Holt - Connections

It was almost Karl's birthday. He was just growing so fast. It wasn't in their budget to throw a huge party, but Lorelle still wanted to give him something nice. She opted for clothes. No son of hers was going to be caught in hideous rags. So she wandered down to the local salon. She was pleased to find it was a male-owned shop. All the stylists were single men who were giving her the eye. After flirting with the cashier to lower her price down, she made sure to get all their numbers.

Karl grew up well and was an active child. He would run from room to room, despite his aunt's warnings. He'd wait for her to turn her back, then he'd continue on his way. He loved his aunt dearly but really, she was so prim and proper sometimes. She wasn't like Mama at all.

But she was helpful. Whenever Karl had homework, he always went to his aunt. His mother was often too busy on the internet and even when she wasn't, she wasn't much help. She couldn't answer his questions at all, and was amazed when he answered them.

Uncle Owen was nice too. Karl loved reading with him. The two made time every evening to just relax and read. It was the only time they had together. Owen worked long hours and Karl, of course, had school. Owen tried to be in Karl's life as much as he could. The boy needed a postivie male role model.

He knew for a fact that none of Lorelle's boyfriends fit that mold. They were all the same: shallow dogs. Yet she kept falling for them, one after the other. But it wasn't nothing serious for her, Owen knew that. Men were a game to her, a game she loved to play.

But sometimes, they played her. She had been talking to this one guy for a while and thought it was ready to advance the relationship. However, the man was merely fooling her and left her in a puddle of embarressment.

To make things worse, he rubbed it in. He sent her letters that reaked of a mix between deer urine and rotten radishes. It was horrible, reaching into the mailbox and never knowing if you'd grab the bills or a stink bomb.

Lorelle really needed a night out to get herself back into the groove. She figured Eumelia would enjoy it as well, so the two girls got dressed in their best gowns and went to South Lanshire to check out the clubs and bars.

Eumelia immediately gravitated towards the piano. She had taken lessons in her youth but she knew she was rusty. Still, she sat down and started playing a few keys. To her surprise, a bar patron came by and left her a tip. "I really enjoy that sort of music...keep playing!" She urged. And Eumelia did, with a wide grin on her face.

She eventually did stop when her fingers began to hurt, though. So she joined her sister at a poker table. Lorelle had hooked two men into playing with them. The men thought, "What beautiful women...probably dumb, though." But they were taken for a loop when Eumelia walked away with most of their cash.

Owen was glad his sisters had a nice time. But he wasn't happy when they returned and left him with a difficult task: fixing the computer. Eumelia went straight to bed but Lorelle decided to surf the net a bit and somehow, with her wonderful luck, managed to send the modem into a flury of smoke. "Can you handle that for me, Owie? Thaaanks!" Lorelle called girlishly as she went off to take a bath. Owen grumbled but pulled out his screw driver and began to work.

With Owen at work and free from his complaining, the girls arranged for a little tea time with their neighbor, Teresita Loyola. Lorelle found her pretty but utterly plain, but Eumelia made sure to keep Lorelle in line. Eumelia didn't have many friends and she wasn't going to let her sister ruin her chances.

Unfortunately, as nice as Teresita was, she had a few problems. She was sick. Eumelia was usually good at fighting off illness but this particular flu was strong and in no time, she was coughing and sneezing. Needless to say, she was not happy whatsoever. She hated having to sit in bed and do nothing.

She refused to be a victim to her illness and through her adamant requests, the family took a trip to the local culinary club. Eumelia had been wanting to enter the cooking contest. Owen and Lorelle just joined out of spite. They were expecting Eumelia to win but to all their surprise, it was Lorelle's dish of grilled cheese that impressed the judges. Eumelia was horrified.

Karl was tired of the adults. He wanted to have friends his own age. Luckily, the male friend of his mother and aunt had a son. His name was Hayate and though he was more low matienence, he and Karl got along.

They got along quite well, in fact. They were fast friends. Hayate really balanced Karl out. He kept him on track in school and began rubbing off on him. Eumelia was glad. Hayate was a polite little boy. Karl could really benefit from him.

Eumelia had to applaud Ryouichi's parenting. And she did, just without her hands. Ryouichi was such an amazing man. The way he touched her and spoke to her was irresistable. No man made her feel this way before. He was like a romance novel, come to life. And he was all hers.

And Lorelle's. It was just a fling, the two knew. Eumelia wouldn't understand. Lorelle knew that Ryouichi wasn't the type of guy who settled down, despite his role as a father. That had been a mere fluke. She knew what he wanted and she was sure to give it to him, as long as he kept wanting it.

Bates - A Girl Thing

Orion dreamed of relaxing on a beach somewhere, reading contently as he waited for his days to come to an end. He was done raising his children and could finally attend to himself. But unfortunately, his beloved daughter Aurelia passed away suddenly and now, he is left with her two teenage daughters. Melitta, the eldest, looked much like Orion and her mother. She was a money-minded girl, who wanted to someday be a famous athlete. Her little sister, Hersilia, was more of a fun-loving girl who wanted to have fun and meet boys. Of course, she too had dreams. She wanted to be a famous chef. Together, this family came to New Lanshire to forget their loss.

The girls kept each other occupied while their grandfather helped the movers with arranging what little furniture they owned. Hersilia proposed a game of janken. Her sister agreed. The two of them played for a bit. They mostly ended in ties. But Hersilia still held the most wins, which made Melitta a bit mad.

So she let her sister know how she was feeling. She grabbed her tightly and proceeded to mess up her hair, something Hersilia had spent hours perfecting. Hersilia finally squirmed free and was about to give Melitta a piece of her mind when their grandfather called out, "It's ready!"

The family went inside to inspect their new home, not even noticing their new neighbors coming to greet them. Finally, Orion noticed them and happily went out to greet them. The girls stayed back, laughing at one of their neighbors. Yuzuki Saito was hunched on all fours, smelling their flowers. This was something the girls found strange but amusing, especially since she rose and threw her knee out of joint.

Melitta liked cooking but her grandfather urged her to try other activites as well. So, she took up painting. It wasn't that boring. She actually liked it. It was nice to learn about different styles. She knew she could apply them to her cuisine. That would really help her win the upcoming cook-off.

Hersilia spent her free time on the phone, talking to the cute paperboy. She was making plans for later that night, plans her grandfather knew nothing about. Melitta overheard and threaten to tell but in the end, it was all too much effort. Besides, Hersilia was more than capable of getting herself in trouble.

Hersilia stayed up late, waiting for her ride into the downtown district. She was so exhausted, though. Every few seconds, she caught herself nodding off. She fixed herself a salad to keep herself occupied but she only ended up falling asleep in it, waking up fully when she felt the creamy ranch dressing on her cheeks.

Finally, he arrived and she snuck out quietly. Both Melitta and Orion were asleep when she left. She giggled, "I hope we don't get caught..." Derek looked at her with a grin and sped off once she was secure in the passenger seat.

Orion knew nothing about his granddaughter's night, only that she was surprisingly very tired going off to school the next morning. She was a bit of a sloth anyways. Melitta was a more active girl and very intelligent. He had no problems with her and never worried about her. Hersilia, on the other hand...

Secure in the knowledge that his girls could take care of themselves for a few hours, Orion got to know some of his neighbors a bit more. He was a lonely man and craved female companionship. It had been some years since his wife passed away. It took much to finally get up the courage to date again. So he hoped the ladies of New Lanshire were gentle with his heart.

Unlike Hersilia. She only hoped that the boys were rough with their hands.

Loyola - The Sky's The Limit

Teresita had come to New Lanshire alone, unlike the rest of the residents here. She had no family among her. But it was better that way. Teresita valued her solitude. She valued the tranquility it presented her, the ability to come and go as she pleased, the pleasure of living for herself. She enjoyed it. But she had to admit, she did envy her neighbors, what with their large clans. They seemed so happy in their large homes, though bare in furnishings. She couldn't help but observe them. That was what a woman of knowledge did, after all: observe.

Teresita had several dreams and now, she was able to fufill them. She had always wanted to work for the SCIA but she also wanted to own her own business. So using her extra funds, she made both dreams come true. She had her home custom built for her, the bottom floor acting as a bakery while she lived in a small loft above it. It was all fascinating. She just wished they hadn't used such horrid elevator music.

It could be a bit lonely, she had to admit. But at least she could do what she pleased. Her mother would get on her case if she just lounged about, drinking out of a can. She could belch in peace and even got to use her telescope without people bothering her or calling her a pervert. She couldn't help it if the lens landed on a window and she saw something.

Of course, as much as she enjoyed her solitude, she wasn't going to turn down visitors. Her new neighbors had all come to visit her and she was quite pleased with it. They all seemed nice. Lorelle was a hoot and very wild. Ryouichi was very dashing and smooth. But it was with Derick that Teresita found most in common. He was a man of science and sweet as buttons.

He even helped her find a career. He had found out where the offices for the SCIA were and gave her their number. In days, she was working as a detective's assistant. Sure, she was mostly running to get coffee or filing papers but it was a start.

She had such exciting news to tell her mother when she called. The older woman was worried about Teresita and her calls were frequent. Teresita took it in stride. She knew her mother was trying to cope with it all. Teresita was an only child, so it was hard on the older Loyola to let go.

But if only her mom could see her. She was really living the dream. She lived in a beautiful home and the sky was the limit. Teresita was hoping, though, to make the limit pass that. She took every opportunity to go up to the roof at night and stargaze. She even managed to discover a star.

But all those cold nights caught up with her, mixed in with hanging around sick people seeking her boss' services. It wasn't long before she caught herself a cold. It was awful. She felt so drained. She wondered if she should take off a few days of work but that'd only slow her down. She was determined to not let some virus keep her from fufilling her dreams.

Saito - The Small Things

Not many men would be happy about living with their parents, but Ryouichi was. His parents weren't like most. They weren't overbearing or stuck up. They accepted him and his "flaws". They understood that he was to be a free bird, unable to be held down...unlike his ex-wife. No, she thought she could change him. She thought she could turn him into a loyal, loving husband and father. She was wrong and after having enough, she left Ryouichi to take care of their son, Hayate. Luckily, the moment she left, Rokurou and Yuzuki were planning on moving to a new town and invited their son and grandson to live with them. With Hayate being watched over by his parents, Ryouichi now has time to do what he loves: flirt.

Ryouichi had always gotten along well with his parents. He'd been able to talk to them about anything. So it was no trouble striking up a conversation with his father once they had moved in. His son, however, was less social. Yuzuki tried to cuddle Hayate, wanting to soothe him since he seemed so against the move but he just shoved her. He didn't like physical connection, much.

But Yuzuki knew this, so she tried a different approach. She was more subtle, sitting beside Hayate and asking him about his book. He was less threatened in that way, but still quite shy. He would mumble his answers. Still, at least he was answering at all.

Hayate loved reading but painting was also a love of his. He was only able to draw stick figures and strange looking unicorns but it was a relaxing activity. Still, he wondered if there was something else he was good at. He wondered if there was an activity that was made for him...

While Ryouichi bunkered down and found himself a job as a dishwasher, his father was wasting what little money they had. His father had some sort of midlife crisis and felt the need to befriend as many people as he could, right down to the paper girl. She was a bit scared by this strange old man giving her money but hey...money is money.

Ryouichi distracted himself from his father's frivolous ways in the best way he knew how. He chatted up one of his next door neighbor, Eumelia Holt, when she came by to welcome the family to the neighborhood. She was a beautiful woman. He could just imagine her long red hair entangled in his fingers, sprawled out against the dark outline of his pillows...

Of course, she wasn't the only woman he was interested in. Quite the contrary, actually. Ryouichi had gotten in touch with many of the ladies in New Lanshire. He had quite the selection. He kept in touch with all of them, of course. The internet was a lothario's best friend.

Ryouichi hadn't thought about having another live-in girlfriend ever again. But it wouldn't hurt. His housekeeping skills left much to be desired. The poor boy couldn't even make a bowl of ramen without almost setting the microwave on fire. His mother was beginning to get tired of cooking for him. Perhaps he'd have to find himself a girlfriend who was handy with a stove?

Yuzuki was beginning to tire of cooking for her son. He needed to learn how to fend for himself. She wasn't going to live forever. So, she tended to make foods that didn't require more than one serving, so he would be forced to cook something himself.

Hayate was beginning to branch out and make friends. They were older than him, however but his wise attitude made it okay. He often spoke as if he were ten years older than he was, which really attractive the teenage girls. He also had a keen eye for style, helping them update their looks. One such girl, Meadow Thayer, was pleased with the new hairstyle he'd given her.

Hayate enjoyed school. He enjoyed it more than most children did. He loved learning and wasn't very disappointed when his first report card was less than great. He didn't care. He knew he was still learning, still growing and that was what was important. His cheerfulness impressed everyone, including the bus driver.

With Hayate at school and Ryouichi at work, the older Saito had little to do. Rokurou would sit down on the couch and read, Yuzuki coming soon after to cuddle up to him. She had been quite tired as of late.

Ryouichi's job kept him away most of the day but he was still an excellent father, in Hayate's eyes. Ryouichi helped him with his homework and read to him when he did have free time. It was the small things that counted, after all.

He didn't at all mind when his father wandered off to call Eumelia. She was a nice, pretty woman, after all. His father really seemed to like her. Hayate wasn't that selfish to interrupt him like that.

It was rude to interrupt, anyways.