My Dear Laurens (Lams)

M. Lafayette

Lafayette tapped his fingers on his head, resting in the palm of his hand. Generally, Lafayette's patience wore thin in a normal amount of time. If a situation he was stuck in became boring, his desire to leave would activate, so he would. If a person took longer than needed to fulfill a task, or get from point A to point B, then Lafayette's restlessness would awaken, and he would persuade said person to hurry.

Burr sat across from Mulligan and Lafayette droning on about how unnecessary it was to "rescue" him from Angelica Schuyler's well-articulated wrath. How Burr was thankful for the sentiment but capable of handling himself in front of women therefore not needing any saviors. Especially not the kind of saviors that he placed below him on scales of intellect, tact, and ability to survive in a world as hungry as theirs.

However, this last detail was not spoken by Burr but gifted contextually to his seething guardian angels.

"Again, it really was kind of you, but I must be going now," Burr said, rising from the wooden table and waving goodbye. His smile projected a conversation ended well, yet Lafayette and Mulligan delighted in the end simply because it was over now.

Mulligan mumbled a "yeah, see you," under his breath along with a nod.

Once Burr exited their personal space, Lafayette turned to Mulligan with a glare in his eyes.

"What did I say?" Lafayette answered his question himself. "I said, Burr is the worst, and we should not help him. And what did Monsieur Mulligan say to the voice of reason?" Lafayette, again, answered his own question. "He'll owe us now, so let's go."

Lafayette's voice shifted to a mockery of Mulligan's lower, American accent.

"Uh, yeah, so, don't you love helping people, Lafayette?" His face contorted into a grimace. "Isn't it the best when you help the one person you hate and then you get the reaction you expected?"

Mulligan raised his eyebrow, then said, "Yeah, so, back to the plan, then?"

Lafayette rolled his eyes, even though his interest was immediately roused with a reference to his unfinished plan.

"Fine, but because Burr clearly isn't going to repay me, you have to buy me a horse." Lafayette held his hand up to block any interjections from Mulligan. "This is not up for debate. Thirty minutes of my time has been wasted, and it is up to you to make it up to me."

Lafayette paused to debate his fledgling of a plan in his mind. How would he make it happen? What was the best way to handle the "situation" in Alexander's bedroom, more specifically Alexander's bed?

To clear his head, Lafayette abandoned his bench and Mulligan to exit the outdoor seating of the café and onto a trail leading to the edge of the park a half-mile distance from him. Lafayette knew Mulligan needed no explanation to follow him, which is why he left without warning. He chose not to speak to Mulligan who was walking a few paces behind him.

Mulligan, unbothered by his silence, sunk into the sounds of nature and city leaving Lafayette the undisturbed space to ponder.

Lafayette internally thanked Mulligan.

Lafayette and Mulligan's relationship was simple. A long time had passed, letting their friendship grow exponentially. They understood each other's mannerisms, pet peeves, coping mechanisms, needs, desires, and ultimately the whole of the other person. Some qualities they possessed balanced each other out, while others doubled in intensity. For example, Mulligan has issues controlling his anger; Lafayette does not. Lafayette is reckless and impulsive, but Mulligan tends to promote logic before his heart's desires. To understand an emotion they both have little power over, one could take a peek at patience. Neither grasps the handle when their patience is tested.