for the rest of us death will be a relief

[praevaricatio]

Comments

[undermyfeet]

It is. Let's go.

[And they will go, heading off to the bakery. Brewer Street Bakery is a tiny spot wedged into the middle of some other shops and restaurants, but the lure of fresh baked goods is hard to resist as you reach the door.

Decorated in warm colors, they make their way into the small seating area, with a couple of scattered regulars. Tables are set up in front of a long display counter, and the tall form of Bairre Ford is currently hunched over, sliding a fresh plate of cookies into the display case.

He catches the distorted form of Danny in the glass, and as he straightens, Danny gives him a wave.]

Morning, Mr. Ford.

["Danny. Your favorites are still in the oven."

He shrugs.]

That's alright. We'll probably try a couple things.

[He then nudges Lizzie to go see if there's anything she wants to try in the case.]

This is Lizzie, my girlfriend.

[Bairre nods. "Nice to meet you, Lizzie."]

[bibrid]

Yes, please.

( First, she goes to the case, but, then she remembers her manners and tips her head upward, offering a hand to shake. She has more confidence now and can shake hands like the rest of them. )

Lizzie Saltzman. It's nice to meet you. I've heard incredible things about your confections. Do you have any recommendations?

[fullpockets]

Well. If you're not a red velvet fiend like your boyfriend -

["It's called having taste," Danny interjects.

Bairre raises his eyebrows at Lizzie like you see what I'm working with.]

- I personally think the carrot cake is our best, followed closely by anything lemon - lemon is Patrice's specialty.

[bibrid]

One slice of carrot, one of lemon, and one red velvet. And do you serve coffees here? Or alcohol?

( She has to ask. She does love Bairre's accent, though! )

[fullpockets]

Excellent choices. And no alcohol, all the booze we have goes into the baked goods, but we do have coffee.

[Even if he's not really one to drink it. He's a tea guy. He points up to the cafe menu that has a range of options - lattes, Americanos, etc.]

Just let us know how you like it.

[bibrid]

Cream, sugar? And, Danny likes his sweeter, I think. Extra sugar packets on the side. Love your accent. You're Irish, aren't you?

( She's always wanted to go to Ireland. She missed the Leprechaun, thankfully. )

[fullpockets]

I am. Grew up in Dublin, or thereabouts.

[He moves behind the counter, getting the coffees going, before then grabbing the slices of cake.]

Moved out to London after I finished culinary school.

[bibrid]

Did your family come with you, or are they all back there?

( She has nothing to do but be nosy while she waits to bring everything sweet back to the table, so nosy she will be. )

[fullpockets]

A couple did, but most of them are in the States, actually. We wound up scattered all over the place in a lot of ways.

[Which is good though. It's not really a good thing when they're all living in each other's pockets.]

[bibrid]

My twin sister and I went to different schools. Do you have a big group chat or actually make the physical effort to see everyone?

( She keeps in mind he's a widower, but there's family left behind. And family should stick together, especially after tragedy. )

[fullpockets]

We have a group chat. For the latter, we try, but it takes time. And I also have three children to manage, so I don't get to see them as often as I hope.

[His brothers are getting better at it though.]

My brother is actually getting married next year, though, and we should all be together for that.

[bibrid]

Girl dad, uh?

( he has the look. )

That's fun. Destination wedding or back in ( trying the Irish accent. ) Ireland? ( she scrunches her face. ) Please do your best to forget I did that.

[fullpockets]

New Orleans. He recently moved there.

[Though if Ireland had been an option on the table, at one point or another.]

And yes, all three of them are girls.

[bibrid]

My sister's at Tulane! And her girlfriend. And, actually, two friends from high school. And Hope's family. I know a lot of people there. Great city.

( She smiles at the thought of girls. )

Are your girls all close in age? I have a twin.

[fullpockets]

Not that close. Quinn's a year younger than Danny and Ciara and Maeve are thirteen and ten.

[She's probably going to meet them if she's spending time with Danny. And he will set the coffees on the counter for her to take.]

[bibrid]

Thank you. Girl dads are the best.

( Ones who aren't always hers. But, hers means well. And tries. )

I will definitely be coming back here because I'm staying through winter break.

( With that, she takes, first, the coffees to Danny's table and then she brings the pastries, flopping down across from him. )

I like Bairre.

[undermyfeet]

He's a good man. Quinn's great too. I think you'll like her.

[He takes his coffee from her with a smile and takes a long sip.]

You'll probably get a chance to meet her before you go.

[bibrid]

I want to meet any and everyone, so when you say names, I actually know who you're talking about. If I didn't know Eliza was like a billion years old, I would think she was your work wife.

( She says it in her casually dismissive Lizzie way as she assesses the three desserts. )

What is it about red velvet? Isn't it the same flavor?

[undermyfeet]

Nope. It's totally different than a normal chocolate cake. Plus this place has the best cream cheese frosting.

[Which is an important component of the red velvet cake.]

The texture is different from a regular chocolate cake, and it's made with buttermilk and vinegar so it's not the same flavor profile. It's it's own thing. And it's better.

[In Danny's not-so-humble opinion. It's clear he's had this debate many times in defense of his fave.]

[bibrid]

Well, how could I take that any other way. Guess I'll dig in to the red velvet.

( She takes a bite, pleasantly surprised with the flavor profile and the texture. )

It doesn't beat chocolate, but, it's up there. Thanks for the recommendation.

[undermyfeet]

You're welcome.

[Danny's been eating Bairre's baked goods long enough that he's not noticing it at this point, but Lizzie will notice that the more she samples, the more she'll feel a warm, fuzzy bubble of contentment. It doesn't feel strange, just comfortable and cozy, almost like she's been given a warm hug in cake form.]

So what would you like to try next?

[bibrid]

( she settles into it, sinking down only slightly from the extreme comfort. she swallows before answering. )

Maybe, moving here.

[undermyfeet]

[He nods, almost as though he doesn't quite hear it at first. Then it sinks in, the layers of what she's saying, and his head snaps up to look at her.]

Wait, really?

[bibrid]

... Yeah. ( She's surprised herself, too, looks down at the baked good in her hand and then drops it back down on the plate. ) I miss you. All the time. And, Josie has her life in New Orleans. And I'd miss Alice, but, your life is here. Your life will probably always be here. Why can't mine? I did some research into Oxford.

[undermyfeet]

I would love to have you here. And you're not wrong about my life.

[He lets that stand on it's own, because he would. He misses her all the time, and while there's enough coven stuff to keep him busy that he has enough distractions, he does miss their first few months of being together, spending their time in Mystic Falls and New York City.]

Just be sure. It's a much longer, more complicated trip to see your family if you want to.