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Your old flame, the mother of your son, she spoke sense, but where your ears listened, your heart didn’t. You had her for this moment, that you’d never expected to come- and letting her go to leave again was too much. There was a compromise, surely.
“If we’re not going to see each other again,” you eased out slowly, delaying each word to give a moment to think. Even if you wished for fate to show generosity to you again. “Then just a single day’s date isn’t too much to demand, is it? Just for this Langenachtfest. For our welfare and fortune. Just one brightened time of darkest nights.”
Your hands were still on her- like she was a cat you were afraid might squirm away. She stared, her big, beautiful eyes piercing through yours.
“…I ought to refuse outright,” Winnifred said with a cutting click of her tongue, “But your persistence in hope is endearing. Fine. Just one day. If it will be a stone for you to step off of, and move on.”
“Thanks, babe,” You exhaled a great sigh of relief as you pushed your hands forward from her waist to the small of her back, and held Winnifred close and tight. “I don’t know if you get how much this means to me.”
Winnifred sighed, and tiredly put her forehead against your shoulder. “A joke with a tragic punchline, because I do. And in spite of my best intentions, no logic will convince you to feel otherwise, no matter the benefit to you.”
She was probably right, and she stuck around more out of pity than affection, but on the other hand you didn’t care. One more day, one more date, was so much more than you thought you’d ever get again. That made such little time as good as gold and more.
After some more idle talk, and supper (Winnifred was a better culinarian than you. What a shame it was not to keep her), Winnifred let you take her halfway to where she was staying- before leaving from there. This was no night for her to stay at your place- and not one to expect her to share a bed at any rate.
“I will meet with you tomorrow here,” She said, preempting any proposal for you to take her all the way back, “The IIN prefers its safe houses to be secretive. If they see you nosing around it, I’ll be in trouble.”
“I wouldn’t dare stalk a lady home, no matter her allure,” you raised your hands in mock defensiveness, shaking them for emphasis. “Though you’d be more certain if you gave me a kiss goodbye.”
Winnifred gave you a blank stare, then turned away. “Save it for tomorrow, <span class="mu-i">Emerracher</span>.”
Cute shot across the bow, that. “Make sure you’ve got another red pair for then.”
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<span class="mu-i">December 24, 1933, the Eve of Langenachtfest</span>
Well. You had a date for the Long Night. Not the one you expected to get, but one nevertheless. Though she’d likely be gone just after the sun rose after the darkest night, it’d be enough.
Today was the fashionable day to have the all-important date as well, if there was any day for it.
