It was another day in Panabul, the sun was slowly climbing higher into the sky. Rico was manning the chainsaw on a old oak that was dying from some fungus he didn't even want to think about. He made a few more cuts into the base of the tree, then noticed it was ready to come down.
"Coming down!" he yelled and the guys that had been waiting off to the side gave the ropes a tug, pulling it in a direction that wouldn't harm anyone. It came down with a thundering crash, branches were heard snapping under the sudden force against the ground.
Rico stopped the chainsaw and set it down on the newly fallen tree. He took off his gloves while leaning against it and taking a look around at the crew working to clear this section of land of any debris and dead trees.
Hochi was just finishing his latest round with the crew. Hochi was given the very important job of making sure the guys had bottles of water, and when he wasn't doing that, Harlan was teaching him how to drive the four wheeler that had the trailer attached to it so they could haul the debris to the guys cutting what could be used into firewood. Rico smiled watching Harlan seat Hochi on the four wheeler.
"You want to be gentle with the gas, Hochi. Too much and the four wheeler could jerk, throwing the cargo from the trailer." "Ok, Uncle Harlan!" Hochi was as excited as he always was. The kid really was quite something. Most days he seemed like any young kid his age, exuberant and eager to do everything.
And then came the moments, where Rico would see him, standing still for a moment, a serious look on his face. It amazed him how much he took after Aja in that respect. He wasn't her blood, but he was so much like her it was scary.
They both had seen trauma in their young lives, great violence at the hands of evil. With a touch of luck, and the kindness of someone else, they escaped it, but not before it scarred them deeply. Rico wondered what nightmares young Hochi still saw in his head. He knew Aja would have nightmares still, after all these years. In times of great stress, when she had run herself too far down, it was like whatever the blocks were that kept the nightmares at bay, came down allowing the monsters out of the dark to come after her dreams.
At the present minute, Hochi was having himself a grand time being treated like the other men, helping to build something beautiful out of ruins.
"Rico. Boss is looking for ya." "Thanks, Adam." Rico gave the man a nod. "Keep an eye on the kid. He gets hurt and the boss'll have your head." Rico didn't really need to warn the men about being careful with Hochi. They all knew it, they'd put themselves in harm's way for any one of Aja's children. They were family. Adam nodded with a small salute before getting back to work.
Rico walked out of the clearing to the road, heading over towards the ship docked that served as a general headquarters. He walked up the gang plank and onto the deck, pausing a moment to take a deep breath and dust himself off before moving to the Captains quarters and entering. He found Aja staring at blue prints that were tacked to the wall.
"Potential plans for the resort?" he asked shutting the door. "Yeah. A couple here I like, but I see one or two things on each that if I could just get the guys to combine them, I think it would be better. Gonna also depend on what Antonio thinks about it. Him and Anya should have their copies of the plans by now. Give them some time to look them over and discuss it." She was saying while looking at them still, then she turned. "Hochi still with Harlan?" "Being a good little hauler." Rico smiled tucking his gloves into his back pocket. "Good. He seems to like to work with you guys." She smiled. "Mom is cool and all, but the guys are way cooler." She chuckled with a smile as she moved to the desk. "So. Here's the list of the buildings that are coming down." Aja handed the clipboard off to Rico who looked it over and whistled low. "Lot of them." "I'm telling you, this guy cared nothing for his people." Aja's voice took on an annoyed tone. "Fa'la zatoast." She said in Drow making Rico smile amused. "Oh shut up." She said grinning again seeing his smile. "Absolutely, Boss." He shot her a wink. "So. All of these were too damaged?" "Most. A couple are coming down cause I've spoken with the previous owners of them and come to an agreement about their new home." "Sounds good. Although, I'm sure they weren't heartbroken to part with the old for a new one." Rico said moving to the window and looking out at the town.
"No." Aja chuckled lightly. "They weren't." she rifled through a stack of papers on her desk and nodded towards the door. Her and Rico stepped out into the sunshine, and made their way down the dock. "Grab a couple cans of that paint." She pointed to the case of spray paint cans sitting on a work horse. "We'll mark the wall on each house that's coming down, so the boys can go through and salvage anything that might be useful. The wreckin crew will follow after them." "Ajia gonna come up with the plans for the shops?" "She said she would." Aja was saying as she tugged a couple boxes off a trailer and set them on the work horses. "Figure that's where she's been fer the last week." Aja grinned a little. "Hiding in her cave." "You think that's what she's doing?" "Hell if I know, Rikki. It's not like she tells me much. Practically have ta glue her feet ta the floor when we're in a room together." Aja slid a box into place then sighed heavily. "It's not like I'm gonna take her head off. So what the heck is it that she thinks is gonna happen if she talks to me?" "You know you're a little scary to normal people." He was smiling as he held out a spray paint can. "And Ajia's part of the normal people?" She perked a brow to that, thinking about it a moment taking one of the cans Rico held out to her. "Well, yeah. She wasn't raised like you. All over the map. Had the same people around her growing up, right?" "Not that they were the nicest of people judging by what little she says." Aja uncapped the paint, tossing the cap into a trailer with the other trash. "The father in particular." "She looked upset about something after he died." "Think it had ta do with her inheritance. I may have ta ask Ki about it. She tells him more than she tells me." "If he's around." "Good point." Aja nodded then moved across the street from Rico and marked the house. "And that. Is a whole other kettle of fish." "What?" Rico called over his shoulder as he painted an X on the wall. "Ki?" "Yeah." She said moving to the street again. "What about him?" "Just seems dodgey." "Couldn't be "cause you make him nervous, could it?" "Me" Make him nervous?" She looked at Rico surprised and waved a hand. "Pish. I'm about as intimidating as a skin rash." "Some of those can be damned intimidating, Aja." "Shut up." She laughed at him and moved to the next house. "Just saying, he doesn't help in the sticking around department either." "You can be quite the force to deal with, Aja." Rico said playing devil's advocate for Ajia. He liked the quiet sister just fine, and figured she didn't quite know what to do when faced with the hurricane that was Aja Bird.
Aja stopped and looked at Rico like he'd grown another head. "Ya buckin fer a raise?" "No." he laughed. "Just saying to someone shy, like your sister, you appear to be larger than life and a little scary." "Eh." Aja waved a hand at him. But he knew she'd be thinking about it now. And she stayed quiet while they moved down the road marking the houses that were to be torn down. When they got to the end, she looked at him seriously before narrowing her eyes a little. "You. Suck." She said simply, the barest hint of her grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. He laughed loudly as she started up the road away from him. He really did love his job. It was never dull.
"Coming down!" he yelled and the guys that had been waiting off to the side gave the ropes a tug, pulling it in a direction that wouldn't harm anyone. It came down with a thundering crash, branches were heard snapping under the sudden force against the ground.
Rico stopped the chainsaw and set it down on the newly fallen tree. He took off his gloves while leaning against it and taking a look around at the crew working to clear this section of land of any debris and dead trees.
Hochi was just finishing his latest round with the crew. Hochi was given the very important job of making sure the guys had bottles of water, and when he wasn't doing that, Harlan was teaching him how to drive the four wheeler that had the trailer attached to it so they could haul the debris to the guys cutting what could be used into firewood. Rico smiled watching Harlan seat Hochi on the four wheeler.
"You want to be gentle with the gas, Hochi. Too much and the four wheeler could jerk, throwing the cargo from the trailer." "Ok, Uncle Harlan!" Hochi was as excited as he always was. The kid really was quite something. Most days he seemed like any young kid his age, exuberant and eager to do everything.
And then came the moments, where Rico would see him, standing still for a moment, a serious look on his face. It amazed him how much he took after Aja in that respect. He wasn't her blood, but he was so much like her it was scary.
They both had seen trauma in their young lives, great violence at the hands of evil. With a touch of luck, and the kindness of someone else, they escaped it, but not before it scarred them deeply. Rico wondered what nightmares young Hochi still saw in his head. He knew Aja would have nightmares still, after all these years. In times of great stress, when she had run herself too far down, it was like whatever the blocks were that kept the nightmares at bay, came down allowing the monsters out of the dark to come after her dreams.
At the present minute, Hochi was having himself a grand time being treated like the other men, helping to build something beautiful out of ruins.
"Rico. Boss is looking for ya." "Thanks, Adam." Rico gave the man a nod. "Keep an eye on the kid. He gets hurt and the boss'll have your head." Rico didn't really need to warn the men about being careful with Hochi. They all knew it, they'd put themselves in harm's way for any one of Aja's children. They were family. Adam nodded with a small salute before getting back to work.
Rico walked out of the clearing to the road, heading over towards the ship docked that served as a general headquarters. He walked up the gang plank and onto the deck, pausing a moment to take a deep breath and dust himself off before moving to the Captains quarters and entering. He found Aja staring at blue prints that were tacked to the wall.
"Potential plans for the resort?" he asked shutting the door. "Yeah. A couple here I like, but I see one or two things on each that if I could just get the guys to combine them, I think it would be better. Gonna also depend on what Antonio thinks about it. Him and Anya should have their copies of the plans by now. Give them some time to look them over and discuss it." She was saying while looking at them still, then she turned. "Hochi still with Harlan?" "Being a good little hauler." Rico smiled tucking his gloves into his back pocket. "Good. He seems to like to work with you guys." She smiled. "Mom is cool and all, but the guys are way cooler." She chuckled with a smile as she moved to the desk. "So. Here's the list of the buildings that are coming down." Aja handed the clipboard off to Rico who looked it over and whistled low. "Lot of them." "I'm telling you, this guy cared nothing for his people." Aja's voice took on an annoyed tone. "Fa'la zatoast." She said in Drow making Rico smile amused. "Oh shut up." She said grinning again seeing his smile. "Absolutely, Boss." He shot her a wink. "So. All of these were too damaged?" "Most. A couple are coming down cause I've spoken with the previous owners of them and come to an agreement about their new home." "Sounds good. Although, I'm sure they weren't heartbroken to part with the old for a new one." Rico said moving to the window and looking out at the town.
"No." Aja chuckled lightly. "They weren't." she rifled through a stack of papers on her desk and nodded towards the door. Her and Rico stepped out into the sunshine, and made their way down the dock. "Grab a couple cans of that paint." She pointed to the case of spray paint cans sitting on a work horse. "We'll mark the wall on each house that's coming down, so the boys can go through and salvage anything that might be useful. The wreckin crew will follow after them." "Ajia gonna come up with the plans for the shops?" "She said she would." Aja was saying as she tugged a couple boxes off a trailer and set them on the work horses. "Figure that's where she's been fer the last week." Aja grinned a little. "Hiding in her cave." "You think that's what she's doing?" "Hell if I know, Rikki. It's not like she tells me much. Practically have ta glue her feet ta the floor when we're in a room together." Aja slid a box into place then sighed heavily. "It's not like I'm gonna take her head off. So what the heck is it that she thinks is gonna happen if she talks to me?" "You know you're a little scary to normal people." He was smiling as he held out a spray paint can. "And Ajia's part of the normal people?" She perked a brow to that, thinking about it a moment taking one of the cans Rico held out to her. "Well, yeah. She wasn't raised like you. All over the map. Had the same people around her growing up, right?" "Not that they were the nicest of people judging by what little she says." Aja uncapped the paint, tossing the cap into a trailer with the other trash. "The father in particular." "She looked upset about something after he died." "Think it had ta do with her inheritance. I may have ta ask Ki about it. She tells him more than she tells me." "If he's around." "Good point." Aja nodded then moved across the street from Rico and marked the house. "And that. Is a whole other kettle of fish." "What?" Rico called over his shoulder as he painted an X on the wall. "Ki?" "Yeah." She said moving to the street again. "What about him?" "Just seems dodgey." "Couldn't be "cause you make him nervous, could it?" "Me" Make him nervous?" She looked at Rico surprised and waved a hand. "Pish. I'm about as intimidating as a skin rash." "Some of those can be damned intimidating, Aja." "Shut up." She laughed at him and moved to the next house. "Just saying, he doesn't help in the sticking around department either." "You can be quite the force to deal with, Aja." Rico said playing devil's advocate for Ajia. He liked the quiet sister just fine, and figured she didn't quite know what to do when faced with the hurricane that was Aja Bird.
Aja stopped and looked at Rico like he'd grown another head. "Ya buckin fer a raise?" "No." he laughed. "Just saying to someone shy, like your sister, you appear to be larger than life and a little scary." "Eh." Aja waved a hand at him. But he knew she'd be thinking about it now. And she stayed quiet while they moved down the road marking the houses that were to be torn down. When they got to the end, she looked at him seriously before narrowing her eyes a little. "You. Suck." She said simply, the barest hint of her grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. He laughed loudly as she started up the road away from him. He really did love his job. It was never dull.