Apartment means penthouse. (perm)

[Oki W. Nanda]

Clack.

Slam.

Clack, rattle.

Click.

The sound of pouring tea and slamming cupboards and not very carefully placed dishes. She was mad without hearing him out. But that armor was no good. It made smart people very, very ignorant. It made Dion not what he was- she didn't like the idea of him fighting and the armor was a sure sign he was or was planning on it. She bit her lip...as her hormones were still only settlings from having been pregnant... there wasn't anything left to prove. She just wanted him to get into a good school. And be happy. Why couldn't he just be happy with his life as it was. It wasn't as if she asked much of him...maybe that was the problem...maybe Oki wasn't asking enough of him.

She set a plate of the now cool cookies on the counter and sighed. Her big brown eyes looked to her so- ...to Dion. She felt a little hurt on the inside...but she couldn't..think of a way to express it.

Her lips parted with a softer sigh, "Come take a seat, Oki needs an opinion on this recipe....and a truthful explanation as to why he was in that outfit."

[Leon]

Hades rolled over in his sleep from the bashing of wood cabinets. Dion walked into the kitchen and sat at the table. He wasn't sure how to go about this and decided to hit the tea first. He drank a good gulp, and then set it down. He leaned back in the chair, or more so slouched back, keeping all four legs on the ground.

"Well, I've been doing some research into Uncle Asiv's past and found out some coincadences that didn't sit right... Raikeru "Ender" the previouse supervisor went to the same highschool as uncle Asiv, and so did the warden of the correctional facility Sean Barker. Now this guy, Alex Malice shows up to become supervisor, also being one to go to that high school. I found out they where also all friends, and I was about to go pay Barker a visit."

Dion would take another gulp, thinking to himself.

'A very painful visit for what you did to my uncle!'

[Oki W. Nanda]

Oki very calmly sipped her tea. The flavor was perfect, the herbs she had brewed would stay potent for a long time. It would be good for at least three more brews. And then more cookies. She watched him- her eyes studying every gesture and movement, her ears listening to every word. Her eyes narrowed for a moment, then relaxed. Her fingers gripping the tea cup tightly, Her feet planted very very firmly on the floor.

She recognized the look on his face as he took another gulp of the tea, she sighed, "You don't go to meet anyone in that particular outfit unless, he intends to do something Oki wouldn't approve of."

She sipped her tea silently, "Or that Yuanji would either. As Dion seems to be sneaking about very very often lately. How is the tea- does he like it?"

[Oki W. Nanda]

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Time had passed.
Oki had been gone for a while, she had been raising the twins with AiAiAi as she had lost track of a few who lived with her and near her.

Oki gripped the sink edge and stared at herself.
"You are a monster."

She shook her head and stared at the burn on her face. The burn from her mistake, her accident- her near loss of both of her children. She had only a few days ago been allowed to come home. Allowed to be alone with her now year old twins. Only now was she able to be home and whole.

"You're a monster a horrible ugly monster. You don't deserve the skin you used to wear," tears welled down her face and she bowed her head long enough to grit her teeth..to see her finger tips begin to bleed.

She had been drunk. She had been alone with the twins and drunk- it was unlike her but a rough patch, some bad reviews, a lawsuit, harsh words and stress from loved ones had pulled her back into the habits she had once battled away for what she thought was forever.

Looking up suddenly, staring into her own amber eyes she shouted at herself, "YOU GOT JUST WHAT YOU DESERVE AND NOW YOU WITH LIVE WITH IT!"

She had been drinking, the twins safe in bed and she cooking away. But she hadn't been smart about it. She had been frying something...the fire department later said it had been several non fryable items such a clothing, baby toys and part of a book.

"You could have killed them. They're all you have. You're alone after that."

She remembered putting the bottle by the stove top and reaching for more oil when something- her hand- had slammed down on the handle sending boiling oil and fire all over the counters, the floor, and herself.

"See these burns," she asked mirrored self, holding up her arms, standing up straight, and exposing her neck, "these are a physical reminder of how you failed them. How your idiocy almost killed them and yourself."

She had screamed, screamed so loud as the fire tore though her skin as though she was spun of sugar, the people below called for police- who arrived as she lay on the floor. The fires out, the babies crying and coughing, her heart completely stopped from the sheer agony.

"You will live like this forever. For them and to remind yourself how fragile they are... how worthless you are."

The paramedics who had arrived with the officers brought her back to life. Her heart strong and steady. She had laid in a hospital for weeks, her children being watched by what few friends she had as the doctors tried to fix her skin, clear her lungs and keep her sane.

"You are a monster."

She sobbed and screamed at the mirror, her fist in its center as the spiderwebs flooded around it, "MONSTER!"