#eve thread

Eve hadn't been holding their breath to see Addie walk through the door of their cafe but on the day that she did, they had woken up with a feeling that a shift was in the air. To be fair they had been feeling it since their brother had returned home but that was something they still weren't willing to fully unpack. They yearned to talk to someone about it, to have someone understand and see them but at the moment they didn't have enough trust. Especially when people seemed to love their brother, missed him even and they didn't want to ruin whatever community he had left here. Despite it all, they loved and cared about him. But this wasn't about him and as they finished going through the morning rush with their team, their eyes drifted to the door as it opened and let in the cool air. They tried not to seem surprised, more pleased as Addie walked in and when she looked over at Eve, they pretended they didn't see her for a moment. "Addie!" They said, coming around the counter to greet her. "I was starting to think I imagined our conversation," a light tease as they pointed at a table near the window with a big comfy set of chairs near it. "How do you like your coffee? I'll have that out to you quick. Are you hungry? Please tell me you are, we just added a couple of new things," they told her and set it down on the table before taking a step back. "I'm glad you came."

"There we go, can't have the little one rocking anymore than they need to." Eve had arranged the furniture on the back porch so Linden could put their legs up before sitting next to them with a content sigh. "What a night, I had so much fun," they admitted, resting their head on Linden's shoulder as they closed their eyes and let the day wash over them. The vinyl Linden had given them was playing sweetly from the living room and Eve felt truly happy. It was overwhelming really. So much of the past six months had felt tense, uncertain and the carnival hadn't helped at all but tonight, surrounded by the people they love, being celebrated by them...it meant everything. "41, Jesus, you better hurry up and get out here or I'm gonna wither away by the time you're born," they joked, talking to Linden's stomach before looking back at their best friend. "Thank you for the best day ever and the best treats. I have never had so much caramel in my life and I could not be happier." They leaned over and pressed a kiss to the side of Linden's head. "Thanks for making this day so special."

"Okay so see, where we're doing here is called research." Eve motioned their hands over the spread they had lay out in front of them from all of the stalls. A few were from the Ceramic Cup but Eve had decided to leave the stall in the hands of their staff for a moment so they could enjoy a bit of their favorite night. It was no surprise that Eve loved Halloween. It felt like their powers were supercharged or rather they were just overall supercharged. They had always been especially fond of all things spooky and unknown. But food always came first. "If you taste something especially good I want to know about it and why because I need to see if I can beat it over at the cafe," they teased though that was partially their recommendation. That and they figured if they showed their support people would do the same. "Let's start with ghosts shaped nuggets because they're honestly too cute not to eat."

Eve hadn't been sure if she would show up. They had felt silly at first for being slightly nervous to invite her. Mostly because it meant them really entering into a new time in their lives where they actually knew each other again. What if Jane didn't like what she learned? What if Eve didn't? They were certainly more judgmental then they were when they were younger. Perhaps it was their own coat of armor but either way, their trust issues had always been steadfast. Still, they could feel Amory teasing them at how antsy they felt as their guests started to arrive. It was a good distraction until people were getting settled with their drinks and their doorbell rang again. And they knew both from feeling (and Amory) that she had arrived.

They tried to be subtle in the way they drifted towards the door and gently pulled it open. "You made it," they told her softly, truly taking the sight of her in as she stood in their doorway. "Um, yeah, come in, come in. Can I get you a drink?"

"You know, not to be sentimental but you being here has been one of my best birthday gifts this year." Eve smiled as they joined Addie on one of the couches in their living room. Their house was full of all of their dear ones, they were somewhere in a nice balance of intoxicated and had just smoked with their brother so they were in their sappy part of the night. Making sure that the people there knew that Eve valued their place in Eve's life. Eve was caring but sometimes sentiment of real depth didn't come as easily off the bat. At this time of year though, Eve found themselves being so happy to be alive they wanted to celebrate everything that made it possible. And their community was a big part of that.

"Please tell me you've had enough food and libations, there's so much so just know I will be sending you home with leftovers."

"You are my MVP of the week. Don't tell Pablo." Eve set the six pack down on the counter for Lori now that they had officially finished up closing the cafe. The week had been busy and Eve had been pretty ambitious in their birthday special this week. But it had felt important for them to not only celebrate themselves but to offer celebration to all of the people who had helped their dream come true. "I know it was ambitious of me but I had so much fun, is that not worth it?" They flipped their hair over their shoulders, laughing and taking a beer before taking a seat as the nearest table.

"Come, sit, have a beer with me. You can listen to me wax poetic about turning 41," they teased, letting some of the chaos of the day fall from their shoulders. "I had so much fun but even I can admit I'm exhausted. Between this and my birthday dinner I think I need to go sit in the dark for a few business days. Do you want to take any days off? I think we could handle it."

Eve hadn't been eager to leave their house in the days following the Carnival. They had even shut down the cafe for a day just to get their bearings. After conversations both with Noah and even Alex, they were starting to understand the overwhelming concern that seemed to be plaguing their fellow witches. The temporarily loss of powers had been worse than anything. It felt like their soul had been stripped and every hour since they had been practicing, the fear of losing it even for a moment too much to swallow. But Eve was trying to come out of their cocoon and that included connecting with people they felt were special. Not only to them as a friend but to all they could learn to survive this next chapter in Cardinal Hill history. It was why Eve had finally extended an invite to Winter to visit them at their home. And when Amory signaled that Winter was walking up the front path, they were quick to the door, an easier smile on their face as they looked at him. "Well, I have to say, you are actually a sight for sore eyes. And I don't say that to many men," they teased, opening the door up widely for him to enter. I hope your'e hungry and thirsty, I may have overdone it."

The first few times Eve had seen her, they thought they were hallucinating. It wasn't an unusual occurrence for Jane to show up in their dreams but they knew this wasn't that. As much as they tried to deny it. They had spent a lot of time avoiding her but as time went on, Eve's curiosity got the best of them. Well that and it felt physically painful to not be able to see their eyes on her when she was so close. Foolish. At least that's what they told themselves.

But today was different, today they stood across the street from Pure Leaf Alchemy, determined to finally go back inside. The nerves in their stomach threatened them with a fierceness, a wave of nostalgia washing over them as they thought about the amount of times they had walked through those doors with Jane right beside them. "Don't be such a baby," they muttered to themselves, looking both ways before finally jogging across the street. Another deep breath with their hand on the door before pulling it open and walking in.

That nostalgia hit even harder and Eve lingered at the door for a moment before their eyes were drawn towards the counter and there she was. "Well, fuck me," Eve muttered, almost being mad at how much their chest ached at the sight of her. They were 40 years old for fucks sake, how did she still have an effect? "You got any sales going on today?" It was the first thing that came to mind and they mentally winced as they got her attention, taking a few steps closer. The absence of her father lingered everywhere and it made Eve soften as they approached and rested their hands gently on the counter. "Hi Jane."