"so," edmund says after an hour in the air, "was it worth it?"
peter is staring blankly out the window at the clouds below. "what?"
"killing bongo abruzzi. was it worth it?"
peter turns his head sharply to look at him. "how did you -- never mind. yeah, it was worth it. at the moment. could have lasted longer."
edmund is silent for a moment, processing that. "how?" he asks.
"do you really want to know that?" peter asks, raising his eyebrows. he runs his left thumb lightly over the scarred knuckles on his right hand, meditative.
"given the circumstances," edmund says, "yeah, i do."
peter looks away, then back, then away again, then back again. "i hit him," he says. "we fought. he broke my wrist," he adds, holding up his left arm in illustration. "i managed to get behind him, get an arm around his throat. and i held him there until he stopped breathing." he flags down a stewardess while edmund is processing this. "can i get more whiskey?"
"are you going to be drunk when we land?" edmund hisses.
peter looks a little sad. "no," he says. "i should probably start sobering up around then."
edmund has known his brother for thirty years, and he's seen peter broken and bleeding, holding him upright after a job gone wrong, seen him heartbroken and buoyant and fighting. he's never seen his brother kill anybody, but he thinks he's always known that peter could. and peter's -- well, peter will throw a punch at the first opportunity, but edmund doesn't think he'd kill without need, so he's -- he's not that bothered, really. he has to think about it, but, well -- he had to have had good reason.
when the stewardess brings peter's whiskey, edmund says, "hey. can we get some ice cream over here?"
- -
"okay," lucy says, "we need a way to get at don patriso, since marco abruzzi probably isn't going to back off."
caspian looks hesitant. "well," he offers, "there's a rumor that the patriso family kind of fell on hard times for a while there when blue eyes went to prison. they lost even more money then than they did with the abruzzi bust."
"i am not breaking anybody out of jail," susan says immediately.
"that's not what i meant! i meant," caspian says, "that the patrisos had to borrow money. not from another family. from my uncle." now he looks awkward.
lucy looks at susan consideringly. "how bad of terms did you leave miraz on?"
no subject
peter is staring blankly out the window at the clouds below. "what?"
"killing bongo abruzzi. was it worth it?"
peter turns his head sharply to look at him. "how did you -- never mind. yeah, it was worth it. at the moment. could have lasted longer."
edmund is silent for a moment, processing that. "how?" he asks.
"do you really want to know that?" peter asks, raising his eyebrows. he runs his left thumb lightly over the scarred knuckles on his right hand, meditative.
"given the circumstances," edmund says, "yeah, i do."
peter looks away, then back, then away again, then back again. "i hit him," he says. "we fought. he broke my wrist," he adds, holding up his left arm in illustration. "i managed to get behind him, get an arm around his throat. and i held him there until he stopped breathing." he flags down a stewardess while edmund is processing this. "can i get more whiskey?"
"are you going to be drunk when we land?" edmund hisses.
peter looks a little sad. "no," he says. "i should probably start sobering up around then."
edmund has known his brother for thirty years, and he's seen peter broken and bleeding, holding him upright after a job gone wrong, seen him heartbroken and buoyant and fighting. he's never seen his brother kill anybody, but he thinks he's always known that peter could. and peter's -- well, peter will throw a punch at the first opportunity, but edmund doesn't think he'd kill without need, so he's -- he's not that bothered, really. he has to think about it, but, well -- he had to have had good reason.
when the stewardess brings peter's whiskey, edmund says, "hey. can we get some ice cream over here?"
-
-
"okay," lucy says, "we need a way to get at don patriso, since marco abruzzi probably isn't going to back off."
caspian looks hesitant. "well," he offers, "there's a rumor that the patriso family kind of fell on hard times for a while there when blue eyes went to prison. they lost even more money then than they did with the abruzzi bust."
"i am not breaking anybody out of jail," susan says immediately.
"that's not what i meant! i meant," caspian says, "that the patrisos had to borrow money. not from another family. from my uncle." now he looks awkward.
lucy looks at susan consideringly. "how bad of terms did you leave miraz on?"