"Hello, kids. Ready to go home?" Ren beams at the kids, waiting for them get into the car (which Luna reluctantly let her borrow as Priya couldn't) with a very odd look on their faces. Except Abby, maybe. But even she looks odd, unnerving Ren a bit, with that bright toothy grin plastered on her face.
She's not too sure why they're looking at her as if she swallowed a whole bucket of worms. Their morning bonding went rather well, she thinks.
Ren woke a tad bit late and Priya had to scream at her for a while. Demi, that tiny little mafia boss, somehow woke up earlier than the rest and already had his bath by the time Ren crawled all the way to the bathroom. He looked at her in such distaste that she almost got too tempted to pull him by his hair and shake him. Only a day into meeting him and he was already making her feel like a peasant from the 17th century.
And Abby was...interesting. Sally helped Ren and guided her in the morning. They simply had to prepare Abby's bath and let her wash up on her own while they ironed her clothes, even Demi's. Simple task but not as easy as it sounds considering how Abby likes to waste time while playing with the water. Ren isn't sure what sort of 'water fairy' she sees while bathing but that sure as heck is irritating in the morning and also slightly scary. Priya used to play a lot during bath-times and she had lots of fairy friends. But Ren was an odd child- hated bathing and not even a rubber duck could keep her occupied. She used to be pretty...straightforward, even as a child. That positively scared her parents.
Abby was still not used to Ren's presence. And Ren wasn't sure how to make her wear clothes or...whatever the hell she was supposed to do. Demi promptly carried his clothes away to get dressed on his own, earning a nod of approval from Ren (not that he cared). But Abby was restless. Ren had to awkwardly persuade her to step into that damn skirt because Sally was already off to get ready herself and Ren knew she was going to die soon.
It took a while to get used to Abby's whims and get her dressed.
Now, the thing about Ren is that she loves her hair (even though she doesn't know shit about hair care) and can really excel in making cute little hairstyles. On herself. She never tried on others. So having Abby as a test subject was a gift sent from whatever higher power plays with her life normally.
It wasn't until Priya came marching into the room, barking at them to hurry up while, quite scarily, shaking a spatula at them, that Ren realised she was taking a bit too much time styling Abby's hair. But it was still a cute hairdo! French braid extraordinaire, Renita Kashyap. Two adorable braids. Abby finally looked cute enough in Ren's eyes after sporting that fantastic look Ren chose for her. And even Abby liked it! She squealed in excitement and, to Ren's horror, began to shake her head wildly for some damn odd reason.
("Oy, you!" Ren had to hold her still. "Don't ruin my work, you brat! Stop moving or I'm going to take it off! What the hell!")
Demi, packing his bag behind them, looked highly unimpressed. But he did laugh after Ren made the poor choice of cursing in Abby's presence which prompted the hyper brat to later repeat with a dramatic flare upon seeing Priya add tomatoes to her sandwich.
That earned two horrified gasps from Priya and Sall, and a snort (but it was totally a laugh considering his usual state) from Demi while Ren began to dread Abby saying she learned from Ren. Priya did that enough as a child to mentally scar Ren.
Abby, of course, blamed Ren.
Priya wasn't impressed. Neither was Sally who firmly asked Abby to not repeat it again. Whatever.
But, Ren drove them to school and they reached on time. And by on time, she means, way before the bell rang and that was a big success. Sally was already pretty worried about reaching late as they have moved quite a distance away from their school. So, she should have been pleased with Ren. The kids, however, scrambled out of the car as soon as they reached. Demi legit ran, while Sally threw a weak thank you Ren's way before dashing off. Abby looked too excited for some odd reason but Ren couldn't inquire because she was pulled away by Demi.
In short, she expected some more appreciation.
Right now, Sally and Demi are sporting similar apprehensive looks while Abby beams back at Ren, still a bit shy.
"What's with the face?" Ren asks, genuinely curious.
"I want the front seat!" Abby jumps, about to pull the door open but Sally yanks her back. "Abby, no. Er, the backseat would do for us."
Sally ushers both Demi and Abby into the backseats while Ren continues frowning, "Why-" she turns around to face them after they settle in, "Abby can sit next to me. Or is there some age limit for sitting in the front seat?" That is a genuine question. Ren thinks she'll have to buy one of those Parenting For Dummies books from the nearest store.
"No!" Sally shakes her head, smiling politely. "But Abby can be rather-"
"She means your driving sucks and we're genuinely scared."
"Demi!" Sally slaps his arm.
They're kids. Their opinion should matter less. That's the mantra of adults who get offended by certain things kids say (which hits a bit too close to home). Ren still takes offense. "What do you mean by that?" She huffs. Look at the nerve of that little shit. What does he know about driving?
"He doesn't mean anything, Aun-"
"You drive faster than lightning, to be honest." Demi generously provides his review, much to Sally's horror who begins to slap his arm some more. "I'm surprised you weren't caught by the police. And you take really, really, bad turns. Too swift. Too quick. My head hurts thinking about it."
"I think it's fun!" Abby claps her hands in delight.
Ren scrunches her nose up in annoyance. She shoots Abby an appreciative smile, slightly frustrated to see her precious hairdo in a horrid state right now, before narrowing her eyes at Demi. "Why, thank you, Demi. I'll be sure to take driving lessons from you." She deadpans before turning away.
"It's basic knowledge."
Ren whirls around fast enough to almost crack her neck. "You know, I quite liked you when you didn't run your mouth around me, or, threw sarcasm at me."
Demi simply shrugs. Shrugs.
Sally sighs next to him, and she looks up at Ren apologetically, "Sorry about Demi. He's very... straightforward."
Ren glances at her and makes a face at the excuse because straightforward isn't the word used for insufferable brats (she, too, was as same as Demi when she was a child but she isn't ready for that conversation yet). But she lets it go.
"For the sake of your poor heart, Demi," Ren says, convincing herself that she does not sound petty, "I will take gentle turns and drive slower. Satisfied?"
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She does not take gentle turns or drive slower and neither is Demi satisfied.
Ren drove like the devil to the nearest store where she could buy the grocery items Priya threatened her to collect, innocently thinking that she had slowed down but Sally and Demi had other thoughts.
Sally got out of the car, slightly shaking, while Demi wobbled out after her, scowling at the oblivious woman getting out of her driver's seat. Abby, once again, looks like she is enjoying too much. Ren finally steps out. "Never felt so good to drive like some old person with fragile bones and bad eyesight." Ren exclaims mockingly, looking around before raising an eyebrow at Demi. "Only for your entitled ass."
Before Demi could deliver his scathing one-liners to piss off Ren again, Sally speaks up, "I want to buy some water."
Ren looks away from Demi, the determined look on her face, daring him to complain again, slowly disappearing and she turns to Sally, surprised. "I...yeah, but-"
"I need a cold coffee can."
Ren stares at Demi, incredulously, "You're, like, 10! I'm 35 and I hate coffee, even if I need it more than you do!"
Demi judges her openly. "That's quite radical of you to assume people should have the same taste as you. Besides, I'm 11."
How does this kid know what radical means at 11? What the fuck?
"You," Ren nods at him, "you scare me, kid."
Demi shrugs again. "I've been told."
"I want juice! Strawberry! With foam!" Abby pulls at Sally while Ren frowns at her slightly. Given, she has better and normal taste for an 11 year old than Demi but, come on, even a baby can tell it's called a milkshake.
"It's called a milkshake, Abby." Demi, that snobby goop, corrects, "Even a baby can tell the difference."
Now, how dare he. "She can call it whatever she wants to. No need to be so judgy." Demi can be so judgemental, he needs to sort out his priorities.
"Yes!" Abby pulls a face at him before looking up Ren innocently, "Aunt Ren, can I have strawberry juice?"
See, Ren has been saving some money to look less broke and buy herself some good snacks. And Priya didn't lend her any extra money and she's not sure how much she might end up spending on the grocery items. Ren calculated it beforehand and asked for an approximate amount from Priya since they were slightly unsure about the cost of certain items. "Um, I'm not sure whether I have the money to-"
"That's okay, Aunt Ren." Sally begins, politely. We don't nee-"
"We'll buy on our own." Demi interrupts. "Dad gave us money. I have Abby's share too since she can be rather clumsy."
Yeah, and she acts like a regular 11 year old so duh, Ren thinks sourly. But instead, says, "Peter gave you kids money?"
"He often does." Demi nods. "Either buys us whatever we need or gives us some money."
Ren puts her hands on her hips, briefly looking away. "And my Dad gave me a dollar or two each month." Then she frowns as she recalls Priya mentionally how Peter practically bribes them into liking him. "Well, okay, fine. Let's buy your stuff first and I'll get to mine later. I don't want to lose you guys in the crowd."
Their happy shopping spree goes excitingly well where Ren had to struggle with keeping an eye on the list and the kids at the same time. Sally liked to get swayed over to the cosmetics section along with Demi, both discussing the pros and cons of each product, while Abby found almost everything a bit too interesting and Ren swore she felt a vein in her head pop.
But it all ended well.
No, not really. They faced some trouble when the bored little shit at the counter miscalculated their amount even after using a damn computer. Ren likes numbers, she's a damn math extraordinaire, and has a tendency to check the amount of each stuff she picks up while shopping, calculating it on the go. And this time, Ren was quick to point out his mistake because she couldn't have been wrong.
She was right. Obviously.
They got into the car, Ren sporting a triumphant grin on her face, but still miffed at that brat daring to call her dramatic and saying she can't be smarter than a computer. Said the insolent ass with a sorry eyesight!
"You do math pretty well." Demi says once they settle back in, clutching onto the seat, preparing for a hell-ride.
Ren, of course, takes his words as an insult because she is incapable of believing Demi can deliver compliments (even if he did mean it as an insult but that's not the point). But then Ren suddenly recalls something and quickly searches for a certain something inside the bag she kept on the passenger seat. "Here's a coke for Sally since she didn't get her cold coffee or strawberry juice."
Ren holds it over her head, beckoning Sally to take it as she sits right behind her. "I noticed you didn't get your water. And I could have bought water because staying hydrated is important and all that jazz, yes. But I would have wanted something not as boring as water if my siblings already got themselves fancy drinks." Ren blabbers on, searching for her keys. "I'll make sure to make you drink lots of water once we reach home, if it helps."
There is silence, for a short while. And then Sally softly speaks, "Thanks, Aunt Ren."
Ren flinches. "Please, just call me Ren. Aunt makes me sound old."
"I like to call you Auntie." Abby says from behind. Ren shrugs, letting Abby have her way this time.
Then Demi speaks. "I'll call you by your first name."
Ren snorts. "Of course you will." She deadpans. But then she notes Sally's silence and she recalls another thing. "Why didn't you buy a water bottle for yourself, Sally? Didn't your father bri-" she stops herself at the right moment, "I mean, didn't he give you money?"
"It's okay, you can say bribe." Demi quips.
Jesus. What a tool. If he knows it's bribing then why does he still wish to stick to his father's ass?
"He did." Sally replies, too quietly.
"But she didn't take it." Demi, of course, speaks over everyone again. "If someone offers you free money without expecting anything, why would you not take it? It's stupid."
Sally shifts in her seat. "You won't understand-"
But Ren too, of course, likes to talk over everyone. "Hey, just because you weren't asked for something while the money was given to you doesn't mean there won't be any expectation, genius. It's called a debt." And since she feels petty, she adds, "Add that to your personal encyclopedia that exclusively belongs to you."
Demi actually keeps his mouth shut this time.
Ren starts the engine and gets ready to drive like a pathetic moron again just for the sake of the kids. She almost forgot about Sally's response. As she starts driving, she resists the urge to ask her why she refused Peter's offer. Does Sally dislike Peter? Is it a step-father problem? Was she treated badly by Peter? Or is she too polite?
Ren has too many questions but it disappears the moment Demi says, "I hope an officer stops you; I don't want to die."
She smiles to herself, eyes looking comically dead, cursing destiny for sending this insolent brat to her, wondering what else it has in store.
A lot, to be honest, Destiny sighs, engraving their plans onto a giant stone.
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Fun fact- Ren's character arc is precisely why I decided to make it longer than what we call a one-shot. SHE NEEDS LOTS OF DEVELOPMENT OOF
Once again, THANKS FOR READING, YOU NOICE PEOPLE ;-;
~
Prongsius