Tholin T’equenduis, at the ripe age of 25 years old he is a over worked under paid Internet executive, named Aerik Jae.  He is a hard working single father of a very active five-year-old daughter. Aerik is very hand some he has long light brown hair pulled back neatly into a ponytail, soft brown eyes that remind you of a lost puppy. He has soft features, a slender but masculine form, he is average height and he dresses in modern conservative attire.

     Aerik sits back in his chair at his office desk and looks at the computer screen thinking of the beautiful gray elf he met, curious to learn more about her.

     There was something different about her that he couldn’t put his finger on she seemed like she was part of Fantasy Realm but not like any NPC (non playing character)  he had seen before she seemed too real.

     The office is a rectangle shaped room with vertical blinds on the windows across one end of the room his desk sits in the center of the long wall across from the door.  His desk is horseshoe shape with three complete computer setups on each of the three sides and a very comfortable desk chair in the middle of the horseshoe.  Above the desk on the wall is a large number clock.  On either side there is large corkboards, cluttered with notes, pictures of his daughter and invoices.  The other short wall is wall to wall book shelves with computer and Internet books.  On either sides of the door are filing cabinets; above them are pictures of serene woods and pristine lakes.

     Shrugging off the thought of the talented elf and looking at the big clock on the wall over his desk he starts preparing to go get his daughter from day care and the evenings rituals of making dinner and getting things set for the next day.  Grabbing his suite coat and heads out the door of Aerik’s office through Bay of smaller offices.  Opening the door to the outside world he looks up at the night sky sighing as he sees the lighting in the distance he makes a dash for his car.  Getting to the car just before the rain hits, Aerik shuts the door to weather.

     Aerik Jae pulls out of his parking space, turning onto the main road to the day care center.  Half listening to the radio he heard something about cyber experiments going on at the university.  Pulls into the day care center lot parking in front of the door.  Making a mad dash to the door to be greeted by he’s daughter’s teacher with his daughter Rinhanon in hand looking disheveled.

    Aerik looks down at his daughter then at the teacher.  “Hi daddy,” Rinhanon says happily.

     “Hello (1) Amaii how was your day,” her dad inquires looking at the teacher knowing that it may have gone well for her, but the look on her teacher’s face spoke volumes.  He smiles warmly at his daughter. “ Go get your coat Amaii,” he advise Rinhanon.  Rinhanon walks away to the cloakroom, Aerik feels a bit of apprehension about what the teacher is about to say.

     “Mr. Jae, something has to be done about your daughter,” Mrs. Sternhouse says.

    Handing a letter to him to read. Then turns and walks back to her room as Rinhanon comes back putting her jacket on.  Aerik helps her on with her jacket and slides the note into his pocket to read later.  Rinhanon looks up with her big brown eyes and smiles her sweetest smile.  Aerik smiles back at his daughter brushing her long brown hair out of her eyes.

     Opens the door of the day care center and quickly opens the back door to the car.  Ushers his daughter into the car quickly and buckles her in. Running around to the other side of the car getting soaked in the process.  Aerik slides into the seat and starts the car heading the car in the direction of home when he hears out of the back seat, “daddy, I want a burger,” Rinhanon demands.

     “ No Amaii, Kal has made stew for us tonight,” he tells his daughter.  Watching traffic he knows she will not like that answer.

     “ Daddy I don’t like stew, “she responds.  She knows that if she is persistent enough she will get her burger.  She watches out the window looking for the burger place.

     After having battled the terrible Sales demons, having to straighten out the mess some incompetent technician made of a job, the meeting with the boss about some changes in a big client’s job.  To top it off the note from Rinhanon’s teacher, he didn’t feel like fighting about a burger.  “ Ok sweetie, what burger do you want?” He inquires.

     The sweet smiling voice of his daughter comes from the back seat, “BB burger with a toy and chocolate shake,” she orders.

     Looking for the familiar double B sign, he pulls into the drive through lane.  Moves up slowly to the speaker after what seems like an eternity of waiting behind a dozen cars.  Behind him his daughter is excitedly reordering her meal over and over again.  The voice from the speaker in a giant Teddy bears belly squawks barely understandable, “your order please.”

     Aerik sighs and quickly between the noise from his excited daughter and the feedback of the speaker, “I want a Babybear meal, with a chocolate shake,” he orders. Taking a quick irritated look at the back seat in the direction of his daughter.  Rinhanon smiles sweetly at her dad.  He shakes his head and slowly turns around pulling the car ahead to pick up their order.
 
   The rain still coming down in buckets, he pulls back out onto the road and heads home. The windshield wipers wiping back and forth becoming hypnotic as he pulls into the apartment complex parking lot.

     Turning around and reaching over the seat he unbuckles his daughter from her seat belt. “Amaii come over here and come out my door so we don’t both get soaked,” he instructs his daughter as he grabs her food.  With a big smile on her face she climbs over the back of the sit and into the front seat of the car.  Aerik picks her up with one arm and pulls her out swiftly but carefully out of the car. Locking and slamming his car door shut.  Running as fast as he can to the apartment building.  Putting Rinhanon so he can open the door and ushering her into the building and to the elevator.

     They step into the elevator and Rinhanon reaches up onto her tiptoes and pushes the buttons to their floor. Stepping back as the door closes them into the cubical. “ Daddy,” she asks.  Reaches for the bag with the giant BB on it.

     “What Amaii,” her daddy asks, handing her the bag to carry.  The doors open and they walk out into the hallway.

     “I don’t like stew,” she informs him. Opens the bag and looks into the bag inspecting the contents.

     “ I know Rinhanon, that is way I got you the burger,” he tells her. Taking the bag back as the walk down the hall to their apartment.  Unlocking the door letting Rinhanon in first then stepping into the enter himself locking the door behind him.

     The apartment is a moderate size, three bed room apartment.  As you walk into the apartment, you walk into the living room you can walk straight into the dinning room through the living room a hall to the bedrooms off to the right through a archway between the two rooms.

     The living room is done in oriental, modern black-lacquer tables with glass tops. On the couch there, lays Aerik’s roommate Kal laying asleep on the leather couch with a box of pizza on is stomach.  An entertainment center on the far wall with TV, VCR and CD system in it cross from the couch is two leather recliners with a table and lamp between them.  Above the couch is a series of photos of Japanese gardens. The floor throughout out the apartment with the exception of the bath and kitchen is hard wood. A large oriental area rug lies in the middle of the room.

     Attached to the dinning room behind the living room wall is a utilitarian galley style kitchen with white laminate counters and cupboards. Gray and white vinyl flooring.  Separating the dinning room for the kitchen is a peninsula counter with bar stools on the dinning room side and cabinets on the kitchen side.

     In the dinning room there is a large rectangular glass top table with high back chairs.  On the wall on either side of the archway is wall units made of black lacquer and gold trim. The wall opposite the living room has a large door wall with vertical blinds on it.

     Aerik walks into the kitchen and gets a bottle of beer out of the refrigerator, looking around the kitchen it is obvious that Kal didn’t make dinner like he has said he would. Grabbing a plate for Rinhanon from the cupboard.  He walks back into the dinning room and lays his daughters food on the plate.  Aerik brushes her hair back out of her eyes. Then kisses her on top of her head. Rinhanon looks up and smiles saying, “this is better than stew.”  Aerik chuckles, “yes Amaii that stew was kind of tasteless.”

     Moving back to the living room he opens the pizza box and sees that it empty.  He lets the lid fall shut and goes down the hall to his bedroom.

     Aerik has the largest of the three bedrooms.  It has on the wall across from the door two fairly large windows under them a double length dresser.  One end has a double bed with several black and white photos of Aerik and Rinhanon.  The other end is a wall to wall sliding mirrored door closet.  On the wall next to the door is his computer table it matches the furniture in the rest of the room contemporary modern.

     Setting his beer down he boots up the computer and dials up his server the starts to think about the beautiful Emerald.
 

Footnote:
(1) Amaii -- Japanese-- definition: sweet like honey or sugar.