December 22nd. Late afternoon. The remainder of the short trip home is, thankfully, uneventful. After departing words with Jasper, the pair lug their haul towards the house.
#Leah'sHouse – March 9, 2020
Leah has to shuffle the items around in her arms in order to get the door open, focus and determination on her face as she manages to keep from dropping anything. The remainder of the quiet ride helped to burn off any lingering adrenaline and calm frayed nerves. The warm greeting of home is a welcome one as she steps inside, promptly stepping out of her boots and scurrying towards the couch to set down the many bags that hang off
The constantly changing flicker of the Christmas lights that are strung up bathe the living room in color. Francois is sat in his well-worn chair, biotiball highlights on the television.
Tara is following closely after Leah, looking a little ridiculous with the pet carrier in one hand and her other arm hooked into the bedding, lifted a bit into the air to keep from dropping it, a lone bag also looped around her arm - specifically the one holding her Christmas presents. She crouches down to set everything down near the door and peel her boots off, not wanting to drag in any snow, or step on her boots like Leah for that
matter. She soon picks the carrier back up again, keeping it steady as she heads over towards the living room, struggling to keep a big smile off of her face.
Francois' gaze is pulled towards the bags hanging off his daughter's arms, brows furrowed for a moment before a gentle smile crosses his features. "Did you get-..."
Leah already has her face buried into one of the bags and interrupts her father by tearing free the bagged loaf of bread and tossing it at him. "Yes, I got your damn bread!" she snaps playfully. "Merry Christmas. Enjoy it, because it's all that you're getting." she teases.
Francois flinches in his seat as he's struck with a bag of bread, bringing his arms up to keep it from slipping off his lap. "You see this?" he asks Tara in a tone of mock offense, one hand turning towards the panel in the armrest to recall the footrest of the recliner so he can sit up, "I raise her. I feed her and put a roof over her head for most of her life and this is how she talks to me." he says, though it's just par for the
Tara bites down on the inside of her lip to suppress a giggle, but the slight shaking of her shoulders betray her. It's taken time for her to adjust to their dynamic and get used to the idea that there's no danger or malice there, just playful teasing. She's starting to get there, though, even if she's still far away from joining in. Being disrespectful or teasing is hardly in her nature.
Leah gives a roll of her eyes at her father's theatrics as she continues to look through her bags and organize them, setting the bag from the pet store off to the side for Tara. "Food?" she says, nodding towards the bag of bread in her father's lap. "Roof?" she continues, scrunching up her nose as she looks upwards, studying the ceiling for a few moments before shooting another smug glance Francois' way. "I'd say that makes us
Leah merely gives a shrug of her shoulders, attention already back in one of her bags. "Yet." she's quick to retort, unable to suppress the grin tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Give it a few more years, dad."
Francois shoots a look Leah's way, unamused by the dig at his age. But it's soon forgotten as the carrier in Tara's hand grabs his attention, brows furrowing once more as he leans forward in his seat. "What have you got there?" he asks curiously.
Tara 's smile doesn't stay away much longer as she rounds the coffee table, setting the carrier down in view of the armchair and kneeling next to it. "She's a gzzk." she explains, leaning a little to the side to take a peek inside. She places a hand against the door, trying to coax the small, furry blue creature inside closer. It hesitates, maybe still a little spooked from earlier, but soon enough its head extends closer to the door,
Leah tears her gaze away from her bounty of goods- many of which will soon be joining the other colorfully-wrapped gifts beneath the Christmas tree- to glance back behind her as Tara rounds the coffee table. Despite the close call brought on by the small creature, its presence still causes her smile to widen. When Tara says what it is. She gives a nod, gaze turning to her father.
Francois studies the carrier curiously for a few moments, head dipping low as he attempts to get a look at the creature inside. A soft chuckle escapes him when the creature nears the door and he's able to get a glimpse of it. "I can't say I expected this. Thought maybe a cat or-..." he trails off, looking Leah's way briefly. She had, of course, consulted with him beforehand. "What did you say she is?" he asks Tara as his attention
bounces back to the carrier, the foreign name not ringing any bells. He clutches the loaf of bread in his hand and rises from his seat to move a little closer.
Tara looks up from the curious animal to Francois. "Gzzk." she repeats. It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. She frowns faintly as she realizes what was said, one hand resting protectively on top of the carrier as she looks between Leah and Francois. "Is-... is it okay...?" she asks, worry apparent on her face.
Leah places the grocery bags on the floor next to the couch, but holds off on taking them into the kitchen for now deciding, instead, to join the pair by the carrier. "Gizzek!" she repeats Tara's words- or, at least, tries to- her tone that of someone trying to practice an unfamiliar word. She's not quite there yet. She lowers into a crouch beside Tara, hands resting against her knees as she studies the strange-looking creature.
"Hmmm?" she hums, sucking in her lips, the intent behind Tara's question lost with her focus on the critter. She gives a playful scrunch of her nose as she leans in a bit closer to the carrier's door.
Francois utters a soft, "...Huh." at the repeated use of the species' name. The question that follows prompts a low snicker. "Of course, sweetheart!" he assures, "As long as it's not dangerous-..." he trails off, the implies question seeming to hit him as an afterthought which causes him to pass a glance Leah's way.
Leah seems to be clued in on Tara's question based on her father's response. The lingering thought prompts a stammered, "Oh!" as she looks to Francois, the fluffy white ball of her Christmas hat bouncing with a shake of her head. "No it-... I made sure when I looked it up." she offers simply, "She's not dangerous." She turns her attention back to the cage, once more leaning in as the smile spreads out across her face. "Are you?!"
she asks playfully. Apparently to the gzzk, it would seem, her exaggerated tone not unlike that of someone speaking to a baby. "Gizzik!" she attempts once more. Nope.
The gzzk jerks its head back as is startled or puzzled when Leah speaks to it in a silly voice. Its ears twitch up and it tilts its head as it studies her, head still pulled back.
Tara relaxes upon confirmation that there's no problem, blinking as Leah leans down to talk to the gzzk. Her failed attempts to pronounce its species causes her eyebrows to furrow slightly, but she doesn't correct her, just watching for a moment before asking: "Can I let her out...?"
Leah's expression turns to a slight frown as the gzzk pulls back. Tara's question prompts her to shoot a glance her way, hand shooting up to push the white fluffy ball from her hat out of her face as it swings around on her. "Oh, ummm-..." she stammers, green eyes quickly darting around the room. Front door? Closed. Anything edible sitting out? Nope! Pulling a breath in through her nose, she props up a bright smile and offers Tara
Francois having no idea what to expect once that gate opens, is quick to take a couple of steps back. A little space never hurt anyone.
Tara immediately gains a smile as she crouches down to unlatch the gate before pulling back a little to give the gzzk some space, hands resting on her knees as she waits.
The gzzk pulls back a little when the gate swings open, pressing low to the floor of the carrier and remaining in place. Maybe it remembers what happened the last time it left?
Tara frowns a little, still waiting. "It's okay..." she says softly, much like before, leaning a little to try and get a better look at the cautious critter.
Leah's frown grows a little and a bit of that previous guilt bubbles up over her earlier biotic shock, concern settling in that it might've sparked some lingering fear in the critter. "Come on out..." she joins Tara in urging gently, pressing her palms against the thighs of her pants, as if maybe that'll assure the gzzk that she's not going to shock it again. "We're not gonna hurt ya."
Francois merely watches in silence a few steps behind the pair, a curious look chiseled into his features.
The gzzk slowly, slowly inches closer to the door, poking its head out and sniffing at the unfamiliar environment, big eyes taking in every detail as its head turns this way and that to look around. A lone paw reaches out to prod the floor apprehensively - and then the furry creature suddenly takes off again, slipping out of the carrier and rounding it in a fluid motion, a blur of blue as it runs off across the room, disappearing out of
view. It's agile and light on its feet, its movement more cat than dog. A series of clipped, high-pitched calls sound from the kitchen: "Chau! Chau! Chau!"
Tara blinks in surprise as the gzzk darts away in a blur, getting up on her feet as she looks around for it.
It's only a moment before the gzzk comes back into view, still running as it seems to make a full lap around the main space of the house, under the Christmas tree, knocking one of the wrapped gifts over before moving fast along the wall all the way back to the living room, going under Francois' chair and then disappearing under the couch. It emerges from the other side in an instant, and is immediately gone from view again.
Leah drops onto her knees, hands resting in her lap as her big green eyes remain on the small, blue creature. Its timid approach causes the smile to slowly creep back across her face. "C'mon out..." she continues to coax gently. The sudden jolt of energy catches her off guard, green eyes going wide and she quickly climbs to her feet, their previous incident out front of the market causing an unwarranted pang of panic to shoot
through her. Her gaze once again shoots towards the front door to make sure it closed properly behind her. Confirming that the door is, indeed, closed, she slowly looks Tara's way, puzzled expression on her face. But as the call sounds out from the kitchen, her brows lift up and, soon enough, the gzzk comes darting back through the room, causing her to have to turn in place to keep track of it.
Francois nearly hops back as the gzzk storms out of the carrier. He clutches his loaf of bread close to his chest, eyes wide as the ball of blue fur whisks this way and that. "Uhh-... energetic little thing, isn't she...?" he asks cautiously, his tone carrying the unvoiced concern of 'Are they supposed to act like that?'
Leah loses track of the gzzk under the couch, only to catch a blur of blue escaping the other side, resulting in her completing her full, 360 rotation in place. "The fruit!" she calls out, hurrying over towards the bag she left beside the couch. Maybe they can calm it down by using the oldest trick in the book. Bribery! Food bribery! If it's good enough for her, surely it's good enough for the gzzk, right?
Tara just watches with a startled expression, rotating in place to follow the gzzk's path as it runs around.
The gzzk makes another full lap around the interior of the house - there's loud clattering from the kitchen, and then it's back in the living room, jumping up the desk and running across it before leaping back onto the floor. It does the same thing with the TV, disappearing behind the screen as it slips between it and the wall, sending it wobbling a little and nearly knocking it over. It jumps onto the backrest of Francois' chair, and from
Tara seems to pick up on where the energetic creature's current path is about to take it, eyes going wide as she scrambles to intercept.
The gzzk leaps from the edge of the couch, making impressive distance as it lands on the cabinet, decorative angels toppling and falling. It immediately jumps again, landing high in the Christmas tree and wrapping itself around it, looking unsteady and less than comfortable on the plastic branches. Four big eyes look out across the room from its unconventional perch.
Tara practically throws herself to the floor to catch the falling angels before they hit the ground, wincing as one falls outside her reach, landing hard on a wing.
Leah scrambles towards the bags and tears them open, shuffling through the things inside to search for the snacks they aquired. Nope, nothing in the first bag. She silently curses herself for having gotten distracted during their grocery shopping and winding up with a whole slew of snacks for herself. Why is everything so delicious?! The sound of angels falling behind her causes her to wince and double down her efforts,
Francois just seems stunned at the sheer amount of energy the gzzk seems to have. He takes a step forward instinctively, free hand lifting as if to prevent the creature from scattering the Christmas decorations with his will alone. "Merde!" he exclaims as the angels fly about. The one that hits the ground cracks where the wing meets the angel's shoulder, the figurine going one way and the wing the other.
Leah huffs a sharp, "Language!" at her father that's more reactionary, a response simply drilled into her by their constant bickering back-and-forth. But the sound of Christmas tree decorations clattering to the floor causes her to follow it up with a, "Fuck!"
Francois snaps back with a reactive, "Language!" of his own, gaze fixed to the creature in their try. He looks as if he knows he should be doing something, but has absolutely no idea what that thing he should be doing is. So he remains in place, bread clutched close to his chest with one arm, other arm outstretched towards the blue creature across the room from him.
Leah tears a small, plastic container free from one of the grocery bags. It's wrapped in plastic wrap to try and keep the small, deep red berries contained within fresh longer. "Fruit!" she says, moreso to herself than anyone else as she digs her fingers into the plastic wrap.
Tara hastily puts the angels she caught back on the cabinet before collecting the broken one, giving it a worried lookover, but as she hears the noise from the tree she gets on her feet, placing the broken pieces with its intact kin before turning towards the tree, an uncertain frown on her face as she shoots Leah a glance before looking back to the tree.
The gzzk remains where it is, legs shifting a little as it struggles to find a solid perch. The shouting and general commotion among the humans only adds to its startled look as it stops surveying the room and looks between the three of them, curled in on itself, fluffy blue tail almost hiding its head.
Leah tears at the plastic wrap and plucks a few berries free before handing the container to Tara. Another ornament- a red, plastic ball- tumbles free from the tree and rolls up under the desk. Leah puts on her biggest smile, slapping it over her panic as if it might somehow calm the startled creature, but wide-eyes betray her. "It's fine! It's fine!" she assures with cautious steps towards the tree. She lifts her hand up to
chest-level, a trio of red berries cradled in her palm. "See?!" she asks, glancing from the berries to the gzzk, "Food. All ya gotta do is come down from there."
Francois continues to watch from across the room, arm lowering once he's realized it's even raised. "Be careful." he suggests, "Poor thing seems scared out of its mind. You don't want to spook it again." It garners a look and a nod from Leah, who stops her approach to the tree, remaining a few feet away.
Tara takes the container, joining Leah in inching closer to the tree, but letting her take the lead for now, just nodding in agreement with her words as she watches the apprehensive creature.
The gzzk watches Leah cautiously as she approaches the tree, still struggling a bit to maintain steady footing, a paw occassionally slipping and rattling one of the branches. Upon noticing the berries it seems transfixed, all four eyes locking on to the red orbs in her palm. It leans forward a little, trying in vain to reach the berries without leaving the tree. It still seems hesitant to come down.
Leah watches the timid creature for a number of moments, hands rising a bit higher in an attempt at coaxing it down. "Come on down." she urges softly, "It's okay." Lowering into a crouch, she drops the berries onto the floor and takes a step back, giving the gzzk space to approach on its own terms. "See? These are for you." she continues to encourage with a small gesture towards the berries, as if the creature might be able to
Francois slowly approaches the pair but remains a few steps behind them, small smile speading back out across his face now that the initial panic has subsided.
The gzzk watches from its perch as the berries are placed on the floor, eyeing Leah suspiciously for a moment before its attention returns to the offering. It struggles with its footing for a brief moment before dropping down from the tree with a quiet thump, landing on all fours and making the tree shudder one last time. It leans in close to the berries, sniffing them. Its hesitation seems to lift almost immediately, and the berry
Tara seems relieved as the gzzk comes down from the tree - and that its no longer running around like crazy. She kneels down next to it, picking out a couple more berries and holding them out for the apparently quite hungry little menace. The gzzk hesitates only for the briefest of moments before eating right out of Tara's hand, bringing out a big smile from her and a look Leah's way. She hands her the container before reaching out to
pet the gzzk, still smiling brightly. Maybe lots of sugary berries isn't the best meal, but special circumstances and all that.
Leah's smile grows more genuine as the gzzk simmers down and a soft snicker escapes her while she watches it eat right out of Tara's hand. After taking the container she waits a few moment so the gzzk can grow accustom to the attention from Tara before hazarding to give it a go herself. But first she turns around to face Francois. After passing him the container she- without warning- reaches up and begins to pat the sides of his
Francois accepts the container without complaint but quickly finds himself patted on the cheeks, causing him to twist away, eyes blinking as he fidgets. "What has gotten into you?!" he asks.
Leah scowls at her father. "I don't want to accidentally shock her!" she says, obviously fearing a repeat of earlier. You only get one chance to make a first impression and she frigged it right up. Can't let that happen again.
Francois lifts the loaf of bread to defend himself with, putting it between himself and Leah as he leans away from her. "But you don't mind shocking me?" he asks expectantly.
Leah rises onto her tippy toes so she can pat her palms against the fleeing Francois' cheeks a few more times. "Oh stop whining!" she scolds. A couple more pats later- confident that there's no lingering biotic energy waiting to be discharged at an impromptu time- she turns back to Tara and the gzzk and gets down on her knees. She gives the palms of her hands a quick wipe against her pants before reaching out slowly-...
The gzzk rubs its head against Tara's palm, purring quietly, but when it notices Leah's hand inching closer it eyes her cautiously, pressing closer to the floor.
Tara continues to gently pet the uncertain creature. "It's ok... it won't sting now." she promises in a quiet, reassuring voice. She's been around Leah enough to know how her static buildup works.
The furry animal seems to calm a little with Tara's continued touch, remaining in place as Leah runs her hands through its blue fur. Up close in the light, no longer darting around, it's plain to see that its fur is unwashed, and in parts matted - especially the fluffy tail. When there's no shock, the gzzk relaxes, the purring resuming as presses against Leah's hand, eyes closing.
Leah's smile slips away as the creature shrinks from her, that guilt resurfacing and only reinforced by Tara's words. But it slowly fades as the now-docile creature begins to warm up to her, culminating in a gentle snicker escaping her. "See?" she says to the small creature. "We're not so bad." She gently strokes the creatures back, green eyes traveling along the matted up fur. The poor conditions of the market reflected in the
sweet animals upkeep causes her to let out a deep sigh, tempering her smile a little. "Think she's gonna need a good bath." she offers softly, scrunching up her nose as she glances Tara's way, voice low as if worried that news of a bath might cause the gzzk to run for the hills. Animals hate baths, right?
Francois remains where he is for a short while, a gentle look on his face as he watches the pair pet the furry blue creature. Eventually he makes his way over to the cabinet, though, setting the container of berries down so he can lift up the broken angel and inspect it.
The gzzk looks up at Leah with an oblivious expression when she speaks, ears perking up. It slowly curls up in front of Leah, seeming much more relaxed now. Maybe it just needed to work off some excess energy after being cooped up in the carrier for who-knows-how-long.
Tara withdraws her hand when the gzzk lies down by Leah, a soft smile on her lips, although it fades a little as she too studies the state of its fur, and she nods in agreement. "Would you like that...?" she asks, leaning down a little as she speaks and scratching its head. "A bath...?" She catches Francois moving away out of the corner of her eye and looks over, face shifting into concern. "It was my fault." she blurts out, worried
that their new pet will be blamed. "I-I'm sorry." She's unable to keep her voice from trembling a little, her tone suddenly a mix of fear and guilt.
Francois tilts the angel about, checking the break line. Tara's sudden outburst causes him to hum a quiet: "Hmmm?" at first. If he's upset about the trinket, he's certainly doing a good job of hiding it. The state of the rest of the knick knacks- plenty chipped or missing pieces- would likely be enough to inform most people that it's probably not a big deal.
Leah furrows her brow, mostly just absently stroking the gzzk's fur now that it has calmed down. "Don't worry about it." she's quick to chime in as she looks to Tara, having spent enough time around her to know that she's probably far more concerned over the small figurine than she needs to be. "It was just an accident." she shrugs, "Because-..." her attention shifts back towards the gzzk and she once more puts on that puzzling,
Francois props up a big, unconcerned smile as he looks to Tara. "It's nothing that a little bit of glue can't fix." he says. The seams of old cracks and chips that are visible on many of the other figurines imply it's a lesson that they learned long ago. He sets the angel back down beside the wing and scoops the container of berries back up. "I'll go get some as soon as I put these away." he says, already stepping into the
kitchen. "Besides-..." he calls back, raising his voice slightly to be heard now that he's walking away, "...Now it matches the rest of the ones that Leah broke."
Tara seems relieved and embarrassed in equal measure by the lack of reaction to the broken angel, quickly realizing she worried for nothing. Her gaze falls to the floor, feeling awkward about the overreaction brought about from ingrained fears. Leah's coddling of the gzzk soon draws her attention, helping to distract her a bit, but she remains silent as she watches.
The gzzk 's attention is also caught by the silly voice she puts on, ears twitching as it lifts its head and looks at her, puzzled at first, but something about the tone of her voice brings out an enthusiastic "Chau!" as it sits up, fluffy tail swooping across the floor.
Leah snickers to herself as the gzzk responds- quite adorably- to her coddling, causing her to scrunch up her nose and lean forward, brushing her forehead playfully against it. Her father's parting words causes her to give a playful roll of her eyes as she sits up straight once more, head tilting back as she looks towards the ceiling while addressing the now-out-of-sight man. "Hey! Don't you try and blame it all on me! I
Francois' disembodied voice calls back amidst the sound of the fridge opening. "Not as far as your mother is concerned." he says, revealing the deep dark Mercier family secret that he's had buried for years: He always blamed his daughter for the damaged angel figurines.
Leah narrows her eyes, mouth agape as it sinks in. "You ass!" she shouts back, but the sound of snickering is all that's heard in response. She gives a small shake of her head in disbelief but, soon enough, the big bright smile has returned to her face. At first she just watches the gzzk as she showers it with attention. But eventually her gaze turns to Tara, smile turning a bit more sincere as she studies her in silence for a few
There's a few kitchen implements knocked off of their hooks on the counter, and a glass that's been toppled and rolled away, traces of the gzzk's second lap through the kitchen. Thankfully nothing seems broken.
Tara gains a small, soft smile as she watches Leah and the gzzk, although a bit of underlying discomfort remains.
The gzzk remains firmly focused on Leah, seeming to enjoy the attention now that it doesn't seem like there's anything to be afraid of. Only when Leah turns towards Tara does it get up, walking over to her instead, perhaps hoping for more attention. The gambit pays off, Tara reaching out to stroke its back when it comes her way, her other hand scratching it behind the ear when it looks up at her, momentarily distracted as she studies their
new pet with obvious affection, her smile growing. Leah's words cause her to look up, eyebrows furrowing in confusion as she looks her way, still petting the gzzk, which has almost settled into her lap.
Leah reluctantly allows the adorable little furball to abandon her in favor of Tara without protest. She shifts a bit, crossing her legs as she sits flat on the ground. Leaning back, she presses her palms against the floor to keep herself propped up as she looks between Tara and the gzzk, focus settling on the former. "We could've just went and checked out the kittens. But you saw that she was in a bad place and you wanted to get
her out of there." she explains, the sound of Francois cleaning up the mess muted in the kitchen. Her head lulls to one side as she studies the pair, soft smile remaining. "I'm proud of you." she says simply, offering a small shrug of her shoulders.
Tara blinks, the observation catching her a little off-guard. She seems unsure what to say, sucking in her lips a little, and the final addition causes her to blush as she looks down at the gzzk, shifting to cross her legs and bring it into her lap. She pets it in silence for a little while, just watching as the little creature relaxes and curls up into a ball. She swallows hard before forcing herself to look up at Leah. The Christmas
lights catch a gleam of wetness in her eyes. "I want her to be happy... like me." she says softly, gaze quickly darting away as she blinks and a couple of tears escape, rolling silently down her cheeks. "This is a good home." she says, voice almost too quiet to hear, her attention back on the gzzk as she speaks, still stroking gently along its back.
Leah's smile grows a hair at Tara's initial statement. But the delayed addition causes a happy little chuckle to escape her, the emotion that hitches a ride on it a surprise even to her. It's such a simple statement, but it serves as a powerful reminder that everything that happened out at that compound was worth the risk. That lingering concern regarding the Fasha-sized tension that had cropped up between her and Tara- and
whatever fear remained that things may have been irreversibly changed in that snowy graveyard- just melts away. She sucks in her lips, drawing a breath in through her nose to keep a lid on the feelings that bubble up as she gives a few small nods to Tara's final statement, humming softly in affirmation. "It is, isn't it?" she says, her voice almost a whisper, causing her to clear her throat and sit up a little straighter.
"We're going to make sure that she's taken care of and has everything that she needs." she says, a silent promise to herself that she'll do the same for Tara. "She won't ever have to see the inside of a cage again."
Tara 's gaze remains on the gzzk, continuing her slow petting as she listens. A quiet sniffle slips out and she nods a few times, a small smile crossing her lips with Leah's assurance. She eventually looks up at her, once again swallowing hard. Her blue eyes are full of emotion which finds its way into her words as well. "Thank you." she says, voice quiet as ever, but heavy with meaning as she wills Leah to understand. Thank you for
Leah furrows her brow as Tara meets her gaze, the heartfelt, sincere appreciation causing her to waver, her grasp on her emotions slipping, causing her to sniff at the air. The past year hasn't been the easiest. Outside of losing her mother, nothing else has held a candle to the emotional rollercoaster its been. Old wounds reopened. A reminder that there was some truth amongst the hurtful words hurled her way over the years.
She is dangerous. And there's a stain on her conscience that will never let her forget that, Cerberus made sure of it. But, looking at the young girl across from her, it's impossible not to be reminded of her mother. Of the words of encouragement that her mother would so often give in a desperate attempt at balancing the scales of a harsh galaxy. A reminder that it's up to her to decide whether or not it's a gift or a
curse. That she can still do good in this galaxy. Something that was nearly forgotten amongst the trail of pain she left behind her. She swallows at the lump in her throat, offering a small shake of her head as a soft, somber smile spreads across her lips. "No, sweetheart. Thank you." she says, her words colored with emotion. Her gaze immediately drops to the creature in Tara's lap, as if worried that looking her in
the eye for too long might reveal her troubles. She fights at the glassiness in her eyes, clearing her throat as she tries to prop her smile back up, a little heavier than before. "We-... ummm-... we're gonna need to figure out what to call her..." she offers softly, unable to muster up as much energy as she'd like into her words. "...Any ideas?"
Tara 's eyebrows furrow slightly with Leah's reply, not quite sure what to make of it, and for a moment she just studies her, but soon she follows her gaze to the gzzk, a troubled, thoughtful frown taking shape as she studies the animal. "...I don't know." she concludes with a shake of her head, looking Leah's way again for guidance.
Leah glances up when she feels Tara's eyes on her. She brings her hand up and wipes at her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to play it off as tiredness rather than a pre-emptive strike at the wetness that had began to form. Shifting all her weight onto her other hand, she furrows her brow. "Hey, don't look at me!" she says, attempting to remain playful, heavy smile remaining. "I'm leaving the naming to you."
Tara 's frown only deepens when Leah refuses to help, looking back down at the gzzk, studying it. She scratches the resting animal's neck as she leans a little to the side to get a look at its face. "What do you want to be called...?" she wonders quietly, still thinking. The gzzk looks up at Tara questioningly, and then its mouth opens wide as it yawns, and goes back to being lazy and comfortable. There's several more moments of silence
as she just watches it. Tara sucks in her lips, hesitating. Her gaze darts over to Leah and then back down at the gzzk. "Zoe...? Is that-... do you like that?" she asks, once again getting the content little critter's attention by leaning closer and scratching its neck. "Zoe. Zoe. Is that okay...?" she speaks softly, studying the creature's face as if searching for something. When she gets a tired "Chau!" she smiles slightly,
although there's a bit of an odd weight to it. She gently lifts the gzzk and hugs it close to her as she looks Leah's way for approval. It's not quite clear where she got such a distinctly human name from.
Leah watches as Tara interacts with the gzzk, the name causing a puzzled look to surface on her face, though it does seem to lighten up her smile. "Zoe..." she says softly when Tara looks her way, puzzled look still etched into her features. A few moments pass as she seems to consider the name before it becomes clear that Tara is awaiting her opinion, prompting her to nod her head a few times. "I like it." she says simply, a
moment passing before her head lulls to the side, the pom of her Christmas hat falling to her shoulder as she furrows her brow, "Where'd you get that name from?" she asks.
Tara 's smile solidifies, the emotion lingering in her face as she returns to watching the gzzk - Zoe now - scratching under her chin when she looks up at her. "Zoe." she repeats quietly with a slightly unstead voice, a small nod accompanying the word. Leah's question causes the smile to slip away - she visible flinches a little, face clouding. She doesn't seem all that eager to answer, hugging Zoe closer and burying her face against
Leah's smile slips a little in turn, sensing that it may be more than just some random name that she heard on a television show, she too falls quiet. Head remaining lulled to one side, she shifts in place a bit, once again leaning back against her hands as she watches Tara. As the seconds drag on, it grows less and less likely that Tara is going to answer, lending more and more awkwardness to the silence, only further punctuated
by the gentle clattering coming from the kitchen as Francois stows away the groceries. "Hey." she says, a gentle verbal nudge to get Tara's attention back. She lifts that smile of hers up for Tara's sake, bright and comforting. "It's-... fine if you don't want to talk about it." she assures. A brief pause follows, after which she quickly adds, "...It's a nice name."
Tara lifts her head to look Leah's way, seeming relieved that she isn't pushing the issue. There's still a hint of guilt in her face over not answering as she nods slightly, swallowing the lump in her throat as she looks down at the gzzk again, briefly studying her with an assessing gaze. "You do need a bath... you smell." she says, eyebrows furrowing slightly, tone gentle but firm. "Do you want to get clean...?" she asks, a faint hint
of her smile slowly returning as she lets Zoe rest in her lap again, eyes following her hand as she strokes her fingers through the dirty blue fur. "I think you'll like it." she assures, voice warm.
Leah's smile firms up as Tara begins to address the newest member of the Mercier household, a small snicker slipping out. Too far while leaning back to pet Zoe, she uses her hands to try and push herself upright, lazily attempting to use momentum to swing forward and sit up straight. It takes a couple of tries before she manages it and reaches out, gently rustling the blue creature's fur for a moment before uncrossing her legs and