Spoilers follow:

It’s my impression Al is completely unaware that he’s spent his life trapped in a body he hates, and it’s making him doubly frustrated because everything feels wrong all the time and he doesn’t understand why Could be some projection, as that was my own problem up to the age of 36. But then he might probably externalize that bad feeling to the women in his life, that is to say, Lucille. So he treats her, still completely unconsciously, like his personal enemy.

Mixed with jealousy because of her easy familial relationship with Brendan, and his (Al’s) general avoidance of all social interaction, Lucille obviously gets the impression he hates her, and all that is what they have to build their relationship on. I think she’s a better sport than he deserves, myself.

As I read what those two are doing as catty, I kinda agree with you that there is some underlying tension that involves Brendan.

Wait, does she not know? I always assumed she’d figured it out and/or Brendan had just told her, and she just kinda thought he was a jerk and Brendan could do better.

I’ve always felt like he’s a bit jealous of her because of how Brendan is when he’s with her and how close and open they are. I dunno.

http://ohumanstar.com/chapter-3-page-17/

okay.
so, not as extremely-upwards as i had erroneously-remembered..
..but. . . . .i dunno

al’s framing there just struck me as giving off a “not entirely-masculine” feel — a pose, that (to me) was akin to a bratty girl, miffed that she … did not get Her Way­®.­­

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as referenced by lucille, there was at least one other occasion at whence the three of them had previously-convened (though, if i am not mistaken, lucille herself did not appear in the story until that period-in-time, when she had made the reference).
i don’t believe any of these prior meetings has yet been touched upon… …so, for now, we-all are to be left in the dark, for knowing who threw the first jab.

maybe lucy had said something to al, in an attempt to get him to loosen up, but, alastair didn’t take to it too well?

why must this torturous wait persist?

this storm-away might have had something to do with Lucille, though i cannot remember this now.
(i’ll need to go back to review..
..i still wish to glean what i can, for any clues on what brewed The Cattiness in ala-bala, towards lucille)

maybe bren-bren’ll lay a little smackdown on him, for lee’s brushing brendan off so easily, before?

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“Good Denim.”