This logfile is imported from aitelogs2 and may contain errors or wrong timestamps.
#FreedomFalls – December 30, 2016
Leah is stood inside of the main building at the spaceport as she awaits her father's arrival. There's a nervousness to her. As if, after everything that has already happened, she's just waiting for things to go wrong once again. Dressed in a pair of form fitting jeans, clunky black boots, and a white top beneath her poofy light blue winter jacket, she steps back and forth from foot to foot to fight back the chill in setting in.
The building doesn't remain very warm with people entering and exiting. "Ship should've arrived already." she says with a glance to Tara, "He should be here any minute now."
Tara gives the faintest of nods as if it acknowledge that she heard Leah. She brings her mitten-covered hands up to her chest, crossing them over each other to warm them, but otherwise remains very still, shivering slightly rather than making any real effort to stimulate her circulation. On her head she's wearing the colorful tuque that she seems to have taken a liking to, and as Leah has reclaimed her winter jacket she has taken
whichever replacement offered, not being one to presume she can wear whatever she wants. Her gaze searches the small spaceport attentively, even if it is unlikely she would recognize the man they're waiting for.
Mere moments after Leah speaks up, the door slides open and in steps an older heavyset man. He's built like a man who has had a lifetime of physical work but hasn't done much to keep himself in shape. Broad shoulders and thick arms with a big gut. He has a full head of dark hair with bits of grey streaked throughout. Aside from the piercing green eyes, Leah definitely doesn't share much of a resemblance to him at first glance. If the cold
is bothering him, then he's doing a good job of hiding it. His unremarkable brown jacket is unzipped and he's pulling his wheeled luggage behind him. Regardless of whether Tara recognizes the man from the photos around the house, the smile expressed on his face when he spots Leah would give him away. It's a smile instantly reflected on Leah's face. He sucks in a deep breath before continuing across the room and approaching Leah and Tara. As
he arrives, there's a charged silence that takes place for a moment before he tilts his head to the side and says something he's looked forward to for a while now.
Leah's excited expression drains away and she gives a roll of her eyes. "Oh fuck off!" she groans, which is immediately responded to with a browbeating. "Really!?" A quick laugh is shared between the two before Leah steps forward and throws her arms around the man.
Tara 's gaze hones in on Francois as he approaches them, and as she becomes certain he's Leah's father she takes a step back, lowering her gaze to the floor, her arms dropping as well, but her hands still grip each other. She stands silent and unmoving, acting more like a piece of furniture than anything as she waits.
Francois gives Leah a long, tight hug before releasing his grip on her and stepping back. "It's good to be home, sweetie." he says sincerely as he looks his daughter over. "I... hope this means everything is taken care of...?" he asks. His limited knowledge of the situation as a whole that brought about his forced exodus from Aite has brought him no small amount of discomfort over the recent weeks, but his trust and obvious
Francois gets the hint and decides it's best not to press quite yet. His gaze immediately moves to Tara and he studies her for a moment before looking back to Leah briefly. "And you must be Tara." he says, returning his attention to the young woman. "My daughter has told me much about you. I want to thank you for looking out for her. I know she can be a handful. As I understand it, you're going to be living with us." he says,
Leah snorts and rolls her eyes at her father's comment about her. "You're one to talk..." she mutters playfully.
Tara looks at Francois from under her knit hat as she's addressed, and offers a nod in response to the last statement. "Yes, sir." she says, quietly but clearly. Her gaze darts briefly to Leah, clearly uncertain about how to interact with her father, much less explaining herself.
Leah puts her hands up in response to Tara as if to say 'I don't know what to tell you'. "Just ignore him. It's what I do." she finally offers.
Francois gives a short chuckle and looks back to Leah. "You see? Sir! At least someone respects me!" he jokes.
Leah gives a shake of her head. "That's just because she doesn't know you like I do." she teases. "Give her time."
Francois waves Leah's jab off dismissively, wide smile still spread across his face. The eyes and the smile. That's where the resemblance is. "Really, though. That isn't necessary. The whole 'sir' thing." he says. "You can call me Francois. Frank-..."
Francois browbeats Leah again before returning his attention to Tara. "You hear this?" he asks Tara with a gesture towards his daughter, "She sends me off for weeks and the moment I get back she's already walking all over me." he jokes with a shake of his head. "What I'm trying to say, Tara-..." he trails off, looking towards Leah for a moment as if expecting her to interrupt him again. When she doesn't, he continues, "...Is
welcome to the family." His smile widens and he opens his arms, "...Now get over here. We're huggers."
Tara 's gaze moves between the two of them as she does her best to follow the conversation, some of the nuance inevitably lost in translation. The joy of their reunion is obvious, however, and it seems to relax her just a bit, even though her expression remains neutral. Francois' final comment causes her eyes to widen a bit, a hint of worry in her expression as her gaze darts back to Leah again. She remains frozen in place. From
Leah snickers at Tara's reaction. "Go ahead." she says softly as the smile returns to her face. "Otherwise you'll never hear the end of it. And I don't think either of us want that."
Francois doesn't wait for acknowledgement and simply steps forward and wraps Tara up in a big warm hug. "...Welcome to the family, Tara." he repeats, this time much more sincere and without the underlying tone of humor. He gives her a few soft pats on the back.
Tara looks immensely uncomfortable as Francois wraps her up in a hug, and the look in her eyes has a dread to it before she closes them, just waiting for him to let go. Each pat causes her to flinch but she does her best to supress all motion and remain immobile until free.
Leah's smile fades away as she realizes how uncomfortable Tara is. She gives her father a pat on the shoulder. "She... really doesn't like to be touched." she says.
Francois immediately releases the hug and steps back, leaving one hand on Tara's shoulder. As he notices her discomfort, he immediately frowns. "I'm... sorry..." he offers, gaining a guilty look as his gaze moves to Leah and then back to Tara. He gives her a single pat on the shoulder before withdrawing his hand. "Really. My apologies, Tara. I guess I-..." he trails off, his gaze moving back to Leah, "I just want her to feel
welcome..." he explains, Tara's silence seemingly cause him to address Leah rather than Tara herself. It's obvious he's feeling pretty bad over making her so uncomfortable.
Leah forces a smile and gives her father a nod. "I know, dad... She just needs time. She's been through a lot and this is all new to her." she explains. Leah reaches out and gives Tara a pat on the arm. "How about we go home and get out of this cold, Tara?" she asks.
Tara keeps her eyes closed after the hug ends, her head low and her whole posture seeming like she just wants to curl up in a ball. Only when she feels Leah pat her shoulder does she open her eyes, shooting a glance her way and giving several faint nods, followed by a quiet sniffle. Perhaps from the cold, or perhaps not. Her arms are crossed over her belly, a mitten-enclosed hand on each elbow.
Francois lowers his gaze and gives a couple of nods. "Yeah..." he says softly, "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea... Don't want anyone catching a cold." He reclaims his luggage and offers Tara an apologetic bow of his head.
Leah loops one of her hands through Tara's arm, chaining their arms together and gives her a playful nudge. "Maybe we should pick up some burgers on the way home!" she suggests, trying to lighten the mood as she looks to Tara for approval.
Francois gives a low chuckle as he tugs his luggage and begins to lead the way out of the spaceport. "One day you are going to turn into a burger."