January 17, 1895 - Grimstone Residence

Just dinner, Daff had promised Elias. Something small, immediate family and a couple friends. Her mother and Quincey had promised to take care of everything, she didn't even need to get off the couch. After not being able to attend Christmas, Daff thought this might be a good way to get Elias, who had justifiably stood his ground, back into her mother's good graces. Now that she and Elias were in a better place, it was easier to be around her family, too.

True to everyone's word, she was comfortably settled on the sofa with some hot cocoa. Dinner was over, the lovely lemon cake served and some sisters had excused themselves to go home which was entirely understandable. Senna's oldest was comfortably curled up next to her, half asleep with an illustrated book on wildflowers and Daff kept pointing out things and telling her niece extra facts the book did not. Daff's energy was waning, but it wouldn't be much longer until everyone left anyway. She had been aching to see most of them too, so she wasn't going to complain.

"That's lavender, it smells good." Daff pointed to the purple flower in the book and smiled. "You'd know it if you smelled it." It was often used in arrangements and around the house for such things. Daff shifted a little uncomfortably, the baby had such little room left that any time they moved it was noticeable. She caught Elias' eye across the room and waved him off, she was fine.

She was so engrossed in reading with her niece that Daff didn't notice somebody take a seat across from her in the armchair. Once she looked up, she smiled warmly.

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Open to Pottses & adjacent including Daff's friends!

  

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Christmas was different this year. There were more people between marriages and children, yet it still felt like something had been missing; Zin knew it was because Daffy hadn’t been there, although she tended to gravitate and spend most of the night with her. This time around she and Dahlia had spent a lot of time talking, although often they found that their sister was the center of their conversation, wondering how she was doing and when they might be able to see her. When the invitation came to do so three weeks later, Zin had jumped at the chance to celebrate her sister’s birthday.

Rhys had gone home to put Emery down for the night, leaving Zin to spend some time alone with her sister. She settled into the chair next to Daffy with a soft sigh, glancing at her belly. Zinnia understood how uncomfortable pregnancy was near the end. “You can also use lavender in cooking, although I’m afraid you’ll need to ask your Aunt Dahlia to help with that. Or even your Uncle Quin.” It was a well known fact that Zinnia couldn’t cook to save her life.

“It’s also good to help you sleep,” She said, this time turning her focus to Daff. She looked like she might fall asleep here soon, too. “Do you need anything?”

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Set by the lovely Lady<3

"Uncle Quin makes yummy lavender scones with lemon frosting, that's how I got so big." Daff teased lightly, watching her niece fight off sleep as Zinnia sat down opposite her. Quincey, once he'd found out she was craving something, had been very good at sending things for her to eat. She would blame him entirely when she was still this big after the baby arrived.

Senna's husband made his way over and absconded with his daughter, excusing them for the evening too. Daff smiled warmly and waved as they headed for the door. "I would very much like my bed," she chuckled, picking up her cocoa again, enjoying the warmth in her hands. "But it was really good to see everyone. I know Christmas was... tough." Just the thought of getting to her mother's that night had been enough to have her needing a nap. There would have been no way to make it work, if she'd even wanted to. Everything turned out alright, in the end.

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Zinnia laughed quietly, knowing that it was Quin’s personal mission in life to ensure that everyone was well fed. She was never one to complain about it because it meant that she didn’t have to spend time in the kitchen, trying to do something she was finding she disliked – cooking was definitely never going to be a hobby. It couldn't all fall in Rhys, but she never minded when he was in the kitchen. Zin settled further into the chair, offering Senna’s husband a soft smile and goodnight as he collected his daughter to head home for the evening. Exhaustion was starting to tug at her, too.

Zinnia turned her attention back toward Daffy, her gaze softening at the mention of Christmas. It had been weird not to have her sister there, but then again life was changing rapidly, with everyone suddenly having their own lives. “We can get there, if you’d like.” Zinnia hummed about Daffy wanting her bed, albeit she'd be a bit disappointed that she might not get as much time with her sister as she would have hoped. “It was just… different. Not bad, just – different.” Zinnia glanced at Daffy, knowing she'd understand what she meant. “But I’m glad we had tonight. I’ve missed you.”

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Set by the lovely Lady<3