[Mojave]

While in the shower, she could hear the door and movement, though it was muffled. She assumed that Niti had decided to step out or.. something. So she wasn't worried. It wasn't like Mekkas ran rampant around here. Or thieves, murderers, or anything like that.

After showering, she decided to run a bath and relax. She had a crick in her neck from sleeping the library for several days. However, she wasn't a water creature, so about ten minutes of soaking made her feel worlds better.

She took her time to dry herself, looking at herself in the mirror, checking for blemishes, her color, cleaning her ears, brushing her teeth, and criticizing the bags under eyes, her thinness, and her general lack of luster. She sighed, wrapped the towel around herself, and went to step out the door.

One glance at the strange male, and all her comfort about living among monks was challenged. She yelped in fright and leapt back into the bathroom, slamming the door in his face. With the door between them, she began to bark questions at him.

"Who are YOU?! And what the hell are you doing in MY quarters?" She had to admit, she sounded like she was ready to come out and kill, but in reality, she was looking around the bathroom for a weapon.... or a way out.

[ToxicShadow]

Nitidus and Aeron were still busy off in the kitchen when Gray finished up with her shower-bath, so hadn't exactly been around when she walked out. Nor did either of them know that Crozel was waiting to closely. Somehow, it must have slipped her mind that her mother had no idea who her own grandson was, thus her reactions to just suddenly seeing him probably wouldn't got over too well...

Crozel, himself, was in mid arm outstretch when the door slammed right in his face, causing him to blink a few times. "Oh!" And then he realized why her reaction was what it was. "Goodness, I'm sorry!" He shouted back, undoubtedly meaning his words, putting his hands against the door, leaning his head on it too. Apparently, a wave of guilt took over him. He suddenly felt very awful for startling her, not very gentlemanly at all.

"What's going on!?" Nitidus' voice sounded from the doorway to the kitchen again.
"He startled grandmother, from the looks of things." The daughter in charge of dusting informed without interest. It only made sense that Gray would have been. That brother of her's was always just a little to anxious to fix flaws in one's looks.
"I-I didn't mean tooooo!" The male in question protested.

"It's Crozel! The name's Crozel!" He responded to his grandmother through the door between them. "I thought mother told you, you see, I didn't think. Well, um, that I'd surprise you!" Feeling flustered and guilty was hard for the composure, so he wasn't thinking what he said all the way through, nor was it calm and gentlemanly, like he always tried to be. He must have been a bit of a drama queen.

[Mojave]

Surprise was a bit of an understatement. Yes, Niti had shown her pictures of them, but she hadn't thought one would come trouping out to Nu'San to meet her. Her head spun and she had to lean against the door for several moments. "Grandson.... here..." She slumped to the floor, still holding her head.

She had to recap the day thus far. Her long lost daughter had shown up out of the blue, told her what had happened in her short life- which was, by itself, a lot to swallow- and informed Grey that she was a grandmother. Now... one of them was on the other side of the door.

She let her hand fall to her side and took several deep breaths. Living alone out here wasn't good for her health like she'd thought. The smallest disturbance in her pretty little routine existence was throwing her for loops her stomach couldn't take.

All of this took about three minutes- the time for thought is nothing afterall. She stood again, and breathed some more. Then, slowly, she unlatched the door and slowly opened it. Of course, she'd only prepared herself for one grand child. Not three.... "Holy Zu'hai!" She exclaimed. She was glad that she didn't leap back into the bathroom in fright this time, but she did lean against the door frame.

"Well..." she dropped her eyes to the floor, looking for the words to greet them, "This is a pleasant surprise." She smiled at them all, though it was a little shaky.

[ToxicShadow]

Seeing as Nitidus had took the time and thee trouble of tracking Grey down, little by little, it was hard to see why it was so shocking that some of the kids would come out too. The willingness to get out and go for something obviously ran in the family, at least in the starspeckled daughter's half. She wasn't known for sitting around, well, not usually, but depression was a different story. She'd raised all five of the kids so, no doubt, they had some of her in them.

Crozel jumped back from the door when he heard the click to signify the twist of knob and that his grandmother was coming out. Keep the compulsions under control, don't attack her with a hairbrush and bag of makeup, just don't do it. He really did have to remind himself to keep control. She wasn't a customer, nor did he want to startle her again. So, he gave her some space, and flashed a brilliantly bright smile at her, tails lashing happily. "It's a pleasure to meet you! I really, really am sorry! I beg your pardon." It all came out in a flurry of words, making one of his sisters and his mother chuckle at him.

"Well, this is just a little surprising." Adrasteia evaluated after her laughing died down. "I never did quite expect to meet my grandmother, but, without a doubt, that would be you. I'm Adrasteia." She smiled kindly. "Or Adra, if it works out for you better."

"Um, and I'm Aeron." The last girl added. What more was there to say? The other two just kind of beat her to everything. "It is nice to meet you." She glanced sideways toward Nitidus, seeming a little more nervous then the others. "I've been helping to cook." She pointed to the kitchen, as if a distraction for herself.

[Mojave]

Having her daughter show up out of the blue had been a nice surprise. However, Grey's surprises hadn't ended there. Her daughter was in a relationship Grey didn't understand or approve of, she couldn't pass judgment because she hadn't been a crucial key in Niti's life, she had five kids which meant five grandkids, and now... they were all standing in her living room. Wait... no, not all. She would have to ask later. Right now, she had reactions to respond to.

To her grandson, she smiled warmly back, "It's nice to meet all of you too. I'm sorry I screeched like that, it was rude of me. But this is a surprise. I didn't think I'd meet everyone in one day." She stepped further out of the bathroom, clutching the towel to her more tightly to be sure she was covered. It wouldn't do to flash the grandchildren or her daughter- and displaying her wares was something Grey detested to begin with.

She chuckled at Adrasteia, "And without a doubt, you're my grand-daughter. You all are such gorgeous chi- young adults." She smiled ruefully as she had almost called them children- something they most definitely weren't.

"I can smell it." Grey smiled at Aeron, "And it smells good." She could tell that the others overpowered the younger female, and decided they wouldn't mind a bit more attention going toward her. "What are you fixing, if I may ask?"

[ToxicShadow]

Apparently, the whole lot of them forgave Grey for her reaction. Maybe she over reacted a little, but still. "It's only to be expected." was the key line then. They all barged into her home without her even knowing. They had good intentions, but that was beside the point. She'd never met them before, not even Nitidus.

"Err." Aeron looked back to her grandmother, to answer her question. "Parmesan chicken. I hope you like it...We just guessed." You know, tossed some ideas out there, picked one, and hoped it worked out. Nitidus' ability in cooking had grown since she'd been...gifted...with her children. Well, she saw them as a blessing, and definitely didn't regret having them, not at all. She couldn't really cook before then, but learned, and made some attempt to teach her children the basics as well. Thank goodness for their other grandmother, since she'd helped put out a fire once, and knew more about cooking then any of them did. Heh.

Crozel stepped in then, not able to wait for chit-chat any longer. "Excuse me." No doubt, he'd have to pardon himself for something. "But I can't help but notice...well...your face...No!...I mean..." He frowned deeply. "Please don't let me offend you, but! Grandmother, you look like...er..." It would come off as impolite to say 'You need a make over, lets go!' Especially to someone such as Grey, so he couldn't figure out what to say.

"She's been exhausted?" Adrasteia offered, helpfully, but had a hint that it was plainly obvious to be the words of choice.

"Yes, that!" The male clapped his hands together. "So I insist that you don't let us stop you. Go get dressed, okay?" And still subtly demanding, even to her.

"Oh!" Aeron exclaimed, plainly knowing exactly what her brother was going to be getting at.

"Go on ahead and help your brother, if you want." Nitidus happily allowed. "I'll just make sure everything gets onto plates when you're all ready."

Aeron went to her grandmother's side. "Mind if I come along?" Just to toss clothes at her and, more importantly, warn her about Crozel.

[Mojave]

Grey smiled at Aeron, and nodded. "Sounds great." It was uncanny, but it was something she'd been craving for a while. She just never put her books down long enough to fix it. Usually, she didn't eat because by the time she found a stopping place, it was because she fell asleep. Hunger wasn't important enough to her out here to stop working. Her body could wait. Maybe that was why she was on edge. No sleep, no food, she was pretty much alone since the monks avoided her, and she had been stewing in guilt for so long.

As for Crozel, it probably would have been better to be blunt. She honestly had no idea how haggard she looked or else she would have been in better condition. No, she wasn't a fashion-ista, and nor was she girly to the point of insanity. But if she had been in her right mind, she would have made herself sleep, eat, and take better care of herself than she had been. Also, if someone had been around to tell her the state she was working herself into, she would have been better off. However, this wasn't the case. Of course, she understood where Crozel was going and that he was trying to be polite. But she was confused as to why he sounded afraid... at least for a moment. She had been the one to screech at the mere sight of him and she was falling over at the slightest event. She blushed in shame as she realized her grandkids and her daughter probably thought her a weakling.

"Oh, it's perfectly fine." She chuckled, "There's nothing to excuse you for, I probably do look a mess. I think that's a good idea, my getting dressed." Nevermind the fact she was only in a towel... she was in a hurry to get into real clothes herself.

At Aeron's request, she smiled and nodded. "Of course. Just watch where you step.... I uh... it's a mess." She finished lamely as she led Aeron to her bedroom. "You can sit anywhere you find a spot, I'll change behind the screen."

[ToxicShadow]

It was pleasing to know that Grey would actually like the dish that they were preparing for dinner, for both Nitidus and Aeron alike. Just because they hadn't gotten that one so often. People didn't always appreciate things. Then again, it looked like Grey would almost appreciate anything. She was mess, no doubt about it.

As Aeron followed her grandmother to her bedroom, the others excused themselves without saying another word to them. The one female dodged everything that came into her path, the room not being kept very well, there was plenty of clutter to get in her way. She pushed a stack of who knows what out of a chair and bundled it up at her feet after sitting down. "Um..." Her eyes moved around in a slightly awkward fashion. "It looks like...you've let things go..." Could her grandmother been like her mother? Did she just end up in a slump and not pay attention to a lot of things? Niti had her and the rest of her siblings to keep her on track though, as well as...Ente. He was always very nice to her, and them as well. But Grey didn't have anybody, did she. "Maybe I can help put things in order while I wait?" She offered.

"You didn't really bring your-" The other granddaughter had begun to ask her brother a question as she now just sat in one of the chairs in the living room. The reason she had taken back her question was because Crozel answered it before she could even finish asking by holding up a large bag.
"Indeed, I did!" He chimed in. Yes, he'd really brought his supplies with him, far from everything, indeed, but enough was there. Hopefully. "You think she'll be surprised? Grandmother really looks like she'll need it."
"I suppose..."
"What do you mean you suppose? You always worry about that too, Adra." Health- physical health, mental health, emotional health, it was all a big deal. "Funny things help your health, and you're always worrying about looking good." It sounded like a blunt way to put it, but it was the truth. "It's great to look your best."

Meanwhile, Nitidus had fled back to the kitchen to watch over the food and finish any final touches. More importantly, she was trying to figure out the rest. What could she do from here? She still had things that she wanted to tell her mother, and things that she wanted to ask, but... Well, now that the kids were here too, there wouldn't be much time for that. On a brighter note, it seemed that Aeron was taking to her grandmother well, but Adra...That was the real question. The two of them, oddly enough, had wanted to go together... Neither of them were doing well living with her, unlike Crozel and Cryptic. If her two daughters truly wanted to stay here, then she wouldn't stop them, so long as Grey would allow it. Surely, it would help all three of them.

[Mojave]

Grey slipped behind a great wooden folding seperator, the squares carved out of it filled with pictures of family, places she'd been, authors, painters, sculptors and some small copies of classical pieces of art. Her head was still visible behind this screen, but it was tall enough to hide her from the neck down. At Aeron's inquiry, she looked around the room. "Um..." She chuckled in an embarrassed way and shook her head, "No, don't trouble yourself. I'll clean up..." She nearly said as soon as they leave, but she didn't want to sound like she was rushing them out of the door. Indeed, she'd try to keep them all here as long as she could. But then again, she doubted they would enjoy staying in this mess. She looked around helplessly for a moment before she smiled with a sigh and smile. "Sure. I'm sorry you're cleaning up after me, I really am. And... I'm sorry I'm so... jumpy. You must think me quite mad or deranged.. any number of things, I'm sure." She had turned her back to Aeron to finish dressing and disappeared behind the folding frame to put on some socks and shoes before stepping out.

[ToxicShadow]

"No, no, I offered. It's alright." Aeron assured her grandmother as she helped herself to the clutter. Really, she didn't know where anything was supposed to go, so that made the chore a bit difficult, but she did what she could. She started with the pile she'd shoved off the chair she'd sat in, beginning to separate it. If she found something that looked like it belonged on a shelf, she shuffled around to put it on the shelf. And, while she worked, she continued with the conversation, "I don't think you deranged. I can't really speak for them all, but I doubt any of us do. Actually, you remind me of Mom." In some ways, she could see similarities between Gray and Niti. "Before the five of us were born, and still even sometimes now, she let almost everything go. She doesn't really want us to get involved with it, tries to hide it from us, but...sometimes it's hard, no matter how much she tries. Crozel, he's not the oldest out of us, but he volunteered to be responsible for us all when we got older and she needed to go away. He knows the most, I suppose, but doesn't tell us much..."

Mean while, the other three were still moving about. Nitidus had come to join her son and eldest daughter in the living room, just when they were discussing their separation. "You gonna be alright without me?" Crozel asked, raising an eyebrow at Adrasteia, who smiled just a little. "I'm sure I'll be fine, but I wont have my personal fashion specialist any more." Her smile grew wider, though she really was going to miss him, and not just because of his fashion skill. "No, but I taught you everything I know," he mused, "I'll leave you a present. And you never know~ I may very well see you again." It was then they noticed their mother, who had a solemn look as she listened. It was a fight, it really was. She didn't want to loose her children, but she couldn't raise them all properly on her own. It was for their best, she had to remind herself. "Don't worry, Mom." Adra said, jumping at the opportunity to reassure her mother. It couldn't have been an easy choice for anyone.

[Mojave]

Grey stepped out, shifting about in her clothes to get them to fit better. "I know less than you, I'm sure." She smiled sadly at Aeron. "But I'm beginning to think it's a good thing I've been kept in the dark about some things. I'm just sorry I never tried to be a bigger part of your mother's life. Maybe if I'd tried.... I dunno. Maybe things would have been easier. Maybe we'd have had each other from the beginning." She sighed and shook her head, "But who knows. Leave it, dear. I'll get it. We should go see how your mom and siblings are doing." She smiled, and extended a hand to Aeron in case she needed help up.

(sorry it's short~ Dx Darn me for putting Grey alone in her room this long.)

[ToxicShadow]

"No one holds anything against you..." That was all Aeron could think to say in return. While Aeron wasn't sure of it herself, personally, she seemed to hold the thought that, even if Nitidus was able to change the past, her mother wouldn't have done it. If the past had been changed, Aeron and the others probably wouldn't have been born. That was one thing that Nitidus would have never wished, even if it brought even more difficulties into her life.
She nodded, then, took the older woman's hand to help herself out of the mess. "I bet it's safe to say that dinner is done."

And it definitely was, seeing that everyone was now just waiting for them in the living room. "Didn't get lost, did you, Sis?" Adra asked, grinning, as Grey and Aeron appeared. Crozel, on the other hand, refrained from commenting. Automatically, his attention shifted to what Grey was wearing. He appraised what everyone wore. He just made sure to hold his tongue this time. He knew that now wasn't the best time to go off on a long conversation about clothes. He'd spare her and his mother.

"Now, now," Nitidus interrupted Ada's words and Crozel's stream of thoughts, smiling at the two who'd just rejoined them. "Dinner is ready, so I suggest we get to it before it gets cold."

[Mojave]

It was, needless to say, best that Aeron had not voiced her thoughts on changing the past. It wasn't Grey's intent nor meaning to suggest their mother not have had them. Her only concern was the scars on Niti's neck. Perhaps if she had been there, perhaps the relationship could have been a healthier one. Perhaps they could have gotten the man some help before Niti gave herself so intimately to him. And then maybe... just maybe... her grandchildren could have had a normal family.

However, it was never voiced, so Grey simply smiled at her grand daughter and followed. She didn't know if she needed to say something in response, but her smile and the way she suddenly seemed to relax showed that this was what she needed to hear.

When they arrived back into the living room, Grey noticed Crozel watching her, but she couldn't figure out what his expression was about. She hoped he wasn't going to jump her again and try to make her look dazzling. It was hard work for anybody, she'd hate for him to waste his time when they were visiting. She was sure Niti and the others would want to leave before he wanted to give up his futile attempt.

She smiled warmly at Nitidus and nodded. "Sounds great to me." She waited for the others to settle around the small table before taking a seat herself. And now she became unsure of herself again. What should she say? There were so many questions she wanted to ask. But she wasn't sure what would be safe to ask. She didn't want to pry where she wasn't welcome.

[ToxicShadow]

Everyone took Niti's cue. Aeron stepped from her grandmother's side and wandered her way over to the table while Adra held her hand out and was helped from her seat by Crozel. As Niti turned to go, he promptly insisted that his mother sit down rather than leave for the kitchen. He volenteered to serve everyone himself. Nitidus hadn't failed in that way, teaching her children decent manners. Of course, that all came fairly naturally to the single male in the family. Being raised by a female and with four females, it was bound to have some interesting affects on him.
It wasn't long before everyone had their plates filled with Parmesan chicken, pasta and a random assortment of veggies. Thanks was given to the male for his kindness.

And that left some matters to be dealt with. Over the dinner table, how ironic. The most girlie out of the two daughters found herself practically staring at her mother, only looking away to take bites. Thankfully, that was enough breaks so that her staring wasn't too obvious. As for the other young female, she found herself glancing between Grey and Niti when she wasn't paying her food much attention.

It was almost as if Nitidus could sense her mother's insecurities here, in this situation. She was still unsure of butting her head into things, wasn't she? Silly woman. Niti came here to find her mother on her own, therefore, she obviously didn't mind so much...It was only to be expected that your own mother would take some interest in your life, especially one such as Niti lived.
She cleared her throat. "You know, Mother, uh...You are completely free to ask whatever questions you hold. I'm sure there are many things on your mind. I have no reason to withhold an answer."

[Mojave]

The awkward silence extended into their meal, and she too began glancing around the table between bites. Frantic, she began to scramble around in her mind, trying to put the thoughts in order. As the host, she couldn't leave everyone to sit in silence- but she had apparently grown too used to being alone. The silence only bothered her because everyone else seemed uncomfortable.

At Niti's words, she laughed quietly. "Oh.." She placed her fork on the table, and dropped her hands into her lap. "Well.. I have wondered where... your father was in all this? What're his thoughts on... things?" She looked around at her grandchildren, curious if Zelos even knew of them. Her face flushed a bit, her thoughts turning toward exactly what she'd like to say to him if she saw him again. But she wouldn't insult him or otherwise be nasty in front of them. It wasn't their fault Niti was left alone for whatever reason Zelos had chosen to use.