Chapter 2
Wishful Thinking
2:00PM, Tuesday November 8, 2016
The next day, Aria Company opened for business for the very first time. For two of its employees, it was the second time working for Aria Company, but chronologically it was definitely the first time the gondola business had ever opened. Time travel does these things, and travel between universes even more.
None of these thoughts preoccupied the residents of Aria House (except Osaka), who instead were bustling with activity. Alicia, having finalized the business permits the previous week, got to take on the first customers -- a lovely older Jewish couple who she had befriended, who were making the event something of a reminiscence of their honeymoon in Europe. President Aria wouldn't miss the event for anything, and had thus came along to supervise his human.
Akira was organizing some more advertising, and trying unsuccessfully to get some media attention. Every new business wants to tell the world about itself, but given the bellicosity of the 2016 Presidential Election, finally taking place today, free coverage like that was even scarcer than usual. She called yet another reporter, her angelic voice the spirit of elegance and politeness; as soon as the call was over she growled a lament that they didn't understand how special they were.
Athena went around the area putting up posters for the service, and dropping off brochures at whatever local businesses would take them. As she roved up and down the wide concrete way of the Venice Beach Boardwalk, she started to wonder if maybe it wouldn't be better to graffiti an advert or two. She rejected the notion, because the graffiti might blend in too much. Athena then thought about holding a big sign labeled GONDOLA RIDES near the street merchants, but decided that sounded like too much work. She could imagine herself lazily leaning over the sign, slowly falling asleep on the job, which caused her to yawn in real life. There was that one guy who seemed interested, but then it seemed like he was really interested in another kind of ride entirely.
The girls on the second floor weren't up to much of anything in particular, having fallen into a gap year they weren't expecting. Chiyo Mihama had already sent off a few college applications, and was doing a little studying in advance. The rest were even applying to local universities, just in case the stay was, well, less temporary than they were led to believe. The English tests that they had so dreaded in the old days were now second nature, thanks to the magic that had brought them across dimensions.
Kagura had sent off her lifeguard training application first, but was going to get around to college applications eventually. Priorities aside, she was just a person who craved outdoor activities. She was out on the beach, getting in her afternoon swimming practice.
The rest of her cohort was downstairs getting the new common room ready for use. The flooring had just been replaced with wood and tile -- Akira, who lived right across the hall from the area, would simply not hear of laminate flooring. The girls were thus engaged in the next step, painting the walls, at the request of the apartment manager, Brent Laabs. Even Tomo Takino was helping out, after Yomi Mizuhara had convinced Tomo that painting was really fun.
Brent was half-supervising them, but often had to step out to coordinate the paid contractors renovating the south-facing rooms directly above them. He was trying to keep his mind off the the day's election; he was worried, but there wasn't much he felt could do in this apartment of non-voting immigrants in a solidly Democratic neighborhood. His ballot had been mailed weeks ago, and all he could do wait until the Orange Menace would be soundly defeated later that night, or so he wished.
About the time Kagura came back from her exercise, Yukito Tsukishiro came downstairs to help out for a while as well, doing some of the heavier jobs like moving ladders and paint cans. Kagura couldn't help herself from flirting with him; she thought it was just such a waste that a strong, gorgeous boy like Yuki was playing for the other team. Meanwhile, his magical counterpart was very much not helping. Kero-chan was upstairs playing his way through Portal, one of many video games he got to enjoy in the new decade. His current favorite was Mario Kart, but that one was best saved for the company of friends.
Sonomi Daidouji didn't really know what to do with herself. She had enough money, and had taken up day trading as a hobby, but without her family zaibatsu to run she was still adrift. Most of the day, she was reading up on what were to her future business trends, and trading as a side benefit. She was also playing a role she had never done before, that of the homemaker. Honestly, Tomoyo was a better cook than she was, but she was trying. She could have afforded a maid and a Malibu apartment at least, but it was nice to live next door to that superbly cute Sakura... for her daughter's sake. Definitely for Tomoyo's sake, she told herself. On the other hand, living next door to that infuriating man who married Nadeshiko was infuriating, but less so than she thought it would be.
Fujitaka Kinomoto sneezed in his UCLA office. He was enjoying life as a visiting professor, and actually getting some serious writing done. They were probably going to rope him into teaching an archaeology class next quarter, but for now, he had plenty of time to read, research, and write.
His daughter and her friends were enjoying their education too, but not quite as much. Shaoran had made the school transition before, when he moved from Hong Kong to Japan, and Tomoyo had a certain grace that kept her steady. It was really Sakura who was spending the most time being confused by American schools. They kept their outdoor shoes on all day; and the classrooms never looked really clean, because the students weren't responsible for cleaning it. And instead of teachers switching classrooms, all of the students moved around instead, which all three thought was pretty weird. Sakura was still having nightmares about going to the wrong classroom.
On the walk home from school, Sakura mentioned, "I'll bet it will be quiet back at home today. All of the undines will be out on the canals."
Tomoyo nodded, "They all seemed really happy about it."
Shaoran gathered his courage and said, "Hey, Sakura. Do you want to see if we can get a gondola ride together?"
"Sure! That sounds fun!" Sakura agreed. "You coming, Tomoyo?"
"Of course!"
Shaoran's jaw went slack for a couple seconds, then he mumbled, "Okay, let's go." The problem was not that Tomoyo was getting in the way of romance -- far from it. It's just that he wasn't sure how much he wanted a video recording of all of his dates. They both got flustered easily still, despite the fact they were officially dating. He was convinced it looked very cute and moe on her, but rather unappealing on a strong boy like himself.
Sakura asked, "So who should we ride with?"
"The older ones will all be working, so I guess that leaves us with the trainees. Any favorites?" Tomoyo asked.
"Akari," Shaoran and Sakura said at the same time.
Tomoyo giggled a little at the cuteness, "Akari it is. Let's go find her." She probably would have chosen Alice, just to get a chance to hear her lovely singing voice. Akari, of course, was the one most likely to give random children boat tours, which made her an excellent choice anyway.
It was only a short walk from the school, just across the busy Washington Boulevard. The area where they docked the boats had only two empty gondolas, but it didn't take them too much searching to find their first undine.
The trio didn't see much gondola practice going on at all. Instead, Akari had her boat tethered under the shade of a large weeping willow, and she was sitting in it reading a book.
"May I trouble you for a ride, Miss Undine?" Shaoran asked.
Akari jerked up from her book, and smiled when she glimpsed her customers. "For you kids? Of course!"
She helped each of them board the gondola, seating Sakura and Shaoran in the front seat, with Tomoyo riding behind. A quick thrust of her oar against the banks, and the four of them were soon under way. Akari didn't have anywhere in particular to go, so she started steering them further into the peaceful neighborhood, so close yet a world away from the noisy street.
Tomoyo said, "Thank you so much for giving us a ride."
Sakura concurred, "Thank you for taking time out of your practice for us."
"I don't think she was getting much practice in with her nose in a book."
Akari explained, "Oh, no, the book is for practice! I must have read dozens of books on Venezia and Neo Venezia both before I left this planet. And even more after I got the job!" She sculled a couple times, then resumed, "To be a true prima undine, you need to be a tour guide as well as a gondolier."
Akari gave a rundown of the eclectic neighborhood in which she found herself, "If someone asks, I have to know that this house right here with the half-timbering is a Tudor revival, this one is Spanish style, and the next one down is called Mid-Century Modern. I need to know how Abbott Kinney tried to create Neo Venezia here on Earth a hundred years ago. You have to truly know the city you live in, and get tourists to love it as much as you do."
"Whoa," Sakura was enlightened.
"And I thought Aika was the hard-working one," Shaoran complimented her.
"Oh, but she is! This isn't really work for me, it's what I like to do."
"You're really lucky," he said back, and Sakura sounded her agreement. They turned their heads to face forward, taking in the quiet atmosphere of the canals. The couple gingerly allowed their fingers to interlace -- the relationship was so new, but it was hard not to get into a romantic mood on the boat.
Tomoyo knew exactly what Akari was talking about. Every dress she made for Sakura was a labor of love. She sure felt tired after staying up to finish a "battle costume", but it never seemed like work. She asked Akari, "How is it here in Venice? Do you like it as much as your home before?"
She started glumly, "I didn't really like where I grew up in Manhome— oh, you mean Neo Venezia. La Serenissima will always be my first love, but I'm starting to fall for Venice. Just a little," she smiled and blushed, as if she were confessing infidelity.
Tomoyo thought Akari cut quite a cute figure in her undine's outfit -- a long white sheath dress with a wide turquoise embroidered band down the middle to make a hook shape, and another three bands of color around the bottom. It was capped with a bit that looked like a short-sleeved sailor fuku crop-top, of all things. An unusual uniform, but fashion always favors the unusual.
This particular uniform happened to be a replica produced by Tomoyo at Akira's request. They were pretty easy to make -- just simple copies of the summer uniforms they wore when they arrived in this universe. But she was already considering the next task, which was to make the undines new winter uniforms. Those had to be reverse engineered from their descriptions and by watching the anime. Even though it was a commission, she started to wonder if she could get away with making the new uniforms even cuter with her own touches.
As they turned the corner back on the the Grand Canal, Sakura asked, "What's over there?"
Akari turned the boat to the north, and steered towards the shady bridge. As the noise of the traffic above started to percolate in, it started to break the spell. As they passed under South Venice Boulevard, they came to a little boat ramp, among some graffiti lined walls. Further on, North Venice Boulevard crossed the canal on a bridge, but the canal terminated immediately afterwards in a concrete wall, creating a dark cavern.
"The old canals were all to the north of here, but they filled in the streets for cars. Venice Beach was pretty amazing in the old days, with a big roller coaster. That bridge over there was for the kiddy railroad that went around the town. And the canals went through the bungalows and met in a giant pool, where the traffic circle is now."
"Wow, things have sure changed," Sakura said.
Shaoran commiserated, "Too bad."
"I know." Akari had an uncharacteristic sadness to her. "I truly wish I could have sculled the canals like they were in the old days."
The moment just kind of hung there until Akari snapped out of of it. "Geez, sorry. Things like this are why I'm still a trainee."
Tomoyo quietly declared, "Sappy wistfulness is forbidden."
"Oh no, not you too!"
That broke everyone into giggles, and Akari took the opportunity to steer the boat into quieter waters.
She took them all the way down to the marina at the other end of the canals, describing a few sights along the way, but for the most part, the rest of the trip passed in relaxing silence. Akari could see the young lovers, still getting comfortable with touching each other, slowly relax until Sakura was leaning up against Shaoran's chest. Even Tomoyo, after she had shot some B-roll on her camera, began to slack off and soak up the sun.
When Akari finished giving her first-draft tour of the Venice Canals, she dropped them off near the apartment building, and waved them goodbye. Her guests had been quite entertained, but honestly she knew she could do better. If they hadn't been so open to the magic of the water, she could have made them unhappy. Akari reckoned she still had a lot to learn before she became a prima, but promised herself that one day, she would show them her own true style as an undine.
The sixth graders chatted on their way back home, mainly about the group project they still needed to finish for their history class. They walked back along the alleyway which, when they got close enough, attracted the notice of the crew working on the new common room.
Tomo found a spare burst of energy, and ran out to meet Tomoyo and her friends on the first-floor landing. "Hey girls, want to come in and help us paint? Painting walls is really fun!" she lied.
"It is?" Sakura asked.
Yomi chimed in, "Why sure. I mean, how often does a girl get to paint a wall?"
Tomo said, "Yeah, painting is super fun. C'mon in and try it."
"Now hold on, should we really let them paint? That means less painting for us."
"Oh come on Yomi, don't be stingy!" She turned to Sakura, and said, "you want to try it, right?"
And so Sakura and her friends got roped into painting for the hour or so before dinner. They ended up painting some of the lower parts of walls, and in the tighter spaces around the bathroom and shared kitchen area. Osaka, at some point in the day, came to possess colored stripes of war paint on her face. When Shaoran asked about it, all she said was, "It's to ensure victory!" He just fell back on his belief that women were really hard to understand. When they were all done for the day, the kids found that painting was not nearly as fun as advertised, but the company just about made up for it.
As the sun was setting, Sakaki held up a stick of crown moulding while Brent tacked it up with a pneumatic nail gun. Aika had insisted on such decorative flourishes, not wanting the place to look "shabby" to potential customers. Brent just thought she was being a bratty princess, but he went ahead and installed it all the same. But remodeling this little apartment on a shoestring budget into something as fancy as a building in Neo Venezia? Now that was just wishful thinking.
Wishful Thinking
2:00PM, Tuesday November 8, 2016
The next day, Aria Company opened for business for the very first time. For two of its employees, it was the second time working for Aria Company, but chronologically it was definitely the first time the gondola business had ever opened. Time travel does these things, and travel between universes even more.
None of these thoughts preoccupied the residents of Aria House (except Osaka), who instead were bustling with activity. Alicia, having finalized the business permits the previous week, got to take on the first customers -- a lovely older Jewish couple who she had befriended, who were making the event something of a reminiscence of their honeymoon in Europe. President Aria wouldn't miss the event for anything, and had thus came along to supervise his human.
Akira was organizing some more advertising, and trying unsuccessfully to get some media attention. Every new business wants to tell the world about itself, but given the bellicosity of the 2016 Presidential Election, finally taking place today, free coverage like that was even scarcer than usual. She called yet another reporter, her angelic voice the spirit of elegance and politeness; as soon as the call was over she growled a lament that they didn't understand how special they were.
Athena went around the area putting up posters for the service, and dropping off brochures at whatever local businesses would take them. As she roved up and down the wide concrete way of the Venice Beach Boardwalk, she started to wonder if maybe it wouldn't be better to graffiti an advert or two. She rejected the notion, because the graffiti might blend in too much. Athena then thought about holding a big sign labeled GONDOLA RIDES near the street merchants, but decided that sounded like too much work. She could imagine herself lazily leaning over the sign, slowly falling asleep on the job, which caused her to yawn in real life. There was that one guy who seemed interested, but then it seemed like he was really interested in another kind of ride entirely.
The girls on the second floor weren't up to much of anything in particular, having fallen into a gap year they weren't expecting. Chiyo Mihama had already sent off a few college applications, and was doing a little studying in advance. The rest were even applying to local universities, just in case the stay was, well, less temporary than they were led to believe. The English tests that they had so dreaded in the old days were now second nature, thanks to the magic that had brought them across dimensions.
Kagura had sent off her lifeguard training application first, but was going to get around to college applications eventually. Priorities aside, she was just a person who craved outdoor activities. She was out on the beach, getting in her afternoon swimming practice.
The rest of her cohort was downstairs getting the new common room ready for use. The flooring had just been replaced with wood and tile -- Akira, who lived right across the hall from the area, would simply not hear of laminate flooring. The girls were thus engaged in the next step, painting the walls, at the request of the apartment manager, Brent Laabs. Even Tomo Takino was helping out, after Yomi Mizuhara had convinced Tomo that painting was really fun.
Brent was half-supervising them, but often had to step out to coordinate the paid contractors renovating the south-facing rooms directly above them. He was trying to keep his mind off the the day's election; he was worried, but there wasn't much he felt could do in this apartment of non-voting immigrants in a solidly Democratic neighborhood. His ballot had been mailed weeks ago, and all he could do wait until the Orange Menace would be soundly defeated later that night, or so he wished.
About the time Kagura came back from her exercise, Yukito Tsukishiro came downstairs to help out for a while as well, doing some of the heavier jobs like moving ladders and paint cans. Kagura couldn't help herself from flirting with him; she thought it was just such a waste that a strong, gorgeous boy like Yuki was playing for the other team. Meanwhile, his magical counterpart was very much not helping. Kero-chan was upstairs playing his way through Portal, one of many video games he got to enjoy in the new decade. His current favorite was Mario Kart, but that one was best saved for the company of friends.
Sonomi Daidouji didn't really know what to do with herself. She had enough money, and had taken up day trading as a hobby, but without her family zaibatsu to run she was still adrift. Most of the day, she was reading up on what were to her future business trends, and trading as a side benefit. She was also playing a role she had never done before, that of the homemaker. Honestly, Tomoyo was a better cook than she was, but she was trying. She could have afforded a maid and a Malibu apartment at least, but it was nice to live next door to that superbly cute Sakura... for her daughter's sake. Definitely for Tomoyo's sake, she told herself. On the other hand, living next door to that infuriating man who married Nadeshiko was infuriating, but less so than she thought it would be.
Fujitaka Kinomoto sneezed in his UCLA office. He was enjoying life as a visiting professor, and actually getting some serious writing done. They were probably going to rope him into teaching an archaeology class next quarter, but for now, he had plenty of time to read, research, and write.
His daughter and her friends were enjoying their education too, but not quite as much. Shaoran had made the school transition before, when he moved from Hong Kong to Japan, and Tomoyo had a certain grace that kept her steady. It was really Sakura who was spending the most time being confused by American schools. They kept their outdoor shoes on all day; and the classrooms never looked really clean, because the students weren't responsible for cleaning it. And instead of teachers switching classrooms, all of the students moved around instead, which all three thought was pretty weird. Sakura was still having nightmares about going to the wrong classroom.
On the walk home from school, Sakura mentioned, "I'll bet it will be quiet back at home today. All of the undines will be out on the canals."
Tomoyo nodded, "They all seemed really happy about it."
Shaoran gathered his courage and said, "Hey, Sakura. Do you want to see if we can get a gondola ride together?"
"Sure! That sounds fun!" Sakura agreed. "You coming, Tomoyo?"
"Of course!"
Shaoran's jaw went slack for a couple seconds, then he mumbled, "Okay, let's go." The problem was not that Tomoyo was getting in the way of romance -- far from it. It's just that he wasn't sure how much he wanted a video recording of all of his dates. They both got flustered easily still, despite the fact they were officially dating. He was convinced it looked very cute and moe on her, but rather unappealing on a strong boy like himself.
Sakura asked, "So who should we ride with?"
"The older ones will all be working, so I guess that leaves us with the trainees. Any favorites?" Tomoyo asked.
"Akari," Shaoran and Sakura said at the same time.
Tomoyo giggled a little at the cuteness, "Akari it is. Let's go find her." She probably would have chosen Alice, just to get a chance to hear her lovely singing voice. Akari, of course, was the one most likely to give random children boat tours, which made her an excellent choice anyway.
It was only a short walk from the school, just across the busy Washington Boulevard. The area where they docked the boats had only two empty gondolas, but it didn't take them too much searching to find their first undine.
The trio didn't see much gondola practice going on at all. Instead, Akari had her boat tethered under the shade of a large weeping willow, and she was sitting in it reading a book.
"May I trouble you for a ride, Miss Undine?" Shaoran asked.
Akari jerked up from her book, and smiled when she glimpsed her customers. "For you kids? Of course!"
She helped each of them board the gondola, seating Sakura and Shaoran in the front seat, with Tomoyo riding behind. A quick thrust of her oar against the banks, and the four of them were soon under way. Akari didn't have anywhere in particular to go, so she started steering them further into the peaceful neighborhood, so close yet a world away from the noisy street.
Tomoyo said, "Thank you so much for giving us a ride."
Sakura concurred, "Thank you for taking time out of your practice for us."
"I don't think she was getting much practice in with her nose in a book."
Akari explained, "Oh, no, the book is for practice! I must have read dozens of books on Venezia and Neo Venezia both before I left this planet. And even more after I got the job!" She sculled a couple times, then resumed, "To be a true prima undine, you need to be a tour guide as well as a gondolier."
Akari gave a rundown of the eclectic neighborhood in which she found herself, "If someone asks, I have to know that this house right here with the half-timbering is a Tudor revival, this one is Spanish style, and the next one down is called Mid-Century Modern. I need to know how Abbott Kinney tried to create Neo Venezia here on Earth a hundred years ago. You have to truly know the city you live in, and get tourists to love it as much as you do."
"Whoa," Sakura was enlightened.
"And I thought Aika was the hard-working one," Shaoran complimented her.
"Oh, but she is! This isn't really work for me, it's what I like to do."
"You're really lucky," he said back, and Sakura sounded her agreement. They turned their heads to face forward, taking in the quiet atmosphere of the canals. The couple gingerly allowed their fingers to interlace -- the relationship was so new, but it was hard not to get into a romantic mood on the boat.
Tomoyo knew exactly what Akari was talking about. Every dress she made for Sakura was a labor of love. She sure felt tired after staying up to finish a "battle costume", but it never seemed like work. She asked Akari, "How is it here in Venice? Do you like it as much as your home before?"
She started glumly, "I didn't really like where I grew up in Manhome— oh, you mean Neo Venezia. La Serenissima will always be my first love, but I'm starting to fall for Venice. Just a little," she smiled and blushed, as if she were confessing infidelity.
Tomoyo thought Akari cut quite a cute figure in her undine's outfit -- a long white sheath dress with a wide turquoise embroidered band down the middle to make a hook shape, and another three bands of color around the bottom. It was capped with a bit that looked like a short-sleeved sailor fuku crop-top, of all things. An unusual uniform, but fashion always favors the unusual.
This particular uniform happened to be a replica produced by Tomoyo at Akira's request. They were pretty easy to make -- just simple copies of the summer uniforms they wore when they arrived in this universe. But she was already considering the next task, which was to make the undines new winter uniforms. Those had to be reverse engineered from their descriptions and by watching the anime. Even though it was a commission, she started to wonder if she could get away with making the new uniforms even cuter with her own touches.
As they turned the corner back on the the Grand Canal, Sakura asked, "What's over there?"
Akari turned the boat to the north, and steered towards the shady bridge. As the noise of the traffic above started to percolate in, it started to break the spell. As they passed under South Venice Boulevard, they came to a little boat ramp, among some graffiti lined walls. Further on, North Venice Boulevard crossed the canal on a bridge, but the canal terminated immediately afterwards in a concrete wall, creating a dark cavern.
"The old canals were all to the north of here, but they filled in the streets for cars. Venice Beach was pretty amazing in the old days, with a big roller coaster. That bridge over there was for the kiddy railroad that went around the town. And the canals went through the bungalows and met in a giant pool, where the traffic circle is now."
"Wow, things have sure changed," Sakura said.
Shaoran commiserated, "Too bad."
"I know." Akari had an uncharacteristic sadness to her. "I truly wish I could have sculled the canals like they were in the old days."
The moment just kind of hung there until Akari snapped out of of it. "Geez, sorry. Things like this are why I'm still a trainee."
Tomoyo quietly declared, "Sappy wistfulness is forbidden."
"Oh no, not you too!"
That broke everyone into giggles, and Akari took the opportunity to steer the boat into quieter waters.
She took them all the way down to the marina at the other end of the canals, describing a few sights along the way, but for the most part, the rest of the trip passed in relaxing silence. Akari could see the young lovers, still getting comfortable with touching each other, slowly relax until Sakura was leaning up against Shaoran's chest. Even Tomoyo, after she had shot some B-roll on her camera, began to slack off and soak up the sun.
When Akari finished giving her first-draft tour of the Venice Canals, she dropped them off near the apartment building, and waved them goodbye. Her guests had been quite entertained, but honestly she knew she could do better. If they hadn't been so open to the magic of the water, she could have made them unhappy. Akari reckoned she still had a lot to learn before she became a prima, but promised herself that one day, she would show them her own true style as an undine.
The sixth graders chatted on their way back home, mainly about the group project they still needed to finish for their history class. They walked back along the alleyway which, when they got close enough, attracted the notice of the crew working on the new common room.
Tomo found a spare burst of energy, and ran out to meet Tomoyo and her friends on the first-floor landing. "Hey girls, want to come in and help us paint? Painting walls is really fun!" she lied.
"It is?" Sakura asked.
Yomi chimed in, "Why sure. I mean, how often does a girl get to paint a wall?"
Tomo said, "Yeah, painting is super fun. C'mon in and try it."
"Now hold on, should we really let them paint? That means less painting for us."
"Oh come on Yomi, don't be stingy!" She turned to Sakura, and said, "you want to try it, right?"
And so Sakura and her friends got roped into painting for the hour or so before dinner. They ended up painting some of the lower parts of walls, and in the tighter spaces around the bathroom and shared kitchen area. Osaka, at some point in the day, came to possess colored stripes of war paint on her face. When Shaoran asked about it, all she said was, "It's to ensure victory!" He just fell back on his belief that women were really hard to understand. When they were all done for the day, the kids found that painting was not nearly as fun as advertised, but the company just about made up for it.
As the sun was setting, Sakaki held up a stick of crown moulding while Brent tacked it up with a pneumatic nail gun. Aika had insisted on such decorative flourishes, not wanting the place to look "shabby" to potential customers. Brent just thought she was being a bratty princess, but he went ahead and installed it all the same. But remodeling this little apartment on a shoestring budget into something as fancy as a building in Neo Venezia? Now that was just wishful thinking.
"Kitto daijoubu da yo." - Sakura Kinomoto