Reconnecting (Ryder, Elliot)

[Savannah Lyons]

These days her family felt so fractured. Although of course she saw Elliot every day, she often went for weeks or even months without hearing from Ryder. She still went home every weekend, to make sure their uncle hadn't died of alcohol poisoning and clean up his place, but she almost never saw Tyler. She hardly got along with him anyway, he was far too wild and adventurous for her to understand. She just wanted everything to be the way it used to be, even though she knew it never would be again.

She decided to owl Ryder and invite him to meet her and Elliot at the Hot Panini for a little lunch and conversation. As silly as it might have seemed, she sent her eldest brother a formal invitation for that Saturday, and noon sharp. She just hoped he would be able to attend.

[Elliot Lyons]

It was Elliot who was trying to be a lot older than just sixteen, especially around his sister. He felt like he had to be the one to protect her. Maybe it was just him being a brother, or maybe it was just the way that their parents had raised them. Savannah did act a lot older than her age as well. Their parents forced her to pretty much grow up quickly and become a lady.

There was that part of Elliot that wished that he could just let go and be a boy his age and have fun. A lot of the other boys his age were into sports or something like that, but since his parents pretty much pounded it into his head that sports were bad, Elliot still hadn't tried it. Maybe he was a little iffy about it, or maybe it was just best that he didn't because it wasn't his calling or something. Although, if he had a push to do it, he would probably try.

Not being of many words when he was alone, Elliot descended the stairs from the boy's dorm and met his sister to go to the Hot Panini for lunch. Hopefully Ryder would be able to join. He had always looked forward to seeing his brother and hearing about what he was doing.

[Ryder Lyons]

Ryder was walking slowly through the streets of the small town, avoiding heading directly to the Hot Panini. His sister and brother were probably waiting, but he was never comfortable being near them. The two had stayed very Lyons- parental approved, and it made him feel irresponsible and like a failure to them. Ryder should have really taken the initiative and pulled Savannah and Elliot from Uncle's house to live with him. He certainly made enough money to keep everyone comfortable, and throw in a few perps as well. But their personalities were almost too overbearing for him. It was as if he was watching himself before the accident.

He managed to ditch Tyler at the local bar, and that didn't prove to be any problem. Just had to walk by as if it were an accident, and Tyler went running. He appraoched the resteraunt and pulled off his gloves as he entered. It was twelve oh two, a little late. He hoped they wouldn't mind.

[Savannah Lyons]

At the sight of her brother, Savannah stood up, as was proper, and gave him a smal curtsy. Sometimes the perfect manners sickened even her, though she would never admit it. This was the one legacy her mother had left her with, and she was going to cling to it with all that she had. But sometimes she wished she could be more spontaneous, more casual, instead of always being so controlled.

"Good afternoon, Ryder," she said. "How good of you to join us. I hope you are doing well?"

[Ryder Lyons]

The curtsy made Ryder internally wince. That was exactly why he tried to avoid thinking about Savannah and Elliot. Savannah was almost the mirror image of his mother, but as much as Ryder disliked the idea of his mother, there was no doubt that she was pretty. Ryder's usually calm composure was ruined by that little move. His stomach was in knots, but he managed to keep the solid look on his face as he tucked his gloves nicely into his cloak pocket.

Ryder managed a small smile and spoke, "I am. You look beautiful, did you do something else with your hair?"

.

[Savannah Lyons]

Savannah sat down when he did, and folded her hands in her lap. It was silly, but she tended to act even more prim and proper in Ryder's presence. He was, after all, the closest she had to a father figure, and she wanted him to be proud of her. If she had known how it annoyed him, she might have acted differently. It was in Savannah's nature to try to please everyone in whatever way she could.

"Yes, thank you, I did. I got it cut just last week." She bowed her head submissively as she put her napkin on her lap.

[Elliot Lyons]

It was Savannah's nature that caused Elliot to continue to act the way he did. If he thought about doing something that might break a rule, his sister would more than likely remind him about it and talk him out of it.

When Ryder made an appearance, he saw Savannah stand. He remained seated. Even though he had be taught the proper way of doing things, he could see it in Ryder's face that he shouldn't. Besides, if he stood when his brother walked in like that and greeted him similar to Savannah, he would surely be laughed at and Elliot wasn't going to be laughed at.

"Afternoon Ryder," he greeted.

[Ryder Lyons]

"Well now, it certainly shows," Ryder nodded pristinely, giving her as warm of a smile he could muster up. He wasn't sure exactly certain on how to tell her that her manners kept him from contacting them more often. Ryder certainly didn't want to see his mom again, and Savannah's perfection would have been her trophy. He couldn't bring himself to tell her that their mothers legacy was an awful one.

"Good day, Elliot," Ryder waved his hand slightly at his brother. Elliot wasn't as bad, but he was still that perfect boy you would want to bring home to your parents, or at least that's all Ryder could concentrate on. He shook it out of his mind, pretending that the two were business partners. "Are you two doing well in school?"

[Elliot Lyons]

Waving? That was how they greeted each other? Elliot wasn't sure what he should have done, so he only waved back.

"Yes," he answered. "We're getting by fairly well." He hated the proper stuff, although he wasn't sure what they would think of him if he stopped acting that way. Besides, he was with his brother and Savannah so his shyness level was up a little.

"How has everything been with you?"

[Savannah Lyons]

What Savannah really wanted to do was to hug her big brother. She saw him so rarely, and she needed that last little link with normalcy. For her, she felt like everything had gone wrong when their parents died, and it had not yet occurred to her that it meant she was free from the ridiculous rules they had put her under. But it was because of those rules and her feeling that she had to continue to be the girl they'd taught her to be that held her back from hugging Ryder. Their family had never exactly been the hugging type.

"We're doing fine in school," Savannah agreed with Elliot. "Please, tell us how you have been. I so miss hearing from you."

[Ryder Lyons]

Ryder sat stiffly away from his younger siblings, at the far end of their table. He comtinued on with his smile and made sure they couldn't come in any contact with him, even if by accident. Anytime they were close, he flinched away involuntarily. He had never used to have been like this, but something about their lives and his life made him awkward around them, something that Ryder strived to never be. His siblings were the one thing keeping him from completely risking his life on a higher level. He would never think on it long enough to figure out why.

"You only have one more year. Have you given any thought to what you'll further study?" He asked, sticking to superficial subjects. "And I've been... alright. Working, as usual. I took lunch off to come see you."

This was a completely lie, Ryder was actually checking the perimeter for new recruits as per Mr. Santino's instruction. Ryder didn't feel the need to divulge the idea that his complete focus wasn't on them. In fact, he was rather happy to have some sort of distraction.

[Savannah Lyons]

Savannah looked slightly wounded. Though she was naive, she knew enough to know that her brother was keeping things from her. In truth, he felt like a stranger to her now, and it made her very sad. If only he had encouraged her to be herself, instead of hiding behind the carefully schooled manners, she would have dropped them. But for now, she remained imprisoned by them, allowing them to hold her true self in check.

"I really don't know," she answered honestly. Her tone was sad; she had been taught by their parents that her job was to make a good match, get married, have babies, and serve her husband. Her father had intended to arrange her marriage, and now she wasn't sure she would ever get married. Which left her wondering just what her place was.

[Ryder Lyons]

Ryder hadn't picked up on Savannah's tone. Instead his focus was on an unshaven man sitting at the counter. He was the only other man who looked capable of handling anything that Marcello might give him, but his appearance threw Ryder off immediately. Only the best for Mr. Santino, and that man was scraps.

"Do you like anything in particular?" Ryder asked, looking her straight in the eye for a mere two seconds before reaching out for a menu. He intended to pay for the three of them to have a quiet meal.

It never occured to Ryder to tell his siblings to behave as they pleased. He figured they enjoyed being the way they were, and he didn't want to hurt their feelings in any way. Instead, he managed to appear as if everything was normal, although Ryder himself wasn't quite sure how convincing the facade was.

"What would you like to eat, Elliot?" adressing his brother, who he tried to engage in the conversation. It was a pathetic attempt.

[Elliot Lyons]

Elliot was being polite and staying quite while Ryder and Savannah talked. It felt a little awkward around his brother and it wasn't just because he rarely got to see him. Being around Savannah without his friends, he felt like he had to be the person their parents wanted him to be. He just wished that he could just let go and be the person he really wanted to be instead of some stiff.

He couldn't stand sitting up so straight anymore. Elliot relaxed in his chair and his posture slouched a little. The menu was open, but he wasn't sure if he was really hungry or not. Usually, Elliot ate almost two plates full at dinner if he was sitting with his friends; however, today was different.

"I think I'll just go with the chicken sandwich," he replied glancing down at the menu. He closed the menu and looked to his brother. "You should visit more than what you do. I like it when you come to visit."

[Savannah Lyons]

Because Savannah had been taught not to speak unless spoken to, she had learned to observe others during her silence. She told herself it was just the polite thing to do, to show an interest in the other person and their concerns. But it also gave her other knowledge. And today she couldn't help but notice that Ryder kept looking around the room, as if he was interested in something other than talking to his brother and sister. This hurt Savannah, yet she was too polite to comment about it. She just silently filed it away in her mind, along with all the other things she couldn't say.

"I don't really know what I'm interested in," she answered primly, although it was a lie. She was interested in a lot of things. She was interested in music, in travel, in books. But those things couldn't lead to a career, at least not one that was appropriate for a young lady.

[Ryder Lyons]

Ryder laughed calmly, he had almost expected to have her say something along the lines of a house wife. "Come on, Savannah. You have to like something," he mumbled in a supportive voice. He didn't want his sister to grow up and be his mother.

Ryder managed to look her directly in the eyes, and for some reason, realized that they both had brown eyes. This surprised him greatly. Anything that simbolized that they were related was a shock to him, even if he knew that she was his sister. They had to have something in common, he thought, shaking his head and averting his gaze. "What would you like to eat?" Ryder said in the same voice he always used when talking about or to her.

Elliot's comment surprised him. Ryder hadn't expected that his siblings wanted to see him. Ryder was a failure child, whereas they were still a perfect duo from the Lyons couple. He didn't talk to them, treated them with indifference, and never seemed to really connect with them. It had always been awkward, and Ryder looked down at the menu to chose what he wanted to eat. He had lost his apetite. "Just send an owl, and I'll come on over. Mr. Santino understands family."

[Savannah Lyons]

Savannah felt as if she was torn between two worlds. There was the one in her head, and there was the one that had been created for her by her parents. If she had been raised by different parents in a different family, she probably would have been a real spitfire. Instead of dreaming of great and exciting adventures and thinking about the things she could have said, she would have done them and said them. But she'd been taught to hold her tongue and to act like a lady, and it had been drilled so deeply in her head that she still felt this was the way she was supposed to be. It was like she was a prisoner inside herself, and she was screaming inside to be set free, but no one saw or heard her. The polite, well-mannered facade was just too perfect, and no one ever saw past it.

Ryder was only half right; she was very much in danger of becoming like her mother. She believed that, despite what she might dream about in her head, her duty was to get married and have children and be a housewife. The only thing keeping her from that right now was the lack of a potential husband. Part of her wanted to ask Ryder if he would find her an appropriate mate, while the other part of her, the secret part, was glad he hadn't offered. She could hold onto her dreams if she remained unattached. But it all still left her wondering just what she would do when she was finished school.

"I like to play piano," she said softly. "And I like to write."

She raised her wide brown eyes to his, unconsciously pleading with him to encourage her, to tell her that she could do anything she wanted to do and didn't have to listen to their parents. That she didn't have to be perfect, she just had to be herself. He never would, and she never would have admitted that was what she wanted him to say. The walls were just too thick to break through.

"And I suppose I'll have the Caesar salad."

[Ryder Lyons]

"Piano?" Ryder was somewhat surprised. He had almost expected her to say something more mild, rather than something as intricate as a musical instrument. That took precision and timing, which was something Ryder excelled in. It gave them something in common, which made Ryder feel a little less stiff. He leaned back a bit more comfortabley and smiled at her.

"That's great," he said casually, a lot less mannerly than he had been. "How long have you been playing?" He managed to shoot her a small, quick, yet entirely genuine smile.

As the waiter came over, Ryder ordered their meals, a little relieved to have a break from their conversation. He ordered the Caesar salad, and the chicken sandwich, with only a small side of fries for himself. Ryder didn't want to eat much, after he had to apparate, which always made him sick on a full stomach.

[Savannah Lyons]

Suddenly, she had his attention and it took her by surprise. She wasn't expecting him to be interested in the fact that she liked piano. But the look in his eyes was almost encouraging, and she flushed with pleasure. She couldn't quite recall the last time he--or anyone except for Cameron--had looked at her that way.

"Mum taught me," she confessed. "But I hadn't played for years, not since..." She trailed off, knowing he would know what she meant. She hadn't played since their parents died. Until the other night with Cameron, she had buried her love of music deep down inside of her, just like nearly everything else that represented the true person inside of her.

"I've recently picked it up again, and I realize how much I love it."

[Ryder Lyons]

"Mum taught you?" Ryder blinked a few times. That made him feel a lot less interested than he had been. Of course Mum taught Savannah, that shouldn't have surprised him. He managed to keep the less rigid posture, but his eyes wandered from Savannah's to the table in front of the two. "As long as you enjoy it. How well do you play?"

Ryder's eyes flitted in Elliot's direction. "How about you, El?"

Ryder stumbled over the old nickname. He hadn't used it in a while, but that shouldn't really mean anything. His brother had barely said anything to him, and that was strange to Ryder. He was used to sitting and listening, asking questions only to encourage responses that would take minutes at a time to answer. But they were growing up, and it should have been expected.