January 3rd. It's a mild Aitian winter morning, though the clouds on the horizon hint at a potentially snowy evening. All is quiet at the Mercier residence. The New Years festivities served as a nice palette cleanser after an unfortunate previous week. It's been a peaceful morning so far. Eating breakfast together has slowly become a more normal occurrence over the past few months- a routine seemingly borne from a Tara-shaped addition to the
#Leah'sHouse – October 5, 2023
family- and this morning was no exception. After her morning stretches and clearing the snow from the porch that gets carried by the wind overnight with Tara, Leah has taken up a spot on the porch as she waits for Lema's arrival.
Leah sits on one of the benches on the porch, cup of coffee cradled in her hands. She's dressed for the winter weather. Light blue winter jacket with a matching tuque. Warm looking thick wool socks- blue to match her jacket, of course- are pulled up over the bottom of her black pants and extending nearly to her knees. Steam rises out of her mug as she brings it to her lips.
Tara was on the porch with Leah, but Zoe has dragged her out into the yard, and she's currently standing and watching as the young gzzk tires itself out playing in the snow. She too is decked out in full winter wear, including her favorite hat, and she has the leash in one mitten-clad hand, letting it run however long it needs to accomodate Zoe's antics.
A sky-car that taxi flew in from the north-west sets down near the main road, and Lema jumps out of it the moment the doors open. She exchanges a few words with the driver, a tall blonde woman, before it closes and takes off again.
Lema starts making her way up towards the entrance of the house, waving in greeting to the people already outside. She's wearing her pale gray jacket, a big scarf, and a thick beanie. The young asari's attention is naturally drawn towards the small animal running around, though she is still headed for the entrance.
Leah snickers as she watches Zoe hop about through the snow like a little ball of energy. As the skycar travels overhead she cranes her neck to spot it from under the porch's canopy. She lifts one hand in greeting as the young asari hops out. "Hey~" she calls out cheerfully.
Zoe 's head pokes out of the snow, swiveling around until she notices Lema. The gzzk seems immediately curious, taking off in her direction with a few enthusiastic "Chau! Chau!"s. Once closer she slows to a stop, four dark eyes studying the young asari cautiously.
Lema calls back, "Hey," as she continues on her way. The little creature coming up to her makes her stop and crouch down as she studies it curiously. "Aren't you just adorable!" she says to Zoe with a laugh before she looks up at Tara. "I know I've seen this kind of pet before, but never greeted one. What is she?"
Leah takes another sip of her coffee, gentle smile lingering in her expression as she watches the trio from the porch in silence.
Zoe 's caution quickly lifts when Lema crouches - she wasn't exactly an imposing figure to start with. The little furball crosses the remaining distance with another "Chau!" and paws Lema inquisitively, perhaps wondering much the same thing about the young asari.
Tara smiles warmly as she watches, taking a few steps closer to keep an eye on Zoe. "Her name is Zoe. She is a gzzk," she offers, seeming much more at ease than at the party.
Lema smiles brightly as the little gzzk paws at her, and she gently reaches out to pat its back. "Gsszzk," she says to herself in an attempt to pronounce it. "It's nice to meet you, Zoe." She eventually retracts her hand, but does not stand back up yet as she's worried she'll starte her.
Leah rises from her seat and takes a couple of steps across the porch, resting her coffee against the railing as she continues to watch. While the walk into town might not always be welcome- especially during harsher winter days- their proximity does mean that Zoe gets to run free with relatively few worries. Good sightlines with nowhere for her to get lost without someone noticing and vehicles aren't a common occurrence out
Zoe pushes up against Lema's hand, rumbling with pleased purrs. When the hand departs her tiny paws flail up in a futile attempt to catch it.
Tara just watches, smile lingering as it becomes obvious that Zoe approves. "I think she likes you."
Lema considers capitulating to the little gzzk's protests, but she stays strong and stands back up, lest she might end up petting it all morning. A soft laugh escapes her. "I get the feeling that might be, yeah," she says. "The feeling is mutual."
Leah leans against the railing. "Careful!" she calls out, "She might look cute but, trust me, Zoe is a force of nature!" she teases.
Tara giggles quietly, and goes to pick Zoe up, offering some pets to placate the little critter before Lema is badgered further.
Lema smiles at the warning as she continues toward the porch. "It's a good thing she likes me then!" she says, glancing off towards the gzzk with narrowed eyes. "Unless that was just a way to get my guard down..."
Leah snickers and nods towards the bench, a silent invitation for Lema to join her. "Did you have any problems getting a ride out here...?" she asks as she retakes her previous seat.
Zoe meets Lema's gaze from where she's perched in Tara's arms, her only response to the suspicion a scrunched nose.
Tara follows after Lema back towards the porch, her focus on fuzzing over Zoe. "Zoe is nice," she assures. Also prone to mischief, perhaps, but that's beside the point...
Lema takes the offer and sits beside her on the bench, though her attention is still partially on the suspicious gzzk. "My neighbor had time to take me here today," she says, then hums thoughtfully, "but I bet I can make it here in two hours on my bike."
Leah blinks. "Two hours? No, no, no, no. That's four hours of travel time to get here and back. I can't ask you to do that!" she says, shifting a bit in her seat. "I'm sure Jasper wouldn't mind picking you up so, next time? Just send me a message when you're ready and I can ask him to swing by when he has some free time, okay?"
Tara sits down on the stairs, within hearing range of Leah and Lema, but staying out of their conversation as she lets Zoe down to play again.
Lema looks down at the floor, feeling guilty for considering accepting that. "That's fine, though, time is the only thing I have a lot of," she says. "I can't ask that of you too on top of all this."
Leah frowns, dismissing Lema's concerns with a wave of her hand. "With how much time Jasper spends taxi'ing the rest of us around I'm sure he wouldn't even notice a couple more trips each week. Besides, it wouldn't take more than a few minutes. Obviously I'll clear it with him first, buuuuuut~ I'm sure it shouldn't be a problem." she assures, seemingly having already decided on it.
Zoe is no longer darting around, perhaps finally tired from all the running through the snow. Instead, she starts chewing on the leg of Tara's snow pants.
Lema sighs deeply, realizing she won't be able to argue her way out of that. "Fine," she says. "Just... tell him he doesn't really have to, okay?" She looks back up at the gzzk, a small smile showing up at the little critter's antics.
Leah snickers, but nods sharply. "I will make sure to pass it along." she promises. She takes another sip of her coffee, the steam a sign that it still hasn't lost its warmth. "Soooo~" she begins in a singsongy tone, bringing her boots up onto the bench as she shifts into a cross-legged position, "...why don't we start by you telling me a little about your experience so far?" she suggests. "Any formal training?"