Choice Cuts

"Well, it seems in that department we are off to a swell start." Edie replied with a smile, lightly squeezing his arm. Between being optimistic and pessimistic, Edie would always consider herself realistic with an optimistic inclination. Indeed, many men were scoundrels, but so were women, and though they may not seem it, there were equally as good men and women to be found in the world. Certainly, even some of the scoundrels could prove that good resided in them when put to the test, though usually that sort of wisdom came with age. 

"Ciao, Alban," Maximo said in his quiet approach, hands shaded dark by the kitschy, snowflake-patterned knit work of a pair of gloves. He stopped and moved to stand beside the butcher, instinct perhaps recalling a rainy afternoon when they had worked side by side.

His smile widened slightly as his eyes refocused and recognized his good friend. It was good to see him again under more preferable circumstances. He offered his hand to the man, his grip strong but welcoming.

"Max." It didn’t seem like she was really choosing, it just felt like a good name. "Poor little Max." She scooped him up, holding him close to her. What a darling little thing. Of course Alban had taken charge of the kitchen while she doted on their new pet, he had never been one to wait around and make her do everything in the kitchen while he sat at the table.

He smiled down at her when she announced the puppy's new name. "Max... Është një emër të mirë." [Max... Is a good name.] The little mutt seemed to agree as he licked her face some more and snuggled up to her chest.

"Ai është kaq e ëmbël." [He’s so sweet.] Brie cooed, barely noticing the switch from Albanian to English, barely noticing what language she was using. They switched constantly, Albanian became English became French became Italian became Albanian again. They both had languages they were more comfortable in, but the others bridged the gap.

He shook his head as he also rubbed behind the pup's ears before moving to the sink to wash off his hands before going back to the stove. "Nr Nuk ka emër." [No. No name.] Alban grabbed a set of cloths to use as potholders to take the pans and pots from the oven. All of the food smelled absolutely delicious and he couldn't wait to share yet another homemade dinner with his new wife. He began to fix up a plate for each of them so that she could continue to bond with her new companion.

Brie dried her hands off on her apron, striding through the house towards the door. ”Alban, unë kam darkë në furrë. Çfarë-“ [Alban, I have dinner on the stove, what-] she stopped when she realized he was hiding something under his coat. “Kjo nuk është një fëmijë, është ajo?”  [It’s not a child, is it?] She teased, walking up to kiss him gently before pulling away to see her surprise.

He grinned down at her between kisses, loving the way her eyes lit up with joy. "Disi Unë e dija që do." [Somehow I knew you would.] She was utterly breathtaking when she was happy, especially when her stray curls framed her face and became frizzy from the steam coming from the food cooking on the stove. Alban carefully removed his coat and hung it on the rack in the hallway, all while not dropping the puppy that was snuggled against his chest and attempting to lick Brie's face. "Come, let's go to the kitchen. I would hate for your first burned meal to be my fault."

In Like a Lion // Dimitri & Alban

Edie laughed at his statement, not feeling the spur of familiar defensiveness at his bold words. Sometimes there was no underlying expectation to a mans words, sometimes it was simply kindness of character.

He listened in quiet contemplation as she gave a rather accurate analysis of the attitude of Montford natives and their demeanor towards strangers. Of course, anyone in any sort of public service profession was welcoming of new customers to their businesses, but it was true that professional courtesy only extended so far. Alban shook his head slightly as they turned another corner, letting her gentle touch on his arm guide the way as they walked along. "I take no offense. What you say is not untrue. Many of the people of Montford have suffered in the past and are slow to trust. My hope is that you will stay with us long enough to know the good in them as well." Her expression of desire for knowledge and learning made him smile, her youthful exuberance reminding him so much of the woman waiting for him at home.

“Their loss for judging you so harshly then Alban, if I had a son.. I would send him to go get lessons from the lowly butcher.” She teased slightly, she never once thought of him as lowly. She smiled then shook her head as he apologized for being distracting. “I am sure there is a lucky woman out there who is perfectly happy about how distractin’ you are, so don’t you go apologizin’ for what God gave ya.”

He couldn't help but smile at her comment, making a mental note to share her words with Brie when he returned home that evening, thinking that it was so like something that she would say.

"Forgive me for being blunt, but you seem like a good man, Mr. Dragusha." Edie replied evenly. "I think you would have found friends wherever you settled." She smiled. Montford, thus far, had shown her a variety of characters, ranging from confounding to charming, sincere to scary; she couldn’t imagine the man on her arm would have a hard time befriending anyone at any time. It took a great deal for her to believe in peoples acts of kindness, to believe that they are anything but self satisfying in some way, but the ring on Mr. Dragusha’s finger said that, so long as he was an honest man, there was nothing he expected from Edie in return for his charity.

He gave a small smile at her straightforward compliment. "Ju faleminderit, zonjusha. I would hope that you are right, but it seems I will never know since, as of this moment, I have no plans to leave. My family and I will stay as long as Montford will have us." For as many faults as this town had, this was his home and the people he had grown up amongst had become like family to him. However, if there ever came a threat to him and his new wife that he felt was too great to be ignored, he would leave his home and everyone there to protect her.

Gene remained silent, appreciating Alban’s words but having seen some of the family’s poorly executed maneuvers that could hardly be considered clever, let alone wise. 

He had felt a sense of relief when the truce between the famiglia and the Irish gang had been called, thankful for the agreement to stop the violence, but it also left him with a feeling of anxiety in the fact that they still had a firm grasp on their own territory within Montford. The butcher still didn't trust any of them as far as he could throw them, with the exception of Teagan, but there was little he could do about the decision aside from keeping his distance from them.

Hilary stared wide eyed at him for a moment. “How did you…”

“Si jeni, Alban.” Gene greeted in the other man’s native tongue. He was by no means fluent in Albanian, but he had learned enough of the pleasantries from the butcher to appeal to him now and again. With a sigh, he turned to the other man and lifted the umbrella unconsciously to help shield him from what would soon be a downpour. 

"Things are slowly getting better, back to the way they were before." He nodded his appreciation for the man sharing his umbrella with him, shrugging slightly as the water rolled off the back of his jacket. He nodded and fell in stride with Gene as they both turned from the scene of the piles of rubble and headed down the familiar route to his shop. "I don't believe anyone would expect anything less from us. I have never known the family to sacrifice quality to meet the demand of those who want things done instantly with no regards to craftsmanship."

Edie took his arm gladly, knowing her riding boots were no match for any slippery ice they might encounter. She couldn’t help but silently agree with his words, recalling the brawl she’d ended the night she’d lost her typewriter. These streets really weren’t that safe to be walking after dark. 

A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth when her voice raised in surprise. He sometimes forgot how restless some other people tended to be, knowing that if circumstances had been different, he would have most likely spent his entire life in Albania. "Montford is the only home I've ever known aside from Kavaje. The people here have become friends and some as close as family. Had I gone anywhere else, I would have been alone."