Here amongst the shadows

One Shot

To all tuning into this fic, I hope y'all enjoy it.:D Feedback of any kind is very much appreciated.:)

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Kendra stared across the table at the man she was told as a child growing up had turned her parents into frogs, wonder in her eyes, having previously believed that he'd forever stay imprisoned on the isle with the rest of the villains and their children, wondering if her twin brother would be reacting similarly to her if he were here right now. Dr. Facilier, notoriously known as the Shadow Man... She felt like she was in the presence of a myth right now rather than an ordinary man who had ruined the lives of countless people and attempted to do the same to her parents until his wicked plans were thwarted. The witch doctor in front of her right now... It's just that he didn't seem nearly as villainous as her parents had described to her. She sensed a...softness in him that didn't feel befitting of someone with his track record of cruelty and manipulation.

The smile on Tiana's face was more of a smirk than a smile, the restaurant owner's arms crossed over her chest as she studied the sole man sitting in her restaurant, Tiana having done something she'd rarely ever done and closed the restaurant up early after coming back with her daughter and the trio consisting of the man from her past, his lovely daughter, and a scowling boy a few years his daughter's senior. "Well, doctor? Seeing as you have no other place to go, it wouldn't be wise to turn down my offer."

Dr. Facilier glared at the cunning woman, knowing full well that she was right but refusing to admit it both to her and himself. He looked to his left at Celia, a smile not having left his precious daughter's face, since Tiana had placed a bowl of gumbo down in front of her, it more than obvious to the father that his daughter was enjoying her meal. The chef had set a bowl of gumbo down in front of him as well but he hadn't taken a single bite of it out of pure stubbornness. He tries to keep his hard mask from cracking, tries to keep a smile from curving across his lips as he watches his daughter eat, not wanting to look weak in front of the woman that was the reason he'd lost his soul previously. Perhaps, if it were only himself he were looking out for, if he hadn't had a hand in bringing into the world the one thing he cared about more than money then it would've been easy to deny Tiana's offer but when he'd been revived, the course of his second chance at life changed forever when Celia was born.

Huiliang shoveled another spoonful of gumbo into his mouth. Damn, this shit was good. If that pretty lady had been the one to make it, then he was impressed. These flavors... They were all so very new to him but were pleasing to his taste buds, the teenager frowning when he noticed that he was nearly finished with his bowl, already eager for more.

"Fine," Huiliang heard Dr. Facilier say, the boy looking up from his meal, blinking at the man he had very little respect for. The man looked as stubborn and irritated as he had when they'd arrived but there's also a hint of resignation on his face. "We'll stay with you and that spoiled man-child of a prince."

Celia smiled excitedly. "Wait, so that means I'll get to have more of this amazing gumbo."

Tiana giggled, her light brown eyes containing a motherly softness as she stared at Celia, a smile on her face. "Yes, that's right, Celia."

Celia returned the beautiful woman's smile, deciding that she liked the woman. "Did you make this yourself, Miss Tiana?"

Tiana nodded, saying smilingly, "Well, yes and no... If it weren't for my father—" Tiana's eyes glow with a mixture of warmth, admiration, and sadness, one having to look very close to notice the slight wane in her smile. "—I wouldn't know the original recipe. I gave it a few tweaks and it became the gumbo it is today."