#Leah'sHouse – September 20, 2020

Nathan smooshes his face against her palm with a confused 'Hmm?' before he is pushed back, tipping a little just for that added dramatic flair that he is wanton to do. He breathes a laugh and gives her the one finger salute. "Laugh it up. Anyway, who else is coming? I know Mendez is. Anyone else? Gonna have a big ol' Christmas party?" He leans back against the sofa, draping one arm across the backrest as he sinks a little

Sofia giggles and crouches down, brushing her skirt to keep the crinkles away. "That's the point," she says. "It would look adorable and probably be quite funny. And since she's quite so clearly a playful creature, she would probably enjoy it too." She gestures to the gzzk in question, her smile bright. "You need to find a toy that can distract her. Something that she would really become quite attached to. It helps to...

Leah snickers in pride as Nate seems to concede defeat and she returns a salute of her own, albeit hers bedazzled with a bright red nail. She passes a glance at the TV as she shifts to get more comfortable, brow furrowed in concentration for a moment as she watches with a familiarity that implies that it being muted barely even matters, she could probably recite all of the dialogue from memory alone. His question garners a lazy

Tara studies the gzzk as it rolls around and plays with the hat, still chewing on the pom. The hat isn't exactly holding up well to this kind of punishment. Sofia's words cause Tara's gaze to scan out across the floor in search of something. Near the wall she spots the plastic chewtoy they bought discarded. A sturdy looking, colorful thing. She scoots over to grab it and brings it back, trying to get Zoe's attention. "Z-... Zoe...?" She

Nathan tisks softly at her banter, giving her a flat look and a bemused snicker. He does flit his gaze to the TV, trying to rack his brain for any memory of this film. "Oh how you make me feel special," he drawls, letting his head lull lazily in her direction. "How is Mendez anyway? He doing alright?" There's a brief moment where genuine concern eeks through his features. The memory of their mission and the pounding they

Sofia just watches in silence for the moment, observing Tara and her efforts to retrieve her hat. She winces as the ripping sound fills the air and she gives a small, knowing smile. "And then there's the downside of having a young pet as a companion. You need to prepare yourself for lots sof destroyed clothing, chewed chairs and torn sofas." She hums softly and makes a soft clicking sound with her tongue to try and catch

Tara frowns a little, looking unsure what to do, but as Sofia tries to draw Zoe's attention with unfamiliar means she lowers her hands and watches.

Zoe 's ears twitch up, and the preoccupied animal actually looks up, chewed up white ball still in its mouth while the rest of the hat is left behind on the floor as it studies Sofia curiously with four big eyes. It hesitantly, perhaps a bit suspiciously, approaches Sofia.

Leah shoots a big, bright smile in response to Naathan's sarcasm. But his question causes her smile to quickly slip away. It's been less than two weeks since they've returned and, while most of the bumps and bruises have healed, her body is still dealing with some post-firefight aches. But nothing comparable to what Mendez has been through. She draws in a deep breath, doing her best not to prop her smile back up and not let

Nathan watches the smile slip and a part of him mentally scolds himself for brining it up. But he also hasn't seen Mendez for two weeks and he hadn't asked much about him either. He rolls his shoulders as she speaks and a small smile creeps onto his face at the latter. He leans over and gives her leg a small nudge. "I'm sure he appreciated having your snark around.

Nathan watches the smile slip and a part of him mentally scolds himself for brining it up. But he also hasn't seen Mendez for two weeks and he hadn't asked much about him either. He rolls his shoulders as she speaks and a small smile creeps onto his face at the latter. He leans over and gives her leg a small nudge. "I'm sure he appreciated having your snark around." He pauses for a second before he adds quietly. "Don't be

Sofia makes a soft, cooing sound, gently urging the curious creature towards her. When she's close enough, she carefully and slowly turns her fingers around to Zoe and, should the curious creature be satisfied and assured, gingerly stroke her knuckles against her fur. "There, there," she murmurs to her. "It's alright. You're just full of energy, aren't you?"

Zoe cautiously presses closer to the floor when Sofia's hand moves, ears shifting back and a nervous noise sounding, but the gzzk soon settles down as her knuckles brush against its fur, and it's not long before its rubbing its head against the back of her hand.

Tara smiles a little at the interaction, remaining silent as her gaze shifts between Zoe and Sofia, not wanting to interrupt.

Leah's smile seems to firm at Nathan's reassurances. "I think I can do that." she says simply. "But you miiiight want to pace yourself with the drink." she warns. "You've got to last another six hours." she informs without much context, perhaps not entirely aware that the tradition isn't entirely ubiquitous.

Nathan smirks and opens his mouth to enquire further, however, the sound of a shuttle's engines draws his attention away. "Well, speak of the devil and he shall appear." He grunts and heaves himself upright, spinning on the spot and extending a hand out to Leah. "C'mon. I need someone to stand between me and him. Mostly because I'm pretty sure he'll probably prefer to see you first than me."

Sofia 's smile grows, the soft fur against her skin causing a quiet giggle to escape her. She brushes the knuckles against Zoe, before she carefully attempts to run her fingers across the creature, stealing a quick glance Tara's way. "Sometimes," she says softly, "all they want is a little bit of attention. Try and teach her that toys are for playing and hats aren't for eating."

Leah perks up at the sound of the shuttle arriving, green eyes darting towards the front door. Grabbing Nathan's hand, she gracefully pulls herself up and onto her feet but his comment garners a furrow of her brow, confused expression accompanying her bright smile. "What are you talking about? Mendez likes you!" she insists.

Francois is most certainly not doing his best to strain against the Christmas music to eavesdrop. Nope. Not at all. Just keeping an eye on the bird in the oven.

Zoe 's blue fur is soft and vibrant after the bath the gzzk got. It does indeed seem to like the attention, a soft rumbling sound not unlike a purr sounding as it moves closer to Sofia. It rests its head against her and drops the pom onto her skirt. It's chewed up and a bit slobbery, but... it's the thought that counts?

Tara briefly glances towards the window as she hears the shuttle land, but soon looks back and nods as Sofia speaks, clearly taking this seriously even if she's not quite sure how to accomplish it. Zoe letting the pom go makes her smile, before suddenly looking to Sofia as if worried that she might be upset.

Nathan goes to turn her around in the direction of the door and he mutters into her ear, leaning down to do so. "Yeah, but I got that big brother vibe of him and he scares me a little bit." It's not easy to tell whether he is joking or not, but he quickly pecks a kiss against her cheek and pats her on the shoulder. "Plus it IS your house. A little weird if I'm the first person to greet him, right?"

Sofia looks down at her lap as the slobbery pom drops onto her skirt. She makes a small, soft noise of disapproval and gently says, "Now Zoe, this was a nice skirt." However, the smile on her face betrays her real emotions about the pom and, instead, she gives the gzzk a lot more fuss now, probing to find that sweet spot that all animals have. That spot where they really enjoy a good scritch.

Zoe rolls its head against Sofia's knee in response to the renewed petting, and soon jumps into her lap, the floofy blue tail brushing against her face before wrapping around itself as the little critter tries to settle in. The gzzk is thankfully distracted from the noise of the shuttle landing by all the attention its being lavished with.

Tara relaxes as it becomes clear that Sofia isn't mad, the smile returning. She doesn't want to interrupt, so she settles for watching, feeling the need to look after Zoe and make sure the gzzk seems okay. As Leah and Nathan go to open the door her eyebrows furrow a little, however, and she tries to seek out Sofia's gaze. She opens her mouth to speak and then closes it again, frown deepening as she hesitates. Soon, however, Zoe's safety

Leah snickers softly as Nathan voices his thoughts on Mendez. She gives him a playful nudge with her shoulder when he presses the kiss against her cheek. She bites back on the goofy smile it threatens to tease out, causing the dimples in her cheeks to stand out more prominently. Date night certainly helped, but it's gonna take a little bit more time before open displays of affection like that stop feeling awkward to her. "He's

snorts a small laugh as he's shouldered, leaning back with open palmed hands in mock surrender. "Big ol' teddy bear who could probably bench press me for shits and giggles," he counters, but its clear by this point he's just hamming it up for effect. He follows after her. Seeing Tara and his sister in the middle of fussing the strange little creature, he beams a smile to both of them and waves, glad to see that the pair are getting

Sofia has to stop herself from squealing out of delight as Zoe has deemed her worthy of her attention. She giggles as the tail brushes her face, turning her face upwards to stop the fur from getting into her mouth. "Zoe," she playfully scolds, looking down at the gzzk and continuing to fuss the creature. This could be her Christmas present for all she cares. She looks up to Tara and gives her a reassuring nod. "Don't

Tara 's unease softens and she smiles a little, looking over towards Leah and nodding in confirmation that they've got it covered.

Leah chuckles to herself as she watches Tara and Sofia. The muffled thud of boots against the porch stairs can be heard outside. "That's kind of his thing." she shrugs. "He makes grumpy faces and lifts things." Yep. That about sums him up. She scrunches up her nose in mock confusion as she shoots a glance to Nathan and adds in a stage whisper, "And he's reeeeally sensitive about the fact that I can lift more than he can." A fact

Mendez was a couple steps from the door when it opens before him. He's wearing a tight-fit beanie and a large, thick, black winter jacket. His jacket is left open and only his right arm is in its sleeve while his left is draped across his chest, cradled in a sling. As is the age old tradition, his cast has been signed. Beneath his jacket is a well fitting long sleeved grey thermal sweater to go with his black slacks and steel toed

Zoe stirs a bit with the opening of the door, but thanks to the steady supply of scratches the gzzk seems to be quite pleased to remain in place, neck stretching and head turning in response to Sofia's attention, the white-tipped tail unfurling again and swooshing around.

Nathan has to pause in his movement as she mentions that. "Holy crap you can," he says. He seems to forgeet he's dating a woman who is completely capable of tossing him across the entirety of Freedom Falls with a flick of her hand. The thought causes him to look down at her small form and rethink perhaps teasing her too much. That entire thought process is completely wiped out by the next thought of 'It would be totally

Sofia looks towards the door as it slides open, making sure that the gzzk is too focused on recieving all the love and fuss to even warrant thinking of escaping. And she is successful. Score! She just smiles happily, giggling softly as the tail swooshes around.

Tara 's smile remains as she watches Sofia and Zoe, but the opening of the door soon draws her attention, although she remains where she is on the floor.

Jasper gives a brief dip of his head, unsure at first how to respond. They still haven't quite cleared the air. But, drawing in a deep breath, he gives a few nods as he adjusts the beat up old cap on his head. The bottom line is that, despite whatever frustrations he may have with the merry band of morons who raced off to damn near get themselves killed, he just isn't the sort to hold on to a grudge so tightly. "Merry Christmas, Ten!" he

Leah's greeting is far more enthusiastic than Mendez'. "Joyeux Noël~!" she offers in a sing-songy tone, rising up on her tippy toes with an energetic flourish as she spots Mendez. Jasper's exchange with Nathan causes her to toss a wave his way as well. "Merry Christmas, Jasper!" she calls out before the old man has a chance to disappear back into the shuttle. But the cold is beginning to work its way inside and she tosses one arm

Mendez quickens his pace at Leah's urging, giving a brief tap of his boots against the outside of the doorframe to clear whatever snow from them that he can before stepping inside. "Yeah?" he asks, not sounding all that interested. Once the door is closed behind him, he sets his bag aside and gets to work on removing his boots. Thankfully it's a task that's not hindered too much by being unable to use one hand.

Tara offers Mendez a small wave and and even smaller - but genuine - smile from her spot by the tree once he's stepped inside.

Nathan grins as Jasper returns the greeting, keep his relief internal. He'll give the man a proper apology after Christmas, after everyone has had some time to relax and unwind. He owned him that, for sure. He makes room for the large man to step inside, smirking at Mendez as he shrugs a single shoulder. "Nothing bad, don't worry. Just at how you're really good at lifting things." He stifles a chuckle, stealing a glance

Sofia looks up from Zoe and smiles across to Mendez as he enters, keeping one hand on the fussing creature whilst the other offers the large man a wave. She inches a little closer to Tara, carefully extracting the pom from her skirt and setting it down on the ground, making sure not to disturb Zoe too much. "Have you figured out what kind of treats she enjoys, yet?"

Leah has no intention of allowing Nathan to keep that stowed away for later. It's just too much fun to flaunt it. "And how I'm better~" she adds with a coy shrug, as if she's totally not bragging. "Which is really strange considering you're always pointing out how short I am~ And-..."

Mendez offers a nod of his head Sofia's way as he sets his boots aside. The mythical Mendez smile begins to make an appearance as he glances Tara's way, and he's just about to speak up when Leah roundhouses the smile off his face before it can even fully manifest, causing him to stand up straight. He cuts Leah a lot of slack. She can annoy him. Tease and poke fun at him. He's rubber to her insults. But you don't belittle someone's

Zoe makes a displeased little noise as Sofia shifts, but soon settles back down into a comfortable, relaxing ball of ocean blue fur.

Tara reaches over to grab the pom, and her now sad, torn up hat, placing both out of Zoe's reach before looking to Sofia and offering a small nod. "I... I think so." she confirms. "Berries." she says, not really clarifying what sort. Maybe because she's not quite sure herself. "From the market. But they're... messy."

Nathan watches the carnage unfold, shoving a hand into his pocket and merely watching with an upturned grin on his face. He will claim full responsibility for this because, no matter how much he tries to deny it, this is hilarious. However, when the attention is focused on him, he blinks in confusion. "Wait, what? Nicknames?" He asks, turning his focus back to Leah with a curious expression on his face. "Leaaaah? What's

Sofia mutters out an apology in her mother-tongue to the ball of cuteness and instead gives a curious look to Tara. "Berries? Hmm. I can see that. She reminds me of a fox from Earth and they tend to enjoy berries too. They're not fussy eaters. If you want to try and reduce the mess, it might be worth giving her a small eating area with paper towels around the bowl. At least it'll be easier to clean up that way. As for the

Leah's green eyes turn to saucers, the color instantly draining from her face. "Nothing!" she shouts, a bout of panicked laughter slipping out, but when it looks like Mendez might spill the beans, she's quick to reach out to try and clasp a hand over his mouth. The combination of him leaning away and the height discrepency forces her to stand on her tiptoes to ger her hand to his face.

Mendez shifts his head from side to side to try and avoid the much-smaller woman's hand. "What? I'm not supposed to talk about this? I don't understand. What's wrong?" he asks, words occasionally muffled by the hand against his mouth.

Leah lets out a high pitched whine, "If you say one more word I am going to kick your fucking ass!" she threatens, a shade of red beginning to slip into her cheeks.

Francois re-emerges from the kitchen. Towel in-hand, he wipes at his fingers before laying it across his shoulder. "Language!" he exclaims through his own grin at the pair's bickering, "And there's no ass-kicking on Christmas!" His arrival seems to slow Leah and Mendez' to a stop. "You're late, Thiago." he says matter-of-factly.

Leah reluctantly removes her hand from Mendez' face, but makes sure to shoot him one last death glare. A silent, 'Don't you dare.' She hazards a brief, crimson-cheeked glance Nathan's way.

Tara nods along with Sofia's advice, listening respectfully. The final comment causes a small smile to tug at the corner of her mouth. "It's okay... I clean her up." she says quietly, attention turning to the small gathering at the door, and then to Francois as he appears, observing the exchange curiously.

Nathan takes a step back from the sudden altercation, his perked eyebrow now matched by the other one shooting straight up. He leans back to avoid the tussle, the flailing of panicked limbs causing a confused laugh to escape him. He shoots a glance towards Francois as he scolds his daughter. He offers a weak wave before looking back to the pair, no closer to an answer. However, Leah's red faced expression stokes his

Sofia smiles alongside Tara, giving her an approving nod. "I figured as much," she says, stroking the soft blue fur to emphasise her words. However, any further chatting is interrupted by the exchange at the door which also perks Sofia's curiousity. She shuffles carefully to warrant a better viewe, ending up besides Tara as he head tilts quizzically at the flailing Leah attacking Mendez. Naturally, however, she assumes

Mendez cocks an amused eyebrow Leah's way, well aware he has some good leveraging material. "Yeah, well-..." he mutters as Francois approaches, turning his attention to the older man, "...takes a little longer to put on shirts these days, Frank." He gives a small, gentle rotation of his left shoulder for emphasis. The pain meds, thankfully, keep the sensation to a dull tenderness.

Francois' gaze turns to the cast on his arm and lets out a whistle. "Did you finally manage to run into something as big and stubborn as yourself?" he asks, not really expecting an actual explanation. That's the unspoken understanding. He doesn't pry and Leah can maintain the comfort that comes with that separation between work and home. It doesn't make him worry. He knows all too well that the work his daughter does is

Mendez gives a small dip of his head in response. "That's one way to put it." he offers in an expected non-answer. He extends his good arm out to the side, movements careful and slightly rigid as he meets the older man for a brief half hug, having to lean down to do so. "Merry Christmas, Frank." he offers simply, giving the man a pat on the back before pulling away. As usual, there's not much emotion in his words, but it's easy to

Francois returns the gesture without hesitation. "Joyeux Noël." he offers in turn. His gaze shifts to Leah and Nathan, bouncing off of the latter and back to Mendez as he gives a small nod of his head towards the kitchen. "Do you mind giving me a hand with the bird?" he asks, a not-too-subtle attempt at giving his daughter and Nathan a little space.

Leah's cheeks remain a shade of red, even as the conversation shifts away from her. Her arms fold across her chest and she scrunches up her nose, frown taking hold as she hazards a look Nathan's way. 'I have no idea what he was talking about.' she mouths to Nate with a few animated shakes of her head and an accompanying shrug.

Zoe once again complains a little as its relaxation is disturbed, slipping out of Sofia's grasp like it's liquid, its tail swooshing against her one last time before the gzzk runs off to study Mendez - from a safe distance. Seems the mountain of a man has the small creature a bit intimidated, and it takes cover behind the piece of wall that stands between the living room and dining room, looking around the corner curiously.

Tara lets out a quiet noise when Zoe slips away, fighting the urge to follow and keep an eye on the gzzk. Instead she gathers up the remains of her hat and looks to Sofia, a frown taking shape as her gaze falls briefly to her skirt. There's not really much of a visible stain, but she still seems concerned, tilting her head respectfully. "I'm sorry. It's... not her fault. She's... still learning."

Nathan continues to watch in silence, hand shoved in pocket and bemused curiousity still evident on his face. However, Francois' quick glance and subtle attempt at drawing Mendez away is met with a faint smile and an almsot imperceptable shrug of his shoulder. Leah's silent mouthing causes his bemused expression to turn to flat out amusement and a look that practically screams he knows she's lying. However, for the

Sofia watches Zoe scurry away, stifling a small laugh into the back of her hand. She looks across to Tara and has a brief moment of confusion before she follows her gaze to the skirt. "Oh, this? Please, don't worry about it. I'm not bothered." She stands up now, brushing down her skirt as before and offering a small shrug to Tara. "She's just a young... gzzkt. It'll happen."

Mendez gives a few nods to Francois who starts back towards the kitchen. "Yeah, just let me-..." he starts before hearing Nathan. He casts a glance back his way and gives a shake of his head. "I got it." he says simply before recollecting the bag of presents. He needs to give Tara a proper greeting anyway. He takes a few steps away before shooting another glance Nathan's way. "We'll talk later." he says, though he makes sure to

Leah draws a frustrated breath in through her nose at Mendez' taunting, nearly crumbling under the weight of embarrassment. Once he's a few steps away she lets out a deep sigh. "Just a big ol' asshole teddy bear." she grumbles, seemingly deciding that her earlier assessment of him required an extra adjective.

Tara seems to relax at Sofia's reaction, the corner of her mouth tugging upward a bit. As Mendez starts to approach her attention turns to him and she gets on her feet - leaving her still looking up by a considerable margin. She offers a respectful tilt of her head, hands folded in front of her.

Zoe soon returns to Tara's side as Mendez starts to make his way over, making its way behind her and Sofia before appearing between them, eyeing the large, unfamiliar man suspiciously with all its dark eyes and going low to the ground, ears folding back and tail sweeping back and forth across the floor behind it. "Chau! Chau!"