Apartment Stoop

[south]

"Tommy Atkins...a soldier, was he? Fascinating. I, myself, have only met a few of the gen'lemen in my life. Fine men. You're very lucky to have one as a brother, you are."

South shrugged and paced a little, so she wouldn't see the twinkle diminishing in his eyes. "Yeah I guess."

He was pacing back and forth when his untied shoelace got stuck in a crack in the sidewalk, and when his top hat fell down over his eyes, he went sprawling face first into the ground clumsily.

[emilyb]

Emily noticed the change in his demeanor at the mention on his brother and she instantly felt bad. Had it been something she said? South talked of his sibling with great enthusiasm and admiration, but maybe the fondness was only one-sided. She watched him pace awkwardly until he fell to the ground. A small gasp escaped her lips as she jumped from the stoop and ran to his aid, helping the young boy up.

"Are you alright?"

[south]

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm 'ine. Only me bein' me clumsey self. You could basically say I'm a walking disaster, aye you could. Tis' only a scratch. My at's a little too big, but its the only one I've got, and I've had it since I was just a little tosh, so I don't want to rid o' it."

South answered, brushing himself off and examining the new scrape on his elbow and the rip in his blue suit coat.