Gehenna's Gate

Even in Arcadia

The loud chirping of her phone alarm waking her came way too early for her liking, but it wasn't something she had the ability to ignore today.

Xiao stirred the moment he sensed her sit up in bed, already sitting up next to her before she could even finish yawning.

"You had an alarm set? I thought I told you to rest." While his sleepy voice was hard to resist, she had no other option.

"My mom's going to be home for the first time in a week, I want to be there waiting for her." Vena tried her best to keep her voice steady, praying the raspiness of her exhausted vocal cords would help blur some suspicion.

It didn't take much to know his eyes were practically burning holes into her back.

"I'm sure Raiden wants us all to talk about what comes next, I'll come back once my mom goes to sleep. I promise." Turning her head back to look at him, she gave him a soft smile, praying her eyes didn't betray her just this once.

Xiao simply gazed on at the girl, his expression relatively blank, but she felt her bravado crumbling the longer he kept his eyes on her.

"I'll pick you up later tonight then?" When he finally spoke, it felt like a weight lifted off of her shoulders.

"Thank you."

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I made it here before her, good.

Of course, Vena had to immediately say hi to Patch and make up for all the lost cuddling time as the two relaxed together on the couch for a bit.

Thankfully the girl was pretty tidy, so the house didn't need too much work to be finished before her mother returned.

Xiao had stopped at a gas station on the way to drop her off, letting her get an energy drink of her choice despite wishing she'd gotten more rest instead.

Cracking it open, she downed a greedy sip before placing it back on the counter, deciding to start with putting away the rest of the clean dishes she'd left drying a few nights before.

Thankfully it didn't take her long, swiftly moving onto the next task of starting a load of laundry so her basket was empty.

Feeling content with that, it was time to empty all the trash cans in the house. The bathroom, her room, and the kitchen were all promptly emptied and taken outside to the curb.

Time was passing fast, but thanks to that Redbull, she was faster, tackling chores like a speed running champion.

Next she tossed on a pair of gloves, grabbing various different cleaning supplies for the countertops, the wood tables, even glass cleaner to tidy up the bathroom mirror and widows.

Was she probably overdoing it a bit? Maybe, but she wanted her mom to come home and not have to lift a finger when it came to anything around the house. The woman deserved to relax, so Vena was always pretty diligent about keeping the house spick and span.

The sound of clicking made her head jolt up, eyes now glued to the door as it opened.

"Honey! How many times have I told you to wait and let me help you clean up the house!" Her mother immediately cracked a smile, giggling at the sight of her daughter leaned over the sink, gloved up with a bottle of cleaner in one hand and a wet rag in the other.

"And how many times have I told you that I don't mind." Vena playfully shot back, placing everything down and quickly slipping off the gloves to go and give her mother a big hug.

It was the least she could do. In her eyes, her mother did more than what she needed to, always going above and beyond. Even before her husband's death, she was always a hard worker, dedicated to both her job and her family. Sure, she'd gotten a bit more distant once Vena's father passed, but she didn't blame her mother for a second.