At first she simply walked up and looked around happily. She had asked if she needed help, and she shook her head and stated that she was waiting for her ma first. When the clerk began to look concerned, she looked back at the enterance.

Minutes later, her mother came rushing in and just about squeezed Alina to death. The little girl whined from the far too long hug. Hadn't she been right behind her? What had taken do long? "Where were you?" Was all the little girl said in response, using the same language, though she spoke slow as she tried to remember the words.

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Magic by Lady!

Ronan stopped hugging her only to start shaking her with every word uttered, "Where, was, I? Where was I?! Where were ...ye?--" Her voice faded away as she looked around, right where she told her to go of course. She took a breath and fought to regain her composure then sighed, "Lass, good lass." She said quietly loosening her grip, and finally letting her go. "Ye good, ye went right where ye supposed to."

Knees cracked and popped as she rose to her feet and turned to the woman behind the counter, "Two baskets please." The woman gave the price, 4 pence, which wasn't bad for two fresh cooked meals. Ronan pulled out some change and opened her palm, "Think ye can count out what we need and give it to the nice miss hmm?"

  

The young girl gave a confused whine when her mother began shaking her and ranting. She stayed quiet as her mother came to her realization. Then she tilted her head. "Of course ma, why wouldn't I?" She asked in genuine confusion.

Heading over when her mother said, she attempted to count the right amount. She was a little off, but it wasn't too bad. She looked at her mother expectantly, wanting to know how right she was.

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Magic by Lady!

The woman smiled down at her wee bit and shook her head, "Thought somebody took ye from me, promise if someone ever does ye will scream, as loud as ye can, try to break all the windows hmm?" She hugged the girl to her a moment more, and then let her count the coins.

"No not quite lass. One pence, two pence, three pence..." She said recounting, and waiting for the girl to count the fourth. She believed the lass would get it, but learning would take time. "What's the next number wee bit?" She encouraged.

  

Alina wasn't sure why her ma would think that she would let someone take her without a fuss, but she ignored her own questions and nodded.

Not quite, but almost. The young lass took a moment to think. "Four pence?" She said, though it was said more like a question. All learning took time. But it would sure help if she had a constant source of learning. Not that she blamed her mother or aunt for such a thing.

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Magic by Lady!

Ronan smiled and gave a nod, "Aye four pence lass. Now go on hand the money over." She said and soon after two bundles of fish and chips wrapped in newspaper came to them, and they smelled divine.

"Here wee bit, careful it be hot, go find ah place to sit hmm?" Ronan waited for the girl to pick a spot and then moved to sit with her. Carefully she unwrapped her own newspaper bundle, keeping an eye on Alina to make sure she could manage, but not interfering in the girl's efforts.

A little bit of vinegar added to the fish and chips and she was ready to eat, but she only consumed a single filet of fish and a few chips before wrapping the rest up. Her thoughts were always to her daughter and her sister, and it had not been lost to her that her sister may be equally hungry when they got back to their new home.

  

A great big smile beamed on Alina's face when she got the number right. Then she handed over the money happily. Happy to have figured it out. Happy to have a good meal soon after.

Taking the food, she wandered a little to find a good spot to sit. Finding it, she carefully worked at unwrapping the food herself. It felt good to do things for herself. To not need help. Which is what she worked for. She liked independence. Keeping it that way always felt good to her.

As a growing child, Alina was constantly hungry. Especially after playing or doing chores and such. So it was no wonder that she was more on thoughts of her own hunger than that of another. The fish and most of the chips were gone by the time she realized that she should have thought of aunt Ella. Giving a sheepish smile, she wrapped up the rest and held it out to her mother.

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Magic by Lady!

Ronan sat quietly and people watched while her daughter chowed down, her attention only brought back to the girl when she saw the greasy newspaper bundle shoved in her direction. "No thank ye lass, you finish eatin that, unless ye wantin to save it for after we do laundry hmm?" She gave her a warm smile, "Remember us big people got small stomachs unlike ye wee folk. Auntie can eat the rest of mine." She tickled her just beneath the chin.

As the eldest of her small family she was always making some excuse for her hunger. 'My tummy is singin me to sleep.' and 'I had ah dream of ah giant feast and now me just too stuffed to eat.' and 'had me ah pint on me way from work, dare say it filled me up.' It was something she had picked up from her Dah growing up, and something she used to help her sister and then daughter along. These days she really didn't have a big stomach so it only felt natural to eat small meals here and there.

  

Even though she would certainly have eaten it all by herself immediately, she did try to think of others when she could. Her mother did. She giggled when her mother tickled her, then put her chips in her pocket. "After laundry." She stated.

At this age, she was more to mentally question the things her mother claimed than questioning them out loud. Unless she was really curious. It would be a couple more years before Alina became truly skeptical of these claims. One to protect one's own.

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Magic by Lady!

The older red head chuckled as she got the smiles and giggles she wished she could keep forever. "Come on then." She rose to her feet and gave a slight stretch before saying with a relaxed sigh, "Follow close or I'll hole ye hand." Ronan was no stranger to Alina's desire for independence. Once the lass learned to toddle about it was a fight to hold her. She wanted down and she wanted to wonder around.

Ronan gave a bit of a, "Hmph," at the memory of her fussy wee bit. They grew up so fast. She almost wished her first wasn't her last. Shaking her head she headed out of the chippy and down the road, down another ally way and with the tap of her wand into a wizarding hovel that provided the floo network. From there home was a hop and three skips down several rows of crammed housing.

When they arrived and went up the stairs piece mill work had already started up again with Martha and Josiah making match boxes with a few other neighboring women. Ronan went to hide the food she got for Ella while she searched for bits of laundry. She offered to do theirs, the neighbors, and the bachelors downstairs for a bit of coin, and was never one to waste an opportunity to make a dime. "Wee bit help gather hmm, throw it in that basket there." She gestured over to a large woven basket, embued with magic so it went deep then what it looked.

  

The younger redhead got up as well. Her mother's statement of possibly holding her hand made her give a small groan of protest. She didn't want to be clung to. Doing things herself was her preferred method of anything.

She followed her ma close, and did as told. She did peak into the basket and wondered how far down she would go if she jumped in. The clothes seemed to come right back up as she grabbed them. Would someone have to grab her? She wondered this as she collected dirty clothing.

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Magic by Lady!

Ronan knew the child was curious, and wouldn't be at all surprised if she joined the clothes in the basket. So she thought she would use a bit of headology, "Don' go jumpin in the basket less ye want to be carried in the basket." Carry being the key word.

As Alina gathered the small article, she stripped the beds both upstairs and downstairs. Some of the bachelors eyed her as she moved their numbers in a very straight forward manner ignoring them all together as she moved in and out. "Alright count of three lass, 1..." She began but let Alina finish the numbers. She then hoisted the basket up but kept it at a height the girl could reach so she could feel like she was helping.

The basket outside Ronan looked to the wee lass, "Start sortin I'll start fillin the wash tubs." Between the four houses she was doing laundry for they had two wooden wash tubs. Ronan cast Augmenti from her wand and one began to fill. When Alina wasn't looking she'd redirect her wand to splash the girl in a playful manner.

  

Did ma's read minds? Alina looked over at her mother in shock, and tilted her head slightly. How could she have known? But Alina went back to doing what she was doing nonetheless.

Helping her mother was fun sometimes. It was something to do, and she could follow her ma around as she did it. "Two, three!" She said after her mother began the count. Just like earlier. One, two, three.

Sorting was the fun part, except for the really stinky clothes. But she kept going. Until she felt the water splash her. She shrieked in shock, and than giggled. "Ma!" She called out in a playful accusation.

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Magic by Lady!

How did she know? Because little kids got into everything! She wasn't born yesterday, and was once a kid as well. She also knew her daughter did not fall far from the tree with that wild red hair. A chuckle followed the look of shock.

Later as she began a game between the two of them and splashed Alina. She raised both brows at the accusation, "Oy what lass? Ye step beneath ah rain cloud? Why ye all wet?" She feigned innocence, and the second the wee rascal went back to task she sprayed her again, "Wasn' me, don' know why ye would ever think that." She gave a bit of a whistle as she went back to filling the tub. Ronan did know how to play from time to time, and liked to make the chores a bit fun, especially when Alina got involved.

  

That was something that Alina did not fall for. Of course it had been her mother. Who else? And another splash caused another shriek. It felt like she had been soaked. So after her mother had turned away, she threw Josiah's shirt on her mother's head with a giggle. Likely not just mud on that one.

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Magic by Lady!

Ronan was not expecting to be topped, literally, with a young lad's putrid shirt. "Oy...ye goin to pay for that one." She said with a laugh as she flung the shirt aside, and then abandon the wash tubs, now both full, all together. "Come here ye!" She said arms out stretch as she went to chase her wee bit about in merriment. "I'm gonna get ye!"But a few minutes later her lungs rebelled and she was thrown into a coughing fit. She paused to try and catch her breath and save what was left.