Post by opalgirl on Apr 29, 2009 6:22:34 GMT 10
Title: On the Road Again
Summary: Six teenagers living in close quarters, all summer. Fun. Not so fun for their mother.
Rating: PG
Genre: is very serious AU a genre?
Notes: I did lift a couple of real-world events from country music legend and drop them into this fic. See if you can spot them. The description of Alanna's early career is lifted, somewhat, from that of Kitty Wells.
(Pioneering American female country singer; she opened the doors for girls like Patsy Cline.)
"Roald!" The shriek of a furious teenage girl who was convinced her brother had just ruined her life rang through the hotel suite. "Jasson!"
Thayet de Conte sighed to herself, rubbing her eyes. Had there ever been a time when she didn't have to play referee? She sat for a moment, determined to wait until she was called before rushing in. They just might sort it out themselves, for once.
"MAMA!"
Where did a girl with such a sweet singing voice get such a shriek? She wondered, dragging herself to her feet and heading towards the sounds of bickering teenagers.
She had been hoping for five minutes to herself, but that was unlikely when one was a mother, a performer and wife to a CEO of a record label.
Her eldest daughter, Kalasin, stood there, the very picture of righteous teenage girl outrage, her cell phone clutched in one hand. "Mama, Roald said..."
Half-listening, Thayet looked over all her children. Kally was furious, Roald looked insulted, Jasson looked as if he'd been up to mischief and Liam was in the corner of the room, guitar in his arms.
She was missing two - the younger girls. The discordant sound of piano - or in this case, keyboard - keys being hit all at once told her where Vania was. "Roald, Kally, where's Lianne?"
Roald blinked. "I don't know," he said, quietly. "I haven't seen her. Kally?"
Kalasin shrugged, indifferent to the whereabouts of her younger sister, still outraged at her brothers.
Thayet held back her temper, barely. "You are supposed to watch them..." she began.
Buri, her assistant and sometimes-saving-grace, appeared at her elbow. "Lia went with Shinko and Kel. Shopping," the shorter woman said, calmly. "She'll be back in a couple of hours. Kel's brothers are with them."
"I should've known it was a bad idea to bring them all," Thayet muttered. "God."
Buri was grinning and Thayet swore. "Not a word, Buri. Not one."
"I didn't say a thing," the woman responsible for keeping Thayet sane replied, straight-faced.
"Mama," Kalasin tugged her elbow, impatient, wanting someone to justify her anger. "Mama, Jasson said..." The girl was distracted by the phone in her hand, as it beeped. She peered at the screen, let out a high-pitched squeal and ran off, anger forgotten.
Jasson grinned and trotted off, earbuds lodged firmly in his ears.
Roald shrugged. "It must be from Kaddar," he offered, as explanation, naming Kally's boyfriend. "He's overseas on tour and she hadn't heard from him."
Thayet tousled her son's hair, admiring how much he looked like his father. Girls that had no idea who Jonathan de Conte was swooned over his son, nicknamed 'prince' for his manners and clean-cut good looks. They all seemed to detest his fiancee, the lovely Shinkokami - it had all started when he had publicly announced his engagement.
Shinko, bless her, took it all in stride and Roald never complained or lashed out at a female fan. They were young, beautiful, and charming. They might end up becoming the media's darlings, even though Roald wanted to live privately.
"Thayet, this afternoon is yours, but Lalasa wants you to look at gowns for next month," Buri continued, seeing the family crisis had been avoided.
Thayet nodded, eyeing the quietest of her sons, Liam. He caught her looking at him and smiled. He reminded her not of Jon, but of Jon's father.
Roald de Conte I had been famously quiet and a bit of a recluse, with an incredibly smooth voice and pop-styled good looks. He'd been widely respected, if considered old-fashioned by some. Everyone had mourned when he died suddenly, in a car accident, leaving his only son his record label.
"Tomorrow?" She asked Buri, watching Liam think. He was the clever, quiet one, with songwriting credits to his name.
"Back on the road."
Thayet groaned. "Teenagers. Awake at six am. Do you hate me?"
"No. I don't," Buri replied, with a smile. "They can go back to sleep on the bus. They've been doing it since they were babies."
Thayet shrugged, hearing Kalasin's unmistakable irate shriek. "Jasson," she grumbled. "Bothering her again. Jasson, leave your sister alone!"
"I can't practice with all the noise!" Vania shouted back from her seat at the keyboard. She hadn't developed the shrill quality to her voice. Yet.
"Not doing anything, Ma!" Jasson called back. "She's being a baby!"
"He is too!"
Thayet thought a whole string of curses learned from roadies over the years. "Stop it, both of you."
"You're both stupid! Both of you!"
"Don't help, Vania," Thayet told her, sternly.
"It's silly," the youngest muttered, rebelliously. "Stupid..."
"Oh shut up, Vania!" Jasson yelled.
"No, you shut up!"
"Idiot!"
"Dumb...!"
Thayet groaned. Six teenagers, or nearly-teenagers, crammed together. Why hadn't someone told her this was a bad idea? Didn't Jon pay people for that? "Stop it. All of you. Or I'll send you home and get Gary to babysit, since you bicker like children."
Buri shook her head and looked to Liam, who had gotten up and was fiddling with the stereo. "You're the only sane one in this bunch, aren't you?"
Liam said nothing, but he flushed a little. He preferred to go unnoticed, speaking when he thought it was important. The strains of a familiar song began and the whole suite went still. Kally even stuck her head out, phone in one hand and Jasson pulled the earbuds out to listen.
"Aunt Alanna does it every time," was all Liam offered for explanation.
That was one thing the family did have in common; a love of music. One of the genre's first big female 'stars' had been a young woman called Alanna Trebond. She had toured with acts of all sorts, beginning as a background vocalist, then fighting her way onto the charts for herself.
And when she toured with Buri's husband, Raoul Golden, she had become an adoptive aunt to the children.
She was able to tell them all sorts of stories of her early years, performing among men and being dropped from labels because she was a woman and more shocking ones, like the story about the night she'd discovered a bullet hole in her first bus the previous owner had put there.
She had, for a time, had a highly publicized relationship with Jonathan, but found she couldn't handle the lifestyle. That was something Thayet understood all too well. (How often did she see the supposed break-up of her own marriage in the tabloids?)
Alanna wanted to live with her husband, who had managed a few young rock acts, and their children and not be constantly in the public eye. To protect the children from the media pressure, which was something else Thayet understood. She couldn't shelter her children, but she tried.
"Mama," Kally approached, looking as if she wanted something. Thayet knew that look. Along with the sheer stubbornness in her eye that the children got from their father.
"Yes?"
"Kaddar wants me to join his tour when they come back through. Can I?"
"May I," Liam corrected from the corner.
Kalasin flipped her hair and glared at him. "Shut up, Liam."
"Kally, Liam," Thayet warned. "And as for touring with Kaddar? Ask your father."
Kalasin pouted, prettily. "But we don't see Dad for another month!" She wailed, eyes starting to fill.
Oh, teenage drama, Thayet thought, mildly amused despite her building headache.
Buri patted the girl's arm, smiling sympathetically. "I think that might have been your mother's point."
"Roald tours with Shinko," Kally said, sourly. "Please?"
"Roald is older and he and Shinko are engaged to be married," Thayet said, firmly. "I might consider it, but I wouldn't let you go without having a chat with your father. That's that, Kalasin de Conte."
Kally, still pouting, flounced off, probably to tell her friends how 'mean' her mother was being.
"Were we ever like that as teenagers?" Thayet asked Buri, trying to remember.
"No," Buri said, firmly. "We need to go out for coffee before you go insane. Behave, children," she called, pulling Thayet out the door by the arm. "Don't kill each other."
Summary: Six teenagers living in close quarters, all summer. Fun. Not so fun for their mother.
Rating: PG
Genre: is very serious AU a genre?
Notes: I did lift a couple of real-world events from country music legend and drop them into this fic. See if you can spot them. The description of Alanna's early career is lifted, somewhat, from that of Kitty Wells.
(Pioneering American female country singer; she opened the doors for girls like Patsy Cline.)
"Roald!" The shriek of a furious teenage girl who was convinced her brother had just ruined her life rang through the hotel suite. "Jasson!"
Thayet de Conte sighed to herself, rubbing her eyes. Had there ever been a time when she didn't have to play referee? She sat for a moment, determined to wait until she was called before rushing in. They just might sort it out themselves, for once.
"MAMA!"
Where did a girl with such a sweet singing voice get such a shriek? She wondered, dragging herself to her feet and heading towards the sounds of bickering teenagers.
She had been hoping for five minutes to herself, but that was unlikely when one was a mother, a performer and wife to a CEO of a record label.
Her eldest daughter, Kalasin, stood there, the very picture of righteous teenage girl outrage, her cell phone clutched in one hand. "Mama, Roald said..."
Half-listening, Thayet looked over all her children. Kally was furious, Roald looked insulted, Jasson looked as if he'd been up to mischief and Liam was in the corner of the room, guitar in his arms.
She was missing two - the younger girls. The discordant sound of piano - or in this case, keyboard - keys being hit all at once told her where Vania was. "Roald, Kally, where's Lianne?"
Roald blinked. "I don't know," he said, quietly. "I haven't seen her. Kally?"
Kalasin shrugged, indifferent to the whereabouts of her younger sister, still outraged at her brothers.
Thayet held back her temper, barely. "You are supposed to watch them..." she began.
Buri, her assistant and sometimes-saving-grace, appeared at her elbow. "Lia went with Shinko and Kel. Shopping," the shorter woman said, calmly. "She'll be back in a couple of hours. Kel's brothers are with them."
"I should've known it was a bad idea to bring them all," Thayet muttered. "God."
Buri was grinning and Thayet swore. "Not a word, Buri. Not one."
"I didn't say a thing," the woman responsible for keeping Thayet sane replied, straight-faced.
"Mama," Kalasin tugged her elbow, impatient, wanting someone to justify her anger. "Mama, Jasson said..." The girl was distracted by the phone in her hand, as it beeped. She peered at the screen, let out a high-pitched squeal and ran off, anger forgotten.
Jasson grinned and trotted off, earbuds lodged firmly in his ears.
Roald shrugged. "It must be from Kaddar," he offered, as explanation, naming Kally's boyfriend. "He's overseas on tour and she hadn't heard from him."
Thayet tousled her son's hair, admiring how much he looked like his father. Girls that had no idea who Jonathan de Conte was swooned over his son, nicknamed 'prince' for his manners and clean-cut good looks. They all seemed to detest his fiancee, the lovely Shinkokami - it had all started when he had publicly announced his engagement.
Shinko, bless her, took it all in stride and Roald never complained or lashed out at a female fan. They were young, beautiful, and charming. They might end up becoming the media's darlings, even though Roald wanted to live privately.
"Thayet, this afternoon is yours, but Lalasa wants you to look at gowns for next month," Buri continued, seeing the family crisis had been avoided.
Thayet nodded, eyeing the quietest of her sons, Liam. He caught her looking at him and smiled. He reminded her not of Jon, but of Jon's father.
Roald de Conte I had been famously quiet and a bit of a recluse, with an incredibly smooth voice and pop-styled good looks. He'd been widely respected, if considered old-fashioned by some. Everyone had mourned when he died suddenly, in a car accident, leaving his only son his record label.
"Tomorrow?" She asked Buri, watching Liam think. He was the clever, quiet one, with songwriting credits to his name.
"Back on the road."
Thayet groaned. "Teenagers. Awake at six am. Do you hate me?"
"No. I don't," Buri replied, with a smile. "They can go back to sleep on the bus. They've been doing it since they were babies."
Thayet shrugged, hearing Kalasin's unmistakable irate shriek. "Jasson," she grumbled. "Bothering her again. Jasson, leave your sister alone!"
"I can't practice with all the noise!" Vania shouted back from her seat at the keyboard. She hadn't developed the shrill quality to her voice. Yet.
"Not doing anything, Ma!" Jasson called back. "She's being a baby!"
"He is too!"
Thayet thought a whole string of curses learned from roadies over the years. "Stop it, both of you."
"You're both stupid! Both of you!"
"Don't help, Vania," Thayet told her, sternly.
"It's silly," the youngest muttered, rebelliously. "Stupid..."
"Oh shut up, Vania!" Jasson yelled.
"No, you shut up!"
"Idiot!"
"Dumb...!"
Thayet groaned. Six teenagers, or nearly-teenagers, crammed together. Why hadn't someone told her this was a bad idea? Didn't Jon pay people for that? "Stop it. All of you. Or I'll send you home and get Gary to babysit, since you bicker like children."
Buri shook her head and looked to Liam, who had gotten up and was fiddling with the stereo. "You're the only sane one in this bunch, aren't you?"
Liam said nothing, but he flushed a little. He preferred to go unnoticed, speaking when he thought it was important. The strains of a familiar song began and the whole suite went still. Kally even stuck her head out, phone in one hand and Jasson pulled the earbuds out to listen.
"Aunt Alanna does it every time," was all Liam offered for explanation.
That was one thing the family did have in common; a love of music. One of the genre's first big female 'stars' had been a young woman called Alanna Trebond. She had toured with acts of all sorts, beginning as a background vocalist, then fighting her way onto the charts for herself.
And when she toured with Buri's husband, Raoul Golden, she had become an adoptive aunt to the children.
She was able to tell them all sorts of stories of her early years, performing among men and being dropped from labels because she was a woman and more shocking ones, like the story about the night she'd discovered a bullet hole in her first bus the previous owner had put there.
She had, for a time, had a highly publicized relationship with Jonathan, but found she couldn't handle the lifestyle. That was something Thayet understood all too well. (How often did she see the supposed break-up of her own marriage in the tabloids?)
Alanna wanted to live with her husband, who had managed a few young rock acts, and their children and not be constantly in the public eye. To protect the children from the media pressure, which was something else Thayet understood. She couldn't shelter her children, but she tried.
"Mama," Kally approached, looking as if she wanted something. Thayet knew that look. Along with the sheer stubbornness in her eye that the children got from their father.
"Yes?"
"Kaddar wants me to join his tour when they come back through. Can I?"
"May I," Liam corrected from the corner.
Kalasin flipped her hair and glared at him. "Shut up, Liam."
"Kally, Liam," Thayet warned. "And as for touring with Kaddar? Ask your father."
Kalasin pouted, prettily. "But we don't see Dad for another month!" She wailed, eyes starting to fill.
Oh, teenage drama, Thayet thought, mildly amused despite her building headache.
Buri patted the girl's arm, smiling sympathetically. "I think that might have been your mother's point."
"Roald tours with Shinko," Kally said, sourly. "Please?"
"Roald is older and he and Shinko are engaged to be married," Thayet said, firmly. "I might consider it, but I wouldn't let you go without having a chat with your father. That's that, Kalasin de Conte."
Kally, still pouting, flounced off, probably to tell her friends how 'mean' her mother was being.
"Were we ever like that as teenagers?" Thayet asked Buri, trying to remember.
"No," Buri said, firmly. "We need to go out for coffee before you go insane. Behave, children," she called, pulling Thayet out the door by the arm. "Don't kill each other."