Early Friday morning, well before the sun broke over the horizon of Arcadia a radio transmission echoed in the Harbor Masters quarters.

"Cargo vessel O.R.N Comet requesting permission to dock. Repeat. O.R.N Comet requesting permission to dock."

The man on the receiving end looked confused while opening up a book of known call signs. Finger flipped through page after page of the indexed vessels until finding another ship with the same prefix. "Copy O.R.N Comet proceed to dock number 4." Still rather bewildered the man wasn't expecting any ships from Ociaeryn.

Sails are drawn and the dual masted ship cruised into its appointed dock. Men on the deck cast over heavy mooring ropes to those waiting below. Once the ship was secure the sailors and dock workers sprang into action. Most of them formed a human conveyor to offload the lighter crates while others removed the grates covering the hold. Crane operators positioned their hooks as the remaining men latched the heavier items.

Captain of the vessel disembarked to see that the ship's ledger was properly delivered to someone who appeared to be in charge of the operation. "Lord Tarrenveau ordered we set sail immediately in hopes we made it in time. Says these supplies are meant for the city of Rhy"Din. Ajia and Aja will know what to do with them.? Handing over the record of his ship's cargo the Captain bowed his head and returned to the wheelhouse to plot out return trip.

Ociaeryn Roval Navy Comet: 102 lbs canned baked beans 95 lbs canned peas 87 lbs canned yams 90 lbs canned carrots 115 lbs dried/salted pork 500 gal Distilled drinking water 150 bedding cots 200 blankets 110 lanterns/flashlights ASSORTED Batteries 5 Gas operated grills w/ 2 full tanks ea.

Dockworkers and ships crew worked at an unnatural pace to get the small items stacked onto pallets where forklifts could whisk them away onto trucks. The sun was starting to light the sky in the west when the single truck load went rumbling out of the harbor toward Rhy'Din.

~~on the other end of the phone~~~ Aja for her part, had no idea her sister had been fielding calls about her attempts for snow removal. No one, not even Pastor Mike, had stopped her from doing such. Perhaps they all didn't have a death wish, or simply ended up seeing the Aja logic of the method.

Her phone interrupted her fun, she turned off the flame thrower allowing her crew time to throw down some salt to keep it all from refreezing and hit the button on her bluetooth.

"Speak." she said and looked around the current location of an orphanage she had been attending to.

"Congratulations, half of Rhy'din is asking to have you committed..." Ajia chimed up, teasing her twin.

"Bah. Dey will get over it." Aja said with a grin. "And they will appreciate it when dey ain't gotta shovel so damn much of dis blasted white crap later."

As Aja spoke to Ajia a young boy raced into the office with the shipment that had arrived on the O.R.N. Comet. Handing it to Ajia, he nodded and raced off, leaving Ajia to scan it as she listened to her twin. "Well Owen sends his love, and a pass to not be harassed for a week by you." Grinning broadly as she reviewed the list a second time," I love this man Aj."

"Stinky?" Aja asked with a grin not being able to resist picking on her sister some, as she pointed to her guys where more salt needed to go.

"Ha ha, very funny Aj. It looks like he went crazy. There's a lot of relief food here. Beans, yams, salted pork. Even flashlights and batteries. I'll get the trucks to distributed them to the shelters around town." She looked over the list again and murmured," Crazy lots of food."

"Good. I ain't got time ta do dat now." Aja checked the fuel gauge. "I've got a half dozen more places ta go ta before da storm truly rolls in."

"Yeah, go go. I'll contact Calix and Tristan and see what we can coordinate. I'll keep manning the phones and keep people from having you tossed in the loony bin." Grinning as she opened up her desk drawer, pulling out ten tons of highlighters.

"Jist tell "em ta stuff it." she said making a face. "Or if dey wanna shovel dis crap on their own, dere certainly welcome ta do so."

"Got it, threats with manual labor, will do!" Snickering over the phone while her hands were busy at work, organizing what went where.

"Aye." she grinned. "Dis here flamethrower thing works rather efficiently. Burns up any litter so it doesn't get sucked inta da storm drains, clears da already large piles makin way fer new ones. Da salt will keep it from re-freezin over. Makin it safe for dem in a hurry."

"Yes yes, I get it, I'll reserve an infomercial just for you with the company that made the flamethrower, it will be the next winter must have." She shook her head softly and turns in her wheely chair to see which trucks were still in the area.

"Copycats." she muttered. "Well, dey say imitation is da sincerest form of flattery." Aja grinned. "not sure da local fire department will like it if amateurs get involved though."

"I'm pretty sure the local fire department is one of the people hogging the other line..." Ajia smirked as she tagged three trucks to get the job done. "Okay, I've got work to do, you've got work to do. Meet you later for tea and crumpets poppet!"

"Poppet?" she laughed at her sister. "Ok dere, Old Bean. I'm gonna get back ta dis...den go ta Javabux and get myself a treat."

"Try not to burn down something the insurance won't cover....Toodles!" And like that she was hanging up the phone and setting off to work. Three targets were in her mind, Tristan, Calix, and Padriq. Those poor, poor men.

Aja shook her head as she restarted da flame thrower. Burn something down. If Ajia only knew how many things Aja had actually burned down on purpose over the years, she'd be calling her a pyromaniac.

Ajia would have an idea after this episode. With all the paperwork set up, she picked up the phone," Armada Exports." Immediately her fingers pinched at the bridge of her nose," I agree sir, she's certifiable. Thank you for showing your concern.? Click. She then started to dial Tristan's number.

~~~~~In the office~~~~ Selecting another line on the phone back at the ship yards, Ajia chimed out," Armada Exports." Where was the secretary to help her with this!" Really! Rubbing at the back of her neck, she listened, bobbed, swayed, and spun while the lengthy complaint went on and on and on. "No ma"am I don't think she meant to. Of course I know she's dangerous with that thing.....andddd no I don't plan on doing anything about it." This time the woman hung up before she could. She blinked a little and stared at the phone. Oh well.

Punching in Calix's number with her highlighter, she leaned back in her chair and fell completely back. THUMP! "Ow." Was it still ringing" Why yes it was.

" Hello. " Cal flipped his phone open and placed it to his ear, as he was just getting into his truck after dropping off of all things. Baby supplies to another shelter, as he waited to see what was needed this time.

"Hi hi, Calidore. Got some supplies that need to be dropped off to the shelters in Rhy'din. They just came in and need to be distributed before the roads get bad. Up for the drive?" Pauses for a second and then muses," Please keep in mind that Aja said if you didn't I could threaten you with manual labor."

" It's Cal, or Calix. If you are going to call me something, Ajia. " Then a pause for a moment. " Sure. I'll head that way now. Is the locations already picked out, or is it going to be my choice" " Now starting the truck up as he waited.

"I've already got the locations worked out, they just need to be packed up and shipped." She said as she rolled to her knees and uprighted her chair. Standing, she brushed off her jeans and leaned against her desk. "Five locations in total, so between you, Tristan, and Pad, should go along smoothly."

" Alright. On my way. " Click and off Cal took off, as he wasn't going to waste time.

"What is it with boys hanging up on people..." Grumbling she stared at the lines flashing red on the phone, shook her head," Nope, not gonna." Then started to dial the number for Padriq. Settling on the desk, she looked out at the dock windows, arms folding over her chest. "Gonna get cold fast."

—- Ociaeryn—-

Owen's phone has been ringing nonstop since his return to Ociaeryn. No surprise to him that another call was coming through. Digging the phone out of pocket he stopped cold upon seeing the display. The image of Ajia's face and number flashing was a surprise. So that's what happened when she held his phone hostage the other day. Excusing himself with a nod to his assistants Owen stalked off to a corner. "You are up early, Starburst."

"It's not that early, Eclaire." The sound of Owen's voice made that smile on her lips much broader than it had been when she was harassing her sister and friends. "Have I told you how amazing you are?" When the boy doing the running came into the room, she held out the paperwork for him to take to the crew at work while she mused," Because you are."

"I take it the Comet arrived safely?" Putting two and two together was simple enough. Lest he forget the time frame this ship arrived earlier than expected. "After hearing the reports in Arcadia I knew I had to do at least something to help out." Sleep had become a lost commodity in the past days. It was evident in his voice.

Hearing that was easy even though there was phones ringing in the background. This storm was running everyone ragged. Taking a small, centering breath, Ajia leaned back against the desk and linked her feet at the ankles. "How are the meetings going" Everything all right?" Sure she'd be worried, he already had a busy weekend scheduled and she brought this upon him when he didn't need it.

A well timed cough was used to cover up the sounds of his surroundings. Owen can't give it away with a phone call. "Excuse me...It's getting loud around me. The meetings were yesterday, babe. The shareholders are happy with our progress. Thanks to you and Ballentine's support the quarry should stay in operation for many more years." Another cough and mumble tried to mask the sounds of creaking boards. "No no! Everything is fine. I'm fine. All fine." Owen went into a panic. What background noise had Ajia heard"

The coughs had her brows arched and her head tilted. Brows furrowed a little as she spoke up," Are you coming down with a cold or something Owen" That cough doesn't sound good." Sure she heard the background noise, but she wasn't quite putting two and two together like he had earlier. Shifting on her feet, she moved to the window and stared out over the docks," When I get back I'll make sure you get some rest, soup, and whatever else it takes to make up for all of this, promise."

"Don't you have work to do' Citizens to save and whatnot' I really should let you go." It was not his intention to sound crass, but Owen was running short on ideas how to get Ajia off the phone.

Make her sound like a blabber butt. "Yeah, I'm heading out to the warehouse as soon as the boys show up to help with the shipment. I should go get ready, that should be any minute now." She paused to move to her desk and turn off the lamp settled on its surface. "Just try and rest okay' I don't want you getting sick. I'll be home soon."

"Sounds good, Starburst. Tell Aja that her and her men should keep an eye out. They say the storm was gaining strength as it approached land. That goes for you too. I don't know how you'd look with frozen skin and blue lips." Now came the ever enjoyable game of "No, You Hang Up First".

They weren't that bad. Ajia smiled at the warning and started for the door," I love you Eclaire, I'll be sure to tell Aja and keep warm." Her coat was tugged off the hook as she started down the hall and then the steps to the main entrance.

Bouts of coughing returned, but it was futile against the sounds of crashing swells. Owen relocated to his previous spot where his assistants were debating over who won that round of cards. "Love you too, Ajia. Stay safe and I'll see you in a few days."

That time she put two and two together, but for now she'd play dumb. She was good at that. "See you as soon as I can. Bye dear." The phone hung up and a new spring was added to her step as she stepped out the door and looked around. Now where were those punks"

~~~~~~~~Cal and Tristan~~~~~~~~~ Meanwhile. Calix and Tristan would be arriving at where Owen had the supplies delivered, with both men helping the crew to load both trucks up. As well as getting the locations to where each delivery would be taken. "You know. I'll be glad when this is over with." Tristan murmured.

" Suck it up, Peaches. You can go home to your woman soon. " Cal taunted the man before moving to head for his truck. " Besides. We are showing others that we don't have to make big announcements to get the job done. " Tristan nodded to that.

" Yeah. Yeah. Fang boy. " Tristan laughed as he'd wait for Pad to arrive to help him out, as he waved to Cal as he headed off. He could see why Aja trusted the man.

Padriq wasn't too far behind the men. When he rolled up in his fire engine red truck, he honked his horn and shouted in galic back to the men on the docks. They got to work quickly packing his truck as he climbed out of the driver's seat and approached the duo. "Oi, ye two princesses done bickerin??"

Tristan looked to Pad for a moment. " You just missed Fang boy, and we weren't bickering. " A smirk for the man." How are things going on your end of things" " Was rare that Tristan and Pad actualy talked to the other.

He grinned to Tristan, having the odd sense of Deja vu he always had with this man. Clapping his hand on Tristan's shoulder he spoke softly," Life be good ma"e. "ow bou" ye?" His eyes turned to the crew loading up his truck and mused," Loo's li"e the Bir" charm still "olds i's power over men." He was guilty of falling for such charm. Very guilty.

" Life's been good to me as of late. Pretty sure you know about Hina and me dating each other now. So I really can't complain. Nice to be out of the office. " He grinned to that as he clapped Pad back on the shoulder. " Well that Bird charm is also something that gets us men into trouble sometimes. "

"I thin" we both be examples o' tha"." Chuckling, he grinned over to Ajia when she came in sight. "Spea" o' the devil."

Ajia raced up to the crew, calling out a reminder," Don't forget, booze and food on the beach. Thanks for all your hard work boys!" Then she rushed over to the pair," Did you get your drop points?"

A glance to seeing Ajia racing up. " Yeah but she's not the one that you have to watch out for. " Murmured to Pad. " Hey Prissy! " Tristan smiled at her. " We got our drop points." Padriq leaned towards Tristan and mumbled," I dunnae know, she be kinda crazy t"." Grinning from ear to ear, he looked back to Ajia.

Tristan chuckled to that as he whispered back to Pad. " She gets crazy when there's a sale on shoes and dresses. "

"Good. Don't forget Aja's set up booze and food on the beach once all the work is done. Ready to roll out?" Glancing to the two in turn before smiling back at the Comet.

"Aye, I be takin" ye t' yer sis"er. Le's go." He nodded to Tristan and moved on towards his truck.

"Okay!" With that, she followed Padriq and waved back at Tristan. They'd be on the road in no time and off to the big city.

" Have fun you two! ? As Pad and Ajia headed off together, then moved towards his truck.