alderwitch
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Talya shrugged, the gesture looking very odd as she remained hanging upside down, "Largely, because I care less if your brother lands on his backside if we all come tumbling down, but if you happen to be game, I'm not going to nay-say you. Far be it for me to serve as the voice of reason in any given situation," still, despite her easy banter, Talya shifted in her perch, locking her legs in a better grip on the rope and scooting up just a little to give Ellie more room. "Although don't edit the innuendo on my account. Banter is a dying art form." She held out one hand for Ellie to take, "There's a loop at the bottom, just put your foot in the loop and step on up. We'll save stress testing for after dinner. Never risk bodily injury on an empty stomach if one can help it, after all." Talya hadn't worked with Erik's sister and so she shifted to steady the rope just in case the young woman wasn't as acrobatic as her sibling as she shifted so her body weight would hold the rope still, one hand out to steady Ellie. She heard rather than saw the creak of steel as it gave up the ghost to Steve's strength, "Nor you, I imagine, Steve. It is merely hype to sell the product. I always test the gear before I risk breaking my neck due to unintentional failure. No one likes that."
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"You didn't 'let me' anything. You were distracted and I exploited it. Though, do endeavor not to get stabbed. I'd rather not have Min cross at me come dinner time," Talya said with amusement as she crossed over to open up the case that held the blades in question. Testing the weight as she flipped them up in the air one at a time, Talya picked the ones that she thought would fly the truest and then crossed over opposite to where Erik was standing and beckoned Raina to join her. "Come stand over here, my dear. I have decent aim and Erik's more practiced than any sane person ought to be at dodging sharp objects but even the best can make mistakes. Waiver or no, I'd rather not send you back to your headmistress with a new perforation." Figuring that she out to make this at least marginally educational and not just entertaining, Talya lifted one blade to show Raina, "For throwing, not for stabbing - the hilt is thin and flat. These are called balanced knives as the point of balance is in the dead center." To demonstrate she balanced it between the blade and the hilt along one fingertip, "To throw a knife accurately, you need to know its balance point. Unbalanced blades are easier to learn on. In short, you want to throw the heavy side and hold the lighter side so it flips end over end towards the target. It takes a bit of practice to learn to gauge it but its not that difficult a skill to learn. It's possible and more powerful to throw the blade straight but harder to learn the knack." Talya shifted her hand, flipping the blade back into the palm of her hand, "Simple, right?" She said and then turned towards Erik to make certain he was ready before shifting her grip on the knife and throwing it smooth and straight, towards the center mass of his body.
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Talya paused as she mentally shuffled which lie to tell Dimitri which was a more taxing task when muddled. "No apartment, really, but a friend is letting me teach in his gym to help alleviate my boredom," Talya said as she didn't really want to delve into relationship discussions while she was less than at peak performance, "It's enjoyable. Good company and it makes me feel less at loose ends. Idle hands lead to the devil's work and all of that. Especially when its my idle hands. Besides that, its soothing to have a place where one can pummel punching bags without having to think beyond the next punch. I suppose I'm getting soft, I've kept the one apartment for full on five years now and that's the only one I have. Cloak and dagger in the modern age is a different beast than when we were young."
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Talya paused at the car, reaching out to open the door and slip into the seat, pulling the door shut behind her. She sighed and leaned back against the leather, her eyes briefly closing for a long moment. It was the only outward tell she allowed for her mood before reaching up to pull the seat belt down and fasten it. Talya made no efforts to reclaim the driver's side as despite her many other flaws - driving while impaired was not on her list of preferred activities when there were alternatives. If she missed a grapple line after a few drinks, it was only her neck on the line. That was different when one was behind the wheel of a vehicle and Talya was always less cavalier with lives that weren't her own. "I heard no punching. You two have softened in your old age," was Talya's laconic comment as she sat back in her seat. Despite her urbane calm as she crossed her legs, Talya was weary. "Do you think that they'll stop having these little memorials in another few years? I'm not certain how many more reunions I can endure. My parade wave is wearing around the edges." She paused for a moment and then added, her voice low, "Why don't you head towards the West End."
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"Ah, I see the conversation has been resolved for the moment," Talya said calmly as the angry undead appeared and stalked off in a rush of cold wind and colder emotion. She sat her empty glass down and stood up smoothly, no hint of any level of inebriation in her smooth movements. Her smile for Klara was jaunty in the face of everyone elses's somber mood, as if the swirling depression and chaos had left her untouched. "Half truths and sweet lies are my wheelhouse, it's true. Another time, Klara, but you know its best if these things happen sooner rather than later. You and I - we really have forever to catch up. Thank you for the drink, Tracy. Do enjoy your meal." It seemed like she might not comment on Klara's final odd comment although she turned, eventually, at the gate to the sidewalk, "Oh, Klara. You can't ever get away from your past entirely. Hide for a time, perhaps, but somethings never can be forgotten. Dimitri despairs because he knows his hands will never be clean again." She let the gate shut behind her, her easy smile never slipping from her features, "And neither will mine. I hope your afternoon is a pleasant one." With that, Talya turned to sashay away, her heels echoing staccato with each step on the pavement.
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"I like the way you think, Steve. It is ever so much better to simulate a scenario and run it before encountering it in reality." Talya agreed with approval as she went to pull up smoothly on the rope. She reached out with the toes of one foot to nudge Erik in the back, setting herself spinning lazily again. Holding the rope between her knees, Talya let go, until she was dangling upside down on the spinning rope hands free in front of her and her head about even with the shorter individuals in the room. "Truly, how often does one end up having to hold on and dodge at the same time? Too often." She smiled at Erik then, "I often have many good ideas. You can see if Steve's right and the rope will hold both of us. It should. The rings come from the same catalog the Crime League gets their gear from. They swear it should hold Centurion himself in your dungeon but everyone know's that's an exaggeration." Talya blinked at them once on her next rotation and added, "I'm still on the mailing list."
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"It's true. He's developed an entire lifestyle around act first, maybe think later but that's not entirely without peripheral benefits sometimes, so I can't entirely complain," Talya mused in response, pausing to watch Erik spin the staff with appreciative glance that spanned the gamut from watching artistry to a more personal sort of appreciation. "But the mystic arts work rather differently from what little I gather. Thinking is a bit more critical. Autonomic response, less so. As to dodging crossbow bolts. Its really the same as any projectile that's not a bullet. You can't catch a bullet. Well. You can. But I wouldn't recommend it; hurts and stings." She turned towards Erik slightly, "Maybe someone would be willing to demonstrate. Erik, shall I toss knives at you for the amusement of a student? Well, and education, naturally." She added before telling Raina in a perfectly audible undertone. "But mostly amusement."
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Robin relaxed further, the touch on her back was becoming familiar - but in a pleasant way. She appreciated how Riley telegraphed his intentions. It wasn't that she'd really say anything from his background was good, per say, but that he'd had enough experience with all of his world to understand that not all surprises were good. This time, she didn't have to force her muscles to relax at human contact but did so naturally as she turned towards him, reaching up to touch the side of his face as their lips touched. Kissing was easier, Robin thought, than talking although she couldn't deny that clearly relationships required at least some of the former. If she'd have asked, she'd have known enough earlier to have done something. Or at least, Robin told herself it would have made the difference. After a moment, her other hand came up tentatively to land on Riley's ribs, hesitating before her hand flattened against his side, her fingers curled along his waist. Robin pulled back then - just a little - to catch her breath and say, "If there's anything you don't want me to - you know - touch, you can tell me?" She offered, the words a little uncertain but the muscles under his fingertips remained relaxed. Progress. She offered a small smile, "I like kissing you, though. A lot."
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"Are you sure that the broom will carry all of us? I can probably hold on to like the back. I mean, my arms won't give out or anything," Robin offered, a little uncertain of the physics involved - or magic, more accurately - but certain in her ability to hold on and not get dumped off the broom. She relaxed noticeably once they were no longer inside Claremont proper and onto the streets once more. "I usually just ride on the backs of busses if I can't, you know, pay for fare but whatever you guys want to do." She added that last with her usual easy going nature. Outside of a few key, and rather obvious, issues - Robin didn't generally put up much of a fuss about most things. "I wouldn't know how to go about putting on make up if I had any but if you really think that my clothes are going to be a problem, I can find something else. It'd be nice to add another pair of jeans to what I have, honestly. I'm wearing out the knees in my last good pair." 'Good' being a rather subjective term.
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Talya gave a phlegmatic shrug, "Someone else's bad experience doesn't make yours less pleasant," she pointed out before obligingly pouring Set the requested shot. Picking up her scotch glass once more as she stepped around. Along her way, she gave Dimitri's arm a fond pat before crossing to the fireplace in the center of the living space. Despite the affectation of her clothing style, the apartment was as contemporary as anything in Freedom City and reaching out, she turned on the gas in the fireplace. It wasn't cold enough to warrant a roaring fire but Talya wasn't turning it on for her comfort. When a friend showed up needing liquor, one provided it. When your guests had... other dietary needs, you did what you could to accommodate it. Talya moved well away from the flames, mutely gesturing to them for the thermovore, should he have need. Reaching out to steady the bottles before any made a leap for freedom, Talya chuckled, "You're dodging the question - I should know," Her blue eyes sparkled with bemusement as she took a sip of her drink and then pointed you, "Your points on that no woman deserves to be spoken to like that are certainly well founded and on the greater topic of a god needing affection as much as any other, I can't disagree - but you've sidestepped Dimitri's question but for mooning over a pair of dimples. I believe you are a bit besotted. That's adorable."
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"Turning invisible is handy but sometimes people can see through the best of tricks. Learning how to hide actually is always a useful skill and goes hand in hand with learning to walk lightly. We'll work on some creative exercises." Talya said and her smile was pure trouble, "I have a few ideas how we can start on that at your next lesson. You'll have fun - we both will. Just because its learning doesn't mean it'll be boring. Life is too short for boring." She turned towards Erik then, nodding her head a little at him before her smile turned bemused, "Everything is a bludgeoning instrument to you. If you can't use it to stab, you can use it to 'thwack'. It could be a precision magical instrument, you know," Talya teased, "Some things require finesse."
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Talya should have fired off with a witty retort without missing a beat. Most people likely wouldn't have noticed the heart beat's pause at Ellie's commentary or caught the slight pinking of her cheeks. It was as close to blushing as Talya was really capable, "Steve's right, you'd have to use a different rope. Unless, of course, chafing was the goal. I hear some people are into that sort of thing. Rumor has it." Her voice was light, easy, as she fell naturally back into comfortable banter. As Erik's hand on her knee turned her his direction, she held the weight out for the swordman to take and once her hands were free, reached to pull herself up and slip her foot from the loop at the bottom, "You say theft like its a bad thing! I wasn't going to start Mrs. Martinez on dangling by her knees and trying to trip a deadbolt, certainly. I think we're still working on saying 'no' in a firm, loud voice there, but you've been getting more Claremont students and they could certainly use a diverse skill portfolio." She paused and then, because she was Talya, couldn't help but add, "But, yes, I'm sure we could put them to other uses too." And it certainly didn't sound like she was talking about additional strength training.
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Talya's smile for Min was small but there was reassurance there as she dropped down onto the available seat with an easy grace. The leap from cowboy to motorcycle was equally confusing until the explanation was offered, "Only by reputation," she said as understanding flickered across her features, subtle but present. Thanks to Ace, she had more passing familiarity with the concept of 'time works differently, she offered softly, "I'm sorry." Talya, after all, well understood the phenomena of outliving one's friends. She turned back to Eden's excitement with an indulgent smile, "I have seen that trick in action. It's really quite a wonder." She offered as she reached out to ensure that the swinging celery stick ended up no where truly important. "Though really, you could combine them and get a flying motorcycle. Best of all worlds." She turned her head towards the couple then, arching a brow at the dinner plans. "Is there anything I can do to help?" She asked with a smile, and then added to Min, "Someone was implying earlier that I might not how to make a proper meal for myself. I think your perceptions of my day to life are clearly far more glamorous than the reality, Erik, but, to be fair, I work very hard to create that image."
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"Without for me, please," Talya answered Ellie first, her focus on not dropping the heavy weight. Steve's estimation was correct as while she had the toned strength of one who made a habit of dangling off of roof ledges, she was much more quick than fast. She offered the stoic man an approving smile at his praise for her plans. Talya ignored the instinct to look over and gauge the response immediately, waiting until she was certain the weight was safely tucked against her chest and that the device itself showed no signs of giving way. Only then did she turn, offering helpfully, "I am weight testing the limits. It should safely hold a good three hundred pounds but I think it's best to make sure that's true before suspending students. Don't you think?" Talya twisted slightly so she could take in the returning siblings, her expression was studiously innocent, "Want to help? And hello to you, Ellie. How have you been?"
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Robin turned at Hannah's approach, catching the soft sound of her foot falls. She sighed, as Raina was right, they really were going to get caught if they lingered. "We're going to a party," Robin explained in quick low tones, "Because Raina thinks we should see what normal kids do for fun. She's got a point - I'm pretty sure that this really isn't anything like normal even from my limited experiences with typical teenagers. Put your backpack inside their room and come on." Robin urged her, gesturing for Hannah to store her stuff and come along. After that little incident with Fred's statue, she considered Hannah part of their small group so she had no hesitation, "But we gotta hurry because if we hang out here any longer the only place we're going is detention for forever."
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"It depends on the hero," Talya offered, feeling for a brief moment like she was giving away trade secrets. She gave a small shake of her head and took a sip of her wine, "There are some with set routes and duties, others that tend to be more catch-as-catch-can in the endeavors. Most of the heroes I know cultivate some sort of discerning where hot spots are likely to occur. Personally, I tend to end up in trouble without needing to ever look that hard but I've always been lucky." Her slow, sly smile gave that word additional meaning, "Being a villain is easier, yes. The control starts in the hand of the one committing the crime. It's their plan, played in their court to their strengths. Being a hero, however, is endlessly more engaging as you need to... adapt."
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"I said I'd stay but I didn't want to assume-" Talya cut the words off rather than delve into the nuances of 'stay' and all its possible implications. She put a hand on Erik's back as she went to step past him, the touch light but familiar as he scooped up his daughter. She'd intended to move past and retrieve things like skirt and boots (and the lockpicks and other sundry parts of her clothing that had amused Min so) only to pause at the wide eyed question. "Am I... Ahah, no. Alas, I am not a cowboy," Talya said with a smile, her accent clear in her clipped speech, glancing down to her toes as if she could possibly discern where the question had come from. The minds of three year olds were strange and difficult to fathom "I do have a cowboy hat and I have ridden horses. Does that count?"
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"I don't know anything about it," Robin admitted easily. She'd never really been outside the city, "So it's interesting to hear about. I don't really have anything to, you know, compare it to? The only thing I've ever hunted are rats and they taste terrible regardless of how burned or not they are. I'm not good at catching them either so it's easier to, you know, find restaurants that are just throwing good foot out. I mean, its gross, but you have to eat when you have to eat." Robin said that phlegmatically, a shrug of her shoulders punctuating the statement, "And a lot of places do. It's better if you can catch it right at the right time so you don;'t have to dig too much because then its less likely to be good."
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"Movies are inaccurate. A real fight is a lot more messy, usually its desperate scrabbling to survive." Talya explained after making a mental note about the shoe size, her glance was still directed down at Raina's feet as she added, "With anything at hand. It's smart to know that you won't always have all your tools at your disposal. Also to know that the goal is to get away and survive." Talya glanced up then, raising her hand matter of factly, as she ticked things off of her fingers, "So, we'll teach you how to deal with getting grabbed, we'll teach you how to exploit an opening to maximize your window to escape, and we'll make sure you can run in whatever you might happen to be wearing and that's going to be how we start - if that sounds good to himself, of course," Talya gestured towards Erik with a small, fond smile, "If you can jab an assailant in the throat, they'll generally be far more concerned with trying to breathe than trying to chase anyone. How does that sound?"
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"Despite how much the whole thing sucked, I am still pretty sure they're not going to let us get killed in training. I don't think super heroes would send their kids here if they did that on any sort of regular basis. There would be complaints," Robin replied with a small grin of her own, pleased that she'd managed to help Riley out of his funk at least for the moment. She placed the brunt of blame for things on the adults who should have known better, frankly. "So, are the deer crazy smart too? I mean, I don't know a lot about the wilderness but I am pretty sure our bears don't work together like that." Robin wanted to know, thinking briefly it would be weird to eat food if you knew it was almost human smart.
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Talya had tensed at the first heavy foot fall only to place it as the not-so-soft pitter patter of small feet and relax once more. She was not above enjoying watching them both move from bed to action as she rolled to her side and slipped out from the sheets herself. Talya paused, her expression distinctly disconcerted and rather naked as she dropped her hands on her hips as she scanned the floor. "Oh for the love of... my clothes never made it out of the stairwell," Talya's tone was bemused as she twisted to look at the door as Min went to open it. The moment the handle turned - Talya vanished from sight, fading into the background in an instant. Normally, she made efforts to make the trick look harder than it was but at the moment, Talya was mostly concerned about her first introduction to their daughter being one where she had her clothes on. She moved stealthily over to Erik's shirt instead, reappearing there as she snagged it off the ground once Min had their daughter in hand. Talya claimed the shirt for coverage although she had every intention of sneaking off to the stairwell to put herself to rights before joining Min in the kitchen. Provided they actually wanted that...? Tugging the shirt on, she turned towards Erik, "Do you want me to go get dressed and join you, or slip off of the roof...?" She asked the question, as she reached up to run a hand through her hair and restore it to some semblance of order.
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"My first time was an Oberbefehlsleiter who we suspected of being a member of the Thule society - which he was," Talya said matter of factly as she poured scotch on top of ice in a crystal cup. "And I needed him to trust me utterly. All for Queen and country, my darling. Do you need another shot?" She slanted a smile at Dimitri only to sigh at his confessions of failing at love. It wasn't surprising but a good friend only pointed that out the first time or ten, "Ah, Dimitri. You need to find a lady that peaks your fancy who already speaks Russian. Eloquence is the path to the heart, after all. Well, the path you want to take. It would take a rare lady to appreciate the more direct route through the sternum." Her blue gaze slanted back to Set and she added, "I generally suggest working one's way up to blood drinking, personally. Try the movies first." That was very much advice Talya had never personally held to - she rarely moved slowly once committed to action - but that didn't mean she didn't understand the value of it when it came to teenagers.
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"There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio," was Talya's bemused response to that statement, "As I said, forever is a long time. When you are looking down the barrel of eternity, it changes the way relationships function. I can't say I'm terribly surprised that her people tend towards a bit more libertine philosophy in terms of inter personal relationships. Pledging to love and keep someone forever has a very different meaning when it's measured in centuries - or longer - than in years and decades." Talya finished her glass, setting it back down on the table with a faint sigh, "I wouldn't wind back the clock and change my life but you and I are two very different people. All things come at a cost and immortality is no exception to that rule."
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"You know of my reputation and very likely my file. There's nothing in this world that I love, so I am a poor person to ask that question," Even more than a little inebriated, the lie was easy on Talya's tongue and her expression remained smooth and remote from the emotions of the question at hand. She took a sip from her glass and set it back down on the table lightly as she maneuvered back towards truer things, "I never had children. I had a career instead back when that was a binary option between one or the other and never looked back. It has been a very, very long time since I was the sort of person who had family. I can tell you that if you go that route, you'll never be the same sort of person as your bride. An immortal born is always different than one who falls into it. You know mortality in a way that she doesn't. That you lose the good sense to fall over at the end of a long life never changes that. Which isn't to say its the wrong choice. It just means you'll view the experience differently."
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Talya relaxed fully then, her expression relaxing from deliberate nonchalance to contentment. "Alright," she agreed in the same relaxed tone that she'd used to reply to the first topic of the discussion but the return of lassitude in her body made it clear that this 'alright' was genuine. She wiggled once to cuddle deeper into the tangle of limbs, shifting to anchor Min's legs with one of her own, "I'll stay as long as you'd like to keep me." She shifted slightly, dropping a gentle kiss on Min's head where it was tucked against her shoulder in response to what certainly sounded like high praise, indeed. "Perhaps that'll even be long enough to teach someone to make a proper cup of tea." Talya added, her tone turning teasing although her ribbing of Erik had a rather different tone when delivered quite like this. The flirtation inherent in it became much more obvious when accompanied by the slight nudge of her bare shoulder against his chest.
