Brotherhood (Seth)

[Jarrod Inophen]

Jarrod shrugged as he chewed his pancakes. "Yeah, yeah... you've got time, of course. But it never hurts to start thinking about it. After all, if you think about it, you can start moving closer to it. Like, if you know you'll need a certain class, you can start concentrating on it. It's just a thought, Sethie."

[Seth Inophen]

"Yeah...a thought," Seth said, more to himself than to his brother. He had finished his cereal and was sitting back, patiently waiting for Jarrod to finish his pancakes. The arguements and stubborness had passed between the Inophen brothers, and now Seth was just sitting there, feeling slightly awkward.

"So, how long are you going to be around?" Seth asked, mainly because his parents were slightly more tolerable when Jarrod was home or at least close by.

[Jarrod Inophen]

Jarrod stuffed his mouth full of pancakes and began to chew. While his mouth was still full, he shrugged and began to speak. "A little while, I think. I've been making some important work connections in town, so it's looking like I may be busy working soon." He swallowed, then took a drink from his coffee cup. "But I'll be staying with Mum and Dad for the time being, so I should be able to make plenty of time to visit my little brother."

[Seth Inophen]

"Looking forward to it," Seth said with a strained smile. Plenty of time with his big brother. Seth was so excited...
but not really.

Seth checked his watch. He was supposed to meet Maxi back at school later to help her prepare for the upcoming task. But it was no where near time and he still had no excuse to leave. So Seth continued to wait patiently.

[Jarrod Inophen]

Jarrod continued eating, though his table manners left a little to be desired. "So," he said between chews, "What else is going on at school? Any thing interesting? It's been a while since I've been there... how are your other classes?" He tried to make it sound like he cared, and he did... but not for the reasons Seth might have thought. He wanted to see what Seth thought about events going around at the school, and if any of the other professors could perhaps influence him in the right direction.

[Seth Inophen]

Seth raised an eyebrow at his brother's poor table manners. "School's fine," Seth said. "I'm taking all the normal classes I guess, but I'm sure you know that," Seth said, remembering Jarrod had earlier mentioned Seth's other classes.
"I'm taking Dueling too," Seth said. "Thought it was a good idea, after Katie Lawrence's death and all..." he added.

[Jarrod Inophen]

Jarrod nodded as he dumped some more syrup on his pancakes. "Yeah, that's a good idea, actually. I've heard some odd things about the dueling professor there, but he does know his stuff. I'm sure you can pick up some very useful things from him. Dad will actually be pleased to hear you're taking that class. You're too soft, he always says so. You need to learn how to defend yourself, and sometimes the best defense is a good offense."

[Seth Inophen]

Seth began to fidle with the salt shaker. Jarrod took too long to eat. "Yeah, I guess..." He said. "I just don't want me or my friends to end up like Katie, thas all," Seth said.

[Jarrod Inophen]

Seth's boredom had not escaped Jarrod's attention. It annoyed him. His own brother couldn't be bothered to at least pretend to be interested in hanging out with him. He just didn't understand Seth at all. He acted like his silly little friends were more important than his own family.

Stuffing the last bite of pancakes into his mouth, he scowled at Seth. "You got somewhere else you gotta be, little brother?" he said between chews. "I mean, come on, we're brothers. Is it so painful to spend a little time with me?"

[Seth Inophen]

A little yea... Seth thought to himself. Its not like Jarrod thought that Seth would ENJOY their little meeting. "Sorry Jarrod," Seth said, apoligizing for his rudeness. "I just have to meet Maxi back at the castle soon. I'm helping her prepare for the upcoming task..." he said.

[Jarrod Inophen]

Jarrod let out an irritated huff. Maxie. Always Maxie. Something was going to have to be done to get this girl away from his brother. Merlin knew, Seth wasn't going to do it himself. It was looking like drastic measures might soon be necessary.

Finishing his last bite of pancakes, Jarrod pushed his plate aside. "Oh, well, do forgive me. I wouldn't want to keep you from such an important appointment," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Sooner or later, Seth, you are going to realize that there is nothing more important than family."

[Seth Inophen]

"My friends are as close to me as my family should be," Seth said, not missing a beat. He had a horrible feeling that something was brewing in his big brothers evil mind, and Seth made a mental note to keep him away from Maxi as long as he possibly could.