A New Heir

[Kevin Brennan]

Kevin needed to get away from his estate for awhile. His child was on it's way and the house was overrun with a female energy that he felt repulsed by.  He'd hole up here for awhile and wait for the announcment of his son's birth.

He'd not even bothered reprimanding Damon over his failed mission of retrieving Leo Donnus and Hannah Winter. He was informed that the Winter woman perished but that Donnus had gotten away. That news was disappointing as Donnus would likely make his way back to Shellgren with whatever news or names he might have.  In the big picture, it was a small concern. He'd never really believed Damon could've pulled off the feat he'd assigned. Kevin planned to be disappointed. It made it easier to have Damon eliminated. He'd lost Kevin's confidence and now Kevin was assigning him tasks that would make Damon's men lose faith as well. In the end, Kevin would not need to do the deed himself. They'd turn on him. They see his weakness. They'd see an opportunity to eliminate him and perhaps gain the spot closer to Kevin himself.

He settled in to a comfortable table that gave him a view out the window as well as the door. Kevin was well known by many and not for being the leader of the clandestine Dray. To many, the Dray was mythical as the Guild of Raven. Perhaps they were and perhaps they were not. Perhaps one was credited for any heroic deeds while the other blamed for anything vile. There were lies and truth within it all and inside this gray obscurity, Kevin lay low pressing his plans in different directions.

He smiled his handsome and friendly Brennan smile at many of the customers he passed. The pub was quite crowded and Cat's Claw custom said that when the pub was like this, one never sat alone. Tables were shared. It was how things were and not something Kevin generally took offense to in this environment. People liked to talk and Kevin often gained bits of useful information by what spilled out.

Any man in the pub would know why he would choose to wait out the birth of his son here. He'd not be the first or last Irishman to seek out this refuge. It kept him on a common level with the town's people, something that would always give him an edge. He knew he was above them, but in their eyes, the entire Brennan clan was nearly above criticism. They symboloized all that was good and right about the Irish way of life and why it should be preserved.

[Saoirse Ní Bheoláin]

Saoirse, if asked, would readily admit that she was enjoying her time in Cat's Claw thus far. She found the people hugely entertaining, with their curious stares, their wagging tongues and idle gossip. In fact only that morning she had scandalized an elderly lady. Saoirse had been strolling nonchalantly passed the gaping woman in an effort to get through the front door of a general store. Slightly bemused by the woman's open and uninhibited stare Saoirse had politely asked her if there was something unsightly hanging from her nose, to which the woman's only reply was further gawking, coupled with a slack mouth. As far as Saoirse was concerned, parochial Ireland had never changed, and probably never would.

Now, as she walked back in the direction of Rory Fallon's pub, the thoughts of a quiet pint and some people watching spurred her small step onward. She had found the rented accommodation above the pub more than suitable to her needs, and she'd been immensely content with her current status of unemployment. It had given her time to explore, to take pleasurable walks on the beach and to exchange greetings with the locals, as strange as they might be. She approached the pub and pushed through the doors, the warm and inviting atmosphere of the local boozer washing over her as she entered. Pausing only momentarily to survey the busy scene she raked a hand through her loose and wind blown hair and walked purposefully to the bar, deciding to order her long awaited pint directly instead of taking a seat and bothering the busy loungegirl.

At the bar she opted for a pint of lager, having decided against the obligatory glass of Guinness. She was not yet ready for a meal, and to her a Guinness was dinner in a glass itself. She remained standing at the bar for a few brief moments as she took the first, thirst quenching and satisfying sip from her pint. Finally satisfied she turned, glass in hand, and surveyed the seating arrangements before her. Her green eyes flickered across the busy room before eventually coming to land on a table by the window; it's only occupant a man with a good view of the room, and perhaps the most winning smile she'd ever seen.
 
She wound a path around chairs, tables and the punters at them. “Do you mind?” She asked of the man with the engaging grin, her eyebrow raised in inquiry and a hand resting on the empty chair in front of his own. The question itself was rather superfluous, she knew, for whether or not this gentleman minded she would be parking her behind on the chair. But Saoirse was never one to neglect her manners. She firmly believed that simple, polite words could only help to get you what you wanted, no matter how trivial that desire. And her sole desire at that very moment was to sit and enjoy her pint in relative comfort.

[Kevin Brennan]

Kevin's whiskey arrived as did his company. They knew what he wanted here and he never had to order first. He smiled, lifted his glass as the young women took her place across from him. "Better than the smelly fisherman that was headed this way." He glanced at an older man who had been intersected and lost his run at the empty spot. The man grimaced slightly at the young girl and weaved back through the crowd in search of a new spot to settle into . He offered her another smile. "I've been spared."

The girl was not a familiar face, but a pleasing one. He settled into his chair more now and took her in with his grey eyes as he sipped the whiskey. The crowd continued to thicken and the pub was growing sticky. The music suddenly kicked up a knotch over the heavily blurred murmur of the crowd's conversations.

The sound of thumping feet on the wooden dance floor made Kevin turn and glance back. A group of young women were laughing and linking arms for the Thairish jig. He turned back to look at the pretty blond and rolled his eyes. "They're doing it wrong." He said blandly. "Must be a bunch of redcaps."

[Saoirse Ní Bheoláin]

Saoirse followed his glance to the glowering man in question and suppressed a snort of amusement. He did indeed look the sort of unwelcome company, equally unwelcome to the nose as to the eyes. She returned the stranger's smile and raised her own pint glass in return. “In that case, it appears as though we're mutually beneficial to each other.”

She took a long gulp of the amber brew before placing it back on the table, her attention once more directed to the rowdy masses of the buzzing pub. His following comment caused the corners of her mouth to twitch upward again in a rueful grin.

She had been in town long enough to deduce that the locals did not take so kindly to outsiders, having dubbed them “redcaps” they tended to treat them with slight disdain and impatience. Her logic dictated then that the stranger before her with the grey eyes and easy smile was of course, a resident of Cat's Claw. Although local or not, she would have found it difficult under any circumstances not to return this man's smile. He could have been telling her he was about to blast her into oblivion and she probably would have grinned like a fool in reply.

“Aye, of course they're doing it wrong,” she replied, a mischievous glint in her eyes, “They're waiting for someone like you to come along and show them how things are done.”

[Kevin Brennan]

The girl had an ease that he found pleasing. She was easily ten years his junior, but this had never gotten in Kevin's way. He'd been with many of the young upperclass women in Cat's Claw and a few of the lowly ones as well. This one already was becomeing appealing. She was confident and playful and just the sort to pass some time with while his wife was busy producing the child that would get him the fortune his father had promised.

Kevin knew this whole birth process could take hours and hours and he had no intention of going home until it had come to a close. The pub was growing a little too hot and crowded and he signalled the waitress.

"Bring me a bottle," he said, and offered the waitress a little wink. "Put it on my tab. I need a bit of air."

He turned back to his playful young companion who seemed a little flirtatious with her subtle gestures and playful retorts. "I have no interest in teaching that lot to do anything properly. Better to pile them in a boat and send them back the way the came." He laughed a playful laugh and finished his drink as the waitress returned with a small bottle of their best whiskey.

The door opened and more people piled into the pub. "I am heading out to the beach should you care to join me. If not, I see that old fisherman looking this way. I'm sure he'll have plenty of stories to share with you." He stood, reached into the pocket of his jeans for a hair tie to pull his long blond hair into a neat ponytail. He smiled his Brennan smile at that girl and raised his eyebrows as the fisherman was eagerly weaving his way back toward the now empty seat.

[Saoirse Ní Bheoláin]

Saoirse arched a brow at the brief, but friendly exchange between the stranger and the waitress. It was understandable really, the pub had seemed to gradually fill, with punters taking to standing where there were no free seats. The music had increased in volume and the atmosphere had taken on that party feel; a sign, in her opinion, of a good pub. She contemplated his offer for a few moments, her expression molding into one of mock horror as she witnessed the fisherman from earlier making a beeline for their table.

She had no intention of retiring to her room early. She had returned to Fallon's with the urge for pints and irrelevant conversation, but being regaled by an elderly man who would probably only sing the virtues of the “good old days” and expect her to ply him with alcohol in return for his wisdom had not figured in her original plan. Her eyes flickered back to the well spoken man before her and after studying him quickly she returned his smile. Technically he had been one of very few people who had greeted her with friendliness since she arrived in Cat's Claw, and she had been very much looking forward to some pleasant and relaxed company. Though she often valued her own company, she felt there was certainly no harm in spending an evening with someone else. She was, after all, a social creature.

“On fear of death by boredom, I think I'll accept.” She followed his lead and stood, draining the last of her pint as she did so. With her foot she nudged the chair around slightly, openly offering it to the approaching fisherman. She then turned and stepped forward in order to follow the smiling stranger. “Besides, it would be rude of me to allow you to drink that lovely bottle all alone.”

[Kevin Brennan]

The walk to the beaches by the port took about twenty minutes. It was too nice a night to waste inside a cab do he set off on foot with his young companion at his side. "I suppose we should know each other's names at this point." He looked at her and smiled again, a well-practiced easy smile. "I'm Kevin Brennan." He didn't stop, but walked with the bottle of whiskey in one hand and his other in his jean's pocket.

People who passed too notice of the young woman at Brennan's side. No one missed a trick in this town, but few ever passed gossip about the Brennan clan. Kevin's brother, Anlon, was Prime Minister. The entire Brennan clan was held in high regard and had for many years. Not by everyone, of course, but by those who mattered.

"I think you are a new face in this town. I am certain you would be one I remembered had I seen you before."

[Saoirse Ní Bheoláin]

The walk was a pleasant one, the rain held off and the company was quite easy. They walked at a comfortable pace and drew a few curious glances as they made their way to the port. She grinned in response when he turned to her and spoke of names. During her travels Saoirse had spent days not knowing who exactly her temporary travel companions were, in those days, in that world, names never seemed important. Just the company and the shared destination. Back home though, and in the Irish countryside especially, it was always paramount to know who you were spending your time with.

When he introduced himself as Kevin Brennan she could not quite quell the feeling of surprise. However she hid it, not wishing to play the hand of shock to her affluent new drinking buddy. Despite a commonly open and outgoing appearance Saoirse very often held her cards close to her chest.

“Well Mr. Brennan, you'd be right,” she replied in response to his observation that if she wasn't a newcomer, he would have remembered her, “I'm not from around here, my name is Saoirse Boylan. And I'm originally from Tangled Paths.”

It had probably been the most information she'd willingly given about herself since her arrival. She found that fact, in itself, unexpected. She unfolded her arms from across her chest and allowed them to swing rhythmically by her sides as the sight of the port and grey sea occupied her view of the distance.

“So tell me, Kevin Brennan, what's it like to be a celebrity in a small town?” She asked, a small smirk playing on her mouth.

[Kevin Brennan]

((I figured the Brennans would be quite up on other Purebloods. Hope you don't mind))

"Boylan," he repeated. He knew the name and retrieved fairly quickly. "Of Tangled Paths. I am familiar with your family."

She was a pureblood and that had just placed her in a little higher standing in his eyes. She could be possible Dray marriage material down the line. She was young and attractive and once under his wing, malleable. He'd gotten Tara to do his bidding, to produce an heir.

Kevin had no real use for women in his real business dealings. The muggle women provided disposable entertainment. The pureblood witches provide breeding stock. The lowclass or mixbloods were useful for a laugh in club. Women were as dull as the herds of sheep and easily controlled, but he could use them to get his men to do as he wished.

They were reaching the beach when she spoke of his celebrity in a less than flattering manner. He'd bent to remove his shoes and socks to walk in the sand. He stood and looked at her before continuing on toward the ocean where large waves were collecting and slamming into shore. "You are implying that I am big fish in a small pond. You'd be quite wrong, but from your limited perspective, it could seem as such." His eyes had grown just a hint colder but he smiled that wide and pleasing smile and opened the bottle of whiskey, taking a shot and handing it to her. "I should think your father would want to make sure you keep with the right company while in or town," he said, finding a place to sit just out of reach of the waves.

[FATE]

Before Kevin can get to fully know this new and charming face in town, one of the Brennan house elves pops in a short distance away and approaches Kevin cautiously with a scrolled message.

Kevin reads the message that calls him to his father's estate.

He bids farewell to Killian and offers her the bottle to enjoy.

~This thread is ended~