He was going to make her cry. Noble looked at the ceiling of the workshop, at the balls of floating magical light he'd enchanted to hang in here, and then back at her. He swallowed. He was going to make her cry. He didn't think there was any way around it: he could tell her the truth or he could lie, and either way she was going to cry, right here, in front of him. He pushed another hand through his hair.

"It's not —" fuck, what was he supposed to say? For the first time this evening Noble realized that this could very well be the end of them, right here, today. "It's not really the sort of thing you can fix." If it was fixable, if it was not a leviathan of a problem, Noble and Ford would have found a way to solve it a while ago. They were smart people. They could do it.

It was that the only solution was what they were doing — holding things together and moving money around and trying to get the girls married as quickly as possible. But that didn't do anything for Daff.

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   Fortitude Greengrass

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set by Bee

He was very skillfully avoiding answering her completely, which was incredibly frustrating. She closed her eyes for a moment, willing herself some kind of patience, Daffy blew out a slow breath, blinking back the threatening tears.

"You don't know that if you don't tell me." She added, voice still quiet, though pained. What was she supposed to do? Sit on the sidelines and watch him struggle with something she didn't even know about? Whatever it was, there had to be a way to help him. Daffy could help figure it out. It would drive her insane just waiting on something that clearly impacted them and their plans.

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"Yes, I do," Noble replied — frustration leaked into his voice but it wasn't really directed at her as much as it was with the situation. And maybe it was a little with her, because there was nothing she could do and he knew it — or, there was nothing she could do without a hell of a lot more disposable income than she had.

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set by Bee

Daff shook her head, unable to process the implications of what he was saying. If this was so bad he wouldn't tell her, wouldn't let her help, then what was she doing here? This was her future, too. This affected her and her life. It was supposed to be their life, together...

A few tears leaked out as she took a shuddering breath, but she couldn't look at him, not when she was about to break both their hearts. She didn't know how to move on from here if he wasn't going to be honest with her. "I would have tried," She swiped quickly at the falling tears. "I would have waited, but I don't know how when I don't know what I'm waiting for anymore." How long? She would have waited forever for him, if she just knew what to expect. But this, this wasn't fair. Stealing moments, avoiding family, this wasn't supposed to be what it was like. Daffy could have kept going, would have, for him, but she felt like it wasn't the same anymore. Whatever was in the way of their plans was too much apparently.

"You know where to find me, if you change your mind." Finally, she looked up at him, a sad, sorry sort of smile was the last thing she could give him before she disapparated back to her office at the shop.

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   Fortitude Greengrass

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Noble didn't really realize it was over until she was gone, despite what she was saying. If it was as simple as changing his mind he would have, but that wouldn't help and she couldn't help and then she was gone. Noble's mouth dried out. She was really, actually gone and — maybe it would have been better to just go over that precipice and be done, and — she was actually gone. He stood there for a moment in the absence of her, trying to wrap his mind around what had happened. At some point things had turned but he didn't know when, and maybe it had been tonight but maybe it had been months before.

His father was dead but his father was still ruining his life.

In an absence of thought and a whirl of motion, Noble turned and punched the wall of the workshop. His hand exploded with pain and he immediately swore, "Fuck!" He stood with tense shoulders and looked down at it; his knuckle was split and his hand was reddening. Noble flexed his hand and swore again, unable to move it.

She was gone and he had broken his hand and she was really, actually gone.

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   Daffodil Grimstone

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set by Bee