May 10th, 1895 - Gallagher Residence

They hadn't had much time to connect around all of the set up for the flower show the weekend prior, so Alvin had made it a point to set up a time to see Zinnia when they were both not running around like Mrs. Plunkett's minions. He didn't mind. The festivities were a good distraction, a good use of his time, something creative for him to get his hands on and feel more useful, more fulfilled. Alvin missed being creative, missed enjoying himself while working. What he wouldn't give to go back to brooms. Dallying with designing wasn't getting him anywhere and at least now he had a steady income, but fuck if he didn't hate it. The ministry was just as bad as he'd thought it would be. Even sitting in Fiona Bixby's legacy wasn't enough to see him enjoying the work of the department, brooms or not.

It was hard to pout about it when he was balancing Emery on his knee while Zin puttered around getting tea. He'd tried to insist he do it, but had lost the battle, and so was on baby-entertaining duty. He'd come out the winner clearly, as he would much rather keep trying to get Emery to laugh than to set about the kettle and whatnot, but he tried again anyway, "Are you sure you don't want help?" Alvin looked up at her meaningfully, both hands around Emery's middle as she squirmed, trying to reach the food on the table. "Can she have this?" Alvin asked as he held up a little slice of cheese. He would break it up obviously, but he really didn't know much about feeding babies. His niece and nephews had always been older when he spent extended time with them, but he was still enjoying himself.

"I really don't mind." Alvin, after living on his own in the States for a while, had managed to at least get the hang of tea after all. Maybe he was just feeling useless all around these days. Maybe he still felt a little awkward sitting at her kitchen table even though Mr. Gallagher wasn't at home. Alvin felt like an interloper here and always would. But if he wanted to see Zinnia and this was easiest for her, he would suck it up. They had been friends for too long for him to let himself get lost in his insecurities and stay away.

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Zinnia Gallagher

  

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It was hard to believe it had been almost a year and a half since she and Rhys had married and in just a few short months their daughter was going to be a year old. It wasn’t the life she had envisioned for herself, but Zinnia had settled into a routine quite nicely, keeping herself busy where she could. She hadn’t broached the topic of returning to work with Rhys, not yet, having already decided she’d bring it up once Daffy was ready to return to work herself. She knew he wouldn’t say no but still… Zin hated whenever she heard her name whispered around town, and who knew what people would think once they saw her at the shop again.

She wasn’t thinking about that as she pushed her sleeves up and reached for the tea tins in the kitchen now that the kettle was starting to boil, her laugh quiet. “I’m sure,” she said, before she turned slightly to look at Alvin and Emery at the table, “And yes, as long as it’s not too big. She loves cheese.” Though she knew that he wasn’t going to let Emery choke on anything. Zinnia hummed in response again, pouring the water into the mugs before adding in some tea.

She came over with two mugs and set them down, then crouched beside the pair. Emery reached immediately for her mother’s hair, all giddy fists and bright eyes, and Zinnia let her tug for a second before gently loosening her fingers. She didn’t take Emery though; Alvin didn’t seem to mind holding her and as much as Zin adored her daughter, it was nice to have her hands free. She gently ran her fingers across her daughter’s head before she took a seat.

“Good to see the ministry is giving you some time off.” Zin said, lips curling into a teasing smile. She wanted to ask how much he hated it – she knew Alvin well enough to know that probably did, but it felt rude to come outright and ask, so she didn’t.

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Bee made this beauty<3

Motherhood looked good on her, no matter how much it irked him how she'd gotten here. Alvin had never dared to breathe anything about it aloud, but probably didn't do a very good job at hiding it in the beginning. Watching Zin with Emery wasn't so bad though; seeing this side of her was something else though. It seemed to come so naturally— more naturally than seeing her in the kitchen at the very least.

Once Emery had unhanded Zinnia's hair, Alvin scooched her back in his lap, wrapping one forearm around her securely while he broke apart the cheese into tiny bites. He offered a bit to her and she grabbed it in that clumsy way toddlers had about them, which made laugh. "Absolutely voracious," he chuckled, handing her a second piece once she'd finished the first.

"Fortunately they can't keep me there all of the time." He really was miserable and looked forward to the weekends more than anyone ought to. He missed making his own hours, of feeling legitimately productive, like he was doing something worthwhile. Mostly he missed enjoying his work. The ministry just felt like paper pushing and following the rules. It was mundane and routine and there was such little variation that he was often bored. Being under stimulated was never something he'd ever thought he'd have to worry about with any of his previous jobs. It was sort of slowly killing him.

But, he didn't really want to talk about it and drag down the mood, so he scraped for something else to talk about. "I bet you're excited to get back into the garden, hm?" As the weather warmed, the Potts gardens always came alive, no matter where they were.

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Once Emery let go of her hair, Zin gave her head a little shake before smoothing her hand over the tangled wisps that were already half out of the braid. Her gaze turned toward them and she couldn’t help but giggle softly as she watched her daughter attack the cheese with some kind of vengeance. It was kind of nice to have her hands free, although she wasn’t entirely sure what to do since she didn’t have to keep Emery balanced, so she found herself wrapping them loosely around one of the mugs.

Zinnia’s gaze flickered over to Alvin and she nodded. “I’d come rescue you if they tried.” They might not see each other as often as they used to, but Alvin was still her friend and she’d miss him, probably more than she had any right to, if the ministry tried to make him work even longer than they already did. They hadn’t seen each other in what felt like forever and it was a relief that they were finally in the same room together. She let it lie – didn’t poke at his work misery – although she hated that he didn’t seem happy there.

She leaned forward and smiled softly. “I’m so ready to be back in the garden. Sometimes it feels like I’m a caged animal pacing back and forth when it’s winter, because there’s not much to do outside.” Sure there was the greenhouse, but it wasn’t the same as being outside in the fresh air with the sun on her skin. It didn’t help that she’d given up her job at the shop, either, because Zin felt like she’d lost a large part of herself when she wasn’t there helping with the arrangements. The garden here hadn’t flourished as much as she wanted last year, but Zinnia had a clearer plan for what she wanted to plant this year and where certain plants might go.

She looked down at her daughter who had settled down and was chewing like her life depended on it before she glanced at Alvin again. “If you're not too busy being crushed under the weight of bureaucracy, maybe you could come by to help plant some things. Or weed. I might trust you with that a little more.” Zin's lips curled into a smile as she nudged his leg with hers.

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Bee made this beauty<3

There was nothing Alvin would rather talk less about than his job. It was only that, a salary slowly sucking his soul from his body and it left him feeling all kinds of hollow. It didn't fit in a situation, a conversation like this, so he was happy to keep it moving.

He chuckled at her imagery, picturing it clearly. None of the Potts girls had ever seemed to do well inside. Like their namesakes, they were most themselves outside in the sunshine and fresh air. "I can carve out some time, if you want the help." There weren't many demands on his time outside of work these days after all. He'd put in for a day off from the ministry if he had to. "Happy to do the heavy lifting," he pulled a face, "Or the weeding, if you want." He had often been regulated to both jobs in his youth when any of their mothers got a garden rearrangement in their heads. Even still now, with every flower show, he was available to help in any capacity.

Distracted by the nudge of her leg against his, Alvin almost caught a little meaty baby first to the nose, dodging it at the last second. "Alright, alright," he laughed as he handed Emery another piece of cheese. "What's the plan for garden then?" It was far easier to keep her going on about her flowers than anything else bouncing around in his own head.

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