#isleofmuses | annie & elizabeth

[the-thieves-gambit]

━━ ✦ ( @isleofmuses ) cont from here

There were times when she was around Annie where she felt as if she was being interrogated subtly. The way she would make marks fall into a false sense of security to gather up every bit of information that she could about them before robbing them blind. She felt like the girl knew more about her than she should, more than even Elizabeth knew. The smile on her face only made Elizabeth feel more out of the know of something that only the girl knew, like she had read every page of her fathers' journal, that every day was becoming more her own. She'd have questions of her own to Annie, some other time. It didn't unsettle her, just made her curious about how the girl knew things she did.

❝ No secrets. ❞ She agreed, holding out her pinky for a pinky promise. It took her a moment to realize what word Annie meant to say and once she did, she simply nodded. ❝ Yeah, they will tell me what they can find if anything. Like you said, DNA, prints, hair, something, anything. ❞ Would like to know it was you who kept it, her eyebrows furrowed for a moment, wouldn't he like it best if it was kept by his family? She wanted to ask but she wasn't going to argue with the girl. ❝ I'll keep it safe and then give it back to you to give to him, okay.❞

❝ Are they? ❞ The woman chuckled at that declaration about cookies. ❝ I sort of enjoy the crunch when biting into the crunchy ones, like Oreos. I don't have a favorite, honestly. I think it depends on my mood.❞ She couldn't understand why but she was always honest with the kids in a way she just wasn't with anyone else. ❝ When I miss Orion I usually make chocolate chip, when I'm sad I make something my dad made at Christmas no matter where we were called Marens Kornflexkökur, it's more like a meringue than a cookies. When my stepmother and I lived in Mexico for a while, she would make the most delicious cinnamon sugar cookies and polvorones, but people call them wedding cookies. Is that what your Mama Meli likes? They're sort of round and covered in powdered sugar, no peanut butter. We can start with your favorite and then see what other ones we can make. ❞

While Annie was washing up, she looked at the necklace in her hand for a moment. An ache opened up in her, part of her wanted to keep it safe in a drawer somewhere but before she could question herself, she put it on instead. It's safer somewhere near her she convinced herself. Then looked over the keychain, something about it echoed in her mind but it was so full of thoughts at the moment that she couldn't pinpoint exactly why it seemed oddly familiar. A memory that seemed to escape her. Hearing Annie coming back from the bathroom, she placed it aside on the coffee table before going to wash up in the kitchen sink. Then she grabbed her apron and the smaller one she had tucked away in a cabinet, Orion's when he would visit.

Biting the inside of her cheek as she thought over how to best answer Annie's question, she squatted down so that they were at eye level and held up the apron to place it on her. ❝ I think that no matter what we find, we still won't like it. Not because of what it is, but what it did. ❞ She wanted to say who, because that was the truth of this all wasn't it? There was someone who had harmed someone that they all cared about. No matter who it was, it was an unforgivable thing. At the second question, her eyebrows knitted, not in confusion but in softness because there was nothing that she would keep from her. ❝ Of course, I do, Annie. He's - ❞ friend didn't feel like the right word to say. Not with everything that he had started to mean to her. Just standing there with Annie had her thinking of the times he would be standing there with a mug of coffee discussing a case or talking about his family. It made her stomach flip. ❝ the best person I know. Now,❞ she smiled at the girl and stood up gathering bowls, eggs, flour and holding up her hand mixer. ❝ let's get making some cookies yeah? Have you ever used a mixer before? ❞

[4fter-hours-archive]

At the new information she stared at the bracelet for a moment. The reason he made a big deal about it at the Canary’s when she showed up without it made sense now. But, he saw her being in his life for a long time? When had he decided that? At Easter when she had shown up with Orion? Before then? Was it something she said or did to indicate she would be around? It wasn’t something she was used to, people just wanted her to do what she had to do and be out of their lives.

Keep her safe? Annie had a way of flipping things she knew and seeing things in a new way every time she spoke to the girl. Listening to the story of her first couple months of life, she couldn’t help but smile. The thought of him watching over Annie, a guardian angel of sorts. At being liked Elizabeth chuckled, she wanted to say that she liked him back but didn’t know if she’s take it a different way. Something she didn’t want to happen as she still sorted that out herself.

Just like that Annie once again changed her thoughts on things as simple as a cat. And perhaps, something more but that would be something to focus on later.

Focusing on the matter at hand, she nodded at Annie’s agreement. “I promise to not keep you in the dark but the moment it gets dangerous I can’t include you Annie. I think that would fair, no? ” Funny enough, she was finally calling in her favor from the same person she just had let the girls mother know to call. “Someone on the force who I trust. They can run the tests and left me know what they find. Give me a sense of where to go next from here.” She could tell her that, right? Though she felt as if she was already breaking her word to her mother. “I’ll keep this safe I promise.”

Holding her empty hand out for the girl to take, “Alright let’s get going on making those cookies.” She had been baking and cleaning none stop since learning about Wally, so she was sure that had everything they would need for the girls choice. “Should we make some for you moms as well? What’s their favorites?”

Making sure the office doors were locked and secured, she took Annie upstairs to the apartment and got her situated in the living room. “The bathroom is right over there. Once you wash up we can get started.” Setting things down on on the coffee table with her dads old journal, which she was adding new pages to, and latest read,sending a quick message to her contact before washing up in the kitchen sink and began to collect all the ingredients to make cookies with Annie.

The child smiled like she was being silly for asking the question. She gently turned her own wrist to show off a little eight symbol. "Infinity." She said, green hazel eyes looked at Elizabeth. "Yours has a tiny one here. It's not visible. It means he sees you in his life for a long while. Like a," she thought back to how he explained it. "Security blanket or the moon lighting the way. You can't get lost in the dark with a light. I was an nicu baby when I was born. I am fine now obviously but he made this when I was in the unit for the week and he didn't leave me. He made a tiny one for me too which has grown as I have and it said to have kept me from going kaput." She gave a toothy smile. "But that's not your reason because you're not a nicu baby. I think it's to keep you safe. Like he likes you."

She repeated the cats name and giggled. "It's pretty. I like it." A frown replaced her giggle as she looked down at where the cat could have gone. "No. I don't believe it doesn't like you. If it did it wouldn't come back. She knows she's safe here but isn't ready to jump in. She's like a human who has been hurt before so is being careful." It was a simple answer to the child. The cat had a capacity to love just afraid.

Annie knew that tone of voice, she'd heard it every time she was right about something but was too little. But she was determined and knew this wasn't going to let her sleep. "I promise. Cross my heart I won't run off but please don't shut me out. Whatever we find don't shut me out. I wanna help. Who are you going to call?" While she inspected the bag she handed over the necklace too. "This was on him I heard one say. They didn't take it from him. Here. I think he'd want you to keep it safe for him." She nodded and was not gonna take no for an answer. He cared she knew that. Her eyes brightened at cookies. "Oh yes. I like chocolate chip cookies with coconut sprinkles. Can we make those?"

[the-thieves-gambit]

Laughing, she fetched Orion's Yankee's. " Well our favorite team is the Yankee's, so you're stuck in Yankee blue. The Giant's is only when I got back to California." Gently placing it on the girls head, she asked. "Knowing baseball and liking baseball is different. Do you like baseball, Annie? Have a favorite team, been to a game? "

Smiling, she made a sign of crossing her heart. "I won't, promise." Orion had been the same way the last she saw him. Wanting independence and learning how to do things on his own. She didn't know if that came from wanting to prove to his new parents that he wasn't a burden or wanting to be self-sufficient but nonetheless gave him the space and skills he desired. "Can I just give the belts a tug to make sure it's all good to go?"

Of course, Annie was smart enough to figure this out independently. "Yeah." She said softly thinking back to all that had happened. "I helped him on that, a lot happened but I don't think I should be the one to tell you any of it. I'll never keep anything from you Annie, but your uncle and his missions are his to share, okay."

Settling into the driver seat, she sighed as she looked at the girl in the rear view mirror before starting the car. "We're going to the bank first," she turned her attention back ahead of her and began to drive. "I have to get some money. Then I'm going to talk to an acquaintance of mine, who has an ear on all things that happen. Have them tell whoever knows anything about your uncle to meet me somewhere and then talk. We're just gonna talk." And bribe, but that was neither here nor there. As she stopped at a red light, she sighed. "I'm pretty sure you know quid pro quo, right Annie?"

The girl's question was just as complicated as the ones her uncle would ask her. Leave it to these two to make her have to revaulate the way she thought about people. "I do care about and for him, he's a friend and he's helped me through a lot of things. We've been there for each other and I just want him to be okay." That was the best she could come up with for now. Parking into a space in front of the bank, she smiled at Annie. "Alright, first stop."

The question of the cap had her snap her up in a quick motion. "Yes, please. As long as it's not the Giants or Angels cap." She made a face not liking either of those teams. "I know baseball," she giggled. "I've got many uncles who love different things and I get to soak it up." She stood there and gaged if she could do it. "I can do it." Annie had the same independent spirit of her mothers. "I'm a big girl! Just don't tell my mamas they'll get sad."

Her reaction to Canary's had her know that she was onto something. "No. He doesn't know I know. He doesn't talk about his missions with me. I overhear sometimes. But that's not important, you were there with him. So you were the one who helped him?" Her voice was hopeful and grateful. Here she was thinking he had done it all alone. Then wondered why he didn't say he had her help. "Something happened didn't it?" She was intelligent and unlike most kids her brain could calculate things with a look or in this case, silence.

"So, you have a plan. What is it?" Annie was sometimes a tiny little woman inside when she asked questions. She wasn't concerned with cartoons, what interested her was having her mind be stimulated. This was one of those cases. "Do you care or do you care for him. They're very different."

[the-thieves-gambit]

"Of course," Elizabeth smiled at the girl. "We can make whatever you like in the time we have and then we can make something else next time I see you." At her sigh, she couldn't help the astonished laugh out of her, looking at the girl with a wide-open mouth, Annie had never been one to mince words and this was one of those moments. "I guess I am," she chuckled. " I do mean it, I'm not that good a singer but I can sing a song in sign language."

Leaving the playlist the girl approved of, Elizabeth nodded as she set aside her phone and began to think of the task ahead. Making sure that Annie wouldn't get hurt while they baked. The last thing she wanted for for Annie to hurt a finger or burn her hands while they did something that was supposed to keep her mind off what was happening with her uncle. "Yeah," the reply was soft. From everything she had heard from Wally and the little time she had spent with them she knew that it was truth. There weren't families out there like Annie's and the girl had the best one out there. "You're very blessed, is what my stepmother would say." Just like her uncle, Annie included her into things so casually and it made her feel so strange but something she had become accustomed to, so she just let the words hang there and not include herself. It wasn't the best time to tell anyone that Mai had been training with her because she was planning on leaving soon. " Sounds wonderful. And my reading voice is spectacular, according to Orion. I'd love to fill in for a while if you like."

The girl was right in many ways but how to explain that when someone tried to do good, those around them tried to stop them. That they try to diminish the light they shined and want to extinguish it. "Yeah, I hate them too." Laughing at her air quotes, she knew they all too well that who ever it was, was on Annie's shit list for sure. Granted, if someone talked to her like a baby she'd hate that too, it was obvious within moments of meeting Annie that talking to her like that would get you no where.

Glad that the girl agreed, she set everything aside. "I'll be right back," she told the girl as she hastily made her way to her room. At the bottom of her closet, she used the letter opener on her dresser drawer to lift up the plank she had so long ago removed and replaced when she first moved here. Under there she kept everything from all her past meticulously catalogued. Identities properly bundled with documents, passports that correlated with it. There it was, Schatze Page, that would be her best bet. It was the oldest one, no one would be looking for her. Placing the board back down, she grabbed an empty backpack she kept and stuffed the documents in it before heading back to the kitchen and grabbing two boxes of pop tarts and shoving it in the back pack as well. Grabbing her baseball cap off the back of the couch, she put it on and then looked at Annie. Remembering that she needed to keep the girl cool, she offered. “Do you need a cap? I have one of Orion’s, I’m sure it’d fit you.”

"Would never dream of letting you do such a thing," she smiled at Annie as she took her hand. Making sure the apartment and then the office downstairs was locked, she began to lead the girl to where she had parked her car. "The Canary's?" The shocked and confused look on her face was evident as she unlocked the door. "Uh, yeah," she had long ago promised that she would never lie to Orion or Annie. "I was there. Did he mention that to you?" Holding the back door open for her, she added. "I have Orion's booster seat there, did you need help getting into it?" He was quickly outgrowing it but Charlie and Anna made it known that until he was out of the age or the weight and height range for it, he needed to be in one.

The slight pause made the little girl turn her head and tilt. She wanted to say something but stopped herself. What was it that she was gonna say. That it wasn't true that they hadn't gotten close? That there wasn't something there that neither one wanted to admit or see? Instead she just nodded and giggled. "I have seen the bow tie pasta. Can we make that? We should make it together."

She made a face and sighed. "You're one of those aren't you." Meant nothing by it just that she had heard the not a good singer bit before. "I like it. Leave it there." She said and bobbed her head.

"Thank you," she responded softly. "They're the best. I'm very lucky. I know a lot of people don't get so lucky. They're yours now too. Whenever you need something you won't be out in the rain. Someone always has an umbrella."she nodded in understanding and tried her best not to make a mess in her kitchen. "How's your reading voice? Maybe you can tag in for him while he recovers." Annie shrugged, "Maybe he can't but someone else can. There's always someone else higher than the rest isn't there? You hate them too? Have you met them all? I met one before and didn't care for them. Spoke to me like I was dumb. Baby talked me like I didn't know what he meant by wanting to get cozy with a receptionist." She did air quotes and rolled her eyes. There she was so much like her uncle. Not that she knew what sex was or meant but she knew code words. That was why her mothers never hid big words from her.

Annie's head turned ever so slowly as she nodded her head. She knew or hoped what this meant. That they were going to get answers. Get her uncle help. That made her grin and wiped her hands on the apron. "Lets go to the bank. The bank on this part of the island or another island? Never mind. Let's go." She climbed down the stool and went over to her little booklet. A booklet that served as a journal but also where she wrote her own clues down. Something she observed from people around her. It taught her to look past what was in front of her.

With her booklet in hand she smiled and held out her hand for Liz to take. "Can't cross the street without holding a trusted adults hand." Annie was friendly, but was also cautious. That caution came into play with everyone else she met but not Liz. Wally trusted her and she knew that it was enough to give her the trust back. "Were you there at the Canary's?" She asked out of nowhere. She was never told anything about missions but Canary's she happened to land upon when she was in his office and she liked to read. Even if those were classified notes. "I read it. No not true. I saw it and then went to a map and saw the same name." She was awfully proud of herself for finding it on a map but didn't quite know what she landed on. Like her uncle said she was too smart for her own good. She may also have conned someone at the office to tell her what the C word read. This did nothing to dispel the notion she wouldn't grow up to be quite an agent or detective.

[the-thieves-gambit]

"I-" she wanted to say that she just helped him with cases but that was a lie. They did more than work together these days now and she knew that. He was a huge part of her life now. But just caring for someone didn't just make them family, did it? Annie's words always threw her off, turned what she believed on its head, and made her question herself and this was no different. It always struck her how different it was to talk to her over her own godson. Orion would drag her into his interests, ask her a question, and be able to take the answer as she gave it, not question her or challenge her. Unless he was in a mood.

"Yeah, pasta is good." A small smile, mind still reeling from all that Annie had said. "Have you ever tried making it? You only need eggs and flour and you can make pasta in any shape you want." The subject of cooking was a safe topic they could focus on right now. "That sounds like an amazing!" Elizabeth said as she began to measure things out, listening to her recount the memory.

"Of course not," Elizabeth quickly wiped her hands on her apron and reached into her pocket for her phone. Chuckling, "No, I'm not a very good singer." She wasn't terrible but not great either. "When he gets better you can all go to karaoke as a celebration. I don't do well at those things." Turning the Bluetooth on, she began to scroll through music showing the screen to Annie looking for a playlist that fit the genres she was looking for. "What do you think of this one?"

The thing that amazed her the most about the girl was how well-rounded Annie was. "I can only imagine, it's never losing someone you care about, or cared about you." She knew that some people who were intelligent lacked emotionally, just like some who were intelligent emotionally lacked intelligence. Annie was well-rounded, still cared so much, and knew so much, it never seemed to compromise the other.

"You have an amazing family, you know that." It was said almost like wistful, longing. It never lacked love, it seemed whenever she heard Wally or Annie talk about everyone. "Yes, it spins," she pointed to the hand mixer paddles. "These, but we'll do it on low so you can used to it, first. Then we can turn it up slowly."

Putting all the ingredients into a bowl for Annie to mix, the words that she said from the book she read made her chuckle. It was after what she herself did, was it not? Lose herself in the stories of books, wishing she was the people on the pages she was reading and not the ghost of a girl the world had made her. "Well, it sounds like a good book and I'm sure that he will be excited to finish it with you when he's back home feeling better." Once she had always been the pessimist, always looking for the bad, waiting for the bad, accepting that it would all be bad but now, she hoped for the good. For good things to happen to good people, especially for the best one she knew.

The shake of the head made Elizabeth laugh. "Yeah, you and me both, amiguita. But he can't do much about who is hired there." Holding the bowl with one hand, she held the side of the mixer so Annie could hold the top. "Okay, now hold the top handle tightly and I'll press this button to start and once you get comfortable holding it I can make it go higher." But the words that Annie had said kept echoing in her head, as much as she told herself that she needed to let someone else lead on this, she couldn't. She needed to put her feelings aside as she usually did and put in the work. It was what she did, it was what she was best at. For a moment, she hesitated, she knew it might not be the best time to do this but the longer they waited the harder a lead would be to find.

It would have to be done carefully and, if danger was even remotely possible, she would be sure to drop it. So, with a slight hesitation, she asked. "Annie, would it be okay if we finished making cookies in a bit? I have to run to the bank and see a friend. I forgot about it, I'm sorry. It'll be a quick run." If the girl put up any sort of decline to go outside, she would let it be and just stay home and make cookies with the girl.

Her eyes widened at the revelation and hummed softly to herself. "He needs you too." A giggle and a hand in her mouth later she looked up and nodded. "He needs you. Mhmm. Family is all who care about him and that means you." The child nodded as if that was the most obvious. "We have that in common then." She grinned and quickly went back to her natural neutral state. "I don't think you're his friend. I think you're more."

"That seems so sad. To live like that. Maybe what you couldn't have before you can now have. It is never too late. I don't have allergies. Just get really tired out in the sun. Food is good. Any kind is good. Do you like pasta?" Her head was full of questions some that were to the point and others that came from left field.

She tried to think of any places she may have visited and then remembered one. "We went to Colima! I think that's what it is called. It was very nice. Uncle Wally got a waffle stuck in his nose at a restaurant. They called me guerita like my mama. I think they didn't think I'd know what that means. One night we saw monarcas at night. They were really beautiful." Happily so she nodded and clapped. "Yay. What do we do first?"

She stopped and stared at her. "If you wouldn't mind please. It'll be like he's still here. I don't. Usually we play shuffle and we get jazz or pop or rock. I like whatever has a good beat or has nice words. I bet you have a good singing voice you just haven't tried it. When he gets better you and him should go karaoke."

She stepped on the stool once it brought and giggled. "Thank you. I'm more sad for my tio Andy because he loved her very much. He lost a second mama." Her eyes sparkled with excitement doing something a big girl would do. "It shakes? That is funny. I do! Every Friday we have cooking nights. Sundays I do breakfast with tio wally. He makes waffles for me. But normally it's not always my mamas cooking. Sometimes its tia lulu or tia dia. Then its the boys turn to cook meals for everyone." She got reminded of a book then and gleefully nodded her head. "Yes. I picked up a book called The Lost Bookshop. We got to this part," she recited it from memory. "The thing about books,’ she said ‘is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.’ On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found. It's as far as tio wally got. Now," she sighed and shook out of her head. " I hate the people he works with."

[the-thieves-gambit]

"Yeah, I don't like hospitals either. If they let others besides family go visit, I'll come with you, okay. I think right now he needs his family, like you the most." Elizabeth wasn't one to ever assume that she was important to someone and definitely not to a man who had so many others to love and loved him back. She was just someone that helped him with cases, someone he helped, a friend.

" No," she answered the girl. " I think that I moved around so much that I couldn't have a favorite. If I did then I'd be disappointed if wherever we went didn't have it. It was better to not get attached to things, play favorites, just take what was available." Shaking her head, " Nope, unlike your uncle I don't have any allergies. Your mom said you didn't either, right? Don't want you to eat anything you shouldn't."

Having Annie around was keeping her mind from wandering and worrying and it was welcomed as she listened to her talk through thoughts quickly as they came and went from her brain. "I did for a little bit. I know that now! Have you visited Mexico before? There are many pretty places go see." No room for sad butterflies. She liked that thought, Annie always give her a new way to see things when she saw her. " Okay, then lets make those."

Singing? She wanted to tell Annie that she had to be mistaken, that seeing her couldn't be the correlation for his singing. Perhaps something else made him sing and it just was being jumbled right now. But she was not about to contradict a little girl worried about someone she loved. " Of course. I will always tell you the truth, okay. I don't sing but I have a record player and a radio. Would you like me to play some music while we bake? Do you have some favorite music?"

For a moment, she felt like she did a long time ago when she was almost caught in Spain. Being under surveillance. The look Annie gave her was reminiscent of when Wally knew she was lying but didn't call her out on her. It was a little scary how alike they were. Instead of pondering what it could be that Annie was trying to surmise, she focused on the task ahead. "I'm sorry you lost your Tati," she said as she brought the chair she usually had Orion stand on when they made pancakes over so that she could stand up on it and reach the counter properly. She had only lost her father, but it was so long ago that she couldn't remember the grief anymore, not after everything that happened after. "I'll hold it with you so you can get used to how shaky it feels when it's on before you do it yourself. If you don't like it, we can mix it the old-fashioned way. A whisk. Do you cook a lot with your moms? Have you read any new books lately?"

They felt like safe territory to talk about for now.

"I hope we find something. Maybe a person so we have something to go on. Isn't that the point? If we have fingerprints we can have someone to blame." Shaking her head she grinned. "You'll give it to him. I would like to see his smiling face and I know you make that happen. We can go together. I don't like hospitals but I think he needs to see faces he likes."

"Ya huh. Oreos are fun to dunk. Uncle Wally taught me that but my mamas didn't appreciate that very much. I made a mess. You don't have a favorite cookie?" She asked finding that interesting. "Are you allergic?" That was the only reason really she had to compare with people not having a favorite. She knew that because most of the brand cookies could kill her uncle. So food was always carefully curated for him and her little cousins who also had food restrictions. "What are Marens...no can't say that. Gimme some time to learn it. Are they sweet? Have you been sad lately? I hope not. Cinnamon sugar cookies sound delicious. You lived in Mexico? Did you know I'm half!" The proud expression on her face was alight with joy. Most people didn't know that because like her mom said people just disregarded it based on the light eyes or the light skin. "My mama meli loves those though! Can we make her some? Maybe it'll cheer her up. I say tummy full leaves no room for the sad butterflies."

Bright blue eyes blinked as she made eye contact and a tiny little face full of hope and faith stared back at her. She believed in her and took what she said with great care. "Because he got hurt." she whispered softly, head nodding as that was her own confirmation to what she'd say. "He sings when he's spent time with you, you know." She started as her eyes started to gloss over with tears. "When he cooks spaghetti. He sings. It's only on days he's met with you. I miss that." She hadn't had that since he'd gotten hurt and she wasn't allowed to see him. Irritation filled in her eyes as she wanted to see him. Wiping at her eyes she smiled and sighed. "Thank you for telling me the truth and not lying to me." She liked fitting into the apron and smoothed it out with her hands.

The first thing she noticed after coming back was the fact that the necklace was now around her neck. She smiled softly as she averted her gaze and knew that it would be kept safe. If things had force fields then she'd choose to believe that lived in that necklace. Annie stared at her like she was trying to figure her out and in a way she was. Did the kid know a thing about adult relationships? Not one clue but she did know what love looked like. She had a giant dose of it at home being surrounded by her family, her uncles and aunts. With the stories her uncle Wally would tell her she would be a fool not to believe that people were meant to be together and would not be who she was if she didn't think that love came from friendship. Wasn't that what her mamas told her. Love comes from friendship, knowing someone deeper than they know themselves and letting them be who they were without judging their mistakes. Yes. That was what she remembered so when Elizabeth hesitated, she took the chance to really look at her the same way Wally would stare when he was trying to figure out what to say next. "Mhmm." Another thing she and her uncle had in common. That saying without saying anything. "He's the best. I love him very much. He saves people and now I'm gonna save him." She giggled and amended her sentence. "We're gonna save him."

She wore a puzzled look right before she saw the hand mixer. "Maybe once but that was a very long time ago with Tati. She's not my grandma but kind of is. Or was." Annie's face fell a little bit. "She died recently but I think I remember her using one of those you're holding." Diana's mother was an intricate part of the family. She had taken on every one of them as one of her own even if they didn't share blood. She had moved to Hawaii with baby Diana right about the time her mama moved to the island too. Details were a little fuzzy for the seven year old but still she had the gist. All she knew was that when nonna was in town that she'd get treats and get to spend time in the kitchen. Getting out of her inner thoughts she grinned, a replica of her mother's smile and nodded. "But I'm excited to relearn with you! Show me what can I do."