Despite Maddalena's smirk, Daisy's stomach dropped. She'd been caught, and she hadn't even done anything yet. She was a terrible miscreant. Maybe that's just what you got when your mother was a barrister. Painfully obvious tells. But her follow-up was a relief. Daisy returned the smirk. "Just tell me one thing," she said. "How could you tell I was planning something?" She needed to know what tell to control.
She blinked and a very faint tinge of pink appeared on her cheeks. The girl shook her head to clear away the embarrassed blush and swallowed. "Right, yeah. Obviously. Um, that's a toaster. You put the bread in, and it heats it up."
-
Anna sighed quietly. "Interesting to say the least," she remarked before drinking again. Ethan didn't even know half of the hells her job had led her through. "Thank you. I guess it just comes with the job description. Unwavering honesty all the time."
“Experience, dear one.” Maddalena smiled warmly. “I trained many thieves and mischief makers. I would be insulted if you weren’t planning something.” she chuckled.
She hummed thoughtfully and nodded. “How convenient. And very interesting.”
-
Eymanthus chuckled a little. “An admirable quality. Especially in your line of work.” he complimented. “What's your daughter like?”
Daisy couldn't help the grin on her face at Maddalena's comment. "I'm always planning something," she replied smoothly. "But did I have any tells?"
On cue, the toaster made a ding, and Daisy lifted the bread out and put it on a plate. "Do you want butter on yours?" she asked, cutting a thin slice for her own piece of toast.
–
Anna wasn't sure how long she'd been blushing, but Ethan definitely wasn't helping it to go away. She attempted to drink from her latte to cover it up, but of course, that was when he asked her a question. So, she quickly swallowed the liquid and smiled. "Just darling. But she's growing up too fast for my liking. She's already fifteen! And she's incredibly curious about nearly everything."
Maddalena laughed at the girl’s response and gave a slight nod. “Everyone has a tell. What do you think yours is?” she asked, challenging her to think.
She jumped a little at the sound of the machine but tried to shake off her surprise. “Yes. Thank you.” she agreed, taking the eggs off the heat. “Can you get a couple of plates?”
-
Eymanthus smiled as she talked about her kid. It was so cute how mortals fawned over their children. “She sounds like a handful.” he chuckled, taking a sip of his drink.
Daisy pursed her lips and thought back to when Maddalena had guessed her scheming. “I didn’t say anything,” she replied. “Because I was too busy thinking.”
She giggled a bit at Maddalena’s jump. “Sorry. I forgot it does that. I’m just used to it. Here.” She reached into the cabinet above them and picked out two medium size plates for their eggs and toast.
—
Anna nodded in agreement. “Yes, she is,” she remarked before taking another sip. Her cup was halfway gone now.
“Won’t you tell me some more about yourself too?” she prompted.
“True. But I could still tell you were thinking about something.” Maddalena pointed out as she divided the eggs between the two plates. “The better you know yourself, the more you can control what other people can see.” she explained.
-
“Oh, of course.” Eymanthus nodded. “Well, let's see… I love music and can even play some. No kids but I like them.” he lied, it had been a while but there had been children of his. “And I enjoy traveling, getting to see the world.” he smiled.
Daisy nodded, soaking up her new mentor’s wisdom as she offered it. “So how can I do that?” she asked, putting the first piece of toast on Maddalena’s plate before she started to butter her own. “Get to know myself.”
—
Anna listened to each word he said like he was God. Little did she know… But her smile was sweet as he talked about his life. “Do you have a job?” she asked curiously. “I wish I could travel often.”
“The same way you would get to know anyone. You ask questions and if you do not have an answer, figure out ones that feel right to you.” Maddalena advised. “It may not be easy and the answers may surprise you but it's worth it.” she smiled.
-
“Umm, not really. Depending on how long I’m in one place I’ll pick up a small part-time job somewhere until I feel the need to move on.” Eymanthus answered, doing quite an impression of looking sheepish. “Well, why don't you travel more?” he suggested.
Maddalena's words both inspired and intimidated Daisy. It seemed easy at first, though she agreed with Maddalena and knew that it would be anything but. "I think I will," she said with a small smile. "You know, the more I talk to you, the more everything changes. In a good way," she added the last bit quickly with a grin.
–
Anna just about sighed at his bashful expression. This man was both kind and attractive. She was nearly tipping over the edge that would lead to falling for him. It wouldn't be hard. Anna was a desperately hopeless romantic woman.
"I can't," Anna replied quietly, looking suddenly self-conscious. "I have Daisy. And…" Uneasiness settled on her face. "Limited funds," she finished. She punctuated her admission with a long sip from her drink.
Maddalena smiled at the girl's reply. “I hope it truly does change things for the better for you.” she said sincerely. “Now, let’s eat before breakfast gets cold.” she suggested, picking up her plate.
-
Eymanthus was doing all he could to keep from smirking at his victory. This was all too easy… But still enjoyable.
“Oh, of course.” he nodded as if the realization had just come to him. “I’m sure your daughter would like to travel too but… If you can't afford it, it's hard enough.” he agreed. “Sorry about that. I wish I could help you with that.” he paused for a moment before brightening his smile. “What if I offered to take you to dinner tonight? Would I be forgiven then?”
Daisy picked up her plate too, easily following her new mentor's lead. "Okay! Mom should be getting back anytime now. I'm surprised she's still out." She hadn't even realized she'd revisited the previous discussion about Anna's abrupt exit until she had already spoken the words.
–
"Daisy would love to travel," Anna mused. "She has such a spirit of wanderlust."
She refused to look at him as he mentioned wishing he could help. Not that she was offended by it, but Anna didn't like to 'take handouts.' She hated seeming like she couldn't provide for herself and Daisy when, in reality, she easily could. It's just that… her money usually went elsewhere.
But then, as he casually asked her out, Anna's heart began to race. "Oh, yes," she agreed, perhaps a bit too quickly. She blushed at herself. "That would be… lovely."
“Well, I hope she got something to eat on her own.” Maddalena quipped, taking a seat at the same table she sat at last night. “You said she goes out often like this?”
-
Eymanthus nodded, giving a soft hum. “I can understand that. Especially at fifteen. The want to travel and discover all they can, I think it's strongest at that age. I just never grew out of it.” he shrugged.
“Great. Thank you.” he beamed at her acceptance. “Uhh, how about we meet at The King’s Arms around… eight?” he suggested, knowingly naming an high class restaurant.
Daisy sighed. "Yeah. Especially when she thinks a lot about Dad. She needs to go out and clear her head. Up until a few months ago, she would drag me with her, so I can confidently tell you that it usually consists of coffee, a brief trip through the park, and eventually making her way home." The girl's eyes darted to the clock. "She should be home any minute now if she's sticking to her schedule."
–
Anna's gaze softened as she thought about Daisy and her daughter's desire to explore the world heedlessly. "I believe that," she murmured.
She smiled back at him, thinking about how adorable his grin was. That was when she almost choked on her drink. "Are… Are you sure?" she asked, covering her lips to hide her shock. She'd never been to The King's Arms, only drove by it on occasion and seen pictures in magazines.
Maddalena nodded thoughtfully. “I see. I can understand needing space to clear your head of something.” she admitted. “I just usually cause a little chaos when I do that.”
-
“Why not? I hear it's a wonderful place. Good food and very popular.” he shrugged. “It’ll be my treat. I insist.” he assured.
(evil plot idea activated, unopened and pending acceptance)
Daisy bit into her toast and hummed. "I did too. That's why she stopped making me come with her," she remarked with a mischievous smirk.
–
Anna hesitated a moment before agreeing. "Alright. If you're sure…" She sipped from her drink to hide her excited smile at the thought of dining with Ethan at The King's Arms. It was like a dream come true.
(PM me!)
Maddalena laughed at Daisy's comment but smiled proudly. "I'm sure we were different in what kind of chaos but I am glad to know we have another thing in common." she admitted.
-
"Wonderful." Eymanthus grinned. "Ah, here is my number… Just in case, and I will see you tonight, my lady." he said, bowing slightly to her as he stood before walking out of the cafe though he threw he a quick wink as he stepped out the door.
(Obviously ;))
Daisy giggled. “Probably very different, but still. I pissed Mom off enough times that she doesn’t ask me anymore.” She paused a moment, thinking about what she’d done. “I don’t know if I regret it or not.”
—
Anna was spellbound as he addressed and bowed to her like she was some kind of royalty. Well, they were going to The King’s Arms after all. Why couldn’t she pretend to be royalty for a few hours of the evening?
She blushed brilliantly at his wink before happening to glance at the time. Had she really been gone for that long?
Anna quickly finished her drink, the few sips that remained, and rushed out of the cafe. She made sure Ethan’s number was tucked safely in her pocket as she walked quickly back up the streets until she got back to her flat. She slipped her key out, unlocked the door, and stepped into the house.
“I’m home!” she called, slipping her coat off her arms and hanging it up beside the door.
Maddalena nodded with a thoughtful hum. “I admit that my first reaction, most of the time, is to cause chaos but… Do you miss spending time with your mother like that?” she asked with a raised brow.
“Welcome back.” she called when Anna’s voice was heard.
“Sometimes,” Daisy answered, but before she could say any more, the sounds of Anna returning home interrupted them. She swallowed her words immediately and called out, “We’re in the dining room, Mom!”
Anna inhaled slowly and walked into the dining room. “Hello, love,” she greeted Daisy with a kiss to her hair. “Did you have any trouble while I was gone?”
“No,” Daisy replied simply. “We made breakfast and talked a bit.”
“Oh?” Anna asked, opening the refrigerator and searching for a small something to eat. “What did you talk about?”
Maddalena hummed softly at the answer but with Anna present the conversation had to be dropped for now. “Mostly Daisy has been teaching me about your modern tools, especially in cooking, and she told me that one of my favorite thieves is still popular.” she smirked a little, deliberately leaving out their arrangement.
Anna hummed softly. “I see,” she remarked as she selected a cup of yogurt. She shut the door to the refrigerator and made her way to another drawer across the kitchen to get a spoon. “And which thief would that be?”
“Robin Hood,” Daisy answered. “Can we watch the movie tonight, Mom? Please?”
“Alright,” Anna agreed, though it was almost done without a thought. Her words were rather absent as she kept replaying her interaction with Ethan over and over in her mind.
Daisy noticed and frowned. “Everything alright, Mom?”
“Yes, darling,” came the easy response.
Maddalena raised a brow at Anna’s distracted attitude. “Well, good. Then you won't mind that I decided to take Daisy under my wing and teach her a few tricks.” she said, mostly just to test how much she was actually listening to them.
Anna hummed vaguely in response. She was so painfully distracted and unlike herself… until the words processed in her mind. Her expression immediately changed, and she whirled around in disbelief. “You will do no such thing!” she exclaimed.
Daisy winced. “Was that necessary?” she muttered to the goddess beside her.
That was the wrong thing to say with Anna within earshot. Her expression twisted between confusion, shock, anger, then hurt. “You were going to do this without my knowledge?” she asked, painfully looking between Daisy and Maddalena.
“Calm yourselves.” Maddalena assured, raising her hands in peace. “I mostly said that to make sure you were listening to us.” she assured Anna, before looking at Daisy. “And considering that she clearly wasn't listening clearly, I felt a shock was necessary.” she answered Daisy.
But seeing the look Anna was giving them, reminded her too much of the more powerful members of the Pantheon that she was having a hard time not including her. “Would you like me to teach you and your daughter some self-defense techniques?” she offered, not admitting to the accusation.
Mother and daughter both looked at each other at Maddalena’s explanations. Daisy offered a nervous smile in exchange for Anna’s softened neutral expression. Silent apologies.
Anna was taken aback at the offer. “Self-defense?” she asked hesitantly. “Do you mean… fighting?”
“It’s for your own protection, Mom,” Daisy remarked. “And mine,” she added.
Anna took a deep breath. Finally, she asked, “What kind of techniques do you have in mind?”
