LUCKY AS CAN BE // OPEN

[harrison.]

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— harrison’s “chimney-cleaning expertise” was certainly lacking. it wasn’t every day that he decided to do a chore that pertained to chimney up-keep; then again, it wasn’t every day that he was presented the opportunity. though, harris wasn’t the kind of person to shy away from a task simply because he wasn’t sure where to start. if anything, he - ever the optimist - figured that this would make for a good learning opportunity.

who knew when knowing how to clean a chimney would come in handy?

perhaps he was a little too clueless for his own good. he observed his sooty hands that held the brush, the sleeves of his sweater pulled up to avoid getting dust on his clothes. eyes squinted before he poked his head into the chimney flue. “how do you know if this is - clean enough?” he asked no one in particular, turning his head back out to see whoever might be nearby. perhaps they better experts on the subject. then, a realization. “i don’t have to go on the roof too, do i?”

// trying to get harrison more active
one silly chore thread at a time

[EDMUND.]

[align=center][div style="width: 430px; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 6pt; letter-spacing: 2.5px; word-spacing: 0px; line-height: 12px; color: #000"]Fortunately, Eddie had never found himself taking on the annual role of cleaning the chimneys in Flintlock Lodge. That was often kept a job for those who’d dare climb to the roof of the very tall lodge without hesitation. And, whilst Eddie sometimes found himself sitting pretty high up on the balcony to guard the lodge, he’d never had to stand on the roof. Some things were out of bounds, even for the seemingly dauntless man.

Ed stood in the living room as he observed Harrison’s inspection of the chimney, Eddie then slowly sliding down onto the couch to watch quietly from a distance. He’d keep Harrison company, even though the company of Edmund was never quite enthralling. ❝ How do you know if this is - clean enough? ❞ Harrison questioned, Eddie sitting up slightly before he pointed out, ❝ I think you’ve done enough there. ❞ Slowly, he stood up and walked over towards the chimney, then using a nearby dustpan and brush to clean up the excess soot around the fireplace.

❝ I’m afraid you are gonna have to go on the roof… Otherwise, I can do it for you if you’d like. ❞ Why did he just offer? Perhaps over the years of being in Flintlock, Eddie was slowly caring less and less for his own personal safety. It made sense; he barely cared for himself anymore.

He swallowed hard, eyes low as he swept away, before he made a comment seemingly so casual, even whilst the thought itself had lingered in his mind constantly, ❝ Have you spoken to Franklin recently? ❞ Eddie’s brother, the one that swore he’d never speak to Eddie again, still seemed to be good friends with Harrison. Hell, Harrison was the only connection between Eddie and Frank nowadays, so it made sense to ask. The brothers were sworn enemies, but it didn't mean that Eddie didn't care for him still.

[harrison.]

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— harrison turned his head to watch eddie as he stood and made his way over. he had done enough… there? he pursed his lips briefly, already knowing that meant there was more for him to do, eddie only confirming that he would have to make his way up to the roof with his next words. harrison wasn’t quite used to such manual labor. he preferred the idea of getting to have his own salon down at the village, cutting and styling hair - a work in progress that would soon become a reality.

even while eddie offered to do it for harrison, the dirty blonde shook his head, picking up another brush and dustpan to help clean up the soot along with eddie. “don’t worry about it. i’ll do it.” with an amused smile and gleam, he then added, “maybe you should stand nearby, to make sure someone catches me if i slip and fall.” he didn’t usually try and make such harmless jokes around eddie - as much a good friend as eddie was, usually it would be only sheer luck to find eddie in a good enough mood for amusement.

though, with eddie’s next question, he couldn’t help but visibly hesitate. staring down at the dustpan for a few beats. to be honest, harrison didn’t know what happened between the brothers. even while frank was the best friend he had, he didn’t even try to press once he noticed how dismissive frank was about the situation. it wouldn’t have been like him to pry. after a moment’s recovery, he continued dusting up the soot.

“it’s been a while,” he casually answered. “with everything going on nowadays…” he didn’t need to finish his sentence for eddie to know what he was talking about. he shrugged. “it’s probably for the best.” it was a painful decision to come to; to no longer get to see his friend whenever he wanted to. though, harrison hated to admit that he was far too used to the world being so unfair.

there were more words stuck on the tip of his tongue than he let on. like how frank was doing great. that his recent wedding had been beautiful. that he was happier. that as much as harris missed him around flintlock, it was more than apparent that frank found the place he truly belonged. instead he wore a soft smile, moving to stand up on his feet. “guess i gotta make my climb up the roof, huh?” with a small twitch of his lips, he emptied the dustpan before looking over towards eddie. “are you coming with? as backup.”