The gossip spouting forth was like an oasis in the middle of the desert. He'd been tapped out for weeks and now suddenly he had all this stuff. The fact that some of it was about Charles and some vile awful old woman he was married to didn't particularly thrill him, but the rest was good stuff. He kind of really wanted to see this so-called ring, for one thing.
"Gosh, you'll have to show it to me when it turns up again like a bad penny. It sounds dreadful. Then again," he added, gesturing grandly with his smoke, "Richard has always been known to have pretty questionable taste." Some of the things the man wore knocked Francis for a loop. Those tacky, tacky jackets! It was one of the reasons he was so happy to give Richard his old cast-offs. He had to have something acceptable to wear.
He was about to phrase a question about Charles and this so-called 'Dale' when the devil himself -- Richard, that was, not Charles nor the evil wife -- came a-walking up. Francis broke into a genuine smile. Despite Richard's many failings, he really did like him, after all. "Richard! Hello. I'm back."
It was remarkable, how swiftly Richard could make one's goodwill vanish. Francis had forgotten that little trait of his. Almost immediately his smile faded and he shot Richard an absolutely vicious glare, taking a quick, sharp drag on his cigarette. Really, now, there was no call for that.
Or that. "Well, I'd say someone hit me," he replied coldly.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2007-09-11 07:02 am (UTC)"Gosh, you'll have to show it to me when it turns up again like a bad penny. It sounds dreadful. Then again," he added, gesturing grandly with his smoke, "Richard has always been known to have pretty questionable taste." Some of the things the man wore knocked Francis for a loop. Those tacky, tacky jackets! It was one of the reasons he was so happy to give Richard his old cast-offs. He had to have something acceptable to wear.
He was about to phrase a question about Charles and this so-called 'Dale' when the devil himself -- Richard, that was, not Charles nor the evil wife -- came a-walking up. Francis broke into a genuine smile. Despite Richard's many failings, he really did like him, after all. "Richard! Hello. I'm back."
It was remarkable, how swiftly Richard could make one's goodwill vanish. Francis had forgotten that little trait of his. Almost immediately his smile faded and he shot Richard an absolutely vicious glare, taking a quick, sharp drag on his cigarette. Really, now, there was no call for that.
Or that. "Well, I'd say someone hit me," he replied coldly.