Chapter 166
Bayoán's POV
"Oh I never said it didn't have potential. It has EXCEPTIONAL potential! Especially since it is really close to the beginning of the cave system of the island, the source of the Amá' River starts there, so they're two watering holes with beautiful waterfalls in the property! It's location alone is worthwhile. From my recollection of the history of this hacienda it was highly profitable. It's just that since their family grew smaller they didn't have enough manpower to handle both estates, Elder Juan chose the one that made him more profit. Which I completely understand, but the other one is the only mango farm on the island it's not like we have infinite acres of land. So the property is indeed valuable it's just that we have to put the pros and cons. If the owner is not willing to negotiate on the price we're basically going to be LOSING money on this investment. Izz, I remember what I saw that day, and they still weren't able to sell it and it's been YEARS! Who knows how it looks now. That's why after we talk to our Abuelo, I want to ask permission to see it. I have to look at every single crevice, verify the cornerstones, see how much stucco is needed, which places I would rather leave as exposed brick, it gives it a really nice aesthetic and at the same time it saves money on material, Morgana can always cast the same protection spell to it avoiding any further erosion or damage of any kind..." She rubs her temples, her eyes focused trying to think of everything that would be necessary. And she's just as high as the rest!
"Like I said I have to go see it in person, however I do have ANOTHER suggestion. You guys can take it as an alternative plan and you give me your opinion. Until I don't see THIS property I can't really give an educated opinion. On the other hand I can give a full opinion with regards to what you guys were planning on developing Karayita. The island is big enough to make at least three small townships. I say we get land there NOW and make a beach house! I already have several designs! Yeah we live close to the beach but it's not Karayita Beach! Fortaleza Beach is ok... But it's just not the same! The news still hasn't gone out on that development we can buy at SUPER cheap and use the best materials! You guys remember the fun we had that week at a Uguaca Bay right?! And going to Karayita is always fun! We can swim to all the keys nearby or go in canoas and kayaks with the pups. We will get a TON of bang for our buck with THIS project!
"I STILL want to see the other one and if our great grandpa is willing to negotiate with us maybe because, his great granddaughter ended up being the FIRST Alpha of his family to actually rule, maybe he'll give us a damn break! I can take Tali with me, I'm pretty sure that those factors and Tali's negotiating skills he can probably lower us the price substantially. If WE are going to honor them by recognizing THEM as family, the LEAST they can do is appreciate the fact that we are the ones who brought ruling class status to their name! Isn't that what they always wanted?! Well we gave it to them! And Bayo, I already checked the law with regards to any move with buying property in Karayita before it is announced, I didn't see any illegalities, would there be a problem with that?" This is really the first time that I'm watching her in her element fully! Those are GREAT negotiation tactics! And now I remember that of course she negotiates with sellers all the time for materials!
"Not at all, it is a very common practice, that's how the Spogels, the Guerreros and other families were able to acquire so much land, inside information. Is the same way how Imotonex and Pablo we're able to get the best properties in the citadel. Since the other families didn't have to work in the capital they were able to pick and choose where in the island they would establish their own ancestral home. It just so happens that the property that Imotonex wanted was still more expensive because it had a better location." She's on to something here, she's thinking about having her cake and eating it too! If we buy land in Karayita, which already the vampires have stated that they would gladly like to guard, so already there will be commerce there especially since people depend on them so much to receive goods and items from the human world. We can make a KILLING, not exactly the kind we like best but the more boring type of getting an awesome beachfront property not too far away with frankly the BEST beaches in The Caribbean, and be able to use it to enjoy ourselves with our pups and now that we are renforcing our family bond, we can have a lot of family time. This will help strengthen even more the bond for the next generation of siblings and cousins.
At the same time she's still not discarding the other property because of its potential income value! I always saw her more as a brainless, exorbitant with a colored pencil. It turns out my big sister is a very shrewd business woman! But it makes sense, whatever else she is still the daughter of a Beta and an Alpha, and Nina has always had an eye for detail which makes her an exceptional artist, and has garnished the respect she has earned to this day in the tribe. I know that in spite of her anger with Dad she always paid attention to what he said and she was always very close with Mom.
"Next mission we're sending you to negotiate! I don't even know why you guys need me!" Talia is high as shit, too! Marcus is hanging on there I don't think it was a good idea to give him an edible to start, oh well, it's already done! It's just that the guy can't stop laughing, I mean come on man you're a Beta dude! Kayden is INCREDIBLY composed... I guess the fact that he has been fully mated to Izzy for close to a year must do that.
"Seriously Tali? You know I can't go into the danger zones! Tony's been teaching me a few things but I'm an absolute disgrace! The next time we do go to The Drag I DO want to try to race I think I got it down! OH! And by the way, MACO do you remember Eithan? You know from the Pinnock family? You know that they ALWAYS come and go from Jamaica, well he found a '71 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda at a bargain price in Kingston! It's in really awful shape but that's why it's so cheap! I know you dummies love doing all that crap! Also Izzy do you still want the one like Abuelo's car? Boss 429 right? Or the Super Snake, I heard you mention that on your birthday? And Ura I got your '63 Berlieta Lusso! It's in Panamá! Also needs a lot of work." Maco, Ura and Izzy's faces light up like children in front of the Saturnalia tree! Now that I look better basically half the tables faces look like children waiting for candy at Halloween! And yes we decided to adopt THIS human tradition!
When our Spanish population increased, many still practiced Christianity and celebrated October 31st as the eve of 'El día de los Inocentes and All Saints Day' hence All Hollows Eve, they would wait till midnight in hopes of receiving the spirits of innocent children because the gates of heaven would open... I think, and the children can spend 24 hours on Earth... Look we didn't really have to go too much into THIS in training! So November 1st they would honor all their saints and put marzipan for children, I would have to cross reference that, and then November 2nd was the day that they celebrated ALL of the Dead! And that's the Day of the Dead. Okay I KNOW I got THAT right, because we STILL practice it.
Every family goes to their Burial Chambers or Mausoleums to honor their ancestors until midnight of November 3rd. It's actually quite a joyous occasion and it is celebrated more or less like it is in Spain and México, our ancestors are the blueprint of who we are, that is why it's no joke to be banished from your family. Either way, when we started going off Island and learning where the Christians got those traditions ORIGINALLY from we thought that they were way cooler! So we just started doing what the Celts did!
They are the original Samhain party animals! They would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts and spirits who made potentially ruin their crops. However a lot of agents started bringing the tradition home as it's practice more or less today and we did our own little spin on it. If it's something FUN we WILL take it! We turned all three days into a holiday of celebration for our ancestors. Every year we feel Adelola's joy for being visited by her WHOLE family, and we leave them all offerings of flowers, honey and candied fruit, Kappa Sugar artisans make beautiful sugar skulls for offerings. The art was brought to the New World by Italian missionaries in the 17th century from Palermo. We also leave a bottle of rum and another of vodka, cannabis and blood from a blessed pigeon and it's heart inside a sealed jar. Since they're no rats in Karaya it's mostly the small native mice and some species of hutia we sure eat the the food, however the jar is always empty when we clean up the day after. We can't put cameras down there, it's taboo and considered extremely rude to spy on the dead.
Usually on October 31st AND November 1st we have a ton of fun and kids do get candy but the bigger kids and adults usually just do a lot of pranking on BOTH days, more or less like humans, but since it wasn't something that was strictly malicious, Agüebaná III, the man we thought was our grandfather, allowed it after Moira assured him it would be fine! That's the first time I saw her! I was 13 and thought she was a Nymph... I started jerking off more after that day!
Izzy got Nía REAL good one year by practicing different fire techniques in front of our parents and she 'accidentally' burned off Nía's hair. She TOTALLY healed her scalp with her water, but Nía had to wait a few months until she had her beloved Chestnut curls again! It was evil, brutal and absolutely hysterical! We would laugh our asses off every single day when she would come home from class completely BALD! That was the prank that kept on giving! She was Daddy's little girl and even so I caught Dad a few times chuckling! It wasn't the nicest thing, but DAMN IT we actually were on Izzy's side on this! Nía had this exceptionally annoying habit of swirling her curls at you and smacking your FACE with them after she hrmps at you! Ugh! It would make me want to grab her hair and just drag her down the street till she was bald and Izzy got to do it! We were all SUPER jealous! Nina even started calling her Fester! Making us laugh even more and when Mom told her to stop, she really didn't. Nía got REALLY good at clapping back after that! But her hair never touched our faces again! She saw clearly that Izzy wasn't playing and that if she kept messing up she would be bald for a few more months again.
Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled program...
"Guanina... Are you fucking saying you found a SHELBY COBRA?! WHERE?! HOW MUCH?!" She's insane... I had heard that she wanted one but I KNOW she wants the Mustang MORE! And I know that she doesn't want 'another' one. I KNOW she wants Abuelo's, I have already spoken with Maco and Ura about this! Hands down she's the one that went to town with that car, we just took it apart and put it back together and yeah we had fun, even Ura couldn't do it! Although he did help her later with the painting and just the outside body work, but she had already done the bulk, and she asked Dad if she could just fix what Ura had started with the motor. When she asked Dad if he wouldn't mind her putting some add-ons and customizing it, he became really curious so he basically gave her a green light and HOLY SHIT!
I think I will always love remembering Dad's face that day! He always said it was extremely hard to calculate her, and now that I'm her Beta I know it all too well. We think hands down she should have it! She just read it from a book!
"Okay so here's the deal, remember that one pack that stayed hesitant when they wanted to join us from Ireland? Bayo what was their name?" Ah yes...
"Yeah, Solas Na Gealaí Clan, took their damn sweet, sweet time... The only reason we're accepting them is because they answered yes to everything mere MINUTES before we decimated The Council, they have the luck of the Irish indeed! We even considered telling them no!" Víctor was outvoted 3-1, and it's only because I knew Izzy would go ahead and just cast her vote at it would be her way anyway, I was NOT in the mood that day to argue with her! If it wasn't because Phoebe herself had checked everyone there months before then I would not have to accepted it. And even so, we WILL be conducting a double check, if it were US this would be the perfect time to put a mole on the inside. We will make sure that does not happen. How the hell did Dad do this job with six kids?! Before I even had one I was going crazy! Oh yeah, HIS Alpha was extremely SIMPLE! While mine is a MONSTER!
"Weeeeeell, it just so happens that they have one! It's a complete jalopy but from what I saw of it the body work seemed okay. You guys usually do the rest right?" I look at Izzy's face... DON'T DO IT!
"A '66 Shelby Cobra, Super Snake'?! Are you ABSOLUTELY SURE? I was just saying it but, if I put that thing together and Umbros and Adam decide to go for a little joyride in it like I have been feeling in their pack link I will have to end up BANNING The Drag! Last time he almost killed seven people! SERIOUSLY Umbros HOW DID you pass that test and why hasn't it been revoked?! They will fucking go GODZILLA on Atabex City in THAT car! I'll be exposing myself to a ton of liability! Oh wait I forgot that I'm the Alpha! I'll just fix that right NOW! Umbros, Adam I forbid you from partaking in The Drag until I allow it! Okay I feel better now! Damn Fatima and Roxy REALLY blew it out of the park with these brownies! Okay so yeah how much? In fact you know what? How much for BOTH?!" I can't stop laughing she's too much! It's been good for her for Kayden to be by her side, her mood has improved 180°! And the twins are eating more than ever and are becoming extremely dexterous! She doesn't need both. Even in the hands of a werewolf, if you are not an extremely skilled driver, the Shelby Cobra is like giving a monkey a loaded gun!
"Nice one! But you don't need BOTH sweetheart we already came to a consensus and we all agree that Abuelo's car should be YOURS!" She looks at all three of us with both her hands to her cheeks covering her dimples!
"Are you SERIOUS?!" Ha!
"Yeah Izz! You turned that car into a LEGEND man! Scratch that I think it's going to become a legend NOW for sure, stupid Hatuey is lucky he didn't die that day!" Ura who is at her left since now Kayden sits at her right side as her mate.
"I WILL indeed make it a LEGEND! Songs will be sang of THE BOSS and how he made little wolves cry because he kicked their ASSES! STILL, how much? I'm curious to see how HE does! I'll allow BOTH of them to do this together." She nods her chin at Umbros and Adam. "Depending on their performance on the car I will determine if they can even set foot on The Drag, does everybody feel a little more comfortable now? I think it's money well spent!" DAMN RIGHT! Those two will NEVER put that car together! BRILLIANT!
Keep the monkeys occupied while you actually run the circus correctly! And since she does mean every word Umbros knows it's absolutely true! I can't help but laugh hysterically and everyone joins me! I just start applauding giving her a standing ovation, like the day she uncovered Abuelo's car after all of her hard work!
"I completely approve of this! Congratulations cousin you will race in The Drag by the time you're an ELDER! That would be a CHECKMATE right there! Izzy, little sister have I told you today that I love you!" Umbros stopped smirking while Adam started applauding with everyone else making us laugh harder and Umbros frowned. He gave a daggered glare at his mother who is having trouble breathing from laughing so much at him! And he smacked Adam to make him stop applauding, Amelia was laughing so hard she started having trouble breathing... Maco stood up suddenly and went to his mate. We weren't laughing anymore.