Re: Carriage House: Atticus & Billy
"Cris has a soft spot for brats." Teasing. Maybe Billy could read those smiles by this point. But it wasn't entirely a lie. Cris collected boys from bad places, helped them, was nice to them. Atticus figured it was that helpfulness that led Cris to be a cop. Unfortunately, wanting to help wasn't always so easy, and it wasn't always cut at dry. Least not in a town like Repose. In Repose, you had to accept that the tide was different, and you had to work under that understanding. Fighting it, it wasn't good. Fighting the tide could be tiring, no matter how strong or stubborn someone was.
Was expecting Billy to launch into an explanation of how hard it was for a working kid to put himself through school. Was prepared for that. Wasn't prepared for the kid saying he couldn't be around people. Made Atticus think of Billy's reluctance to go help out at the B&B. Atticus was so accustomed to the supernatural that he immediately went there. After all, the entire B&B was filled with things that weren't entirely human. No, not inhuman. Just not normal, under standard definition. Atticus, with his companions cooped up for this meal, wasn't any different. "Can't?" he asked. Simple. Leaving it open. "Lots of schools do distance learning now. Easier to get a degree than it was in the past. A good degree. Not talking a tech school."
He smiled easily at the comment that his former students were morons. Should've corrected Billy. Said something about moron not being politically correct. But Atticus just smiled as he collected more plates and carried them to the small kitchen with lazy dragged feet that scuffed on the old carpet.
He came back, once the plates were cleared and soaking, and he sat in the chair. Elbows on his knees for a second, and then a lazy recline. "Not morons. Went through some stuff. Can't say they're all there. Have their own troubles. And they're not wrong. Wasn't much of a teacher."