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Friendly Conversationalist
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 Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2014 8:40 pm
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Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2014 8:42 pm
 Seasons GreetingsDecember 22, 2013
Claire is sent to scope out the Lab thanks to a flyer and her mother's misconception, but luckily Zeke is there to answer all of her questions.Seasons Greetings Vapor puffed between Claire's lips as she half-walked, half-jogged down the sidewalk. Inwardly she cursed herself for the decision to wear leggings rather than jeans but she felt an impulse to look more presentable, and jeans waffled into casual more than she liked. And if this is what her mother had said it was two days ago when shoving an ad and the care of her Russian wolfhound Misha into her hands before heading out the door on her "girls' weekend," then Claire wanted to present the most put-together image she could muster.
Even if, inside, she was quaking just the slightest at the idea of an adoption agency.
"Misha, heel," she called to the dog tugging the leash in her hand, although he did not obey and continued to pull her forward. The small clutch of people walking around the sidewalk excited him, they were so different from the other people in his neighborhood! The woman holding his leash groaned and tugged a little more firmly, this time coercing the dog to slow down and look at her expectantly. Her gloved hand fished the neatly-folded ad out of her pocket and struggled to unwrap it alone, shaking it in the morning air to open it fully.
"Lab 305... Lab 305.." Claire's pale eyes squinted at the name and then up hopefully towards the buildings. The word "adoption" once again crossed her mind and her heart squeezed in her chest. She had told herself time and time again that she would wait, now was not the time, but it seemed her mother had other ideas. All the same, it never hurt to consider one's options.
She found the corresponding address more quickly than what she was prepared for. Her throat dried and swallowing seemed impossible. Stiff fingers tightened on the ad paper, and she folded it haphazardly and stuffed it back into her pocket, all the while trying to calm her nerves. It's okay, just a Q & A session, she reminded herself, no need to get so uptight. Claire shook her head to quell her anxieties, which only succeeded in loosening some of the strands of her nicely tied bun, and reached for the handle. The door pulled back and Misha scrambled to run inside, and she pulled out of her stupor and blocked him from entering with her body. How could she forget that not all places allow dogs?
And so there she stood for the moment, blocking her mother's whining dog from entering the reception area while standing half in and half out of the doorway.
"Hello.. ?" she called tentatively. Misha whined again and she turned her head awkwardly against the doorframe to look at him. He presented a pitiful image with his best doe eyes and soft whine, and she didn't want to leave him out in the cold, although his breed was bred to deal with cold conditions. The sound of Christmas music drifted from the lobby, and over them she could make out a rather pleasant voice joining his own to the song, which enticed her to turn her attention back inside. From what she could see of the lobby, it was nicely decorated for the impending holidays, and another moment's glance around the room revealed the shock of green and purple hair attached to the young man behind the desk that she had yet to notice until now. It seemed he was busy with cleaning up, given the presence of the broom and dustpan - perhaps he was the receptionist, or another person who worked here?
"Ah -- hello!" Claire called again, and Misha tried to take the opportunity to nudge behind her legs into the lobby, but she pushed him back. "I'm sorry, I just -- I didn't expect to have him with me and I'm not sure if you allow dogs -- oof, Misha, down." Misha pressed again and once again she remained unmoved, much to the dog's displeasure. "This is the Lab 305, yes? My mother gave me an ad for here."
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2014 9:01 pm
Crawfish Boil & PotluckMarch 15, 2014
Claire and Aaron end up at the Lab's Crawfish Boil, and the crowd becomes too much for the potential Guardian-To-Be.Crawfish Boil & Potluck "Careful with the platter, please." Claire juggled the three bottles of wine and pocketed her car keys. Her husband Aaron emerged from the back seat, a steaming tinfoil container held precariously in his grip, and shut the door with his hip.
"Funny, thought it'd be a little easier to handle. Did you have to make it so soon before we came?" He smiled and steadied it between each arm alternately to avoid the heat settling through the fabric of his plaid overshirt. His wife sighed and lightly smacked his arm, nodding him towards their destination. All the duo had to do was follow their ears - and noses too, for the air was ripe with the smell of food. The sight of some party goers literally floating by shocked Aaron enough that he forgot the growing burning sensation in his arms from the platter. "You.. you weren't kidding, were you?" Claire fidgeted with the bottles and stiffened slightly. She had only come to the Lab once before to have a talk with the exceedingly friendly assistant, and perhaps coming to the advertised crawfish boil was a bit presumptuous on her part, but she really wanted to see with her own eyes just what she might be getting into. Aaron felt his wife's tension and nudged her with a shoulder. "We should talk to someone, y'know, loosen it up a bit." He dipped his shoulders in a goofy rhythmless dance, and some of her anxiety dissipated, allowing a smile to briefly flicker across his wife's face.
"Not yet, I think.. I don't really know anyone yet, but.. later. We'll do it later." She nodded firmly, and he shrugged in reply.
"Suit yourself. But where do we take these?" He moved the container to his free arm, shaking out the other to cool it down. Claire scanned the scene and saw a small group clustered around one of the buffet tables, an older man and young girl seemingly at the helm.
"C'mon," she said, and started making her way over. Aaron's glance wandered over the other people who were there with curiosity; he did his best to mask it well, but his wife's description of Raevans certainly did not fit what he was seeing now. Claire's gaze was drawn to a pink-haired Raevan as they passed, and her heart fluttered momentarily in her chest from her nerves. Their approach at the table did nothing to calm her tension, however, and as the old man seemed to be leaving, Claire shifted her focus towards the girl. "Hiii," she called out, a little more chipper than she would normally be. "I'm sorry, uhm.. is this where we bring the potluck goods? I mean it probably is, what with all the food here, but always good to be sure!" She laughed nervously. Aaron, for his part, had followed behind her and held up the spaghetti amiably, his wandering gaze now resting on the food before them. His stomach rumbled - the time was approaching.
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Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2014 9:06 pm
Dungy DragumsApril 2014
Aaron gets in touch with his inner warrior with a few new acquaintances from the Boil.Dungy Dragums Pulling up outside the house, Aaron squinted down at the bright screen of his phone to compare the addresses. His eyes adjusted as he moved his gaze up to the mailbox and back down - this was indeed the place. He stepped out of the car and took a deep breath of the evening air. Truth be told, something about Dungeons and Dragons felt so nostalgic to him, even though he had only ever played one game during high school (any time thereafter, time and schedules had not permitted). He adjusted the ties on his old, comfortable hoodie and made his way up the steps. Justin seemed like a pretty cool guy at the Crawfish Boil, so it was a pretty safe assumption that the others would be too (he vaguely remembered Anita from the information table).
Aaron: *raises his hand and knocks pretty sharply, trying to balance a big bag of tortilla chips and a can of homemade salsa, courtesy of Claire*
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2014 9:08 pm
Three`s CompanyMay 14, 2014
Claire and Aaron are invited out to lunch by Anita and Cruz, in order to find out more about Lab and the Raevan program.Three's Company Truthfully, Claire was feeling much more optimistic about this meeting than she did at the boil. Perhaps it had been Aaron's laughter-tinted recollection of the Dungeons and Dragons night at Justin's house that had done it, or how Anita had caught up with her at the end of the boil to exchange numbers after (at least what Claire would term it) what was a personal failure in regards to outings, but something about this lunch seemed.. better, somehow. She was humming and dropping change into the meter when her husband ran up to join her from down the street. Compared to her simple light blue blouse and pink skirt combo, Aaron looked almost overdressed in his work suit and tie. He was likely thinking the same thing, as he unbuttoned his jacket and loosened the tie a bit - a look which suited him more than the stuffy business attire, Claire thought.
"You ready?" he asked tentatively, with a careful glance at his wife. She pursed her lips as guilt constricted her chest. It feels like walking on eggshells sometimes, but he's trying. This time, however, she could smile genuinely - this was not a large get together, just a casual lunch. It had been too soon after certain incidents to have expected herself to jump right into large social engagements. Small steps would do for now.
"Yeah, let's head inside," she replied, and the two headed through the door as the overhead bell chimed. As Aaron addressed the waitress, telling her they were joining another party, Claire scanned the crowd and spotted the back of Anita's head amongst the outdoor tables. She tugged on Aaron's arm and raised her free hand. "Anita!" Her husband turned and followed, and as they approached the table, broke into a grin of his own.
"Hey!" Both husband and wife lowered themselves into their chairs, and Aaron grinned up at Cruz, deciding to break the ice and take the initiative. "Good to see you guys again. What've you been up to since the DnD game?" Claire, for her part, found her eyes moving to Cruz as well, since she had not seen him at the boil proper, and he was quite a spectacle. Those teeth were especially attention grabbing, and Claire found herself all the more fascinated. Aaron was right, he did seem like quite the character.
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Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2014 9:10 pm
Sand CastlesJuly 12, 2014
Claire, Aaron, and Ivy head out to the Lab beach party!Sand Castles Ivy's old Ford Taurus station wagon pulled into the beach parking lot, brakes squealing as it came to a halt. The windows in the back were rolled down enough for a large wolfhound to stick his head through the gap and look around. His tail whirled propellar-like in the face of Claire, his backseat companion, who batted it away when it knocked her sunhat from her head. "Misha, calm down -- hey ---"
"Ivy, you really need to take your car in, the brakes on this thing sound horrible." Aaron put the car in park and switched off the ignition, handing over the key to the elderly woman occupying the front passenger-side seat. She adjusted her own wide-brimmed sunhat and tucked the key into her knit beach bag.
"A little squeak never hurt no one," she scoffed. Once Claire managed to calm the excited Borzoi down, she scooted over and opened the door, taking his leash into hand and leading him out of the car.
"Thanks for coming with us today, Ma. I figured it was only right since you introduced us to the Lab."
"Are you kidding? I've been itchin' to get to the ocean for days. Y'all just gave me an excuse to come -- Aaron pop the trunk, will you?" Ivy opened her own door and stepped out into the sun, taking a deep breath. "Now let's hurry up and find a good spot, gotta even out this farmer's tan." Aaron and Claire both laughed and walked around to the trunk when Aaron's gaze drifted down the line of cars next to them.
"Looks like Anita and Cruz just got here too." He nudged his wife in the arm and pointed to the Camry a few parking spaces over. "Hey guys!" he called, following with a huge wave. Claire gave a smaller wave of her own and trekked across the hot asphalt towards the Raevan, dog, guardian, and company - or rather, was pulled along as Misha sniffed out Tango and took the lead. She tightened the slack and faced the younger girl and her Raevan.
"Good to see you again!" she said amiably, smiling. Misha yelped excitedly at Tango, tail whirling.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2014 9:12 pm
Special Delivery!August 9, 2014
Zeke and Anya stop by the Holmes residence with a huge surprise for Claire.Special Delivery! Claire sat cross-legged in the middle of her living room floor. She had the windows open, streaming in the last bits of warmth and sunlight before the forecasted rain was to fall. Another slow day had passed at the firm, and the defense attorney had let her go early, telling her to enjoy the day. As nice a sentiment as it was, such things were happening quite a bit recently, and Claire was beginning to miss the hustle of a busier office. The radio next to the couch had been turned down low but she could barely make out the song playing on the recent hits station - the new Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande, and Jessie J team-up. Claire was finding it harder to pay attention to the task at hand or the phone call from her mother on speakerphone as her foot tapped beneath her.
"Claire, are you still there?" Ivy's tone shifted downward in concern that the call had dropped.
"Yeah, Ma, just organizing, sorry." Around Claire were at least five photo albums, all in disarray, photos scattered from their usual spots to more convenient reaching places. She had the backs of several picture frames open; since moving back to Gambino, Claire had avoided a few of the boxes in the guest room, having intended to repaint much of the house. Now that some time had passed, she came to love the soft blue color on the walls, and it was time to seal the deal by putting up pictures. That required a bit of reorganization though, as having the same pictures up all the time was a little boring, and needless to say it was very distracting work. Her mother had interrupted her own stream of conversation to make sure her daughter was still there.
Car doors opened and shut outside, and Claire glanced towards the door at the noise. Aaron would be due home soon, but not this soon. There was muffled conversation at the door and then the doorbell's ring reverberated through the house. The frames and photo albums scattered around her created quite a chaotic scene and she hurriedly picked them up. A glance through the door-side window showed her a bit of the back of a head with pink and blue hair.
"Everything okay?" came Ivy's concerned voice from the speakerphone. Setting the albums and frames as quickly as possible into the boxes, she scrambled for the phone.
"Let me call you back, Ma. Someone at the door." With a cursory glance around the relatively tidy living room (with exception of the boxes in the middle of the floor), she stood up properly and headed towards the door.
"Don't worry about it, I'll see you at seven." Claire nodded at the phone without really thinking about it, and when her mother had hung up she did the same and returned the phone to the base by the entryway. She smoothed her blouse and skirt and opened the door, the face before her was more familiar than the back of their head had been. Immediately she broke into a smile.
"Zeke! Wow, hey! It's been too long. I didn't recognize you with the new colors!" Her gaze slid from Zeke's cheerful face to one just behind him, and with a start she recognized her vaguely from the picture he had shown her upon her first visit to the Lab. She was as beautiful as the picture showed, although this real life Anya looked a little more distracted currently than annoyed, or so Claire thought. Getting a house call from the Lab assistant and his rather stunning Raevan had definitely surprised her. It had been almost eight months since she had last spoken to Zeke and submitted her Lab application; he had been green and purple back then. But she recovered quickly, her smile only widening.
"Please, come in, make yourselves comfortable on the couch over there. Please don't mind the boxes." She stepped aside so the two could enter. "May I get you something to drink? There's water, sun tea, coffee.."
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Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 4:51 pm
Happy Tidings
August 9, 2014 'You're being silly.' Claire's nerves were settling in as soon as the timer on the oven had rung. It had become second nature to her recently to chide herself in moments of stress; normally she was able to handle big news with more grace. Things had changed since they had decided to leave Durem, or rather she had changed. But now, events were taking another course, and one that she thought was still an uncertainty to her. The folded contract in her jacket pocket weighed heavily with the news it had for both Aaron and Claire.
“Claire? Carry this out, will you?” Her mother interrupted her thoughts, and Claire's eyes took a moment to refocus on the woman before her, who was handing her a steaming dish of pot roast. Getting a handle on the pot holders cozied up to the handles, the news she had was looming closer at hand. “I've got the potatoes, you first.” Ivy nodded at the doorway to the dining room and let her daughter lead the way.
Stepping over the threshold, Claire spotted her husband Aaron sitting at the table, and her nerves jumped. He was hunched over the side, petting her mother's pet borzoi Misha behind the ears as the dog's tail thumped in pleasure on the ground.
“Good boy, goooood boy, thassa boy, that's the spot? Yesss that's the spot,” he cooed.
“Aw, Aaron, you're gonna get hair in the food,” Claire began as she set the dish down, but Ivy cut her off.
“Nah, a little dog hair never hurt anyone.” The potatoes found their place next to the pot roast. “Go ahead and dish up, I'll get the veggies.” Aaron did not need to be told twice, and as soon as his attentions towards Misha stopped, the dog returned to his bed cushion in the corner of the room.
“Gonna wash my hands first, can you dish up for me, Claire?”
“No problem,” she replied as he stood.
“Thanks, babe.” He planted a kiss on her temple as he followed Ivy into the kitchen, and the place where his lips grazed her skin continued to tingle. The news felt heavier than before, and Claire shrugged her jacket off and draped it over her chair. She tried to ignore the casual chatter of her mother and husband in the other room and focus on delivering her news without stumbling so much.
She was excited, so very excited, but also incredibly nervous. Why was she so nervous?
The two returned as she dropped the mashed potatoes onto her mother's plate. Their chairs groaned and creaked as they were pulled away from the table and then reunited with occupants in tow. Claire swallowed her nerves.
“Looks good, Ivy,” Aaron said appreciatively when his mother-in-law divvied up the vegetables between the three plates. He eagerly snatched up his fork and dove for the potatoes, and Claire knew the moment was at hand. She plucked the contract from her draped jacket and gently cleared her throat.
"Uhm.. if I may, before we start?" Two sets of eyes flicked up to her, one with a fork poised near his mouth, and heat flooded Claire's cheeks at the increased attention. "An announcement." She tapped the tiny stack of papers on the table top. Ivy leaned back in her seat and studied her daughter for a moment, and her gaze moved to the papers in hand.
"Something to do with the Lab, I'm guessing?" Claire's expression must have betrayed some surprise at her mother's perception, and the older woman countered with a smile and a roll of the eyes. "Oh come on, Claire, you're not very mysterious. You've been buzzing about the Lab since you walked into the office last year, on top of all those get togethers since." Aaron guided the almost-forgotten fork to his mouth and chewed thoughtfully.
"Foh wat's the newphs?" he asked between bites. Claire perked up again, the corners of her mouth becoming a bit sore from her continual smile, and her fingers tapped the info packets rapidly. The moment had arrived at last, but how to say it? She glanced between her mother and husband, and Ivy's mouth was open in a way that suggested she was about to spill the news she had likely figured out, but instead of doing so she leaned forward to rest her head on her own laced fingers, waiting. Her mother was giving Claire her moment.
"We've been approved." The words rushed out excitedly; her announcement was not as eloquent as she had hoped but her enthusiasm was apparent. “Us and Justin both, apparently, I saw his name on the contact sheet.” She brought the bundle of papers to rest under her chin as her smile widened. Now her jaw was starting to ache a bit in earnest but it was a good ache. It felt good to smile so hard. Ivy clasped her hands together happily as Aaron's hand fell back to the table top, the fork once again forgotten as he dropped it on the plate.
"That's wonderful news, congratulations!" her mother offered, and Claire directed her bright smile towards her. Aaron, on the other hand, had a more thoughtful expression on his face, although certainly not an unhappy one.
"So what does this mean for us?" he asked, leaning forward over the table. "I'm still a bit foggy on the program --"
"Oh, yes, sorry, that's right." Claire straightened up and passed the papers in her eager hands over to him. "Here, Zeke made a copy of the contract. Nothing shady or anything as far as I was able to see but I figured you would want the details to check over yourself." As Aaron began leafing through the more technical aspects laid out in the agreement, Ivy leaned towards her daughter.
"So while he's going through those, go ahead and sum it up for me, would you?"
"Well, it means we're going to get a Raevan. Eventually, anyway. He provided the basics earlier when he stopped by. You remember the Raevans, Ma, we met Cruz at the beach party?"
"Vaguely, but I've seen 'em. I get the gist." Ivy nodded. "So, eventually one will be yours?" She glanced between her daughter and son-in-law, who looked up momentarily from the last couple pages of the contract.
"We have some of the, uh, I guess.. ingredients? To make a Raevan. Since they're made of both science and magic. Although there's some legwork involved in the process on our part, they're made of a Soul and a Fel Essence." For the first time since her initial jitters, she hesitated. “Fel Essences are things that are contrary to nature, so the one we were given was Bitter Honey. Then, uh, the Soul is something you have to catch, and --” Aaron finished his read through and set the papers down next to his plate. “-- well, um, that's the legwork part I mentioned earlier. We have to catch the Soul.” Ivy's eyebrows scrunched together.
“How are y'gonna do that?” She folded her arms together over her chest, and as both sets of eyes focused on her, Claire's enthusiasm began to deflate.
“We.. uh.. we have to kill something.” Ivy's eyes widened in surprise, which prompted Claire to continue haltingly, “But, um, the glass they gave us to catch the soul has a limiter, because souls have certain colors? Like plants have green-colored souls. And the one on our bottle is green, so we can only catch souls with that color.” She gestured wildly with her hands as she spoke, forming an invisible bottle between her shaking fingers one moment and indicating the succulents on Ivy's dresser the next, her words picking up pace. “Which is good because I suppose accidental captures could happen otherwise, so Zeke says? So I was concerned about Misha, but luckily Misha isn't green, but it's still very nerve-wracking, I mean, I'd rather not kill something, but I guess if we want the Raevan it's something that needs to be done. But Zeke also said that everything has a soul, like rocks and plants and such, and as long as it's pure and not man-made, it'll work. I mean, I think I could be okay with a rock or a plant, I'd rather not kill anything though but --”
“Claire.” Aaron cut in firmly but gently with a tone that he had used with her more often recently than in the past, a tone she could not decide if she really liked or not. However she shook it off and locked her trembling fingers together in an attempt to settle herself.
“Sorry, it's just.. it was a lot to take in.”
“Tell me about it,” he replied as he reclined in his chair. “This contract is very, uh, precise. But it has everything on paper, which is what counts.” Claire pursed her lips together and glanced at him nervously. Aside from the somewhat-patronizing way he attempted to calm her down a moment before, he kept the following words in a neutral tone.
“That's the gist of it,” she continued, before directing her attention fully to Aaron. “But I grabbed a copy of it from Zeke for just that reason – so we'd have all the facts. I signed onto Lab without thinking too deeply about it, and maybe it a was a little reckless but... it's now or never, I suppose. Aaron, do you want to do this?” Somewhere, deep in the back of her mind, Claire recalled this conversation before. Years ago, sitting on their apartment couch back in Durem, shortly after their wedding. The desire for a child, being young and excited and drifting in the honeymoon glow of it all. She had wanted to start a family for as long as she could remember, and her chances had been stolen from them through one way or another. Unable to conceive, busy schedules, and finally the two events that had stopped them from ever trying again.
Zeke had said it himself. His Raevan was like a daughter to him; she was convinced that theirs would be like a child to them. No matter how they looked when they were born, what gender, what sort of powers they might have – their chance had finally come. Aaron was her husband, her partner, in this adventure, and he had just as much a right to change his mind about this as she did.
“Remember, we can still back out. If you want, I'll return the soul bottle and Essence. This is your decision too, and I should have talked to you about it before I signed up back in December, so I'm making sure that I do it now, and that we're all clear before we do anything else.” Aaron's eyes left his wife's face and found the contract on the table. He turned to Ivy, who watched the proceedings as neutrally as she could (a task she was well-adept in, being the mother of two), before he returned his gaze to Claire. The corners of his mouth twitched and a smile formed, bigger and bigger.
“What the hell, let's do it.” His smile blossomed into a full grin and he stood up, the chair screeching in protest against the hard wood floor. “Let's do it!” Tears threatened for the second time that day and Claire pushed the heel of her hand to the corner of her eye to stop them, laughter spilling from her lips in their place. She rounded the table and threw her arms around his shoulders. Misha arose from his bed and yelped excitedly at the sudden activity, and Ivy smiled down at the anxious dog as he came over to investigate the happy couple.
“See? I told you you'd be a parent yet. Had a good feeling about that place,” Ivy said as she took a happy bite of her cooling pot roast, as Claire and Aaron laughed in joy. As they sat down to their now-celebratory meal and Aaron excitedly declared they'd have to text Justin and get together, the knowledge was finally sinking in for Claire. Her chance was here, and she was going to do it right.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 4:52 pm
Here`s To The FutureAugust 9, 2014
Claire and Aaron meet up with Justin to celebrate being chosen for Lab.Here's To The Future "Been a while since we've been out together like this." Aaron grinned at his wife across the table as his hand came to rest on hers. Claire, in return, flipped her hand over and gave his hand a light squeeze, her own smile blooming on her lips. Compared to the other few patrons at Raine's at this time of night, they looked underdressed in jeans, t-shirts, and a tunic top, but neither of them had their minds on that at the moment. "I still can't believe this is happening. And Justin too!"
"I know," Claire gushed back, freeing her hand to take a sip from the water glass. The duo had opted to wait for Justin before they ordered drinks, which only felt right as this was a celebratory occasion. Celebratory, a little uncertain, sure, but definitely worthy of a glass of wine or beer between friends. As soon as she had finished telling him the news of their Raevan-to-be, as well as seeing a certain person's name recently added to the contact list, Aaron had his phone out, punching in a message to their friend, followed by a brief back and forth on the location and time. "I wonder how he's feeling about this.. I mean it IS a lot to take in.. you saw the paperwork and the clauses in the contract." Aaron's cheerful demeanor subdued itself just a touch and he nodded, taking a long draw from his water.
"Yeah. The soul capture part is..." He looked as though he were searching for a word to use, but he could not find one. "But at least it's something we can talk about. Nice to know someone going through the same thing, y'know?" His smile returned, and Claire nodded as her own resurfaced.
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Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2014 8:58 am
At The End Of The Day
September 15, 2014 Advisory TRIGGER WARNING: The following journal entry describes miscarriage; please proceed with caution if you are triggered by this!
"I'm glad you're happy." Her usual morning grumpiness was outweighed by another feeling settled within as her eyes rested on the paperwork scattered on the dining room table. To be fair to the gentleman in charge at her workplace, she had not been the most attentive employee as of late. The smaller office was considerably less stress than Royce & Harris back in Durem, but that did little to change the fact that the last year and a half had been hard on her. It had been hard on both her and Aaron, and to say that she did not foresee the meeting that had transpired in her supervisor's office would be a lie.
"I'm sorry, Claire," he had said in a voice that did not say he was sorry. "There's just not enough work at the office and I've already had to scale back hours." This she knew; she had been the first to have her hours cut. "We've had to eliminate your position. Again, I'm terribly sorry." This she knew not to be true, as she had overheard one of the other paralegals discussing how her friend (a recent graduate) had just had an interview at the same office. Claire knew that she had disappointed, which was the hardest fact of the whole ordeal, even if she had seen it coming. She knew inside that she should have explained her circumstances, what she and her husband had been going through, but her thoughts were nothing but mud in her head, and only one wiggled its way free.
"I'm sorry as well," she replied, clenching her hands together in her lap. She had never been fired before; deep inside, she expected to feel shame, indignation, guilt - anything.
All she felt was resignation.
Claire nodded numbly as he pushed the paperwork towards her and asked for her signature, and she gathered her sparse belongings at her desk and left, all before ten in the morning. Three days had passed since the event and she still felt listless and numbed to it. Perhaps it was because she had planned to quit when she and Aaron decided to have a child, or because she had been so preoccupied with the excitement about Lab, or because of something else she did not want to think about too deeply.
She rolled her legs off the edge of the couch so she was sitting upright and glanced at the clock again. Time moved at a snail's pace now that she really had no job to go to, even with the long list of tasks she could do around the house. Claire, unfortunately, had become quite accustomed to the emptiness that had grown inside her preceding the move.
"This isn't like you," she said to the empty room, feeling its solitude and lack of warmth. 'I know.' Of course she knew. She stared at the forgotten wine glass on the table in front of her, left over from the conversation with Aaron following his return home the day she was let go.
"s**t, I'm sorry, Claire." At least she knew he sincerely meant it. "I mean I know we talked about you leaving eventually, but all the same." He had refused her offer of a glass of red, which she had only opted for because she felt she should have it, although she did not particularly desire it. That was just what you did when something like this happened, right?
"It's fine," she had replied in the same flat tone, shrugging. "Like you said, we planned me leaving sometime so.. if they didn't have the hours, they didn't have the hours." She swirled the wine in her glass around absently, and Aaron reclined in the chair across from her.
"Hm," was all he said before a long pause ensued, after which he left the room to change out of his suit. That was the last word they exchanged until the following morning, when he told her, "have a good day," waited a moment for a reply that did not come, and headed out the door. It set a pattern for the days after.
They used to talk about things. He used to ask her what was wrong. That had changed after her last trip to the hospital. He tried - oh, bless him, he tried - but he did not try very hard, and sometimes the couple became so frustrated with each other that they said little more than two words to each other over the course of several days.
Now, looking at the wine glass, the leftover coffee cups and dishes on the dining room table, and the unpacked boxes around the living room, she felt another emotion growing, pushing against the boundaries the emptiness had created, overflowing.
Frustration.
"This is goddamn ridiculous." A growl rose in her throat, a sound just as strange from her as the curse word that preceded it, and she hopped to her feet, moving quickly down the hall. She grabbed her clothes angrily from the dresser, entered the bathroom and flipped on the switch to the vent. 'Enough. Get dressed, unpack something. Knock it off.' Claire rode the wave of frustration that had overcome her all throughout her shower, getting dressed, and the rest of her usual morning rituals. There were plenty of boxes to unpack around the house - the bathroom, kitchen, and their bedroom had been finished first, but parts of the living room remained boxed up, and everything else that they had not sorted through had been shoved unceremoniously into the guest room to be dealt with later. 'Might as well tackle the biggest beast first,' she thought as she opened the door to the guest room and turned on the light.
Her mood flared at the sight of all the boxes stacked against one wall, blocking the bookcase they had erected there. How could they have let it get this bad? She roughly grabbed one of the boxes off the top of the stack and set it before her on the recently-laid carpet. Claire sat down behind it and crossed her legs, scooted towards it and ripped the strip of tape keeping the box closed off with a flourish. The flaps were opened, and she glanced back at the towering wall of boxes momentarily to puzzle out how to even get things onto the buried bookcase when she swiveled her head and looked into the box. Aaron's old textbooks were pulled out one at time, heavy tomes on business that he never got rid of, and she rolled her eyes at remembering the small argument they had had before moving about donating and his insistence at holding onto them "just in case." She made a mental note to relabel the box for Goodwill once it was empty and set "Good Business Practice" to the side, glancing back into the box.
The frustration that had carried her through the morning retreated as quickly as it had come on, heart shriveling in her chest. Claire's hands shrunk back from the contents as her breathing hitched, frustration giving way to unpleasant thoughts.
Unpleasant memories.
Their couch in Durem, room dimly lit from the outside streetlamp; Aaron's eyes glowing as she said, "let's try, come on, let's try;" the disappointment of trying and trying and trying until months had passed and at last two lines appeared on the test purchased hastily from the pharmacy across the street; the flurry of scheduling doctor's appointments; the worry when no morning sickness came and the following assurance from Ivy that maybe she was one of the lucky ones who did not have to deal with it ("I must have dealt with it all being pregnant with you and Matt, you can thank me later."); chest aching when the doctor told her "I'm sorry," before she had even started to show she was pregnant; Aaron's face awash in disbelief and the tears she cried, feeling like she disappointed him, disappointed herself; his arms around her and his voice against her hair, telling her, "it's okay, we can try again, it's alright."
Several sad months before another attempt succeeds and they are excited, cautious but excited; the doctor assuages her fears and says the child is developing normally, and this time, this time Claire believes him; she and Aaron are floating on air, planning on colors for the baby's room, none of that "pink or blue" but a nice cheery yellow or maybe a green, spring colors for a spring baby; purchasing a book of baby names and circling their favorites, arguing over some and laughing over others ("Good name for a dog, but for a kid?" or "That's my boss's name, I'd rather not see Mr. Harris when looking at our child if it's all the same to you."); morning sickness - horrible, blessed, normal morning sickness!; her stomach swelling as the baby passed safely into the second trimester; tears as Ivy gives her a baby book to chronicle the first year of their child's life.
Drops of blood, small at first, steady cramps; anxiety swells; her mother tells her over the phone, "it's only been a couple days but don't wait, call the doctor, make an appointment;" the appointment is set, two days from now.
Awoken by sharp, deep pain; Aaron's shouts as she writhes in agony like she has never felt before, heart hammering as blood, so much blood, soaks their bed, her nightgown; Aaron's white hand clasping hers tightly as he drives them to the hospital at 2 AM with the labor-like pain continuing but she knows that it is wrong; squeaky gurney wheels, the urgent calls of the doctor and attending nurses and pain, heartbeat accelerating, vision swimming until she is given something to ease the onslaught.
The baby comes.
Misshapen head.
Arm.
Torso.
Spinal cord.
Toes, a handful at once.
The baby comes in pieces.
The baby is gone.
Claire swallowed.
The dry lump in her throat refused to budge. She reached her shaking hands into the box and grasped the white book inside. The characters were soft, friendly - the classic Winnie the Pooh designs surrounded a pastel banner emblazoned with the words, "Baby's First Year." As her heart jump started again and she stared at the book, Claire felt sick. "Baby's First Year" came to rest in her lap and she opened it without thinking, but she already knew what she would find. The empty slot for the baby's name on the front page mocked her, and she quickly turned the page only to be confronted with the blank form for the baby's name, birthdate, time of birth, a slot for the wristband, a sleeve for a copy of the birth certificate, all bordered with ink drawings of Pooh and friends looking benignly on.
The words 'septate uterus' were given as the reason for the miscarriage, something they had not quite picked up on during her first. The ultrasound she had scheduled during her first warning signs was conducted, confirming that everything had been evacuated. She was prescribed pain killers for the following weeks and told that cramping might occur as well while her system readjusted. They had suggested additional surgery to get rid of the separating wall. But she did not hear the words as much as felt them from her place of vacuous sadness, a place beyond tears. It was too much to deal with and she just wanted to grieve for the unknown child she had just lost.
They had not even known the baby's gender before it had ended.
Claire was withdrawn and sad, empty and different. Aaron had held her, much as he had during the first, but he did not tell her they could try again. Their first dinner with his parents, who had been so thrilled to be grandparents soon, was stilted and awkward, their sympathies strange and (in the case of Aaron's mother Ruth) somewhat false. Words failed between the couple; there seemed to be a lot to say and not enough, and they met in the middle with silence. Her husband, so steady before, wavered, unsure of what to do or how to comfort her. She pushed him away when he found her in the shower crying and said, "I'm fine." He tried to hold her again as she cried over their cooking dinner two days later and she growled through tears as she turned away for him to, "stop it."
He stopped.
Claire felt horrible about it. It was such a delicate subject between them even with almost a year's distance. He did not know how to handle this strange new Claire, but she was just as clueless on how to handle herself.
She looked away from the baby book in her lap and willed herself back to her task, only to see the flower-emblazoned dust cover of the baby names guide looking up at her from within the box. It would likely be a good idea to keep it out, as she was sure that they would be browsing through it once more to find a name for their Raevan. She felt the weight of the task before her, picturing the silver suitcase sitting in their bedroom, and for the first true, honest time since Zeke's impromptu visit, Claire wavered.
She had called the Raevan guardians "parents," clung to what Zeke and Anita had told her. Despite having met Raevans, knowing in general what they would look like, she still found herself picturing a toddler playing in the house when the word came to mind, but she knew it was wrong. Yet she did not stop herself.
'Did I do this for the right reason?' It had been easy to get swept up in the idea of the Lab, the romance of finally having the child of sorts that she could not have otherwise. 'But it's not a child.' She would love the Raevan all the same, cherish it like a child, of this she was certain. But it would not be fair to expect it to be a child, like her niece and nephew with their physiologically perfect parents.
She would have to talk to Aaron about it, but she knew that she would never find the words.
Claire plucked the baby names book from the box and set it on top of the other in her lap, almost aggressively dropping it against Pooh's sideways-glancing face. "Take that, septate uterus," she mumbled as she ground the top book into the bottom one, her eyes welling with frustrated tears.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2014 9:01 am
Halloween Day SoireeOctober 26, 2014
Claire and Aaron head to the Durem Gardens for the Lab's Halloween bash, dressed as a certain former prince and princess of pop..Halloween Day Soiree "I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Claire remarked in an undertone as she rearranged a plastic tub of homemade pumpkin haystacks in her arms, but any bite the message had was diffused by the small smile she was trying to hold back. The two were notorious during their early dating years for goofy couple costumes (much more entertaining to go as Captain Von Trapp and Maria or peanut butter and jelly rather than Romeo and Juliet), but the tradition had taken a hiatus in recent times due to scheduling conflicts and less festive moods. With everything changing in their lives thanks to the Lab, it only made sense to Aaron that the tradition be brought back with a vengeance. He gently prodded her in her exposed side, where he knew she was ticklish, which tore loose the laugh she was stifling.
"Not that there was much talking, more like giggling, if I remember correctly." He tapped his chin in false thought and moved to run his hand through his hair when Claire reached up to pull the hand away with her free hand.
"Hey buster, don't touch, it took ages for you to get that right," she gently scolded.
"Yeah I know, it's just weird though. Not only the wash out color but all the gel.. god, haven't used this much since high school," he replied with a shrug, but their attention was diverted as the duo entered the garden. The costumes around them were fairly impressive on the few Raevans, guardians, and friends they glimpsed on the way to drop off the cookies, but Claire could only laugh at the main attraction for Aaron at the moment - the refreshment tables. "Oh hey, the refreshment table looks sick. Looks like the sweets are over here, babe." She pinkened at the pet name and popped off the lid, sliding it under the bowl. "Guess who's gonna try aaaaall of these?"
Claire knew where it was going, judging by his widening grin, she tried to cut him off at the pass. "Oh my god Aaron, no --"
"C'mon, you know who it's gonna be --"
"Yes, but --" He leaned down, lips close to her ear.
"It's gonna be maaaaay," he crooned, jerking his thumbs at himself, and Claire, despite her complaints, snorted loudly. Of course they'd be at their first holiday get together with the Lab dressed as Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears; the puns were part of the ride.
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2014 10:11 am
The Telephone Game
November 20, 2014 The fall afternoon's light was fading quickly by the time Claire made her way back into the house. The last of the empty boxes were stacked in the garage, ready for a run to the recycling center once time permitted, and she breathed a sigh of relief. All rooms in the house were finally unpacked, and it had only taken them most of the year the to do it. For someone usually so on top of things, she felt some lingering guilt over it, but there had been extenuating circumstances - finding work, certain personal problems, and the Lab. The bottle and Essence lingered in the bedroom for Claire to puzzle over in her spare time, which was was often in recent days. Truthfully she felt a little torn over what to do with the bottle. The thought of killing something, anything, in order to get what she wanted felt barbaric. The cloth's green color limited her to souls that were similarly green, so that limited her choices - roadkill was certainly out of the question. For the time being, she had put that in the back of her mind while she finished up the house, but now there was nothing left to distract her. All the rooms were in order (other than the routine dusting or vacuuming), and her days were open. The suitcase had been neglected since August out of her fear of the final step. The screen door slammed behind her when she entered the house and she winced at the sudden noise.
'You're a coward,' the invasive thoughts said to her, and she frowned, not even willing to fight on this subject. The thought of death stirred up unpleasant memories in her mind and awoke a tightness in her chest that she did not like to dwell in for longer than she already did. It did not do to entertain the demons of the past, but hers were particularly relentless and she was not entirely willing to add to that by killing just so she could have a Raevan.
Muffled voices sounded from the living room and she stalled in the hallway. One of them was very clearly her husband's voice, talking sheepishly about something she could not yet distinguish. The tinned voice accompanying his was, she realized with a groan, the voice of her mother-in-law, Ruth. Whatever conversation the two were having followed their usual fashion, with her mother-in-law being very direct and giving Aaron advice on an issue, pushing rather than nudging him down the path to the right decision. It was the quiet tone that Aaron usually adopted with her that was the main indicator for Claire that he was on the other end of some of her patented unwarranted advice. Not wishing to barge in on the phone call, she lingered in the hallway, leaning against the wall.
" - know you've put a lot of thought into this, but really, Aaron, isn't she being rash about this?"
"It's -" He hesitated, Claire noticed, which sent a ripple of irritation through her. "- it's important, Mom. It's important to Claire." The ripple grew into a tide and her fingers trembled.
"And what about you, Aaron? She should have talked to you before signing you up for this experiment. That was terribly irresponsible." And there it was, Ruth's favorite game - pitting them against each other. She was an overprotective mother like none she had yet to meet. Her inability to present this woman with the grandchildren she so wanted had pushed what was once a gentle dislike into active spite, and it was only when she thought that Claire could not hear that she opened up about it - she had heard about it from Aaron more than once. But while the woman liked to pour the roughest salt into Claire's wounds and rub deep, nothing stung as much as hearing her husband simply backpedal or, worse yet, say nothing at all while his mother carried on. Her lips pressed together tightly until they were white and she finally stepped over the threshold, eyebrows drawn together in anger. Aaron glanced up at the sudden presence, holding the phone like a child caught with a hand in their mother's purse.
"Hey Mom, gotta go. Talk to you later." He waited a moment as Ruth's inevitable wail of protest arose and hit the "off" button. Claire stood there, staring at Aaron, unable to summon the words she wanted to say. Part of her wanted to scream at him, another wanted to tear down his mother, and yet another wanted to cry. She wanted him to know how betrayed she felt that he did this, every time - his mother sought to pit them against one another every time, and once again, he had rolled over and done nothing. He had not fought for her when she was not there, and the look in his eyes seemed to tell her that he knew he had done her wrong. He averted his gaze. Finally, her tongue found the words.
"Why did you have to tell her like that?" A few strands of Claire's hair escaped from behind her ears and she pushed it away irritably. "Aaron, why did you tell her that?" All she could do was repeat herself, and Aaron glanced up at last to meet her gaze with an air of confusion. "Why tell her it was an 'experiment'?" Her husband's confused expression faded into one that mirrored her own irritability. He looked to the side, at the cordless clutched in his fingers, before he placed it as calmly as he could back into the receiver.
"Well, what was I supposed to say?" He shoved the phone base to its proper place at the back of the table and leveled his eyes at her, his calming features indicating that he was willing some of his agitation away. "They're going to find out anyway, might as well prepare them before Thanksgiving. Everybody's coming here this year and there's no real reason we should wait to tell Mom about it."
"Yeah, yeah, I know.. but we could have not, say, let them know about the 'experiment' part." Aaron flopped onto the couch and leaned back to let his head sink into the back cushions, sighing deeply.
"They were going to find out anyway, better sooner rather than later when we shove a Raevan under their nose." Claire pulled back, her anger beginning to fade, and another desire seeping in to flush it out - the desire to run.
"Yeah, I.. I know." The sounds of the fall evening were oppressive to Claire's ears, muffled by the walls of their new home, and she stood there wondering why he did not understand. Why did he not understand how much it hurt that he did not defend her? Her footsteps took her backwards, and soon again she was out in the hall. The door was swung open and she stepped into the sunshine. Her head was reeling with angry thoughts, the sting of her husband's lack of backbone. Ruth's game had struck her where it hurts, and even with Claire's own indecision about the Lab itself, she was insulting her as-of-yet-unborn ward, and it was something she did not take lightly. Her feet carried her quickly down the street, head humming, and the sound of the screen door opening and closing did not carry behind her - once again, Aaron left her be. Children played on the lawn across the street in the fading light, and one of them waved but she marched past without another word.
Why did Ruth do this to her?
The curve of Ivy's front hedge beckoned her, and the woman herself was hunched over the yard, getting some last-minute watering in before the sky became too dark. The sprinkler was on in the furthest corner of her lawn, clicking in its old age.
"Hey!" Ivy grinned as she saw Claire approach, standing, but the expression softened into concern as her daughter stepped onto the lawn. She righted the watering can and held it in the crux of her arm, close to her hip, as Claire walked straight past her and sat on Ivy's front steps, her upper body hunched over her legs. Ivy's shoulders slumped. "What's wrong?"
"My mother-in-law comes straight from Hell." Ivy held back a snort for Claire's sake, and her daughter's gaze flicked up to her at the intake of breath before falling back to the cement. "Aaron told her about the Lab project and she was going on about it being an 'experiment' because he told her it was and just.. she just.. aughhhh."
"Don't obsess over it." Ivy raised an eyebrow at her daughter, who merely sunk her face into her hands. "Or.. try not to."
"But why did he have to tell Ruth that, Ma? She's been on me for years about us having kids, 'where's my grandchild,' 'why haven't you conceived yet,' why is she in such a big hurry? It's not like she's crazy about me anyway, why is she so eager to see kids from me?" She knew, deep down, that she should have felt some measure of guilt for talking about her mother-in-law in such disparaging words, but she pushed it away. Claire had a hard time loving Ruth, and it was a trait that they seemed to have in common. Ruth was very protective of her only son, and Aaron had confirmed that Claire had not been the first girlfriend of his to face his mother's passive aggressiveness - that is, unless she had been the one to select the girlfriend herself. "It's not that I wasn't trying, what more does she want from me?" She nearly shoved her hospital discharge papers in Ruth's face during the first dinner they had together following the miscarriage, when her nerves had frayed to the last strand. As Aaron filled his mother in on the diagnosis, Ruth quietly watched Claire from the other side of the senior Holmes' large, ornate dinner table.
And she merely nodded, smiled tightly, said, "well, what's done is done," and tucked back into her roast. The thought of her mother in law's smug face curdled her stomach with anger; Aaron rolling over whenever Ruth dug into her only tempered that anger with sadness. Claire groaned deeply into her palms.
"Honey, sounds like you need a getaway." Ivy sat down on the steps next to her. The sprinkler clinked and splattered distantly as the early evening insects hummed.
"Ma, I moved here to get away," Claire replied with a sigh, leaning forward onto her arms.
"No, no, I mean.. why don't you come with me?" Claire's fingers splayed and one weary eye peered out.
"Where?" Ivy smiled, and peeled the gardening gloves from her fingers, setting them next to her on the steps.
"Russia."
"Russia?" Claire frowned in her confusion and lifted her face from her hands, the semi-circle impression of her nails still present on her forehead.
"You know I've been aimin' to visit Arina for a while." The words buzzed some truth to her but it was all background noise to everything that had happened in the past year, and she felt a touch of guilt at dismissing something her mother was clearly very excited about. While it had only been a few years for Ivy, Claire herself had not seen her mother's Peace Corps mentor in more than a decade. "So come visit Arina with me. I think it'll do some good to give you some time to yourself; you've got a lot on your plate."
"No I don't, I'm not even doing anything now." Claire slumped over her knees again and sighed. "I don't even have a job, I'm just kind of existing right now. I wouldn't call that 'a lot.'" She heard her mother huff in irritation next to her and turned her head slightly to the left, recoiling at the look on Ivy's face.
"Yes you do, Claire, stop sellin' yourself short. You've got a new addition to your family on the way, you need to get your head on straight. And you need some time to yourself, otherwise you and Aaron are going to drive each other crazy."
"If Ruth had her way -"
"Ruth is not who we're talking about now, we're talking about you." Some of Ivy's irritation faded, and she placed a warm hand on Claire's back. "Don't forget you in all of this."
"I don't know, Ma."
"I won't take that. You've gotta make a decision - that'll be my Christmas present to you if you want it. And I could do with the company." Claire's frown returned and her thoughts darted away from her. She could not just up and leave when there was still so much to do - she had the house to finish up and look after, the garden to (finally) get started in, the bottle, the Lab. With another groan, her own words came back to haunt her, about not being very busy at all. While her days were fairly open-ended and her schedule was at her leisure, it felt like she was running out of time. Ruth knew about her signing up at Lab, and now Thanksgiving loomed like a death sentence. She had no business running off to a different country on a vacation, but she could not deny that it sounded terribly appealing.
"Will 'I'll think about it' do?"
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2014 10:13 am
Just A Spoonful of SugarNovember 26, 2014
Claire and Aaron find themselves in the colorful Vermillion Bakery on a search for sweets to bring to their family Thanksgiving and meet a colorful Stag.Just a Spoonful of Sugar Claire and Aaron had traveled quietly as they perused the storefronts along the main strip. The occasional murmured word here or there and a point of the finger filled the uncomfortable silence between them. Claire, for her part, was in turmoil about the next day's holiday looming over their heads. She was overwhelmed, unprepared for her brother and sister-in-law's questions about the Raevan and how she had finally chosen adoption, while they flaunted their two perfect, healthy kids before her eyes. She was upset at Aaron for, once again, letting his parents poke at her inability to have children as he tried to explain the Lab project to them, and how he had not defended her but merely taken it in silence. She was bitter, and sad, and overall tired, very tired. Her mother was sympathetic to her plight and in midst of holiday preparations, she had assigned them the easiest task - procuring sweets. Claire's sister-in-law always made wonderful pies, but Ivy confided in her daughter that she was rather burnt out on pumpkin and could use a little something else. Aaron had eagerly agreed to the task and ushered the two of them to the car, opening the car door for Claire (trying to make amends in his own way, she supposed) and driving them to the shopping district.
"Hey." His voice sounded a little raspier than usual, as it had not been used in a good while. He nudged her arm gently and when she lifted her gaze from the street ahead to him, he averted his own eyes somewhat guiltily before refocusing them back on her. "Maybe this one?" He pointed at a very cute shop front, where the word "Vermillion" was emblazoned proudly and a lovely array of sweets was sitting in the window. They had been walking for a while, had poked their head into a number of bakeries only to come out displeased, and she was still so overwhelmingly tired. She nodded.
"Yeah, let's take a look," she replied with a nod and headed for the entrance. Her husband beat her there and opened the door for her, an unsure smile gracing his features. She smiled weakly back and went inside to the tinkling of the front door's bell, the smell of baked goods hitting them full-force.
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2014 10:14 am
Keep Calm and Carry On
{ part one }
November 27, 2014 The house felt warm and inviting against the sudden chill that had descended over Gambino, and Claire felt rather proud of herself as she surveyed the living room before her. While Thanksgiving was not much of a Gaia tradition, Ivy was adamant about it and had carried it over into Claire's childhood from her own growing up in the deep South of the United States. Huge family gatherings, full of food and cheerful conversation, were always the order of the day and Ivy and Steven both bent over backwards in the past to make Thanksgiving a good time for all - and, as far as Claire could remember, despite some bumps in the road, her childhood Thanksgivings were always memorable. It was a tradition she rather liked and she took great pleasure in helping Ivy prepare the house and inviting all of their scattered family members into their freshly-cleaned home to catch up. In recent years, impromptu vacations, and other obstacles had kept them from seeing much of each other, but Claire had been looking forward to hosting her own Thanksgiving in their new home.
At least until the past few months. Still, she put her nose to the grindstone and went through all the familiar motions when it came to preparation. She began deep-cleaning the house, scrubbing floors and surfaces, setting out the nice linens, and rearranging the furniture to accommodate the coming company. Her grocery list, compiled between her and Ivy, had grown when more family members had said that they could attend, and she had spent a frenzied several weeks trying to track down the ingredients for her holiday favorites; it was another blessing in disguise that Thanksgiving was not a widely-celebrated holiday in Gaia - easy access to frozen turkeys but other seasonal treats were hard to find and expensive in their semi-tropical locale. The guest list had always included her and Aaron, as well as her mother, extending to her brother Matt and his family (his wife Anais and their two children, Brendan and Dinah, whom Claire had not seen for a couple years now and longed so much to look upon again). Ivy had suggested inviting Hector and Joanne, Anais's parents, and her little sister Cadi, to which Claire happily agreed.
Then, with some reluctance on Ivy's part, she also suggested inviting Aaron's parents, Ruth and Clarence Holmes.
Claire liked to think that she was not a bitter person, but try as she might, she found it nearly impossible to love her mother-in-law fully. Ruth was a master of passive-aggression and no matter what Claire did, she was never able to garner her approval. Ruth and Clarence came from a different social circle than Claire and her family had, living amongst the wealthier members of Durem society, business owners, rich stockbrokers. Aaron himself had gone to private school up until high school (only attending public high school at his own insistence, and despite some protestation, Ruth could never say no to her only son) and had grown up with a different crowd than Claire used to run with. Clarence may not have been one of her favorite people, but at least he knew how to present a good face in public situations and appear amiable enough. Ruth masked her distaste behind double-edged words and phrases, watching her daughter-in-law with a critical gaze and a quiet comment. She loved to pit Aaron against Claire, and while he never fully succumbed to her words, he did quell enough to get under his wife's skin. Still, though, it would not do to leave them purposefully out of their family Thanksgiving, especially when it was such a momentous Thanksgiving; the news about the Lab was due to come out today, and while Ruth and Clarence had been giving a preemptive heads up about it, it would be up to Claire to do the explaining. She had not felt this nervous in a long time, and all she could think of was Ruth's sharp eyes and tight smile, while her own thoughts wandered to the silver suitcase tucked away safely behind their closed bedroom door.
'Be the bigger person, Claire,' she had told herself when the invite had been extended. She half-hoped they would decline, but she was not that lucky; there was a prompt reply, and Ruth said she was "dying to see how she had decorated the new house."
To her credit, Claire thought she had done an excellent job in her preparations. She had started her food preparations early that morning: the rather hefty turkey she had purchased was roasting comfortably in its white wine baste and breadcrumb stuffing under the watchful eyes of Ivy, gravy simmering on the stove top next to the corn while the mashed potatoes waited to be put up. The sweet treats they had picked up from Vermillion were set out on plates surrounding the dining room table's centerpiece of a fall bouquet in a clear vase. The house smelled like food and had the spice of cinnamon potpourri in the air from the many candles that burned in the living room (which she hoped would create a welcoming glow); for a moment, she could almost forget her own anxieties about the upcoming dinner and having to see her mother-in-law again - a feat she had managed to avoid for at least two years.
The doorbell rang and her nerves jumped. Ivy came out of the kitchen while wiping her hands on a dish towel and stood next to Claire, whose eyes drifted to the sliding glass door to the back patio. The sky outside was dreary and overcast, and despite the hour just coming upon noon, there was no sight of sun, giving everything a distinctly winteresque look. Aaron, who had been reading the newspaper from one of the armchairs, glanced up to the front hallway.
"Mom and Dad must be here," he commented, folding the newspaper up. Claire dearly wished that anybody else would be standing on their front porch but he was likely right - Durem was closer than Aekea, and Clarence drove notoriously fast. Her husband put his hands on his knees and made to stand, but Ivy shook her head and brushed past Claire towards the front door, which stopped Aaron partway through rising.
"Don't fuss, I got it," Ivy chirped, and Aaron slowly lowered himself back down. He and Claire caught each other's glances, and he flashed her a small smile. She returned it with a practiced, benign smile of her own and turned away to examine the table very carefully once more. Ruth would precision scan her house for any flaws, and she had done everything she could to ensure that there would not be any glaring ones to find. In the hallway, the front door's hinges creaked and the festive fall wreath she had hung up tapped lightly upon it. Quiet but eager greetings as a car drove by the house, the rustling of coats, and then her mother's cheerful voice.
"Come on in, you two, it's awful chilly outside!" Ivy, for her many travels and years in handling people from many walks of life, gave no indication in her tone whether or not she liked Ruth or Clarence, presenting a voice that was nothing if not welcoming. Claire turned away for a moment and shut her eyes when Ruth's controlled, sweet-as-pie tone graced her ears.
"Couldn'tve asked for a nicer day for a family gathering." Claire could almost see the tight curl of her small lips in a serene smile, and she, too, tried to channel that self-same serenity. She had a wealth of experience in dealing with upset and angry people from her time as a paralegal, but her mother-in-law was a different story. She analyzed Claire as much as she walled her out, finding any chinks in her carefully-constructed facade and working it with the smallest but sharpest of words. Rather suiting for a woman who looked down her nose at anyone who made less than a six-figure salary, much less one who had managed to whisk her only son away.
"Now, now, the wind wasn't that bad." Clarence Holmes could always be counted upon to streamroll right past his wife's subtle jabs with his own brand of boisterousness, commanding the attention on him almost immediately when he spoke. He was the least of the two evils, as far as Claire was concerned (and it pained her to admit that about her in-laws, but as she had tried for years to curry their favor with little success, she felt it better to be honest); a man who was used to being the star of the show, telling all the best stories and the funniest jokes, even if he had long exhausted his repertoire of truly engaging stories several family holidays ago. "Ivy, how wonderful to see you, but where the hell's my son?"
"You see him most of the week, Clarence, but who am I to get in the way of touching reunions?" Ivy did not miss a beat and Claire almost had to stifle a laugh; if Ruth had noticed her mother's jab, she did not say anything, and Ivy pressed on. "Here, lemme hang up your coats for you --"
"In here, Dad." Aaron's chair groaned as he rose, but Claire did not look back at him, instead taking a few more minutes to prepare herself for the task ahead. There was an indeterminate amount of time between the arrival of the Holmes clan and that of the Wainwright-Marcasanis and she had to make the best of it; at least with more people there, it would give her other new faces to catch up with - and much preferred company when compared to her in-laws. Claire and her older brother Matt may not have been the fondest of friends, but anything was better than Ruth Holmes.
"Matt and Anais should be here with the rest of the crew soon, go get situated." The closet door opened and closed, and Claire exhaled slowly, summoning all the grace and serenity she had and she turned around to smile gently at her in-laws. Clarence was already clapping Aaron on the shoulder and he smiled brightly at his daughter-in-law's approach.
"Claire, thanks for having us!" His hand extended towards her as though she were one of his potential clients; she obliged him by returning the gesture and he shook her hand between both of his own. Both he and his wife had dressed nicely, him in a blue suit and she in a long skirt that reached her ankles. Clarence and Ruth were of a similar height, as he was not a very tall man (certainly not when compared to his son, who had easily dwarfed both of his parents), and he kept his salt and pepper hair parted from the side and cropped short, a small mustache in matching shade visible on his upper lip. He moved to the side after Claire loosed her hand from his as Aaron showed him into the living room, and she was left face-to-face with Ruth. The cut of her dress looked straight out of the fifties with her white blouse and A-line pink skirt, patterned in pale flowers. A string of pearls rested at her neck and her russet hair was swept up in a chignon bun. The two women smiled serenely at one another and Claire did her best to crinkle her eyes as she did so - Ruth did not bother.
"Thank you both for coming." Claire willed every fiber of her being to exude dignity, and Ruth met her with her own brand of it in return.
"A pleasure, my dear," she said in her usual deep, slightly syrupy tone of voice, with a smile that was only the slightest bit tight at the corners and a bow of the head. Claire's fingers curled slightly into her palm to keep from shaking as the woman brushed by her to greet her son. "Aaron, it's so good to see you."
"Likewise, Mom." She had held her hands out and he took one in both of his in a half-handshake as she pulled him towards her for a hug. "Did you guys want a tour of the house before we settle and wait for the rest?"
"That sounds wonderful." Ruth's arms disengaged from around her son and one hand rested in the other in a gesture of delight. "I've been dying to see how you've settled in." Which was funny to Claire, because her mother-in-law sounded like she could not care either way.
"An excellent idea!" Clarence commented, arms folded over his chest as he surveyed the living room. "Hope you've got more in the rest of the house though, everything looks rather sparse out here!" Leave it to her rich in-laws to comment on their minimalist design. Claire set her smile.
"Let me take you both around," she volunteered.
"I'll get the drinks taken care of while you do that." Ivy clapped her hands together as she reappeared from the front hall. "What can I get y'all?"
"Got any scotch?"
"Always for you, Clarence."
"White wine, please."
"Got it." Ivy moved quickly onward towards the kitchen, and Claire and Aaron remained behind, faced with the task of the house tour.
"Well then, you've seen the living room," Claire said cheerily. "Let me show you where the restrooms are and I'll show you the bedrooms." Killing time with her in-laws filled her with a dread akin to going to the dentist to have a troublesome tooth pulled, but both were, unfortunately, necessary evils. They moved as a unit through the carpeted halls, still smelling freshly of the carpet cleaner that had been used the day before, Claire in the lead while Clarence and Ruth tagged behind, Aaron pulling up the rear. Most of the tour consisted of Claire pointing out the rooms in the most mundane way possible but still with a light tone of cheerfulness, as though she would rather not be doing anything else in the world. Ruth and Clarence, however, had much to say as they progressed:
"Such a small bathroom," Ruth tutted when the door was open and the light was flicked on, placing a hand to her cheek and shaking her head. "There's not much room between the door and the sink, one would have to be rather careful opening the door."
"You're wasting a lot of space here!" Clarence commented as they peeked inside the guest bedroom with a low whistle. "Why not convert this into a home office? You could do a lot of business here without a bed in the way." Claire had opened her mouth to comment but Aaron beat her to it.
"It's a guest bedroom, though," he said, surprised.
"If you have guests, that what hotels are for, is it not?" Ruth laughed sweetly, and Claire's stomach curdled. 'Your voice says 'that's what hotels are for' while your tone says 'who would come visit you?'' She did not even bother to mention that this was where their future Raevan would be sleeping. 'The Raevan,' she thought with a jolt as she shut the door. Time enough would come for that discussion, but it was not at this time.
Comments continued as they moved towards the master bedroom, ranging from the openness of everything to the lack of larger furniture, even touching on the color choices for her sheet set (Ruth thought that white was "rather dull, isn't it, and so easy to stain" and when Claire kindly digressed and said that she thought it brought out the natural light that filtered through the windows, her mother-in-law piped up that it was "merely an observation, not a criticism meant against your decor choices, dear"). Needless to say, she was feeling incredibly tense by the time they returned to the living room and her mother-in-law set a gentle hand on her upper arm and said, "well it's coming along wonderfully for a work-in-progress, dear," as she moved towards Ivy and the supplied drinks. Ivy seemed to predict what Claire was craving and a glass of white wine was sitting in both of the coasters in front of the couch. Mother and daughter exchanged a sympathetic look while everyone took their seats and settled in to wait for the next of their group to arrive; Aaron graciously gave up his favorite armchair to join Claire on the couch and Ivy took an adjacent armchair to Ruth and Clarence.
"When is everyone due in?" Clarence asked, raising his scotch to his lips.
"Hard to say," Ivy replied. "They called sayin' they were on their way maybe about half an hour before you guys set out. I can't expect they'll be very long."
"Well here is hoping," Ruth said with a solemn nod. "The traffic outside of Durem was horrible, wasn't it Clarence? But I can't wait to see little Dinah and Brendan." She heaved a happy sigh. "It has been much too long."
"Last Christmas, if I remember Anais's Facebook posts correctly," Claire added gently. Another favorite turn of Ruth's was to spoil the living daylights out of Brendan and Dinah, Claire's niece and nephew - even though they were not related by blood. She suspected that it was partially a fondness for children and a desire for the grandchildren that Claire could never give her, but also her own method of pointing that fact out to her daughter-in-law. It was not as though the two children ever wanted for anything, either, as their mother was a banker and their father worked as a stockbroker; if she were honest, Claire had not seen that many presents per child in a very long time. That was something she had only seen and heard about secondhand, however, as last Christmas was busy with unpacking and her struggle with seasonal depression. She and Aaron had missed many Christmases due to the annual reminders of her many sadnesses - her second miscarriage had come in early December, as it were. She had put on a brave face and beared through a few holiday gatherings, the most recent of which was a Christmas two years prior, but holidays, at times, were still hard.
"It's been far too long," Clarence agreed.
"Actually, that was kind of a year ago, Dad," Aaron chuckled, and his father sniffed dramatically, but still in good spirits. He swirled the scotch in his glass, ice clinking against the sides.
"Too bad you weren't in town for it, it was a good time."
"I'll bet," Claire replied, lacing her fingers in her lap. "We'll just have to make it a good time this year as well, won't we?"
"Here, here," Clarence agreed with a tip of the glass towards her, and Claire felt as though she had won a small victory in garnering her father-in-law's agreement.
"It will be hard to top last year's presents, though." Ruth sighed dreamily, fingers tapping against the stem of her wine glass as she traipsed through her memories. "Dinah looked such a doll in her new toe shoes."
"Oh, certainly," Claire replied amiably. "She also told me on the phone that she and Brendan were playing with the chess set we got them every other day - he was trying to teach her." She nodded proudly.
"She's four."
"Never too early to start," she replied, gentle but firm. "At such an important developmental phase, games that encourage critical thinking are great." Clarence nodded, considering her words, and Ivy beamed.
"I seem to remember a little bookworm playin' chess with her old man when she was that small," the woman recalled fondly, and Claire was ever grateful for the backup. A ripple of annoyance was ever-present in her husband's lack of contribution to this conversation, and with a casual side-glance, she noticed him looking back and forth between both sides of his family, mouth firmly closed. Ruth sensed his hesitance to jump in and broke the silence.
"Ballet takes a lot of work too; I'm so glad Anais enrolled her early enough." She paused, taking a sip of wine, and swallowed delicately, swirling the liquid about in her glass. "I have so many fond memories from my days. Did you ever take ballet, Claire?" Her gaze leapt from the glass to Claire's face, the smallest of smiles visible, and it was all she could do to hold her ground. She wanted desperately to lie, but she knew it would do no good here.
"No, I.. never had the grace for it." Claire had never minded that she grew up more of a tomboy who would rather explore outside than participate in ballet (although she was very fond of volleyball when she was in junior high).. until this moment. She felt she would give anything to wipe her mother-in-law's calm, collected smile from her lips.
"Ah yes.. that's a shame, ballet does such wonders for the young body." Ruth set her glass down in the coaster and leaned back. "I seem to remember you falling down the front steps a few Christmases ago, now that you mention it." She tilted her head as though trying to recall the memory in full, eyes locked to the ceiling, and then she chuckled. "That was quite a sight, I do hope you were not hurt too badly." The sting of her tailbone on that occasion was not as sharp as the sting of her mother-in-law bringing up the first holiday she had tried to muscle through following her second miscarriage and laughing about her struggle. 'And I bet you left them unsalted just for me,' Claire thought heatedly, and the smile she had been trying to hold finally fell away entirely. Aaron shifted uncomfortably next to her on the couch and her heart beat against her ribs. 'Say something, anything.' But he did not move. Ruth crossed her legs, one knee over the other, and rested her linked hands atop them.
"Not everybody's cut out for dance, Ruth, and I suspect Claire gets that bit from me," Ivy laughed, a little more loudly than usual in a bid to take the edge off. "She was pretty fierce on the volleyball court, though, you shoulda seen her hit those spikes."
"Sounds impressive," Ruth replied, eyebrows lifting, but she did not sound particularly impressed. "So anyway, I am very keen to hear about this little 'project' Aaron said you signed up for!" Immediately her expression brightened and her hands came together in a soft clap. Claire felt the dread of the subject she had been putting off all evening settle firmly in her lungs. "A science experiment?" The blonde reached for her wine and took a sip, doing her best to maintain composure but the hand that rested on the cushions between her and Aaron trembled - her husband finally launched into reply.
"It's.. it's really great, Mom! We've met a few of them before - Ivy has too!" It was a lumbering start, and as Claire swallowed and replaced the glass, she felt a rush of heat in her cheeks from the long draw of alcohol and Aaron finally, finally making an effort to deter his mother's barrage. In an effort of support, she placed her hand on top of his and he bolstered from her physical encouragement. Having brought his mother-in-law up, he turned to Ivy with a hopeful grin, eyes firmly away from his mother and father. "You remember Cruz from the beach party, don't you?"
"Ohh yes, the green fella with the toothy smile." Ivy brightened in memory. "He was quite a happy sight, so cheerful."
"Green?" It felt less like a confirmation and more like a chance for her to show her disapproval as she completely breezed past the second part of Ivy's observation. Ruth squinted in confusion but pulled the expression coolly back into one of neutrality. "That's exciting. So is that what they are all like, these Raevans? Green?" Ruth's judgment was coming out in full force, and should conversation continue down that route, Claire felt, her explanation to the rest of the family later on would be peppered with her mother-in-law's uninformed opinions.
"Why don't we wait until everyone is here to discuss this?" Claire adopted a cool air, letting go of Aaron's hand and raising both in a gesture of apology. "No need to repeat the story, don't you think?" Ruth nodded, smile held firm.
"Of course, dear." Claire had never felt like screaming so much as she had in that moment as Ruth regarded her across the way calmly, in the way that an opponent surveys their trapped victim.
"Refills?" Clarence had been silently drinking, watching the back and forth between daughter-in-law and wife, and his reddened cheeks showed how quickly he had gone through his glass of scotch. He shook it towards Ivy in the way one waved over a waiter, and Claire's temper flared again. "Top me off, would you, Ivy?"
"Sure thing, Clarence." Ivy was on her feet in a moment's notice. "How 'bout you, Ruth?" As gazes averted and busied with glasses, Ivy met her daughter's gaze firmly and Claire recognized that she was giving her an out.
"Ma, let me help you with these, you're a guest after all." Ruth serenely passed her glass to Claire with a gentle nod, no word of thanks, and Claire scooped up Aaron's glass, wasting no time in following her mother to the kitchen. It was a struggle to keep from shaking in her upset and rattling the glasses in her hands, and she set them down on the kitchen counter with a soft, drawn out sigh. Ivy took a moment to check the turkey and regarded Claire over the open oven door with clear concern.
"Easy, Claire."
"I shouldn'tve done this, Ma." Claire kept her eyes locked on the linoleum, shining and bright from her aggressive cleaning. The beige and white tiling blurred before her and she blinked a couple of times to push the tears back. She would not let Ruth have the honor of making her cry on the first holiday dinner in her own home. "What does she want from me?" Her voice was kept at whisper level, to avoid unwanted eavesdropping, but she also felt weak in her upset, her anger. She finally looked up at Ivy with a helpless shrug. "What do I have to do? What do I have to do to get that god-awful expression off her face?" There were no mistakes when it came to dealing with Ruth; the woman had a memory like a hawk concerning her, and any misstep was marked and filed away for later use. She had thought she could handle the evening with only a little turbulence, but she always seemed to forget how formidable an opponent Ruth was, and how unreliable an ally that Aaron was. There were few things she truly disliked about her husband, and his weakness against his mother was chief among them. He had made an attempt on her behalf, clumsy as it was, but Ruth had sidestepped it as adeptly as a - well, a prima ballerina going through her motions. It made Claire nauseous just remembering what had transpired in the living room. Ivy stirred the gravy, gaze ever shifting between the stove top and her daughter as Claire shakily set to work refilling the glasses.
"Short of divorcing Aaron, there really isn't much you can do." Claire huffed out a brief, weak laugh at her mother's humor, and Ivy moved on to check the corn, lifting the glasstop lid with a pot holder, stirring. "Moms like that get weird about their kids, especially if there's only one. Overprotective moms aren't a new thing, and she's been glarin' daggers at any girl who ever made eyes at her son, I'm willin' to bet." She replaced the lid and sighed. "It's not great what she's doin' but you're doin' all you can. Y'all chose to be together and like it or not, she's gonna have to face it." The last of the chardonnay bottle's contents dropped into Ruth's glass, and Claire leaned against the refrigerator. One hand combed back through her hair and then dragged over her face, and she closed her eyes with a groan.
"I just wish I knew what she wants." A dull throbbing coursed through her temple, and it was not because of the wine. "Like.. I'm sorry for my septate uterus, Ruth; I'm sorry our family isn't a part of the goddamn bourgeoisie." Her volume rose a touch at the end of her whispered tirade and she dropped her hand tiredly before she crossed her arms over her chest. Ivy's head turned towards the kitchen window as she seemed to hear something outside, lips pursed, before returning her focus to Claire.
"Give it time. Once your Raevan's here and y'all are settled, she won't be able to say a damn thing to ruin your happiness. All that'd do is prove how much of a spoiled s**t she is." This time, Claire laughed a little more lightly. Despite her worries about her mother-in-law's impending judgment on the Lab project, that was the end goal, was it not? To provide a happy home for a Raevan, and if anything, Claire felt that she could provide that. This was something she dearly wanted, and there was nothing Ruth could do that would diminish that for her. A car door slammed outside and this time Claire also looked towards the window. Ivy leaned her head out a touch and ducked to avoid the window frame as she returned, the sounds of eager footsteps and the ringing of the doorbell answering Claire's impending question. "Looks like the rest of the gang is here."
"Great." Claire was tired, but there was no going back now. Her brother's family and in-laws were a different sort of exhausting than her mother-in-law, but in this instance, she would welcome the distraction. She heard the front door open and the excited exchange of greetings between Aaron and the visitors, and there was a stampede of little feet into the living room followed by Ruth's syrupy sweet, delightful cry.
"There's my two sweethearts. Come see Grandma Ruth, darlings, she missed you terribly." Claire felt that familiar curdling sensation in her stomach and leveled her gaze at her mother, grabbing up the drink glasses with a little more vitriol than she had intended.
"Hopefully that'll happen soon or so help me, I'm going to flip this whole table on her, I swear to God."
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2014 10:16 am
Keep Calm and Carry On
{ part two }
November 27, 2014 There was a moment where mother and daughter looked at each other, unsure of what to do as Claire struggled to hold onto all the drink glasses despite her mounting irritation. Dinner was almost done, Claire figured with a quick glance at the oven timer, it was about time to put the potatoes on to cook but now that more guests had arrived, she had to offer more drinks, deliver the ones in her hands, see to the new guests. But at least all of that would keep her away from Ruth until they were forced to sit down together while the last bits of the meal cooked.
"Go on, I've got the potatoes," Ivy said after a beat with a firm nod. Claire exhaled a shaky sigh, set her features, and marched through the doorway. Upon re-entering the living room, two small faces turned their bright eyes towards her, springing up in tandem to sprint at her. Ruth, arms now bereft of the children, looked at Claire in surprise at her sudden deserting - the blonde had to fight to keep a smug smile down. The cries of "Auntie!" and "Auntie Claire!" touched her heart with a warmth she had not felt in a while as they danced at her feet, eager for hugs, and she held up the glasses balanced in her arms to avoid them spilling.
"Now, now, hang on kids -- watch the table --" She struggled over towards the table to relieve herself of the glasses, helped in part by Clarence (who leaned forward gratefully for his refill of scotch), before she knelt down to scoop the children in her arms. She planted soft kisses in their hair and held them to her snugly. "You're both getting so big! Let me take a look at you." The two sets of arms loosened from around her shoulders and she held them at arm's length to look them up and down. Matt and Anais had dressed them up as though they were going to church, matching her in-laws in their overly fancy little outfits. Brendan's dirty blonde hair was getting shaggy, bangs hanging in loose waves over his bright eyes, smile ever radiant against his tanned skin as he fussed with his dress shirt sleeves; the last time she had seen him, he had been around his sister's age. Dinah, now at the age of four, swayed back and forth in her white and red dress, her dark brown hair cut in a bob and full of small ringlets with a red bow clipped in the back; she looked up at her aunt, arms tucked behind her back shyly. Claire hummed in pleasure at the sight of them - she loved her niece and nephew dearly and she pulled them in for another one-armed hug before she stood up. "Let me go help Uncle Aaron, 'kay? I'll be back in a minute."
"Auntie Claire." Dinah tugged at the hem of Claire's shirt, and as soon as the blonde glanced down, the little girl averted her eyes and swayed again on the spot. "Where's Gramma?"
"In the kitchen." Claire smiled. "Why don't you go say hello?" Dinah's face broke into a wide smile and she tore off for the kitchen, Brendan hot on her heels with a cry to wait up. She smiled after them fondly and turned towards the hallway, her gaze locking with Ruth's as she did so. Again, she pulled back the satisfaction in her expression and gave her mother-in-law a brief nod and a gentle smile before she turned her back and cut a path for the entryway. 'Give them whatever you want, Ruth, but Auntie is still cooler,' she thought as she lost her momentary battle, granting herself a victorious smile.
The entryway was crowded with the newcomers struggling out of coats and shoes (and Aaron putting the coats away) but Claire floated in on the lightness of her victory with a cheerful, "Good to see you guys! It's been a few years!"
"It always seems like such a long time." Finally free of her orthopedic flats, Joanne Marcasani straightened up with a smile. Compared to Ruth and Clarence, Claire much preferred the company of the Marcasanis, her brother's in-laws, who were fairly laid-back and kind people. They were both retired and preferred to spend their leisure time together or on vacation - as they should, Claire thought, after working so hard in the public sector for most of their lives. Both Joanne and Hector had dressed in accordance to what Claire, Aaron, and Ivy were wearing: blouse and a polo, nice slacks - nothing too formal. Joanne's hair was cropped at the shoulders and starting to gray at the temples, and Claire had to lean down a touch to hug her, but she had a strength that was unexpected in a woman of her petite build and stature and returned Claire's embrace with a strong pat on the back. "How are you, Claire honey?"
"Doing good," Claire replied as they let go; Joanne held her hands and gave them a squeeze, turning aside so her husband could step forward. Hector had smoothed his hair back for the occasion, much as Clarence had, but his hair showed no sign of thinning just yet. He was taller than his wife but shorter than Aaron, just an inch or so above Claire, and although his smile was small, it was still very genuine. He was a man who carried his many tensions inside, and it showed on his face despite a happy mood. He took Claire's hand and pulled her in for a hug.
"Thanks for having us," Hector said, pulling away.
"My pleasure." Claire beamed. "If you want to head into the living room, we can get you situated with drinks in a second."
"On it," Aaron replied as he finally closed the closet door. He smiled at Joanne and Hector and placed a hand on each of their backs to steer them ahead. "Let's go elbow you in." Joanne giggled and Hector nodded, and the three of them moved away, leaving Claire in the entryway with her older brother Matt as he set his shoes neatly in the corner. He was the only one in the family who came close to Aaron's height, falling short by two inches, but he was of a slender build, much like his younger sister. Part of his blonde hair was pushed back but a few strands touched his eyebrows - he looked very business, which was the image he had to present as one of the faces of the Durem Exchange. He and his wife always liked to present a clean image, and judging by how they had dressed their children today, Claire knew what to expect - he looked as though he had come straight from the office with his button-front white shirt and gray slacks. Despite being only two years apart, she did not have much in common with her brother once they had gone their separate ways, and most of their communication nowadays was reduced to family holidays, the occasional phone call and birthday wishes on Facebook. Anais was the communicator of the two, and Claire found it funny that she had talked to her brother's wife more often in the past several years than she had with her brother himself. Still, they were family, even if the powers that be had given him every blessing for every hardship she had had - a troubleless marriage and two beautiful children. On her worst days, it was hard to not begrudge him that, but she did try.
"Well, well." Claire shifted her weight to one foot and crossed her arms, surveying Matt with lifted brows and a smirk. "Look what the cat dragged in." He scoffed and pushed a hand through his hair.
"Only after the dog dug you up," he volleyed back with a grin at their old childhood game.
"Rude." She smiled despite the word, and stepped into his arms for their stiff, obligatory hug. "How are you?"
"Same old, same old," he said. They each patted once on the back and let go, disengaging immediately, and he glanced around at the empty entryway. "Everybody in the living room already, huh? Desert a sinking ship without helping to save the desserts, especially since they were so excited to stick their hands in the bag all the way here."
"You know kids," Claire chuckled, but her smile faded. "Aw Matt, I told you I picked up desserts, you didn't have to." Her arms dropped to her sides. "No pumpkin pie this year? I'm shocked."
"There was no time, but Anais insisted we bring something." He shrugged.
"Where is she, by the way?" Claire glanced around at the mention, hoping to catch sight of her sister-in-law through the front window or down the hall if she headed towards the restrooms. "And Cadi? Did she not come?"
"Cadi's still in the car, futzing with her Nintendo," Matt replied wearily, and added with a slow laugh, "If only she'd show that much interest in school." His tone implied that it was a subject that carried something more behind it, and the shift was not lost on Claire, whose frown only deepened. She had not seen her other sister-by-marriage in almost four years and the first words she had heard about her were disparaging ones.
"Oh? What's going on?" Matt shifted uncomfortably on the spot, his hand moving from his head to rub the back of his neck. He craned his head around, as though he expected his wife and sister-in-law to walk through the door just as he was talking about them.
"Her grades have been dropping," he whispered. "I'm not sure what's going on but Anais hasn't stopped talking about it, she's really irritated."
"That's too bad," Claire replied, and she opened her mouth to say something else, but the thought fled as soon as she did so. They stood in the entryway, awkwardly silent for a second time, when she cleared her throat. "But hey, head inside. Go see your mom, butthead, you'll probably need to rescue her from your kids." She nudged him playfully on the arm and he looked grateful for the dismissal. "I'll go see if Anais needs help with the desserts."
"Got it," he laughed, and with a few quick steps, he was gone and Claire loosed a quiet sigh. She and Matt had a history of tension that extended back far into their youth; many arguments and fights that had to be broken up by her father, cold shoulders, but he was still family. He was bull-headed in a way that matched her mother at her worst moments and a sore loser, but she still loved him, despite their lack of closeness in recent years and the unspoken competition they had, which he seemed to win without even trying. For the moment, she braced herself for another sort of tension in dealing with Matt's wife, Anais. She was a nice enough person - bubbly, opinionated, informed, social, usually the life of the party. Claire liked Anais just fine and looked forward to catching up with her whenever they had the chance (usually delegated to Facebook messages and the occasional phone call nowadays), but the woman seemed to never slow down and continued to charge full steam ahead; it was a marvel to Claire and a small point of jealousy. She had only crossed over to the from door and placed her hand on the doorknob when a spike of voices on the front porch gave her pause.
"- with this attitude?" Claire did not want to eavesdrop, but she had already locked herself into helping Anais - who, by the sound of her outburst, was very frustrated. She did not peek through the window and instead hovered by the door, one hand still holding the doorknob.
"What attitude?" Cadi Marcasani sounded exhausted and defensive, the first syllable intoning her stress.
"That one, right there." The front porch creaked as someone paced, heels clicking against the wood. "What is your problem?"
"Nothing."
"Did you stop taking your pills again?" Claire pulled her hand away from the door, careful not to jiggle the knob, and took a step back. Her hand came to rest over her mouth - she should not have heard that. Her heart drummed in her ribs at this argument without context and she did not know what to do with herself - was it her place to stop it? Push through and open the door, acting like she had not heard one word? It was hard to ignore, however, as Cadi's voice spiked in reply.
"Why do you always jump to that?"
"You did." A scoff of a laugh. "Unbelievable. That's why you're acting like such a spoiled brat." A sigh, and a pregnant pause. Claire could hear her heartbeat in her ears.
"I don't want to be tired all the time, just so you can feel more comfortable around me." If she had not been so close to the door, she might not have heard Cadi's reply, strained as it tried to stay level. An even quieter addendum was tagged on, with the rustling of fabric almost masking it, "Y'know, if you didn't want me to come, you coulda just said so. It's not that hard."
"Ugh." Anais groaned out her frustration, and took a breath. "It's not that, Jesus Christ, just.." Another steadying sigh. "Don't act like such a damn martyr all the time, it's not gonna kill you to be social for once. Just because Mom and Dad are walking on eggshells around you about everything doesn't mean I'm going to. You need to get your act together." A plastic bag rustled. "Take your meds, and just.. smile, for God's sake."
At this point, Claire felt she had heard enough. There was nothing for her to go on, no side she felt more comfortable in taking, but such heavy arguments to start out a family gathering did not bode well for the rest of the evening. She was not close to Cadi and for all she knew, Anais's harsh words might hold some truth - but then again, she also understood arguments between siblings. She and Matt had had enough squabbles to fill several lifetimes. With a quiet sigh and a smoothing out of her features, Claire opened the door. The two sisters looked startled at the interruption but Anais was quick to recover; Cadi downcast her gaze and took a step back.
"Anais, good to see you again!"
"Likewise, sis, thank you for having us!" Anais Wainwright was all charm and smiles, as though the bitter words from a few minutes before had never happened. She was an inch shy of Claire's height, her dark hair cropped to the nape of her neck and styled in loose waves. An even dusting of freckles graced her cheeks and her makeup was as sharp as it always had been - Anais was always very careful with her appearance. Much as Matt did, Anais looked as though she had been pulled away from an important meeting, dressed sharply in a blouse and pencil skirt. The jewelry she wore was delicate and understated but not cheap; the Black Hills gold necklace at her throat looked as though it had cost a pretty penny. A bag of thick plastic was looped around her arm, and a well-designed pastel logo for an expensive Aekea bakery was emblazoned on the front - another casual sign of their affluence. Claire took care to avoid jostling the treats too much as she hugged her sister-in-law.
"Do you need any help with the treats?" she asked, and Anais waved a hand dismissively.
"I've got it, don't worry."
"Well let's head on inside, it's cold. Why don't you add it to the dessert offerings in the dining room?"
"Gladly." Anais beamed, casting one unreadable look at her younger sister, and then walked in the house. Left alone, Claire turned her attention towards the youngest of the Marcasani sisters, who had migrated to the other side of the porch to watch the darker clouds that were coming in from the ocean. Claire's fingers felt for the edges of her sweater while she squinted at the younger girl with concern; she felt she should say something but was unsure of what to say. The wind struck up and the two girls winced against it, Cadi's hands moving up to rub her arms. Once the howl had passed, Claire spoke up quietly, downplaying her concern to the best of her ability.
"It's awfully cold out here, why don't you come inside, Cadi?"
"Yeah," came the quiet reply, a croak of a sound, and the girl turned to face her at last, hands still firmly tucked under arms to shield them from the cold. Cadi Marcasani was the shorter of the two sisters by a few more inches but was built bigger in the shoulders and hips. She tried to hold herself up in as dignified a manner as she could, but her caginess was apparent in her posture and the frequent aversion of her eyes. She had dyed her hair since Claire had last seen her, her thick curls no longer her natural black but instead a deep wine red, and Claire was surprised at the addition of a small piercing above her upper lip. Her face was spotted in more freckles than that of her older sister and father, but also unlike Anais, there was barely a lick of makeup visible except for a faint pass of eyeshadow. She had dressed very casually in jeans and an overlarge hooded sweatshirt with sleeves so long they slipped over her fingers and the bottom hem fell to her mid-thighs. A brown messenger bag was slung over her shoulder in lieu of a purse.
"Everything okay?" Much as she tried, Claire could not hide her worry for long, but Cadi quickly shook her head and smiled.
"Yeah, no worries." She nodded slightly towards the door, indicating Claire to lead on. It was only after shutting the door against another bitter burst of wind that Cadi spoke again.
"Where's the bathroom?"
"Down the hall and to the left." Claire pointed out of habit, even if Cadi did not turn around to see. "Would you like me to get you anything, Cadi?"
"Nah, it's cool." The girl's hand rested on her messenger bag. "Thanks, Claire." And then she was gone. Claire lingered in the entryway after she departed, listening to the wind howl outside and the first splatters of raindrops hitting the awning. There was much she did not understand about the young girl, given her absense from so many family events, but there was a tension between the two sisters that seemed out of her reach to ease. There was little else to be done for the moment, so she sighed and headed back into the house proper.
The next few minutes were a blur of preparation; Dinah and Brendan danced between her and Ivy as they finished their last check-throughs on the food (which still had a final fifteen or twenty minutes to go), the two adults eventually ushering the children out as they served up a round of drinks to the newcomers. The living room was more packed than Claire had initially imagined it, so a couple of dining room chairs were brought over so that Matt's in-laws could have the couch. Cadi returned from the bathroom in short order and did not look at her sister as she crossed the room and parked on the floor with her niece and nephew. Anais glanced up, lips pursed as though she had something to say, but deigned against it, instead chatting for the moment with Ivy. Claire passed Cadi a ginger ale with a soft smile and the girl returned it as Brendan clamored for her attention, holding his 3DS up to her to show her how well he was doing in Super Smash Brothers. Aaron's father engaged him about work, discussing the upcoming end-of-year reports and the yearly New Years Eve party that they throw for their investors and chief clients. Without anybody directly speaking to her, Claire took a moment to savor the feeling of family around her - it had been too long since they had all been together, and her rocky conversation earlier with Ruth aside, it felt, daresay, nice. She sipped her glass of wine and watched the separate conversations blossoming around them, scanning through each face. Hector and Joanne were commenting approvingly on the house as they sat on the couch, Anais and Matt were now both deep in conversation with Ivy about a dinner party disaster from a few weeks prior, the children clustered around Cadi as she took Brendan's 3DS in her hands and went a round against the CPU, and then Claire locked eyes with Ruth, who nursed her glass in much the same way that she was. Ruth lifted her eyebrows and then smiled benignly, and Claire suddenly dreaded the remaining fifteen minutes until dinner.
"So, Claire." Ruth's tight voice cut through the conversation and the others around them quieted a bit. "You never finished your story earlier. Do regale us on your adoption adventures!" Just as she had feared, Ruth hit her when her defenses had been down, and now all eyes were on her. Her face flushed and she could feel a sheen of sweat on her skin. "We're dying to know after the hints that Aaron has been dropping."
"Adoption?" Anais repeated, mouth agape as she turned towards her husband. "Matt didn't say a word about it!"
"I didn't know," Matt replied with a shrug and a curious scrunch of the eyebrows. "This is new, when did this happen?" Claire struggled internally to find her voice, to phrase it in a way that would not incite more questions, but no matter how she came back to it, she could not factor out what it really was. The silver suitcase mocked her from her bedroom in the back of the house. There was no reason to lie about it, and she looked towards Aaron in vain for support, and he merely stared blankly back - an indignant spark lit in her chest. She flashed the most natural-seeming smile she could muster at her brother and sister-in-law.
"Well, it's not exactly adoption -" she began, intending to start slowly with an explanation about the Lab as she knew it, when Clarence cut across her words.
"Ah yes, that's right, it was an experiment, wasn't it?" His red-cheeked face brightened as he seemed proud to have recalled that much, and he tipped his glass towards Claire as he waited for her acknowledgment. "Some such to do with." There was a quiet gasp from the two children sitting next to Cadi on the floor.
"An experiment?" Brendan asked, breathlessly. "Cool!"
"Like in the movies?" Dinah added quietly. An excited buzz rose in the seats around them, and Joanne looked as though a number of questions were on the tip of her tongue. This was getting terribly off track.
"Not exactly, no," she offered. "We've checked into it." She placed a hand on Aaron's knee at the "we" as a means of roping him into this conversation, to coax him into helping her explain, and to her relief, he laid his hand atop hers and squeezed gently. "Everything checks out."
"After all that prelude, I thought you were going to the adoption agency, Claire." Ruth swirled the wine in her glass gently and leaned forward to set it on the table. She rested her cheek in the palm of her hand once it was unburdened. "However did you get so sidetracked?" Her chest grew warm and it was a struggle to maintain a neutral expression; her fingers flexed underneath Aaron's. Her voice quivered, betraying some of her aggravation, as she spoke.
"I didn't get sidetracked, Ruth -"
"Actually uh, Mom?" Claire's breath caught as Aaron interrupted her and she panned her gaze towards him. He kept his face set but she, too, could see some of his own nervousness peeking through in the tremble of his fingers. "It is an adoption. It follows all the procedures of one - background check included, as well as screening to match the right candidates for the right adoptee." The rising fire in her chest at her mother-in-law's barrage eased with her husband's support. It had been such a long time since she had felt that, and while it was not as overt as she would have liked, it was a start. "It's gonna be like having a kid."
"Really?" Ruth was undeterred but mustered up the energy to appear slightly surprised. "I didn't know you could adopt science experiments." The soft beeping from Brendan's 3DS subsided and Claire noticed Cadi lower it to her lap, her eyebrows falling into a flat line.
"What's the big deal?" The words were quiet but there was a detectable hint of salt in her tone. Her gaze dropped to her lap as the attention focused on her and she handed the 3DS back to Brendan. "Claire and Aaron can do what they want."
"Cadi," Anais broke in with a soft warning. "Don't stir an argument."
"Who's arguing? Y'all are the ones who are ganging up on them." Again, Cadi purposefully ignored her sister's gaze. "They're not five, they can make their own decisions." Claire could have kissed her, bless her. Anais looked uncertain of what to say to that and Aaron, imboldened by Cadi's interjection, took advantage of the lull created in conversation to fish in his pockets and produce his phone. He scrolled at rapid pace through his phone, back to a fair few months ago.
"Here, this is Cruz, our acquaintance Anita's Raevan." Victorious at last, he held out the phone to the closest group, which was Cadi and the kids. Cadi's eyebrows rose at the photograph, taken the night he went over to Justin's to play Dungeons and Dragons with them, and Dinah and Brendan hovered close to her elbows to peek at it. "That's what they're called, Raevans."
"Dang," Cadi commented. "I'd say he's scary-looking if it didn't look like you're having such a good time." She grinned.
"Woaaaah, look at his teeth!" Brendan commented, and Dinah stared at the laughing croc Raevan in the picture with huge eyes.
"Cooooool!"
"Didja see his wings, Dinah?" Brendan's arm wriggled underneath Cadi's to point out the feature. "Can he fly?" Their apparent enthusiasm enboldened Claire and she smiled, relieved.
"They float naturally, so.. yes, I suppose they do." She shrugged as she answered, but was startled into a laugh at her niece and nephew's bright, excited faces and cries of "awesome!!" - even Cadi looked quietly intrigued as she handed the phone back up to Aaron, who passed it to Ivy to share down the line.
"Oh, well, those are certainly.. interesting features." Matt did not seem particularly for or against the concept of the Raeavans as he tilted the photo, squinting at it and showing it to Anais.
"Cruz, is it?" she asked, looking to Claire and Aaron for confirmation. "Very reptilian.."
"They all look different," Claire added. "Some of them have different features, depending on what makes them up - Cruz has crocodile in him, that's why he has those reptilian features." Anais nodded slowly.
"Makes sense," she said at last, handing the phone over to her parents on the couch, who both looked quietly eager to see for themselves. Claire felt she was on a roll and kept on with her explanation, her eyes tracking over to Ruth every so often, but her mother-in-law had picked her wine glass up again and leaned back just slightly in her chair, looking falsely interested.
"The wings and features vary from Raevan to Raevan because of that, and they slowly grow into a body --" Joanne glanced up from the phone in surprise.
"They what?"
"They're kinda like.. a floating torso, at first?" Joanne looked back down at the photo and tilted it in an effort to make sense of what Claire had just said.
"Neat!" Dinah cried, tiny fists clenched in excitement. The phone, at last, passed to Ruth and Clarence; Ruth glanced over it once with the barest interest and passed it to Clarence, who nearly fumbled it in his half-tipsy state, and she heaved a majestic sigh.
"Think realistically, this isn't a child." The glass returned to the coaster with a sharp clack. "This is not an adoption." Her eyes skimmed over Anais and Matt, then Joanne and Hector in turn, as though she expected their back up. While the group looked dubious about where they stood in this situation, they had the foresight to keep quiet on something that Claire seemed set on - which is something the younger woman deeply appreciated. Aaron continued to hold her hand tightly, and she gave his fingers one more squeeze of reassurance. With Cadi and Aaron and Ivy on her side, the fight seemed less daunting, and her mother had been right - there was no way Ruth would diminish the joy of having the Raevan.
"I know that." Claire nodded. "But what they are to us is our business, Ruth. I did not have to make the announcement today, and really, you've had time to prepare because we wanted to make sure you knew first." Her voice quivered again and she had to take another second to steel her words. "B-but I want our Raevan to feel welcome in this family, and that's why I won't hide them away as though I'm ashamed. I know full well what they are." At this, she looked to Ruth, issuing her final challenge. "I will love them all the same and I expect you to treat them with respect." Ruth's eyes narrowed just a touch but her smile held as the two stared each other down for a beat, before another voice broke in.
"Besides, isn't it a little immature to judge based on looks?" Ivy swirled her wine about in the glass, not lifting her eyes from the rim, but Claire could see the corners of her mouth lift just slightly. Cadi let out a very, very quiet scoff of amusement and put a hand to her mouth, and Ruth's face became a mask, unreadable except for the slight coloring of her cheeks. Claire held her head perfectly straight and did not wince away, and it was Ruth who smiled her usual smile with a soft nod of the head.
"Forgive my indiscretion, then." It was not a full admission of defeat but it would do for now. There was little time to celebrate the victory as the timer went off in the kitchen - dinner was ready. Ivy hopped out of her seat in record time to turn it off and Aaron disengaged Claire's hand to move in after her.
"Well, gang," he said, a note too cheerfully to dispel the tension. "Time to move this party to the dining room. Ivy and I'll get everything out." There was an obedient shuffle of chairs and clothing as everyone rose and filed towards the dining room. Claire was pleased to note that Ruth did not spare her another look as she walked ahead of Clarence; silence over bitter commentary was a better victory than she could have hoped for. Her father-in-law had left Aaron's phone on the armchair, and she locked the screen, setting it on the table. The children scrambled to their feet and Brendan and Dinah ran to Claire, the boy's fingers gently tugging on her shirt.
"Can I come over to play with Cruz, Auntie?" he asked excitedly, and Claire laughed, bending down to put a hand on his shoulder.
"Cruz isn't our Raevan, sweetie, although I'm sure he'd love to meet you --"
"When can we play with your Raevan?" Dinah interrupted, tiny hands clasped in anticipation. Cadi watched the proceedings with her arms crossed and a half smile on her lips, and Claire spared a cursory glance towards the bedroom.
"Don't worry, you guys will be the first to know when they get here." She smiled fondly. "Promise. Now go wash your hands."
"Right behind me, anyway," Cadi added when they skipped over to her and she ran off out of their reach. "I'll play with 'em first!"
"No fair, Cadi!" Dinah cried as they chased her down the hall to the bathroom, and Claire giggled once more. Matt and Anais filed past next and both of them smiled uncertainly at her - they seemed to still be on the fence about how they felt, personally, but it was a sight better than a negative reaction.
"Keep us posted, alright?" Anais's tone was cheerful, despite her uncertain smile. "I know they'll be talking about this for the next several months."
"Sorry," Claire apologized.
"I think it sounds wonderful, please keep us posted, too." Joanne and Hector pulled up the rear with Claire, and she corralled them all towards the dining room. There was the clink of plates from the kitchen and the roar of the electric knife as Aaron started cutting up the turkey. "With Cadi planning to transfer to Gambino University next year, we'll most definitely have to stop by and meet them, whenever they get here."
"You're sure everything is safe, though?" Hector added hesitantly. "The Raevans?" While Claire did not know many Raevans, all of them were a shining example of what she hoped her own would turn out like, and she remembered with fondness the kindness of both Cruz and Cesc, the quiet dignity of Anya, and the variety of interesting personalities and features of those she had merely watched during the Lab events.
"Perfectly," she said with conviction. "Everything will be fine." And for the first time in a long while, with the support she had tonight, she felt that to be true.
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