#《 ♘ 》 in another time‚ what could we have been? ( MODERN )

[arysoakheart]

continuation of this ask with @unbearablyindifferent

laughing, arys takes a seat at the counter, setting his things aside on an empty seat beside him.

" well, it looks like chicken & pasta, " he says. lifting his fork, he takes a bite of the dish set before him. then, after a moment, he hums. " & it tastes like chicken & pasta. i'm gonna go with — chicken & pasta! "

[arysoakheart]

" good, " he says, laughing. " it just wouldn't be ' sarah's spot ' without sarah. " he takes another bite of his food before humming thoughtfully. " y'know, i don't think this place would survive without you. people come here for the food, yeah, but they come here for YOU too. i know i do. "

The hopefulness doesn't go unnoticed by Sarah who immediately starts laughing into her hand--- only for a few seconds, though, and each giggle is filled with love. "Yes, Arys: I said no-- I said it super aggressively, too! This restaurant's my baby! Could you even imagine someone else running it?! I certainly couldn't, even if they were also named Sarah!" A LOUD tap of the counter! For emphasis! "Preposterous!"

[arysoakheart]

one day when arys is heading into work, he finds this friendly cat wandering around a few blocks away from the hospital, and he stops to pet it for a little, but when he continues walking, it follows him to work, & BOOM that's how arys gets a cat 🥹

[arysoakheart]

tag drop.

[arysoakheart]

her sudden enthusiasm catches his attention, and he raises his brow as he listens. " that's amazing! " he says, grinning at her. " but you said he tried, so does that mean you said no? "

maybe it's foolish to hope she said no, but he does. he likes things the way they are. he likes that sarah's spot is sarah's. it just wouldn't be the same if it belonged to someone else.

"Pretty much the same boat, only difference being I work with sandwiches." There was also the fact that she almost got killed by a werewolf last week but, again, she couldn't tell him that. She wanted Arys to remain the innocent surgeon man. "Oh, oh! One thing happened that was out of the ordinary!" She gave the counter two excited little taps. "It happened last week, right where we're standing! Some dude tried to get me to sell the place. He swore he'd take good care of it." Surprisingly, Sarah looked proud of herself. "Gave me quite the ego boost. I'm officially a popular restaurant."

[arysoakheart]

in response to the question, he can only offer something between a grimace & a smile. " it's how it always is, " he chuckles. " busy, hard work, long days. " then he lifts his shoulders in a small shrug. " but i love what i do, so i can't complain too much. "

it's true, even on his WORST days, he loves being a physician. having the ability to help people through tough times & make a real, tangible difference is something he will never take for granted. he only wishes sometimes that he did a better job of helping himself through hard times too.

" what about you? how are things at sarah's spot today? "

There's quite a shift in the environment whenever Arys enters the Spot. He comes from the world Sarah lived in once upon a time, where the supernatural's nothing more than a favorite in the Horror genre, and she needs that perspective. She needs someone who doesn't know what she does. With him, the laughs are never forced. She doesn't have to worry about him coming in here just to drop some terrible case on her. It's... nice to get that break. Even if it's just for an hour a day.

Her shoulders aren't tense anymore and that light in her eyes that's only reserved for friends and family is back. Normalcy. She fucking misses it. "Quality's the least I can do for someone who's saving lives every day." Because that's what he does: he actually saves lives. Unlike Sarah who's got quite a body count due to running out of thinking energy at the wrong fucking moments. Mindlessly stabbing demon-inhabited bodies instead of exorcising them. "Speaking of what we do for a living." Let's get the light off her for a bit. "How's the hospital treating you? You're not so stressed that you wanna rip out your hair, right?"

[arysoakheart]

another burst of laughter, & arys shakes his head. " it's very good, " he assures her. " i'm seconds away from inhaling this entire plate. "

he had a long day at the hospital, yet again. it seemed like EVERYBODY needed surgery. in addition to the three he had scheduled for today, another three had come through the emergency department. he'd hardly had a moment to breathe all day. but at least it's keeping him employed, he supposes.

he takes another bite of the food on his plate & gives sarah a nod of approval. " fantastic, " he says. " seriously, so good. "

GASP!!!! If you don't think Sarah's being cheesy enough already, don't worry about it too much! A second later she slaps her hands to her cheeks and opens her mouth wide in a classic I'm So Fucking Shocked By This Outcome expression! "How does he do it?!" Here, she gives the counter an enthusiastic double tap to emphasize her next words: "You might be a super genius!"