Mai Legacy
1.10 - Baby Shower
James and Susan had decided to have a child not long after Jacques's funeral. Eliza, having just had triplets, inspired them to give it a shot. They were excited to continue their legacy- and potentially expand their influence beyond that of the Le Chien family next door. And, before they knew it, Susan was nine months pregnant. They'd definitely been a tense eight months. Akira stopped coming around for the longest time, Salim reporting he was too depressed to leave his apartment. Salim did his best to visit Akira whenever he could.
James also hadn't heard anything from Joaquin. He occasionally saw Joaquin or his wife walking into their house when eating outside, but neither of them had hadn't acted on Joaquin’s threat to take down their legacy yet. Maybe he was just biding his time.
If anything, James and Susan grew closer to some of their other friends. The Fengs consistently dropped by to see how their family was getting along, and regularly helped them out with various gifts. Ulrike ended up being a huge fan of James’s artwork, and now he regularly had displays at Casbah. As a result, she was regularly around to see what James was working on. Then, when the Fengs heard about how much the Aarohi girl from the dance party was afraid of them, they helped James track her down. While wary of him at first, she got to know Susan, and, soon enough, all three of them were planning dance parties together.
The Fengs were the ones to give them a crib for the upcoming baby, yet another thing that helped Aarohi realize that the Fengs weren't as terrifying as their reputation led people to believe.
Life progressed, and not much seemed to be changing.
Then, one day, the baby's due date arrived.
James stumbled blearily out of bed. “It’s the middle of the night, Susan,” he muttered.
“The baby, James,” Susan snarled.
“The baby?” James exclaimed. “Crib or hospital?”
“It’s too late for the hospital, James,” Susan gasped.
James ran after to Susan to the crib, which they had placed in a living room they’d recently added to their home.
A few seconds later, the baby was born.
“He’s a boy,” Susan smiled. “Let’s call him Seth.”
“Seth Mai. I like it,” James said.
A few days later, people streamed into the house for the baby shower.
“I’m so happy for you two,” Penny smiled, handing them a present before walking inside.
She was followed by Aarohi. “The Fengs are going to be here, right?”
James nodded.
“Good, I’d like to get to know them better,” she nodded. “It’s… it’s time.”
Akira and Salim showed up together, this being the first time Akira had visited James and Susan since Jacques’s death.
“How are you Akira?” Susan asked.
He smiled sadly. “I’m getting better. Slowly.”
Salim nodded. “I think Akira here is finally starting to move on.”
“That’s really good to hear,” James said to Akira.
“Thanks,” Akira said, with another little sad smile.
The next person to show up was someone James and Susan didn’t know all that well.
“Clara! So good to see you!” James called out.
Clara was a good friend of Penny’s. When Penny told James and Susan about how frustrating her home life was for her, they were happy to invite her to get to know more people, so she had more of an opportunity to get out of the house. And if that happened to be their baby shower, they were fine with it.
“Doesn’t matter how little I know the person, a good person still visits with a gift when a baby is born,” she said.
Soon enough, nearly everyone had arrived and gathered in their recently built living room, where the crib was.
“Victor, look at this child. For the last time, we need to bring our own children into the world. Soon enough, we'll be too old to teach what we know,” Lily told Victor firmly.
“You’re right, my darling,” Victor responded. He then turned to James. “She’s been going on about children since Eliza had triplets. She has no… chill.”
James grinned. “Never thought I’d hear you say a word like that, Victor!”
Aarohi nudged James, and said quietly “They aren’t nearly as terrifying as I thought!”
Meanwhile, Penny sat with Susan, Akira, Salim, and Eliza outside.
“You know that threat Joaquin made to James that day at the ruins?” Penny said. “Now that you two have actually produced a heir, I bet he’s going to come after you two relentlessly.”
“Don’t say that, Penny,” Susan groaned. “I don’t want to fight anybody.”
“When it happens, you’d better spill it to us right away,” Eliza nodded.
“You guys aren’t helping at all...” Susan sighed.
“We need some fresh drama in our lives,” Akira sighed. “Everything’s been too bleak recently.”
Susan nodded awkwardly. She couldn’t respond to that. Not to Akira, after what he’d been through recently.
Meanwhile, inside, Clara tapped on James’s shoulder and pulled him aside. “I was just talking to Ulrike, and… am I the only one here who doesn’t really trust the Fengs… at all?”
“Aarohi used to, but she thinks they’re really cool now,” James said.
“I just get really bad vibes from them…” Clara muttered.
“From who?” Asked Lily, walking up to the two.
“Oh! Lily! Uh, nobody. Well, nobody here at least. I’ve got to use the bathroom,” Clara stammered. She then quickly fled the room.
“Let me guess. She doesn't like me and Victor?”
James didn’t respond.
“Sweet of you to protect her, James. But you don’t need to worry, Victor and I are well used to it. Our reputation precedes us. I’ve no idea why it’s so sour, but there it is. There’s nothing that can be done about it now,” Lily sighed.
“Do you want me to..?”
“Fetch Clara? No. If there’s anything I’ve learned in life, James, it’s that you can’t easily sway a rotten opinion. Now go run along and entertain your other houseguests.”
James walked away from Lily, a little weirded out, but understanding. Salim approached him with a gift. “I know you’re a painter by trade, but I did this a few days ago. I’ve taken up painting as a hobby while visiting Akira, and thought why not?”
James smiled and took the painting. “I love it so much.” He walked over to a blank wall in the kitchen and hung it up right there and then.
“You really do like it,” Salim grinned. “I’m pleased.”
Ulrike passed by and stopped. “James, is that a new painting I haven’t been informed about? I like it, let me contact my experts.”
“Salim painted it for me,” James explained.
“Oh, really? Well then! Salim, I think we can strike up an art contract here…” Ulrike’s voice trailed off as she walked Salim away.
James was happy. Ever since Jacques’s passing, something hadn’t been the same. Every time the group tried to get together, half of everyone bailed, and those that actually showed up were clearly missing the people they’d wanted to see there. Now, for the first time, everyone was together and seemed, for the most part, happier than they had in a long time.