A Helping Hand

"Did you want some help?" Ariel offered coming over by Malachi. He looked like he was going to throw something through a window. He really needed to take a step back or go on vacation. She gave a slight smile at the thought. Ever since the other day his mood didn't seem to improve. Natasha really hadn't come to help or learn anything either. Not to mention the stress of everything else. Ariel took pity on him. His hair was slightly in disarray from his hands moving through it. Even with the ruffled hair and half tucked shirt he looked good.

"I want a large bottle of alcohol and a sedative." Ariel gave a half laugh before she could contain it. That was not what she expected to come out of his mouth. Working in here as she was with him or Vento she'd gotten very used to them. It was easier to talk around them. To not feel so much like she had to keep her gaze down and her mouth closed. Their main office was now also her office.

They would ask her things, and answer her questions. Though she still was very quiet when she spoke to them. Sometimes she would just suffer through whatever she couldn't figure out because she was to nervous to bother them. However whenever she had the chance she helped them. Especially Malachi, he'd been in here a lot with her working. So if he helped her, then she would help him. Only fair.

"Can't be that bad." She commented moving to look at the book that was open with the sharp neat writing. He looked at her. His gaze clearly saying she had to be joking. She looked at the numbers written and then the screen. They weren't adding up like they were supposed to and it was off by a lot.

"Oh." She said seeing the projections and what it should be. Which was an excellent number to have, but on the computer it wasn't showing what was made out by hand.

"Yeah. You're finished already?" She gave a shrug staring at his screen and not meeting his gaze.

"I've been up since five, to get it done so that I don't have to do anything for the rest of the day or tomorrow. You know pretending like I have a life." Malachi nearly smiled. Ariel had a hidden sense of humor that he liked. Working with her here so closely the past few months he was learning little things about her.

"That would be nice." He said half mumbling. She pointed at the screen and then to the book.

"Here, that needs to be fixed. I think you've just been staring at it all for far too long." She said and glanced at him. "I can check through it if you want. I know your father won't be back until tomorrow with the meetings he has." Ariel couldn't believe just how much work they actually did. A lot more than her parents.

At least three days a week Malachi was in here for nearly eight hours working. The other three his father was the one doing things. They were constantly called for orders from the newer settlements that were working farming land. Then there were the two cities that they controlled as well. Constantly being asked for donations or to help with other various things. Even if they took a day off they still had a phone glued to them. Before now she hadn't really realized just what the Ventos did for their communities.

"That would be nice." He simply said looking at her. "You don't have to though, not like you're being paid for it."

"Well since it's really your home my sister offered to me, I guess it kind of is." Ariel said with a smile and pulled over a chair and sat down. He slid over to a different set of papers and she started checking what he'd entered and done. They were sitting close and only really the sound of her clicking or him scribbling from time to time was heard. There was an ease to it that was nice for them both.

Malachi twirled a pen in his hand just reading the requests. Did people think that this shit was free? Didn't they realize how far some of the materials had to be shipped? Like the South Vale community center, they just got a ton from them. Now wanted more steel and had a bid, but not enough to have it shipped from earth. There had to be a better way.

They didn't have a steel mill here yet. The land to the north was probably the best to mine for ore. His father was looking at getting in there to start mining. However they also wanted it low impact, because they had two rivers that gave them water, and a lake. Though the lake was large. They weren't looking to pollute anything and the policies that they had in place. Along with inter planetary regulations kept a huge cap on that as well. Mining wasn't the cleanest.

He went over a couple other papers, and glanced over at Ariel who was busy moving over the paper and then the screen. He watched the way that her eyes ate up the paper and then her fingers moved over the keyboard like it was an extension of her mind. She really was incredibly smart, and didn't get recognized for her value enough. He was really starting to see it and appreciated her. Natasha needed to see this in her sister.

She was damn good, he had to admit that. Several times his father had tried to hire help with this stuff. None were trustworthy enough with the accounts. The rest just couldn't seem to keep it all straight. They'd have to have at least four people to manage it and be sure that they didn't fuck something up. So it was easier if they did it, and then other things couldn't be leaked. However he found his mind wander and just studied her for a moment nor realizing he was doing so.

Ariel made a habit of biting at the corner of her lip slightly as she worked. He studied her a bit more intently. She really did look a lot like Natasha, except the hair and eyes. They didn't really act like sisters should. So he didn't really look at them as being related. But the way that she was sitting there at the moment reminded him of Natasha a lot, but the haughty look was missing.

His gaze moved over her as she sat there. She was wearing a long sleeved purple top that fit her well, and then she wore black dress pants. Her hair was half held back by a clip. So it was easy to see the side of her face and the slight expressions that passed over it as she worked thinking.

He didn't get why it was so hard for her to go out with the others. Nor talk to others as well. She was a beautiful woman, her problem was nerves. Plus a family that hadn't done her any favors in regards to her self-esteem. He however was growing a bit fonder of her seeing that over the past month. Also they'd been working in close quarters and she spoke up a bit more.

Malachi realized that he'd been staring at her for a good portion of time now and turned his head back to what he was supposed to be doing. Which was the last thing he felt like doing at the moment. He sighed inwardly and just told himself, one more, just one more. To keep himself at it.

"Finished." She said and stood up stretching a bit. He shoved a bunch of papers into an envelope sealing it. He was half watching her and the way that she moved, and then met her gaze for a moment. "You can check it if you like, but the numbers are near exact now. I left the tabs up for you to go through."

"Thanks." He said. She moved away from the desk with a nod and smile. He half wished it was her that he was marrying. At least she would be able to do the work required and not bitch about it. Plus she was quiet and non-argumentative. She was calm company, willing to help, that was so appealing at the moment.

He watched her again as she walked toward the door. She had a very feminine walk and sway to her hips. Okay then, he said to himself looking down at the computer because it was obvious the direction that his mind was going to start taking. He knew himself a little too well, what could he say?

"Ariel." He called to her as he saw the tabs that were open. He looked at the clock and realized that she'd been working with him for a lot longer than he first thought. Plus there were several tabs open at the bottom of the screen.

"Yeah?" She asked turning to look at him with a hand on the door. She looked a little unsure, and he clicked on a couple of the windows.

"You did a lot more here than what you said you'd check."

"Oh uh, yeah." She said looking uncomfortable. "I thought I'd help you a bit. I mean it all has to be approved by you and what not. I just entered it for you and updated a couple things that you and Lord Vento had marked needed to be done but pushed aside for later."

"I see that." He said, more amazed than anything. As she had spoken he'd already closed out three of the six windows having finished them. He was very practiced at it. Once it was entered in he knew exactly what to look at and enter in to finish it all.

"Are you upset about it?" She asked.

"Why would I be upset? You saved me several hours of work." He said reading over a couple orders that she had typed up and finished. He corrected just a couple minor things on that. Then electrically signed it and closed that out too.

"Oh you just sounded a bit unhappy."

"That's my normal tone. Haven't realized that yet?" He said jokingly glancing at her over the computer then back at the screen. He reached blindly pulling a couple papers to him to sign. As he clicked on the computer.

"I noticed the sarcastic tone." She remarked in a kind of mumble that to him sounded almost annoyed. He just felt a half smiled at that. She cleared her throat and spoke a bit louder this time. "I just thought I'd help you so that you'd have time for your drugs and alcohol."

She heard him laugh. She felt a bit dumb for saying that, it just hit her to say it. She was just joking about it. When it had come out she'd been worried that he would take her seriously and get angry at her. However his laughter made her relax a bit and smile as well. He had a really nice deep laugh. His smile was dashing.

"I like how your humor just comes out of nowhere sometimes." He commented standing up. "I believe it was just a sedative, not drugs as you referenced." He was extremely happy all of a sudden, because of her he was now done for the day.

"I was only joking." She said looking down. He rolled his eyes, but she missed it, not looking up.

"So was I." He told her. "Where is your sister?" Malachi asked. He didn't hear her in the house, nor did he scent her when he pulled in air through his nose. It was just Darcy's floral scent and Ariel's citrus smell.

"She left earlier to go dress shopping with Marie. Marie wanted to look at bridesmaid dresses too." Ariel moved out into the hall as he followed closing the door. "I was happy to have work. I hate going with them having to carry everything. They have two good hands." She remarked rather nastily and then went red in the face and turned to walk away.

"Well why don't you say that instead of just caving in and carrying them?" He said to her moving to walk in the same direction that she was going.

"Oh, well. You know." She said with a sigh. "When she's not standing here it's easy." She said figuring it best to just speak what she thought with him at the moment, because he'd just call her out on it. Then she'd feel even more stupid.

"She doesn't like to listen to what she doesn't want to hear." He supplied for her. He looked at the top of her bent head and at the spiraling dark curls that held a soft shine to them. He bet her hair was as soft and smooth as it looked.

"I'll just look at the pictures she brings back of the dresses that she wants." Ariel said and moved on coming out in the large kitchen. Malachi pulled out his phone and looked at it. He read a few texts that he got and then shoved it back in his pocket. Natasha had sent him one a couple hours ago saying she'd be back late. Probably drunk, she did that a lot. He'd never met a person that liked to party as much as she did.

"Hungry?" He asked her as she had moved from the fridge to the cabinets and stared into them.

"No, I thought I'd stare at the food." She quipped with a sigh, but flashed him a smile over her shoulder. She looked back into the cabinet and he felt a bit of laughter at that. She could be taught. Ariel felt good being able to finally joke with someone.

"Funny." He said in a fake irritated voice. "Come on, we'll get something." He said moving over to a key hook and looked at them decided which to take. Ariel swallowed a bit.

"Where?" She asked looking at her clothes. She wasn't sure she was dressed right. Natasha always gave her an opinion. That let Ariel know what she was wearing wasn't trashy or something for where they were going.

"I don't know yet. But I want food, and Darcy just left. I hate cooking and refuse to learn it." He said. Which was true, he could do cereal and macaroni and that was about it. He'd set the place on fire if he tired anything else. Some men could cook, and some could get by with a few things. He was in the eat out of a box category.

"I can cook." She said.

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me." He stated. She knew how to do all sorts of homey things. He saw her sewing the other day, who the hell did that kind of thing nowadays? Just go out and get a new one or something. However it was kind of different. Something he liked, she was resourceful.

"However I don't feel like scrounging around here. Let's go." He said grabbing keys and moving down the hall he heard her soft foot falls behind him. He went down a hall and then opened the front door, the light was lower in the sky but still plenty of it left. Ariel was quick to follow him not sure what his plan was.