everyonelives | but oh what a year

A lot of Liza's collection, which are older like White Christmas or Holiday Inn. And then there's whatever we can find on streaming.

[Which means the world is their proverbial oyster.]

( She takes a seat on the edge of the couch, taking a stand, too. )

I like the classics. Have a preference between the two? I don't have long enough for a double feature. I'll miss everyone, but, I look forward to setting my own hours. Really. I vote White Christmas.

Edited 2026-01-15 04:40 (UTC)

["Excellent choice, Quinn. I will also vote for White Christmas."

Sigh. Danny is going to be outvoted. It's fine.]

I'd prefer that over Holiday Inn.

[People talk about them interchangeably but they are not the same.]

( Both are similar, though, aren't they?

Lizzie holds her hand out to guide Danny to the couch.

"We can watch Die Hard later, promise." She half promises, she has other plans for later, but maybe after or before or tomorrow.

Quinn likes simplicity, hating the streaming scroll of what to watch or not to watch. Feels exhausting. This is better. She settles and slides off the edge onto the couch with her cookie and hot chocolate, sipping. )

Grand hot chocolate, Eliza.

[Not really. They only have similar music.

"Thank you, dear. Danny, go deal with all of the technology." She waves a hand at the TV setup and Danny sighs before getting up to wrestle with the DVD player.

Eliza smiles, before turning back to Quinn. "So how much of the family came down for the holidays?" And then to include Lizzie in the conversation. "You've met Bairre, haven't you? Danny took you to the bakery? He's one of eight boys."]

( She smiles over her hot chocolate and moves over for Eliza to sit, too, should she want.

"Best pastries in London, hands down," Lizzie says, remembering her time there. )

Sweet tooth skipped me over, but I know what my da' can do. ( But, enough talking about that. ) You want to really get it, ( To Lizzie. ) Old movie. Simply Irresistible. Really captures him.

( Follow the illogic of it being an SMG movie. It's fine. And then to Eliza. )

The Grans came down, but everyone else is in the states. The other uncles have their own Christmases and Beck wrangled everyone for his concert next week.

["But you're all getting together for the wedding next year, yeah?"

Danny perks up.]

Do your uncles need a cat sitter? I think I'm getting better with Milo.

[Teabag, of course, is a mush and needs no coercing.]

Probably?

( People sit cats? )

You'd have to ask them. And yeah. Big family wedding in May. New Orleans. I was promised beignets. Don't even know if I'll like beignets.

You might not like beignets.

[Danny doesn't say this to discourage her, but more to set her expectations. She said it herself, she doesn't have much of a sweet tooth.]

They can be very sweet, given that they're pastry with filling covered in powdered sugar.

[Danny thinks he would very much like beignets, but he's not the one going to New Orleans.]

I'll probably pass, then. Really only crossing the pond for uncle Colm. ( A beat. ) And uncle Beck, of course, his wedding. Big, celebration worth celebrating.

[Danny laughs.]

I think Beck probably knows that you're just there for Colm. But he probably appreciates you coming to the wedding still all the same.

What am I supposed to do with love, I'm eighteen.

( She doesn't believe in the stuff, not this young. )

I'm happy for me and I do like aunt Lindsay. She dishes after taking.

I met her at Thanksgiving, in Scotland. She's pretty tough.

[A good fit for the Fords, for better or worse.]

Well, she is a slayer. Comes with the territory. But, yeah, the skin's thick. And she's pretty. Cleans up. I like her for my uncle.

( The first of them to have a significant other brought around. )

Oh, apparently, Mr. McNally, one of the parents at Maeve's school, was, like old friends with uncle Bradan.

[Danny's eyebrows go up curiously. He's only tangentially aware of the McNallys in the sense that Maeve's best friend is Cole and his last name is McNally and he has parents, but it's still interesting gossip, particularly if Bradan is involved.]

Friend-friend or friend-friend?

[The intonation makes it clear what he's asking for even if it really just sounds like he's repeating himself.]

( "Are you in Elementary School?" Lizzie asks, crossing her arms, making no less indication how curious she is. )

Well, Callahan was tight-lipped, but my gran had gotten into the wine. Made it like he was the one that got away, but, like, for the family and such. So, thinking friend-friend and he was divorced at the beginning of the school year. ( for context ) From a bloke.

Bradan is the matchmaker - a well-known one. Had a whole magazine piece done on him and everything.

[For Lizzie's information, he knows that Eliza and Quinn already know. But back to the gossip matter at hand.]

But Bradan hasn't given any indication one way or the other? Not that that's surprising, he's the worst of them to read.

[At least in Danny's opinion, his family may know Bradan better.]

But Callahan keeping his mouth shut probably means something.

( Hm, there's something about a matchmaker and the one that got away. It should be a movie. )

Wouldn't have said anything had Callahan not. And before I was given a ride, Uncle Braid and Mr. McNally were in the back of the house. Didn't look any different when they came back, though. Disappointing if you ask me.

( For someone who doesn't need love for herself, everyone else should have it. )

If there's no traction or talk, there will be a niece intervention easy enough.

How does Cole feel about that?

[Nieces are nieces but this is Cole's dad. He has a feeling that he might feel one way or another about it.]

I hadn't asked, he was busy entertaining the grans. But, he doesn't talk too highly about his other da'. Days on set are well and good, but when you're minded, apparently, not that cool.

( And then to Lizzie. )

Cole McNally's Maeve's best friend and his other da's on this soap opera. Never seen him in person and he's been Maeve's best friend since primary school.

Well, check with him before you have an intervention anyway.

[Sometimes seeing your parent with someone else can throw you for a loop. Not that Danny would know personally. Both of his parents are dead. This gossip is a very welcome distraction from that.]

Because knowing Bradan, you might need that intervention.

[He is stubborn.]

Already devising. But, I promise, I'll ask the opinion of a secondary schooler.

( "At least he won't lie to you. But, Bradan hasn't been in his dad's life in a long time, according to your grandmother. But, if he's into it." Lizzie shrugs. )

[Danny shrugs in return.]

Bradan's just really hard to read. He's got a really good poker face.

[Danny assumes it's by necessity because he's sure that people say some weird shit when they're looking for a matchmaker, but Danny only knows this through experience in trying to win a game against him.]

Honest? I didn't even know who he really fancied. Never seen him with anyone, or heard about it. Uncle Cal's his own thing, you just don't ask, but Braid...

( Well. )

Kind of excited for him to - I don't know - find something that isn't his nieces or his cats or his multi-million dollar business.

[Or at least someone he's invested in enough to bring around family. Because that hasn't come up just yet. Bradan isn't a monk but Quinn wouldn't know that.]

Hope it works out then.

[And he does, Quinn has a good family.]

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interferences - 2026-01-18 22:47 (UTC) - Expand