Topic: Rings & Progress

LadyAjaBird

Date: 2011-03-21 21:38 EST
Aja drove home, the bag of papers she had to go through, got done while sitting in the Inn listening to the ladies talk about rings and their meanings. She glanced to the ring with the seal of Ballentine and the one that had belonged to Tanner. The only two she had been wearing since Tristan had "died" all those years ago. There were others that came and went as her life changed. But those two meant more to her than the others that had come and gone.

There was a third on par in meaning to the two. Tristan's. But it was locked in the wall safe with other items she kept hidden away for safe keeping. It had been there for a little while.

It had resided on her finger for ten years. Until she determined it was time for it to come off. That had been a hard choice to make. While she hadn't been thrilled about being married in the first place, Tristan had managed to convince her it wouldn't be the horrible doom and gloom scenario she had always pictured it to be. He even made her a deal. If it was exactly like she thought it would be, then he would have the marriage dissolved and they could continue on without the bother of the rings. That deal was never finished. He had been right, marriage to Tristan had been nothing like she had imagined. It had been fun, and surprisingly healing to her.

Now that he was back from the grave, she had been forced to deal with the realities and legalities of that. Parker consulted with Teddy who was pretty sure that since he did die, that their marriage was no longer valid. Due to that whole, "Till death do you part." bit in the marriage vows. The question now was where did they go now that he was back?

They had spent a great deal of time so far reconnecting to each other, for both had changed since they were together. They hadn't yet really discussed the issue of renewing their vows. Only about the legalities of the yards and property that had been transferred to Aja upon his death. He wanted it all to remain with her. That had sparked its own feeling of guilt with her, but in an effort not to make his re-entry to Arcadian life any more difficult, she had kept that to herself.

Arcadia residents, as she had expected, warmed up to Tristan once they got over the shock of his return. Their golden son had returned. The missing one third of the Powerhouse Trio had resumed his rightful place and it was all they needed to know. Bob and Ed had already made comment that things now felt whole again as the trio had been restored. She knew what they meant. There had always been that certain something missing in Arcadia since he left. She had tried her best to find it, but knew all along it was him.

When Aja had first come to Arcadia, it was a homecoming for Rico. She had been the outsider then. Rico and Tristan were the dynamic duo. The boys had made some improvements. When Aja and Tanner joined the community, things picked up in speed of progress. Quickly, the residents recognized she was a jolt of energy to the duo's progress and she was added into the musings of the residents. They became The Powerhouse Trio the residents talked about when the sun went down. Aja had never listened to gossip all that much. She wasn't concerned really as long as things were getting done.

And progress had been made even in Tristan's absence. In his memory, Aja seemed to work twice as hard as before, as if she was picking up Tristan's share. The pace she kept started to worry Parker and Rico, but soon they adjusted to the change and said nothing more about it. They had learned already that once she made up her mind, there was no changing it.

As she drove past the wards into Arcadia, she rolled the window down letting in the salty sea air she loved so much. The balmy air took place of synthetic warmth drawing the stress from her body. She slowed the vehicle down to enjoy the night air. She went to the newly completed office and took the files to her new office. She stood in the middle of her brand new office looking around. In time it would feel comfortable, once some personal touches were added and she spent some time in here.

She prowled the hallway, peeking into Rico's office, who had already been moving stuff into it. The monitors were showing a pattern of colors and spirals bouncing around the screen. She stepped back into the hall, going across to peek into Ajia's office. Artwork adorned the walls already. Screens like Rico's were on the wall. Plants decorated the corners. It looked homey.

She went across from her own office to Tristan's. His was as sparse as his office at home was. She smiled thinking that the more things changed, the more they stayed the same. She made her way back downstairs to the main reception area and display room. It had small models of the different ships they made with more detailed plans on the wall behind it. A receptionist desk was sitting in the center of the room, blocking a straight shot from the door to the stairs leading up to the main offices. Aja recalled Tristan saying he found them a receptionist and a couple assistants. Something Aja and Rico had failed to manage during their years at the yards.

Aja smiled and left the office, getting into the truck once more. Now that the house was further away and down the slope near the beach, it would no short walk to work in the morning. But she didn't mind. Having her home a little more separated from work was exactly what she needed to do.

She let the truck coast down the small hill, smiling seeing the furniture delivery truck in the circular drive by the front door. The front door was open and she could see movement in several of the rooms. She pulled into the garage smoothly and shut off the truck.

Home. It was such a good thing.