What Rules? (Aurelia, Open)

[Danica Krizova]

Danica nodded. "I like the sweet kind better. Or, I think I'd like the sweet ones better." Danica had a major sweet tooth, as Henri had called it the other night. Vegetables were definitely not up her ally.

"Are you going to be working here when I finish school? I mean, after all of it? Because I'll get a job here too. Maybe I can be a waitress. Almost everyone here knows me anyway, so they'd have to hire me." It would be fun if they worked together, right? That was Danica's thought process.

"And good, we'll come in on Sunday and say hi to Pierre. I like his name. Everyone in Franch has such pretty names."

[Aurelia Krizova]

Aurelia had to laugh. That was Danica, always full of childish energy and enthusiasm. For some people she could be hard to keep up with, but Aurelia understood her daughter very well.

"I don't know if I'll still be working here by then," she said honestly. "That will be more than 6 years from now... that's a long time. A lot can happen. But if I am, and you still want to work here, you can."

She finished the food on her plate and pushed it aside. Her break was almost over, but she hated to leave Danica. Even though she knew the girl would be fine back here with the rest of the staff to look after her, she would have preferred to stay with her daughter, just talking.

"When you meet Pierre, you must compliment him as much as you can. He will like that."

[Danica Krizova]

Danica nodded, finishing her plate, which she'd nearly forgotten about while speaking with her mom. She didn't always show it in all the right ways, but Danica idolized her mother and wanted to be just like her. She recognized that Aurelia was a strong, caring woman, and what little girl wouldn't adore a mother like Aurelia? So it was only natural that Danica would want to work where her mother was working. She had to agree, though... six years was like a whole lifetime away.

"I'll compliment about everything," she promised. "The food, the way he talks, his hair. He has hair, right?"

[Aurelia Krizova]

Aurelia laughed. "Yes, he does have hair," she replied. "Quite a lot of it, actually. I'm sure he will like you... who could possibly not adore you?"

She glanced up at the clock again and sighed softly. It was time to go back out there. As much as she loved to play and perform, sometimes the routine of it all was so tedious, especially when she wasn't entirely sure her efforts were appreciated. She would have rather stayed with Danica right now, but at least her daughter would get to hear her play.

"I have to go back out now, my break is over," she said. "But if the staff will let you stay, you can stay back here until my shift ends in two hours. I'll play your song, and then maybe you can find Rita. She should be coming in soon."

[Danica Krizova]

Danica sighed and pursed her lips. She wished her mother could take a much longer break, or just leave early. But she nodded. "I'll be good, okay?" She'd gotten in trouble the last time she was here, but honestly, she couldn't remember what for.

She was really excited to hear her song, and she knew that Rita would keep her entertained when she arrived. She liked the older woman who even watched her when she was a little younger and her mother didn't want to leave her at home.

"Don't let any more guys be rude either, okay?"

[Rita Dawn]

"I heard my name."

Rita seemed to appear out of nowhere, tying a black apron around her white and black work clothes. Her hair was up in a loose, but nice bun. She smiled at Aurelia, but then saw Danica, and her smile widened. "Hey sweetheart," she said to the little girl, who promptly got up to give her a hug.

"Let me guess," she said, surveying the empty plates. "Your break's over, hm? And this one snuck out again to see you."

[Aurelia Krizova]

Aurelia nodded and gave her daughter a little salute. "The next one that tries will get an earful, I promise," she said.

If pushed, Aurelia was perfectly capable of defending herself, but she almost always used methods other than the physical ones. If she had to, though, she would use magic. She just preferred not to make a scene.

When Rita came in, Aurelia smiled. "Oh, good, I'm glad you're here. You know how this one is, never quite listens to the rules. But I'm glad she came, anyway. Just do me a favor and keep an eye on her for me. I have another two hours left to my shift. And if she's good, maybe I'll take her over to Florean Fortescue's on the way home..." she added with a wink at Danica.

[Danica Krizova]

Danica was out of her seat the second she saw Rita, hugging the woman she had known forever, practically. She knew Rita was a good person instinctively, though granted, she assumed most people were good people.

As Aurelia made to go back out, Danica sighed, frowning slightly. She too wished her mother could stay back here with her and finish her shift talking to her and Rita.

"I'll be good!" she declared, smiling at Aurelia's wink.

[Rita Dawn]

"Yeah, only because you've been bribed to be good," Rita added, giving Aurelia a quiet but assuring nod. "I'll keep as much of an eye on her as possible." Of course, when her own shift started in ten minutes, she wouldn't be able to entertain the girl, but she would still make a point to check in on her.

"Come on, munchkin. Let's let your mum get back to work. I'll let you punch my time card again."

[Aurelia Krizova]

Aurelia stood there a minute, just watching her daughter with Rita. Aurelia was not good at asking for help; most of the people in her life that she had relied on had let her down in some way. But Rita was a good woman, and she had been through a lot. While Aurelia and Danica had been lucky enough to remain untouched by the Hogsmeade attack, Rita had not been so lucky. Losing a husband and a daughter... Aurelia couldn't imagine that kind of pain. She tried to be there for Rita, just as Rita was there for her and Danica.

"OK, I'll see you in a few hours," she said at last. "Come on, give me a hug and kiss before I go."

[Danica Krizova]

Danica went back to Aurelia, folding herself up neatly in her mother's arms. "Blow them away," she whispered. She'd said it to Aurelia everytime she was there when her mother went on stage, or anywhere to perform. Her mother was a goddess in her eyes, capable of captivating any audience.

"I'll see you after," she said and pecked her cheek.

[Aurelia Krizova]

Aurelia pressed a kiss on the top of Danica's head. "I will," she promised, smiling. "Love you lots."

It was the phrase she'd been using for years, sort of their own private way of saying goodbye, or goodnight. Although Aurelia had been taught not to be overly emotional, she had chosen not to pass that down to her daughter. She wanted Danica to be free to express herself, in all the ways she had never been. And Aurelia loved her daughter so completely and unconditionally, that it was easy to tell her so.

At last, as she spoke those words, she let out a small sigh and turned around, heading for the door. Even if no one out there truly appreciated what she did, she knew that at least Danica did. And when it came down to it, she was more important to Aurelia than anyone else could ever be.

[Kieran Michael Dawn]

Ambrosia was most definitely not Kieran's kind of place. He hated the decadence, the snobbery, and the so called "sophistication" of the patrons. But then, these days, there wasn't much that he did like. His mother worked here, and that was pretty much the only reason he'd ever set foot in a place like this.

He had just finished a particularly grueling shift at the hospital, and he really would have preferred to go home and curl up with a bottle of firewhiskey. But his mother liked him to check in from time to time, and if he visited her while she was working she wouldn't have time to grill him about what was going on in his life. After all, he had no answers for her. There was nothing, not one thing, going on in his life. It was go to work, come home, drink and pass out, then wake up and do it all again.

He slipped in the back way, preferring to avoid the main room and all the customers. This way he walked straight into the little kitchenette and lounge where the staff took their breaks. If he remembered correctly, his mother's shift would just be beginning, so she would still be in this area.

He pasted on a smile as he caught sight of her, along with a familiar, small figure. "Hey, Mum," he called, trying to keep his voice bright.

[Rita Dawn]

Rita had taken Danica's hand, giving her a wink and telling her that she would give her some ice cream in an hour or so just in case her mother forgot. Sometimes, she amused herself by giving Dani too much sugar just before Aurelia got off her shift. Hey, she wasn't going to have any more children, so why not?

Then she heard a familiar voice, her son's, and she didn't even hide how it brightened her up. Like Kieran, she had a tendency to internalize her pain, but her joy was always evident, and he always made her smile. She just wished she didnt feel so distanced from him.

"Hey, darling," she said. "Good day at work?" She quickly glanced at the clock, aware that she only had a couple of minutes before she needed to relieve the other bartender.

[Danica Krizova]

Danica hadn't heard his voice, but she was prompted to turn around when Rita did. In a very innocent and childish way, her own face lit up. She felt like she'd grown up around Kieran, and he'd known her since he was 16 or so. He was also nice to her, and Danica was a sucker for people who were nice to her.

But her tone was softer and quieter when she spoke. "Hi Kieran," she said, suddenly feeling a bit shy.

[Kieran Michael Dawn]

Kieran pulled his mother into a hug. Though it was a quick hug, he squeezed her tightly and buried his face against her neck for a brief moment like a little boy who had just skinned his knee. "It was OK," he lied, pulling away from her. The lie was evident in his eyes.

He had treated a girl who had reminded him of Chelsea today. She had touched a cursed object that had been sent to her father, and it burned her hands very badly. Even with the best healing spells and potions he knew, he wasn't sure if her hands would ever function properly again.

Turning his thoughts away from work, he bent down so that he was closer to Danica's face. His smile was brighter, less forced now. Danica was hard to resist, even for the most dour person. She was like a rainbow or a basket full of puppies. "Hey there, Princess," he said. "Let me guess, you came to see your mommy play?"

[Danica Krizova]

And her grin was back. She loved being called a princess (in English or French, she recently discovered) and she adored Kieran. No, she meant that she adored when Kieran called her a princess.

"Yes," she said, nodding. "I took the Knight Bus and everything. And Mum's playing very pretty tonight. She's going to play my song in a minute if you want to stay and listen with me." Her eyes were wider, and it was quite obvious that she wanted him to stay with her. The lie that had been in his eyes was gone when he looked at her, so she suspected nothing about his hard day. If she had, she would have done everything in her power to make him happier.

[Kieran Michael Dawn]

He smiled at her. It was hard not to, really, even though he was tired and sore and in desperate need of a drink. But maybe spending a little time with her would be therapeutic. "Sure," he said. "I'd love to listen with you."

He looked up at his mother, trying to hold that smile in place. "You should get out there... I'll keep an eye on Dani for a little while. We can talk in between orders, if you want."

[Rita Dawn]

When he hugged her, Rita held on just a little tighter than she needed to. He was all she had left of her family, and she could sense that she was losing him, even. She wouldn't know what to do if he left her too. Holding on to him was like grasping at water- it stayed in your hand if you cupped it, but even then it slowly leaked out.

Rita nodded, rubbing her hands on her apron. "Yeah, all right." More quietly, she added, "Try and keep her out of Parker's way... you know how he is around children." He was probably the grumpiest of Ambrosia's cooks, but that never seemed to stop Danica from trying to make him smile. It usually didn't work.

"All right, Munchkin, I'll see you in a few. Be good for me and your mom, and Kieran."

She ruffled Dani's hair and kissed her son on the cheek, and then disappeared through the door into the front. Some days, it felt like she was just barely holding herself together.

[Danica Krizova]

Dani scrunched her nose. People had a thing for ruffling her hair, and she never complained or said anything, but everyone did it.

"I won't get in his way," she said, giving Rita a look as if asking how she could think such a thing. "I already promised Mum I'd be good, anyway.

Rita had a sad look in her eyes that Danica did notice, however, and she glanced back at Kieran to see if he noticed it. But Rita was gone in the next minute, and the sounds of the piano could be heard.

"That's my song!" Dani said suddenly, taking Kieran's hand and pulling him towards the door.