BXBX NOVEL Chapter 188: Neighbours.
The waters of the pond reflected onto the surrounding trees with a metre tall thin wooden gate that blocked it from all angles, and a stone road that surrounded the gates making it possible for children to safely walk by without the fear of falling into the water, as an added measure Sol had even placed a rune at the bottom of the pond that would activate if anyone's life was in danger, bringing them someplace safe and wiping their memory as well as the memory of anyone else who witnessed the incident.
"Even though you commissioned it because you wanted someplace for the kids to come and play, you're coming here for the first time after it was finished two months ago." Sol opened the door for Ikaris and helped her out. "I never expected the first few dozen families to all have kids though." Sol looked at the park again amazed at how bustling it was with children and adults everywhere everywhere.
"Alpha, how many residents do we have currently?"
[Currently there are 605 residents, 470 adults and 135 children ranging from newborns to fifteen years] she answered without appearing since they were in a public space and had gained quite the few eyes on them when the people saw new faces.
"At this rate I'll have to give this place a name soon, calling it area 10.B is a bit boring." Sol chuckled reaching before Ikaris and catching a frisby that flew by his head. "I don't think we've all enjoyed the outdoors without a threat or enemy before." He looked over his shoulder as two teenagers came running over. "Careful."
"Sorry." One smiled at him and took the toy and then the two of them turned to Ikaris and stared at each other before gesturing to her.
Both: "Sorry, miss."
"It's fine have as much fun as you want, just watch out for the kids and elderly." Ikaris smiled at the boys and the both blushed and ran off after apologising again.
"I will secure a spot and set up your picnic, Milady." Sara went to the back of the vehicle and opened it up while Arla reached in, using her teleportation magic to summon things she thought they would need, being as discreet as possible.
"Then in the meantime, I want to visit the playground." Ikaris began walking, pulling sol along. "Come husband, give me a tour."
"Haha of course, wife." Sol laughed as he walked with her.
Their intention was to be there at most three hours, but the allure and comfort of the park kept the four of them there all the way through the rest of the day until most families had come and gone.
"It looks like I missed quite the day." Dina approached them beneath the tree hey had set up a table while they were chatting with one of the families that had just arrived and joined them, eating a combined dinner, she pressed her forehead against Arla's and then kissed Ikaris's cheek before taking a seat next to Sol and accepting the plate he had prepared in advance and laying a kiss on his cheek as well.
"Hi, I'm Dina." She reached her hand out and shook the hand of the woman opposite of Ikaris who also had a baby-bump shaking her hand and using [view] to check her name.
"I'd argue that you are right on time, Dina, I'm Ivan." She smiled, at her left was her husband Henry, and to his left their older son Harry and to Ivan's right their younger son Henry jr.
"This is nice, we just moved in a week ago so today is the first time the whole family has been able to go out like this, it's easy making friends when everyone's adjusting haha." Henry smiled at Sol after greeting Dina with a nod, raising his cold beer to which Sol did the same and popped his open taking few big gulps and sighing as the cold beverage washed down his stomach.
"Where are you originally from?" Harry, who was the splitting image of his mom down to her dark auburn hair and green eyes, even with the rounded glasses asked, staring at Dina who sat across from him.
"I used to live in upper City Q two states away from here, I was away when the Atlas organization's experiment went rogue and I ended up losing a lot because of it, so Area 10.B is a fresh start for me." Dina answered politely, smiling at the young man and then raising her hands when Sara came around and.
"How terrible, I saw that on the news, a lot of people died when that thing got out of control..." Ivan started, but saw Dina's expression sadden and stopped talking. "I'm sorry."
"No, it's fine, a lot of people lost their loved ones, besides, Atlas was destroyed after that so they got what they deserved." Dina smiled and picked up a fork full of food after tasting it and turned to Sol. "This is tasty, here." She fed him, and then wiped his lips with her thumb and stuck her finger in her mouth while he hummed and chewed.
"Is it? I have not tried that one yet." Ikaris looked across at them and Sol leaned out of the way allowing Dina and feed it to her as well, watching her glow as she slowly chewed and blushed at the tasted exploding in her mouth.
"Ich melchs ing my mouch (it melts in my mouth)" Ikaris nodded, praising the flavours as she ate, and then swallowed and looked at Arla and Sara. "Which one of you made this, I have never had anything like it!"
"When I was still in the service of Lady Schneider I spent a lot of time testing my cooking skills while I waited, I daresay it was one of the things that kept me sane." Sara spoke up while Arla accepted another bite from Ikaris and swooned over the taste as well.
"Sara this is amazing." Sol praised her.
"It seems there is still yet a lot I must learn if I am to compete with you, Sara." Arla chuckled after eating her share. "It is truly delicious!"
"I didn't know people still hired maids in this day and age." Henry stared at Sara. "Can I ask how old you are young miss?"
"I will be twenty-four in the next few months." Sara answered nonchalantly and went over to Dina again, sharing a different portion of food and then coming over to their side and sharing seconds for the boys and then Ivan while Howard refused a second sharing and tappex his dad-bod belly.
"You all seem drastically different, from your mannerisms to the way you react with each other, I thought you were friends having a picnic together but, are you lot actually family?" Ivan gestured to them with a curious eye and Sol's eyes slightly narrowed as he smiled and looked down into his plate when he felt her using the system to pry into their names and even trying to see if they were hiding anything.
"Well," Sol gestured to Ikaris. "My wife, Arla, and Sara are from overseas, while I'm from City Q, like Dina." He gestured to them each.
"Oh, immigrants... No wonder they are so exotically beautiful, they really look out of place here." Ivan started matter-of-factly and her husband cleared his throat and sat forward looking at Sol and hoping his wife didn't offend them.
"Adjusting has not been as smooth as we imagined, but simply being here is enough to make me the happiest I have ever been." Arla spoke up before Ikaris who was visibly bothered by the way the woman across from them had said it.
"Where sir goes so too will I." Sara added, taking a seat and starting on her dinner as well while the lights under the tree went on and the sun dipped below mountains west of them.
"It's so strange, usually when we try to use the system it gives me the information of a person, but I can't seem to get it to work when I use it on you, all I can see are your first names." Ivan stood up and took her phone from her purse.
"Ivan, put the phone down, what are you doing?" Henry stood abruptly a d reached for her phone but she dodged him and kept him at arms length calling a number she had saved in it.
"I am making a complaint to the number we all got when we came here, the owner of 10.B, Mr Vestic said that we should always report suspicious people-"
"Do these people strike you as suspicious though, really?" Henry snapped and turned to them apologising before trying to take the phone from her again without using any more force and upsetting or harming her.
"Sir, should I?" Sara asked Sol when her phone began ringing and Sol nodded and gestured that she accept the call.
"You are speaking to Sara, Mr Vestic's head of security for 10.B, thank you for calling, Ms Bennet." Sara answered her phone and looked up at Ivan who had gone silent and the rest of her family who's jaws had hit the floor.
"I appreciate your honesty, Ivan, the whole reason I only allow those who's names are untainted is because I can trust they'll be a bit headstrong when they try to enforce the rules I set."
"However, I must ask that you not simply judge someone because you're unable to understand them or because they are from a different country, if I have to keep answering to complaints like these then I'm going to remove the ones making the complaint, if you don't mind, I'd like to finish my dinner as well as my beer before it gets cold." Sol stared while Arla, Sara, Dina, and Ikaris calmed down and daintily ate, reserved of their previous friendliness as their moods had been soured.
"Please, have a seat."