Topic: Small Pieces Of Life in Arcadia

LadyAjaBird

Date: 2014-01-13 23:07 EST
"Someone had to have messed with it." Rafe sighed looking at the project just as Aja had come in to see how the brothers were faring on their latest endeavor.

"Why do da two of ya think it was messed with?" she asked them as she started to check out the various parts laid out on the table and compare them with the blueprint that lay nearby.

"It crashed." Rafe replied simply.

"Well. Yeah." Aja said in her best "duh" tone. "It’s a prototype."

"But it crashed." he stated again making Aja smile at him amused, Rico just picked up a part and looked it over, he was already familiar with this particular argument and kept any comments to himself.

"So yer assumption is someone screwed with it?"  Aja asked him, sparing a glance over at Rico who was just smiling to himself as he worked. She"d have sworn on a stack that he was resisting laughing aloud to the conversation going on.

"Yeah. Don't you think so?" Rafe was sounding a little more unsure of himself.

"No."  she gave Rafe a smile then. "Da ya know how many of my designs don"t work first time out?"

"So you think design flaw?" Rico piped in then saving his brother the round and round that would continue if he kept going with Aja.

"Yes." Aja said on her way out of the warehouse. "When ya hear hoof beats, boys, think horses, not zebras."  and then she went out.

Rafe looked at Rico puzzled, who laughed.

"It's annoying when she’s right." he just shook his head. "Come on, we"ll take another look at that valve design. See which failed."


LadyAjaBird

Date: 2014-01-31 17:48 EST
On any given day in the Arcadia shipyards, it wasn’t uncommon to find Aja teasing her First Mate in some way. This day was no exception.

“Oh Rikki yer so fine yer so fine ya blow mah mind...hey Rikki Hey Rikki!”  Aja was singing as she trailed Rico through the office and up the stairs.

“Stop that.” Rico sighed as he looked back at her, removing his sunglasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose...

“Killjoy.” Aja grinned Rico sighed heavily and looked up to the ceiling.

“What did I do to piss you off?” he asked the unseen Gods.

“Yer loved, Ricks.” Aja said as she passed Rico, patting him on the shoulder. “Yer jist loved.”


LadyAjaBird

Date: 2014-05-07 00:46 EST
Park Additions

Aja was doing a bit of gardening in the town square.  I know what you're thinking, Aja" Gardening" She doesn't seem the type. This is just another little piece to a multi faceted person living in the most interesting realm in the multiverse.

But enough about that, back to our subject. She had decided that an archway and a few park benches near the fountain would be a nice addition to the park. People who used the park to move about the city saw her but realized that it was best to leave her alone today.

Every year on that day, they found Aja there, making some improvements to the park. In Tanner"s memory, she would come and spend some time honoring him with these small additions of beauty. She did it on her own with her own hands. It was her thanks to the man that had saved her from a horrifying life and dismal future.

While taking a break, she stared off at the ocean. She was so lost in thought she didn"t hear Rico walk up and sit down next to her.

"He was a pillar of goodness." Rico said after a moment, he noticed her hand jerk towards her side arm then relax as she registered who was speaking.

"Aye."  she said quietly.

"Do you ever wonder what your life would be like now if he was still alive?"

"No." she said and turned her head to look at him. "Tanner always said, be grateful for what you have now and never wish for things to be different. Because your life now, is a series of moments that have come from previous events. If you change any of it, you risk losing all you have gained and many of the happy moments you have experienced."

"He taught you well."

"Sometimes, more than I even thought so." she brushed a wayward strand of hair out of her face when the breeze kicked up.

"You miss him?"

"Every single day." she breathed out and her hand came up to rest on his shoulder. "And every single day, I thank him for you. Cause without him, we wouldn't be here now."

"You're a pain in the arse." Rico started then grinned when she gave him a look. "But I too am grateful for you." he paused one more time then added. "Even when you shoot me."

"Stop whining. I saved yer hide." she nudged him playfully then sighed a little and looked back at the ocean. She was quiet again for a long minute, she had so many thoughts in her head. She thought over the years her and Rico had been traveling together. "We"re luckier than most."

"We are."  Rico agreed.

"Yeah." another long pause before she smiled at Rico, they exchanged a look. They knew how lucky they really were that Tanner brought them together. They were family now. "Well. I’ve got to finish this." she motioned to her project. Rico looked at it and smiled.

"It looks nice. Tanner would"ve loved this."

"Aye. Parker gave me some potion that made the vines grow quick, and the flowers to mature and bloom." She motioned to the archway covered in foliage. "I just have ta finish raking this all out so no one trips on anything."

"See ya back at the office?"

"Yeah." Aja said distracted as she went back to putting the final touches on it. "At the office."



LadyAjaBird

Date: 2014-08-24 05:52 EST
Aja Sparring

Rico came around the warehouse and went into the adjoining building, he saw a couple of the crew members looking up towards the ceiling and followed their gaze. There was Aja on a wire, traversing from one side of the building to the other. Graceful as any circus high wire dancer, Aja moved quickly, silently across the expanse of the warehouse, no nets below in case she fell. Aja liked to play with live ammo as it were. "There's no safety nets out there, Ricks.." she’d say to him. "So there won't be any here."

There was not a single whisper of a noise when she reached the other side and swung down on that wire holding on by her knees. She got a few swings in before letting go and grabbing onto another wire and ziplining to the wall across the room. Before she reached the wall, she let go and caught a window sill, then a drain pipe and shimmied down to the floor.

Sabbo came from the shadows, a swing of his wooden practice staff almost connecting with her head, but she ducked, spun and knocked the big man on his arse. He got up and the pair started sparring. Neither backed down or held back. These sparring matches usually required a visit to Parker afterwards for one or both of them.

Rico shook his head slightly. This was something he had seen before, from the time they first met. He never questioned why she kept up the training. He’d seen her use these skills from time to time when they took their trips out and about. The men also kept up their training, even Rico. The captain was their cue, if she was going to ask them to do something, she"d be leading the charge on it and they knew it.

When Sabbo and Aja stopped, they were smiling, bloody, but smiling. She patted Sabbo on the shoulder in a silent well done gesture. As they got cleaned up, Aja noticed Rico waiting and she made her way over.

"Keeping your skills brushed up on?" he as asked he approached her, she ran the rag down her cheek, wiping away a rivulet of blood.

"Always." she smiled at him, then proceeded to clean up her arm. Todays training involved knives and Sabbo had gotten a lick or two in. "Did ya need me fer something?" she asked as she covered the cut with a piece of gauze and taped it down.

"Aye." Rico got back to the business he had tracked her down for in the first place.  They ambled out of the warehouse towards Parker"s as they talked.



LadyAjaBird

Date: 2015-01-03 03:15 EST
Playground Antics—

Of the many things that Aja had to deal with while running things in Arcadia, was the silly complaints of the "poor me" type of folk that always seem to exist in any society. Those that couldn"t just accept their role in their current situation and wanted to blame something else.

"What were you doing when yer kid was playing catapult off da bacon?" Aja motioned to the spring mounted piggie toy in dispute.

"Pardon me?"

"You. What were ya doing?" Aja repeated calmly. "Cause if ya had been watching, ya would have seen him going too fast and intervened. So." Aja motioned to the pig toy. "What were ya doin that ya didn"t see the wee one launching himself?" the previously irate mother looked a little startled by that and looked down.

"I was chatting with the ladies."

"Ok." Aja just nodded. "Well, he's fine. No doubt, next time he"ll know not ta do that."

"That's it?" the mother asked sounding a bit petulant.

"Yep. That's it." Aja raised her hands then let them fall to her sides. "Wee ones fall. They get scraped knees. They even cut themselves from time ta time. It"s how dey learn not to go doing stuff like that again."

"That toy is unsafe!"

"Keep yer kid off it then if that"s what ya think." Aja started to move towards the exit of the park.

"But..."

"Listen." Aja turned and looked at the woman. "I've raised mah kids on a ship. We got attacked by pirates. They"re still breathin cause I did mah job as a parent and kept "em safe." She motioned to the springy pig toy. "No doubt that thing can launch a kid, but as I understand the laws of physics, something has to put it into motion ta do that." the mother stood there unsure what to say. "If ya were doin yer job, ya"d have seen yer precious wee one about to play catapult baby." Aja then turned on her heel and moved towards the exit. "I"ll expect that this is the last of this type of nonsense."

Aja left the park then and headed to do other things.



Calix Aleta

Date: 2015-03-08 22:22 EST
Arcadian weekday with Cal

Aja was walking along the streets, a group of elf children went running by her and she spun and dodged to miss running them over. She grinned and kept going.

Another glorious sunny day in Arcadia, the lively atmosphere of the town square spilled out onto the streets. Musicians filled the air with their melodies and the people were smiling as they conducted their day to day to routines.

The parks were filled with children laughing and playing, mothers catching up on bits of town gossip while watching the kids. Coffee and food vendors were located near the entrances to offer their wares to the tourists and locals alike.

At a cafe table near the end of the street near the beach entrance, sat Cal. Aja went over and got a coffee of her own before joining him.

"Taking in the local color?" she said as she sat down.

"While waiting for the truck to be loaded with supplies, yes." he answered with a smile.

"Surprised yer not supervising that." She grinned. "So they don't sabotage yer fruits. Slip in a banana bomb or something."

"I always preferred to use papayas."

"Easier to make a bigger bomb and then disguise it. Sweet." she grinned and sipped her coffee. "So. How are our wood elves fairing" Happy I hope."

"Quite." Cal was never one to use a lot of words when one or two would suffice.

"This is good." she leaned back in her chair. "Seeing anything amiss while ya sit here people watching?"

"No."

"Stop. This over talkie thing ya got goin is embarrassing." she grinned at him. 

"I speak enough."

"Compared ta whut' A Tibetan monk who took a vow of silence..." Aja grinned at Cal making him smirk.

"You speak enough for both of us."

"So mean."  she gave him a mock pout then smiled brightly. "it's part of my charm."

"As you keep telling me." he smiled easily in return. His association with the pirate was easy enough to maintain, she was lively, made him laugh, kept him connected to the world. She never demanded too much of his time and never took him for a fool. Something he had come to appreciate over time.



LadyAjaBird

Date: 2015-05-27 01:50 EST
Aja heard a ruckus going on out in the yard and went to investigate. She saw a bunch of her guys all yelling and cheering on a pair that were fighting in the middle of the crew. She shot up into the air and everyone stopped and looked at her.
"I know I don"t pay ya ta do this, so everyone but those two, get where yer supposed ta be. NOW!" she yelled and the guys scattered quickly. Stepping closer to the fighting pair, she eyed them up and spotted the one who likely started the fight. "Talk. Now."
"He's dating my sister."
"How old is this sister?"
"Twenty two." He answered puzzled by the question.
"Did he force himself on her?"
"No but..."
"Silence." she held a hand up and looked at the other one. "You treat her with respect, hold doors for her and that sort of thing?"
"Yes, Captain."
"She like you?"
"As near as I can tell, yes."
"You go see Parker. Get cleaned up." she shooed him off and looked at the instigator in the fight. "You. Do I pay you to start fights at work "''
"No, Captain...but.."
"Shut up. Is your sister stupid in some fashion?"
"No, Captain."
"She can think for herself?"
"Yes...but.."
"Shut up." Aja sighed. "If you were my brother...I'd shoot ya in the frickin leg. It is not yer life. She gets to choose who she wants to spend time with. If you don't like it, tough. Get over it." Aja glared at the man who was wise enough to not continue to try to argue with the captain. "You will be in the office with me for the rest of the day. There is much filing to be done and I can keep an eye on yer stupid arse." she pointed to the office. "March. Now."



LadyAjaBird

Date: 2015-06-05 02:18 EST
Aja & Maria AM Fun

Sunrise came early when she had spent the night working on designs for ships. In fact she had woken up at her drawing board, sunlight streaming through the window and across her face. This was not unusual when she got into her creative mode. Aja scrubbed at her face and a pencil hit the deck. She looked down at it rolling on the floor and sighed.

"Smart arse." she drug herself off the stool and shuffled to the kitchen downstairs.

Maria was humming as she went around the kitchen, the smell of coffee led Aja into the room like a cartoon character. Completely oblivious except for the coffee smell she was following. Maria paused and smiled at the young woman who now fumbled with the coffee pot.

"Blasted machine" " Aja muttered.

"Give me." Maria moved Aja out of the way and guided her to a chair at the kitchen island.

"It mocks me." Aja whined slightly and let her head go down to the counter.

"It's what you get when you don't sleep enough." Maria gently scolded setting a mug near Aja’s hand, which moved till she located the handle and raised her head up.

"I slept." she protested to the portly housekeeper. "Sort of." Aja then took a drink of her coffee watching Maria make a disapproving look at that comment then turn to bustle about the kitchen.

Breakfast would be next. By this point, Aja had learned that if Maria decided you were eating breakfast, you were eating breakfast. No amount of protesting would change that.



LadyAjaBird

Date: 2017-07-25 17:13 EST
Mothers & Daughters

"You’re not telling me something, mother." Mara stood there watching Aja move about the dining room, sorting papers on the table.
"There’s plenty I’m not telling ya, Kid."
"But I need to know." Mara insisted.
"You *need* ta know mah business?" Mara nodded to Aja"s question. "I don’t think so, kid. I’m yer mother. I decide whut ya get ta know or not of mah life." Aja saw Mara preparing to say something else. "That is not up fer debate or discussion. Shut it down." Aja saw Mara hadn't given up just yet. "Shut it all the way down. Now."

Mara huffed a sigh and plopped into one of the chairs at the table. Aja just smiled and kept on sorting.



LadyAjaBird

Date: 2017-07-25 17:19 EST
A small moment in a pirate port

Aja, Cal and Rico were walking the back streets of the small port town looking for a special supplier when a group of thugs, decided they made for easy targets. Aja and Cal dispatched them quickly and keep walking.

Rico: (walking with Cal and Aja after the incident) You know he was just defending his territory. Aja: So do dogs. Doesn't mean puppy gets a t-bone. Cal: She has a point. Rico: There's something seriously disturbing about you two