Who: Cath and Ben What: Catching up When: After Ben returns from his Paris vacation Where:Sally’s Warning: Low Status: Completed via Gdoc
Cath was in an incredible mood lately. She was humming as she danced around the bakery, baking and cleaning and arranging chairs around tables… all the things that she did on a regular day. Only now she was doing them with a song in her heart--her heart that felt stronger and healthier than it’d felt since… since the pumpkin patch, so many years ago.
She was already a few hours into her work day when Ben came in before the morning rush. Cath smiled when she saw him. “Good morning!”
Coming back from Paris, Ben was bursting with ideas for the shop. He'd even brought some genuine French pastries with him that morning to give to Cath for inspiration. They were nestled in a couple of pink boxes all tied up with string, which he left on one of the empty prep tables in the kitchen before moving out to the front. "Hi?" He hadn't meant for it to come out as a question, but he was so stunned by her cheery greeting that it threw his normal enthusiasm for a loop. "How's everything? You…" seem like a Disney princess "seem like you're in a good mood."
“I’m in a very, very good mood,” Cath responded as she moved through the room. She crossed to wrap her arms around him in a hug. It might have been the first time she’d ever been so affectionate toward him, even though it had always been clear that she was quite fond of Ben. “My heart. It’s healing.” As she pulled back she realized she was talking about herself when she really should be asking him how he was. “How was your trip? Tell me all about Paris.”
It took him a second to return the hug, surprised as he'd been by it. But hug her back he did, warm and close in a way that still seemed novel after all these months. Ben glanced down at her chest and then quickly back up again, because one simply didn't do such things, even if nothing was meant by it. His face broke out into an enormous grin. "Oh, yeah, no, Paris was great. It really was, and I'll tell you all about it. But what's all this about your heart? This is fantastic news! Tell me everything!"
Cath laughed softly. Funny how they both wanted the other to tell them what was going on, neither wanting to take the first turn. She decided to give in, telling herself that she would insist he spill after she did. “Well,” Cath began, “someone from Hearts arrived. Actually, he’s from Chess, not Hearts, but Hearts was where I knew him. He and I we… we were in love.” Now that Jest was back in her life, Cath felt like she could be whole again.
It took a second for the puzzle pieces to slot into place, and then Ben was all but dragging Cath to a seat and then popping over to the counter to get them tea and the box of pastries he'd brought. "Okay, first of all, congratulations!" He'd sat by this point and already made Cath's tea the way she liked—he paid attention, okay? "Secondly, is it Jest? I talked to him about the various food options he could find around here. Hannah suggested we do a food crawl—like a pub crawl, but with food. Except no actual crawling, because he asked that, too, and since you both come from the same world, that's probably your question as well. Anyway, he seems nice! And you love him now, don't you? Or is that way too presumptuous?"
Suddenly, Cath was being whisked to a table in the bakery so they could gossip. A cup of tea was set before her the way she liked it, and she was grinning softly at Ben as he skipped into the chair opposite hers. “Yes. Jest. He is a Rook from Chess, though when I met him he was pretending to be a Court Jester in Hearts. When I was being courted by the King of Hearts, Jest and I fell in love. He’s really wonderful.” She flushed just a little. “I love him now, too. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to, because my heart is so damaged.”
Ben set his elbow on the table and leaned his head against his hand. Warmth spread through his chest like it was his own heart filling with emotion—and maybe it was. "Maybe part of fixing your heart was falling back in love? I guess some people might say it's not a good idea to fix all your solutions on another person, and that's partially right, but you put your figurative heart on the line all on your own. That has to count for something in the grand scheme of things. I'll bet you're showing him all kinds of things, right? Stuff you've learned about this world? How far has he gone down the internet rabbit hole? Ha-ha."
“Maybe,” Cath agreed. Her chest was warmer now than it’d been before. Her pulse was more steady. It wasn’t that Cath built her entire life around him--she had a life here. She had the bakery, she had friends. She was confident and sturdy. But with Jest it almost felt like… almost felt like her life was complete now. “I don’t know what it is, but I’m going to enjoy it.” She smiled a smile that would light up the room. “I love teaching him the things I’ve learned about this world. He loves the television. And the shower. Things that I was astonished with when I first arrived here--it’s fun to see how he reacts to them.”
"I can relate to that feeling, from his perspective." Ben smiled. "Sort of. I try not to take things for granted, like being able to touch things or feel the rain on my face or the taste of your amazing turnovers. I'm really, really happy for you, Cath. It's not every day we get another chance—both at life and finding the person we love. Hey, do you want to take another few days off and go somewhere? Paris was beautiful, but this world is full of beautiful places. Maybe you could both pull out a map and pick a couple of places to go? Have you flown, yet? On a plane? If not, and it's not something you want to do, I could maybe ask Cisco if he'd be willing to portal you wherever you go? I know how to ask very nicely."
Cath smiled warmly at his explanation. She was incredibly happy for him, too--that he was able to feel the rain or taste the turnovers. And now Jest was there with her, and she could show him all the things she wanted to share with someone she loved. “Go…somewhere?” She asked, curiously. “You mean, take a holiday?” She blushed a little. “No. I have not been on a plane, I… I hadn’t seen any reason to, and yet--” She shook her head. “I can’t leave the bakery. A few days is too much to ask.”
"Or," Ben drew that one word out like taffy, "you could trust in your associates to take care of things without having to ask, because at least one of them offered, and the other one can be cajoled into grumpily going along with it. The first one has some key emotional cards they can play, and they're not afraid to do so. And anyway, you don't necessarily have to fly or take a portal. You could always pick a place to get to by train. This world's a modern marvel, filled with modern marvel things—you just have to pick which one you want to experience first."
His words made Cath feel a bit guilty, and she flushed. She had full confidence in her associates. Ben and Five could run the bakery without her needing to be there now. It was more that she’d wrapped up so much of her identity in the bakery that to be without it, even just for a little vacation, was … hard to fathom.
After a brief moment, she nodded. “All right, Ben. I’ll make a plan for a holiday, and leave the bakery in your fully capable care.” Then another slight pause. “I hope you will help me plan my vacation.”
Ben grinned, bright and sunny as the noonday sun. "Cath, I would love nothing more."