#leo quick

Jayla: “Leo, the venue is -“

Jayla stops short as she rounds the corner and sees Leo chatting with their eldest daughter. He turns and looks over his shoulder at her, a sheepish smile on his face. Mila rolls he eyes to the right, an innocent expression on her face.

Mila: “Hey, Mum! Dad and I were just talking about the football! He’s got some contacts at Foxbury United. Maybe I’ll be able to join the university team!”

Jayla: “I saw your fancy footwork! You’ve got what it takes, Mila. Now uhh…your father and I need to…”

Mila: “Alone time! No need to tell me twice! Byeeeee!”

Mila sneaks away into the barn. Leo huffs a laugh as he turns to face his wife who’s raising an eyebrow at the exchange.

Jayla: “She’s playing cute, but I hope I didn’t ruin the surprise. This party is going to be huge. I don’t want it spoiled before she gets there.”

Leo: “You didn’t. She’s just good at being coy and might suspect something, but not to the extent we have planned. Wonder where she gets that trait from?”

Across the bar, a more furious game is causing excited shouts and frustrated boos to ring around the bar!

The Quick siblings - Mila and Auden - vs two of their classmates. Zurine, their alien companion, and her twin brother are putting up a real fight. Mila and Auden defeat them once again, high-fiving across the table.

Zurine: “No fair! I’m playing with Mila this time!”

Auden: “Oooh. Mixing up the teams? I like it. You think you can beat us?”

Auden nudges Zurine’s brother with his shoulder. Her brother rolls his eyes but fixes his sister with a feral, challenging grin. Mila catches Auden’s eye and both siblings flash each other a knowing smile. Whilst Mila may be the most sporty of the family, Auden is the most competitive. She’s been helping to train him and raise his fitness skill. It’s going to be master and apprentice against one another.

Mila: “Make sure you’ve got tissues, Aud, because you’re going to weep when we whoop your butts! Game on!”

Zurine’s brother howls with laughter as Auden grins cockily at his sister. Zurine pulls Mila aside so that they can have a quick strategy huddle, then it’s kick off time!

An hour later, Esme finally comes home from school. She’s going to delay doing her homework so she can chat with her parents about their research and the documentary she’s watched. She feels nervous, unsure why, so grabs some dinner to settle her stomach.

When Esme enters the living room, she sees her parents are already waiting for her. Her mother, Jayla, looks the most nervous. Jayla is the only mother figure that Esme has ever known, even if they are not biologically related due to her being the product of an alien abduction. This conversation may be concerning for the two of them, but at least they are all in this together.

Jayla: “Hey, Es. How was school?”

Esme: “Good thanks. I turned in the Sixam project. My teacher might want me to do a speech as I’m the only alien in the class, so…”

Leo: “Are you comfortable with that, Es?”

Esme shrugs and turns her attention back to her nachos. Leo turns and fixes his wife, Jayla, with a concerned expression. She plasters an encouraging smile onto her face as they both look back to Esme.

Jayla: “We’ll talk about your teacher’s expectation, Esme. Where would you like to start?”

Esme: “Maybe with the documentary again? I’d like to ask some questions about the early relations between Sixam and Earth, then how it changed when you both worked for Space HQ.”

It’s a special day today!

Dilan has his first day of work! Now that the campaign for student president (which he was just supporting, not running for) has ended, he’s free to do whatever he wants with his free time. He put a lot of time into other things and not anything for himself. He’s decided that getting a job will be good for university experience (if he wants to go) and more simoleons to put into his business ventures.

He’s working at the coffee shop in Windenburg’s Modern District across the sea from his home on Windenburg Island. It’s very early on the morning every day before school, so he’s up at 4:30am to catch the ferry over to the mainland. He’s definitely feeling nervous as he puts on his uniform and looks at himself in the mirror. He can do this. It’s going to be fine!

Dilan heads downstairs and into the kitchen to grab some breakfast. He was just going to microwave something quick, but the smell of toast and eggs wafts through the kitchen door as he steps through it. His eyes widen as he sees his father making him some breakfast, a pot of tea already brewing.

Dilan: “Dad? Why are you up so early?”

Leo turns and beams a smile at his son. He finishes playing breakfast and slides the plate over to him. He then moves around to pour two cups of tea.

Leo: “Morning, Dil. I wanted you to see you off before your first day. Your mother should be up by the time you come home to see how your shift went. Are you hungry?”

Dilan is a little stunned and doesn’t know what to say. Whilst being around his family might make him even more nervous, he’s beyond grateful that his parents care so much to make sure he’s ready for his first day of work.

Dilan’s flower arranging skills aren’t great, but luckily the flowers are perfect quality, so his flower arrangements look great! He takes a step back to admire his creations, biting his bottom lip nervously. He’s got handmade gifts for everyone this year. He hopes that his mother and grandmother will like their gifts!

Wrapping up the pots of his gifts, Dilan hurries I tot he house looking for his mother. He finds her upstairs with a suspicious looking sack of gifts, destined to go under the Winterfest tree. Her eyes widen when she sees him and she kicks the sack back into his parents’ bedroom, slamming the door shut down

Dilan: “Sorry, Mum. I didn’t mean to surprise you. I wanted to give your gift to you now. It’s better fresh, rather than crumpled up…”

Jayla’s eyes widen as he face softens: she steps closer to him and holds her hands out as Dilan pulls a gift box out from his inventory. She takes the gift from him, carefully lifting the lid when she sees concern blossom across Dilan’s features. He really hopes that the gift box hasn’t crushed the flower arrangement.

Jayla: “Oh Dilan…this is…”

Jayla grabs the flower arrangement and rushes into her bedroom. Dilan follows and cannot help but smile when he sees her tenderly setting the vivid red arrangement on the coffee table in her bedroom. She quickly comes back and pulls him into a warm hug, thanking him over and over for the thoughtful gift.

Leo: “You need to leave. You’re not helping her like the Sixam High Council promised!”

Three: “I cannot leave, Captain Quick. I have never seen a pollination perform a mind trick to that degree. Whilst awake might not know the basics of our abilities, she has unexpected power to -“

Leo: “My daughter is not an experiment. She’s not something for you to observe and study. Esme is incredible and has been muddling through confusing things without your help and I regret asking for you to explain the depths of everything to her. Leave. Don’t ever step foot on this farm again, and don’t try to contact us!”

Three’s white eyes stare blankly at Leo, like she’s looking straight through him. He balls his hands into fists at his sides, an immovable barrier between Three and Esme. Eventually, the pollination technician backs down and simply walks away without a word.

Leo: “Esme…I…”

Esme starts weeping again. Leo hurries forward and pulls her into the tightest hug possible. Over her shoulder, he sees Jayla racing across the farm from the barn. He should have known she would be protectively watching the exchange.