Post by Aurora Graves on Apr 8, 2017 1:37:24 GMT -5
DevAir 1
Somewhere in the Wisconsin sky
April 7, 2017
Alicia Perry sat behind a rosewood desk inside the jet's on-board office, a pile of legal papers spread out over an open file folder as she looked them over, picking up each document in turn. As she studied the last document, she looked across the desk, where Damon and Aurora sat in a pair of black leather armchairs, anxious looks on their faces.
Alicia: There certainly is a lot of things to cover, isn’t there?
Damon: You can say that again....
Damon sighed as he leaned back in his seat, bringing his fingers up to his temple as he rested his head against his hand.
Aurora: Still can’t believe that even after he left you all of those savings bonds that he would go so far as to leave you the house as well.
Alicia: Now, the question is, what are you going to do with it?
Alicia raised an eyebrow, pointing at them with the pen in her hand. Damon looked at his manager, his face a mixture of uncertainty and concern.
Damon: Don’t I have to wait until the rest of the family has a chance to contest the will?
Alicia shook her head.
Alicia: Now THAT, you’d have to talk to Mr. Saybrooke about. I deal with money, not law. Still, you have a few different options to consider when it comes to the house. First off, you can keep it; maybe use it as a second residence. As I’m sure you’re well aware, the summers in Las Vegas can be absolutely brutal, so it would make perfect sense for you to want to spend those months in a much cooler climate.
Aurora: Not only that, but Damon knows the neighborhood, so it’s not like we’d be moving into completely unfamiliar territory. And the thought of moving back to California – even for just a few months out of the year – does have its appeal.
Aurora stroked her chin, contemplating the idea of returning to her home state, even if just for the summer. Meanwhile, Damon furrowed his brow, leaning forward in curiosity.
Damon: Yeah... but like you said, that’s just one option. What are some of the others?
Alicia: Another possibility would be to turn it into an investment property. You can maintain ownership of the home, and rent it out, which would provide a steady stream of monthly income...
She paused, pouring over another document before setting it aside with a light scoff.
Alicia: Not like you’re currently hurting for money at the moment.
Mr. and Mrs. Graves both let out a quiet chuckle at Alicia’s remark.
Aurora: No, I suppose not.
Damon turned to his wife, reaching across the gap between the chairs to lock his fingers with hers as he smiled.
Damon: So, what do you think we should do, Harley?
Truth be told, this was one decision Aurora wanted no part of. This was one decision that she wasn’t the least bit comfortable weighing in on. Best to leave it to him.
Aurora: Well, he was your grandfather; I think you should have the final say in the matter.
Damon: Don’t say that, Harley. You’re my wife. Every decision I make affects you, too. Remember what you said not that long ago, Harley. There’s no more “me” or “you;” only “us”. But you know what? I kinda like the idea of having a summer home. I think we’ll keep it.
Aurora: That settles it then... The Graves’ will be spending the summer months in Inglewood, and the rest of the year in Vegas.
Alicia: Excellent choice. Well, in that case, as your realtor, I’ll go over the paperwork with the legal team, and when we land, I’ll make sure everything is filed away; we can move on from there.
Damon: Thanks a lot for helping us sort this out, Alicia. It means a lot to us.
As Aurora and Damon got up from their seats, Damon reached out across Alicia’s desk, a grateful smile on his face.
Alicia: Think nothing of it. I’m just doing my job is all.
Alicia shook Damon’s hand. As he released, he moved ahead to open the door for his wife. But as Aurora started to make her way to the door, Alicia quickly moved to the other side of the desk, grabbing Aurora by the wrist. Aurora looked down at Alicia’s hand, and for a fleeting moment, Alicia saw a flash of anger in the champion’s eyes.
Alicia: Um, Aurora....
Alicia quickly released her grip, and the flare in Aurora’s nostrils quickly subsided.
Aurora: Yeah?
Alicia: Can you hang back for a few? There’s something else I want to discuss with you... one woman to another.
Aurora: Oooo...kaaaaay....
Confused, Aurora shrugged as she looked over her shoulder at her husband.
Aurora: You wanna give us a minute, Puddin’?
Damon: Take all the time you need.
Damon feigned tipping an invisible hat as he walked out of the room. Alicia went back to her seat, then gestured to Aurora to sit back down as well. Aurora sighed, then once again sat down on the other side of Alicia’s desk. Aurora tapped her fingertips against the armrests of her chair as Alicia tented her hands on top of her desk.
Aurora: What did you want to talk to me about?
Alicia tilted her head, staring at her from beneath a furrowed brow. She could see right through Aurora’s front, and the younger woman knew it.
Alicia: Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about... I’ve seen your Twitter feed, lately.
Aurora pursed her lips and cast her eyes to the ground with a soft, barely audible sigh.
Aurora: Oh... that. Well, I –
Alicia held a hand up, closing her eyes and shaking her head.
Alicia: You handled it like the champion that you are when I was pregnant with Alleria. And I could see the genuine happiness in your eyes when Amber announced she was pregnant.
Another sigh, as Aurora looked back across the desk at her mentor.
Aurora: It’s different when it involves friends. You, Amber, Taylor Miles... I can legitimately say that I’m happy for you all. But when someone hijacks one of my tweets to talk about their stupid-ass cravings... but never mind that. Damon and I have actually been discussing our... options as far as kids are concerned.
Alicia: Oh?
Aurora: Yeah, but it’ll have to wait until after the house is finished. Wouldn’t make any sense to start a family when you’ve got no place to put them.
Alicia: What about filling those 11 bedrooms at Corey and Diem’s place?
Aurora: Those bedrooms are THEIRS to fill; not ours. It’s enough that they’ve opened their home to us; I don’t want to take advantage.
Alicia: Fair enough. So, once the house is finished, what’s the plan?
Aurora opened her mouth to speak, but the jet’s intercom interrupted her before she could get a word out.
Pilot: We’ll be making our final approach into Milwaukee in just a few minutes....
Aurora sighed as Alicia offered an apologetic smirk.
Aurora: I guess we’ll continue this conversation once we’re settled into the hotel...
Alicia: Right. Like you said, there’s plenty of time. But it doesn’t hurt to plan ahead.
Aurora: Yeah, but you know me... I don’t want to get my hopes up TOO soon....
Aurora and Alicia made their way out of the office, shutting off the light as they left the room.
