Round 1: Fish

Aurelia Fish is an Elder. Her grandson Dmitri Fish is a Teen, and her granddaughter Dzika Fish is a Child.

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It had been long enough since Dmitri and Dzika moved to Wanderer’s Cove to live with their grandmother Aurelia that their grandmother’s house was starting to feel like home. They had gotten used to their new schools and their new neighborhood; even the pain of their parents’ death was starting to fade a little. But in some ways, they still hadn’t quite adjusted.

For example, when his grandmother asked, “What do you plan to do with your life after high school?” Dmitri still hadn’t learned that the truth – namely, “I’m going to open a bar with Ellis from down the street” – was a terrible answer, and would get him treated to an hour-long lecture about studying hard and living up to his potential.

Their parents’ philosophy had been to let kids be kids. As long as they were happy and weren’t failing out of school, things were good. Life with their grandmother was different. She insisted that homework got done as soon as they got home from school, led family jogs to make sure they stayed in good physical shape, and had been hounding them since they arrived to bring their grades up.

At first they chafed against these expectations, but they slowly learned that it wasn’t all bad. For example, when Dzika started to show an interest in art, her grandmother bought her an art table and tons of art supplies, and encouraged Dzika to fully explore her talent. Meanwhile, although Dmitri’s grades still weren’t the greatest, he learned that he was better at academics than he ever suspected.

Physical fitness was as important to Aurelia as academics. Although at first it was strange to see a gray-haired woman doing push-ups on the living room floor at all hours of the day, Dmitri and Dzika quickly got used to it.

Dmitri had a huge crush on Liss Kirsch, who lived next door. He tried not to show it in front of Aurelia – although his grandmother hadn't said as much, Dmitri just knew she didn't approve of teens dating – but the more he gets to know her, the harder it is to hide. Liss was the only person he had ever met whose mind could keep up with his.

Liss was older than him, which he tended to forget, unless her younger sister Izzy was around. Izzy was closer to Dmitri’s age, and sometimes Dmitri got the feeling that she was jealous of all the attention he gave Liss.

Izzy wasn’t the only one unhappy with the amount of time the two of them were spending together.

Meanwhile, Ellis Laurent, who he met in school but who turned out to live just down the street, was a key part of his future plans. He wouldn’t call Ellis a friend, exactly – Ellis still acted like a kid, and sometimes he just made Dmitri cringe – but after a chance conversation when they found out they both wanted to open a bar after they graduated, they knew they had to join forces.

Dmitri made sure not to neglect his little sister. They often did their homework together – he would think through problems aloud when he couldn’t figure them out, and Dzika would ask him for help when she needed it. It was a simple routine, but he wanted to make sure he was there for her. Even though she seemed to be recovering pretty well after the death of their parents – Dzika was nothing if not resilient – he wanted her to know that she still had an ally in the world.

Aurelia never used to work when her husband was alive, but after he died, not long before Dmitri and Dzika moved in with her, she got a job as a cook at a local restaurant. She couldn’t say she was happy with the situation. She missed having all day to devote to her own pursuits. She missed coming home not smelling like grease. But she didn’t let Dmitri and Dzika see her dissatisfaction – that would be setting a bad example. And she made sure to practice her skills at home, even if she was just making a grilled cheese for Dzika. As much as possible, she made sure they could see her doing it. That was the best way to model industriousness.

Even though during the day Dzika seemed to be adjusting well, at night she still had nightmares. Whenever that happened, she would sneak into her grandmother’s room and sleep next to her. She always snuck back out before her grandmother woke up, and she was never sure whether Aurelia knew or not. Either way, Aurelia never mentioned it.

Aurelia liked nice things – that was another thing that was hard for Dmitri and Dzika to get used to. Their old house had been comfortable and lived in. Here, they were likely to come home to find something replaced with the fancier and more expensive version simply because it was fancier and more expensive. Like the new bookshelf that looked like it belonged in the mansion on the hill rather than their small living room. Dmitri didn’t get it. He thought she would be better off saving that money for something useful. He had seen how little she made at the restaurant; surely she couldn’t afford these extravagances. But Aurelia’s philosophy was that a life spent without enjoying the finer things was a waste. It was why she appreciated good food, and why she believed in surrounding herself with things she enjoyed looking at.