milliways_bar | (no subject)

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He walks down slowly, as if not quite sure what'll be there. When one is newly dead, one fears heading down far more than one fears heading up but he does in fact make it to the main bar. Another few steps gets him to the bar counter proper and then he's ordering a meal, neat as you please, and taking the bites slowly as if afraid they might disappear as readily as they appeared.

[ooc: in and out due to groceries and parentals, but I'll answer your tag]

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So he takes him up on the invitation, getting up and wandering over.

"Settling in?"

"Well enough," he answers. "The room's a bit... posh."

"They're not too pricey, though. And you can have a smaller one if you want it."

He shakes his head.

"It'll serve."

"Good, then."

He looks to Richard.

"You were going to explain some things, now that I'm feeling a bit more like a man?"

"...aye. Only question is, where to start."

He's at something of a loss with that.

"The beginning's usually the best place."

"Yeah, but the beginning of what? What I know of this place, or when I left Yorkshire?"

"I'd like to know how things went in Yorkshire, to be honest."

"...right." He allows himself a half-smile at that. "Made the bastards pay, we did."

He smirks.

"And I should hope your reputation was restored."

"Between Lady Anne and those Parfitt would've seen ruined... aye."

He sighs.

"I should hope. And the men of the factories?"

"Parfitt's factories were bought up by the neighbouring landowners - the fine all but bankrupted him. There's employment for all those as had it before."

He smiles.

"And the wages?"

"Put back up to a decent level."

He grins.

Another nod.

"Right enough. Fines are all well and good and the ruin of a wicked man is one thing, but the men and women and families is the concern."

"I check on Sal when I can. She's, ah..." He glances down. "She's drawing a widow's pension these days. The army sees her right."

A nod.

"Well enough."

He nods now to Richard.

"And now yourself?"

He laughs, quietly. "Ah, Matt. Twenty years, it's one hell of a long story."

"M'not going anywhere now, am I, brother?"

"...no, I s'pose you aren't at that. Right... you were already gone from the Home when they got me my apprenticeship. Chimney sweeping, it was."

He winces before giving a a crooked smirk.

"As if you could keep your nose clean before."

"Yeah, well - didn't last long. I didn't fancy choking my life away on soot before I turned 25. So I ran away. Went to London."