Leah shoots Mendez a quick, appreciative nod before studying Tara's wood carving for a moment longer and setting her own back down gently in the box. Mendez' question seems to remind her that she still has a bit of hot cocoa left that's rapidly becoming lukewarm cocoa so she takes a quick sip. Since the others have begun to talk amongst themselves, she takes the moment to check in on Tara, the gleam in her eyes not having gone
#Leah'sHouse – December 20, 2020
unnoticed. Small smile on her face, she leans over slightly in the younger girl's direction, lowering her voice a little. "Having a good time...?" she asks in an attempt at confirming that the emotions behind her eyes are happy ones.
Francois too gives Mendez a nod and a quick, "Merci." before bringing his attention back to Sofia, brows furrowing as he leans forward to take a closer look at the book. "Oh, you play!" he hums, sounding impressed. "How long?"
Mendez is about ready to shoot down Nathan's offer before realizing he probably won't have an easy time carrying that many beers back on his own with only one functional arm so, reluctantly, he draws in a breath and accepts the man's help with a nod and indicates the kitchen with a tilt of his head before silently leading the way.
Tara lets out a brief, overwhelmed laugh - more of a breath really, and smiles as she wipes at her eyes. A series of nods and a sniffle follow as she blinks. It's not hard to tell that she's feeling a bit self-concious about her reactions, given that she's usually pretty collected. For a moment it seems like she's going to say something, but finding the right words to voice her feelings prove hard, and another sniffle is all that comes
out. Perhaps aware that she's falling behind the others a bit, she reaches for another present after setting the carving down. She pulls the gift - Vasquez' - into her lap, sniffling again. She pokes a bit at a lose fold of wrapping paper as she tries again. "It's-..." her voice is choked and she sucks in her lips, an almost frustrated breath slipping out as more tears roll. "I am." she settles for, unable to express just how much
Nathan gives a nod in return and sets down his gift to the side. He places a hand on Leah's back as she leans towards Tara, perhaps initially in a display of affection. That quickly changes when he uses her to help leverage himself upright. He doesn't apply a lot of pressure, just enough to get him on his feet. He casts her a quick sideways glance and smirk before disappearing off after Mendez. "I'll grab Sofia a glass of
Sofia's smile brightens up as she sets the book down on her lap. "I do! Have done for... just shy of twenty years now. Started very young." She taps the book, eyes drifting up and off to the side as she recollects the distant memories. "I think everyone in the Tennhausen family does. Well, except father. Bless his heart, doesn't have a creative bone in his body when it comes to music."
Leah watches Tara in silence as she works through her emotions. A small, restrained smile remains on her face but, as tears fall free, she reaches over to give Tara's shoulder a gentle, comforting squeeze. "Me too." she says, smile growing a bit more when Tara's gaze meets her own. As the hand against her back turns into a way for Nathan to push himself to his feet, she shoots him a playful scowl, nose scrunching up in distaste.
"Jerk!" she scoffs, green eyes briefly narrowing threateningly on him. But as she turns her attention back to Tara a big, bright smile spills back out and she gestures to the small pile of gifts they still have left between the two of them, "But it looks like we've got more gifts to open!" she offers with a bit of exaggerated excitement, reaching out to pull the small box from Sofia into her lap. Giving Tara a few goofy
Mendez leads the way back into the kitchen, offering Nathan's words a quiet nod. It's not until he's out of sight of the others that he paces a few steps away from Nathan, giving his shoulder a careful roll, pained expression slipping into his features as he does. Seems the pain meds he's taking don't do quite as good of a job as he'd like to let on.
Francois listens to the younger woman's words, seeming genuinely interested, kind smile ever etched into his features. Her mention of her father illicites a small snicker from him. "I feel his pain." he admits through his smile. Having raised a daughter with a love for dance while being cursed with two left feet himself, the sentiment is not lost on him. As Tara and Leah begin to collect their next round of presents, he seems to
think he should get started on his as well. Retaking his seat, he pulls his final present- the one from Sofia- onto his lap, offering her an appreciative dip of his head before he continues their conversation. He holds off on opening it for now. "So, your brother, too?" he asks, fishing for whatever information he can get about the man dating his daughter. "He plays?" he clarifies.
Tara 's smile widens and she nods in agreement, dabbing at her tears with the sleeve of her sweater one last time before starting to open the gift from Vasquez. As the paper is unfolded a nicely bound black book with a simple lock is revealed. There's an empty nametag on the front. Tara's eyebrows furrow and she flips through a few pages to try and get a better understanding of what she's looking at, but they're all empty. A small note
does, however, fall out. She picks it up, frowning at the text and then holds it up for Leah to see since she can't read it. "There was a note."
The note reads: "I wasn’t the most talkative when I was your age, and I remember appreciating having somewhere to get my thoughts out. I had a feeling you might too."
Nathan peers up to the larger man, perking an eyebrow up as he retrieves the wine glass from earlier and begins to fill it with the same vintage. "You doing alright? Not gonna fall apart when you sit back down, are you?" He gives a faint smirk, setting the now full glass down and searching for the beers.
Sofia nods eagerly, clapping her hands together. "Yes. He stuck to more classical music and instruments. Piano and violin for him. Ada and Adal, my two older sisters, play guitar and drums. Mother can play the piano and flute. I prefer the violin but can play the piano and guitar too." The topic seems to keep the bright smile on her face, eyes absolutely alight with enthusiasm.
Mendez levels a glare on Nathan, but it quickly falls away with a sigh. "I'm fine." he grunts. Not one to allow himself to be seen as useless, he quickly steps over to the cupboard and searches for a glass. A few more seconds pass before he speaks up again. "Doc says there might be nerve damage. Just-... waiting to see how it heals up." he says in another grunt. Did he just volunteer information willingly? Did they just become
Leah pauses her gift opening when Tara speaks up, brow furrowing as she looks her way. She leans in a bit, one hand reaching out to steady the note as her green eyes scan across it. Her smile quickly returns and her eyes shift from the note to Tara. "It says-..." she begins, "...I wasn't the most talkative when I was your age, and I remember appreciating having somewhere to get my thoughts out. I had a feeling you might, too." she
reads, delivering the message verbatim. "It's a journal." she explains as she sits back up straight, giving the book in Tara's hands a quick once over. She quickly seems to realize that her explanation probably doesn't mean much to Tara and she gives a sheepish shrug. "A-... umm-..." she sucks in her lips, eyes tilting upwards briefly as she searches for the right words. "...A place for you to write your thoughts. Feelings.
Take notes. Might be a good way to practice your English while you're learning?" she offers as a suggestion, eyes tilting towards the flash drive amongst her pile of gifts. "But for now~" she continues in a singsongy tone, reaching out to draw a fingertip along the blank nametag before her focus turns back to Tara, "...Maybe you can start with your name?"
Francois' gaze briefly shifts towards the kitchen as Sofia explains Nathan's musical background, nodding softly. As she continues, he settles back into his seat, one hand over the gift in his lap to keep it from falling to the floor. Big family. There was a time when he and Inès had plans for a big family. It just wasn't in the cards for them. But he couldn't be happier with the small family they built. Or the daughter they
raised. A small tinge of pride creeps into his smile as he finds himself briefly looking Leah's way as she patiently explains the gift to Tara. "That's-... an impressive list." he chuckles, focus turning back to Sofia as she finishes speaking. "All I can play is the stereo. And sometimes I get that wrong." he jokes.
Tara listens closely to the message, the explanation that follows very much needed judging by the look on her face. She nods a few times, attention turning to the empty book in her lap, running a hand along the edge. As her attention is drawn to the nametag a small smile crosses her lips and she nods. As luck would have it a nice pen is taped to the spine of the journal, along with a tiny plastic bag containing the key to the lock. It's
the sort of flimsy lock that's more symbolic than anything, the key no doubt identical to all other locks of the same type. The whole thing is a bit archaic, of course, but sometimes getting things on paper can feel good. At least Vasquez must've thought so. It's not hard to keep a journal on an omni-tool, after all. Maybe encouraging her to practice writing was another motivator. Tara carefully peels the pen away, not wanting to
damage the cover. She shifts it in her hand, not really sure how to hold it. Her eyebrows frown at this realization, but she thinks she has it. She still hesitates with the tip against the label, glancing over to Leah as if seeking reassurance. She looks more than a little nervous - marking something as hers is an intimidating thing.