"Something to drink, ma'am?"

Murina Beaubonique blinked away from her oPad, brought back to reality by the voice of the cheery flight attendant dove. The long flight out to Liverpool had been mostly spent swiping through old articles on her oPod, combing the archives of local newspapers chronicling the issues plaguing Alphonse Norwich's hometown. The Rozich article had given her a glance into her client's hometown, but she felt she needed more. Never one to leave a stone unturned, Murina loaded as many editions of the Daily Post, the Echo, and the Weekly Caller as were available, reading through them during the nearly full-day flight. Sleep could wait.

"Mm?" Murina said, looking back up at the dove. "Oh! No, thank you. I'm fine."

The sharply-dressed rat took a breath, putting her tablet down on her lap. This was a big step. Sure, Muri had visited other clients, it was a part of her routine. Meet the client, sign them, get to know their home life, then build up a strategy for the draft. Usually, the family meeting was fairly uneventful: a sit-down with parents or significant others, chats about childhood, getting that inside perspective that the clients themselves wouldn't readily divulge. With Alfie, things were different. This was more than a visit to his home, she was about to dive headlong into the Alley. To see up close just what kind of cesspool it was, what kind of slum would spawn a rat like Alphonse.

Her arguments with Harris began to replay in her head. In all of her assurances that the trip would be fine, that there would be no problems and she would be safe, she had been telling herself as much as she had been her colleague. Dealing with Alphonse in Boston had been difficult enough, and he was on her territory. Now she would be on his, and was desperately hoping her cursory research would suffice in at least somewhat preparing her for it. The day before she'd called up Richter Rozich, asking for some elaboration on what he'd written. Her conversation was simultaneously encouraging and worrisome.

"You said the Biters were nicer than you'd expected?" she asked him.

"Well, yes. They were, eh, surprisingly genial, once Mr Norwich had convinced them I was a friend, of course. Just..."

"Just...?"

"...I couldn't shake the feeling that I was one wrong comment away from finding myself on the business end of a boot. Maybe you'll have an easier time with them since you're a full-blooded rat, but I felt like I was on eggshells. To be honest I was glad to leave."

"What about that talk you had with his brother?"

"I'm still not sure if he was telling the truth, or if that was just to convince me to write a more flattering piece."

As Murina resumed her browsing of Toxteth reports, she took extra care to comb through the more unsettling of them. A rabbit who lost his ears, a family of geckos threatened with their house being burned while they were inside it, a defeathered finch, a lynx brought to the hospital with a skull fracture. She had no idea how close Alfie had been to any of these, as it seemed there were never any arrests made, but she had her fingers crossed that these had been the handiwork of others. Maybe, she thought, most of the Biters were just about the talk of revolution and bettering their own lives, and it was only a violent minority responsible for these acts. Maybe he was one of the good ones.

After the plane touched down, Murina collected her bags and dropped them off at her hotel. She always relied on her own packing to keep her belongings organized, not seeing the purpose in putting everything in hotel drawers for a three day stay, but in this case she took advantage of the storage space she'd been given. It was her way of asserting that she would be sleeping there, rather than in Toxteth. Under no circumstances would she spend the night in the Alley.

Her taxi ride was a bit less easygoing than her fellow journalist's had been. When the mouse had come through, Rat Alley was still unknown to most outside of Liverpool. Since the article had caught mainstream attention, it turned out, there had been a small number of writers who'd flown in, wanting to get the scoop on the home turf of Alphonse Norwich IV. And so, Murina was met with some resistance when she informed her driver where she wanted to go.

"The Hughes Park in Toxteth, please."

The old shrew turned to look at her. "Nother one o' you Yanks hopin' t' get a story in the Alley?" He snickered, dryly. "You want I should wait for you to change your mind? Won't even tick the meter."

Muri smiled, saccharine sweet. "I appreciate your concern, but I really am in a hurry. There's an extra tip in it for you if you refrain from any more comments on the way over."

Driving through Liverpool, particularly as they sank into Toxteth toward the Alley, was more educational than all the pictures and articles could have been. Seeing the gradual increase of run-down buildings and the dwindling activity outside told Murina more about the conditions than a hundred columns about decreased funding for housing or reports of contaminated water. Although there was no actual line in the earth to separate Rat Alley from outer Toxteth, there was no question in Murina's mind that they had crossed the threshold.

The cab stopped. Murina could see the park, but it was still a ways off. She sat there in silence, waiting for them to proceed.

"...um, excuse me?" she called up to her driver.

"This is as close as I go. Now 'urry up. On y' bike."

Murina sighed and unceremoniously tossed a fold of bills into the cabbie's lap, hoisting herself out of the vehicle. She took a look at her phone to check the time. It was almost one, right around the time she told Alphonse she would meet him at the park. If there was one thing Murina did not like, it was being late to an appointment, and so she began her swift walk to the basketball court.

As she made her way along what she assumed was the main street of Rat Alley, Murina took a survey of her surroundings. Unlike the last portion of the drive, there was activity here, residents were outside enjoying the weather, pups playing and adults traveling the sidewalk. There seemed to be a "doughnut" of emptiness around the Alley, rats within it and mixed species outside. Just as Rozich had described it, Murina saw nothing but rats around her. Despite being the common species, her steps were guarded. She knew her appearance labeled her an outsider, and was prepared for the sneers and stares.

Murina's fears, for the most part, were not unfounded. Although she didn't feel in any kind of danger, possibly in part due to it still be daytime, the American rat could feel the eyes of the locals on her as she passed by. From the young pups drawing on the sidewalk to adults chatting on porches and passersby, every rat Muri passed up paused to watch her. The older rats looked suspicious, the younger more curious, all of them wondering just what this visitor could possibly be doing in their small town. She almost felt like she owed them an explanation for her presence, as if she were an intruder on their property.

For her part, Murina was staring back. Not at the rats themselves, but the conditions in which they lived. The houses lining the street were littered with chain link fences partway torn down, boards over windows, graffiti, and doors that looked like they'd been painted over dozens of times. It was a town held together with clothespins and twine, every building she passed screamed of "do it yourself" repairs. There were few cars, fewer still that looked like they'd been driven recently. From what the various reports suggested, it was rare for the residents to travel far beyond the Alley's edges anyway. The rats weren't purchasing them off the lots, which meant most of them had to come from outside owners. She wondered just what caused them to be left behind, quickly deciding against pursuing that thought any further.

The sounds of a bouncing basketball and shuffling bodies grew louder the closer Murina got to her destination. Up close and seen first-hand, the park was in even more disrepair than she'd expected. It was clear somebody trimmed the grass regularly, but given the way it cracked and split the walkways and grew through concrete indicated that the park received no further maintenance. Benches were stripped of paint, aside from the typical Biter graffiti tags. The only thing that appeared to be new or well-kept was the pair of nets on the court, or what passed for them anyway. The chains dangling beneath each rim had a shine in the midday sun, as though they had been replaced recently.

Muri walked to the edge of the court, watching the game in progress. She couldn't see Alphonse, but then she had told him "around one" and hardly expected him to show up early. Once again, Rozich's description was accurate, the game was pure street ball. As Murina watched the players shove, elbow, and bull rush one another, focused more on flashy moves than real strategy, she briefly thought back to that game against the Harvaardwak team, realizing that Alfie actually HAD been playing conservatively in that first half.

Of course, it didn't take long before the rats on the court noticed her. In an instant, the almost idyllic scene shifted gears as the half dozen males turned their attention toward Murina, grins on their faces, and began to approach.

"Ello, ello, pretty lady!" came the first call, its speaker a slender rat with no shirt on and several typical "Biter" tattoos scrawled over his torso, the most prominent being the number 1818 stretched across his chest in large digits.

Another chimed in, a tattoo free rat with unkempt hair and a bit of a belly to him. "Ey, Ali, fuck off, I saw 'er first!" he said, his voice dull with a faint echo to it.

Still a third tried to step in front of the others, shoving them back. "A bird this classy wouldn't be caught DEAD wi' either o' you tits!" He stepped up close, foul breath on Muri's nose, running a hand over his greasy hair to slick it back, as if cutting a dapper image. "Now 'en, you lost? Need help findin' y' way 'ome?"

Murina took a step back, watching the bunch carefully. "Yes, I mean no, I'm not lost. I was wondering if any of you... gentlemen had seen Alphonse today."

The whole group snickered, the closest rat clucking his tongue. "Alphonse? Now which Alphonse might 'at be? Mebbe I could 'elp you find 'im."

Muri tensed up. "I think you know exactly who I mean. Now if you'll excuse me, I don't have time for this."

As she attempted to walk through the group, they began to close around her, blocking her off. Suddenly a shout came from behind them. "OI!"

The six Alley rats' heads turned, just in time to see Alphonse approaching. He slapped the rat closest to Murina on the back of the head. "Back off, Vinny," he snorted, although he was laughing as he did. The others quickly adopted a mock insulted posture, professing their innocence and insisting they were being the utmost of gentlerats.

"Alfie! Why, 'is luvly lady was just lookin' f' you!" said one, fighting off a broad grin in order to act amazed at the "coincidence".

"Yeh, we was just tellin' er you's comin'! Vinny 'ere was offerin' t' show 'er th' way!" said another, the rest nodding in agreement.

Alphonse rolled his eyes and snickered, pushing at another of his friends. "Sure y' were." He turned toward Muri, a broad grin on his face. "Don't mind 'is lot, they're 'armless." A moment passed and the largest of the group looked over at his posse. "G'on then, ain't a show 'ere." As the dirty rodents made their way back to the court, jostling each other and joking which one would have gotten to take Muri back home first, the American black rat realized that, for the first time, she was actually RELIEVED to see Alfie.

The two of them sat on a bench near the court, watching as the others resumed their game. They made small talk concerning business, her trip, and Alfie's time in the Alley since he'd visited Boston. She told him that the flight had been painless and things were moving along well in terms of getting notice for the upcoming draft, and he told her that he'd been a minor celebrity since word got around that an Alley rat had a shot of making it big, complete with the usual slew of boasts concerning how he'd put all the "nonnies" in their place.

"So..." Muri began. "Friends of yours?" she asked, indicating the six on the court.

"Who, 'em? Yeh, we go back a ways," he laughed. "Vinny grew up next t' us, Scraps 'ere is 'is older brother. Rest o' them been my mates since primary. We used t' get in a lotta pinches when we was little," he laughed, sounding nostalgic. Briefly, Murina was almost surprised by the reminder that, at one point, the scar-speckled rat beside her had been in grade school, that he hadn't simply crawled out of the womb with a mohawk and spiked vest. She wondered just what kind of "pinches" he'd gotten into back then, if they were the kind of innocent hijinks others did or something far worse.

Alphonse nodded for Muri to follow him, knowing that she'd wanted to meet his family. The side streets were no better than the main drag, more abandoned housing and shuttered doors of shops long since closed. One caught her eye, a corner store that had the silhouettes of a name above its door: "Norwich". Murina almost inquired, but felt it best to leave that particular subject alone. Finally they arrived at his front door, Alphonse joking noting that it might not be quite as fancy as what she's used to in Boston. Although Muri laughed, she couldn't help but note the underlying tone of apology in his voice. A quick knock and an "oi, open up," and the two rats entered the House of Norwich.

As soon as the pair walked in, Muri was swarmed by Alphonse's younger siblings. Twitching noses and beady eyes surrounded her, with one young boy climbing onto another's shoulders to peek into her bag while a third sniffed curiously at her leg. Others stood up on nearby furniture, hoping to get a better look at the rat in the freshly-cleaned pantsuit their older brother had brought home. Laughing, the tall Alley rat scooped the pup nosing into Muri's bag and held him up, nose-to-nose.

"Oi, Sammy, th' fuck y' think you're doin', eh? Tryin' t' rob our guest?" he said, his faux-severe expression not fooling his sibling a moment. Murina was surprised at his language when dealing with such a young one.

"Piss off, I wasn't stealin' nuffin!" the little rat squeaked at Alphonse, fighting to be let back down. Alfie obliged, putting his brother back on his feet, and pushed for him to scurry off.

Murina's eyes went over the interior of Alphonse's home. It was a rare case of being able to judge a book completely by its cover. The main living room had its pair of couches set flat on the floor, facing an old television. Straight ahead was an opening into the kitchen, a door that presumably led into the bathroom just to the left of it. A stairwell beside the front door led up and over the bathroom to the second floor of the house, where sounds indicated even more Norwiches milling about up there. She watched as a young rat bounded his way down the steps, and she listened to the creaks, just waiting for the wood to give way beneath the pup. All around her were rusted appliances and new nails upon new nails holding things together. The whole house smelled stale, and she suspected that most of the housewares had been there when the Norwiches moved in.

Alphonse gave a brief round of introductions, although the laundry list of names and faces flew by so swiftly Muri was almost amazed Alfie could keep them sorted. From the sound of things, Alphonse was the eldest, followed by Terrence and Olivia, who were at the shop at the time, all the way down to little Beatrice, Alphonse's niece by way of his sister Emma. In between were more than a dozen rats, and references to others, all of them carrying the Norwich name and living under one roof. Finally, he introduced Muri to his mother, Charlotte. She was a weary creature, likely in her early forties, and even when she smiled it seemed to take effort.

"Mm, so this is Murina, is it? Well, she's just as lovely as you said, Alfie," Charlotte teased her son.

He laughed and wrapped a big arm around his mother, kissing her atop the head. "Ain't she though? C'mon, Muri, y' look like y'could use a drink."

Pushing a few of his siblings aside to make space, Alphonse told Muri to take a seat on the couch while he went off into the kitchen. As they waited, the two females struck up small talk.

"Lovely family you have, Mrs. Norwich."

Charlotte chuckled quietly. "So my boy's going to be a professional athlete, is 'e?" she asked, ignoring Murina's comment entirely.

Muri bobbed her head. "Well, if all goes well. We still have a lot of work to do if we want to get him ready for the pros."

"'Ow d'ye mean?"

"Just that if we want him to be appealing to the team owners, we'll have to scale back his... more abrasive tendencies."

Charlotte laughed again, with a hint of offense to it. "My Alfie doesn't need to scale a thing, thank you."

Murina put up a hand, backpedaling, "I didn't mean it like that, Mrs Norwich. Just that the league has certain expectations, it's not anything against him..."

"I know what y' sayin'," Charlotte continued, her voice low but insistent. "You're like that mouse, comin' in 'ere, fillin' 'is head with talk o' big sports and tryin' t' get 'im to move away. My boy's a GOOD rat, he's good for this family!"

Charlotte's sudden quiet outburst caught Murina by surprise, leaving her unsure how to respond. Fortunately, the mother Norwich was stopped from any further accusations by her son returning with a pair of glasses in his hands, as well as a bottle dangling between two fingers. The first glass he handed to Charlotte, and the second to Muri.

"I er, didn't think y' wanted a beer, so I got y' this," he said, handing Murina a glass of orange juice.

The big rat dropped down on the couch near Murina, leaning back and popping the bottle's cap with his teeth, spitting it off to the side. Family visits were generally little more than perfunctory spot-checks on clients and a quick hello to the family, wherein Murina explained the basics of what an FBA contract means and the family told cute stories and showed off old family photos. The visit, really, was a formality. Forms were already signed, work was being done, wheels were in motion, all she was doing was making sure there was nothing potentially cataclysmic she should know about that would put their upcoming draft chances in jeopardy. This time, meanwhile, it was closer to research. She'd met Alfie, but now it was time to learn about the environment that he crawled out of. Murina had to see for herself the house that raised Alphonse Norwich IV.

While Alphonse's mother shared stories of his youth, Muri took more of a back seat to the conversation, listening and simply letting Charlotte Norwich speak. The more she listened, the more Murina noticed that all of the stories were from before Alphonse's father had died. Several involved Alphonse III directly, such as teaching a young Alfie to ride a bicycle or his first day of school. She had no shortage of words for his first summer helping out at the Norwich corner shop or how little Alfie and Terrance would get into fights over a stuffed animal. When it came to recent events, Charlotte had little to say, and trying to get anything useful out of her was like pulling teeth.

"It must be difficult. Raising such a large family, I mean," Murina said, easing into more current topics. "I'm sure you're grateful for the help."

Charlotte waved a hand, finishing off her drink. "From who? 'is big lunk?" she chortled, setting the empty glass on the floor. "If it weren't for Liv I swear I'd have sold th' whole lot of 'em long ago! An' Alfie... every time 'e went out I could 'ardly believe he came back." It was said as a joke, but with a faint undertone of truth. Charlotte's tired appearance was no mystery, given the chaos around her. Two decades of a house slowly filling up to the bursting point with mouths to feed, with many of them getting into who knows what kind of trouble had aged the poor woman beyond her years. A clatter rang out from upstairs that made Muri jump in her seat, but the other two hardly seemed to notice.

Sighing, Charlotte put her glass down. "If you'll excuse me..." she said, making her way toward the stairwell. "Stephan Norwich if you broke another window I'm choppin' your tail off and hangin' y' with it!"

Murina watched the older rat march upstairs, then looked back toward Alphonse with a questioning expression. He shrugged casually, as if to say that this was nothing unusual. That was when Muri noticed a rat peeking around the doorframe of the kitchen who she didn't recall being introduced to earlier. Leaning forward, she offered the small boy a smile.

"Oh hello, and who might you be?" she asked. Immediately the young rat vanished into the kitchen again. Alphonse turned to see who Murina was talking to, and upon seeing no one at all, let out a snicker.

"Ah, 'old on a tick." He whistled and snapped his fingers a few times. "Oi! C'mon out, ya li'l skit, she ain't gonna bite."

Slowly, a little nose and twitchy whiskers emerged once more. He stayed halfway in the kitchen for a moment, before scurrying quickly over to his big brother and climbing up beside him, on the opposite side of Murina. He was a slight rodent, almost underfed looking, and had on clothes that were a size too big for him. He stood up on the couch's cushion and leaned into Alfie's ear, whispering.

Alphonse made a face as though he were listening intently, and nodded once. "'e wants t' know if you're the lady from America who wants me t' come play basketball with 'er."

Murina laughed, looking at Colin directly. "That's me. You know your brother might be a famous professional athlete soon. I'm helping him get there. My name is Murina, what's yours?"

She held out her hand, which the small rat simply looked at, then back up at her, and then finally at Alphonse. The older brother nodded his head toward Muri, keeping his eyes on the younger, silently telling him to go ahead and answer.

"...Colin," came the quiet response, his high pitched voice nearly at a whisper. He reached out and gave a single, brief shake with Muri's paw before instantly sinking into Alfie's side, as if hiding behind him. Alphonse wrapped an arm around his little brother, which seemed to mollify him, his eyes still locked on Muri curiously.

"Don't mind 'is one," Alphonse said, indicating the rat bundle pressed against him. "Just a dash on th' shy side, he'll warm up t' ya soon enough."

Colin, he explained, was the runt of the family. At ten he was hardly bigger than the six year old triplets Muri had met when she first arrived. Around the neighborhood, the other pups picked on him whenever he tried to play with them, and eventually he just stayed in the house rather than venturing outside. The only exception came whenever he could go with Alphonse. Two years ago, the eldest Norwich brother had taken a few of them out to the park, where Colin was again a victim of a number of bullying rat boys. Deciding to put a stop to it once and for all, Alphonse stormed up and barked at them to leave Colin alone "or else". It worked like a charm, and from that point on, Colin stayed as close to Alfie as he could whenever they went outside or had guests in the house.

Murina's heart went out to the small rat, watching him while Alphonse spoke. His muzzle stayed just barely peeked around his brother's chest, watching her right back. She reached into her bag and rooted around in it, finally producing a small bag of candied nuts she'd purchased at the airport that morning, the bag Colin's younger brother had nearly swiped from her earlier. She held it out toward him, the top of it opened, smiling warmly. Colin's tiny nose picked up the scent immediatly, twitching curiously. He looked at Muri, unsure. After a moment, Alphonse gave his brother a small nudge toward the open bag, and a small, reluctant hand reached in to pluck out a few He immediately retreated to his older sibling's side, nibbling.

"Y' oughta feel honored," Alphonse chuckled. "Yer the first he's actually told 'is name to."

The small rat tugged on Alphonse's vest again, prompting him to lean down and listen to another round of whispering. "Y'know, I agree, mate!" he said to Colin with a nod, then looked to Muri. "'e says you should stay for dinner."

Murina smiled back to the smaller Norwich. "Actually, I was just about to borrow your brother for a little while. Go out into the city and get a meal, have a talk with him about important grown-up things." She turned her attention to Alphonse. "What do you say? I'm sure there's plenty of places you know around here."

Alphonse paused, then gave a somewhat stilted laugh. "I dunno 'bout that, Muri. Sure y' wouldn't rather get a bite 'ere? Liv's a right Robin in the kitchen."

"I'm sure she is, but I was hoping you might give me a tour around town. I've heard a lot about Toxteth, but I'd prefer a more experienced guide."

The big rat snorted. "Ain't nothin' to see out 'ere, Muri. Honest 'n' true, Liv's out gettin' some nips, she c'n cook better'n any nonnie pail."

Murina's brow furrowed. She hadn't expected Alphonse to be so averse to a simple meal with her. She pressed on. "I don't mean to insult your sister's cooking, just that it might be nice to get somewhere a little quieter, so you and I can dis-"

"I said NO!" Alfie barked, making both Muri and Colin jump. Jaw tight, he breathed sharply through his nose and looked down at his little brother, giving him a reassuring squeeze. He grunted, eyes returning to the black rat. "I can't tie y' down and make y' stay for, but if ya plan on skippin' out into the fuckin' swamp, y'll be doin' it wit'out me."

It was an awkward moment in the Norwich home. Clearly, Alphonse wasn't budging on this issue, and Murina was increasingly aggravated with his obstinance. Sure, he'd been difficult back in Boston, but he hadn't been unwilling to eat in a non-rat restaurant. He even enjoyed himself once they'd gotten the "incorrect portion" situation worked out. He'd been getting better at interacting with other species, playing a game of basketball, even shaking hands and being amiable with a few of them in between all the vulgar outbursts. A few weeks back home and suddenly he was unwilling to venture out again.

Checking her phone for the time, Murina stood up. "Well, in that case, I should take my leave for the night. I do have a fair amount of work to do, so if you'll excuse me."

Alphonse grunted and stood up, following her to the door. "Muri..." he started, not exactly apologetic but not wanting her to leave angrily. "Don't be like 'at."

Murina made her way through the sea of rats, again needing to be on the lookout for stray tails and thieving paws, stopping at the front door to regard her client. "It's fine. As I said, I have a lot of work to do as it is."

He rubbed at the back of his head. "Tomorrow?"

"Yes. We DO have some things to talk about."

Just then, Charlotte came down the stairs, the loud creaks of each step announcing her arrival. "Going so soon? We were just waiting on Olivia to come and start supper."

Murina nodded, smiling, as though there were no problem at all. "I heard! I'm sorry to have to miss it, but it's been an exceptionally long day for me, and I'm terribly jet lagged." She could tell the term meant nothing to the rats watching her. "That is, I've been awake for a long time, and need to get some work done before I fall asleep. I thank you for the hospitality, and look forward to seeing you all again tomorrow, as well as the others I missed today." With that, she exited the house.

Alphonse let out a huff of air and shook his head, going back to the kitchen to get himself a fresh beer. He poked around in the mostly empty refrigerator, pulling open the "fruit drawer" that was nearly stuck in place from the various juices that had been spilled and never cleaned up. There was nothing in it, but somehow Alfie thought that a fresh piece something might appear there simply because he wanted it to. His stomach was growling, and Murina's abrupt departure had left him in a sour mood. A new bottled opened, he stood up and grunted, slamming the door closed and going back into the living room.

"Alfie?" came a small voice from near the television.

"Yeh, Josie?"

"Was that your girlfriend?"

He snickered and shook his head, reaching down to give the girl rat a stroke on the cheek. "Eh, not quite."

"She's pretty."

Alphonse walked out the front door and sat on the stoop, drinking his beer. He didn't know what he'd hoped to accomplish with Murina's visit, but had a feeling it didn't go right. Sure, there were two more days before she went home, but he'd wanted at least to make a good first impression. Not just of his family to Muri, but of Muri to his family. The month in between had been filled with every possible question about her. Where she was from, what she was like, what exactly she was promising him back in the States. He'd assured them she was a good rat, and would be doing everything she could to help not only him, but the family, the Alley. Her sudden departure left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Oi, wha's got you all droop eared?"

Looking up, Alfie saw Olivia and Terrence, back from the shop with their arms full of bags of grocery bags, just barely enough to keep their family of twenty fed for the week. He scooted over to the side and let them pass, and a minute later came Terrence back out, standing in the doorway with a beer of his own.

"She already gone?"

"Just missed 'er, Terry."

"Aw, but we got all y' favorites. Was gonna 'ave a nice big board."

Alphonse let out a chuckle. "Just 'ang on to it, she ain't scarpered off to the States just yet."

"Y' got 'er all huffed, didn't ya?" Terrence asked, leaning on the door frame. "Keep tellin' ya, gotta work on y' sweet ta-"

A beer bottle crashed against the wall beside the younger Norwich, making him jump back. "Fuck me, sounds like I got it on the 'ead," he said with a snort, then went back inside to help their sister with the food, leaving Alphonse to sit on the front step and stew.