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It seemed like old times. At least for that brief shining moment at the bar when Willow was... well, Willow. Perky, positive, probably pretty stoked that some of her old fashion tips had finally taken root. She was effusive in her praise of Tara's outfit, and even cracking jokes off of Tara's opening line. It was like she hadn't changed at all since the wedding. Guess that was a sign of things going well.

Allison was there too. She had snuck up alongside for a second. Tara almost didn't recognize her, but she still had her mother's face. She felt bad being more friendly with Tsunami then her, but that was natural given her work. Tara didn't have time to remark on her presence before Willow had pulled the both of them into a hug. Again, it felt like a throwback, and it was something that was as warm as could be expected. It always seemed like Willow hugged with the force of a woman ten-times her size, and while Tara was usually sturdy enough to catch all of it, it did feel like there was a lot of effort in this one.

[i][color=217633]"This... this is nice! All right then!"[/color][/i]

Unfortunately the opportunity to build on these fuzzy feelings was quickly lost as another person emerged looking for drinks. Or for more trouble. Yes, he may have also added some hair to his look, but even under that goatee, it wasn't hard to see the leering face of Grayson Chambers. Of course, the last time Tara saw it, his eyes were closed. And the face was way redder. And her knuckles hurt. Yes, he was the reason she didn't get a big high school graduation send off. Sure, she was at the after-party, but there was still something lacking to the festivities given the way her grade-school career ended. There was a lot of resentment for Grayson after that. Still was, if she was being honest. Graduations at Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart were great, but they didn't have the chance to be family moments like high school. Shoot, maybe it would have been one more happy memory before Brendan ran off.

There was a lot of overthinking going on as Grayson started trying to butter up the three women at the bar. Like nothing had ever happened. But then he launched into an apology. An unexpected detour, for sure. It felt a little lacking though. Like Grayson didn't really know what he was apologizing for. He just knew that Allison, Tara and Willow all had reasons to be upset with him, and was trying to throw out a blanket statement. He even laughed, looking directly at her, when referencing the T.K.O. Punch. Inviting another one as penance for what he had done 10 years ago. 

She thought about it. She briefly looked down at her right hand, now clenching at the glass that held her mojito. Tara was liable to break the glass if she wasn't careful. That would be a pretty cool show of strength, actually. But she didn't want to start shit this early. No need to be known as the woman who turned the reunion into an MMA fight too.

But Willow. Willow was the driving force behind the initial punch. The hurt she showed in the bathroom. A complete 180 of her usual self. The heinous act that could do such a thing. Tara looked to Willow to see if there was any indication how she felt about the current situation. Willow was instead looking back at her and Allison. Tara really didn't have anything to say to Grayson at this moment. It looked like Willow didn't either. However, eventually she did speak. It was tentative, but it was a call for peace. At least for now. A call for moving forward. A call for moving away from the past.

It was pretty clear which side of that fence Tara was on. As if her outfit wasn't a sign enough that the days of bare-knuckle boxing people were long past. And if Willow wanted to bury the hatchet, at least in the face of the man who caused her all that pain all those years ago, then for now, Tara would honor that wish.

[color=217633]"My days of punching faces are over, Grayson,"[/color] Tara finally added to Willow's request for calm. She breathed a heavy sigh as she took a long sip of her drink and set it back down on the bar. [color=217633]"These hands are made to heal, not to hurt. At least not anymore."[/color] She did her best to sound zen about everything, but she wasn't sure if it just came out as melancholic. [color=217633]"Just don't be expecting sunshine from this corner."[/color]

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