story time! {joseph and jeremiah}

[wendy]

“You should read aloud more often, then.” She suggested, nodding quite seriously. “I’m sure Joseph wouldn’t mind.” Addison added, gesturing to Jeremiah’s brother. He had seemed to very much enjoy it this time around, so why wouldn’t he any other? Besides, reading aloud was a perfect way to relax. What better way to forget all of your troubles than to throw yourself into a story? You couldn’t worry about schoolwork when you were too busy fighting pirates! Addison laughed a little, glancing to the books she’d chosen. Well, he was right. “That’s alright. You don’t really need a creative mind to be a story teller, as you’ve just proven.” Addison looked to Joseph and smiled. “Do you tell stories?”

Addison grinned. Tell a story? Oh, well, she couldn’t say no! And it was almost like she was telling one to her brothers all over again, except that these two were older than her (she assumed) and they weren’t related to her. Addison laughed, “okay, okay!” There was no need to beg, really. She would happily tell a story. In fact, she had many ideas already. Then again, it was usually a good idea to make sure everybody would be happy with a story. She could just assume that they wanted to hear one about knights versus pirates. “Any requests?” She asked, glancing to the two of them. Addison imagined that the two were quite different so they would probably have different ideas for a story. It could be interesting, figuring out a way to make everything work. No matter what, though, Addison was going to make sure it was a good one.

notes; short! D; sorry~!

[mugs]

Jeremiah gave a shy smile when she suggested he read aloud more.
"I usually don't. I mean, Joseph is quite old enough to read his own material."
He was very aware of his brother's condition, but despite his desire to help, he was also horribly ashamed. His brother, who was nearly an adult, could not read well enough to understand half of his schoolwork. Jeremiah spent many nights in Joseph's dorm, explaining the homework to him. And even then, Joey's grades were slipping, and quickly.
A horrid, mean part of Jeremiah wanted to refuse to help any more. He wondered occasionally if he was part of the problem. Joey never had any real motivation, because he had Jeremiah to lean on. But when he watched his brother read, it melted him. The obviousness of his concentration was nearly unbearable.
Joey suggested that Addison tell a story and he looked at her curiously.
She gave a bright smile and he could tell she loved telling stories. She looked the part too. One who could easily get into the story and make one's imagination roam and kick into overdrive.
Joey began to plead like a preschooler and Jeremiah had to forcibly refrain from rolling his eyes.
Addison conceded and a kind of light glinted in her eyes.
He shrugged, looking at his brother for a suggestion. Jeremiah was long past the point of requesting stories. He was twenty one years old, after all.

[josephmarshall]

Joey grinned at the thought of Jeremy reading to him more.
It would be a relief to have his help.
Addison looked at him and asked about stories.
He shrugged.
"Sort of. It's more of a play, usually."
And it was true.
When he told a story to their little cousins or the kids at the park, he was more likely to act it out than actually tell the story.
Addison accepted his pleading and looked at them, smiling.
She asked for requests.
Joey smiled widely, knowing that Jeremiah would never speak up, due to embarrassment.
"Jeremy likes pirates. Or.. he did, at least."
He gave Jeremy a meaningful look, disappointed in his abandonment of childhood.
"And I like Indians! And action! Lots of it! With bad guys and fighting!"
Joey grinned at Addison. Surely someone who liked adventures would know just the right story for someone like him.

[wendy]

Addison shook her head, “no, no!” She exclaimed, sitting up a bit more in her seat. “That’s not the same!” Addison fixed Jeremiah with a stare that seemed part disappointed, part obvious. “Reading aloud to somebody else, especially your younger sibling, is very different from them reading a book on their own.” It bothered her to even imagine her brothers growing up, having to read a book silently, without her there to help act out what happened on the pages. Addison huffed quietly, dragging a hand through her hair, realizing she’d begun to rant. That certainly wouldn’t do. Especially because the more she got into it, the louder she would get, and then she’d get kicked out for sure. That wouldn’t do; she had an entire day’s worth of reading ahead of her.

“Plays?” Addison repeated, tilting her head curiously. She wondered if he meant actual plays (reading Shakespeare out loud could be fun, she just really had to be in the mood for it) or if he meant his way of story-telling was in a play-like form. “Do you mean that you act out the stories?” She asked before breaking out into a smile. “Because that is the best way to do it!” Had she not been in the library, Addison would have gladly acted out whichever story she was to tell in a few minutes. She used to simply read to her brothers before it somehow turned into adventures around the bedroom. She still managed to tell the story, sometimes pulling herself out of the playing to be a narrator while he brothers continued on. It was always the most fun she could have when there wasn’t anything else to do.

“Pirates, Indians, action, bad—” She paused and laughed. “Goodness!” Addison snuggled deeper into her seat, tapping a finger against her chin. What could she do with that? It reminded her of Peter Pan in a way, with the pirates and Indians. Not to mention the action and fighting. Pirate fights could get very messy. Addison nodded, piecing it together. She could go with something a bit different, but had there ever been a pirate who didn’t want to be one? Perhaps it would be best to ask first. She wasn’t sure if anybody would want to hear a story like this. “Have you heard of William Kidd, the pirate who didn’t want to be a pirate?” Addison asked, leaning forward a little, glancing between the two of them.