Isla shot Adam a glance but his reassuring smile sent her off regardless, she walked with the elegance of a lady, shoulders back no sign of a slouch, head held so chin was parallel to the floor.  Her hands were kept at her side and gently followed her pace as she walked. Duncan did all the talking, he talked quite a lot actually. It was strange, people didn’t usually blurt out things so very casually but she didn’t mind, it meant she didn’t have to talk. He seemed to flit from subject to subject like a humming bird, when he mentioned his limp, Isla’s first instinct was to reassure him but he continued talking regardless and so the opportunity passed. 

His reasoning for doing a more social set of courses, or even staying in school seemed almost egotistical but she assumed it was a nervous intent to impress.  Besides she’d met fare more arrogant and self-absorbed people than Duncan and so it didn’t seem necessary to interject. 

When he mentioned military defence and attack systems her step faltered again, generally speaking it was not permitted for anyone outside of an MOD position to even know who worked on weapons and the like, let alone casually talk about projects. Recovering quickly she settled her mind and assumed it would be similar to many of the British companies that worked for MOD contracts, they didn’t technically all work on weapons but circuits and wiring, guidance systems and the like. 

When he spoke about his mum it was the first time he seemed to touch on anything vaguely emotional and she paid a little closer attention at that point. Soon they were out in the back garden and he was directing her attention to the various plants that encompassed the land. It was quite cluttered and seemed more for self-sustainability than enjoyment, Isla quite liked plants but she preferred flowers to fruits, the only exception was made for fruit trees, she adored the delicate petals and the way they fell like rain at the end of the summer. 

He had stopped speaking now and she allowed the silence to settle over her for a long moment, drinking it in. Even when her family had been whole their conversations were not so animated and constant and certainly since conversation was done silently and in small surges.  “It’s lovely.” She commented, at a loss as to what to say to any of what had just been said to her. School, accidents, death, foster parents and mid-life crisis, it was a crash course into a person’s entire life and she was still processing it best she could. “What school is it you’re attending?” She asked, finally remembering him having spoken about that at some point during the walk. 

++++++

Adam grinned at Masumi, “You know, I really wouldn’t say no to a drink, coffee? If that’s okay?”
Adam followed Mr. Miller to the shed, it was nice and the car was really nice. Adam was quite fond of cars, not that he thought that he’d have the time or money to have a hobby like Johnathan’s. As soon as he was in and the shed door closed the man was speaking to him and Adam had trouble keeping up at first. Perhaps it was the war that had left him unused to such free and easy speech or perhaps it was to do with the last month the pair had endured. 

Still with a grin plastered on his face he kept up all the same, “I think Isla saw it last night, it runs pretty quiet. Glad to know that some of the next generation can still tinker with cars, it’s getting all too modern for me. Hardly know how to use a mobile phone.” He jested playfully. 

It didn’t surprise him overly when Mr. Miller confronted him about his history before bearing his families own. Isla was right, they probably should have done the other houses first. He rolled his shoulder in a half-hearted shrug, “I don’t think anyone who has seen war is ready to talk about it.” He certainly wasn’t, and it was Ceila’s first demand of him when they took him on. No stories in front of Isla, not then or ever and to this day he’d buried that part for Isla’s sake. “Got out a good few years back, after Afghanistan... well.” He shrugged again, turning to view the car, it was time for a change of subject, something less miserable. “So what’s the local school’s like? Obviously I’ve spoken with them and looked at their reviews but since your son goes to one, it’s better to get the inside scoop, right?”