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Post by Kieran Michael Dawn on Nov 24, 2009 13:34:22 GMT -5
Kieran saw the look from his mother, and he knew perfectly well what it meant. No matter how hard he tried to convince her that he was fine and that she shouldn’t worry, she still did. She was his mother, and she always knew. He’d never been able to hide anything from her, no matter how hard he tried. And if he was completely honest with himself, she had a very good reason to worry.
But he didn’t want Danica to worry; after all, she was just a child. She should be allowed to stay innocent and not know about the uglier things in life. It had been hard enough when they had to tell her that Chelsea wasn’t coming home again.
So he smothered a sigh, and tacked that smile back on his face again. “We’ll deal with Parker later,” he promised, raising an eyebrow at her playfully. “Come on, let’s go listen.”
Taking her hand, he placed his finger against his lips and ducked down, leading her out into the bar area. They crouched down on the ground and quietly listened as Aurelia played Danica’s song.
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Danica Krizova
 
Second Year[M:10]
So fathers, be good to your daughters, daughters will love like you do
Posts: 227
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Post by Danica Krizova on Nov 24, 2009 15:29:15 GMT -5
Having the conversation with her mother and Rita and Kieran had been an experience she'd like to forget. Chelsea was like a sister to her, and it was hard for her to understand why she wasn't coming back anymore.
When they crouched behind the bar, Rita gave them both a look, but she smiled and shook her head, quickly getting back to work.
Danica didn't even notice. She pressed her little body against Kieran to make as much room for Rita to move around as she needed, and she closed her eyes. Everything else just always disappeared when she closed her eyes and just listened. For a few minutes, she saw Fairies dancing in a garden, and everything was exactly as it was supposed to be.
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Post by Kieran Michael Dawn on Nov 24, 2009 16:31:12 GMT -5
Kieran shrugged lightly as his mother gave him a look. The way he saw it, they were less in the way here than they would be standing by the door in the kitchen. Waiters had to go in and out that door and they would be in the way. And Danica deserved to take a moment to just listen to her mother play.
The only trouble was the fact that it put him very close to all those bottles of alcohol. He found himself staring at a bottle of cognac that looked particularly tempting. He could feel his hands beginning to shake, and he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to focus on the music.
He had always admired Aurelia and appreciated her playing. When he was a teenager, he’d even had a slight crush on her, but it had faded as his relationship with Ivy began to grow.
By the time the song ended, he was feeling a little calmer. But, Merlin, he was so tired. He almost regretted that he’d volunteered to keep an eye on Danica, because he really just wanted to sleep.
But he opened his eyes and looked down at her, smiling. "I think your mom desereves some applause for that, don't you?" he said, and began to clap.
(Sorry for the edit, I just noticed that my original post was cut off...)
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Danica Krizova
Second Year[M:10]
So fathers, be good to your daughters, daughters will love like you do
Posts: 227
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Post by Danica Krizova on Nov 24, 2009 19:17:14 GMT -5
With her eyes closed, Dani set her fingers on Kieran's arm, tapping lightly in the way that her mother's fingers moved over the keys. Even after the song ended, she did, before opening her eyes and meeting Kieran's gaze. She was so wrapped up in believing that things were perfect when her mother played that she didn't notice the older boy's struggles. Even if she had, she wouldn't have understood it, or known what to do. Everyone around her just seemed so sad and she just kept smiling.
"She does," Danica agreed, clapping. "She always does." It started with just the two of them applauding, but then Rita joined in, and soon the rest of the patrons did as well.
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Post by Aurelia Krizova on Nov 24, 2009 20:44:08 GMT -5
Aurelia hardly ever got applause for her performances. Usually, she just played for an hour or two at a time with little acknowledgement whatsoever. So when she heard the applause beginning, she knew Danica was probably involved in starting it. That knowedge touched her more deeply than anything else could have.
She stood up and gave a small bow of thanks, and caught sight of Rita, her son Kieran, and Danica gathered behind the bar and clapping. She waved quickly and sat back down as the applause died down. Taking a deep breath, she started on her next piece, allowing the music to take her away.
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Post by Kieran Michael Dawn on Nov 25, 2009 15:03:44 GMT -5
Kieran took hold of Danica's hand again. "That was really nice. I think she really appreciated that," he said. "Come on, we're going to get in trouble if we stay back here much longer. Why don't we go in the back and play cards? I'll teach you how to play poker."
He stood up and gave his mother a quick glance before he led Danica into the back room. "I know there's a deck of cards around here somewhere..."
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Danica Krizova
Second Year[M:10]
So fathers, be good to your daughters, daughters will love like you do
Posts: 227
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Post by Danica Krizova on Nov 25, 2009 15:30:29 GMT -5
"Are you supposed to teach me how to play poker?" Danica asked, suspecting it was a talent Aurelia may not appreciate her having. She would love to know how though.
"I think Rita put in the cupboard in the back... the one that no one really uses." She moved in front of Kieran and lead him back there. "It's probably on a shelf I can't see, though," she added as she opened the door, scanning the shelves for the deck.
"You know that song Mum just played? That's the first song I ever remember hearing. My dad hated it and he'd get mad when she played it."
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Post by Kieran Michael Dawn on Nov 25, 2009 17:34:21 GMT -5
"Probably not," Kieran said. "But I won't tell if you won't." He gave her a wink. "Besides, we won't bet or anything."
Although he'd always been the "good boy" type, he sort of got a kick out of teaching other kids to do things they weren't supposed to do. He had taught Chelsea how to play poker, too.
At the thought of her, his hands began to shake again, and he clenched them tightly at his sides for a moment, trying to steady himself.
Breathe, just breathe, he told himself. He took a few calming breaths, then reached up and pulled the deck of cards from a corner of the top shelf. His mother had hid them there so that the staff could amuse themselves on the rare "quiet" night.
"OK, sit down and we'll play," he said, nodding at the table.
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Danica Krizova
Second Year[M:10]
So fathers, be good to your daughters, daughters will love like you do
Posts: 227
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Post by Danica Krizova on Nov 25, 2009 19:09:15 GMT -5
"I won't tell," Danica promised, turning back to the table and pulling out both chairs. The first she left out for him, and the second she climbed up into.
"I'm really bad at card games at first. Can you teach me with our hands showing? It just makes more sense if I see it." Naturally, with a musician for a mother, Danica had to touch things and see them in order to really understand it and learn it. It was one of the reasons she got so bored in class. Being talked at just never really stuck.
"And then I'll let you win, even," she added, showing him a playful smile that meant she was just kidding.
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Post by Kieran Michael Dawn on Nov 26, 2009 0:05:09 GMT -5
"You got it, Princess," he replied. He sat down across from her and began to shuffle the cards. Unfortunately, his hands were still a little shaky. A couple of times, he dropped some of the cards and had to reshuffle.
"Sorry about that," he said, sticking a few cards back into the deck and shuffling again. "It's been a long day, and I guess I'm a little tired."
Finally, he had the cards shuffled sufficiently, and he began to deal. "There are a few different ways to play poker, but we'll start with the easiest. Five-card Draw. We'll each get five cards, and we'll get to choose the cards we want to keep and draw new cards to replace the rest."
He finished dealing and turned over his cards, which consisted of two fives, a 6, a 10, and an ace. "Let's see your cards."
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Danica Krizova
Second Year[M:10]
So fathers, be good to your daughters, daughters will love like you do
Posts: 227
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Post by Danica Krizova on Nov 26, 2009 0:21:47 GMT -5
Danica watched him, silent. He was kind of a superhero, and she glanced up to make sure he was okay when his hands shook. She shook like that when she was scared or... overwhelmed. But she said nothing. He was Kieran- he could handle anything.
"You should have Rita make you something." Her mind wasn't even on alcohol. She was thinking more along the lines of hot cocoa or tea.
She pulled her cards into her hands and made a 'concentrating' face at them before she turned them up. She showed a two, a nine, a ten of a different suit, and two queens. "How do I know which ones I want to keep?"
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Post by Kieran Michael Dawn on Nov 26, 2009 0:32:23 GMT -5
Of course, his mind went straight to alcohol. But he always felt guilty drinking in front of people, especially in front of her. Deep down, he knew he had a problem, but he was refusing to acknowledge it. He could fight this; he had to.
"Actually, you know, I don't think I ate anything today," he said, which was true. He honestly couldn't remember eating anything at all today. "Maybe I should see if Mum can get one of the cooks to make me a snack or something."
But for the moment, Rita wasn't around, and he didn't want to bother anyone else, so he continued with the lesson. "OK, you probably should keep the two queens," he said. "And I'll keep my two fives. So you would put the other three cards down, face down, and say that you want three cards."
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Danica Krizova
Second Year[M:10]
So fathers, be good to your daughters, daughters will love like you do
Posts: 227
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Post by Danica Krizova on Nov 26, 2009 0:41:09 GMT -5
"Then you should eat something. Brenda made me macaroni and cheese! The good kind with the three different cheeses. Mum had something chicken." She told him this in case the ideas helped him or gave him something he might like to eat.
She listened to him intently. Another thing that she openly admitted was that she loved his voice. Aside from her mother's music, nothing put her at ease more than when he told her a story. The only reason she admitted this was because she had boldly told him so when she was about six, and she couldn't take it back from there.
"Okay." She took the three cards and turned them face down, sliding them towards him. "I want three cards, please."
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Post by Kieran Michael Dawn on Nov 26, 2009 0:51:09 GMT -5
"Macaroni and cheese sounds good," he said. "Maybe I'll ask for some if I see her."
He wasn't exactly sure if he could really eat anything, but now that he'd mentioned it, he probably wouldn't be able to get away without asking. If he didn't do it, Danica probably would. And maybe it would be good for him. His tendency to forget to eat couldn't be healthy, and he knew it.
"OK, here are your three cards," he said, dealing out the cards from the top of the deck. "And I'll take three as well."
After dealing his own cards, he set the deck down. "OK, now let's see your cards."
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Danica Krizova
Second Year[M:10]
So fathers, be good to your daughters, daughters will love like you do
Posts: 227
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Post by Danica Krizova on Nov 26, 2009 1:02:56 GMT -5
Danica held the cards in her hands for just a moment to see if she could see anything good before she asked. She gathered the pairs were good, but past that, she really had no idea.
"I don't have any more pairs," she told him, putting her cards on the table, face up. This revealed another 2, a 7, and a Jack. "But the cards with letters are good, right? I always see people keep those."
Then, before even waiting for an answer from him, she leaned up on her elbows. "Which ones did you get?"
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Post by Kieran Michael Dawn on Nov 26, 2009 1:16:47 GMT -5
He nodded. "Yeah, those are good. That means the're higher in value," he said. "So you have a pair of queens."
He flipped over his cards, revealing another five, a three, and an eight. He put his three fives together. "OK, see, I won this hand, because I have three of a kind. Three of a kind beats a pair. But if you had three queens and I had three fives, you would have won, because queens are worth more than fives."
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Danica Krizova
Second Year[M:10]
So fathers, be good to your daughters, daughters will love like you do
Posts: 227
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Post by Danica Krizova on Nov 26, 2009 1:22:15 GMT -5
"Good job!" She told him, her smile bright and genuine. So she wanted as many of the biggest cards as she could get... okay, she could handle that.
"How long do you play?" That seemed like a logical question. She knew that generally, money was involved. "Is there a number you stop at, or do you just wait for someone to run out of money?" In their case, it may be neither- just however long until one of them got bored.
She rested back in her chair again, her legs swinging while she waited for him to deal another.
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Post by Kieran Michael Dawn on Nov 26, 2009 1:34:55 GMT -5
He smiled at her question. It was typical of her to think about details like that. He also noted that she knew perfectly well that money was usually involved in the game. "Usually, you keep playing until everyone but one person runs out of money. That can be a while, in some cases."
He gathered up their cards. "I should show you examples of the kinds of hands you can get, and which ones are the highest," he said. He first took out the two queens again. "One pair is generally the lowest. But you can still win with it, if the other person has nothing at all, or if they have a pair of a lower value. Next is two pair." He pulled out the two she had just got, along with the one she had discarded. "This would be two pair. But three of a kind would still beat that. Do you understand so far? It gets a little more tricky after this."
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Danica Krizova
Second Year[M:10]
So fathers, be good to your daughters, daughters will love like you do
Posts: 227
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Post by Danica Krizova on Nov 26, 2009 2:03:17 GMT -5
"I understand," Danica assured him. "But why is three better than four? Are two pairs just easier to get than a three of a kind?"
That was another thing about Danica- facts and details meant little to her without the reasoning behind it. That was another reason she often disregarded the rules. They never told her they 'why' behind them, and so she often dismissed them.
"You can keep going though. I get it."
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Post by Kieran Michael Dawn on Nov 26, 2009 2:21:16 GMT -5
Maybe it really was therapeutic to spend time with her. He was starting to feel a little more relaxed, less tense. And in the last five minutes, he had probably spoken more to her than he had spoken to anyone else in total for the last couple of months. It was just so easy with her. She brought the sun out from behind the clouds.
At her question, he frowned slightly. "I don't know, exactly. I guess two pairs are easier to get than three of a kind, but I never really thought about it."
He began to dig through the deck and pulled out more cards for his next couple of examples. "OK, now if you happen to get a sequence of cards, like this--" He sent out a hand with 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. "This is called a Straight, and it beats three of a kind."
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