Topic: An Inn Conversation With Hochi

LadyAjaBird

Date: 2011-01-16 09:35 EST
Aja was hanging out at the Red Dragon Inn going over plans for the new office and drinking a beer. With the decision to remodel the yards, she had set the entire town into mild chaos, but she understood that it was simply a means to an end. Nothing could be created without some destruction.

Juliane was talking to her about the renovations being made when she heard her son's voice. When Hochi came up to the bad, he leaned against it heavily. She could tell by his expression and general stance that he wasn't feeling well. She gave him a smile as she turned to him to ask.

"What did you do today?" "Spent half the day tryin" ta remember wha' exactly I did last night." Hochi admitted and slowly shook his head. Aja had heard about the boys exploits, so she wasn't terribly surprised. "Go out with the boys did you?" she asked amused. "Still recoverin." Hochi answered then looked at Juliane. "Could I get a glass of water?" Aja reached up and gently rubbed Hochi's back. "Takes years ta build up a decent tolerance fer booze." She said with a small smile. "I thought I could keep up with the other guys." Hochi explained then grabbed the glass that Juliane put on the bar. "Thank you." He told her before taking a drink. Aja just smiled. "Yes, cause ya spent so much of yer youth boozin it up." She chuckled then. "Root beer doesn't count." That made him laugh a little. "What have you been up to lately?" Hochi asked her after a moment. "Oh." Aja started while putting her pencil down and looked at Hochi. "Did my usual Sunday rounds. A stop by Alec and Sivanna's on my way into town to go around and pick up all the parts and what not that got ordered during the week. Supplies for the guys, setting up the week coming." She smiled at Hochi. "Nothin" fer Halloween?" Hochi asked then yawned running his hands through his hair. Aja shook her head. "Nah." She gave Hochi a wry grin. "Ever since a run in with the actual undead, Halloween ceased being fun." She chuckled a little. About that time, Gem got up and headed for the door.

"Night you all. Aja, stay safe." Gem gave her a smile. "Juliane, thank you for the grand drink." Aja waved back. "Night, Sexy Indian!" Aja called back referencing Gem's costume. "Thank you, Lass." Gem smiled almost blushingly. Hochi continued on with the previous conversation. "That sounds like a bit of fun." He smiled and Aja did too. Her son had her sense of adventure, something she admired and worried about. "I thought so. Tanner didn't quite agree." She laughed. These small moments talking to Hochi about past adventures were treasured. "Come ta think of it, neither did Rikki." Aja grinned then went back to the Halloween activities conversation they had been having. "The wives of the crew went by the Orphanage today and set up games and stuff fer the kids in town. Lots of candy and happy squealing when I peeked in on it on my way out of town." "Oh really?" Hochi said amused then made a face. "Feel bad fer missing that." "Well, given da hangover ya said ya had, yer probably best having missed it." Aja gave him a wink. "Ya'd be lookin ta make yerself the headless Hochi after an hour." She thought about the level of noise that came from the happy kids. "True, true." Hochi conceded then took a long drink of his water. "I sent Yuki with Mara ta it." Aja said. "So he could play with the other kids. Not good fer him ta only be around adults." "Why not?" Hochi looked at her curiously. "I turned out fine, all my friends were adults." He smiled and Aja nodded at that.

"Yes." The smile was warm. "But I also tried to make sure ya got ta do lots of kid stuff." She looked at Hochi with a smile. "Besides, ya were always a bit of an old soul. Ya did well with adults." She paused. "Not that Yuki doesn't, but.." soft sigh thinking about Yuki. "Get the feelin" he's more freaked out by the adults around him than ya were at his age." Hochi nodded about that. He seemed to understand what she meant. "I understand. He takes longer to trust adults. Fer me, as long as you said they were nice, I trusted them. I know you wouldn't let anythin" happen to me." Hochi smiled at her and she felt a swell of emotion hearing that. "Yer right about that." She confirmed. "Same with him." She thought about it for a moment. "Hopefully, he'll grow out of it. Learn how ta navigate da world in his own way." "I think he will," Hochi started. "just going to do it at his own pace." Aja nodded to Hochi's words and picked up her bottle, taking a drink before replying to that. "Same as ya had ta. I had ta let you pick yer way through things." She toyed with her bottle. "I was there ta catch ya if ya fell, but I didn't want ya ta think I was controlling yer life or choices completely. It was hard." She gave him a soft smile. "All I wanted to do was wrap ya up in hugs till ya forgot what it meant ta be scared." She was very honest with Hochi about everything. She never saw a reason to lie to him about anything. Hochi reached out and patted her back. "You were the best mom that a a kid could have possibly had." He smiled at her and she blushed slightly returning that smile.

"Thanks, kiddo." She fidgeted with the pencil for a moment. "So. What's goin on in yer world" Ain't seen that Penny girl out with ya lately." Aja fished lightly into Hochi's private life. She didn't like to come off as too nosy. "Is it too nosy mama ta ask what?s going on with that?" "Penny and I are doing fine. I have just been super busy with projects down at the yards. I actually just saw her just a few days ago. We both pretty busy." Hochi said with a smile and Aja nodded. "Alight. Just keepin" track of ya. Some." She grinned. "Don't wanna end up like Rico's mom. Miss Mami is wonderful, but her and Maria could double as interrogators fer da Watch." Aja gave Hochi a grin and he chuckled and shook his head. "A mother gotta keep tabs on her children." "Yeah," she conceded with a smile. "Yeah, but there is such a thing as too much." She winked at him. "I'd rather ya not go into hiding on me. I like seein yer face." She smiled at him. ?"Sides, if I'm constantly butting in, when are ya kids supposed ta learn how to handle things fer yerselves?" she smiled at him. "Like learn ta walk. Ya have ta fall down a few times, so ya figure out how not to do that." "Yer not oversteppin any boundries at all." He finished the glass of water. "I would rather you be I guess nosy, I tend to get lost in my own adventures sometimes, and forget that I need ta check in sometimes." He smiled a bit sheepishly. Aja just patted his shoulder lightly then gently smoothed his hair back. "That. I understand. Would do it myself without Rikki, Parker and now Tristan ta remind me that I have other things going on." "We are very similar." Hochi smiled. "I've always been grateful fer that." She smiled as she picked up her beer. "I hate ta think of what could've happened ta ya out there had ya not ran into the Outback that night." "I don't even want to think about it." Hochi visibly shuddered at the thought. Aja had a similar look of distaste on her face about that thought.

"Now Yuki. Where would he be if we didn't take him in?" "He would still be a slave...to that man." Hochi's voice took a tone of distaste and he trailed off. "Yep." She took a moment of thoughtful contemplation, looking at the bottle on the bar and then glances at Hochi, quietly asking. "He's gone, yeah' Ya took care of it." She didn't need to spell it out, she knew it was all too clear in Hochi's mind. "Yeah. I?" Hochi took a moment before finishing his statement. "I shot him." Aja glanced over at him and nodded. "Ya doin" ok with it?" she asked lightly but it was edged in concern. "I ...it didn't feel like how I thought it would." Hochi looked down at his hands. "I thought it going to feel good, stopping a bad guy and a slaver at that...But it didn't?" Hochi's voice sounded like Aja had thought it would. Remorse, guilt setting in. He sighed heavily and Aja reached over to lay her hand on his arm gently. "It's the one thing I hoped ta spare ya from. But ya had ta do what you thought was best." Her other hand went to her head, and rubbed it slightly. She slowly exhaled and looked at Hochi, keeping her voice low. "It's what they don't speak of. The soldiers and warriors. What takin that kind of action actually feels like." She gave him a soft smile. "Truth' I'm glad ya feel it. I'd be worried ya didn't feel some pain or guilt." Hochi tried to smile back. "I do feel guilty." He started. "because before it all happened. On the way there I knew it was a trap...I knew I would have to act. I was ...looking forward to it almost." He sighed with the admission but it was something that Aja understood. "I've been in those shoes, Kiddo." She squeezed his arm reassuringly. "Revenge...Well. It rarely lived up ta what ya think it will or makes the pain lessen." She took a deep breath and looked at him seriously. "Only allows what yer tryin" ta avenge to come into sharper focus." Hochi seemed to understand and nodded. Aja leaned in, squeezing his arm. "It does get better. With time. With compassion and generosity. You can beat back the dark." She looked at him intently then. "I promise ya." Those copper eyes of hers misted a little. "Yer my redemption, Hochi." She said seriously. "You and Yuki." "Really?" Hochi seemed surprised. "Redemption fer what?" he smiled a little. Aja noted that Anya had arrived in the inn and sent a wave her way before looking back at Hochi. "Like you, I sought to cause those who hurt me pain. I spent years..." she paused, swallowing hard. "Years...being angry. I thought if I could just get ta the one.." she shook her head slowly. "It's no way ta live, Hoch." She squeezed his arm lovingly again. "I'm just glad ya don't have ta walk those steps. Not alone." Hochi nodded staying quiet for a moment.

"Thank you, mom." He nudged her gently, making Aja lean on his shoulder for a moment then kissed his cheek. "Yer not alone. Not now. Not ever. And there's not a thing you can do to make me stop loving you." She kept his eyes and he wrapped her up in a tight hug which she returned. "Good." He held on a moment longer. "I'm heading home, night. Thank you for talking to me." "I'll see ya at home, Sweetie. Maria made a nice prime rib. There's a plate fer you in the fridge." She gave him a wink and ruffled his hair. "Sleep well." "Rest well, Explorer." Anya called out to him seeing he was getting up to leave. "Ooohh Midnight snack." Hochi grinned as he smiled and stood up, sending a wave to Anya. "Night, Aunty Anya. Night, Mama." He gave her a smile then headed out the door.

Aja smiled softly watching Hochi go, till he was out the door. Then she took a deep breath before getting up and grabbing another beer from the cooler while thinking about what they had talked about. She took a moment by the cooler before heading back and retaking her seat with a smile to Anya. "And what mischief are you up to, tonight." "I wish it was mischief, Aja." She paused to sip her tea then continued. "I was called in to Riverview on a case." "Halloween probably presents some interesting injuries." Aja said thoughtfully, refocusing her mind. "Punkkin carvin accident?" Anya shook her head to the question. "I wish. I won't go into the gruesome details, but there are some people out there that, if I caught, I'd best my record on hemicorporectomies on them." "Yikes and egads, even." Aja chuckled a little. An angry Doc was not something she would want to see coming at someone. "I managed ta dodge most of the silliness out in town tonight. Imagine there might be some decorated trees when I get home."

They continued the idle conversation into the night. Which Aja was grateful for, the conversation with Hochi had stirred some old ghosts and they were taking a little while to settle.