< Co-Written with Mami, Ajia & Rico>

"Aja, you shouldn't drive so fast." Mami said in that motherly tone, from the passenger seat while she was looking out the window at the scenery flying by. Not that Aja was going that fast, but Mami wasn't used to riding in a car yet and it probably seemed like she was flying.

"Mami. You could worry the pope crazy." Aja grinned as she drove out of RhyDin City back to Arcadia. Mami's motherly demeanor never bothered her much, she'd always taken it with a grain of salt, so to speak. She knew it was just the way the lady was..."And I'm not speeding. Ya oughta ride with yer son."

Ajia was sitting in the back, her head lulling back, listening to the conversation taking place up front and wondering if Mami ever stopped the mother mode.

"I've ridden with Rico. He drives nicer." Mami was saying to Aja now turning her head to look at her. Aja only snickered a little at that comment.

"Cause he's got you in the car. And notice, you never go that far?" Aja asked Mami grinning making Ajia smirk from her place in the back, wondering if he's really driven for Mami, like he does for her. Mami paused then smiled.

"Valid point." Mami conceded to Aja on that one, realizing that for her, Rico was likely behaving.

"Thank you." Aja said with a small chuckle, it wasn't very often that Mami would back off on her observations, but on occasion Aja could get her to see it another way.

"When will you let me let the crew get started on that bridge?"

Mami asked her then, and Aja's left hand came up to rub the spot on her head that had a sudden burst of pain. It wasn't Mami's fault that it happened. With the recent troubles Aja had been having with her head, certain stressful topics would send a twinge of pain. It was out of sight of Mami, but Ajia would've seen it if she was looking. The easiest and less painful way out of the bridge discussion with Mami for the moment was to give in.

"You can start them Monday, Mami."

Aja glanced in the mirror seeing Ajia's concern, both at her and what she said to Mami. She was sure she had heard about the bridge project Mami wanted to do from Rico.

"Wonderful. I thought you were going to try to talk me out of that." Mami smiled over at Aja.

"Is that even possible?" Aja grinned to throw Mami off. Truth be told, that had been the plan, but her head hurt too much when she attempted to think about it, and she didn't want to kill anyone tonight. She was focused on getting them home and not alerting Mami to the situation with her head.

So she grinned a bit as the car approached the Arcadian border, that section between RhyDin City and Arcadia that appeared like a shadowy block of light mist stretching across the road. To strangers it would appear as a fluke of the weather. To those magically inclined, it may set their senses tingling slightly, but never alert them to the true purpose of the wards.

"I think you could stare down a statue if you wanted." Aja quipped to Mami making Ajia silently snickers in her spot at the way Aja and Mami were talking.

"Aja. Mami said sternly.

"Mami." Aja shot right back to her grinning. They passed the border and Aja heads straight down the main drag into town, towards the yard gate.

"You are impossible."

"But you love me." Aja shot her another bright smile, sending a wink to Ajia via the rear view mirror. "Surprised you aren't interrogating Ajia back there. You love to be nosy." Ajia grimaced in her spot and glanced to Mami. Oh Rico is going to love this, her being put on the spot by his mother. He probably liked it.

"Do not scare the girl. I have time to get to know her. I would imagine you are doing what you can to keep her here in Arcadia."

"Of course." Aja pulled up to the house and parks the car in front of the garage gets out and goes around to open Mami's door. "See" Yer home in one piece, safe and sound. I'll see you in the morning?"

Ajia bit her lip gently, her fingers fumbling at her skirt for something to do.

"You aren't coming in?" Mami looked between the sisters curious as to what they were planning to do if not come in and go to sleep.

"Nah. Gonna snag sis and go hide out." Aja grinned at Mami, trying to appear as if she was telling a joke or kidding around, but Ajia would've known differently, or at least Aja hoped she did. "Ya know. Plot to take over the world." Aja grinned making Ajia eye up Aja carefully, then shook her her head at Mami's question.

"We have some business to discuss Ma'am. We'll not be gone too long." Ajia's answer made Mami smile. 'At least one of the girls was smart enough to know they couldn't keep up the pace Aja seemed to like to run at.'

"At least one of you is sensible. Working all day long and then thinking you can stay out all night." Mami started to walk to the house still talking to the girls. "I swear Aja, you think you're superwoman or something. You know, you can't run on fumes all the time." Ajia got out of the back and moved to the front seat as she spoke to Mami.

"Thank you Ma'am, I'll get her home soon." Ajia said and Aja furrowed her brow a little.

"Do not encourage her." Aja shot a wink to Ajia to let her know she wasn't upset then looked back to Mami. "I'll be home later. You just worry about getting yer ownself ta bed. Eh?"

"Fine. When you drop at a dead faint, do not complain to me." That motherly tone was back in full force as she looked at Aja. Ajia just smiled at Mami and Aja snapped her fingers as she said wryly.

"Damn." She grinned broadly at Mami. "Cause that's exactly what I was going to do." Aja waved Mami off. "Go on. I'll see ya in the morning." she grinned at Mami who just sighed. Ajia glanced to her sister.

"You'll not be dropping dead on my watch." She said seriously. Mami smiled at the sisters now bantering, she disappeared inside making a mental note to speak to Aja later on.

"There go my plans fer tomorrow." she shot Ajia a wink then to let her in on the joke. "Depending on where we're planning on hiding out, we could either grab drinks here or ...down at the Lair."

"Floor it Aja....I need to get drunk." Ajia gave Aja a smirk. "Lair it sister."

"Ya gotta behave there. Yer nephew thinks yer the good one." Aja chuckled and slid back behind the wheel. As she drove them out of the yards and through the gate, Aja started changing from her skirt to a pair of jeans she had stashed in her bag. Aja parked in front of the Dragon's Lair.

Aja drank some of the tequila then, then leaned her head back to exhale slow. The thoughts of the day coming back in pieces making her sigh.

"What a flippin day." Aja ran a hand through her hair and watched her sister. Ajia tipped back her glass and swallowed the shot easy.

"Effin hated today." Ajia's tone had the slightly bit of pout to it. Aja perked a brow to it.

"What happened to you?" Aja asked curiously, kicking her feet up on the edge of the table, getting comfortable. Ajia leaned her head back, both her eyes closing while she rubbed her temples.

"I feel like he's side lining me Aja." Ajia said making Aja perk a brow.

"Rikki" Aja asked assuming she meant Rico, but Ajia shook her head in the negative.

"Tristan."

"Tristan?" Aja blinked in confusion at that. She was unaware that her sister had been spending anytime with Tristan.

" I show him my plans and he goes bananas. Says they're good, but he's only taken a glance at them." Ajia explained and Aja nodded as she listened.

"Well. In his defense, at the moment. He's crazy as a shit house rat." she had a small grin that faded off quickly when she realized how true that really was. Ajia shook her head in dismay, frowning against her glass.

"Maybe we should hit him over the head?"

"Not that he knew a lot about building houses prior. He was more administrative guy." Aja thought of who Tristan used to be, the years gone by making it hard to remember everything clearly. "But he liked workin. Just never got in much on the planning part." Aja looked towards the wall then thinking about Tristan then and now. Different didn't cover it.

"I don't know what his deal is." Ajia grumbled making Aja wonder why it possibly mattered at the moment.

"He has Padriq Kidd stuck in his head." Aja chuckled wryly at the piece of information. She looked at her sister curiously then. "Did you ever get to meet Padriq more than once or twice?"

"No." Ajia shook her head.

"Ah. Well. How to describe Padriq Kidd?" Aja considered how to relate who Padriq was for a moment. "The one that was here...before." she clarified what time space she was talking about. "Very...full speed kind of guy. Never seemed to have any use for the phrase slow but steady." It was an understatement that made her laugh a little. "He wanted what he wanted, and he wanted it now. Regardless of how other people might've been freaked out by that."

Trevor reentered the back room long enough to put down a tray with smokes, a lighter, some sandwiches and snacks. He paused to smile at his mother and aunt before disappearing out the door again.

Aja smiled seeing Trevor come and go so quietly. Her son was more like her than she had ever imagined. Or he just managed to pick up a lot of her habits over the years.

Ajia saluted kiddo as he left. She leaned and took up the pack of smokes and packed it before opening them up. Her hand offered one to her sister, though she doubted she'd take one. There was a lot she still didn't know about her sister and her habits.

"Sounds a bit like you.." Ajia said. "But not as hasty." Aja considered the smoke before taking it. A habit they had in common it seemed and added wrly.

"Hasty gets people killed." it was all she was likely to say about that, she leaned forward for Ajia to light the smoke. Ajia lit Aja's cigarette then her own. Taking a deep breath and lulling her head back slowly.

"Mmm....Then we need to fix Tristan."

Aja leaned back in her chair, exhaling the smoke towards the ceiling and looked over at Ajia.

"The ten million plat question is how." Aja sighed then thought about the argument the sisters had earlier. "Ya know, before...when I was being all insistent and bossy about you going out there.." Aja waved a hand towards the wall in the direction of the ocean. "It wasn't that I didn't think you couldn't make a difference." She looked at Ajia seriously. "There's just a lot I don't say about my life before. Stuff that Rico won't speak about either." Aja pressed her lips together for a moment. There was a lot about her life that she simply didn't speak about. Horrible traumas that she had locked away in the far corners of her brain in order to go on being something close to "normal". She looked at Ajia evenly, she had to tell Ajia something or she would run off and get her fool head cut off. "There's even some stuff he doesn't know. I rather you not get caught up in some old vendetta someones got fer me."

Ajia had sensed there was more coming of those stories and nodded picking up her glass and taking a drink.

"My life....it was roses compared to yours."

"Maybe in places." Aja wasn't sure why her sister seemed to think it was some contest. A comparison in pain. She certainly didn't see it that way. She just needed her to know what was possible out there on the blue. "Not saying mine completely sucked. But it took years before I had full control over it." Aja took a moment to sip her drink and gather her thoughts together before she continued speaking. "The Quistguards are a dangerous clan. Powerful, vindictive, relentless in their quest for power.?

Aja watched her sister with a grin. Familiarity bred community food it seemed. She wouldn't complain, it meant that at least a small piece of her sister had finally realized that they were equal.

"Hate when they automatically assume that cause ya got boobs that somehow yer helpless and stupid." Aja said and Ajia narrowed her eyes remembering something.

"Pricks....I was always treated that way." Aja grinned at that small bit of spark from Ajia.

"There is one drawback to us lookin like we do. But we're damn hot." Aja gave Ajia a wink. "Comes in handy. "They see us, and hey...not our fault their brain goes gutterward. Helpful though, cause they drop their guard." She chuckled then. "Can't tell ya how many guards I slipped us past just being all flirty." Ajia snickered at that.

"Mmmhmm. Agreed." Aja smiled at her sister's comment then continued more seriously then.

"Drawback being, we catch attention whether we want it or not. Mom was a looker." Aja smiled softly thinking about their parents. "Dad was one of those handsome devils. Like they weren't quite human or something." Aja gave a long look towards the ceiling as if she was trying to see them again. "Only seen pictures though. Heard a few stories about them."

Ajia sighed listening to Aja. She didn't even have that much of their parents. She had a few pictures and the image of the alternative reality version of her parents. It never seemed like enough. She wanted more. To hear them. Hold them. But it was something none of them would ever have. Ajia glanced over at her sister and then down to her glass.

"Wish none of it happened. Wish I could have known them."

Aja simply nodded to that statement. Many times, in small daydreams, she had wished for the same thing.

"Me too, sis. Me too."

"If wishes were horses." she thought for a moment before draining the rest of the alcohol in her glass.

"Ajay only remembers small bits, and I envy him for that." Aja reached for the bottle, pausing for a moment thinking about what she just said. "Maybe he got the worst end of that. He knew what it was like to have them and then lost them." Aja poured another glass. "And Serm." . Now Aja scoffed. "He wanted power. Ripped us all apart to get what never came to him."

Ajia shook her head slowly, a slight twinge of bitterness rushing through her chest.

"Makes me wonder what we'd be up to today." Aja shrugged to Ajia's pondering.

"Running round Ballentine?" She had thought about it once or twice. Who would she be if things had been different. If her parents had lived. If she never knew the Quistguards. "We wouldn't be here. Wouldn't know these people, this world."

Ajia nodded stiffly.

"You'd probably wouldn't have hated dresses so much and I wouldn't have found Rico..." Aja lifted her glass, pausing midway.

"Ain't gonna say I'd want anything else. I got the kids, good friends, family I made." She looked over at the mention of Rico. "And him." she chuckled a little. "Might be days I wish I was the loner type, but the tiny price of privacy is worth the amount of love of all those people."

Ajia glanced at Aja then, frowning softly and sighing out.

"You don't want to be a loner Aja, it's no fun..." Her eyes closed, fingers pinching the bridge of her nose, "Your boyfriend, who's been your sister's life long friend would expect you to act just like your sister and take a while to get used to the fact that your different."

She tipped back the remainder of her glass and fills it again.

"Patience is a virtue though....Just like foreplay. Least that's what he says." a small smirk formed on her lips, yet faltered when she continued,

"Frankly if foreplay's like this....It's a wonder women don't hate it." Aja grinned over at Ajia.

"Ah, well that answers that question." Aja snickered a little. She had been wondering how Rico was managing to separate the two sisters. "Parker and me were wondering how he was getting past that." she grinned at Ajia. "Sorry. Don't mean ta laugh. But Rikki's been my buddy fer frickin ever. I'm finding him more amusing more than anything else. And Patience. Ain't never been a Bird trait." Aja chuckled again at that understatement. "Well, not fer us girls anyway. Ajay's got a tremendous amount. Maybe he got it all." There was a warm smile at the mention of Ajay. Ajia looked over her glass at her sister.

"I just....well....I dunno. I just want him to warm up to me."

"You wanna get naked with him." Aja teased her with a wink. "Ain't nothing wrong with that. Boy's a certified hottie." That made Aja laugh again and look over at Ajia. "Weird fer me ta say it, but I ain't deaf or blind. Should've seen the women fallin over him in the ports we'd go to."

She shook her head at her sister's teasing. Part of her did "lust' for him, but moreover part of her just wanted....she just wanted to be seen more or less for who she was, and show him how she truly felt.

"It's different with him...I'd wait the worlds for him....If it took forever I'd do it. I just wish he didn't see you when he looks at me." Ajia seemed to pout at that and Aja chuckled a little.

"Well, less you suddenly become not my twin, then I think yer just gonna have to let the man adjust." It was the only advice Aja knew to give. She knew Rico well enough, but even this was a little outside of normal operations for them. "He can tell us apart. Which is more than a lot of people can do 'round this town." Aja thought of the town folk that were, bless their hearts, trying. But would still get them confused.

Ajia tipped back her glass, downing a few mouth fulls. Once the glass is emptied her eyes close for a moment, allowing her to process what?s been racing through her mind.

"I know he can tell us apart, but he's still expecting me to smack him for playing with my hair." She said and Aja started to laugh. Tremendously. Ajia stared at her sister like she lost her mind. Aja caught her breath and smiled at Ajia.

"Oh lord." Aja said as she wiped her eyes. "This one time, while back when we first met. He thought it was tremendous fun to pull my hair." Aja was chuckling still as she recalled that time in her past. "First he got swatted, then I full out hit him. The last time, I hung him upside down over the desk and threatened to let the crew play pinata. Not that Tanner would let me." Aja pouted for a little bit then broke into a fond smile. "But he remembers. Does it now once in a while, just to mess with me."

A small set of laughs left Ajia as she grinned to her twin sister, Aja

"And the shark bait issue?"

"Ah, he told you about that?" Aja laughed a little thinking of the incident in question and decided it needed explaining. "Well, when we first met Rikki...he had a chip the size of a mountain on him. Didn't like half breeds or even full breeds of much but human." Aja thought about the man Rico had been then compared to the man he was now. She didn't candy coat the truth. "He was pretty intolerant." Another cigarette found itself poised and lit between Ajia's lips.

"Think that was his dad's doin. Ya know" The man was a crank." Aja leaned back. "Anyway, back round the time we met up with Rico, was about the time I started running on and off with Nikki. An elf. To say the two of them didn't like each other would be an understatement. Anyway. One day, the two of 'em got into it on the deck about something. I stepped in after figuring out it was Rico that started it, and was looking to push Nikki to a fight." Aja sighed thinking about that time. "Not that Nikki would, I'd asked him not to. Anyway, me and Rico had a little chat. He got the jist of it pretty quick seeing a shark pretty damn close and personal. After that, Tanner had some talks with him. Little by little, Rico started to come around. Be a better guy."

Ajia nodded, continuing to sip at her glass and one leg folding over the other. She licked her lips, whispering to her sister softly.

"Thank you for that." Aja nodded at Ajia.

"Not hard to see that he was a decent guy under all that hate his dad piled on." Aja thought about Richard Tharadon with a heavy sigh. "It just took a while to dig him out." Aja smiled at Ajia. "He'll come 'round. Rikki's solid. He just likes to set things in his head well and proper before making big moves. Not sayin he ain't never gotten drunk and wandered off with a chickie a time or two. But it's rare." Aja smiled thinking of the past exploits, deciding that those small pieces needn't be said and took a sip of her drink before continuing. "The man's lived through a lot of chaos being my first mate." Aja looked at Ajia then. The reason that they even settled back here after years away now being revealed to her twin. "Half the reason I decided to come back to RhyDin, to Arcadia was fer him." Aja could've been content never coming back. At the time, there were too many memories here that made it hard for her to walk the streets. Arcadia had been haunted by Tristan's ghost. But Rico deserved more than a life at sea fighting battles that she had chosen.

Smoke billowed from her lips, her eyes locked on her twin, even if they were glazed from listening.

"He has all the time in the world. I'm not gonna go anywhere..." Ever, this is my home. Ajia focused on her sister, a firm nod leaving her. "Or go Shay on him."

"Oh thank gods. I'd shoot you first." Aja laughed. Shay had been Tru's friend, she had found the girl a little too chaotic. And for Aja, that was saying something.

Ajia muttered a second later, "I think I'd want you to."

Trevor didn't want to disturb his mother and aunt. He knew how rare it was that two of them spent any time alone. But he wanted to make sure they had everything they would need while they hung out together. He knocked lightly before entering the backroom.

"You two need anything?" He stood near the door looking between the two. Aja smiled seeing her son standing there.

"Bring another bottle, kiddo. Me and yer aunt done killed this one." To demonstrate that point, she poured what little was left in the bottle into her glass. Trevor laughed at that and nodded.

"Ok.? Trevor went back out to retrieve the requested bottle under the watchful eyes of his aunt and mother.

"Yer funny." Aja announced with a broad smile.

As expertly as possible the bottle was tipped back, pressed to her lips, a smidge dribbling on her chin, while she dialed Rico's number. Aja leaned back into her chair watching her sister with a wide smile.

"You spend time with Tristan, yeah?" Aja asked as Ajia pulled the bottle back and messily wiped her lips.

"Yeah, he talks about you alot though....It's kinda....Annoying..." she blinked, the phone to her ear as a small snicker left her lips. She lifted a finger to her lips. "Ssssshhhh....It's ringing.." Gigglesnort, or something of the sort left her lips. Aja snickers watching her sister and the phone, but continues on with another question.

"How much does he talk to himself?"

"A few times now and then, but it got real bad at the beginning of the week. He started arguing about jumping someone.." Ajia was a very chatty when she was drunk, that and very honest. However, on the other line, Rico could have possibly been grumbling. "Either way, he really tries to keep his self talk to himself, so when he walks out of the room....frequently, he's doi-.." She cut off mid-word hearing Rico answer. "Rico, hang on....Shh....Talking to my sister." She drunkenly slurred a bit into the phone. Aja chuckled knowing Rico's probably on the other end practically busting a gut over the call then nodded.

"The other Padriq is here now. Maybe it got worse when he appeared." It wasn't a statement, just an idea.

"He took a message from some weird guy like three days ago...Said something about a ship coming in." She held her finger up to the phone doing the one minute thing to him, though he couldn't rightly see it. "Wait, shhh, one minute Rico, one minute." Aja flat out laughed now hearing her sister talk to Rico. If she knew her first mate as well as she claimed to, he was probably already dressed and headed towards the Lair as they spoke.

"Weird guy?" Aja puzzled that one out. "So he knew...or a part of him knew the other Padriq was coming" Oh gods...what if Padriq knew all this would happen?"

"Hiii honey....We're somewhere. Aja had to run away from home." she hiccuped, "Noo, drinking" What gives you that idea?" Ajia hiccuped again, then looks to Aja. "Something tells me someone kneww." Aja simply smiled at Ajia.

"Hey, he's more than hot hunk of beef." Aja wasn't going to mention that Trevor probably already called Rico earlier when they ordered a second bottle.

"That's right, he's a super sexy minion stud." Still speaking in a hushed tone. Aja leaned back in her chair, steepling her fingers together now as she considered the information about Padriq.

"If Padriq knew the other Padriq was coming here.." She trailed off thinking about that, perking a brow with a grin at the Super Sexy Minion Stud bit that Ajia had said.

"Maybe he knows how to fix it?" She hiccuped and closed her phone, "He's already on his way.." Ajia told Aja and she nodded.

"Figured. Trevor probably called him a while back."

"Crafty nephewww..." Ajia peered towards the door and Aja smiled proudly.

"Yes he is. Takes after his mother." She chuckled then. "He's a good man. My son. Gotta stop callin him kid. He really isn't anymore."

And in the back room...

Ajia shook her head from side to side when Aja mentioned not referring to Trevor as her little boy.

"He'll always be your little man....Don't ever forget that."

"Oh I won't. But he really isn't a kid anymore." Aja said with a soft smile. She had seen the changes in her son as the years went by. As he became his own man. "He's grown to be a fine man. Just look what he's done with this place. Huma never ran it well." Ajia nodded about that. .

"He gets that from you." Ajia tipped back the remainder of the bottle then calls out, "Ohhh Trevooorrr!!" Another giggle giggled snort left her lips, "How about another bottle before we hit the road Sis?" Aja blinked as she sees the second bottle is gone and peers at Ajia suspiciously.

"What are ya, part fish?"

Back Room.....

Ajia doesn't drink a lot, for a good reason. When she drink she has a bad habit of not stopping before the sun comes up.

"Sommin like that." Ajia slurred.

"Zeus have mercy. Bacchus himself would kiss you." Aja laughed then watching her sister.

"Bacchus would burn himself on these lips." Ajia said and then puckered up before dissolving into giggles. Aja snickered and sipped from her glass then tips it slightly at Ajia.

"I wouldn't doubt it. Hey...speakin of...What religion do you even follow" Not that I'm like super religion girl...but I like the Greeks." Aja figured she'd toss her preference out there to take the pressure off her sister who nodded.

"Greek is what I prefer too. Never been one for the Christian stuff and Rome seemed to have the same idea as the Greeks." Ajia said and Aja nodded knowing what she said to be true.

"Cool. Yeah. Ran inta a bunch of them Christan people. Uptight, high strung people." Ajia shook her head about the group they were currently discussing.

"Never good with the sex life," she peered in the bottle, "There's another drop.." She tilted it back because she wants that drop.

"They just nutty." Aja said as a final word about them and grinned as she leaned on her hand, watching her sister tip that bottle back. "You are funny. Never knew you were funny." Ajia hiccuped.

"It runs in the family.." She winked.

"Well, most of the time yer looking at me funny." She gave her sister a sweet smile then as she launched into picking on her. "Or running off ta yer bat cave." Aja snickered then.

Ajia rolled her eyes, "That's because you give me funny looks..." She tilted her head. "Don't diss the batcave, it's where I can think without having to freak out in front of people."

Aja snickersnorted at Ajia's protest and threw out a different name for Ajia's office.

"The Bird's Nest." she said it as seriously as possible then giggled again. Ajia just shook her head and winked at Aja.

"That's the thing to call it." She giggled, snickered, then promptly snorted.

"And I do not give funny looks." Aja gave a mock huff. Ajia looked towards the door curious where her bottle was.

"Think he didn't hear me?" She pointed, "You're giving one to me now!!" Sticks out her tongue before stretching out between two chairs. "Hey Aja?" Aja snickered then stops to perk a brow at Ajia's question.

"What?"

"Think Rico will ever love me like Tristan loves you?? She looked to her sister curiously.

In The Back Room......

"Maybe." Aja leaned on the table, peering across at her sister. "Why are you in such a rush on that whole thing"

Aja knows how to catch Ajia in bluntly honest stage,

"Because it may have been just a short time for me, but..." Her smile grew, "I know this is gonna sound stupid...But I love him as much as Tristan loves you. I just want him to see that, but there are times I get worried if I show him just how much I feel about him, he'll back away....I just want to love him and know that no matter what I do, he loves me just the same....I just don't think he's there yet." Aja nodded while she thought about that answer. She looked at her sister as she thought. The gaze probably making Ajia a little unnerved being the subject of such focus.

"Ya know love is like.." she trailed off and waved a hand slightly. "Lost socks." Aja nodded once as if that should explain everything.

Outside the back room.....

Rico had been standing outside the room as quietly as he could, listening into the girls talk with Trevor watching him, also interesting in what was going on in the back room. When Rico slapped a hand to his mouth to keep from laughing at the two of them, Trevor mouthed "What?" to him wanting to know what had made Rico laugh.

In the back room....

Ajia gave her sister a blank look at the sock suggestion.

"Huh...?" Ajia said making Aja grin.

"Ya ever go looking for a lost sock" Can't find the bugger. You find lost pens, lost pieces of paper...not the sock. Until...you go looking for something else...and bam! Lost sock not lost no more." she smiled then looked at Ajia seriously. "Ya sometimes, have ta stop looking for things before they find you." Ajia nodded to her words and lounges back in her spot.

"I just don't want him to think I give up, ya know" Cause he doesn't deserve it." She shakes her head, "Stop lookin for it, is like saying....You're gonna feel like you feel, but I give up....If I did that it'd seem like I didn't want it anymore, that I wasn't interested in wanting it anymore."

"No." Aja chuckled. "Not what I meant, Stupid head. Chill out. Push anything too hard and ya risk breakin it. Understand?" she looked at Ajia seriously. "Take it from someone who's got a little bit more experience in this particular department and who knows him pretty damn good. Besides," Aja smiled again, feeling pretty good about giving someone some useful advice even while her own world was messed up. "Ya go full speed, ya miss the little stuff. And that little stuff, is pretty nice."

Ajia nodded and looked down at her hands, her fingers fumbling a bit.

"It's not like I'm pushin full speed, but if I slow down too much I'll feel like he won't know who I really am." Her smile was weak. "I can take days drawing out a plan and then months making it perfect....But when it comes down to it, I know the plan, I know the idea I want in my head and it sticks with me. If I slow down or even stop pushing, won't it feel like I've lost my drive" Like I've just stopped caring about what I want' Let alone, what I have?" Aja listened to her sister, swirling the last bit of tequila around her glass thoughtfully. "Keep stallin, stop pushing, and try and take it slow and it just feels like nothing's gonna happen....Like you're more content to keep things as they are than moving forwards and making something worthwhile happen." Ajia looked to her sister. "Does it make me a bad person for wanting to have something happen?" Aja looked at Ajia for a long moment considering her answer before she spoke.

"Not bad. Just ...Ajia. People aren't plans. They can't be pushed and prodded on your schedule. They've got their own. That's not saying you have to just stop, try enjoying the moments as they happen."

"Sometimes I feel like I have to give it my all, take the risk, and pray that because I did, something wonderful gonna happen." She shrugged a bit, "I dunno, maybe that's why Ki ran away." She glanced down at her hands, thinking about what Aja had said. "Moments..." She curled up and hugged her knees a bit, "Moments are wonderful with Rico, Aja. Always amazing..." she sighs, "But when he said that sometime he felt like it was you he was expecting to see in me I felt like some of those moments had your face and not mine. I mean I know he knew it was me behind it all, of course he did, but I just wonder if maybe, when we started getting close that he wasn't just looking for another friend in me that resembled you." She bit her lip. "Like at the beginning all he saw was you until I said how I felt....and maybe it even jostled him." She sighed, "Lord knows I never wanted to jostle him..." Her eyes begin to droop a bit before she yawned lightly.

"Rico says what he means." Aja rubbed at her head lightly. "Him and me, we're friends. We'd give our lives for the other, but we're friends. We it like that. Just let him pick his route, deal with this how he needs to. It's gotta be a little freaky." Aja said, and Ajia nodded to her sister.

"As I told him. I'll wait for him forever, because that's what people do when they're in love."

"Just seems like yer chomping at the bit for more than whats there right now." Aja held her hands up in surrender gesture to her sister. "Just an observation. Not saying ya are."

Ajia nodded softly to her, curled up tighter, and whispered,

"Maybe you're right....Maybe I should back off and leave Rico to his own flow..? She gave a long sigh, a bit sleepy like.

Rico smiled about the banter, then put his arm around Ajia.

"Good. Bout time." he said glancing over at Aja. Ajia wiggled the bottle towards her sister.

"I've drank more than youuu." She snickered at Aja and looked up to Rico. "Weren't worried when I didn't come home were ya?"

Aja gave up the argument and sipped her tequila allowing Rico to entertain her tipsy sister for a while.

"No. Knew you were here." Rico said simply. Truth be told, a lot of people in town knew where the sisters were, but he left that part unsaid. Ajia sat up.

"I met your mother today." She paused, waiting for a gasp or something from Rico while she takes another drink. She reaches over, refills Aja's glass, and then leans back into Rico.

"Oh yeah?" He took the bottle then, cause it appeared to be dangerous in Ajia's hands.

"Mami wouldn't let me leave da house without her." Aja injected with a mock pout teasing her sister.

Ajia pouted when the bottle is taken away.

"Said you talk about me." She eyed Rico.

"You'd like me not to do that?" He took a drink from the bottle, then handed it back.

Aja simply grinned watching the two of them. Ajia took a drink and shook her head.

"Warn me maybe? Let me know what you're telling her that way I don't go bright red in front of her?" She stuck her tongue out at Rico. "She saw me in my dress suit."

"Then you're fine. If Mami Tharadon has an issue, you'll know about it." Rico smiled to hide the fact that he really wasn't kidding about that in any way, shape or form. Ajia smirked at Rico.

"Just flatters me that you talk about wittle ol' me."

"She asks about my day. You're a part of that." Rico gave Ajia a simple smile then nodded to Aja. "Maybe you and your sis can make this a regular thing." Ajia smiled and wrapped her arms around him, nestling into him.

"I'd like that...? She glanced to her sister, eyes closing on his shoulder.