White Camellia, Red Snapdragon and Lilies both. (Private)

"I-I mean... Aurora is her daughter..." Luna said, clearly misunderstanding what Yurio had in mind. They looked like a daughter and a mother, that was clear.

Aurora tilted her head to the side, feeling more than surprised at the statement, although she was The Kindleberry mama after all, so it was quite fitting. Besides, whatever it was that Carol was implying, Aurora was clearly incapable of understanding it. When Carol stood up, Aurora remembered the original purpose to her visit at the cafe "Oh, actually, I'm here for a good cup of coffee too." The witch said, before glancing over at her mother. "What about you, mom?"

Elizabeth didn't show any signs of being confused or curious or anything. If she was aware of what Carol was talking about, she wasn't showing it with her behavior. "I think I will have another cup as well..." She said calmly while remaining in her spot.

Thus, Aurora followed after Carol. She would get some coffee for her mom, before heading off to sit at the corner to enjoy the pleasure of watching Yurio at work.

"That's not what I...-" Yurio started to explain to Luna, but stopped when he noticed the white-haired Kindleberry making her way over towards them, along with Aurora. He mostly noticed Aurora, at first.

Carol looked a little stern as she approached, though the look was her mostly just being preoccupied with thinking about what she would say and do to apologise to little Luna, there. Maybe with just a dash of being unable to keep herself from messing with people; she liked to think it was a playful sort of thing to do, but not everyone held the same opinions. Still, she stopped right in front of Luna, staring at her for a few moments with her narrow eyes. She then broke into a smile and reached over the counter to take hold of both of the girls hands. Perhaps a pushy gesture, for someone she just met, but whatever. Carol just sort of did things sometimes, and she wouldn't change that. "I'm sorry for scaring you like that~" she cooed in a sing-song fashion, lowering her posture a little even if it made little impact in the difference in height between the two of them. "I should have just asked for Eliza outright, but I wasn't entirely sure if this was her place, you see..." she said, letting go of Luna's hands to steeple her own in front of her chest as she stood up straight again. "If I had been wrong, I would have just told whoever came along that your coffee was delicious; because it was. Did you learn to make such good coffee for my daughter's sake, perhaps? Or is it just because you're a diligent sort? Either way, I'd like some more, just the same as before, please."

Luna froze when she saw Carol approaching them. Did she see them staring? Did she want to complain about the coffee? What did she want? Did Eliza tell her who she was? What if she didn't like the fact that Ana was in a relationship with her? The thoughts overwhelmed her mind so much and her face turned pale while the rest of the body started to tremble. In her mind, she made a quick prayer to Lord Death begging him to make her suffering short and painless. Her eyes scared her. Why though? Ana had a similar look, so why was she so scared of her mother? What happened next was absolutely unexpected though. The smile almost made her let out a sigh of relief, but she jumped in place when Carol took her hands. That was weird and awkward and also scary. Hearing Carol explain herself, however, definitely caused Luna to calm down a little as evidenced by the fact that colors were returning onto her face. When Ana was mentioned Luna blushed greatly - her cheeks got almost fully covered in a bright blush. "I-I, uhm... y-yes... I-I try my best for Ana... B-But Mrs. Foster offered me t-this job so... I don't want to disappoint her..." Luna quickly explained herself, before nodding a little. "R-Right away..!" The witch started working on the coffee for her girlfriend's mother. She had to do her best!

"Yuriooo, my beloved, two americanos for me and my mom, please!" Aurora said with the sweetest voice she could use and with a wide loving smile.

"Oh, you're both~" Carol said, somewhat teasingly, though also somewhat pleased at the fact that her daughter managed to get herself a cutie like Luna. She wasn't going to try to distract Luna from her work beyond that, not for the moment, though she turned her attention towards Yurio before he managed to run off to get started on Aurora's order. And you, dragon boy. You've been watching, and judging by your reactions, listening to everyone carrying on, no? You looked really confused~"

Yurio, for his part, only blushed at the acknowledgement that she noticed and perhaps a little at Aurora being cute. That, and the inkling of a chance that maybe, despite Carol not being exactly related to Aurora, she was going to tease him just like Eliza did. "Uhm, right, two americanos," he said, turning around to get to work. 

Once the two servers were out of the way, her attention went back to Aurora. "Even the same taste in coffee, huh?" Carol muttered, though purposefully loud enough that Aurora would hear.

A shiver went down Luna's spine after hearing the teasings Ana's mom said towards her. Really, a part of her started wondering if that's what Yurio must be feeling every time Eliza does something to embarrass him. The fact that Carol seemingly teased the dragon too made things worse, in her eyes. After all, Luna was also curious about the exchange between Carol, Eliza and Aurora. With a blush on her face, she focused her mind on making the coffee drink for her girlfriend's mother. She would be done with it in about two minutes.

Aurora, obviously, wasn't affected by the teasings Carol used against both Luna and Yurio. Although she felt bad for both of them - especially for Yurio. After all, it wasn't his fault for having such sensitive senses. The moment the woman's attention was back on her, however, Aurora kept a straight face, somewhat reminiscent of what Eliza's. Whether Aurora knew of the similarity or not, was unknown. A polite smile appeared on her face. "No, I'm just not as picky as my mom." The witch stated. "Besides, ordering the same drinks will make it faster for Yurio to prepare both."

"Mmm," Carol hummed, a little unconvinced but taking Aurora at face value enough not to say anything more about it. The way she said it made her doubt things a little, what with the cold hard logic and straight face she used to brush her off. Besides, she was really rather more interested in the little witch behind the counter now that she was here. Ana and her, at least according to Elsie, were supposed to be very close. With how Ana was, this was really the first chance she had to take a look at the sort of person her daughter liked. "So my daughter and Luna, here. What do you think?" She thought to quietly ask Aurora, so at least the girl in question couldn't hear.

Indeed, Yurio did get the two coffees for the Fosters done rather quickly, though it's not like he was making two identical drinks. He knew well enough how Aurora liked things, and when he had things ready he turned back to the front, "Should I bring them along once everything is ready, or would you prefer to take everything yourself? Ah, either way, this one is yours," he asked, then pointing out the one he'd made slightly differently.

Aurora smirked at the question and glanced over at Luna. There was a look of amusement on the younger fox witch's face. She was being questioned about the girlfriend of her cousin while said girlfriend was still working to deliver the best cup of coffee ever. Now that the topic wasn't about her nor her mother Aurora dropped all tricks used by her mom, opting for full honesty under the relaxed attitude. "Where do I start? They're a great couple. Ana is Luna's whole world, clearly. Uhm, you'd have to see them together to understand, but, ah, mmm, this love is the purest thing I've ever seen." Aurora whispered to Carol, before spotting that Luna was done preparing the drink and set it on the counter. "Oh! Ana's weapon form is, apparently, perfect for Luna's powers. She can amplify every spell Luna casts." The fox witch added, dropping the whispering now that Luna was within hearing distance. When her own drink was finally done, she smiled lovingly at Yurio, the spark of joy and adoration present in her eyes as she did. "Thanks, love!" Aurora said with a sweet tone in her voice.

Luna indeed didn't here the secret part of the conversation between Ana's mom and Aurora, but the second part made her blush a little and look away with embarrassment. "U-Uhm... y-yeah... W-we don't f-fight the eggs like... a regular pair would..." The witch admitted quietly.

Carol listened to Aurora say more or less the same thing about her daughter's relationship as Eliza with a smile. She just couldn't wait to see them together, then. Perhaps it was a little nosy of her, but she really hadn't seen enough of her daughters; taking a look at all the developments in their lives would bring her worrying to a stop, though even just hearing about it was a help. She was surprised to hear that her own daughter's weapon form was so unique, and so fitting when it came to the nickname that she had gotten herself amongst her peers. "Nobody told me about that, either," Carol commented on that little tidbit with eyes open in surprise. She let Aurora do what she would for the moment, and instead turned her attention to Luna as she picked up her coffee. She was just standing in front of the counter sipping away as and she was hearing Luna bashfully explain that their hunts weren't the usual deal she couldn't help but smile. "Oh, I wouldn't expect someone with magic to fight like someone without. Especially if their weapon was someone that was such a good fit for them. And it doesn't really matter how you deal with evil. It's important that you're helping... Oh, but this coffee really is delicious. Thank you~" Carol chirped her thanks with a cheerful smile before turning around to return to Eliza. 

Yurio grinned happily at Aurora. Just a single smile like that and he could forget about all the teasing in the world. Hell, it happened regularly. He'd have been giving her a hug right about now, if he wasn't working.

Luna listened to what Carol had to say with a growing shade of red present on her cheeks and with a clearly embarrassed expression on her face. She didn't know what was she supposed to do in such a situation really. On one hand, Carol just a woman and her customer on the other she was Ana's mother and thus she wasn't sure how she was supposed to behave. Being polite was probably the most obvious approach. Still, it didn't seem like Luna would stop being quite tense around Carol anytime soon. Really, she felt more comfortable around Gyles of all people. "Uhm... I-I'm glad... that y-you think the coffee is delicious..." Luna eventually said.

Aurora decided to stay with Luna and Yurio to give Eliza and Carol some privacy. Before that though, she quickly took Eliza's coffee to their table, before swiftly returning to the counter where she noticed Luna with her phone. Apparently the wolf witch decided to send a text to Ana:
Ana, help. Your mom is at the Nine-Tails. She scares me ;-;

Eliza was comfortably sitting in her seat, smiling up at Carol. "So, what do you think of your daughter's partner?" She asked

"I feel like I've gained a comrade," Yurio said once Carol left, and at seeing the state that the woman apparently drove Luna to with her mere presence. She wasn't even actively trying embarrass Luna, like Eliza seemed to do with him! There was a little teasing, sure, but... Whew...

Luna wouldn't get all that much of a reply from Ana. No, the revelation that her mother was back was a big one, since nobody knew she would be:

what



Carol, once she was settled back down next to Eliza, was similarly smiling. Still sipping at the coffee that she had described quite truthfully as delicious and apparently did something unexpected to the girl as a result, she thought about the answer. "Mmm... She's the just sort of cute that makes you want to dote on her, isn't she?"

Luna, being the innocent and naive girl she was, decided to respond to Ana's text trying to find a better way to describe the situation:
"She suddenly appeared at the cafe and demanded to see the manager. (...)"
Luna's text fully detailed the entire situation and ended up being quite lengthy.

Aurora rested her elbow on the counter with her coffee in another hand and raised her eyebrow at Yurio. "Comrade, huh..?" She repeated after him. "Aunt Carol doesn't compare to my mom in terms of sheer teasing power... I think." After taking a few sips of her drink she let out a sigh. "I still don't understand though... I'm not like my mom, right? Right?!" Aurora asked as if seeking some sort of comfort in confirmation.


Eliza took her coffee into one hand and put a leg on a leg, sitting in a more casual and relaxed pose. "Mhm. That's why I like her. She's that innocently cute and genuine." Elizabeth explained with full honestly. While looking at Carol her face displayed pure signs of joy and, perhaps even pride. "Though, she's easily scared of everything as you've already noticed."

"I hope I can get her to warm up to me... Those weren't good first impressions," Carol said, looking over towards the counter. She could see Luna looking down, like she was focusing on something behind the counter. Ah, well... "Maybe Ana can help with that."

Yeah, but... Luna's Luna, so it balances out?" Yurio said, though he wasn't sure of his words himself. Really, the effect that Carol had on Luna just reminded him of how he ended up acting around Eliza rather often. Then, there was the question of Aurora being similar to Eliza. "I don't think so..." he said at first, scratching at his head. "Although... That genuine giggling I told you about. Yours sound a little similar. Just a little..."

Ana wouldn't read the explanation, at least not yet. No, she was more interested in the fact that her mother was back. Luna wouldn't say something like that unless it was true, so she basically started rushing double time. No time to read or reply.

Eliza's face got a little bit more serious for a moment as she sipped on her coffee. "I'm certain she just doesn't know how to handle being around you" Elizabeth decided to explain one or two things before Carol would accidentally cause a disaster by not being properly informed. "See, Luna landed in an orphanage at the age of four - the memories of her biological parents magically erased from her mind. Her powers were locked away with a seal of sorts. Recently she got it all back and learned the truth. An ugly truth, really. Her parents were magic users of the evil kind - plotting to spark a new conflict on the line DWMA - The Witch Realm." Being done with the short little story, Eliza took a big sip of her coffee and let out a satisfied sigh. Yurio really knew how to make good coffee. Aurora held his skills in high regard for a reason. "But yes, Ana can help with anything. She's a mature woman now."

Aurora was speechless for a moment and her jaw dropped open. Her giggle? A shiver went down her spine and she suddenly became weirdly uncomfortable with her own voice. With a blush on her cheeks, she looked away for a moment. "Giggling of all things..." She muttered quietly. "Are you... sure that's all..? I mean, I can use her trick. You know, the one with looking all calm and mysterious..."

"I wasn't trying to pay attention," Yurio said, shaking his head, though he looked a little worried. "Please don't do that," he said. No, she'd be totally like Eliza if she started looking like that. It'd be an issue.

Carol listened carefully to what Eliza had to say, though she had no comment on the matter. As a two start meister, though inactive, her opinions on the matter weren't so hard to figure out and she knew what Eliza thought of that sort of person too. "That is very good to know," she said, nodding. She'd be careful not to step on some sort of landmine that has to do with that whole ordeal. "I imagine that everyone has been helpful to the two of them, through all of that?" she asked. She looked worried. Again, it was another thing she couldn't be there to help with.

"Yeah, I won't. Not my style." Aurora said nodding a little at Yurio. "Hey you two, do you need help?" She asked.

"Of course. We always help them with everything and anything." Elizabeth answered the question with a wide smile on her face. Of course, she wasn't as helpful as the others, really, but she would do anything for the two. She wanted to be a good aunt and a decent employer. Eliza put a leg on a leg and put a hand to her chin, thinking about something. "Question - were you planning to surprise your kids and Gyles with your return?" She asked

"I think we're both fine," Yurio said, then turned his head towards Luna. "Right?" 

"That's good," Carol said, reassured at the least that her absence wasn't a problem; she didn't doubt that Eliza and everyone else would help, but she'd have preferred to be there to help herself too. She smiled, though a little weakly for herself. At least until Eliza's change of subject allowed her to stop dwelling on it. "Honestly, no, but everything just happened so fast that I didn't really have any time to let them know."

At just about that point, as if on cue, the front door to the cafe flew open with a little more force than it usually did. Lyra was standing in the doorway, looking rather like she threw on the first thing she found in whatever drawer she pulled her clothing out of. Behind her stood Ana, ever so slightly out of breath and looking quite similar; apparently she had to keep up with her sister as the two ran right over. 

"This'll be fun..." Yurio said, pointing towards the two.

"Uhm... Y-yes... T-thank you for asking t-though..." Luna said quietly smiling a little at the two. The two of them could handle everything just fine and it wasn't Aurora's shift anyway - no point in having her overworking herself.

Elizabeth nodded with understanding. "I would certainly make a big surprise out of it. In fact, I have." The witch admitted, with a smirk on her face. After all, the visit she and Dalibor paid at Aurora and Angela's place after getting to Death City was unannounced at all, much to her amusement since that's how she met Yurio too. Of course, she didn't really expect Carol's kid to show up, that part certainly wasn't something she'd predicted. However, the explanation was obvious - Luna must've texted Ana. So, when the two sisters showed up at the cafe rather abruptly, Elizabeth could help but make a surprised expression on her face. "Huh, we have just been presented with a reverse Uno card apparently." Eliza made a comment, only afterward realizing how stupid her words were.

While Aurora noticed Luna with a phone before, she didn't expect Ana and Lyra to show up so suddenly. They surely rushed to Nine-Tails after getting the news. A smirk appeared on her face, as she rested her elbow on the counter. "Sure will." Aurora responded to Yurio.
"H-Hello..." Luna greeted the two quietly.

"I guess I should have expected this," Carol said. She didn't need to turn her head to know who just entered the cafe, what with Eliza's rather silly remark.

Lyra had apparently looked for where her mother was sitting ahead of time, as Lyra turned her head straight towards where Carol was sitting. No time for greetings. She made her way past all the tables and through to the back corner rather quickly, attracting a little attention momentarily. She more or less threw herself at Carol, who was more than happy to catch her. 

Ana seemed torn between properly saying hello to Luna and doing the same, though she opted to let Lyra have a moment. She approached the counter, in front of Luna and pointed back towards where her mother was sitting. She had a big, happy smile on her face and seemed to be bouncing in place; quite unusual of her, but missing someone does that sometimes.

"Indeed. We should have expected this. Anyway, this will do for a family reunion, probably." Elizabeth commented before looking away and at Carol. A serious look was slowly returning onto her face. She was sort of tired of using that mask of hers, but she needed to stay consistent with her 'character'. Lyra was Lyra, obviously, so it was expected of her to run straight into her mother's loving embrace. It was cute, in Eliza's eyes.

Luna couldn't help but smile happily in response to seeing Ana's smile. The joy her girlfriend was experiencing was spreading onto her. A part of her wondered what was going on in Lyra and Ana's hearts at that moment, for she had never experienced that kind of joy related to a parent. Nevertheless, Luna was genuinely happy for the two. She nodded a little and pointed her hand towards Carol. "Go, Ana. Have... have your moment." Luna said quietly, almost whispering. Surprisingly enough, her voice wasn't shaky nor stuttering.

Ana nodded at Luna with a grin, almost running off towards Carol but stopping herself from running between the tables like Lyra did. She sat herself down next to her mother, happy enough to let Lyra monopolise the physical portion of her affection. 

Carol was busy, after that, with exchanging the usual pleasantries that you might expect from a family member seeing another after a long time; how they've gotten so big, and pretty and all of that expected sort of stuff. Really, seeing her girls made what little worry she still help more or less vanish. Of course, she wasn't going to let Ana miss out; while she held Lyra, who just really didn't seem to want to let go, she still reached out to pat Ana on the head. "I didn't think we'd meet quite so quickly, but I'm glad you two rushed over," she said to her daughters, in the end, and she gave Luna a quick smile. Now that her kids were here, it became quite clear who let them know.

Yurio seemed to be watching with a thoughtful sort of look about him. Like he was wondering about something or other, or thinking back to some memory he had stored away in the back of his mind that was brought up by seeing the scene.

Luna only acknowledged the smile from Carol, nodding at her a little, then she turned away so her back was towards the rest of the cafe, focusing on the coffee machine. She decided to clean it a little after so many uses. The smile on her face started to fade, replaced by a weird, probably unseen before expression. She was feeling jealous in a way that made her sad, nostalgic even probably. Luna knew that she would never, ever experience what Ana and Lyra were experiencing with the obvious overwhelming joy to see their parent. That kind of hurt, but she didn't want anyone to see that she was like that, so she hid her face like that, with her back towards everyone.

Eliza watched the scene between Carol and her daughters, feeling her own motherly instincts hit her in the heart. It was a heartwarming scene truly. A part of her started wondering if she was a good mother for her daughters, with her being serious and calm all the time. Perhaps she wasn't giving Aurora and Angela the love those two deserve. Elizabeth rubbed her chin and then smiled towards the trio at the counter. She stood up for a moment, her honest smile not disappearing from her face. That day was special, and in all its specialty, Elizabeth decided to drop her mask just for a little bit. "Since Caroline is a kind as to show her children some affection..." She said after approaching the counter. "Which one of you would like some too, kids?"

Aurora's jaw dropped open hearing her mother so openly offer hugs love and other stuff to them so casually. She was shocked and frozen in place. What in the Death's love was going on with her? Her mind started working on the highest speeds trying to solve the puzzle of her mom's behavior. Dumbfounded she looked toward Luna and Yurio, her eyes opened wide.

Unfortunately, both Carol and Ana were too engrossed in the family reunion to see Luna hiding her pain away. Each of them, if they happened to learn how she was feeling thanks to their display would be rather distraught; Ana, for obvious reasons, but Carol promised herself she wouldn't try to step in any landmines. Still, for now, none of the Kindleberrys knew.

Yurio looked at Eliza like she grew a second head or something. That was the last thing he expected her to ask anyone. Really, he half expected this was some scheme. It was enough to make him set whatever he was pondering on aside and piece together the order of events that he had just witnessed properly. Big familial cuddly party, Carol smiling at Luna, Luna walking away. If there was ever anyone that it was difficult to get anything past, it was Yurio. He wasn't one to let people he cared about be left un-checked-on, so he obviously took a proper look at Luna. After seeing that, he looked to Eliza for just a moment as he made his decision. "I'll do that," he said, placing his hands on each of Luna's shoulders and marching her around the counter and towards Eliza.

The fact that none of the Kindleberrys knew was good for Luna. She didn't want them to know, she didn't want Ana to be worried about her. After all, the girl deserved a sweet happy moment with her mother. Quickly she got herself engrossed in the process of cleaning one of the giant coffee machines. When Eliza approached the counter, she gave her a shocked look. What was going one? Did she really want to give them all hugs? That was so unlike her. Because of the shock Luna was unable to move at all. So, when Yurio put his hands on her shoulders, she jumped a little. "Y-Yurio w-what are you..?" The wolf witch asked, all shivering trying to keep her composure. When she was placed in front of Eliza she looked up at the woman, unsure what to do with herself.

Elizabeth seemed to know what was going on almost immediately when she saw Luna's face. The look she gave her was truly the look of a person who cared for the wellbeing of "her" kids. However, 'her' kids weren't just her daughters. Luna and Yurio also were the ones who she cared about. If not for the fact that Luna was dating Aurora and Angela's cousin (despite them not being blood-related), she would probably opt to be more like a motherly figure for the girl. Well, perhaps she could be that regardless? Nevertheless, on that day she decided to be just that for all the kids. "Come here, Luna..." Eliza said with a warm voice before pulling the wolf witch into a warm motherly embrace. Leaning into her ear she whispered, warmly, "I know I'm never going to be her, but at least, in the toughest of times, you can count on me to take her role temporarily, alright?". In response to her words, Luna closed her eyes and sniffled a little, immediately trapping the older woman in a tight hug. Elizabeth looked up at Aurora and then at Yurio. "How about the two of you?" She asked softly. Truly, she had the same caring look Aurora would usually give her friends and Yurio.

Aurora shook her head a little, but smiled widely nevertheless. She still couldn't believe it was happening. Giving a quick glance over at Yurio, she placed a hand on a hip and winked at him. "Yes, how about us, love~?" The witch asked, before her smile turned into an amused grin. Perhaps she was a little heartless, but she didn't really feel the need to get a hug from her mother - perhaps she wasn't used to it or something. Out of curiosity, she glanced over at the family reunion between Ana, Lyra and their mother. It was a cute view indeed.

Yurio smiled at Aurora and gestured back over his shoulder towards the coffee machine that Luna started cleaning. It was true enough that they did need a clean, and with Luna currently unable to finish her task, Yurio was going to be a good coworker and do it himself. No, he wasn't jealous or sad thanks to seeing all the feelings flying around. It just made him wonder whether the person who he remembered to be the closest to any sort of mother figure would do the same. Whatever the case was, he certainly didn't need a hug; especially from Eliza. That'd just be weird. For Luna, though? In his head, the leap from Aurora acting like a sister to the girl to Eliza being like a mother wasn't hard to make; even if it was Eliza. Yurio wondered off to clean those machines.

Carol, at some point in the short time that attention was more or less off of them, had managed to extricate herself from Lyra's grasp and sit her by her side. Also in that same amount of time, she managed to turn the reunion into something akin to an interrogation; she was grilling Ana about all the things that she found out her older daughter wasn't telling her, while Lyra sat and watched. She was apparently also having been given the leftover coffee that Carol had placed on the table. Either way, Ana and Carol were way too busy with their talk to see something as obvious as Luna hugging Eliza. Lyra did glance over a few times, but she was more than clever enough to know that bringing the attention of her mother and sister to the whole thing wasn't going to make anyone feel any better.

At that point, Aurora got an idea. She joined Yurio in cleaning the machine. It was a simple task really, especially when it came to making sure the water and steam pipes were functioning properly. "Let's get some drinks and sweet treats for the Kindleberrys, shall we?" Aurora said to Yurio, before grabbing a sheet of paper and writing something down on it. Really, she figured it was a good way to get them something without distracting them. However, all Ana needed was a fresh cup of coffee to her knowledge. Aurora was using that opportunity to gauge Lyra's tastes too. So, a moment later she approached their table with a message on a piece of paper:

Ana - we'll make you some coffee in a moment
Lyra - Tea? Coffee? Pie? Cake? Do you want anything?

A few moments later Eliza released Luna from the embrace and gave her a pat on the head. "Feeling better?" The woman asked softly while smiling at the girl. Luna gave Elizabeth a nod, before smiling with a blush on her face. While she would never replace a real mother to her, she could be something close to it if she wanted to. "Y-Y-Yes I... Thank you..." Luna said quietly looking at the floor, feeling a little bit embarrassed. "You should probably prepare some coffee for Ana." Eliza whispered to the girl and winked at her. A moment later she turned around and slowly returned to Carol's table and sat at the nearest empty seat.