RP: Coffee. Life Blood. Same Thing.
Who: Tate & Dora What: Friends helping friends When: October 16th Where: Dora's Flat Warnings: Just language. Talk of relationships.
Tate had Monday's off, this Monday he had booked time with Dora. He had reached out to his friend to ask if she might like him coming by, maybe watching the children while she did some things. He didn't mind doing it, he rather enjoyed helping Dora out so that she could get little projects done. He was enjoying getting to know her twins while he was at it, they were helping him understand Felix a little more. It was ridiculous but he didn't think he was the best with the little ones. Auri he bonded so easily with, she loved facts about animals. He was always picking up a few from Rolf before heading over to Quin's.
He showed up just after noon, he enjoyed sleeping in on his days off. He knocked at the door, adjusting his large hoodie as he waited for her to answer. He had worn a pair of beat up muggle jeans that had seen better days, his sneakers that were faded with age, and a large zip up hoodie that had the band name Foo Fighters across the back of it. His hair was a wreck, though that was hardly anything new. It stuck up in every which way, from where he had been pulling at it here and there.
In his free hand though he held a coffee carrier that held two hot coffees, one for himself and one for the mother behind the door. He knew it was her life blood, so he couldn't bring some for himself without bringing some for her as well.
Dora was grateful for the multitude of people who were willing to watch the twins. She didn't like leaving them completely for more than a few hours at a a time still, but it was perfect when someone was willing to come help her and she could get either chores done while they caught up (her insomnia at least meant the place was mostly clean) or she could start churning out at least the generic work for the shop.
She did miss working and tried to get it in whenever she could. Even though she seemed chronically exhausted and lived for the one day a week she had Hyperion take the twins early so she could sleep for a handful of hours, she was finally finding a sort of groove of sorts.
"Come in," she called from where she was simultaneously feeding McKay by breast (she'd been forced to lose some of her self consciousness early on with them) and feeding Ainsley with a bottle. "I'm sorry, we're a bit behind schedule today because someone had a meltdown earlier,"c she said, flashing a smile over her shoulder at him.
Tate heard her voice, taking her invitation, and stepping inside the flat. He shut the door behind himself, only pausing to unzip his hoodie, it was always warmer inside. "Hey!' He called out, shaking his head when she apologized, even waving a hand in her direction to wave it off. "Don't bother, children don't exactly fit to schedules." He'd learned that first hand the first year Auri had been alive. She had been a good baby, as far as Tate could tell, but she definitely didn't fit into schedules. Though Quin had made it all look so effortless, he knew better. He'd been around, children weren't exactly easy.
"How're they doing?" He was doing his best to be polite, keeping his eyes where they should be. It was a natural thing, sure, but he also knew you weren't supposed to stare. Instead he made his way over to a chair, falling down into it. "I've got coffee." He held up the carrier, before he leaned forward so that he could set it down on the table in front of him. "I would have brought food but I'm not entirely sure what you'd be up for." He had known when she was pregnant to always bring ice cream, or at least a frozen treat of some sort. Now that she didn't have the odd cravings, he wasn't entirely sure what she might enjoy. He had taken to baked goods lately, ever since he had started at Sweet Nothings.
Dora was sure that if it has been one child instead of two, she would have had an easier time of not having to have parts of her more bare than she was comfortable with. But as it stood, children really didn't do great keeping to schedules (especially on days the schedules were dearly needed) or on always eating on time. McKay was especially bad about the latter, and it often through her plans, loose though they were, drastically off.
"Melt down over nothing aside, I think today isn't a bad day," she said. McKay still looked a little lingeringly red about the face, though Ainsley had calmed down very fast once her brother had stopped screaming.
Both children had dark hair at this point, even McKay, like their parents, and both had bright blue grey eyes that looked stsrtlingly like their mum's. Ainsley's face even had a bit of her shape, though her smile was very much her father's, in Dora's opinion. She thought aside from thr eyes that McKay resembled Ewan more than herself.
"Ah bless you, dear man," she said. "Can't reach for it jist yet but rest assured I need my caffeine." Her vogue was strong today, and she too was starting to relax now that the babies were calmer and someone else was around. Most days she had that aura of calm down. But it did have cracks, and being alone with two such small beings who were so utterly dependent on her was very difficult sometimes.
"Ah, I'm always up for anything. Though it's good to get to exercise more now, so it doesn't all sit on my hips anymore." Though truth be told despite her ice cream addiction she hadn't gained much more than what was really truly needed foe two babies. "Coffee is more than good enough. How are you, darling?"
"You should really get used to those, I hear they're common with children." He was sure Quin had covered that when the two women had met, he was glad that they had been able to swap stories. Quin was a fantastic mother. "They look like they are starting to get big on you. What will you do when they're both bigger than you?" He assumed both might meet somewhere in the middle, seeing as their father was on the tall side, while their mother was on the shorter side. He couldn't help but tease her, just the once. He even flashed an apologetic smile, he hadn't been able to help himself.
"I'll get you the cup when you want it. You take care of children, they're more important than the coffee anyway." He crossed his legs at the ankle, stretching back in the seat. "I'm doing fairly well. Work is really good. I had a talk with Perse that got my wheels turning, maybe owning my own place..." It had been a dream since dating Teddy, the one dream that he always found just slightly out of his grasp. He was beginning to think he might be getting closer to being able to do that, though he first needed to find the money. He was sure he'd figure it all out, when the moment was right.
"Next time I'll make you come out. We'll grab food someplace, or maybe I can take them by Rolf's Beastiery? They need more friends." He had a teasing tone to his voice, he rather enjoyed the idea of Dora having more things around the house that would drive her a little batty. He didn't know why, he just rather enjoyed teasing her.
"Pffft. They have grown, but they've a ways to go yet," she said indulgently. "And remember, this little gnat here can still pin your arse down with or without alcohol being involved." She shot him one of her somewhat mischievous glares. Reminding him that her size didn't honestly matter she could still set him, or anyone bigger than her, on their arses, as she'd once demonstrated, drunk, on a bet with someone arsehole who had been interrupting their drinking.
"Besides, they've just about reached proper newborn size, so it's nice to see them big even if lugging them around is going to get harder." But at least she had Ewan, who could share the lugging. McKay still always fussed for her, but Ainsley was happy to be passed around some.
"Oh, that would be brill. You've always wanted that," she recalled. But, much like her, he had trouble getting certain aspects of his act together. She'd gotten part of hers together for dueling; but she'd never lost the alcohol, until partway through her pregnancy. She still had the longing sometimes. She didn't know if she'd always be able to resist, now that she wasn't pregnant. "What are you considering?"
She snorted. "If you're going to be a brat, feed a brat," she retorted back, indicating the bottle she held for Ainsley. She knew he knew how to feed the babies. He'd helped with his little half-sister, she knew. "PRetty sure three babies and a husband is more than enough for me to juggle, and we can call the shop another if we're in a charitable mood."
Tate shot her a lopsided smirk, shaking his head. "Of course you still can, I didn't doubt that. They still need some training though before they can be your pint sized body guards." While he had no doubts that Dora's children would be masters in defensive magic, he couldn't see her raising children that weren't, he didn't see her raising them to actually be bodyguards. It was an amusing thought though. "Lugging them about has got to be a fun task, how often do you all get out?" He was curious how often the little family was able to get out, he couldn't imagine it being a particularly fun to lug everyone about, but he found it amusing.
"I'm not really considering much just yet, I might want to incorporate a bakery into it all... I also thought about bridging the gap between the muggle and magical world, but I don't know if that's going to be more of a disaster than anything..." There were a lot of ideas that Tate had for his future, he still had time though he thought. He enjoyed working with Melinda, he had still yet to learn everything there was about baking. He was still learning new tricks and tips every day, yet he longed for his own business slightly.
"Alright, alright." He chuckled with his hands up, shaking his head before he moved so that he could scoop up Ainsley, and the bottle she had indicated. He cradled the infant carefully in his arms, no fear as he went about setting her up so that she would be able to feed from her bottle. It was crazy how easily it all was to him, though he supposed that was in part to Felix. He spent enough time around small children that it was natural for him at this point.
Dora gave a laugh and just sighed and shook her head. "Not much," she admitted. "With Ewan, it's easier, but he works and he likes to cook so we stay in a lot." And on her own it was a lot more difficult. It was getting, sometimes, a little easier with practice, but not as much as she'd wish. "I never thought of myself as a social butterfly, but it can get stifling sometimes," she said quietly after a moment.
She generally had her morning or evening run to herself and that was about it. Unless she had a baby sitter, and even then she did tend to worry about the babies.
"Hm, I would be very careful of trying to bridge worlds. I understand the urge, but you can get into some really murky water there," she cautioned. She knew enough about ministry work to know it was fraught with pitfalls he didn't really need to deal with.
"So maybe more of a... café type place? There's a fair amount of baking in that, I would think," she said, offering him the idea. She was his friend, she did want to help.
She did watch with a careful eye as he picked up her daughter, but she was reassured. Quintella had been reassuring when they'd talked that time too. Her hand cradled the back of McKay's head gently; he was slowing down and she knew from experience he was almost done. She'd set everything to quick rights as soon as he was.
Tate frowned hearing that, that worried him. He knew that Dora wasn't the most social person, he thought it was a good idea for her to get some social interactions however. The children were adorable, but there was nothing like adult conversation. He remembered Quin when she was first a mother, he had entertained her with his stories about the kitchen life, all while they had cooked in the large kitchen. "You need adult talk, I completely understand. Quin used to help me with the whole learning to cook stuff, I think it's one of the only reasons she started talking to me. She needed to speak to an adult." He knew it wasn't true, he got a good chuckle out of it anyway.
"That's the problem, it's why I'm trying to just think about it a little longer.." He shook his head though when she mentioned a cafe, "I can't do one of those, it would be far too much like Sweet Nothings. I'd feel like I was being rude to Mel, somehow stealing her idea. I don't think I want the bakery side to be too large, just a few treats. I think maybe one fantastic awesome thing, muggle magic maybe?" He gave an easy shrug, "Then maybe a second dessert that's good, but it's average compared to the muggle magic one. Give them some sort of other option." He was certain he'd work it all out, though a cafe wasn't in his future. He knew it would be far too close to what Mel did.
Tate settled in with little Ainsley, cradling the infant as he went about feeding her. His eyes were stuck on the little face in his arms, since he knew Dora was still feeding McKay. It was the polite thing to do, besides he hadn't held an infant like this in ages. He enjoyed spending time with Dora and the twins. "She looks like you, I can see it already. That's crazy."
Dora was a bit more of a social person than she ever admitted heself, though she was still a very private person. Without going to work every day, too, she was.. feeling it a bit. But she'd also heard most mothers felt this way, so she didn't think too much of it, other than she really did enjoy when some of her friends did come over. Like now. "Ha, and she thought you were adult conversation?" she teased, smirking so he'd know that she was just kidding. "Honestly yes, the adult talk is nice."
It was amazing how much she missed it for she hadn't ever thought of herself as a huge talker, but she could be, in the right situation. Or apparently when she had been alone with two tiny babies too much.
"Tea shop," she suggested. She didn't tink a café was quite the same as either of those things. But the menu was more restricted at both, and he deserved to make something... more, really. She was happy to be a bouncing block, at least.
"It is crazy. Poor girl. She's got the curse of the Lestrange looks." Looked like her, and she looked like her mum, so. "How are Quin and her bairns? I know last time I saw her at the clinic, she said you were coming by that evening to spend time with everyone."
Tate snickered, "Hey, maybe she was blinded by the love for my father." He knew that was a joke, while he knew that they had loved each other, it wasn't like what she felt her fiance now. He didn't think it ever could be, especially since his father had essentially bought Quin. Tate never judged their relationship, he knew that it was a different way of life. Her family was old, they did things the old way. "I promise to try my best to pretend to be an adult for you." He told her with a cheeky sort of smile, he really wanted to be good company for Dora.
"Maybe." Tate didn't know the right name for what Sweet Nothings was, he knew that he wanted something though. He just wasn't sure what it was, it was an in between. He wondered if maybe he would be making his own new category. "I'll figure it out." He knew he had enough people in his corner, that anything he started would be well received. He just needed to figure out what he wanted to open, and just where. He couldn't open up on Victory Road, he was fairly certain of that. It would be almost like a slap in the face to Melinda.
"Curse, you're ridiculous." Tate wouldn't rant at her about how he found her beautiful, she was married, with twins. That wasn't something you could blurt out like that. He couldn't say it to Persephone either, he really needed to stop putting himself in these situations. He wanted to say something to Persephone, though he had a feeling it might make their entire roommate relationship strained. "They're fantastic. I've been trying to pop by often, just enough to be a permanent fixture in their lives. He was even getting to know the new boyfriend. "Do you know her fiance well?"
Dora snorted softly. She knew it had been an arranged thing and unlike some, she didn't look down on it. She'd considered letting her aunt do something like that for her at one point. It wasn't foreign to her as a pureblood, though it had fallen out of favor in the last couple of generations. It was still done, however. "I'm sure you'll manage to be at least a juvenile," she teased.
"If I think of anything, I'll let you know. we don't have any restaurant restaurants just on the alley, really, so you have plenty to consider. And plenty of time to work it out first." No need to rush, after all, especially considering he seemed rather happy at the moment.
She just grinned at him faintly, putting herself to rights quickly as McKay finished, and levering the baby onto her shouder to pat his back gently. She loved her children so much, and she couldn't truly regret the changes in her body they'd made. She was working through some of it.
Her children were pretty though. SHe thought so anyway. Their eyes were bright and much keener than they had been, interested in so much around them. Though technically so many weeks old, they were behind those 'benchmarks' simply because of how early they were. But they weren't dull or uninteresting little things either.
"I bet they enjoy that. I know she showed me that picture of Auri wearing that chef's hat with you in the kitchen." It was good, she thought, to let him know these small good things. "No, not really. He and Ewan are good friends, but I've not had the time to host another dinner here since the twins were born. I'm hoping for the holidays perhaps we can all do a big get together though."
"I can totally manage that." He knew she didn't find his company to be childish in the least, and hardly juvenile. He had spent enough time around her over the years that he knew she enjoyed spending time with him, they had salvaged a friendship out of a situation after the break-up with Tate's ex. He was glad that they both seemed to have dropped his ex, and became friends with each other instead.
"That's true..." Tate admitted with a nod, "I mean, I could always become thee fine dining space. I wouldn't have karaoke nights, or games on the screens, no rooms to rent.." He hadn't really thought about that angle. He was going to need to look into it though, it had promise. He wondered if there were any only open spots left on the road, he would have to check soon. "You don't think it'd be weird for the wizarding world at large? Are there any restaurant restaurants around?" He had worked in a few in Paris, though that city had been closer to their magical hub which he thought was older than anything in London. He wasn't sure of that though, it was why he was defaulting to Dora's knowledge of the area.
He watched as Dora went about burping McKay, it was crazy to see her mother mode like this. It was a good look for her, she was practically glowing. "You look good Dora, motherhood suits you." He looked down at the little in his lap, "Did she show you that?" He asked with a chuckle, "It's a lot of fun, she's enjoying being in the kitchen with me. I don't see her following after me, but I can see her working in my restaurant while she's going to school." He couldn't wait for that day either, to have his little sister working as a waitress. His crooked grin was larger than usual talking about the children, he loved his younger siblings. He was even getting to know Felix's personality too, that was exciting watching him grow.
"That would be fantastic, I know Quin would love it." Though he had no idea if he was going to be invited to that, he hoped so. He considered both women to be family. He wasn't about to invite himself though, "I like him so far. I don't think he likes me much, but.." He gave a shrug, "I can't blame him. My siblings haven't raised hell about their engagement yet. My sister tried calling me about it all but I didn't answer.." He only knew she had been calling about that because she had left him a voicemail.
"No, honestly, I think it'd be about fucking time we have an actual nice restaurant around," Dora said in her normal blunt honesty, complete with language. Having babies had yet to knock that out of her. Probably should but she honestly wasn't sure she'd ever get her mouth under control. It had degenerated too much.
"Does it? I stil think it looks odd on me," she said, but her hands were more confident now. She could even juggle the two at once when she had to, though it wasn't always easy because they did rather wiggle more now. "OH yeah, she definitely showed it to me. Very proud. I can definitely see her learning from you and all." And she was such an adorable child. More of Quin's blood in her than his side, but she could see a bit of resemblance there, honestly. ESpecially when they were side by side.
Of course he'd be invited. he was family, of course. Not blood, but he was one of the few who consistently stuck by her. "What makes you say that?" she asked as to why he didn't like him. She did give a sympathetic look about the sibs though. "Oh yeah, that isn't going to go over well, is it."
Tate just chuckled, nodding his head, "Then I might just answer your prayers." He would see just what he could do, it was likely still a few years off. He was hopeful that it would be a good investment once he had the money to do it right. He always wondered if he might find a silent backer, but that was at least another year off. He would need to reach out to the right people, shake the right hands, all of that.
"That's because you don't see yourself." It seemed easy enough to Tate, she couldn't see herself while she was mothering, there wasn't a big mirror to reflect back to her what she was doing. "I gave her one of those Rubix cubes once... I think she might be able to solve it at some point, she's rather bright." He enjoyed watching her learn, it was something new that he had never been able to witness before. He had enjoyed watching her learn when she was little, those milestones were exciting as well. Felix was hitting those milestones now, he was getting to enjoy them all over again.
"I can be trouble, or used to be trouble." Tate said with that crooked smile, "I'm sure he's just being cautious for his family. I can't blame him, like I said." He wasn't going to dwell however. "I doubt it is, but I can't find it in me to care. I don't think my siblings need those kids, Quin is a fantastic mother. She is the only one who needs to have those children. I don't want to hear that war again. I've been trying to figure out if there is a way to make them stop.."
If she had money, she'd put it into it. But though she'd grown up with money, that had all ended when she'd gotten the dark mark put on her arm. These days, especially with the twins, she was rather strapped for cash since Ewan's ministry job didn't pay great and she couldn't throw herself into custom jobs just yet, though she hoped to soon. Though there were a couple of projects she'd been able to do for a nice chunk of change, so long as she kept her mouth shut.
Wasn't anything illegal, so she didn't care. And even if it had been? It would have had to depend on what it was.
"That doesn't surprise me. You're rather bright and so is her mother." For all the tiny woman didn't act like it, really, but it was hard to hide the glint of intelligence that followed along conversations. One time she'd started a somewhat technical conversation ands ucked her into it, and so she knew for a fact the woman wasn't just some little dumb blonde. Honestly she wouldn't be surprised if the children were already being tutored, even if the woman didn't have magic.
"I doubt they'll stop for just anything easy. Just try to keep them at bay and be there if she needs you, I guess," she said quietly. "Unless you have a good bit of blackmail." She smirked. Now that McKay was done eating, she summoned her coffee over with a snap of her fingers, using wandless magic, and it came over and slipped neatly into her hand. She smelled it with a happy sigh and then sipped. "You are a prince. Thank you, Tate."
"What's that mean for your kids?" He teased, though he meant it in the most complimentary way possible. Dora's kids were going to be bad ases, he knew they would be brilliantly smart, and likely deadly. He knew they'd be destined for great things, much like his youngest siblings.
"I might actually have an angle with blackmail.." He admitted in a soft voice, his brows perked. He liked this idea, he hadn't thought about this avenue. While he knew there was likely something wrong with blackmailing your own sibling, at the same time he was going to be doing it so that his other siblings grew up in a loving home. He knew that it was something his siblings would want, if they could see past their own petty greed. It was all about the money, he knew they had both been banking on falling back on their father's money when he passed, Tate had been the only one that had actively looked for work. His siblings were nothing more than trophy spouses currently, his brother only finding work because he worked for his wife's family.
"I've been told I'm out of the frog stage and into the princely stage." It was a terrible joke, he chuckled at him anyway. "I've been perfecting the art of the coffee. Your sister is much like you, she seems to drink it all hours of the day too." Just a few weeks back they had shared a pot of coffee and some snacks later than most would have likely been drinking coffee. Tate had been living on it for so long, he could drink it at all hours and still find sleep.
"That they're doomed?" She said, snorting softly. Honestly though she figured between her and Ewan they'd be smart, at least, and hopefully quick off the wand.
Her eyebrows rose slightly and a faint smirk played around her lips. "Do tell, love, you know Dora doesn't mind playing dirty sometimes." In fact she was good at it and in the name of good things she didn't mind in the least, so long as she could do it sneakily and not get in trouble.
She snickered quietly and then sipped at her coffee with pleasure. "Pretty sure we're all coffee junkies honestly. It's literally our blood."
Tate gave a laugh, rolling his eyes, and just shaking his head. "Sure, sure."
"They both have a lot of demons in their closet. There are various reasons that neither need to be parents, or have children with them. I can use that against them, if they really want to start a war. I just need to go about figuring out how to use it against them. I'm sure I could get Lancelot to help us too... I might have a pow wow, the three of us. I don't think Quin would condone this, at least not if we told her about it beforehand." He hoped Quin might be okay if she found out about it after the fact.
"Cheap bribery then." He teased, holding up the coffee cup a moment. "Did you know I was friends with her boyfriend Olivier?" Tate asked after a moment, "He's asked me about her. He wanted me to find out if she would be up for getting back together, I told him I couldn't do that." Tate regretted all of it just a little, introducing her to Olivier and all that, if only because he tried to put Tate in the middle. "He's friends with Quin too, or well his sister is? I'm not sure." They were all friends, he thought.
"Well, you kno wme. I'm willing to help give it a go. But no, I doubt she would agree to it." She didn't know the other woman very well, other than she had a really good heart and didn't like to hurt pretty much anyone. But as much as she did know, she knew these people had hurt her in the past, monetarily and with words. PEople talked. Dora listened. Dora also happened to be close friends with Blaise Zabini. Who loved to share gossip on the down low.
She wrinkled her nose. "Were you? Well, he seemed nice enough, and Perse doesn't seem too upset over the whole thing. I do wish... she could find someone to be happy with." But on the other hand, despite her secret, she thought Persy shouldn't rush anything or be with someone just because of her secret. Love was worth more than that. "No, don't get stuck in the middle. That's just a shit place to be, and you have to live with her. That's not fair to any of you, anyway. Well, they're French, and she spent a lot of time over there, right? Bound to have some crossover."
Tate would need to find a time that would work with Lancelot and Dora, he was sure he could find some time. He would figure it all out at some point, and they would shut his siblings up before Lance and Quin got married. He was worried about it all, he didn't want them to cause any trouble for Quin. He knew that the woman deserved to be happy, and to not be tormented by his siblings.
Hearing Dora agree with him to stay out of the middle, he nodded his head. He wondered if he could share more, share his small secret that he held onto and didn't share with anyone but Eli. It took a moment, before he admitted in a softer tone, "I like her, you know? She's off limits though in the most profound sort of ways. Not only is she my roommate, which is a big no no, but she's dating a friend of mine, and she's one of my closest friend's sister." He chuckled then, "You're the first person I've told since Eli. I know it's a bad idea. I hope she finds someone too, she deserves it. He's a great guy, I'm just not sure that Olivier is right for her." He didn't know how to explain it, when he pictured Persephone with someone? He never could picture someone like Olivier.
"I shouldn't be telling you that." He said with a nervous little laugh, "Let's talk about your coffee, or somethin'? Have you gotten any rest recently? I can watch the littles while you catch a nap." Just in case, he didn't think it would hurt to ask
Dora blinked at him and reprocessed his words to make sure she actually understood what he was saying. "Well." she said, shaking herself just a little. That was certainly a surprise, and yet it wasn't... Tate always seemed to like strong women, it was one reason they'd made such good friends over the years. "I can't say I blame you, my sister is wonderful." Of the two of them, Persy was definitely the better catch. Even with the blood curse, which of course she couldn't mention to Tate. There was also the fact he was dating someone else... she didn't know how her sister felt about polyamory anyway. "It would definitely end up a bit of a complicated mess, but I can't blame you for your interest. I really do hope she finds someone, but I know she's pretty happy with life right now." Which reassured her a bit. She loved her sister. But she did hope, a little, that Persy would find love before her curse ended her life.
The thought of losing Perse still made her ache unbearably.
"I won't tell, I promise," she said gently. Somewhere in there, she'd curled up on her sofa, McKay on her chest in a practiced, comfortable way for both of them. Her coffee hovered at just the right height automatically. Ainsley seemed perfectly happy over there with him. "You know I'm good with secrets." She carried many of her own, after all.
"Heh, rest is only a dream," she said quietly, her head dipping down to brush lips over the fine, soft, dark hair of her son. "But I'd honestly rather visit with you right now, even if I am tired. I don't get out much, so I really appreciate you coming by."
Tate glanced at Dora as she spoke, he wondered if she would slap him if she knew that he liked her as well. That was another thought for another time however, he wasn't about to make her angry just now. He had no reason to bring it up, she was happily married. There really hadn't been a single reason for Tate to bring up his feelings for Persephone, he figured he was just a glutton for pain. He also needed to hear someone else confirm his own thoughts, that he really had no business ever making those feelings known to Persephone. For all he knew, Olivier might actually win her back. He hoped his friend all the luck, he really did want to see Persephone happy. "I'm sure she will, when the time is right and all that. She's a fantastic woman, if she can't find someone then what luck does a smuck like me have?" He asked Dora with a playful wink, he knew he wasn't all that bad, but he knew that he was enough of a mess that most women wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole. He was a recovering addict, it hadn't even been a full year since he had gotten sober. He was technically in a relationship with Emilia, though she had another boyfriend, and he didn't know how many women would be okay with the fact that Tate not only had another girlfriend, but said girlfriend had a boyfriend. It was all a bit of a mess, he was beginning to realize.
"Thank you, I know you are." He just needed to ask, just in case. It was her sister after all, he didn't know if there was some code that said she needed to tell her about it all. He watched her curling up with McKay, nodding his head. "I'm not very good company lately. I'm a bit of a broken record, I just go to work, come home. Sometimes I spice things up by taking Emilia out." He gave a rather useless shrug, moving to sink a bit more into the couch just moments later, little Ainsley now against his chest. "I've started to think about Christmas gifts, trying to get a jump start. I want to get something perfect for Auri, this is her first Christmas where I actually am buying her gifts."
Surprisingly she wouldn't be angry, not really. Surprised, certainly. Perhaps she'd wonder why he'd never said anything all those years they were both single. Or he was in and out of relationships and she was in and out of drunken one night stands. But she was happily married, and so it did not matter; Dora was nothing if not loyal. It was the large dose of Hufflepuff in her, among other things.
"Oh, love, I'm sure you'd be good with her, but it would be a mite tricky, given circumstances." Not his addiction, which he was dealing with far better than she was her own. She meant the whole... other girl friend, poly open relationship thing. But she smiled at him indulgently.
"No, you're not a broken record. That's more my style, given that my days are pretty much all twins and a little charms and twins and twins and charms and more twins. I get more than a tetch repeititve, I know, which makes me grateful that you come by anyway." Dora wiggled her sock-covered toes under the edge of a couch pillow. "How are things going with Emilia, anyway?" She was always up for some gossip. "And what are you thinking about for Auri?"
Tate gave a chuckle, he wasn't going to even entertain the thought. It was something that he knew wasn't in the cards for him, though he was perfectly alright with that. He enjoyed her friendship, just as much as he enjoyed being Dora's friendship. He knew his own relationship status at the moment was one of the many reasons, though he was going to figure it all out at some point. Eli had gotten him thinking about what he really wanted out of life, relationships, all of it.
It was as though Dora could read his mind, bringing up Emilia just then. "You're far from a broken record, there's some of us that would kill for the easy life. You've got it all planned out, at least the next eighteen years. Loving on two little humans, raising them to be as bad ass as mom." He gave her a crooked grin, chuckling a moment later. "Things with Emilia are good. We're going to that Halloween thing I think, I just need to get an outfit. Aly's club is really nice." He enjoyed spending time with Emilia, "I'm not entirely sure where it's headed. Eli's gotten into my head that I need to figure out what I want for my future, if I want to keep doing the whole poly thing. I sort of just... Stumbled into it? It was completely different when we didn't live so close. Now that we're this close again, it's... I don't know. I'll admit, I've been struggling with a bit of jealousy with the other man she's with." Though he had no idea who the hell the older man, was just that he was older. He gave a useless shrug of his shoulders however, a sigh slipping from him. "I need to ask her, see where she things going. I think I'd like kids one day, settle down." Though that was years from this point in time, he didn't think he was anywhere near ready.
"Mmm, I've been having a hard time. She loves to cook with me, but she already has this fake little kitchen that she plays with. I know she enjoys puzzles too, and crafts. I'll somehow figure it out. If you're any good with gifts for little girls, I'll take any help." Though he was trying to avoid asking Quin, he knew she was likely the best person to ask, but he wanted to show that he could pick a good gift for her.
She laughed, and luckily there was no tired hysteria in her voice. She was barely managing day to day sometimes, thinking of it in terms of years would probably make her pass out. "I suppose you could think of it that way, but if you think there's an actual plan going on, boy you're in for a surprise," she said dryly.
A faint smirk flickered over her lips. "Keep a secret? I'm going to help him decorate. He hired me to come help out." And damn it would be some good money. A lot of intense work in a short amount of time, but she really could use that money for the twins and to catch up on some bills she was juggling. But mostly for the twins.
"Well, there's no rush to pin it down, is there?" she said mildly. "Ask her if you need to. Definitely talk about it. But you don't have to figure it allout right now. Take your time." Take your time and get it right. But she didn't say it. She missd being a planner lately. This entire year had been so far out of her control...
"I'll think on it a bit. Little girls are easily pleased though. Maybe a little charmed tea set? Makes real tea? but doesn't get too hot. Unless you don't want to be roped into tea parties."
Tate chuckled at that, "Alright, so you don't have it completely planned out." Tate knew that not everything was planned, but she at least knew that she would be raising those two beautiful children. There was something in there that Tate envied, but he wasn't going to pry too much into that.
Bushy brows perked p when she asked if he wanted a secret, he always wanted a secret and so he nodded his head. "That's amazing Dora, of course he hired you!" Tate exclaimed with a grin, she was the best after all. "I can't wait to see it, it'll look fantastic. I'm sure of it." He knew that there would be some fantastic charm work going into that night, it made him even more excited to see just what they had in store for that night.
"There's no rush to get married, there's just the whole bit about knowing she's with someone else. It's... It feels like a problem lately," Tate admitted in a softer voice. It was something that he was having problems shaking, though he didn't know how to really talk about it. This was the first time he was talking to someone about it that wasn't Eli. He didn't feel the urge to tease her though that she had not taken her time, he did give out a chuckle. "I have been with her for roughly ten years, give or take, shouldn't I feel like it's time?" That was another thing he kept coming around to, but he wasn't entirely sure that Emilia wanted those things.
"I wouldn't mind being roped in... I try to spend as much time with her as I can," Tate admitted sheepishly, "I've been trying." He was trying his best to be there for his sister, he was trying to figure out how to share more memories of their father with her.
She smiled only a little smugly. She was very pleased. She really could use the money. Ewan's Ministry job didn't pay nearly what the four of them needed, and her commission work always had the potential to make her money if she did it right, and she never slacked on that account. "I won't spoil it, but you're absolutely going to love it when it's done," she said.
"Is there really a timeline on love?" she countered. "You do it if you're ready, or if you're not, you don't. There's no rule that anyone has to be married. It's not like your pa is around to see about a contract or anything." She shrugged. "I mean, I tend towards the traditional, but even I recognize that it isn't for everybody. It's hard, and sometimes it's better without the words, for some people. It's all up to you and what you decide you want."
"I know you have, and it's really sweet," she said with a smile.
He had another reason to look forward to the night out, he would get to see some of Dora's skill all over the place. He loved seeing what she could come up with, she was one of the best he knew. He knew that if he ever held a large party for some reason, he'd hire her to help do it up right.
"It isn't so much a timeline, it's more..." Tate sucked in a breath, how did he explain this? "I don't want to keep wasting my time where it isn't needed. It's been ten years, we should be moving in some sort of direction. I don't feel like anything has changed, it feels like we're still doing the same thing we were doing ten years ago." He was certain that things were supposed to change, that you were supposed to evolve in relationships. He gave a shrug of his shoulders then. "I'm figuring it all out. I'm not worrying about everything right now, just starting to poke at it all. Don't worry." He flashed her a grin, "I'll be fine, momma bear."
"Yes, it's been ten years... but you've also never lived in the same city for any amount of time. Only since you moved here," she pointed out. "So it's not exactly the same thing, I'm thinking." Not a bad point to make, but she also wasn't the one in the relationship. She didn't think she could share with anyone, personally, but that was her problem, and he didn't suffer for it. She was too territorial about a lot of things. "All right, all right, no momming you. You have one for that already. But I am here to listen."
Tate gave a soft laugh, shaking his head. “I know you’re trying to help Dora, the problem is that we are in the same city. I don’t want to share now that we’re in the same city.” Which made it harder for him to be able to do the open part, at least it was causing him to feel that way. “I’m trying though to make it work, I love her. I’m not making any rash decisions, mom,” he teased her, a playful smirk gracing his lips.
“I should likely be off soon though, I’ve got a doctor appointment later. It’s been helping,” he admitted, though he still couldn’t apparate. That was part of his issue currently, it would be so much easier if he could apparate every where he needed to go. He could seem to manage short distances, and that was only if he didn’t freak himself out first.
"Yes, but my point is it hasn't been that long since you have been. So in a way it's as if you've started a new relationship," she pointed out gently. Ig wasn't just an occasional thing now. But a more constant one. Which was a completely different dynamic. In her mind it was a different thing.
Her smile was warm and gentle. "I'm glad it's helping. That's what matters. I'm really glad you had time to come by."