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Post by whelpzie on Oct 2, 2011 11:02:59 GMT -5
>> [/size] Originally when Matthew had requested more vacation time, he had assumed a firm no in response as he had just returned from his glorious two weeks moving around Europe and Asia with his Uncle. He wasn’t sure what kind of bribes Francis had laid down, but he was pretty positive he got some sort of job security in the long run out of it. In order to encourage their trip to be short, the blond packed minimally but to be honest, he figured they would end up over staying anyways. Alfred and him were heading back to Europe for the point of visiting their Grandmother, but as expected, they were taking a detour in London to enjoy themselves before hopping over to mainland. That was a good recap in order to explain where they were now. The air was stuffy, mostly humid from the pending weather that followed them all morning, the crowd around them fairly light compared to what he been expecting from Alfred’s description when he tried to persuade him on the side trip. Occasionally as they wandered and were distracted separately in their looking he’d grab the back of Alfred’s shirt to keep him near but really, he wasn’t that concerned they would get lost at this point. More of a force of habit on his part. “ We’ve been walking for a while, can you just find somewhere now?[/color]” the Williams’ boy sighed, crossing his arms across his chest. He knew that ultimately it was Alfred’s decision, like in most things where he was overruled. While he enjoyed the company of his cousin… well, he’d leave that sentence unfinished. [/blockquote]
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Post by Alfred F. Jones on Oct 9, 2011 21:04:32 GMT -5
Alfred was excited. Alfred was usually excited about something. In this case, he actually had something to be excited about. He was wandering around London with his favorite cousin Matthew, who weirdly looked enough like him that they could be brothers. Some even guessed twins. Not quite the case, actually. Not that Alfred minded. He and Matthew were close.
Which brings them now to London, having come to Europe to visit family. Alfred, though he loved the family, wanted some adventure and insisted they take some time off to visit London and do...British things. His recent fling with a big browed Brit left him with an appetite for fish and chips and bad weather. He had a vague hope that he'd see said Brit somewhere around London, though he told himself that was insane.
After a few hours of walking, the sound of music from an underground pub flowed into his ears. The sound was....unique, to say the least. Alfred felt it was very British. "Hey Mattie, do you hear that?" Alfred dragged his cousin down to the pub's door. "We gotta check this out. Only in London once in a while y'know?" With that, he slammed the pub doors open and pushed inside to hear the local band play.
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Post by whelpzie on Oct 23, 2011 12:35:53 GMT -5
>> [/size] He shouldn't of been surprised it was in one ear and out the other - it was always that way with Alfred. Matthew watched a tipsy couple walk past them and with muted interest he followed them with his eyes, completely taken off guard as the other pulled him off course. " Al![/color]" the blond hissed, bouncing their shoulders together as he gained his balance again. The followed through the pub doors however, a few steps behind with the same look of distaste as before. He wasn't quite sure how this could end well in any way. The Williams boy sighed to relax himself, keeping close to his cousin only for the sake of not getting ditched in an London Bar. The music was steady and none of the people seemed bothered by them other than the obnoxious entrance. Bouncing his hip on the counter, he folded his arms as he leaned in to speak. " Two of your favorite?[/color]" he stated a little bit childishly, Alfred being the more informed of the two, but the keep didn't even bat an eye, turning and leaving them be as he worked. Absently, he reached out and pulled the other closer again before he could get lost between everyone with his American charm and baby blue eyes. He was perfectly okay with playing babysitter if needed.[/blockquote]
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Post by Alfred F. Jones on Oct 24, 2011 8:34:43 GMT -5
Alfred had never been particularly mindful of Matthew in the first place, so the added distractions of London, life music, and beer certainly didn't help his cousin's case. Without even noticing it, Alfred was steering the two of them around the bar and dragging up a couple of the few remaining seats. From their position, the two could only barely see the band through all the taps and bottles, but the music was really what they were here for. Being the loud and obnoxious man that he was, Alfred was able to grab the bartender's attention and almost had a conversation with him. The almost being due to the fact that the bartender was "sick and tired of bloody fucking American tourists coming in and ruining everything good in this town." Alfred of course laughed this off. The bartender probably said that to all the Americans that came in.
After a moment, Alfred finally realized that no, the bartender would not be coming back to talk to him. He settled for checking out his surroundings. He spun around on his chair and-- oh there was Matthew again. He'd completely forgotten that Matthew had come with him into the bar. "Hey Mattie! What do you think of this place? Is this awesome or what?" He shouted over the music, grinning.
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Post by whelpzie on Nov 13, 2011 10:39:23 GMT -5
>> [/size] For a second he feared that Alfred's loud mouthed ramblings had drove away their drinks - and his money - but Matthew smiled an apology as the keep placed both at his right elbow, clearly trying to avoid the other blond. He wasn't really bothered, usually it was that Alfred vs the world thing. " We've been here for five seconds, can you not be rude?[/color]" he answered in close, small little voice no match for the music and the people. A tad frustrated, he pushed the other drink into Alfred's hand, swaying a bit as some drunk came up on his other side. " It's good though...[/color]" compared to what he was normally used to with constricting suits and fancy women on teetering heels. The blond was confident there was a group in the crowd watching them for whatever reason, but ignoring his paranoia, he sipped at his drink with disinterest. Idly, Matthew realized, if either of them was to be mugged, it was most likely going to be himself, looking as lost as an ant and it did nothing to make him happier. [/blockquote]
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Post by Alfred F. Jones on Nov 15, 2011 21:01:46 GMT -5
When the beer slid into his hand, Alfred immediately saw this as a chance to make friends with all the other people in the bar. He threw his hand and beer up in the air and shouted "Cheers!" before clanking his glass into his cousin's with more force than necessary, smacking it into Matthew's face. He wasn't the slightest bit disappointed when no one toasted with him, nor did he notice the glares from all the locals as he disturbed their peace. He had become too focused in telling his cousin all about how this was the London experience to notice any sort of disdainful waves wafting off the other customers.
"Mattie, man, do you see this? Do you feel this?" His arms were waving around and occasionally flapping into the faces, "This is it man, this is it! This is the experience! It's so London in here!" He took a hearty gulp of beer. "Screw museums and the Buckingham Palace! We're going pub hopping the rest of the trip!" He spotted a drunk who was trying to shoo him out of the bar and excitedly gave the man a clearly unwanted high five before turning back to Matthew.
"Oh dude, you got some beer on your face. I know you're all pretending to be American so you can act like a slob here, but damn Matt! I'm trying to set a good example here!" He downed the rest of his beer and slammed the mug into the bar and tapped for another. "You know, people like you, you Canadians, are why Americans get such a bad name abroad!"
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Post by whelpzie on Nov 15, 2011 22:20:46 GMT -5
>> [/size] Sometimes he wasn't sure if Alfred was intentionally a dick, between eating all of his ice cream during chick flicks to well, wasting a drink that he paid for himself on his own face. The blond had half a mind to immediately apologize to each and every soul in the room, but he gave up, watching Alfred force his personality onto everyone in the surrounding area. The music went on without disturbance however, echoing in the wood toned pub. " When did you become an expert on London?[/color]" he asked critically, slapping his cousin's hand down as it flapped dangerously close to another goer. He was pretty sure there was some of Alfred's drink up his nose, fizzing out, and Matthew paused for a moment to just shiver and edure everything. " Museums aren't ever the issue, Alfred, you are,[/color]" he stated softly yet sourly, though it was pretty much lost. It was kind of funny - the only person he could really ever work up the nerve to be rude and fall out of character to usually was the one that completely managed to ignore him when he did. He was pretty much aware of the beer all over his face thing, a larger drop on his glasses being the biggest indicator, and he swiped at his face angerily with his sleeve. Okay, in and out. Breathe. " Now you're just being a dick, eh.[/color]" He had grounded out, malice lost as he complied to the situation. Before the damage could continue, he latched onto Al's wrist and twisted, holding onto him as if some leash. " If you get us arrested or something, Mr. fine example American, I'm going to beat you to death with a hockey stick, wearing a beaver hat.[/color]" Rounding backwards to the bar, he tried to share a look with the keep to simply not fill his mug again, but based on the look he got back, he was pretty sure it wasn't happening anyways. Being the good, abused and stepped on cousin he was, he pushed his barely touched beer into Alfred's hand. " I don't feel like bartering with the bartender, whom, for the record, you pissed off. So you can just have some spit beer." He hoped silently pub-hopping the whole trip wasn't really, truly, Alfred's intentions. Though, in his perfect world, it most likely now was. And someone, pissed off early in the American's plans would corner him in a dark alley, would be beat him to death, mistaking him for Alfred. He really didn't doubt it.[/blockquote]
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Post by Alfred F. Jones on Nov 24, 2011 2:44:38 GMT -5
Admittedly, Alfred was a bit overexcited about this trip to London. It would take a complete idiot to miss his enthusiasm. Everything about him radiated excitement and his spirit might have been contagious if it had not been so off-putting to the other bar goers. Alfred vaguely noticed Matthew's irritation, but didn't pay it much mind. Matthew could be a real grump sometimes, and Alfred wasn't about to let his cousin drag his spirits down.
"I'll have you know, Mattie," he shouted over the music, "That I watched Sherlock Holmes on the way over here." A smile erupted across his face as he smacked Matthew across the back. He was practically beating his his enthusiasm into his cousins back. "Museums are boring. I want a Sherlock experience. In fact, let's get drunk and pick a fight with a Scotsman." He was only half joking. He'd always found the real world to be the best influence on his scripts, and he might actually make a winning film if he could get movie worthy experiences. Bar fights might be a bit overdone by now, but a cliche with a twist could be just as good as any fresh idea. While he sized up the various men and women occupying the bar, he completely ignored his cousin berating his behavior. Mattie just didn't know how to have fun.
By the time he'd been informed that he'd angered the bartender, he'd already picked out a reasonable muse for his latest short. "Matt, you could at least try to have fun. If you keep being a stick in the mud, you're never going to find you average wife and live your perfectly average life happily." Alfred had long since decided that Matthew just wanted to be average, though he never bothered to confirm that suspicion. He took up the beer, and after eyeing it for a moment, started to drink.
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Post by whelpzie on Nov 29, 2011 22:56:38 GMT -5
>> [/size] Matthew bit at his lip, deflating a bit. Alfred just kinda always rolled with the shots. He wasn't sure why he expected something to change once he blew up at him. " Sorry,[/color]" he apologized, looking something akin to a kicked puppy. He let his cousin keep the surrendered beer, deciding to go drink less himself as he leaned back into the counter. " I still don't think that qualified you to prematurely judge museums, Al,[/color]" he pointed out after a moment, the band pausing in their set for a breather, the round of mugs passed up towards the stage. He turned to his blue eyed cousin, trying to convey a look of 'okay, now how do I have fun, I'll do this nonstick thing', but he was pretty sure it maybe only came out a little teary eyed. Most of the people around them seemed to have already forgotten the previous transgression, already going back to their loud whisper-screams, echoing the band as they slammed down drinks. " So at point tonight are you going to get your souvenir to bring back home?[/color]" it was teasing and as good natured he as could manage off of that last tirade, but Matt knew all was needed was a little coaxing before he could get Alfred back into his less than sane normal mood. " Black Eye? Herpes? A child?[/color]"[/blockquote]
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Post by Alfred F. Jones on Dec 10, 2011 7:30:01 GMT -5
Maybe if Alfred had actually been listening to what Matthew had said, he might have been hurt. He might have cared a little, maybe been upset that his cousin thought so little of him when he really was trying his best to make the most out of this trip and give them something to remember forever. While it would probably be best to follow Matthew's good example, to live life right between the lines, Alfred wasn't that kind of person. He wanted to feel and see everything he could. His mentality had been called a kind of desperation to live before, and he didn't quite doubt it.
He bit his lip and shrugged off the latest round of mostly playful insults his cousin shot at him. "Hey, I always liked kids. I'd bet it's cheaper than adopting, you know? Just meet some pretty girl here, make a life together?" Never mind that he had his sights on a certain someone who was most certainly not a woman and could not make a child, but he'd cross that bridge when he got to it. "Chill Mattie, I always use a condom, Scout's honor!" He held up his fingers in a salute and winked before turning back to the band and downing his drink. He wiped the beer foam from his lips and let himself drown in the experience.
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Post by whelpzie on Dec 10, 2011 13:57:52 GMT -5
>> [/size] He glanced at Alfred, shifting a bit as the crowd moved around them. Despite how often he half heartedly thought ill of Alfred, it was probably true he'd make a decent father. He would most likely have all his kids call him Uncle too or something, despite being cousins, not actually siblings. Pausing to cheer softly with the rest of the patrons on cue, he turned back to the blond. " That would be expensive to send Christmas cards back every year,[/color]" he pointed out, shaking his head tightly, but there was a small smile on his face. " Uncle Francis would meddle in every portion possible of the kid's life.[/color]" As Alfred fell into listening to the band, he did as well, looking almost like a matching end piece. He smiled at a pair of drunken girls that got rather close at one point, but somewhere he was silently enjoying this all. They'd gotten half way through another set before he even bothered to check the time on his phone. " Hey, if you're going to complete your Fly by Night thing around London, we should get going to the next,[/color]" Matthew pointed out, his bangs bobbing animatedly. He'd gotten another drink from somewhere, he really didn't remember actually, but he placed the empty glass back onto the bar before turning back. " Other places to see before we have to get ready in the morning.[/color]" So maybe he was slowly coming back on board. Idly, he wondered if really possible yet to get Alfred to consider that museum among their tourism, but the Williams boy was still looking pleased regardless of that outcome. Then as an after thought, he chimed " Food?[/color]" as a last bait to get his cousin's attention.[/blockquote]
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Post by Alfred F. Jones on Dec 23, 2011 10:55:49 GMT -5
Matthew could be so funny sometimes. Maybe it was a Canadian thing, that weird sense of humor of his. It was always like he was poking at Alfred with some almost mean comment, but it never seemed to be really mean spirited except for on the rare occasion when Matthew seemed to be on his man period and would explode in rage. Those were always dark times, and Alfred often shed a manly tear. However, it seems liked they had stepped away from Matthew's PMSing for now, so Alfred decided to play along.
"Hey, who says I wouldn't bring her back with me? I thought everyone wanted to be American. Isn't that why there are so many Russian mail-order-brides?" He still hadn't looked away from the band, and was now spinning his mug on the bar surface. "But Uncle Francis would be a good influence, right? I mean, he's not going to teach them anything ba--ohhhh.." And then Alfred remembered that time when their beloved Uncle thought it would be an amazing idea to educate his young nephews on the ways of love and sex. Alfred had been eight at the time and clearly didn't need to know anything about that sort of thing yet, but Francis was a determined man. "...Yea maybe that's not a good idea."
At Matthew's suggestion, Alfred hopped off his chair and smacked his cousin on the back. "That's the spirit, Mattie. Let's do this thing!" He was glad Matthew was finally willing to give London a run for its money in his amazing bar hopping plan. "I wonder if they have McDonald's here..."
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Post by whelpzie on Dec 29, 2011 11:11:12 GMT -5
>> [/size] He chuckled, a small smile tucking up on his lips. Matthew ignored the stupidity in the American pride, but the whole part about Uncle Francis was pretty much true in thought. He could fill in the blanks for himself, thank you very much - he had burned the diagrams in the family fire place shortly after the whole experience. The blond grunted at the force of Alfred's hand, pausing a moment before returning it fully. " I'm pretty sure they have McDonald's everywhere, dude. It's a matter of whether or not only foreigners eat there,[/color]" he answered, holding the door on the way out for a rather drunken pair before catching back up to the blue eyed American. " I think the real question is if they'll be open yet for you.[/color]" It had gotten rather late (in Matthew's book), the street lit with small tavern lamps and other attractive signs with only the faint glow of stars above them. The music seemed to follow them as they walked, a different beat here or there but everyone had seemed to have the same idea, different offers and specials tagged on their doors for some individuality. He paused, enjoying the night for a moment before poking Alfred in the side, expert enough to land right between the ribs. " Dibs not going to carry you back to the hotel, by the way,[/color]" he stated in a simplistic tone, having obviously been cycling through the possiblities in the rest of their night.[/blockquote]
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