A New Chapter

[Imani Din]

"Thanks for comin' out here to help with the move, kiddo."

Imani glanced to her left, her lips tugging upward into a smile as she responded to her Pa's words. "Don't sweat it, Pa. Gives me an excuse to come out 'ere and visit y'all." He returned her smile with a faint one of his own - smiling more through his tired, wrinkled eyes than his lips - and Imani went back to focusing on what was in front of her.

Lunch.

"Imani, pass the salt, please," asked Ma, and the woman went to grab it and hand it over. Before she could get to it though, her younger sister Laila snatched it first.


"I got it!" she declared, looking to her mother for praise as soon as she placed it down. Ma glanced at Imani, gave her a knowing look, then placed her hand on Laila's head and ruffled up the hair behind her horns.

"Thank ya darlin'." The little girl's chest puffed up with pride, and Imani quickly shoveled a forkful of food into her mouth to keep herself from laughing.

"So, we startin' right after we eat or...?" Imani asked, glancing between Ma and Pa to see which one of them would give her the answer. The two of them glanced between one another, and Ma answered shortly after.

"That works for us," she answered. There was a moment of silence afterward, followed by a sigh. "I'm gonna miss this place," she admitted, a look of nostalgia washing over her features as she glanced about the room. "You know, it's so quiet with just us and Laila here. When Laila was just a babe and y'all were all still here..." The woman laughed. "Well, there was nev'r a moment of peace for me or yer Pa, but I miss havin' y'all around."

Imani tilted her head to the side. "You ain't gettin' rid of the place, are ya?" There was enough worry in her voice that Pa interjected to assure her.

"Nah, Pa said through a mouth full of food. Ma shot him a look for his manners, and he quickly swallowed before continuing. "Your Ma n' I figured we'd take Laila and Emir to Eiattu and find a place in the city to settle 'til they're ready to go fly the nest. Once little Laila ere's off to college or wherever, we'll probably come back here."

"Yeah, 'cause I'm a princess! But I'm a princess there, not here..." A pouty look overcame Laila's face, and Ma chuckled.

"That's part of it, but it would be nice for her and Emir to be around more kids their age. They'll be able to get into a nice school, both of 'em, if they want. Can't exactly give 'em that 'ere after puttin' you and the rest of y'all through academies and college..." Ma trailed off, relief in her voice. Now that they were nobility, money would never be a concern again for the family. It clearly lifted a weight off of Ma's shoulders, and Imani felt a twinge of warmth in her chest knowing that.

"I bet Tai will be happy havin' y'all close," Imani affirmed. "But I'm glad y'all are keepin' the house here, at least. Could be a nice place to come to when winter hits on Eiattu."

The family continued to eat and chat amongst one another for the rest of the lunch, getting their full of Ma's delicious cooking before they started moving boxes out of the house.

 

[Imani Din]

"Alright - what are we startin' with?" Imani asked as she handed her plate off to Pa for him to carry to the kitchen. Laila had begun slowly sinking down into her seat - a clear attempt to sneak away - and Ma shot her a look before turning to answer Imani.

"Can you help Pa with the livin' room? Laila needs to finish packin' and then you can help 'er," Ma replied, giving Laila a look that meant business. "An' you better be all packed up by the time Pa n' your sis get finished, ya hear me?"

"Ugh Maaa...." Laila rolled her eyes over toward Imani, expecting sympathy, but only getting an amused smile from the woman. It was really something to Imani that Laila could get away with even the tiniest bit of sass with Ma. If it had been Imani at her age, or hell, even any of her brothers, they would've gotten a chancla right upside the face. Something something the youngest siblings always get spoiled, Imani thought with a small shake of her head. "Can I at least have dessert first? Pleeeease?"

"You can after you get all packed up. Now go on, get movin!" Ma waved her hands at Laila, shooing the girl off as if she was going to chase her. Her little pink sister giggled and darted away, leaving Ma and Imani alone in the dining room. "I'll be packin' up Pa n' I's room. Holla if you need me."

Ma made her way to the master bedroom, and Imani gravitated over to the living room. Her eyes wandered the wooden floors, painted walls, and the variety of decor strewn across both of them. Their family portrait hung on the wall, alongside which a myriad of Emir's drawings had been pinned around and underneath (@LouJoVi). There was a bookshelf filled with all kinds of books, but a good majority were old schoolbooks from every sibling. Pa's guitar was leaning against one side, and Imani spotted the dusty triangle she used to play in the family jam sessions. There was a warm feeling of nostalgia that filled her chest then, remembering how Nadiya used to make her, Khalani, Khalid, and Amira be the audience for her little shows (@Wit @Scoobert @Versok @llamallove). Those were good times.

"I miss havin' all y'all around all the time." Imani turned her head to see her Pa walking into the room, carrying several unmade boxes under both of his arms. He jerked his head to the side, asking her to help him make them up without needing to say anything. Without a word, Imani walked over, took half the stack, and began folding them with him. "All you birds have flown the nest," he chuckled. "'Cept Laila and Emir, I suppose, but I know it won't be long before he's off to school or somethin' else. An' I'm sure Laila will want to follow in y'all's footsteps as well."

"We'll have family life day on Eiattu," Imani suggested. " An' when y'all move back here, we'll have family life day here at home."

"Ya know," Pa began, chuckling. "If I was your Ma, I'd start askin' about grandbabies." Imani groaned. "But I won't, not yet at least."

"Noted, Pa." Imani shook her head, smiled, then folded out the last box and stood. "Now, what all are you bringin' with ya? The portraits? Emir's drawings? Your old guitar?"

"Just things of sentimental value," Pa answered. "No use in movin' all the furniture if we're comin' back one day anyway."

Imani nodded, and the two began packing things in silence.

 

[Imani Din]

It didn't need to take them so long to pack as it did, but Pa missed Imani and she missed him, so the two took their time packing things up to talk. They talked about all sorts of things, from memories of her childhood to where she and the rest of her siblings were today, from their favorite foods to their favorite restaurants in town, and damn, did the neighbor's daughter really go on to marry so-in-so for his money?

"I remember you n' Ma teachin' me n' Nadiya how to throw punches all those years ago," Imani mused, looking down at a slightly-blurry photo of her and her older sister standing bent at the knees, arms up, fists clenched, and facing Pa. They were barely taller than his waist, and there was a glimmer of pride in his young eyes that was impossible to miss. "An' then you and Ma had a bunch more kids, and Nadiya and I had to start takin' over the lessons for the boys and Khalani." She smiled at the picture, then placed it down into a box. "Alright, that's the last of it, yeah?"

"Yeah, I'd think so," Pa responded. "Anymore n' we're practically cleanin' house. Gotta leave just enough that it doesn't feel like walkin' into a ghost town if any y'all come to stay 'ere for a few days, ya know?" He shook his head, then began taping up the boxes. "It'll make movin' back a breeze if we don't take any of the furniture either."

"OKAY MA!" Came a voice from upstairs. "I FINISHED PACKIN'!"

"Surprised she actually got her stuff packed up in the time it took us to do this," Imani chuckled, giving Pa a knowing look. He just shook his head, but after glancing quickly toward the kitchen to make sure Ma wasn't listening, he replied.

"I think we spoil 'er just a little bit. Yer Ma 'specially, believe it or not. She misses havin' y'all girls around to doll up. Emir too. There are drawin's of his pinned up all along the hallway upstairs, 'long with Laila's too."

Imani's eyes lit up in interested. Was Laila following in Emir's footsteps? It would make sense, seeing as there would be more of a physical artistic influence rather than musical now that most of her older siblings were out of the house. "Has Emir been teachin' her?" she asked. "Or just inspirin' her?

"A bit both," Pa answered. "But mostly the latter. She can be a bit...overbearin' at times, I think, and Emir's got his droids he works on too."

Ah, the droids. Imani remembered coming down here a few years ago and talking to her little brother about them. She wondered if he ever got it fixed. She'd forgotten to follow up with him about that.

"Y'all about done in there?" Ma's voice rang out from the kitchen, and her face peeked out from behind a wall to see how they were faring not long after. Pa gave her a thumbs up, and Imani copied him. They'd pretty much gotten all of the boxes packed, and were just about to start taking them outside to load them up into the ship. 'Ah, good," Ma continued, satisfied to see that they were making decent progress at least. "Did Laila say whether she was done yet or not?"

"Said so," Imani replied, jerking her head toward the stairwell where her younger sister's voice had shouted from not too long ago.

Ma cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted to Laila upstairs. "COME DOWN 'ERE AND GET A SLICE 'A PIE IF YER FINISHED!" There was the sudden sound of running footsteps, and before Ma could drop her hands back down to her sides, the girl was already sliding down the stair railing. Ma turned back toward Imani and Pa. "I've got a slice for y'all too once you get those boxes moved out," she added before disappearing back into the kitchen.

"Whelp, you heard 'ere. Let's get them boxes out n' then get some of that pie!"

Imani nodded. She reached out a hand and floated the boxes into the air, leading them out while Pa trailed after her. The Force was good for more than just punching really hard. Was pretty useful for moving boxes and saving Pa's back too.

 

[Imani Din]

Imani and Pa eventually finished moving the boxes out, and they reconvened back inside to join Ma and Laila for pie. Ma already had the plates set on the dining room table, so the three of them sat down to dig in.

"Where's Laila?" Imani asked, looking around for her rosy little sister. She spotted the girl in the adjacent room, standing with her hands gripping the back of the couch and her eyes staring into the TV, wide like saucers. Her ears were bent a bit down, and her mouth was slightly agape.

"Laila! Turn off the TV an' come getcha pie!" Imani shouted over to her.

"BUT-!" Laila turned and went to protest, but Imani shook her head and interrupted her. "Ah- ! I don't wanna hear it. C'mon!" With a pout, Laila did as she was told and joined the family in the living room. The pie was delicious, and there was little talking amongst them until the crumbs on their plates were licked up.

"Alright, you all packed up Laila?" Since they'd finished the living room, Imani's next task was to get her sister's stuff moved out. Unlike most of the other rooms, most - if not all - of her sister's stuff was getting uprooted and moved to Eiattu, minus some furniture pieces that would be easily replaced once they settled into their new home.