early morning at sparks

She continued to watch the man in interest and wondered how she could, for lack of a better saying, get into his pants. She doubted she could be caught out by his snarky charms and knew she would get her own way eventually. Jenifer turned her head and scowled at her brother as he looked at her in disdain. She thought she looked okay but she knew that the man who had undoubtedly captured her attention was into classy women. She was, well, a man-eater to be blunt and obviously not the classiest person in the world. This hurt a little but it wasn’t something that would deter her.

“Every job has a uniform Robbie,” she said tartly. “I wear mine with pride.”

Jenifer walked over to the counter and picked a bright green apple out of the fruit bowl. She shined it on one of the clean towels and looked at it once more before biting into it. She walked back over to the hole in the wall and watched the man exchange pleasantries with Khaat. She smiled softly and took her wand out from behind her ear, the same trait her brother had. She waved her wand over herself and the dress morphed into something more ‘classy’.

Her brother explained who he was and Jenifer nodded. She knew she recognised him from somewhere. He was in the Quibbler a while back and she appreciated his good looks even then. She straightened her belt and tidied her hair up a bit more. “I thought I knew him from somewhere. He does have a lot of influence on the Ministry doesn’t he?” she could feel the jealousy coming off of her brother and she laughed. “It would be my pleasure to take him off of her hands, brother.” She looked down at the necklace and smiled. “A gift from a friend. Apparently my one was shabby and needed replacing.”

Spoiler:

"I hope it goes well too," Vincent replied politely. "As for the trial Khaat, I am sure that you, at least, mean well by the trial. But the fact of the matter is that Gabrielle would not have called a trial if she did not plan to free Emof. Because previous inmates have to, by law, serve the sentence they were given in Azkaban. However, you are the chief warlock, so its your decision what to do with Emof. Now, me and you both know that Emof has done crimes, and deserves to go to Azkaban. If you don't, well do a favour for me and make sure that he loses the trial. Can you do that?" he asked.

"I have no plans to simply free Emof because he may have befriended Gabrielle," Khaat said. "If he is guilty, then he will go to Azkaban as he deserves. If, however, he can prove somehow that he is innocent, then we need to find who really is the criminal behind it and be sure that they get the full measure of justice that they deserve not only for the crimes committed but for the act of trying to pin it on someone else, if that is the case. I want whoever is guilty--regardless of who that is--brought to justice. Just because I know who Emof is does not mean I automatically sympathize with him. Does that at least somewhat answer your question?"

He couldn’t quite believe his sister. Sure she was a control freak and generally power-hungry but he didn’t think she’d go for Majere – no one could want power that badly surely. Apparently though, Jenifer did. He didn’t mind too much though because what goes around comes around and Jen would definitely get bitten on the arse for it. She wasn’t them most loyal person to authority figures and those higher on the ‘food chain’. Instead she was fiercely loyal to her family and those she loved which did cause inner turmoil for her. This was what Rob could see in his sister and it did worry him ever so slightly. But if Jen wanted Majere then that was fine, he’d help her get the guy as long as he could keep Khaat and his daughter.

Crossing the kitchen, Rob stole the apple from his sister and bit into the other side with a loud crunch. He opened the cutlery draw and stepped away, biting into the apple again. He smirked at his sister and the failure of a chef took out some napkins as well as red and white chequered tablecloths that you’d find in an Italian restaurant. Rob got some salt and pepper holders out of the cupboards and the two of them filled a basket with what was required before handing it to Jen who probably felt put out. Rob would to but there was no way she would meet Majere otherwise and going in there would give her the perfect excuse to flirt shamelessly. Rob fluffed his sister’s hair up a little and the chef scrambled around with something to put in her hair. The woman settled with a silver butterfly clip that matched the necklace and Rob clipped some of the curls back.

“There, you look perfect.” He smiled. “Just be yourself and not the whore you pretend to be. You don’t really look like a waitress but you do look beautiful and that new star goes well.”

Rob pushed Jen into the main dining area and moved back to the stove where the chef was flipping the meat fillets again. He took over from her and left her to prepare the salad. He hoped that his sister got Majere’s affections but he doubted it highly. The guy seemed emotionless and snarky. His sister, no matter how stubborn she was, still had feelings and they were quite fragile as she displayed them rarely. If in the even she actually grew to honestly like Majere then her emotions, and consequently her soul, would be his to manipulate and it was awful to think that the man could break her. It wouldn’t happen though, things would go on like normal as long as Jen didn’t attract him.

She wasn't happy about having to set tables but if that was the only way of getting in there and deciding whether she had a chance or not then Jen would take it with both hands. Although really she’d be taking the basket and then running out into the Bistro like a good little girl to set the tables. Table setting was not her thing as it gave her nothing in return but if this would bring her something better than money then she would definitely have to suck up her pride and just lay the damn tables for the mindless customers who wanted food. She was just thankful that it was early and no one else could see her in the state she was in. As much as she liked feeling professional, she had a job and a uniform but obviously that wasn’t enough.

The basket wasn’t too heavy but it was filled with everything she needed. Rob had even put a few sickles in there for the jukebox sitting innocently in the corner of the room. She smiled at his compliments and couldn’t help but feel like the little sister who was being looked after. She always treated Rob like the younger brother he was but it was vice versa. They also had another brother who truly could treat them like younger siblings. That unsettled her a little but she didn’t mind too much – Gibbs was a gem.

She crossed the kitchen and opened the door to the Bistro with her foot. She walked confidently inside and moved across to the nearest table. She was close enough to Khaat and Majere so that if she wanted then she could probably read their conversation via their lips. Jen put the basket on the floor and took a chequered tablecloth out of the basket. She let it unfold itself and shook it out before laying it onto the table. She took the aluminium table grips out of the basket and secured one on each side. She took the napkins out of the basket as well as the cutlery and set it all down at the table. She was pretty good at making the pouches for the cutlery but sometimes restaurateurs had different ways of doing it. Some of they would even colour the napkins to make them look more attractive.

Jen bit her lip and looked at Khaat. She couldn’t believe she’d stooped, in her opinion, this low. It didn’t faze her as much as it would have mere months ago, though. She was still furious with herself but was pretty happy to be working in a restaurant again. She loved setting out the tables for the day ahead and that was something she had managed to forget. “Khaat, do you want anything done with these napkins? Most restaurants do something interesting like colour everything pink for Valentine’s Day. Did you want something with the Spark’s Emblem on it?”

"Well, I guess we'll see if your biased or not in the trial then," Vincent said camly, though he doubted it. "You fought for his sake at the last trial, and I am assuming you will now too. You are both order members after all." He still didn't know Ne'os was an order member really, but perhaps Khaat would slip and give him some vital information about that. Because if the order were helping a criminal, they could be charged as well, which would eliminate a potential threat to Vincent.

"I do hope, your views have been changed after he attacked students in my school though," he added. "Which brings me to another subject Khaat, please tell me now, did you or did you not help Kingsley and Emof into the castle?" he asked, glaring at her sternly. The thing was, he had a hint that it had been Khaat, he had sensed that at the meeting in the aftermath of the attack. He didn't think Khaat lied to much, so he rather hoped she would confess. It wasn't like Vincent would stop suspecting Khaat was involved in it if she denied it though. She had, from their first meeting, acted against him. Though, as their first meeting was a duel, he could see why.

Hearing the door open, Vincent looked up, expecting to see Robert Dent coming back in. Instead, he was surprised to see a very attractive woman come in instead. She looked around his age, perhaps a little older than him. She was clearly a waitress. As she turned, he watched her for a while, before looking back at Khaat. Vincent was clearly annoyed by her presence, it meant that he could not talk to Khaat without fear of someone eavesdropping.

"I stood up for Emof at the last trial, not because of any allegiance to or with him. My concern was the legitimacy of the trial itself That court has been a kangaroo court for generations. If he was guilty, then by all means, let him serve his sentence. If he were ill, then he needed treatment, and if he was innocent, then the ministry was doing the entire wizarding world a disservice by not catching the true murderer who was, then, still at large. That was my only motive. I am not as tied to things as you believe I am, Vincent. I only fight for those battles I believe in, no matter who is leading the charge. If the battle isnt worth my time or energy, then its none of my concern. Let me ask you--what difference does it make to you now whether I did or did not assist Shacklebolt. I protected as many students as I could by putting myself as a shield between them and Emof, but you were otherwise occupied and would not perhaps have known that. He had to get through me to get to them. If anyone would have been killed prior to that point, it would have been me--not them. I was not totally against you. I have never been completely against you or I would have told you. However, neither have I been completely supportive. But then, that's not a news flash to you either."