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Post by Trina Nivens on Oct 14, 2009 1:01:29 GMT -5
(I know we don't have the complete family yet, but I couldn't resist.)
The Nivens family liked to gather for a Sunday dinner at least once a month. There were sometimes a few stragglers who didn't show up, but for the most part, everyone was there every month. It reminded Trina of the old days, when her older brothers and sisters still lived at him and she would follow them around like a little lost puppy.
Trina, of course, was still living at home... most of the time. Sometimes she got bored and would go to stay with one of her older siblings. Dez was the most fun to stay with, although she did like staying with Darryl and Nailah as well. But no matter what, Trina never missed a family dinner. She lived for them. She loved the fact that her mother would go all out for these meals, making all of her best dishes and desserts. And she loved that her older brothers and sisters were there to fuss over her.
At the moment, Mum was cooking something in the kitchen, while Trina flipped boredly through the latest issue of Witch Weekly. The others would be arriving soon.
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Post by Darryl Nivens on Oct 14, 2009 1:10:57 GMT -5
As it happened, Darryl was the first one to show up. He loved the family dinners, too. There was just nothing in the world like Mama's cooking, and he was known for occasionally dropping by on a random weeknight just to see what was for dinner. As he approached the door from the outside, he could smell the wonderful scents of fried chicken and sweet potatoes wafting through the air. It was intoxicating, and he smiled automatically.
Stepping into the house, he spotted Trina sitting on the couch and shook his head. She should have been helping their mother with the cooking instead of sitting out here, flipping through a magazine.
"Mm, mm... something sure smells good in here," he said loudly. "I think Ma's outdone herself again." He approached the sofa and pulled his baby sister into a hug. "Hey, Trina. How's everything going?"
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Post by Trina Nivens on Oct 14, 2009 23:35:50 GMT -5
Trina broke into a smile at the sight of her brother, then set her magazine down. Of all of her brothers, he was the closest to her in age, so she knew him better than some of the others. "Darryl!" she squealed, launching herself into his arms. "It's good to see you! You're looking good. I'm fine, as always. How are things at St. Mungo's?"
She grabbed his hand and pulled him down on the sofa with her. "And more importantly, how about your love life? Any girls you've got your eye on? I'm dying for some gossip!"
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Post by Dezaraye Nivens on Oct 15, 2009 2:27:15 GMT -5
Dezaraye woke up to the shrill sound of her alarm on her watch. She groaned and pushed the off button. Why in the world did I set that thing? she thought to herself. It was Sunday, there was nothing to do, not even any parties to go to on Sundays....
"Oh Godric!" She suddenly sat up and looked at her watch again. She knew why she set that alarm. It was so that she would know when to leave for mum and dad's for the Family's monthly sunday dinner. "Crap crap crap." She rolled off a bed and instantly swooned, falling back on the bed and covering her eyes. She definatly had too much to drink the night before, and now she was going to pay for it.
She stumbled around the room. Picking up her clothes from the night before and shymming into them again, not as gracefully as she was able to get out of it the night before. She wasn't aware of who's home she was in. Dezaraye just knew there was no one home now. A note lay on the pillow beside the one she woke up on, but she didn't bother to read it. she was late.
It was as she apparated to her parents' house that dezaraye realized that she wasn't exactly dressed appropriatly. Instead of knocking, she quietly stepped inside, happy to see that it was only Darryl and Trina in the living room, her parents no where to be seen.
"Trina," Dezaraye whispered from the door. "Where's Mum and Dad?" if she was lucky, she could run up to her old room where she kept her more decent clothes, change, and make it back down stairs before anyone knew the wiser.
Godric, all this thinking was giving her a headache.
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Post by Trina Nivens on Oct 16, 2009 0:09:07 GMT -5
Trina smiled knowingly. She had stayed with Dez on a couple of occasions, and she knew a little about some of the things she got into. And her panicked entrances into the house on Sunday afternoons were fairly routine.
"Mum's in the kitchen and Dad's in his study. I think he's sneaking one of his cigars. So far, it's just me and Darryl here. And we won't say a word, will we, Dar?"
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Post by Darryl Nivens on Oct 16, 2009 0:15:23 GMT -5
Darryl frowned deeply. He knew all about Dezaraye's partying ways... mostly everyone in the family knew about it. And honestly, it bothered him. As much as he tried to play the goofball, everyone's friend... he really didn't approve of his little sister's lifestyle. Dez and Trina were the only two that were younger than he was, and he wanted to help them and guide them, but they never really took him seriously. Dez would probably blow off any attempts he might make to get her to change.
"Not a word," he said quietly, mimicking the action of zipping up his mouth and locking it with an imaginary key.
Maybe he wouldn't tell their parents (who remained blissfully unaware), but he might talk to Malcolm about it...
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Post by Dezaraye Nivens on Oct 16, 2009 1:55:51 GMT -5
Dezaraye did a victory dance in her head when Trina told her that Mum and Dad weren't in the front of the house. "Oh you guys are amazing," Dezaraye said, quickly stepping into the living room and kissing the top of their heads. "I'll be right back," she said, and she quietly snuck up the stairs to her old bedroom.
The room hadn't changed much. In fact, it hardly changed at all. Her older siblings had their rooms re-done when they moved out. Dezaraye remembered watching as her parents planned on what to do with the rooms; but as it dwindled down through nine children, her parents bored with it, and lucky for Dezaraye, her room, along with Trina's and Daryll's, had stayed pretty much the same.
She quickly moved to the closet and opened it, finding the outfit she was looking for: Black dress pants, a pale pink lace top, and pink sandles. She changed, and looked in the mirror on the wall, wiping away smudged make up with her thumb, and tieing up her hair cause she couldn't think of anyway else to fix it. Once she decided she was dressed appropriately, she headed back downstairs and sat on the couch between her brother and sister.
"You guys are awesome," she said, wrapping her arms around them and hugging them both. "So what's up? What did I miss?"
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Post by Nailah Nivens on Oct 16, 2009 14:36:14 GMT -5
Nailah, quite unlike Dez, had woken up before the alarm she set. She had been working very late the night before, and slept in during the day. Even so, family meant everything to her, and that alone woke her before the alarm.
She didn't spend much time on make up or hair, but she was one of the girls that you could already tell would age gracefully and have that kind of classic beauty.
Even waking up early, she still arrived later than three of her siblings. "Hello, girls," she said, smiling brightly as she hugged the two girls, not really waiting for them to react to her, and then just as quickly, she turned and hugged her brother. "Is this all of us? No one else is here yet?"
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Post by Ada Nivens on Oct 16, 2009 18:08:55 GMT -5
"For the love of Merlin, you'd think I'd get there on time for once," Ada said aloud as she walked up to the front door. She was usually late to the family dinner, since her alarm seemed to never go off when she set it. It was either that, or she wasn't home and lost track of the time. This was of the latter's type; she was working late on a project for the company she worked for.
When she walked into the house, she smiled widely. The food that was cooking already smelled wonderful, and the faces of her siblings met her as soon as she looked up from the ground.
"Calm down, Nailah, you're favorite sister's here! There's nothing to worry about!" Ada said as she walked up to her sister. She always joked around with her siblings, no matter what was going on in their lives. It was one of her best traits.
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Post by Malcolm Nivens on Oct 16, 2009 18:14:42 GMT -5
Malcolm always looked forward to Sunday with his family. They were a huge family but they all managed to get along. Rolling out of bed, Malcolm put on a nice pair of pants and a button up shirt. Everything had been pretty quiet, except for the fact things were going sort of odd for his best friend Cale. Sydney had come back and Malcolm wished that he could have told Cale what he should do.
Once he was dressed and looked presentable, Malcolm left his place and headed home. Arriving, he didn't bother to knock. Walking on in, he saw Darryl, Trina, Nailah, and Dez. "Hey," Malcolm said announcing his arrival. He moved in to start hugging everyone.
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Post by Darryl Nivens on Oct 16, 2009 18:18:20 GMT -5
Darryl had been about to say something to Dezaraye about her partying ways, when Nailah and then Ada arrived in quick succession. He shook his head and laughed. "Oh, here we go again... I swear, every time I show up early, I end up being surrounded by girls! Why doesn't this ever happen with girls I'm not related to?"
He laughed, but he glanced almost unconsciously at the door, and was relieved when Malcolm walked in.
"Hey, man, glad you made it. I'm completely outnumbered here!"
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Post by Ada Nivens on Oct 16, 2009 18:34:29 GMT -5
Ada laughed at Darryl's statement.
"Blood runs thicker than water, don't forget that," She said, her smile still lingering on her face as she pulled her brother into a hug. She had been away from home for too long, and almost forgot what it was like to be in a room full of people she actually liked and got along with.
She turned to the door as Darryl greeted another member of the family. She smiled as she greeted him.
"Thank you for not making me that last one here!" She said in a joking tone.
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Post by Dezaraye Nivens on Oct 16, 2009 18:48:02 GMT -5
"Oh, you love us and you know it," Dezaraye said. "And I bet I could get you a nice girl Dar. you can come hang out with me one night, it'll be fun." Dez smiled as more of her siblings began to arrive. She hugged them each and they began chatting when Malcolm made his way in.
"Hey big brother!" Dez said, walking over to Malcolm and hugging him tight. "Good to see you," she smiled.
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Post by Malcolm Nivens on Oct 16, 2009 19:17:03 GMT -5
"We are completely outnumbered," Malcolm said jokingly as he looked to his sisters. "And Ada, you know that I always have your back." He gave a laugh and then returned Dezaraye's hug. "It's good to see you too."
He moved next to Darryl. "Yeah, you out with Dez one night and well, I think you'd be scarred for life." Malcolm clapped his brother on the back with a laugh. "I'm only kidding," he added looking to her to make sure she knew that he was just joking.
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Post by Dezaraye Nivens on Oct 16, 2009 19:28:11 GMT -5
Dezaraye heard the comment Malcolm gave and she playfully stuck her tongue out at him. "Yea sure you are," she said, but smiled at him to show she knew he was joking. She knew her brothers weren't exactly big fans of the way she lived her life. But it was her life, and Dezaraye was going to party until she couldn't anymore.
"So what has everyone been up to?" She asked, hoping to start a convorsation instead of the busyness that had started when everyone arived. The whole group talking at once didn't normally bother Dezaraye, but she still had a headache from the night before, and she was trying hard not to wince in pain when the volume in the room got louder.
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Post by Baakir Nivens on Oct 16, 2009 19:29:58 GMT -5
"Well, now we're a little less outnumbered," Kir said, walking in the front door just as Malcolm said this. Unless he was on a job, he never cared too much about being on time. Dinner hadn't actually started yet, either, so he figured he was fine.
"Come here," he said to each of his sisters, motioning for each of them to give him a hug.
"So what's happened since our last pow-wow? Any new loves? Broken hearts? Dead bodies?"
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Post by Darryl Nivens on Oct 16, 2009 21:00:29 GMT -5
Darryl shot a disapproving look at Dezaraye, but he surprised everyone by saying, "I may just take you up on that."
Of course, his reason was not to meet girls... he rather assumed most of the girls he would find in the places that Dez liked to go would be.... too much like her. No, if he went with her, it would be to keep an eye on her.
His attention was torn from her, however, when Baakir walked in. Like everyone else in the family, Darryl idolized Kir, even though he rather felt ignored and forgotten by his eldest brother. He was a boy, after all, and it was usually the girls who got all the attention.
"Does anyone know if Rosie's planning to come?" he asked somewhat abruptly. Rosalind had been somewhat.... elusive lately.
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Post by Ada Nivens on Oct 16, 2009 21:11:42 GMT -5
Ada shook her head sadly. She never saw Rosalind as much these days, and she couldn't help but think something was going on with her, something she didn't want anyone else to know about. She was never secretive to Ada in the past, but Ada decided she must have her reasons for doing it, and Ada wasn't going to be the one to talk to her about it. It was better to leave her alone than to ask and anger her.
"I don't think so. She hasn't been here for a few weeks. If she shows up, I'll be surprised." Ada replied, shrugging, her smile disappearing.
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Post by Trina Nivens on Oct 17, 2009 1:19:09 GMT -5
Trina hugged her brothers as they arrived, but she didn't say anything as the others started talking about Rosalind. Of all of her siblings, Rosalind had always been the most distant. She hated when Trina would follow her around as a child, and she never let her stay with her as an adult. Rosie was the only one of her siblings who Trina had not stayed with for at least a night or two.
"I'm sure she's fine. She's probably just too busy for us." Her tone might have been a bit sour, but she didn't really care.
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Post by Nailah Nivens on Oct 25, 2009 1:23:47 GMT -5
"Trina, be nice," Nailah replied. "She's busy, but not too busy for us. You make it sound like she thinks she's better than us, and trust me... she doesn't."
At least, that's what she wanted to think. She didn't want to think that Rosie was leaving them behind or ignoring them. The owls that went unanswered just meant she was busy and couldn't write back right then. She'd never been that great about keeping in touch.
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