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As per usual you can just try to omit the second person.
"Satomi’s interests were considerably different from ... I" is obviously not correct.
Satomi’s interests were considerably different from ... mine" is.

In hindsight, giving the cholera ridden mage laudanum was probably not the best idea.

I had no idea fire could be that color… and I’m out of laudanum.

Great….

Previous Chapter

A (Different) Mother’s Tale


After lunch, before the Nakais and Setous made their way to our summer home for dinner, I took Thomas out on the porch for some reading. Once we were outside, the still cool summer breeze gently blowing across our skin, I gingerly sat in one of the chairs, waiting. The breeze and shade helped to keep the porch rather cool, and I couldn’t help smiling as Thomas carefully sat in my lap, his comforting weight gently settling against me.

“You know Mom,” he said, “I’m getting kind of old for this.”

I smiled lightly and, after some careful searching, patted my son’s head, “I know, but please indulge your mother a little longer? Karen isn’t quite old enough to read Braille yet.”

My youngest daughter wasn’t blind, of course, but Hanaye had learned Braille so we could read together –truly together, our hands entwined as we read along the bumps most people found as gibberish- and Karen had expressed an interest as well, perhaps in an effort to emulate her older sister.

Thomas seemed to stiffen with a suppressed sigh, but he leaned against me and carefully opened his book. Perhaps because of Karen’s interest, the book he had with him today was a Braille copy of European fairy tales. He had asked me to sit with him while he read because he wanted to help Karen learn when she was ready. Presumably he had meant me to sit next to him, but this position made it easier to read along with him to see if he made any mistakes. Toward that end, Thomas read aloud so I could correct him if he made any errors.

There was enough of an age gap between Thomas and Hanaye and Karen –six years to be precise- that George and I sometimes worried if the younger girl felt left out. She tended to stay rather close to me when she could, though she seemed fond of Refia as well, likely because they were the youngest of the many children of the extended Nakai/Satou clans.

Fortunately Thomas and Hanaye were good older siblings, and Thomas had made it quite clear he was glad his older sister had someone else to fuss over. They also enjoyed reading together, obviously, and I enjoyed reading with them as well.

“You ready, Mom?” Thomas asked.

I placed my arms around my son and smiled, “I am.”

“Mom….”

I frowned and resisted the urge to hold him tighter, “Please indulge your mother.”

Thomas sighed audibly this time, but didn’t resist my hold of him as he settled the book in his lap. Reluctantly, I moved my hand over his so I could follow him along as he read aloud.

“Once upon a time there were three Billy-goats… goats look like sheep, right?”

“Somewhat,” I replied, “I had the chance to pet one as a child. They are rather soft and remind me somewhat of medium dogs in size, though they do resemble sheep more and also have horns like trolls. I’ve heard sheep tend to be greasy, too, because of the wool.”

“Satan looks like a goat, right?”

“In some representations he takes the form of a bipedal goat,” I remarked, “These goats are just regular goats, although perhaps a bit more articulate than normal livestock.”

Thomas laughed, and I felt his body shake with mirth against me. I resisted the temptation to hold him tighter as he continued reading. Thomas was a methodical reader, making up in clarity what it lacked in exuberance. Hanaye had a much more animated style, but I believed Thomas’ more reserved method would suit Karen well. It certainly suited an educator, reminding me a bit of my own teaching style.

That said, my presence consisted mostly of catching errors and describing things if Thomas asked about them. The fact that I could hold my nine-year old son at an age where he would consider it unpleasant was just a delightful perk.

Towards the end of the story I heard the front door open. I felt Thomas’ body shift as he likely leaned over to “face” whoever it was. I perked my head towards the door, waiting.

“Hanako called,” it was George, “they’re on the way. They’re walking, so we have some time. Oh, and Refia says hi.”

I turned my head towards my husband and smiled, “Thank you. Do you need any help with anything?”

“We’re fine, not counting Daichi’s continued mahjong victory streak. Hanaye got lucky once but he turned it around.”

“He is rather talented. We’ll be inside in a while.”

“No worries. Hey Thomas, how goes the reading?”

“Pretty good,” Thomas replied, “I think I have this one figured out.”

“You do,” I stated. Smiling, I added, “I’d give you a gold star, but I’m afraid you’re a bit old for that.”

Thomas and George chuckled lightly, most likely at the irony of my statement. Still, I enjoyed feeling my son’s mirth as he shook in my lap –when you can’t see your own child, it’s immensely satisfying when you can feel their emotions, good and ill.

“Karen’ll be delighted,” George said, “Speaking of, I better check the closets before they get here, just in case.”

I nodded and listened as George closed the door.

“Mom?” Thomas asked, “Could you please let me go now? I don’t want the twins to see my like this.”

“Just a little longer,” I asked, “please indulge your mother a little longer?”

Thomas sighed and closed his book with a mild thump, “I’m not going anywhere, Mom.”

I gently rested my head on his, “I know. Just please indulge me.”

I knew it was illogical and even selfish of me, but I had earned a little selfishness. If I couldn’t see my children’s smiles I could feel their laughter, and as long as I held them I knew they were there. I knew I’d have to let go eventually, of course, and eventually I did. When I removed my arms I felt Thomas gently lower himself from my lap onto the porch.

“I’m going to put the book away, Mom,” he said, “thanks for reading with me.”

I smiled at the sound of his voice, “Anytime.”

+++
Next Chapter

People make fun of Lilly’s adolescent sex drive, but it makes complete sense to me that someone visually challenged would be overly physically intimate because the other senses lend themselves so well to such acts. When she smells someone, touches someone, tastes someone, she knows that they are there. So as a side thought of that, I figured Lilly would also be an overly physically clingy parent –hugs that go a bit too long, holding the kid when they wanna go do something, etc.

Just me overanalyzing things. It’s what I do. That and screw up math related to births (Akio’s and Hanaye’s specifically.)

I have wrangled an explanation though, if not a very good one. Like drunk Simon R. Green good, which is how I tend to compare my writing anyway. Sorry, I’m rambling and the wagons on fire.

Okay, axle’s fixed, cholera’s cured, fires put out. Wagons ho!

Crap I’m out of bullets for hunting. Ilya, I need to borrow your stick again!

Previous Chapter

A Daughter’s Tale


Hi! Nii-chan said he’d help me right this story for a free research project for school!

(I just did the revising and stuff. This is just a draft version, by the way, so make sure you take out all my notes before turning it in. And trim it down a lot -this thing is huge. –Akio Nakai)

(And stop writing in katakana and learn the kanji or your grades are gonna suffer –Satomi Nakai)

(Says the one using hiragana with pink ink –Akio)

(Nii-chan! Nee-chan!)

(Sorry)

(Sorry)

Anyway, after lunch we all went over to Aunt Lilly and Uncle George’s summer home! It’s a bit of a long walk for me, but it was okay because I got to piggyback on Hee-neesan. Since I had been playing with Hee-neesan most of the morning I offered to walk, but she insisted on letting me piggyback ride so I’d have energy to play with Karen when we got there. Hee-neesan is really strong, and her short black hair ripples when it catches the sunlight, adding to her mystique and-

(You have problems, Nii-chan)

(Stop adding your own notes to Refia’s project!)

(Stop arguing in my story or I’m gonna tell Daddy!)

(Sorry.)

(Sorry. Um, make sure to remove that bit about Hee-chan’s hair.)

(Who’s Hee-chan?)

(He means Hee-neesan. Hee-chan is what Aunt Miya calls her. Hey Nii-chan, I’ll give you a hundred yen to call Hee-neesan Hee-chan to her face.)

(No.)

(How about 500 to call her Little Lamb?)

(Keep it up and I’ll replace your shampoo with sunscreen.)

(Seriously you two knock it off –you’re ruining Refia’s project)

(Sorry, Dad.)

(Sorry.)

(Thanks Daddy!)

“Thanks for carrying me again Hee-neesan,” I said while we walked along the road, her shoes dangling by their laces on her belt.

Hee-neesan grinned her bright, dazzling smile, beautiful because of its rarity-

(Akio, we’ve talked about this.)

(Sorry Dad. Um, make sure you write that out of the report, Refia.)

-and said, “You’re welcome. I need the exercise anyway.”

“Are we there yet?” I asked.

Uncle Kenji, who was walking behind us, chuckled and remarked, “Not much farther.”

“Yay!” I cheered, “I’m gonna play with Karen so Hee-neesan can rest.”

“I’m fine,” Hee-neesan insisted, “You kids aren’t any trouble.”

“Don’t let the twins hear that,” Uncle Kenji remarked, “They might get ideas.”

“What ever do you mean Uncle Kenji?” Chise and Carry called from behind him, “we’re never trouble.”

Kenji snorted, “Right –just two perfect little angels, ain’t yuh?”

The two older girls giggled and started playing a word game to keep themselves occupied. Maybe that’s how they learned to talk at the same time? Or maybe they were that thing where you can read each other’s minds. Legilimency, I think they call it.

When we got to the Aunt Lilly and Uncle George's summer house Hee-neesan kneeled so I could clamber off and find Karen. Once we all gathered onto the porch Mommy and Daddy stepped forward and Mommy rang the doorbell.

A few moments later the door opened and Aunty Akira appeared. Though she wasn’t wearing the jacket she still had a buttoned shirt and suit pants, so I guess she just liked to dress that way, maybe.

“Hey guys!” she greeted, “C’mon in!”

“Hi Mom!” Chise and Carry called.

“Hey. You two behaved, right?”

“They were fine,” Miya chirped.

The two girls beamed, earning a smirk from their mother while I tried to follow the squiggly line that appears in your vision sometimes. Then Mommy tapped my shoulder and I followed everyone else inside.

Aunt Lilly and Uncle George’s summer home is bigger than ours, mostly because it had an upstairs. They didn’t have a patio though, although they did have a back deck where all the grilling was going to happen for dinner.

“Ka~ ren~ Will~ iams~,” I called, “You~ wanna~ play~?”

I didn’t see Karen anywhere, which was why I called out to her. Aunt Lilly was in the living room sitting on the sofa though, so her daughter had to be around somewhere –she stuck close to her mommy.

Aunt Lilly smiled at me and said, “Hello, Refia. I take it you’re looking for Karen?”

“Yep!” I chirped, “Karen~, where are you~?”

“Maybe she’s hiding?” Carry remarked, “I know she likes to hide from us.”

(You might want to add a bit here about we were mostly still around the doorway.)

(Writing about groups looks hard.)

(You have no idea.)

(Hi Daddy!)

“Are you sure she’s hiding?” Nee-chan asked.

The two girls shrugged and wandered off, probably to find Hanaye.

I sighed and looked for Hee-neesan, who was talking to Aunty Akira in English for some reason. I walked over to her and patiently waited for her to notice me, which was hard because there were a lot of people around and a lot of them were talking and I thought I smelled food in the kitchen and I wanted to find out about it but I needed to wait for Hee-neesan because I needed her help.

(You need to work on those run-on sentences.)

(It’s like talking to Rin... maybe we should get Refia tested again….)

(Um, Dad… what are you doing?)

(Supervising... and maybe taking a crack at proof reading myself.)

After a while Aunty Akira noticed I was there and grinned down at me, “Hey, squirt –somethin’ up?”

I nodded and looked up at Hee-neesan, who was fortunately a lot closer to my height than Aunty Akira so looking up was easier, “Hee-neesan, I can’t find Karen. You’re good at finding things, right?”

“I’m good at finding you,” she replied, ever the modest young woman, “and finding food. That’s about it.”

Aunty Akira chuckled, kneeled down to my level, and whispered, “She’s behind the sofa.”

I tilted my head and whispered back, “She can fit?”

Aunty Akira winked, “Just barely.”

“Cool,” I breathed. I looked back at Hee-neesan, “I think I found her now, but thanks for helping!”

Hee-neesan smiled and patted my head, “Glad to have helped. Be careful with Karen –she’s half your age and very timid –even I can tell that much.”

“I will be!” I promised, then dashed off to the sofa.

After a few steps I skidded to a halt. I needed to think about this, and while thinking can be hard sometimes, it was important this time. If I had just run up to Karen I’d probably scare her. So instead I walked over to the sofa’s side and leaned forward so I could see behind it.

Karen sat cross-legged behind the sofa reading, of all things, her legs tucked under the sofa, book against the back of the sofa, and her back against the wall. A little girl with black hair and hazel eyes, it didn’t take long for her eyes to glance my way. With widened eyes she peered from over her book, watching me.

“Refia,” she declared.

“That’s me~!” I sing-songed, “Wanna play? I know every closet in this house, too!”

Karen looked at her book, then at me, then back at her book. Carefully closing the book and placing it under one arm, she shuffled out from behind the sofa and stood up in front of me. Because of Aunt Lilly she was already almost as tall as me, so she’d probably be even taller than Nii-chan when she got older. Although Mommy was a bit taller than average I think, so maybe we’d even out. But that’s not important. What is important is that Karen looked at me, smiled and said:

“Okay.”

“Yay!” I cheered, “Follow me!”

+++
Next Chapter

That taste in the back of your throat is bile from my unleashing of weapons grade sap.

I regret nothing.

Neat, I can kill the bison and cook them in one shot.

You can have your stick back, Ilya. We can only carry half of this back to the wagon anyway. Ooh, maybe we could trade the rest for bullets!

Hmm... Even accounting for the older kids' edits this doesn't really work as an essay by a small child...

When we got to the Williams’ summer house...

Like this: Refia would probably not refer to others as "the Williams" or "the twins" in other places.
Also, this is a sequence of perhaps 15 minutes - and not much actually happened. If she wrote about the whole trip in that detail, that would be quite a large essay.
As an experiment this is nice, but I think all together it's too much of an immersion breaker to be done regularly.

Mirage_GSM wrote:Hmm... Even accounting for the older kids' edits this doesn't really work as an essay by a small child...

When we got to the Williams’ summer house...

Like this: Refia would probably not refer to others as "the Williams" or "the twins" in other places.
Also, this is a sequence of perhaps 15 minutes - and not much actually happened. If she wrote about the whole trip in that detail, that would be quite a large essay.
As an experiment this is nice, but I think all together it's too much of an immersion breaker to be done regularly.

To the Edit Machine, Mr. Peabody!

...There, that should help a bit. Not a lot, but a bit.

Someday I'll come up with a writing experiment that doesn't fail. Then that Pulitzer shall be mine!

The food to bullet conversion rate seems a bit skewed these days.

Ah well, on to the next stop! Whatever’s left of New Canaan, here come! Right back where we started from! And I don’t know how the rest of the song goes. Sorry.

Previous Chapter

A Ward’s Tale


Once Refia had found Karen and darted off in search of who knows what, I started looking around the living room to help me adjust to the relatively knew people.

Kenji, Uncle Hisao, and Uncle George had headed to the kitchen to prepare for dinner, which was apparently going to be some sort of grilling affair with salads. Aunt Hana and Aunt Lilly were talking with Aunt Akira about something, Uncle Daichi was keeping an eye on Refia and Karen, I had no idea where Satomi and the twins had gone, Hanaye was nowhere in sight, Thomas was talking with Akio, and Miya was lugging the massive bags she had dragged over from the Nakai summer home. On the road she had strapped them to her back, but now that she had to carry them it looked difficult.

This house has way too many people in it.

I walked over to Miya as she stared at the back door with that blank look you get when you haven’t thought something through.

“Need a hand?” I offered.

Miya turned her head to me and smiled, “That’d be great. Here, you can take the camera bag for me.”

Miya handed me the black bag in her right hand and I carefully accepted it. It had some weight to it, but once we got outside we could sling them onto our backs and it wouldn’t be a problem. As it was the bag wasn’t heavy, and I knew Miya could handle them both. Really if she just set one down she could’ve opened the door, or just had me do it, but I needed to get some air.

Miya grinned and grabbed the door lever, “Thanks, Hee-chan.”

“I’m good at carrying things,” I stated. Using my free hand to slap on my sunglasses, I asked, “Where we going?”

“Wheat field,” she replied, “Well, the edge of one. I wanna get a landscape and some photos before dinner.”

I suppressed a nervous swallow, “A field?”

Miya nodded, “You can leave the bag outside though –you don’t have to come with me.”

My agoraphobia made things like open fields somewhat problematic. Still, I had pretty much committed myself at that point. If I could handle the walk down the hill at Yamaku, I could handle a field.

“It’s fine,” I said, “I’ll be fine.”

Miya looked at me for a few moments, nodded once, and opened the door.

The Williams’ summer house had a larger backyard by simple virtue of not having a patio, though it did have a small back deck. There wasn’t a fence or anything, either; a few hundred yards after the grass there was a wheat field, and beyond that some trees, much like the Nakai summer house. It was all very pretty and picturesque –and bright. Even through my sunglasses the blazing sun hit me for a brief moment. The shade of the road had obscured its rays for the most part, but once I had blinked a few times I was fine.

Miya and I stepped onto the deck, the smooth wood warm on my feet. The deck had the accouterments for dinner on it, but no one else was outside at that time. The breeze tingled the back of my throat, and I coughed once. Miya stopped and turned to me but I shook my head.

“I’m fine,” I insisted.

Every now and then I even mean it.

Miya nodded and resumed walking, me a pace behind. The warm wood gave way to grass and moist earth, and I made a mental note to wipe my feet before going back inside. Miya kept a brisk pace, the muse clearly taking over as she glared at the field ahead, its rustling stalks swaying in the breeze and giving off a soothing, breezy feel.

Miya stopped about a dozen or so yards in front of the field, set her bag down, and opened it. I set the other bag down next to it and stood nearby in case she needed my help. Miya stopped sifting through the one bag to open the other.

“Hey,” she said, revealing a camera and tripod in the newly opened bag, “Could you do a pose for me? I got an idea when I saw the wheat field and I wanna try it out.”

“Um… okay. Where do you want me to stand?”

Miya pulled out the camera and directed me where wanted. She could be very exact about her photography, though her present vision seemed simple enough –stand in front of the wheat field and look out at it. Since my face wouldn’t be in the photo, I could close my eyes to avoid looking at the field.

Eyes closed and back turned away from her, I asked, “This okay?”

“Beautiful,” Miya breathed, which is personally one of the last words I’d use to describe me, “Hold that pose, okay?”

“Okay,” remembering my earlier thought the night before, I asked, “Could you also take one with me facing you? I’d like to send it to a friend.”

“Sure. I’ll email both to you when I get a chance.”

“Thanks.”

I stood still and waited patiently while Miya took her pictures. When she was done she had me turn around, and, after managing a small smirk, she took the picture I planned to send to Setsuko.

One of these days maybe I’ll ask what her family actually does.

Miya put the camera back in its bag and started fiddling with the other big bag. After a few moments of rifling she hauled out an easel and set it up in front of her. Diving back into the bag, she pulled out several brushes, a blank canvas, a palette, several tubes of paint, and a bottle of distilled water.

“…Do you need a chair, Miya-san?” I asked.

Miya looked up at me, blinked, and said, “Huh. Thought I forgot something.”

“I’ll go get you a folding chair or something, okay?”

“Thanks. I’ll get started in the meantime.”

I nodded and went back to the house. I wasn’t sure where I would find a folding chair, but maybe I could ask for a spare from the deck.

As I neared the deck I saw Uncle Hisao, Kenji, and Uncle George already there, several folding chairs and tables laid out with the preparations for dinner next to two large grills. When Uncle Hisao saw me he grinned and waved, and I waved back. He turned to Kenji and, after a brief conversation, Kenji turned to me and took several steps forward.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

I nodded, more for the sake of the others, then said, “Miya-san needs a chair.”

Uncle George pointed at several unfolded chairs leaning against a metal table, “We have some spares she can use.”

“Thanks.”

Uncle George grabbed one of the folding chairs and stepped over to me to pass it. He was a bit on the short side by Western standards, but still noticeably taller than me. He handed me the chair and I took it with a brief bow of thanks.

“Thanks,” I said.

Uncle George grinned, “No problem. Any idea how long Miya’ll be out there?”

I shrugged, “Knowing her, when she’s done. Kenji’ll get her when dinner’s ready, I imagine.”

Kenji grinned and nodded.

Hefting the chair, I said, “I’ll get this over to Miya-san and be right back.”

Kenji grinned, nodded, and turned back to the prep work, which looked to consist mostly of drinking –I saw a bottle of something on one of the tables- and looking at bags of charcoal. Uncle George gave a quick wave and went back to his own seat, and I headed back over to Miya.

Miya being Miya, she had already started working on the painting, so I just set the chair down behind her. She murmured her thanks and sat down, carefully scooting the seat forward and resuming her work. I actually wondered if she even needed the chair, but it was the principle of the thing by then. Her mind clearly elsewhere, I turned around and headed back to the house.

+++
Next Chapter

Painting can be fun. Especially when you need to put on your robe and wizard hat and start blending colors.

We can’t stop here, Ilya, this is Legion country.

Wow, they even tore down the walls. Well, New Canaan’s a bust. On to New Reno!

Previous Chapter

A Guardian’s Tale


George stepped back onto the deck and plopped himself into his chair, “Good kid.”

The three of us had placed our seats in front of the tables and grills arrayed along the deck, a bottle of Jack on one of the tables as we surveyed our grilling domain. The bright summer sun made seeing things difficult, but Hisao and George were close enough I could tell what they were up to most of the time.

Speaking of the two, I saw Hisao nod and pour a shot from the bottle as he remarked, “The other kids certainly think so.”

George nodded and grabbed his own glass from a nearby table, “Never hurts to have another set of eyes on them. We ready to start?”

Hisao and I glanced at the grills, thinking. Us three doing the cooking for dinner sort of just happened –Lilly and Hanako were on salad duty for obvious reasons, Akira and Daichi weren’t the best cooks around, and the last time I had let Miya near a grill the fire department ended up as unexpected guests.

Before either of us could reply Hisao turned toward the field. I did the same thing, narrowing my eyes against the light. After a few moment’s focusing I saw Soon-hee returning from delivering the chair to Miya. Hefting myself up from my seat, I slowly pulled an orange from one of my pockets and held it up for her to see.

“Here,” I called. Grinning I added, “can’t have you eating junk food all the time.”

Soon-hee smirked, I think, and, when she was close enough, opened her hands to receive the orange, which I carefully tossed to her, “Thanks.”

Definitely smirking, she moved toward the back door, which slid open when she was a few paces away. All four of us watched as Satomi poked her head out –her purple hair made her easy to find.

“Hee-neesan!” she called, “wanna play with the twins and me? I found something you’d look great wearing!”

Hisao raised an eyebrow, “Is it one of Akio’s old suits?”

Satomi pouted, “Who told?”

I’m pretty sure I saw George smirk as he remarked, “You just did.”

Satomi blinked, groaned, and sighed, “Guess you got me. C’mon, Hee-neesan, we have food.”

Soon-hee sighed and started walking, “I do things besides eat, you know.”

When the door closed Hisao handed the bottle of Jack to George, who topped off his shot as he remarked, “She does seem to eat a lot, though.”

Hisao shrugged, “She’s earned the right –if I tried half her daily routine I’d be dead twice over.”

“Nah,” I said. Holding my hand out for the bottle, I added, “You could probably handle the swimming. It’s getting the stuffing knocked outta you that’d kill you.”

Hisao chuckled as George handed me the bottle, “We should start ‘em up.”

George turned toward the grills and nodded, “On it. We shall ride the road of fire and blood.”

Bottle in one hand and nearly empty shot in the other, I looked up at the mostly clear sunny sky and said, “It is a lovely day.”

“And yet,” Hisao said while I topped off my drink, “Hana’s the one all shiny and chrome.”

George turned to us, looking thoughtful, “How did we end up on this line of thinking?”

Hisao shrugged, “You started it, man. Must be your inner Commonwealthian.”

George rolled his eyes, “Hey, you’re the one that chose our film last movie night, and ‘Commonwealthian’ is not a word.”

Hisao stuck out his pinky and sipped his shot, “It is now.”

George chuckled and grabbed the chimney from the table to set it on the grill. While he rolled up some newspaper to shove into it before adding the coals, Hisao started gazing into his drink, the light summer breeze making his cowlick dance in the wind.

Hisao sighed and looked over at me, I think, “So tomorrow –we gonna head into town after lunch or before?”

George grunted as he hefted up the bag of charcoal to add to the chimney, “If we go before lunch the first thing we’re gonna do in town is eat, and then be tired because we ate –especially the kids.”

I nodded and sipped my shot, “Fair point. What if we eat in our respective houses, head into town, grab some ice cream or something, look around, have dinner, head back, boom, done.”

George nodded, set the bag of charcoal back down, and grabbed some spare newspaper. Shoving it under the chimney, he remarked, “Sounds like a plan… any of the kids wanna swap houses tonight?”

“I can almost guarantee Satomi’ll wanna spend the night here,” Hisao remarked, “besides that I doubt it.”

“The twins might wanna stay at your place,” George said, “Thomas might wanna cross over, too –he’s getting a bit too much attention from Lilly and Hanaye, I think.”

“Thomas feeling like he’s being smothered?” Hisao asked. Hefting himself up, he topped off our shots and started examining the prepared food.

“Yeah,” George sighed as he tossed a few stray coals into the chimney, “Lilly’s sticking close and you know how Hanaye is.”

Hisao sipped his shot and remarked, “I figured they’d be fussing over Karen.”

“Karen’s quiet and keeps to herself,” George countered. Looking up in thought, he mused, “It worries me a bit, actually… although she seemed friendly enough with Soon-hee.”

“Refia likes her,” I remarked, “so Karen’s copying her, I bet.”

George nodded, “Seems about the size of it. Still good to see her step away from Lilly –she can get clingy with the kids as it is.”

Hisao sighed, “Hana was the same way at first. So was I, to be honest.”

“It’s a little different with you,” George stated, “No offense.”

Hisao shrugged, “I might die of a heart attack before I’m forty –tell me something I don’t know. Until then,” he sipped his shot, sighed, and smirked, “George, let there be fire for all!”

George managed a chuckle despite the somewhat dark turn the conversation took. Pulling out a box of matches from his pocket, he grinned and eyed the chimney, “It’s grillin’ time… well, technically its coal starting time, but after that it’s grilling time… after we clean the grate, I mean.”

I rolled my eyes and grabbed the bottle to refill my shot, “We know what you meant, man.”

“Right,” Hisao glanced toward the door, “I hope those three don’t get too pushy with her.”

“Satomi’ll keep the twins in line,” George said, “She’s definitely the Kirk of the three.”

Hisao raised an eyebrow, “What does that make Hanaye?”

“…A spare Spock?”

Hisao brought the shot up to his lips and narrowed his eyes, “So help me if you bring up Abrams….”

George grinned, flicked a match, and lit the paper under the coals. Pointing dramatically at the burning paper, he declared, “Your mortal science is nothing next to my command of fire! I am the Melon Lord and you shall bow before my power!”

“…Do we have a watermelon?”

George tapped his chin, “Maybe? I think I remember Lilly saying something about a fruit salad.”

“We’ll find out one way or another,” I remarked, “Now light the other candle! Our road of fire and blood needs more fire!”

George grinned and readied another chimney for the second grill. While he poured the charcoal, the back door slid open. Hisao and I turned to see Refia’s head poking out, while something lurked just behind her.

“Hi Daddy!” Refia chirped, “Have you seen Hee-neesan?”

“She’s playing dress-up with Satomi and the twins,” Hisao replied. Smiling brightly, he added, “Hello, Karen. How are you?”

The form by the door seemed to rustle, and, after a moment, Karen came into view behind Refia. Despite the age difference she wasn’t much smaller than the older girl.

“I’m fine, Uncle Hisao,” she replied, “thank you for asking.”

“Everything going alright in there?” George asked.

Refia nodded, “Yep, yep!”

With that, Refia closed the door.

George sighed and readied the second chimney for lighting, “An albatross, huh?”

I chuckled and shrugged, “So says Soon-hee.”

“What does that make her?”

“A lamb,” Hisao replied, “according to Miya, at least.”

“That girl is no lamb,” George declared, “she’s… a badger, maybe?”

I couldn’t help snorting at that, “Whaddya mean, a badger?”

“She’s small, tenacious, and can beat the crap outta something way bigger than her.”

“Huh,” Hisao grunted, “that’s… not a bad comparison, I guess?”

I shrugged and sipped my shot, “Seems to fit. Are the coals ready yet?”

“Not yet,” George replied, “all good things to those who wait.”

“I prefer a more proactive approach,” I remarked.

Hisao and George chuckled, but after a moment Hisao glanced back at the door.

Sighing and downing the last of his shot, he muttered, “I really hope things are okay in there.”

“I’m sure it’s fine,” George said, grinning as he added, “all the irresponsible adults are out here, after all.”

I downed my own shot before stating, “Akira’s still in there.”

All three of us glanced at each other, then the door.

I frowned at the other two, “That was a joke.”

“Right,” Hisao said, “Things are definitely fine in there.”

I nodded and grabbed the bottle, “Probably.”

+++
Next Chapter

Charcoal is superior to propane in every conceivable way.

I have Spokane.

And I kid –Akira knows what she’s doing.

I might die of a heart attack before I’m forty

Shouldn't he BE around forty by this point?

Mirage_GSM wrote:

I might die of a heart attack before I’m forty

Shouldn't he BE around forty by this point?

He's around 36 in this story, so sorta.

The comment was mostly meant in jest anyway. Realistically he should have a decent shot at a regular lifespan, barring a ball to the chest or bad palpitation.

Hoitash wrote:

Mirage_GSM wrote:

I might die of a heart attack before I’m forty

Shouldn't he BE around forty by this point?

He's around 36 in this story, so sorta.

The comment was mostly meant in jest anyway. Realistically he should have a decent shot at a regular lifespan, barring a ball to the chest or bad palpitation.

Or a T-shirt fired at him from a T-shirt cannon. Wait, wrong fic.

Hesmiyu wrote:
Or a T-shirt fired at him from a T-shirt cannon. Wait, wrong fic.

It's also how Ned Flander's wife died, iirc.

Hoitash wrote:

Hesmiyu wrote:
Or a T-shirt fired at him from a T-shirt cannon. Wait, wrong fic.

It's also how Ned Flander's wife died, iirc.

I know , I was referencing Hisao's original fate in Sharp-O's Monomyth fic.

Hesmiyu wrote:
I know , I was referencing Hisao's original fate in Sharp-O's Monomyth fic.

Oh yeah. Wow that seems like a long time ago.

Grumble, grumble old man complaints about my lawn grumble.

Somehow on the way to New Reno we ended up in the Divide. Which means Deathclaws. Of course.

Ilya! Get me my minigun!

Previous Chapter

Another Mother’s Tale


“I do things besides eat, you know.”

I raised an eyebrow as Satomi led Soon-hee along towards the stairs, where Chise and Carry were waiting with impatient grins.

I raised an eyebrow at the two girls and jabbed a finger at them, “What’re you lot plotting?”

The twins and Satomi turned to me, their expressions so demure I expected halo’s to sprout over their heads.

“Why ever would you think we would be plotting something, Mother?”

Substitute “Aunty Akira” for “Mother” for Satomi, obviously.

I blinked at all three of them, while Lilly, sitting beside me on the sofa, smirked behind her tea. Hanako was giving Satomi a careful eye over her own tea in a chair across from us, while Soon-hee just blinked blankly at the situation. Daichi was in the kitchen getting me a beer.

I sighed and smirked at the three, “Just don’t break anything, alright?”

The twins giggled and skipped up the stairs. In unison, like some sort of creepy imitation of the girls from The Shining. Which was weird, because that movie was definitely blocked on our Netflix account.

Soon-hee, for her part, turned to me and said, “I have an idea of what they have planned, so it’s fine. I don’t have anything else to do, anyway.”

“I know, I just need to keep them in line,” I remarked, glancing at the stairs for a moment. Grinning at the older girl, I added, “Have fun, and if they get unruly I’ll sic Kenji on ‘em.”

Soon-hee nodded and let herself get led up the stairs by Satomi. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Daichi appear, beer in hand and a light smirk on his features.

I sighed and rubbed my temple with one hand, using the other to take the already opened beer offered by my husband. He then took a seat in the other chair.

“Hey Lils,” I said, sipping my beer before asking, “was I as bad as them growing up?”

“Yes.”

“…Thanks, Lils.”

Lilly gave a light shrug and sipped her tea, “You asked; it would be rude not to answer honestly.”

“On the bright side,” Hanako chimed in, “there was only one of you. And you had Lilly as a buffer.”

I shrugged and sipped my beer, “True, true. They’re good girls, really. I just don’t want them dragging anyone else into their shenanigans.”

“They wouldn’t join if they didn’t want to,” Daichi stated.

Lilly and Hanako nodded in agreement.

I sighed and nodded as well.

A few moments later Refia and Karen came trotting through the living room from the kitchen. Refia slowly looked around the room, never actually focusing on anything. Her scan concluded, she walked toward the back door to the deck. Karen kept close by her, sidling up to the back door, which Refia opened and shoved her head outside. Karen stepped back from the door but kept close to the older girl.

Hanako turned to the door while Lilly, obviously hearing something going on, perked her head to listen.

“Hi Daddy!” Refia chirped outside, loud enough for all of us to hear, “Have you seen Hee-neesan?”

Hisao’s muffled voice replied to the question, to which Lilly leaned toward the door. Karen, meanwhile, cautiously stepped into view behind the older girl.

Karen said something –I couldn’t catch what- and Hisao replied to that. Then George said something I couldn’t hear, Refia chirped, “Yep, yep!” and closed the door.

Refia turned toward Karen with an oddly serious look.

“We need to go upstairs!” she declared, “The twins have abducted Hee-neesan!”

“Um…” Karen muttered, “…okay?”

Refia grinned and started dashing toward the stairs. Karen blinked a few times before scrambling after her.

When they were at the stairs Lilly turned toward Hanako and remarked, “It appears Refia and Karen are on a rescue mission.”

Hanako smirked and nodded, “So it would seem.”

I sighed and sipped my beer, “Well, Godspeed to ‘em.”

Lilly nodded lightly, “Indeed. Has anyone seen Akio and Thomas?”

“We’re in the kitchen!” Akio called.

Hanako turned her head toward Akio’s voice, “What are you doing in there?”

“Taking shelter,” Thomas replied, “and playing chess. Hanaye’s upstairs, by the way.”

“Thank you,” Lilly called.

“Well,” I said, “at least all the kids are accounted for. Now we just need someone to watch the kids outside.”

Lilly and Hanako giggled at that, while Daichi just adjusted his seat so he could look outside.

“I’m sure they’ll be fine,” Lilly remarked, “and since we have some time before dinner, would anyone care for a game of chess?”

“I’ll play,” Hanako said, “where’s your board?”

“Under the coffee table,” Lilly replied.

I finished my beer and hefted myself up, “Guess I’ll play winner, then –or maybe it’d be fairer to play loser?”

Hanako grinned as she stood up to get the board, “Afraid to face the reigning champion?”

I chuckled and turned toward the sitars, “I’m shakin’ in my shoes. In the meantime I’m gonna check on the kids.”

Daichi glanced at me, “I’m sure they’re fine.”

I shrugged, “Probably, but Soon-hee’s not used to the twins yet.”

Daichi shrugged and I headed up the stairs. The second floor was pretty basic –hallways, doors, bathroom on the end, bedrooms by the stairs. Oh, and a closet near the bathroom. Refia really liked that closet, and, for whatever reason, that’s where she and Karen were. Trying to understand the girl’s line of thought was about as useful as figuring out Kenji’s, so I let them be.

The girls sans Soon-hee were standing in front of the bedroom the twins were using. Hanaye, Chise, and Carry were chatting while Satomi just stared at the door, her arms folded in front of her as she tapped her foot, her ponytail bouncing lightly to the rhythm.

When the girls saw me they looked up at me and smiled. Not suspicious at all, that.

I frowned and raised an eyebrow, “If you guys are trying to look guilty, you’re succeeding.”

“They’re fine,” Soon-hee called from behind the door, “and I’m ready, Satomi.”

“Cool!” Satomi wheeled back to the door and shoved it open.

Soon-hee stood inside the relatively plain room, wearing a black suit complete with tie. The shoulders looked a bit loose, but she still wore it well, although the legs were a bit long, settling on her bare feet. The tie looked a bit off as well, probably from the simple, poorly prepared knot.

I smiled at the girl, “You look good.”

Soon-hee smiled lightly, “Thank you.”

Satomi grinned, “Told you height wouldn’t matter. You have the same vibe Aunty Akira has, so I knew this would work.”

The twins nodded.

I smirked at the Nakai girl, “I have a vibe?”

Satomi turned to me and nodded, “Yeah, the cool office lady vibe. Its foreign basis gives it an exotic flair, and it’s great for girls with short hair or aversions to skirts. Now that I know what I’m working with, there’s no end to what I can come up with for Hee-neesan!”

I decided not to point out the fact that Soon-hee was technically foreign. The less of an issue it was, the better, and I had dealt with enough crap growing up to know when to keep my yap shut.

So instead I just smirked and said, “Good. Just don’t overdo it.”

Satomi nodded and turned back to Soon-hee, “Mind if I take a picture to show Aunt Miya and Kenji?”

Soon-hee blinked at the younger girl, then nodded once, “Sure. If Miya doesn’t get to see it she’ll make me wear it for her, too.”

Curiosity getting to me, I glanced at Satomi and asked, “Where’d you get the suit?”

The purple-haired girl fished out her phone and aimed it at Soon-hee before replying, “It’s Akio’s old suit. He grew again so he got a new one and when I asked he just leapt at the chance to loan this one. You ready Hee-neesan?”

I watched as Soon-hee stiffened to attention.

“Ready.”

Satomi sighed at the stiff posture but said nothing.

Hanaye, meanwhile, tilted her head, looking thoughtful as she spoke for the first time since my arrival, “It looks kinda weird without shoes.”

“It’s fine,” Satomi said.

The twins nodded.

Since the girls were obviously behaving, I turned back toward the stairs to return to the living room. First, though, I figured I’d make sure what Refia was doing at least made sense to her.

“Refia,” I called, “what are you doing?”

The girl turned to me from the open closet, “Hi Aunty Akira! Hee-neesan said she was fine so I wanted to show Karen the closet. Is dinner ready yet?”

“Not yet. Bring Karen back downstairs in a bit so her mother doesn’t worry.”

“Okay!”

With nothing more to say, Refia turned her attention from me to whatever garnered her focus at the next moment. With everything upstairs under control, I once again headed toward the stairs.

+++
Next Chapter

This series is easily the pithiest thing I’ve ever written.

At the least the Deathclaws have run off. Wait… that means…

Tunnelers. I. HATE. Tunnelers!

Time for dual-wielding nailgun action!

Dakka dakka dakka dakka dakka…

If only my grenade machine gun could shoot flashbangs… Ilya! I need your stick again!

Previous Chapter

A Chess Player’s Tale


I pulled the chess board out from under the table and looked up at Lilly, “Would you like to play here or in the kitchen?”

Lilly sipped her tea, a thoughtful frown etched in her features. Lowering her now empty cup, she replied, “The kitchen would be preferable, but I should probably give Thomas some space.”

Daichi glanced at us, “Wanna move a chair?”

I shook my head, “I can sit on the floor. Will you be alright, Lilly?”

Lilly nodded, “I will. I can set up the board if you like.”

“Thanks.”

I hefted the coffee table in front of Lilly and set the board down. It was a bit low for her, but just about the right height for me to sit on the floor. Kneeling positions weren’t the easiest for me, but the table was too low to put my legs under it, and in any case I preferred to err on the side of propriety.

While Lilly set up the board Akira returned from the stairs, grinning at me to let me know everything was fine. Lilly, having heard her sister’s descent, tilted her head toward the stairs.

“How are the children?” she asked.

“They’re fine,” Akira replied.

Flashing me a grin, she disappeared into the kitchen and quickly reappeared, a beer in each hand. Setting one down beside me on the table, she plopped herself down next to Lilly and snapped open her own can.

Grinning, Akira raised her can to me and quipped, “Gotta give Lils a handicap, right?”

Lilly pouted at her sister’s voice, but didn’t say anything. Honestly Lilly wasn’t that bad –she could beat Miya and Akio often enough. It was just I played more often than her and read about chess strategies sometimes. It’s a formulaic game with only so many possible outcomes, and Lilly just wasn’t wired for that kind of thinking. I’m not much for it either, but I had to do something to keep up with Hisao.

I smiled at Akira and opened my can, “Thanks.”

Akira grinned again, “No problem.”

“The board is ready,” Lilly declared, turning it around so I was white.

Since the board was designed for the blind, the black pieces had a small peg at the top of each piece to differentiate them from the white pieces.

I examined the board carefully, planning my first move. Lilly had trouble countering aggressive tactics as long as I moved quickly. It helped that I thought about her potential moves ahead of time, while Lilly tended more to react than think ahead –a serious problem in the game, obviously.

Once I had made my decision, I moved my piece and declared my move.

Lilly nodded lightly and waited, examining her options in her own way. I sipped my beer and started thinking about what move she would make next.

Carefully selecting her piece, she slowly raised it from its peg, her face pensive. As she moved the pawn forward, she asked, “How do you think Karen is faring so far this weekend?”

I looked down at her move –not quite what I thought she’d do, but close- and replied, “She seems to be handling it rather well, although I’m still not sure how she squeezed behind the sofa.”

I saw Daichi shift slightly from the corner of my eye, “Carefully.”

Lilly sighed, “She is a very shy girl. I was like that myself when I was very young.”

Akira nodded in agreement, “She grew out of it when the dog died.”

“Being a small child can be scary,” I remarked, “but Karen has the older girls looking after her, so I’m sure she’s fine. She seems to like playing with Refia.”

That said, I made my move. Lilly’s brow furrowed in thought while I sipped my beer.

“Refia is the closest to her in age,” she mused, her mind clearly and understandably not entirely on the game, “and Refia seems to take her duties as an older relative seriously when they are together.”

“She does,” I said, “I think it’s because she’s a youngest herself. She’s a bit odd, sure, but she’s also very intuitive.”

“Seems to be a family trait,” Akira remarked.

I gave the older former Setou a small smirk as we sipped out beers.

Lilly gave an absent-minded nod and made her move. Her defenses were quickly opening up in the wake of my onslaught -in her efforts to counter me she was spreading her forces too thin. Granted it was still mostly a pawn battle, but I had moved my knights into a readied position, and Lilly was slowly bringing her bishops to the field. There was a joke somewhere in there, perhaps.

I examined the board and made my next move. Lilly’s brow furrowed again as she planned her counter-attack, her mind apparently settled more firmly on the game. Akira, meanwhile, leaned sideways to examine the board, making a low whistling sound as she did. Lilly flinched at the sound but continued to focus on the board, her hands idly tapping the edge of her side of the battlefield.

Grinning at me, the older sister remarked, “She got you on the ropes already Lils?”

Lilly frowned and tilted toward Akira’s voice, bringing her pale eyes to bare as she declared, “I have her right where I want her.”

Akira rolled her eyes and glanced at me. I smirked and sipped my beer.

Akira sipped her own beer and remarked, “She’s shaking in her boots.”

Lilly pouted and ignored Akira’s ribbing as she made her move. Her bishops had created a crossfire against my advancing knights, and my own bishops weren’t quite in position yet. Lilly kept her rooks and a few pawns back as a shield, while I advanced my pawns as a screen. The key for me was to thin Lilly’s shield and break past it before she maneuvered through the holes my own aggressive tactics created.

Still grinning, Akira hefted herself up and headed for the back door. Daichi and I watched her open the door and walk outside.

“How odd,” Lilly remarked, and made her move.

Akira spent a fair few minutes on the deck with the guys. By the time she returned the game was pretty much decided; I had nearly finished cornering Lilly, and she had only one or two turns before the end.

Lilly seemed to notice that, her concentration given way to grim determination to fight to the bitter end. With an air of finality, she made her last move. I finished my beer before making my final move as well.

“Checkmate,” I declared. Smiling, I added, “Good game.”

Lilly smiled as well, her blank eyes long used to finding me by sound, “Indeed. I think I might have gotten a bit better playing Akio and Miya.”

“You have,” I said. Watching Akira emerge from the kitchen with another beer, I asked her, “Everything okay outside?”

Akira plopped herself down into Daichi’s lap and snapped open the beer, “Yep. Wanted to let ‘em know what the girls were up to.”

“What are they up to?” Lilly asked.

Akira grinned, “Apparently Akio loaned Satomi one of his old suits for Soon-hee to try on.”

Lilly gave a nod of comprehension, “Ah.”

“How’s dinner coming along?” I asked.

“Just fine,” Akira stated, “You guys could probably get another game in if you want.”

Lilly smiled, “I think one loss is sufficient for today. Besides, we need to finish preparing the salads.”

Daichi whispered something in Akira’s ear. Akira sighed and hefted himself up. Daichi followed suit, said he was going outside, and did so.

Akira gave an overly theatric sigh at her husband’s departure, took over his now vacant seat, and sipped her beer, “Well, guess we just have to wait. Well, I have to wait, unless you want my help with the salads?”

“Thank you, but I think we can manage,” Lilly replied, “We already did most of the prep work, after all.”

“True,” Akira drained her beer, glanced to the back window, and sighed again, “Gonna be another madhouse tonight.”

Putting the chess pieces away, I smirked and recited, “Welcome to the jungle.”

Akira grinned, “[/i]We got fun and games/i].”

We both grinned and started chuckling. Jungle or not, it would at least be fun.

+++
Next Chapter

I don’t see Hanako as a big Guns ‘n Roses fan, but she’s probably run across them searching for other bands.

Also, in both Lilly and Hanako’s routes it looks like Hanako’s sitting Japanese style at the table, which is uncomfortable in general and I imagine doubly so for someone with limited mobility in nearly half their body. Maybe the numbness helps, but either way Hana’s definitely to type to stick out for sake politeness.