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“Exactly.” Bianca laughs again. “They did what they could though, even if that was minimal. They had lots of other business to attend to.” She thinks about it for a second. “I’ve been just fantastic! And how about you, Rosie? Things all good on your end?”

Romulus nods and hums. “Mhm, mhm. I see.” He rubs his chin and appears to be deep in thought. “So it’s like a little café but make it about a weird mermaid-centered currency…” He perks up. “Sounds like an interesting trip!”

“I’ll bet! They never cared for such pranks. Sticks in the mud, all of them!” Bianca laughs again. “Oh, I’m sure it’s plenty funny in hindsight though, or we wouldn’t be having this conversation, now would we?”

“Oh, so it’s not actually a lunch place?” Romulus scratches his beard with a finger. “Strange, but I wouldn’t mind trying that sometime. It has an even stranger name. What kind of name is that, anyway? ‘Starbucks.’ Sounds like a fake currency.”

“I still barely understand it myself, and yet I was here for the whole thing.” He chuckles bitterly. “Yeah. I’m thankful, too. I probably would have lost myself somewhere down the line if I were completely alone.” 

He continues rocking his feet back and forth to move the swing. “It feels like it’s already been a really long time,” he says. “Hard to believe it’s only been a year. Then again, days kind of… get away from me nowadays. Do you think this is what being immortal’s like? Just sitting and watching the days go by without really noticing?”

“Sounds about right.” Eve hums and moves to place her hands in her lap. “I think so. Given that I’ve got a couple more years on you with this, I’d say it comes and goes. I kinda celebrated my birthday at least the first year, after that I would just get a little treat for myself and spend the night in. Significant days like that as time goes on start to matter less.”

“Häh? They’re doing it by year?” That surprises Lilli. She always thought if she were lucky enough to find love in another nation, they would change locations seasonally rather than yearly. But this is what works for Alvin and Eve. Who is she to judge?

Lilli opens her closet and starts rifling through her dresses, dismissing most as either too casual or too formal. Anything floor length is certainly out. “Will you be hosting the holidays with your family, then?”

“Yeah, I guess to balance it out with less traveling back and forth. Which honestly I can understand it.” While Rosalie has never dated a nation, splitting a year back and forth wouldn’t be totally off the table. Depending on her significant other.

“Fucked.” Alvin keeps his gaze down at his feet as he rocks them back and forth to make the swing move slightly. Eve may be at a loss for words, but he isn’t. He’s had time to mull over the words and process many of the emotions from what happened. He knows words won’t be enough to mend the emotional damage that’s been done, but that doesn’t mean he can’t heal at all. “It’s really fucked.”

He goes quiet for a moment. “I meant it when I said I was glad it went better for you.” He gives her a sad smile. “I wouldn’t wish what happened to me to anybody. Frankly, I dunno where I’d be if it weren’t for Keegan and the people I got to actually keep in my life, like Lilli and Rosie.”

“Things are… finally starting to feel normal again. It’ll never be the way it was before, obviously, but it feels like a new kind of normal. Things are settling into place after months of being confused and upset about what to do next. I just hope that, wherever they are, they’re safe.”

“God you could say that again. I’m sorry, I’ll never fully understand all that you’ve gone through. Along with the others. But... you have my full sympathy. You know I always cared for you guys. I still do.” Eve offers a sad smile back before glancing at the ground by her feet. “Like any bad situation, it’s always good to have a support system. “I’m incredibly glad that you were lucky to have such.”

Alvin nods and sends Keegan a text that he’ll be a bit late tonight. He puts his phone back into his pocket and walks along with her as they leave the bar. For a moment, his expression is unreadable when Evelina mentions JJ living alone in the apartment.

“Yeah. The park sounds nice.” He puts on his best smile and starts heading there. It almost feels like old times when they get to the park. Like nothing even happened at all. It’s empty this late at night, which Alvin’s thankful for. He heads right for the swings and picks one of them to sit on. A perfect sitting spot. “Feels like we were all here yesterday,” he says wistfully.

Walking to the park with Alvin certainly brings in a rush of nostalgia for her. All of them heading here after school and sometimes on the weekends. “Feels like ages ago...” A thought that subconsciously is spoken out loud as Eve heads towards the swings with him. Picking the one on his right and giving herself a little swing.

“Oh, thank Heavens, I can wear a skirt.” Lilli hardly knows what else in her wardrobe would have fitted such an event otherwise. She has suits but they are all good deal more businesslike than leisurely. Certainly too formal for an artistic environment. 

“Come with me, yes? We can talk some more while I change.” Lilli motions for Rosalie to follow her upstairs to her bedroom and motions for her to have a seat at her vanity. “Are Alvin and Evelina still residing in Italy? They have not gone back to the states, have they?”

“Oh yeah absolutely, that’ll be perfectly fine.” In fact Rosalie will most likely do the same. They’re usually far more comfortable for her than dresses anyway. Plus, she always enjoyed mixing and matching the tops. “Okay.”