This logfile is imported from aitelogs2 and may contain errors or wrong timestamps.
#Leah'sHouse – January 16, 2017
It's the morning after Francois' arrival. For the most part, he spent the previous day catching up on sleep between bouts of being brought up to speed by Leah. Now, despite Leah's protests, he's finishing up breakfast. Given the back and forth between him and Leah the previous night, it doesn't seem to be the sort of thing he does often. The toasty house is filled with the aroma of fresh coffee and crepes as he sets three plates out on the
Tara exits the bathroom, looking towards the kitchen and cautiously starting to make her way there after hearing Francois call out. She's wearing a brightly colored t-shirt and jeans, both borrowed from Leah, although they fit her fairly well for the most part. It has taken her some time, but she has started to get used to the plethora of options for personal hygiene that she have been denied for most of her life. Long showers
that nearly deplete the hot water have become commonplace - one small luxury she has taken of her own volition. Unless confronted about it, of course. She slows down as she heads down the corridor, her left hand holding onto her right arm as she peeks into kitchen and dining room, driven on by the scent of food.
Leah steps out of her room. She's dressed similarly to Tara. Jeans and a light blue t-shirt after having showered before Tara. She always tries to make sure she's in front of Tara on the shower queue after taking notice of the lack of hot water available after she finishes. She would never confront Tara about it, however. On the contrary, it made her happy to see Tara adjusting somewhat to her new life. "Hey!" she exclaims from
behind Tara as she joins up with her. "I don't know what's gotten into him. He never cooks." she says as she leads on towards the dining room, "So we might as well enjoy it while we can."
Francois snorts as he overhears his daughter. "Can't a father make his daughter breakfast?" he asks, "And don't lie to the girl. I used to make breakfast all the time."
A plate of crepes is stacked in the center of the table along with a pitcher of orange juice and a pot of coffee. A few small containers holding creamer, sugar, and strawberry jam are beside it. There's a small bowl with sliced up fresh fruit as well.
Tara actually gains a small smile as she enters the dining room, her gaze wandering over the food. She remains standing by one of the chairs for a couple of seconds before catching herself and quietly taking a seat.
Leah takes a seat opposite of Tara so they're facing one another. "Uh huh. And... when was the last time you made breakfast, dad?" she asks with a smirk. Since Tara and Leah's return to Aite, this isn't the sort of thing Leah has done often. A meal at the dining room table. It's usually take out in front of the TV for her and Tara, so this is a change of pace.
Francois furrows his brow as he takes a seat. "Don't you remember when you were younger? Every weekend I'd make breakfast for you and your mo-..." he pauses, his voice lowering somewhat, "...your mother."
Leah's smirk turns to a sympathetic smile as she reaches out to pat her father on the hand. "Well it looks delicious, dad." she offers, thinking better than to address the obvious.
Francois props a smile back up and nods. "It does. Besides, this is a special occasion!" he responds, his focus thankfully shifted away from tragedy. "Wouldn't want to miss an opportunity to make a good impression on our guest." he continues, passing a gesture towards Tara.
Tara continues to just watch the, to her, luxurious breakfast set up on the table, her faint smile growing slightly as she listens to Leah and Francois talk. She furrows her eyebrows slightly and glances at Leah at the mention of her mother, but says nothing. When Francois gestures to her she tilts her head respectfully, looking a little uncomfortable. She's resting her hands in her lap. The scars that cover her arms are clearly
visible now that she's not wearing any winter jacket, and so is the mark on her forehead - an elegant batarian seal, tattooed in black, the skin scarred to make it harder to remove.
Leah snickers at her father and gives a shake of her head before digging in. She pulls one of the crepes onto her plate before putting some of the fresh fruit- a mixture of berries- atop it and pouring herself a glass of orange juice. "Don't let this color your opinion of him, Tara." she warns, "He's a major pain in the ass-..."
Leah frowns and passes an embarassed glance in Tara's direction at being scolded by her father at thirty years old. Nonetheless, "...Pain in the butt..." she corrects.
Francois' attention briefly passes to the tattoo across Tara's forehead. Leah had already given him a heads up on the situation, but it's the sort of thing that's impossible to not glance at. He attempts to cover up his staring by establishing eye contact with Tara. "You see how she talks to me?" he says, "After I make this lovely breakfast?" Noticing that Tara hasn't began to take any food, he gestures towards it. "Eat. Eat.
Tara seems to enjoy listening to the exchange between the two of them, continuing to sit in silence. She seems mostly unphased by Francois' glancing at her tattoo, but eye-contact causes her to lower her gaze to the table. At being encouraged to eat she gives a small nod, flashing a shy smile and reaching out to bring a crepe and some berries onto her plate. "Thank you." she says, her voice low, almost whispered.
Leah glances Tara's way with a smile, her attention temporarily pulled away from her bickering with her father. She remains silent for a moment, simply happy to see Tara opening up, however little it may be. "Tara..." she finally says with a look back towards her father, "...Got a job down at the Respite. She's working in the kitchen." she explains. It's information she has almost certainly told her father. It's an obvious attempt
Francois gives an impressed nod. "Just got here and you've already found a job?" he asks, "How are you liking it?"
Tara furrows her eyebrows, resting her wrists against the edge of the table. She shoots a quick glance towards Leah before answering Francois. "It's... good. Better." she says without elaborating.
Leah begins cutting up her crepe and shoves a large forkful of food into her mouth. "We've got the day off..." she says with a mouthful of food, "...So as soon as we're done eating we're gonna head out and do a little shopping. Pick her up some clothes of her own."
Francois sighs and gives a roll of his eyes at his daughter's lack of manners. His smile returns as his attention shifts back to Tara. "Leah told me you've been a great help while I was gone. And I-... understand you haven't had the easiest of times, Tara..." he says with a bit of discomfort at bringing it up, letting it be known that Leah has, at the very least, given him a summary. "My daughter makes me nuts sometimes-..." he
teases, passing a brief glance to Leah, "...but I trust her judgement. So if you need anything. Clothing, toothpaste, shampoo-... whatever. Just let us know, alright? We're going to do our best to help you out. No need to be shy around us.You live here, you're family. alright?"
Leah opens her mouth, showing off a mouthful of half-chewed food to her father upon hearing his remark.
Tara actually meets Francois' as he speaks to her, staring at him with pale blue eyes. When he's done she nods slightly, lowering her gaze in the process and letting out a quiet noise, like the start of a nervous laugh, smile re-appearing briefly. "Th-... thank you." she repeats, closing her eyes as she pulls her plate back to her. She takes a deep breath, eyes staying closed and her head low.
Francois furrows his brow as Tara lowers her head. He gives a glance to Leah for clarification. When she simply shrugs her shoulders and returns to forcing forkfuls of food into her mouth, he returns his attention to Tara. "Is... everything okay? The food? I hope it's alright...?" he asks.
Tara blinks a couple of times as her eyes open, giving a small nod without looking. A "Yes." slips out while exhaling. She starts to cut up the crepe, stuffing a piece into her mouth with rather inelegant movement of her utensils.
Leah picks up a strawberry from her plate and places it in her mouth. Once she swallows it, she begins licking at her thumb and index finger. "I was looking into places that might be able to remove your markings..." she says, nodding towards Tara and giving a quick gesture towards her forehead, "....and I think I found a place in Adrasteia. Maybe once things calm down around here you and I can go for a little trip out there...?"
she offers, assuming Tara would be happy to distance herself from that life as much as possible. As she realizes she might be assuming too much, she puts her hand up apologetically, "I mean if you want to, of course! I just figured-... you know. After everything that happened you might... It's your choice! Just an offer..."
Francois now freely studies the branding, feeling a little less guilty about it as it has become the topic of conversation. He doesn't add any input, however, instead he simply sips at his cup of coffee.
Tara stops eating, hesitating for a moment before reaching up and touching two fingers to the mark on her forehead, blinking. "I-... I don't know." she says quietly, her expression turning more contemplative as she slowly returns to eating. The barcode on her thin wrist is plainly visible as she eats.
Leah falls silent, biting her lower lip for a few moments. "It's just-...." she begins before giving a sigh and allowing her smile to return. "...It's your choice." she repeats, "Whatever you want. Just... think about it. Not that it looks bad or anything!" she backpedals, realizing Tara may take her suggestion as a personal insult. "Tattoos are fine! And you wear them well! I just mean more of-... well, you know. The whole-..."
she leans in, lowering her voice slightly as if someone else may hear them, "...slavery thing? Especially with you working at the Respite. That place sees more trouble than you can shake a stick at-..." she continues to ramble, "...So having a brand like that on your forehead kind of sticks out like a sore thumb..." As she realizes something, she scrunches up her nose and gives a guilty snicker at the bad joke she's about to
say, "...Or a sore forehead, I guess. So I figured it might be a good idea to just head down there and-...."
Leah frowns and scrunches up her nose again, returning her attention to Tara. "...Something to consider." she settles on.
Tara listens in silence as Leah rambles, her expression inscrutible. Once she's finished she nods slightly, continuing to eat without looking up from her food.
The rest of breakfast goes on uneventfully. Francois doesn't press Tara any further for conversation. One step at a time. He and Leah banter back and forth throughout their meal, and it's quite obvious that they're a very close knit family. When everyone is finished eating, Leah and Tara head out to the market.