What We Learned at Rokudai - 17 (Pt 2)

What We Learned at Rokudai
Chapter 17 - Baggage
(Part 2)

---

Juniper fussed her fingers through her bangs, tugged her sweatshirt down to ensure no skin was exposed below her neck, and ensured that her phone was tucked into her sweatpant pocket. She groped her hand around her bed and grasped the handle of her suitcase with care. Lifting it from the bed and dropping it to the floor, she noted no sensation of it unlocking or popping open. She wished that Katrina was there to double check her belongings, but on the other hand, she appreciated being given the space to care for herself.

She heard the familiar sound of the bedroom door swing open and grinned wide, taking a couple steps toward the sound.

"Hey, guys!" she greeted. "I'm all set!" She stuck out an open hand, requesting an escort.

There was a silent moment of pause that made her uneasy before a tender and familiar set of fingers clutched her own.

"What-...?" she whispered to herself, completely thrown off as the figure tugged gently at her arm. She stood firm after a few steps, freezing like a statue. "M-Maddie?"

"Yes, Lady Fong." The often heard phrase from her past felt like a slap in the face. It was Madison, her assigned escort.

"Why-...? Why are you here?"

"To...pick you up, of course," replied the overly courteous servant. She had a sweet voice - like honey. That honey sounded a bit stirred up, though. “Why? Were you not...expecting...-?”

"To pick-...? What?" Juniper snapped the last word out with a bite of ferocity, and she felt Maddie's hand flinch in surprise. "I told Dad I didn't need anyone to come get me, I'm going with my friends..."

"You...you did?" she murmured back, her voice trembling.

"Yes, I did." Juniper tossed the young woman's hand away. She took a deep breath, reflecting on her hostility. "Um, I...I'm sorry," she pushed the words out quietly, digging her hand into her pocket. Maddie was always good to her, poor girl didn't need to be harassed over the Fongs' dumb decisions. "I'm just...really pissed off at Mom and Dad, I don't get why they can't just leave me alone for a change..."

"You're...sure you told them you weren't...coming for the holiday?" the polite woman checked.

Juniper furrowed her brows with irritation but tempered herself in her words.

"Yes, Madison. I spent...like...two hours debating with my parents about it. I am pretty sure I made it clear."

"Oh. I...I see. Hm."

"Why?" Juniper wondered, suspicion rising in her voice at the sheepish mannerisms of her trusted servant.

"I'm...very sorry, Lady Fong. Your father requested that we come pick you up promptly. We've been waiting for your roommate to leave so as to not intrude."

Juniper's breathing cut short and her heart-rate elevated. What, now her parents were going to try kidnapping her or something?

She could hear footsteps approach, and suddenly her suitcase was no longer in her own hands.

"I'll take that for you, Madame," came the well-known tone of another house worker. His voice was thick and stuffy.

"George, what's the meaning of this?" Juniper demanded, pulling out her 'prim and proper' voice for the sake of the formality she was being pressed into.

"Master Fong's instructions were very clear, My Lady: you are to accompany us back to the estate."

Juniper's lips peeled back, revealing her teeth, and she pushed her fists into her hips, leaning forward with determination.

"And what did he say he'd do if I refused?" she seethed.

Another uncomfortable silence.

"He...-" George coughed, finding the words, slowly and with hesitation. "He expressed that you might ask that, and advised I inform you that if you don't cooperate, funds reserved for your...education...would be revoked."

It was as if Juniper's very breath had been forced from her lungs. Her lips hung open, but no words came out. Her fists fell apart, fingers drooping to her sides. Her spirit was drained from the weight of the impacting idea. The prospect of losing everything she had found at Rokudai College suddenly made a few days with her parents seem much more tolerable. And they fucking knew this. Goddamn black-mailing motherfuckers...

"...L-Lady Fong?" Madison uttered with concern after a a few seconds of speechless shock. “I'm sorry, I didn't realize...-”

Juniper's useless eyes blinked rapidly and she rubbed her face, gaining her bearings.

"I understand," Juniper choked out, raising a trembling hand to her face to tuck her disheveled, lengthy bangs behind her ears. "I'll...um...-" She erratically started to rub her hands together in different motions. “We'll just, erm...-”

"I'll get your guitar case," Madison offered. Juniper couldn't decide what to do next as she heard the normally relaxing clacking of the case being shut behind her.

"Y-yes. Thank you, Madison," Juniper sputtered, her eyes welling up.

"Is there...anything I can do for you, Miss Fong?" wondered her loyal servant from her side.

"No," coughed Juniper, choking on a sob as the disappointment mixed with fear of confronting her parents. Her mind flashed away from her despair and to what she might need now that plans had changed. "Umm...A-actually...George, could you pack my laptop?" She waggled her hand in the general direction of her desk. "There should be a case beside my desk."

"Of course, Madame."

"And...Madison, could you...-?" She cautiously pulled out her cell phone from her pocket and lifted it. "Would you mind sending a message for me?"

"Oh! Yes! Yes...certainly."

"Um-...Go to my Contacts, and...um...it should be, um...the first one there."

“Aaron?”

“That's it. Just...send him a message." Jun could've done a voice-to-text message but she really wasn't feeling like attempting that in front of these two house workers when she could break down at any moment.

"Very well,” said Madison. “What shall I say?"

"Tell him...-" She sighed, scratching her inner earlobe with her pinkie finger. "Just tell him that I'm really sorry, but I can't go with them."

"As you wish..."
-Paff, paffpafff, pffpfpffpaffpaff-

-Zzzziiiiiipp!-
"Your personal computer is packed, My Lady."

"Oh!" Juniper grunted, ignoring the previous comment. "And be sure to tell them to go without me."

"As you say, Lady Fong," said Madison.

"Was there anything else, Madame?"

"That should be everything, George."

"Very well. Your baggage is ready."

Even now, I need others to carry everything for me. When can I start carrying my own weight?

---

Aaron couldn't believe what he was reading. He rubbed his eyes, blinked rapidly for a second, then read again.

"Whhhhat is it, Aaron?" wondered a dreary Katrina from the backseat as Siku pulled their car into the Aqua parking lot.

"It's Juniper," he muttered, still staring at the phone from the passenger seat besides Siku.

"What's up?" Siku wondered. "Did she hurt herself trying to do things on her own?" he picked.

"She's not coming," Aaron explained with some seriousness, tearing Siku's veil of humor.

"What?" Katrina gasped.
“Engh?” Siku grunted out.

"I-I don't know," Aaron snapped, observing her confusion through the rearview mirror. "She sent me a text message a few minutes ago, and it just says...-" He examined it one more time, reading it aloud, irritation thick in his voice at the tone of the message.

[Taters: My apologies. I am unable to attend your Thanksgiving event due to unforeseen circumstances. Please go through with your plans without me.]

"What in the fuck?" murmured Siku, turning his head to his roommate with an utterly baffled expression. "I'm thinkin' that wasn't Jun, there, Buddy."

"No shit, Sherlock," Jane growled, slouched in her seat in the back beside Katrina, who was still reeling. "She's fuckin' blind, remember?"

Aaron noticed Siku's eyes narrow for a brief moment of frustration.

“She can still voice-to-text, Watson.”

“You know what I meant,” Jane grunted back.

“Point is,” Aaron intruded their pointless squabble, “that was totally not her.”

"Sooo...Wh-...What do we do?" Katrina's exhausted body couldn't keep up with her anxious mind as she placed a palm on her head, eyelids closed. An uneasy pause proceeded before Aaron's door swung open.

"I'm going to find her," he firmly decided, squirming out of the car.

"Uhhh, but Buddy, er...-" Siku lifted a finger, bending down to see his friend through the opposing door. "Didn't she tell us to go without her?"

Aaron leaned his head into the car with a determined expression.

"That wasn't her that told us that," he concluded before he closed the door and stomped into the dorm.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Siku sighed to himself as he watched Aaron enter from afar. Katrina offered her half-awake theory.

"I wonder...if it was, like...um...her parents...?"

"Ya think?" Jane growled, her arms crossed. Her index finger kept tapping against her bicep in impatience.

"Freckles," Siku spat, maintaining his cool as best he could. "We've got a really long ride ahead of us. I know you're not doin' the best and all, but would ya mind, like...toning it down a bit?"

Jane's words slid out from her lips with a calm, icy flow. "Toning what down a bit?" Siku shrunk in his seat at the sight of flaming green eyes from the mirror before him. He bolstered himself and replied with resolve.

"Your attitude. Chill out, Ginger. Please. I know it's hardwired into your system with that Irish blood and all, but this is gonna be a lengthy trip, so if you could-"
"I'm in a fuckin' bad mood, dick-face. Deal with it!" A half-aware Katrina flinched from Jane's outburst, her hand now planted on her temple, eyes still closed. Jane continued her assault, ignoring Katrina's heightened sensitivity.

“Calm down,” Siku sighed.

Jane spit back, "Got enough goin' on right now, so don't need you n' your bullshit trying to rope me in!"

Siku noticed his sister's pained face, both of her hands wrapped around her forehead now, but Jane's momentum was too strong to pay any heed.

"Not in the mood for your damned nicknames, or your stupid-ass jokes, or you trying to be some fucking policeman and make sure we're all good little boys and girls."

"You're entitled to your opinion," Siku countered, keeping his voice low, then directing his attention to his sister. "Are you OK, Katrina?"

Katrina shook her head slightly, eyes covered by her palms.

"Migraine," she blurted in a grunt.

Siku took some satisfaction in the flash of shame he caught on Jane's face through his rearview mirror.

"You take anything for it yet?" Siku asked his Sister

"Nuh-uh..."

Jane, her face a bit red and flustered, dug through the grocery bag they had brought from the CC's store and fished out a green bottle of migraine pain reliever.

"Er, here, I...-" She fumbled with the lid, then pushed her thumb through the plastic seal and tore it open. "How many...-?"

Katrina flashed her friend two fingers, leaning back against the seat. She extended her palm, accepting a pair of pills, and popped them into her mouth, swallowing them dry.

"You gonna be all right there?" Siku wondered with concern.

"Mm," Katrina hummed back in an attempt to assure. "...Gonna take a nap..."

"O-OK...You sure there's nothing else we can do for ya?"

"Nm-mm. Mmfine." Katrina let her arms sag into her lap, eyes still shut tight.

"Now will you please calm down?" Siku sighed to Jane, curbing his anger with disappointment. To his dismay, Jane didn't apologize or even acknowledge his request, opting to lean her head against her window and stare out at the parking lot.

A couple of minutes passed before a defeated Aaron dragged himself out of the dorm - alone - and back to the car.

"So, what's the story, Wishbone?" Siku inquired as Aaron slumped into his seat.

"The room's locked, no sign of her anywhere..." He huffed, running his hand through his abnormally tidied hair. "Tried giving her a call, but it went straight to her voicemail..."

Siku patted him on the shoulder with a manly affection as he started up the car.

"Sorry, Bud. Sounds like there's not much we can do...Either she doesn't want to come, or she can't come..."

"But...But what if she can't do anything about it? What if this wasn't her choice?"

Siku sighed at the frustration in his friend's eyes.

"She can do more about it than we can, Aaron. If she really wanted us to come...save her? Or something? I'm pretty sure she would've done something about it. You know how stubborn she can be."

"Why wouldn't she, though?" Aaron demanded, clearly perterbed. "She was so determined on this. On not giving in to her parents."

"Aaron. Bud. I don't know," insisted Siku. "She must've...changed her mind. But we've got a schedule here. And if we don't leave right now it's gonna be that much later that we'll be getting there. I'm sure she has a good reason."

"Hmph..." Aaron popped off his shoes and leaned back in his seat. "Guess so," he gave up.

"For now, we have to worry about getting ourselves up to Canada. I know that's hard, I'm not happy about it, either, but that's how it is, Aaron. It's a few days. We'll all get to see her when we get back. I promise."

"OK..."

"Everyone all right in the back?" Siku checked, pulling the car out of the lot. Katrina seemed already asleep and Jane was...being fuming and insufferable in his eyes. "Oooookay, then. Off we go..."

---

"Ahhhh..." breathed Kylee. “It's, like, soooo much peaceful here when it's closed!”

"Wahaha!” laughed Professor Kurosawa. “Nothing like some peace and quiet, eh, Lee?"

“You bet, Sir!”

Maya smirked. By Maya's count, Kylee didn't call anyone else 'Sir,' and no one but her Uncle called Kylee 'Lee.' Just the realization was a little bit assuring.

The Java Dragon cafe was completely closed down for the holiday, but having an Uncle who owned the place granted some benefits for visiting after hours. It was early afternoon on the first day of break, and while most students were traveling to see their families, Maya had opted to stay in town. After all, she didn't just have an lonely Uncle in need of attention – but Kylee had family nearby, too. Apparently Big Brother Indika wasn't feeling keen on hauling the whole family cross country for a single weekend this year, and Kylee seemed rather excited about staying with him.

"Oh-oh-oh~” Kylee chirped, her hands beating together like a hummingbird's wings. She was fluttering to the counter she normally worked at when assuming her barista role. “Shall I make thee a frappe?” she theatrically asked Maya.

Maya, setting her messenger bag down, smiled at how giddy her roommate was.

“Actually,” Maya said, “I'm more in the mood for a cappucino. Something hot.”

“So can do!” Kylee insisted with a salute. “Hey, Sir, you want me to whip one up for you, too?”

Uncle Hideki guffawed at Kylee's enthusiasm. Thumbing in her direction as she began flicking at machine switches, he mused to his Niece.

He posed, “Really picked a winner, enh?”

Kylee grinned with a slightly maniacal “Ehheheh~”

With lowered eyelids endeared by seeing the two of them interact, Maya smirked, wondering if Uncle had been intentionally vague in his phrasing. Or maybe he'd literally meant the choice in cafe employee.

Hideki brewed himself a simple cup of coffee as Kylee whipped up cappucinos – Maya barely ever saw Uncle drinking coffee. He was more of a 'tea' man. But he seemed to be indulging more in the other side of caffeine recently.

Maya lost herself in her work on her current poem, her stomach churning with the question she'd been intending on asking the two of them.

Maya started up with, “Hey, so, uh...-” but neither could hear her from across the counter, the sizzling and steaming of drink machines overpowering her mumbles. Maya dropped her pencil against her notebook and got up. Thumbs tucked through belt-loops, she shambled their way. Uncle was pushing down on the french press, and Kylee was mixing together different liquids.

“So, guys,” Maya posed, a bit louder and a lot closer this time.

“Mm?” Kylee hummed her acknowledgement.

Hideki gave her a solemn glance, instantly recognizing her subtle but present hesitation. Druming her fingertips against her hip bones, Maya went out and asked her question.

“Since we're...all gonna be here in town, why don't we do Thanksgiving?”

Kylee blinked at he airily before it clicked.

“Like, together!” she realized. The way her grin glimmered and her eyes glowed was more than enough of a response for Maya. But, of course, it was followed up with rush of “Yes-yes-yes-yes!”

“Wh-...” Hideki began, his brows a little lifted as he looked down at his slowly brewing beverage. “I...would not want to impose...”

“No-no-no!” Kylee quickly shot down Hideki's modesty. “Not at all, not at all!”

“Ky,” said Maya, suddenly concerned about the full implication of this question. “Do you think your brother would...be OK with it?”

"Come awwnn, May," Kylee eased. "He puts on a grumpy-cat face but he's actually like a...ummm...longcat.”

“Whah?” Hideki murmured, aghast at a metaphor that made no sense to him.

Maya chuckled softly. In all fairness, the metaphor only made half-sense to her, even.

Maya checked, “Is that your way of saying he'd go for it?”

“Would you -” Kylee pouted with glazed, quivering eyes. “-...say no to this face?”

Maya's lips hung ajar ever-so-slightly as she gawked at Kylee's exaggerated expression.

“I'd...say I'm a little biased,” Maya wryly cited. “But what makes you so sure he'd say 'yes?'”

"I am an optimistic woman!” Kylee boldly declared, thrusting her thumb skyward.

"That you are,” Maya mumbled softly. “And a fool in so being.”

“Heehee~” Kylee chuckled in her manic and childish way.

Beverage preparation was finished within a few minutes, and Maya assumed that this recent interaction had meant that, yes, they were interested in attempting a joint Thanksgiving dinner.

Maya had taken her seat at the stray cafe table, but was having trouble focusing on her poetry. The stillness and quiet of the Java Dragon was ironically distracting to her. Like a beach without waves, without sun.

And then the waves came as Hideki appeared before her, a chess box in one hand and his coffee in the other. And the sun came as Kylee ever-so-slightly scratched at Maya's back, placing a fresh cappucino on the table before her. Hideki unpacked the chess board as Kylee sat down to Maya's right, between her and her Uncle.

"Here's to optimistic fools," Hideki said, lifting his coffee mug to Kylee.

"To fools," Ky chuckled, clinking her tall, white mug against his stout green one.

“To fools,” Maya joined, carefully toasting her black mug against both of theirs at once.

Maya watched as her Uncle continued unpacking the chess set. The Java Dragon had a shelf in the back corner that stored a few spare books Hideki favored along with some board games – chess, Chinese checkers, western checkers, backgammon...Hideki seemed to enjoy all of those old classics, but chess was his favorite.

“Oooooh,” Kylee whispered. “You two gonna play?”

“Seems that way,” Maya replied, sipping at her drink. It was piping hot, sweet and chock full of energizing espresso.

"You're having coffee,” Maya observed her Uncle aloud. “Not in the mood for tea?"

Hideki laughed gently, separating the black and white chess pieces - whites on Maya's side, blacks on his - arranging them into their proper starting positions.

He said, "Man cannot live on tea and bread alone. Just as birds flock south for the cold season, so, too, should men venture into new territories from time to time."

Typical Uncle Hideki response, Maya concluded, shrugging her acknowledgment. She caught Kylee gawking at the would-be wise man, nodding slightly with her eyes glazed over.

Maya stared across the wooden board, admiring the many scratches across its surface and the worn-edged wooden pieces. It was a miracle the entire set was still in tact. Maya leaned down, staring through the board from a piece's perspective.

Two armies, lined up neatly
Black and White
Ready to fight
No blood shed, warring cleanly

"Who goes first?" Maya wondered, having quickly cobbled together her thoughts onto the top half of a fresh page.

"Fire before Smoke," Hideki sagely advised. Maya gave pause, the phrase not quiet settling right.

"Thought it was Smoke before Fire?" she surmised. The phrase triggered memories of previous chess games but the way her Uncle had said it didn't quite sound right.

"Today, Niece...Fire comes before Smoke," Hideki suggested with a wink.

Maya smiled back and shifted one of his center pawns forward two spaces.

"I know you must be anxious," said Hideki with some solemnity, moving one of his edge pawns out. "But I would advise against rushing these things...”

Maya's lungs went tight for a moment as she put together what he was referring to. Her eyes nervously darted to Kylee, who was playing dumb – as always – eying the board with an overly intense look.

Maya avoided Uncle's gaze, considering her next move on an empty wheel of options. Her head was elsewhere, scrambling to figure out if he'd figured out, and if so, what his angle was with such a remark. She concluded that he most certainly had figured it out, and was expressing his concern for Kylee's end of the situation.

Maya leapt a knight piece across its companions, tossing it out amongst the pawns. Hideki shuffled more of his pawns around, and Maya edged her knights and bishops out posthaste.

“Heh, that's why I'm no good at this game,” Kylee mumbled. “I don't think stuff like that through, hah.” She was delicately sipping at her mug, overseeing the game from the sidelines, but stole a curious glance at her roommate.

“Is it still rushing,” Maya posed, “if you've been waiting around for a while?”

Hideki sideswiped one of Maya's knights with a bishop, leaving her unable to counter before he could retreat.

“There is a difference,” Hideki noted, “between waiting around and...biding one's time. One leads to hasty decisions. The other to swift and decisive action.”

Maya felt intellectually defeated by Mr.-Freaking-Miyagi here, as often was the case, and found herself already giving up on their chess game in favor of brooding into her cappucino. Uncle didn't want them to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Rabten family. She'd figured that out now, and it kind of stung.

-Pafft-pafft-

Everyone directed their eyes to the glass double doors of the shop, where a familiar girl in glasses stood, unlocking the shop doors with her own key after her courtesy knock.

"Ah, hello, Gin," greeted Hideki as the girl sheepishly shuffled into the Java Dragon, swinging around the counter.

"Hello," she greeted with utmost courtesy. "I'm really sorry, I just forgot a thumb drive here last night and I need it to work on some things over break." She was sifting around through supplies by the register.

"Whaaat?" Hideki doubled back with jest. "Work? On your vacation? Nonsense."

Ginnie grinned as she fished the USB drive from the shelves beneath the cash register and slipped it into a pocket in her slacks. This was that aggressive journalist girl Maya worked with on the Lotus Lantern newspaper. She was so serious and determined when working on the paper, but...She seemed oddly polite when she didn't have a pen and a notepad in hand.

"Heh, sorry, Hideki,” she said – she was a close cohort and on a first-name basis with the man. “I'm a busy girl, I've got stuff to do!"

"At least tell me you are enjoying it," Hideki pleaded, scratching his bald head.

"I sure am - don't you worry. Sure beats sitting around!"

"Waha, whatever you say, my Dear. Do enjoy your holiday! Happy Thanksgiving!"

"Happy Thanksgiving, guys!" Jin bid them, disappearing up the stone steps.

"She certainly is a hard-worker," Hideki observed, refocusing back on their game. His furry eyebrows fell down with concern as he reviewed the board. "Did you rearrange our game?" He pointed an accusing finger at Maya, who smiled as he knocked over Hideki's king with his knight, the position of both pieces entirely different than it had been previously. "Cheaters never prosper, you know," Hideki chuckled, delivering a solid and amused slap to Maya's arm.

“Maybe not,” Maya dryly replied with some childish satisfaction. “But they do win.”

---

"Damn, she's still asleep?"

Speeding down a cramped highway, Siku had just cast a brief glance at his rear-view mirror long enough to see that is sister's eyes were still closed, her head flopped over on Jane's shoulder.

"Uhh...Er, yea," Jane mumbled, cheeks brightening as her attention was forced upon her situation, Katrina's body pressed against her side, the sleeping girl's cheek on Jane's bony shoulder. Jane took a moment to observe the quiet, contained breathing pattern of Katrina's body before pulling her eyes away and staring back out the window. The rhythm of Kat's slow breaths had calmed her down from her pissy mood earlier. Go fucking figure.

"Man, she's been napping for, like, three hours," Aaron mumbled, turning pages in a CD case. "Really must've been tired."

"Oh, erm...Y-yea, she was up pretty late," Jane defended in a mutter. "Had to work on a paper."

"Argh," Siku groaned. "I'm gonna need to take a break from driving soon, so we might need to wake her up and see how she's doing..."

"Hm?" Aaron noticed his phone vibrate from the change holder, so he grabbed it and flicked it open.

[NEW VOICEMAIL.]
[1 MISSED CALL - Taters]

Aaron's heart raced with relief for some kind of explanation. They were driving, so she had probably called at some point while they'd been out of signal.

["YOU HAVE ONE NEW MESSAGE. FIRST NEW MESSAGE."]
[-Beep!-]
["H-hey, Aaron..."] A deep sigh. ["It's me. I, uhh-...Sorry. My phone was off when you tried calling, I kinda got...-]
"Who's calling you?" Siku wondered. He received an upward index finger from Aaron.
["-...swept out of the building, and, uhm-...Don't worry about it, it's OK. It's just my parents. They sent some people to come pick me up, and said if I didn't come they'd cut off my college fund, so-...Ugh...Not fun. So fucking sick of all this...I don't even know what to do when I see them, you know? I am so pissed. They didn't even pick me up themselves. A-anyway, didn't want to hold you guys up, so...yea. I am not gonna let this go easy. Well...I miss you already. Love you, Babe. 'Kay. Bye."]
[-Beep!-]

"That was Jun - her parents told her if she didn't come that they'd stop paying for school."

"Whoa," Siku mumbled. "That's pretty rough."

"When you're that rich, someone's got their hands in your pockets," Jane dismissed the matter.

"At least she's OK," Aaron tried to turn things toward optimism.

"Right," agreed Siku. "She'll be fine. By the time she gets back, I'll bet she figures everything out with them."

"One way or another," Aaron lamented, sending a text message.

[To: Taters]
[Aaron:hey, got ur message. im so so sorry. we miss you too!]

Jane heard a sudden, drawn-out gust of air being willed into Katrina's nostrils as she lifted her head, her once neatly brushed hair spilled out in multiple directions. Kat groggily pushed back loose hair from her face, blinking and gawking about the car. A sloppy yawn poured out as she stretched her arms.

"Heh. Morning, there, Sugar-Cube," Jane teased, poking a finger into Katrina's rib. Kat whimpered like a dog and pushed the hand away, to which Jane softly chuckled out, "Wake up."

"Noooooo," Kat whined back quietly, like a child, clutching her stomach.

"How's your headache?" Siku inquired.

Katrina inhaled another yawn and nodded her head.

"Better," she replied with relief.

"Good,” said Siku with some relief. “'Cuz we're gettin' food here at the next exit, and then you're takin' the wheel."

"Mmkay," complied Katrina with a gentle nod, staring blankly at the back of Siku's seat for a moment. She glanced to her side to see Jane's amused grin. "What?" she giggled, still waking up.

"Nothin'," Jane mumbled casually, shaking her head and turning back to the window.

"How about some acapella?" Aaron offered, turning his head around to check with Katrina as he held up a CD.

"Mmmmm, acapella," cooed Katrina with a dreamy smile, pressing her palms on her flushed cheeks. "That should wake me up. Who is it?"

"Uhhh..." Aaron checked the CD. "Straight No Chaser...?"

"Yes, yes, yessssss please." Katrina playfully clapped her hands together.

Siku cast her a raised brow through the rear-view mirror. "Yoooouuuu OK, there, Sis?"

"Heehee," Katrina burst out a devilish laugh and Siku smiled at her foolishness.

"Someone's in a mischievous mood today," Aaron teased.

"I have to make up a bit for Juniper," Katrina explained sheepishly, rubbing her eyes.

"We all will," Aaron decided.

---

"That was...very lovely, Lady Juniper," complimented Madison. Juniper could hear it in the woman's voice - she really had been moved by the music.

"Thank you, Maddie." Juniper gripped her guitar's neck tightly as she dropped her other arm, intaking a careful breath as her guts were uneasy from the motion around her. Even in a private plane, Juniper didn't much fancy flying. It always left her a bit queasy.

"It was truly inspiring," Madison went on. "I've never seen you play like that before."

"Hm?" Juniper scratched an itch behind her ear. "You've heard me play many times..."

"Not like that," insisted her servant.

"Oh..." Juniper shrugged, strumming an odd chord for comfort. "It's, um...-" She trailed off, her face heating up as she contemplated the idea. Playing songs with such personal meaning in front of strangers was easy, but in front of someone who knew her well seemed...much more embarrassing somehow.

"It's quite amazing how you can put your soul into your work, Ma'am."

"Hm." She nodded, wandering through crashing waves of thought.

"I hope you can find success in that field."

"Thank you. Me, too."

"Perhaps when we arrive at the estate, you should play some music for your parents?"

"Hmph." Juniper's gentle, somber mannerisms immediately disintegrated into rage.

Maddie picked up, course correcting with, "Or-or maybe not, perhaps they might not share your tastes..."

"Ain't that the fuckin' truth...?" grumbled Juniper under her breath.

"Pardon?"

"I'm not sure that would be such a good idea," Juniper clarified with more deliberate formality.

"Forgive me if it's not my place to speak on such matters," Madison timidly began. "But...I do not approve of your Father's decision in this situation..."

"You don't, huh?"

"F-forgive me, I apologize! I shouldn't have said that. Please nevermind. I shouldn't speak ill of your father, I-"
"No, no, it's OK," Juniper chuckled with some relief. "It's...nice knowing I'm not the only one who finds it...ridiculous."

"I certainly do hope you are able to come to some sort of...agreement...with your parents." Madison's words were spoken with that same hopeful sense of concern that Katrina and Aaron had both expressed over the days prior.

"I can assure you, Madison," Juniper said with confidence, plucking some strings in a playful series. "There will definitely be some sorting out of some kind..."

-Rrrrmmmm-

"Madame, your phone is...-"

"Who is it?"

"Hm...It...is your cousin. Shall I answer it for you?"

"Ugh. No. Let it go to voicemail..."

"Very well."

---

["~They're taking the hobbits to Isengard~They're taking the hobbits to Isengard~They're taking-"]
"Uhhh-NO."

Katrina pressed the 'next' button the car's CD player and Siku, who had been singing along, whined out in protest.

["What we need's a few good taters..."]
["What's 'taters,' Precious? What's 'taters,' eh?"]
["POH-TAY-TOES!~Boil 'em, Mash 'em, Stick-'em-in-a-Stew!~Boil 'em, Mash 'em, Sti-"]

"Nooooo," whimpered Aaron with a facepalm.

Katrina was already on it, switching to the next song. That which had given birth to Juniper's new namesake was a clear reminder of her lack of presence.

The next track began with a rhythmic clanking of metal and other odd sounds that Katrina knew she had heard before but couldn't place at first. Siku bounded to the beat his seat with anticipation, joining in as soon as any semblance of 'lyrics' showed up.

[-Whump-... "That's not good enough!" -Whump-... "That's not good enough!"]

Katrina rolled her eyes and pressed the 'pause' button, frowning with irritation and focusing on the road as Siku groaned again in dissatisfaction.

"God...Siku, is this entire CD just...crap from YouTube?"

"Not YouTube 'crap', Katrina," Aaron pointed out. "YouTube Poop."

Siku shook his head and propelled a valiant finger of correction into the air. "Actually, my misguided roommate, that is another category entirely. These are YouTube Remixes. Huge difference. And go to number six, Kat."

Katrina's eyelids sunk down dubiously.

"Come on,” Siku insisted. “That one's for you."

"Fine...put it on..."

Siku eagerly pressed 'forward' a few times. The track began with a crude synth sample that shifted into a metronome-like ticking.

["Wot is that mysterious ticking noise...?"]

A smirk worked its way across Katrina's face, forcing a crack through her grouchy disposition.

"See? See?" taunted Siku. "You like this one." The voice in the track dully spoke in time with the ticking.

["Snape. Snape. Severus Snape."]

"Could we turn this shit off please?" Jane growled from the backseat, her hands dug into her vest's pockets.

["Snape. Snape. Severus Snape."]
["DUMbledo-!"]

Katrina twisted the volume knob down so the song was drowned out.

"What was that, Hun?" she questioned, having not caught her friend's request.

"Ugh, nevermind, whatever..." Jane shook her head and slumped her temple against the window.

"Something up?" Aaron asked from her left.

"No," spat Jane, eyes trailing objects as they passed by.

"Hey..." Aaron placed a comforting hand on Jane's shoulder that was quickly brushed off, eliciting a nervous expression from the sympathetic boy.

"Don't touch me," Jane muttered.

"OK, seriously?" Siku piped up from the front seat, rotating his head around behind the seat. "Your ex is bothering you? You don't want to go home to your folks? It's sad. We freakin' get it. But that doesn't give you the right to be jerks to us when we're giving you a place to stay, here."

"I didn't ask for it," Jane defended. "You practically forced it onto me."
And no, fuckwad, you don't 'get it,' you don't know shit...

"Woooow," Siku drawled, flabbergasted. "Really, Jane? That's how you're gonna play this?"

"Whatever, Ass. Like you're some noble person 'cuz you're dragging me along. Kat's the one who got this sorted out. We both know if you had your way, I wouldn't even-"
"H-hey, guys, come on," Aaron interjected sheepishly. "We're all tired and cranky, w-we've been stuck in a car all day, so maybe it'd be good if-" But Siku cut him off.
"Maybe it'd be good if some of us were a little more grateful and didn't project their self-esteem issues on their friends who haven't done anything wrong."

"Yea, 'cuz shoving into my fucking business and telling me how I should feel isn't wrong at all."

Aaron and Katrina were both on edge, practically flinching each time the other heightened their tone or volume.

"I'm not doing that, I'm telling you to stop taking it out on us."

"Ah. OK. So trying to keep to myself 'cuz I'm fucking pissed, and upset - that's me taking it out on poor Zeke."

"Hey, ya know what? You wanna brood in your damned corner? Fine by me. Just don't go freakin' out on us when we try to help you feel better."

"Been dealing with my own problems my whole fuckin' life, man. Don't need your help, that's for sure."

"Good! 'Cuz I'm sick of trying to-"
"Shut up. Jesus..."

Silence fell across the car as the built up steam exploded from Katrina's mouth, her hands gripped tightly on the steering wheel as they traversed the highway.

"I'm trying to drive right now, and it's really stressful with all of this traffic, and...and I don't need to hear you guys bickering like...like fucking children, OK?"

"Shit, someone's got a stick up their ass today," Jane nonchalantly grumbled.

"Excuse me?" raged the irritable driver. "Did it occur to you that maybe I'm a little grouchy because I didn't get enough sleep because I was trying to help you feel better last night?"

"All of you guys can stop it with the fucking guilt trips, all right?" Jane pounded her fist into her lap. "I didn't ask for anyone's help!" Jane regretted her lashing out almost instantly, but it was just spit-firing. She was just so sick of everything and everyone and couldn't figure out how things would even out.

"Guys! Please!" Aaron flailed his hands out and leaned forward, placing his top half in the space in the middle of the car. "What's wrong with everybody? Come on, this is Thanksgiving! I thought we all decided to go together because we knew this would be fun, right?" Aaron was treated to silence - which he was actually relieved to hear. "I know this is hard, we're all...dealing with stuff. And roadtrips can be cramped and everything. How about we stop somewhere for a bit at the next exit and just get some air?" No response yet again, though this was a bit disconcerting now. "Huh? Guys?"

"That sounds like a good idea, Aaron," Katrina decided solemnly, nodding habitually. "He's right, guys, we...just need a break, here."

"Yea, that'll just fix everything," came Jane's under-her-breath sarcasm.

"Let's...-" Aaron pointed his finger to the on-board CD player. "-...turn the music back on and just...try to not bug each other for a few minutes...?"

Yet another pause. Aaron had no other words to offer the group. He was just glad they weren't arguing anymore.