A Rumored Troublemaker and A Control Freak's Attempts At Bridge-Rebuilding

Tavish chuckled at William's comment, sending him a shrug and wink before turning back to the laptop. "Right. Well, remind him to get some sunlight every now and then, won't you?" Tavish said after Pauline had reminded him about Finnegan's case. He knows how addicted to video games Finnegan can be. As long as he's still doing his chores and school work, Tavish really doesn't mind that. Though it does look like he'll only be talking to Pauline for a while.

He glanced at William again. He's gone quiet again and Tavish felt guilty for putting him out of the loop. He was afraid however that if he let Pauline take the reins over the conversation, William's mood might turn sour. If he gave William the control, who knew what the guy might do? He's being stretched close to snapping as it is. Tavish's only choice was to take over the flow of the conversation while somehow still letting the two feel free to talk. He never though it would be so hard to find a topic for such a thing. He needed caffeine for this.

"So, Pauline, why don't you tell William all about your project?" he said, fingers itching to make himself a cup.

Pauline seemed to think about the subject Tavish told her to shift to with a raised eyebrow before she shrugged. "There's nothing much to say about it. I mean, I got an A for it. We were supposed to take fifteen photos of a theme we chose. It was a thematic photo essay after all. I chose a theme that applied to everyone--fashion. I took photos of casual, everyday clothing styles of fashionable girls and boys and some old people, too. A lot of my pictures were candid shots..."

As Pauline talked away, Tavish sent William a smile. "I'll be back," he told both of them before he got up and went to his table where he kept his thermos and mug.

Pauline paused midspeech and frowned. "He's making coffee again, isn't he?" she asked.

Though he had certainly left the vicinity of the comfortable little bit of space he shared with William and Pauline as they chatted, Tavish still could tell when he was being talked about. William's mention of the only other 'he' in the room was enough to hint that. They were probably--no, definitely counting.

Pauline looked at her wristwatch and did some mental calculations. "I'd say it's about his fourth or fifth today, depending on his stress levels," was her inference. She sighed and looked at William with a bit of concern in her eyes. Her tone was quieter when she spoke next and she leaned forward a little, just to make sure Tavish didn't really hear even though his laptop wasn't on full volume. "He's drinking it like it's water. Sooner or later, he won't be sleeping right. Or he'll be too restless. And when he gets old, he'd firstly lose his sense of taste."

She shook her head. "He won't listen to me when I try to tell him about what might happen," she continued. "But, Will, can you help me get it through his big, brick-thick head? It doesn't have to stop, but he can't keep on drinking ten cups a day either."

She'd been waiting to meet William for this reason secondarily. Primarily, she genuinely wanted to see who her brother was rooming with and befriend him, too. But it's hard not to pass her concern over when she knows her brother is finally opening up to someone, especially after seeing how Tavish acted differently around William from when he usually does around other people. "Thanks," she said when William gave her congratulations.

Tavish returned shortly after. He sat where he did before, holding his mug close to his lips as he blew the coffee cool. "If you guys tried to make bets, the person who guessed that this is my fifth is the lucky winner of the day," he announced. "And since I am technically part of your 'bets' I say I have a right to get a slice of the prize."

@Clockwise Dream
Don't sweat it. S'all chill. I've been in the same boat for the last couple months.

Pauline shook her head, disagreeing with William's claim that he had not much hold over Tavish than she does. She knows differently, though she couldn't explain. If she were to say it in example, she'd say it's like how other grown-ups can give her advice and tell her to do things even though they weren't really her parents. All without the expectation that a child should be respectful to her elders because, well, Tavish was not a kid anymore and surely William isn't old. Pauline found it hard to find any other explanation. Before she could speak her mind however, Tavish had sat down once more.

"I can just kick the coffee right out of his hands," William said as he made himself comfortable. His eyes widened and instinctively, but very slowly due to the mug still filled to the brim with steaming hot coffee, moved his mug away from William. Almost like protecting a child.

"Don't even think about it," he warned William despite the fact that it as if only to tease him. Tavish loved his coffee and in the moments his love is threatened, he certainly won't be making an empty threat either. No. It will be something very real and Tavish will make sure of that. He's sure Spirit won't mind. Much. He glared at William, despite the fact that the other didn't meet his gaze.

When the other had turned back to the laptop and it seemed that his precious mug was safe, Tavish relaxed and returned to his previous posture. He checked the time and saw that they'd been talking for quite a while now, though it didn't feel like it. They still had time, but he should disconnect soon in order to give Pauline time to do her chores and for him to start with his own. He suddenly longed for a hot shower after this.

"That's too bad," he simply said before finally taking a sip.

"Sure, but you and I have been together long enough for you to get a good guess, at least," Tavish quipped. He's sure William might have kept count at some point how many cups he took a day. Tavish would have in someone else's shoes. He was certainly taking notes about how much junk and fast food William ate in a week. It was easy to keep track, especially with the amount of trash he leaves scattered around his side of the room and how quickly they pile up.

Speaking of speed, Tavish couldn't help but think back to that half-second he saw William make a move, actually daring to spill the mug. He had something in his demeanor then too. Like he'd been eager to see what Tavish would do if he did spill the coffee out of Tavish's grip. Or was it only his imagination? Tavish didn't want to think that it was below William to try his patience (again) by doing the exact opposite of what the older one between them says. Then again, William hadn't been the easiest to get along with in the first place.

Nevertheless Tavish's grip on his mug tightened and he held it closer to his body. He made sure to take a good gulp down so he could actually have more chances of moving the mug without spilling its contents. Sure it took Tavish immense patience and self-control not to lash out at the kid (mostly he also had that fear that William's spirits might get back at him if he tried to lash out at William), but they're getting along, at least. Or so far rather, seeing that the past few days between them had been stagnant and almost without communication.

"Well, you didn't lose," Pauline said. "Mostly because we didn't take bets. And I know better than that, Tav. Anyway... it's late. I should get going. Mom will be back home anytime soon and she'd told me to make preparations for dinner."

"Mm, what's for dinner?" Tavish asked with a smile, all thoughts of William's attempts for the moment disappearing. He's glad to know Pauline's getting to learn how to cook.

"Chicken cordon bleu, I think," Pauline said with a proud grin. "Mmm."

"Sounds real delicious," Tavish said, inwardly missing cooking for his siblings. He grinned back at Pauline sharply and added, "If you don't burn the whole thing."

Pauline huffed indignantly and turned to William. "Haha, very funny," she deadpanned. "Hey Will, can you hit him for me?"

Tavish chuckled, though it was cut short when he felt the faux punch against his arm. It wasn't hard enough to hurt him. Actually, William hit a lot softer than Pauline did. The girl could really throw a punch whenever she was teased. She just didn't look it. Tavish was glad she didn't do that often. Otherwise, their mother would really have had something to say about her being a proper lady and all... One of the reasons he's glad to have been born the way he is.

Pauline seemed pleased when her request had been fulfilled. Her mouth turned into a surprised circle when she saw William get hit back by his spirit. She gasped again when Spirit hit him with his tail. She smiled soon however and seemed to relax. "I think I see why. And that I did, so don't get angry at him for it, erm, Mister Wolf," she replied then addressed William again. "But I think it's still cool to have them around. Spirit is kind of like an anima or a patronus, isn't he? Then there's Warrior who's like a guardian angel."

Tavish wanted to roll his eyes. Pauline's terms could sometimes be unfamiliar to him. She did spend a lot of time on the internet, after all. Social media and other sites. Probably where she got those weird terms. He could guess that an anima is probably a spirit animal, though. And a patronus was from the Harry Potter series, that much he knew at least.

"Well, there's that," Pauline said, knowing Tavish was most probably looking at the trash bin William was talking about. "But you never know if he's throwing away his cups elsewhere. Like in class or the halls or something." She eyed Tavish before her head turned to the side. "Looks like I really have to go. Mom's just arrived. Bye, Tav. Bye, Will, Spirit, Warrior."

Tavish waved at the camera. "Bye, P," he said before she smiled at them again. Before she disconnected, she winked at the camera, which made Tavish raise an eyebrow. "Wonder what that means," he mumbled as he closed Skype and his laptop. He shook his head with a sigh. "You see how my sister's weird? One of the reasons why I wanted to introduce her to you... She needs more people like you in her life."