Bella Sera Hair Designs and Pier 24 Day Spa

[Kaja Adair]

Kaja sat on the stoop at Bella’s, drinking a glass of chardonnay and looking out onto Badside. Business had been slow lately with the city’s mood change, and as she looked out on the still-smoldering orphanage, she imagined it would get even slower. A feeling was the only way she could describe it. It was like that stretch of time between getting cut and the onset of the pain, or the moment just before a lioness broke into a run—that feeling of anticipation. Her mother used to call it a “tickle in her whiskers,” hinting at some kind of foresight she may have had long ago.

More and more, people didn’t want to be caught unaware by the growing malevolence, and the best way to be unaware was to be covered in mud or the focus of Pslyder’s humming hands. His brief absence had driven away the groupies, for which Kaja was thankful, but it had also driven away the groupies’ money, for which Kaja was rather bitter.

She wished there was more she could do—the whisker tickle was too strong for her to ignore. She’d all but changed her mind about Shakira up until this point… the Overlord had never harmed her or the people she loved, and she’d never sat any of the Grazianos down to really explain why they hated her so much. And now, with Anubis publically thanking her for assisting Dawn after Max’s attack, she wasn’t sure what to think.

Part of her wanted to believe that there was something to like about Shakira and Anubis… that same part of her that wanted to believe good things about everyone. And, the odd kindnesses that both had shown her lately didn’t go too far in proving that there wasn’t anything to like. Perhaps they had done things in the past that were abominable, but of late, all of their evildoings had been provoked in some way by the very people who claimed themselves to be the heroes, the good guys.

Still, as much as she thought that Chris and Maria overreacted, she couldn’t ignore the fact that people whose judgment she better trusted—Kheldar, Ria, Karen Wilder—had said the same things. Anubis and Shakira are evil. Shakira and Anubis can’t change. They won’t change.

She found herself wanting a champion, to her chagrin.

“Heh… a realm full o’ fraggin’ fighters, an’ ah wan’ some’un ta hide behind. Ugh, “she murmured, shifting her perch on the stoop and waving a single-finger salute at some punks riding by. Who would be the champion? Who could be? Not Max Blue… he was just as screwed up as everyone said Shakira and Anubis was… and in a crunch, he could be counted to think of no one but himself.

The awful part was that so many of RhyDin’s best fighters were like that; dedicated to their own glory, business connections, and nobility over the welfare of others in the realm. So many thought that Max’s attack on Dawn was justified because Anubis and Dawn had been labeled as “bad people”. Whether they are or not, a man who posits himself as a hero does not stoop to their level and do the same things they do under the cover of goodness. No, for what her opinion was worth, Kaja would not, under any circumstances, support another Blue reign as Overlord.

It was times like this she missed Ticallion. As even-keeled as he was, and as absent as he became, he was strong and steadfast, similar to RhyDin’s heroes of old in the archives G’nort gave her access to. He’d always stood up for her… she shook her head. She wouldn’t let herself fall into that train of thought again. She’d made her decision, and she meant to stick with it.

She got up, setting the glass down on the side of the step, her hands stretching against the tight gauze wrappings on each, adjusting her feet within her sneakers. If no one would step up, then Bella’s and Pier 24 would need a protector, and Kaja worked too hard to build what she had to not fight for it. If no one would look out for her, then she would look out for herself.

It was with this thought that she sprinted down the pier and towards Kitsune Stadium. She had work to do.

[Kaja Adair]

The dark purple sky and its grayish clouds moved leisurely to the left as Kaja adjusted her prone position on her chair. She took off her sunglasses to rub her eyes a bit, allowing the sky and clouds to return to its natural blue and white, then replaced them, enjoying her time in the sun, and the burnished bronze skin she would have when she woke up from her nap. She glanced at G’nort, who was milling about as he usually did, his own pale white skin taking on an attractive caramel color. She marveled at this, for it was quite rare in her own experience that redheads, particularly male redheads, got along so well with sunshine. She didn’t think she’d seen him settle down once so far on the trip, but she imagined he was doing all of his work now so that they could relax with each other for the rest of the month-long vacation.

She’d had her reservations, but in the end, she was glad that she took him up on his offer. Between the Crew and their individual obligations, she and Tical never had time for each other. G’nort, on the other hand, his business well established, and his employees highly capable, was able and willing to shift his schedule such that he was able to spend more time with Kaja, something she wasn’t quite used to yet. She wasn’t quite used to a lot of things with G, and in some cases, her youth and inexperience was painfully obvious. She honestly couldn’t imagine how or why G would or could be this far… “into her” was the only word she could think of to describe it. His devotion, his attention to her every little need, the way he made love to her…it was more than she ever had, and far more than she ever expected. She could now understand how women allowed themselves to become helpless-this kind of attention was addictive.

So, she watched him. She liked watching him. There was a confidence in the way he moved, a benign arrogance in the way he talked. A smoothness, a surety that comes with experience, she supposed. There was a franticness in her own movements she shared with most of the other members of the Crew that belied their age; a manic efficiency that echoed how they saw the world-as something out to get them, if they weren’t alert or reactive enough to stave it off. In stark contrast, the world was G’s oyster, and he shelled it and sucked out the slimy parts whenever and however he wanted to. It was a new experience for Kaja, and she discovered that she wanted this… this security, this… grounding that she’d lacked since she and her twin sister Rez parted ways.

People born under the astrological sign Gemini are known for their chameleon-like ways of changing their opinions and being otherwise mercurial. Kaja was no different in this respect, and the independence and fire that had been her guide during her years in RhyDin now railed against this temptation to be useless. Even back on Earth, men with power and money and the ability to provide this life of leisure also had the luxury of doing away with the people which they were involved. Sometimes this rejection was the usual manner of getting dumped; in more psychotic instances, it resulted in the hired death of the jilted paramour. Not much different from when poor, insubstantial men dump women, but in this case, it is not just the woman who is left behind-it is her entire life, because she has allowed herself to become useless; to become entirely dependent upon a person she thought would love her forever.

It is in this situation that Kaja finds herself, sitting up, watching his every move, thinking. He’s all but said he loves her, which puts him in the position of advantage. He’s made his move, she must now make hers. He no longer needs to agonize-that’s her burden now. She’s been warned ad nauseam of his propensity to change, but as tempting as he makes it, she’ll not fall into the trap of depending solely upon him, not if she can help it. What she can’t help is wondering whether she is cheating him-whether she is cheating herself-by not giving in fully. Can she love him the way she wants to, the way she feels they both deserve, with these concerns in mind?

“You’re up,” he says softly, bringing her a Mai Tai, her favorite drink. His hazel eyes sparkle, his lips parting in a boyish smile, a few errant red curls hovering over a high, aristocratic forehead. He is achingly beautiful to her in his complexity, the hardened fighter, the talented businessman, the sharp-tongued nobleman, and now, this intensely attentive, eager-to-please lover. She is attracted to him like she is attracted to the duels-the challenge of imminent danger pitted against the knowledge and application of her own skill and control.

“Yes ah am,” she replies simply, smiling at him as she takes the drink. The liquid starts cool as it courses down her throat, the slight burn coming mid-chest as the alcohol is absorbed. “Mmm… thank you.” She leans up to plant a soft kiss on his lips, feeling more content in these past few moments than she has all year.

“My pleasure,” he says, as he moves to check their course and the automatic steering on his ship. The sun will set and they will anchor soon, at which point they will retire to the lower decks of the massive ship, having dinner (spinach lasagna with prosciutto and mozzarella, G’s invention) and then relaxing with each other (massages, kisses, and other ways of Kaja doting on him) until they fall asleep. As for now, it is quiet, with Kaja falling asleep under her purple sky and gray clouds, her eyes closing with her gaze upon her new beau.


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Things were busy lately for G. His numerous business arrangements and subsequent deal to crew his ship in a deal with the Overlord gave him so much to think on and prepare for. All in all, however, it was still quite easy for G'nort to put a hold on everything and offer to Kaja the opportunity to simply get away from it all. She asked how long it would take for him to get everything ready to set sail, and he had told her it would be done in two days. She seemed surprised, but he hadn't told her that because he was planning to start up piracy again he had his ship mostly ready anyway, thus making departure a matter of when most convenient to set out.

Having always been a sailing type, he was accustomed to the ship’s lolling motions and best knew how to deal with whatever unforeseen circumstances interrupted their vacation. He'd half not expected Kaj to take him up on the offer, but when she did, he found himself
not unhappy about it. In fact, he began to look forward to spending time away from the Arena, Duels in general, and the regular populace/media who harped on everything from "How serious about Kaja are you?" to "We hear you're in league with the Overlord and both plan to take over the entire realm, what have you to say to that?" Every time he was asked a question about his life, he'd have said no comment, saving knowledge of everything to himself. This break to get away from it all was exhilarating.

As he finished setting up the final course this day, he leaned against the railing from the upper deck and looked down to wear Kaja lay sunning herself. She was obviously relaxed and probably asleep by now, the Sun, sea breeze, and back and forth motion of the ship tends to either make someone incredibly sick, or somewhat sleepy. Since Kaj was laying down in the Sun, he assumed she was sleepy. He had to admire the woman, thinking to himself with that somewhat egotistical smirk of amusement.

"Yeah, gotta admire her." he whispered to himself, out of even her earshot. It takes a strong willed woman to seem so devoted to him, what with his reputation of being a ladies man, a cheat, slimy businessman(no idea where that one comes from), self centered and egotistical, caring for nothing more than easy sex, good profit, and his own well being. Reputations carry a lot of weight, and still, here she was, lying on his deck. He was sure she was committed to him now. But was he to her?

He looked over the sea, watching where the clouds meet the horizon of the water. The wind picked up slightly, catching in the sails giving the ship a little more speed. He brushed his hand over his shortened hair, contemplating how much time it would take to get to shore before the obvious storm was going to strike. He smelled that much in the wind. It was still sunny, though, and he looked back to where she was, thinking not to disturb her until it was necessary.

Then he smiled.

"Yeah. I'm committed." he said again to himself. But even as he said the words, he knew he couldn't tell her how much he cared yet. Honestly, he doubts she would believe him anyway, what with how much gets said about him, Sartan telling Rory about the GIT cameras, other women spreading stories about him and his past, etc. He knew she was falling for him, was devoted to him, so his feelings for her couldn't yet be revealed to her so soon, or she might then turn away in fear. Of his past, her past, her recent breakup, among other things.

Still, he smiled; it’s been a great deal of fun thus far. I can stick it out till we're both ready. Then, he looked towards the opposite horizon, where dark clouds were forming already. "Interesting. A superstitious lout might take that as a bad omen. But any wise man knows there's more than one horizon." Then he started to think about making dinner this evening.

A much easier task.

[Kaja Adair]

Jump kick, spin kick, left jab.

She was relentless, sweat pouring off the caramel skin and her teeth bared as she unleashed her frustrations on the heavy bag.

Backhand, spin leg sweep, spin jump kick.

Her hands and feet were tightly wrapped—of late, the bruises and pains she sustained from training without the tape were slow to fade.

Left jab, right jab, right uppercut, left cross.

Kaja told herself that she was training for her upcoming Overlord Challenge, but between you and me, what she was really doing was kicking the crap out of Maria Graziano.

Dodge, duck, armblock, chop.

Normally, she wouldn’t even be on the heavy bag, or here at HDT’s gym, for that matter. Normally, she’d be out running to let go of this anger, or weight training at Kitsune Stadium with Kheldar Drasinia. The former wasn’t enough, and the latter wasn’t open to her anymore… at least the stadium. Kheldar, whom she loved like the brother she never had, would always be around, in some way, shape or form, for which she was eternally grateful.

She didn’t even know what happened that night… one minute, she was enjoying her DoS shift as usual, finally getting comfortable with the fact that Tical was talking to that Chase girl, making plans for the grand re-opening of Pier 24, counting the cash rolling in from the Eye Candy calendars now that Cory Havoick had become Overlord. (She almost hated to challenge him. Almost.) The other minute, just after G’nort came in to greet her, all hell broke loose.

Flip, spin kick, dodge, duck.

Kaja overheard Maria telling Tical that Kaja was no longer a member of the Wrecking Crew. At least that’s what she remembered. This was a total 180 from the conversation that she and Maria had…you know, the one where Kaja told her that she had no intention of leaving the Crew, and if that meant that she would have to work with Tical, so be it. Kaja didn’t hate Tical… just didn’t want to be his girl anymore, that’s all. As for WRC, it was a personal thing, for sure, but more than that, it was business. Kaja still had a year on her contract with WRC, and if she was being released, she was sure that Miz Stone would have something to say about it. So, rather than jump to conclusions, she moseyed on over to Maria and Tical to see what’s what. And let me tell you… it was a regret waiting to happen.

Snap kick, snap kick, jab, hook.

To call Akasha Adair’s relationship with Maria Graziano rocky would be like calling Mt. Everest a big hill. From the first time they met, for reasons Kaja will never know, the saucy Italian woman has had it out for her, or so Kaja believes. And although she’s tried her best to ignore it, Kaja has long been aware of the mutual attraction between Maria and Tical. So, the fact that Maria would excuse and explain away Tical’s snide remarks to Kaja, yet not only release Kaja from the Crew as a TDL team, but kick her out of the Crew family the one time Kaja snaps back, comes as no surprise to the Cajun-Creole at all.

Uppercut, hook, uppercut, hook.

Snap kick, duck, sweep, uppercut.

Kaja knew she shouldn’t have said what she said… she meant every word at the time, perhaps out of anger, but she should have put a lid on it, like her instincts told her to. She didn’t actively set out to “do better than Tical”—she honestly felt she was more compatible with G’nort Dragoon-Talanador. And yes, in her opinion, what she had with G’nort, how she felt with G’nort…was splendid, was phenomenal, was… better…than how it was for her with Tical. A very small part of her—you know, the part that saw this coming two years ago—knew she was growing apart from the rest of the Crew, going in a different direction. She just wished she hadn’t handled it in such a ham-handed way.

In the end, she decided, she wouldn’t fight Maria for her place in the Crew. Kaja had grown past the idea of the Crew as it stood. In that respect, Maria was absolutely right. Besides, if Maria released her, Kaja wouldn’t have to pay the early termination penalty, and that was more than fine with her. If CDR had no open spots, then she would sit out next season, take some time off to tend to herself, tend to G’nort. What Kaja didn’t expect was the outpouring of support from people she didn’t think cared one way or the other. Karen Wilder. Cassius Gaius Maximius. G’nort’s friends, who had unequivocally accepted her because she was in love with the redhead. And the prospect of this, a new life, a new family, a new world—excited her to no end.

Rest. Breathe. Door opening.

In walked Alicia Melland, wearing that smirk she’s worn since she discovered Pslyder’s massage skills.

“There you are. G said you’d be here.”

“What did he say?”

“That you were killing the heavy bag. Said he was scared to come in and sent me instead.” She snickered, setting down a cold bottle of water, a notepad, and a pencil. “You’ve got mail.”

“Hit me with it.”

“Cory Hav fan letters, checks for calendars, magazine layout invitations—you know, that RhyDin Tail one has a lot of zeroes on it—blah blah blah…”

“Send Cor ‘is fan letters, deposit th’ checks, an’ chuck th’ invitations. ‘Specially th’ RhyDin Tail one.”

“Right. Found some letters on the front desk. Letter to Virginia Stone?”

“Chuck it. Shakira’s dead, end of investigation.”

“Resignation from the Wrecking Crew?”

“Shred it, then burn it. Let th’ bitch fire me.”

“Formal Challenge to Overlord Cory Havoick?”

Kaja grinned, then offered a taped hand to Alicia.

“Ah’ll deliver that ‘un mahself.”