This logfile is imported from aitelogs2 and may contain errors or wrong timestamps.
#Leah'sHouse – May 17, 2018
Francois was elated to have his daughter back, all smiles through breakfast. Leah, similarly, put on her best 'Everything is fine' face throughout their meal despite the bruising displayed across her jaw and cheekbone telling another story. Whatever troubles she may have been hiding away weren't enough to keep her from putting down six waffles in record time, however. After breakfast, Leah and Mendez retired to the privacy of Leah's room so
she could bring him up to speed on what happened. Once finished, he quietly gathered up his things, said his goodbyes, and took his leave, pleased to finally be able to return to his old bed rather than a couch far too small for him. Leah slept into the early evening when she finally awoke from her hibernation. Dressed in her usual sleepwear of short blue shorts, matching long sports socks, and a plain t-shirt, she found herself stopped in
Francois' smile still hasn't faded. "Look who finally decided to wake up." he teases, stepping forward to place a hand on Leah's shoulder. As his eyes are drawn back to the bruising, his smile fades slightly and he reaches out, placing a couple of fingers on her chin to tilt her head and get a better look at the damage.
Leah rolls her eyes at the comment and her father's obvious concern. He was always a worrier. She's well aware that it's always hard on him when she goes away, and that knowledge is enough for her to put a lid on her own just-woke-up-after-a-week-of-hell grumpiness and entertain his concerns. "It's fine, dad." she assures, still blinking away a bit of sleep. "Really. It looks worse than it is."
Francois lets out an unconvinced sigh. "I can get us a ride down to the hospital. You never know, something might be broken. It's probably better if a doct-..." he begins, but his daughter cuts him off before he has a chance to finish.
Leah shakes her head, freeing her chin from her father's hold and causing her ponytail to bounce around behind her. "Not necessary, dad. Already had it looked at." she says, forcing a bright smile for his sake through her grogginess and slight annoyance. "Just a little bruising. Nothing that some rest won't fix up."
Tara has been awake ever since the early breakfast. She's been keeping busy helping Francois with dishes, laundry and cleaning, and has also retreated to her room for a time as she waited for Leah to wake up. She's currently sitting in the living room, watching a news broadcast with furrowed eyebrows, struggling to keep up with the unfamiliar locations and names. She's wearing blue jeans and her favorite, dog print-featuring
Francois frowns, but accepts that his daughter knows what she's talking about with a brief nod. "Alright, if you say so, sweetheart..." he says, giving a tender squeeze of her shoulder and propping his smile back up before disappearing back into his bedroom.
Leah gives a shake of her head once her father is out of sight, her gaze still fixed to his door. If only he knew what she had just been through... A little bit of bruising would be the least of his concerns. But he doesn't- and he won't. That's her gift to him. Her small, tired smile remains as she makes her way down the hallway and into the kitchen. Hearing the television on, she steps into the doorway to the living room. "Hey
you." she offers through her smile as she spots Tara. It's no sooner that she gets the words out that she has to bring a hand up to stifle a yawn.
Tara 's head swivels as soon as she hears Leah's voice, looking around until she spots her. A small smile crosses her lips. "Hello." she replies, turning in the couch and folding her knees under herself, hands coming to rest in her lap. She doesn't say anything else after this, despite her attention having diverted from the TV to Leah. Keeping up a conversation is not exactly a skill that she's mastered.
Leah has grown used to Tara's awkward lack of conversational skills. Not that she needed to grow used to them. She talks more than enough for the both of them. "Sooooo? Whatcha watching?" she asks with a brief glance towards the screen.
Tara glances back towards the screen briefly. "News." she says. The current segment is reporting on the war on Garvug which has been raging for months. Tara's attention doesn't linger long, and is quickly back on Leah, studying her with an inscrutable stare.
Leah watches the screen as she steps into the livingroom proper. Thankfully it's not more Collector coverage. That'd be more than she could take right now. She takes a seat at the edge of the couch beside Tara, falling lightly onto the cushion and planting her elbows against her knees. Propping her chin up with her palms, she looks to Tara. "Thanks for keeping him out of trouble, kiddo." she says earnestly through a restrained,
heavy smile, tilting her head against her hands slightly to nod in the general direction of her father's bedroom.
Tara furrows her eyebrows slightly, following her nod with her gaze before looking back at Leah. "I... didn't do anything." she says with a hint of confusion. The news has moved on to an interview with a representative of the corporate alliance on Garvug. The discussing quickly moves from the recent defeat of the 'rebel' forces of the planet to allegations that the corporations have been concealing the discovery of Prothean
Leah gives a tired snort, nodding against her hands. "Of course you did." she says softly, her shoulders rising slightly in a small shrug. "You were here. When I-..." she trails off, drawing in a deep breath as her gaze lowers briefly. It's not hard to see that the previous week has been unkind to her. Even beyond the bruising on her face and the split lip, there's a tiredness behind her eyes. The sort that isn't cured through
sleep. Still, she props that bright smile of hers right back up before it has a chance to slip away as she looks back to Tara. "...Just-... thanks for being here, Tara."
Tara blinks, a thoughtful look on her face as she nods. A faint smile follows, but it fades quickly, giving way to silent sympathy as she continues to study Leah, lingering on the battered and worn down look on her face. She doesn't ask. She just leans over to give her a soft hug. The news moves on to a new segment about cross-species adoption.
Leah gives a small, quiet snicker in reaction to the impromptu hug but she's quick to return it. She holds the hug in silence for a number of moments. The kind, unexpected gesture is a strong reminder of why it's so important for her to keep dusting herself off, picking herself back up, and pushing forward. Why it's important to leave the battles on the battlefield and turn it all off when she comes home. It's not just for her own
sake. It's for the people around her, too. Tara. Her father. Mendez. They deserve better than to be forced to carry the weight of her burdens. She finds the train of thought carrying her mind back to Nathan. Maybe he, too, deserves better than having to burden the weight of her past. It certainly wasn't fair to him... Speaking of which... "Soooo-..." Leah begins as she releases the hug, "...Nate and Sofia invited us over
for dinner. It's up to you if you want to come, of course!" she makes sure to clarify, "But it could be fun, right?" she asks with a shrug. "Oh! And Nate got a cat!" she's sure to add, as if hoping it may further convince Tara.
Tara 's hands return to her lap as she pulls back from the hug. Leah's words cause her to blinks, eyebrows furrowing slightly as she listens. She starts to nod, albeit with a hint of hesitation, but the mention of a cat causes confusion to take hold in her face. "Cat...?" she asks, as if looking for clarification.
Leah blinks a couple of times, her smile fading away as she realizes Tara has no idea what a cat is. "You don't-... What?!" she nearly shouts, big green eyes widening. A sound somewhere between a screetch and a squee escapes her as she places a hand over Tara's forearm and realizes she has the important honor- no, duty- of introducing Tara to cats. "They're-... lovable little balls of fluff! And love! Lovable love!
Ahhhh now you have to come!" she exclaims, though catches herself. Well aware of the fact that Tara might take that as an order, she switches gears, shaking her head profusely. "Not have to have to, I just mean-..." she stammers, scrunching up her nose as she struggles to navigate her own maze of thoughts. "Caaaaat!" she decides on, her big, bright, toothy smile making its grand return.
Tara seems more than a little confused, and almost startled, by Leah's reaction. She leans back slightly, blinking several time as she listens to her rambling. "O-... okay." she agrees with a couple of nods, not quite sure what kind of reaction she's supposed to be having.
Leah scrunches up her nose once again when it's clear she's only managed to confuse Tara. "They're-... little-..." she begins, but realizes her train of thought is traveling right back to 'lovably lovable balls of fluff' and she's quick to right that train with a shake of her head. "Pets! You know? Cute little animals! You're gonna like it! I promise!" she assures, hoping her own enthusiasm can sell it.
Tara knows what that means at least. Her eyes widen, a slightly hesitant smile spreading across her lips as she nods again. She furrows her eyebrows as something occurs to her, and she points at the print on her sweater questioningly.
Leah furrows her brow as she follows Tara's gesture to her shirt. "Oh-... Umm-... That's a dog, sweetie." she says, a sheepish smile spreading across her face. "But-... But yeah!" she continues with a nod, "Close!"
Tara 's smile returns, another nod following. "I'll go." she agrees, almost giving the impression that this was the deciding factor. She lets silence take over as the news move on to a report on Ferris Fields, the latest colony to be abducted by the Collectors. With little to actually report on, the segment soon transitions into an interview with a relative of one of the colonists that's trying to get answers from the Alliance.
Leah snickers softly to herself when Tara makes her decision. The switch in topics on the screen pulls her attention away from Tara, however, and does a swift job of wiping her smile away. Her elbows once again move to her knees as she leans forward, focused intently on the broadcast. Her expression darkens as the interview continues. All those pods. Each one containing a life. Any one of those could have been this poor colonist's
family member. They were on the ship and mostly helpless to do anything about it. What hope does this person actually have of ever seeing their loved ones again? The conversation on-screen mostly turns into dull background noise as her mind wanders, but it's not long before she wills herself out of her trance and reaches for the TV remote. "Enough of this depressing crap." she mutters, swiping a loose strand of hair back
behind her ear. As she navigates through her queued up shows, she scrunches up her nose and glances to Tara. "Did you watch The Bold & The Burdened without me?!" she asks in surprise as she notices the prompt for the oldest episode asking whether she wants to keep watching from where she left off or start the episode over. "You little sneak!" she continues, though her returning smile gives away the fact that she's not
Tara 's attention moves back to the news broadcast as she notices Leah watching it. Her eyebrows furrow slightly as she listens, remaining silent. When Leah turns it off her gaze darts back to her, and the subsequent question causes her eyes to widen. "I'm sorry!" she's quick to exclaim. "I-... I watched it with Mendez." she explains, studying her reaction intently, although she seems to realize Leah's lighthearted tone.
Leah furrows her brow once more. "With... Mendez?!" She clutches at her chest dramatically, "Just twist the dagger in!" she hams up. Climbing to her feet, she takes a step towards the kitchen. "You broke my heart, Tara! Unfortunately I think there's only one way we can fix this..." she explains as she reaches the doorway and glances back towards the couch. "A five-hour Bold & Burdened marathon and ice cream! Lots of ice
cream." Yep. The early-evening breakfast of champions and the most commonly consumed food item of the Mercier household it seems. "Chocolate or vanilla?" she offers.