“She’s more than just a pretty face,” Aslan said, though it was hard to tell if that was a compliment. “She is … very intelligent, in a way that might intimidate most men. Besides – I am her brother, not her father.”

Curtains slammed shut as they passed.

“Perhaps it won’t be a York man,” Aslan agreed, and tried to sound reluctant about that prospect.

Tried.

Francis shrugged. "I've no idea what's good for a wife. I like the idea of being with my equal or better. But that's me. Wanting to marry up and all that? But I suppose most men are easily intimidated."

He frowned a bit at the curtains and shrugged as he walked on. "Well lots of rich men moving into town. Sure you can find one who would like a pretty and intelligent lady..."

A face lingered in a window they passed, watching.

“Didn’t you give up on a guy just for pulling a knife on you?” Aslan teased. “I like an intelligent woman, but I need to make sure Nisa’s life is set first.”

Preferably far, far away. Out of stabbing range of any intelligent ladies or gentlecannibals.

Francis shook his head and stared back at the face bemused. "It wasn't the knife. He was a priest. "

He started to fiddle with the hem of his sleeve. "Well, you are a good brother looking out for her. Hopefully she will find someone."

“So knife-wielding maniacs will do,” Aslan surmised. “Just not if they’re of the cloth.”

Good brother. One of the few contexts ‘good’ could be applied in, if even that was true.

He thought he’d wanted her to be happy. Then he saw what happy looked like for her.

“Someone she loves,” he added.

More than killing. Was she capable of loving anything, anyone, more than killing? Or was that asking rain to land dry?

Francis shrugged. "Ivmean, if they were great otherwise... priests are a dead end. You can't have fun we ith them, if you could that means you're always second to church cause they are still priests. They aren't gonna leave for you. And if they did do something naughty, maybe they do it with lots of others. Priests are allowed alone with people a lot and given certain levels of trust. So yeah, no priests ." He finished with a shrug.

The man nodded a bit as he walked, his hands folded behind himself. "Love is hard though. Marrying for money is easy. Also love can be unsteady and wavering. Money is physical and something you can measure. Let her marry a rich man who is nice. Then you wouldn't have your money problems. "

Oh, rub it in, Tully.

“I’m not the one that tried hitting on one,” he laughed.

… Come on. Was it really still trying if it was a success?

“Rich and nasty might even be better,” Aslan said offhandedly. “She’s lovely, but she’s not easy on her loved ones. He might as well deserve it.”

Francis smiled and shrugged. "I told you, it was fun. Both priests know my sins so I don't have to worry if it slips out about them turning me into the constables. So it was just a little fun. Think of it as a town welcome. At least he didn't see me naked like the other did." He laughed again cheerfully.

His head turned as his eyes watched Aslan at the sudden change in description. "Oh? Is your sister harsh to you? You can tell me. People might think of ladies as delicate and all that, but I know the truth. I've seen enough to recognize when men or women are mistreated behind closed doors.'

Naked? Damn. Poor Crane was going to be disappointed if that went anywhere … which, considering Tully’s descriptor of priests just a moment ago …

“Nah, nah,” Aslan was quick to answer, shaking his head. “Nothing like that. She’s just got a very particular view on how life should be.”

He fixed his sleeve.

“Wouldn’t mess with her if you weren’t blood, though,” he said with a sidelong look, like he was letting him in on some private joke.

There was a younger crowd looming up ahead. A few heads turned to regard their approach. A few of them looked to be adults, though most looked to be teenagers and a few might have been even younger. Alcohol hung in the air.

… Were those Longbottoms?

Francis nodded. "Sounds like you should need to be careful then who she is with then, want a good choice if she is like that." He tried to reason.

He could smell the alcohol from here and tried to hide any frown that started to appear. He turned his head and flashed a smile towards Aslan. "It's very late. No many good types up at this time. Maybe you should turn around and head home?"