Sounds of coughing and retching came from the bathroom, the gentle murmurs and occasional pats on the back could be heard, while the living room stayed eerily silent. The brunette had up and left for the bathroom a few minutes ago leaving the group of friends she had invited over to help her through this sitting in her living room, concerned for her well-being as well as what exactly her late partner actually meant.

The group of friends were no strangers to spirits, having dealt with numerous ones in their lifetime. Some friendly, like Atem, and others not so friendly, like King Thief Bakura; both of which were no longer around. So it wasn't hard for them to believe that this man, this Robert, said was actually true. His video seemed sincere. His mind must have been going a million miles per minute. Knowing that he was going to die and by how he was acting in the video, he either didn't know how or how to stop it.

Then there was Maple. Duke had kept what happened quiet after the first night she and her daughter had came to Domino. Only he and Serenity had actually known what happened. Currently it was Serenity sitting in the bathroom with her while she was being sick, turned out the woman had some sort of anxiety sickness according to Duke and he could understand why this would make her anxious on top of everything else. Bakura had gone into the kitchen to make some tea, Duke said she liked tea and chances are there would be a lot of it in the cupboards of different variants ranging from needing to calm down to sleep help. Tea was the first person to say anything in the quiet room.
"Is this the first time she's grieved?" Tea asked him although she already knew the answer. Duke shrugged his shoulders, crossing his arms over his chest. He wasn't sure. He could remember her connecting him once she found out but that was really it as far as he knew.

Duke remember how she called him on Skype. She was panicky, red in the face and eyes puffy. It was hard for her to get words out and when she did it was a sputter of "Robert's dead!" The only time he had seen her that upset was when her and Blessing had that falling out that he regretted deeply.
"I think she just concentrated on keeping Lizzie happy. Lizzie was only just over two years old when Robert passed; Maple panicked and started to lie to her saying that he'd come back; keeping up the lie must be catching up on her." Duke said to them, leaning himself against the window seal of the apartment block. Bakura had came out from the kitchen and briefly looked around, but once he saw no sign that she had emerged from the bathroom yet, he sat back down on the couch nursing the cup in his hands.
"I think this would be a good wake up call for her if I'm honest. It sounds harsh but...I don't think she ever did grieve or try and move on. I think he's done her a favour with that tape." Duke continued, looking back at the static filled screen.

The group turned silent once more, unsure how to continue with the conversation. Duke checked the clock in the room. Lizzie would be released from school soon and Maple was clearly in no state to go and pick her up.
"I'm going to get Lizzie and take her to the park. That should give you guys enough time to figure out something." Duke said to them. He wasn't as clued up with spirits as they were and had some sort of disbelief that they were even real. So a dead man speaking about how his family has some sort of connection to the unnatural only raised his back. The others waved their goodbyes to Duke as he left the house to pick up his niece.

Duke loved his cousin, of course he did; but he wasn't the best at emotional support. They hadn't seen each other for years, and it felt awkward to him to comfort someone he hadn't seen while for Serenity it was natural. So it was better to leave his Fiancé to deal with his hysterical cousin while he went and picked up that little niece of his and take her to the park, he was better suited at that, at least this way he could try and form some sort or relationship with the pair again.

The living room went stayed silent, there were so many questions to be asked and yet they knew there would be no answer to it yet. Joey stood up from his perched spot on the back of the couch and walked over to the bathroom. The others watched silently, whispering among themselves. They watched the blonde knock on the door gently.
"Sis, how is e'erythin' goin' in der?" The man asked. The door opened, Serenity's hand on the knob. He peered in, catching that Maple and sat herself down on the closed toilet seat, leaving her head in her hands; hair scrunched in between her fingers. It must have been mental turmoil for her.
"I got her to calm down a little." Serenity said to him in a whisper. Joey nodded his head and quickly turned his attention to her once she got up. She muttered an "excuse me" and gently pushed her way past him and back towards the living area. The group stayed silent as they watched her kneel herself down in front of the video tape player again. With a click the tape ejected and Maple was promptly putting it into the remnants of the plastic wrap it was found in.

She stayed on the floor for a while more, just trying to get her head around what had happened. Taking in a deep breathe for god knows how many times time she released it through her nose and ran her hand through her hair.
"Do any of you believe in this kind of stuff? Things like Sensitives? Do you think his pulling a fast one? Like some kind of joke, a really bad joke but a joke? I'm not amused!" Maple said to them, shuffling herself around to face them all. She was surprised to see all of them all lookg serious about what had happened, even more surprised to have a cup of tea handed to her from Bakura, who just gave a calm smile and sat back down on the couch again. Maple eyed it warily and sniffed it quickly, smelt like Chamomile. Someone raided her cupboards but she was not in the mood to protest.
"It seems like he was panicked in the tape, someone being able to see into the future or past isn't out of the realm of possibilities." Yugi spoke up. Maple nodded her head taking a small sip of her tea. Peering around the room, the brunette noticed her cousin wasn't about. She looked at the group questionably.
"He went to pick up Lizzie and take her to the park." Tristian spoke up for the first time since being in the house. Maple nodded her head understanding.

She excused herself from the room briefly, placing the cup onto the floor. She used her hands to wipe her eyes and then her nose. The group watched her and just as quickly as she left she came back again with her Chromebook. She sat herself between the legs of Yugi and Tea, crossing her own. She needed to do this now, while it was still fresh in her mind and she could process it.
"Thank you for the tea, by the way Bakura." Maple said to him, turning her attention to him briefly and giving him a thankful smile. The white haired man nodded his head. Nothing more needed to be said. She turned her attention back to the screen again.
"I need to tell Lizzie the truth tonight, but first I need to talk to her grandparents. He said they'd know more, I need as much information as possible so I know what to expect." Lizzie said to them as she logged into the machine and loaded up Skype. The group watched quietly at the screen, acting more as emotional support at this point. Joey and Tristan and found themselves leaning on the back of the chair watching the screen while Yugi, Tea and Bakura sat on the couch and Serenity sat herself next to Maple between Tea and Bakura's legs.
"You going to be okay?" Tea asked the brunette, who nodded in return but couldn't bare to bring herself to say anything.

A few clicks and soon the Skype call began. It'd be around about 11PM in England right now, Maple could only hope they were still awake. To her surprise they were, which made things easier.
"Maple? My goodness dear it's been a long time! How did the move go?" The woman asked, waving at the camera. The couple were both blonde, the woman having brown eyes and the husband having grey. It was obvious to see that Richard looked like a younger version of his dad. Maple smiled weakly at the pair and quickly introduced her friends, explaining that the move went well and that her and Lizzie were settling in nicely.
"I actually have a question to ask, it's regarding Richard, or more really like your family line." Maple said to them, bringing them to a silence. She took that as an indication to continue. "Richard said that he was a Sensitive, someone that could see the past and future. You see I just found a tape he made for me and that's how I found out." Maple said to them, earning a sigh from his mother. His father muttered something to his wife about going to bed and letting her handle it.
"He meant he was sensitive to picking up these things. What he means is a Psychic but it's such a broad term and it covers many different things ranging from timelines to ghosts and such." She said to her, her face stern and informative. Maple stayed quiet along with the rest of the group allowing her to continue. "Our family line is known for being psychic, more importantly being able to tap into past or future timelines to see what happened or what will happen. It can be frightening." His mother continued explaining to them.

Maple took in the information. So he did use the wrong term and had used it incorrectly, but everything else he had said made sense. She however needed to know more and turned her full attention back to Richard's mother.
"How will I know if Lizzie is one? Richard said she might be." Maple asked her. Richard's mother stopped and thought for a second, not entirely sure how to answer that question. She hummed to herself a little, looking at the ceiling of their home.
"If she's anything like Richard, it'll start off as scary dreams. If she's anything like her great grandmother, she'll complain there's someone else in the room when there isn't it's hard to tell, it depends on which string has been sewn into her." She said, her face falling soft and sympathetic. "Richard never took his gift seriously so it never developed properly. If he left a tape for you, then something must have spooked him enough to take it seriously. It's just a shame it happened too late." She said to her, earning a small nod in agreement from the brunette. Maple hummed to herself before deciding it would be best to let the grandmother go. She thanked her for the information, promising to call her at a better time next time and wished her goodnight.

Sighing, she closed the Chromebook lid, taking in all the information. That gave her some answers, but not as many as she was hoping and she wondered if Richard knew that. Still, the information whirled in her head, making her hum slightly as she slid the Chromebook underneath the sofa to keep it out of sight. She was alone with this, that much she knew; while her friends said that they knew about this kind of stuff she didn't want to really involve them heavily. Something in her gut told her to avoid that. That and she didn't want to keep introducing people Lizzie's life and then they leave because things got too weird.
"What are you thinking about?" Tristan asked her gaining her attention. Maple looked up at him, leaning the back of her head onto the couch.
"Just working out how to tell Lizzie, that's all." She said to him, aware that it was a small lie, but she couldn't just say that "Whelp, I'm going to deal with my potentially psychic child alone will call if I need emotional support again thanks." that would be rude.

~•~

Duke had been and gone, he brought Lizzie home, said she had a good time in the park. Maple showed her the filled in permission slip and tucked it into her bag so she wouldn't forget to hand it in and had helped Lizzie with the first bit of homework she bought home. Before the group of friends left after reassuring her to call if she needs anything and they'll come to help and that they will be there for her, she learned that Bakura was going to be the one in charge of her child's class tour of the museum and just like her he seemed quite surprised by this. He said that "I knew I would be showing a class around, I guess it's just luck that it's Lizzie's." That meant Monday would be easier for her as she was one of the parents volunteering and since the class will be free to go home after the trip Maple thought it'd be nice for the three of them to grab a coffee, or in Lizzie's case some juice, and just have a general chat. Get to know him more so she could have more friends about outside her parent life.

Lizzie had just finished her dinner and was playing a game. Maple watched her from the kitchen doorway. Her arms crossed as she leaned against her arm on the frame. She had to tell her. If she knew, they could mourn and as Richard said "move on." The brunette wasn't sure how ready she was to do that, at the same time it had been two years and Maple knew that if she didn't do it now she'd never do it.

She took a deep breath and pushed herself off the doorframe. She walked slowly up behind her daughter and then sat behind her, pulling the child into her lap. Lizzie looked up at her with a wide smile, earning a small one from Maple; who gently pried the small game was playing from her hands.
"Sweetie, we need to have a talk about daddy." She said to her quietly. Lizzie nodded her head excitedly, it was clear the small girl thought it was good news. Maple bit her bottom lip, turning her gaze away to the window, wondering how exactly to phrase her next sentence. Lizzie waited patiently, her grey eyes never leaving her mother's face. Maple finally turned her attention back to her daughter a few moments later after releasing a breath her chest had decided to hold.
"Daddy is...well…" She said trailing off, making the child's smile slowly drop from her face. "Do you remember when you were very little and daddy was very upset because his nana crossed the bridge in the sky?" She asked her, watching the little girl closely. She nodded her head, acting like she understood but Maple had no doubt that she actually didn't know where she was heading with this, or if she even remembered that day of Richard crying in the kitchen. Another deep breath and a slow release.
"Well, that's where Daddy's gone. He's gone over the bridge in the sky to keep his nana company; she got very lonely up there by herself making sure everyone was safe and happy that Daddy said he needed to help her." Maple said to her, figuring maybe this would be the best way to tell her and when she was older she would be able to put the pieces together herself.

Of course, that sort of explanation didn't stop the water works from starting. Lizzie's face dropped, her brows knitted together as tears dropped from the child's eyes. Maple knitted her brows and brought the child closer to her to hug her tightly. She felt the small arms wrap themselves around her neck as the girl stood on her toes and buried her face into her shoulder.
"Dad-dy's nev-ver ev-ver com-ing back a-again is he?" She muffled into her shoulder. Maple's lips thinned as she held her daughter close and promptly shook her head, leaning her own chin over the girls arms.
"No sweetie, he's not. His nana needs lots and lots of help and he wants to make sure we stay safe and happy but he can't do that here because there is no magic here. He had to leave to do his job really good." She said pausing slightly and pulling her child away slightly. She used her thumbs to wipe the girls face, her own face wet from her tears, but she needed to be brave for this little one. She put on her best brave face, a reassuring smile through an emotional outburst.
"But just know he will always love you, he'll always love me and it will be hard for a little while but we will make him proud and show him his job is not for nothing okay?" She said to her, stilling holding her child's face. Lizzie nodded her head weakly, eyes still watery, nose runny. The small hiccups taking over making it impossible to speak. Maple sniffed deeply, and let go of her daughters face. Lizzie just watched her through her blurred vision and dripping nose. Her mother places picked her up and settled her onto her right hip letting the girl bury her head into her shoulder.
"We'll have a bath then go to bed okay sweetie?" She said to her, walking her over to the bathroom.
"Do y-you think Dad-dy sent Pa-pad-dle?" The child asked muffled into her mother's shoulder. Maple nodded her head in response, replying a soft "yes." If pretending that the little cat in their care was sent by her father to look over them, then Maple would play along until she grew older to understand. Anything to make it easier.

The next morning Maple dropped Lizzie off to school with Ha Yoon, explaining to her mother why Lizzie was sad today. Ha Yoon managed to get her to laugh and lighten up a little bit. Kyung Soon didn't press, but gave her a reassuring one arm hug telling her that it would be alright. She offered to take Lizzie for the day after school which Maple agreed to. Kyung Soon said that maybe spending time with Ha Yoon will cheer her up and that would give time for Maple to get her own thoughts together. Maple was grateful for the offer. If she was honest, just telling the mother what had happened had lifted a weight off her shoulders she didn't know she was carrying. Sure, her friends now knew what was happening and that helped a lot, but just having someone understand why her child was upset, from her point of view, was comforting. Lizzie instantly lightened up with Kyung Soon told the girls that Lizzie was allowed to come round their house today. The parents dropped their children off at the gate and Kyung Soon wished Maple luck in her interview saying she would do a good job.

~•~

Maple stood outside the bar. She dressed in a pleated skirt with black tights and smart shoes. A white button shirt underneath and a waistcoat to bring it all together. The waistcoat helped show off the small waist and hips her frame carried. Her hair was tied to the side and curled at the bottom. Light make up of foundation and eye a light eyeshadow helped her stand out not to mention a small clutch bag with things like her CV inside as well as notes in case she forgot something important regarding pass achievements. She needed to look the part but also look professional. Maple read over the name once more. It was a gentlemen's club by the name of Yokoshima's gentlemen. This didn't put her off in the slightest, they were more strict with their rules then the pubs in Medway, from her understanding there was less chance of harassment from the punters.

She took a deep breath and walked towards the door. Gently knocked with the back of her hand she saw a peeper slide open up. Maple put on a small smile at the pair of eyes and politely bowed.
"My name is Maple Van Den Berg, I'm here for the interview with Mr Yokoshima." Maple said to him, bringing herself up to her full height once more. Her surname belonged to Blessing and her family, Maple having taking it on as a sign of respect when she was twelve years old to the family.
"Papers please." The man said. Maple nodded her head and dug through her clutch bag. She found a folded piece of paper and quickly glanced over it. It was the one confirmation the interview details. She held the paper towards the slider allowing the man to take it. He pulled it away from her fingers and then silence. Maple fidgeted on the spot to wait for him. The metal door opened slowly allowing her to step in. She thanked the man, who she could now see was very tall. He handed her back the slip and gave her the directions of the meeting room she would be interviewed in.

Finding the room she took her seat. Maple found herself in a room with several other woman, she felt a little overdressed compared to them. She took a deep breath and waited patiently for her name to be called. She grew nervous as the seconds ticked by. Digging out her notes she scanned through them, taking in the history of the club, what type of clientele it allowed it and what type of service they ran. Seemed simple enough. One by one the other girls went in to do their interview, but they were not being replaced. It seemed like Maple was their last interview, at least for this part of the day.
"Maple Van Den Berg. Can you come in please?" A female assistant asked from the open door as another lady left. Maple's heart skipped a beat as she stood up, keeping her bag close to her; this was it.

She entered the interview room and promptly bowed to a gentleman who stood up from his seat and did the same, then to the person who called her name out. She could only assume the gentlemen was Mr Yokoshima, or very close business friend but maybe that was just her making assumptions.
"Please, take a seat." The woman offered and Maple promptly did so. She tucked her skirt underneath and sat down, keeping her knees together and feet swept over to the went through typical pleasantries and introduced themselves. The brunette was right in thinking that this man was Mr then went through interview questions such as "Why are you best suited for this role" and "What can you bring to this role?" for which Maple had what she believed to be a stand out answer. She replied with confidence that she's British, and has been living in Britain until recently, this means she can bring some sort of exocticness to the bar in terms of culture and this may have a positive impact on their income. This seemed to have taken them by surprise as they quickly wrote down notes.

They had asked her about why she finished her GCSE's in College instead of secondary school, then iIt was the next question that took Maple off guard.
"You're surely busy with a young child, how will you commit to work as this role is for between 6PM and Midnight." Mr Yokoshima asked her. Maple felt a lump forming in her throat from the anxious feeling that she thought had left. She didn't think about that when filling in the application form for this role and now that she thought about it what was she going to do? They wouldn't let her bring such a young child to a gentlemen's club and she couldn't ask her friends all the time to look after her child. She certainly couldn't afford a babysitter either.
"I have some friends and my cousin lives here. I'm sure they'll be happy to watch over my daughter while I work." Maple said to them, just coming out with it and pulling her friends and family into a commitment they may not want to be a part of. However they nodded and wrote down more notes. Maple just hoped that if she asked they would help her out and if they couldn't and got this job then boy had she just shot herself in the foot.

~•~

"I think I did well." She told Tea as the pair sat in a cafe, having a general chat over some food. She had texted her once she got out of the interview asking her if she was free and wanted to grab some lunch with her. They sat outside the cafe, known for apparently doing very good ice-cream, which Maple had to try of course. Tea grinned at her, drinking some of her bubble tea through the straw.
"When do you find out?" Tea asked her making the brunette think slightly to herself, humming to herself.
"Later on today with any luck, I was their last one I think." Maple said to her taking a bite out of the ice-cream and then instantly regretting it. It was colder than she had expected, and God knows why she didn't think it would be cold the hint was in the name.

Tea couldn't help but chuckle at her as she took another sip from her bubble tea. Maple was grateful for the company if she was honest. She often got lonely by herself and this past week had shown just how lonely by herself she felt. It was difficult in her mind to have friends as she needed to put her little one first, moments like this were a rarity and she planned to enjoy every moment of them.
"How you been feeling, since yesterday?" Tea asked her, gaining the brunette's attention. She hummed once more in thought. How did she feel? She didn't know. She felt lighter, should she be feeling lighter? Had she really mourned? She knew she cried so much back then, did that tape become the push she needed to finally tell her daughter so they could move on? So many questions whirled through her head she didn't know where to start.
"I'm not sure...I feel lighter, as if a weight on my shoulders was lifted...almost grateful to be told it's okay to move on, should I be feeling that?" She questioned the brunette in front of her. Tea have her a sympathetic smile, one that she had seen many a times through other people.
"We all mourn differently, maybe you did do it and this was all you needed." Tea said to her, and while it was not advise it had shown that she had listened, maybe that's all Maple needed.

Maple nodded her head, this time licking her ice cream cone instead of going and taking a bite out of it. She opened her mouth to say something until her phone started to vibrate across the table. The pair watches it briefly until Maple picked up the thing. The caller ID was a number she did not recognise.
"Hello?" She answered questionly. She saw from the corner of her eye Tea shuffling her chair over and leaning her ear again the back of her phone so she could also hear what was being said. Maple didn't mind, it was odd she hadn't had this sort of friendly interaction for years but she wasn't going to push it away either.
"Hello is this Ms Van Den Berg?" The other voice asked. Maple replied with a yes, indicating for the voice to continue. She quickly finished the ice cream cone, covering her mouth away from the speaker so it couldn't be heard. She could see Tea chuckle at her from the corner of her eyes. It was female, she gathered that much. "Hello my name is Hana, you had an interview with me and Mr Yokoshima earlier today? I just wanted to give you a quick call and offer you the job!" The woman advised, the sound of papers rustling came through the of the phone. A grin appeared on Mape's face as she looked at Tea briefly, who was grinning just as widely and quickly turned her attention back to her phone again, giving a thank you to the lady.
"That's no problem. Your shift starts at 6PM on Thursday next week, you'll mostly be shadowing our senior server, Riko, so stick close to him to learn the ropes. See you on Thursday Ms Van Den Berg and congratulations again!" The woman said to her. Maple gave her thanks repeatedly and then placed her phone back onto the table. She took a deep breath and moved her hands to her mouth, squealing loudly into them. This was good news! Tea joined in on her excitement, saying that they should go and celebrate with everyone. Maple agreed, what they did she didn't know but she was excited for it either way.
"Do you know what to do with Lizzie?" Tea asked her, causing Maple to think slightly. Maple just smiled at her and nodded her head.
"I've got it figured it." She simply replied to her, holding her smile. She would need to do something that every fibre in her body told her not to do, but if they wanted to live and in her mind not burden her friends, she needed to do it.

~•~

The days went quickly. Maple was still building her portfolio for make up, now that she had a bar job she would have some money to keep her and Lizzie a float until she could find something either better or work her way up the chain in the gentlemen's club. Still, a job is a job and Maple had nearly all week to prepare. Lizzie and Ha Soon's playdate ended up being cancelled with Ha Yoon being very ill on the way to her house. Lizzie had waited for her outside and when she saw her she was excited as was Ha Yoon, who then immediately threw up through the apartment grates. It was agreed by both parents that maybe they should hold off for today until Ha Yoon got better. Maple had spent the next few hours cleaning the grate and cleaning the floor below, the girl had good aim and managed to throw up in front of someone's door. While Lizzie was sad, she did tell Ha Yoon to get better soon and that if she wasn't in tomorrow she'd bring her something from the museum.

Lizzie was getting better day by day. Each day she was more cheerful than before, until Sunday, but now that today is Monday she seemed to have perked up once more; just with the excitement of going to the museum. Maple had made sure that she got them both up and ready nice and early. Light make-up to make the adult look more human, making sure Lizzie ate some breakfast. The kids still had to wear their uniforms as they were representing the school, Maple dressed in some jeans, old converse that had definitely seen better days and a short blue shirt with a white, wide shoulder tank top over the top. She took her daughter to school as normal but this time she had followed her to the classroom, as her, along with two other parents were the volunteers for this trip.

The adults waited in the back of the classroom as the teacher explained what they would be learning that day. It wasn't just dinosaurs as Lizzie made it seem, which meant that Lizzie either switched off or switched on at the mention of the prehistoric creatures. Maple was getting to know the other two parents. One lady by the name of Yoko. She was much older and had two children, her youngest son being in this class and another lady by the name Yui. She had one child, her son being in this class as well. Maple pointed proudly to her daughter, explaining that she was her only daughter. She looked around for Ha Yoon but couldn't see her in the class and could only assume she was off sick today. Maple made a note that after the school day they'll go back to the gift shop and pick something out for Ha Yoon. Soon the teacher began splitting the class into four groups, each child whose parent was there was in their group and then there were six others in the group. That made them nice and controllable.

Soon they were on their way. It turned out that the museum was a lot closer to the school than Maple first thought, so the money they were handed was to cover lunch at the museum cafeteria, which was fine with her. When they exited the classroom, Maple turned to her group, smiling widely.
"Okay, let's quickly say who we are and then we'll leave." She said excitedly to the group. "When I point to you, I want you to tell me your name okay? Ready?" She said to the group and first pointed to Lizzie to set an example.
"Lizzie!" She said excitedly. Maple then pointed to the next child.
"Akihiko!"
"Chitose!"
"Taiyo."
"Yori"
"Samantha!"
"Taylor!" Each child said after being pointed at. Maple was expecting a majority of japanese children, what surprised her more was that they were bilingual, she shouldn't have been surprised but she was. Still, just meant she needed to teach Lizzie more at home.
"Alright, I'm Maple. Let's head off!" She said to the group, pointing to herself and walking them towards the museum. She instructed them all to hold hands so they wouldn't be separated from each other. Last thing she needed was to lose a child in Domino city.

It didn't take long for the group to arrive. Maple asked them to follow her to the ticket person and quickly showed the officer their entry tickets. He checked them over, and once deciding they were genuine the group met up Yoko's group of children. They had been instructed to wait here until the whole class had arrived for a tour around the museum. The brunette almost jumped when she saw Bakura, until she remembered he said he was going to be the tour guide for this day after his boss told him he was leading a group. She gave a smile and a wave at the white haired man, earning a small smile back before he looked at his co-worker to discuss something with her. The children were getting restless, many asking Maple questions she didn't know. She had to admit, history was not a good subject of hers, she was fantastic at art and if you asked her to do some Geography she'd show you up, but everything else was a nope.

She felt a tug at her hand, and looked down to see Lizzie tugging at her. She looked at her questionably, and bent down to her level, wrapping her arms around her legs.
"What is it sweets?" She asked her. She noted Lizzie looked concerned, her brows knitted together. Maple steeled herself for the worse, waiting for her to say something like there was someone following them and they couldn't see, or that something bad would happen. She ran through different scenarios in her mind.
"Will we find something really good for Ha Yoon?" She asked her, making the brunette let go of her breath in relief. Maple nodded her head, giving her a wide smile.
"Of course! Remember, Bakura is going to spend some time with us after as well, I'm sure he can help us look for something really good for her." She told Lizzie, earning a quick nod. She was soon distracted by a group mate who wanted her to look at the map with them. Maple quickly followed after the group, making sure to keep them in her sight at all times.
"Okay everyone! Please come back here so we can begin!" She heard the teacher yell over. Maple tore her eyes away from the children pointing at the different things on the map they were excited to see for a second to look over at the teaching waving her hand and then looked back at her group. She ushered them over again to the larger group and stood behind them. The teacher did a head count and once satisfied everyone was here she turned her attention back to Bakura, asking him to take over. The white haired male nodded his head and looked at the group.
"Good morning. My name's Bakura. We've got quite a lot planned for you all today. During your tour, there will be a map for you all to fill in, the first group to hand over a map with everything we've asked for on it gets a prize." He explained as the teacher handed the helpers the maps. Maple bent down at the knees showing her group the map, and handed it to Taiyo to keep a hold of him, whispering for him to keep it safe, the young boy nodded his head quickly, keeping the paper close to him as if on a mission. She looked back up to the front again once she heard the white haired man speak once more.
"We have lunch scheduled for half twelve. Before we head off, I need to inform you of a few house rules. We do not have a fire alarm scheduled today. If you hear it you'll need to make your way to the exit on the ground floor just behind the World War One exhibit. Stick to your group leader in this event. We ask that you do not touch anything, unless there is a sign saying you can do so. Do not be rude to our staff or your buddy, we do not tolerate that here." Bakura explained. Maple found it odd. The man was a quiet, reserved man, who seemed awfully shy however here, here he seemed to be in his element. He spoke with confidence, enough to make the children listen at least. Maple had to admit, it was nice seeing the young man come out of his shell.

Once he was sure everyone understood the house rules he began taking the group round the museum, the first exhibit they visited was the Roman exhibition. Maple took in the sights. The museum wasn't small, and seemed to have more than one theme. From the quick glance at the map Taiyo held, possibly give, at least that's what they were visiting. Once they had reached the Roman exhibition, Bakura gave a small back story and then left it for the class to explore.

Taiyo got his classmates to look at the map, Maple could only guess he was competitive. She knelt down behind them looking at the map as well.
"We need to look for this really big pointy stick!" He said, pointing to what looked like a spear on the map. The small group nodded their heads and immediately began looking around at everything for the Spear. Samantha got distracted at the models fighting a stuffed lion.
"Miss Maple, why are they hurting the lion?" She asked, gaining the brunette's attention. Maple raised an eyebrow at her and looked over the models. That was a good question, she wasn't sure herself. She never really understood the sport.
"Why don't we have a look here?" She asked her, spotting a small plaque. Samantha followed her over to the golden plaque and stood on her toes to try and read it properly. She kept her fingers on the golden plaque leaving small finger prints as her eyes glanced down over her cheeks trying to see what it says. Maple thought for a second as she placed her hands onto her knees to get closer to the information herself. She glanced over the text trying to find a good spot to read from that may not possibly scar the child mentally.
"Many gladiators were slaves, criminals, or prisoners of war. Fighting hungry animals was called venationes, which means wild beast hunts. It was a form of entertainment for the people. Fighting animals was rare with the gladiators mostly fighting each other for glory and fame, or even to have their life spared." Maple read to Samantha. Samantha made an oh sound as she looked back up to the models once more. She knitted her brows together and closed her eyes tightly sticking out her tongue.
"That's mean!" She shouted at the model, as if the thing would hear her and apologise.

Maple chuckled at the child's distaste. She looked over the models once more and noticed a long like weapon in his hand free from the shield. It looked like a spear. Maple looked around for Taiyo, and called his name when she saw him looking at the hungry animal fights models. He trotted over with Lizzie in toe. Maple indicated for him to get the map out, which he promptly did. She turned to Lizzie, asking if she had a pencil in her bag. Lizzie quickly took off her back pack and started looking through it.
"What's in his hand?" Maple asked, pointing to the gladiator model. Taiyo looked at the model, then grinned excitedly. He was about to shout what it was until Samantha covered his mouth with a very long "shh". Lizzie held out a green pencil proudly. Soon the rest of Maple's group came over, saying that Mr Bakura said they were moving on. Maple quickly got them to write down the name of the models that the spear was part of. It was decided Akihiko would write down the names, as according the the group he had the best hand writing out of all of them.
"Gladiators glory." She told Akihiko, that being the name of the model display. The light brown haired boy quickly wrote down the words before annoying he was finished and stood up from the floor. Maple grinned at him and ushered the group of the room towards the next item. With any luck, they should have everything written down that was being searched for.

~•~

Lunch time soon rolled round and boy was the adult glad. The children kept saying they were hungry and there was only so many times Maple could say lunch would be soon before they didn't believe her. She sat them down at the table and quickly got them some sandwiches, fruit slices and juice. Sitting down, the brunette looked at the fun map they were filling in. They had many different items already, in fact it looked like they had all the items asked for so far which was good, they were well on their way. Maple asked how they were enjoying themselves and got mostly good responses from the small group. She looked over to Lizzie, who had remained quiet and staring off near an exhibit entrance, she hadn't touched her food and instead was just staring, her sandwich held between her hands. Maple knitted her brows and looked over but couldn't see anything. She turned her attention back to Lizzie.
"What's the matter?" She asked the child who blinked and looked up at her mother. She smiled widely at her and resumed eating her sandwich again happily. Maple furrowed her brows once more, that wasn't something that was normal. She turned her attention back to the exhibit, noticing it was the dinosaurs one and could only assume something caught her eye. Luckily, that was one of the ones they still needed to visit, so whatever it was that peaked her interest she'd be able to see soon.

Something nagged at the back of her mind, digging itself into the corners. Something told her that there wasn't anything there and whatever sort of psychic tap Lizzie had was starting to show itself. Maple ignored it though, she refused for this to be the case; not right now. Lizzie wouldn't be prepared for that right now, Maple wasn't prepared for that right now. She hadn't even ran it through her mind as of yet how she would even brooch the subject with Lizzie. Telling her daughter that she may possibly be psychic and even more different to her classmates in this country than she already was...she couldn't do that. It went against her very being.
"We're leaving in five minutes." Bakura said from behind her, making her snapped her head up. She hadn't realised she was just staring a hole into her own sandwiches and left them untouched. She turned her attention to Bakura, giving him a small smile and thanking him for the reminder. He nodded his head and went back to telling the other groups as well. If he had noticed something he certainly wasn't bringing it up right now and maybe that was for the best. It was difficult explaining things to one child, let alone a group of seven of them.

Lunch soon finished, after tidying up the dining area the groups started making their way around the museum again. They went into an Ancient Egyptian exhibit, which seemed to be quite popular in Domino city with the view of mummies on display and various things like old pottery and tools. There was no special exhibit this time round, but that still didn't stop Bakura being quite passionate about this one particular subject. Something about this particular subject bought out a more confident side of him, even more so than just doing his job. He was more animated, more vocal and seemed more knowledgeable. Maple put it down to him just really enjoying Egyptian things.

Maple turned her attention to Lizzie, and saw her staring off once more. She raised an eyebrow in question at her and looked in the direction she was looking at but couldn't seem to find anyone. Just as Maple was about to ask her what was wrong, she shrieked, gaining the class's attention. Lizzie latched onto her mother's side, breathing heavily, her eyes wide as if she had just seen a ghost. Her face had paled with sweat beading across her forehead. The teacher dismissed her, saying to quickly take her out of the exhibit as maybe she got spooked by a mummy and to wait out there, they would look after her small group. The brunette thanked the teacher and quickly walked Lizzie out from the exhibit, who refused to let go of her clothing and even went as far as avoiding a spot at the exhibit entrance.

Once outside, Maple managed to pry the child off her clothing and knelt down in front of her. She sat on her knees, grabbing a hold of her daughters hands who was just staring at the space that she was desperately avoiding. Maple knitted her brows together. She put on a small smile for the child.
"Hey...What's the matter?" She asked her gently, rubbing her small hands with her thumbs. Lizzie eventually tore her eyes away from the spot and looked at her mother. The fear evident on her face and in her voice as she spoke.
"H-H-Ha Yoon w-was stand-ding th-ere but she loo-oked, s-she look-ed." Lizzie stuttered out, only making Maple knit her brows together more. "S-She look-ked de-de-de-a-a-ad!" Lizzie managed to sputter out. Maple felt a cord strike in her very being. A chill going down into her very soul. It was like the air become cold and constricting, it became harder to breathe yet she was not the one experiencing this. If Maple, the woman not experiencing or seeing what Lizzie was seeing was feeling this way, she couldn't imagine what her daughter was actually feeling. Maple swallowed hard as she took out her phone from her jeans pockets.
"We'll give her mum a quick call okay? Ha Yoon is fine! Just sick. We can ask what she'd like okay?" Maple said to her. Lizzie watched her mother closely as she pulled up Kyung Soon's number. A few rings and the woman answered with a normal hello. Maple asked if Kyung Soon could quickly turn on her video camera, and the woman obliged with Maple doing the same. In the bottom corner was Maple and a very upset Lizzie and on the main screen was Kyung Soon.
"We're just wondering how Ha Yoon is doing. How she feeling?" Maple asked her. Kyung Soon gave a small smile and quickly turned around to show Ha Yoon happily sitting up in her bed reading a book.
"She has a small fever but she will be back tomorrow in school." Kyung Soon said to her, before muttering something in Korean and gaining her daughter's attention. Ha Yoon looked up at the phone and smiled widely, waving her hand at the camera, her face a little red from the fever.

Maple turned her attention back to Lizzie, giving her a sympathetic smile. Lizzie timidly waved back at the camera, using her other hand to rub her eyes.
"Is everything okay? Why was Lizzie so upset?" Kyung Soon asked her gaining Maple's attention. Maple shook her head slightly.
"She was just worried that's all. Actually we wanted to know what Ha Yoon would like from here." Maple said to her, quickly bringing the attention away from Lizzie's small melt down. Kyung Soon thought for a second before turning her attention back to Ha Yoon and asking her the same in Korean. The black haired girl responded back excitedly to her mother.
"A cat teddy." Kyung Soon answered simply. Maple nodded her head saying they'd see what they can find and said her goodbyes. Kyung Soon waved at the camera with Ha Yoon shouting Bye to Lizzie. Once the call ended, Maple pocketed her phone and turned her attention back to Lizzie who had visibly calmed down. She could only assume that Lizzie's mind was getting a little over active with everything she saw today and it was unfortunate for what it created.

Just as she was about to speak to her, the groups started coming back out again. Maple's group immediately swarmed around Lizzie, asking her if she was okay and if the mummies scarred her. Lizzie protested, saying mummies weren't scary but the group was having none of that. Taylor interrupted the group, saying that they got the answer from that exhibit and the last thing they needed was from the dinosaurs. Lizzie instantly perked up, getting excited to see them with the rest of the group. Maple stood up from her spot on the floor. One moment, the child was petrified, crying after seeing her friend having supposedly met her end, and the next, as in now, she was fine and excited to see giant lizard bones and the such. Maple couldn't get her head around it. It was odd to her. The air as soon as she knew that little girl was okay was back to it's normal warm self, her soul felt untouched, as if nothing had even entered it.

The teacher asked if everything was okay and if Lizzie was feeling okay. Maple replied that she was, and it just seems the museum has really got her mind going. This seemed to be enough for the teacher to accept, who joked saying luckily it was only the last one, and that everybody seemed super excited for this one. Maple chuckled in the reply, only for it to fall short with that nagging feeling once more in the back of her mind, tearing into it with each passing moment. Surely it was just an overactive imagination and nothing else...surely.

~•~

The day soon ended. The youngsters went home. Maple's group did not win the small class competition. They had gotten the dinosaur question wrong. It was Yoko's group that got it all right and received their free prize, which was some sweet bags. This made the children more than happy. Maple stood in the giftshop, her hands clasped together behind her back as she watched Lizzie look through all the stuffed animals trying to decide what she wanted to get and what to get Ha Yoon.
"Did you and Lizzie enjoy yourselves?" She heard the familiar voice ask. Turning her head slightly to meet the face, Maple nodded and turned her attention back to Lizzie again.
"We did yes. You have a natural talent for guiding people around this place." She commented to him. Bakura gave her a small smile and shrugged his shoulders slightly.
"I just got asked to do it, I mostly go out to try and make up exchange deals with museums around the world. This was a nice change of pace." He said to her, making her hum slightly in her throat.
"Well, for someone who doesn't do this regularly, you did very well. Thank you for showing us around." She said to him, giving him a wide grin. Bakura gave her a small smile, the shyness slowly creeping back however not a fast pace like Maple had thought it would. She could only assume it was the hype from earlier of doing something he normally wouldn't do.
"Is Lizzie okay?" Bakura asked her lowly, drawing the brunette's attention before she went back to watching her daughter.
"She is now. We needed to call her friend's mum but she's okay now." She said to her, noticing the concerned look that she was receiving. "I'll tell you later when she isn't around." Maple said to him. Bakura nodded understandably at the request.

Lizzie soon trotted up to Maple showing her the stuffed lion plush she picked out from the toys. A wide smile covered her face as she held it up, jumping on the balls of her feet. Maple looked over, briefly pretending to consider it as Lizzie continued to hold it up excitedly.
"I think Ha Yoon will like this one! Can we get it for her please?" Lizzie asked her desperately. Maple pretended to consider it more, moving her hands from behind her back and placing one onto her chin, taking in a deep breath and letting out a "hhhmmm."
"Plllleeeaaassseee?" Lizzie asked once more, making Maple sound another, longer hhmmm. She then nodded her head at her, smiling widely at her.
"Sure, I'm sure she'll love it. Have you picked out what you want?" Maple asked her. Lizzie thought for a second, as if second guessing herself, and looked over briefly to where the stuffed turtle plushies were. She then looked back at her mother shook her head quickly at the question.
"I did but I want to get this for Ha Yoon!" She said to her seriously.
"That's a very grown up thing to do." Bakura commented to her. Lizzie smiled widely, nodding her head in agreement that she was indeed being grown up.
"Come on then, let's get this one for Ha Yoon. I'm sure she'll love it!" Maple said to her, excusing herself quickly from Bakura's side and taking the child up to the counter.

Bakura watched from his spot as the child stood on her toes and placed the lion very gently onto the counter top. The cashier lady smiled sweetly at the child, making small talk and receiving very excited answers from what he could tell from behind. He watched from behind as Maple stayed quiet, letting Lizzie make the whole transaction, the only time stepping in was to help the girl count the money for the toy, making sure she had the right amount. He tried to figure out where the connection with Duke came in. Duke, who was known for his brash attitude and very straight forwardness, and then his cousin, who seemed to have devoted everything to keeping her child happy. He couldn't help but wonder if it was a lonely life, and from her age alone, it must have taken a toil on her; not being able to do what all the other teenagers her age could do from what Duke said when he did speak about his cousin however few and far between that was.

Once the transaction was done, Lizzie hugged the bag tightly to her, saying thank you and bowing at the cashier lady respectively before happily trotting over to where Bakura was to show off what she did.
"I did it all by myself!" She said happily, earning a small smile from the white haired man.
"Well done!" He said enthusiastically back to her, just making the grin on her face wider as her mother followed behind. Maple mentioned that she was going to get a quick drink from the cafe and if he still wanted to come along.
"I'll meet you there, I just need to check something first." He said to her. Maple accepted this and pointed over to where they would be. She offered her hand to Lizzie, gently taking it and walked her over to the cafeteria, leaving Bakura behind to do what he needed to do. Once he was sure they were out of sight he quickly walked over to where Lizzie had been staring at in the giftshop.


I listened to so much Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni OST to this chapter oml.