Family Business
 

Danielle looked around as she followed her stepsister.

“Are you sure this is where we’re supposed to be?” she asked. They had come into the city proper looking for someone, and had been led to a small bar.

"Yeah. This feels like the place." Magdeline rolled her shoulders, frowning at the bar. "There are definitely peri here, that's for sure." She took a careful breath in. This was something of a quest for her, and she wasn't entirely sure what she was going to find, or what she wanted to find, even.

"There are definitely other things here, too," Danielle said, glancing around. "A little surprising, actually, I hadn't expected a place like this." She glanced around again, and then reached for the door to the bar. "May as well go in."

Maggie nodded and let Danielle go first before she entered.

The bar was not too crowded yet, but there were multiple things around the bar. Almost immediately, Maggie recognized there was a period behind the bar.

"Peri employee," she murmured. "Interesting."

"That's surprising," Danielle replied. "I would have thought it would be... beneath them, I guess."

Maggie shrugged. "Depends on how you define beneath them," she murmured. "I would have thought a human woman was too, but there you have it."

She dawdled back near the door for a few moments before she took a deep breath and headed up to the counter.

Danielle followed her inside, letting her do what she needed. She glanced around while they were in the bar, making note of all the different species she could see.

"Can I help you?" the peri behind the bar asked.

"Is Ishiah here at the moment?" Maggie asked, keeping her voice neutral. For now. She was a bit wary of a full peri, after all, with good reason.

He looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Why do you need to speak to him?" he asked.

"He knew my mother, and she wanted me to return something to him," Maggie said, which was both true and vague enough to not give everything away. "It's a bit of a personal matter."

The peri looked at her, and then turned away dismissively.

"Come back tomorrow," he said.

Maggie held her tongue and nodded. Tomorrow wasn't bad.

"You want to stay or go?" she asked Dani quietly.

"Doesn't matter to me tonight," Danielle replied. "I'll follow you." She stayed close to her stepsister, although nothing in the bar was really enough to give her more than a moment's pause.

Maggie debated for a moment before she shook her head.

"We'll come back tomorrow and see if he's here then," she murmured. "For now, though, I kind of want to go settle in. It's been a rough week."

Danielle nodded.

"Sure," she said. "Let's go get a room in a hotel with a hot tub. That sounds like it'll be nice."

"It does," Maggie agreed, following Danielle out and letting her decide where to do. She was still a bit preoccupied.

Danielle could tell Maggie was preoccupied, so she took care of finding them a place to stay. Once she'd gotten them a room, she ushered Maggie inside to settle in and relax.

"You alright?" she asked quietly once they were in for the night.

"I think so." Maggie was quiet for a moment. "I mean, Mum told me some stories, you know? But I've never met him. It'll be... odd, I think."

Danielle nodded.

"I mean, you know Dad never really talked about my mother," she said. "I doubt he really knew her, just that she left me with him. But I kind of get what you mean."

"Yeah." Maggie shrugged and then grinned. "Want to go on an epic quest to find your mom next? Round out the set of us?"

Danielle snorted.

"God, no," she said. "No need to track down a banshee when I don't need to." She grinned a bit. "I'm good."

Maggie grinned. "Well, I mean, we're tracking down a peri," she pointed out. "We're already literally chasing dangerous things."

"Yes, well, that's what you're here for," Danielle teased. "Protection from the peri."

Maggie snickered at that. "Oh, I see how it is," she teased, going into her duffel bag to dig out her bathing suit. A dip in the hot tub did sound nice, even if it was a shared one. At least it was off tourist season, she there was a decent chance she wouldn't have to share with anyone besides Danielle.

"Oh that's how it is," Danielle replied as she dug for her own suit. The hot tub sounded lovely.