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"No, Mom, no," Haruka sat sideways in the receptionist chair as she flipped casually through a fashion magazine. Cotton balls were stuck between her toes while she waited for the nail polish to dry.

Nanami sat at her own desk, a tiny little thing by the tattoo chair. A sketchpad was open on her lap, showing a newly sketched design. She was not happy.

"Come on, Haruka, I'm bored, give me something to do," she whined childishly, flipping through the sketchpad. "Here, look, this one is cute. And it's small, so it won't stand out and it won't hurt, I promise," she pleaded, holding open the pad so her daughter could see.

"I've told you a billion times, I don't want a tattoo," Haruka replied, not bothering to look up from her magazine. There was a long silence, and when she did move her eyes from the page, she discovered Nanami making her signature hurt-puppy face.

With a sigh, Haruka climbed down from the chair and flipped her bangs back. "Fine, fine, you freak," she gave in, much to Nanami's utter delight.

Haruka had just sat down in the chair when a timer went off in the background. "Oops, my toes are done. Time for another coat!" and before Nanami could even open her mouth to protest, Haruka was inside the house, and her chance was gone.

Nanami looked up at the voice and was pleased to see Carly. "Heyy," she greeted as she set aside the sketchpad and stood up. She took a moment to stretch, having been sitting in one position for most of the day. She grinned. "A lot of people say that. Sometimes I feel like I should paint the walls and play some different music," she said with a mock sigh. "So, what can I do for you today?" she smiled.

Nanami was definitely relieved to hear that laugh at the end of the sentence; she would have died doing something like that. Sure, it would have been able to pay her bills for a year, but she would probably lose a hand in the process.

"I may not be able to help you with the 'makeover', but I can definitely do that," she replied with a smile. "Just a sec," she held up her index finger before walking over to the door that separated the sun room from the rest of the house, and leaned in, holding onto the door frame for support. "Haruka~ We have a guest~" she called. Turning back from the door, she returned to her seat and rolled the chair forward so it was facing Carly.

"Eesh, so he's the only bartender?" she asked with a sympathetic frown. "That must be hard; that place gets a lot of customers, especially since it's the only bar on the island."

Haruka walked through the door holding a tray; on top were two mugs, a kettle of hot water, spoons, and packs of instant hot chocolate. She set them down on the receptionist's desk before turning to see who was hanging out in the chair. "Oh," she said, surprised to see Carly.

"Ah, Carly, this is my daughter, Haruka. Haruka, this is Carly, I met her at the bar," Nanami introduced them with a smile.

"The woman with the curls," Haruka acknowledged her with a small nod. Nanami looked confused. "You've met before?" she looked up at her daughter.

"Not really," Haruka shrugged before handing Carly one of the mugs. "Sorry, we're cheap."

"Oh, really?" Nanami was a little surprised. Ahh, now she wished she had gone. Oh well, it was good for Haruka to get out and about on her own. "I hear you, I can't cook a meal to save my life, either," she said with a wink, taking her own mug. She ripped open the package, dumped into the mug, poured some hot water in, and mixed it. No skill needed!

Nanami and Haruka looked at each when Carly commented on their looks. Most people didn't get that far, mainly since they were too off-put by the whole teen pregnancy thing. "Ahh, yeah, she takes after her dad. Good looking kid, he was," she nodded with a nostalgic smile.

Nanami grinned and laughed. "Oh, Carly, you're still young! You're not an old lady like me, not yet!" she winked playfully.

Haruka, who had taken a seat behind the receptionist's desk, looking at her mother oddly. "You're still in your twenties, Mom. Stop talking like you're ancient. You make me feel old, too."

Nanami looked at Carly in mock surprise. "Can you believe this girl? The moment she turns fifteen she acts like she knows everything." Haruka rolled her eyes and picked up the fashion magazine she had been reading earlier.

"You don't work, Carly?" Nanami asked as the thought occurred to her.

"A writer?" Nanami smiled, impressed. She had always had a strong preference for creative types. Maybe because she was deeply involved in the arts herself. "That kind of suits you, oddly enough," she remarked. She was about to say something else when she moved suddenly, knocking the contents of her mug all over her lap. "s**t!" she yelped as she stood up suddenly. "Aww, dammit," she sighed as she saw that her kimono-top had gotten stained. "Hold on a second, please?" she looked at Carly apologetically before disappearing into the house to change.

There was a long silence before Haruka spoke up. "So... you and my mom?" she offered, looking at Carly but avoiding direct eye contact. "Err, sorry it's kind of awkward... We've never done this sort of... thing... before..."

Haruka's expression turned even more uncomfortable, as if she had never needed to hear that about that side of her mother. "Well, I knew she had met you at the bar..." But she had no idea that there were strippers there too. She didn't need to imagine her mom drinking with strippers. "...I didn't know there were... uhh... strippers.... there..." she shifted uncomfortably in her seat and looked down at her lap. She decided to change the subject. "But, uhm, just so you know, my dad lives far away and we never see him, so... You don't have to worry about that," she offered, trying to be helpful.