looks at him with a blush as she reaches into the back seat for a bag.
—
"Must be nice…" is mentioned as Lillie tells of all the help that Tilda has. "I'm glad she's well-cared for. You do seem to like her," otherwise he knows that his sister wouldn't help out. As the car engine is shut off and the parking brake engaged, he hands the keys back over to Lillie for safe-keeping.
Freddie is in the midst of climbing out of the car when Lillie mentions who she used to date. "You? With one of the 'bad boys'? Was that because I wasn't around?" It's sort of a tease but sort of a serious question. "I haven't heard of them, no…but I do get some strange looks when I explain that I'm your brother."
—
Accepting the keys into her small hand, Lillie slides them into a rather used-looking purse. "You did well Freddie.. little goosey going onto Cherokee, you bloody speed demon, but smooth as a baby's bum." She pokes her own fun at him, bright eyes squinting through the windows of the vehicle. Once he sets himself to rights Lillie hands Freddie the bag that she was ferreting out.. not big at all, not heavy. It's full of…. wool? Knitting supplies?
"See, brother, to me he was not bad. Just misunderstood. You tip a glass of moonshine to those lips at the Gallows and you will find yourself drinking Walker shine. They supply the Gallows. The town has a love-hate thing with them; treat them badly on account of them being poor." Sadness there. "I gave Jesse a chance because we weren't any better Freddie, when we came to the states. You will see him in the square busking, come the nice weather. Smart as a whip, plays a fantastic fiddle. I.. broke his heart." Her brow furrows. "But I seem entwined with the family all-the-same. I am close friends with a pair of them.. one was the photographer whose prints I sent you; the other is a nurse in town, married to the head of the family up there. She brings their baby by to see me, some evenings." A poignant, wistful look.. Lillie loves kids. Even angry Walker babies. Or maybe that wistfulness is for another reason. Hard to tell.
She goes to Fred, takes his hand briefly. "Have people been kind to you in town, Freddie? Good to you? I hope you're not being treated unkindly."
—
Freddie watches his baby sister with some seriousness as she mentions her entanglement with these 'Walkers'. "I have a hard enough time walking when I'm sober…I'm not about to try it when sloshed." Speaking of, he'll take the bag of knitting supplies before reaching for his crutch. "Isn't that always the case though? No one's really 'bad'…they're just 'misunderstood'…until they cause someone you love harm." It seems like she may need to sit down and explain all of this in better detail, but now probably isn't the time. "So you've befriended them because no one else has?" Typical Lillie. Until she gets bitten, of course.
"It's a small town and I'm a stranger. Folks are about what I'd imagine them to be. In general, they're at least nicer to my face than most in Boston."
—
"We will talk at home." Lillie offers to her brother, "Home home. My home." She adds; fwhoa.. this MUST be personal! Not stuff for the driveways of Butler street. Finally a little smile, "It's all okay though Fred.. the dust has settled. But it has taken awhile to get there." That's all she has left to add. Weight, much? With Freddie holding the bag, Lillie gathers up her purse, another paper bag containing groceries and her coat.
"People will figure you out, whether you want them to or not. You're in the best position that you can hope for in a place like Higsi. You haven't bungled yourself up like I did in those first months… you're still an unknown. What you do now overrides any reputation that they can make up on their own… and if Tilda likes you? Even better." Lillie leads the way, approaching the front door of the large, old house. A hand lifts to rap the fancy-looking lever on the front door. Before long the door is opened up and a neat-looking darker skinned girl, roundabouts in her twenties, meets them. She's in the typical attire as befitting hired help in a richy-rich battleship of a house in the 1940s… dark eyes peer at the pair of Irish folk, recognizing one but not the other. Lillie smiles kindly. "Hi Geraldine, is Tilda in?"
"Sittin' room, miss," Replies the girl, showing them in. She studies Freddie.
—
Except he has Lillie's reputation hanging on him as well…so he will either get the 'eye' or get told all the gossip about these 'dates'. It might not be things that he'd like to hear about his baby sister, even if she -is- all grown up. "Oh, I think I'll have my own bungles, thank you very much. They may not be as extreme as you claim your's have been, but you're helping out at the home of an esteemed citizen of the town so it couldn't have been too had, hmm?" Freddie will offer to help her with one or both of the bags even as he follows her to the front door. A hand lifts to the brim of his hat upon the greeting of Geraldine. She'll even get a smile and a little wink as they're shown in and she studies him.
—
Poor Fred. No wonder he's been getting weird looks. Will he be seen arm-in-arm with a Walker woman someday?! What other harebrained things will these weird Irish people do? Will he have hallucinations like his sister is said to have on occasion? Oh… the directions that this can ALL go in…
Lillie, warmed by her brother's insight, was broken out of her reverie by Geraldine's greeting. She continues on this tact, nodding once at mention of Tilda being home. "This chap is my brother Freddie, Geraldine. I'm bringing him by to say hello. You know how curious Tilda can get." Offered kindly, but not patronizing.. never talking down to a maid.
The other woman smiles and steps back, leaving the two to seek out the lady of the house. The place is rife with some spicy, exotic manner of potpourri; it is expensive and strong, and in not being cheap perhaps isn't quite so offensive. Elegant floor-to-ceiling curtains; antique furniture; a massive den and dining room and lower parlor. The bottom footing of a spiral staircase leads to a second level where Tilda resides, currently.
Assuming Freddie keeps up easily — lots of stairs — Lillie waits for him. Tons of portraits on the wall: one in particular was a studio shot taken in Nashville many years back in the tail end of the 1800s: a cracklingly beautiful blonde woman posed with a staunch looking man undoubtedly Tilda and her husband at the time. There's also an encased daguerreotype of a bright eyed baby girl. So many reminders. Lillie takes a deep breath as they stand in this frue-frue of fancy.. and knocks on the door of the sitting room. Stirring, within.
===
OOC: RL ate us! The scene will have faded, with the following likely have occurred…
Lillie-player pages: Assume Tilda fawned all over Fred, asked a bunch of personal questions (mostly his dating life, growing up… she had enough tact to NOT pry about war stuff tho) … ending with her offering to set him up with a random Southern granddaughter! Lillie is mortified!
Freddie-player pages: Freddie probably answered as best he could and maybe even made up a few things about dating in Tunisia or Europe just to titillate her. He probably agreed to the date with the random granddaughter, knowing that it most likely won't come to fruition.