Sunday Brunch (Neona)

Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!








Fuck.

Blue pulled her hand off of Albert's head where the alarm node was located and was now shut off because her hand had slammed down on the off button. Lucily, he had a shock spring built in so he could take such abuse come Sunday's. Blue usually forgot all about Sunday's and the whole 'brunch with the folks' thing she did. She was so busy at work, that she tended to let one day run into another and if she didn't have Albert her family would never see her.

Lifting her head up off her work bench she groaned as she looked at the time. Al was programmed to wake her up in enough time to get ready, but that didn't mean she moved fast. She felt tired and old as she lifted her whole body up off the stool that she had passed out on last night. Brushing the red lines from her face from having fallen asleep on her workbench.

The latest in spy gagets.

At least it would be when she was finished, lay there, belly up and her fingers itched to get back to work. Often, she made a marathon of staying up and seeing how long she could go before she passed out without knowing it. This time it had been fifty-two hours. A new record.

Groaning she slid off the stool and headed for the small washroom that she had attatched to her lab where she basically lived. It was cheaper than an apartment which would have been a waste of money considering she barely left her lab. She washed her face, and went to the small wardrobe that she had. Most of it was vintage. REALLY vintage, but that was the way she loved it. Old, unique, something that stood out. Even more so than having multi-hued eyes and blue streaks in her hair that she hadn't even dyed.

Today, when she left, after brushing her hair her outfit was unique but not so much so that she would have to suffer any of those looks from her mother. Which was really, the most important thing. She grabbed her messenger bag with her stuff in it and headed out.

*Some time later*

She didn't bother knocking at the house, it was never locked, and she always was welcome anyway. She opened the door and called out.

Mother, father.

Blue didn't usually speak much, she hadn't since her brother had died, and her sister had run away. But Sk-ai and her husband Ben had always been warm towards Blue even when she shut them out near completely when she hit her teenage phase and when she moved out as soon as she could. Her mother had been damaged greatly by Nathan's death, and her father had come back from the war with a limp and shadows that never left his face.

"Niara!" Her father called out as he came into the main room from the kitchen where her mother was still working on the food. Blue put down her satchel beside the door and walked in, hands deep in her pockets, her father gave her a hug, and she returned it but pulled back quicklky. Blue was not big on physical contact, especially from her parents. It had never really been there, not since Nathan.

"Shae-nari" her mother's cooing voice came from the other end of the kitchen and Blue was hugged again, this a little longer, because her mother's heart was fragile, before she pulled back.

Has Neo made it yet? she asked after her sister as she leaned her hips against the counter and sampled some of the already cooked bacon.

Wearing

Due to her position as a Diplomatic Liaison, Goldie tended to dress up almost every day. Today she considered casual, though for most people it was still a bit on the fancy side. Strolling in from the dining room on shimmering teal heels, Goldie's lips curled into a smile as she spotted her sister. Being the early riser that she was, she'd arrived early to help her mother set up. While she was always friendly and helpful, if one put some thought into it, they would realize they didn't really know much about her life. She rarely let people see deeper then the surface mask of happiness she portrayed.

"Niara, there you are! Mother is almost done cooking." she descended upon her baby sister, wrapped the woman in a hug. "I made a coffee cake just for the occassion, you all will get to be my guinea pigs and help me try the new recipe." Sometimes it was hard to tell if Goldie's helpful and almost bubbly exterior was real or a facade.

She'd already been up for hours, taking care of work related business, and even now she was going over her presentation for the Human Ambassador on the proposed plans to repair the Avian city of Celestis in her head. It was currently her biggest project, such an undertaking would give the Avians back their Aerial foothold, and some of the Humans were having issues accepting that it needed to happen.

"Thank you Nys-Elmiy, why don't you all go find your seats, I'll bring the bacon." Their Elven mother, Sk-ai, all but shooed them out by waving the spatula at them. Goldie crinkled her nose at her and then linked her arm through one of Niara's.

"Tell me sister, What project are you working on now?" Goldie was always awestruck by the creations Niara cranked out and seemed to take for granted. Technology was most definitely not her strong suit.

Sickly sweet.

There were times that Blue felt that her sister resembled the perfect house wife. All neat and pretty, always dressed up even when she swore she hadn’t. Entering the room with glittery heels and a lovely teal colored shirt that Blue could never pull off. Blue was pasty, being inside all the time, and her more quiet brooding personality would not allow her to pull off something so flamboyant in color. Not that she minded, Blue was perfectly happy with her own choices in wardrobe. She had even spiffed up for today. Where her sister dressed down, dressing down was an every day for Blue.

Knowing Neona she had been here since the ‘rents had risen when Blue was still passed out at her work bench. She wasn’t even sure when she had fallen asleep and couldn’t really figure out how much sleep she had gotten. No more than three hours that was for sure. But she was here, her parents would be happy. Later she would probably pass out, she tended to when she hit the couch after lunch on Sundays. If she didn’t go on a walk with her mother and Neona.

Blue returned her sister’s hug. She did care for her sister, she just didn’t really fit in with her sister. Never really had. Blue had been different from the start. With Neo and Nathan being so close Niara had been forced to find her own entertainment, what made her happy. And she had, but when Neona had finally realized she had a sister and wanted to get to know her the two sisters were so different they didn’t have much in common outside of their parents and missing their beloved brother.

Coffee cake? That sounds promising, sis.

Sk-ai mentioned they could go find their seats and Neona linked her arm with Blue’s and they headed into the formal dining room. The table was a huge tree stump that had been molded and carved out so large pillows could sit around it and there was a place for your legs to go. It was low to the ground there were no chairs, it was more of a warm intimate area than it was a place for fancy dinner parties. It was one of the things that Blue loved about her childhood home.

She sunk down on the purple and gold pillow that was beside her sister’s pillow and helped make room for the bacon and other plates that her mother and father had begun to bring in. Neona asked Blue about her current project. A bit of surprise filtered over Blue’s face, she didn’t talk about work much, nor did she talk about her life much. She knew that her parents really thought that both their daughters needed to find a mate and continue the family line. Blue doubted that would ever happen she was not that kind of girl. She wasn’t the one that people fell in love with and married. She was married to her job and she doubted that any man was going to see past the grease and the grime.

Neona on the other hand was the perfect bride. But after that asshole ran away from her merely because she was a werewolf… well.. lets just say if Blue ever found his ass his skin would make a handy rug in her lab.

I am working on a bot. A little bugging device. Shaped like a bug. Able to go in small places. Things like that. They feel it will help with corporations and what not.

Blue shrugged. She loved making things, she was proud of her work but she didn’t really see what she did as anything special even if it was. Blue looked over at her sister and she gave her a soft smile.

What have you been up to, Neo? Any recent travels?

Released her loose hold on her sister's arm so that she could take her seat on her favorite blue and purple pillow. She'd made most of the pillows at the table herself over the years. While her sister had taken to technology, Neona had found her talents in the older and more tactile arts. She made almost all of her clothing herself, in this new era it was very cheaper to make the type of clothing she needed to look the part of a diplomatic liaison then it was to buy them. Fashion wasn't exactly something the world cared about anymore, too busy simply trying to survive. The Tiran's were lucky, having a place of their own like this that wasn't run down. Sk-ai had done a lot to keep the place neat and tidy and out of the constant state of disrepair the world seemed to be caught in.

Tucking her long legs beneath her, Neona sank down onto the pillow, moving around a moment as she got settled. She listened intently to her sister's explanation of her latest project, while she might not know all the intricacies of technology, one didn't live with a Technopath and not pick up the basics. In some ways she envied her sister, able to create such fantastic and wondrous things from metal and electricity. Reaching forward, her lithe fingers pried the top off the dish that held her newest edible creation. The smell of cinnamon and brown sugar mixed with bacon and toast in the air, making her own stomach growl in anticipation. "Now don't be afraid to hurt my feelings if you don't like it. I need to know what's wrong with it so I can fix the recipe for next time." She told her family with a wide smile.

At her sister's question, Neona turned her golden hued eyes to Niara. "Our latest project has been trying to keep everyone from over reacting about the Avian city of Celestis. A new project has been proposed by the Courts to find a way to lift the city from it's crash site back to it's rightful place in the sky. Of course the Humans seem to think this will give the Children a greater aerial advantage then they have currently. It's been tough, I swear I feel more like a babysitter some days."

As Ben passed the bowl of seasoned red potatoes, Neona took it from him and dished herself up a large helping of them. Sk-ai always made too much for these occasions as it was and Neona absolutely loved her mother's red potato recipe. Once she felt she had enough, she held the dish out to Niara so she could do the same.

"I think everyone forgets that the Avians don't need a flying city to fly...it's not an advantage or a disadvantage to them either way. It's more the principle of the thing. We are supposed to be working together, building a peace that will last far longer then the war ever did. Returning Celestis to it's proper place is simply the right thing to do and the first step in healing old wounds." She added, more for the whole family then just for Niara.

Sometimes, Blue wondered if her sister was all right in the head.

There were times that she talked about her cakes, and culinary creations and the way that she made all her clothes and everything. It was as if that was the way that she had dealt with Nathan's death. That their brother had died, horribly. Neona had run off, and come back changed and anal. Blue had turned inward and began to tinker with more things. Creating her own creations, devices, and what not. But Neona had turned into something that was.. somewhat opposite of her little sister.

I am sure that it will be fine, most of your creations are.

There was nothing like coffee. Blue knew that she was addicted to it. She reached over, and grabbed herself a thick slice of the coffee cake and after it lay on her plate she grabbed up the large coffee pot and poured herself a bit of black coffee. It would be her sixth cup, but no one needed to know that at all. She heaped up more food on her plate. She grabbed up bacon, eggs, and some of the vegetarian elven treats that her mother had made for them this morning.

Tastes from her childhood.

When her sister talked about the city of Celestis. Blue was interested in the city. She wanted to know what the magic or tech that kept it afloat. Or had before it had fallen. She wanted to see it back in the air. It was one of her deeper dreams to be able to work on a project of that sort of magnitude. She wanted to be the kind of person that was important enough to be able to get her hands dirty on a great project like that.

Well let me know if you need my help with any parts, or theories. I would love to offer what I could.

That was about as excited as Blue got these days. Nothing except her work really excited her anymore. And besides that, she didn't have friends or anything that knew her well enough to know what got her all excited. People rotated around her. She was the sun and they were the planets. She was something that they traveled around but never actually interacted with. And she was fine with that. She did not wish for the drama.

She dug into their food with gusto. The coffee cake was first and the grunt slash moan that she elicited after the first bite would tell her sister what her mother was saying in words.

"Neona, this cake is delicious. I do not even care for this coffee substance, and yet the cake is so yummy. Thank you for making it for us."

Yep. Blue was definatly her father's daughter. Coffee to the end. She was probably half coffee. More than she was half elf. But that was a joke between her and her father and never uttered in front of their mother. Blue didn't dislike her elven heritage or anything, she merely thought it was a funny joke. Still, she could not help but glance over at her mother. She was glad for her family, and that they lived close enough she could visit, and yet at the same time she had distanced herself from them a great deal right after Nathan's death.

"People don't need be havin' opinions on things they know nothin' about." their father chimed in as he swallowed a large mouthful of food. Blue was much too busy in her carb overload process to really have much to say and so she pigged out more.

"Neona, darling, tell me, have you had any dates lately? Your father and I are hoping that you have found someone special with all your work with the courts as well as the humans"

Neona literally stopped mid way through her bite of scrambled eggs, it hung in the air off her fork as she stared at her mother for a moment. Dates...yeah...dates. Truth was, after what happened with Julian, and so soon after Nathan's death, Neona really didn't care that much about trying to start a relationship. Not only was her job very time consuming, she just didn't feel comfortable handing her heart out to any guy that came along just to please her over endearing mother. She put her vast amounts of love and emotion into everything else she did instead. From the coffee cake sitting before them, to the hours she spent on her wardrobe. For just a moment, Niara might have seen something of the Neona she'd known from childhood who constantly loved to play tricks on everyone in the household. That version of Neona still existed, it was just buried deep beneath layers of pain and heartbreak. She wasn't even sure she had a heart left to offer someone.

"There really isn't anyone I'm interested in Mom. Besides, I'm still young yet, either by Elven standards or Werewolf ones. Who knows how the mix of Elven blood will effect the magic of the Were, I could outlive you." Their mother was a full blooded elf, and no matter what she did, she was doomed to watch her husband grow old and die while she remained young. It was a fate Neona wasn't sure she wanted to repeat. Even Niara would outlive most humans.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about possibly nominating you for the project Niara. Your talents would be perfect. Celestis could use all the help they can get at this point I'm sure, and you aren't full blooded human so they'll be more apt to trust you. I'm heading out with a few of the delegates in a couple of days to tour the city and get a feel for what might be needed. I'll feel them out and see if I can't secure you a spot on the team." This bit she directed at Niara, trying to change the subject away from her nonexistent love life.

Blue was so glad she was the outcast right now.

Because, unlike her sister, she actually DID have a date coming up. But she wasn't going to mention that. Because she was almost certain she was reading the signs wrong. And she was even more certain it would go no where. Not because of her lack of interest in Jack, but because she was sure he didn't have the same interest in her. She appreciated the fact that he seemed to actually get her, and didn't think she was messed up. But on the other hand, she was sure it would end up like most guys that gave her any time of day.

Friends.

Not that friends were bad mind you, but they weren't exactly what the inner girl craved. Blue might be at home with grease and scrap metal but she was still a girl she still had dreams and wants and desires. But she doubted the more feminine side of those, would never come true.

You will honey, you're a beautiful girl, and I know that you will find someone. You're a great catch.

Blue fought not to roll her eyes. Sometimes, she appreciated the fact that she was so often overlooked. She swore her mom and dad just saw her as the third child, but a boy. They never really asked her about guys or anything, probably got tired of her rolling her eyes at them. But still, there were times that it really bothered her that they discounted her so easily. But she was used to it. Nathan was their golden child. Neona was their precious girl, and Blue was... Blue.

Sometimes, Blue had to remind herself that her name was actually Niara. She hadn't really gone by that at work. As soon as she had started New Dawn the guys and girls that she worked with had started calling her Blue because of her hair, and often a common color choice for her. She was so used to being called Blue now, that when people asked her what her name was she always said Blue. Neona mentioned that she was going to mention to the Celestis team that they should hire her for someone to consult and help them get the floating city back into the sky.

Her brows rose as her blue green eyes looked over at her sister.

Oh! Thanks Ne. That would be fantastic. I kind of wanted to, but I wasn't sure if I could, but if someone like you with your position puts my name in, I would.. really like that.

Sadly, Blue's eyes really lit up about this because it was work. And work was her favorite thing in the world. And so long as no one saw her around Jack and realized that she was into him, everything would be perfectly fine.

Wouldn't that be great! Niara! I think you would really enjoy that, you like getting dirty.

Blue's brows furrowed, and she nodded.

So, how did you get involved in the Celestis Project? she asked her sister trying to keep things flowing until she could get the hell out of here.

Niara wasn't the only one who had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. Neona rarely felt that urge but somehow it always tended to be around her family that it reared it's ugly head. She hid that urge by dishing herself up a portion of the coffee cake she'd spent the morning preparing. She did enjoy the taste of coffee, though she did not share her father and sister's love for it. Neona preferred tea, and often blended her own, using spices and flavorings she gathered from her trips to the other cities.

Speaking of her trips to the other cities.

"I took a trip to Elyria last week, young Princess Bel-et was celebrating her 16th birthday, and officially taking her place amongst the royal line. A small group of Diplomats of the Terran Guard were allowed to attend. I brought mother a gift." Pulling her large blue hand bag close to her, Neona pulled from it's depths a small ornate box. It was decorated in the blown stained glass the Elves were known for. The glass formed intricate and colorful designs of flowers and butterflies. Neona held it out to their mother, who took it in her slender fingers.

When opened, the box would play an old Elven lullaby, the same lullaby their mother sang to them when they were young. Neona knew how much Sk-ai missed her people. While there were a large contingent of Elves in Librium, she knew from experience that nothing could compare to the living tree city of Elyria. As young as it was, it was still amazing, and Neona had a hard time understanding the scope of it's growth. She knew they had accelerated the growth of the founding trees until they could properly support basic functions, but to think that Elyria wasn't done growing astounded her.

"Oh Nys-Elmiy, this is lovely." Their mother closed their eyes a moment to listen to the soft music that filled the room as she opened the box.

Neona let their mother enjoy her present while she answered her sister's question. "It seems the Elves have taken a liking to me, despite my human blood. The Avians requested my involvement to help with negotiations between themselves and the Humans so everything goes smoothly as they try to repair their city. My visit later, along with other delegates of the ruling classes, is to tour the city and assess the damage. Then we can decide if returning the city to it's home is viable option."

Blue was glad she was not in the elven world. Heavily, in their culture. She didn't mind being elven. Secretly, she adored that half of her. She felt that it made her someone special, being not normal. Being that she was two fighting sides of a war that Terra herself had ended, and yet at the same time, she felt like people could see her that easily. Tell that she was not completely human, especially because of her eyes. Most people assumed the blue streaks in her hair were highlights that she had placed there herself. But never really assumed they were natural. Her eyes she didn't and couldn't really hide. She supposed she could have hired someone for a glamour, or perhaps even some sort of device that made her eyes some specific color. But she was proud of her heritage even if she did not say it often.

But when Neona started coming out with how she had gone to the princes' party, and how she had brought Mother back a gift, Blue really did roll her eyes. Her sister the suck up. Blue had constantly built things for her family when she was younger. Her father used some of it, but her mother being elven had not taken to much of anything because she preferred to use the most natural elements that she could. She even cooked with wood utensils and used sharpened rock knives instead of metal ones.

Blue had never really fit in. Especially, after Nathan's death, and she was still very bitter often enough about her sister and her little jaunt to freedome while Niara was still at home dealing with being the forgotten child, with her sister gone.. her brother dead.. they didn't cling to the one daughter that remained they mourned the two they had lost.

I see. Well I wish you luck, sister.

Blue pushed her plate away and then she rose. Taking the plate into the other room to rinse off in the kitchen. Looking out over the garden that her mother had planted. Outside of her room, that was Blue's favorite place in the world. It was kind of like a secret garden someone could get lost in there. But Blue knew all it's ins and outs, all the secret hiding places, and where all the best nooks were that you couldn't be seen unless someone knew exactly where you were. She had spent a lot of time out there when her sister came back and became the golden child again.

You still feel like an outsider. Her father's voice came from behind her and Blue turned, looking around her father to see that Neo and her mother were having their own conversation and then her eyes shifted back to her father.

It is what I am, I accept this, but there are times it is a hard lesson to remember.

You are still our daughter, Niara.

I know that, I'm not saying I am not. But I am not elven like mother, or fancy like Neona, or brave like you...

You took your own path, Niara, and that, in itself is brave.

She shrugged. She really didn't see it that way, and yet she wanted to because then it meant that maybe she wasn't completely worthless. She may be the kind of woman that is usually confident and exudes that all the time, but there were times, like these Sunday's that she really felt like the little girl that had lost her brother, sister, and her parents all in one day, when her brother's death had reached them.

Kale turned off the road and onto the drive that led up to the Tiran home, glancing about a moment at the familiar sight of Sky’s gardens (he’d never properly learned to pronounce her name without sounding like an idiot, so he’d given her a nickname that sounded about right and stuck with that. Sometimes, you could barely see the house for the overgrowth, but it was early enough in the spring that her usual jungle canopy had yet to fully blossom, so he could still make out the walls behind the branches, as well as the path to the front door. He knew that path perfectly well either way, so the Colonel drew the Jeep up to his usual parking space near the walkway and killed the engine. The mana-fueled core spun down with a faint whine before going dead, and Kale took his hands from the wheel, rubbing momentarily at his palms. The feedback between his power and the aura of a vehicle always made for a slightly uncomfortable low-level interference, even now, though it was simple enough to cope with. Perhaps he was just getting old finally…

Shaking that thought off with a sharp movement of his head, he pushed the door open and climbed out, moving over to the backseat to withdraw the few small items he had brought, tucking the package under his arm once he’d gathered it up into one manageable clump and making his way toward the door. As was typical for him while off duty, he wore a simple, black leather bomber jacket over a T-shirt and a pair of jeans, no doubt concealing a weapon or several under his clothes, but that much was essentially to be assumed. The Tiran family knew Kale well enough to know he didn’t come without something hidden. He just didn’t talk about it. Ben had his weapons hidden about, Kale was sure… the man had always been an excellent soldier, even if (to the minds of his superiors, back during the war) his judgment had always been severely in question. Kale had never felt that way… at least, not after a certain period of adjustment. “Sky” had not ALWAYS been an endearing nickname. The elven woman had been kinder to him than he had really deserved.

Once he’d reached the door he reached up, rapping three times against the heavy oak barrier, and stood still as he waited, listening. Some part of him always expected to encounter something horrible when he came… Ben and Sky had not always had a peaceful life together. The persecution of being a union as they were had been intense on occasion, even after the end of the war, and Kale had himself ‘dissuaded’ a handful of attackers back in those early days. He had never told either of them, but he suspected they knew he had kept an eye out at the expense of his own sleep time on several occasions. Even before he had fully come to accept it himself, he hadn’t been willing to see Ben or the woman he loved hurt. That had, perhaps, been the first crack in his own wall of hatred for Sky’s kind, even if it had been years before he had really allowed his guard to lower around her. Considering Sky herself, he considered resisting her charms that long to be both an achievement and a testament to his own almost unforgivable pigheadedness at the time.

Of course, with Ben in the kitchen with Blue, it was Sk-ai who excused herself from the table, came to the entryway, and opened the door. "Kale! Welcome! You’re just in time for brunch, come in!"

Kale had just enough time to say "Hello Sky, it’s good to see yo-" before she pulled him across the threshold, and he put an arm around her in a hug, holding the elven woman tight and smiling. "I didn’t come for the food, but I won’t complain." he admitted, letting her go, though she kept his hand as she led him back out into the dining room.

"Nys-Elmiy, look who’s here." she said as she brought him into the room, and Kale lifted a hand, giving Neona a wave as he followed the elf, a touch sheepish. As reserved and dry as Kale had always been, Sk-ai and Neona’s shared… irrepressibleness sometimes put him off his balance. "Sit, eat, I’ll go get Ben."

"Hey, Goldie. How’re things on the diplomatic front?" Kale said, glancing off to the side as Sk-ai walked off and Kale moved to take an empty seat at the table, though after a hug from Neona as well if she subjected him – he certainly wouldn’t shy away. Solitary though his existence was, the Tirans were family. The only one he had, outside his troops. Once he made it to the seat he would start to load up a plate, biting a chunk off a piece of thick bacon and setting the small package he’d brought along at the side of his cushion.

Despite all her tries to connect with her sister, Neona still knew when Blue shut her out. It was like a knife digging into her soul and it made the wolf within her whine. It seemed like there was nothing Goldie could do to reach her sister. As Niara left, Goldie took a moment to center herself, to sooth the wolf. She took a deep breath in and slowly let it out. Sk-ai reached out and set her hand on Neona's, giving it an understanding squeeze as Ben rose to follow Niara into the kitchen. "Do not worry Nys-Elmiy, she loves you, just as you love her." Goldie gave her mother a warm smile and returned the consoling squeeze.

Just then the sound of someone knocking on the door echoed slightly and Neona arched a brow in question to her mother. Sunday's were reserved for family time, Sk-ai's attempt at keeping what was left of their family together. Sk-ai simply gave her daughter a mischievous smile and got up from their table to answer the door. Neona glanced down to her blue bag once more, eying the wrapped box that peeked out. She hadn't just brought a gift for their mother, she'd also brought a gift for Niara, though she was unsure how her sister would respond to the gift. Maybe she'd made a mistake for even trying.

The sound of Kale's voice filtering in from the Foyer brightened her spirits a bit however. Her fellow Terran Guard always did know how to make her feel better. She waited until Kale moved to sit at the table before leaning over to hug him, placing a soft kiss on his cheek in greeting. You should try my coffee cake, brand new recipe and you must tell me how it tastes." Neona didn't even wait for Kale to agree or disagree before she was cutting a portion of the cake and placing it on his plate. "I'm sure you've heard about the tour of Celestis next week. As I'm sure you can imagine I am so excited I can hardly sit still."

Goldie's near constant level of happiness was usually infectious, accept for her sister who seemed to resent it. She rarely let anything get her down, rarely let anything anger her. Anger for a Were could be dangerous, and near her sister and her father whom she could pass the the curse to with one bite at the wrong time...very dangerous. While she had come to terms with her new life, even come to enjoy it, she would never willingly force another to join her on this wild path. She wasn't a pacifist by choice, it was how she kept the wolf calm, docile.

Her mind was still on the gift wrapped box peeking out of her bag, at the time she had thought it had been a good idea....but would Niara accept the gesture or would she throw it back in her face like she did nearly everything Neona did to try and tell her sister that she loved her? Would she forever be trying to apologize for running away?

You push Neona and the rest of us away.

Blue shrugged. She had been pushed away as a child. She knew that she should get over these bitter feelings. Neona leaving, her parents falling into a deep depression not to mention the way that they overlooked their only daughter. When Neona came back it was like air came back into the family. They still breathed, but Neona was the only thing that held them all together. Even now, while she cared for her parents, she felt like, deep down inside, she showed up for Neona and not her parents.

I do not know what to say, I try my best, I show up every week. I call Neona and Mother from time to time. I make efforts.

You do the bare minimum and you know it Niara. You could put forth more effort. You know your mother would like to spend time with you, but you are too busy at work.

Blue looked out the window again and ducked her head. In a way, he was right. It was much easier to hide herself. To stay behind the shell that she had created around herself and just live her life the way she wanted to. But before she could answer, her mother entered the kitchen and cut the tension easily as she smiled.

Ar-aiel, your Uncle Kane has come to visit.

Blue's eyes lit up as she spun and headed out of the room. Sure enough next to Neona was her Uncle Kane biting into Neona's recent concotion. Blue moved up behind her favorite Uncle and gave him a hug from behind a nice smile on her face as she did this. Her Uncle had always been very kind to the girls. She knew that it had not always been so with her mother, but Blue had never suffered at his hand. She slid off his back smoothely and down on the cushion beside him.

What brings you out today? Did you hear we were going to be here? I haven't seen you in a very long time. What have you been up to? she asked him curiously as she poured herself a cup of tea and seasoned it with organic honey that her mother had coaxed out of some beehive somewhere. You will like Neona's cake, she takes after Mother with her excellent kitchen skills.

Kale wrapped his arms around Neona and held her for a moment, kissing her just above the eyebrow in return for hers on his cheek, then he let her go and sit back, chuckling as she already began putting more food on his plate. "I just remembered why I don’t come over here all the time – I’d get fat if I did." he commented with his usual dry tone, though he smiled and took a fork to dig in to the coffee cake first, since Neona was so obviously enthusiastic that he try it.

"It’s delicious as usual. And yes, I heard about the tour. You have a protector assigned for it. Celestis isn’t exactly considered a danger zone, but there are protocols, and that means someone’s got to be following you around." he said, giving her a light smile. He doubted she would complain, Neona almost never complained, but he was also fairly certain she didn’t care to have security around all the time. That was normal, diplomats never did. In the same way that soldiers almost never liked diplomats. He and Ben hadn’t, back in the day. Then again… it was hard not to like Neona. Even if she wasn’t your god-daughter.

Blue came out not a few seconds after, and he looked up when she came up to his back, putting his arms up and around her a bit too for a hug, smiling. "A few too many questions at once, Niara. So let’s see. Visiting, Yes, I know and I’m sorry about that, and just the usual work for the Guard. Keeping the peace, making sure bad people don’t get up to anything, the usual. Hello, Ben." Kale’s grin widened as his old comrade walked into the room, and he pushed himself up to his feet, grabbing Ben’s hand and giving it a shake that the man returned, before they pulled each other in for a half hug.

"Good to see you, Kale."

"You too, Ben. I’m glad to see all of you, sorry it’s been such a long time. There’ve been… things I had to take care of." Even if none of the rest of them did, Kale was fairly certain Ben had a good idea exactly what it was Kale did. He knew what he’d done during the war, there was little reason to suspect he’d be doing anything different. He also thought the man knew, because he caught that disapproving big brother look lingering behind Ben’s eyes. He’d given him that talk before, that he should retire and settle down… That just wasn’t in Kale’s future. Ben had gotten the girl, settled down, had the family… that was his. And Kale was happy for him. Besides, Ben’s family was his family, he didn’t need to go looking for another, now did he?

"Actually, though." he said, looking to Blue this time and pulling a folder out of his bag and dropping it in her lap. "I have some schematics I’d like for you to look over. The usual consulting fee of course, I just get the feeling the engineer they put on the project is blowing smoke up my…" he trailed off her, glancing to Sky, then looked to Blue again. "… is exaggerating the capabilities of his equipment, I mean. I’m hoping you can tell me exactly how, maybe even come up with something better. If you’ve got the time." Blue had her own job, but Kale brought her work from time to time. It was good to have someone you trusted… and he had been trying for years to get the bureaucrats to piss off with the asshats they kept hiring and just find someone competent.

"I also have some seeds one of the science teams brought back.. they said they thought it was something new, but they’re actually common enough in Elyria. I thought you girls might like them." he said, patting the other box he brought, here of course meaning Sk-ai and Neona. He wasn’t always the best with gifts… Blue was easy enough because she liked practical things, but… ah hell. He could already hear Ben laughing.

"I always find it odd that they assign a babysitter to a werewolf, I realize it's only really the Director and a few of his office who even know...but I just feel like whoever gets assigned to me should be out doing something more useful. Guess it's all this 'keeping appearances' stuff, if I walked around by myself all the time, people would start to wonder why I didn't need a protector." Neona often did that, solving her own problems as she talked, though she went silent as Niara entered the room once more.

A smile she just couldn't help curled her lips as Niara complimented her cooking, it was often Niara said such things and truly meant them and Neona filed it away in her mind very carefully. She was glad her sister and her father had rejoined them, Kale of course had to deal with the volley of questions from Niara but that was nothing new. Neona understood that Niara's mind worked differently, and faster, then most people. She sometimes had to be reminded to slow down so that everyone else could keep up.

Goldie returned to her own plate of food, not wanting to interrupt Niara and Kale, she was glad to see that he had brought a gift for her sister. Niara was in need of a bit of cheering up and schematics for something that would go far over Neona's head would be just the thing to make her happy. New projects always seemed to lift Niara's spirits, Neona just seemed to be bad at helping Niara find those projects.

She giggled softly as Kale caught himself just before cursing in front of their mother, who greatly detested the use of such vile human words in her home. At the mention of seeds, Neona turned her gaze to her mother and the both of them smiled at each other. While Neona was utterly horrible keeping plants alive in her own home due to her very busy schedule, she did love to help her mother in the gardens when she got the chance.

"Well, since everyone is passing out gifts, I suppose I should finish mine." Neona said, reaching into her bag and pulling out the small gift wrapped box with her lithe fingers. She set the box in front of Niara. "I found this in Elyria, finding a shaman who remembered the old ways enough to enchant it took some time." When Niara opened the small jewelry box, a blue crystal hanging from a silver chain would greet her eyes.Neona reached up to her own neck to pull on the silver chain, a gold crystal revealing itself from where it had been hiding in her shirt. The chain would be long enough to hide the pendant if necessary, but it also had special attachments so that it could be shortened and displayed properly.

"There is an old tradition amongst the Elves, siblings were given these necklaces when they reached the age of 13. they were designed to alert them if something were to harm a sibling. The tradition has mostly been forgotten, though a few of the old families still use it. I thought it would be a good way for us to get to know our elven heritage a bit more." Neona bit her lower lip as she waited for Niara's response. She had no idea how her practical and technological sister would react to such a gift.

Uncle Kale was by far the best. She loved the way that he accepted her so readily. She didn't feel out of place when she was hanging out with her Uncle. he understood her a bit better than most. Knowing that she liked the more technological ways of things, the way that she had fixed his car numerous times when he drove that crap hole to their house and back home from time to time. It almost always needed something done to it before he could leave.

Blue's eyes could not have lit up more than when her Uncle told her that he had schematics that he needed her to look over. Perfect. Just the thing she could really dig her hands into. He wanted to make sure that someone wasn't pulling his chain, and that he was getting what he wanted. She looked over at her Uncle glad that he had brought something for her because that meant the world to her. Not to mention that it gave her something she could do, do well, and spend time doing.

I would really like that, show them to me when ever you're ready.

Her father was already chuckling about the gift that he had brought her sister and mother. Seeds. She knew that her mother would be estatic, and Neo liked to help her in the garden. Blue never had time for such things. But there were times that she spent time in the gardens, forests, and parks that she could find sometimes just to be with the nature. To feel it moving with her as she breathed in and out, filling her essence, and her aura.

But she wasn't one to admit or talk about that. It seemed a little bit intimate.

Neona mentioned that she had more gifts and set a little box in front of her. Blue looked over at her sister, and she let her brow rise. She had not.. expected a gift. Had gotten nothing for her sister at all. Though Blue didn't travel much if at all. Though she had always made her sister things that would help her in her line of work or just in her general life. She would outfit any place that her sister lived. She would do anything for her sister. They might not have a lot in common but even still, Neona was her sister.

Blue opened the box to see a simple blue colored gem on a silver chain. Blue lifted the jewelry out of the box and she held it up to the light. Her technologically advanced mind already counting the facets and measuring how semetrical they were when Neona's words infiltrated on her thoughts and she returned her eyes back to her sister.

When her sister said that the crystals, now matching but different colors, were worn by siblings they would always know if their sister was in danger or just fine. Blue's eyes shifted back away from her sister and to the gem that she now cradled in the palm of her hand and then back to her sister.

Never.. had Blue been so touched by a gift in all her life.

Oh.. Neo...

She was so touched. Especially, considering the way that their brother had died all of a sudden in the war. The way they had no way to know until the knock came at the door. That had changed their lives forever. With Neona traveling so much, Niara did her best not to think about where her sister was and if she was okay. She knew that Neo could take care of herself. But, in the same breath she always worried that she would not see her sister again. She was often cold and distant from her sister but she still loved him. She loved her whole family she just didn't really show it in anyway that was easily known.

Thank you. I will wear it always, if you wear yours. She put on the crystal and tucked it underneath her shirt where it rested comfortably against her chest. She was glad for it. It made her feel more secure about Neona and all the traveling that she did. It made her feel like she might even have control over it, or might be able to intervene if something was happening to her sister.

Blue cleared her throat, to get herself back on a more normal track but her fingers stayed close to the pendant hidden under her shirt.Those.. schematics, Uncle Kale?

Kale watched Neona and Sky for a moment, just to make sure the gift went over well, but let out a slow breath at the smiles. "Oh, good. I was worried for a moment there." he said, before he turned back to his food and resumed eating for a time, particularly while Neona launched into her own little bit of gift giving. Apparently, he’d come with that sort of thing at the right time. One of those lucky coincidences, perhaps.

He sat back with the parents, though, and smiled a bit as the two had their own sisterly moment… they had been entirely too rare between the two for the last several years, Kale was more than aware of that. It had been something he’d nudged at in his own quiet way from time to time, but it had never been his place to say anything tremendously overt, and so he had generally kept his mouth shut. Except, of course, for the few occasions where one of them was being truly stupid. Kale had always been rather the opposite of shy when it came to pointing THAT out, regardless of whether or not it was really his problem.

Well… that wasn’t exactly right, either. If he was family of a sort, as he seemed to be, then it was at least his problem to some extent. But then again, he had his own issues with it. He’d been the one trying to look after their brother, but in a war there were never guarantees. Like his father, he’d been a good soldier. Sometimes even that just wasn’t enough.

After Neona asked him about what he’d brought, he reached into the bag and pulled out a roll of paper, along with a small data-storage device. "No rush on it. I won’t bore the rest of the family with the sciencey details, frankly they’re not my thing as it is. Just have a look at them tonight or whenever you have downtime. It’s not the most time-sensitive job, though it is important. You’ll understand what it’s for I’m sure, I’m just not supposed to say." That was typical of how Kale worked. He wasn’t allowed to tell her outright, but he’d made sure to include enough info that she would be able to deduce the larger picture, even if most people wouldn’t. Kale had never been fond of keeping his own people in the dark, slightly ironic given his actual job.

Ben spoke up then, looking back over to Kale. "Do you think you’ll be visiting the formerly floating city with Neona? We did see it before, but…"

Kale glanced back to him, meeting his old friend’s eyes and catching the meaning. Aha… so Ben found it a bit irregular, too. That made sense enough… "I hadn’t decided… but then, a soldier or two will be going."

Goldie didn't realize she was holding her breath until she saw the look on Blue's face and she let it out in relief. With everything had happened to their family, first Nathan and then Neona's own shocking transformation such a short time later, Niara and Neona had grown apart. A canyon stood between them, but Goldie felt that perhaps that canyon had gotten just a little bit smaller today. Her lips curled into a smile as Niara placed the crystal around her neck and hid it under her shirt. Neona replaced her own back in it's hiding place, she'd have plenty of time to explain it's effects at a later date.

It was obvious that Blue was a bit overcome with emotion, changing the subject to try and keep herself under control. Neona didn't push it, she had gotten closer to what she wanted...her sister back. As her father spoke, Neona turned her golden eyes on her father with a chiding look. "Father, I'm sure Kale has far more important things to be doing then tagging along on a mission where nothing is going to happen to me. Everyone in this room knows I can take care of myself. Having guards is just a formality anyway so others don't' find out my secret. Kale is bound to have better things to do with his time." She was staring at her father through this, chiding him much as he had once chided her in her youth, but she shot a look at Kale that dared him to fight her on this. She hated wasting everyone's time taking guards with her anyway, it was pointless, she only did it because she had no say in the matter apparently.

It was obvious Neona's fur was ruffled, though she appreciated her father's concern for what it was, it was still annoying. She comforted her bruised emotions with another piece of her coffee cake and some more eggs....and some bacon. She was technically a carnivore now, and no amount of willpower would let her skip the bacon. She'd tried not eating meat in the beginning, when she was experimenting with the triggers for her furry side...it hadn't ended well. It seemed just not getting into violent situations was the only way to keep the beast calm and docile so she didn't risk harming the family she was currently surrounded by.