We are not shining stars

The girl repeated Nemo's name and Jack nodded, before adding, "I would stick with Mort until he properly introduced himself though. Names are a weird topic with him, as are most things." There was a small flicker of a smile on her face, as though to say she meant that, in this house, weird was good. Jack had never got along with normal, so she always welcomed weird.

The girl, Merlot, questioned Jack's nickname for Nemo, and Jack paused. Her reason for the name Poe was that he shared the alcoholic and depressed tendencies of the famous novelist and poet, but was that necessary to tell his daughter? No lies, Jack's mind said, before amending, But leave some of the story for Nemo to answer. Jack shrugged. "Poe. I like it better than Mort." Which wasn't a lie.

Ah. Jack had hoped the pill bottles would simply remain in the background, but Merlot brought them into the scene. "Does Mortimer suffer from chronic pain?" Jack paused. "Yes," she said. "It's a bit complicated, but yes." Jack handed over the cola, surprised that someone related to Nemo wasn't asking for some sort of specialty drink.

Merlot fished for something and withdrew Nemo's favorite hat, his sock monkey hat. Jack's stomach bucked and she forced another small smile onto her face. "That's Poe's," she said. He hadn't been able to find it. "He always loses it," she said, speaking as though he were in the next room. Jack knew he was going to be back soon. Not soon enough, but soon.

Jack opened her soda and took a drink. She had been expecting a horde of questions, but there had only really been one full inquiry. She had her own, and she couldn't hold out. "So... How'd you get here? I mean, have you known about Nemo for awhile, or just when he was taken?" Jack paused, thinking carefully, before another questions forced its way out. "How old are you?"

OOC: This character whoring is starting to feel really wrong. XD

Disregarded specifics and conversation-halting complications seemed in abundance where her father's roommate was concerned. But Merlot met each cryptic answer that she'd received with a small smile and the bitter glint of knowledge across her blues, sparing not a word on the matter. For if she could not obtain particular information from this woman, it was no matter; the morning's mission was to learn of her father what would be required in her hunt for him. All else was embellishment - the likes of which could surely wait.

Merlot took a tentative drink from her Cola with her focus trained on the hat in her hands as it occurred to the child that the fraying sock monkey was to be the first of her father that she would encounter.

Squeak-squeak. Her anxiety flared briefly.

Only when spoken to did Merlot return her attention to the redhead at her left, "I traveled by train," was her misleading reply. For it had not been as a welcome guest that she had been carried across the countryside, but as a stowaway in a railway car. She had made quite the convincing barrel of hay.

"Mortimer is all my mother has ever truly spoken of. I have known about him for years," She leveled her eyes with those of her father's roommate, before speaking aloud her next point, "I am well aware of his alcoholism and his suicidal tendencies - and his knack for dueling and his abilities as a Seer in turn."

She swung her arm, so to force her duffel to crawl down her arm and rest upon her lap. And from a pocket in the dirtied bag's side Merlot produced a small photograph of her father. "This is the only photograph I have of him. My mother took it when they were both Hogwarts students," Merlot smiled fondly at the familiar image. She had memorized every strand of hair; every line across his face. She imagined he looked quite different now. She had likely committed to her mind the wrong image. "You wouldn't happen to have any more recent photographs of him, would you? Could I..." Her voice trailed off.

Squeak-squeak.

She had begun to fumble over her words.

"I got the impression from my mother that she believes me to be the only thing standing in her way from him," Merlot confessed flatly. "She is still very much in love."

She stared at the hat once more, alternating slowly between the monkey and the photograph.

"I am twelve years old."

Squeak-squeak.

"W-when did you see him last?" Merlot stuttered as her stomach quivered.

((Ummmm that's what makes these threads the best! <3 )

The house looked as though someone had blown it up, now that Jack was sitting and the whole room was before her view. In all honesty, the house had been blown up. Only twice for sure- once when she and Nemo were trying to prove who could leave the bigger mess. The idea of blowing the room up had struck them both at the same time, and the explosion had nearly split the house in half. The last time, Jack had come home to see Matt and Nemo drunk, covered in shards of glass, and grinning like the idiots the two of them were when they got together.

"By train," Jack echoed. "Very folk. Ever hear of Dylan, Bob Dylan? He romanticized hobo-ing on a train," she said, smiling a bit. She had gone through a huge Dylan phase when she was fourteen or so. Every time she spotted a train, she felt the itch to try it out. She was impressed Mell had.

Mell had known about him for years- Jack was sure the girl would eventually explain why it took her so long to track him down (go into any bar, and you would find the name Nemo Omara) but with as many questions as the two females had, Jack wanted to pace herself. The young girl knew of all of Nemo's habits and Jack nodded, sipping her soda. "Good. I can cut the bull," she said. "I don't know how to talk to kids. I'm used to dealing with dragons and griffins, not humans."

"Yes, you're dad is all of those things. I'm sure it's pretty obvious if you take a good look," she said, waving her hand at the room.

The young girl had a photograph of Nemo and Jack leaned forward, looking at it. A smile formed on her face, a bit more tender than she had hoped. She had tried for amused but he looked so similar. The hair was different, but his eyes looked the same. He still had the smile lines too. Jack sat back up, saying, "It's a good photo. His hair is longer, but," Jack stood. The girl may have cut herself off, but Jack wanted to look for one for herself.

She stepped to the nearest cupboard of the entertainment system and rifled through it, getting irked as it took longer to find. "Accio photos!" Jack hissed, and they all slid towards the front. They didn't keep much in the house- rarely did anyone take photos in this house- but she found the one she was looking for.

Jack walked forward, holding out a moving photo of Nemo for his daughter. Jack grinned. "We went drinking one night, and I chose a muggle bar. I immediately regretted it, because it was karaoke night." Jack sat down, watching the girl. "I can make a copy later, and you can keep that."

She continued on and Jack listened, nodding. The words '"She is still very much in love" hit Jack's ears really hard, and she nodded, remaining as passive as she could, but she felt that strange emotion she had felt when she had confronted Matt. She refused to investigate, she simply reached inward and pushed it as far down as possible. It didn't belong here. Not now.

"Twelve," Jack said. "Twelve's a good age." She smiled a little, for she remembered twelve was about the age she really began developing her 'no one can contain me' attitude.

The way Mell asked her final question really struck home with Jack. Here was someone who missed Nemo, too. It was hard to compare though. Jack knew what she was missing, but Mell could only imagine. Jack took a final drink of her soda and set it down, leaning forward and placing her elbows on her knees as she looked at the girl.

"I saw Nemo the afternoon before he was taken. I had a busy weekend, and I didn't come home. I found out he was taken the next afternoon, I believe." She paused. "He was taken by the Death Eaters. I found out where, it was one of our Friday night haunts, and his wand had been confiscated. We've had no contact, no ransom, no communication. If there's going to be one, though, it's going to come here." Jack paused. "He's going to be back. And soon. I'm going to make sure he's okay as soon as I can, and I'm going to do everything I can until I get him home. You can count on it. You're going to be meeting your dad, and soon." It was almost stern, her tone, as though commanding the young girl not to doubt. Jack knew the Order needed her information on the Death Eaters. But Jack's priority was, first and foremost, her family.

She sat up a little. "What's your plan? Are you staying with anyone?"

((Home by Phillip Phillip's- Jack's attitude towards Nemo and Mell))