Blood and books (mina&sarah)

[Deleted]

Callisto was only working one job now, and she was hitting it hard. She hadn't been home in three days. She was either working, on call, or crashing for an hour or two in the on call room. She had almost forgotten what life outside of Saint Mungos looked like. She wasn't even headed home now. She had showered and changed using the hospital facilities offered to staff,  but was headed to Diagon Alley first. She needed to buy some things, and was basically a walking zombie while shopping.

Eventually, her walk down the alley led her to the bookstore. She stopped, turning to look in the window. Mina. Oh yeah, her sister. Her roommate. She felt like it had been ages since she saw her. She sighed, knowing now she had to stop by, if only to let Mina know she was still alive.

She pushed the door open, only two shopping bags in hand, and offered Mina a small smile. Her exhaustion was probably very, very obvious. "Working hard, Min? For the first time ever?" she may have been tired, but her sass for her sister was not dead.

mina pandora oliveira

[mina pandora oliveira]

@callisto

Today was a huge restocking day for Flourish and Blotts. Actually, huge wasn’t the correct word. It was colossal. Spring cleaning, as the boss put it. Mina didn’t really buy that, though most of the books they were moving from the shelves to the back store room were either old editions of books that had updated ones, or garbage that didn’t sell at all. Surprisingly, there were a lot of books in the store that were complete and utter trash. She had figured out long ago that virtually anyone could publish a book and have several copies placed in here for sale. It didn’t take a genius to realize that those wouldn’t sell in the first place, and the vast majority of them were either rip offs of other books or held absolutely nothing of substantial value in them. Stupid authors. That was what those people were. She was allowed to call them stupid because she was stupid.

They had started near the back of the store, mostly because that was where they threw the books no one wanted to read. Everything at the front was typically popular or in steady demand. The back few aisles took all morning and through lunch. Thankfully there were barely any customers, because a surge would mess everything up right now. By time late afternoon rolled around, Mina was left alone in the shop to close up. That was, after she finished placing new inventory on the front shelves. Flirting with disaster, she was on top of a step-ladder that was set on top of another step-ladder. It was completely idiotic and she knew that. But it was also working. Their normal ladder had been borrowed by another shopkeeper in Diagon Alley, so this was all she had to complete her job today. The books she was placing up top were sitting in stacks on the ground below her, and she was levitating them to manually set them in place. They had to be done this way the first time around, and then the self-placing charm would be cast on them. To say it was tedious was an understatement.

Being the luckiest girl in the world also meant that she had the door to the shop open while she was doing her fun balancing act. That was exactly what she needed! Someone to distract her from doing her job. The best part? The voice that came from the person belonged to Callisto. She almost didn’t recognize it at first. What had it been? Two days since she last saw her sister? Three? Going that long without being yelled at was kind of nice. Sighing, Mina began to shuffle her feet around on the step-ladder so that she could look down at Callisto. What a sight it was to behold too. “What the hell happened to you?” she snorted, her body wobbling on the ladder slightly.

[Deleted]

The amazing thing was Mina was actually working. She wasn't doing a bad job either. When Mina turned to her, Callisto was a little afraid Mina might fall. In fact, Mina still wobbled a little on her 'balance beam' when she spoke. Callisto rolled her eyes, and fedold her arms, her gaze shifting to the side for a moment. She knew she looked terrible, she was no stranger to that. She should have expected Mina to comment on it. She rolled her shoulders back and looked back up at Mina. "It's called saving lives," Cal said, her voice harsh and quick, like that sound when a ruler smacks against something. "It doesn't necessarily require beauty, book lady," she explained. She found a smirk, though, finding her own comment a little amusing. Mina could do so many great things if she just actually tried, instead of limiting herself to this place. Callisto had tried having this conversation with her before, though, and that was a big waste of time. Granted, SOMEONE had to work in the bookstore to provide help with the books, so why not Mina? Still, Callisto aggressively ambitious nature wanted Mina to be as driven as she was... Maybe it was a paternal thing, since Callisto basically mothered Mina. Mina would say 'smothered' though, she was sure.

mina pandora oliveira

[mina pandora oliveira]

@callisto

Wow. Callisto looked awful. She already knew that, but it was always good to restate it. Make sure her sister knew it. Mina loved ingraining that kind of thing into her. She was sure that Callisto tried to do it back, reprimanding her for staying out late, making a mess, sleeping all day, etcetera, etcetera; the fact of the matter was that it didn’t work on Mina because she didn’t care. Callisto cared. It was definitely mean to go after her when she was exhausted and cranky, but Mina was the same way when she came home from work and it never stopped. Why not share a little bit of the misery now and again? Spread the love. “Well, guess I won’t be doing any of that anytime soon then. I don’t need to look like I just came back from the dead. Might scare the customers away.” That was funny, because currently it was only the two of them inside the store. Which meant Mina could go full throttle if she wanted to. The door was right behind Callisto, so if anyone approached the shop, she would see them almost immediately.

Mina held back when her sister apparently thought it was funny that she was still working at the bookstore. Not her fault that this was an easy job and she enjoyed it. It paid enough and let her have the days off that she wanted. What was wrong with that? “I have a job and you know where I am during the day,” she responded after a few seconds of silence. She didn’t want to say anything at first, but it was better to get it out than hold it in. “I’m never going to be a Ministry worker, or a healer, or whatever.” Those did grant a living wage, the problem being that she hadn’t passed with the best grades in the world. They wouldn’t take her on unless she could prove it. Which she couldn’t. “If you keep chastising me over it, I’ll pull your friends and family discount. You don’t want that to happen, do you Cal?” Mina smirked back. Now they were back on even footing, though Mina was still wobbling back and forth atop her step ladder tower. If she didn’t need her balance, she would have crossed her arms defiantly. That always worked.

[Deleted]

Mina said she looked like she came back from the day, saying she didn't want to look the same for fear of scaring off the customers. Callisto rolled her eyes, not bothering to hold back a sigh as she turned her attention back to the books instead of Mina. "Oh, you mean all these customers?" she said, gesturing around the empty shop. Obviously that wasn't even Minas fault, but at the moment it was a she had to work with. She knew Mina was probably relishing in the fact that it was Callisto who looked awful after a rough night and not the other way around, as per usual.

There was a moment of silence before Mina started to defend her job. The same old thing. Mina then threatened her with a revoking of her oh-so-amazing discount and... Well, Callisto did like her books. She didn't bother responding to all that, feeling too exhausted to fully hsve that fight right now. "Gods, Mina, will you get down from there before you break your neck? I'm off duty right now so don't expect me to fix you up." Subject change, always useful.

mina pandora oliveira

[mina pandora oliveira]

@callisto

Callisto’s eye roll and comment about the lack of customers was expected. Always the sarcastic one, she was. Though in her defense, Mina knew that she could give it back just as much, if not more at times. How they hadn’t killed each other yet was actually quite astonishing. If anything, there was a chance that both of them had a bit of Sarah’s violent tendencies as well. Or that was just a wolf thing. In which case the two of them were basically declawed, aside from their wands. Mina didn’t think things would ever escalate to the point of physical confrontation, but there were definitely times where she did something wrong and could feel the wrath of Callisto staring her down. It was like silently scolding a dog for chewing on a shoe. At least she didn’t try and do that anymore when she was drunk. Mistaking a leather shoe for a rather well-done steak was…tough to chew the next morning. “It was busier before you came along,” Mina shrugged.

Apparently the balancing act wasn’t fun to watch from down below. Which was hilarious because Mina was absolutely loving the wobbling back and forth. Anything to get under her sister’s skin, and it was even better when she made it known that something was bothering her. At the mention of falling and breaking her neck, Mina stopped. “You wouldn’t save me if I was dying?” she questioned, making sure to sound like she was hurt by the comment. Callisto would obviously help her if she was injured. That was what family was for. Right? Now that she was asking herself that question, she wasn’t sure what Callisto would do in a situation like that. Clearly disobeying her or ignoring warnings would mean that everything else that happened would be her own fault. Her sister was obligated to help people in need though.

“That hurts, you know,” Mina continued on with the charade nonetheless, forcing a fake sniffle before climbing down her tower. Flicking her wand, the remainder of the books stacked themselves neatly in rows, the step ladders going back to their place in the corner. She was also quick enough to mist her face with water, enough that she would hopefully be able to convince Callisto that she was actually hurt by her words. That would teach her. Crossing back across the store and not looking back at her sister, Mina grabbed a few tissues from beneath the cash register stand and hopped up onto her chair, blowing her nose loudly. The real trick was whether or not her sister would bite. Sometimes it was hard to tell.

[Deleted]

Mian said it was busy until Calisto came along, which Cal decided to take as another insult to how terrible she looked... and maybe smelled. Callisto didn't respond to that, though, for she didn't want to warrant the comment with a reaction. Mina questioned Callistos claim that she wouldn't save her, taking it to the next level by adding the word 'dying' there. Mina said that hurt, and Callisto rolled her eyes at that sniffle. At least Mina was getting down and not balancing anymore. "I only mean that I won't always be around when you break something, Min," Callisto said with an exhausted tone, lifting a hand to rub her temples.

The Mina was walking away and Callistos eyeroll intensified as Mina blew her nose. She crossed over to her sister, slowly, trying to gauge if Mina really was crying. If Mina had been drinking Callisto might believe it a little more because alcohol had that affect on people sometimes... "Hey," Cal said, her voice softening just a TINY BIT, "alright, alright, I would save you if you broke your neck," she said, her tone a little irritated. "Stop that," she didn't think Mina was actually crying, but if she was she didn't want to make it worse... though she had just said 'stop that' in a harsh tone.

mina pandora oliveira
sarah jane oliveira (whenever, crazy)

[mina pandora oliveira]

@callisto & sarah jane oliveira (?)

Was the fake crying working? It was hard to tell. She had tried this trick in the past, although not recently. There were a lot of potential issues with it, and considering the fact that Callisto seemed exhausted beyond belief, the odds of it working correctly were lot. If anything, it would only irritate her sister even more. Mina didn’t care. That was fine with her. Sometimes she felt bad about aggravating her, but not this time. The little voice in her head that wasn’t sure if Callisto would save her was confident that she would if it was serious enough. That much was conveyed in her tone. Mina didn’t respond to the first part, about Callisto not always being around to help her if she broke something. The last time that happened was…she actually didn’t know. Last month? There had been a night where she was completely trashed and came stumbling back into the apartment. She may have knocked something over, but didn’t discover the aftermath until the next morning. As far as she was concerned, the dog did that. Titania liked to jump around and play late at night. Sometimes she conveniently did that at the same time as Mina’s reentry into the apartment. Sometimes the dog broke vases or knocked over things on the coffee table while trying to jump onto the couch.

Mina finished blowing her nose as her sister came closer. There was a hint of easing up in her voice, but just for a second. Maybe she wasn’t sure if it was real or not? The follow up for her to stop crying was enough to tell her that Callisto wasn’t actually convinced. Mina looked up from her tissue, narrowing her eyes. “Would it kill you to be sympathetic for once in your life?” she criticized, tossing the tissue out in the garbage can below the counter. “I know that was fake and all, but still…” Mina rolled her eyes as she spun around in her chair. That was one of her favorite hobbies. Spinning always made her feel better, and looking like she was having fun always got under other people’s skin. Hopefully it did for Callisto too. “So, any hot patients at the hospital right now? Been thinking of stopping by during my lunch break one of these days to scope out what you’ve got your way.”

[Deleted]

Mina asked if it would kill her to be sympathetic, admitting that what she had been doing was fake. "Yes, I think it would," she teased back. In all reality she did feel sympathy... sometimes. She was usually too busy looking at things scientifically to feel that bad for anyone. A healer who focused so much on the emotional side of things wasn't a very good healer and she was determined to be the very best so there really wasn't any reason to get all emotionally involved with her patients. Sometimes she was, if she felt that they needed the support in order to heal faster and better. She knew that emotions could be a powerful thing, even if they weren't her thing.

Callisto watched as Mina spun around in her chair, which made Cal twitch with slight annoyance. She knew Mina, though, and it was probably really fun for her. Then her sister asked about 'hot patients' and Callisto rolled her eyes. "I work in spell damage, Min. Most of them are deformed," yes, that was in fact a joke, but that didn't mean there wasn't some truth to it.

mina pandora oliveira
sarah jane oliveira

[mina pandora oliveira]

@callisto & sarah jane oliveira (?)

Of course it would kill her. That shouldn’t have been a surprise to Mina at all. She probably knew Callisto better than anyone else did. Or was at least closer to understanding her than anyone else. She was pretty sure that in order to fully dissect her sister’s mannerisms would mean that the world was ending. Basically, things were going to continue going the same way they had been for the last twenty years; lots of bickering and criticism in which neither of them was truly ever happy with what the other did, only serving to dig a bigger hole. It was fine though. Nothing that bad had happened between them yet. Clearly they liked each other enough to room together. That and Mina had been forced by their parents, because apparently living at home wasn’t allowed anymore. At least she had her job now. “And how are you a healer again?” Mina questioned. Wasn’t sympathy needed to fix people up? Or at the most, tell them that they weren’t going to die just yet? “I’m pretty sure that’s like, rule number one in the healer handbook.”

She halted her spins when Callisto responded to her question. “So what if they’re deformed? It’s what’s inside that counts, Cal.” Yeah…Mina was pretty sure she based the people she brought home mostly off physical appearance than what she could pick their mind about. There was no use unless it was going to be a long term commitment, and those were silly. “How about coworkers then? Healers, doctors, nurses?” Those all made better money than she did. They were constantly under a lot of stress (Callisto being a prime example), so letting loose every now and again wouldn’t necessarily kill them. Plus she was sure she could wiggle a meal or two and a few rounds of drinks out of most of the male healers. She had no problem doing what she had to do to get those benefits. Anything to save a little extra money was good in her books. “I need someone that doesn’t visit the store on a daily basis, and has a higher level of intelligence than a Cornish pixie. Some of the pub crawlers are awful these days. All the quality ones are taken.”

[Deleted]

Sarah just had such great timing! She had Sabastian with her today, and taken him to Diagon Alley. She didn't have any commitments today, so why not spend some time with her son? The two year old was having a grand old time, and when he spotted the book store he went running for it. With a sigh Sarah followed. Why not indulge the boy's curiosity? Mina worked at the bookstore, after all. He could see one of his aunts. Upon entering the store though she was surprised to see not just Mina, but also Callisto.

Sarah put on a sickeningly sweet smile, though she knew neither of her siblings would be fooled. They knew her too well. Sebastian's broad from was genuine though as he ran for his aunts, trying to say 'Aunt' but ir sounded more like 'awny'. He'd started trying to say words not to long ago but he wasn't that good at any of them. "Mina, I think it depends on what pub you go to. I'd be happy to introduce you to a few 'quality' individuals."

@callisto
mina pandora oliveira

[Deleted]

Mina rolled her eyes. "Rule number one is to know the science behind it all so you can save people. They don't need my sympathy," and that, sadly, was truly how she felt about it. Plus, getting emotional only made her job much, much harder. Then Mina said it was what was on the inside that counted and Cal rolled her eyes. She knew that Mina didn't think twice about what people actually did with themselves outside of clubbing and drinking with her. Mina suggested co-workers be somewhere Cal look to set her up, and Cal shook her head. "I would never submit any of my co-workers to you," she said flatly. "Plus, I barely know any of them well enough to even suggest it," she added. That was true, too. She didn't really make friends.

Then, before she could comment about the 'pub crawlers' that Mina was used to being around, the door opened. Callisto instinctively spun around and then a bright smile appeared on her face as the sight of Sabastian. Callisto immediately bent down to one knee and held her arms out. Sab ran into them, and Callisto gave him a tight squeeze before puling back and brushing the hair out of his face, "hey, baby. Good to see you," she said, in the sweetest tone she ever used with anyone.

She looked up when Sarah spoke of 'quality' individuals, and shook her head before turning back to her nephew.

mina pandora oliveira
sarah jane oliveira

[mina pandora oliveira]

@callisto & sarah jane oliveira

She should have expected as much coming from Callisto. There was no way her sister would actually have sympathy towards anyone. If she couldn't do it at home, strangers were just a part of the hospital's business. She even said so herself. Frowning slightly at the comment, she stopped her chair spinning. There was no reason to be doing that when her sister was going into her 'ice queen' mode. "I don't really care about people either, but they're still yours to take care of. The crustiest, most annoying warlock in the universe could walk in here any second, and even if I hate his guts, I still need to give him proper customer service. The least you could do is feel a little bit for your patients." She wasn't sure why she needed to give Callisto a lesson in this; she was never going to change. "Awww why not? They're doctors. They could finally fix me!" she laughed, cutting it off halfway through as the door to the shop jingled open. Months of work had taught her self-restraint while at work. It was rather impressive.

Mina immediately wished she hadn't stopped laughing when the door opened though. In walked Sarah, with Sebastian bursting ahead of her, running straight for Callisto. She was his favorite after all, and him hers. Mina didn't mind being the second favorite in this instance; she didn't want to be on babysitting duty for him all the time like her sister was. That would seriously get in the way of other things right now. Like work and drinking after work. Not like that stopped his own mother from doing it. When it came down to it, having a dog was enough for her and it was better that Sebastian was her nephew and nothing more than that. "Your quality and my quality might be fairly similar, but even I have some standards..." she trailed off, making sure not to break eye contact with Sarah. There were so many other things she could add to that, but couldn't bring herself to do it. The last thing she wanted to do was get on Sarah's bad side. That part scared her.

[Deleted]

Sarah wasn't at all surprised by the cool 'greeting' she got from Callisto... Or lack there of greeting. No matter, she'd greeted Sebastian quite energetically. That was always one perk of having a son Callisto adored. Callisto couldn't exactly act the way she fully wanted with the toddler present. Didn't want to teach the boy bad manners after all, did they? Sarah just smiled, not bothering any sort of pleasantness to it. The little boy was quick to hug his aunt the best way he knew how, which was a bit of a limp interaction where he mostly leaned into you and expected you to hug him. After the hug, and his aunt's words the boy mumbled out something that sounded a bit like 'money bawks'. Being so used to his attempts to speak Sarah would know he was trying to say 'many books', referring to the stacks and shelves around them.

Sarah was in a surprisingly good mood today, so Mina's little snip did nothing to her mood, Sarah just shrugging . "Really? You do frequent my work after all, I'm fairly certain I know just what your standards are." Was her cheerful answer. She didn't bother much with sugarcoating with her siblings, though refrained from saying some things due to Sebastian's presence. That, and Mina always got so stone cold drunk Sarah was surprised Mina even had 'standards'. Best not to mention that part though...

mina pandora oliveira
@callisto

[Deleted]

The thought of Mina needing to be 'fixed' made Callistos heart sink, but she didn't really have time to comment on it before Sarah arrived. The girls were talking about club scum and 'quality', and Callisto rolled her eyes, gently moving to stand, but with her hand still close to Sebastian so he could reach it if he wanted to. "I didn't know you knew what quality was, Min," she countered. Sarah said that she knew what Minas standards were and Callisto felt her stomach drop again. The fact that Mina frequented clubs was bad enough without adding the level that Sarah actually danced at one of them.

"Sarah, you're smart," Callisto started with a sigh, finally looking her sister in the face, "isn't there somewhere you could be more useful to society?" It was the same speech she had given Mina countless times. Her sisters were both doing mediocre things with their lives when Callisto knew they had more potential.

sarah jane oliveira
mina pandora oliveira