The day had finally arrived. It was the end of February, time for her older brother's birthday. Nate would be spending the week of his 20th birthday not at home with his friends but in New York City with his little sister Twyla. The sister in question had been waiting for this day ever since she'd found about his visit on the phone. They'd spoken a few times since then (she just had to tell him something important too) and both parties seemed to be intensely excited to see each other for the first time in a few years. Out of all the Ashby siblings Nate and Twyla had always been the closest. Sure, the older girls were in the same age group but their tastes differed sharply. Nate and Twyla had always fit together like a hand in a glove--he was quiet and she was shy, he played hard and she played like the boys, he got crazy and she went along with him. They were good for each other and when they were younger and covered in mud sometimes it was hard to tell them apart (this probably was due to Twyla's boyish hair cuts that her mother did herself while she was in elementary school).

Twyla was intensely excited for days before his arrival. So excited that she forgot about her troubles sleeping and all the confusing things she was dealing with. All that mattered was that family was coming and that family was one of the most important people in her life. Tall, honest, smart, strong Nate. Hooray for big brothers!

--

The man that walked through the gate of Xavier's Sister School looked young. His jaw was square and despite the strong angles in his face you could tell he wasn't anywhere near twenty-five. He had brown eyes that twinkled a bit when he smiled and he was smiling as he walked towards the door. His hair was dirty blond and he was tall and stocky and anyone looking at him would probably say that he was decently attractive. Plenty girls in his class had called him 'hot', although those comments made him blush. Anyone looking at him that knew a certain young, female mutant would also say that he looked like he could be Twyla Ashby's brother--but that was because he was Twyla Ashby's brother, her older, football playing, wrestler, farm boy brother Nate.

He didn't make it past the first step in front of the school before a girl threw herself out the door and latched herself onto him, wrapping arms and legs around the hulking figure. "I missed you!" The words were simultaneous and said with the same cadence (and accent) by brother and sister. "So much." The girl added, smothering her face into the man's camouflaged jacket. A moment later she was crying and her legs were once again on the ground, even if she was on tiptoes. "Shhh." A large hand patted her back and the deep voice had an emotional crack in it. "Jesus Twyla, it's cold out here." Nate chuckled as he pushed and half carried his sister through the still open door and into the warm foyer. With a free hand he shoved it closed behind him. He held the hug for a moment later and then gently pushed the girl away to look at her and the room they were in.

"Damn, this place is swank. I like the hair by the way, very 'new Jeanie'." He said, easing the emotion out of the situation. To which Twyla promptly his him in the chest. "I know, right? On both counts." She added a second later, giggling and patting her blond and pink locks.The tears on her cheeks were crying and she hurriedly wiped at her face to erase any mascara trails. "Well, are you gonna take my coat or what, twerp?" The man was pulling off the green and brown jacket as he got socked once again in the chest. "Take your own damn coat." Siblings do bring out the best in each other, don't they?

The jacket found it's way onto a rack, revealing the man's plaid button down shirt that was open over a green and yellow John Deere tee shirt. "Sorry I was late, I couldn't find a place to park my tractor." The smile was charming, at least it would have been if it wasn't lost on the man's sister. "That reminds me of a song..." And just like that, Twyla Ashby was a totally different girl than New York had ever seen her. She was acountry girl that had spent all her summers riding around dusty roads in the back of a pick up truck, screaming the lyrics to classics over the sound of the old motor. When Nate said he was thinking of a song she knew exactly which one he was talking about. "In John Deere green, on a hot summer night--" The pair sang and harmonized in an overly nasally tone that was loud and not one bit ashamed of the racket it was making. "He wrote Billy Bob loves Charlene, letters three foot high. And the whole town said that he shoulda used red but it looked good to Charlene. In John Deere green..." They trailed off in their fit of laughter and Twyla's slight blush. Did I really just sing country in the Mansion?

"I missed you." They both said in unison again. They stood there awkwardly for a moment, not looking at each other or anything else in particular. Finally, Nate broke the silence, a wicked grin playing on his face as he spoke. "So are you going to introduce me to your boyfriend?" A second later he added. "or girlfriend?" A depper blush and several punches received this. "Thanks Nate, I'm glad to see you too. D-bag....And he's not my boyfriend, or girlfriend. We're...I don't know what, but he's not my boyfriend."

"I love you so much that I want to take a vested interest in whoever it is you associate yourself with. How could you not see my love shining through the smile, Shy-Twy?" He dodged the swatting this time, smirking the whole time. "But seriously, I think I need to meet the Morris kid." There was something dead serious in Nate's brown eyes that could have been Twyla's minus her thick lashes. Twyla couldn't place the look as she had never seen it in his face before. "Right. Well, 'the Morris kid' and my friend Henri are gonna be down in a few to meet you, so I guess you're in luck."

"Good." Was the instant reply. What the heck? The girl looked to the stiars that led to the bedroom in anticipation of her friends' arrivals and in the moment that her attention was diverted there were hands around her middle and she was suddenly no longer touching the ground. Nate had decided to pick her up liked he'd done a few times at home. He called it 'training' and more than once he'd one it to her while she was napping on the couch or talking on the phone. "What are they feeding you girl? You're wasting away." Twyla had time to squeak her disapproval before she was redeposited on the ground, after which there was pokings and proddings from her brother's large hands. When she attacked the hands they became shoves and light hits and then her feet got involved and somehow managed to throw the bigger man off balance--sending him crashing to the floor. Arms flew up to pull her down as well and soon the pair were rolling, wrestling, and crawling around on the foyer carpet like the little kids they'd been together.

Yes, out of all the Ashby siblings, Nate and Twyla got along best--and it showed.

"And now I know where ya learned to tackle guys like that, Bubblegum."

Gawain stood in the hallway mirror, leaning against the frame, watching the siblings roll around. He did so with a half grin; it really was a nice family moment. He'd never seen Twyla act like that before. Or laugh that way. This Nate guy really must have been special.

He waited in the mirror for the Ashbys to pick themselves up off the floor. It was no use hurrying things along once he made his presence known to them; he knew for a fact they hadn't seen each other in a long time, and he could imagine how that felt like. He knew how that felt like.

Gawain spent most of his life pretending he had a sister; sometimes he got so good at acting that he tended to forget he was talking about herself. Still, seeing Nate and Twyla greet each other in their own special way reminded him that he was, after all the pretending and shifting, an only child, born and raised.

He wondered what it would be like to have a brother. Or a sister.
Or a family, for that matter.

"So, you must be the famous big brother" he chuckled, stepping out of the mirror and landing on his feet.

He was sure Nate and him would get along just fine. Despite the fact that he managed to show up on a Gawain day. They had at least one thing in common. Or, rather, one person. Nate was Twyla's brother. He was Twyla's.... um. Knight?
Right.

Henrietta hurried down the stairs. She was suppose to meet Nate, Twyla's older brother and she had taken a little longer than she had intended. The girl had had one of those days where she couldn't figure out what she wanted to wear. Mirror was probably already done there. Jumping the last few steps, she saw the two siblings and then Gawain. She grinned at everyone and waved. "Hey Twyla and Twyla's brother." Turning to Mirror, she smiled. "Hey, I haven't talked to you for a while."

Looking back at Twyla, she smirked. "You need help up?" She hadn't really taken a good look at Nate yet. She had said a greeting, but she hadn't really been focusing on him at first. Deciding it was about time, she glanced at him. Henri could tell that the two were siblings, except she thought Nate was kind of, well really, cute. The brunette thought Twyla was adorable, but this was totally different. She felt her face turn a little red and smiled.

For some reason, cute boys had always made Henrietta's face turn different colors. She had done the same thing when she met Van and came across other attractive boys. Admiring somebody's looks was different than liking them. The girl couldn't help but notice he seemed pretty built. He probably works on their family's farm. Duh... Living in the Midwest, she had seen farms, but there weren't oodles of them in the middle of Springfield. She wondered what it would be like to live on one.

Smiling, Henri put her hands behind her back and smiled. She figured that she'd wait for Twyla to introduce her since they seemed to be having a bonding moment. The girl glanced at Gawain slightly and wondered what he was thinking about. She knew that they didn't really have any family. It kind of felt like Henrietta didn't have family either. Except for Twyla. Twyla was like a sister she had never had. The brunette found herself hoping she'd make a good impression on Nate. Older siblings liked to observe friends and significant others. She knew that and hoped he would approve of their friendship[. Just be yourself, Henri and everything'll go swimmingly.

Twyla looked up when she heard the familiar voice through the grunts and sounds of the scuffle. She laughed but didn't blush (she was ashamed of what she'd been caught doing) and managed to pull herself out of the tangle of giant arms and legs. Whipping her head around she couldn't see Gawain, but she figured he was lurking somewhere. Crawling away on her knees she socked her brother in the shoulder and motioned for him to get up. "Oh my god Nate, how old are you?" Twyla rubbed her arms as she sat up. "Ow, I think you bruised my arm. Brute." After his sister hit him the man stood up and fixed his collar, grinning like a kid in the candy shop as he did so.

After a second Twyla saw the mirror and realized that Gawain could have been there the whole time, watching the 'adults' play on the floor. When he stepped down from the mirror Twyla turned to Nate by rotating her butt, gauging his reaction. "Last time I checked that's who I was." He didn't even blink at the emergence from a mirror. The smile on his face was real but the look in Nate's eyes was the same hard, calculating look that he'd had earlier. Twyla didn't like this look, it made her nervous. "Nathan Ashby." He took a few steps closer to the boy from the mirror and held out his large, calloused hand. "You must be the famous Morris kid." Twyla looked rapidly between her brother and her...something and then looked at the stairs. I hope Henri gets down here soon, there's too much testosterone down here...

Right on cue the princess herself made her entrance. "Hey Henri!" She called from the floor, a nervous smile on her face. "Hey." Nate barely looked at Twyla's friend before his brown eyes darted back to the boy in front of the mirror, the smile never faltering. Twyla helped herself up as it seemed Henri was off in Twyla's-brother-is-so-hot-Land. This happened a lot, especially with Twyla's female friends and the girl was used to it. She walked over to where Henri was hovering and whispered in her ear. "You're blushing." She giggled but her eyes remained on her older brother. "I'm not totally sure what this is about." Her tone was even more quiet as she admitted she was confused. "But I think we're witnessing some kind of nature play out right here..."

What the hell is his problem?

>>"Hey, I haven't talked to you for a while."

"Hey Rapunzel" Gawain beamed at the girl; for some reason Henri's arrival seemed to make the situation less serious. Or at least less about him meeting the borther. Yay.
The brother himself, on the other hand, didn't pay much attention to the princess. At all.

>>"Last time I checked that's who I was. Nathan Ashby. You must be the famous Morris kid."

"Last time I checked that's who I was" Gawain nodded with a half grin, shaking the hand offered.
Well, technically, last time he checked she was Maya, but fortunately she still qualified as 'the Morris kid'. So.
"Gawain Morris. 'tis good to finally meet you. Twyla talks about you a lot."

He looked up at Nate. Yeah. Up. Damn Big Brother was taller than him. And probably stronger too. He resisted the urge to pull his hand from his grip. The smile was still there, just like Nate's, but he held his gaze with the same serious expression.

From time to time, sometimes, once in a while, it would be so much easier to be Maya.

Twyla and Gawain both greeted her and she smiled. They both seemed happy to see the brunette. It made her feel good to know that they liked her so much. The brother, however, barely looked at her. Well, fine then. Don’t look at me. Her blonde friend informed her that she was blushing. Embarrassed, Henri rubbed her cheeks with her hands and then crossed her arms. “I am not.” She then grinned at Twyla. “Okay, maybe I was a little.”

Henrietta watched the two males look at each other. Twyla said that they were witnessing nature play out. Hmm, is that what it is? Well, it’s intense, whatever it is. “Maybe we should back up so we don’ get caught in the crossfire.” She was whispering now. She glanced at Twyla to see her reaction so she could tell if it was a good plan for this situation.

Looking back at the source of testosterone, she tilted her head slightly. Guys are so weird. I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand them. She was now wondering if Van got like that around other guys. The thought of him made her blush. God, I need to call him. I really want to see him again. Bringing her attention back to the current situation, she glanced at Nate. The more she looked at him, the more she saw Twyla in him. She smiled. I wonder what my siblings would look like if I had any.

Twyla stuck out her tongue. "Um, only a lot. Don't worry, he has that affect on people...well, girls and a small population of males anyway. It'll wear off after you talk to him and find out what a dink he is." Twyla giggled as she whispered into Henri's ear but that giggle barely hid her more pressing worries. Does this mean he doesn't like him? Why doesn't Nate like Gawain? Why wouldn't he like him? Does he think I shouldn't like him? A slight panic was building up like a balloon inside the blond as she watched her brother and her...something shake hands. "Yeah..." She agreed with Henri's suggestion but she didn't move, just looked at her brother and his unreadable expression.

The big man studied the smaller boy for a moment, and then the grin spread wider and reached his eyes. From what Twyla could see he was back to Old Nate again. She still squeaked though, when she saw her brother roughly pull Gawain to his chest with their still locked hands and reached his free hand up as if to strike him on the back. "Nnn--" And then the assumed assault turned into a pat on the back. It was just a one armed hug. Normal, friendly, guy stuff. Nate released the boy a second later and laughed as he said: "You should hear how much she talks about you." There was an eyebrow wag that followed this and a knowing glance at Twyla. Yep. Same old annoying, stupid, jerk, sister embarrassing, Nate. He'd pay for that one later.

Twyla's cheeks were a bit pink as she grabbed Henri by the wrist and dragged her over to the boys. Pushing the girl in front of her, she said a bit too loud: "Nate, this is Henrietta. She's my best gal pal here." This time her brother took a longer look at the girl with the long, brown hair. "Nice to meet you." He was polite but only momentarily distracted. His gaze wasn't as hard as it had been before but there was something in it that the blond still didn't recognize. Turning back to Gawain he asked: "So do you play any sports, Morris?"

And then she understood and the balloon popped.

Nate was giving Gawain the First Degree. This was some kind of messed up game of 20 Questions that wasn't as much about the questions as it was about the answers. Nate was trying to figure 'the Morris kid' out for some twisted, older brother reason. His younger sister had never seen him act like this before--but she'd never really liked anyone so much before. In his own way, Nate was trying to protect her from what he considered the unknown (or something)--although his opinions on things didn't exactly match up with hers. Of course he'd ask about sports--sports were what he did in high school. Football, Wrestling, Power Lifting, Baseball, and a little FFA were what defined Nathan Ashby for four years--hopefully he wouldn't hold Twyla's...something to his own standards.

In the back of her mind Twyla decided that she really needed to get on labeling her whatever it was she was doing with Maya/Gawain, to clear things up in her thoughts.

>>"You should hear how much she talks about you."

"Umpf" was the only answer Gawain could get out in the friendly hug. It was a fairly cheerful 'umpf' though. Twyla talked about him. Right. Even though she probably told Nate about his shifting issues and asked for advice, it was still nice to know she was at least... considering things. Enough to talk about them with her favorite brother.
While Nate greeted Henri, Gawain used the time to compose himself (and breathe). He flashed a grin at Twyla; the initial awkwardness was gone, now it was just the matter of guy talk. And Q&A games.

>>"So do you play any sports, Morris?"

Well, he didn't. He didn't go to school where he could have joined some sports team, and he couldn't do regular practice of any kind, for obvious reasons. He'd always moved around a lot, but it was mainly non-organized forms of exercise, like dancing and getting into fights on the street.
That was probably not what was in Nate's mind when he asked.

"Depends." he shrugged with a smirk "We do all kinds of trainin' around here."
Like fighting monsters. As good a sport as any.
Then inspiration hit him.
"... but if I had to pick one, I'd say my sport is jousting."

Thank God for Guingalet. God, and Calley, to be precise.

Twyla pushed Henri forward and introduced her to her brother. This time, Nate took a moment to look at her. He said it was nice to meet her and she smiled. “It’s very nice to meet you too. I’ve heard about you from Twyla.” She turned to her best friend and smiled at her.

Her brother’s attention shifted pretty quickly back to Gawain. The girl began to feel like a fourth wheel on a tricycle. Maybe I should go, I’m just kind of here. Henrietta completely understood why Nate was more interested in his sister’s…something though. The brunette had a feeling that if she had a younger sibling, she’d probably be more interested in their significant other than their friends.

She listened to the boys talk about sports. Henri almost threw in that she did track, just to add something to the conversation. It couldn’t make this any less awkward. “So Nate, what sports were you into? I’ve heard you’re quite the sports fan. Packers, right?” She smiled at him. “I was in track back at my high school. I wanted to try out for dance team, but I never had the guts.”

Well, I tried…At least, I can say I made an effort. I hope my face isn’t still red. She put her hand to her face to check. She wasn’t. Yay!

Jousting? He really just picked jousting? If he had said 'football' they could have moved on with their lives, Nate would love him and everything would be hunky-dory. Not that Twyla thought Maya/Gawain played much for sports but still...lying would have sped up the process. Until, of course, Nate decided that he wanted to play football and then things could get dicey.

Sir Knight was smirking so Twyla turned her attention to the stable boy. She smiled when she noted that Nate didn't skip a beat at the somewhat odd comment. He just nodded and grinned. "Nice. You should see Shy-Twy on a horse, it'd make your day." Twyla's cheeks pinked again at this. Two out of three of her older sisters took her uncle's horses to Fair every year when they were living at home. She was always expected to take after Miranda and Liz (Jeanie didn't count as she was the odd, artsy duckling) but when she was eight they'd tried to teach her to ride. Long story short she fell off and fractured her wrist and her uncle had the whole thing on tape. Now every time she went riding she was the paranoid girl in the back of the line barely touching her saddle and hardly moving at all. Nate was in some kind of tormenting mood apparently to bring those memories up. She supposed he had to make up for all the time he couldn't embarrass her at home.

At the mention of the Packers both Twyla's and Nate's ears perked up. Turning to his sister's friend, Nate finally gave a real look to Henrietta. "Are you a Bears fan?" It was as if he suddenly remembered that the girl was from Illinois. This was also a Big topic, so the NFL would be Nate's focus for the next few minutes. He couldn't have his sister associating with a Bears fan, could he? After all, that was almost as bad as liking the Vikings. He still half stared down the girl, but it wasn't the same look that he'd given the boy. "Do you watch football, Morris?"His attention was still fixed on the girl, but his question was directed at Gawain.

Twyla sighed and expelled a rush of air out of her mouth, aiming it up towards her forehead so her bangs flew for a second before landing haphazardly back in place. This was going to be a looooooong day until Nate decided that Maya/Gawain were O.K. and actually started using first names. An annoyed look crawled over her face and she was glad that she was half hidden by Henrietta so no one else could (hopefully) see her frustration.

>>"Nice. You should see Shy-Twy on a horse, it'd make your day."

You bet it would.
Gawain bit his tongue just in time; being an innocent comment as it was, it was not something you say in the presence of protective older brothers.
Nice save, Sir Knight.

Henri came to the rescue, causing some distraction to Nate, and Gawain flashed a warm smile at the girl, he was really glad she joined their little group for today, at least he was not the only non-Ashby around.

>>"Do you watch football, Morris?"

... annnd she also managed to take the conversation back to sports Gawain did not play.

"No, not really." he answered, shaking his head. 'When in doubt, tell the truth.' He can't really go around telling lies to Big Brother. They would come back later to bite him in sensitive parts. He glanced around to see Twyla's expression. Some promting would be nice. Gawain suddenly felt sorry he didn't ask more about Nate before he actually arrived.
There's gotta be a cheat sheet for this test...

Henrietta now had Nate’s attention. He asked if she was a Bear’s fan. She smiled and shook her head ‘no’. “Actually, I don’t really promote anyone, but I will watch NFL sometimes. It’s a good pastime for Sundays. Nothing else to do, right?” The brunette wondered if that would be a good answer, or still frowned upon. Oh well. We’ll just have to see how it plays out, I guess.

Gawain was now asked if he watched football. The answer was a no. It seemed like he was trying to be honest. Honest was always good, generally speaking. The brunette found herself wondering who exactly gets to set these kinds of rules. She felt herself smirk slightly. Seeing one of those meetings would be fun. I wonder if there’s a council or something.

Henri could still feel her friend’s presence behind her. She was curious as to what the blonde was thinking at the time. The girl wasn’t sure how brothers were supposed to act or behave. Maybe this was normal, or maybe these were bad signs. She turned to look at her best friend. She gave the girl a little supportive smile and hoped it would comfort the girl if she were nervous. Henrietta whispered quietly, “What does all this mean, Twyla? What’s the deal?”

'No' for watching football,possibly negative points. Saying you don't like the Bears, approved. Twyla mentally winced--not that she thought Gawain was a big football fan but still...maybe a Nate prep course would have been a good idea. Too late for flash cards, her friend and her...something would be on their own in the mine field that meeting her brother had turned into.

"Nothing to do on Sunday besides--" Twyla and Nate chimed together."Chores, church, and whatever Mom wants you to do." They looked at each other and smirked a smirk that was almost identical. "And then it's time for football." Nate added for clarification.

"I really don't know what his deal is." Twyla muttered to Henrietta. "He's being a freak." She left it at that and frantically searched from something that would halt the interrogation for the time being. A light bulb went off in the girl's head and she suddenly grabbed her brother by the arm. "Let's go on a tour, Nate. I'll show you my room." It took some pulling but she got him to follow behind her as she headed for the stairs. "So obviously this is the foyer, and those are the stairs that go up to the bedrooms. Henri's room is right across from mine in the girls hall..." She was babbling now, trying to detract away from anymore awkward questions.

Apparently Nate was determined not to be distracted because as they climbed the stairs he turned around to ask: "Where's your room, Morris?" Twyla sighed and turned to her older brother. "What? It's not like I'm down the hall anymore...I can't--" The man bumped into the girl when she stopped walking and tuned to face him. "Can't what? Guard me from my friends? You're starting to weird me out Nate. So stop it, just stop it." Her face was red, Twyla was really in a huff now.

Nate recognized the look on her face and stopped to hug her. "I'm sorry, Shy-Twy. It's just I'm not here to keep you safe. I don't know what you do out here and that makes me worried--back home I knew how you spent your weekends and with who. I don't want you to get hurt." His tone was quiet but commanding and the hug lasted until the girl's breathing slowed. He obviously wasn't embarrassed that he'd just had a family moment in the middle of a school in front of to strangers and he smiled as he took the lead, bounding up the rest of the stairs in two long strides. He stopped in front of a door. "Number two right? Open away, I want to see how nasty your room is here." The man chuckled as he leaned against the door frame, the picture of patient expectation.

"It's not that bad..." Twyla muttered as she unlocked her door.

>>"Where's your room, Morris?"

Funny thing, Gawain was not entirely sure. Most of the time he used the mirrors to get around the Mansion; it was much faster than walking on the corridors. He could tell where he was by glancing into the rooms he passed. Twyla's was kinda easy to spot. His own was not exactly spotless, but hers was not exactly better either.

"Other wing" he shruegged the question off. He was realy tempted to add but I can walk over here in less than a minute, because it didn't really matter how far the rooms were from each other when the teachers and grown-ups didn't really care who slept where in this place. Duh.
He glanced at Twyla, and kept his mouth shut. She looked embarrassed enough.
Besides, it was not like he had a reason to think about this room thing. At all. Yet.

>>"I'm sorry, Shy-Twy. It's just I'm not here to keep you safe. I don't know what you do out here and that makes me worried--back home I knew how you spent your weekends and with who. I don't want you to get hurt."

That was clearly meant for Gawain, even though the siblings were hugging each other and Nate was talking to Twyla.
Get hurt. Right. The knight bit his tongue once again. It was only natural for an older borther to act like this - as far as he could tell by guessing - but it still stung. As if he would ever hurt her.
Just who does this guy think I am?...
Strangely enough, this was the first time he felt the connection with Nate. He was doing his worst to keep Twyla safe.
Testing a boy...something, is kinda like breaking your ribs. Gotcha.

"We could end the tour in the diner" he suggested "I'm sure we could all use some breakfast, right?"

The two siblings said something at the same time and then smirked almost identically. Henrietta blinked and then shook her head, as if to clear it. Nope, they still look and act the same, even after shaking my brain around like an Etch-a-Sketch. The brunette pictured an image fading away after a chibi person shook their head in a very intense manner. She smirked to herself. Well, that's definitely something someone needs to do for an anime.

Bringing her attention back to what was happening in front of her, she noticed Twyla getting mad with Nate. He kept harrassing her about Gawain and it was obvious she was getting sick of it pretty fast. Henri felt bad for both people. Twyla felt embarrassed, but Nate thought he was helping. She turned and glanced at Mirror. He wasn't really saying anything about it. Of course, what could he say really? Most things he might say could be thought of as a negative to the blonde's sibling. He seemed like a hawk, just waiting for you to say something that he didn't approve of. The girl admired him though. He really did seem like a good brother, even if he did embarrass his sister sometimes. I kind of wish someone got weirdly protective of me.

Twyla's elder brother then hugged her and told her how much he worried she was going to get hurt. Uh-oh. I wonder what Gawain's thinking. That kind of seemed like a Mirror-seeking missle to me. He changed the subject gracefully though, if he had been offended. He recommended going to the kitchen for some breakfast. Henrietta smiled, eager to help anyone she could in this awkward situation. "Yeah, I'm almost always up for food." She laughed slightly and looked to see if Twyla still looked mad or not. She couldn't tell.

I'll have to talk to her later and find how she thinks this is going. Henri was excited to meet her best friend's favorite brother, but kind of felt like she needed to be there for moral support too. The Twyla-Mirror thing was complicated, but she knew that they were both good people and should do what felt right to them. Henrietta would be standing beside Twyla through this awkward situation. Like a rock.