I'll Get a Summer Job! (Cadenza and the kids(Keliel)

Even before knocking on the door, Cadenza would hear murmurs from the other side which would continue for several seconds before a hand finally reached the knob. When it opened, the majin would have to lower her gaze slightly to adjust for a smaller resident whom had come to greet her. “Hello!” Said a young sun-kissed boy with midnight chocolate curly hair fringing over a pair of dark caramel eyes. He then blushed, his eyes setting on the woman at his doorstep and then shifting down to his own exposed chest. The boy was barefoot with swim-shorts and a white bandana over his head. He held a broom-stick in one hand -no doubt doing chores. “Umm… excuse me…” he said with a flustered expression as he retreated into the back to put on a shirt. “Moooom! There’s someone’s at the door!”

The majin would have to wait a few seconds, standing with an open door, she could clearly see the livingroom. No tie on the coat-rack, the father must be out. Eventually, Lace emerged into view, the source of all the murmuring as she had been in a phone call. “Oh, hi! Cadenza, right?” The woman extended her arm to shake the majin’s hand while holding a phone between her cheek and shoulder. She wore a business suit on, but she also held a backpack on her other hand. “I’m so glad you decided to take the job!” She said with a smile and bags under her eyes. Medyas returned, now wearing a black t-shirt. What a transparent boy. “My husband is out on a business trip, and I have work after class! We usually try to take the kids with us, but it has been getting exhausting lately. We could really use the help!” She pointed a finger behind Cadenza, indicating her other two children whom played by the shore. Lace promptly took the opportunity to speak on the phone while the majin acclimated herself to the environment. “Yes! Sorry to keep you waiting, I…”

Meanwhile, little Keliel had been minding his own business, building his own sand castle by the shore near his home. The residents were currently in disarray as the young boy miscalculated their distance from the ocean. Half of the castle was melted down by the figurative magma flowing from the great abyss. He never asked for this! Keliel was just a boy, why did he have to make all of these important decisions?? Panti, his little sister, attempted to help by frantically lifting up the fallen castle pieces with her hands -She was immune to the magma. The acrosian child clasped his cheeks with both hands, "Nooooo!" he cried helplessly as another wave washed over the ruin that was his domain. Regardless, Keliel was a child, and as kids often do, he was soon distracted by a flying man passing by in the distance.

"Whoooooaaaa!" they exclaimed in unison, "he's fwying!" Panti said. They couldn't help but smile as the man soared across the ocean as if it were second nature. They laughed at each other and attempted to imitate the man. Keliel braced himself, crouching as low as possible before leaping into the air; however, as one might have predicted, the boy promptly dropped out of the sky -as you do, and inadvertently landed belly-first into his castle. Panti gasped and covered her mouth with both hands, only laughing when Keliel started cracking up. He no longer cared about his precious castle and his toddler mind had already forgotten about the poor people that had placed their faith in his incapable hands. Keliel was too preoccupied with the flying man and surely after started chasing him along the shore. Panti followed suit of her brother, arms spread apart as if she were about to take off. It was then that Keliel noticed a pink stranger standing at their door. He quickly veered his wings and set course for home! Panti followed.

“No, no, no, the professor said we won’t have regeneration in the exam. It’s just a simple gas-turbine engine!” Lace cupped her mouth with one hand as she spoke into the phone. “Yes! Also, remember, we have to check whether the system operates under the cold-air standard assumptions! Otherwise…” She continued speaking incoherent engineering jargon through the phone as she tried to walk her peer through a problem. “Riiiiight, and the inlet temperature is 250 kelvins!”

“Yes mommy?”

The two-foot lizard child walked up the wooden stairs to the porch, where they stood, stopping at his mother’s side. He looked up at her with his big and red innocent eyes. If Cadenza could sense energy, she might note that the arcosian’s power-level was almost imperceptible. He wore a blue swimsuit to complement the turquoise bulb between the stubby black horns on his head. It also had a hole in back for his tail, which his mother had so lovingly made for him. His tail slithered playfully.

“Not you, Keliel, we went over this.” Lace said, pulling away from the phone. Medyas smirked. “Say hi to your new baby-sitter. Kids, this is Cadenza.”

“Hiiii~!” Keliel turned to the majin and smiled. He stood on his toes as he waved up to her. Panti, sucked on her thumb and observed her, only greeting her after a few seconds. “Hi!” The little girl wore a full-body swim suit. She had curly hair, like their older brother, although it was a lighter shade of brown which cut just below the ears.

“Uh-huh… yeap… yes… exaaactly…. Listen love, I’ll be there soon enough, then we can cram until the exam. Gotta go, baaaaaaaaiiii!” Lace waved goodbye to her phone as if the person on the other line could see. Promptly after hanging up and stowing the device in her pocket, she turned to Cadenza and the kids. Woops! She thought to herself, covering her mouth with the tip of her fingers. The fact that she introduced herself as ‘Majin Cadenza’ worried Lace that she might have been saying her name wrong all along! She wanted to apologize, however, she didn’t want to interrupt the majin’s moment meeting the kids.

At first, Keliel slightly jerked his head back and blinked when she pointed at him, but the little jump was not enough to scare this little guy! “Hehe!” Keliel giggled while covering his mouth with both hands as she caressed the crystal on his head. “It’s Keliel, silly!”

Cadenza then greeted Panti, whom smiled back at her mischievously with thick eyebrows furrowed together. She locked her hands behind her back, tummy expanding out, and legs stretched with toes on end and grinned. “Ma-jin Cadensa!” She chanted.

Next was Medyas, whom flinched as she spun on her heels. As if he weren’t nervous enough already, the majin lifted him off the ground like a doll and whirled him around for a ride. The fact she started making plane noises was even most embarrassing! Medyas was in that awkward age between child and teen where he felt conflicted and ashamed for enjoying childish things. He was still childish in many ways: he played pretend with his siblings and friends from time to time, he would play video games, he would whine to his mother whenever she made him do chores or homework, he might even tear up because he missed his parents! -but this… this crossed the line. Cadenza might have been oblivious, but when she finally released him, Medyas looked away with rosy cheeks and pouting lips. He didn’t fold his arms because that would seem defensive and indicate that he was bothered.

Keliel, on the other hand, was shameless! “ME NEXT!” The tiny arcosian hopping in place with arms held up to beckon the majin to lift him up. He wanted the FULL experience, plane noises and EVERYTHING. Panti smirked. You done messed up, Cadenza! Said her mischievous grin. Now you have to spin ALL of us MULTIPLE TIMES! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! The tiny child, whom was slightly shorter than Keliel, followed suit and raised her hands in the air.

Lace nodded to herself as she took note of the majin’s qualities. “Yes, this is good,” she murmured to herself. “She’s kind, pink, happy, and most importantly strong… This might work…” She gave herself two more nods.

“Send me an email with your availability for the week and we’ll discuss after I’ve assessed your first day.” Lace smiled, patting the majin on the shoulder. “Now give mommy a kiss!” She said. Keliel, Panti, and Medyas all huddled to hug their mother and smooch her on the cheeks. “Love you~!” She tuned walking down the wooden stairs of their porch, "You know the drill, I'm sure, in bed before 10pm, feed them, keep them in check, blah, blah, blah," she tossed a capsule on the sand, by which her hover-cycle emerged from a puff of smoke. Before putting on her helmet, she glanced back at the majin, “Oh, Majin Cadenza, don’t let her push you around.”

Lace winked with a smirk and set the helmet on her head. Shifting into high gear, Lace would ride out of the beach her business suit, a backpack, and a turret of sand at her wake; her long hair flowing in the wind.

The kids stared at Cadenza in silence. What now?