After Alexa had done the impossible and somehow managed to burn water, she had been allowed to slip out of the house long enough to have a brief but intense snowball fight with the younger kids. Most were the younger children of Jazz's aunts and uncles, but Adam and Devin were the kids of Jazz's oldest cousin, Josh.
Six kids and one young woman hurled balls of snow at one another until they were all red in the face, shivering, and more than a little damp.
"Come on Rugrats! Dinner's ready!" Josh called from the patio door. All seven of them groaned, Alexa joining in a half second too late and earning a few giggles from her pint-sized opponents.
"Snow'll still be here tomorrow! The food won't be!" Josh chided, grinning. One by one the kids filed in until it was only Alexa and Josh. Josh had certainly changed over the years, the young man in punk attire was gone, replaced by a father with an easy going smile. Sure he still preferred black and his hair was a bit longer and shaggier than most suburban dad's, but it was still a far cry from the guy who had met her in that same spot during her first Christmas here.
"They get ya good?" Josh teased as she marched through the snow.
"I didn't exactly make it easy for them, but yeah, pretty sure they won." Alexa laughed, dusting off her jacket and stomping the snow off her boots. Josh laughed appreciatively and pulled the door open for her.
"I'm glad you made it out this year!" Josh chuckled "Otherwise it'd be me out here!"
Alexa grinned in response and split away from her cousin, heading to the spot at the long mismatched table with her name on it, directly next to Jazz and across the table from Sean.
"Alright everyone!" Melody called from the head of the table. "I'm not going to waste too much time since we're all hungry so if you could just join me in the Grace."
Dutifully they all bowed their heads and clasped their hands. Once again Alexa found herself wondering about her own place in such activities…she felt like an outsider looking in during Grace, since she had been raised Hellenistic for the majority of her life. Part of her always wondered if some of the gods had a higher faith, or if a god could be an atheist or if that counts as self denial.
"Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day and the family and friends you've brought into our lives. We ask that you bless this meal and those seated here, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen."
"Amen." They all echoed and immediately began helping themselves to food.
"So Alexa, where've you been? We didn't really get to see much of you after the wedding." Sean asked as Alexa grabbed up a roll. She glanced sideways and caught Jazz's eye. The older woman gave her a light shrug which Alexa took as an invitation to tell what she could. She didn't like lying to Sean…so she tried to keep her explanation as close to the truth as she could possibly make it with so many ears listening in.
"I've been working for our grandma." She explained, nodding at Jazz. "Basically a combination of runner, management and firefighter for a few things she has her hands in."
"I didn't know your grandma had her hands in anything…" Sean said slowly.
"She does…but she's reclusive and a bit paranoid. Ya know the type, doesn't trust anyone, even family, unless they've been vetted six ways to Sunday. In fact, right before your wedding I was just getting done with my first job for her, it took me three years to learn enough just to be able to fly solo."
"That seems…a bit quick." Sean said with a little frown. Alexa shrugged in response and dipped her fork into some mashed potatoes.
"I guess it would be, but she didn't let me start working on my own until I turned eighteen. I'm not planning on going to college any time soon, so…this is a good use of my time until then." Not for the first time, Alexa found her mind drifting towards normality. If she were mortal, she'd likely have just gotten out of highschool months ago, she'd have been back home for winter break right about now with the only stress coming from semester final results coming back. She took a moment to further dig into her meal. The trials might be difficult, but at least the stress wasn't the same as college's would've been. Monsters and prison was almost a familiar kind of stress after years at Camp, midterms would have been a wholly unfamiliar beast.
"So what have you been up to, then?" Sean prompted.
"Well until a few days ago I was in Washington, near Seattle. Had to deal with a company up there. Horrible work environment, company culture was stuck in the stone age, felt like there were only two or three men there who actually respected me. Ended up having to replace their acting management to fix the problem from the ground up. " She paused to take a swing of her drink before continuing her thought. "I got about a week to myself, just in time for the holidays, then things should be settled for my next trip."
"Wow, they sound kinda shitty." Sean said with a shake of his head "But at least you got some time off. Does your grandma pay well?"
"Well enough." She responded with a smirk, thinking of Aug and giving him a silent thanks. "I didn't exactly steal all your presents. I wasn't compensated very well for the internship but after that…"
"Ahh…"Sean said with a nod.
"So where're you going next?" This time it was Jazz who asked the question, a bit of worry creeping into her voice.
"Vegas." Alexa chirped happily. "I haven't had a chance to look for a place there, but I'll do some house hunting online."
"Just be careful." Melody said with a sigh.
"When am I anything other than forward thinking, methodical, and safe?" Alexa asked with faux sincerity. This earned a snort from Jazz and a small smile from Melody. Sean, who evidently didn't know her as well as the others, simply looked puzzled.
Dinner passed much as it always did after that. Two food fights were attempted by some of the younger kids and promptly shut down, Jazz had a hard fought battle with her stomach she ultimately won, carols were sung, more snowball fights were had, and gossip was shared.
One by one the extended family began to depart to their various abodes and one hotel room due to extenuating circumstances. Sean hummed a Christmas carol as he helped Melody clean up the dishes, while Jazz and Alexa caught up in the living room over cups of cocoa.
"So." Jazz said, lowering her voice. "What is Hera really having you do?"
"Horned viper hunting." Explained Alexa. "Should be interesting, at the very least, and Vegas is hardly a boring place to visit."
"Mmm…" Jazz mused. "Well…so long as you're careful and don't go anywhere you shouldn't, things should be fine."
Alexa bobbed her head in agreement.
"I'll be as safe as I can be." She promised. Jazz took this as the truth it was and shifted gears, giving Alexa a small smirk.
"So…did anything else happen on your little trip to Washington? Meet any new friends…or boys?" She teased.
"Careful," Alexa chuckled. "You're starting to sound like Sonya." Their gossipy friend had opted not to attend the Sherman family dinner that year…due to a trip down to Mexico with her latest girlfriend. Alexa hoped this relationship went well, she had rather enjoyed being a bridesmaid, all things considered, and wouldn't mind doing it again without the Maid of Honor duties.
"I didn't hear a no!" Jazz teased with a small wiggle of her eyebrows. Alexa blushed slightly and leaned forward in her seat, feeling more giddy than she could ever properly remember being.
"Okay…let me tell you about Marcus, King of the Gargareans!" Alexa found herself leaning forward with a conspiratorial grin. She'd never have Sonya's zeal for romance, but…she could certainly share with her best friend when a guy had caught her eye.