She was dressed in ripped jeans and a too large men's shirt. Her hair was in it's usual braided pig-tails, and a red bandanna covered her head. Mara was teetering precariously on the top rung of a ladder, bare toes clinging, as she dusted and swept years of grime and bad mojo from the mantle in Dalia's old room. Mara had claimed it for herself.
Hearing boot falls on the plush carpets, she paused and peered out of the doorway, nearly falling over in her attempts to see further down the hall. She yelped, swayed, and managed to catch herself as the image of her little sister came into view.
Mara couldn't help but grin as that short, pixie-ish little punk rocker came into view. She laughed and scrambled down her ladder to embrace Michelle for the first time in eleven and a half years. They jumped and screeched and hugged and generally behaved the way most women do when excited. Tears standing in those jade eyes, she looked deeply into the golden chocolate gaze of Michelle and smiled. "You've grown up, baby sister. Welcome to the House of Payne, your new home. I'm so glad you decided to join me here. I think you'll like Rhy'Din."
Turning her around, she slipped an arm about her shorter sister's waist and marched down the hall to give her a grand tour and help her choose a room. "C'mon...you have to meet the chef. He's going to fall madly in love with you and with any luck, though I'm not quite sure how it will be possible, his food will get even better!"