Rabbit Hole Carnival: Mirror

“Is this card worth anything or not?” A young looking blonde girl swung the door.

“Sweetie, I didn’t mean that I just met.” An older looking man followed in shortly after her.
“Pardon us, sir”

“Oh, it’s quite alright.” Nick chuckled a little as he spoke. “Nicholas Shem, and I am quite accustomed to this. Welcome to the Rabbit Hole—”

“Oh no we won’t be staying” The old man replied.

“Yes. We. Will.” The girl replied, flailing her arms with a paper in her left hand. “You promised me that—” The girl paused, and turned to Nick, thoroughly confused as to how he had swiped the ticket out of her hand.

“I see… well given the importance of such a ticket, young lady” Nick replied, looking over the paper. “Welcome to the Rabbit Hole Carnival. What drinks will be your festivals?”

“Yay!” The blonde girl replied, before sitting down. “My name is Claire.”

“Joseph.” The old man replied looking a bit disappointed, but sat down nonetheless. “She wanted to be surprised as well so.” Joseph wrote something down on a napkin, and handed it to Nick.
“This way I fulfill one part of that ticket.”

“Why would you say it like that?” Claire asked, As Nick took the napkin behind the bar. “You said anywhere I wanted, and I want here.”

“You’re sure you don’t want some place less, um, rustic? Joseph asked.

“You don’t like it?” Claire replied. “Sure it looks old, but I think it's got its own little charms. Feels a bit homey too.”

“Well, the sleeping quarters are upstairs.” Nick said. “But you might want to leave your daughter’s drink up to someone else, Joseph.”

“You have someone in mind?” Joseph asked.

“Daddy?” Renee said, as she walked out. “Oh hello.” replying to the customers, and setting the drinks down.

Nick took one of the drinks and set back down next to Renee. “We have a rather special set of customers tonight, dear.” He handed Renee the ticket.

“Oh?” Renee looked the ticket over. And took a sip of the drink, before spitting it straight back out. “Blrugh. Ugh. You know I hated Planted Beanstalk. Why did you make me taste it?!” She grabbed the drink, and walked straight back behind the bar. “Disgusting.”

“Remind you of anyone, papa?” Claire giggled, and then paused  “Papa?”

“She’s not yours either is she?” Joseph replied.

“She's supposed to be my brother’s, but neither of us like to talk about him.” Nick replied. “I once gave her similar tickets.”

“Once? What happened to the tickets then?” Claire asked.

“I saved them up.” Renee replied, while placing a drink down in front of Claire. “Someone was very insistent that I didn’t wanna run this place with him, and I could turn them in at any time. So I drop exactly 20 of them, and then demand that I get to help run the place.” Renee stood tall right after speaking.

“By which she means throw them into my face.” Nick replied. “On her 20th birthday.”

“My dear, didn’t you want something better?” Joseph replied.

“Is that what you think?!” Claire shouted. “That I fill out all those tickets just from some little reward?”

“I just wanna spend time together. I appreciate the fun game. But that all it was to me, a fun game to play with Daddy. But if you view it as some chore, then I don’t wanna play anymore.” Renee replied in almost perfect sync with Claire. The lone difference being the words papa and daddy.

“Ugh.” Claire took one swig of the new drink she was given, and her eyes lit up. “Which one was this?”

“Shocking Apple” Renee replied. “It's my favorite, and not just because I’m the one who got on the menu.”

“You get to put things on your board?!” Claire replied. “I never got a thing put on our shelves.”

“What?” Renee asked, staring straight at Joseph. “Why doesn’t she get to put things on the shelves?”

“Because that locks her into something, when she could have it so much better.” Nick replied. “Isn’t that right?”

“She could have it so much better.” Joseph replied, as he nodded. “Yet she is always making toys, and trying to get me to put them on the shelves. Birds like our daughters deserve to fly.”

“Is that what both of you think?” Renee asked, taking a step back.

“Birds deserve a nest they like too.” Claire replied.