Home sweet Home ... I guess (open)

Alexa had to admit that being in her own room was quite a relief. She had a problem with the colour scheme of the rest of the house. Even if it did all match. But she would never voice that. Instead she would simply retreat to her own bedroom and relax on the atmosphere of beautiful and very girly. In true form she had soon got bored of just relaxing and was now sorting through her wardrobe. Throwing things she had brought but no longer liked onto the bed after holding them up to herself and declaring them awful. Every now and again she did this and then went out and brought far too much more to fill the empty gaps with her pocket money.

Zander walked silently into the room and he started picking up the clothes she dropped every time she threw something out of her closet. He could tell she wasn't used to it here and he knew how that felt...having just entered the family himself.

"You know you're messing up the place." He said softly as he set the clothes onto her bed. He suddenly smirked. "Need some help? I've got some paint back at my room."

Alexa jumped when he spoke and looking over her shoulder declared "are you trying to kill me? You need a cowbell or something. At the very least make noise when you walk like everyone else." She then paused in her sentence to look at where he was tidying her clothes and replied "well doesn't it bother you that everyone else in this house is so clean ... it makes me feel like an outsider ... like its not write that I do not like it all clean and tidy ... and ugh so unlived in! I want my room to be lived in!" With this declaration Alexa began dancing around the room throwing things out of there shelves and drawers "lived in!" She paused when he said the last bit "what colour paint?"

'It's from Alerie so it can be any color you want. Careful, it's permanent on clothes and anything non-living." He watched her dance around and he caught her around the waist before she could slip from the bed sheets that were wrapping themselves up her legs from twisting.

"Don't break your neck." He chuckled. It was deep and his eyes danced against the fire lamps.

"So I can pinkify" Alexa declared with delight as she looked across at him with a big smile "did I mention your one of my favourite brothers!" She then held out one hand, with sparkly nails, pointed in the direction of the door and added "well then oh brother of mine, fetch the magic paint! So we can give this room a little helping hand in the right direction. Before Ma finds me and kills me for making a mess."

Zander glanced at her hand before he started walking out of the room with a shake of his head. The door didn't make a sound as he closed it and after a few minutes, he came back with a spray paint. And he was shoe less with only a black shirt and army shorts on.

"Wear something old and pull your hair up." He walked towards her and dropped the paint onto the floor as he ran a hand through her hair before twisting it easily and holding it up. He took the rubber band from his wrist using his teeth and after a while, she had a messy bun and he was pulling his shirt off.

"You know I have been able to do my hair myself for quite a while now" Alexa informed him with a giggle and a shake of her head. She loved it when she was fussed over, but felt obliged to make a vague sort of protest that she could do things for herself. She skipped over and rummaged through her wardrobe before she found a pair of overalls in the bottom. Pulling them on she turned excitedly and picked up one of the bottles of spray pain. Eyeing with curiosity "lets do this thing!"

Zander took the paint from her from behind and he walked around, collecting her stuff. "Not until yo clean all this up. Do you want your things ruined?" There was that spark in his eyes again and he piled her clothes up and dumped them onto the bed. "Okay, listen up Alex." He pointed tot he pile. "Get that sorted out and we'll start doing you room."

He held his own shirt and he walked out again and appeared on the doorway, leaning against the frame. "What are you waiting for? The faster to keep things in order, the sooner we start."

"Alright, alright ... slave driver. How is it making a mess if I am tidying. Besides these are the things I don't want any more" Alexa complained as she grudgingly walked around putting her things away with a heavy pout on her pretty features.

When everything was actually cleaning up, Zander walked in and placed his hands on her shoulder before twirling her around slowly. "now look what happens when you slow yourself down and work..." The room had the essence of being lived in even though it was neat. There was some trash on the ground still but the room was in a better state than it was five minutes ago.

He smirked to himself knowing his little rouse had worked. "Okay, here." He handed her the paint but his had a hand over hers and he gave her a look. "I'll help you so you don't get out of control, hm?"

"Will you stop babying me! I am little, I am not five. If you keep it up I am going to spray you with this pain can" Alexa warned shooting him her first real frown. Okay there was protective and there was downright smothering. She was eleven for goodness sake, practically a grown up. Having said her piece she then pressed down on the push button on the top of the paint.

"Hey!" Zander shouted just as he got sprayed by pink paint. He wiped the paint from his skin before he smirked and with a small grunt, he launched himself on her, so that she fell back on the bed and he snatched the bottle and pressed the button so that she was suddenly all in blue.

The stare each other for a moment before Zander breaks out laughing. It's a rare thing to see because you actually see him happy with his gold hair thrown back messily and his green eyes on its lightest shade.

"I'm not babying you." He threw the paint aside as he wiped more of the pink paint from his chest. "I just don't want you to feel the way I felt my first day here." Lonely.

"Alright, alright I feel loved" Alexa protested with a warm smile as she wiped the blue paint of her the best she could still laughing "well maybe we should try getting some on the walls now! You know if you want me to feel loved you can get your own paint can and we can paint together. That does not mean you have to hold my hand through each step ..."

"The paint shakes and I was just adjusting the knob." Zander plucked it off the ground and he held it up and there were some silver button-like crooks at the side. "I'm not staying too long because I have..." He glanced at the door and a flash of annoyance plagued his face when someone called from somewhere in the house. He turned back to her with a small smile.

"Something to do." He threw the spray pain towards her. "I trust you don't make a mess." He said as he walked out. If she was paying attention, she'd notice that the last of the light disappeared from his eyes as he walked into his father's office.

Alexandria sighed. Now she was left alone to paint. Sure painting was fun. But it would have been nicer with company. Right now, she was bran new to a house she did not even like and now she was alone. Just perfect. But holding the paint can in one hand she began to spray her name over the wall in bright pink. Her tongue sticking out the corner of her mouth as she concentrated. Her expression becoming happy again as she painted.

Damian knocked on the door with his trademark "rat, tat, tat, tat, tat -- tat, tat." knock.

He said, "Hello? It's your brother Damian. I wanted to see how you were doing."

"As long as you do not bring Mrs Blood, then I am doing fine" Alexandria replied with a smile as she paused in her painting to glance over at him. She then offered him the paint can with a winning smile "do you want to do some? It is very therapeutic!"

Damian looked at the paint can.

"No, Mom's not here, but really, why would you not be fine if she was here? I mean... oh, I get it, you don't think she'll approve of you painting your room. Frankly, I don't see why the rooms all have to look the same."

"Well," he said, looking at the paint can and appearing to weigh the situation in his head. "I might do a few touches here and there. Maybe you'd like a few stars around your name?"

"Exactly. Without any pink it in it does not look like a room for me, it just looks like I am living in someone elses room. Which I am ... but why feel that way" Alexandria replied with a shrug and a warm smile before she thought about his suggestion and looked up at her name with an excited air of someone who has just been inspired "wow that would be awesome! Like over the I's ... instead of the dot ... and or the I ..."

Damian thought about it.

"Yeah, a star instead of the dot on the I - that's good."

He took the spray can in hand.

"I have a question," he said. "How do you feel about all this? Living in a mansion with people that make so little noise when they move. How does this all compare to what you're used to? Do you think you'll adjust?"

"It is weird. To be honest I do not like it. I am a bouncy, loud, likes to talk kind of person. But you two you frighten me when you walk up behind me and I can't hear you. Plus you know Zander always get worried I am freaking people out and makes me shut up. I don't know ... it just makes me feel a little unwanted ... like I do not belong her" Alexandria replied softly as she looked at the wall with her name on, still smiling and nodding "its just not what I thought it was. But I am sure I will get use to it. I try and get to use to everything eventually ..."

"To be honest," Damian said. "I try not to be so quiet. Sometimes I still wind up not making enough noise. But I can be very loud with my voice if I need to be. I don't think the rest of the people in the house would appreciate a demonstration of that, though," he said with a snicker.

"Well, I believe you should be able to be yourself to some extent here," Damian said, looking at the wall. "We should be able to work something out. And maybe it's just us that have to get used to you. There's times when I've found myself thinking it's too quiet around here. Though I do like quiet, too much of it is rather boring."

He sprayed a pink star on top of the dot on the I, erasing the dot.

He handed the can back to Alexa.

"There. Now, what should be around your name?"

"Why do they like the silence so much? More importantly what is with this family's love of black and red?" Alexandria commented thoughtfully as she shook the paint can to turn the colour white and then started to pain a little rabbit to go next to her name. She liked the cute and fluffy and this was meant to be representing her.

"It's the name." Zander answered for Damien. "And red stands for power...and a lot more." He looked uncomfortable for a while.

"Looks nice." Zander commented on their work. He was by the door and he was balancing three sups filled to the bring with juice. He could've used magic but his wand was up at his room and it really didn't bother him that much to depend on his own muscles. He placed the glasses on the nearby table and he walked towards his brother and his sister.

"Could use dome varnish." He frowned. "Hey, Dan, you've got some left from that paint riot we did last Friday?"

Damian laughed.

"Oh yeah, the paint riot. Yeah, I've got quite a lot left."

He folded his arms, appearing to be consider what Zander had said about the family. He looked slightly concerned by the subject.

Then he smiled, looking at Alexa. "That's a good rabbit."

"Hey thanks, bro," he said to Zander., picking up one of the juice cups. He took a gulp of the liquid and put the cup back on the table.

"I'm gonna go get that varnish," he said to them both. "I'll be back in a flash."