The Kidnapping (All involved)

[Sean Leviner]

"I will, ma'am." He nodded to both Aurelia and Henri, making a promise to himself that he would find Danica. He had to now- Aurelia trusted him to bring her daughter home. This also meant that somewhere, indirectly, that little girl was now counting on him, too.

He followed them into Ambrosia at a distance and began to ask the bartender on staff what he had seen.


(Sorry for the short exit post, ha ha)

[Aurelia Krizova]

Aurelia's legs were shaky as Henri led her back into Ambrosia. She honestly felt like she was nearing a collapse, but she also felt that she owed it to Rita to tell her what little they knew about Dani. She could only imagine how Rita must feel, not knowing what was going on. Not that Aurelia knew much more...

Inside the club, they easily found Rita near the bar. With her was Kieran, who looked almost as bad as Aurelia felt. He was gripping a glass of amber liquid almost convulsively, and if Aurelia hadn't been so utterly focused on her daughter's--kidnapping, was it?--she might have had the presence of mind to be worried about him.

"We... we found her wand..." Aurelia managed to say, then gripped Henri's hand.

[Rita Dawn]

Rita didn't know what else to say to Kieran. In a selfish way, she wanted her son to comfort her. Now, they were both just lost and worried, and no one was comforted.

She hoped she was right, too, but how could she know? It didn't seem like anyone else had gone missing in the commotion, and part of her still hoped that Dani was hiding somewhere until it was safe to come out. She knew better, though. Dani wasn't the type to hide for long, or to not know what was going on.

When Aurelia came back inside, Rita just knew. She knew what it felt like losing a child, and she recognized the look in Aurelia's eyes.

Swallowing, she stood up and pulled her friend into her arms. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "We'll find her, though. I swear we will."

[Kieran Michael Dawn]

Kieran's heart sank at the look on Aurelia's face when she walked in. And yet, he really wasn't surprised. He drained the rest of his glass and poured himself some more, but other than that, he didn't make a sound. He couldn't trust himself to speak.

Unlike his mother, he hadn't held out hope that Dani was going to just turn up out of nowhere. Pretty much the only good news, so far, was that they hadn't found her body. That meant that there was a chance that she was still alive. In Kieran's bleak view, it seemed like a small possibility, but he decided to cling to it anyway. He couldn't allow himself to believe that she was dead. He couldn't lose her, too.

[Aurelia Krizova]

Aurelia clung to Rita for a moment, as if trying to keep the world from spinning out of control. Everything felt empty and hallow, like it wasn't quite real. Maybe this was a dream, and she'd wake up to find Dani safe and sound.

But Aurelia knew it wasn't a dream.

"Th-the Ministry's l-looking for her... They said I should go home... But I need to find her..."

[Rita Dawn]

Rita hugged her friend for as long as the girl needed. She felt like ice, like her whole world was ending again through Aurelia's pain. No one should have to lose their child. The thought actually had not occured to her that Dani could be dead, but rather just that someone had her. Hurt, maybe. Dead was not a possibility though. Rita refused to even consider it. Who would want to hurt Dani? She was just 11. She shouldn't have any enemies.

"They'll find her, Aurelia. They're trained to do this sort of thing, and I bet they'll have her back to us in no time. But you do need to go home... when Dani comes back, she'll need you, and you'll need to be rested. She'll be terrified if she sees you like this."

It felt harsh to say these words, but it was true. And Aurelia needed the rest. "Go home. I'll stay here in case she comes back."

[Aurelia Krizova]

Aurelia already felt close to collapsing. But how was she supposed to go home? How was she supposed to rest? How was she supposed to eat or drink or breathe in and out? It was too much, she couldn't do these things when her every thought was of Dani.

"I... I don't want to go home," she said softly. "I want to stay here... or look for Dani... I want to knock on every damn door in England looking for her..."

[Kieran Michael Dawn]

Kieran, standing in the corner with a drink in his hand, watched all this silently. He was shattered, just as much as everyone else. In his mind, he had travelled back to that horrible day when he'd lost nearly everyone he cared about. Ivy, Chelsea, Dad... all gone.

Dad was dead before they even brought him in... killed by a killing curse. At least he'd never felt any pain. Ivy and Chelsea weren't so lucky.

When Chelsea was brought in, she had been assigned to the next available healer... which just happened to be him. She was half-crushed under burning debris and suffered severe burns on most of her body. Whomever had set the explosions had used a spell to prevent the flames from being frozen... so many people--many children--had suffered painful deaths. Chelsea was in agony, her clothing still smoldering. Kieran had done everything he could, but he hadn't been able to save his sister.

And if that hadn't been enough, one of the other healers told him that Ivy had been brought in. Lindsay was treating her and refused to let him help. Not that he could have done anything. Just as with Chelsea, Ivy was past treatment. She had died in his arms.

He couldn't do this again. Not Dani. She was the closest he had to a sister now... she was the only person who made him feel like some semblance of his old self. If he lost her, he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to crawl back out of this hole.

Setting his glass down, Kieran focused on Aurelia. She looked a wreck, and she wasn't going to be any good to anyone in this state. He knew this because she looked just as haggard as he felt, and he knew he was useless right now.

"Mum's right, Aurelia. You need to go home. Henri, please take her home. No protests."