[location: a sidewalk cafe] hours of happiness more or less

[inquitvigiliant]

It's early evening, and a pair of men are sitting close together at a small table outside a little cafe. It looks like tea or coffee now, although there are the remnants of something that might have been a light supper or possibly dessert. Giles is dressed somewhat uncharacteristically in an old leather jacket that looks like it could have been

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[beenthroughhell]

Tara is passing by, and waves, with a little smile, but leaves it to them whether to say hello or not. She doesn't want to bother them if they're looking to be alone, but she's happy to see them both and is probably the only Scooby who would be, sadly.

[inquitvigiliant]

And Giles is happy to see her, in fact waves her over so she can sit if she likes. At least he can expect this to be a pleasant conversation.

"I hear there's to be a magic shop in our future."

[beenthroughhell]

She'll gladly come join, then. She's always happy to see Giles, and more and more looks forward to seeing Ethan too - enough that she looks like her old cheerful self, for the most part. "Looks like. I'm sure you've heard we found a place for it."

Giles probably would notice that there's a little bit of weight she seems to be carrying, but if he's heard that she knows, it's fairly obvious as to why. Still, the first bad shock is over.

[fuckyouripper]

Ethan is still uncharacteristically tense, but he smiles gamely for Tara and shifts his chair a little to make more room for her. "I was about to tell him about it."

[inquitvigiliant]

"You can both tell me, someone needs to make certain the two of you don't go overboard." There's affection in his voice, that belies the suggestion that Tara and Ethan can't manage to open a shop by themselves. And maybe some of that is deliberate, the way he smiles indulgently at the young woman. Like an apology for something he can't stop from happening.

[beenthroughhell]

She returns the smile from Ethan and looks back to Giles. "It's lovely. You'll have to come see, once it's set up. We'll have to settle firmly on a name, eventually, but otherwise..."

[fuckyouripper]

"Do you remember that bloke in London? The one that was always telling me to stop 'tampering'?" Like when Ethan was high as a kite and making the cutlery dance like something out of a disney movie on acid? "'Tamper and Trick' is our working title, for now."

[inquitvigiliant]

"Of course! Am I allowed a look before the grand opening?" Giles is already feeling a whole lot more relaxed, talking about things like magic shops and amusing memories. "I expect you'll get a fair amount of business, around here."

He raises his eyebrows at them both. "Do I get a discount?"

[beenthroughhell]

"That can probably be arranged." She glanced back at Ethan; she's noticed he's tense, but isn't sure whether she should comment or not. "As long as he doesn't abuse the privilege."

[fuckyouripper]

"Don't worry," Ethan smiles over his mug, "I'll keep him in line."

Bold words.

[inquitvigiliant]

Bold indeed, Mister Rayne, and Giles' eyebrows arch over the top of his glasses at that remark.

"I hardly think I'm the one who needs keeping in line in this relationship," he answers dryly, looking toward Tara as if expecting her agreement. Which she would certainly give, because really. Which one of them is the troublemaker here?

[beenthroughhell]

Tara laughs. "Well, I don't know if I can make an informed decision, really. I hear there was a misspent youth or two involved." Not that Tara actually has the slightest inkling, especially where Giles is concerned, but she's picked up a remark here and there.

[fuckyouripper]

"Oh, yes. I was going to tell you about that, wasn't I?" Ethan is innocently not looking at Giles as he reminds Tara of this, because this is almost certainly going somewhere slightly hilarious that Giles will wish it didn't.

[inquitvigiliant]

Yes, Giles is currently regretting opening that door, especially knowing as he does that Ethan will gladly barrel right on through it.

"I hardly think you want to hear about that," he says quickly, hoping Tara will agree that no, she really isn't at all interested in salacious gossip about Rupert Giles' less than upright younger days.

[beenthroughhell]

Unfortunately for Giles, cheering Ethan up outranks his dignity. "Well, he did say he'd tell me about it, sometime. If you're here, you can help him with anything he might misremember?" Very few people know about Tara's small evil streak. Lucky you, Giles.

[fuckyouripper]

Dignity is for people who haven't spent their entire adult life in a relationship with Ethan Rayne- that is, 'everybody but Giles'.

"That's my girl," he says, pleased by this willingness to turn traitor for him. You're his favourite right now, Tara. "Well, we were speaking of buildings without landlords, weren't we?"

Giles can probably guess where this is going.

"Let me tell you about the night I met Rupert- he was in a shitty little band back then, and bonking a friend of mine, Diedre."