Aja came in the door, the house was silent. Not that it usually wasn't. Since the remodel, sections of the house were fairly sound proofed from other parts of the massive house. Aja wanted everyone to be able to find a quiet little sanctuary if they so wished.
She checked the kitchen, Maria had gone to bed and there was no evidence that Hochi had been here. He usually came in and raided the fridge when he came home. Her youngest son had a very good appetite and Maria of course was a fabulous cook. With no dishes in the sink, she figured he wasn't home. Which meant that Hochi was likely with Miranda somewhere. A thought that made her smile.
Rather than taking the inhouse elevator to her and Padriq's room, she took the stairs stopping on the second floor. Some night, she liked to peek in on her kids while they slept. Tonight, it was just Mara home, she could see the light at the bottom of the door, indicating her daughter was awake. Quietly, she opened the door, slowly opening it a bit, and peeked in on her daughter's room. She saw Mara and a friend in the window seat, doing homework talking about friends they had in common.
"Can you even believe that she wore that skirt?" the girl opposite Mara that Aja knew to be Clara said. "I mean it clashed totally with her shirt."
"She thought it was cool enough ta wear." Mara just shrugged and wrote something in her notebook.
"You have no fashion sense, Mara Bird." Clara laughed.
"I am my mother's daughter." She replied with a grin, Aja put a hand over her mouth when she heard that. It was so true. Mara was a little better when it came to fashion, but not by much..."My mom has a friend, Sivanna who comes over and takes me shopping. It's the only way I wind up with clothes that match at all."
"Think she would let me go with you both one day?" Clara asked.
"I'm sure she would cause yer not a small kid." Mara smiled at her friend. "Sivanna has an aversion to small kids."
Aja smiled, closing the door as quietly as she had opened it. She didn't like to pry on her daughter's world too much. She rather prefered that Mara tell her the things that were important to her. She continued up to her and Padriq's room. She found him lounging in the recliner chair she had gotten him, reading over something when she came in.
?"Ello gorgeous." He said as soon as he saw her.
"Hello yerself, Handsome." She grinned as she came further into the room, the door closed with a silent click behind her. She went into their walk in closet and shed her clothes, putting the dirty ones in the hamper. She grabbed her robe and was tying it as she came back out into the bedroom. "Candy lost. So we're gonna probably see a flood of new residents ta Arcadia this week." she was thinking about how Rakeesh was viewed by a lot of RhyDin City residence these days and how it sometimes affected her own little corner of the world.
"I thought ya wuz workin?"
"I wuz." she said heading into the bathroom, still talking as she started the water to the large bathtub. "I had Rico over at da challenge filmin it." she came back out. "Which also allowed me ta keep an eye on Hochi some."
"Ya still worried about 'im?" he asked letting what he had been reading settle in his lap. He watched Aja as she got ready to go take a bath.
"Always." she said brushing out her hair. "I found out he at least listens ta me a little. I heard him ask Miranda tonight about getting some armor for him that would shift when he did."
"He never had any before?"
"No." She sighed and set the hairbrush down. "Talk about pissin me off ta no end." she then was checking out a new bruise on the side of her leg idly. "Ya'd think he would've considered it on his own long before now." she just shook her head and put her foot back on the floor. "Silly kid."
"Well, his mind works differently than yers love."
"Yeah yeah." she sighed as she waved a hand at Padriq. "I know." he smiled at her. She and Hochi were some much alike in so many ways, the pair of them could at times hold a very deep conversation only by saying a sentence or two. It was because their lives were so similar when they were younger. Aja continued then. "Also. He wasn't drinkin dat I could tell tonight. Dis pleases me."
"I know that it does." Padriq smirked at that, Aja had ranted on several occasions prior about Hochi burying his problems in a haze of alcohol. This is where they weren't the same. Aja had slowly and methodically taken measures and actions to hunt down and take out those that had taken so much from her. Even Padriq himself did not have all the details, the fact that he knew that much was a minor miracle.
"I'm really liking dat Miranda more and more." Aja said as she fussed with things on her vanity top, she located a leave in conditioner that the beautician had given her. "Good head on her shoulders. Seems ta really care fer Hochi. Good mother."
"Are you hoping for wedding bells?" he asked.
"Dear Zeus, no." came out of her mouth quickly. "Not till Hochi's ready fer dat." Aja made a face at Padriq and went to check on her bath. "I don't want a single one of da kids doin anything before dey be ready fer it."
"Them or you, luv."
"Shush, Kidd." she called back from the bathroom as she added some bubble bath to the water. "Don't ya go making dis about me." she leaned on the doorframe and looked at him. "I want Hochi, Trevor and Mara to do whut feels right fer dem."
"Back woman." he pointed a finger with a smirk. "I was only teasing." She snuffed at him and went into check the water again. He heard it shut off.
"Did you send da men ta go check in on dat newly finished sub division?"
"I did." Padriq smiled, she was predictable in what she choose to talk about before doing anything for herself. "And the ladies went through and put fresh flowers into each house with welcome baskets"
"Aw, dat was sweet of "em."
"I think Teddy finally got himself some help."
"Yeah?" she asked as she went back into the closet.
"Yeah. He had a group of five or six people in his office today."
"Good." she came back out and went over to Padirq. "Poor man has been desperately overworked." she grinned at Padriq as she moved aside his papers and settled into his lap. "Now, whut sort of bribery will I need ta employ ta talk ya inta slipping into a hot bath with me??
She checked the kitchen, Maria had gone to bed and there was no evidence that Hochi had been here. He usually came in and raided the fridge when he came home. Her youngest son had a very good appetite and Maria of course was a fabulous cook. With no dishes in the sink, she figured he wasn't home. Which meant that Hochi was likely with Miranda somewhere. A thought that made her smile.
Rather than taking the inhouse elevator to her and Padriq's room, she took the stairs stopping on the second floor. Some night, she liked to peek in on her kids while they slept. Tonight, it was just Mara home, she could see the light at the bottom of the door, indicating her daughter was awake. Quietly, she opened the door, slowly opening it a bit, and peeked in on her daughter's room. She saw Mara and a friend in the window seat, doing homework talking about friends they had in common.
"Can you even believe that she wore that skirt?" the girl opposite Mara that Aja knew to be Clara said. "I mean it clashed totally with her shirt."
"She thought it was cool enough ta wear." Mara just shrugged and wrote something in her notebook.
"You have no fashion sense, Mara Bird." Clara laughed.
"I am my mother's daughter." She replied with a grin, Aja put a hand over her mouth when she heard that. It was so true. Mara was a little better when it came to fashion, but not by much..."My mom has a friend, Sivanna who comes over and takes me shopping. It's the only way I wind up with clothes that match at all."
"Think she would let me go with you both one day?" Clara asked.
"I'm sure she would cause yer not a small kid." Mara smiled at her friend. "Sivanna has an aversion to small kids."
Aja smiled, closing the door as quietly as she had opened it. She didn't like to pry on her daughter's world too much. She rather prefered that Mara tell her the things that were important to her. She continued up to her and Padriq's room. She found him lounging in the recliner chair she had gotten him, reading over something when she came in.
?"Ello gorgeous." He said as soon as he saw her.
"Hello yerself, Handsome." She grinned as she came further into the room, the door closed with a silent click behind her. She went into their walk in closet and shed her clothes, putting the dirty ones in the hamper. She grabbed her robe and was tying it as she came back out into the bedroom. "Candy lost. So we're gonna probably see a flood of new residents ta Arcadia this week." she was thinking about how Rakeesh was viewed by a lot of RhyDin City residence these days and how it sometimes affected her own little corner of the world.
"I thought ya wuz workin?"
"I wuz." she said heading into the bathroom, still talking as she started the water to the large bathtub. "I had Rico over at da challenge filmin it." she came back out. "Which also allowed me ta keep an eye on Hochi some."
"Ya still worried about 'im?" he asked letting what he had been reading settle in his lap. He watched Aja as she got ready to go take a bath.
"Always." she said brushing out her hair. "I found out he at least listens ta me a little. I heard him ask Miranda tonight about getting some armor for him that would shift when he did."
"He never had any before?"
"No." She sighed and set the hairbrush down. "Talk about pissin me off ta no end." she then was checking out a new bruise on the side of her leg idly. "Ya'd think he would've considered it on his own long before now." she just shook her head and put her foot back on the floor. "Silly kid."
"Well, his mind works differently than yers love."
"Yeah yeah." she sighed as she waved a hand at Padriq. "I know." he smiled at her. She and Hochi were some much alike in so many ways, the pair of them could at times hold a very deep conversation only by saying a sentence or two. It was because their lives were so similar when they were younger. Aja continued then. "Also. He wasn't drinkin dat I could tell tonight. Dis pleases me."
"I know that it does." Padriq smirked at that, Aja had ranted on several occasions prior about Hochi burying his problems in a haze of alcohol. This is where they weren't the same. Aja had slowly and methodically taken measures and actions to hunt down and take out those that had taken so much from her. Even Padriq himself did not have all the details, the fact that he knew that much was a minor miracle.
"I'm really liking dat Miranda more and more." Aja said as she fussed with things on her vanity top, she located a leave in conditioner that the beautician had given her. "Good head on her shoulders. Seems ta really care fer Hochi. Good mother."
"Are you hoping for wedding bells?" he asked.
"Dear Zeus, no." came out of her mouth quickly. "Not till Hochi's ready fer dat." Aja made a face at Padriq and went to check on her bath. "I don't want a single one of da kids doin anything before dey be ready fer it."
"Them or you, luv."
"Shush, Kidd." she called back from the bathroom as she added some bubble bath to the water. "Don't ya go making dis about me." she leaned on the doorframe and looked at him. "I want Hochi, Trevor and Mara to do whut feels right fer dem."
"Back woman." he pointed a finger with a smirk. "I was only teasing." She snuffed at him and went into check the water again. He heard it shut off.
"Did you send da men ta go check in on dat newly finished sub division?"
"I did." Padriq smiled, she was predictable in what she choose to talk about before doing anything for herself. "And the ladies went through and put fresh flowers into each house with welcome baskets"
"Aw, dat was sweet of "em."
"I think Teddy finally got himself some help."
"Yeah?" she asked as she went back into the closet.
"Yeah. He had a group of five or six people in his office today."
"Good." she came back out and went over to Padirq. "Poor man has been desperately overworked." she grinned at Padriq as she moved aside his papers and settled into his lap. "Now, whut sort of bribery will I need ta employ ta talk ya inta slipping into a hot bath with me??