Legal Disclaimer: I own my stuff, but not the original source material. That belongs to whoever. Also, the opinions and interpretations I use here may not reflect the same in said whoever that owns the source material. Look, I'm just a poor college librarian. Suing me isn't going to get you anything but tears.

Warning: This work may be offensive to some readers. Feel free to back out if need be.

Author's Note: Cute kid is cute.

Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Ministry (Winter Year 1); RAVEN (2023); MC4A (Winter Year 5)
Individual Challenges: Old Shoes (Y); Bucket Listing (Y); Two Cakes (Y); Eating Cake (Y); Zed Era; In a Flash; Ship Sails; Small Fry
Ministry Challenges: RRD [Day 22] (Pomona/Poppy)
RAVEN Challenges: Settings [15](Book Shop); Items [17](Breakfast Sandwich); Colors [85](Magenta)
Other Challenges: Zee Monthly [Day 23](Crime)
Other MC4A Challenges: Ship (n/a)[WiBig (Hot Chocolate)]; Chim [Rick]("Louder than Words" – Tick, Tick, Boom; Life/Death);Fire [x3](Leave); Hang [Phrase 4] (n/a); Soup [I](Innocence); Swap [Outerwear (Yellow Raincoat); Tops (Camp Shirt); Bottoms (Smiley Face Yoga Pants)]
Representation(s): Pomona Sprout/Poppy Pomfrey; Casia Sprout (OC); Blind Date Gone Wrong; Meet Cute
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: Fruit Fly; Horrible Love; Suddenly Audrey
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: Share (Ameliorate); SS (Schooner; Seduce); SHoE (Terse; Sorority)
Word Count: 722 words

(^^)
A Slice of Pie
(^^)

Pomona was out running errands with her five-year-old daughter Casia. The late January day had a bite to the air that had them both shivering as they went about their business, especially Casia who had picked out an ensemble that was only adequate for the season. The little girl did look cute in the shirt she had gotten at the day camp she had attended last summer and yoga pants with smiley faces on it. She did have her bright yellow raincoat over it, which was lined in red plaid fleece. It was enough to keep her from freezing even if it wasn't what Pomona would have preferred that she wear.

It was after lunch when Pomona steered them into a small book shop that had a café area for a bit of fortifying. Casia was mesmerized by the barista's violently magenta, but Pomona was convinced it was a crime against good taste to have hair that particular color.

They ordered hot drinks to warm themselves up. Since they were both feeling peckish, they also ordered food. Casia got a hot chocolate with extra whipped cream and a slice of apple pie. Pomona got the more grown-up choices of a mocha cappuccino and a breakfast sandwich. She knew at least half the sandwich was likely to make its way into the little girl's stomach. It was a habit that Pomona was trying to break but it was slow-going.

They took their food to one of the booths that lined the edges of the dining area. Casia reached for her slice of apple pie. But before she could take a bite, the man at an adjacent table suddenly stood up with an angry huff.

"I can't believe I wasted my lunch break on this blind date," he said, with a shake of his head. "You might be some hotshot at the hospital, but you're not worth my time."

The other person, a woman, seemed to deflate as the man gathered his things and stalked out of the café. Casia looked up from her pie, wide-eyed and clearly surprised at the spectacle. Pomona tapped the table in an attempt to get the little girl to stop staring. It only made Casia glance at her before going right back to staring.

"But Mummy," she whined, "he's being mean. He's not supposed to do that. It's rude!"

The woman at the table next to them looked up, her face pale. Her eyes were glassy from the sudden emotional outburst. She tried to smile, but it ended up as only a sickly grimace. Casia gave a little nod that sent her bright curls bouncing. Then she slid from the booth with her little plate of pie. She carried it with great care the few feet to the next table where she set it down in front of the woman.

"Pie makes everything all better," she said, her small voice barely more than a whisper. "It's apple. It's my favorite."

The woman blinked, taken aback by the unexpected act of kindness. She looked at Pomona, who smiled encouragingly and nodded. Embarrassed, but grateful, she took the plate and said, "Thank you. I'm sure it's delicious."

As soon as she said it, she realized how silly it sounded, and she blushed, but Casia only smiled wider.

"Mummy says it's the best in town," she said. Then she tried to wink. But she couldn't manage it and ended up only blinking at the woman.

The woman laughed, and Pomona watched as her daughter reached up and patted her hand in an act of solidarity. In that moment, Pomona felt a profound connection to the woman, and she wished that the afternoon had gone differently for her. Gods know that she had had enough bad dates to never wish someone else to go through that.

"My name is Pomona," she said, before motioning to her daughter. "This is my daughter Casia. Would you like to join us?"

The woman hesitated for a moment, a hand nervously rubbing the back of her neck. But then she looked up, and the woman saw something in her eyes that she couldn't quite name—a glimmer of hope, a spark of connection—and she knew how the other woman was going to answer.

"My name is Poppy," she said simply, "and I would love to."