Mariel was starting to get worried.. not that she would really admit that to anyone. But her lack of focus seemed to only be getting worse over the last few months to the point of being troubling to the brunette. She was worried that it was starting to affect her work performance and had noticed a sizable amount of gold missing from her father's vault that she could not account for. Her mind went briefly to Lillian.. but no. She pushed that thought out of her mind. Her former step-mother had been long out of the picture, could this.. whatever it was.. be making her paranoid too?

She had consulted her potions books, even her old journals, for something that might provide clarity of the mind. After the concentration concoction she brewed provided no effect, she also spoke briefly to M'Lynn.. it had been a rather vague conversation as to not overly concern her eldest sister, but as she was rather adept with potions in her own right, so she figured it was worth a shot. She had some suggestions, none of which were very helpful so Mariel decided to visit Slug and Jiggers, remembering the Grimoire and hoping for the remote chance there was something in it that she hadn't in one of her own books.

She pushed the door open, green eyes scanning the store as she walked in. Thankfully there weren't too many of the young ones in here. Now that it was summer the streets were crawling with children, but this was one store that seemed to be tucked away and was never quite as crowded as some of the others.. good. Mariel made a beeline for the large, leather bound tome alit on the pedestal. Still fastened shut, she lightly ran her fingers over the cover before opening and slowly turning the slightly-yellowing leaves. Her eyes scanned the painstakingly written words, searching for.. something. Though her mind started wandering again as she got distracted by all the different potions listed.. some she had never even heard of. Fascinating.

Nia was looking for a distraction, and not one in the form of the many Hogwarts students swarming around Diagon Alley. This last year had been one of change - after nearly eight years with the Harpies, she'd received an offer she couldn't refuse, and it had gotten her thinking about what else she could be doing. Armed with a little more free time, it felt right that her brain got a bit more of a work out than team tactics and the weekly Daily Prophet puzzle section. As much as she wanted to, she knew she couldn't play Quidditch forever, and whilst she loved coaching, she'd been thinking back to what else she'd loved to do in her school days.

It was that thought that led her to the apothecary. Herbology wasn't exactly feasible at her flat, what with it's limited outdoor space, but potions? Well, maybe she could try getting her brain going again with that. She had kept her old school books, and pulled her cauldron out of storage in the attic, so all that she needed was some fresh ingredients.

Before she browsed the shelves though, she had another stop. The book. Once a Ravenclaw, always a Ravenclaw. The bound copy had always been fascinating, and she wondered if flicking through it's pages might inspire where she should start. She stood back a little, waiting for the current reader to finish their own research.

Mariel had forgotten what a useful resource this old book really was. She always felt she had her own vast information at her fingertips through her countless books and journals, but flipping through these pages reminded her that whomever put this book together must have dedicated his life to it. There were things in here that she had never heard of and some long forgotten.

She began to get lost in the pages, consumed by drifting thoughts of possible brewing ideas, feeling as if she could spend all day in here. Certainly she could find what she needed in this book, whatever that was again.. She flipped faster past more familiar concoctions, more interested in rarer finds. Love potions..? Marie let out a nearly inaudible snort as green eyes caught sight of several different varieties listed throughout. Honestly.. who found good use in that?

And then she found a section that gave her pause and brought her back to the present.. Poison antidotes. Her mind had gone there before and she had dismissed it, surely her unfocused state was making her paranoid. But her fingers stopped turning pages and she allowed her eyes to slowly scan one certain page in particular as the name of one solution caught her attention. Worth a shot? Though she still felt like she was just grasping at straws here..

Figuring she didn't have much to lose, Mariel reached for the pocket-sized journal in her bag when she stopped, feeling like there were eyes on her. Sigh. No, she was far too paranoid.. what was becoming of her? Though she mentally shook herself from those thoughts, the brunette couldn't help her self from glancing behind her. Oh, oops.. there was someone behind her and she was probably holding the person up while she leisurely looked through the book. Donning an apologetic smile, she turned more fully and began, "I'm so sorry, I'll only be another - " She paused mid-sentence as a look of recognition came over her face followed by a bright smile. "Oh.. Nia..! How nice to see you in here.."

Nia quite happy waiting for her turn - it gave her time to think about things. She ran a hand loosely through her short blonde hair, and pulled her shopping list from her bag. She hadn't gotten very far with it, as she figured she'd cover the basics with one of the premeasured starter kits like she used to get for school, and then she'd add whatever else took her fancy. She had the afternoon off, so plenty of time to wander round and decide. And she was dressed nice and casually, so hopefully no need to worry too much amount quidditch fans.

She smiled gently as the woman in front turned to apologise, and was about to hold up her hand to politely say it didn't matter when she realised she recognised that face. "Mariel!" she exclaimed, a bright smile soon spreading across her face too. "What a lovely surprise! What brings you to Slug and Jiggers?" Well, except the obvious: to buy potions ingredients. Shouldn't Mariel be more likely to be found in Quality Quidditch Supplies?

As much as she had enjoyed her time in New Zealand, Mariel was glad that she had made the choice to return to England a couple years ago. It was times like this, reconnecting with old friends, that had helped to make the relocation worthwhile. Her bright smile grew a bit wider as dawning realization struck her former classmate and she stepped away from the Grimoire to converse with her friend.

What brought her here.. well, should she go into the detail of her concern? She thought over what she might say for a moment. Mariel wasn't entirely unconvinced that her thoughts were a bit on the crazy side and was sure someone else might think the same. Choosing her words carefully, she said, "Oh, just in the mood for trying out a new potion.. this old book seems to be filled with anything you could imagine. I've found a few things in here that I'm sure aren't in any of my books at home." She pulled her little journal out of her bag and opened it to a blank page. "So.. what are you up to today?" Had she similar thoughts.. well, at least about brewing potions.. today? The brunette was all at once reminded of the hair potions they had worked on back in the day, prompting her to grin at the memory.

"Sounds intriguing," Nia said, tilting her head slightly. "You do much potion research?" She knew Mariel had been good at potions at school, but didn't know if she regularly did it at home since. "I've always found that book fascinating. I'm sure half of it I'll never understand, but it's such a beautiful tome of writing." And history. And well, Nia was a Ravenclaw. Books were her thing.

As for her? "Something similar, I guess." She looked consiprationally, and leant into her friend. "I'm looking for, I dunno, something different to do. A distraction, maybe. I've got extra time on my hands, and I can't do Quidditch forever, so...I thought I'd try getting my eye back in." She'd only really got as far as the potions bit. Not which ones precisely. "Got any suggestions?"

Mariel tilted her head slightly and donned a curious expression as she considered Nia's words. "Have I really never told you what I studied at Uni?" she said, with the hint of a chuckle behind her words. She knew they had lost touch for several years after Hogwarts so she guessed it wasn't too surprising.. and it hadn't come up since then. "I studied Potions with a focus on experimenting.. even did an apprenticeship in the New Zealand Ministry.." All while she was playing for the Macaws.. well, on reserve, but still.. It was a lot to handle.

She looked back to glance at the book now behind her and lightly ran a hand over it as she admired it. "It really is.. and there's so much in here, even some potions that I've never come across." And some that she had long forgotten.. It was rather useful. She laid her little notebook atop the reference and began copying down ingredients and instructions for the antidote while she divided her attention between the book and Nia.

It rather annoyed her that with her own expertise that she hadn't been able to figure this thing out.. but maybe that was part of the problem. She couldn't focus and without the clarity it had been difficult to figure out. The brunette looked back at her friend curiously as she leaned a bit closer and thought over her words. "Well, potions always has been one of my favorite distractions," she said, slowly smiling. "You have a little extra time..? I wouldn't mind some help.. This one is rather tricky.." She nodded towards her notes as she was finished copying them down in her pocket journal.

Nia lightly shook her head. "I don't think so. We both had really rather crazy lives after graduation, I recall." And as much as Nia loved her friends, she basically had a full time relationship with quidditch during that time. It was one of the reasons she'd probably gotten up through the rankings at the Harpies and made it into the first team from the reserves so quickly. "Oh, awesome," Nia exclaimed, as Mariel explained the full extent of what she'd done in New Zealand. "You're mad for doing that and playing Quidditch, y'know that, right?" And she meant it in the best and most understanding of ways.

Watching Mariel start to note down a recipe, Nia could help but smile at the familiar writing from her school days. Ah, the time they spent working in the common room being practices.

"More that just a distraction, by the sounds of it..." Almost a career. "It's rather freeing going to a new team," she admitted with a grin. The Bats had definitely put together a deal she hadn't been able to refuse. "Especially now all the press speculation has died down." After successfully managing to only stay in the sports pages for a few seasons, being back as favoured gossip hadn't been expected. Not that it was bad press, luckily, and she was much happier with interviews and the like nowadays. Anyway...yes, she had time. "The terrible twosome back together?" Nia said, referring to their bites and bruises days. Her grin widened. "I'm rusty, but I'm sure you'll help me pick it back up in no time if I can be of assistance."

What better way to pick it back up than to be thrown in at the deep end with expert tutition?

Mariel chuckled lightly, nodding in agreement. "That's certainly an understatement," she said, her mind drifting back to those days, thinking especially on some mistakes she had very nearly made. Mentally shaking herself from that reverie, her smile grew a bit wider and her chuckling grew a bit more apparent at Nia's comment to her crazy schedule after school. "Looking back now, I would definitely say so.. but I really loved every minute of it. There was a time that I thought I'd have a career in potions.. It was a difficult choice to return to this country actually.." She shrugged a little, being a moot point for now. And she supposed she was happy enough.. it was a "real" job, just liked her father had wanted.

The brunette placed her small journal back in her bag and now turned her attention more fully on Nia as she spoke, her grin growing. "Keeping the fans under control? I remember it caused quite the buzz when you made the move.." Of course, Mariel knew about it before the news landed in the pages of Quidditch World, having heard from Nia herself, but once it hit the press she became quite the hot topic.

Grinning at her words, Mariel chuckled, remembering their school days fondly. "We made quite the pair, didn't we?" She was fairly confident they drove Willow mad, but she was sure their fierce competition was just one of the contributing factors of their repeated winning seasons. "I would love that actually.. I even have my own potions lab at home if you'd care to join me.. I just need to pick up a couple ingredients here. I have most of it, but there are a couple rare ones in this potion. Plus I can stock up on a few other things.." While she was hear and all.. might make the most of her trip.

Water. Where was the water? Was there water here? There were giant black things that tended to keep water in them. Humans did that. Put water in them and then put them over a fire. It had seen them do that before at the lab. But there was no water here. Just a book.

Running in a twitchy zigzag movement, the small creature ran up the stand and began liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiicking the pages of the book. Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiicking furiously and leaving think layer of pink drool everywhere it's tongue landed..

Lick lick lick lick lick lick liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick.

Emma watched in disbelief as the creature entered and zigzagged across the room before climbing up the book stand. What was it doing? This was not good. "Sir, there appears to be some sort of creature gooing on the book." she called towards the back room. Gooing. Was that even a word? She didn't have time to consider a more proper word for what the...thing...was doing. "Mr. Garrettson, shall I dispose of the creature or just try to shoo it away?" Dispose of it?? Like she would be able to take the poor little things life. No, she would have to find a way to get it off the book before the damage was permanent.

She moved a little closer and saw how thick the pink ooze was getting. It would soon soak the book and be dripping on the floor. Where was Nigel anyway? This was not what she wanted happening while she was on the clock.

Suddenly being spooked by something, the creature leaped off the book and ran out the partly open door and into the street.

"Oh!" They were on the move. Maybe she had startled them and they ran away? Either way, she was more than glad to see them go. "Now, what to do with all of this pink goo?" It couldn't been good for the book to have that slime on it, but she didn't want to cause any more damage getting it off.

She looked around the room to see if there were any rags, but she figured those were in the back. "Sir? Do you have any cleaning supplies back there?" Emma called out to the back, hoping Mr Garrettson could hear her.

SPOILER!!: mutants and Emma

Quote:

Originally Posted by MUTANTS!

Water. Where was the water? Was there water here? There were giant black things that tended to keep water in them. Humans did that. Put water in them and then put them over a fire. It had seen them do that before at the lab. But there was no water here. Just a book.

Running in a twitchy zigzag movement, the small creature ran up the stand and began liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiicking the pages of the book. Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiicking furiously and leaving think layer of pink drool everywhere it's tongue landed..

Lick lick lick lick lick lick liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrtpuplvr

Emma watched in disbelief as the creature entered and zigzagged across the room before climbing up the book stand. What was it doing? This was not good. "Sir, there appears to be some sort of creature gooing on the book." she called towards the back room. Gooing. Was that even a word? She didn't have time to consider a more proper word for what the...thing...was doing. "Mr. Garrettson, shall I dispose of the creature or just try to shoo it away?" Dispose of it?? Like she would be able to take the poor little things life. No, she would have to find a way to get it off the book before the damage was permanent.

She moved a little closer and saw how thick the pink ooze was getting. It would soon soak the book and be dripping on the floor. Where was Nigel anyway? This was not what she wanted happening while she was on the clock.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MUTANTS!

Suddenly being spooked by something, the creature leaped off the book and ran out the partly open door and into the street.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrtpuplvr

"Oh!" They were on the move. Maybe she had startled them and they ran away? Either way, she was more than glad to see them go. "Now, what to do with all of this pink goo?" It couldn't been good for the book to have that slime on it, but she didn't want to cause any more damage getting it off.

She looked around the room to see if there were any rags, but she figured those were in the back. "Sir? Do you have any cleaning supplies back there?" Emma called out to the back, hoping Mr Garrettson could hear her.

The potion had been found safe and sound, the liquid concoction brewing calmly as it was supposed to. That had been one of the only he had been willing to chance starting it before opening up. The face that at this stage little watching was actually needed. Nigel was relieved that his luck had held, however as he heard the cal from the shop he hoped his thoughts on the matter weren't jinxed.

Creature?

"Um..what did you say?" Nigel asked as he came out from the back office. At first he didn't see anything yet as he got closer, something had scampered off and out the door. The shopkeeper did his best not to panic as he came up to where the grimoire was kept, his eyes widening in shock as he saw the remnants of what the creatur had left behind. Taken aback, he was silent for a moment...at least until he registered what Emma had asked about cleaning supplies.

"NO!" he exclaimed before correcting himself. "I mean we do have cleaning supplies in the back...they are just not to be used on the book." They were better for wooden shelves and metal cauldrons, not the paper that had been used over the years to make up the records of current and previous shopkeepers, some of it pretty old. "Um..there's some enchantments to keep it from harm....I think a few cautious scourgifies should work without damage." At least he hoped so as he silently cast on, careful of watching the effects as it started to clean a small portion of one of the margins.

The little box of bezoars rocked from between Cutty's index finger and his pinky making a slight chinkling noise as though they were chalks. Spotting the grimoire from the aisle ways and rows upon rows of potions supplies, he headed directly for it. It had all the telltale signs of being a spell book and, as he had learned from his brief venture in studying for healing, sometimes useful spells pop up in unexpected places.

Slicing through the scent of eggfart gloriola that seemed to be the standard smell of potions shops everywhere, Cutty walked up to the grimoire and unlatched the silver closure. He began to search for a listing of all the potions mentioned therein, as he soon realized that's what it was, but finding that it was all hand-written demanded a more organic approach. Cutty lifted himself once onto his palms and then perched over the open grimoire onto his forearms. His large dairy cow-like eyes darted from left to right as he absorbed the information found within the pages of that old book.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SlytherinSistah

The little box of bezoars rocked from between Cutty's index finger and his pinky making a slight chinkling noise as though they were chalks. Spotting the grimoire from the aisle ways and rows upon rows of potions supplies, he headed directly for it. It had all the telltale signs of being a spell book and, as he had learned from his brief venture in studying for healing, sometimes useful spells pop up in unexpected places.

Slicing through the scent of eggfart gloriola that seemed to be the standard smell of potions shops everywhere, Cutty walked up to the grimoire and unlatched the silver closure. He began to search for a listing of all the potions mentioned therein, as he soon realized that's what it was, but finding that it was all hand-written demanded a more organic approach. Cutty lifted himself once onto his palms and then perched over the open grimoire onto his forearms. His large dairy cow-like eyes darted from left to right as he absorbed the information found within the pages of that old book.

While it's never fun to ask favours from one's mother, the real downside of the deal is having her make demands in return. Which essentially made them not really favours, but that's how it worked in the Rider household. Being nice to his sister, running small errands, putting on a shirt for dinner and most recently, school shopping.

Benzi had discovered over the past couple of weeks that he did not like school shopping. At all. He had therefore begun avoided it much like the plague until his mother had almost physically kicked him out of the house. HE'D wanted to just get it over with before all the Hogwarts kids got out, but with exams and his own inherent laziness, he hadn't really gotten around to it. Which he suspected Mum was happy about, as she kept going on about "making new Hogwarts friends". He had those. Two of them. They were enough.

Regretfully, this was why he found himself walking into the apothecary on a cloudy afternoon with the sixth year supply list in hand and a frown etched on his face. Benzi grabbed what he needed quickly and made his way over to the counter, noticing a boy reading that book that no one ever reads. He paid quickly and was about to leave he shop when his eye caught the boy again. Well, he made that book seem downright fascinating.

"Anything of use in there, mate?"

Cutty's big eyes didn't bother looking up when he heard someone approaching. There was only the soft and crinkling sound of a fwip from the parchment pages as he turned one to find a scab healing solution. "H'mm. This one might be handy if yer fond of fightin' and want to destroy the evidence before yer get caught." He replied to the stranger before looking up at him.

He too had large, brown eyes. And something about that jawline. Who was he?

"Benzi Rider?" Cuthbert's eye squinted at his friend from before. Realizing who he was, his first instinct was retribution. As it often was when you were Cutty. "How dare yer show oop again OWTOFF nowhere after abandonin' me!" By which he meant he was glad to see him.

That ACCENT. What the hell. It clawed and scratched at the back of his head and he experienced a jarring sensation of trying to remember something he'd taken great measures to forget. Like certain memories of his deceased relatives, and friends he'd left behind.

Benzi realised exactly who it was talking to him probably a second after the dark haired teen said his name. His eyes bugged and for a few moments he was silent, just staring at those aggravatingly familiar yet foreign features until the his shock wore off.

Ignoring the content of his words completely, Benzi's face broke into a large, toothy grin and he laughed. He laughed a deep bellied, sincere, almost relieved laugh that boomed throughout the quiet apothecary. "Merlin's pants, Cuthbert Mordaunt," he exclaimed at long last, and raised a hand to affectionately punch Cutty's shoulder none too gently, "you haven't changed a bloody bit haven't you?"

Benzi felt his heart swell. Cutty was still around.

That punch. Where it normally bothered him from others, Cutty felt alive at the human contact. The surreal experience of seeing a young old face again and then having that face reach out and breach the distance brought the experience home and it was just like old times.

If only Ferm Quimbley were around to have a go at.

The pale 16 year old kid swayed in the direction of the shoulder punch and his scowl was replaced with a smile. "Nar. I thought it would be unwise to mess with pehrfection. And wotta waste of time too."

But...Benzi Rider...THE MYSTERY!!!

"Where in 'ell have yer been?!" He said refraining from telling the long-lost bud he missed him. God. Plans were ruined and AND he left Cutty alone to battle Quimbley and Gallaway.

He'd won. He'd say.


But that was beside the point.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SlytherinSistah

That punch. Where it normally bothered him from others, Cutty felt alive at the human contact. The surreal experience of seeing a young old face again and then having that face reach out and breach the distance brought the experience home and it was just like old times.

If only Ferm Quimbley were around to have a go at.

The pale 16 year old kid swayed in the direction of the shoulder punch and his scowl was replaced with a smile. "Nar. I thought it would be unwise to mess with pehrfection. And wotta waste of time too."

But...Benzi Rider...THE MYSTERY!!!

"Where in 'ell have yer been?!" He said refraining from telling the long-lost bud he missed him. God. Plans were ruined and AND he left Cutty alone to battle Quimbley and Gallaway.

He'd won. He'd say.


But that was beside the point.

Benzi snorted and shook his head, absolutely beyond pleased to see him again. He really hadn't changed a single bit. Benzi doubted his skinny friend had even grown taller. So short.

Oh, LOOK. He was yelling at him! "Missed you too, old friend," he winked, and burst out laughing because this was CUTTY and this entire situation was ridiculous. The last time they'd seen each other was five years ago. It's been a WHILE. But.. this felt good. Good to see him again.

And just in time, too. Would have been even more strange to see him on the train making out with some girl. Oh, oh ew. Cutty making out. Yuck. NOT THERE YET, BRAIN. Not quite there.

"Been in London all this time, mate. Had a bit of a family issue," yes, to put it lightly. Dark times. Not fun.

"That's why I neveh saw yer! I've always had to travel fer me summers." The Grimoire was shut with a soft, deep snap and then Cutty jumped away from it. "Come 'ere and lemme hug yer!" It was not even a request. Cutty was just throwing his arms around Benzi Rider and Voldemort style hugs were given or they would've been had he not felt a thing. Benzi, his broken mind and black heart told him, was important. And somehow always had been. There was something about him that set him apart from other boys. And it wasn't solely for the fact that Benzi had the unique ability to go along with Cutty's lies. Like that time he told Tora Gallaway that Benzi just didn't have his glasses to make her feel rude, wrong and petty. Good times.

"So have yer been talkin' to anyone from skewel? Wait...are yer coomin' bach to Hogwarts??" Cause that was IMPORTANT.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SlytherinSistah

"That's why I neveh saw yer! I've always had to travel fer me summers." The Grimoire was shut with a soft, deep snap and then Cutty jumped away from it. "Come 'ere and lemme hug yer!" It was not even a request. Cutty was just throwing his arms around Benzi Rider and Voldemort style hugs were given or they would've been had he not felt a thing. Benzi, his broken mind and black heart told him, was important. And somehow always had been. There was something about him that set him apart from other boys. And it wasn't solely for the fact that Benzi had the unique ability to go along with Cutty's lies. Like that time he told Tora Gallaway that Benzi just didn't have his glasses to make her feel rude, wrong and petty. Good times.

"So have yer been talkin' to anyone from skewel? Wait...are yer coomin' bach to Hogwarts??" Cause that was IMPORTANT.

Benzi shrugged, and chose to stay silent. He kind of liked the fact that he hadn't seen Cutty up until now, when he had decided that it was time to go back to Hogwarts. If he'd seen Cutty back then... eh, they probably wouldn't have stayed friends. He just didn't have many friends from back then.

As it were, Benzi didn't have a long time to muse over his feelings because Cutty was talking again and Benz grinned WIDELY as his best friend from eons ago wrapped his arms around him. He was most probably the only person in the world who could get away with hugging him like this, Benz thought to himself as he hugged his friend back, squeezing none too gently and finding that he had been terribly mistaken. His friend had DEFINITELY grown taller. And wider. There was a lot more to hug than he'd thought.

And then it was over, and Benzi couldn't keep the pleased little smile off his face. "Nah, you lot were never that interesting anyway," he joked, but nodded solemnly at the next question. Because he WAS. Mmhm. "Gotta go old school for them NEWTs... and Hogwarts felt like unfinished business anyways. You'll have to catch me up on all the happenings," he grinned, and almost hugged him again.

CUTTY MORDAUNT, IN THE FLESH. Merlin.

Was it good to see Benzi Rider? It as good to see Benzi Rider. Cutty didn't want to press the issue of where Benzi had been. Cutty had survived anyhow and Benzi was back! So it was of no consequence. It was done and over and in the past. There was so much he could do now. So much THEY could do. It was all a matter of filling in Benzi for the years he'd missed.

"Yeah!" He patted Benzi's fairly gargantuan shoulder twice and gestured for the door. "Let's go get a boohtehbeer and I'll fill yer in." Excitement. Adventure. Things to come. This was going to be a beautiful year.

Dragon Dung...mixed in his morning coffee. Is it possible? Can it be done? Was there a way he could extract the...well, should he say ‘aroma’ of the dragon dung so he could make his coffee stronger? Will it be safe? Questions ran through Mordred’s head as he made a beeline for the Grimoire. There might be something useful in there, and somehow give him a lead with his research.

The dragonologist flipped through the many pages of the tome, and, would stop once in a while to read a page that looked interesting to him. Too bad he didn’t have much time in his hands nowadays to brew something. If he had the luxury of time, then he may already have an answer to his coffee quest. That will be another win for the dragons, yes? Of course. And his research will turn out to be revolutionary.

Right, first off was a little shopping for home, then Aurora had decided she was going to let Felicity choose where to go next. She was in a wonderful mood lately, and it seemed only fair to let her daughter make some decisions for once... after all, she may not get the chance for very long... not if she was going to have a little brother or sister. But best not get ahead of things, Aurora reminded herself, she wasn't sure of anything yet. She let herself hope though...

With a firm hold of Felicity's hand, Rora walked into Slug and Jiggers, scanning the shelves for what she was looking for. It was only a couple of basic things she needed, but it'd be good to get them out of the way quickly...

But then she saw... someone. A familiar someone. Or so she thought... it'd been so long that she doubted herself for a second. "Mordred?" Aurora walked up to the figure, standing over the grimoire, and tapped him gently on the shoulder. Felicity, as usual, was not impressed by the whole meeting-people thing, and had tucked herself behind one of Aurora's head, her little grey-blue eyes peeking out at the man.