for the rest of us death will be a relief

[praevaricatio]

Comments

[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.

[bibrid]

And I'm a powerful witch who could compel my way onto any flight, my parents have Armory, Malivore and Salvatore money. It's doable. And... I still need to talk to them, and Josie, and Alice, but, they're all going to end the same. I love you and want to be closer to you.

( Whether it's the baked goods or inner confidence she's always had, this needs to be said here and now. )

[undermyfeet]

Okay.

[Danny is down for that. In fact it's probably the best news he's heard all year.]

If this is what you want, I'm one hundred percent with you. I just don't want you to be miserable because you miss your people. And I love you too.

[bibrid]

My people aren't going anywhere. I know this probably feels sudden, but it's been on my mind all semester. And then my mom and Alice and me were attacked... It just makes sense. We should be in the same place. We're stronger together.

( She could probably do good work in the coven. )

I know I basically sprang this on you.

[undermyfeet]

You did. But I think you also underestimate how much I basically want you here all the time.

[He flashes her a grin as he takes another bite of the red velvet.]

So if we can make it work, I'm in. You can probably just move right into my house unless you want to live at Oxford.

[bibrid]

Um. No. I would love to move into your house.

( She grins through it. )

With you in your house.

[undermyfeet]

Yeah.

[It'll be nice to make new memories there. To clear out the ones of the people he's missing and make it feel a little less empty. A little less alone.]

It'll be nice to have you there.