What would she like?

A healed shoulder. Her Kneazle. Lottie. Her father. Chocolate.

All non-options much like heading home or finding a hole to hide in, all except the last. This was a bakery as well was it not? Meaning there was bound to be a butt load of chocolate products ready for the eating. That would make her feel a little better, even if she'd have preferred any of the other options to complement it.

Lex glanced over at the menu, forsaking the actual meals and heading straight for the desserts on the bakery menu.

"Brownies, double chocolate chip cookies, chocolate covered soft bread, chocolate donut, the chocolate muffin, a few chocolate cupcakes--the chocolate cake looks good too." Those were a healthy start she supposed. Was there anything else she wanted? The young woman tapped absently at the table with the wrong hand, noting the awkward feel of it but she went quiet once more.

When would the initial embarrassment wear off?

Sabel's eyebrows went up as his gaze went down. Not entirely the 'drop-dead' he had been expecting. So, it was a start.

Still, he watched Alexa for a moment before letting out a huff. "You want to make yourself sick on top of that arm?"

It was a rhetorical question, and one he was sure he already knew the answer to, so he moved off before she could give it. Probably not the best way to try to start and smooth things over. He was going to flat out blame his father tendencies for that. Having children did things to a person.

Including making him a little more soft than he would have been before. Somehow, he ended up with an Irish Cream coffee, two chocolate cupcakes and a chocolate cookie for her. The food was arranged on the place in such a way that it reminded Sabel of a face. For himself, he ordered a black coffee, one that would probably make him bug-eyed in a few hours. Right now, he needed it as much as she needed her chocolate.

Weaving his way back through the tables and the patrons, Sabel arrived back at their table, relieved to find her still sitting there. Placing the plate and Irish Cream in front of her, he took the seat opposite.

She...wasn't even going to dignify his question with a response. Nope. All he got was her making a face at him, a warning of sorts but of what she wasn't so sure yet. Just don't question it. Sugar made her happy. Chocolate made her happy. Dumb questions did NOT.

Thankfully he left without much else because she didn't actually wanna go into much detail on her chocolate in take habit in times of distress.

While he was gone, Lex sat with her head hung and her eyes locked on the sling. If she could, she'd have ripped it right then and there but it wasn't a good idea so it would stay there mocking her for a little longer. Maybe it was her going crazy but she could actually hear the japes at her and it had her making even more faces. Didn't matter if anyone was watching and in fact she'd pointedly told that one guy over at his table to mind his own business (among other things).

This was hardly the time to be staring, in case he didn't realize. Once Sabel was back she turned her attention back to him and immediately noticed he was missing more than half the things she'd wanted. Sigh. Of course. If she wanted everything she would have to get it herself and probably would on her way home. "You aren't hungry?" Not that she CARED. Questions were often a force of habit with her, whether she wanted a response or not.

Of course he didn't expect her to look happy after everything, but she didn't have to look that miserable, did she? Maybe she did. Maybe that was simply her unhappy face. He probably shouldn't judge. Not too much anyways.

But she was talking to him? Asking a question even? That had him pausing and looking at her with more than a hint of surprise and curiosity. Probably something he shouldn't think too much into. After all, it might have simply been disappointment that there was no opportunity to watch him choke on something. He had no expectations that she wasn't still mad at him.

So, he gave little thought or weight to his response. "Not at the moment."

Taking a sip of his coffee, he let silence fall between them for a while as he watched the patrons, the employees and occassionally Alexa. Everything was considered, but nothing was seen. Nothing except for the replay of their duel. Step by step. Spell by spell. In vivid detail. As if it was happening all over again. Dust, bricks, stone, wood and broken bone.

Was that really all she'd get for her effort? Not at the moment? Well fine, it was all the same to her if he ate or not. She was content as it was with some chocolate. Had this been a wizarding establishment she could have bought herself a sack of chocolate frogs--admittedly her kryptonite--but muggles were useless on that front; they were useless on most fronts.

Lex gave a one shouldered shrug of response and grabbed at her chocolate cupcake. It wasn't more than 4 bites before she found herself grabbing the second one and working through it as well.

Her grandparents would have been appalled at her regression into old eating habits but surely they understood she only amended her ways when necessary. Sabel wouldn't care how fast or how much she ate and even if he did, she dared him to say something about it because she had words for him, lots of words but none she could be bothered with uttering when there was chocolate to bring her to a happy place--ironically it was a place where slings were non-existent; funny that.

All too soon the second cupcake was gone and don't even ASK about the cookie; you could have sworn she breathed it in with the speed at which it disappeared. Sadly, she was now without sweets and was left to sip at her coffee with fixing him with a stare. Hazel eyes locked on him for no particular reason but the fact she felt like it.

He was the one who suggested they come here, if he wanted a conversation he could start one himself.

There wasn't much around the cafe that brought him out of his zone. Not the waiter tripping over a poorly placed bag. Not the woman that had sneezed nearly ten times in a row. And not the chill that came in from the door not closing properly. They were filtered out as inconsequential and not requiring reaction or interaction.

Except, Alexa did. Everything about her was filtered to a 'response' mode. Especially the ghusto with which she stuffed down her food. Clasping his hands together, he rested them against his chin, watching her from over dirty knuckles. Truth? He was utterly glad he hadn't brought her everything she had asked for. That....just wasn't healthy. Impressive, but hardly healthy.

And then she was staring. Most surprisingly while sipping her coffee. He would have thought that she would have chugged that down too. Probably too hot for something like that, and she was hardly stupid. Emotional and stubborn, but weren't most Aurors and Auror's to be.

He didn't shy away from her gaze, as guilt inducing as it was, and held it for a good few minutes before finally speaking. "I did poorly today, Alexa, and because of that I let you down." Pressing his forefingers together, he let out a slow breath. "I should never have started the duel as I did. While I wanted to teach you something, and give you a good solid learning experience, it wasn't proper. I should have warned you that it wouldn't be a normal duel, that it would be training."

When had Damien ever apologized to him? Sabel shoved the thought off.

"And I let us get carried away. I pushed you, and you impressively responded." She had done so well. So much better than he could ever had expected. "But because I asked you into such a mindset, you got hurt." Training accidents happened, it was part of life. But so was admitting where one had gone wrong. "I know it won't fix or heal, but I am sorry. Truly sorry."

She could do with all of that, what she willed.

Oh Merlin...oh Merlin oh Merlin, Alexa was in a proper fix. The lingering taste of chocolate burned at the back of her throat, demanding more as it usually did. She wasn't used to such small intakes of the sweet but didn't think it'd have been that much of a problem so soon. Lex shifted uncomfortably in her seat, bothered for once not by her shoulder but rather a craving she would need to take care of.

At first, she settled for nibbling distractedly at the edge of her coffee cup, figuring she could shake the feeling but she should have known better because it did little of anything.

Just another bite, another little taste. She could stop whenever she wanted to...she didn't have a problem...not really...maybe.

Somehow she managed to make it through half his apology before surrendering and fishing through the small bag she had thrown awkwardly over her shoulder--never very far from this bag she was. To her great relief, it wasn't much rummaging before she pulled out a chocolate frog and ripped it open. Being fully conscious of the muggle company, Lex bit at the head to immediately still it before it could give them away then went back to paying attention while she nibbled away.

"Why'd you have to go an apologize for?" She mumbled, a stubbornly defiant look was beginning to creep in. "It's horridly patronizing and I don't need it. The duel was what it was. You don't get warnings in the real world and anything goes then." Absentmindedly she reached for another chocolate frog. "I told you I've probably had worse. Don't you think I can handle myself?" She paused, remembering the last moments of the duel and how she completely froze up after the initial dislocation. "I mean I could have done better--I should have--it was stupid, I had another arm free."

Was there something else she could have done?........The idea bothered her more than he would even begin to understand.

Well, that was one way to take an apology. He watched with some surprise as she retrieved yet more sugar from some secret stash. A dark wizard wasn't going to be the end of her. Sugar was.

Despite the momentary distraction, an still edge crept into Sabel's tone. "If you find it patronizing, Alexa, that's your issue. Not mine. I'm apologizing because as smart and skilled as you are, I know better than you do about this world. Our world." And now he knew much better about what training should, and shouldn't, consist of. Lesson thoroughly learned.

"That wasn't the real world." Did he tell her? Would it hurt her feelings? Did he care at this point? Maybe. Probably. Yes. Just as he had cared in the duel. "Yes, I tried to get you in that mindset." Stupid. "But there is a difference between dueling a colleague and dueling an enemy. Not everything goes in there, otherwise all our YATI's would be dead on their first lesson."

He lowered his hands to pick up his coffee. "I know you can handle yourself. You did exceptionally well today." Perhaps too well? Admittedly, there were things about it that had concerned him. "And you would do well out on the streets. No doubt about it."

A pause to see if he had got her attention. If she was listening closely. He needed her to listen. "If you had tried to do more, Alexa, you would have ended up worse off." Didn't she think that he could have taken her down the instant they had collided? What would more struggling have done? Instead of an injured arm, she might have ended up with a broken neck. He could only control the situation so much. "You couldn't have done better."

He watched her for a moment, turning his cup slowly as his voice dropped. "Sometimes, to survive, we have to give in and give up. If you can't wrap your head around that one day, you would do well to consider a new career." He wouldn't say today, because even he was still learning that. But what was the point in learning something, if you were just going to keep it to yourself.

There was a steady rising of her brow once he got into his tangent. The tone hadn't been missed but rather than interrupt, Lex reached into the magically extended bag once more, this time pulling out a sugar quill. Her issue and not his, she would remember that in future. Not something for him to concern himself with, something to keep to herself. Mental notes, she was taking those even as she nibbled at the piece of candy.

She couldn't have disagreed with him more on the notion that all YATI would be dead their very first lesson but something told her that stating as much would only get her an overly glorified speech. Not something she was interested in.

There was ALMOST the faintest hint of a smile when he admitted she'd done exceptionally well in the duel but Lex wouldn't let herself get carried away. There was a deeper meaning in his little rant and it wasn't praise for her but reprimand. Kinda like being at Hogwarts again, only now she wasn't obligated to pretend she was listening.

And then it happened. Between him telling her she couldn't do better and suggesting she find a new career, Alexa decided she was no longer interested in this line of conversation and wouldn't be spending another moment on it. She didn't CARE what the real world was and what difference fighting a colleague made, she didn't CARE that she could have been hurt worse and most importantly she didn't CARE what he had to say on the matter.

That being the case....Ahem. "The cupcakes weren't half bad, I might take one to Alice, make her more obligated to give me love in her busy schedule." She purposefully glanced toward the menus once more. "Cassia and Lottie would both like the raspberry tarts I'm sure and Cass could use the picker upper."

Lex forced a curious expression onto her face as she turned to him again. "She watches children for money, dreadful thing if you ask me but she insists they're still impressionable and not that bad. I don't agree but whatever works for her." Again she pulled a chocolate frog from her bag and bit at the head. "Once nearly got into a nasty fight with a Slytherin over one of these cards. It was his own fault of course and I didn't particularly like him much so it didn't bother me."

No protest? No argument? No....nothing? Not a single peep. Of all the things he was expecting ....ah. There it was.

Complete deflection and avoidance. A full-circle out of the topic and right back to where they had started. Silver lining? At least she was talking to him, normally, without threats or curses or glares. Almost civilly.

He didn't know who Alice was, and at the moment he didn't care. He was thinking of a way to yank her back to the point, to make sure it got through her thick skull and stuck there like a --

All thoughts flatlined and he sort of just looked at her. It took a few minutes for the dots to connect and the lines to present themselves. Not because he didn't understand what she was saying, but because he frankly couldn't believe it was true. How in the world?

Next time, Arya. Next time he was screening the babysitters.

One eyebrow went up high as she continued on. Resting his forearms on the table, he leaned forward a little. "MY children are not dreadful."

Um...hello?

Earth to Sabel? Was he about to bail on ANOTHER attempt at conversation? Hers were obviously the safe ones and all he wanted was to talk about things that didn't make her feel better about the bloody sling around her neck. Would she have to explicitly spell it out for him? Yell at him that they were moving on and he needed to contribute to the conversation in order for it to work?

Lex nommed around the edges of the chocolate frog, watching him, waiting to see if he would redeem himself on his own but instead he got extra super serious and was giving her looks while talking about his children. What did his children have to do with anything? "All children are dreadful. Horrible, nasty little creatures that suck attention and ruin families." She was most certainly NOT afraid of this big bad wolf so he could huff and puff all he wanted, her stance wouldn't change.

It hadn't yet occurred to her that Cassia's little charges were HIS. The most she got was that he disagreed on her view of children. "Went with Cassia once--she insisted--it was something I could have done without."

Children were something Lex could do without being anywhere NEAR.

Sabel's eyebrows went high on his forehead. Had she not thrown in the family drama, he would have made a rather snippy retort. As it was, that little statement was an interesting nugget of information about her that he was going to remember. Maybe a conversation for another time? Maybe a conversation for never if deflection was a habit of hers.

"You do remember that you were a child once, right?" He tilted his head. She wasn't one of those people that made blanket statements while conviently excluding herself, was she?

More to the point, however, didn't she not get the hint that she was talking about his children. As in, the ones she hadn't enjoyed babysitting? As in, he was a little bit worried at the combination of her babysitting the children and the word impressionable. Perhaps he could learn just exactly what his children were being subject to, and if he really did need a new babysitter.

"Really? Why's that? What did you do?" Interest. He was interested.

Look at him trying to be the Philosopher pointing out her dark ways. Did he think she'd forgotten something that was only a few years ago? For the last 7 years, she was at Hogwarts and before that she was....difficult. "I remember it perfectly." The last bit of her chocolate frog was swallowed before she began rummaging for something else.

"I'm not by any means an exception. I was horrid, nasty, spiteful, loud, destructive, reckless," She began fiddling with a loose lock of her hair as she recounted every word she'd ever been called as a child, "a nuisance, trouble, a disappointment, unwanted, malicious, annoying...among other things." In truth the list was longer than she cared to remember.

"Half of those haven't changed and it doesn't change my stance on children. Awful little buggers." Had she been an awful little bugger? Most definitely and she took pride in it too.

Just what was his interest with children anyway? Now he wanted to know what she did? Sabel wasn't some...stalker kind was he...? He wouldn't go trying to find the family later...? Deciding it wasn't her problem, Lex shrugged. "I did nothing. They tried talking to me a few times and I ignored them with everything in me. One got upset but Cassia took care of it and I tried not being in the same room too long--one of 'em touched my candy bag but Cassia wouldn't let me smack 'em because they're 'only babies' and 'don't know any better'." Rubbish, she flicked her little sister on the forehead for less.

Oh good, so she wasn't a hypocrite......

Sabel blinked, and then blinked again. While she sounded almost proud of her personality list, Sabel couldn't help but wonder which of those were hers and which were an extension of someone else. That perhaps that someone else was the cause of her hate of children.

He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. "You're right. Half of them haven't changed." A small smile pricked the corner of his lips. Only half. The rest, he didn't agree with at all. Not one bit. As for children being awful buggers, well, she was still young. Maybe it would change. Maybe it wouldn't. If it didn't, well, he wasn't sure that would be a totally bad thing. And for what reason? A single word, impressionable.

And then she was divulging her exploits with his children, which was well, practically nothing. Really, he had expected something much worse. Some tales about wonderful dark wizards, or teaching them dark art spells. Really, it could have been a lot worse, and he started to relax.

Until she mentioned wanting to smack one of them. One of his children. Probably Emma too, knowing her. She liked to look in his pockets for things, so a candy bag was fair game. Sabel gave the woman across from him a big, hairy eyeball before reaching forward and quick as lightning, snatching whatever it was she had pulled from her bag out of her hands. Sitting back, way out of reach, he tore open the packaging.

Lex actually laughed when he agreed to half of the list still pertaining to her. Of course she knew which half she meant but not knowing which he attached to her didn't bother her because people's opinions seldom mattered in her book.

All that mattered was what she thought about herself and what she thought about situations.

Like this one...this situation here where just as she fished the chocolate frog from her bag...he....he snatched it without so much of a word in explanation--as if that would help--and began...opening it. If possible, the young woman might have been seeing red. He didn't...no he didn't. She was hallucinating. The dumb Trainee screwed up her brain when he cast at her and now she was imagining that Sabel had done the unforgiveable.

No way did he touch one of her chocolate frogs and he wasn't opening it either.

Except that's exactly what happened and the unfortunate sling that held her right hand made it impossible to reach across the table and deck him for it. Most things were impossible right now. No hexing, no punching, no scratching, no clawing and the more she thought about it was the angrier she got. Only problem was...what did a former Gryffindor do when a desired outlet for rage was barred?

Alexa sucked in a deep breath, finally coming out of her long stare then carefully got up from the table and stomped off to sit at another with her back turned to him. Punching was out of the question but she wouldn't sit and watch him eat it either. These were the things that started war, he would do well to keep that in mind from now on.

The laugh was good. It helped break some of the tension that was still wafting about, even if the context wasn't entirely a laughing matter.

And apparently, the frog-stealing was less of a laughing matter. As usual, he had expected maybe a verbal protest or some such. The stare he got. He had just jacked her food, but she had wanted to hit his kid, so fair was fair, right? The stomping off though, that was unexpected. For a moment he sat there, package half open, frog trying to wiggle its way out. For a moment, he wasn't sure whether he should laugh, roll his eyes, eat the damn frog or go after her.

Really? Really? Sighs.

Pushing himself up from the table, he reclaimed their unfinished coffees and went over to their table to put them down. For a minute he just stood there, until his legs relented and he squished himself into the booth beside her. Resting his elbow on the table, he held the package up and out to her, the opening pinched shut between his fingers.

"You looked like you were having a hard time opening them. Thought I'd help." Of course she knew that wasn't the truth, and even if she didn't he wasn't putting any effort into it. "And I didn't like the thought of you thinking about hitting my daughter, so I wanted to get back at you." The last line was a more of a mumble, given he wasn't exactly proud of it, but really. It was the truth.

It wasn't a secret Lex had a temper on her and it was even less a secret that her temper drove her to actions. Given her current circumstances there would be no action which left a very frustrated Lex sitting at a new table with a new chocolate frog being ripped from the packaging. At this point she was done trying to deal with Mr. Dakest. She didn't MIND that he'd dislocated her shoulder, it was just a thing that happened sometimes but then he forced her to the Healer and got her this bloody sling, tried lecturing her like she was six and snatched something so sacred as her chocolate frogs.

Done, she was done for today and would revisit that particular specimen of Auror another day. That being the case, he could sit over there and she would sit here until the work day was over then she would go home and whine to Lottie until she felt better.

In the meantime, with the frog now free, she began munching on it, eyes cast on the street outside and the people walking by the window. So determined was she to not notice anything anymore that she didn't realize he'd walked to the table until after he squished in next to her and had her shifting uncomfortably as she moved over.

Even then, her eyes didn't move from the window. The only acknowledgement of him was her taking the half open chocolate frog and stuffing it back in her bag. She grimaced at his miserable excuse for a reason to take her chocolate and it only got worse at the mention on his daughter. First, because she had NO idea they were talking about HIS kids which would explain his interest and the mean looks he gave her earlier and second, he stole her candy for a brat she'd never laid a hand on. It was hardly an even trade. "Difference is I didn't touch her but you touched what's mine." And with that she scooted further over on the seat.

"You've got a twisted sense of justice."

Sabel just sort of stared at the side of her head, given she wouldn't look at him. He had half a mind to take the frog back and eat it right then and there. But he didn't, and let her have it. It hardly interested him anymore. Sure, it had been a little bit rude, but it could have gone a lot better if she wasn't so sensitive about it.

It was a chocolate frog after all. Plenty more like them. Kids these days.

"No difference." He replied flatly, pushing her unfinished coffee over to her as he gathered up his own. "You would have smacked her if Cassia wasn't there, just as I would have if eaten your frog if you hadn't stomped off." And she had said so herself. Taking a sip of his coffee he spared the side of her head a deep frown. "No one touches my children, or even thinks about raising a hand to them." And if they did, they really shouldn't tell him, regardless of if he had sort of baited her into it or not. It bothered him. A lot. Just the thought of it really, really bothered him.

It was a touchy topic. A very touchy topic. About as touchy as her chocolate frogs.

He would have called her out on being dramatic, but he had just delivered a line that was equally full of it. So, instead he folded one arm over his chest, brought his coffee close and leaned against the backrest. May as well top it off.

"The world is ripe with injustice. Get used to it."

Why were they still talking about this? Why did he think she cared about the spawn of anything? Yeah she'd have smacked his kid and she'd have done it until the kid learned no to touch. Maybe if he'd taught her better they wouldn't have been having this conversation but the years had taught Lex that not everything that came to one's mind was ripe for saying and that wasn't because she would offend but rather because it would launch her into further conversation she wasn't interested in.

She thought to, which cancelled his rule on no one thinking of raising a hand to his children. There was a general rule you figured would be made law by now, Alexa wasn't to be left with children--though the situation was only truly grave in the case of her own little sister but it didn't mean she tolerated others any better.

By the time he got to the world being filled with injustice, Lex had already exhausted all her options and ignored the coffee. Pushing past him wouldn't work with her shoulder like this and neither would crawling under the table and apparition was also a no-go in a muggle area leaving her to drop her head to the table with a soft thud of resignation. There was no escaping the man she'd been done trying with for today.

"I'm aware the world isn't fair." Her words were muffled and mumbly but still understandable and very much void of any fight she might have had earlier. Of course the world was full of injustice, she knew it all too well and didn't care to talk about it. "You're turning into a shoddy conversationalist. Every time you change it the topic I end up needing to change it after. Find something better for us to talk about or take me back to work so I can hide out the last few hours in the Training Arena." Because there was NO WAY she was gonna be seen wearing this thing. Not even. Bad enough no one seemed to take her seriously. A sling wouldn't help. Aurors didn't wear slings, they bounced right back.

There was this thing that she did, and he only recognized it because he'd seen others do it while he talked. This, blank-stare, clearly uninterested thing. Really, he wasn't sure why he bothered half the time. He'd gotten better at speaking his mind full out, but there were still things he felt needed to be said. Perhaps that wasn't true. Perhaps he should just shut up and let idiots figure things out for themselves.

"You're not very fantastic at it either." He muttered back. "I try to give some meaningful advice, and you change the subject to talk about frogs and hating children." But alright, fine. She wanted him to pick something? He'd pick something she wanted to talk about.

"So, why don't we talk about that? Why are you so sensitive about your chocolate and why do you hate children so much? Besides the fact that they are noisy, smelly, drooling spawns." No, he was talking about the 'break up the family' and 'don't touch things that are mine' reasons.

Too close to home, maybe? If so, she could do what she was so apparently good at and change the topic again.

Not true. Lex was a fantastic conversationalist when you didn't pick shoddy topics she'd rather not discuss. Sabel, had a knack for choosing conversations she didn't want to discuss and it showed in the way she continuously tried changing the subject. When she'd mentioned pastry gifts for her friends earlier he could have done the natural thing and talked about her friends with her but he opted to latch onto the children bit because of personal bias.

Just like when she asked if he was hungry and he proceeded to give a lecture about her busted arm and her needing a new career path. See the trend? It was hardly a promising one. So no, she wouldn't dignify that with a response either, the young woman simply kept her head on the table, munching on the last bits of her latest chocolate frog. "What you do is bring out problems people would rather not talk about." You know, since they were talking about what each other did and all.

She raised her head at last, finally locking eyes with him again. "Just like now." In case he hadn't noticed.

"I'm not sensitive about my chocolate, I'm possessive; it's mine and that's that." She didn't need a reason for becoming irate other than the fact it was HERS. "I was never taught to share," until the little creature came along, "and I don't intend to learn that lesson now." In truth she did share but it wasn't something she advertised because then people got the wrong idea and she would rather they didn't.

"And if you're looking for some deep rooted reason for my dislike of children you won't find one. All you'll find is an 8 year old that shouldn't have been born." Jessa was 8, yes? "One who does nothing but cause trouble in the family, steal my father's attention," remember that sharing thing she has a problem with? It made split attention a PROBLEM, "and make a mess of everything. One that didn't die like I prayed for and one that thinks she belongs where she doesn't." He could do with that what he would.

Yes, she was definitely there. Would get no argument from him about that. It was a running theme in his life, to pick the most sensitive topic and approach it with a bludgeon and a whack-load of determination. And not all of it was intentional either, sometimes things just came out.

This however, this had been intentional. If she didn't want to talk about general meaningful stuff, then maybe he could figure her out a little bit more and understand her behavior. Though, he had no hopes of understanding it all. Gryffindors did as Gryffindors did, often without reason, or at least without any explanation they would be willing to give.

Truth be told, for all her protests about sensitive topics, he was surprised that she breached them and didn't try to change the subject or tell him to shove off. At least not directly. And while she told him there was no other deep roots, it wasn't hard to notice where the roots actually were.

The chocolate sharing thing he wasn't concerned about. It was this family business that had her whiskers all tangled. Apparently for a long time, too. Family tended to have that effect.

"It sounds, like your issue isn't with your sibling." He turned his cup slowly, surprised at how level and quiet his own voice was. Truth be told, he was furious with her last words. Sure, he understood sibling rivalry, but that was taking it too far. And he was personalizing it. A lot. He did his best to shut it out and let out a slow breath. "After all, it's not her fault that she was born."

It wasn't until she'd said the last of that Alexa finally realized what she'd said. It was all true, of course and she meant every last word of it with every cell of her entire being but...she wasn't meant to.

It only reminded her of that talk she'd had with her father where he begged her to treat Jessa like the Cambridge she was because no one else would. Back then she'd agreed because she knew how much it bothered him and now she was meant to be trying, only she hadn't been trying at all. Sweet Merlin, she might have actually felt bad and the thought unnerved her just as much forgetting the promise to her father had.

Lex went completely quiet, lowering her chocolate frog and everything. He would be SO disappointed and that was one of the few things that could get to her--it's what had gotten her to make the damn promise in the first place.

Sabel wasn't making this any better either but he hadn't been very helpful since the duel went sour so it was hardly a surprise that he was uttering more unhelpful things. "You don't think I know that?" And a serious raise of her brow as she finally looked to him again. "She's a pawn in a dangerous game her mother shouldn't have started and it's gone bad now." The family never hated Amanda more than when she botched up the bloodline by creating a Half Blood and as much as that didn't bother Lex, the fact her step-mother thought to make a new family and exclude her didn't sit well with her. "My sibling is my problem and so is her mother."

Wait wait wait. Lex sighed heavily, resting her head on the table once more. "I shouldn't say that."

Sabel didn't look at her, continuing to watch his mug as he turned it about and about and about. He was listening however. Unlike the blank stares that others had to indicate they had clearly lost interest, he was paying attention. Perhaps too much attention.

To him, the answer was simple, but then to him, he wasn't caught in the middle of everything. Still, his opinion came out, as it always did. "Don't let her be a pawn. Don't let her mother, dictate the relationship you could have with her. Make that choice for yourself." Simple. Real simple.

But then, he had never had such family dynamics, and he hardly knew half of her story. He could guess some of it, and what he could surmise was that it wasn't shaping up to be a very pretty story.

At long last, he looked at her. "It's only a game, if you agree to play it."

"You just don't get it, do you?"

It was evident he didn't no matter how much he wanted to think he did and no matter how much advice he could pull from his well of sentimental well of mush. "Your problem is your belief in an ideal society where everything has a fix and if it doesn't then it's not a problem in the first place." She might have lifted her head from the table again but at the moment she didn't want to, consequently it remained there.

"I have made the choice, I made it ages ago but it's the wrong choice and regrettably I don't feel like changing it." As much as she liked pretending, even she knew it was a bad thing, made even worse by her lack of inclination to change it on her own.

"And that's hardly accurate. It's a game because she says it is, even if she's the only one playing." Alexa USED to play games with Amanda and she always won until Amanda got pregnant, then Lex realized her winning streak was over and she promptly dropped out. Dare she even bother trying to change the subject again?