Holt - Advancement

Life continued normally for the Holt clan. Though their lives were often busy, they made time to at least eat together. Eumelia said eating together was enough to form deep bonds. Karl enjoyed it. He rarely got to see his uncle during the day, his aunt was constantly cleaning and his mother was often too busy with her boyfriends. It was nice, having dinner together. It was nice.

Owen loved being with his nephew but there was much work to do. What good was he to Karl if he couldn't bring in a decent paycheque? He wanted to get a promotion, so he could give the small boy all the things he had as a child. If he had to sacrifice bonding time, so be it. It was for the greater good.

Eumelia understood his reasoning. But there were was to do his job and still be active in Karl's life. Wanting to get in shape herself, Eumelia worked out in the living room. Through her pants and groans, she carried on a conversation with Karl as he painted in the next room. His art was getting better and better each day, as he developed a love for it from his friend Hayate. Eumelia wanted to nuture his love for it. It would bring him happiness and wealth someday.

But his drive was less than desirable sometimes. Karl had a hard time getting up for school in the mornings. His mother was not a good example, sleeping in well until noon. Eumelia often had to shake them both awake. Both had awful tempers about it too.

Karl only enjoyed school because Hayate was there. Karl hadn't made many friends since moving to New Lanshire, aside from Hayate. The two were best friends and Hayate was always coming over. Eumelia didn't mind his visits. He was a sweet boy. But his father often came with him and she often found her tongue tied...by his own.

Eumelia hadn't made many friends either. But she too had a close friend. Teresita Loyola was a rather kind woman who Eumelia had befriended after seeing her taking a walk. Recently, Teresita had stopped coming by to visit and Eumelia grew concerned. Teresita was a naturally quiet person but she at least called or emailed Eumelia a few times a week. So Eumelia finally called her friend and asked her to come over, to make sure she was okay. She was quite surprised by what she saw.

She was shocked when Teresita told her she was pregnant. "Who is the father?" She asked curiously. Teresita hadn't mentioned any men in her life. The mother-to-be searched for her words, as Eumelia rubbed her belly happily.
"That's where it gets a bit weird..."

Eumelia was shocked, no doubt. She told Lorelle about it but she brushed it off as nonsense. What did she care about a magic baby? She had better things to do, like slowly corrupting the male species. Her sweet words and sizzling touch was enough to turn rowdy frat boys into bumbling dorks.

Sometimes, they even rewarded her art. Quite a few times, her dates left more than a letter or roses. One even left a pinball machine. She wasn't QUITE sure how he got it to her house but she didn't care. SHE HAD A PINBALL MACHINE!

Pinball machines were nice but Owen was beginning to feel the pressure of being surrounded by two women and a child. Sure, he wanted to have kids someday but the house was so suffocating and everything was on his shoulders. How long would he have to stay here?

He wanted to make a life with Marylena. He even went out with his extra cash and bought a beautiful engagement ring. He had planned on engaging to her at a beautiful resturant but Lorelle had so graciously taken all the money and blew it on a new computer. But Marylena still accepted. The marriage was far off, though. Owen told her he had to make sure the girls would be fine without him first.

Eumelia was happy for her brother. He deserved happiness. But Lorelle was less than pleased. "What do you mean I have to get a job!?"
"Owen needs to move out and build a life with Marylena. Obviously, one of us needs to make the money now. Now, we all know I'm more of the domestic one so that leaves you."
"But....but..."
"Do you want us out on the street, Lorelle?"
"...No..."

So Lorelle finally bunkered down and got a job as a golf caddy. She didn't enjoy it. She had to wake up early. Like, really early. Oh, she tried to sleep in. She never bought an alarm clock. But she assumed Eumelia made a deal with Karl, as each morning he'd come into her room and wake her up by playing on her computer.

With his sister getting a job and earning money of her own, Owen felt a bit better about leaving them behind. So he packed up his personal belongings and left the rest to be sold to help them. "I'll call you girls once I'm in my new place, alright?" He told them before getting inside the taxi.

Karl missed his uncle. He was the only male influence he had. But his mom bought him a new toy chest to keep him occupied. Aunt Eumelia had agreed to its purchase but that was before she realized what a mess he'd make by not putting the toys back.

Like she was one to talk. She was making a mess of her own. She could not decide who to love. Karl knew this. He often saw her making out with Hayate's father but on a few occasions, she was doing the same with Mr. Collins. Eumelia's heart was so confused. Derick was the type of man one married. Ryouichi was the type of man one WISHED one could marry.

Lorelle was confused as well. Eumelia had no idea, of course, that she was also seeing Ryouichi but one day, she swore she saw her kissing Derick's father. Talk about gross!

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.

Holt - Nothing Changes

New Lanshire promised change and Eumelia hoped it wasn't simply a lie. Things needed to change for the better. She was a young woman who simply wanted to settle down and have a family but her aspirations were put on hold when her younger sibling came to her in need. Lorelle suddenly found herself alone with her son Karl, the result of a drunken escapade and has no want to change her wild lifestyle. Luckily, brother Owen is along for the ride as well and shares Eumelia's hope for a family of his own. Between them, hopefully little Karl can grow to be a well-adjusted child.

Eumelia had always gotten along with Owen more than she had Lorelle. Both of them had similar goals in life and he understood why she was sometimes hostile towards their wild little sister. Owen made sure that Eumelia didn't suffer a mental breakdown during the move. She was so worried, due to the family's lack of funds but he assured her that this was the beginning a new life for them and everything would be fine.

He decided to be the one to get a job and support the family. It was clear Lorelle didn't want to work and Eumelia wanted to be home in order to care for Karl. There wasn't much thought into what Owen wanted to do, as far as his career was concerned. But the military did seem to be the best option. It paid well and the honor that came with it was something that the ladies enjoyed.

While she would have much rather been checking out her new neighbors, Lorelle did find time to care for her son. She did love him, despite her hands-off approach to parenting. It's just that he put a bit of a damper on her usual routine of going out and partying. It was hard to adjust. Still, he was the most adorable little thing when he waddled happily towards her.

Of course, Karl had a mind of his own and Lorelle was glad for that. When he wandered off to play with his toys, she focused on finding new playmates of her own. The local matchmaker soon became a good friend, despite Lorelle's lack of funds for a good match.

Owen knew that to find a good match, one shouldn't have to have a third party involved. No, a simple meeting between two strangers on complete accident was enough. A nice group of women came to greet the Holt to the neighborhood some time after they moved in. One particular woman, Marylena, was very friendly.

She was also quite beautiful. Owen was immediately smitten. He tried to flirt subtly, not wanting to frighten her away. But she wasn't scared one bit. In fact, she was flattered by his romanticism.

Owen's job had him leaving well before the sun rose. Despite trying to leave quietly, he always seemed to wake everyone up as he left. Eumelia grudgingly began making breakfast while Lorelle played with Karl. At least she was keeping the little one away from the stove.

Of course, Lorelle was easily distracted. She'd get random urges, plopping her son down on the ground just to juggle a bunch of water bottles. Eumelia had to admit, she was good.

Eumelia had little time to unwind like Lorelle did. Karl was growing and still didn't know the basics of life, such as talking or using the big boy toilet. She tried to keep his attention, reciting the alphabet to him but he would get frustrated and throw a tantrum.

The boy had anger issues. When left alone, he'd thrash about in his room. He'd slam down his talking rabbit toy, nearly breaking it in two. Eumelia had a pretty good idea where he got that attitude from.

Lorelle liked to break things when she was mad too. Unfortunately, a toy rabbit was easier to fix than a computer. Eumelia had been reading when she heard a scream and a loud bang. She ran to Lorelle's room and saw her beating the smoking computer furiously. After pulling her sister away, she made sure to give her a long firm lecture.

Her siblings were like children sometimes. She always found something to fuss over. Whether it be Lorelle's inability to be responsible or Owen's lack of hygiene, Eumelia was always doing something. For once, she'd just like to relax.

Owen didn't know why she didn't, though. Life was going good. Karl was growing up well, they lived in a relatively nice house and Owen was knee-deep in romance. Eumelia really needed to lighten up. Didn't she know guys don't like uptight girls?