Falling Asleep at the Wheel (Dahlia)

[dahlia jade greyback]

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Her hand waving in the air like one of those crazy and overbearing non-magique women, hoping to get the attention of the wait staff, Dahlia realized that making a scene in the way she had imagined probably wouldn’t be the best thing in the world, especially considering today was Christmas. She didn’t want to be one of those people. What did the Americans call them again? Karens? She was pretty sure that was still a word used, as it had been while she was finishing up school. Getting a new orange juice for Max and the correct mimosa for herself was sort of important though. They were paying for bottomless ones after all. And weening herself off of the alcohol still in her system from the night before was one of her priorities. If she was going to be any sort of reasonable for the remainder of Christmas Day, having a hangover was not the way to go about it. Continuing her drinking until she was better the next morning though? Absolutely possible.

“Excuse me?” Dahlia caught the attention of one of the waitresses passing by, “Another mimosa? And orange juice for my sister?” Pointing at Max to specify would hopefully prevent the accident from happening again. Because she really needed another drink now. “That’s how you do it, right?” she asked Max as the random waitress skittered off to get the drinks. “Or was I supposed to wait for the man to come back?” Considering she was used to mostly magical eateries or cheap spots back home, following the proper etiquette was difficult. That and she really didn’t care. Shaming the wait staff for the mistake would have been just as easy, but she figured that they could keep it between them for the time being.

Without food or drink, Dahlia was sort of at a loss. She enjoyed talking during meal times when there was eating involved. Awkwardly sitting and waiting for both to be brought to their table sort of drove her up a wall. “So what are your plans for the rest of the day?” she turned to Max, though that gaze didn’t last long as she spotted the new waitress holding two orange flumes and heading back in their direction.

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[maxima ruqayyah greyback]

December 25, 2025

To her credit, Dahlia wasted no time in working to get their orders fixed. Max knew that it wasn't the end of the world that she had gotten Dahlia's mimosa and Dahlia had gotten her orange juice. It could have been a bigger problem, though, if it had been related to an allergy or something, so it was worth getting corrected. Dahlia flagged down a waitress and asked for another mimosa—that time for herself—and an orange juice for her sister, only to ask Max if she had done that correctly. Max assumed so. She had been polite about it; really, she had been nicer about it than Max imagined that she would have been if Dahlia had left it to her to fix.

"Or was I supposed to wait for the man to come back?" Dahlia wondered.

Maybe it would have been more "correct" to wait for their specific waiter, but Max wasn't too sure that it actually mattered whom they asked about it. It was Christmas brunch, so she didn't think that anyone was going to get too frustrated with them either way. As long as the drinks were corrected by somebody, then that was what mattered. Max shrugged her shoulders a little in response to Dahlia's question. She wasn't an etiquette expert.

"So what are your plans for the rest of the day?"

That Dahlia was making conversation was more surprising than what she had asked. It was Christmas. It wasn't a hard question, but it was still weird to answer. "Erm, I'll go home, probably eat more food at some point," Max replied, not that she thought that she would have a huge appetite after meeting up with Dahlia for brunch. "Simon and Sarah will be obsessing over their presents, probably, so I might watch some telly or something." That was assuming that her younger siblings (also half-siblings, technically, but the maternal ones with whom she lived) didn't hog the television in favor of watching something that was way too juvenile for her liking. "You?"

dahlia jade greyback

[dahlia jade greyback]

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Call it a Christmas miracle that she didn't come across as rude. There was a certain level of brusqueness that followed her around everywhere, maybe it was the French part of her, maybe the Greyback. The rest of her siblings weren't like that, so blaming it on her upbringing and Beauxbatons certainly checked a lot of the boxes. But Max didn't seem to think she had approached the situation poorly at all. There was waitstaff that solely filled water glasses, so why wouldn't there be ones that could get orange juice and mimosas? It didn't take long either, the waitress returning with a pitcher of both and topping off their glasses. Dahlia managed to sneak a sip in before she backed away, checking to make sure the same mistake wouldn't be repeated. The taste of champagne confirmed it, though this mix was definitely more diluted than her previous. She could always raid Rhys's liquor cabinet later to make up for it...

Listening to Max talk about her life outside of their shared bond was always interesting. Remove the Greyback and she was basically normal. If Dahlia did the same, she'd still be on her own, because her mother was horrid at being a parent. Suffice to say, she was often times jealous of Max's normalcy. Though equally interested just the same. "Take a nap, wake up in time to eat a meal before I find a pub to hide away in for the rest of the night." That sounded so much worse than it actually was, and she didn't want to impose on Rhys too much. He had things to do and use his flat for. Her being there twenty-four-seven made her feel like she was intruding even if she wasn't. "Or bother Rhys if he isn't busy." Dahlia took a long sip of her mimosa, nearly finishing it off then and there. "Nothing special though."

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[maxima ruqayyah greyback]

December 25, 2025

Dahlia's response about what she was planning to do for the rest of Christmas Day after they finished brunch was about what Max expected it would be. She said that she would be taking a nap, which didn't sound like a bad idea, and then she would be waking up to eat another meal. For Dahlia, those plans sounded reasonably… put-together of her, Max thought. That thought didn't last for long, though, because Dahlia hadn't finished speaking. After her nap, she continued, she would be finding an open pub, which tossed any thoughts of put-togetherness straight out the window.

Either that, Dahlia commented, or she would bother Rhys if he wasn't busy. Max could only imagine that that would make for an interesting time, especially because she assumed that the only pubs that would be open on Christmas Day would be the Hog's Head and similar. It would give them something to do, at least, though there was no doubt in her mind that that something would be "getting very drunk and regretting it the next day".

Max didn't want to force Dahlia or Rhys to spend time with her and her family if they didn't want to, though she didn't want either of them to miss out if they actually wanted the more traditional sort of Christmas celebration. At the same time, she wasn't really sure that either of their behavior would be particularly welcome around her younger siblings.

"Sounds fun," Max commented. "You're welcome to come watch whatever's on the BBC later," she offered. She couldn't promise that it would be interesting, but it had to be better than getting drunk in a pub on Christmas.

dahlia jade greyback

[dahlia jade greyback]

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She always wondered if she was allowed these sorts of things. Being invited to swing by to watch television on Christmas seemed like a something only a family would do, momentarily forgetting that Max was her sister. Dahlia had spent so much time on her own that it felt more normal to continue that way. She knew that was wrong of her to feel that way, but she'd never had anything else until recently. Grappling with that happened frequently enough, especially when it came to being invited places with her siblings. While she may have lost her mother, she did have a family again. Allowing them to weave their lives with hers was important. She was still learning though. Going from one family member to an unknown number really changed her perspective on everything.

"Would that be okay? With your parents, I mean?" Just asking made her feel like she was a kid again, asking for permission to go somewhere. Before the wolf and all of this nonsense now. If she had known this was a possibility, she would have offered to bring a dessert along. By now though, it would probably be impossible to find a shop that was open. "That would be cheaper than going to the pub too..." Dahlia reasoned. Anything to keep her mitigate her costs. Spending it all on alcohol was a quick way to become a drunken fool. There were enough of those in the Cursebreaker ranks already. Having a fun time every now and again during the holidays wasn't anywhere close to being as bad as some of her colleagues. Or even Rhys on occasion. "If they are fine with it, then I will gladly accept," she reaffirmed. This Christmas was starting to look a little better already. A sign for the future, maybe.

[Dahlia End]

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[maxima ruqayyah greyback]

December 25, 2025

"Would that be okay? With your parents, I mean?"

"Of course." Max knew that Dahlia was only asking to be polite, but she wouldn't have extended the invitation to her if she thought her mother and stepfather wouldn't approve of her being there. Dahlia was her family, and spending some more time together had another benefit for her, too: It would be cheaper than going to the pub, she said. (If she really did want alcohol still, they had some at home. It'd be nowhere near the selection of any pub, but it was alcohol.)

"If they are fine with it, then I will gladly accept," Dahlia decided, and so that was settled. It would make for an enjoyable time and a happy Christmas.

dahlia jade greyback
FIN.