March 17th, 1888 - Celtic Fair, Padmore Park

I should be over all the butterflies
But I'm into you (I'm into you)
And baby even on our worst nights
I'm into you (I'm into you)
Let 'em wonder how we got this far
Cause I don't really need to wonder at all
Yeah after all this time I'm still into you

Fletcher quite enjoyed the chances he got to spend with Eavan. She was a lively woman and kept his life interesting. They never ceased to have a good time when they were together. Well, except the time they'd fought on the beach. That had been a bad day but luckily they'd been able to get passed that. Honestly, had it not happened the way it had, he doubted they would even be having the good times that they did have. The argument had lead to them having a good talk about what they both wanted, both expected. Yes, that day had worked out quite in the favor.

They'd agreed to meet up at Padmore Park to take part in the Celtic Fair happening. Fletcher had actually quite liked the idea of the hand fasting, until Eavan had explained to him what the actual meaning of it was. It had quickly deterred the both of them from it, even if it wasn't actually a "real" marriage being performed in the park. No, neither of them was quite ready for that stage even if it was a fake event. However, it was quite interesting to watch others partake in it. They hadn't loitered long there, though, and had meandered about through the rest of the park and finally come to stop to partake in some of the ale being offered. More of a whiskey man himself, the ale was a bit bitter at first but eventually settled decently for him.

"So Eavan," he said with a smile, using her first name even though it wasn't entirely proper. Miss MacKay was just too formal in his mind, too formal for their rather informal courtship. "How are things at the zoo? Enjoying the warming weather?" he asked before taking another drink of his ale.

@'Eavan MacKay'

  

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BEE-utiful Set!

All bundled up against the chilly March weather, Eavan was more than excited to investigate the Celtic Street Festival today and with Mr. Langley for company to boot! It made her a wee bit homesick, though she had never truly lived in Ireland that she could remember, she did remember visiting her extended family there fondly. Well, minus that one time with the grindylows. It was nice to get in touch with her heritage though, especially in the form of such a lively event!

She'd steered them away from the handfasting ceremony and had to explain what it was to Fletcher and why demonstrations of it were quite inappropriate! Honestly it was a lovely ceremony, when done properly and for the actual reason. It would be something she would like to do, if she were to ever get married, though she did not say as much aloud, thinking that to be a little too much information.

Fortunately they'd moved on from there and stopped to get something to drink along the way. Eavan opted for hot chocolate, being more a wine or whiskey kind of girl herself. Her father was quite fond of a good ale if given the chance, so she couldn't begrudge Fletcher his drink. She flushed a little at his use of her first name, but hoped she could write it off to the cold air on her cheeks. "Oh it's quite lovely, winter is unfortunately not the best season for a lot of our animals, but it is warm enough in the aviary that I can't complain!" Certainly that was a perk of her specific position! "And the hospital? Keeping you busy?" Eavan couldn't even imagine what his days looked like, did he ever get to sit down?

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Fletcher smiled pleasantly as she spoke, listening intently to what she had to say. He quite enjoyed her enthusiasm over her job. It was actually quite nice knowing he wasn't the only one compassionate about his job. He slowly sipped on his ale as she spoke, finishing it off before going to answer her question.

"Great!" he answered perhaps a bit more excitedly than was his norm, "It hasn't been overly busy but I've been making sure I stay that way regardless. I'm actually anticipating a big promotion hopefully by the end of the month."

His eyes widened some after he was done speaking, surprised he'd put that out there so bluntly. "There's a young intern that I think may have her eyes set on me though," he felt his own cheeks flush then as he eyed Eavan almost cautiously, "She sent me a plant for my birthday! I'm also supposed to ask if you have extra room for a stay moon calf. Apparently she came across one in the hospital."

The following 1 user Likes Fletcher Langley's post:1 user Likes Fletcher Langley's post
   Bella Scrimgeour

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BEE-utiful Set!

Eavan's attention, as fickle as ever, was momentarily directed toward a musician on the street playing a traditional fiddle tune. Oh how long it had been since she'd heard a good fiddle. She played herself, albeit not well, nowhere near as well as her mother had played. Her mother's fiddle was carefully cradled in its case beneath her bed at the moment and Eavan didn't have the heart to take it out. The desire to play had been lost with her mother and she wasn't even sure she'd be able to pick it up again at this point.

Those sad thoughts were left behind however, when she realized she was missing what Fletcher had to say in response to her question, though she tuned back in at the mention of a possible promotion. "Oh my!" She brightened, her gloved hands clapping without sound in excitement for him. "That's wonderful! I hope it goes well for you!" A promotion, she assumed to head of his ward, though if she were being truthful, she didn't know much about the hierarchy of the hospital itself.

Eva's wide blue eyes turned curious, one eyebrow curved upward as he continued. Though Eavan was not a jealous creature by nature, and still wasn't at the moment, even at his mention of an intern, she rather thought he was being a little silly in that respect. Then again, she supposed that any young intern could easily get swept up by his smile or his caring disposition. Still, jealously had gotten them in trouble once already and Eva was going to avoid anything like that ever again. "That was sweet of her." Eavan managed, though truthfully was far more interested in the aforementioned mooncalf than a silly crush that an intern may or may not have on him. "Really? How odd, of course we have room. Where is it now?"

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Fletcher couldn't helpthe sigh of relief that escaped after he'd made his admission and Eavan hadn't gotten angry. As a result, he asked for another ale and gave it a rather hearty drink. "She certainly couldn't hold a candle to you though so you've nothing to worry about," he said after his drink but his eyes widened and his jaw even dropped some, clearly shocked by what he'd just said as his cheeks flushed.

"I..umm...am not entirely sure," he quickly responded to her question hoping to move quickly past his loose tongue, "She knows I'd be speaking with you about it and then I told her to take an early lunch and see to the care of the creature as it most certainly didn't belong in the hospital."

Another small drink was had as his gaze wandered to the passerbys before turning his attentions back to her. "She thought it sick and gave it the most absurd name," he started, taking another sip before continuing on, "But from what I've learned from you about the creatures I wonder if it's simply depressed. It was by itself after all and aren't they more of a herd type of creature?"

  

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BEE-utiful Set!

Eavan wasn't sure whether to chuckle, blush or be worried about Flether's... compliment. She decided on another quirked eyebrow, but her smile was genuine nevertheless, and there was an involuntary blush that graced her cheeks, though was hopefully mostly hidden by her freckles. He seemed quite... surprised by his own words and Eavan couldn't help but to wonder if something were amiss. Was something bothering him? Eva couldn't quite tell, but was trying not to over think it and ruin their day.

"Well, if you can give me her contact information, I can take care of it." Eavan really wasn't sure how someone untrained (in creatures) was going to transport a mooncalf, a potentially ill mooncalf, on their own, but hopefully the intern would not be leaving London. Eva could understand that it was highly illogical to keep the creature at the hospital, but certainly Fletcher hadn't just let the girl walk off with a mooncalf? "And next time, owl me right away. Unnecessary transport can be hard on creatures, especially if the critter is injured or sick." She tired to request it in her most easygoing voice, but her eyes clearly said that she would prefer to be notified sooner rather than later.

She mulled over why someone would even have a mooncalf at the hospital, wondering if somebody thought creature-induced injuries treated creatures as well, but hoped nobody was that delusional. It was rather perplexing. "Perhaps, they are very social animals. They also don't do too well in cold if they are not already acclimated to it." The creatures had vast habitats, but those that lived in colder climates were well-adjusted to it. The herd she had was from a temperate climate, not entirely unlike Scotland, so they were doing alright.

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Fletcher couldn't help the flush in his cheeks when he was slightly admonished for not owling Eavan right away. He honestly hadn't thought to do it then. He'd been a bit preoccupied with work and had honestly just been trying to dismiss Miss Scrimgeour to try and dissuade any feelings the young woman was forming for him.

"I'm sorry," he answered almost bashfully, "I really wasn't thinking. Kinda threw me for a loop in general having a creature in the hospital. I'll be sure to owl you in the future for sure though." He fell silent then and listened to her explain a little ore about the creatures. He really hoped he hadn't caused more harm to the poor creature. Eavan would certainly be displeased with him then and he wasn't sure how he felt about upsetting her.

"You are looking awfully pretty today," he said rather unexpectedly, his eyes widening as the thought he'd just been having seemed to come from his lips without even thinking. He had never really been a heavy drinker but he had never pegged himself as a light weight either. He smiled meekly at her though, not about to apologize for saying such a thing. As forward as he was being, it was still a true sentiment. He would, however, have no more ale once he finished the remainder of the one he had before him.

  

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BEE-utiful Set!

Eva hadn't meant to chastise him, not really, but sometimes she got ahead of herself when there were helpless creatures involved. Now he knew for next time, not that Eavan ever thought there would be a next time, but people were strange and never failed to surprise her. It was easy for her to get defensive in such matters when people who were untrained typically did more harm than good. Mooncalves were fairly docile, but she always worried they would frighten themselves to death or something similar!

"It's alright, I'll take care of it." The redhead assured her company with an easy smile. She was already making plans on how to collect the creature, but this was old hat to her by now. It would be rather simple, unless the poor thing was too sick to move, but honestly Eva would be able to handle it. Easy as pie.

Before she could further assure him, he threw out another unexpected compliment that had Eva both blushing and slightly confused. "You cannot butter me up with flattery so easily, Mr. Langley." She teased with a quick grin. It wasn't as if she'd even been mad at him! Though Eva worried they were becoming too... informal with one another in public. Their arrangement was not normal, especially for a gentleman of his standing, and she would hate for anything to reflect poorly upon him in the long run if they got too comfortable in the presence of others. "Perhaps we should find a snack?" Though Eavan didn't think Fletcher's drink to be having such a profound effect on him, perhaps it had something to do with it. Nothing a bit of food couldn't solve!

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Properly put in his palce by the way she used his name, Fletch blushed a rather bright shade of crimson. Clearly he needed to get better reign on his tongue or he'd risk getting them in trouble. He'd really rather not get her name on the tongues of gossips. Women's reputations were often the ones hurt most when it came to gossip after all and he wouldn't be the cause of that for her if he could help it.

"Yes, a snack sounds divine," he offered his arm to her then and motioned with his free arm, "Lead the way. I'm sure you can point me in the direction of the best of Irish delicacies they have to offer."

  

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BEE-utiful Set!

Though she would not admit it aloud, she rather enjoyed making Fletcher blush like that. With one last sip, she finished off her cocoa and moved to deposit it in a nearby bin. Considering she had just been the one to chastise him about names, Eva looped her arm around his comfortably, giving it a slight squeeze as she looked around. According to her friends, they'd already garnered a mention in Witch Weekly (what a frivolous publication!), so she wasn't exactly trying to be subtle. Her reputation wasn't exactly pristine to begin with, this wasn't hurting it any.

"We should find some soda bread to soak up that drink." Oh how she loved a good soda bread. "My Ma used to make the most delicious recipe this time of year." She added wistfully as she scanned the nearby booths for options. "I havenae had one in a long while." Eva had the recipe tucked away in her mother's old cookbook; she should give it a try herself. She was no cook, but fared well enough if she had to. Maybe sometime down the line she'd be good enough to make some for Fletcher.

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Fletcher grinned down at her as she looped her arm through his and giving it a squeeze. It was perhaps a bit too close to for propriety's sake but he didn't really care. If he was to be honest (which was way more than usual thanks to the ale), he liked having her in such close proximity.

"Soda bread?" he said with a questioning tone. It wasn't exactly something he was familiar with, that much was obvious but he still looked about the park to see if he could notice a booth that may have what it was she was looking for. "As long as I'm spending the time with you, we can eat whatever you like. Especially if it's something you want," he said a bit simply but bluntly. He really needed to remember to avoid ale in the future if it was going to loosen his tongue that much.

  

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BEE-utiful Set!

"Oh it's delicious, fresh out of the oven with a little butter or jam. Mum liked hers with honey." Eva sighed, thinking back to her childhood when her mum would make a loaf on Sunday or of special occasions. Her smile faded a little bit, as it tended to when she thought of her mom, even fondly, but Eva still felt a piece of her was missing, even years later. Now was not the time for that however, as today was supposed to be a fun outing, a way for them to spend time together and get to know one another. Actually, it reminded Eva that she knew preciously little about Fletcher's family.

She would keep her eye out for something to eat as they meandered. "Tell me about your mum." She requested quietly, smile returning to its usual shine. All Eva knew of her was that Fletcher had once thought to bring her to the zoo to meet Eva, but that had all gone by the wayside around their big fight. It made her wonder just what, if anything, Fletcher had told his mother about her or when she may actually meet her. He had plenty of family she would meet eventually, she hoped anyway. She only had her cousins locally. Maybe one day her dad would come to visit when his expedition was done.

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Fletcher had been watching Eavan more than he was the surrounding areas so noticed the slight fall of her smile. It had to do with the fact she'd lost her mother, of that he remembered. Clearly the soda bread brought back some memories for her but she seemed intent on finding some so he wasn't about to dissuade her from it. But then she was smiling just as brightly again and asking about his mother. A smile of his own to match hers graced his features.

"Ahh..what to say about my mum," he said thoughtfully, looking away from her and upwards as if really trying to think about her, "Definitely a force to be reckoned with. She was a healer, that's where she met my father. Apparently healing is in the blood." He saw the love between his parents and saw how much they loved their work as he had grown up. Of course, his mother had quit working after having his little sister, such a late pregnancy taking a toll on her. "She's always there if I need her," he said with a nod, "But doesn't hesitate to meddle if she sees fit. Definitely likes to be in control of things but is really quite sweet to all she meets. I imagine it's something a person has to do when it comes to dealing with the sick or injured."

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BEE-utiful Set!

Eavan ignored the twinge of envy that came when Fletcher spoke of his own mother, but she couldn't begrudge him. It was oddly comforting, which was a strange thought in and of itself, but there nevertheless. She could imagine him giving her a run for her money as a child, maybe just a little. She could tell by the way he talked about her that she was everything he said and more.

"I'd like to meet her someday, even though it terrifies me." She chuckled, but it was true. Eva would like to meet his family sometime, but she was pretty sure she would never actually be ready for it. They still didn't know exactly what they were doing; he had such a better standing in society than she did; she was a class below him; there were a ton of reasons why it shouldn't work out and she would be silly not to acknowledge that. She wasn't the kind of girl a gentleman brought home to his mother and that shouldn't worry her, but it did, just a little bit.

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Fletcher looked down at her at her confession, a bit surprised really. Their courtship wasn't typical of most, which he was fine with, so he was a bit surprised she had admitted to such a thing. Though, he really did want her to meet his mother. He was pretty sure she'd love Eavan even if Eavan thought otherwise. Honestly, the woman he was walking with reminded him a lot of his mother. Ambitious and strong willed.

"She'd like you," he said simply with a nod, "You remind me a lot of her. I just think she'd be a bit miffed she wasn't the one that managed to play matchmaker." He wasn't sure how his mother would feel about that since she hadn't been the one to control it but ultimately he was sure she'd be happy as long as he was.

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BEE-utiful Set!

Eavan wasn't so sure of that, despite Fletcher assuring her otherwise. Normally a confident kind of person, this was all very new territory to her and she was having trouble navigating the waters, which left her a little less self-assured than normal. Eva had never really been the kind to worry about what others thought about her, this however, this could potentially change a lot.

Needless to say it made her a little self-conscious.

What if his family didn't like her? They couldn't exactly continue on could they? There was no way she could, in good faith, go through with something that would put a rift in his family? Would it come to that? She was getting into a lot of hypothetical thoughts for a stroll through a festival. She had to tuck these thoughts away for a glass of wine beside the fire tonight. Maybe she'd run them by Una or Amelia, one of them would have to have some insight, right? She was so far out of her league here.

"Guess we'll see eventually." She said with as much certainty as she could muster. "Oh look there's the Honeyduke's booth, let's get some sweets!" A welcome distraction from her current train of thought. I don't think I can wait to find soda bread. I'll make some sometime." She passed him a bright smile. Hopefully the fact that she was trying to run from her own topic of discussion would go unnoticed. Clearly she needed to think about this some more.

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