Nathan maintains his laser focus on his task, making his way towards the fridge to locate the milk. "Well, I mean... pfft, no... well, maybe- yeah." He returns back to the counter (should he be victorious in his acquisition of milk) and it seems she's quite successful in her effort to fluster him more. Luckily for him, his cheeks are still rosy from the snowball fight prior, at least sparing him further from her unrivaled
#Leah'sHouse – November 9, 2020
cruelty. "I just think that, maybe, we could find a nice r-restaurant or something. Y'know... a proper date. Not that our last one wasn't a proper one! Just-... with... candles and... stuff." Excellent delivery.
Sofia turns her gaze back to Francois, shaking his head. "No, I never really left Earth until recently. My studies kept me rooted there. But I've heard such wonderful things about the Citadel! All the races of the galaxy converging in one place, different cultures, arts." For a moment, it seems Sofia gets lost in the fantasy of it all, her mind racing with romanticised versions of what life is like on the Citadel. "It
Leah sucks in her lips in a failed attempt at masking the goofy smile on her face. "Mmhmm. Mmhmm." she hums in that same teasing tone as Nathan returns from retrieving the milk. "A proper date. With candles and... stuff." she repeats as if to make sure she's got it right, the smile that's fighting to get out heard in her voice. A bit of redness has creeped into her cheeks as well, masked just as generously by her own chilled
Francois listens as Sofia speaks, a soft smile crossing his face. "It's... something." he agrees, his own enthusiasm a bit more tempered than hers, but genuine none-the-less. "I was there not too long ago, actually." he says with a glance her way before promptly correcting himself, "Just-... for a few days." A stopgap during his trip after Leah put him on a freighter and sent him on his way. "But-..." he sighs, "...a lot has
changed since the geth attack." he says, confirming that he's been there previously as well. "Still a wonderful place to visit!" he clarifies, as if not wanting to give Sofia an unintended negative impression.
Tara voices no thoughts on the Citadel, remaining silent, attention split between the broadcast and the conversation. On the TV, the reporter is talking about the history of human holiday celebrations on the Citadel, and a montage of various Christmas-celebrating Citadel residents talking about what the holiday means to them soon follows.
Nathan measures out the milk, enough for everybody who wants a hot drink and starts to heat it up using whatever he can find to hand. Which, isn't hard given he's quite literally in a kitchen. But for some reason, his mind is beginning to get distracted and focus is starting to crack. "Yeah, stuff! You know! Wine and... and fancy food with... uh, fuck I don't know, a flower in a glass or something-... why are you making
that face? I know that face, I've SEEN that face!" Finally he draws the courage to look at her, only to wag an accusatory finger beneath her nose as if she's the reason for all this strife that he's currently experiencing.
Sofia sighs wistfully, resting her head on a closed fist as she watches the TV. Francois' words seem to strike the right cord and she smiles. Although the somber mention of the Geth attack seems to latch her interest first. "I saw the news," she says softly. "It was awful. We were so frightened." She pauses, before realising that she should probably clarify why an event so far from Earth terrified her so. "My sisters...
are a part of the First Fleet. Marines aboard SSV Zephyr. They-... it was...". She trails, mentally scolding herself for bringing down the mood. "They're fine," she settles on, trying to disarm the conversation with one of her smiles, but it's clear that she had delved down a rabbit hole she wasn't comfortable visiting.
Leah's restrained smile continues to slip out the more Nathan rambles, culminating in a snicker and a defensive shrug of her shoulders. "What?!" she asks through the ear-to-ear grin that has now manifested, leaning further back against the palms of her hands to avoid his finger wag, "I'm not-...! This face?!" she asks as she lifts one hand and points to herself, having to lean to her side a little to avoid tipping over. She does
her best to wrangle in her smile, but doesn't have much luck. "This is just my face!" She gives his thigh a defiant poke with her foot.
Francois draws in a breath, offering a small nod of understanding. "I think we were all on pins and needles." he agrees. You didn't need to be there to know how big the implications of an attack on the Citadel was. The whole galaxy watched from their living rooms, holding their breath. "I'm glad to hear that they're okay." he offers, sincerity despite practically being a stranger. "I am... all too familiar with the stress and
worries that come from having a loved one that serves in the military." he says. It's said with a snicker and a playfully exasperated tone. But there's some undeniable, heavy truth there. His daughter has spent a good portion of her life on the front lines. Even now he gets that knot in his stomach every time she leaves for an extended job.
Tara 's attention is drawn more towards Sofia and Francois' conversation, eyebrows furrowing slightly as she listens curiously. She'd never heard of the Battle of the Citadel before coming to live with Leah and her father - it was hard to get news of the wider galaxy for Hegemony citizens, let alone slaves. Even since it had all consisted of vague references in news reports relating to the rebuilding, and post-attack vids influenced by
what happened. Not particularly eager to interrupt and voice her ignorance she remains silent, although the obvious hit to Sofia's mood draws a concerned look.
Nathan scoffs and gives her foot a playful swipe to deter it away from his thigh. "You know what you're doing," he states with a grin. "You have this look. You suck in your lips and get this-" He starts waving his hands in front of his own face, as if he's articulating his point. "-shit-eating grin on your face. That one!" He turns back to keep an eye on the milk, breathing out a sharp chuckle.
Sofia smiles softly at Francois, grateful for his understanding and acceptance of her feelings, despite her poor attempt at hiding them. She looks back to the TV, catching Tara's look. Once more, she gives her attempt at a disarming smile to try and ease her concern. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring the festivities down," she offers. "Tell me more about the Citadel, Mr. Mercier? I've heard that the Presidium is a must see!"
Leah gives a feigned look of shock, as if she has no idea what he's talking about. "This one?!" she exclaims in faux surprise. "Here! Here! Here!" she offers through poorly restrained snickers, sitting up a bit straighter so she's not balancing on the palm of her hand. She crosses her ankles and brings one hand up, waving it over her face as if it's a magic wand that will fix the issue. She does her damndest to wrestle her lips
into a straight, thin line as her hand passes over her mouth, but the dumb smile underneath just causes the dimples in her cheeks to grow more prominent. "See?" she asks, "There's no face!"
Francois gives a dismissive wave of his hand. "No harm done." he assures, smile still present. He addresses her question with a deep breath, suddenly feeling woefully underqualified to answer. He's far from a seasoned, cultured traveler. Most of his life has been spent on Earth, whisked to wherever Leah's education took them. And his time on the Citadel was as a wide-eyed tourist. Far-too-expensive family vacations at the
insistence of Leah. The kind that they could have never afforded were it not for her career. "It's-..." he nods a few times, another snicker slipping out, "...a sight." His tone implies that he's well aware that's an understatement, he just lacks the words to properly convey just how much of a spectacle it is. "There's always something to do. Something to see. It can be-... overwhelming. After-..." he begins but very
quickly catches himself from going down that road. From mentioning his wife. The only evidence that his thoughts touched on it is the smallest waver of his smile, gaze dipping to his lap as he reaches up to scratch at his neck, "...umm-... we briefly considered moving there, actually." he says, skipping right past the catalyst. "Leah's idea." he snickers. Her career was dangerous, but it was also well paying. And she
wanted the best for her father. He spares Sofia the long discussions- and arguments- by merely giving the arm of his old chair a few loving pats and boiling it all down to a single sentence, "But I think Freedom Falls is much more my speed."
Tara 's attention is entirely on Francois as he talks, the TV forgotten as it goes back to the reporter for a layman's explanation of the technology behind the temporary, holiday-themed changes to the Presidium. She listens with genuine curiosity, still idly petting Zoe, who's blue head sticks out of the blanket-cocoon that has encased them both.
Nathan looks towards her at her insistence, big smile plastered on his face as he's unable to suppress the absurdity of their interaction. Is it absurdity? No, that's not right. He can't quite place a word to it, but whatever it is, he can't help but smile. "Oh, that's such a wonderful attempt, truly you gave that your all," he drawls. "I can see that big. Dumb. Grin." He punctuates each point by attempting to bop the end
of her nose with each word. He turns back to the milk and, once it has suitably warmed, he pours it into each mug and stirs.
Sofia isn't much different to Tara at the moment, her attention soley on Francois. Storyteller he may not be, but he's clearly doing something right to hold the attention of both of the young women present. She listens earnestly, a small giggle escaping her at his latter statement. "I think Freedom Falls has its charms that the Citadel doesn't have," she says in agreement with him. She motions to the front door, where all
their winter clothes sit or hang. "Like the weather outside. Simulations aren't the same, no matter how realistic it may seem." She sits back, folding her hands on her lap. "And you seem happy here. If-if you don't mind me saying, of course." She offers a gentle shrug. "All of you."
Leah isn't even able to maintain that poor attempt for long, big grin slipping right back out the moment Nathan calls attention to it. The boops cause her to playfully scrunch her nose up in distaste. When he turns his attention back to his task, she falls into silence as she watches. Her gleeful smile gradually turns to something more fond and she eventually gives a small shrug of her shoulders, realizing she never actually
answered. "But-.. I'd-... umm-... I'd like that." she offers softly, with a sincerity previously lacking.
Francois gives a nod to Sofia's words, her final statement causing his smile to grow a bit more genuine. "We are." he assures her. And, for all of the hard times, it's true. They may have given up the possibility of a swanky Citadel suite for a hastily built one story house in the middle of nowhere, but they have each other. Leah may still be doing work far more dangerous than he'd like but at least she's not gone for months out
of the year. "Aren't we?" he asks, shooting a glance Tara's way, making it clear that he considers her a part of this family, small as it may be.
Tara startles almost imperceptibly upon being addressed, still not used to being asked such things, but a series of small nods of confirmation soon follows, a smile crossing her lips. She's happier here than she ever remembers being.
Nathan blinks in surprise. He's not sure why he's surprised, considering they've already been on one. His surprise turns to a warm smile, almost relief as he simply holds out a cup of hot cocoa to her. "Guess I'll get looking for a place," he says, soft chuckle following behind. "Aaaand I'll get out my fancy jacket, just for you," he muses with a single shoulder shrug.
Sofia smiles, much more sincerely now and with more warmth, the shift in her mood swiftly forgotten at the warmth of the household that is shared. Tara's own smile causes hers to grow just a little bit more, a firm nod of her head accompanying. "I'm glad. I think you all prove that the Terminus isn't always so bad. Not like the way they describe it back on Earth." Her eyes fall to the sleeping ggiizzkkkttt, her face
Leah accepts the mug, resting it against her thigh for the moment. Nathan's final words draw a snort out of her. "Lucky me." she offers flatly. As something occurs to her, she looks at him sceptically, brow rising. "Hope you're not expecting to get me back into a dress!" she's quick to throw out, "Weddings are special occasions!" she clarifies before quickly wincing. "Not that-... that-... a date wouldn't be a special occasion
but-... but-..." she stammers, tilting her head from one side to the other as her cadence picks up as it does oh so often when she begins to ramble. "But, I mean-... I've already seen you without anything on so-..." she points out oh-so-eloquently, the red that tints her cheeks far too bright to be hidden by the lingering cold. She gives another, far more awkward, snort that slips out through her embarrassment, "...so I
think we're passed the whole, you know, 'dress up fancy to impress one another' phase." There's a short pause for breath, but her face suddenly contorts to disgust which she weaponizes, leveling it right on Nathan. "Don't think about it!" she scoffs, seemingly having filled in his side of this one-sided discussion on her own, "I know you're thinking about it! God, you're such a perv!" she accuses, reaching out
Francois gives a gentle snicker to Tara's- as expected- restrained response. He's long since grown used to her ways. "As with most things, you can't always believe what you hear. They tend to get... a lot of things wrong back on Earth." he offers matter of factly, doing his best not to allow the weight behind his words color his tone. If Sofia is privy to any of the discourse back on Earth surrounding biotics, she may have an
Tara shifts a little as Zoe stirs, letting the gzzk out of her lap. She returns to listening to Sofia and Francois while it drops down to the floor and walks off, tail brushing against Sofia's legs when it passes her.
Nathan starts on the others drinks, stirring the hot milk with the powder when Leah begins to initiate her ramble mode. He turns his head to her, desperately trying to cut her off before she gets a chance to set off her word nuke. Alas, he is too late. So instead, he lets her continue. A poor decision. Considering the... topic. His face reddens and he makes a hushing motion with his hand, which is quickly intercepted by
her accusation of him being a perv. And by declaring it, naturally the thought sneaks into his mind and he immediately goes a darker shade with wide eyes. The shove finally causes him to snap his attention back to the drinks, the clattering of the teaspoon against the cup much more noticable as he stirs slightly faster. "I-... yo-... that-... I-...". He finds himself at a loss of words, one of the two states he
Sofia unfortunately doesn't have much inkling as to Francois' subtle suggestion. While most of her family is military in one form or another, she and her mother stand out by not having much interest in that aspect of life. She's heard about biotics before coming to Aite, obviously. And she witnessed Leah utilise her ability during the snowball fight too. But to her, that is just another wonder that the galaxy holds, not
something for her to fear completely. Does she understand it? No, of course not. But for her mind, that just means she needs to understand it, before she chooses to be frightened or not. "I think you're right," she says, her eyes drawn down to the soft tail as it brushes against her. She allows a small, almost unnoticable squeal of delight to escape her before she looks back to Francois. "For an age of such
Leah levels a knowing glare at Nathan, the sort that would usually accompany a hand on her hip if she weren't perched precariously at the edge of the counter. But it very quickly softens, especially at his final, unsure statement, culminating with a snicker and a roll of her eyes. "You didn't look so bad yourself..." she offers with a shrug and a dose of playful reluctance, eyes turning low. Cradling the warm mug in both hands,
she lifts it a little, pursing her lips to blow at the top of it, causing the steam to flitter about. Her mouth pulls back into a soft smile as she stares into the warm liquid.
Francois has, unfortunately, experienced that ignorance first hand. Offhand remarks from neighbors or others in their community. But that was one thing, what really cut through him was having to experience it vicariously through his daughter. Meetings due to fights at the academy, or tearful nights after particularly rough days at school. A small sigh slips out of him and he offers a nod, barely more than a dip of his head as his
eyes turn back towards the television. "That they are..." he offers softly, heavy weight behind his words. A short silence follows, but he's nothing if not an optimist and, soon enough, he shoots another look Sofia's way, propping the kind smile of his back up. "But we'll find our way. That much I believe."
Tara frowns a little as she listens, whatever is going through her head remaining unspoken. She pulls her legs a little closer to her chest now that Zoe is gone, resting her chin on her knees.
Nathan breathes a held breath, giving her a little smile. Well at least that little tid-bit stopped the further progression of the ramble. "Thanks." He finishes the rest of the cups and grabs a nearby tray to set them all on, to let him easily transport the drinks to their intended recipients. "And just for the record," he adds, lifting the tray and leaning towards her, giving her the most serious look that he could
muster. "I wasn't thinking about that." He nods firmly, takes a step away with the steaming drinks, then pauses. He tilts his head, casts a look at her over his shoulder. "...clearly you were though, perv." A shit-eating grin now on his face, he beats a hasty retreat before she can launch a counter-attack. Sometimes he can't help but get the last word in. Even when its against a biotic super-soldier who could drop
Sofia once more mentally scolds herself for diverting towards the more somber topics, especially when she catches Francois' glance towards the television. However, his sense of optimisim clearly gives her dose of it and she smiles. "With a personality like Leah in the house, I can believe that." It's clearly meant as a compliment which is accompanied with a giggle hidden behind the back of her hand. She turns to look
towards Tara, smile bright. "And now that Zoe is here, I think you've got even more energy to contend with. How do the pair of you cope?"
Leah gives a loud, defiant scoff, a light thud sounding out as she hops off the edge of the counter to give chase. Cheeks burning bright red, she lifts her free hand, index finger outstretched as she opens her mouth to respond to his claim, but nothing comes. Stopping in place, she scrunches up her nose for a moment, brows furrowing in deep thought before she concedes with a small shrug of her shoulders and a tilt of her head.
"Eh? When you're right you're right." she hums. Shoulders bouncing in laughter she takes a few, hurried steps to catch up to Nathan and gives him a playful swat on the backside as she falls in line beside him, a certain comfort afforded that wasn't there previously. Even amongst the Christmas music, Mendez' deep voice can be heard off to their left in the dining room, drawing Leah's attention that way. She, in turn, gives the
Mendez is seated at the dining room table, his back to the pair passing by in the kitchen. The light from the holographic interface of his omni-tool can be seen. "Hello...?" he asks.
Francois has a hearty laugh at the implication of Sofia's words, shooting a look of shared sympathy Tara's way. "We drink." he says, his continued laughter enough to imply he's joking. "A lot."
Tara blinks in confusion, the joke seemingly lost on her. She looks between Francois and Sofia as if searching for clues, eyebrows furrowing as she wonders whether she's supposed to say something.