Chapter 154
Umbros's POV
"Well, I'm glad that we didn't even have to have a vote for that item, however I still would like to know if there's anyone who disagrees. I personally refuse to be Matriarch and head of the family." I'm actually really ok with this decision, Maco is the most level headed out of all of us and I definitely understand Izz on this, we are ok in our place of power in the pack right now, she has furthered Imotonex's legacy more than what even he ambitioned. And seriously, why SHOULD she take on another fucking responsibility?
I feel a little bad for her sometimes, like myself she wasn't a fan of staying on the island for long periods of time and the fact that she was willing to risk her reputation in the tribe by challenging Tío Ayato and Bayo to have the freedom to leave was proof enough that what she wanted was adventure. Now she has all the power to do what she wants but is bound by duty. Yeah I'm pissed at Ura and her now, but when I heard what she did for the pack at Blood Moon, I was even more angry at Bayoán for allowing it, Gloria for encouraging it and Mom for teaching it to her! I remember the confusion we all had when she was shipped to Avalon and the shit show of her return. Maco used to tell me how bad it would get here and then I would get Tali's input which always was more in tune with Nina's and it would piss the hell out of me, however I had my own shit to deal with. I was 18 and I would spend ANY of my free time and money at The District having fun.
"Good! Since no one has any objections as I officially renounce power over the family and name Gamma Aymaco Mirabal Head of the Mirabal family. Our family is in your hands now Patriarch!" We all feel the shift in power in our filial Bond acknowledging Maco as the head of the family. Then we feel another boost towards Amelia as Matriarch... She surprised me just now.
She made it look to everyone that she was de-escalating the situation back then, however what she asked me was why was I not Marked and that I knew what I had to do. That's why I nodded at her. But the way she did it didn't tell me away and she assured me that she would keep my secret but not to delay it. I couldn't help our natural instinct of reaching out to a soon member of our family, I knew we were giving her space, but I really wanted to feel my little cousin inside her. She will definitely be a suitable Matriarch to our family! I can see Amelia adapting to her new station and she is easing into it pretty well for someone not raised in the tribe, it's fine. We're very used to and open to matings with outsiders, it has enriched our particular mutation and always makes us stronger, unlike these ignorant weak packs with ridiculous ideas. Then they have the cojones to TRY to lie to me! I may not be the best at many things but don't try to insult my intelligence.
"Thanks Izz, and guys, seriously I already talked with Em about this and we're going to to our best. I want to start by reminding everyone that we're blood, we're family and we have always genuinely loved each other. Yeah, we give each other shit and some have their own little personal beefs, but we love each other more and we are all willing fuck over anyone who messes with US. Are we CLEAR?" This tells me we are going off the deep end! Son of a BITCH! I had hoped we were just here to accept Maco as head of the family, enjoy the food and booze and what I scent is Izzy's own weed and go back to The Fort and Mark him and be done with it! The food IS good though, it's always a LUXURY to have a Kappa in the family, if you're not a Kappa family. We also always had the luxury of being very close to the Oller family, we are kin after all! Everyone nods and agrees with him and get ready for battle.
"Good. Good. Ok, as you all know Izz called for this, and let's be fair we owe it to her! I was with her when we left Karaya to go to Virginia and Ura and I took care of everything so that we didn't add her to the list of the dead! So I hope everyone cooperates in an adult manner. I know this is going to be new for us. Nina arranged this and she said she wanted to start right?" Ah FUCK! We have all been to one of these at one point or another in our lives!
"Yeah. Look, we ALL know I would usually not be on board with these. However, recent circumstances have demonstrated that indeed being a harmonious family garnishes power. And regardless of who you are in this family you have enjoyed the power that we possess within the tribe now. So don't worry I'm not going to go all pink flowers and bullshit ok?" I got to hand it to her, she just doesn't give a shit what the fuck comes out of her mouth!
"So yeah... Ummm..." Nina's having trouble saying what's on her mind?!
She takes a deep breath and goes off and tells us what happened on Izzy's birthday... Whoa, Izz and Ura gave her a major thrashing and now she's shook as fuck! Damn, Ura really didn't hold back. I got to try those edibles! And Izz using her birthday as a trump card! Brilliant! I do admit she's always been a BOSS strategist... Shit! It's Tali's birthday soon! They're only a few weeks apart.
We finally get first hand information of what happened to get us out of India! Nina passed us the receipt with Tío's writing, I vaguely saw Maco's Subaru, Abuelo's car and Adelola's carriage in three of the spaces in the side garage looking like before the blast before walking off the blue cobblestone road into the old dark grey stone sidewalk, then passing the iron street gate adorned with orange blossom details surrounding the big primary blossom at the center. The gate is flanked by two square columns standing out from the Street Wall, which highlights the gate with pier caps on the top resembling round blooming rose buds which symbolized the Princess Anani... It was her personal crest as well as her scent. Imotonex wanted to make sure to remind those who entered the house that those inside were of ROYAL decent. I think her own painting must be downstairs with the others Nina is cleaning.
A little bit down the street is the street entrance to the Small House, with an identical gate allowing access to pass the wall that otherwise separates the sidewalk from our property... on the Street Wall next to both gates are the old square tile plates plastered into the stucco wall with our family crest. The open muzzle wolf skull with the crescent moon in the upper right corner... It's engraved on major items and heirlooms belonging to the family like my own tomahawk, Baná. It originally belonged to Princess Anani herself.
People that don't know any better see a little axe... Yet there's a delicate precision needed to have the skill to use it to it's most effective potential. Baná is a close combat weapon, Epsilons are not close combat Warriors. However, because I'm a Truth Seer, it does allow me to fight up close since I can anticipate my opponents intention before even they fully decide what move they will make, while still being surgically precise with each blow. Because of those two factors in my particular fighting style, Tío determined that I wield Baná. Epsilons have the unique particularly that we are fed by BOTH fire AND air but in such a balanced way that helps us dominate in guerilla tactics.
When you pass the street wall, you step into the colorful mosaic floor of the small semi circle outer courtyard. It has a rose bed by the inner part of the Street Wall, and a smaller version of the fountain from the inner garden, it then leads to the large dark double oak and iron doors of the main entrance flanked by a Washingtonia Palm tree in a large black stone planter at each side. Imotonex didn't spare any expense to give Adelola a manor worthy of the daughter of a princess. Mom, my sisters and I have always had access to come and go as we please and we all have our own chambers. I've used mine in more than one occasion, when I would be Downtown or at The District and I was too wasted to care to walk all the way up the hill to The Fort, I would just walk in the side entrance through the garage with the same style gate as the street ones, yet this one was in an archway that leads to the inner courtyard and I would sleep it off. More often than not, Tía Kiskeya would wake me with a tray with ginger tea and breakfast that Nina had made. I LOVED being pampered by her... I miss her. Nina always made me blintzes which she knows are my favorite. The alternative wake up call would be Nía pouncing on my bed scaring the shit out of me and shooting a barrage of questions about my night!
"So basically what I'm trying to say is I'm sorry for my part in any erosion I contributed to our family." And then to Maco. "Brother, Tony calculated how much I owe you... You all know I suck at math, and I wanted to ask how would you like for me to pay it back? I can transfer it to your account right now if you want." Well I'll be damned! We ALL know she's REALLY taken advantage of how soft hearted Maco is and it would always piss us off. I've done my own vague calculations and it's no small amount by any means... Like seriously, I estimate close to ₲25,000, that's roughly $75,000! We still don't understand why he would keep giving her money!
"Whoa! Nina are you seriously paying Maco back?! Someone DEFINITELY got a REALLY good raise in her income!" HA! Suania gave her a little clap. We know Maco is her favorite sibling and even though he would spoil her too, she NEVER took advantage of it like Nina and either way she would ALWAYS pay him back, or at least try to. Since she never went overboard, Maco wouldn't accept her money, and they would always agree that she instead work it off assisting Maco and Gadiel in their business, so we were ok with it and the rest of us never asked him for money except for that one time Lola had a fight with Mom about the usual, us wanting to know who our father is, so she didn't want to ask her for the money.
Either way she paid him back ASAP but just like with Nía he didn't take it... It really was a small amount and it was to buy her car, and since Izz and Ura were going to help her, she just did what Izz and Maco did of buying an almost junk car and customized it. Even Tío chipped in with some of the work and it turned out to be another masterpiece! Lola opted for a classic, a '78 Pontiac Firebird Formula LT. They painted it sparkling black and Pepe did the white pinstripes and the bird on the hood... She usually keeps it here and not at the garage at The Fort. The missions Tali and I are in charge of are usually long trips, so when she comes with us for backup she would leave her car with Tío because he would have fun with it being that it was a classic, so he would take really good care of it. Either way I must admit it's a rad ride and I know Ura is saving for a '63 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso and Izzy and Maco were talking about changing their rides to classics too. They always looked to have a blast at The Drag reminding me of how much I suck at it! Ugh!
"Ok. I accept sister. But I would rather you pay it by taking charge of the add ons for the yard." That's a good middle ground! The yard definitely needs a LOT of TLC.
"No Maco. Regardless of what I owe you I WILL pay for those add ons MYSELF! I'm not an Alpha or a Beta... HELL! I'm not even a warrior of any sort. The only legacy I can leave behind is my art, so my contribution to the family will be to style the yard in a way that merges with the house and to do my best to use the EXACT materials they used, I brought a few designs with ideas so you can all vote later. That also brings me to what we're going to do about that carriage and all of those gowns in the vault?! Guys I really can't keep at it, I mainly want to focus on what Izzy wants to achieve for the pack. Seriously, some of us have talked about selling it to the Historical Society. What by the Goddess's sacred name are we going to do with all that? They offered Dad a very good amount last time for it as well as the gowns. There's a lot of work and care that goes into caring for all of that to stay in the condition they're in. The Oller's are a family with MANY Kappas, so of course they have the manpower to keep their shit updated. But either way, WHY would we keep them? We can even add all that other shit from the sewing room! I say we keep Adelola's wedding dress, one of the mannequins with her measurements and one sewing machine I can refurbish as furniture, but PLEASE let's not be hoarders! If we sell them, maybe at auction or to the Historical Society, we could use the money for the restoration of the basement floor and even rearrange and update the family burial chamber. We held a ceremony for Mami and Dad, and even though they are beneath earth as is law for the restfulness of their souls, we haven't yet buried them!" We are all looking at each other.
Mom never really gave a shit about any of this, so she never really drove it into our heads like Tío Ayato would to them... ALL. THE. TIME.
I hated when he went into the whole high and mighty bullshit of it! When either of us would complain to Mom about it she would just dismiss it.
"Hay mijo, but what do you want me to tell you?! Haven't I already told you that your Tío is a MORON! Do you see ME getting worked up about it? You think he doesn't give ME shit about anything? Just do what I do and ignore him. Never give a dumbass ANY of your time to be bothered by their bullshit! Ayato's stupidity will be his bane!" She was BRUTAL to Tío! The WHOLE tribe knows about a Council meeting close to when Izzy humiliated him in front of the whole pack where Mom burned him bad, too. She had warned her baby brother that his decision was a serious mistake when he did it to Nina, yet lo and behold it just took a few days for Mom's prophecy to come to pass when Izz destroyed him! He totally underestimated her and lost face badly.
Back then I caught up with Ura who was watching her spar with Cleo preparing for her duel with her father and brother at one of the training grounds at The Fort, he was deep in though with a frown. As he saw me I gave him a questioning shrug as to his dark glare. He shook his head and nodded towards her... 'For fucks sake Umbros, shut your trap and link! Look at her. What do you see?' I looked closely at her combat style... What is she doing? I looked closely and see her using Epsilon and Kappa combat style, as well as human Bagua, and Northern Shaolin!
'Is she serious?! She's going against TWO BETAS with this?!' He nodded with a little smirk.
'VERY! I was against this bullshit at first. Now I'm totally fine, she's got this.' And he walked away waving me off while his back was already to me.
'Are you sure?' I kept looking at her with Cleo.
'Don't worry, you'll see it when you see it!' And damn! We ALL saw it!
"Wait just a damn minute! If you're going to pay Maco the FULL amount you owe him, and we ALL KNOW it's not PENNIES, HOW are you ALSO going to pay for any of those designs for the yard?! Hey, I'm not complaining! And girl, ALL those designs are bitchin, but we also know your not going to cut corners and are going to use the the most expensive materials and contractors. So tell us sister, how are you planning on paying for it?" Bayoán sat across from me me when he chose a place at the table and was looking to his right glaring at Nina...