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Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 10:49 pm

Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 10:54 pm


	A Soothing Touch & The Continuation June 27, 2015 Aaron takes the initiative and invites Henry and Ethiriel over to meet Claire and help with healing, in heart and soul. A Soothing Touch "Do you mind some company over in a few?" Aaron tried to sound as nonchalant as he could when he brought it up over their morning coffee. Claire's eyes flickered up to him as though she sensed something was up, but if he was good at one thing, it was playing it cool. "It's been a while since we've seen anyone that isn't family." A terse moment passed between them and her eyes fell to the table again, and she sipped her coffee thoughtfully. "Wish I'd had more notice so I could clean properly, but I don't have a problem with it, no." She did not sound completely enthused with it either, but he could not necessarily blame her. Only a few days had transpired since her and Ivy's return from Russia, and the sight of his wife's messily cut hair and bandaged burns nearly gave him a heart attack. She was still very quiet about what exactly had happened, but he had learned long ago that she did not like him to fuss over her. When he had mentioned as much to Henry over a brief text, a plan had been hastily cobbled together for an impromptu meeting - one that had been talked about in passing before but now had an additional meaning. Aaron almost felt a little bad about that, but on the bright side, he and Henry would be getting the girls together. Maybe this would give her something to smile about again.

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Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 10:58 pm


	Lab 305 Summer Tea Party July 3, 2015 Claire and Ivy head to the Lab's summer tea party in order to turn in the essence and soul, and end up having a better time than either anticipated. Lab 305 Summer Tea Party "Claire, don't fuss with your hair." Ivy gave her daughter a sidelong glance and swatted her hand as they made their way towards the cafeteria's outside terrace. The scent of the cakes and teas were evident as soon as the two entered, and the pout that had crossed Claire's lips from her mother's reprimand was quickly wiped away. There was already quite a crowd, and Claire was relieved to see that she and her mother had dressed appropriately; she had decided on a light cotton sundress and borrowed one of her mother's hats, while Ivy stuck to palazzo pants and a blouse. While it was not necessarily hot outside, Claire was beginning to feel a little hot under the collar from nerves, and she felt extremely aware of the bandages on the back of her neck, the one patch on her cheek, and the ones binding her right arm. Her burns were healing nicely but the thought of inevitable stares and questions made her quite uncomfortable. As though responding to her anxieties, a dull thump of pain radiated up her arm from the burn site. "Maybe I should have stayed home," she muttered under her breath, quietly she thought, but Ivy redirected her gaze from the array of treats around them back to her daughter with a critical eye. "None of that talk. You've got somethin' to do today, so you should do it. Might as well enjoy yourself while you're here," she replied with a nod. "Come on, let's go. You promised your mother a good time, let's go have one." She gently took Claire's arm and redirected her further in. "Yeah.. I know. Sorry, Ma." Her mother was absolutely right - she had been in a funk for a very long time, culminating recently with her soul capture. She tightened her grip around the handle between her fingers, where the silver suitcase swung with her gentle movements, the contents protected from the outside. She had touched base with Zeke and had everything in order to turn in, now she merely had to wait. And, as her mother said, enjoy herself while she was here.

Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 11:01 pm


	Search By Starlight August 18, 2015 Claire, Aaron, and Ivy head over to the Clarke residence to have dinner with Duncan, Mordekai, and Aina, and end up going on a fantastic search. Search By Starlight "Are you going the right way?" Aaron squinted behind his sunglasses at the lowering sun, leaning forward between the two front seats to glance around. All he could see in the late afternoon sun were fields, glowing golden under the fading light. "Do you doubt my sense of direction, son?" He caught sight of his mother-in-law's critical gaze through the rearview mirror and sank back into the seat, drumming his fingers against the berry cobbler she had made. "No, ma'am, sorry ma'am." Ivy snorted from the driver's seat, nodding in approval. "Good, as you were, then. Claire, read me the address again, will ya?" She took her eyes off the road for a second to focus on Claire in the passenger side seat, who was eyeing her phone. "The GPS says you're going the right way, Ma, should be up here soon." Claire raised a hand against the sunlight and saw the edge of the fields and the forest just beyond, and excitement warmed her heart. The excursion had begun with a gentle invitation at the Lab's anniversary tea party (or rather a not-so-subtle dropping of a hint on Ivy's part), followed up upon a short month later when schedules and time had finally permitted. Ivy was adamant that both Claire and Aaron be in attendance and had planned accordingly, pulling up in her old Ford Taurus early that afternoon and honking the horn excitedly to usher them out. Claire was not sure who was more excited, her mother or herself; since the tea party, her mind had wandered often to the sweet child-like Frei who had clung to her waist as soon as the two had met. She was beyond eager to see the girl again. "Ah, here we go," Ivy said, smile brightening as she flicked on the turn signal and pulled into the gravel driveway. "Don't forget the cobbler, Aaron." She parked closer to the road and put on the car's squeaky brakes. The trio clambered out, Aaron carefully handling the glass platter and holding up the rear of their trek towards the house. He whistled at the home before them. "Nice house." Aaron's gaze moved up and down, taking in the details with appreciation as they moved up the front steps. "Be on your best behavior, you two," Claire remarked with a smirk, only to receive a raspberry from both mother and husband, and while their laughs played at her back, she rolled her eyes, smile widening, and knocked on the door.

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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2015 9:04 pm

Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2015 8:02 pm


	Many Happy Returns October 2, 2015 "You're sure she wants to do this?" Ivy's Taurus pulled up to the curb of Cadi's apartment building just shy of five in the evening, like they had planned. Ivy put the car in park and twisted in her seat to address Aaron, who was hastily shooting off a text to Cadi to let them know they had arrived. Claire, too, looked doubtful and glanced worriedly over her shoulder at her husband, but he only nodded, half-aware of their stares as he sent the text distractedly. "Sure enough; I mean.. too late now, we're already here." He shrugged and pocketed the phone when he looked up at both mother and daughter, and mustered a smile of his own in return, hoping to assuage all of them of their doubts. Despite the effort, he was still mentally scrolling through Cadi's texts from a few days back, and the niggling fear that they were pushing her into this dinner grew, even though he knew that all of their intentions were only steeped in kindness. Cadi was new to Gambino, as she had said herself, and as far as Aaron was aware of, she had yet to find a job and was not set to start at Gambino University until the spring. Both he and Claire were intimately familiar with the feeling of being alone in a new city, and wanted to ease that for their niece as much as possible. And in trying to assure the others in the car with him, Aaron had brought up a good point - it was too late to back out now; she had had several days to do so and his phone had not buzzed once with a request to postpone. "Should somebody go up?" Claire asked after a few minutes had elapsed, leaning forward to glance anxiously past Ivy to Cadi's front door; her doubts did not need answer, as the door flew open and the girl in question hustled out, all thumbs as she futzed with her keys and readjusted the strap of her purse to sit squarely on her shoulders. She lightly jogged down the path and stopped short of the door; Aaron grinned and slid over to allow her the closest of the backseat and she hesitated momentarily. It was enough of a moment for Aaron to get a good look at her - she had opted out of her usual t-shirts and put on a black turtleneck sweater, the neck of which poked out of her purple peacoat; silver earrings modeled after peacock feathers peeked out from her wine-colored curls, a hint of makeup visible around her eyes as well. Despite her less-than-enthusiastic reply to the invite a few days prior, she had tried her best to look nice for their evening out tonight, and was wearing a timid smile as she finally opened the door and slid into the seat next to him. "Happy belated, kiddo!" Ivy said cheerfully from the driver's seat as she glanced over her shoulder. A small laugh bubbled in the back of Cadi's throat and her lips quirked into a quick smile. "Thanks, Ivy," she replied cheerfully, and Aaron felt himself emboldened by her happy demeanor. Claire, too, smiled at Cadi briefly before she checked her watch. "We made reservations for 5:15, Ma, you remember how to get there, right?" Ivy snorted and held her nose aloft a little as she checked her mirrors and put the car in drive. "Don't fuss, we'll make it." She readjusted the rearview mirror with a grin, making sure to catch Cadi's eye when she did so. "Just wait, missy, haven't been in years but the place certainly makes a good meal. Gotta have somethin' memorable for your twenty-first, after all." Cadi chuckled appreciatively. "Everybody strapped in? Let's go." "Aye-aye, captain," Claire replied with the undercurrent of a laugh, which coaxed another smile from Cadi's blank expression as the Taurus merged back into the street proper. Ivy ended up being right - the drive took a little over five minutes and she parallel parked gracefully in a recently-opened parking space in the front of the restaurant. All of them hustled out of the car against the autumn evening chill and the party paused just outside - the clinking of dishes and the resounding rumble of many voices was clear, even with the door of the restaurant closed. "So busy already?" Claire checked her watch again. "It's only five, though." "Most people get off work around five," Aaron offered with a shrug. "And besides, we have reservations so it'll be fine." Cadi stood motionless beside Aaron, dropping her gaze from the gold-embellished sign to the frosted glass windows, flower designs etched upon them. She held the undersides of her arms, fingers flexing inward against her elbows as her gentle excitement from earlier withdrew in favor of hesitance. One hand dropped to touch the other as her arms unlinked and she scratched idly. "This is awful ritzy," she commented quietly with a raise of the eyebrows, which drew Aaron's attention back to her, and he grinned in reply. "You only turn twenty-one once, let's do it up in style." He strode forward and pulled open the door, which replied with a jolly jingle from the bell perched above the frame, and stood aside, flourishing his arm for the three ladies with him to enter. "Ladies first." The three of them stood there for a beat before Ivy weaved past Claire. "Age before beauty," she joked as she went inside; a soft "heh" from Cadi coaxed a smile from both Aaron and Claire, and once the two ladies were inside he followed as another gust of wind kicked up. With the door shut behind them, there was nothing to dull out the noise - which was certainly louder than what they had heard outside but still seemed strangely subdued. The interior was done up in rich reds and browns, with mahogany tables and booths dotting the dining area, while large, bloomless ferns took up residence in the corners. The waiters wore waistcoats while the waitresses wore black dresses; if it were not for many of the restaurant patrons being similarly dressed in business casual, the family might have looked out of place. "Good evening," called the hostess from behind the podium, flashing a practiced, megawatt smile. "Do you have a reservation?" Her gaze flickered for the briefest of moments towards the dining area before it focused on Aaron again, the falter in her lips gone and the bright smile returned. "Holmes, for 5:15." She nodded and plucked a stack of menus and the wine list from underneath the podium, tapping them on the surface. After another scan of the dining area, she turned her smiling face towards them and set off with a chipper "this way, please!" The party picked their way through the busy dining area behind her, Cadi pulling up the rear, until the hostess stopped in front of a clean table towards the middle of the room. She laid the menus out while they found their seats and removed their coats; Cadi sunk into the chair delicately once she was free of her jacket and set her gaze wandering, her shoulders tightening when the hostess leaned over her to place the menu before her with a practiced smile that could give the hostess's a run for her money. "Your waiter will be with you shortly to let you know our specials this evening, I'm sorry if it may be a bit of a longer wait than usual," the hostess rattled off, "did you want a moment to peruse the wine list or do you know what you would like?" Cadi picked up the wine list from its standing position at the table's center and her eyes widened as they trailed down the list, her smile fading at the corners. Aaron took up the reins and leaned forward towards her. "Cadi? Anything you want, it's my treat." Cadi started at the sudden attention when all eyes traveled down to her and she pushed her smile back out again, eyes determinedly fixed on the menu. "Whatever you guys are having is fine," she replied quietly. Aaron frowned. "Aw, c'mon Cadi," he pouted, but Claire surreptitiously placed her hand on top of his forearm beneath the lip of the table and looked up at the hostess. "How about a bottle of Chardonnay?" she asked. "Right away," the hostess answered and disappeared into the back. All four of them sat in silence for a few seconds before there was a shuffling and opening of menus; Aaron and Claire had not been in a while, likely as long as it had been for Ivy, but they were familiar enough with the restaurant and its food to have a few favorites. Cadi, however, looked slightly confused at some of the menu offerings, and slightly horrified when her gaze slid over to the right-hand side of the page - the prices. Aaron peered over the top of his menu to look at her encouragingly. "Pick whatever you want, Cadi, it's no big," he offered again, and she returned it with a small nod and a nervous licking of her lips. The waiter arrived in short order and poured their wine glasses out, and the younger girl stared into her own glass as though she were seeing dollar signs rather than the liquid inside. All parties were ready to order by then - Claire and Aaron with seafood offerings, Ivy going whole hog with the filet mignon, and Cadi putting in a quiet bid for ratatouille (she had been curious what it tasted like ever since seeing the Disney movie as a kid). She took a quiet sip when the waiter vanished, and blinked at the fizzing wine before her, as she took another tentative sip. "This is good," she commented. Claire chuckled. "Not my favorite wine but it's pretty good," the blonde replied with a sip of her own. "Maybe we can do wine tastings together sometime." Cadi's cheeks pinkened as she took another sip. "I'd like that," she answered quietly as she drank a little more quickly. Cadi was bolstered by halfway through her second glass of wine and the silences of before gave way to conversation. They asked how her unpacking was going - did she like the new place, did she have a chance to visit Gambino U's campus yet? Ivy had voiced her worry about a young girl living by herself with the crime rate climbing as much as it was in Gambino, but Cadi laughed loudly and shook her head, saying, "I'm not totally defenseless you know, I know to go for the eyes and the knees and the balls if they have 'em; I know how to pepper spray, I promise!" Ivy roared with appreciative laughter, earning a few scornful glances from other restaurant patrons, and Aaron felt his apprehensions from the past few days lift as Cadi's conversations held steady. As soon as the salads arrived, talk quieted in favor of eating and drinking. "Um.. I just wanted to say thanks." Three sets of eyes focused on her, and she pulled her wine glass towards her self-consciously, but her smile was genuine. "You didn't have to do this." Aaron's surprised gaze softened at her heartfelt compliment, and he paused in-between bites to lean his cheek on his palm. "Hey, no sweat," he answered. "What's a dinner out for your birthday between family, eh?" She laughed softly in return and took a pensive sip of wine. "Not sure, I mean... Mom and Dad didn't have time to come out, so..." she finished lamely, and shrugged. This was news to Aaron, and apparently to Claire too, who stiffened at his side. Perhaps the wine was getting to her, but there was a level of frankness (and perhaps an underlying tone of bitterness) from Cadi that they were not used to hearing from her, and if Claire had not caught the altercation between Cadi and her sister Anais in the hallway during Thanksgiving, they might have thought it out of character. Cadi was exceedingly reserved about her own personal feelings on things and both wife and husband began to wonder if there was a deeper meaning to it. Cadi seemed to snap out of the moment in a flash though, and her usual energy returned with a touch of boisterousness. "Just as long as you didn't tell them it was my birthday or anything." Another quick smile and an even quicker, anxious laugh. "No singing." Aaron was crestfallen, as he had specifically mentioned it during the reservation, but luckily Claire was quick on the recovery. "Well, unfortunately we're a little late to stop that," she answered sheepishly, but at the dread creeping into the younger girl's face she raised a hand and waved it in assurance, "no, no, don't worry - the most they do here is give you a free chocolate mousse. We wouldn't do that to you." "Oh," was the answer, and while Cadi leaned back and her posture relaxed, a bit of tension still held around her face, in the coloring of her cheeks. But just as quickly it fell away into a soft laugh and she tacked on hurriedly, "Thank god. I'll take free chocolate mousse but like.. Mom and Dad took me out last year for my birthday to this Mexican restaurant and Matt told them it was my birthday and they brought out the sombrero and the singing, took my picture, the whole nine, it was god awful." Her laugh grew, and the humor coaxed laughs from the rest of the table's occupants, despite a few side-eyes from nearby guests at the sudden rise in volume. "I would've loved to see that picture!" Ivy grinned. "Bet Joanne framed it up nice and pretty." Cadi laughed lowly and caught up her fork between small fingers. "You would be correct!" She pointed across the table at Ivy, grinning. "Told her I would put it somewhere nice in my apartment and she let me bring it with me. It looked lovely in the garbage." Aaron snorted, which started the girl up with another laugh as she jiggled the fork in her impatient hands. "Shady, shady," he joked, a grin wide enough to match hers. "What did your mom say when she came out?" For her benefit, he did not call her out on her slip-up earlier, and carried on as though he had not noticed. In doing so, he had half expected another rapid-fire quip, but she merely shrugged again and dropped her attention towards her plate, picking at her salad. He could almost see her mentally scrambling for the right words. "Just said I didn't unpack it yet. She'll forget about it somewhere down the line." Her shifts in expression - joyful one moment, withdrawing the next - worried Aaron, and as he glanced towards Claire she gave him a look that mirrored his own confusion. They had never been around her enough times to notice before; with their family being as large as it was, huge events were few and far between. Cadi had been a rarity at the events (when they did happen) the older she got, but neither of them had questioned it much and had chalked it up to the teenage need for time to herself. Was she having a hard time adjusting to being on her own? Aaron could understand that, and he, too, had struggled in his first earliest steps - but his parents made sure from a distance that he had never truly wanted for what he needed. Once again he was dully aware that he did not know much about his sister-by-marriage outside of what he had originally perceived on the surface; was this how his parents had raised him? Claire rested a hand on top of his underneath the table and he glanced over at the gesture; she gave him the smallest of return glances but she did not smile. They were both feeling uneasier about their good intentions as the evening wore on. Ivy, however, was not one for awkward silences and cleared her throat, which startled Claire and Cadi both, the fork nearly tumbling out of the latter's jittery hands. "Well, let's make a toast, shall we?" Ivy's dexterous fingers were around her wine glass and she swirled the liquid inside around lazily as she lifted it up. "Toast your twenty-first and your move to Gambino." Claire visibly brightened at the idea and so did Aaron, but as he looked back towards Cadi, her face was filling with color and her arms began their retreat to under the table. However her smile was bright and slightly embarrassed and she waved one of her hands carelessly. "It's okay," she laughed as both hands finally disappeared from sight, resting on her lap below the lip of the table. "Don't need to fuss on my account!" Her cheeks continued to darken; Aaron could almost see the anxious steam coming out of her ears. "You already went out of your way." Claire clung to Ivy's idea and she, too, chimed in. "It's your birthday though," she added gently, with a smile, "it's no trouble at all." Cadi's eyes moved up from the hole they were boring in the table and met Claire and Ivy's hopeful smiles. Aaron caught the slightest bit of movement when he glanced between the two groups as one of Cadi's hands rested on the other and scratched, so in her hesitance he decided to throw in his vote. "You only turn twenty-one once, after all." He gave her a small smirk and raised his glass, and Cadi seemed to shrink back a bit, but her shoulders slumped and she mirrored his smirk as she sighed. "Fine, fine," she breathed out with a small note of laughter, but it was reeled back in at a moment's notice with an anxious addendum, "nothing too sappy though, you'll embarrass me." All three older adults laughed lightly as the younger girl grabbed her wine glass, eyes fixed on the fizzing Chardonnay inside. "Here's to your move, then, and a great year," Ivy began, holding up her glass and tossing a smile at Cadi. "And to a good semester next spring," Claire added, clinking her glass to her mother's, and Aaron followed suite. Cadi again hesitated, and then gave them a tremulous smile and raised her own glass to tap against theirs. "Cheers," she replied. Aaron's gaze was grabbed momentarily by the reddening mark on the back of Cadi's hand from her incessant scratching, and his worry grew.

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Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2015 8:03 pm


	Never Gone October 10, 2015 Aaron had prided himself on how he always looked forward, never behind. For as long as he could remember, things always shone just a touch brighter when they lingered just out of reach - a new episode of his favorite cartoon showing the next week, his sixteenth birthday when he could finally - finally! - get his driver's license and drive the shiny new Jeep Wrangler he had asked for from his parents, graduating college so he could take over the family business like his father had promised him from day one. Goals glimmered on the horizon like stars, and he kept on towards them - not always gracefully but he ended up where he had been aimed to go. "If you're gonna get ahead, you gotta keep going forward, never look back, kid," his father told him from his earliest days, and it was a mantra he had taken to heart. He wanted a life with no regrets and to get everything he had been promised and expected with ready hands; a life of privilege, reinforced by his mother's coddling and his father's money, and a circle of similar friends from their prestigious high school whom he roamed the halls with and caused terror. Everything lined up in perfect rows while others crossed his Ts and dotted his Is for him. Things began to change when Claire came into his life. He had been young when they first met, a few days shy of eighteen, and understandably nervous on their first time abroad alone (both of them had already traveled internationally but never without their families), and it felt comforting to have someone else from Gaia going to the same destination. Perhaps that had laid some of the groundwork for their situational friendship, which started as recognition from the study abroad meeting to tentative stabs at conversation and shared laughter during their many layovers, but the familiar face became a comfort to him as they endured the culture clash of St. Petersburg together. He continued with his year abroad in the same fashion he had approached high school - as a stepping stone to what was next expected of him. He and Claire kept company whenever their schedules allowed them to, but it was often divided with the other international students boarding with them, as well as remedial language lessons and family visits; Aaron's parents whisked him away come Christmas to celebrate the holidays with him and he did not see much of Claire for a few weeks. The year came and went in a blur of trips and schoolwork, language lessons and finishing homework at the small cafe down the street from the dormitories. He felt a stirring towards the arrival of springtime that he had felt in passing before, and much to his mother's chagrin, rarely ever for the girls she had picked out for him. It would take him a long time to forget the nervous tingle along his spine when he kissed her on the cheek at the small New Years Eve party thrown by the study abroad committee, and the tightening of his chest when she paid him the same courtesy, and even then he stuffed it away hastily. She lived in Gambino and he lived in Durem, and the next fall he would be off to college and she would be onto her senior year, likely to never see each other again. Aaron had kissed many girls and there was no reason a simple kiss on the cheek should make him feel like that. Homesickness, perhaps; something that would be cured by making up for lost time with Suzanne Richter, the girlfriend he had been steadily ignoring with claims of a busy schedule and a nearly twelve-hour difference in time. Departure day arrived and once again, the two of them shared their entire trip home together. They reminisced about the year they had had and caught up the other on missed experiences, laughing into the night in their shared hotel room, but their laughter turned to increasingly heavy silences as Durem International Airport drew ever closer. They talked of what was coming next - senior year of high school for her and college for him; he craved independence, and she was scared of all that was expected of her in the year to come. "Hey, you made it a year in Russia, senior year should be easy s*t after this," he encouraged as they sat on the last plane together, and she gave him a tremulous smile in response. They exchanged numbers while waiting to leave the plane and gave each other a hug before moving through security, and Claire whispered a "keep in touch, okay?" as they drew apart, her breath tickling his neck as she ran for her waiting parents. Aaron only admitted it a handful of years later, after he and Claire had been reunited in college, but he had fallen for her in his own way with that whispered parting. Two on-the-books girlfriends under his belt by that point, and cut from the same cloth as him and his parents - both of them had been pretty, certainly, and their money had been nothing to scoff at. Danielle deCosta had been a lot of fun but she was too catty for Aaron's tastes and needed his validation of her jealousies and petty gossip constantly; he knew their time had come when he was running basketball drills in his head while they were making out. Suzy Richter was the nicer of the two and had lasted the longest, but it was much less eventful and she had held out for as long as she had been able before he severed the ties. Suzy was withdrawn and quiet, a perpetual overachiever who sought the approval of her parents and his, which Ruth loved. When she coerced her son into taking Suzy to the winter formal and he had rebuked it by saying she was boring, Ruth had merely answered with a tutting noise and said, "Aren't you being unfair to the poor dear? She's a very good girl." With Suzy's mother heading a financing company that provided a huge boost in his father's business, there was little room for argument, so Aaron sulkily took his girlfriend to the event and had a splendidly boring time. It was shortly after he had enrolled at Durem University that he broke it off - his study abroad had not done them any favors, and she was loathe to let go, but conceded on the grounds of her attending college in the United States. "Long distance was hell," she had said, among other jabs she flung at him for wasting her time before she moved on to bigger, better things (or likely in her and Danielle's cases - richer and more attentive boyfriends). It did not take him long to forget her, especially when Claire re-entered his life. Aaron had prided himself on how he always looked forward and never behind him, but as she had before, Claire set about another change within him. He had never dwelled in the past for much of anything, outside of reminding himself about plans made or a good laugh he had had over something. His wife's despondency during her moments of tragedy did not even stir up any desire to go marching down memory lane, and he instead buried himself in his work. That shaky, tinned phone call from partway around the world had started the change; the tears on the threshold of their home following her return had solidified it. He had been a top-notch idiot, and for the first time in his life, he was having serious doubts about himself. Aaron had been coddled to for most of his youth and Claire had called him out on rolling over to his parent's desires - and even worse yet, allowing his mother to heckle Claire for reasons even he was not entirely certain of. She had suffered, greatly, and rather than caring for her more attentively he ignored her pain because it caused so much conflict within him. He had referred to them in his mind as "Claire's miscarriages" or "Claire's father dying" and only when the realization that she had missed death by a hair's breadth sunk in did he finally understand. Why did he separate himself from what should have been their shared grief? The question boiled in his head and their many frustrations came to a head in the car before they had found solace in each other upon arriving home. It had been years since they had touched like that; their relationship had been littered with small kisses, a brief touch of the hand, but little else in recent years, and she admitted after everything was said and done that she was glad they had yelled at each other as she had almost forgotten what that ("And this," she admitted with an attractive blush and a duck of the head) had felt like; he breathlessly agreed. And now here he sat in his office chair, paperwork completed, visiting unfamiliar territory as he reminisced on Facebook with his old buddy Peter Donahue. He stared at the profile image in the chatbox and folded his hands together on the desk, leaning forward. Peter still wore his blonde hair chopped short and partially slicked back, his face still very handsome despite some early wrinkling around the eyes. He had his arm looped around a girl Aaron did not recognize in the picture and both of them looked very happy - Peter never had trouble finding pretty girlfriends. The chat rolled on with memories of high school prom, the JV basketball team winning regionals when the two of them had been sophomores (a memory that brought a smile to Aaron's face, he'd been pretty proud of that), eventually landing on what some of the girls they had been with were up to, where his mood undertook a slow decent into discomfort. Peter told him Danielle deCosta was married now with many kids and had become, in his words, a "Jesus Freak" - peppering the statement with other comments on her wild history with Aaron (there had been no secrets between bros, after all, and their friend group knew next to everything about each other during those formative years). Aaron squinted uncomfortably at the words on the screen; Christ, Peter's words even sounded* the same as they had all those years ago. The same stirrings of awkwardness fluttered in his stomach and he leaned back in his office chair for a brief moment, not as intense as they used to be but forever present. He had felt them whenever he caught somebody in another car staring at him belting out songs during the morning and evening commute, the voices of his high school friends ringing in his ears as they made fun of the choir kids. The memories of shoving one or two of those kids into lockers during gym class, laughing along with his friends while they abused them, called them awful things. Claire's face flickered through his mind, her downcast gaze as she talked about how she hated the way he stood aside as his mother bullied her for things she could not control; Cadi's self-deprecating laughter when he'd asked if she was going to have any friends over while she house sat for Ivy and the abrupt change of subject. The defiant face of Lawrence Yew when he picked himself up from the locker room floor before Aaron's buddy Tom Marlowe slammed him back down while he had stood aside and laughed, that same uncomfortable twist knotting his stomach (if they ever knew about his voice lessons...). The Sadie Purcell incident. His temples tensed up and he placed a hand to his head with a low sigh while he closed his eyes. He popped one bleary eye open and focused it on the screen and noticed Peter had gone offline, leaving his words behind for Aaron to look at several times over. After so many years of avoiding the past, it was catching up to him and waited for him at every turn, the cruelties of his youth exemplified by his spinelessness and the pain hidden in plain sight behind his loved ones' voices. "I'm a real ******** idiot," he huffed to himself.

Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2015 8:04 pm


	Talking Shop October 14, 2015 Aaron and Cadi meet some interesting faces at the local comic shop. Talking Shop It had all started with a hasty text message on one of the days he was telecommuting, but luckily for Aaron, business had hit the mid-week lull, leaving his afternoon free. He had asked Claire if she wanted to come along but she softly shook her head and said that this was more of his and Cadi's thing than it was hers, and let him go with a smile and well wishes for a good time. His niece's text, riddled with emojis, dropped him the address of the comic shop and a personal message in all caps following read, "THE COMICS ARE CRYING FOR YOU, AARON." While he had sat in the office chair in the living room, spinning in it idly and debating on if he should go, another non-caps plea followed, merely saying, "don't send me to the front lines alone, bro." He had remembered the half-promises he had made when they had talked about comics and how he had promised himself, now that their Raevan was on the way, that it was time to stop being so secretive, and to ditch his niece-in-law just because he was still shaking that off would be more counter-productive than anything. She was new to Gambino, and friendless in the town minus her family, so to back out now would have been exceedingly cruel of him - even when she was also doing him a favor in return by scouting these things out. With a quick change of clothes and a goodbye to his wife, he was in the car and on his way, and in short order he arrived at the small parking space just behind. He had eyed the place several times, with its nice-looking brick exterior and wide glass windows displaying goods and painted portraits of Marvel and DC characters, but he had always talked himself out of going in under the excuse of, 'you're too old,' but he knew that was not the case. In the back of his mind he could hear the voices of his high school friends jeering, and he would keep walking by. Once the car was parked, he hustled around front where Cadi waited, her long peacoat pulled tightly around her, her leg jiggling impatiently as she leaned against the side of the building. "Thought you were gonna ditch for a hot second," Cadi replied, her lips flashing into a quick smile when he stopped in front of her. "You been here before? Didn't take you long to get here, took me like.. three laps around the block to find the damn place." His cheeks flushed slightly at being caught, but then he chided himself for being embarrassed; Cadi knew full well about his geeky interests. They would not be here if she had not known. "Let's go in, shall we?" She jogged to the door and held it open, bowing her head and extending her other arm in a flourish. "After you, sir." "You're too kind," Aaron replied with a laugh and walked in, the door jingling shut behind them. Both sets of eyes took in the Pen & Sword with a look akin to awe; Aaron's memory of comic stores had become rather convoluted over time, rose tinted with the nostalgia goggles of his 90s childhood, and usually when he had opted to spare comics a glance nowadays, it would be a brief pass through the graphic novel section at a major chain book store and nothing more. This store was larger than it had appeared from the shop front, looking full to bursting with collected volumes, toys, models, and various one-off issues. The old pony-tailed gentleman at the desk waved them in with a cheery welcome and Cadi grinned, stepping further into the store. Aaron followed with a bit of trepidation, unsure of where he should even start. They gravitated towards a large display of Funko figures, showing off various characters that were rather popular on today's television networks. While he still felt very behind and somewhat lost, he was eager to reconnect with his repressed interests and get properly up to speed - he had kept it quiet for far too long and if he was going to be a better dad (and husband, too, now that he had thought of it), it was time to shake those bad feelings and learn to be more open and honest about himself. There was nothing shameful about this; there were plenty of places to start, and he wanted to restart by visiting some old favorites. "So hey, why are you comic shopping, anyway?" He raised both eyebrows as Cadi's eyes widened in delight, head turning to and fro to take it in. "Did you find a job yet?" "Thanks for your concern, Dad," she pouted, setting a Sherlock Funko figure back on the stack. "I got some money for my birthday and Mom said to spend it on me so, here we are." She gestured to the wire shelves of new issue comics; he had to admire how skillfully she had dodged his question. "Mind if we scope out the manga section first?" "'Manga'?" Aaron once again looked puzzled; it had been so long since he had actually stepped into a comic shop physically that the term did not sound in the least bit familiar. It had easily been a decade or more. "Yeah sure, I'll follow you." She was quick to lead and hustled to the back section of the store, just shy of the adult media that comic shops were want to carry, and leaned back when the approached the appropriately marked wall, hands on her hips to appraise the goods. "Ohh, this stuff." Back in his youth, the stuff that would have been in this section was much, much smaller, encompassing maybe a small bookshelf at most, while this one spanned the whole back wall as well as several other bookshelves. Cadi's head tilted back towards him, mirroring the confused look he wore earlier. "You've never heard of manga before?" "The anime comics, right?" Cadi groaned in response. "Oh my god, Aaron." "C'mon, chill, it's been a while since I've been in one of these place. Anyway forget that, gimme some recommendations, we're here to do business so let's do some business." He rubbed his hands together and turned his attention towards the shelf.

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Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2015 8:05 pm


	So Long & Goodnight October 14, 2015 Advisory WARNING: The following journal entry features characters using discriminatory slurs; they in no way reflect the thoughts or opinions of the writer and are not meant to be viewed positively. Cadi and Aaron stepped out of the Pen & Sword with a strange sense of peace, and, well, amity. The sun was starting its journey towards the horizon and the chill was permeating the air faster than either of them had been prepared for. Aaron, who had opened his coat while in the warm store, was working fast to zip himself up and Cadi pulled her arms around her chest, their plastic bags bumping against one another as they moved. "Hey, let's go grab a burger or something, I think Mickie's Drive In is close by," Aaron said as he pulled his hood up to protect his neck a little more. "I can drop you at your apartment after, don't wanna get robbed when you just got the goods after all." Cadi did not respond immediately but when he looked over, he saw her fishing her wallet out of her coat pocket, hastily counting the bills in the fold. A moment passed and her face lightened with a smile. "Sounds good, where're you parked again?" "This way." He pointed with his burdened hand and the two of them set off at a good clip towards the car. Aaron had picked up the last time that Cadi felt uncomfortable when it came to mentions of money, but given the generous amount of items she had purchased today, and her dodge earlier about her employment status.. needless to say, he had a few questions for her. He fumbled with the key fob and the car unlocked, both of them climbing inside. Cadi rubbed her arms while Aaron buckled in, and she grumbled under her breath, "why's it so goddamn cold?" He snorted as he started the ignition and put a hand behind her headrest to look behind him as he backed out of the tiny parking lot. "Didn't think Gambino could get cold, did you?" he chuckled, and she merely pouted and reached for the center console to turn up the heat. "'Cold' and 'tropical' don't usually fit together, in my defense," she replied with a huff. "Touche." He put the car in drive and pulled onto the main road. "You ever been to Mickie's?" "Passed by it." She was fussing with her purse with phone in hand; she seemed to reconsider putting it away for a moment and she pulled it out again, checked it, and shoved it into the bag hastily. The bag met the floor of the passenger's side and plopped on top of her purchases from the comic shop. "S'it good?" "First place Claire and I went when we were still moving in; it's an old favorite of hers." He leaned forward over the steering wheel in the fading light to remember which street it was down. Luckily, the familiar neon sign of the tiny burger joint beckoned from two stoplights ahead on the main strip and they were greeted with green lights all the way. His stomach rumbled in anticipation of his favorite grilled chicken burger and Cadi laughed at the noise as they pulled into the closest available spot. The place was done up in the very image of a traditional drive in, the main building itself bearing rounded corners and retro silver with racing stripes. A few other cars were parked spottily throughout, and waitresses walked between them dressed to the hilt in 50s garb ("no rollerskates this late in the season though," Aaron added when Cadi pointed it out). The menus were displayed above the worn speakers in each respective parking space, and Cadi leaned over Aaron to squint at the names on the menu - The Gambino Giganto Burger, The Clucker, Mickie's Doo Wop Sundae. "Really?" she asked in a flat tone, her squint taking on a critical gaze. "I stick with the meals. Just say the number, less embarrassing that way," Aaron replied. "Good food, even if the names are s*t. Anyway, know what you want?" He waited for her to nod as he rolled down the window and the speaker crackled to life with the voice of a teenage girl, well-versed in being chipper. "Welcome to Mickie's Drive In, home of the Gambino Giganto Burger, what can I get you today?" Aaron heard Cadi snort next to him and he smirked, smacking her arm to quiet her. "Hey, yeah, I'd like a #4 with sweet tea, hold the ketchup." Cadi softly gasped next to him. "No ketchup? I'm disowning you." "Shut up, you," he mumbled to her. "What do you want?" She pursed her lips in thought, frowning, before leaning forward to speak into the speaker. "Can I get a #2 with onions? And, um, a strawberry milkshake?" "There'll be an upcharge, is that okay?" Cadi seemed conflicted at the word "upcharge," which did not go unnoticed by Aaron, but then she nodded to the speaker. "That's fine." There was a pause while the girl on the other end calculated the total and then finished up with, "Your waitress will be out shortly with the food and your bill! Thanks for stopping by tonight!" Cadi leaned back into her seat with a thump and rested her hands on her thighs, head reclined against the headrest. "How do they get the energy to be that perky?" she mumbled. Aaron dug into his pocket to have his wallet at the ready and he shrugged. He rolled the window up to keep the slightly off-tune doo wop music at a minimum. "It's in the job description." The window rolled up completely and he glanced over the menu one last time to consider dessert when another notice grabbed his attention - a paper sign was taped below the menu with bright block letters proclaiming "WE'RE HIRING!", surrounded by a variety of stock clip art of fin-bearing cars and girls in poodle skirts. "Speaking of, looks like they're hiring. 'Join our waiting staff, every day is like a day at the sock hop!'" Cadi groaned and covered her face with both hands. "Please don't." "'Flexible hours available,'" Aaron continued, nodding. "Sounds like a good deal, Cadi, couldn't hurt to ask for an application." "They wouldn't take me." Her hands did not move from her face, and he squinted in confusion at her words when she tacked on, "look at them, can you honestly see me working here wearing a ******* poodle skirt and talking like a preteen girl?" He opened his mouth to argue when one of the waitresses crossed his line of sight on the way to a white pickup truck parked a short distance from them, brunette hair in a ponytail and smile very practiced but gleaming white, exuding energy. He shut his mouth, defeated, but did not want to voice that to further her own doubts. He leaned back in his seat himself and listened to the muffled 50s music that played from the restaurant's main speakers. The ambiance in the car had shifted dramatically, and Aaron did not like how awkward this felt. Cadi's hands slid from her face at last and came to rest in her lap. "How has job hunting been going for you?" he asked at length, and she frowned sullenly, looking as though she did not aim to answer. "C'mon." His tone was gentler this time, and she folded her arms across her chest resignedly, gaze moving from the window to her bags at her feet. "Not great." Her low tone told him that she admitted this with some difficulty. "I've been putting in applications at places but nothing's come up. I'll get an interview sometimes but no follow up. It really sucks because I have to find something longer term. At this rate I won't have the money to go back to school." Her foot scuffed the floor and rustled the bag, hands tightening on her arms. Aaron frowned and looked at the steering wheel, where one of his hands came to rest. It felt trite to tell her to keep at it and don't get discouraged, the right one would come along, and he was struck with the realization that that change in his thinking was very recent - he would not have thought of that at all and plowed right ahead if he and Claire had not had their blow-up in the parking lot of the airport. Aaron already knew that he had not understood Cadi as well as he had initially thought; before last year's Thankgiving, Cadi was an occasional fixture at family events, oftentimes disappearing on her own or sticking with Dinah and Brendan. Occasional acerbic observations when he did speak up and the one-off lines that would leave him reeling with laughter. An unapologetic nerd with a variety of interests but mostly someone who kept to herself. He and Claire had assumed that she was merely doing what most teenagers and young adults did - which was seek time with other friends or want to be alone. Claire had taught him that summer that assumptions did more harm than good. His fingers drummed against the steering wheel and he frowned more deeply at himself for not having a better answer. "All you can do is keep at it. There's always work somewhere so I'm sure you'll find something." It was a weak offering and what he did not want to say in the first place, but something, anything, felt better than that oppressive silence. She, too, smiled weakly, seemingly sensing his own doubts but unwilling to fight it - not after they had both had such a good time today. "Thanks, dude," Cadi said at last, her tone a little warmer. He turned to look at her and smile encouragingly but she nodded towards the window, the negativity of before tucked away as though it had never been present at all. "Yo, open the window, food's here." He jumped and hustled to lower the window, and there was confusion for a few minutes while food was passed between the car's occupants and money was handed over, change given, and the waitress departed. Once her wallet was stuffed away, Cadi futzed with the radio to find a station to drown out the doo wop, which had cycled through the same song three times in a row; she landed on a Sirius satellite radio that was favoring an early to mid 2000s programming block before turning to her cheeseburger. Unincumbered by the need for conversation, the two ate in peaceable silence, permeated by the occasional 3 Doors Down or Avril Lavigne song. "So." Cadi broke the quiet at last, and Aaron glanced over from his chicken burger. She took her time in answering by pausing for a sip of her milkshake. "Raevans, huh?" At last, the conversation had come around to the Lab. Truthfully, they had only touched on it glancingly before, and he could tell by Cadi's reaction to seeing Amity for the first time that knowing about Raevans was one thing - meeting them, and seeing them with her own eyes, was an entirely different experience. She chewed on a french fry thoughtfully. "Is the Raevan that you and Claire have going to be like Amity?" "Hard to say," Aaron admitted. "I haven't met very many but they're all different from one another, just like people are. So I'm guessing it'll be luck of the draw." He ended the statement with a small shrug and took another hearty bite of his chicken burger. Cadi flicked her straw idly. "Amity's nice," she said at length. "I'm sure yours will be too. You guys will be good parents." The corners of her mouth lifted in a smile, and the two of them met each other's gaze. "Aw shucks, stop," he joked and waved his hand, eliciting a snort from his companion. "I'm sure you'll be just as good a big sister to them." At the statement, Cadi looked genuinely surprised - although not unpleasantly so. Her cheeks reddened and she looked to the burger wrappings and napkins in her lap as though they were particularly friendly and offering her all manner of praise, judging by her ever-growing smile. "Nah, you flatter me," she dismissed, but Aaron could tell by her tone that she was pleased. "Besides, I'm more of the cool aunt." Her chin lifted in mock pride. "Got a brand to maintain, after all." "Gotcha," he replied with a raise of the eyebrows as he polished off the last of his meal, wiping his hands. "Ready?" She nodded quickly, took the last few bites of her burger and crumpled the wrappers up, passing them to him as he once again rolled down the window to drop them into the garbage can located just below the display menu. The car hummed to life once again and the radio station hitched as it did so, but as they pulled out of the parking lot, Cadi's eyes lit up in recognition at the song that had just started play; Aaron, too, recognized the familiar, understated guitars of the intro - "Helena." "Ohhhh st, love this song!" she said, brimming with excitement, "MCR was my favorite in high school." She looked over at Aaron with a touch of self-consciousness, anticipating the sight of a look that he would not have given her. "Hey, don't judge me on that." He snorted and shook his head. "I'm not, c'mon - crank that st up," Aaron encouraged with a laugh and the wave of the hand, which Cadi happily obliged to and the song went from gentle background music to a car-ride anthem in a matter of seconds as the drums and main verse kicked in. It was as though the Cadi who had covered her face and talked so glumly about her future prospects and this one, who was happily nodding her head along to the music and singing loudly with little abandon, were two completely different people. Assumptions really were his weakness, he noted, and there was no way he would judge her for her choice of favorite band from years ago. He was well-versed in the world of guilty pleasure music; his soft spot for the pop music he grew up with in the 90s was unparalleled. She looked at him, all smiles as she sang along, and he found himself nodding along as well.. and then singing along. Commute karaoke was a favorite activity of his whenever he went anywhere, because it allowed him to remain connected to one of the things that he treasured very dearly. Aaron had loved music from his earliest days, and in the way that many young children were enthusiastic about certain classes, he gladly went to the required chorus classes that his private elementary school forced on its fourth and fifth graders. While some of his classmates groaned about correcting pitch, or being told to slow down, or to stop substituting the lyrics for rude words, he marveled in it. For someone who was so used to getting things handed to him, he felt a wonderful sense of control when he sang. Hitting the right note sent a wave of happiness through him that he had yet to find a match to, and being offered a solo in their climax number during the winter concert was one of the proudest moments of his youth. He had wanted to learn so much about music, eventually play the guitar like some of his favorite musicians rather than something boring and typical to his excitable mind. His knack for it definitely caught the eye of his ever-doting mother who asked him to practice in front of her ("I just love your voice, won't you preview your solo for me?"), and more importantly his music teacher, who recommended that he could do more with himself under the right tutelage. Sixth grade was just around the corner and he would be off to a different school; Mr. Barnaby could not remain his teacher forever, but he left the name of his colleague, who offered private voice lessons. Money was no object, and Aaron's enthusiasm for music did little to hinder them from seeking out Oliver Black. He was a middle-aged man with the demeanor of a deconstructed hippie (a sharp contrast to the iron-fisted perfectionism that Mr. Barnaby exuded in his classes), who worked out of a home studio he built himself and taught classes at Durem Community College during most of the week. He guided Aaron through the very basics, helped him adjust his pitch when he wavered, taught him not to overuse vibrato ("the downfall of many a good singer is poorly-placed vibrato, makes 'em sound like they're singing in an earthquake", he had grumbled), told him to sing from the chest and not the nose. Aaron shared with him his plan to learn guitar next and always attended his after-school lessons with eagerness. The private middle school was small and new, still garnering funds and it lacked a proper music class, but Aaron did not mind with his lessons. Music was still a part of his life. Things changed when he entered high school. Aaron never had a hard time making friends and prided himself of being very social, and he easily fell in with a bunch of the boys in his grade who were also on the basketball team. They were all loud and rambunctious, fun, class clown-types, just the type of people he wanted to be around to keep school fresh and interesting, especially for his first foray into public school. The school was so big and full of so many people that he admittedly felt lost among the crowds and stuck to the small group he had become close to. Peter, Levi, Ricky, Evan, and Tom were his crew and they had his back; he continued his voice lessons on the side and thought about trying for the music classes next year, after he finally got the feel for the pacing of high school. What he did not expect was the attitude his newfound friends had towards what he loved to do, and he discovered it accidentally when they had to sit through a pep rally where the high school choir performed. "Buncha fags," Peter called them. "Listen to that gay st," Ricky added. Aaron gave pause, and when none of his friends clapped when the performance ended but continued to make jokes at the expense of the performers amongst themselves, he laughed quietly to mask how uncomfortable he felt. The attitude persisted throughout other similar instances, and in some cases they turned to more active jeering when their targets in question were alone or within hearing range. He played the role of quiet bystander during the first incidents, but when Lawrence Yew recognized him from elementary school, Aaron felt a thrill of panic and knocked him down, and called him a word he had never used before. He laughed when his friends joined in, but his heart was racing hard in his chest, trying to escape; a second more and he'd likely be joining Lawrence Yew on the ground while his friends pushed him around. He did not renege on his lessons right away but his enthusiasm took a serious hit. He stopped talking about learning guitar, and eventually his attendance suffered as he cited an increasingly busy schedule from school and basketball practice as an excuse. Mr. Black nodded sympathetically, but during their last lesson before Aaron started senior year, he put a hand on his shoulder and said, "keep up with it when you find time though, okay? You've got a knack for it." At the time, Aaron had shrugged it off; if it meant keeping his friends around and being more agreeable to the kind of kids that he'd met through public school, protecting his reputation as the semi-a*e class clown jock, then that was important. What good is singing when you were a loser with no friends? He regretted that choice for several years, sharpened now by the realization that the things he had done back then made him increasingly uncomfortable. Cadi sang happily and full of vigor despite her voice not quite hitting the notes; he could still pick that out after all these years. She was so much like the kids that he and his friends had made fun of.. she was a lot like Sadie Purcell. Aaron did not fully give up music but any time he would try to shake off the past and sing without restraint, he could hear the things his friends would say from across the years, remember what they would do, and he would alter his tone, singing off-key on purpose and playing up his goofy demeanor for laughs. In fact, as he sang along with Cadi and My Chemical Romance, he was doing somewhat the same, making silly expressions at Cadi as they drove and cracking her up mid-lyric, but when they stopped at a light and the song entered second chorus, his carefully constructed facade slipped. The bridge started and his tone shifted abruptly; he matched the notes as pitch-perfect as he could, layering them with vibrato at the end of each line. His volume rose as the verse marched on, and Cadi seemed to take note of what was happening and her eyes widened in clear surprise, but she kept singing along, her gaze darting between the radio and Aaron. He shifted again to harmonize with the last line of the bridge, which drew out another startled gaze from Cadi, and both of them launched into the final choruses of the song, loudly and excitedly, exhilarated as he let himself get lost in the music. What's the worst that I could say? Things are better if I stay So long and goodnight So long and goodnight Well, if you carry on this way Things are better if I stay So long and goodnight So long and goodnight The song faded out and the DJ broke through, and Cadi hastily reached for the dial to turn it down before the two of them were deafened, and as Aaron breathed out a small sigh, Cadi stared at him incredulously. "What the <****>, dude," she said, eyes wide, "where did you learn to do that? Since ****** when?" "Huh?" His ears were still adjusting to the downshift in volume, but the look on Cadi's face brought with it a dawning of realization. st. Anxious color crept into his cheeks as she reached over and slapped his arm. "What d'you mean, 'huh,' I mean that!" She gestured vaguely with one hand at the cab of the car. "That was ****** incredible. I didn't know you could sing like that!" By now, the uncomfortable tingling of anxiety was settling in along his spine and a clammy sweat was accumulating on his head; he laughed tensely, hands gripping the steering wheel. "****' f," came Peter Donahue's voice from years ago, and his heart hammered at a pace that matched the reddening of his cheeks. Cadi seemed to pick up on his discomfort and her hand lowered an inch. "What's up?" "Oh, it - it's nothing." His voice sounded pitchy to his ears, strange, not his own; he cleared his throat nervously and tried to remember which street Cadi's apartment complex was on - anything to forget those long-buried words and memories. The anxiety in his gut was just as sharp as it had been when Peter had grumbled his first insult at that pep rally almost two decades ago. "Let's uh.. let's not mention this to anyone though, okay?" Cadi leaned back in her seat, eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "Why?" she asked flatly. "You're great. *******' A, I'd love* to sing like that." "Just -" He interrupted, sounding more upset that he had intended to (and startling Cadi for it), so he took another breath and continued, "Just between us for now, okay?" She continued to stare and he tacked on, a little desperately, "please?" Despite her apparent confusion, she relented, and her hand lowered completely back to her lap as they entered her neighborhood. "Sure," was all she said, looking a touch defeated. "Thank you." He pulled up to the front curb in front of her apartment complex, but neither made a move right away. The heaviness from earlier had returned but it clung to the both of them, unrelenting, until she finally leaned over and shouldered her purse and grabbed her bag of purchases. The seatbelt came off and the door opened. "Thanks for today, dude," Cadi said hesitantly, as weakly as his talk of jobs had been prior. "I had a good time." "You're welcome," Aaron answered, adapting his usual casual, cheerful tone - his usual defense against discomfort. "Any time." A flicker of a smile crossed her lips before she got out of the car and shut the door, and he watched her round the front of it. She walked partway up the sidewalk while he sat in wait for her to make it to her front door safely, but she paused, shoulders tensed as though she had made a decision, and rounded on her heels, jogging back down to his window. One eyebrow rose as he rolled the window down, and she placed a hand on the door to lean down. "It's.." she began awkwardly, cheeks reddening. "It's not really my place to tell people how to do things or live their lives or whatever, but you shouldn't be so embarrassed of what you like." Her gaze, which had been avoiding his, moved up to his face, and she shrugged. "Life's too short for that s*t. And you're really good." Her hand receded and flopped to her side. "Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. 'Night, Aaron." She finally turned around and jogged up the rest of the way to her front door as Aaron rolled up the window, and when she waved and stepped inside her building, he waved weakly back. His hand smacked the rim of the steering wheel hard. 'Don't be too nice to me,'* he thought as he put the car into drive, 'I don't deserve it.'

Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2015 12:38 am


	Checking In & Catching Up Early November 2015 Skype PRP with NeonMace Aaron and Claire go visit Ethiriel in the wake of her eye surgery.

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Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2016 2:27 pm


	Decisions, Decisions November 23, 2015 It was funny how circumstances shifted no matter how often something occurred. When Claire had been pregnant the first time, she had a list of names mentally accumulated for her child-to-be, fairly even between the genders in their distribution (with a few that could go either way). There had been no baby names book her first go-around and instead relied on names she had accumulated over her life and filed away as favorites - why would one ever give their child a name they did not love themself? There were several plucked from her favorite novels, a few fondly associated with familiar faces from the past, and fewer still that were on there by pure virtue of how much she loved their sound. The second time she was pregnant, there had been the baby-names book, but she had been too nervous to peruse it. So much doubt hung over her head that while she still held fast to her excitement, it was tempered with an unrelenting nervousness. She again relied on her lifelong accumulated list, but curiosity enticed her to pick up the book at least a couple of times, and she had stuck a few sticky notes on her favorite pages to discuss with Aaron later, but tragedy kept that talk at bay and nearly forgotten as the years passed. Naming a child, to her, came with more than just collecting a list; it was not like waiting a few weeks with a new pet to find a name fitting of their personality. She had remembered a talk she had with Arina many years ago, when Claire was still a teenager, about baby names - how did you know if you found the right name? Arina had laughed, still aglow with the news of her own daughter's due date, and told her with a grin, "you can write the longest list in the world and still not have the perfect name on there, but always good to be prepared, eh?" When Claire had only blinked confusedly, unsure of how to answer that, Arina laughed more and told her, should she ever be faced with impending motherhood, that she could always take lesson from traditional pre-Christian Russians and giving them a substitute name until they found the right fit, but Claire had wrinkled her nose and shook her head rapidly enough to give herself a slight headache. Claire had struggled to come to grips with her apparent inability to have children but it was always an uphill battle. She was always astounded by how the words, "you are going to be a mother soon" set an excited tingle down her spine; even though this would not be her birth child, her Raevan was hers. There would be no birth complications, and while there were certain caveats to consider when being the caretaker of a magical being, she hoped she was up to the task. Her days stretched before her, rife with uncertainty - she still had no idea when the Raevan was coming but she had to be prepared. Under the circumstances, there was only so much preparation she could do beforehand. What kind of bedroom would they need? What kind of clothing should she get? Would they like to read or draw or listen to music? From what she could gather from her handful of encounters and scrying for answers on her own by pouring over the Lab contract, Raevans were at different levels of awareness upon their birth, and given that she did not know what they would even look like (size-wise), that made all of this early preparation very difficult. It left her in an interesting predicament - she could ask her child for their input on what they wanted. She was happy, excited even, to oblige this, but again it left her in the same runaround, and the most she was able to do when her days proved too long in wait was to head back into the guest bedroom (her future child's bedroom), dust, and straighten up, while the same cycle of questions ran through her head. It was with a nervous fluttering in the pit of her stomach that she had even reached for the baby book as she dusted the bookcase. Neon pink and yellow sticky notes peeked from the pages behind the dust cover that she wiped with a careful hand, indicative of her favorite names. Baby names felt like finality. The feeling of such was taking its sweet time in setting in, and lingered in a strange limbo while she waited on news, but everything had been fairly quiet on that front. She backpedaled a few steps and lowered herself to sit on the edge of the bed, stripped of its sheets while it was being watched, the book settling into her lap. The spine groaned from lack of use when she opened it, and she thumbed through a few page idly. A pink post-it beckoned her just a chapter ahead and she made to reach for it but her fingers pulled back when she grazed the edge. The names she had marked there were from a different time and a different situation, and Claire decided in that moment that it would not be fair to her future Raevan to carry over those heavy memories in the name she would be calling them for the rest of their days. Instead, she firmly tugged the post-its from the book, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the book's title page as she did so and crumpling them into a multi-colored ball before tossing them into the garbage can with the wet paper towels she had been using to clean. She took a steadying breath and opened the book to the first page. By the time Aaron stepped in from his commute home, the sun had already dipped below the horizon and there was a chill to the air. He stumbled out of his shoes and stuffed them into the closet, stifling a yawn as he shrugged out of his jacket. The day had been long and busy, which had been unusual for hiim as of late, but it did well to distract him from other worries that had been making the rounds in his tired head. The house was strangely silent save for one faded noise coming from the direction of the laundry room, and it took him a moment to focus in and place it - the wrinkle guard was going off on the dryer. He squinted into the dimly-lit living room and saw no sign of his wife, so he tentatively called out, "Claire?" A beat passed and the muffled noise of creaking floorboards sounded from down the hall, followed by Claire's reply of, "in the spare bedroom." Curious, he left his suitcase by the door and padded down the short hallway, poking his head into the room. Claire looked as though she were half in motion, ready to get up but had stopped herself due to another distraction - his gaze dropped and she had a book in her lap. The sheetless bed explained the resounding beeping from the laundry room as he heard the machine once again groan to life from the recesses of the house and start its wrinkle guard cycle all over again. "Hey," he said with a half smile, fingers curling against the door frame as he leaned in. "What's up?" She glanced up at him momentarily before looking back at the book, and his eye picked up on a number of multi-colored pieces of paper peeking from the sides and tops of many pages. She stuck an orange post-it on the page she had been perusing and finally met his eyes, smiling in a way that appeared, to him, a touch self-conscious. "Name picking." The weight of what she said settled onto his shoulders, and again he felt the nervousness of his fast-approaching fatherhood. It took a moment for him to do little else but stare at her with raised eyebrows, but her smile warmed and she scooted over on the bare bed, patting the space next to her. He huffed out a small laugh and plodded inside to take a seat next to her; it was still warm from her occupying it a moment before, his aching knees groaning under the same strain as the bed when he sat. "Any good ones?" He leaned forward to glance over her shoulder at the book, and she closed it a little bit and gave him a timid smile of her own, cheeks flushing. "Aw, c'mon." Despite his own nerves, he, too, was caught up in her poorly-concealed excitement and she inclined her shoulder just a bit so they were touching, smile growing. "Well.." She flipped open to the first sticky note, her enthusiasm brimming from the sole word, "I didn't settle on one yet but I did want to pick something Russian if possible, or at least go through there, so I scoured that section first." Her restless fingers strolled up and down the page, ever eager, and her head inclined a little against his. She smelled like laundry soap and citrus from her shampoo, and with her face so rosy from the task she had been distracted with for the past several hours, Aaron felt a fuzzy warmth spreading in his chest, the kind that sounded terribly sappy when put into words. "Let me know what you think, let's see here..." Her finger paused a quarter of the way down the page and tapped softly. "Demyan was one I liked." "What does it mean?" Aaron moved against her shoulder to get a better look, and, admittedly, to lengthen the contact between them. Claire seemed to know what he was doing and smiled knowingly before she threaded her left arm through his, giving it a gentle squeeze. "It comes from the name Damien, 'to tame.'" "I think that's just inviting a little troublemaker, don't you think?" he chuckled, belatedly returning her squeeze with one of his own. She laughed lightly and returned her gaze to the book. "It's a nice name though. What else d'you got?" "Dimitri was another one." She whisked expertly through the pages to her markers. "Petri is cute." "The little pterodactyl guy from 'The Land Before Time'?" Aaron laughed again, but it was not meant in mockery but one of fondness. "Not spelled the same but yeah, I guess it is," she admitted with pinkening cheeks before returning to her task. "Vasiliy.." This time, Aaron did give a derisive snort. "Sounds like 'vaseline'." She elbowed him with a laugh of her own. "It comes from Basil, you goof," she chided, although not unkindly. "I thought it was cute.. you know, basil is a plant and all." "Do most of these names have something to do with that?" She pressed her lips together at his question and shrugged softly. "Some of them do. I mean.. it feels right, you know?" Claire's bright smile and warm eyes fell on him and for all his anxieties, they shied away for the moment and he smiled back. "Yeah, I getcha." A gentle hum rose in his throat with his momentary contentment and he returned attention to the book. "Any others?" "Vesa was another one I had but that's kinda in the same vein as Vasiliy and we already know what you think of that." She smirked at Aaron and continued leafing through the pages. He realized that she had color coded the sticky notes by the gender the name was intended for, and again his heart gave a soft thump against his ribs at how cute he thought that was. It was a strange feeling for him - the thought of fatherhood left him questioning whether or not he were ready for it, if he were fit for it. The Raevan would not physically be their child, but to Claire, it was their child.. and he would endeavor the feel the same, doubts aside. Much had changed in the past few months between them by simply talking it out, and any new rushes of affection he'd had towards Claire were met with likewise enthusiasm. But as she read off the names for a potential little girl - Irina, Katya, Svetlana, Zoya, Lata, Elowen, and Pomona ("What? It's cute, alright?" she replied with a laugh) - he could not bring himself to rain on her parade with his self-doubts. There would be another time, when he would finally have a name for those feelings. And if not, perhaps he could stow it away enough to forget about it, much as he had many times before. They leaned against each other for a moment in comfortable silence, and Aaron let his gaze sweep the room. The dryer beeped again once it finished one of its many touch up cycles. "What are we gonna do with the room?" Aaron asked. It went without saying that it would go to their Raevan, but like Claire, he was also running through what preparations they would need to make before they arrive, what kind of furniture to get, what items would need to be boxed up and put in the garage. Claire closed the book and rested a hand on the cover. "I think we should let them decide." Her tone wavered just a touch, and in that note of uncertainty he felt his own echoed underneath. His arm slid from hers and wrapped around her shoulder in lieu of agreeing with with her - the soft squeeze he gave her was enough. However, his eyes fell on the one orange sticky she had placed in the book when he walked in; it stuck out from the top rather than the side, a testament to her distractedness. "You forgot one," he said with a warm chuckle, and she startled into action and reopened the book to the page, using her finger to scroll down. "Lorin, for a boy," she read. "What's it mean?" "From Lawrence, meaning 'laurel'." He mused on the name as a shiver of recognition ran through him, a familiar face from the past. But he smiled nonetheless, and nodded. "I think it sounds nice." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and her smile brightened in a way it had yet to do. A favorite of hers. "I think so, too."

Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2016 2:11 pm


	The Guitar Man December 9, 2015 Aaron had passed by the place often enough when he was working in Durem. With his father becoming increasingly busier in preparation for the company end-of-year party (only for the biggest-name investors and the company big wigs, as well as some of Clarence's close personal friends), he was left with the rising work load as their clients prepared for their own slew of holiday parties. It was a task that he did not mind, however, as it kept his mind occupied from other things. Their Raevan was coming soon and Claire had entered full nesting mode; the sticky notes in the baby names book had doubled, and it now sat on their nightstand in case inspiration struck. Despite her assurance that she wanted to wait and see what their Raevan would look like before picking out any clothing or home decor, she was perusing catalogues and websites, bookmarking her favorites. The room was steadily being cleaned out in anticipation; many of his old reference books were in labeled boxes for Goodwill, and unlike the last time Claire had proposed to get rid of them, he did not fight her on it. Aaron was too tired with everything else on his mind, and if it could help make some poor college student's day, then all the better (he was secretly doubtful that textbooks ten years outdated would be much help there, though). Work, however, could not keep his mind off of his own lingering doubts for long. His spotty correspondence with his old buddy Peter Donahue only dredged up uncertainty, and outside of giving sparse answers, he had grown tired of staring at the interaction in his Facebook inbox. So, during his lunch hour, he had taken to going on walks rather than letting the office secretary send out for lunch. Clarence oftentimes was not in the office enough for them to eat together, and Aaron wanted to be alone with his thoughts for a while. He had first noticed the music store just after Thanksgiving (no rest for the wicked, as he was back at work on Friday), but had only paused at the window long enough for his eyes to sail over a very impressive electric guitar in the window before he shook his head and carried on. Aaron had had enough of the past repeating on him for a while. Still, he found himself detouring a lot on his five-day-a-week ritual - much more than he would have anticipated. The weather was worsening and he felt the onset of a cold coming upon him as snow rolled into the city, but still he stopped. The shop's pre-Christmas deals were advertised on brightly-colored printer paper in the windows, setting into motion some additional tabulating of finances. Claire had stated that she did not want an extravagant Christmas; they were still reeling from last year's Thanksgiving and had opted for a small dinner between themselves and Ivy for this year, but the prospect of another large family get-together after the roller coaster last year did not appeal to either of them. He had already been tucking away a few gifts over the course of the year for the holidays, including a very nice necklace he had found in the jewelry store across the way, but he was still on the hunt for more ideas. It was Christmas, he shouldn't be shopping for himself, so with that thought, he would keep walking past. He had not necessarily been forthcoming about gift ideas when asked by his wife and mother-in-law and had sidestepped it with a catch-all answer of "I'm sure I'll love whatever you decide on, you know me, you know what I like." Claire had frowned at that excuse and crossed her arms. "There isn't anything you want?" "Not off the top of my head." "You know," she added, carefully, "you haven't really done anything for yourself recently." Her hand rested on his forearm. "Try to think of what you want and get back to me, okay?" It was as though Cadi's words from October echoed from Claire, and the next day, while snow was lightly falling, that gave him the convincing he needed to take the plunge. He had spent years downplaying how much he loved music and had buried his desire to learn guitar. Why shouldn't he do this? The door opened with a cheerful jingle and Aaron was hit with a blast of warm air. The smell of wax and wood was thick in the air and the lights not too bright, while the local classic rock station played at a lowered volume from behind the checkout counter - overall a very welcoming atmosphere. Racks of acoustic guitars lined the store in front of him, their price tags loped around their necks, while the electric and bass guitars were displayed proudly on the wall. Ukuleles were lined up next to them and as Aaron craned his neck around into the back recesses of the shop, he could see other string instruments on display - violins, cellos, a couple of autoharps on the wall. "Hey there!" He jumped at the unexpected voice and a gray head peeked out from one of the rows of acoustics. "Sorry to make you jump, bro. Hang on a sec." The neck of a guitar floated into his line of vision as it was placed back on an empty slot in the top rack and the man rounded the corner. He was dressed in a worn t-shirt and his peppered hair was long, which was in sharp contrast to his shorter beard. "What can I do you for today?" "Hi, hey, uh, yeah," Aaron stumbled out with a nervous smile. "I'm looking for a guitar." He cringed inwardly; that was obvious. He changed tracks. "I want to start playing. So, um, I'm looking for something good for beginners, that would be great." The shop assistant grinned and clapped Aaron on the shoulder. "That's great! Congrats on wanting to pick up guitar, it's a wonderful instrument." He released his shoulder and wandered to the left, Aaron trailing behind. "Are you looking for an acoustic or electric?" Mr. Black's words came back to him years later, when he had first been bubbling to his voice coach about learning guitar: "Start on acoustic and get the hang of it there, then work up to electric; starting out on electric makes things too easy, it's no fun if you don't work for it a little." "Acoustic," Aaron said firmly. "Steel string or nylon?" Aaron's brows knit together in confusion, and his lack of answer made it apparent to the clerk, who turned around with a laugh and plucked a guitar with a deep, sunburst coloring to it from the lower rack. "I can see those aren't familiar terms. This guy here is a steel string, see how they're kind of thick?" He held it up for Aaron, and the light reflected off the coils. "You can't buy any old strings for your guitar; steel string acoustics and nylon string acoustics are built differently. You've gotta find what works for you. Steel strings are nice because the strings aren't high off the neck. The necks are also thinner so it's easier if you're just starting out." He repositioned the guitar in his hands as though he were about to play. "The downside is that they're tougher on your hands than nylon strings, but you'll build up your calluses fast if you play enough. The sound is also very different." And with that, his fingers danced across the strings, the tone deep and rich as he played through a few basic scales. "Damn," was all Aaron could say when he was done, eliciting another laugh from the older man, who returned the guitar to its place and reached for another, this one paler in comparison to its predecessor but with a vine-pattern encircling the soundhole at the instrument's center. It did not have the same coppery strings as the first but rather waxy white ones. "Nylon strings are used in your basic classic guitars. They're thinner and easier to get notes and chords learned on, but your calluses will take a while to come in." Again, the shop attendant raised the instrument for Aaron's benefit, holding it in a playing position but tilting it so the light caught the front of it. "The necks are thicker though and the strings higher up, so it's harder to hold them down without practice. And again, you're gonna get a difference in sound." He finger picked a few more chords and Aaron heard the difference immediately - the sound was not as deep but much more crisp, clearer. It did not reverberate from the depths of the instrument like the steel string had. "There's a lot of give and take but it depends on what you feel is the better fit." He held the guitar out. "Go ahead and try it out, see which one you like." Aaron looked down at the guitar and swallowed apprehensively, but he took the offered instrument with both hands. The shop door opened and a few more customers came in from the cold. "There's a stool right there, go ahead and test out a few of them. I'll be back in a bit." And then he was gone, same cheerful demeanor as he approached the newcomers. Aaron found the stool that he was talking about and lowered himself to it, knees complaining slightly, and he pulled the guitar into his lap, hands poised, and strummed. He did not know any chords to practice with, but he dazedly plucked a few of the strings, pressing the fingers of his left hand down to alter the note. His hand complained from the reach and the size of the neck, and while the sound was nice, it didn't feel quite what he was looking for. He stood and returned it to its home, before reaching for the steel string and pulling it down. His hand fit more snugly around the neck but his fingers were not as fond of the thickness of the strings. The sound, though, was incredibly appealing, and Aaron frowned thoughtfully, zoning into the conversation of the shop attendant and the customers (they had just bought a guitar from a pawn shop and wanted it checked over, to make sure of its playability). Give and take, just as the man had said. There was another moment of guilt where he considered leaving; he only had a limited amount of time before he was due back to the office as well. Should he really be out here, buying himself something like this? Again, Aaron's mind plucked the words from Claire and Cadi. "You haven't really done anything for yourself recently." "You shouldn't be so embarrassed of what you like. Life's too short for that s*t." He hummed thoughtfully as he plucked the strings. Life was* too short for that s**t. The door jingled again as the customers left and the shopkeeper returned. "Hey, how's it going?" Aaron stood up and held up the sunburst guitar. While the price tags on any of the instruments in the shop would not cause them stress should he have wanted something more flashy, he wanted to start small. He wanted to feel as though he had earned the more expensive guitars with hard work and practice. "This one," he said firmly, with a grin, and held the guitar out for the older man to take. "I'll take this guy here." "Great choice!" agreed the shopkeeper. "Plus you've come at a great time with all of our sales going on, this price isn't exactly right." He flicked the price tag carelessly with a few fingers that were not looped about the neck. "What else does it come with?" "Not much," the man admitted. "You can pick up a soft case for 30, 35 maybe. Hard cases will protect you a little better but they'll set you back about 90." "I'll take the hard case, then," Aaron said. The man patted the guitar with a smile. "Comin' right up, let's head to the register." Aaron wove around the racks behind him as he fished a hard case from a stack underneath the ukuleles, placing his chosen acoustic inside to make sure it fit. Soon enough, case and guitar were at the register and the attendant was ringing him up. "You taking lessons?" "I'm gonna try teaching myself." The internet was rife with tutorials; he had to find something. His gaze fell on the chord charts and guides to the right of the counter. "Couldn't hurt to have some more help, though." The older man chuckled and leaned over the counter on his arms, one hand reaching down to tap a moderately thick tutorial book that, surprisingly, did not have a high price to match its weight. "I recommend this one, but there are a lot of great Youtube tutorials you can find too." Aaron did not need convincing, and he added the book to his purchase. "If you're ever interested in lessons though, one of our guys here does them on Saturdays." The attendant's hand was already fishing out a business card from a nearby rack. "Ah, sorry, I'm not from here. I only commute in for work - I live in Gambino." The hand paused, but only for a beat, as the card was flipped over and he hastily reached for a pen. "That's cool, I know a guy in Gambino who does lessons too. If you ever feel inclined, give 'im a call." He finished writing down his information with a flourish and passed it to Aaron, who wordlessly passed him his debit card. The register groaned and beeped as it printed his receipt, and once everything was said and done, the shopkeeper patted the case fondly. "You're all set - oh wait, hang on. You're gonna need these." He reached into a bowl at the side and tucked a few guitar picks bearing the store's name into Aaron's waiting hand. "There. And hey man, good luck. Keep us posted on your progress." "Thanks," Aaron said with a hearty smile as he picked up the guitar, "I appreciate the help." His gratefulness was palpable as he headed towards the door and pulled it open, the bite of the wind and snowflakes in his face reminding him that it was still winter outside. "No worries, bro. I'm sure you'll do great." The words carried him through the rest of the day and through the commute home, which was a slow slog through messy roads. He glanced back through his rearview mirror at the case on the backseat, heart humming with excitement, as he had spent a good part of his remaining work day looking at it sitting innocently in the corner of his office while he queued up tutorial videos on Youtube between paperwork.. It was as though he were in junior high again, yammering on to Mr. Black about how he was going to play guitar when he got to high school, and he was going to be "really good, just you wait!" while the man chuckled and steered him back towards his voice lessons. The sun had set by the time he pulled into the driveway, and with a nervous flutter and both briefcase and guitar in hand, he made his way up the walk and opened the front door. Claire called from the living room when he toed out of his shoes, and he entered the foyer and peeked his head around just as she looked up from the book in her lap (which was not the baby names book, for a change). "Welcome home," she said warmly as she shut the book, making to stand. With a tremulous smile he fully entered the living room and her eyes dropped to the guitar case in his hand. Aaron's head was making its usual anxious circles as she looked back at his face, and he was cycling through his usual anxious excuses - it belonged to a friend, he took it off a coworker's hands because they needed the money. Anything but admit that it was his, as his old school buddies laughed in his head about the choir kids and called them all manner of names. But Claire's smile brightened, which caught him off guard for a moment. "Something for you?" His smile lost a touch of his nervousness and while the jeers of his old friends did not quiet entirely in his memories, he responded warmly, with an affectionate pat to the case. "Something for me."

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Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2016 2:23 pm


	Snow + Gold: A Lab 305 NYE Celebration December 31, 2015 Claire and Cadi head up to Barton for Lab 305's New Years Eve extravaganza (and a little bit of snowball fight shenanigans). Snow + Gold: A Lab 305 NYE Celebration Claire had to admit, despite the number of bumps in the road to tonight's festivities, her spirits were high. Aaron had obligations with Holmes Produce and their New Years Eve shindig up in Aekea; it was for the higher ups and district managers and key clients, so it was with great remorse that he had to back out; "Say hi to everyone for me!" he said on his way out the door much earlier that day, and she knew he mostly meant Henry, but she would honor his wishes nonetheless. Ivy, too, had declined the invitation, saying she was getting too old for New Years Eve parties; "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, give little Aina a hug for me, will ya? Tell all them I said hello and Happy New Year," and with that Claire's list of obligations that night had expounded. Still, that left her with one glaring flaw in her evening, and that was no guest to go with. Her raevan-to-be was still growing, safe within the Lab, and parties were never much fun when one goes unaccompanied. However, it was Aaron, surprisingly, who had pitched the perfect suggestion as he was straightening his tie: "Ask Cadi; I don't think she's doing anything tonight and she'd probably love to go." She almost felt ashamed that she hadn't thought of her sister-by-marriage (whom she and Aaron saw more as a niece because of the age difference, referring to her as such), given how much time the girl was spending at their home since her trek to Gambino. After a hurried text where Claire half expected Cadi to decline (as she was apt to do from time to time), she had, rather quickly and to Claire's surprise, accepted. The drive up had been quiet but comfortable, something the Holmes clan had often with their niece, and as they approached the cabin, both of them turned their eyes to the building, snow covered and glowing warmly from the lights. Claire rolled the car into a free parking space and turned to Cadi with a small smile. "Ready?" For all her quietness on the ride up, Cadi even looked, daresay, excited at the prospect of this party. Claire had heard of her and Aaron's trip to the comic book store and the chance meeting with another Raevan there, so she was most definitely curious to see her reactions in real time for herself. "Suit up, let's go." Cadi was already out of her seatbelt and the car door was open, and by the time that Claire had rounded the backside of the vehicle, her young companion was smoothing out her black peacoat, touching up her hair, radiating the excitement that she had kept on low. They began the trek up to the building itself, and once the doors opened they were greeted with the warmth of the blazing fireplace and multiple guests. "Daaaang, son, this is some ritzy business," Cadi commented, taking a wide glance around. Claire nodded, also taken aback by the beauty of the place; just like the tea party, Lab seemed to spare no expense when it came to their events. There were already quite a few party guests present, some familiar faces she recognized from prior encounters and a handful more whom she did not; all of which was exciting to her, as she remembered being one of the new faces in Lab. There would be plenty of time to walk around and mingle, but for now she and her niece wanted to warm up. Both gazes landed on the hot cocoa bar at about the same time, but it was the younger of the two who spoke first. "Oh yes, let's get some chocolate first." "Sounds good." Claire laughed, and followed her over to the bar, weaving around party patrons. "Pardon us -- sorry --" She offered a smile as she passed, and happened to notice a young woman hovering at the cocoa bar next to where they stopped, pondering over the treats as much as they were now. Again, Claire remembered the feeling of being new, and decided to do what others had done for her - extend the hand of friendship. While Cadi was deciding how much chocolate was too much, Claire turned her attention to the new face next to her, taking from some of her niece's energy for support. "Are you new to the Lab? I don't think I've seen you around yet!"

Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2016 2:27 pm


	Crafting Confidence Early January 2016 Skype PRP with NeonMace & Rookeries Following the events of New Years and a last-minute phone call, Claire takes Ethiriel and Aina on a girls' day out to make pottery.

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Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2016 2:34 pm


	The Reflex January 14, 2016 Aaron and Phoenix meet up to discuss business and end up talking about Lab 305, despite their rocky past together. The Reflex Aaron stuffed his gloved hands into the deep recesses of his pocket, watching his breath rise in front of him. While it was not as cold as it had been, it was still enough for him to long for the warmth of the indoors. Following the long, boring parade that had been Holmes Produce's New Years Eve party (for clients and higher up employees exclusively), Clarence had gotten the bright idea to check in on clients who had not been in attendance to make sure everything was running smoothly. The problem, there, was that Clarence became suddenly busy after the turn of the year and he had nudged Aaron forward to take up the mantle in his stead. He did not mind much, since he was going to be the head of Holmes Produce in due order - what he did mind, however, was the sudden appearance of Clarence's golf clubs in the corner of his office whenever he sent Aaron out on his rounds. His father was already steeping himself well into his eventual retirement, it seemed; he hadn't even been there this morning when he had swung by the office to drop off his briefcase, check his emails quickly, and then head out to his first appointment of the day - checking in at Ambrosia. The Argyris clan had been longtime clients of Holmes Produce, easily as long as Clarence had been the head of operations, and nary a complaint to be seen on either end about the other. Aaron was familiar with the sight of the restaurant, having accompanied his father many times on his own business rounds when he was fresh out of college and getting his feet wet in the company. He was also quite familiar with the current head of the restaurant, Phoenix; Alexis Argyris had been in the class under him when he had been in high school, but the familiarity was also tinged with guilt as they had not run in the same social circles, and he and his friends had been more or less unkind to Phoenix during their time together. Nobody would have guessed that given how the two men interacted now - no means close but still amiable, a good working business relationship. Phoenix apparently lived under the idea of letting bygones be bygones. With how his life circumstances were playing out now, however, Aaron stood outside the restaurant feeling antsy, glancing at the delivery driver he had ridden in with from the factory as he hopped out of the cab and headed towards the back doors. He brushed a hand through his increasingly shaggy hair (that his dad had made a comment in jest about the day before, "aren't you too old to be that shaggy, son?") and headed towards the back door as well. The driver glanced at him when he ascended the steps but knocked firmly on the metal door, order form and clipboard in hand, when Aaron's pocket jingled. He fished the phone out of his pocket and noted the ID with a tired frown - his dad. He and the driver exchanged a small glance (to which the driver immediately diverted his gaze to the especially fascinating form in his hands) while Aaron took the call. "Hey dad." He did his best to sound enthusiastic. "How's it going, bud? All systems go, I'm hoping!" Clarence sounded boisterous as ever and in good spirits; Aaron was fairly certain he could hear the clink of glasses and conversation in the background and his frown deepened. He rubbed his temples. "Dad, c'mon, we haven't even gone in yet." "Well that's why I sent you early - you know what they say about the early bird and all." "You didn't even send me but - yeah, I gotcha." For all his efforts to mask his frustrations, he was doing a very poor job. "You seem tense, kid, what's wrong?" "It's fine, dad. Just a lot on my mind right now, I mean we got the client meetings to finish up, then all the Lab stuff in the works -" Clarence's enthusiasm waned at the well-worn name in their conversations. "Lab again? If it's that stressful, talk to Claire about it. Maybe now is not the best time, son." Aaron stiffened; this was the response he had expected from his mother, but not from his father. Seems as though Ruth was being more vocal about her dislike of the Lab as of late. "You're right about the client meetings, that's important. But Lab? It's an experiment, I'm sure there will be more." He clenched the phone as he turned away from the door; he may have been having doubts about his own capabilities as a father, but he was not about to take away this opportunity from Claire just because he was feeling uneasy. "Dad, not now, c'mon."

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