writers_muses prompt set 131.6 [a loss for words]

[its_notluck]

It wasn’t the first time Phoebe had been allowed to stay with Claire and Hiro overnight but it was the first night that they had any inclination that there was something different about her. Not anything bad but just different in the same way they were different.

Comments

[powered_otaku]

Hiro looks at her. "A ball of shadows? Was it just, perhaps, a black ball she brought with her?" Not that he remembered her bringing any toys. Usually she kept her toys here so that the bullies at the orphanage wouldn't steal them from her. Maybe it came from the orphanage?

[its_notluck]

Phoebe looks to Claire curiously before she nods slowly. "Okay."

"Okay, you need to hold onto him though." Claire smiles, shifting the little girl towards Hiro before looking at her husband. "Should we warn your sister?"

[powered_otaku]

"Give me a moment." He pulls out his cell phone and calls Kimiko. He's talking so rapidly that the words all seem to run together before he says goodbye. "Ok, it is safe now." He holds out his hand to Phoebe. "Okasan is right. You need to hold my hand to go with us." He gently takes Claire's hand, which he kisses gently.

[its_notluck]

Phoebe is watching them both closely, not really sure what's going on at the moment but she doesn't hesitate to take Hiro's hand while clutching to Claire's other one. Claire smiles a little as she squeezes Hiro's hand, stepping closer to him as she waits for him to use his ability.

[powered_otaku]

Hiro squeezes her hand back, then concentrates. The next second they're in the house in Tokyo where Kimiko is waiting. The early afternoon sun is pouring through the windows, bathing the room in warmth.

"Hello," Kimiko smiles. "You must be Phoebe. Hiro and Claire have told me a lot about you."

[in_theshadows]

Phoebe's eyes widen as they appear in a different house and it goes from night time to day time. She looks around, completely in awe till a rather pretty woman catches her attention.

Suddenly shy, she steps closer to Hiro while pressing her face against his side. A second later, she peeks around to smile a little at Kimiko. "Hello."

"Phoebe, sweetie, this is Kimiko. She's your..." She pauses, glancing up as she wonders if it's alright for Phoebe to call her "auntie". Plus the Japanese term has escaped her.

[powered_otaku]

"...obasan," Hiro finishes for Claire.

For the slightest moment there is a sort of dismay on her face. Most Japanese women fear the day when they'll be answering to that title, but it's gone very quickly.

"You can just call me Aunt Kimiko, if you'd like," she says, holding out her hand.

[its_notluck]

Claire catches the look and she battles back a little smirk as Phoebe nods slowly, stepping around Hiro once more as she reaches out to Kimiko with one hand. "O-okay."

"I'm sorry for us just dropping in, Kimiko." Claire smiles softly. "Hopefully we weren't interrupting any sort of work."

[powered_otaku]

Kimiko shakes her head. "Oh no, I was just about to have lunch. A little late, but I just had to get out of the building. Are you hungry?" An older woman appears in the doorway and bows to them. "Three more, please." The woman bows again, heading for the kitchen.

"Have you been to Japan before, Phoebe?"

[its_notluck]

"One of those days, huh?" Claire smiled, chuckling softly.

Phoebe shakes her head, looking around curiously. "No. I've only been in New York. Oh! I went to the Hamptons!" She smiled brightly.

[powered_otaku]

"Well, after we finish lunch, we can do a little sightseeing. I have never been to the Hamptons. Are they pretty?" They end up in a large dining area that wouldn't look too out of place anywhere in world, though the furniture is a very high quality mahogany. Hiro pulls out a chair for Claire and one for Phoebe before he starts for the chair at the head of the table. Kimiko gives him a "look" and he takes the chair across from Claire.

[in_theshadows]

"They are. Adam has a very large house there, it's like a castle and there's a private beach. They even have a pool. Molly and me went swimming every day." Phoebe explains as she follows the adults into the large dining area. "Do you like to swim, Aunt Kimiko?" She asks as she climbs onto tghe chair pulled out for her.

[powered_otaku]

"A castle? Are you and Molly the princesses?" She grins. "I love to swim. When I was little, my parents took us to Tokyo Bay to swim. We also went on a cruise around the Greek islands and swam in the Mediterranean."

The older woman comes out with a tray and serves them some clear soup and puts down some water glasses for the adults and a cup with an easily grabbed handle for Phoebe. She smiles toothily at Phoebe as she puts the cup down and says something to Hiro. He grins and tells Phoebe, "She thinks you are a very pretty girl."

[in_theshadows]

"Molly is the princess." She smiles, nodding her head. "I've only swam in pools...oh, and the beach." She remembers, looking over the table before glancing up at the older woman who comes out with the food.

At the compliment, she blushes as she ducks her head. "Thank you."

[powered_otaku]

"You are not a princess? I think you would be a princess, too."

The old woman grins wider. "You are welcome." She obviously has been taught the phrase as it's very stilted and her accent is very thick. She bows again, heads for the kitchen.

"She has grandchildren," Kimiko smiles. Soon she is back with three boxes stacked on each other. She carefully puts one down in front of them - bento boxes with chicken teriyaki, seaweed salad, rice with bonita flakes, edamame and shrimp tempura. She goes back and comes back with a smaller box for Phoebe. It has the same stuff, but the rice is in the shape of a heart with pink bonita flakes on it.

[in_theshadows]

"I don't live in a castle." Phoebe explains, shaking her head. "Not yet." She looks over at Claire and Hiro with a hopeful smile.

Then she looks at the older woman, smiling shyly before sitting back as the adults talk for a minute. When the food is put down in front of her, she peeks in and then brightens as she notices the heart with pink bonita flakes on it. "Oh, this is pretty." Maybe too pretty to eat.