Once those that need to are cleaned up, wrapping paper is picked up. Gifts are stored away. And Zoey is hunted down for some group photos. To his credit, Mendez doesn't put up too much of a fuss about it. And while it's not quite a smile that's present in most of the pictures, it's also not a scowl! So... progress? Once pictures are taken (And, of course, scrutinized with the best one being sent to both Tara's new locket as well as Leah's
#Leah'sHouse – February 7, 2021
heart-shaped locket), the Christmas music that has permeated the afternoon is lowered to little more than whispered background noise as they settled in for some Christmas movies. Leah, of course, had some already in mind. 'Jeremy & Jirinn'. A movie from the early-2160's about a human named Jeremy and the quandry he finds himself in when a turian moves in next door. The two neighbors clash over their differences throughout the movie while
Jeremy attempts to show the grumpy turian Jirinn the joys of Christmas. An obvious response to the xenophobia brought on by the First Contact War, 'Jeremy & Jirinn' is a light-hearted comedy that was met with enough success to prompt two sequels. While some of the humor misses its mark and, at times, can border on offensiveness, the message is an overall positive one, attempting to bridge the gap between two cultures during a tumultuous
Although intent on making it past midnight, Francois was the first one to tap out. The call of his comfortable, beat up, old recliner was too much and, by the beginning of the second movie, a soft snoring could be heard coming from his direction. Mendez was the second. Seemingly deciding that two of these movies were more than enough for him, he sent word to Jasper and offered his whispered goodbyes as the credits rolled and snuck out,
managing to do so without waking Francois. Try as he might to hide it, it's no secret that he seemed to have a good time. It's closing in on 1AM by the time the final movie in the trilogy is reaching its conclusion and Nathan places his call for pickup.
Leah is seated on the couch amidst the nest of blankets and pillows that had been brought out and distributed for movie time, ear-to-ear smile as the long credits roll and cheeks rosy from a bit of alcohol-induced mirth. Her appetite must've returned at some point, because she's managed to work her way through two more slices of cake throughout the duration of the trilogy. The aftermath of which is left amongst empty beer bottles
on the coffee table. It's not until the credits fade into a black screen- leaving the otherwise dark room to be lit by only the ambient Christmas lights that decorate it- that she lifts her head from its comfy position rested against Nathan's shoulder and lets out a breath that borders on a sigh. "Your ride will probably be here soon, huh..?" she asks, nose scrunching up slightly as it becomes near that the night is coming to
Tara has claimed the other end of the couch, lying down amid the pillows piled near the armrest, wrapped up in a cozy blanket. Much to her joy, Zoe actually came back during the second vid, after having beaten a hasty retreat as soon as the group photo ordeal was done with - camera shy or just annoyed at being picked up from the floor all the time? The gzzk is currently sleeping comfortably in Tara's arms, half-burrowed under the blanket.
Tara herself also seems on the verge of sleep, her head the only part of her sticking out from the blanket cocoon. She lets out a yawn as Leah's voice sounds through the silence that took hold as the credits came to a close, heavy eyelids blinking as she glances around without moving.
Nathan has had a good time. After hunting down the illusive Zoe and managing to work something of a... smile or neutral expression from Mendez for the photos, Nathan was preparing to list off an array of Christmas movies for them to watch when Leah promptly picked one that was most certainly NOT on his list. However, for the sake of Christmas spirit, he accepted the choice of movie and settled down next to Leah to watch
it. And he was... surprised at how much he enjoyed it. The humour matched his own in places (less so in other scenes) so there was much laughter from himself during the movie. When the time came for Mendez to leave, he offered his own quiet goodbyes and settled in for the final movie of the trilogy. As it slowly petered off to an end, Nate stifled a yawn and sunk a little more into the couch, too comfortable to
really do much else. A few empty bottles of beer clink next to his feet as he inadvertently nudges them. He lets his head lull lazily to the side to look down at Leah, humming softly in affirmation. "Probably. Too damn comfy to really get up for it though," he murmurs, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand.
Sofia took to her role as photographer with enthusiasm. To the point where she was nudging people into place and directing gently scolding those who where pulling stupid faces (specifically her brother). Once photos were done and moved to the appropriate lockets, the young woman gathered all the drinks and snacks that she could find for the movie. Rather than taking her place back at the armchair, however, she instead
constructed herself a cozy fort of pillows and blankets on the floor in front of the couch. Two reasons for this. One; to distribute snacks and drinks where needed. Two; so she could remain close to Zoe the moment the cheeky gzziiktt made a reappearance. God she loved that creature. So cute. As the night progressed and her glass of wine went through various states of being empty and refilled, she drifted more and
more to a drunken sleep. By the time the credits had begun to roll, Sofia was leant against the couch with her head lulled to the side, the soft sounds of her breathing the only noise emitted by her.
Leah gives a soft snicker, little more than a puff of air through her nose as her smile re-emerges briefly. "Mmhmm." she hums an agreement, shifting a bit heavier against him for emphasis. For a moment, she merely stares at the dark, empty screen as the colorful, shifting lights reflect off of it. As much as a part of her would prefer to just remain like this, beneath the warmth of her blanket and cuddled against Nathan until the
lights of their ride filters through the window, it's just not in her nature to shirk responsibility like that. Even in her semi-innebriated state. With another deep sigh, she sits up a bit straighter, nudging Nathan as she does. "C'mon." she encourages reluctantly, not particularly wanting to be the voice of reason. "You should start waking your sister so you two can get ready to go. Don't want to keep your ride waiting..."
Tara 's eyes close again when her tired mind registers that there's nothing that she needs to do. It's a strange feeling. Letting herself relax. Letting herself feel safe. She lets out a half-asleep noise as she adjusts her position slightly, careful not to disturb Zoe, and then she's back to listening to the faint sound of voices that she doesn't need to pay attention to.
Nathan groans softly, pushing aside he piled of blankets and pillows so that he can push himself onto his feet. "Fine, fine," he agrees with as much reluctance as he can muster. Luckily for him, his sister had the foresight to bundle all their presents and gifts into a bag, so all that was really left to do was carry out. He kneels down next to Sofia and gives her a gentle shake to try and stir her to conciousness.
Sofia gives only a gentle groan in response. She's totally out of it. With the amount of wine she drank, it really isn't a surprise.
Nathan sighs and gives an apologetic look to Leah, tilting his head to the bag of gifts. "Could you?" He asks quietly. "I'm... probably going to have to carry her."
Leah furrows her brow as she watches Nathan, smile eventually slipping back out at Sofia's state. At Nathan's prompting, she casts a glance towards the indicated bag and offers a small nod of her head. "Yeah, just-..." she begins as she gently wrestles with the tangle of blankets, doing her best to keep from piling them on to Tara in the process. Once freed she shifts in place before finishing her thought. "...I think dad prepared
some containers of food for you guys, I'll go and-..." she dips her head in the general direction of the kitchen as she slinks off of the couch. Ever the image of grace, she tiptoes away, avoiding the landmines of sleeping sisters and empty beer bottles as she slinks off, casting a brief glance Tara's way as she does as if to see if she can deduce whether or not she, too, is asleep.
Tara undeniably looks pretty asleep, and Leah and Nathan getting out of the couch doesn't seem to change that. She looks pretty damn comfortable, actually.
Nathan gives a grateful smile to Leah as she sneaks away to gather up the containers from earlier, leaving him with the careful operation of unfurling his sister from her cocoon of blankets and pillows. It takes him a couple of minutes to do so, mostly because at first he didn't want to disturb her too much. When he realises just how out of it she really is, however, he abandons his cautious approach and just pulls her
free from the blankets. With a grunt, he lifts his sister in his arms, one under her knees and the other under her back. He then realises with an annoyed sigh that they have all their winter clothes to collect. After a moments consideration, he simply decides that he'll bundle them all onto her and just make a break for the cab. Easy.
Leah reigns in the big smile that manifests as she notices Tara's state before she disappears into the kitchen, opting to leave the lights off to avoid waking everyone up. Gentle clanks sound out as she collects the containers stowed away by her father as she does her best to be quiet. Eventually, she re-emerges from the kitchen with a stack of containers cradled in her arms. She sneaks off towards the bag of gifts and stacks the
food inside of them just as light begins to bleed through the curtains over the front windows. It causes her to shoot a glance towards then windows, then to Nathan in turn in a silent attempt at indicating that his ride has arrived. She winces upon realizing that they've fallen behind and quickly ushers the bag over towards the door as she hurriedly puts on her winter gear, seemingly intending to carry the bags all the way to
Tara stirs a little as the glare of the shuttle lights temporarily filters through the windows, face twitching before she buries it against the pillow with a quiet, sleepy mumble.
Nathan nods his head to Leah as she arrives, but quickly gets his rear into gear when the light's of their taxi bleeds through the curtains. He follows after her, managing to somehow hold his sister in one arm as he fumbles with his boots and at the very least his coat. The rest he just piles onto Sofia to keep her warm, tugging her hat onto her head and hoisting her up once more. Once he's sure everything has been
collected, he gives an affirmative nod to Leah and waits for the door to open so they can make their mad dash to the taxi.
Leah scoops up the bags once her jacket and boots are on (Her Christmas hat never left, of course) and waits for Nathan to join her. Her face contorts into an expression of amusement as she watches Nathan fumble his winter gear on while somehow managing Sofia. She brings a hand up to stifle her laughter as she tries to discern whether or not what she's seeing is impressive, or just confusing, deep dimples on display as her hand
moves away. She gives a disapproving shake of her head at Nathan's sister-juggling, mouthing a quiet, 'You're an idiot!' to him as she does. But the fond smile remains and she reaches out to open the door. Winter's presence is immediately felt as a rush of cold air assaults the entryway, a stark contrast to the warm living room and the nest of blankets they've hibernated beneath for the past few hours. Leah immediately gives
Nathan returns her comment with a poke of his tongue, but an amused smirk follows soon after. The burst of cold air is enough to make his shudder, even with his winter clothes and he dashes outside. Confident in Leah following, he makes a bead straight to the taxi where the turian driver simply sits patiently. Nathan reaches the taxi door and, with a bit more of sister juggling, manages to wrench the door open and
carefully place Sofia inside, keeping her bundled beneath the clothes. He buckles her in and shuts the door to keep the warmth of the taxi in, before turning and waiting to relieve the burden of gifts from Leah.
Sofia scrunches up in Nate's arms the moment hte cold air hits her, but amazingly she remains asleep. Booze has that effect. She remains quiet and content, even when she in bundled into the taxi and simply snoozes some more.
Leah steps gently in place as she waits for Nathan to step outside, shooting a cautious look towards the trio asleep in the living room to make sure she hasn't woken them. And to ensure Zoe isn't trying to book it again! Satisfied that the blue ball of fur isn't going anywhere she slips outside, gently closing the door behind her, and scurries behind Nathan. Shoulders instictively high in a fruitless attempt at combating the
cold, she stomps through the snow, only coming to a stop once they've reached the vehicle. She waits as Nathan continues his juggling act, idly glancing about. There's an undeniable beauty out here. A perfect view of the town, dots of light from the night owls spread out across an untamed, snowy landscape. When Nathan turns back to her she winces playfully against the cold for emphasis. "Here you go..." she hums as she hands
Nathan gratefully takes the bag and opens the boot of the taxi, stuffing it all inside before slamming the boot closed. He heaves a sigh, the bite of the cold air stirring him to a much higher level of awakeness. He crunches through the snow to Leah, one hand shoved into the pocket of his jacket, the other dangling idly by his side. He casts a quick glance to the driver of the taxi and indicates he'll just need a minute,
to which the driver merely shrugs. He gets paid regardless. Nathan turns back to her and smiles. "Thank you for tonight. From both of us, it... it was nice."
Tara blinks at the faint sound of the door closing, head lifting a little from the pillow as she looks around and finds the room empty. She has enough awareness of what's been going on to realize where the others are and that there's no cause for concern, but it seems the small movement (and perhaps the chilly air that preceeded it) was enough to wake Zoe, who slips out of Tara's gentle grasp in order to head over and jump up into one of
Leah waits patiently as Nathan stows the bag away. Seems as if she wasn't sure whether or not he was just going to shout a farewell and beat a hasty retreat from the cold. She wouldn't have blamed him. But a smile slips out when Nathan makes his return, indicating that she was hoping otherwise. She gives a small shrug of her shoulders as he speaks, as if to indicate it was no big deal. Idly kicking the toe of her boot against the
snow, she takes a step towards him and reaches out to take ahold of his free hand, gaze turning from his jacket to his eyes, her own a little glassy from putting down her fair share of booze. "Thank you for-... umm-..." she shrugs, "...for coming. I had a really good time." she admits, her fingers moving to intertwine with his and give his hand a gentle squeeze. Gloves forgotten, her hand is like a furnace compared to the
cold winter air. "I think my dad likes you." she adds with a snicker, studying him with a tilt of her head, the height difference causing her to have to look up.
Nathan breathes a gentle laugh, a cloud of steam filling the air before him as he clutches her hand tightly. The warmth is welcome, his gloves forgone to the pile of clothes stacked atop his sister. "Heh, well, 'course he does. I'm just too damn loveable," he jests, giving her a playful smirk. "For real though, your dad is a great guy. Thank him for us, will you? For letting us spend Christmas with you all?" He withdraws
his other hand as he speaks, reaching out to draw her in for a hug. But also so that he can steal just a wee bit more warmth from her too as they stand out in the idyllic scene.
Leah gives a playful roll of her glassy eyes at Nathan's assertion, muttering a sarcastic- but fond- "Uh huh..." The mention of her father draws a sincere smile back out of her and she gives a small nod of her head, the pom of her Christmas hat bouncing about behind her as she does. Her free arm snakes around Nathan when she's pulled in for a hug, returning the gesture, forehead pressed against his chest. The warmth and the
closeness is enough to keep her in place for the moment, gently swaying in place. "Definitely a better first impression than David Wilson, that's for sure." she mutters into his chest, voice slightly muffled by his jacket. The way it's said- the singling out of a specific instance- probably gives away the fact that she hasn't brought too many people home to meet her father. And the flair that could only be described as
disdain that she puts on the name is probably enough to give away that it's someone she's not particularly fond of. Still, it's said none-too-seriously and a snicker soon follows as she tilts her head back to peer up at Nathan once more.
Nathan perks an eyebrow up and peers down at her, snickering softly. "David Wilson, eh? Sounds like there's a story behind that amount of disdain," he muses. When she peers up to him, his smile reaches his cheeks and the rosy tinge of his cheeks deepens. Although that could be mostly due to the cold air and the copious amounts of alcohol swimming through his veins. "But that can be a story for another time. I keep you out
here any longer and you're going to freeze onto me," he says, reaching with his free hand to idly bat the pom away from her face.
Leah snorts, giving a small shake of her head with a brief look of distaste as if to indicate that there is most certainly no story that she deems worth telling. But his final words cause her to let out a deep breath that lingers with a sigh. "Wouldn't want that..." she agrees softly through her smile, giving him a quick squeeze before loosening the arm around him. But she doesn't seem in any immediate rush to sprint back into the
house, the booze helping to temper the cold somewhat. "...I'll see you soon, then?" she asks, reluctant to fully pull away quite yet.
Nathan reads the look as intended and simply chucklesm deciding that that story can remain buried. Clearly a black spot in her history that she would rather not drag back up anymore than it needs to. Her loosening of her arm allows him to shift slightly. Even though she pulls back, even a smidgen, she would quickly find herself being tugged back in. Nathan leans down to catch her lips in a kiss, eyes closing and pulling
her in close once more. He would seem content in lingering in it for a fair stretch of time, the warmth of their embrace and skin all too appealing in this cold. Eventually, he would break it, smile and say, "You know the answer to that."
Tara has (reluctantly) left her blanket-nest, and makes her way over to the window to join Zoe in peeking on Leah and Nathan, a pale spectre hidden in one of the dark windows.
Leah clearly wasn't expecting the kiss, body tensing up briefly. But it's not long before she presses into it, rising onto the toes of her boots to better bridge the height discrepency between them. The arm that was loosely draped around him shifts, hand rising to gently rest against the nape of his neck. Eyes closed, the rest of the world seems to fade away for a moment. The cold. The sleeping town in the distance. The waiting
driver a few feet away. The sneaky audience peering out the window. For a while, it's just her and Nathan. When he breaks the kiss, her big green eyes flutter open, shifting from his eyes to his lips and then back. An awkward snicker slips out and she quickly sucks in her lips to reign in the ear-to-ear smile that threatens to emerge. Can't let it go to his head. The dimples, as always, give her away. "Okay..." she utters
softly, holding his gaze. Perhaps motivated by a little bit of liquid courage, she ignores the discomfort that comes from knowing that the turian is probably just staring at them and wishing they'd hurry up so he can get out of here. Instead she leans right back in, pressing another short, sweet kiss against his lips. "...Okay..." she repeats quietly as she reluctantly pulls back, finally allowing her big, bright grin to
Nathan has a brief moment of surprise himself when she steals a second kiss from him. But he's most certainly not complaining about it. He leans into it and looks almost disappointed when she has to pull away. But the shining grin from her and the quick squeeze of his hand brings his smile to bear fully. He nods, short and sweet and reaches for the door handle, pulling it open. He's halfway inside the taxi before he
pauses and turns to look back at her. "Goodnight," he says softly before he closes the door. He ensures that Sofia is properly secured before leaning forward to the driver and telling him where to go. He sits back, looks out the window to Leah as the vehicle slowly begins to pull away.
Tara picks Zoe up when it looks like Leah will be making her return soon. The gzzk fidgets a bit, but settles down once she starts to pet it.
Leah drops back onto her heels as she steps back, bright smile persisting as Nathan climbs into the vehicle. His well wishes seem to snap her out of her smiley-stupor and she perks her brows, as if suddenly reminded to wish him a, "Joyeux Noël~" that she snaps off in a singsongy tone. She watches as the vehicle pulls away, meandering backwards a few steps towards the house while waving them off. Once the vehicle is a good
distance away she turns on her heels, ear-to-ear smile on her face as she bounds through the snow back towards the porch.
Tara steps back from the window as Leah makes her return, still holding into Zoe as she turns to face the door.