Aurélie’s eyes felt dry as she stood there, squinting to keep the dust from entering. She didn’t fully understand her parent’s passion for these bricks, nor her brothers, but she did accept it. Admire it, even. Theo had always known from when he was little, that he wanted to be like his father. At first, he was just obsessed with dinosaurs like quite a lot of young boys were. Then, as he understood more and more, he became more focused on history and ancient artefacts, wanting to study them. Every time Thierry somehow ended up with the both of them in his care when they were younger, and he had to work, he would sometimes hand the two siblings off to a colleague working in restoration. He usually let Theo look at a process that young Aurélie had found incredibly boring but made young Theo’s eyes practically bulge out of his skull. The restoration of artefacts and art. As usual, Aurélie didn’t complain because her brother seemed to be in heaven. 

It was kind of how he was looking right now. Full of wonder, but it was more subdued by the teenager’s inherent trait of staying cool and collected, a chill guy. But he wasn’t fooling his older sister with that sparkle in his eyes. She saw it flicker and dim when her father answered his question with an evading joke, even though Theo let out a soft chuckle in response. Aurélie saw it all, every time, with her brother and her sister. And maybe that’s why she was the bitter one. The one that kicked against shins, their father’s authority or his humanity. Why she was the one who rolled her eyes when he promised things that made her siblings smile, and why she was the first to go yell at him when he disappointed one of them. She was sure if her father had to rank his kids, she’d end up last, but she was okay with that. The pureness of her siblings needed to be protected. 

[color=steelblue]”Funny.”[/color] Theo stated, a grin still on his face as he looked around, cupping his hands in front of his mouth. [color=steelblue]”Borisss….. Here Boris, Boris!”[/color] He catcalled, then winked down at his little sister. Aurélie let out a short closed-lipped laugh by exhaling through her nose. Her eyes drifted and went to her mother. More warmth flooded her chest. Where Theo was a copy of his father, physically and ambitionally, Cosy was incredibly drawn to her mother. In some ways, Aurélie envied it sometimes. To share more than just an upbringing with your mother. They shared genes and physical elements. Even small character traits from Sabrina were already present in Cosy, who cared and nurtured her stuffies and toys much like Sabrina cared and nurtured for her kids. Aurélie gave a short smile to her mother, winked and then looked toward her father again. She didn’t look like any of them. She looked most like her biological mother, with blonde and porcelain skin, and freckles. No brown locks and tanned skin for her. And sometimes she wondered if that bothered Thierry, her resemblance. She still had his eyes though.

Her eyelids slid over them as she tried to blink the dryness from her eyes. She watched as her father kneeled in front of Cosy and gave her a bag of coins. It made the eldest smile, seeing the sparkle in Cosy’s eyes at her new addition in her things to play with. It was a sign that their father knew them better than Aurélie sometimes gave him credit for. She knew that he didn’t [i]want[/i] to be a busy, absent father. However, her eyes flickered back to him when he righted himself. She couldn’t help but have her jaw clench as she watched him bite back the strain on his knee she knew he must be feeling. The eldest curled her fingers around the band of her backpack, where she had put some paracetamol and pain relief creme [i]just in case[/i] he pushed himself too much. She wasn’t heartless, after all. 

As he put on a show for Cosy, Aurélie couldn’t help but laugh at the silliness of it, and she playfully rolled her eyes at her father when he called it a pile of bricks, which she had been calling it all the way here. Menace. Beside her, Theo chuckled. 

[color=steelblue]”Oh, dad, come on, not the painful dad jokes.”[/color] Theo mockingly complained, as if he was mortally wounded by the first joke. He focused back on his little sister, practically begging their mother to take her to the public section. All the good stuff that the tower had to offer to the public. Theo really wanted to go, too, but he saw his mother struggle with the bags she was carrying. [color=steelblue]”Let me help you, maman.”[/color] Stepping forward, he gently took them from her and swung one over his shoulder while he held the other in his hand. [color=steelblue]”I’ll bring these to the tents for you.”[/color] He said, with a big grin. While he admired and idolised his father, Theo was a momma’s boy at heart and would move mountains for her. 

He also knew that she would barely be able to say no to the begging 10-year-old hanging from her arm, with these big eyes no one could deny. Looking down at his sister, he winked. [color=steelblue]”Go find some good souvenirs, okay, Cosy? I’ll join you in a bit.”[/color] 

With a small groan, he took the bags toward the tents, glad that he spent a lot of time in the gym. For this, really. Man of the household when Thierry wasn’t there. Carrier of things. Mover of furniture. A nice, pretty young woman grinned at him once he arrived, explaining in a cute accent who’s tents where who’s. He thanked her, flashing his signature grin, added a wink and walked to the tents. He was quick to dump his mother’s bags in her and Thierry’s tent before walking to his own tent, opening the flap to take it all in. After letting out a whistle, impressed, he put his own and Cosy’s bag down. The teenager immediately went to find a spot to charge his phone. 

Aurélie let her eyes fall on the hushed whispers between her father and the strange man. He looked young and somewhat aggravated, his eyes flashing to her and Theo before putting them back on Thierry. She didn’t miss her father’s tone, or the man’s angry glare at her father. 

Just what was going on here?