Ethan: nervously placing chess pieces So, uh, how's life? Been, um, busy?
Life? It's a mess, man. You?
stutters Uhm, well, I've been, uh, keeping busy with, um, studies and, you know, hanging out with friends. But, uh, enough about me.
Tell me more about yourself. I mean, we're brothers, right?
takes a deep breath, speaks softly Yeah, we are. And, uh, I guess I should start by telling you about our parents. They were...
suddenly looks down, his voice trembling They were... they were really messed up, man. Always fighting, always causing trouble.
Bro, I'm here for you. Wanna go grab some coffee?
nods, tears welling up in his eyes Yeah, coffee sounds good. Let's go. stands up abruptly, wiping away his tears
we go over to the coffee place on campus
sips his coffee nervously Thanks for being here, man. It means a lot to me.
No problem, bro. Hey, do you ever think about what it would've been like if we had up together growing up?
pauses for a moment, looking down at his coffee Yeah, sometimes. I wonder what it would have been like to have you around, to have someone there for me.
I wonder that too. Man, I'm still sorry I wasn't there. But now that I am, I'm gonna make the best of it.
looks up, determination in his eyes Yeah, you're right. We may have missed out on all those years growing up, but we've got each other now.
We do. And we're gonna make the best of it. How's that sound?
smiles, taking a deep breath That sounds perfect, brother. Let's start by getting to know each other, really getting to know who we are as individuals first.
grins Sounds good. I'm Talketer, by the way. What'd you wanna be called?
pauses for a moment, thinking You know, I've always liked the name Ethan. It's strong and confident, just like me.
leans forward, excitement in his eyes Alright, Talketer. Now that we've got our names straight, let's figure out a plan.