Chapter Seven #2
They chatted a bit, and then Aluhara asked, “So, Keska, what do you do for a living?”
“Um, stuff?”
Kessie smiled. “She’s an inventor.”
Sorooth nodded. “She definitely is. Her wealth and that of her sisters put most actives to shame. They have businesses and buildings across the world. Except the stronghold.”
Keska blinked. “I never said that. I own quarters on the Makarro block. The ones with the balconies overlooking the gardens.”
Aluhara stared and blinked. “Why would you buy property there if you don’t intend to live there?”
“So that Kessie can have more family wealth at her disposal if she needs it.” Keska frowned.
“Oh. My. That is a very expensive set of apartments.”
The server came in and put the tea down. Keska asked, “Is it?”
Sorooth chuckled and looked at Hedoreth. “Yes. She has that kind of funds.”
“I can’t help it if folks like to buy the things I make.” She started fiddling with the metal in her purse. She worked it and calmed down. Kessie put her hand on her arm and stroked her shoulder.
Aluhara frowned. “What are you doing?”
“Um. Making something? I think I grabbed a handful of platinum.”
Kessie said, “Mom makes things when she’s nervous.”
“Ah. Well, how did you meet Sorooth?”
He smiled, and Keska’s hands worked faster.
“Um, I was the prototype escort for the BDC, and Sorooth was a patron. Kessie knows the story, but we were working on the masks and coming up with the protocols for escorts and patrons so everyone could be safe. Mostly.”
Kessie grinned. “And then I came along.”
“And we realized that having just one party on birth control was insufficient.” She put her arm around Kessie and kissed the top of her head.
Aluhara paused, looked from Sorooth to Keska, and she and her husband started laughing.
When they slowly halted their laughter, they sighed, and the meals arrived.
Aluhara paused. “So, that was fortuitous.”
“We think so, but that policy was created because Kessie was on board. Funnily enough, Sorooth wasn’t upset.”
Kessie grinned. “There are pictures every month, and then every three months when Dad took me with him.”
Aluhara frowned. “You didn’t take care of her?”
“I did, and then Sorooth took care of her. It was our agreement. He came to see me with her every three months, and the stronghold was demanding that he return to residence. Though that could have just been Lia.”
Aluhara made a disappointed sound. Keska slumped, and her fingers moved madly as she crafted something that she had in a portion of her mind.
Aluhara touched her arm. “I am sorry. I just dreamed of being a mother for so long that I could never imagine parting from my child.”
“So, all of your children are with you at the stronghold?”
“No.”
“But they are all living together, heavily guarded, and comfortable.”
“No. Oh. I see your point.”
“I let Kessie go because she needed to not be with me. It wasn’t safe. She was safe with her father, and that is where she went, and she has had wonderful adventures.”
Kessie leaned on her. “It’s okay, Mom. What did you make?”
“Oh. It’s a diorama of Aluhara’s daughters.” She set the platinum statuary on the table.
Aluhara looked at it. “Oh, my goodness. This is... There they are. My daughters, even my son. How did you know?”
“I don’t know. It’s one of my activations.”
Kessie was showing off her favourite foods on her plate, and Keska joined her and slowly started eating.
“One of.” Hedoreth blinked.
Keska nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Kessie frowned. “I said she had seven activations.”
Aluhara paused. “I think he thought you were not accurate in your count. Is it really seven?”
“Identifiable so far.” Keska shrugged and got more metal out, changing its state with her fingertips. “This was the first one.” She nodded to her hands.
She paused and took a few bites of food, clearing her plate.
Aluhara asked, “What are you making now?”
“I won’t know until it’s done.”
“Oh. That’s unusual.”
Keska snorted softly. “You get used to it.”
“So, you have some seer skills.”
“They aren’t really on the list yet.” She kept working, pausing to sip her tea.
“Caska is a global legal library, and Avagail is a finance genius. She can make money out of almost nothing.” She smiled and kept working, seeing her little family taking shape under her fingertips.
Sorooth was with her and Kessie, Caska was looking important, and Avagail was looking down at a tablet.
Nigel was sitting with his tail in his mouth.
Her fingers kept working, and Aluhara and Nelith finished the sculpture. She handed it to Kessie.
Kessie grinned. “I see Grandma Lia isn’t there.”
“This is your matriarchal line. It means from the mother’s side. Your dad can make his own from his side.” She smiled.
Sorooth snorted. “Thanks. I will work on it.”
Keska wrinkled her nose at him.
Everyone finished their meals, and Aluhara kept touching her statues. “I don’t even know half of these ladies.”
“Every donation has ripe and then unripe eggs. My sisters and I were from some of the offshoots. They didn’t want to waste the good eggs, so we were all made from bits.”
“Ava was made from Aluhara as the primary base, and Caska and I were made from Nelith, then Aluhara, and some other stuff. Patchwork people.” She smiled and started another project.
The servers came in, refreshed the tea, and then brought dessert.
Aluhara put her arm around Keska. It took a few moments, and then Kes relaxed.
“So, I was told that you mostly have contact issues.”
“Well, we were punished for seeking affection or comfort. After a while, you get used to it. The closest Caska and I used to come was sitting back-to-back when we had escaped. I think we hugged for the first time when we were seven or eight.”
Kessie said, “But you hug me all the time.”
“Yes, because I know how important it is. That is all parents can do, just try to do better for the next generation. Lift our kids a bit higher. I could do that, so I made a list of what I was missing and tried to make sure you had it.”
Kessie leaned on her with a smile, and Aluhara started crying. Hedoreth got up and came around, walking his wife to the other side of the table, rubbing her arms, and kissing her temple.
Sorooth moved into the vacated spot and swapped the desserts. He cozied up to Keska and sighed. “I had forgotten that.”
She looked at Kessie. “That is why she had to go with you. I wasn’t sure how to love. I felt it but didn’t know how to express it, so she was better off because you were always very good at that kind of thing.”
He hugged her. “You got there.”
“Took me a decade.”
“So, for some things, you are a slow learner.”
“Yup. Emotional intelligence is my big stumbling block.”
“But you have managed it. Kessie doesn’t doubt for a moment that both of us love her.”
Kessie was leaning on her. Kes asked, “Do you mind moving to Askalla and starting school here?”
“No. The kids at the stronghold are starting to be divided into omegas, humans, and alphas. If I go here, I don’t get sorted.”
Understanding hit her like a thunderclap, and she looked at Sorooth. “You know?”
“All of Nelith’s offspring are omegas. Whether they show outward signs or not.”
Aluhara lifted her head and sniffled. “Really?”
“Well, as much fun as his rut was, if I hadn’t been able to meet him halfway, it would have been a very different scenario.”
She kissed Kessie on the head as Kessie played with her family statue.
Aluhara asked softly, “So, Keska, would you have other children?”
“You mean like randomly or Sorooth’s?” She smirked. The one-armed squeeze made her laugh.
Kessie smiled. “Daddy says he wants them to be his.”
Keska smiled. “So, she’s already a minder.”
Sorooth sighed. “And that is why we needed to head to Aksalla. The stronghold is rather mean to its minders. I don’t want that for her. Plus, she has an excellent instructor at home.”
“Well, you are good at brainy things.”
“I meant you. You have the hardest head I have ever met.”
She laughed.
“So, what are you working on now?”
“Oh, this is me. I thought you should see the preview before the party.” She held it out, and he looked at it with shock.
“You have wings.”
“Yup. And two bandoliers full of gadgets, and three belts with gadgets, and apparently a miniskirt and boots.”
He smiled softly. “You have butterfly wings.”
“Yeah, big ones.”
Kessie crawled over her and looked at the statue. “Can we see?”
“No. This dress isn’t built for it. I don’t have a dress for them yet, and they come out fast. Oh, and they have a blade edge.” She traced her finger along the top of one of the wings and showed Kessie the small cut on her finger.
“Oh. Okay.” She looked close up. “Wow. You look like a team member.”
She smiled. “They don’t wear miniskirts.”
“Oh. True. It’s a very cute skirt.”
Aluhara said softly, “Can I see it?”
“Watch the wings.” Sorooth handed her over.
Keska watched her mother examine the statue. “This is incredible. I have seen similar workmanship but in stone.”
Keska nodded. “The guard and agent memorial. Ledia of Hyreno does them. The statue is of Sgoth and Jeneev. Ledia is also an Uraddan, as is Jeneev.” Keska chuckled. “Ledia brought the walls down, and Jeneev cleared the harbour.”
Sorooth asked, “Do you think they are related to you?”
“No clue, and asking for genetic samples is a little rude. They are both much younger than I am, so if I am related to them, it would be their parents, not them.”
Aluhara looked at the statue and smiled. “Do your other sisters have activations like this?”
“No. Not yet.” She turned her attention to the chocolate cake in front of her and made her way into the molten centre.
When the Sethir chatted about stronghold stuff, she yawned and felt a soft pulse in her system. Her eyes got wide, and she started mentally counting.
Kessie leaned against her. “You okay? You got serious, Mom.”
“Yeah, sweetie. I am fine. I will just head back to the big house tonight.”
Sorooth looked at her. “Why?”
“I am just a little overwhelmed.”