The Ink Family Legacy: Generation 5, Chapter 9 Part 3
Do you know how hard it is to find title pics that don't have spoilers when everyone's having a birthday left and right?
That said, I would've used this pic anyway, because Kira's making a great face here.
| Part One | Part Two |
--- --- --- --- ---
Another morning in the Ink household found Kira waking up a little later than the rest of her family. Cursing her alarm, she threw on her clothes and made her way downstairs, only to be greeted by the rest of the family!
"Is this the welcoming brigade?" Kira asked, a smile tugging at her lips. "Or the 'thanks Mom for finally dressing like an adult' brigade?"
"Neither!" Abel replied cheerfully.
"Happy birthday Mom!" the three children shouted in unison.
"Ah yes. Celebrating middle age at its finest." Kira retorted rolling her eyes. "While my husband is still the paragon of youth, I see."
She wasn't all that upset, though. With a teenage son, it was about time for her to accept that she wasn't a teen sensation anymore. Besides, age had been fairly kind to her.
"Well, if it's worth anything to you, I think you're as beautiful as ever." Abel said.
"You would."
"Grooooooss."
"Never mind me though." Kira said as the last to wake came down the stairs. "There's a much more important birthday today anyway."
"Are we talking about me?"
"Of course Alex - who else?"
Who else indeed! Alex was now a quiet child who was most often found reading or tidying up. Sometimes his presence around the house was a little ghost like!
"Happy birthday, Al." Kira said warmly as she hugged him. "Who told you to grow up this fast, huh? Ha, I think I might cry!"
"Don't forget your old man, kiddo!" Abel added.
"Of course not, Dad."
"Happy birthday Alex!" the girls declared, squishing him between them.
Alex laughed at their attention, but he didn't miss Jude's quiet departure. Nothing unusual there, though. His brother was always that way. Instead, he focused on his older sisters.
"Just you wait Al!" Sophie declared. "We're going to have so many adventures now that you can keep up with us! All the adventures, even!"
"'All the adventures' seems pretty ambitious."
"There's nothing wrong with a little ambition! Right, Temmy?"
"Right~!"
And it's not a birthday without a present or two! Abel and Kira spent a long time trying to decide on something that would actually hold Alex's interest - smart as he was, nothing kept his attention for long.
"And here it is!" Abel proclaimed. "A totally real and legitimate chemistry table for all your alchemy needs."
It was usually difficult to gauge Alex's reactions to things, but not this time.
"Wow!"
"Is this really for me?"
"If you want it!"
"I do!"
"Thanks Dad!" Alex enthused, jumping up to give Abel a quick hug.
"No problem, kiddo."
"Now there are a couple of rules I want you to stick to, okay?" Abel added. "Basically, don't light anything flammable and don't mess with anything corrosive. If you blow up your room, we're gonna have to take it away, okay? Remember - eyebrows don't grow back."
Alex grinned. "Got it Dad. No fires, no nuclear meltdowns."
"Good."
--- --- ---
So, Alex.
Let's talk about Alex for awhile, shall we?
There was no question that the kid was bright. Alex would probably spend all day at his table if he didn't have other obligations! School utterly bored him - he was only interested in things other people didn't know!
Unfortunately, you know what they say about boredom.
And you certainly know that it does not mix well with curiosity.
Technically Alex wasn't allowed in the last bedroom. He didn't see why - it was perfectly benign. It was a little eerie, with portraits of people long gone, but the family histories on the bookshelf were too tempting to pass up.
And it's not like he was doing anything wrong, per se. He was learning! And his parents would never object to learning.
Besides, he wanted to read a few more of his great-great-great grandmother's diaries.
(Even if her handwriting was awful.)
Alex's curiosity often got the best of him. One moment he'd be making the beds...
...and the next he'd spot a book tucked under the bed frame, almost out of sight.
He usually debated with himself for a while - to read or not to read? That was the question. Whether 'tis nobler to blah blah blaaaah...
Knowledge > Nobility
Although the "knowledge" content of this diary was questionable. In fact, this seemed to be a detailed log of his sisters' role play games. Rolling his eyes, he put it neatly away.
No harm, no foul, right?
Of course, keeping to himself in no way guaranteed that he'd be left alone.
Jude knew that, in the grand scheme of things, Alex was insignificant to his plans. A non-entity. But something told him that, if left unchecked, his little brother could cause problems later on.
"Hey. Alex."
Alex sighed, rising from his seat. Encounters with Jude rarely went well...
"What?" he muttered in reply.
"I just want to talk."
"Oh sure, you say that." Alex snapped back. "But you're just going to use it as an excuse to be condescending, won't you?"
"Oh, brother dearest." Jude replied, setting the tone. "You wound me. Truly. I mean, I wasn't going to tell Mom and Dad about you snooping in the guest bedroom, but..."
"O-oh. That."
"Yes, that. Alex, you do know what they say about cats and curiosity, don't you?"
Alex frowned, his guilt overpowering his anger over Jude's patronizing tone. "That's hardly relevant." he finally mumbled.
"I'm only looking out for you, Alex. You don't want to disappoint our parents, do you? And what would Ember and Sophie think of you reading their diary?"
Receiving no response from Alex, Jude patted his little brother's head. "Hey, it's okay. That's how you learn, right? You make a mistake, you're corrected..."
"...and then you don't dare to do it again."
--- --- --- --- ---
Although Jude talked a big game, his life was actually pretty dull these days.
Family life was all very well and good, but honestly, he was fifteen already! Wasn't it about time that things started moving?
Lucky for him that his best friend and cousin was around to alleviate some of his boredom, huh?
Robyn was a pretty good buffer for Jude. She was always urging him to be more cautious, tempering his more reckless tendencies somewhat.
"This game is boring!" Robyn whined after their fifth round.
"Hey, don't knock Mario Kart, okay? The classics are -"
"Blah blah, better, blah blah, original, I know!" she interrupted. "Look, wanna walk to the park instead?"
Jude was about to decline, but a blue shell sent his kart hurdling off of Rainbow Road into the abyss.
"Err...yeah, actually. Let's go."
---
"How nostalgic!" Robyn laughed. "We had your fifth birthday here, remember?"
"Mm, a little." Jude replied. The party was a little fuzzy, but the hundreds of times he had played there in the ten years since were clearer.
"Think we could still climb into the tree house?" she mused.
"Robyn, that thing is rickety as all hell. We snapped a board with five of us up there, remember?"
Robyn wasn't paying much attention to him, though - her focus was turned to the center pavilion. "Oh, there's a kid here! Weird - elementary's still in session, isn't it? She's totally skipping school."
Jude took a few steps farther, getting a closer look at the two. There was an older woman absently watching a young girl with dark braids.
"That girl...I think I know her."
"Wait, really?"
"Yeah. Though I can't place where I..."
The little girl, hearing his voice, swiveled on the spot and shrieked with joy.
"JUDE!!"
She abandoned her game of hopscotch and careened towards him, laughing.
Jude caught her by her elbows before she could throw her arms around him. "Uh, whoa there kid!"
She looked up at him, still giddy. "Jude, Jude, it's me! Pearl!! You remember me, don't you?"
That made it click for him - Pearl Hooke, the young daughter of the notorious Tobias Hooke! He knew she looked familiar.
"Of course." Jude reassured her. "I'm more surprised you remember me! How long has it been?"
"Too long! I'm eleven now." she said proudly.
"Eleven, huh?" Jude echoed, noting Robyn's perplexed look beside him.
"Yep! And you're fifteen now, right? 'Cause you were seven when I was three."
Jude blinked, impressed. "That's quite a memory, kiddo."
"I remember everything!" she chirped. "I even -"
Footsteps made Pearl's words wilt. Her expression fell before she even turned around.
"Pearl. Hooke."
The woman was probably in her early thirties, but cigarettes and stress reflected poorly on her. A bold scarlet and gold tattoo almost glowed on her arm - it must have been relatively new. Jude thought the design looked a little familiar.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, talking to strangers like that?! Diamonds would have my ass if he knew!" she barked.
Pearl flitted to Jude's side, wrapping her arms around him stubbornly.
"He is not a stranger, Emma! Jude is my friend!"
"Like hell he is. I don't see a brand." the woman replied, giving Jude a once over.
"So?! He's a ton more fun than any of you Daddy sends!"
"Ms. Emma? If I may?" Jude interrupted.
A silver tongue could make anything sound plausible.
"I really am an acquaintance of both Pearl and her father, Tobias. In fact, I was about to interview for a job with him later this week." he lied smoothly.
"You? Working for ol' Diamonds?" She paused, scrutinizing him further. "Bullshit. You're just a kid."
"That may be so, but I have more connections than my neurons." he quipped. "I'm heir to the India Ink and the Miles Croix, not to mention Nicotine Dreams and Blue Amnesia."
Jude suppressed a grin as her jaw dropped a little.
"Er...even if that's true..."
"I assure you."
"Even so, Pearl's not supposed to leave my side. I'm her bodyguard, alright?" Emma replied.
Jude raised an eyebrow. "New hires babysit these days? What a shame. Even I could watch her for a few hours."
"...you serious about that?"
"Like, say I really needed some fuckin' coffee. And say I needed a three hour break. You could watch her?"
Jude turned on his most charming smile. "I'd be delighted."
"...and Diamonds really trusts you?"
"He does!" Pearl chimed in, catching onto Jude's plan.
"Then I am so out of here. Pearl, if you cause trouble we're both dead, you got it?"
"Alright Pearl, you can release your death grip now." Jude teased, patting the girl on the back. "Why don't you get back to the hopscotch game?"
Pearl had barely gotten five feet away when Robyn hissed, "Jude. What the heck was that all about?!"
"Getting a chance to catch up with an old friend. Why?"
"Dude, she's a kid. That's kinda creepy."
"Well, there's also the matter of me actually wanting to intern at her dad's company. That wasn't a lie."
"And that's kinda sad."
"But I genuinely do want to befriend Pearl regardless."
"Now it's creepy and sad."
"Robyn, trust me. I know what I'm doing. Plus, you remember what it was like to be a kid with a bodyguard, don't you?"
Robyn's mouth turned down - of course she did. Back when Nicotine Dreams was more active, they spent a good deal of time in the arms of bodyguards, shielding their face from camera lenses. Things had dropped off significantly, but...
"Well...fine. I trust your judgement, Jude."
"A fine choice, I assure you."
"Oh shut it with that!" she laughed. "I swear, your 'polite and charming demeanor' is a riot. Go on, befriend the lonely kid - I'll be drinking milkshakes and bringing all the boys to the yard, presumably."
With another chuckle and a hug, Jude saw Robyn off. He knew he could count on her for things like this.
Which now left him with the task of entertaining Pearl for the next three hours! He couldn't imagine it being terribly difficult - his sisters were basically the same age as her and were easily amused.
"Jude! You have to hop to the other side of the crater! This planet is unstable!"
"Sounds serious."
"This is no time to be the cool guy!" she stressed, unsuccessfully biting back a smile. "You're the ship's last doctor - we need you! Step on the boulders to cross the gap. But the third tile is lava - be careful!!"
"So, Captain Pearl-"
"Admiral Pearl!"
Jude gave an exaggerated bow while balancing on one foot. "My deepest apologies! Admiral, your choice of planet appears rather poor! Why did we land here in the first place? You can't play in lava. You can only die in lava."
She fake-scowled and crossed her arms. "Blame the navigator for his poor sight! And you're no better - you've left your supply kit back on the other shore! You have to go back and retrieve it!"
Jude, family oriented as he was, was not averse to playing silly games. It's part of what made him a good big brother, after all. (Excluding Alex...)
After at least five more trips across the gap, Pearl decided that they were done with hopscotch. She was tired of hopping and it was getting a little boring watching Jude easily maneuver with his vampiric abilities.
"I'd say that trip was a wonderful success, Dr. Jude!" Pearl said, hopping onto the bench next to him. "It's much better with a crew of two, as I suspected!"
"You don't play this game with your other friends?"
"Ha ha, what other friends? Daddy doesn't let me go to school."
"..oh. That's...hmm."
"Oh, it's fine! I wouldn't get along with other kids anyway." she said cheerfully. "I've got a super memory! I remember everything. So I guess I'm kinda weird!"
"I don't think you're weird, Pearl. If anything, that's amazing."
Pearl smiled. "That's very kind of you to say! You've always been very nice to me, even before you knew who I was! That's why I think you and I will be friends~"
"Besides, I'm not unhappy!" she said, clapping her hands together. "I have to be sharp to take over the company someday!"
That gave Jude pause. He didn't know all the details about the Hooke family, but what he did know was steeped in shady business. That was his cup of tea, but he had a hard time imagining Pearl as some sort of mob boss.
But far be it from him to unveil his thoughts.
"I'm sure you'll be great at it. Just don't forget the little people, hey?"
"Nope! I'm gonna rule with an iron fist." She cracked a smile. "But I do have a soft spot for anyone willing to go on the seesaw with me!"
Jude was sure he looked 50% more ridiculous on this thing, but whatever.
"So, this memory of yours." Jude ventured. "Is it just for people? Places? Sights over sounds? Give me an idea."
"Mmm, it's a bit complicated."
"I guess it's like my brain keeps a file on each person. I don't think about it unless I see them, and then suddenly it's like I can bring up every encounter we've ever had. What we said, how we looked, where we were." she mused.
"That would be so useful. Even as a vampire, memory can fade. I can't recall much earlier than five, honestly."
"It can be a big help, but it's mostly annoying!" she huffed.
"Oh?"
"It's not like people only say nice things. It's hard to accept apologies when the hurt's still fresh. I still get mad at things some of Daddy's employees said to me years ago."
"Ah. I can see how that'd be a problem."
"I'm learning though." she added. "Slowly, but...I'm figuring out how to forgive, even if I can't forget."
Jude thought that such a subject would make Pearl moody for the rest of the day, but to the contrary she seemed even perkier. She scrambled up the ladder to the play tower two rungs at a time, excitedly peering over the edge.
"You can see so much from here! Jude, you gotta look!"
He supposed resilience was an important trait for someone like her. It also meant that she may be more apt to her future career than he previously thought.
Emma was due back any minute, so Pearl decided to spend her time in the sandbox to get as much sand in her bodyguard's car as possible. Jude agreed wholeheartedly with this plan.
"Hey Jude?"
"Yeah?"
"I think Daddy would really like you. I know the kind that stays and the kind that goes, and you're the staying kind!"
That piqued his interest. "What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying to come work for Daddy, dummy! That way we can work together when we grow up!" Pearl laughed.
"He'd hire me...?"
"Ha ha! Daddy's always hiring. Can't imagine why!"
"Hey brat! It's time to go! Say goodbye to pretty boy." Emma called.
Pearl sighed, getting to her feet and kicking her sand castle to dust.
"Hey Backstreet Boy - thanks for taking her off my hands! Too bad you didn't know what you were getting yourself into, but hey, I didn't either."
Her smile disappeared when looking at Pearl. "Wipe some of that fucking sand off kid, geez."
Jude looked uneasily back at Pearl, knowing she was recording every word. To his surprise, despite Emma's words, she had a smile on her face.
"Sure! Can we get some ice cream on the way back?"
"Don't push your luck."
As they walked away, Emma muttering the whole time, Pearl paused for a second to look back at Jude. From his distance, it looked like she was whispering something. A normal person wouldn't have caught it, but Jude was hardly normal.
Emma?
She's one of the ones that go.
--- --- --- --- ---
Oh no, Jude's being creepy! And Pearl's being creepy! Everyone's doing the creep. That's all I could think while I worked with this and subsequent scenes.
Jude's desire to get closer to 'The Boss's Daughter' mixed with his genuine concern for this eleven year old kid is just...an odd combo, I guess. But he is the questionable morals character of this generation! [Following Noah, Ethan, Viola, and Hunter, of course.]
Okay, let's hit up Part Four!