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

31/7
Late afternoon.
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Nevada. Heat. Death City. Home. 

Carol had barely stepped out of the cab that she had arrived on from the airport before she was already rushing down the road towards somewhere. She couldn't exactly focus to search the city while she was dashing along, but while in the cab she was very aware of a few people she just had to go see as soon as possible. There were so many things that had happened in her absence, in the long time that she had to leave to take care of a particularly long and important job for her company. At least she was free of that for a while, with her team all agreeing that she wasn't going to be allowed to go on any more jobs for a good long time much less needed for any. At least her husband, who was one of the people she so wanted to find, kept her more or less up to date on things. Not enough detail in a lot of places, however. Diana found a partner, Dalibor and Eliza moved to Death City, Aurora got hurt. Lyra... Well, Lyra was Lyra. And it was very much not in that order. Still, that lack of detail made her reasons to look for Gyles a toss up between a good long hug and a good hard ass-kicking. It was killing her to be so close to being in the loop and actually having no idea what was going on at the same time. So she was dashing down the street, heading towards the Academy first of all, looking like quite a mess after the long journey she had to take. Hair tied back in a quick and dirty ponytail, tank top for comfort in the heat she wasn't used to after such a long time away with a hoodie tied around her waist after it was done being worn to ward off the air-conditioned cold of the interior of the plane cabin. Then there were the cargo-pants and boots. Half of her 'uniform' which she would have changed had she not been in such a hurry to go and find at least one of the people she so missed.

Then her suitcase, which she was hauling behind her at top speed, happened to bounce up against a raised cobble. It was enough of a diversion that she managed to actually take in her surroundings over the singular goal of heading straight to the Academy and finding someone there. One place in particular managed to catch her full attention. Cafe Nine-Tails just couldn't be a coincidental name. No, there was only one person that she knew had so many of those. Okay, so nothing was on fire. Even if she was wrong, a quick few moments to wind down might be just what she needed. Or just what Gyles needed, to bring the odds of her immediate reaction being something other than an interrogation down. Pulling her suitcase around, she headed for the cafe and walked right on through the door. Once inside, she looked around for just a moment before heading straight for the main counter, ignoring a purple-haired waiter who was looking her way with a rather curious expression; at least until he remembered he had things to be doing. "Excuse me," Carol said, once she and her suitcase were both stood in front of the counter.

As expected, the name "Nine-Tails" wasn't a coincidence at all. Especially for those who knew about the true nature of its owner. Surprisingly, the staff of the cafe were perhaps even more unusual than the origins of the legendary nine-tailed foxes themselves. For a regular customer though, all it was was a pretty good place to enjoy some delicious coffee. Despite its young age, Cafe Nine-Tails has garnered quite a reputation. Not only that but some regulars often recall all the unusual events that happen around the place constantly. Things like - A waitress using magic to create a rain-free zone, A sorcerer exploding a portal causing another person to almost melt everyone alive, the owner constantly teasing her own daughters? For the cafe's regular customers it truly was a magical place. As always, everything about the cafe screamed coziness, warmth and friendliness. Couches were especially popular amongst the customers. Speaking of which, there were quite a lot of them on that day. Some even enjoyed the collection of books offered by Nine-Tail's grand bookshelves.

On that fated day, Carol would have the pleasure of meeting none other than her daughter's partner by the counter. Luna was, as usual, occupied with trying to come up with strong, yet tasty coffee for Ana to enjoy in the future when she heard the voice of a woman. Luna's eyes immediately shot up to look at the new customer, dropping the previous activity completely. "W-Welcome to Nine-..." Luna tried to greet the woman when she paused to take a close look at the woman. She looked so familiar. Too familiar even! Could she be? No, that couldn't be possible! Ana would surely tell her. The woman resembled the Kindleberry sisters so much though. Luna wanted to ask about it, but, what if she was wrong? She'd make a fool out of herself and potentially damage the cafe's reputation! Clearing her throat, she tried to focus on acting professional, despite her eyes refusing to stop staring at the woman. "Am... Ahem! W-Welcome to Nine-Tails... W-what can I help you with?" Luna asked.

Of course, Carol had no idea who this girl was, yet. Really, she looked like she was about to question the way that this girl was staring at her like that. In the end, she had to keep her questions to herself and put it down to nervousness in being behind the counter or something since she finally managed to finish what she was saying before. "Oh, I'd like a mocha, please, and make it plenty sweet if you would. I'll go... Hmm... Sit in the back, there," she said, looking around the cafe to check where there was space, and incidentally pointing towards the space that her daughter often liked to sit at. "And, if you could, please send the manager over that way if they are present. I'd like to have a word," Carol finished with a smile before turning around and dragging her suitcase over in the direction she indicated. When she got to the back corner, it was rather obvious that she was struggling to find a place to put her luggage so it was out of the way. Once she managed to work it into a position that nobody would be tripping over it, she got herself settled as well.

Once she was gone, Yurio joined Luna behind the counter. He was looking in the general direction of the new guest, looking to be in thought as well. At least until the smell of whatever blend Luna had been working on distracted him. He turned around and pointed her to another kind of bean as a suggestion before moving on to take care of a table that hadn't quite gotten to calling for a waiter, but one he heard had made up their minds about their order.

"R-Right away!" Luna quickly responded to the woman's order. Her curiosity would have to wait, making coffee was more important at that moment. It was her job after all. However, that's when the poor girl heard the dreaded phrase. The customer wanted to speak with the manager. Quickly she started shivering out of sheer fear. Has she done anything wrong? Maybe it was her staring? It had to be her staring! Luna would stand in place, shivering and with a pale face until Yurio came to the rescue, distracting her. Giving him a thankful look Luna quickly started preparing the coffee drink for the woman. However, her fear and worry caused her to make a mistake. As a barista, she managed to keep her clumsiness in check, however, such a stressful situation made it impossible. Because of that, she accidentally knocked a random cup down onto the floor with her elbow. It crashed on the floor, shattering into tiny pieces. Luna stared wide-eyed at what she'd done and quickly ran into the backroom to get Eliza.

"E-e-e-excuse me..."
Eliza was sitting behind a desk in her own little office space, making a list of supplies she had to order for the cafe. When she saw Luna so scared and shaky, she quickly stood up and looked at the girl with her usual, calm attitude. "Hm? What's wrong Luna?" The older witch asked. Considering the noise she'd heard from the main space of the cafe, she'd assumed Luna just accidentally broke a cup, which was a correct assumption. She'd not anticipated what Luna would say, however.
"O-o-one of the customers asked... t-to see the manager." Luna said, her face was still as pale as the fur of her wolf form.
Eliza couldn't help but frown, feeling surprised by that. She'd never heard any complaints regarding Luna's work. As a matter of fact, she'd actually never heard any complaints regarding any of her staff members at all! It was probably the first time she'd seen Luna so scared too. What was going on? "Don't worry, dear. Return to your duties and clean what's broken. I'll deal with the issue." Eliza told Luna

Soon, both of them walked out of the backroom. Luna immediately went on to clean the shattered cup, before she went on to finish the familiar woman's cup. While Eliza...

Eliza looked around her cafe trying to spot anyone who looked like someone who would ask for a manager. Suddenly she froze, spotting a very, very familiar figure sitting in Ana's favorite spot. The witch was extremely surprised, to a point her usual mask of calmness was gone for a moment. Hesitantly, she looked towards Luna and then Yurio as if she wasn't sure what to do with herself. After all, it would be unlike her to be out of character in front of those kids. However, that woman. That woman who must be responsible for the manager call... Eliza was simply unable to keep her usual demeanor near her. She would have to try her best.

Eventually, Elizabeth approached Carol's table with her usual polite smile, while having a unique air of joy hanging around her. "Let me guess, "Nine-Tails" was too obvious of a name not to try to associate it with me, am I right?" The witch asked calmly. Suddenly a change in her polite smile occurred, as it became friendlier, warmer, and generally unlike Eliza's usual polite one. "I'm happy to see you again, Caroline." With those words, the witch casually sat down next to her old friend.

Carol seemed to be paying enough attention to the little barista that she noticed how worked up she was. The spot she picked seemed like a decent spot if you wanted to see what was going on in the whole cafe... The cup crashing to the ground sort of confirmed to her that she would have to go and apologise later, especially with how hurriedly the girl went to the back. 

By the time that Luna was done bringing Eliza around to the front, Yurio was already bust picking up the smaller pieces of broken glass with a scaled hand. It was safest for him to do so, since there was no chance for him to get cut. He looked up from what he was doing to give Luna a smile. All is well. Placing all the pieces on the dustpan that he used for the larger shards, he stood back up and went to dispose of it all. "I'll bring her the coffee in a minute," he said as he moved past Luna. 

It'd be hard to miss Carol, what with the way she was grinning at seeing that it was in fact Eliza who ran the cafe. She had to stop herself from straight up waving at her. She nodded up at Eliza, positively beaming at her. She couldn't help but throw an arm around Eliza and pull the two of them together for a quick side-hug. "Yes! Oh, Elsie, it's been so long!" she said, as she let go of her. 

It was rather inconvenient for Yurio, all in all, since he was standing right there with the mocha that this Caroline had ordered, looking somewhat like a deer caught in headlights. So, first, this woman hugs Eliza, calls her by a cutesy nickname, and is someone that Eliza actually gave a genuine, joyful smile? And he wasn't witnessing an instant murder scene!? He was dumbfounded, and it was obvious; he was watching this happen, tray with coffee in hand, with that stupefied look on his face.

Luna seemed relieved that Yurio was kind enough to offer her assistance after that series of unfortunate events of hers. "T-Thank you, Yurio..." The young witch quietly said, smiling a little at the dragon man. Truth be told, she was genuinely happy for Aurora to be in a relationship with someone as kind as him. They were such a great couple too! Thoughts such as that would always lift her mood even a little. Now that she was relieved of having to deal with the familiar-looking, yet terrifying customer, Luna allowed herself to relax, even though she wouldn't stop looking towards Eliza as if to determine if she was in trouble or not.

Poor Yurio got there in the most inconvenient time, it seemed like. Despite Elizabeth having her usual calm, emotionless almost, expression on her face, her eyes were telling a different story. In fact, she was glaring coldly at the dragon, her eyes almost piercing through a soul. Seemingly ignoring Caroline's friendly attitude she gestured towards the table, addressing Yurio "Don't mind me." That was all she said indeed, but everything else almost seemed to be screaming - "Do your job and then forget you have witnessed this."

A smile eventually returned onto Eliza's face as she looked at Caroline once more. "It's been long indeed." The witch confirmed, before staring into her old friend's eyes, her smile taking on a more mischievous appearance. "I must congratulate you, though. You've made a truly wonderful first impression on your daughter's girlfriend." Eliza informed Caroline, amusement present in her voice. "You've almost given that poor soul a heart attack!"

Yurio, as expected, didn't react all that well to the freezing glare that Eliza shot his way. He felt a shiver shoot down his spine as some long-buried instinct surfaced in his otherwise decidedly apex-predator brain told him to run away. Why was Eliza so scary..? He quickly placed the coffee in front of Carol and after a small polite bow positively scampered away to join Luna behind the counter once again. "That woman is Ana's mum and her name is Caroline, by the way..." Yurio said to Luna with a surprisingly small voice before occupying himself with washing some glasses.


Carol seemed not to be surprised at Eliza's reaction, nor did she seem all that surprised at Yurio's own surprise. She simply waited for her beverage to be placed on the table, and brought it close to herself when it was. She was about to chide Eliza for menacing her worker just because of a coincidence, but the revelation that followed the whole debacle turned Carol's grin into a smile somewhat similar to what Eliza usually put on. "She's what now?" she asked, her eyes turning towards the girl behind the counter. She was going to have to apologise, like, double, now! She sighed, taking a sip of her mocha, as she tried to work things out in her head.

"I've only been able to have a little contact with my family while I was gone, but that's the sort of thing someone should have mentioned! My stupid husband only mentioned that she has a partner! Damn it, Elsie, Gyles finds details tedious despite his job, Ana just doesn't say things and Lyra minds her own... Can... Can I ask you to tell me what the hell's been going on? Honestly, I've been worried sick," The revelation seemed to overshadow the good mood she had been in thanks to meeting Eliza and instead brought back all the reasons she was rushing through the city in the first place, and it showed by the way her smile slowly faded as she spoke. 

At first, Luna looked really worried about the dragon man. It wasn't his fault, but... on the other hand she was glad it was him and not her. If she was the one to accidentally overhear whatever it was that he'd overheard, she'd probably pass out on the spot. It's not like she was usually scared of Eliza, but even she had to admit that her boss' demeanor was so mysterious that any signs of anger coming from her would give her a heart attack. When Yurio returned behind the counter, Luna just couldn't help but pat him on the shoulder gently. "It's okay... It's... wait what..?" Luna said and then stared towards Carol in pure shock. That woman was Ana's mom?! Well, now that he said it, it was obvious. Her earlier assumption was that she could be somewhat related to the Kindleberry sisters but... she looked so young! Luna's jaw dropped at the revelation. "Oh... Oh l-lord... I... I'm s-s-so dumb..." She whispered recalling her very first interaction with Ana's mother and how she stared at her trying to figure out who she was. Truly, Luna wanted to bury her head in a sand and never see the light of day again.

Somehow Elizabeth didn't seem too surprised to hear that Carol wasn't informed about anything of importance. Funny, considering how much flak Dalibor had received during his reunion with Gyles after they moved to Death City again. That didn't matter at the moment. Casually putting a leg on a leg and leaning against the back of the couch, Eliza seemed relaxed now that the kids weren't near them. Although, the fact that Yurio's ears were good enough to be able to hear the entire conversation was quite annoying. She wanted to drop her mask of calm so badly now that Carol visited her. "I don't know how much you already know, Carol." Eliza admitted, dropping the idea of at least calling the woman by her full name. "The short version would be..." The witch took a moment to think. "Chronologically, Aurora lost an arm during one of her missions and received an enchanter-made metal prosthetic arm. The boy who'd delivered your coffee? He's her boyfriend and also a dragon. I like him, he'd be a good husband for my daughter." Eliza smirked a little and sent a short glance towards Yurio. He must've heard that. Surely. "Ahem, where was I? Diana's partnered with Luna there and not soon after they've started dating. I must admit, I don't think I have seen love so strong in a long while. Important note - she's a witch too." Eliza kept going on, trying to highlight only the most important information. "I do believe Gyles has gotten himself into trouble with Diana for sending the two on a mission that was slightly above their skill level, which resulted in Luna getting wounded. I haven't heard much from and about Lyra however..."

Yurio was trying to wash dishes and listen to the remainder of the cafe, like he usually did in order to provide quick service. Not that he could help but turn his attention fully towards what Eliza was saying when he was mentioned. "Geh..!" he suddenly made noise like he'd been punched or something, almost dropping a glass and then leaning against the edge of his workspace looking awfully red. Why did she have to be like this!?

Carol sat back against the sofa with coffee in hand, sipping at it as she listened to Eliza's explanations. She nodded along to each point, her eyes drifting towards the subjects that were in the room. She blinked her eyes more as she checked Yurio's soul, apparently curious enough to take a look for herself. It was expected that she saw the girl's soul as human, of course, but Eliza's word was more than enough for her to believe anything. She was about done with her cup when Eliza wrapped things up. "Oh, I know plenty about what Lyra's been up to. Same old, really, she's the only one that tells me things on her own," Carol said, setting the empty vessel on the table. "It's a shame about the arm, but I'm relieved that she was able to get a magic tool to replace it. Then, I don't think I need to worry about Gyles' mistake, considering that it was Ana that he was in trouble with... And speaking of Ana, I don't think she's ever looked like she was interested in boys, so this isn't too unexpected- ah, not that I think she even knew herself until it happened. I'm glad they're happy," she listed off her opinions on all of the points. "Now, tell me. What about yourself, and Dalibor? What made you move back here, again? And Angela? How's she doing?"

Luna quickly looked at Yurio, giving him a worried look. "I-Is everything alright...?" The young witch asked. He really looked as if he'd been punched. By what though? "Uhm... Would you like a cup of tea or coffee maybe..? T-to make you feel better?" She asked.

"I'm really happy for them. Luna's a good girl too and they're taking good care of each other." That was the last comment on the LuAna pairing for the time being from the witch. Elizabeth frowned a little and joined her fingers together. Right, the reason they moved to Death City. "Have I ever mentioned a... branch... of the Foster family that is so fixated on keeping the family blood pure, they would actively attack those who form relationships with regular humans? My crazy cousin has found us, the fight ensued. Dalibor got hit magic in the process and as far as I know, he's gotten younger physically as a side effect. As for Angela, I feel bad for her, she's unable to find a weapon-partner for herself. Although, just a few weeks ago she started dating a boy." Elizabeth gave Carol a long and good explanation while keeping useless facts to the minimum. All that talking just wasn't her style. She'd rather listen, really. "What about you, Carol? How have you been?"

"No, I'm fine," Yurio said, nodding. He got over it before. He'd get over it again. 

Carol listened again, keeping her hands folded in her lap now that she didn't have a cup of coffee to occupy them with. "I don't remember if you did mention them, at least in anything more than passing... I'm very glad you're both okay, though. More or less, anyway. And I'm glad for Angela, too, as far as the relationship goes. Oh, your girls must be a pair of beauties, now, since you're their mother," Carol said with another bright smile. "As for me... Well, I can't really talk about my most recent job, but my team decided that I wouldn't be allowed to work for a good long while because I took care of it. Apparently, they didn't much like that I was away from my family for years. They're taking care of the company in my absence. So, I'm happy to be back."

Elizabeth shook her head, feeling quite amused by the compliment she'd received. Crossing her arms on her chest she gave Carol a smile. "Beauties, hm?" The witch repeated before letting out a giggle. It was a short and quiet one, but it certainly was extremely out of character. If Yurio kept paying attention to the conversation between the two, he would probably spot it. The expressions, the mannerisms, the demeanor, and even the smile. Aurora basically inherited all of that from her mother apparently. "I think it's good that you're back home." Eliza eventually said with full honesty.

Yurio was trying not to pay attention. Nothing good could come of it, so the less he knew the better. Still, Eliza's giggling still made his head twitch towards the back. Equal parts familiar and strange. So weird...

"I'm sure it's good. I'll get to stop worrying about everyone for a while," she said, flashing Eliza another grin. "Oh, and, I think I'll be visiting pretty often. You've got yourself a real nice place, here," she spoke as she looked around the place again. She'd take a good look a fair few times already, but the atmosphere really was top notch.

Oh, oh! So Carol would be visiting Nine-Tails often, exposing Eliza's hidden personality to everyone. That was fantastic. Surely. If only something could be done about it? Well, apparently working from home was becoming more popular. Perhaps Eliza could try it out as well? "Yes? Thank you. I really wanted this place to look cozy and welcoming. By the way, I think you're sitting on Diana's favorite spot." Eliza said, pointing out the fun fact.

That's when another coincidence, but not as grand, decided to strike upon Eliza. One of her daughters, Aurora to be precise, decided to stop by the cafe. It wasn't her shift or anything. She just came to see Yurio and grab a coffee. Seeing the weird look Luna's face and even Yurio's attitude made here curious. Thus, she sought out her mother and her guest with her eyes. "Oh... Is that Ana and Lyra's mom?" The witch placed a guess and looked at Yurio.

"I did think this seat afforded a great view of the whole cafe, and a secluded corner sort of feeling as well," Carol said, unsurprised by the fun fact that Eliza sprung on her suddenly. It seemed like this seating would be the perfect place to watch without clearly doing so and to nap. Carol knew well enough that Ana wasn't exactly one for going after attention, that she was one for falling asleep in any comfortable place she could find, and that she was one hundred percent one for sampling delicious coffee. One reason that she didn't think of for why the spot was her favourite also being that it let Ana watch Luna work all she liked. 

Yurio's mood might have been sour until he noticed, through various means, that Aurora arrived. Aurora never failed to improve his mood, no matter how much Eliza menaced or teased him. He turned away from the task he was busying himself with almost immediately to instead talk to his love. It was no small wonder that she was curious about Carol. "Yeah, that's her, but..." Yurio confirmed Aurora's suspicion, though trailed off as he realised that he really shouldn't say more for the time being. Something in the back of his mind was saying it was a very bad idea.

Eliza was almost certain that it was Ana's favorite spot exactly because she could watch Luna at work, all other reasons, however, had a lot of sense. With a wider, friendlier smile, Eliza moved on to another topic. "You've been away for so long. You surely can't wait to see Gyles and your daughters." She said, nodding to herself a little. "Too bad nobody let us know you were coming back, we would probably prepare a nice welcome back party." From her experiences, their little private parties in the cafe were quite entertaining so far.

Aurora raised an eyebrow hearing Yuro's voice trail off, but only for a short moment. Standing on her toes, she leaned over the counter and gently pulled Yurio by his shirt into a quick kiss. After releasing him, she gave him a wink. ""But"? Come on, what's on your mind?" The witch asked, prioritizing listening to her boyfriend over going over to finally properly say hello. Though, she wasn't hiding the fact that something seemed extremely off about her mother to her.

"Oh, I really can't wait. They must have grown so much! And you said Ana was taking missions. That means she finally decided to move up to EAT, and that's something I honestly wasn't sure I'd see," Carol damn near started gushing at her speculations. She stopped herself, though. She could do plenty of that when she actually saw them. "Ah, yeah... Well, I didn't know I was coming back quite so soon myself. Usually, after a job like I had, there's a pile of paperwork to do and then there are the preparations for my absence besides... But it seems my team took care of that on the down low and more or less pushed me onto a plane while telling me, well, all the things I already told you about."

Aurora really knew how to make him do things. Following that surprise of a kiss, he shifted his weight between his feet as he tried to think of a good enough excuse to say nothing. Nothing concrete came up, even if he did fear the consequences. Tutting, he pulled Aurora back over the counter a little, by the shoulder, to speak quietly into her ear. "Carol up and hugged your mother. And she didn't get murdered. And then, she called her 'Elsie,' repeatedly! And Eliza giggled! While smiling normally! I'd say she's an impostor if she didn't glare daggers at me when she realised I saw everything..."

Of course, he spoke quickly to minimise the amount of time he was in that rather obvious, 'totally telling someone' pose.

There was something of a proud look on Eliza's face for some reason. After all, she'd been involved with just a few events in Luna and Ana's relationships. The two of them have certainly grown stronger after experiencing the soul collecting business. Truth be told, Elizabeth thought it was a shame Carol wasn't there to see it all. "According to Luna, Ana is aiming to become a Death Scythe." Eliza told her, trying to recall all facts she'd heard from Luna herself. "I do believe your team has made the right decision. Every mother deserves to watch the growth of her children." Sadly, Eliza herself wasn't there to witness her own daughter ascending to the second meister star and almost creating not one but two death scythes. It was something she secretly didn't want to forgive herself.

"She what?" Was all that the fox witch managed to mumble. Surprisingly or not, Aurora's jaw dropped while hearing the news. From the look on her face, it was obvious that she had never seen her mother in such a state. Now staring towards Carol and Eliza, Aurora seemed absolutely shocked. "Holy shit! I need to check it out from up close." She concluded, looking at Yurio. "Hey," Suddenly, the fox witch whispered to Yurio. "this may be the perfect opportunity to strike back at my mom!" A quick peck on Yurio's cheek later, she looked him in the eyes with a mischievous grin on her face. "Wish me luck!" With those words, Aurora walked off towards Carol and Eliza's table. "Hello. Hi mom." She greeted the two women.

Yurio wasn't so sure if it was a good idea, but he knew that at the very least Aurora was in less danger than him in trying to leverage this whole situation. He was going to be watching closely, but he wasn't actively going to involve himself any more than he needed to. For his own well-being, be it mental or physical.

Carol grinned at hearing of Ana's aims, clapping her hands together in front of her chest in apparent joy. "Now, lets just hope they don't quit before getting Ana turned into a Death Scythe like I did," she said, just moments before Aurora greeted the two of them. She turned from partially facing Eliza to face the new arrival instead. "Oh!" she exclaimed almost immediately after. It would have been hard for Carol to mix the two Foster girls up, even if she hadn't seen them since they were tiny. "Hello, Aurora," she said with a smile.

"She's... she's l-like a completely different person..." Luna quietly said, still unable to believe Elizabeth was capable of showing emotions like that. It was bizarre, but, in all honesty, she was honestly more likable when she wasn't all mysterious. "D-Do you think... she'll start being... uhm, s-so... open now?" Luna asked Yurio.

Eliza absolutely was not too pleased that Aurora'd caught her in such a state. For years she'd been creating her image of a person who doesn't show any weaknesses and suddenly changing that wasn't desirable. In her mind - she had to appear tough and calm so her daughters would respect their mother as a proper parental figure, thus growing into strong and independent women. In Dalibor's case, she just liked messing with him, besides, her usual demeanor would almost always make him try his best for her. For everyone else - not showing weaknesses was so no one could use them against her. The problem was, thus, that Carol's very existence was her weakness - the one that would always shatter her mask of stoicism. She didn't know why, really. There was something about that woman that would always pierce through her masks and mental walls. "Hello, Aurora. What brings you here? It's not your shift, correct?" Eliza asked, with her usual calmness. The smile was gone from her face, of course.

"It isn't. I just wanted to visit Yurio at work and get a cup of coffee while I'm at it." Aurora explained, smiling slightly at the two women. She hid the signs of mischief well, as to not let her true intentions to slip through. With explanations done, her attention shifted to Carol. "Hello, auntie! It's nice to finally, meet you... again!" Aurora said with a hand on her hip. She assumed she must've met Caroline as a little kid, but there was no way she could remember that. After all, she had to be very, very tiny.

"Somehow, I doubt it..." Yurio said. He could hope, though. He'd sure prefer if she stopped... Well all the things that she was that she was doing that made him so uncomfortable. 

Carol generally had a habit of at least trying to pull people into dancing along to her honest and energetic rhythm. It was just how she was, with a great many people. Not that Eliza was one of many like her; to Carol, who tries to be a friendly sort to anyone, Elsie was much more special. "Again, in a way, but it might as well be a first for you, right? Oh, and I only know you as a shy little girl and not the woman in front of me that's grown up to be as beautiful as her mother," she replied to the greeting in a way that was rather expected of her; whether she knew that Aurora was doing the thing Eliza did so often right now and just playing along or if it was one hundred percent just her being herself was debatable. Still, she turned briefly to shoot Eliza a grin, "Just like I thought~" she teased. Turning back around, she leaned forward against the table, still smiling brightly. "I hope to get to know you, and your sister, as well as an auntie should."

Luna sighed. Yurio was right. There was no changing Eliza. Probably. Most likely.

"Shy no more, auntie. As you said, I'm a woman now." Aurora told Carol, not really reacting to the compliment she'd received. There was a friendly smile on her face the whole time. It seemed like, despite her being much younger than the two women, Aurora wasn't really nervous or anything. After all, Carol was her, sort of, aunt in the form of the wife of her godfather. Besides, she wasn't a kid anymore - she was an adult. Talking to other adults wasn't a problem for her. "I'd love to get to know you better too. Oh! But I know someone who wants that even more than I do, I think." Aurora responded and sent a quick glance at Luna.

Eliza crossed her arms on the chest, keeping her straight face the whole time. When Carol teased her, she raised an eyebrow, giving her friend a questioning look. "Hm? Thought what? Care to elaborate?" The older witch asked. How much she wanted Aurora to just leave them alone, so she didn't have to try her best not to act out of her character. It was a challenge

Carol sat back in her seat again and sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. She looked between the two Fosters and then shook her head in what might have seemed like exasperation until she started grinning again. "Aww, you're both doing the thing. It's actually adorable. You really do take after Elsie, don't you?" she asked, though she'd clearly made her mind up. Carol didn't really acknowledge Aurora's suggestion verbally, but nonetheless looked towards the counter and gave the two behind it a little wave. 

Yurio probably looked a little confused, since he was hearing the whole conversation. Aurora wasn't like her mother at all, at least in his eyes.

"The thing?" Both Aurora and Eliza said at the same time and looked at each other, both frowning. If not for the fact that one was significantly older than the other, they almost looked like sisters in that moment. Aurora seemed genuinely confused at what was going on and she, obviously, wasn't hiding it. Eliza, obviously, wasn't showing any signs that could be used to read her mood. "Uhm, auntie? What do you mean? I take after mom? I mean, sure, I've got some of her looks, but... that's all, I guess?" Aurora said, tilting her head to the side a little. "I'd describe my mom as the most stoic person I've ever met and I'm not really stoic myself."

"I would also like to know what 'the thing' is supposed to be, Carol...ine." Eliza said, staring at Carol with her usual calm look. It was almost comical how both Eliza and Aurora didn't want to acknowledge or, perhaps, couldn't notice similarities between both of them in terms of their personalities.

"W-What's going on, Y-Yurio? D-Did you hear something?" Luna asked, after witnessing the change of Yurio's expression. What was so confusing, she wondered.

"Carol seems to think Aurora and Eliza are similar," Yurio said, though his tone showed well enough what he thought of the assertion, being incredulous and confused both.

"Well, it seems it'd be an issue if I explained, so I'm not going to," Carol said to the both of them, shaking her head. Never mind that it'd hard to explain in the first place, hard enough that she felt it'd be a huge pain. No, Aurora was just going to have see for herself, at least if Eliza lets her. Before they could ask again, she stood up and gestured towards Luna and Yurio. "I think it's about time I apologised to Luna over there, and I think I might get myself another coffee. It was delicious, after all," she explained before heading on over.