Chapter Four #2
Thirty minutes later, Diena was sitting and talking to the day manager amidst the wreckage of three healthy juices, two sets of fries, and a bowl of chilli.
Roysos looked at the approaching group. “I can see those are yours.”
“Yup. Two eight-year-olds and unlimited snacks. I am testing our facility to the limit.”
She reached into her crossbody purse and pulled out three chits.
“Scan these at every kiosk you are interested in, and we are not going to tell Vaken’s mother what he has eaten, so as long as he has no allergies, he can go nuts.
Ithal, I send you off to find the tastiest thing you can find, after your lunch.
” She turned to Alody. “You already know what you want. Go for it.”
Alody grinned, and they darted toward the different kiosks with all the various foods.
Roysos chuckled. “Your family is adorable.”
“Vaken is a friend of the family. I am expecting one or more of his uncles to show up this afternoon.”
“Who are his uncles?”
“Ekron is one of them.”
Roysos grinned. “Why did you start with him?”
“Because he just walked through the door.” Diena smiled. She chuckled at the stunned look on Roysos’s face.
Vaken started walking over and then ran when Vikor walked in, his red skin and black horns unmistakable.
Diena had looked up Vaken’s relatives the previous night. Anyone hanging around her brother needed to be understood.
Her contractions were twenty minutes apart and not severe. She guessed that she had the rest of the day. From her research, the babies liked the middle of the night.
Roysos murmured, “May I compliment you on inheriting your mother’s genes?”
“Oh, yeah. They are strong.”
“So, when are you due?”
“Two weeks, but the baby should be here in the next twenty-four hours. Maybe forty-eight. Not my genes, but an excellent practice run.”
“Are the new parents excited?”
“That is what I have been told. They are running around and getting things ready.”
“What will you do when you have surrendered it?”
“Spend time with family and then make the decision as to whether I want one of my own.”
Roysos looked around. “So this is your way of getting ready for your chosen child?”
“This is my way of giving my brother and other young actives a place to play. They need structures to climb on, things to punch, and practice with sharp shooting, as well as other skills that their activations lead them to. They may also just find points of interest.”
He grinned. “There hasn’t been anything for kids in town.”
“I know. That is why it is perfect for the capitol of Aksalla. Lots of young actives here who have run here for safety, and this way, they can learn their bodies at their own pace.”
“What did you base it on?”
She grinned. “The live ranges. We will eventually have a soft version of the live range with non-lethals and parental consent. That is a year three project.”
She looked at him. “Still happy you signed on, Roysos?”
He nodded. “My kids used to dream about being old enough for the live range. This place is perfect and an excellent first start to let actives and normals play fairly. It removes the advantages that actives have and reminds the normal children that they need mechanical assistance to come close. A lot of the young ones have been saying they want to be peacekeepers.”
“That’s cute. I am glad that it is being enjoyed.” She smiled. “If I had had something like this, I might have ended up with a measurable activation.”
He smiled. “I thought you looked human.”
“Yes. I know. My burden to bear.”
The kids were returning to her table with broad grins and heavily loaded trays that Ekron and Vikor were carrying.
Alody had her own tray, and she was grinning. “Look. They lift and carry.”
Vikor looked after her and frowned. “Do I know you?”
“Nope. Well, yes. I sew your mate’s dresses. The ones with all the laces.”
Vikor smiled slowly. “Thank you. She loves those, and we love helping her with them.”
Ekron smiled. “It is a fun way to start the day.”
Alody nodded. “Glad you have fun with it. That is what it is supposed to be for.”
Ithal and Vaken sat together and pulled their trays in front of them. They counted down and attacked.
Diena laughed. Roysos left them with his tablets tucked under his arm.
Diena looked at the two actives. “So, what brings you to my domain? I mean, it isn’t Hell, but there is a lot of laughter and screaming.”
Vikor smiled. “Have you been?”
“Nope. I just work with a lot of people who have been. It isn’t really my field of interest.”
Ekron smiled. “Are you sure?”
Alody looked at the golden treasure of Aksalla. “If you send any innuendo toward my daughter, I will spike that fork through your head.” She smiled pleasantly.
Ekron paused. “Daughter. Oh. Right. You are Ithal’s mom.”
Diena grinned. “And my mom. And Ithal’s mom. We are having a family day.”
Ithal grinned through his chilli fries.
Vikor looked around. “This is an interesting place. I didn’t know it was open yet.”
Diena smiled. “This is our soft launch. The place is doing well, and private schools across the city and neighbouring areas are trying to book in groups.”
Vikor blinked. “This is yours?”
“Yes. I tried booking space for myself at a live range once, but they turned me down because I appear to be human. I would have loved a place like this where I could have practiced my activation before I was so good at hiding it that no one believed it was there.”
Ekron asked. “What is it?”
“The family inheritance.” She smiled. “Right, Ithal?”
Ithal nodded and kept eating.
“So, the food is good, but that is my special subject.” Diena smiled.
Ekron looked at the food, looked at Vikor, and smiled. “What do you want?”
“Burger and chilli fries. Don’t let Drin know.” He grinned.
Ekron got up and went to collect some food.
Vikor looked at Alody as she worked through her food. “Thank you.”
She paused. “You thanked me last night.”
They were speaking quietly, and the boys were chattering. Diena sipped at another beverage and smiled.
“I know, but he is Drin’s world and our nephew. If anything happened to him, we wouldn’t have forgiven ourselves.”
“There would have been nothing to forgive. It was an act of nature. I am just glad Ithal was willing to get a com installed. It’s nice that he’s big for his age.”
“When did he get the com?”
Alody smiled. “Last week.”
Vikor exhaled slowly. “Could he have reached you otherwise?”
“Yes, but it would have been harder to find them. I don’t have psychic tracking skills. I can do it, but it isn’t as fast as following a map.”
Vikor blinked. “Right. You would only have perspective from where they went into the water and what they could see.”
“At night, with limited visibility, in the rain.” Alody smiled. “The com is just better.”
Diena smiled and then winced. “Oh. That was different.”
Vikor blinked. “Are you in labour?”
Diena exhaled softly. “Yes, but the baby won’t be in its parents’ arms until tomorrow when it emerges.”
“So... you are a surrogate?”
Diena rubbed her belly. “Yes. I wanted to know if I could carry to term, so I decided to test it with someone else’s embryo. It has decided that now is the time to greet the world.”
Vikor was worried. “Do you need a ride to a med centre? I can drive you.”
Diena patted his hand. “No. I am good. I will spend time with family and friends, and when it progresses to the designated timing, I will call for a lift to the birthing centre.”
“How does that work? Drin can’t get pregnant, so I haven’t done research on this.”
Diena smiled and began to explain labour and delivery to Vikor and Ekron when he returned with their food.
They both sat and asked her questions, and she answered them while her mom kept track of Ithal’s food intake.
When the boys were done, they wanted to return to the second level, and Diena used her com to get one of the front desk ladies to bring her visitor passes for Ekron and Vikor.
When they had the passes and were done eating, she led them back up to the boys so they could watch the kids push themselves under the watchful gaze of the monitor.
The adults looked like they wished there was something of this nature when they were young, which was the point.
Diena headed back to her office to work on orders and usage numbers. Her mother could ask for her when she was ready to go.