What We Learned at Rokudai - 18 (Part 1)

What We Learned at Rokudai
Chapter 18 - Family Blood
(Part 1)

---

- Thursday, November 27th - (Thanksgiving)

"I dunno, play something happy, Junie!"

Juniper was struggling to keep her visage rigid and courteous so as not to let her irritation come through.

"I'm not really in the mood, Cousin..." Ah, shit. Whoops. Came through a bit, there.

"Please? Pretty please? You're so gooood."

Dressed like a proper 'lady' with her hair forced into a tidy bun, Jun was decorated in various articles of jewelry that were cold against her skin, and rubbed her the wrong way, to boot. She was not in a state of mind for playing music to begin with. The lisping voice of her cousin was certainly not helping her feel any better.

Saffron Fong was the cousin closest to Juniper's age, and the one she tolerated the most. Having recently graduated high school, Saffron had decided to take a semester off to do some 'soul-searching.' This ultimately just meant marathoning a ton of TV shows over the internet and working part-time at a grocery store. She'd applied and been accepted into Rokudai College, and Juniper was willing to bet that Saffron's decision was purely based on the fact that she was indecisive as hell and hey, her cousin Jun was attending, so why not? Saffron had a tendency to just jump into big decisions like that, and while Jun criticized this trait, she actually admired it. Saffron always acted true to herself, and that was a trait Jun respected more than just about anything else. This, of course, also meant that Saffron exuded a constant otaku radiation of sorts, frequently gushing over Japanese cartoons, comics, and the like, which Jun wasn't the biggest fan of listening to at length. She didn't very much care whether or not Captain America and Iron Man were bros or fuck-buddies, and she didn't very much care about which 'bishi' was better, Sesshomaru or Sephiroth, nor was she interested in learning what the merits of My Little Pony were to adults. It wasn't that Juniper thought less of Saffron for having passion in her interests. Hell, Aaron was all-...Well, he drew things, and liked Nintendo and anime and shit. And Jun didn't very much care for either of those, either. The difference was that Aaron would keep that stuff to himself when appropriate, while Saffron just kinda...threw it all at you, regardless. One was cute, and the other, overbearing.

A scrawny shrimp of a girl, Saffron Fong loved purple, pink, and denim overalls. While Jun obviously couldn't identify these things, she always had an easy time noticing Saffron's presence because the girl's hair was a bushy, gnarly, scratchy mess that rustled with each movement she took like a goddamn tree in the wind to Jun's sensitive ears. She had braces, as well, and her accent had a slight lisp to it that Juniper found a little endearing, though she'd never admit it. Her father, a big black dude Juniper had only ever met once, had divorced when Saffron was still young. Jun suspected that the guy had struggled trying to fit in with the judgmental Fong family. She couldn't blame him, but it did kind of piss her off that the guy basically vanished. Saffron was a good kid, she deserved better than a dad who was never there. On the other hand, Jun envied Saffron – no overbearing father and a complacent mother didn't sound so bad compared to her own life.

“With a cherry on top?” Saffron pleaded quietly after Juniper didn't reply.

"Saffron," began Jun with a tone like plastic. "Glad you like my stuff, but now's just...not a proper time for it."

Saffron pouted out a weak, "Aw." There was a pause, then the sound of Saffron scratching her bristly hair, and a sigh. "What do you wanna do, then?"

"Um..." Juniper's head cocked to the side as she contemplated things. What she wanted to do was discuss things with her parents - something she hadn't gotten a chance to do since she'd arrived. When she'd gotten back, there had been a rush of superficial greetings, and then she had been whisked away to her room, only to be quickly pampered into proper presentation condition. This was a process she had endured many a time but had grown to dislike even more with her new-found freedom in college. She felt like a product on an assembly line. She'd be bathed, her feet would get scrubbed, then she'd get changed into different clothes - the tailor had complained about having to resize her Thanksgiving dress as she'd gained a bit of weight since her measurements had last been taken - her hair was styled, makeup applied to her face...Makeup, for fuck's sake. After the entire process she had been left to her own devices for the day, but restricted to the interior of the mansion, advised not to disturb her parents, of course.

It begged the question, 'Why did you fucking kidnap me and drag me here?' The thought had been pounding at the inside of her skull all night and all morning. Now that the extended family was starting to trickle in, Juniper was being subjected to their pity and pleasantries. Saffron was at least close to her age and shared a similar distaste for the way the Fong family conducted its affairs. The girl was certainly far from the proper women expected of the Fong, and based on rumblings she'd caught, Juniper knew that Saffron was viewed as the black sheep child of the family. Where Juniper had learned to play along and wear a mask, at least, Saffron had opted to simply ignore expectations. Juniper couldn't help but admire that, even if the girl was a bit too forward at times. At the very least, when contemplating every previous interaction, Juniper found Saffron to be someone who would back her up if needed in the face of their relatives, and Saffron had fed on someone actually letting her hang around them. Over the years they'd slowly formed a symbiosis of toleration, and with the impending arrival of Saffron onto Rokudai's campus, Juniper knew it was smart to keep that going.

"Well?" Saffron cut through Juniper's introspection with a prodding finger against Juniper's arm. "Don't space out on me, Junie. What should we do?"

"Ech." Juniper rubbed her forehead impatiently. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to listen to you sing."

"Ugh...I already told you...-"
"I know-I know-I know!" pleaded Saffron in a rush, quick to rectify. "Soooo, that's why I asked: what do you want?"

"I...-" Juniper wanted to rub her palms down her face in anguish but knew that doing so would ruin her makeup, so she refrained. "I just wanna fuckin' leave," she whispered.

"Sorry," mumbled Saffron. She pieced together an idea before bringing it to Juniper's attention. "Oh, oh, hey, actually, maybe I can see if they'll let us go for a walk outside?"

"What makes you think they'll let us do that?"

"Because. We'll ask very, very quietly. Heheh."

---

Malik clicked the oven on, preparing to seal the turkey's fate. He stroked his hand across his weathered chin hairs, observing the crew at work: Siku was whipping together cookie mix for dessert, Katrina was kneading bread dough, and Aaron was chopping vegetables for the salad. Malik made note of a task no one had touched yet before making a suggestion to no one in particular.

"Maybe you guys can ask your friend upstairs to peel the potatoes?"

"Rrrrmmm," whined Aaron. "Taters..."

Katrina giggled with some sympathy at his pathetic friend. Malik, confused, gave her a look.

“Oh, it's...an inside thing,” Kat meekly explained. “His, um, his girlfriend, h-her nickname is...’Taters’...And so it, um…reminded…-” She was tapering off by the end, feeling childish in the fact of Aaron's disappointment and Dad's perplexation.

“Oh...kay,” Malik mumbled, nodding and forcing a pleasant smile. “But, your friend? Upstairs?”

“Jane,” Kat specified.

“Yes, Jane...Could you ask her to come help? We still have a lot of work to do here.”

Kat fidgeted with her glasses, her eyes wandering despondently.

"There's no point, Dad," Katrina sighed, pressing her palms into the island counter top and leaning over. "Jane's all...in a mood." She rolled her eyes. "It's no use. She's been acting difficult ever since we left..."

"Truth," piped in Siku, stirring his mixture with a wooden spoon.

"I see," said Malik, quick to catch onto his daughter's rapidly heightened tension. "Is she up in your room?"

"I don't know," huffed Katrina, commencing with her dough mashing once again. As her father passed by, he squeezed her shoulder.

"I'll talk to her," he advised calmly, heading out of the kitchen.

“Wh-?” Kat's head whipped over to him as he passed by. “No-no, it's fine, I'll...-”
“I've got it,” Malik assured, to which Kat's tight shoulders loosened. She pushed hair strands behind her ears as she nervously considered how things would go.

"Good luck," scoffed a doubtful Siku.

Malik made his way up carpeted steps to the narrow hallway. It was rather silent, which he was used to. The door to his daughter's room was open, and he rapped his knuckle against it as he entered – an old and familiar act. He half expected to see his own daughter brooding on her bed. He'd gotten the brooding part right, at least. Jane was laying on her stomach on the carpet, staring into a laptop screen, the room lights turned off. A thin stream of white light seeped in through the window inebtween the shades. The room was prominently blue, with a stripe of aquarium-themed wallpaper running along the top section of the walls. A section of the wall around Kat's wall mounted mirror was dedicated to family photographs, a few more recent ones depicting her with her friends from school. Although, these photos were missing the red-headed girl slumped on the floor beside the closet.

"There you are," Malik greeted, attempting to draw her attention away from the laptop.

"Hey," she croaked back, not even looking up from her screen. Life of the party, this one.

"We're all working on preparing dinner,” Malik explained. “Would you mind helping out?"

Jane silently pushed herself up to her knees and glanced up at the man.

“Why?” she asked tiredly. Yeesh. And his daughter voluntarily spent time with this girl?

“Because,” he explained delicately, “there's still quite a lot of work to be done, and in this family, holiday meals are...a family thing.”

The girl groaned as she dragged herself to her feet with no reply. She shut the laptop closed and pushed it aside under Katrina's bed - a space that was otherwise empty.

"What do you need?" she wondered with a dull complacency, shoving her draped bangs to the side. They ended up covering one eye, conveying a style that Malik was not too fond of, only serving to remind him of his relief that his daughter had never slipped into the classic 'rebellious teen' phase in her upbringing.

"We need a potato-peeler," he informed.

The girl shrugged, avoiding his glance.

"Whatever," she shrugged out tiredly. "No prob.”

"Thanks." Malik, relieved by the ease with which he reached his goal, gave pause. "By the way, Jane...Are you comfortable, Kiddo?"

"Huh?"

Malik smirked as the girl's grouchy demeanor flushed with fret at being put on the spot, her eyes popping open at him.

"Are you comfortable?" he reiterated. "Is there anything I can do to make your stay any easier? You seem on edge."

Jane shrugged sheepishly, scratching the back of her neck.

"I mean, come on," insisted the father, raising a palm upward. "You can take a break. This is a vacation, right? Take it easy. That's the whole point."

"Heh." Jane nodded, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "It's-...It's, um...-" She shrugged, eyes darting around the room. "Lotta shit goin' on, is all."

"Hm." Malik reciprocated a bob of the head. "If you don't mind my asking: what do you normally do when you're stressed at school?"

"Erm...Duh-...Dunno, just...keep to myself. Need space. A lot."

"Ha. I imagine being stuck in a car with the likes of my kids for hours on end likely didn't help, eh?"

A tiny smile as Jane muttered, "Heh, nnnnot really."

With his hands on his hips, Malik swayed a little, nodding thoughtfully.

"I understand needing that sort of 'Me Time' when you're down and out. My wife was the same way. I always wanted to resolve problems head-on, but she would often want some time away from the situation first."

Malik took a deep breath as he reminisced on the older days, lamenting that his love wasn't there to see the people their children were growing into. He continued.

"I know my kids can be...somewhat stubborn. They certainly get that from both their parents." He shook his head and chuckled. "It runs in the family blood, I suppose." He eyed her nervous demeanor, shrouded in a mist of apathy that was fading more with each moment. "Sometimes we can be a bit pushy, I realize. A word of advice, though, Jane: when Kesuks start shoving, tell them to stop. Don't shove back." He wandered to the doorway, admiring a staff he had carved from wood for his daughter many years ago. It was propped against the wall, sitting beside Katrina's work desk. He put his worn hand around it, thumbing smooth, sanded surface. The top was gnarled, giving it a 'wizard staff' quality. He'd made it in Kat's tween years, during her big 'wizarding phase.' He'd take that over 'teen rebellion' every time. "We're fighters in spirit, Jane. With a name like 'Fitzpatrick,' I bet you can relate. Those Irish have a reputation for a reason, I've found."

"Ha, yea...Somethin' like that."

"The next time Siku or Katrina pinch a nerve, try to resist the urge to fight back. You'll just be adding coals to their fire. Just ask them to back off. See if that works."

"Hm..."

This girl isn't much for words, is she?

"And thank you," Malik added.

"Mm?"

"For looking out for those people downstairs." Malik let the staff go and headed through the doorway. "Now come on, there's work to be done."

They plodded down the stairs and into the brightly lit, bustling kitchen.

"We have a potato peeler on deck!" announced Malik. He grinned wide, keen on the wall of tension Jane was marching into. "Now, how is that salad coming along, Sergeant Leekpai?"

"Pretty close, Sir," Aaron assured, slicing at tomatoes.

"And the bread, Captain?"

"Ready for baking," said Katrina, holding up a pan full of dough.

“Major, the cookies.”

"Cookies ready for launch, General!" Siku cried with a salute beside a metal sheet filled with chocolate chip cookie wads.

“Then let's fire those cookies.”

“Buhhh-...!” Siku's eyes went wide as he played along theatrically. “But...Sir! The bread! If we launch cookies before-”
“Are you undermining your superior?” Malik bellowed. “Show them we mean business.”
“Sir, reconsider!” Siku pleaded.
“Launch. Cookies.”

Katrina rolled her eyes, a smirk upon her as she scooted to the side, allowing Siku room to insert the cookie sheet. With a bitter expression, he fired up the oven, shuttering it closed with a salute.

“Cookies away, Sir.”

Jane, confused and amused, circled around the island to the sack of potatoes, a peeler already sitting on the island's counter top.

As the 'General' and 'Major' plotted their next strategy, Aaron quietly asked Jane, "Hey, you doin' OK?" She responded with a simple nod, pulling up a nearby stool and the garbage can from the corner of the room.

Katrina gave pause, casting a tired but concerned glance toward her red-headed friend. Jane caught it, sending a weak smile back as she commenced with her newly assigned task. Katrina's eyes then found their way to her dad, whom she offered a sly smirk. His grin widened in the moment of silence that followed.

"Major," Malik requested. “Morale is low. Administer the Oldies Music rations to improve spirits.”

---

The methodical -tick-tock- of Hideki's grandfather clock served as the background to the aftermath of the game of Risk that had just been played in the cozy living room. Maya had observed, pleasantly surprised at how riveted she was by what had unfolded before her. Uncle Hideki certainly loved his board games - there was a chest full of them tucked beside the couch in the corner of the room.

As Hideki packed the game away, he complimented the victor.

“I underestimated you, Rabten.”

“Please, Indika is fine.”

“Indika, then. Very well played. Not many can best me in a battle of wits.”

"I see,” Indika said with with a nod. “What can I say? A thirst for victory is in my blood, I suppose." Scratching his finely trimmed chin hair, he added, “It takes a strategist's mind to work one's way into Washington, after all.”

Hideki opened the chest, setting the thin box on a similarly-sized stack.

"Waha, I suppose you may be right, Lad."

"I often am," Indika murmured, rubbing some sand from his eye as he entered the kitchen. “And that is not always good...”

Ohhhh, boy, Maya thought, making sure her mind's voice was thick with sarcasm. Soooo much fun with Big Brother Indy. Really rings in holiday spirit.

As her optimistic Uncle didn't know how to respond to Indika's remark, an odd and tense silence hung in the air.

Maya sighed. From the couch she was seated in, she glanced at the ornate grandfather clock to her right The swinging pendulum, made of bronze, was in the shape of a slender, serpent-like dragon, swaying in front of a woodblock painted mountain valley with clouds and a red sun accompanying it. The hands of the clock itself were shaped like sibling dragons, as well – one red, one blue, spinning around a smokey sky.

Indika was peering out the glass sliding doors to the backyard, surveying his wife and kids. Said wife was grilling vegetables with her sister-in-law, Kylee.

Hideki approached his Niece, sending a wary smile down at her.

"Uncle," said Maya quietly, “Any idea when dinner's going to be ready?” Her eyes wandered for a moment. “I don't know, do you...need help?” she asked fretfully, her very expression reminding Hideki that she would probably muck up or burn any food she was tasked with.

“I may need your assistance setting up sides when they arrive,” he said with a wink. Hideki rubbed his stomach, as if on instinct at the thought of food, and answered, "They should be arriving in an hour or so. Mm-mm."

While the primary dishes were being grilled in-house, dessert was going to be a selection of ice creams – green tea, red bean, and mango flavor – and the sides had been ordered from a local Indonesian restaurant that delivered.

Without a word, Indika pushed Hideki's sliding backyard door open and let himself out. Maya checked her phone, reminding herself of the call she needed to make. Hideki seemed to intuit her intention and left her alone, joining the others outside. Maya glanced outside, to survey the scene.

Indika was overseeing his wife grilling vegetables, while Kylee was frying rice right beside her. Hideki waddled over to two of Indika's children, who were feeding koi fish in Hideki's private pond. Indika's third child, the eldest, was reading a book in the center of Hideki's little zen garden.

Satisfied that everyone was occupied, Maya accessed her phone's Skype app and gave her mother a hard video call.

It rung a few times, and Maya fussed with her bangs a bit as she waited. She ensured that the black sleeveless shirt overtop her bright red tanktop was appropriately crooked at the right angle.

When her screen lit up with a camera feed, Maya was greeted by the image of her mother's waist, and a pudgy baby gawking at her. The child's dark, beady eyes flashed, his mouth went agape, and he reached out his palm toward her.

[“My-My!”] his adorable little voice dribbled out. [“My-My...”]

“Mar-Mar,” Maya greeted back coyly, a wide smile involuntarily spread across her face. “Hey, Mar-Mar. What's up?” Maya spoke to him as might an adult, but devoid of the thick sarcasm ad dryness she normally exercised.

The babe swiveled his head around to his mother in disbelief, babbling some baby speech as if to say, 'What the fuck lookit this shit my sister's right there I mean RIGHT THERE in front of me in this window of fucking MAGIC how did you do it what's your secret why is she so tiny?!'

Maya fancied her little brother to be a chatterbox with a sailor's mouth.

The kid had only video chatted with Maya one other time prior, during the summer – kid had probably forgotten all about it and was having his tiny mind blown all over again.

[“Right, Markus,”] cooed Maya's mother, her face obscured out of her tablet's camera view. [“It's Maya. Say 'hi.' Go on.”]

With a hint of pride in his eyes for figuring out this devious riddle, Markus gazed back at Maya, flopping his arms up and down against his fatty shins. Maya smiled softly, gazed into her phone's camera, and sent a tiny wave her baby sibling's way. He caught on, mouth open wide, and flapped his hand back at her, his eyes squinting with joy.

“How is my little buddy doing today?” Maya wondered.

Her mom's camera finagled around, swerving and repositioning itself until both Markus' and their mother's faces were in frame. Markus made an attempt to grab the device – 'Stealthy, sneaking, no one will notice if I just...-' – and was swiftly scooped up and tucked inbetween their mother's legs. 'Damnitall I've been had I've been found out you'll never take me al—oh, this ain't so bad...'

[“Your little buddy-”] grunted Maya's mother, setting Markus neatly between her thighs. [“-is getting to the point where he's trying to squirm his way into everything.”]

“An early troublemaker, huh?” mused Maya. “I was a little angel as a kid, so karma dictates...-” She let her remark hang on a wry smirk.

[“Hah, and look what a troublemaker you've grown up into!”] her mother teased. [“That means this guy is gonna grow into a saint, then.”] She ruffled Markus' hair, which caused his face to scrunch up ('What the actual fuck this is torture people torture I tell you!').

Maya chuckled and admired her baby brother's damned adorable fussing before snapping out of it.

“How about Mami?” she wondered, shifting gears to a more solemn tone. Mami (the term Maya used to refer to her mother) was looking a little worse for wear. Underslept, a little unkempt compared to her norm.

[“Agh, I'm fine,”] Mami insisted, setting Markus on her leg. [“Tired, but fine.”]

Maya nodded complacently. Mami obviously didn't want her college daughter worrying about things back home. That was fair enough – Maya didn't want folks back home worrying about her own problems. Not yet, anyway.

“And Papi?” Maya moved on.

[“He's getting those Thanksgiving goodies going with your cousins while I keep an eye on the little one.”]

The Chiao/Mendoza family Thanksgiving was something Maya would miss that year: special egg rolls from her mother's side of the family, and turkey-themed burritos from her father's, along with all kinds of family dishes that never ended up in the same place on the same table otherwise. Maya came from a bi-racial family, and while most of them were scattered across the world, holidays usually still had a fairly sizeable turnout as they had come to embrace their split heritage. Maya could hear two of her teenaged cousins arguing over what TV show to watch in the background. Yep, at least that Thanksgiving tradition hadn't changed, right? Maya was still getting to experience that joy right there at Uncle’s house.

[“Uh,”] Mami took a deep breath, glancing up at the yammering teens. [“So, yea,”] she sighed out, running her hand through her long, wavy hair. [“I'm actually not sure where he is.”]

“He too busy to say 'hi?'” Maya wondered. Papi was always skittish when it came to phone stuff. Probably because he associated his phone with politics, with business, with work...That was Maya's running theory, anyway.

[“Yea, I guess so. Ah. We'll give you a call back later after things calm down,”] Mami assured. [“When does your Uncle turn in?”]

“Usually a little early,” Maya explained. “And with the time zone difference...”

[“Right, right,”] Mami nodded. [“All right, well-...Wish him 'Happy Thanksgiving' for us, tell him we'll call tomorrow.”]

“Sure.” Maya's face settled into a warm puddle of affection as Markus wobbled around.

The sliding door to the backyard flew open, startling Maya from her call. It was Kylee, whose eyes glazed over at her roommate as she caught a rare glimpse of Maya in 'baby-ogling-mode.' Maya kept her cool, but her smile grew before it shrank. Kylee hopped the few steps it took to reach the back of the sofa Maya sat in the middle of.

“Aww~!” Kylee squeaked, palming Maya's bare shoulders. She peered down at Maya's phone, which was sitting on Maya's leg, pointed up. Kylee's eyes twinkled at Markus, who seemed confused by her presence. “Hohhhh-my-gosh,” Kylee gushed. “He is soooo adorable...Hoo-hoooo, lookit that face~”

[“Is that who I think it is?”] Mami slyly wondered.

Before Maya could reply, Kylee gracefully slid herself over the couch's spine, landing elegantly at Maya's side on the sofa. She let her arm hang over Maya's shoulder and shoved her face into the view of the camera.

“Hiya, Mami!” she chirped, fluttering her fingers.

[“Hello, Dear,”] Mami replied, her smile switching to a sneaky smirk at the two of them. [“Still taking care of my child even when you're on break, I see!”]

“Yup-yup-yup!” Kylee sang, quoting a certain, specific cartoon dinosaur. Kylee patted her hands against Maya haphazardly for a moment before adding, “Sure am!” She splattered a big grin right in Maya's face, whispering a few more sing-songy 'Yup's' as Maya tried to contain herself.

Mami smiled at the two of them, her teeth barely showing – you could always tell she was genuinely happy because she'd smile with her lips open. You'd see a couple of her front teeth had gold crowns on them. She'd tell folks that if you saw gold in her smile then what you'd said or done must've been gold, too.

“Yea,” Maya said dryly, giving Kylee a gentle shake as she spoke to Mami. “She...keeps me on a steady drip-feed of apple juice and good intentions.”

Mami giggled, rubbing her hand around Markus' fuzzy head while the child distracted himself with the folds of her pants. ('Whoa whoa whoa this shit's all pointy but like NOT pointy at the same time what what whaaaat is happening here?')

[“Glad to hear you two haven't gotten sick of each other yet,”] Mami observed with a knowing intonation.

Mami knew. Of course she knew. Maya had never said it in as many words – she was waiting for the right time, when it'd be easiest to deal with Papi about it – but soon...She'd tell Mami and Papi both at once, so Papi couldn't go playing some passive game with it. And Maya knew with Mami it'd be easy. There'd be an 'Oh, I had a feeling,' or 'I knew the whole time,' or something to that effect. This unspoken understanding had actually improved Maya's relationship with Mami. They'd been pretty distant during Maya's deep dive into goth during high school, something Mami didn't understand or approve of. It was reassuring to gradually find out that the deeper things that Maya had come to stand for were in fact things Mami did approve of. Hell, Mami was probably looking forward to bragging to co-workers and crap like that. So progressive, and all that.

“Nope-nope-nope, we're still best buddies. Somehow we haven't, like, gotten too sick of each other!” Kylee insisted. “Don't you worry, Mami, nope, I've totally got yer back.” She pounded a sharp smack into Maya's left clavicle. “She is in good-hands!”

As Kylee self-indulged, Maya gave the camera a tight-lipped nod, and Mami laughed gently.

There was a knock on the open glass sliding door, and both girls whipped their heads to the side – it was Indika, gesturing them to come outside. His ever-present glower was a shade grimmer than usual, darkened with disapproval.

[“Sounds like I'm holding you two up,”] Mami realized with a tint of sorrow. She must've noticed the way the girls' expressions had soured.

“We gotta go,” Kylee whimpered, laying the empathy on thick. She waved both hands out at the camera. “Bye-bye, Mami! Happy Thanksgiving~”

[“Haha, Happy Thanksgiving, Kylee.”]

“Happy Thanksgiving,” Maya muttered, realizing she hadn't actually said it herself yet.

[“We'll talk more tomorrow,”] Mami insisted. [“Papi, your Uncle, if your good-for-nothing cousins are still here, well get them in on it, too.”]

“Sure,” Maya agreed, though she was not terribly interested in the prospect.

[“All right. Well...”] That awkward hanging bit when it was time to disconnect and neither party wanted to do it first. [“Say bye to your sister, Markus.”] Mami pinched her fingers on his little wrist and, like a machine, got the waving gesture started up ('Hey hey what the hell I got this lady look look at me waving see no URGH let go SEE I am a fucking waving master').

Maya's face distorted again into puddle of gooey warmth for a split second, and she waved back at Markus' exaggerated arm flapping.

“Bye, buddy.”

[“My-My...”]

Kylee groaned, flicking her head back in disbelief at the cuteness of the baby.

[“Say 'love youuuu~'”] Mami cooed from Markus' shoulder.

“Love youuuu~” Maya and Kylee repeated back, an odd harmony forming from their drastically different tones of speech.

Indika wrapped his knuckles against the glass again, and Maya took that as an appropriate time to bail, disconnecting the call. Kylee exerted more effort than necessary in getting off the couch, stretching herself up and over, backwards, into a brief handstand. She flipped her legs around, vertically, nearing kicking Maya and Indika alike before setting her feet down and bending upright. Damned flexibility...Maya had to pretend to not be as interested in it and she was, with Big Brother glaring over their shoulders.

Indika huffed his disapproval at his sibling.

“What are you doing?” he sharply grumbled. “This is someone's house, not a gym.”

Kylee didn't have a reply other than just gawking up at him childishly.

“And really, Sister,” Indika pressed. “'Mami?' Truly and honestly?”

“What's the problem, Indy?” Kylee squeaked defensively, popping up her shoulders. “It's her Mami, what'm I supposed to call her?”

“Hm, perhaps Mrs. Chiao? Ma'am? Ms.? Madame? Anything with a semblance of decorum?”

“Whoa, chill,” Maya groaned out, arcing her abdomen to look over the back of the couch. “My mom's fine with it, don't...-” She sighed when Indika shot her a glare. She turned her head away and finishing her sentence in a quiet grumble. “-...make a damn fuss.”

Indika was scratching at his oh-so-finely-trimmed facial hair while his eyes burned in Maya's direction through the back of her skull. She could practically feel his laser beam sight sizzling at her.

The back door was still open, and the now all-too-familiar sound of bickering demon children was filtering in.

“Indika,” sighed Mrs. Rabten over the noise.

“Coming,” responded the father, rushing to quell the sibling dispute. He practically flicked his suit's coattails at them as he took his leave. “Timir, that is not a toilet!” he growled out, thrashing a finger at his son, who was pissing into the koi pond. Maya and Kylee struggled to restrain giggles until the man was huffing and puffing outside of earshot.

A brief snicker fit, then a shared sigh, then a moment of quiet.

Maya and Kylee stole that moment inside Hideki's parlor, and Kylee decided she wanted to seize it. Discreetly closing the backyard door, Kylee slinked around the couch like a mischievous ballerina. She extended her arms down to her roommate. Maya took them, letting herself be tugged up from her seat. Checking the outside briefly and confirming that everyone was otherwise preoccupied, Kylee practically twirled Maya around the corner of the living room's edge, out of eyesight of the others. Maya was being pulled along, thrown off balance, and her hip was bumped against the small table where Hideki kept his landline phone.

Maya grunted at the impact, to which Kylee whispered out a quick apology – they both giggled, but very softly. Not a moment later, and Kylee had pinned Maya's back against the wall beside the stairs.

Without so much as a peep, their lips slammed against each other's. It was amazing how quietly gratification could be obtained when it was being kept a secret. Though at this point, Maya wondered just how 'secret' it was...

About ten seconds of sensory ecstasy later, Maya's stomach was lurching with uncertainty. She nudged Kylee's eager body an inch away and gasped for air, squinting her eyes shut.

“Wh...-?” Kylee whispered, confused.

“Later,” Maya breathed out.

“I gotta go back with them,” Kylee cited in a rush. She was technically on vacation with her elder brother and his family, not her roommate, after all. She really wanted this – right then, right now.

Kylee lunged for another round of making out, but Maya held her at bay, difficult as it was. Keeping her eyes closed to avoid Kylee's pleading hunger, Maya refuted again.

“Later, now's not a...-”
The glass sliding doors flew open.

Kylee practically sprung off of Maya, whirling around the corner of the hall and leaving Maya out of her brother's eyesight.

“Indy!” she cried out with extra pep. “How's it goin'? We, like...ready yet, orrrrr...-?”

Maya, out of the man's line of sight, felt her heart racing. This was fucking...stupid. She was in California. In the 21^st fucking century. Still tied down by the dumb expectations and judgments of people back in the east. It was stupid as hell.

Better for the time being to play along with Kylee's request than have them both burned at the familial stake, though. Maya quietly slipped a few steps down the hallway to the bathroom.

“What are you-...?” Indika spat with impatience. “Where is your friend? Our meal is nearly prepared, we...-”
“My roommate,” Kylee corrected him quietly, giving him a cold smirk. “She's in the bathroom.”

He rolled his eyes, running his fingers against the creases of his forehead. Maya had managed to stealth her way into Hideki's fancy-ass bathroom. Her Uncle had quite an impressive bathroom.

“Tell her-” Indika started up, his voice rising higher than was appropriate. He quickly recouped, starting again. “Tell her that dinner is ready. And stop snooping around this man's house.”

Maya had nudged the open restroom door almost all the way closed.

“Aye-aye, Cap'n!” Kylee said with all due seriousness. She whirled her arm out, tucked her legs together, and saluted with a wink.

The two siblings stood for a few seconds, Kylee holding fast in her salute. Indika ran his fingertips down across his face.

Indika then grumbled out, “Can you ask your roommate how much longer I'll be left to wait for the lavatory?”

Ugh, he couldn't just call it a 'bathroom,' could he? Was the word simply too pedestrian for him?

“Uhhh...-” Kylee froze up a bit, tucking her arms behind her back.

Flushing toilets unnecessarily was frowned upon in the state of California – clean water was ironically hard to come by at times, which led to statewide droughts. Use too much water in a time like that and your water bill could skyrocket.

But this was for a very good cause.

Maya flushed the barren toilet water, then went about washing her hands to seal the deal.

“Ah,” said Kylee, bobbing her head to her left toward the bathroom door a few steps down the hall. “Sounds like she's finishin' up.”

As Maya dried her hands off, she could hear Indika's exhausted sigh on approach. She made him wait a few seconds, taking her time to apply some hand lotion.

“Do you not close the door properly in your family?” Indika grumbled, noting the slightly ajar door. Maya didn't dignify his judgmental bullshit with a reply.

Hands tucked defiantly into her back pockets, she nudged the door open with her elbow and took her leave, blowing right past Indy. As Indika closed the bathroom door behind him with an appalled huff, Maya's eyes met Kylee's. They exchanged silent, childish grins before stealing one more kiss.

–

“I was starting to wonder if you'd make it,” Malik chuckled, giving his elder brother a solid pat on the back.

“Traffic was a real bastard halfway through,” bellowed the deep, commanding voice of the man Malik was greeting.

“That's our Uncle Joaquim,” Katrina quietly explained to Jane and Aaron as said Uncle moved from Malik to Siku in a manly embrace.

“Coral's dad?” Aaron whispered back, to which Katrina nodded.

Joaquim guffawed as he bid hello to his nephew, Siku, and they swapped compliments on each other's facial hair.

Goddamn, that man is fuckin' huge, Jane thought to herself, a bit baffled as to the guy's height and stature. He was a boulder of a human, easily six-feet tall – probably pushing six and a half – with chocolate skin and a healthy black mane of hair, with a slick chin-beard of a few inches to match. Even more comical than his enormous size was how puny his wife was by comparison – she was barely bigger than Jane was. Christ, Jane pondered, how do they even fit their-?
“There she is!” Joaquim said with serenity, extending his arms to his Niece.

Katrina jumped into the goliath's chest for a brief squeeze of a hug. He growled as he gave her a spin before setting her back down, just like she was a kid again.

“It's been too long!” Joaquim said. “Almost a year now?”

“Last Christmas,” Katrina recollected.

Joaquim nodded, scratching his finely trimmed beard as he eyeballed Aaron and Jane.

With a wide and toothy grin, Joaquim mused, “And these must be the infamous college kids I've heard about, eh? Hellraisers?”

He extended his tree trunk arm out toward Jane, which almost frightened her. Self-conscious about whether or not her intimidation was showing, Jane placed her hand within his gorilla palm. He squashed her fingers a bit before catching her off guard by pulling her into a hug. She would've pissed herself if he hadn't been gentle – a normal hug with a slight pat on the back. She survived.

“That's Jane,” Kat introduced as Jane was left to catch her breath. “Jane, this is Uncle Joaquim.”

After a deep, startled inhalation, Jane breathed out with wide eyes, “...Hey.”

Joaquim nodded to her and moved on to the next student.

“Aaron,” Kat cited courteously.

“Aha,” said Joaquim slyly, gripping Aaron's hand. “You're the artist, right?”

Aaron nodded, his brow tilting slightly. Joaquim's smile widened as his eyes narrowed.

Joaquim teased, “You gonna draw me like one of those French girls, eh?”

“Ehh...” Aaron was speechless. Jane side-glanced and noted that he seemed even a bit offended.

Joaquim let the moment hang awkwardly before bursting out in a thunderous laugh, yanking the lad into a heavy hug. Poor guy looked like he had the wind knocked out of him, and Jane was a bit grateful that the giant had taken it easy on her.

“Where's the other one?” Joaquim wondered, checking the kitchen behind the college group.

“She couldn't make it,” Aaron stated, realigning his sweatshirt.

“Agh,” Joaquim puffed, scratching his nose. “Well, more food for the rest of us, eh?”

Katrina smiled sheepishly with a flat kind of laugh. A fake laugh. Jane could totally tell it was a fake laugh. Katrina's real laugh – that kind of sudden, guttural laugh – started with a bit of a snort. Had a bit of a quicker pace, higher tone...Er, this was all to say that Kat didn't think her Uncle's joke was funny.

Aaron just tucked his hands into his pockets, his gaze slipping to the floor. Yea, Joaquim had left a pretty bad first impression on the kid. As Joaquim blew past them, rubbing his sandpaper hands together with anticipation of the meal before them, Katrina whispered something into Aaron's ear as she gently gave his wrist a sympathetic squeeze. Jane was willing to bet it was an apology of sorts. Fuck, that woman was like a hawk, always keen on that kind of shit. She closely watched the way Kat's eyes scanned Aaron's body language as she spoke to him. Jane was starting to notice those little things about Kat more and more, which was making things...more frustrating.

Siku had finished conversing with his Father and Aunt, and the men all congregated around the kitchen island, which was full of platters and pots and pans.

Joaquim's wife made their way over after casting an amused smile at the Kesuk boys.

“He's a bit overbearing,” she said of her husband, her voice possessing a slight rasp. “But that becomes a good thing when it's on your behalf.”

“Yea,” Kat agreed, slowly approaching her Aunt. “Um, so. Guys. This is Auntie Lexa.”

Kat initiated a hug with the woman, who was slightly shorter than she was, though a bit more stout. Almond eyes and wrinkles that seemed beyond her age, her face had a certain sense of mischief to it beneath the tender surface. Her dark brown hair was pulled together in a puffy bunch, tied into a small braided tip that hung across her shoulder.

“I've missed you,” Lexa said a couple of seconds into their lengthy, soft hug. “You're growing up so fast.”

“I missed you, too,” Kat said over Lexa's shoulder.

“It'll be so good to have the family together again,” Lexa murmured, letting Kat go. As she shifted focus to the other two, she said, “And even better to have new faces to add to it.”

This remark made Jane feel a little queasy, but Aaron took to it with ease, stepping forth with a beaming smile to hug 'Auntie Lexa.'

“Thanks,” he said to her. As they hugged, he clarified, “It means a lot to be here.”

Jane was a little off-put by this, but when she caught the sappy smile on Katrina's face and the way the girl dusted glaze from her eye, she was reminded that unlike her, this concept of 'family' was a big deal to these people around her.

Without words, Lexa moved to Jane, giving the disgruntled red-head a warm embrace. It was admittedly calming. They exchanged gentle 'Hey's' before Lexa released Jane. She seemed onto Jane's discomfort and gave Jane a few steps of space.

“Where's Coral?” Aaron asked.

“Late. As usual,” Katrina mumbled – she seemed to be tempering her annoyance with disappointment in the presence of the woman's mother.

“As usual,” Lexa softly chuckled. “She has a bit of a farther trip to make, too, which doesn't help. She'll be here soon enough.”

“You mean we still gotta wait?!” Siku balked, joining the group with an opened can of beer in hand. He held a second, unopened one in his other hand, which he offered to Katrina. When she silently refused, Siku shrugged it toward Jane, who accepted it.

As Jane cracked open the can of...some brand she'd never heard of and wasn't sure how to pronounce, Lexa replied to her Nephew.

“She's on her way, Zeke, don't make a fuss.”

“Yea, besides,” Joaquim bellowed, extending his own beer can to Jane. She meekly toasted him before taking her first sip. “The sooner she gets here,” he said to Zeke, “the sooner she's gonna give you a hard time, eh?”

“True story,” Zeke agreed with a nod, downing a gulp of his beer.

“The turkey still needs some work, anyway,” Malik stated as he closed the oven door.

“Well,” said Aaron, sidestepping the half-circle of people that had formed. “I know something we can do to pass the time...”

“I know that tone,” Zeke cried out with suspicion. “You do realize that Mario Kart could tear the fabric of this family evening apart, don't you?”

Aaron just smiled innocently, unpacking a plastic steering wheel from his bag.

–