"Bu-uck! I can cut my own meat!"
"Yeah, yeah. Hang on, you've got milk all over your chin." Buck
leaned over to wipe it off with the napkin around JD's neck. "There."
Ezra stepped in. "Mr Wilmington, perhaps it is time you realise Mr
Dunne here is no longer a child, in fact he hasn't been for as long
as we've known him." He gave a meaning wink. "One would've thought
your activities last night had given you some clue to that?"
Buck grinned at the memory while JD blushed and hid behind his glass
of milk. A rumbling chuckle was heard from Josiah, followed by a wimper
and Ezra dropping his deck.
"Oh, please, some of us are eating you know!"
"Well then Mr Jackson, perhaps we should clear the table and make
room for a friendly game of cards? I have a new deck that needs to be
broken in."
"Uh-uh." Nathan shook his head vigorously. "Not with those cards you
ain't, they're too sharp. I'm not in the mood for taking care of your
papercuts! I don't even have a life of my own anymore, all I do these
days is picking up after your mishaps!" He leaned over his plate,
viciously impaling the last piece of potato.
Silent faces went around the table. Well, almost around. It somehow
missed the dark cloud surrounding their leader in black. A ring of
dead flies and other insects who in their foolishness had come to
close to the deadly air of a sullen Larabee lay aound his chair.
Chris grabbed the bottle and went upstairs.
Silence prevailed for still a few more minutes before Vin sighed and
followed the shadow.
Ezra raised a questioning eyebrow.
Chuckling, Buck finally spoke up. "Vin's been holding out on
him...and since we've all been busy elsewhere lately, it must've
been hard on him.....pun intended."
"Yeah, I know how he feels." Nathan muttered quietly.
"Hey, Ezra! How about you giving Nate here a break?!"
Choking on his drink Ezra glared at his moustashed friend. "Since when
did you become my pimp?!" Clearing his throat he continued." Besides,
I've had my fix for today...well, for the morning at least." He added
after a glance at the ex-priest.
Nathan snorted.
A light banging was heard. It steadily grew in strength until the
roof seemed to threaten to cave in. Small puffs of plaster falling
down in a steady rythm, covering the table and its guests, gave a
hint to the activities going on upstairs.
"Well, I guess Vin finally relented." Buck fished up a piece of the
roof that had fallen into his drink.
"Vestigia terrent obviously didn't deter our young tracker."
"Which reminds me - someone will have to pick that up before it
attracts vermin."
JD still looked baffled. "But...isn't Chris's room at the very end of
the hall?"
"Yup."
"But..but..the entire house is moving!"
"Yup!"
"Nescit occasum."
"I'm ceatain I could make that statement true, after all - faber est
suae quisque fortunae."
"Si libet, licet."
"Will you stop that! It's annoying me to hell!" Nathan growled at the
gamble and the preacher.
"I believe someone's getting a bit testy." Josiah leaned over to
Ezra.
"Well, since we neem to be personae non gratae around her, perhaps we
should move elsewhere?"
"Dictum, factum."
They rose and left the room. "But remember - puer taceat in ecclesia!"
"I'll do my best to oblige." Ezra quickened his steps, he couldn't
wait to get a hold of Josiah behind the altar.
Nathan turned to his remaning friends, only to catch them giggling
their way through the doors, probably on their way to the sheriff's
office.
He took a large gulp of his beer and picked up the deck Ezra'd left
behind. "Ouch!" Damn papercuts!
The End
