Episode 9: Work and Whimsy

Knock-knock!

Aurelia jumped, almost dropping her steaming cup of tea. Who could that be? The delivery robots were programmed to trigger the doorbell.

She set her mug on the coffee table before going to peer out of the peephole.

Aurelia gasped as she opened the door. A smiling blond boy with a backpack waved. "Deni!" She looked around. "Where are Mom and Dad?"

"I came by myself!" He smiled at her like only a ten-year-old could. "Mommy and Daddy are busy like usual."

Aurelia gestured for the blond boy to come in. "Did you tell Doe where you were going?"

"I left her a note."

At least he didn't totally take off...

Deni entered her home, looking around with wide eyes. "Whoa, this place is tiny."

Keith blinked as he came into the living room.

Aurelia folded her arms. "We don't need a palace for three people. That would be a nightmare to clean and manage."

"When did Deni get here?" Keith asked.

"Just now," the boy chirped out.

Keith raised a brow. "Alone?"

Deni nodded happily. "Yup! Dad and Mom gave me some money and this disguise to fit in with the peasants."

Yolie pouted as she came into the room. "It's not nice to call people peasants!"

"They're not nobles though!" Deni frowned back.

Keith rubbed his temples. "Kids..."

Yolie's face reddened.

Keith looked like his pain flared even more.

Aurelia chuckled nervously. "Well, I'm glad you're here safely."

Deni grinned. "So, what are we gonna do?"

"If I take you to the park or put a show on, will you let me get some work done?" Aurelia asked.

"If I get out of your hair for a while, can we practice magic together?" Deni's eyes practically sparkled as he whispered in her ear.

"Yes, we can do that. Let's get a drink later, too." Aurelia patted Deni's head.

The boy beamed as he hugged her waist.

Aurelia returned the hug and kissed his forehead before letting him go. "Okay, Keith, Yolie, keep an eye on Deni for me."

Deni hugged her. "Can't I go with you, Sissy?"

"I don't think it'll be fun for you. I have a meeting and desk work."

Tears poked out of the corners of his eyes. "I'll sit in the corner and be good!"

Keith sighed. "You might as well bring him along if he's this insistent."

Aurelia glanced between Deni and Keith before nodding. "All right. You can come along then."

Deni pumped his fist with a bright smile.

Deni opened the door and grabbed her hand.

Aurelia locked up behind her.

When they got to the office, the greenhorns flocked around them.

Poppy, a girl with hair that had a tendency to get frizzy, let out a squeal. "Who is this little cutie?"

Deni grinned. "Hi! I'm Deni!"

"How old are you, little one?"

He raised both hands. "Ten!"

Aurelia sighed. Yet he liked to act as if he were still five. Her brother just liked the attention people gave him, so he played up his cuteness. It worked. Aurelia was always a sucker for Deni.

Poppy and the other greenhorns buzzed around Deni like a flock of magpies.

Deni soaked up all the attention, telling them about himself and asking questions about everything.

"You lot better get your work done," Aurelia said. She certainly wouldn't want to face Francesca's wrath. Aurelia guided Deni to her desk. "You can play games on your terminal quietly while you wait. I have work to do, but you can come and talk to me anytime you want, okay?"

Deni nodded and tapped his terminal, making the screen widen. He took it off and began to play.

Aurelia turned to her terminal to continue working.

Deni came over every so often to tell her about his game or ask a question about something that interested him.

As she finished up her reports, Poppy stopped by with some juice boxes and snacks for Deni.

Deni smiled. "Yay!" He downed half of one box immediately.

Aurelia shook her head with a small laugh before returning to work.

Eventually, she got done with her desk work, and it was time for her meeting. She stood from her desk. "Deni, I need to go to a meeting. Be good for Poppy and the others. Don't call them peasants, either."

Deni nodded happily. "Okay, Sissy!"

Aurelia headed toward the conference room, feeling somewhat guilty for leaving Deni alone. But there wasn't much she could do when she had work.

When she arrived at the conference room, Maza was already sitting inside.

Maza smiled and greeted her, "Hey, Rel."

Aurelia nodded. "Hello." She sat down next to Maza.

After a few minutes passed, Francesca breezed in, followed by a man in a tan suit. His brown hair was combed neatly. Aurelia didn't recognize him.

Francesca sat across from Maza and Aurelia. "This is Mr. Cedar."

Mr. Cedar sat on Francesca's right. He smiled warmly. "Nice to meet you two."

Aurelia nodded. "Nice to meet you too."

Maza nodded.

Francesca cleared her throat. "Now that we've all introduced ourselves, let's begin our meeting." She slid a tablet across the table to Aurelia.

Aurelia picked it up. On the screen was a list of titles and their summaries.

"These are the books that Mr. Cedar's company has published. He would like us to review them," Francesca explained.

Aurelia scrolled through them. "What kind of genre?"

Mr. Cedar answered, "Fantasy mostly, but there are some romance novels too."

Aurelia scrolled through the list until she reached the final title.

"You don't have to review all of them, just pick the ones you're comfortable with," Francesca said.

"Got it," Aurelia replied with a nod.

Mr. Cedar smiled. "Thank you."

Francesca continued, "That wraps up today's meeting. Aurelia, Mazarine, ensure those reviews are completed on time."

Both nodded in agreement.

Mr. Cedar bid them goodbye and followed Francesca out of the room.

Deni burst into the conference room. "How do I unlock the bathroom?"

"I'll open it for you," Aurelia said, leading the way.

Deni sighed as he came out of the bathroom.

"Feel better?" Aurelia asked.

The boy nodded sheepishly.

Maza smiled. "Is there anything else that needs to get done today?"

"No," Aurelia replied, "I hustled to get it all done before the meeting."

Francesca's heels tapped on the floors as she walked. "Who is this little cutie?"

"Hi!" Deni grinned. "Rely is my sissy!"

"Is that right?" Francesca turned to Maza. "You know where I keep my candy stash?"

"Yes, ma'am," Maza replied. She smiled. "Do you like chocolate?"

He nodded like a bobble head.

"You've been so good today. Would you like to pick out a piece?"

"Yes, please!"

Once the two were out of earshot, Aurelia folded her arms. "You set me up, didn't you?"

Francesca sighed. "I'm not going to make a child feel guilty for your decisions."

Aurelia's cheeks reddened.

"If you needed to look after that boy, you could have asked me to remote in instead."

"Deni happens to be my kid brother." It felt like her cheeks were on fire. "He's a bit clingy and loves attention, but I don't need to watch him at all times. Also, he might act five, but he is ten."

"He is? He is kinda short." Francesca sighed. "That's not the issue. Others might disagree, but I think work life balance is important."

"Thank you for understanding."

Francesca shook her finger. "However, if you need personal time, you must ask beforehand."

"I understand."

Deni skipped back with a chocolate bar. "Sissy! I got a candy bar! Thanks, Miss!"

She patted his head. "You're welcome, sweetie."

Deni unwrapped it and began to munch away happily.

Aurelia sighed. Deni was still acting all childish.

He blinked. "You okay, Rel?"

"Denarius, can't you act your age?"

He frowned.

"You're ten. People are gonna think you got what uncle Sol did."

He sighed. "Okay. I'll act my age."

Her coworkers gasped at his sudden shift in tone.

"Well, I'm gonna go back to your tiny house. See ya."

"Think you made your brother angry," Francesca said.

Poppy nodded as she walked over. "Yeah, he sounded like a rebellious teen."

"Is there anything wrong with having whatever your uncle did?" Francesca asked.

Aurelia sighed. "I don't think there is, but that doesn't mean everyone agrees."

"Shouldn't you go after him?" Poppy asked. "Make sure he's okay and gets home alright?"

"I know he can get home by himself alright, but I should probably talk to him, anyway."