Ninovan (Hypernaturals 10)

She is Gaia

Tamales take a long time to cook, especially when you are doing as many fillings as I make. Each unique filling type has to be made before they can be wrapped in the dough, which I also have to make. We talked to Danny and Lori to see how they felt about Dinner with Senior Sirens, and they were interested. Lori added, "You are making Tamales, so you KNOW I am going to be there if I have to wrestle alligators. It's how you make love to me from across the room... Sweet, sweet love."

Danny had gave that an eye roll. He is used to Lori's enthusiasm for my Tamales.

Nakoma drove herself to school with her newly minted Drivers License in her newly rebuilt car. I kiss her goodbye with mixed feelings every time she leaves. Her and I going to school had been our father/daughter thing for such a brief time.

I gave Nakoma a quick summary of the upcoming evening in case she wanted to be scarce, but she is interested too. I am slightly less happy about the idea of exposing my sixteen-year-old daughter to Sirens who might think she is part Astral. Well. Ok. She is part Astral. No thinking required. The only question now might be does it matter if her mom is Astral, but her bio-dad isn't if the gene pool is about a huge and ancient cross-breeding program of several species. Are they even different species in that case? Nakoma may be more than half. Who knows?

Morgan is opening our office today, and Jessica is rolling on the floor with Laura and Rachel Helena. Diana is watching me cook and asking me questions about why I am doing certain things a certain way. Why are Tamales rolled in corn husks? Why am I making so many different kinds? Are they all going to fit in the huge cooker I have out? Can I make her the bean and cheese ones she likes?

Diana has been verbal from a very early age, and that has only increased with time. She will start school next year, and I am not looking forward to that.

Angel came out in an unbelted Terrycloth robe. She made a beeline for the coffee, but I intercepted her for a kiss first. "OK. You may now caffeinate." I told her after a deep kiss. As she poured her coffee. "Thanks. Now I'm horny again." She whispered.

Jessica said in a conversational tone, "Welcome to my life."

"You are my girlfriend now, by all reports, so it is my job to kiss you as often as possible."

Jessica again commented, "He takes his job seriously. Just like that food will be well prepared, you will be."

"Damn." Angel shook her head and sipped. "I wish I would stop passing out. I like the post-nookie clarity and all but... Still. Annoying." She looked over at me, "You didn't... You know."

"I did. Later." I assured her.

"Oh. Sure.." She looked down. "Am I still... Baby-ready?"

"Yep. The window for that can be as much as twenty-four hours according to the Doctor playing with the kids in there."

"Can I help you cook then? Diana and I? Morgan has the office, and I do not feel like going to work today since I am about to be on display tonight."

"Sorry. We can call that off if you are not ready. We did not consult you, because we assumed you would want to know more about this." I apologized.

"No, it's fine. It is something I need to get ready for, mentally. You deal with Sirens all the time, and I see how tired they make you."

Jessica told Angel (from under Laura). "I kinda liked these Sirens. Older and more serious. Even Wyatt is a pretty decent sort, I thought."

Angel pulled some cheese out to grate. "So, you think Vera is going to one day be like them? All calm, cool, and collected?"

"She is already a cut above average for her age, and Leslie has become more chill too. They are sharing Johnny, and that is knocking off some edges. They both have to act human around him. So: yes. I think Vera is one day going to be like that. Give her fifty or sixty years." I told her, as I took some cheese from her sizable pile and started making Diana's favorite Tamale filling.