December 21st. Early afternoon. The Mercier home is ablaze with the Christmas spirit. Colorful lights strung up throughout the livingroom by Tara. Music that is beginning to look like it might be a permanent part of the Mercier house for the foreseeable future considering the large playlist of holiday songs has been playing on repeat since the previous day. Francois and Tara were- thankfully- spared from the music when time for bed rolled
#Leah'sHouse – November 18, 2019
around but, sure enough, early this morning as soon as Leah got up to take a shower the Christmas music was right back on, left at a low volume to sort of fade into the background. Thanks to Vasquez' help, the tree went up smoothly and, to Leah's surprise, none of the pieces seemed to be lost to her father's poor organizational skills! Tara and Leah spent the previous evening decorating the tree. Stringing more colorful lights throughout it.
Hanging the many- many- ornaments the family had collected throughout a lifetime. Some store bought- beautiful orbs of color or holiday themed characters. Others home made- from crappy school art projects Leah did when she was younger that are barely holding together to family projects like a trio of bright red miniature Christmas hats, each one adorned with one of their names, that have been decorated. It was a struggle just to figure out
where to hang them all, but the pair managed. And, to cap it all off, another angel- dressed in a white gown with a halo suspended over her head- tops the tree. In what seems to be some sort of family tradition, Francois was the one to put that up. The livingroom television has been left on throughout the day despite Francois being out at a friend's. There seems to be a never-ending supply of Christmas movies. Nearly ancient cartoons and
holiday classics have occupied the screen since Leah woke up. Meanwhile Leah has been a ball of nervous energy all throughout the day and has retreated to her room to get ready for her date with Nathan.
Tara has been her usual quiet self, but she's pretty clearly enjoyed the Christmas preparations and the cheerful mood that has accompanied it, despite her unfamiliarity with the holiday. Getting to spend time with Leah and Francois, and being included in what's clearly a long-running family tradition has meant a lot to her, and after the tense, emotionally fraught week that came before it's been a welcome reminder and reinforcement that
she has a place here. It's also been a welcome distraction from troubled thoughts. Tara has spent a good part of the day captivated by the antique holiday cartoons playing on the TV despite lacking the context to understand most of it. Leah's unusual behavior hasn't gone unnoticed, however, and after being left on her own in the living room for a good while with no one to ask puzzled questions about the strange entertainment playing
she makes her way over to Leah's room, knocking carefully. With no cause to leave the house on the horizon she's remained in pyjamas (and fluffy slippers) all day, perhaps taking Leah's cue from the day before. The Christmas hat is present too, of course - it's been ever-present since she received it.
Leah takes a few moments to answer the door, the sound of scurrying audible from the room beyond. When the door finally does open, Leah appears, forced smile crossing her lips as she spots Tara. Her hair is down rather than in her typical ponytail, wavy blonde locks reaching just beyond her shoulders. Her room is an uncharacteristic mess. Considering she wears the same few outfits, it's kind of unbelievable that she has so much
clothing but there it is, strewn all across her bed and her floor. She's dressed in a white tanktop undershirt and a pair of bright red leggings with a bunch of green Christmas trees all across them. "Hey~" she greets in an overly singsongy tone, shifting slightly in place as if to try and block a bit of the wreck her room has become in her journey to find a suitable outfit.
Tara blinks, neck craning a little as she looks past Leah at the mess of clothes that covers her room. "What are you doing...?" she asks, sounding genuinely confused as her gaze returns to Leah.
Leah follows Tara's gaze, wincing a little and pinching her bottom lip between her teeth as she studies the mess. She lets out a deep breath, shoulders drooping a little as she deflates. "I don't knowwww!" she whines. "I need to figure out what to wear tonight for my d-... to go have dinner with Nate." she sharply corrects as she looks back to Tara, "But-..." she sighs. "...I'm supposed to be there in a few hours and I have
Tara 's eyebrows furrow slightly, some of the confusion lingering, and mixing with an odd look of concern. "You don't know what to wear...?"
Leah gives another deep sigh and a reluctant shake of her head to Tara's question. "I thought maybe-... something festive...?" she glances down, looking over the tights before turning her attention back to Tara, nose scrunching up in frustration. "Just-... something fun, right? But then I realized-..." she spins in place, marching further into her room. Her big green eyes scan the mess of clothing that plasters her entire
room for a few moments until they find what they're looking for. She skips over a pair of dark jeans, looking like she's playing a goofy game of Twister as she attempts to keep from stepping on any of the clothing laid out on her floor and crouches down to pick up a bright green- festively green one might say- t-shirt. Slipping it on over her head, she tugs at the bottom to make sure there's no wrinkles before she pivots
back towards Tara, giving a small twist at the waist as if to show off the outfit, displeased look on her face. "...I look like an elf!" she exclaims. Not that Tara knows what that is, of course, but she may recognize an eerie similarity to one of the cheerful lil' fellas in one of the many Christmas cartoons that have been on all morning.
Tara 's confusion only grows as Leah laments the apparently regrettable elfiness of her outfit. "That's... bad?" she asks after studying her clothes, gathering as much from her dismayed look.
Leah's frustration softens at the question, a small smile tugging at her lips as she studies Tara, head tilting to one side. A small chuckle slips out that she's quick to restrain with an honest shake of her head. "It's-... no, sweetheart. It's not bad. It's just-..." She tilts her head back, gaze turning up towards the ceiling for a moment, stance wide to remain where she is without stepping all over her clothing. "I want to
look-... nice." she settles on with a sheepish shrug of her shoulders as her green eyes settle back on Tara. "I don't want him to look at me and think ELF!" she explains, doing a little jig as she lifts one foot, rocks to the side, gives an enthusiastic, wide swing of one arm, then repeats on the opposite side. Apparently that's what elves do. "See?" she asks as she continues to do it, shooting a glance towards the
mirror atop her dresser as if to confirm that she does, in fact, look ridiculous. Confirmed. Her eyebrows furrow a bit as she turns her attention back to Tara and continues to do the stupid dance, her panic slowly returning.
Tara 's eyebrows furrow further as she listens, and the ridiculous little dance causes her head to pull back slightly as the confusion reaches comical levels. "...why?" she asks, not quite specifying what it is she's questioning.
Leah's dance slows to a stop, restrained frown taking hold as she considers the question. Or, at least, her assumption of what the question refers to. "Because-..." she draws in a breath and gives a small shake of her head as she struggles to explain the situation. She falls silent for a few moments, gaze lowering to the floor as she considers her words. "Because I like him." she admits with a small shrug. A bit of embarrassment
shows through, her cheeks brightening a bit. "So-... so I guess I want him to think I look-..." Cute. Hot. "Nice." she decides, falling back on her previous description. "Not like an elf." she adds before she pulls the festive green shirt off and tosses it into the corner of the room.
Tara 's frown remains, looking as if the explanation doesn't really make sense to her, but she doesn't say anything else, instead falling silent and lingering where she is by the door, gaze travelling along some of the clothing items on the floor.
Leah studies Tara from across the room, her confusion seeming to help defuse a bit of Leah's panic and causing a small smile to resurface. "You know, I could use a little help..." she dangles out there, smile widening. "Think you're up to the task?"
Tara blinks, her attention returning to Leah. Her gaze briefly falls away as she processes the suggestion and then a small nod follows - not that she's really sure what that would entail. She remains where she is, one hand loosely grasping the wrist of her other arm as she awaits instructions.
Leah gives a much firmer nod. "Okay!" she exclaims, bright smile fully emerging as she rises onto the tip of her toes enthusiastically before dropping back onto her heels. She bites at her bottom lip as she gives a glance around the room, brow furrowing as she tries to come up with a way to include Tara. "How about you wait for me in the living room? I'll come show you the outfits I'm considering annnnnd you can help me pick one
Tara continues to look a little like she has no idea what's going on, but despite this she nods again, hesitating a bit before stepping back and heading out of the room, going over to the living room and taking a seat in the couch, the stiff posture and hands resting on her lap combining with a continual, aimless look around the room to make her look rather awkward as she waits.
It takes a few moments for Leah to get ready, Frosty the Snowman Tara's only company until Leah finally trots out into the living room. Her first outfit isn't too far off from her normal day-to-day wear. A pair of simple, dark green leggings- these a bit more subdued in their festivity- and a plain, white t-shirt. Over the top of it she's wearing her usual dark green canvas jacket that's not particularly suitable for winter weather, but it
matches. She's wearing a thin silver necklace with a heart-shaped locket. Her surname- Mercier- is engraved across the front of it. She's not one to wear jewelry often and she doesn't exactly have a career where it makes sense to walk around with a necklace that broadcasts her last name. But it's probably a piece that Tara has seen before since it's always hanging from the mirror in Leah's room.
Leah looks about as awkward as Tara as she enters the living room. She's far from an expert on dating and it's clear that she's nervous for tonight. As she parades in front of the couch she gives a little side hop and turns in place to show off the chosen outfit to Tara. "What do you think...?" she asks as she turns. "Is it too-... too boring?" she asks, craning her neck to look over her shoulder to Tara when her back is to her.
Tara 's attention soon turns to the TV in Leah's absence, eyebrows furrowing as she tries to make sense of what she's seeing. When Leah joins her she focuses, tilting her head a little as she studies her outfit. Of course, Tara is quite possible the worst possible person to seek advice from. The second question causes her to blink and shake her head.
Leah furrows her brows as she finishes her rotation, settling her attention on Tara with a small nod before turning her gaze back on her outfit. "I just don't-... I feel like I should wear something a bit nicer." she says, eyes briefly turning back to Tara, "Something... different, you know?" she sighs. She's well aware that Tara isn't particularly equipped for this sort of conversation, but that's okay. Just having someone else
involved in her panic helps to take a bit of the pressure off. She scrunches up her nose as she assesses the outfit harshly, left hand absently moving up towards the locket around her neck, thumb idly running across the smooth surface. "You really think it's okay?"
Tara just watches in silence as Leah speaks, although her choice of words causes her eyebrows to furrow a little. The final question is quick to prompt another couple of nods - she clearly doesn't see any issue with wearing what she usually does. She hesitates for a bit, eyebrows furrowing further, before speaking, voice quiet: "You are... worried he will disapprove?"
Leah turns her attention back to Tara as she speaks up, her own brows furrowing in confusion. It soon softens once again, however. "...Guessing this all seems a little strange to you, huh?" she asks. Drawing in a breath, she takes a seat at the edge of the coffee table, elbows coming to rest on her thighs as she leans forward slightly and studies the younger girl.
Tara 's gaze falls away as Leah studies her, remaining silent and seeming hesitant to admit as much, but the look on her face ought to be answer enough.
Leah gives a small nod. The younger girl's entire understanding of normal social cues and interactions have come down to the last few months and a whole lot of television. Of course it seems strange to her. Coupled with some of Tara's previous questions regarding her relationship with Nathan, it's pretty clear she doesn't exactly have much of a grasp on what's going on between them. "I'm not worried that Nate's gonna disapprove,
sweetheart." she explains, using Tara's own choice of words. "I'm preeeetty sure he won't give a crap what I wear. As a matter of fact, he's probably over there freaking out as much as I am..." she adds with a snicker. "But-..." she gives a small nod, "...I really like him. So-..." she shrugs her shoulders, "...I want him to-..." she sighs at her own inability to explain things. Because, truth be told, it's a bit
irrational. Nathan has seen her bruised and bloodied after cutting a biotic swathe through hostiles. If that wasn't enough to make him run for the hills, it's unlikely a gaudy Christmas outfit will. Yet she's still spent all day fussing over it. They've discussed their feelings, told one another where they stand, but that doubt still lingers, worsened by a lifetime of bad experiences. "...I just... don't want to mess this up,
I guess." she offers honestly with a little shrug, allowing a bit of her self conscious worries to show through.
Tara looks to Leah as she speaks, listening closely. Her expression is in that blank, hard to read state that it gets sometimes, just looking and blinking a couple of times. It's hard to say how much sense it makes to her. Leah's final admission causes her face to shift, a faint frown forming. "Mess it up...?" she asks softly.
Leah snickers as she's hit with another question. Should've seen that coming. She gives a small nod of her head. "I don't exactly have the best luck when it comes to relationships." she admits with a sigh. "I-..." she begins but trails off, green eyes flicking downwards and it takes a little effort to keep that smile of hers propped up. She cuts herself short with a shake of her head, deciding better than to go into what a
trainwreck her lovelife- or lack of one- has been. "This is the first date-... first real date I've been on in quite a while." she says instead as she meets Tara's gaze once again, finally managing to actually call it what it is. "I guess I just want everything to be perfect."
Tara continues to pay close attention as Leah elaborates. The soft frown deepens a little, a thoughtful look crossing her face. "Date..." she repeats. "Like on TV?" she asks, the uncertain look on her face making it pretty clear that's her only reference for the meaning of the word. She's leaned forward a bit as they talk, almost mirroring Leah's posture.
Leah snorts, but gives a few small nods. "Like on TV." she confirms, well aware that images of The Bold & The Burdened are probably playing through Tara's head. "Liiiiike when Jerome and Salia went to that fancy restaurant together? Remember? Only-..." she winces, "...without the one guy having a heart attack in the middle of their dinner and Salia having to-... to-... go into surgeon mode and save his life! And-... I guess
without the fancy restaurant, too..." she rambles, only realizing part way through her analogy that it may not have been the best of examples. "But, yeah!" she continues, immediately perking back up, "Like that!"
Tara 's eyebrows furrow in confusion as Leah backtracks most of her example, but the seems to stick, more or less, and there's a small nod as she concludes, seeming satisfied that she has a basic idea. "You're having dinner." she states, as if looking for confirmation that she has it right. "And then sex." The second part is said with the exact same cadence as the first, as if listing off the order of operations, another small nod
Leah's smile persists as Tara nods and she- in turn- nods, pleased that Tara seems to have a solid grasp on things. Tara's first statement garners another deep, exaggerated nod from Leah. "Yup!" she confirms. The second statement just about slips past the sensors now that she's in an agreeable cadence and her head dips all the way forward in half a nod before it registers what was said and her big green eyes nearly pop out of her
head. Damn you Jerome and Salia! Damn you! "Y-... Nuughooooooo!" she intercepts her nod- mid movement- and shakes her head rapidly from side-to-side. "No, no, no, no, no!" she insists in a panic, face turning as bright as a tomato. "Okay. Okay. Okay. Oookay." she chants, patting her thigh with the palm of her hand each time. She sits up a bit straighter as a painfully uncomfortable chuckle slips out. "That's-..."
another chuckle, "...that's not-..." Sharp nod. Eyes to the floor. Eyes back on Tara. Nope, back on the floor. "We're prooobably just gonna stick with the-... uhh-... dinner." she says as she forces herself to meet Tara's gaze once more. As soon as she does that uncomfortable chuckle returns, ending in an awkward snort. "Juuuuust dinner. Dinner and-... and we're gonna watch a movie!" she insists, her mouth on autopilot
as it tends to be whenever she gets uncomfortable. "Maybe the new 'Terminus Velocity' movie! That's the plan! Crappy food! Crappy movie! Crappy movie and crappy food!" she continues with a bunch of exaggerated nods, as if every syllable she spits out carries them further away from that conversation. "And-... and-... umm-... theeeeeeeeeen-..." Another enthusiastic pat against her thighs, this time with both hands.
"Theeeeeen I come back home~" she explains in a singsongy tone, big, bright smile on display as if that lends more credibility to it.
Tara blinks when Leah suddenly corrects herself, sitting up a little straighter. The panicked ramble that follows causes a bewildered look to settle in on her face, a number of blinks accompanying it as she listens. She nods a couple of times as Leah starts to reach the end of her correction. "Oh. S-...Sorry..." she says, sounding worried that she's upset Leah. Her gaze falls away as she too starts to look uncomfortable, looking down at
Leah's wince returns when Tara begins to apologize and it's clear she, too, is uncomfortable, causing her to lean forward and place her hands on Tara's knees, giving them a gentle pat. "No, sweetheart, you don't have anything to apologize for! It's fine. You're fine!" she assures, doing her best to prop her smile back up through the discomfort that has settled in for Tara's sake. The last thing she wants to do is cause Tara to
hesitate on voicing her thoughts. "Sometimes TV likes to exaggerate things. Not that there's anything wrong with-... with-... that! I'm just-... not gonna-... I don't plan on-...!" she corrects, rambling through her scattered thoughts. Oh no, what if he tries to put the moves on. She gives another nervous snicker seemingly out of nowhere as she now finds her thoughts
turning that way. Back to the night in the compound. The kiss. She swallows hard. Nope. "A date isn't about-... about that. It's just about-... you know..." she trails off, scrunching up her nose as she reminds herself that, no, Tara in fact does not know, "...it's just about getting to know someone. Spending time with them." Perfect. "You understand?"
Tara looks up again as Leah pats her knees, the assurance seeming to ease her worry, discomfort lightening - it seems to have been tied mostly to Leah's reaction. She nods a couple of times during the slightly scatterbrained explanation, the final point seems to hit home though. "I... understand." she confirms after a moment's thought, a firmer nod accompanying the words. She seems to relax a little, a small smile crossing her lips.
Leah seems to ease up a bit more as well, giving a nod of her own in response to Tara's. There's still a bit of red in her cheeks as she shifts back, bringing her hands back to her lap. Another snicker, this one a bit quieter, escapes her. "Good. Soooo~ how about I show you the next outfit?!" she asks, smile growing a bit more sincere now that she's expertly-and-not-at-all-awkwardly avoided that mine.
Tara nods a few times as she sits up a bit more, even if she's still not quite sure what's wrong with the current outfit.
Leah pats her own knees once before hopping back to her feet. "Be right back!" she announces before energetically scurrying out of the room.
Tara is, once again, left in the company of Frosty the Snowman, who appears to be a jolly fellow. A vegetable nose doesn't seem to hold him back from singing across a snowy winterscape. Eventually Leah re-emerges from her room, her footfalls announcing her presence before she enters the living room. This time she's wearing a pair of snug, light blue jeans, stylishly faded. Her top is a more fashionable but simple light grey spaghetti
Leah repeats her previous performance, giving Tara a quick 360 look at the outfit before giving her a look somewhere between a forced, toothy smile and a grimace as she awaits Tara's judgement. "So...? Good? Terrible?" she asks as she continues to slowly turn in place a bit rigidly and uncomfortably. It's not that the outfit is outside of her comfort zone. As the wedding proved, she doesn't particularly mind dressing up. She just
Tara is simultaneously perplexed and fascinated by the relic of the past that plays on the TV. It's brand new to her, of course, and a departure from what she's seen before. When Leah returns she's quick to shift her attention once more, looking her over with a neutral expression before decreeing "Good." with a small nod.
Leah stands on her tippy toes as she looks down at the outfit to assess it herself, craning her neck around to look it over. Nose scrunched up, she turns her attention back to Tara. "Good good or, like, alright good?" she asks.
Tara blinks in confusion, seeming unsure how to answer the question, or maybe what the distinction even is.
Leah's expression only deepens in the face of Tara's silence. "Do you like it better than the last one, orrrrr....?" she fishes.
Tara furrows her eyebrows. She thinks the question over for a moment before responding unhelpfully with "Both are good."
Leah draws a breath in through her nose, Tara's indifference actually seeming to inspire a little amusement in the face of her pre-date jitters, causing a smile to tug at the corner of her mouth. "Unfortunately I don't think I can wear both..." she informs.
Tara 's frown deepens, Leah's conundrum causing a thoughtful expression. "And... you n-... want to wear the one that he will like? But... he didn't tell you which it is?" she asks with a questioning look, as if checking that she has it right.
Leah sucks in her lips to restrain her widening smile as Tara tries to come to a consensus, merely nodding her head in response.
Tara also nods slightly, her frown just deepening further as she remains silent for a few seconds. "...that's not good." she observes, perhaps even more unhelpfully, shoulders dropping a little.
Leah furrows her brows, smile beginning to show through in her expression despite her attempt to hide it. "No. No it's not." she agrees, gaze turning downward once more. "So what do you think?" she asks, shooting another glance Tara's way. "Think he might like this one?" she asks, used to the gentle prods it occasionally takes for Tara to give her own thoughts by now.
Tara studies Leah's outfit once more, seeming to take the question seriously, but her frown just deepens. "I... don't know." she says. It looks like she has something on her mind, and for the briefest moment her mouth opens before closing, falling silent instead.
Leah has been around Tara long enough to catch on to the tells she gives when she has more to say. "Buuuut~?" she hums through her smile, tilting her head to the side as she waits for Tara to elaborate.
Tara looks down at her hands as she hesitates, far from comfortable with giving any sort of opinion, but eventually she looks back to Leah. "You... said he won't care. Can't you... wear what you like?"
Leah waits for Tara to speak, ever patient with her. When she finally does, Leah's smile softens, the sincere advice causing her gaze to turn downward once again. She draws in a breath as she looks the outfit over again before eventually nodding softly to herself a few times. "You know what?" she asks as she turns her gaze back to Tara, "You're absolutely right."
Tara slowly gains a smile when Leah agrees with her, the hesitation fading from her face. She continues to watch her, but says nothing.
Leah straightens up her posture, shoulders back as she gives a small, goofy twist in each direction to show the outfit to Tara one last time. "Alright! I'm sticking with this one." she says, giving a single, firm nod. Moreso to herself than to Tara, as if to convince herself that it's finalized. "Disaster: averted! Decision: made! Worries: gone!" she announces, drawing in a deep breath and letting it out through her nose for
emphasis, as if a wave of calm is overcoming her. But, after a few moments her big green eyes widen and her gaze slowly drops back down. "Crap! Shoes!" she says, attention shooting right back to Tara as a new wave of panic immediately settles in and she darts off towards her bedroom.
Tara blinks, the smile wiped from her face when Leah suddenly storms off again. Apparently this is more complicated than she realized...