Leah takes her time kicking the snow off of her boots on the porch in an effort at avoiding waking the sleepyheads inside by doing it at the doorway. The sleepyhead awaiting her return, however, is unexpected, causing her to startle as she steps through the living room door. She momentarily seizes up upon spotting Tara, stutter stepping before realizing who her ambusher is, causing her to tightly shut her eyes for a moment, amused
#Leah'sHouse – February 9, 2021
grin slipping out at her own jumpiness. Drawing in a breath helps her to regain her composure as she closes the door and kicks her boots off to the side. "Sorry, sweetheart. Did we wake you...?" she asks in a whisper as she steps towards Tara and reaches out to give Zoe some idle pets. Francois' snoring has only picked up in volume so it seems as if the trio's departure didn't disturb him at all.
Tara tightens her grip on Zoe when the door opens, the memory of the truck still all too fresh in her mind. She almost jumps a little herself in response to Leah startling, but she breaks into a smile as she comes over to pet Zoe. The gzzk seems pleased with this development, eyes closing as it purrs contently. Tara nods in response to the question, although there's certainly no accusation in her face. She casts a glance out the window
where the cab was not long ago. "I didn't say goodbye." she says, eyebrows furrowing slightly, as if worried she's been rude.
Leah's smile widens slightly as the small creature responds to her pets. Tara's words briefly pull Leah's gaze her way, but it slips right back to the gzzk soon enough. She gives a small shrug of her shoulders, "You were tired. They understand. It was a long day." she explains, her tone implying it's nothing to worry about. "Sofia wasn't even awake." she muses through her growing smile, "Nate had to carry her to the cab. It was
actually kind of adorable." she snickers but quickly catches herself. Thankfully, the warmth that slips into her cheeks over her inadvertant gushing is well hidden by the rosiness from the cold weather she just escaped. "So-..." she hurriedly moves on, clearing her throat as her green eyes turn to meet Tara's gaze, "...did you have a good time?" The small, playful lift of her brow that accompanies her question and
causes her Christmas hat to shift- and her big grin- implies that she's confident she knows the answer to that question.
Tara can't help the big smile that crosses her lips, and she ducks her head a little in embarrassment as she nods, well aware that it must be obvious how much today meant to her given how much she's struggled to keep her emotions in check.
Leah gives another snicker. Seemingly deciding she's spoiled Zoe enough, she dips her head down to press a quick peck against the small furball's head. She scrunches up her nose, shooting a goofy little expression Zoe's way before standing up straight and putting a halt to her pets. "Yeah... Me too." she admits to Tara.
Tara 's attention is drawn to the gzzk in her arms as Leah fusses over it. She continues to study Zoe for a moment before looking up. "It was... good." she settles on after considering how to finish her sentence for a moment. The truth is that's quite the understatement, but expressing herself is still hard. She shifts uncomfortably, frowning as she struggles with how to make sure Leah knows. Her gaze falls again before she lets out a
faint sigh of defeat, settling for a simple, quiet: "...thank you." as her gaze meets Leah's again, willing her to sense the intent behind the words. To understand how much all of it means to Tara.
Leah watches Tara as she struggles, her smile tapering back into something more restrained but no less sincere. She's gotten pretty good at reading Tara. Well, as good as one can get. So the sentiment isn't lost on her. She props her smile up a bit. "Thank you." she says. "The past few years haven't exactly been-..." she begins but abruptly cuts herself off with a small breath through her nose. Christmas has carried a certain
meloncholy these past few years. Since her mother died. But that's not something she should be weighing Tara down with. So she shakes out the sadness that threatens to linger in her smile. "...Christmas wouldn't have been the same without you, Tara." she settles on.
Tara frowns a little at Leah's pause, connecting it in her head with other such instances in the past days, but she doesn't comment. The words Leah decide on bring out a smile. "There will be... more Christmas next year?" she asks, seeking to confirm what she's already been told, a playful bit of excitement in her smile.
Leah is unable to restrain the big smile that crops up at Tara's restrained excitement, but she gives a nod all the same. More than anything, it's just nice to see Tara looking towards the future after so long of fearing the past. "Annnnd the year after that one. And the year after that. And-..." she explains, trailing off with a snicker when she's satisfied that Tara probably gets the idea.
Tara 's smile widens to match Leah's, a quiet giggle slipping out. The hope for the future that accompanies the goofy, repeating addition is a little frightening, but... she believes it. Today has made it feel more real than ever. This is her life now. Her home. It really is. Not a temporary respite or false hope that will be snatched away like-... her smile starts to falter, and she hides it by glancing over towards the couch, and the
coffee table. "I... can clean up." she offers, although what she'd like to do is fall into bed and get a nice, long night's rest, and it shows in her voice. It's been an exhausting day. Wonderful, but exhausting.
Leah opens her mouth to tell Tara that can wait but, as she does, her father lets out a loud snorted snore and she shoots an apprehensive glance his way. He stirs, but doesn't wake. Bringing her hand up to her mouth to cover up a silent laugh, she shoots a glance Tara's way and merely shakes her head. "Guess it was a long day for him, too." she says, lowering her voice even more to try and avoid waking her father. "So how about
we just... let him sleep for the night. We can pick up tomorrow. Not like it's going anywhere." she jokes, casting a glance over towards the mess they left behind. It's not a disasterzone, but it's certainly more out of order than usual.
Tara 's eyes widen a little at the snore that cuts through the quiet house, almost looking on the verge of laughter herself as her gaze returns from Francois to Leah, but she swallows it while nodding in agreement. She lifts the lazy gzzk in her arms a little - it's shown no inclination to leave. "Ready for bed Zoe?" she asks, giving the comfy furball a few scratches, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Do you want to sleep in
the bed we got for you tonight?" she asks, sounding a little amused by the fact that the gzzk has avoided it so far, opting for the Christmas tree or the space underneath Tara's bed instead.
Leah's smile returns in force as Tara speaks with Zoe. She turns to start out of the room but quickly seems to have second thoughts. "Ya know... there is still some cake left..." she says quietly, her tone as if Tara should be tempted. Her green eyes settle on Tara for a moment, brows lifting. They shift from Tara, to the kitchen, and then back to Tara. "Think you've got enough energy left to split a slice of cake with me...?"
she offers. With a goofy wiggle of her eyebrows, she sweetens the pot, "I bet Zoe would appreciate some fruit, too." After all, if they're snacking, why shouldn't Zoe?
Tara follows Leah's gaze towards the kitchen, briefly considering the offer before nodding, seemingly convinced by the last addition. "Do you want a snack, Zoe?" she whispers, leaning her head a little to the side to look at the sleepy gzzk as she starts to head towards the kitchen. The busy day and all the commotion must have really tired the poor critter out, even with the naps under the tree.
Leah snickers to herself as she joins Tara in the kitchen. As it turns out, 'sharing a slice of cake' with Leah mostly just means she's going to cut twice as large of a slice of cake. The lights are left off to avoid disturbing Francois' sleep so they're forced to eat at the dining room table under the glow of the colorful, ever-shifting Christmas lights. The conversation is kept to hushed tones. Mostly Leah cheerfully going on
about the day. About previous Christmases. About the coming days and a reminder that Tara will need to decide where she wants her TV mounted. Despite her enthusiasm, it's not hard to see that the day has taken its toll on Leah, as well. And so, once the plate has been cleared of cake, hugs have been had, and 'Joyeux Noël's wished, the pair bid their goodnights and retire to their rooms. It's been so long since it felt like
there was anything worth celebrating, but today was a good day. A day of friends. Of family. A day that was ablaze with hope for the future. It doesn't take long for those thoughts to lull Leah into a comfortable sleep.
Tara seems very much content with listening to Leah talk as she eats, her good mood obvious despite her tired state. Zoe is, apparently, less interested in the conversation, but fruit, on the other hand, holds the gzzk's attention! It's in high spirits that the two of them retreat to Tara's room to sleep. Zoe actually accepts being placed into the egglike bedding they bought. At least for now.
Leah manages a few good hours of sleep. Not even her father knocking over an empty bottle near the couch on his way to bed managed to stir her. But at around 5 in the morning, she stirs herself awake. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she casts a quick glance towards the window. Still dark. She groans to herself, feeling a bit of that classic 'drank too much last night' dehydration. She scoots into a seated position at the edge of
her bed, unwilling to bring her feet down onto the cold floor. Instead, she leans over the side of her bed and feels around in the dark for her socks. Once the scavenger hunt has been completed and socks are donned, she sets off for a glass of water in her usual sleeping attire of shorts and a simple white t-shirt.
There's a quiet voice coming from the living room. Was the TV left on? No. As Leah gets closer to the kitchen it becomes clear that it's Tara's voice. A peek into the living room would reveal that she’s sitting on the couch, curled up with Zoe in her arms. She seems to be talking to the gzzk. "...a friend named Zoe. She was like you." Furrowed eyebrows and a brief, awkward pause. "...I mean, she was human. But... she was playful and...
energetic, like you. And we looked out for each other. You and me, we look out for each other too... right?" She gives the gzzk a hug, staring out across the room at the dark window and the Christmas lights reflected in it. "We weren't supposed to have names back then. We weren't-... we weren't people, and only people have names. I-... I think I used to have one. But... it was a long time ago. I... don't remember. Zoe remembered hers. She
told it to me. It was our secret." The faintest ghost of a smile on her lips as she looks down at the gzzk again, running her hand gently across ocean blue fur and blinking against the stinging in her eyes. She seems entirely oblivious to Leah's presence.
Leah furrows her brow as she hears the faint voice carrying from the living room. Her immediate assumption is her father woke up at some point, turned the TV back on, then clonked back out in his chair. Certainly wouldn't be the first time. She had planned on checking to make sure her dad wasn't still sleeping in the living room anyhow. It's not good for his back. Quiet as a mouse, she tiptoes her way down the hall. As she gets
closer, the voice becomes obvious. For a moment she just remains at the entryway to the living room. Quietly listening. The young girl's words are enough to cut through her lingering sleep haze. So that's where the name came from. It wasn't her intention to eavesdrop. It just felt... wrong to interrupt. But the longer she lets Tara go on, the more wrong it feels to just stand there. She clears her throat
softly to announce her presence as she steps through the entryway, doing her best to prop up a gentle, tired smile. "...Hey." she whispers, her voice sounding a little dry. "Trouble sleeping?"
Zoe seems to sense Tara's sadness, lifting its head and licking her face with a faint whine. This draws a quiet giggle from Tara, followed by a sniffle as tears escape, rolling down her cheeks. She seems about to say something else to the gzzk when Leah makes her presence known.
Tara blinks and looks over towards the entryway, hints of discomfort obvious even in the dark, and she quickly looks down again, wiping at the wetness on her cheeks as she offers a faint nod of admission.
Leah tries her best to force a small smile into place, but it slips away in the face of Tara's obvious emotional state. "Mind if I-..." she shrugs her shoulders, green eyes tilting towards the couch, "...sit with you?" she asks hesitantly, careful to make sure it's Tara's choice whether she stays or goes. Sometimes you just want to be left alone. She certainly understands that.
Tara remains silent for a few moments, head low. It's almost started to seem like she's ignoring Leah when she looks up again, and shifts a seat over on the couch to make room for her. She's in her pyjamas, it's colorful nature muted in the dim lighting. The Christmas hat has finally left her head, no longer concealing her short hair, just long enough to be a bit messy, and the mark on her forehead.
Leah offers an appreciative smile as Tara makes room for her, not taking the silence personally. She drops onto the couch beside Tara and, for a moment, allows the silence to persist. But, eventually, she brings one leg up onto the cushion so she can face Tara. "I-... umm-..." she sucks her lips in momentarily, wincing apologetically, "...I heard what you were saying, sweetheart." she admits. "Do you... want to talk about it?" she
offers tentatively with a little tilt of her head. Her Christmas hat, too, has long since left her head, her long blonde hair pulled into a loose ponytail, tied into place with one of the many hair ties that adorn her wrist.
Tara looks a little uncomfortable when Leah confirms that she overheard her, hugging the gzzk closer to herself as she pulls her legs in a little. "You... heard?" she asks quietly, a pointless, stalling question.
Zoe doesn't fidget, either tired enough to not mind being held, or smart enough to understand Tara needs comforting. The fluffy tail moves lazily as the gzzk's head settles back down against Tara's arm.
Leah draws in a slow breath, nodding softly to Tara's question. "I-... wasn't trying to." she explains, another small wince slipping out, worried that it may seem like she was eavesdropping. "I was just-..." she idly thumbs back towards the kitchen, "...going to get a glass of water and I-..." she pauses, poking at the inside of her lower lip with her tongue before giving another small nod, "...Yeah." she sighs.
Tara nods a little, the discomfort lingering, but there's certainly no blame in her face. Her attention soon turns to the cluttered coffee table, still petting Zoe as she falls silent. Seems it's easier to talk to a gzzk.
Leah's gaze, too, soon falls to the coffee table. Tara isn't the most talkative even under the best of circumstances. It's not a problem Leah shares. "I-... umm-... is it okay if I ask you a question?" she asks, her tone careful. She wants to make sure the conversation is on Tara's terms.
Leah mirrors the gesture, nodding to herself. There's a short silence that passes before she opens her mouth, but her lips quickly close together once more as she struggles to figure out how to voice the question nagging at her. Bluntness has never failed her before. "Is... Zoe still with House Bar'adon...?" she asks cautiously, unable to push the thought out of her mind that Tara has spent all these months worried about her
friend. It's not until the words are out that she realizes that it's unlikely that there's any way to answer this question that will bring any amount of comfort.
Tara stiffens a little, the hand that was petting the gzzk no longer moving. For a moment, she looks out across the room in silence, and then she shakes her head faintly.
Leah once again mirrors the gesture. As expected, it doesn't bring much comfort. Or answer the question she was really asking. What happened to your friend? Is she okay? "Do you-... want to tell me about her...?" she asks, making sure it sounds more like an offer than a request.
Tara swallows and looks down at the gzzk in her arms, her hand slowly resuming the repetitive petting motion along its back. There's no immediate response, her gaze distant, but eventually she breaks the silence, voice quiet and a little uneven. "She was... kind." she says, a tiny hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, but it disappears just as quickly as it appeared.
Leah doesn't want to be the first one to break the silence. Instead, she just waits patiently for Tara to speak. And when she does, Leah forces a small smile to mirror the young woman's, but it fades away just as quickly as Tara's does. "...Can I ask what happened to her...?" she asks quietly, once more leaving it in Tara's hands. Always in Tara's hands. People have taken choice away from her for far too long. Leah won't make that
Tara seems genuinely unsure how to respond. She sucks in her lips, looking out across the room, towards one of the dark windows and the colorful dots of the Christmas lights reflecting in it. The silence stretches on as she thinks, mind far away, but there's no 'no', and eventually she speaks again. "We... ran away. Both of us. We-... we broke the rules." Her voice is little more than a whisper, and there's an almost bitter guilt
Leah remains silent as Tara contemplates. Her explanation, despite not directly answering, does a good enough job of painting a picture for her. Their escape clearly hadn't succeeded. Had it, she never would've encountered Tara on Omega. Her time with the Alliance and her subsequent investigation into House Bar'adon has provided her with a wealth of knowledge on how the Hegemony and its many 'Great Houses' operate. It's not hard
for her to piece things together. "...And... House Bar'adon punished her." she finishes Tara's thought, her own voice just as quiet. Despite the low volume of her words, there's no small amount of vitriol present. Seems her hate for House Bar'adon didn't die with Fasha.
Tara neither confirms nor denies Leah's addition, pausing to look down at the gzzk. She scratches between its ears as she draws in a long breath to keep her emotions in check, studying the four, slightly puzzled dark eyes that look back at her. "We were caught. Nets." she says, the last word almost inaudible, but it's accompanied by a gesture towards the side of her head, where evenly spaced burns run in perpendicular lines. "The guards
Leah's face contorts into a frown. As Tara continues, she shifts a bit closer, one hand coming to rest on Tara's back in an attempt at providing some semblance of comfort. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart." is all she manages once Tara finishes. Her green eyes scan the side of the younger woman's face. Her frown remains but the feelings behind it change. Her anger towards House Bar'adon replaced with sympathy towards the young woman who
Tara flinches a little when she feels the hand on her back, too distant to notice Leah moving, but soon enough she relaxes and draws in another long breath. She blinks again against the stinging in her eyes and looks down at the gzzk in her arms, hand running down its back as she speaks again. "He was very angry." she says, with no context offered. "He... had them all punished."
Leah's gaze lowers and she offers a small, distant nod of her head, her eyes fixed to a small, random knick on the coffee table. She, unfortunately, has a good idea of what that probably means. Her jaw bulges briefly as she bites down on the anger that threatens to bubble back up. There's much that she'd like to say. But she doesn't dare interrupt Tara. She merely runs her hand gently up Tara's back to remind her that she's here
Tara looks out at the window again, watching the snow that's gathered against the bottom of the glass. "He was too late to save Zoe. Just-... just me." she adds, the guilt back with the last few words as that attempt at distancing starts to break apart. Her gaze falls and she leans her cheek against the top of the gzzk's head.
Leah swallows at the lump in her throat. It's not hard to imagine the sort of survivor's guilt that would come with an experience like that. She certainly has her own fair share. It might not be the same, but it's enough for her to know that it's not the sort of thing you get over. It stays with you. "What you said earlier? When I-... umm-..." she sucks in her dry lips to wet them, once again feeling a bit self conscious about
having overheard what was supposed to be a private moment, "...when I first came in? That's... just not true, Tara..." She shrugs as she hazards an attempt at seeking out the younger woman's gaze. It's a gentle gesture, meant to ensure that Tara knows that her words aren't an accusation. Just a correction. "You were a-... 'person'." The words get caught in her throat. Choked up over having to even say that. "A kind, sweet,
smart, wonderful person." She props up a heavy smile for emphasis despite the glassiness that has made its way into her tired green eyes. But it quickly falls away. "You've always been a person. You and Zoe, both. House Bar'adon doesn't get to decide that. They don't get to take that away from you. Nobody does. Okay?" She blinks at the lingering wetness behind her eyes and it causes a tear to free itself and run down
her cheek, but she's quick to bring a hand up and wipe it away. "What they did to you? What they did to Zoe? What they've done to so many others? It was-... was-..." she stammers, shaking her head in something between frustration and disgust, "...it was just evil, sweetheart. They were evil people trying to justify the evil things that they were doing. And you did nothing wrong by wanting to get away from that. Okay?"
she asks, another set of tears escaping. This time she doesn't bother trying to wipe them away. It's too late for that. The dam has been broken. "I just-..." she sniffles, "...it's important that you understand this, okay sweetheart? You did nothing wrong." Her tone is practically pleading, well aware of how easily that can fall on deaf ears. After all, it doesn't matter how many times people tell her that it was Cerberus
Tara 's eyes find Leah's as she listens, eyebrows furrowed. It's hard to say how much of it is getting through to her, but Leah's tears bring a concerned look to her face. It's plainly obvious that she's struggling with how to respond, the look on her face conflicted and almost... frustrated? She shakes her head firmly in disagreement, no longer meeting Leah's gaze, looking away.