#Leah'sHouse – October 4, 2020

Leah has claimed the seat at the end opposite of her father and is already getting to work on piling food onto her plate, building a truly impressive salad to start with. Though she has not neglected the gingerbread cookies either. Sure, maybe they're supposed to be for dessert, but if you put cookies out she's gonna eat 'em. That's all there is to it. Her Christmas hat is right back on her head, fluffy white pom bouncing

Nathan has, predictably, claimed the seat next to Leah by scooping up the plate there. He follows to the kitchen and he eyes the substantial array of foodstuffs there. A small, appreciative smile adorns his face at the inclusion of the sausages. A brief moment of wistful melancholy settles over him as his thoughts drift to home. A brief moment of guilt settles over him as he is reminded that he is missing yet another

Sofia has taken the plate next to her brother and she stands in the archway to the kitchen, eyeing up the bountious supply of food. She inhales deeply and her eyes seemingly sparkle at the aroma. She turns towards Francois and beams brightly at him. "Oh, this looks delicious, Mr. Mercier! Thank you." She bows her head to him, before she slips into the kitchen behind Leah and Nathan. She waits patiently for Leah to move on

Tara has taken one of the seats next to Leah, but she's just hovering out of the way in the kitchen at the moment, empty plate against her chest as she waits for the others to claim their first rounds of food. She's still hatless after her Christmas hat met a tragic end at the hands of a certain mischievous gzzk.

Zoe has sadly had to leave its perch atop Mendez after taking a bit too much of an interest in the Christmas food. Now, however, with everyone busy grabbing dinner, the young gzzk is prowling back into the kitchen.

Leah continues to pile an almost comical amount of salad onto her plate, the trio of gingerbread cookies that line the edge of the plate barely peeking out from beneath the leafy greens that eventually cover them. She idly rocks to one side as she's bumped, counterattacking Nathan with a playful little nudge in his side with an elbow, big smile plastered on her face as she glances his way. She slides her plate to the side to try

Francois waits patiently at the table, Sofia's compliment garnering a small smile. "Merci, merci. But I can't take all of the credit." he admits. "Tara assisted with everything. I don't think I would have been able to pull this off without her help." he says, shooting a proud glance Tara's way.

Nathan smiles back to her, now having stockpiled his plate with a generous mixture of the foods available. He turns and starts to march his way back towards his spot at the table, mind already thinking about devouring the food before him. He catches Francois' words and looks to Tara back in the kitchen, giving her an appreciative smile and nod. "Well, thanks to the both of you then. This is going to be a treat." He plants

Sofia gives Leah a grateful look as she makes room, also turning her attention to Tara when Francois credits her too. "Then thank you too, Tara. This looks smells and looks wonderful," she says as he begins to add the salad to her plate. Her eyes, however, are naturally stolen by the stalking gzzkk that has snuck her way back into the kitchen. It takes all her willpower to not scoop up Zoe and fuss her more.

Tara blinks at the sudden praise, posture straightening a little as she looks towards Francois and then the Tennhausens, seeming unsure how to respond. A smile starts to tug at the corners of her mouth, but she's quick to suppress it, a faint blush accompanying the deferential tilt of her head as her gaze falls to the floor.

Zoe slips between Tara's legs and around Sofia, tail swooshing as it sneaks further into the kitchen, sniffing curiously at the counters.

Leah finishes by topping her salad with some dressing. For now, Zoe's sneaking goes unnoticed. Sofia isn't forced to wait very long for Leah's assessment of her cookies, as she seems to have no plans of waiting until she gets back to the table before trying them. She doesn't disturb the three already on her plate. Those are for eating back at the table! Instead, she grabs a new one and brings it to her lips. The pleased sound that

Francois allows a loud snort to slip out. "Ah, yes. Of course. Leah played an important role in assuring us that the food was, in fact, edible." he acknowledges with a glance around the table to those who are back seated, which gets a snicker out of Mendez who is no stranger to her appetite.

Nathan stifles a snort alongside Mendez, merely offering a cheeky grin at her. "Ah, so a traditional Leah way of helping out. Sounds pretty on brand," he muses.

Sofia giggles softly at Tara's blush, piling on the salad and stealing a cookie herself after Leah's pleased noise at the cookie's flavour. "I think it's only fair that you enjoy the food too. Here." Sofia offers a cookie out to Tara, bright smile on her face. "I think you'll enjoy this!"

Tara hasn't quite recovered yet, but the offered cookie soon draws her attention. She hesitates briefly before accepting it. "Thank you." she says with another head-tilt. She looks it over briefly before taking a curious bite. Her eyebrows furrow slightly in concentration as she takes in the new flavor. She seems about to say something when she spots Zoe looking conspicuously at the Christmas food. She hastily sets her plate aside and

Leah is quick to turn back towards the table once she's past her father and out of his line of sight to offer Nathan a big, bright smile that's dripping with insincerity juxtaposed against the double bird she shoots him.

Francois' shoulders rise and fall as a snicker of his own escapes. "You know my daughter well." he says. For all of the digs and teasing he suffers from Leah, it's nice to be able to pile it back on once in a while. "I would recommend you eat quickly if you're expecting a second helping." he continues, shooting a curious glance towards the mountain of salad Leah dropped off at the table, "Because I'm not sure how much will be

Mendez shoots a glance Leah's way, restrained smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Leah rolls her eyes as she turns back to the task at hand, offering a dry, unamused, "Ha. Ha. Ha. You're all hilarious~" as she does. But as she spots Zoe, she's quick to beeline for the sneaky critter that's whisked up into Tara's arms. "I see you!" she says, her voice taking on that disgustingly cheerful, over-the-top tone it tends to when one speaks to animals or babies. "Is someone trying to steal food?!" she asks as she

Nathan takes the double bird in stride, offering no further reaction to it beyond the same, insincere smile that she offered him. He turns his attention back to Francois as he speaks, letting out a gentle laugh. "I'll keep it in mind. I'd say the same, if any of you want a chance at the cookies. Pretty sure she's got four already." He flicks his gaze towards the kitchen when the sound of cheerfulness reaches his ears.

Sofia watches Tara with an expentant look, unable to hide the anticipation of Tara's review. Her hopes are dashed when Tara races off to ensure that Zoe has something to eat. Her smile persists, however, and it only grows more when she sees Leah fuss the creature. So, Sofia takes her plate and makes her way back to table, taking her seat next to her brother and offering a bright smile toward the other occupants.

Tara smiles a little to herself as Zoe starts to gnaw on the fruit, trying and failing to fit the whole thing in its jaws at first. Content that Zoe is both distracted and not going hungry, she makes her way back to the kitchen to retrieve her plate, starting to collect food now that the others are out of the way. She picks up a little bit of everything, meaning that her plate ends up quite full - maybe she's not quite sure whether

Leah's voice chirps up from the kitchen over the sound of the Christmas music, only partially in view from Nathan's position: "We've got orange juice, soda, beer, or-... uhh-..." she trails off for a moment and some gentle clanking rings out. "...we've got some... wine, too." she offers, very obviously reading over the unfamiliar bottle that her father picked up. "What should I get for you guys?" she asks. When Tara rejoins her in

Mendez is biding his time, not wanting to be the first to dig in before everyone else has been seated. His plate mostly consists of a small side salad, a slice of bread, and a whole lot of meat. As he and Francois already have drinks, neither of them respond to Leah.

Francois has started with a bowl of soup and some bread to sop it up but he, too, seems to be waiting for everyone to be seated. Nathan's comment causes another short snicker to escape him that devolves into a low, but fond, sigh.

Nathan leans to the side a little to afford himself a better view of Leah, raising a hand and saying, "Oh, a beer, thanks!" He returns to his original position and looks across to Francois, smiling as he inclines his head towards the food. "Have to ask, because my curiousity is getting the better of me. What's the bird? Something native to Aite or more exotic?"

Sofia perks up at the offer of drinks, looking over towards the kitchen entry-way. "Oh, wine, if that's okay!" She leans back into her chair and looks at Mendez's plate. Her eyes widen slightly at the rather atrociously large pile of meat upon it. She's pretty sure that she wouldn't even be able to get through half that.

Tara looks down at her plate when Leah addresses her, looking a little awkward. "Is it... too much?" she asks with a hint of worry, eyebrows furrowing.

Leah nods to herself as the pair give their requests, setting the bottle of wine out on the counter which is soon joined by a pair of beers. Tara's question causes her to furrow her brow, curious smile shaping her features. "No, of course not, sweetheart. You can take as much as you want, you know that." she offers. She rises up onto her tippy toes to collect a wine glass from one of the cabinets that happens to be a little too

Francois' gaze tilts towards the pile of meat atop Mendez' plate as well at Nathan's question before meeting the man's gaze. "It's tunga." he says, putting a bit more of a French twist onto the name than the natives would. "Local bird. A little gamier than turkey, but not bad." he explains, implying this isn't the first time he's had it. "We tried to get a real turkey but-..." he gives a sheepish shrug, "...perhaps we waited a

Mendez sits back in his seat, gaze slowly turning from his mound of food to the woman eyeballing it. He sniffs at the air. "Protein." he explains simply.

Tara relaxes a little when Leah assures her that her crowded plate isn't a problem. The question causes her to blink in surprise, gaze drawn to the glass. The playful addition causes her cheeks to color a bit again, gaze falling breifly, but after a moment's consideration she looks back up at Leah and nods.

Nathan tilts his head and lets the word roll off his tongue. "Tunga. Huh. Might have to search that up. Because, heh, these are some big birds." He then gives a casual shrug to Francois, a reassuring smile on his face. "Eh, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Honestly, getting turkey out here is probably an adventure in of itself. Just call it an Aite Christmas Dinner. Hey, could even make it a new trend. Get it back to

Sofia blinks as Mendez speaks, a hint of crimson creeping into her cheeks at being caught staring so openly. "I see," she says, offering him a smile in response. "You probably need a lot of that," she says, glancing at the one unslung arm. "It was hard not to hear you and Leah at the front door."

Leah gives a sharp nod of her own in turn and once more reaches back into the cabinet to get a second glass for Tara and, after a quick scavenger hunt through a drawer for a bottle opened for the beers, she gets to work pouring. It's a light wine. Transparent with an almost amber shade to it. "If you don't like it, don't forget we have soda in the fridge!" she reminds, perhaps not wanting Tara to think she has any obligation to

Francois gives another snicker to Nathan's comment, "When I'm rich, I'll make sure to slide a few credits your way." he says, relaxing a bit as Nathan's easy-going nature makes what he had expected to be an awkward occasion- especially given their first meeting- slightly less so. "I can't guarantee that it will live up to the food back home, but we make due with what we have." he continues, that kind, fatherly smile of his

Mendez shifts in his seat, offering a small, careful roll of his injured shoulder in response. "Not so much these days." he say, his regular workout routine having screeched to a total halt until he's given the all clear by Halisi.

Tara nods again, shifting her plate into one hand so that she can grab the glass before trailing Leah into the dining room.

Nathan chuckles and gestures to Francois. "I'll hold you that! Verbal contract." As Francois continues, he offers an affirming nod. "Ja, Hamburg specifically. It's been a fair few years since I've properly been home, though. Most of my time has been spent out in the Terminus before I finally settled in one spot. Normally I wouldn't spend more than a few weeks on a planet before moving onto the next. So, uh, this is

Sofia looks to his wounded arm and gives him a sympathetic look. "Hopefully you can get back to it soon," she says, her signature bright smile once more upon her face. "I know what it's like, being stuck like that. But when you can get back to it, you get back to it with twice the fervor."

Leah makes her way to Sofia first, setting the glass of clear, amber wine down beside her plate, offering a quiet, "Here ya go." She silently places Nathan's beer down in front of him, not wanting to interrupt his chat with her father. Thankfully she seems to have spared him the wrath of the engine degreaser Jasper calls booze and went with a bottle of 'Dor'thok Ale' for both herself and Nathan. If the name doesn't give away the

Francois gives a few quick nods, smile briefly widening. "I'm a man of my word!" he's quick to assure. His gaze briefly slips back to Leah as she returns to the table. "Well, we're glad that the two of you could be here with us." he says politely. There's a brief pause as he considers Nathan's words. Years since he's been home. Lots of time spent in the Terminus. Hopping from planet to planet. Now works for a Terminus PMC. Not

Mendez gives a small shrug of his shoulder. "That's the plan." he offers simply. While he might not be the most talkative of people, there's no sense of annoyance. Short and curt is just his way.

Tara takes the free seat on the other side of Leah from Nathan, carefully placing her glass and plate down before slipping into the seat. She makes no move to start eating, waiting in polite silence as she listens to the others talk.