Who: Mary and Zari What: Having lunch and catching up. Where: Red Pepper When: Sunday Afternoon Warnings: Lowish Status: Closed/Completed Gdoc
While they did chat on the network, it’d been a while since Mary and Zari had a chance to chat in person. Having a day off, Mary decided to remedy this and invited Zari to lunch at the Red Pepper. She was looking forward to a good meal and catching up with someone she considered a close friend in Madison Valley. Plus, maybe she was also hoping for a few more pictures of Zari’s cute kitty too. There was something about that furball that always brought a smile to Mary’s face.
Arriving, the waitress led her to a booth in the back and Mary idly flipped through the menu as she waited for her friend to appear. She had a lot to tell the other woman, including being a grandmother again. That was the biggest news Mary had and she couldn’t be happier. Sure, she was young for a grandmother, but Madison Valley tended to mess with timelines and no one seemed to care much about her age. All that mattered to her was she had her family here and a chance at happiness she would never experience back home.
Zari was always happy to meet with Mary. She was one of the first friends she had here, and now one of her closest. They actually had some things in common, and that meant they always had something to talk about.
When she arrived, she headed right back to where her friend was sitting, grinning as she approached the table. “Hey! It’s been awhile since we did one of these lunches.”
She was glad they were still making an effort, though.
Back home, Mary never believed she’d have an actual friend. Oh sure, she had people who believed they were her friends, believed they knew who she was, but obviously, for their safety, Mary could never tell them the truth. In Madison Valley, she didn’t have to hide that part of herself. She could be open and because of that, she could make true friends. Friends like Zari. She felt lucky for that opportunity everyday.
Spotting Zari walking over to her, with a smile on her face, Mary broke into a grin of her own. “Hey! Yeah it has, but that just means we have more to talk about.” The blond put aside the menu as Zari settled in across from her in the booth.
“So, how are you? I think the last time we talked on the network you were showing off that cute kitty of yours,” Mary said. The cute kitty no doubt helped a lot of people get through the power outage happening at the time. It had certainly put a smile on Mary’s face.
“Yeah, he’s taken every bit of my attention,” Zari said with a chuckle. That wasn’t entirely true. Mostly, she was helping Max as the girl healed. The kitten was part of that healing process.
“Anyway, we definitely have a lot to catch up on.” Both seemed to have things going on in their lives. “How are things with Alec?”
She was genuinely curious and wanted to make sure her friend truly was happy right now.
“Well, I can definitely understand that,” Mary replied. The kitten was adorable. How could it not consume most of Zari’s attention. Of course, Mary also knew that Zari had a ward named Max who’d returned from a trip home badly injured. No doubt she was taking care of Max too. Mary made a mental note to ask about Max too. The girl was clearly tough and Mary thought there was no better guardian than her friend for the young girl.
Obviously, Mary’s face brightened at the mention of Alec and there was a bit of red in her cheeks. “Good. We went to the New Year’s celebration at the museum together. It was actually a lot of fun.” And she hadn’t stepped on Alec’s feet while they were dancing either. Now that was a miracle. “Alec and Dean are staying away from each other too. Which is for the best.” She didn’t think they’d start fighting if they ended up in the same room together, but she also knew there was a lot of underlying tension there.
“But I’m happy with Alec, Zari. He’s funny and playful. He cares for me and I know he would never let anything happen to me.” She knew that Alec wouldn’t let anything happen to Dean either despite their dislike for one another at the moment.
“How about you? Anything going on in the relationship department? How’s Max?” Mary asked, leaning in, hands clasped on the table in front of her.
Zari was glad to hear that the two important people in Mary’s life weren’t fighting at the moment, even if they still didn’t get along. She knew a little about the situation, always ready to lend Mary an ear if she needed to vent.
“Max is doing better, but she still has a ways to go before she can get on a skateboard again.” She knew her ward was itching to get back to her regular routine.
“I’m not sure if I told you, but Constantine and I made things official.” That was the newest thing going on in her life.
Mary offered Zari a reassuring smile. “She’s a tough girl. She’ll be back on that skateboard sooner than any of us think.” Mary could sympathize with Max; she hated being helpless too. Being injured was debilitating and it did make you feel vulnerable, no matter how supportive or amazing the people were in your life.
The blond perked up at the mention of Zari and Constantine making their relationship official. “I’m so happy for you guys,” Mary replied, beaming. “When did it happen?” She knew the two of them had been dancing around the idea for a while, which made hearing them finally make it official so much sweeter for Mary.
"Yeah, she's one of the toughest people I know," Zari said, her tone filled with awe and pride. Max was resilient. "She'll be back in no time causing me to have near heart attacks."
She said it with intended humor, but it was partially true. She'd always be a little worried, kind of like a mother would be in some ways.
"As for me and Constantine? It was around the time when everyone was stuck telling the truth." There was also the heightened emotion from the ghost invasion. "We were kind of forced to get everything out in the open."
Communication always seems to be key with these things.
Mary chuckled. “I feel like that’s part of caring about someone. You have to take the good with the potential heart attacks.” And being the mother of two boys who specialized in putting themselves in harm's way led to a lot of potential heart attacks. Not that Mary didn’t put herself in harm’s way too. It was part of being a hunter. At least here they could focus on being something other than hunters. They didn’t have to put their lives on the line everyday for other people.
“Sounds like the truth situation turned out to be a good thing for you two. I’m glad you two are official now. It also means I should meet him at some point. Maybe we could all have dinner together. You, John, Alec, and me.” Mary wasn’t sure how Alec would feel about a double date, but she didn’t think he had anything against Constantine. Mary didn’t know Constantine well either. It would be a good opportunity for everyone to get to know each other.
“You’re right about that,” Zari said, still thinking of Max. She knew Mary, of all people, definitely understood.
“A double date?” she continued when she heard Mary’s suggestion. “Not sure how Constantine would feel about that, but it’s definitely something that could be fun.”
Besides, she did want Mary to get to know him, and Zari could get to know Alec better, too. It was a win-win for her and Mary. Maybe not so much for the guys.
“Love is a double-edged sword for sure.” Because it was the thing, the feeling, that bound people together, strengthened them, and yet, could break them just as easily. Mary knew it too well given her past and knowing her sons’ history. When you were a hunter, love broke you far more than it could ever strengthen you.
Mary nodded. “I get that. I’m not sure how Alec would handle it either. Still, I’ll bring it up to him and see what he says. If he’s not into it, well, I could always meet Constantine on my own too.” The blond didn’t want to place them in any kind of uncomfortable situations and she knew double dates could definitely be one of those.
Zari could agree with Mary’s first comment. Sometimes, love hurt that way. It wasn’t something she wanted to dwell on too much, though. Not, yet.
“Men are such sensitive creatures about these things, aren’t they?” she said with a slight chuckle. She clearly wasn’t serious when she said that. “But you’re right. You can meet him anytime. As long I can spend time with you, I’m good.”
They did have a good time at these lunches.
Mary laughed. “I know, right? So dramatic all of them,” she joked. Obviously, it would be interesting and possibly fun to have a double date, but she was also not going to push Alec into it if he really didn’t want to go. She was more than happy to spend time with Zari and Constantine on her own or just meet Constantine for a drink to introduce herself.
A warm smile graced Mary’s features and she nodded. “Likewise. Always. Now, let’s order some food. I’m starving.”