Tom Branson (thefirebrand) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-03-11 20:05:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, sybil crawley, tom branson |
Who: Sybil Crawley & Tom Branson.
What: They meet, fittingly, at a demonstration in support of same-sex marriage and go for tea.
When: A sunny afternoon.
Where: On the streets of the OC.
Rating: Low.
Status: Complete.
Sybil’s heart leapt in her chest as she saw the crowd around the courthouse. She’d told her aunt that she was going shopping. The woman probably would have insisted on going with her if not for Mary. Sybil’s sister had helped make the case that Sybil was old enough to go shopping on her own, and didn’t their aunt have business to catch up on? Sybil would have to find a thank you gift for Mary before she went home.
Up ahead there were signs, and rainbow flags, and all sorts of outfits, including tuxes and wedding dresses. Sybil looked a bit drab in comparison, in jeans and a lavender tee shirt reading ‘Love is Love’. The crowd was symbolic; They weren’t actually outside the Supreme Court, of course. But the case had originated in California, and their message was clear.
Sybil slipped into the crowd, looking around at all the signs and trying to pick up the words of one of the chants so she could join in.
Tom had always been political. While he had his concerns about most things with the government, people’s rights were by far his biggest interest, so there’s no way he’d pass up the chance to come to a rally concerning the possible overturn of Prop 8. It was a good turn out, he thought, a large crowd filled with all sorts. He liked that.
When he turned around to look over at something, he bumped into a young girl in a lavender tee shirt, and he raised his eyebrows with an amused sort of look.
“Aren’t you a bit young to be hanging about here,” he asked her, holding back a bit of a laugh.
Sybil crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not that young," she said, lifting her chin. She had as much right to be here as anyone else! "There are a lot of youth that really care about this, and our voices should be heard, too!" So often, Sybil heard her generation talked about as lazy, selfish, and disrespectful. This was one area where she found a lot of her peers actually seemed to be more enlightened and involved than their elders.
It seemed like they were on the same side, though, if the man was in this crowd. Maybe she shouldn't be so quick on the defensive. In-fighting didn't help anyone.
"It's just that most go to youth events. Not that I mind," Tom added, laughing. "It's refreshing. But stuck here in the back you can't really see much, can you. Here, let's try to get you a bit closer."
Tom put his hand on the back of her shoulder and helped steer her through the crowd. She'd have never made it very far in on her own, after all. He stopped near a ledge that had some room on it and held out his hand to help her up.
"Up you go then, young miss. Don't mind about falling. If the crowd doesn't catch you, I might do."
"People don't always pay attention to youth events." She wasn't sure how things went in the States, but Sybil was used to being dismissed due to her age. Even her family did it, sometimes. She smiled, though, accepting his help. She ducked past a few people, but it was such a large crowd, she might have gotten lost if not for her guide.
"You're not American," she commented as he helped her up. She shouldn't be so surprised, given that she wasn't, either. She'd just expected this crowd to be full of people who had more of a stake in the fight than she did.
"What gave it away?" he asked, cheekily. "I'm from Dublin, been here a year or so now. Not a bad place, really. The Free World and all. Or say they say. Can't figure out how they can call themselves the land of the free when they deny basic rights to their citizens."
It was serious, and Sybil really should join him in his outrage, but she couldn't help smiling. It hit a spark inside her, and it was thrilling. She nodded. "That's true. But things are changing. They might not fix it today, but soon." She believed it was only a matter of time. If nothing else, the demographics would do it.
"I agree. I think the last election proved that Americans are ready for change, and the president himself has spoken up about the California ban on same-sex marriage. Hell, Clint Eastwood has, even, so it's got to count for something."
Tom glanced up at her and grinned a little.
"Where'd a young English lass like yourself learn to be such an activist, then?"
Sybil shrugged. "I don't know. Queen Ethelburga's?" Not that her school was especially progressive. She had a few friends that had formed an unofficial support group. Her school here was a lot different. They had a Gay-Straight Alliance and everything. "I guess I just picked it up along the way."
"I've only been here a few weeks. It's... exciting." Back home, people were so reserved. This energy.. She could feel the change coming.
Another laugh. "Well, you watch yourself," he warned her. "This one here is all right, but some of these things out here - they get out of hand. No place for a young girl to be caught in the thick of things. I'm Tom, by the way. Tom Branson."
Sybil sat down on the ledge turning toward Tom, since it seemed she was paying more attention to their conversation than the rest of the crowd. "I'm Sybil Crawley. And I'll try to stay out of trouble." She couldn't see how something like this could get out of control, really. Not in the middle of the day, in public like this. They were in the United States, after all, not somewhere in the Middle East. It was hardly a riot. People exaggerated.
"See that you do." He glanced from the rest of the crowd over at her. "Does your mother know you get up to this sort of thing?"
Sybil smiled. "My mother's back in England. They don't really do this sort of thing there." At least, not in the country. That didn't answer the question, of course. "She knows it's important to me. She probably wishes it wasn't, but she's not as vocal about it as my father."
"Some day they'll come round and see how admirable it is of you. And it is, sticking up for the rights of others. People that don't understand it look down on those that do, but only because change is terrifying if you're not ready for it. I think you and I were born into a good generation, though."
He nodded, very serious about the whole thing.
"I think it's in my blood, truth be told. My grandparents and my parents fought a lot for their own rights in their time. Suppose I've got to honour the tradition."
Sybil nodded, smiling. "I think you're right, about this being a good generation, and a good time to live in. A hundred years ago, I wouldn't have even been able to vote. I guess we would have been fighting for that, back then."
"It's definitely not in my blood, though. My parents are good people, but they're not very comfortable with change. They're pretty good at ignoring things they don't think affect them. My granny would have an aneurism if she saw me here."
"I suspect a hundred years ago I'd be getting up to no good. It sure as all hell wasn't a great time to be Irish." Tom just snorted a bit. He glanced around at the dying down crowd. "Do you need a lift home after this?"
Sybil paused, following his gaze. The crowd was breaking into smaller groups, making plans for the evening. "I really shouldn't." She'd probably told him too much already. Her sister had chastised her for being too trusting, thinking too well of people. "I have some shopping to do, anyway."
"All right. No harm in asking, and it'd have been rude to not offer." He flashed her a smile. "Will you be coming to lots of these, then?"
Sybil smiled back. "I think so. I'd like to." Was asking him if he wanted to go shopping with her too much? They'd only just met. But the shops were close, and it wasn't as though there were any dark alleys. Besides, he seemed nice enough.
"Have you been to those shops just there?" she asked, pointing past the crowd to the nearby street.
"Not since I've moved here, I think," Tom replied, following her point. "There's a good little cafe tucked in there if you're hungry. Great sandwiches, if I remember."
"I have to be back home for dinner, but I could stop for some tea." Sybil tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I just need to find a gift for my sister. She's been.. a bit miserable, lately."
"Tea it is." Tom waited for more of the crowd to disperse before motioning for Sybil to follow, heading toward the shops. "I'm sorry to hear that about your sister. Hopefully she perks up soon, but once the good weather starts setting in, it's a hard place to feel sad in. Everything's beautiful and colourful and alive with people."
Sybil tried--and failed--to hide a smile when it became apparent that he was coming along for tea. Just as friends, of course! It was nice just to have company along.
"I hope you're right." Only then Mary might be frustrated with herself for actually enjoying the place.
"Tea it is." Tom waited for more of the crowd to disperse before motioning for Sybil to follow, heading toward the shops. "I'm sorry to hear that about your sister. Hopefully she perks up soon, but once the good weather starts setting in, it's a hard place to feel sad in. Everything's beautiful and colourful and alive with people."
Sybil tried--and failed--to hide a smile when it became apparent that he was coming along for tea. Just as friends, of course! It was nice just to have company along.
"I hope you're right." Only then Mary might be frustrated with herself for actually enjoying the place.
"I hope so, too. I'd hate to get your hopes up and then have you disappointed." He laughed, and shrugged. "So, what part of England are you from, anyway? I'm no good with accents, unless their fellow Irishmen, so you'll have to pardon my ignorance on the matter."
"Yorkshire," Sybil answered, smiling. "Out in the countryside. It's very green there, but you probably have us beat." That was what she'd always heard about Ireland, anyway. She'd never visited.
Now that the excitement and energy of the demonstration had passed, Sybil was feeling a twinge of sadness, thinking about England. She couldn't be homesick already! It had only been a few weeks! Maybe Mary was rubbing off on her.
Tom just laughed.
"Ireland is very green." And then he paused thoughtfully for a moment. "Yorkshire? I think I've actually - Mary?" Another laugh, a bit embarrassed this time.
"Sorry, but I've chatted with her briefly. On the Net. And she said she was from Yorkshire and she seemed in low spirits. I'd only assume she was your sister."
Sybil tilted her head, a slow smile spreading over her face. "She is, yes! That's Mary. What a small world, even here, in such a big country!"
The cafe was quiet, in spite of the large crowd that had been outside. Sybil likely wouldn't have found it if not for Tom knowing about it.Her sister might have guessed the lack of customers was a sign that food poisoning was likely, and the place would probably be shut down by the health inspector before long. Sybil was optimistic, though, and was pleased they'd found a sort of diamond in the rough.
"This place has always been a bit weird like that."
Tom ordered his tea, then glanced at Sybil.
"Order what you like. It's on me." Then he turned back to the girl on till. "This one's English, so I'm sure she knows her tea."
Sybil smiled broadly. "Thank you." She ordered a cup of hot tea and a pastry. She didn't intend to eat more than half of it, but she was used to having a little something sweet with her tea. "You can have half, if you like," she told Tom after picking it out.
"Maybe just a small bit," he said, once he paid. "I really shouldn't though. Lent rules and all. I'm not a strict observer, but I try not to eat too many delicious things during it."
Tom flashed Sybil a grin and splashed a bit of milk into his tea.
Sybil was about to take him very seriously--and even to apologize for making such an insensitive offer during his religious observance--when she caught the grin. She smiled back, adding some milk to her tea as well. "I don't know. Maybe Mary could give you a few pointers on how to be properly miserable."
That was terribly mean, to joke at her sister's expense, and Sybil would probably feel guilty about it later on.
Tom couldn't hide his laugh, even if he wanted to.
"That's a bit harsh, don't you think," he teased. He was still laughing even when he sat at a table near the window, so Sybil could watch the comings and goings.
Sybil blushed, averting her eyes as she laughed. "It is, it is, I'm sorry." She looked back up at him, smiling as she lifted her teacup for a sip. "She really is a good person, honestly. I just wish she were happier.." Sybil didn't know what she could do to cheer her sister up.
"I'm sure she'll be all right in time," he assured Sybil. Or tried to, anyway. "Everyone has moments where they feel miserable. It's just the way life goes."
Sybil nodded. "I think you're right. It's hard to tell with Mary, sometimes. I'm not sure she likes to let others know when she is happy." Sybil couldn't really blame her, especially with the way Edith was always nipping at Mary's heels. Mary might have grown to think of happiness as a weakness that others would try to take advantage of.
"Anyway, it's no use worrying about it. I can't force her to be happy any more than I can make the sun come out, and it isn't fair for me to try." Maybe this was what Mary needed right now. Sybil paused, thinking on that. "I am still getting her a present, though. Not to cheer her up; just because I love her."
"That's sweet of you. She's doing all right, then, if she's got a sister who cares that much. Hopefully it does cheer up, just a little, though." Tom offered up another smile as he sipped at his tea.
Sybil smiled. He was sweet. "What about you, Tom? What do you do when all the oppression and injustice of the world get you down?" He could still laugh.
"I don't know. I try not to let it, you know? It's a fact of life - the world isn't a fair place, not by a long shot, and I'm not a cynic for saying such. I'm a realist. But if you think about everything we're capable of doing, and everything we've done in such a short time. Women's right to vote, for one. I guess that makes it all a bit more bearable. We've got a long way to go, but we've done some good things along the way." He hid a sort of embarrassed smile behind another drink.
"Sorry. Sometimes I get stuck on a topic and I go off on it. The point I guess, the better answer to it, is I just think of things that don't get me down."
Sybil nodded, a small, thoughtful smile playing across her face. "I think that makes a lot of sense," she said. Even when Sybil was fired up about human rights, she still had an endless amount of optimism. She'd never tried to explain why she was that way, but if she did, it would probably sound a lot like what Tom had said.
"Oh, good, I was worried you'd think I was mad or something." Tom sat back, tapping his fingers on the table. It was certainly a nice way for his day to be going, and he felt a certain camaraderie with Sybil that he usually didn't find in first meetings. She might have been young, but she had plenty of qualities he found admirable in a person. No doubt she'd grow up to do great things, he figured.
"Are you in America for long? Or are you set to go back to Yorkshire sooner than later?"
Sybil shook her head. "It sounds like the only way to keep from going mad." She smiled, sitting back to sip her tea. Neither of them had touched the pastry yet. Well, Tom did say he was doing Lent. Sybil put her teacup down to cut the treat in half with a knife. He could decide how much God wanted him to have.
"Oh, I'm not sure. At least through June, to finish school." Sybil used her fork to take a bite of the pastry. "After that, I guess it depends."
"Still a couple of months then, at any rate." After she'd helped herself, Tom took a small bite of the pastry as well, nodding his approval. "This place has a way of keeping people here, though. Not sure what it is, really. You just miss it when you go, so you come back."
"It gets in your heart, huh?" She smiled. "There must be something about it that makes it home for you, then. You wouldn't miss it if it wasn't home." Sybil wasn't quite there yet, but she could see it. She wouldn't be surprised if she ended up staying longer, maybe going to university here. She was afraid her father might have a heart attack, but Sybil wanted to take advantage of whatever opportunities she had. She wouldn't want to regret it later.
"I suppose you're right, at that. You're still young, though. Plenty of time to figure out what to do with yourself. Don't go rushing it, either. If you don't have your fun, too, life's not all that great." Tom looked a bit amused.
"But you seem the sort who's smart enough to figure that out on her own."
Sybil smiled, nodding. Right now, she just planned to see where life took her. "Sage advice from such a wise old man," she teased gently. She agreed with him, it was just funny to get this kind of advice from someone who looked only a few years older than her.
"And don't you forget it," he said, giving her a pointed look before laughing. "Just trust me on it. I've seen enough people let their lives go for the sake of a good career they don't enjoy. Consider it just another of my activist passions - saving the youth from a life of misery."
Sybil laughed. "Well, I don't think I'm in any danger of a life of misery just yet." Sybil had far too much optimism and joie de vivre in her. "Thank you, though. For the advice and the tea. I've had a lovely time." It was funny how she could go from shouting slogans at a protest to polite tea manners.
"Good." Tom gave her a smile, then checked his watch. "Time flies, doesn't it. I should probably be getting a move on, really, and I've taken up a lot of your time. Not that I mind much."
"I don't mind either," Sybil said, smiling warmly. "It was very nice meeting you, Tom," she said, standing up. "I'm sure I'll see you on the network." She stopped just short of suggesting they do it again. She'd certainly enjoy it, but that sounded datelike, and she didn't want to come off that way.
"Absolutely. And maybe I'll run into you again at another rally, I'm sure." Tom stood as well, finishing the last of his tea. He held out his hand, because he felt a good handshake was in order. "Good luck with your sister. Like I said, I'm sure she'll come around."
It was too bad Tom probably liked boys. He might have been able to help cheer Mary up. Sybil reached out and shook Tom's hand. "Thanks," she said again. "I'll see you around."
"Cheers." He shook Sybil's hand in turn, giving her a wave as he left.