Each time I think I'm close to knowing she keeps on growing Who: Caelia and Diana Where: Sunny's Diner When: Lunch-time Notes: Spoken words are in Greek
The biggest problem that Diana had with going out to eat in these American diners was that the menus were always written in English. She'd never been able to go out on her own without Barnabas if she hoped to be able to order something that was going to be somewhat edible. It wasn't her fault that nowhere in this country seemed to know what a good meal really was, or that they always wrote the menus in the same language. There had been a few restaurants with Spanish or French menus, true, that Barnabas had insisted on trying, but she'd been hopeless with reading those menus too. What good was speaking a language when you couldn't read it? Here was where Barnabas would've interjected, interrupting her thoughts, to point out that it was a lot of good and she was just being silly to think that it wasn't worth it. Diana would smile, agree and they'd be talking about something that probably didn't even matter just to keep the more serious thoughts from coming in. Because, in the time before, they hadn't ever gone out to eat in places where people brought the food because they worked there. No, that had only happened after and Barnabas would do anything to keep Diana's mind as clear as he could because the gods knew that when it clouded... oh that was when the rains would come.
No rains today, Diana told herself firmly as she smiled across the table to Caelia, over the menu's that she couldn't understand for the life of her. Today they would be no rains or sudden winds or lightning coming out of nowhere. No, today she'd specifically set a large portion of time aside so that she could spend it with Caelia. Diana didn't believe that she had spent enough time with just her eldest since they'd all come to Scarlet Oak by sheer divine luck or intervention, nor did she really believe that she'd spent enough time with Cheila either and she'd spent the most with her by far. There wouldn't ever be enough time to make up for what she'd lost and she knew that, but it didn't mean she couldn't try. That and she was more aware than anyone else that something wasn't right with Caelia. There was something wrong with all of them, she didn't need Barnabas to tell her that, but out of them all it was Caelia who'd stayed away and it was Caelia who didn't join in so easily and it was Caelia who she hadn't once seen pray or give true thanks. It was Caelia that Diana wasn't sure still had the faith that had she had been raised in. And more. Something was missing from her eldest and all that she wanted was to figure out what so that she could try to put it back where it belonged. She hadn't really lost any of Caelia's childhood when she'd been stolen, but she'd lost her and she knew that. Stop it, no rains.
"You'll have to tell me what looks good for lunch, Caelia, I cannot read this language for the life of me and these pictures they have in here are always so deceiving." Diana folded the menu and set it on the edge of the table before she smoothed out the pale yellow dress she had worn, enjoying the way that the smooth material felt under her fingers. "I think I'll just have whatever you're having since I can never make up my mind on these things. Barnabas is forever teasing me about it." Or he used to. She wasn't sure if he would still tease her because she wasn't sure if he'd ever be exactly the same. That thought almost stole her smile, but then she remembered that she'd gotten Caelia out here with her -- with some effort, true, but it'd happened -- and it stayed where it was. Sipping at the water that the waitress had brought after they sat, Diana drew a star out with the water droplets that had dripped off the cup onto the table. "Thank you for coming with me today. I thought it'd be nice, just us."