ic Guess Who's Coming to Dinner [IC]

[Gizmo]

Erik choked on his orange juice, pounding on his chest with one fist as he coughed out, "Oh, snap." The socially uncertain inventor was evidently more comfortable with certain topics than he would have guessed; he felt vaguely proud of both her and his sister, though he suspected that he really didn't want to dwell on that general train of thought.

"Well, it helps when you're raising good kids," Gina noted with a small but warm smile. "But thank you, dear."

Ellie gave Mara's hand another squeeze. "And parental failings or not, you turned out pretty great," she reminded her girlfriend, "so that works out."

[Fox]

She snorted. "Socially-maladjusted," she started, flatly, like she was reading off a very boring grocery list, "introverted, engineering-obsessed, dress up in space-bending technology to fight super-powered sociopaths and giant starfish viruses. And I 'talk funny'. Still." She sighed, and shrugged. "Probably right. Could be worse. Independent, approaching successful, good - great - girlfriend, with a good family. Could be worse. Could still be back-"

She stopped, and grimaced. didn't mean to be that relaxed - very disarming family "- back where I was several years ago. Better off now. Owe you for...no small part of that."

[Gizmo]

"Ooh, yeah," Erik nodded with a broad wince. "Dressing up in an unusual outfit and fighting supervillains and evil aliens and assorted threats to the city. Pretty weird. I mean, who does that?"

Ellie narrowed her eyes with a predatory look. "You realize that she now has full punching you privileges, right?"

Her brother waved one hand unconcernedly. "Yeah, yeah. Speaking of which, though, saw that tussle you two got yourselves into at the restaurant on the news. Well, Vince saw it and recorded it for me. Nicely done."

"We pretty much kicked huge butt, it's true," Ellie confirmed, looking quite pleased.

"Of course," Erik cut in, "would have gone better if the martial artist hadn't nearly taken you out in one hit, hermanita. Guess who's running hand to hand drills in the Wreck Room this weekend?"

[Fox]

"Vince? And caught her off-guard," Mara defended, frowning. "To her credit she stayed on her feet at all. Would have had to grab her and run if she'd fallen. Likely would have fallen myself, if he'd hit me like that." That deepened the frown somewhat, and she tapped a finger on the table. "Working on that, though. Taking some time to build. Probably...two months. Or so. Maybe more if...when...I run into problems, distractions."

She shook her head, and shot Ellie a sympathetic grimace. "Regardless. One of the few perks of...operating independently. Never dragged into a training room I don't want to be in."

[Gizmo]

"Aw, I thought we'd made that clear, kiddo," Erik told Mara with a beatific smile. "You're not operating independently any more. You're part of the family! Which means getting dragged into a training room you don't want to be in. You rely too much on your tech," he critiqued with a glance toward her messenger bag. He hadn't actually seen inside it, but one costumed hero to another it wasn't hard to figure out what the young woman was keeping in there. "Sooner or later you'll get caught in a tight spot without it, and being able to throw down on your own will be handy."

"Obnoxious though he's being about it," Ellie added pointedly, "he's not wrong. Look on the bright side: exercise clothes... working up a sweat... getting the blood pumping..." Under the table, one of her feet slow traced its way up her girlfriend's calf.

Her brother pulled a face. "This is a lot less fun for me if you're not miserable."

[Fox]

"Ah. Too late to escape, too. Unfortunate." Mara pulled a dour face, though she brightened a bit - and blushed a bit - at Ellie's contact. "...but. Make a good point. Both of you," she corrected, though she raised an eyebrow. "But think I liked Ellie's point better. Having a hard time thinking of a good counter-argument against being...more fit. Don't exactly focus much on exercise. Can't guarantee time, though...too many...phrase. 'Too many irons in the fire.' Might need to wait until I have fewer things demanding attention."

[Gizmo]

"You could try to be a little more subtle, for an old woman's sake," Gina drawled good-naturedly at the heavy handed innuendo.

"Don't be ridiculous, you're much too pretty to be old," Erik quipped, standing up to gather everyone's empty plates and carry them over to the sink.

His mother snorted. "Speaking of being well trained..."

"I try. Anyway, this doesn't have to be a time sink," he told Mara. "I do want to go over some basics first chance you get, but beyond that we can figure out whatever works. All kidding aside, I'd feel better knowing you've got every edge available out there." Although his tone remained light, his voice contained an obvious sincerity.

[Fox]

Mara nodded, sighing helplessly. "First chance I get," she agreed. "Whenever that is. Will at least try to spare moments for exercise in the meantime. Not in...bad shape but don't have much confidence in my physical strength. And thank you," she offered to the collected Espadas family at large, pulling some hair back behind her ear. "For the meal, I mean. And...the welcome. Both were very nice. Should look up a tamale recipe. I should, I mean. Haven't made them before. Unusual, might be interesting."

[Gizmo]

"I'll set you up with the one I use," Erik promised with an amiable nod. "It's pretty straightforward. I'm not exactly a culinary whiz kid, but even we can't eat take-out every night," the fencer elaborated with a wry glance at his mother and sister.

Ellie gave Mara a slightly embarrassed grin. "Heh, it's fair to say your, ah, 'menu selection' that first evening at the Lab would have fit in just fine around here," she admitted. Suddenly brightening, she stood up without releasing her girlfriend's hand. "Ooh, c'mon, I want to show you my room before I forget."

[Fox]

Looking surprised, Mara let herself be pulled to her feet and out of the room, glancing back at Erik and Gina with a mixture of apology at her sudden exit and general helpless confusion. "'Menu selection,'" she echoed, shaking her head. "Everything? Surprised most of that didn't end up going bad." She paused, nervously adding, "I...like your family. They're nice. And I'm glad they...approve." could be misleading? - no - paranoid - disregard - trust them - and would likely have noticed something "Hard to express - should have been born with ability to link to people, not computers. Would be so much easier. For communicating, I mean. On a computer too often; using a keyboard all the time would suck."

[Gizmo]

"Relax, amante, I really did just mean I wanted to show you my room," Ellie clarified with a short laugh, pulling Mara up the stairs to the second floor of the house. "And of course they approve. They know I have exceptional taste."

In the kitchen, Erik brought the pot of coffee over to the table to refill his mother's mug, setting a pitcher of orange juice down on the table for himself as he retook his seat. "So...?" he asked lightly.

"I like her," Gina assessed with a clam, matronly smile. "A bit odd, but endearingly so." She gave a deadpan shrug. "And you know how this family is about blonde Europeans."

[Fox]

A very brief, slightly impish smile flashed across Mara's face and she paused for a moment at the top of the stairs without letting go of Ellie's hand. "'Exceptional taste.' Yes," she deadpanned, "you do," and leaned up to steal a quick kiss. And then licked her own lips a little, blushing. "Revenge for the foot," she noted with mock scolding. "And the...mental images. Of sweating. Very pleasant, but very distracting. Owe you for that, later. Threat and a promise."

[Gizmo]

"Ah, me vuelves loca," Ellie chided happily, looping her free arm around Mara's waist and pulling her closer. For a moment it looked like she was reconsidering the innocent nature of the tour, but instead she simply held the inventor for a quiet moment at the top of the stairs. "...I'm glad you like them, too," she began finally, leaning forward to plant a light peck on the tip of her nose. "They're a big part of my life, and I want to share that with you."

[Fox]

Mara was looking awfully tempted to do something else, herself, but she shot a quick look down the stairs as she remembered that there were still other people in the house. Somewhere. Where maybe they wouldn't be able to hear anything if care was taken to keep silent.... no - no no - likely a bad idea - not thinking straight - stupid biology She took a deep breath - and nearly regretted it, pulled as close to Ellie as she was - and slung her arms around the taller girl's waist. "Seem...like a good family. Interesting to see a good family up close, really. Enlightening. Good for...perspective."

[Gizmo]

Wondering to herself if spending so much time in the privacy of Mara's warehouse had had the side effect of forming some bad habits, Ellie cleared her throat lightly with a small smile and nodded her head toward the first door down the hallway on the right, opposite the kitchen. "C'mon, it'd be embarrassing if we didn't at least make it to my room," she drawled with a mildly sheepish look, managing to gently extricate herself from the embrace and lead the way.

[Fox]

Mara blushed a little, but bit her lip and nodded, putting her hands in her pockets in the hopes of keeping them under control. The possibly vain hope, but she tried to keep reminding herself that they didn't have as much privacy as they were used to. too used to living alone "The living space of the standard American teenage girl," she wryly commented, with a tone dangerously close to nervous joviality. "Well. Not standard. Above-standard, and unusual. Still - should be...word. Entertaining. Interesting."

[Gizmo]

"Jeez, now I feel like I've built up all these expectations," Ellie chuckled ruefully. "It's not all that exciting or anything, it's just, y'know..." Opening the door, she revealed a room perhaps a little less than half the size of Mara's own bedroom. A wooden desk sat flush with the wall facing the hallway, covered with loose papers, notebooks and writing instruments. There was a chair nearby, but it was currently doing duty as an ad hoc shelf, stacked high with hardcover books with library filing information stamped on their spines. Similar stacks littered the floor and dresser, tidy enough to suggest some bizarre organizational system at work. The rest of the dresser top was covered in assorted bracelets and other jewelry, including a few artifacts from Ellie's younger years which certainly wouldn't have matched her current sensibilities. The door to the closet in the corner wouldn't have been able to close without moving the standing, full length mirror, framed in old, burnished steel. Across from the door, a window looked out into the small back yard above a low, twin-sized bed. "...it's mine."

[Fox]

"Exciting because it's yours," Mara corrected, smiling a little despite herself. She managed to keep her hands in her pockets while she carefully inspected things, betraying a little more caution and curiosity than she'd have liked. "Small," she finally observed, glancing at the walls, "but...cozy. And more organized than my rooms usually are," she ruefully added, with an apologetic look in Ellie's direction. "I like it. Reminds me of you. Smells like you, even."

She paused, frowning as she realized how that sounded. "...was a compliment. Like the way you smell. I do, I mean. Smells are important."

[Gizmo]

Closing the door with her foot, Ellie took advantage of Mara's pose by stepping up behind the shorter girl as she looked about the room and wrapping her in an embrace that pinned her arms to her side. "I knew what you meant, Marbar," she chuckled, nuzzling her face into the crook of the engineer's neck for a moment. Without even trying to keep a straight face, she grinned and solemnly intoned, "I like the way you smell, too."

[Fox]

Mara made a contented noise, leaning back into her girlfriend and semi-unconsciously tilting her head to the side for easier nuzzle access. "Say that now," she teased, carefully poking the taller girl in the calf with her foot. "Few promises for when I'm sweaty and exhausted after training." She raised an eyebrow, glancing off at nothing as a thought hit her. "Still. Probably good for me. Physical strength, flexibility. Wrestling skill. Stamina. Would be useful for many things."

[Gizmo]

"Well, look who finally made it to the party," Ellie chuckled, brushing a light kiss on Mara's exposed neck. "Besides, I still like you when you're all covered in engine grease and all, so." Releasing the shorter girl's waist, she took a few steps back to sit on the edge of her bed with a thoughtful look. "Actually, part of me likes that even more, which works out. Anyway, yeah! Bedroom." She shrugged, looking around. "I guess I didn't really have much of a tour planned."

[Fox]

"It's nice," Mara defended taking a few steps around, "tour or not. Bedrooms are...private places. Personal space. Maybe just my own hangups, but...still. Means a lot to see it. Beautiful mirrors and books and...mmh...interesting accessories," she noted, glancing from the items in question to Ellie with a raised eyebrow, "and all."

She sat down on the edge of the bed next to Ellie with her hands in her lap, just looking around in silence for a moment. "....so. How long, estimated, do we have before they think we've been here too long?"

[Gizmo]

Ellie's cheeks darkened a shade as she brushed at her bangs with one hand. "Look, you already knew I went through a goth phase. There are terrible things in my past you're just going to have to accept." When Mara sat down, she considered for a moment. "Well, mi hermano is gonna think that regardless. ...actually, Mamá will too, she'll just be more polite about it," she admitted with a resigned shrug that quickly gave way to grin as she reached over to take Mara's hands from her lap. "And if we're going to get grief anyway..."

[Fox]

Mara bit her lip, blushing a little and shifting position a bit on the bed to sit more comfortably. "...might as well make them honest?" she completed, lacing her fingers with Ellie's. She leaned toward the younger woman until their foreheads touched. "Think I like that plan," she agreed, and tilted her head for a kiss. A slow, soft, sweet kiss, tender and taking its time - since they apparently had some time to take. if I am going to get teased - am going to make sure I have something to be teased for - worse things in life to get grief over anyway

[Gizmo]

Her grin widened for a brief moment before Ellie shifted to meet the kiss with a low, growling murmur from the back of her throat. At the warm sensitivity of the gesture, the sound became a yielding sigh as she adjusted her posture to melt against her girlfriend, letting her eyelids flutter closed. Moments slipped away until she finally needed to break away for air, her cheeks now blushing in earnest. "Wow," she said softly, keeping her forehead against Mara's, "how do you do that?"