ic Second Chances (Or Third?)

[Gizmo]

Without taking the offered hand, Ellie placed her foot in the loop and lifted herself up into the air with a show of fluid grace and toned strength that demonstrated that even if she didn't have quite the obsessive approach to training and conditioning that her brother did the younger Espadas sibling was nobody's idea of a slouch. "Funny, I was getting the impression you were pretty concerned about his backside," the med student mused as she grabbed hold of the rope with one hand and looked up at the upside down woman without only nominal attention spent on the rings they were theoretically testing. There was a distinct lack of joviality in the quip compared to the way she'd been teasing her brother, not quite icy but certainly with a note of challenge.

Clearing his throat audibly, Erik raised an eyebrow as he followed Steve up the stairwell. As far as he knew the big man didn't really do off-colour jokes, though he certainly had the poker face for it. "We tried to make her feel welcome, yeah," he replied carefully, gauging his friend's reaction. He wasn't entirely sure if the specifics of that were something either of them actually wanted to discuss. "We actually met before I took over the team. She's been out of town for a few years but it's really good to have her back."

[Avenger Assembled]

"Good," said Steve, glad to know his friend had so many potential allies. Inside the kitchen, Steve took advantage of his height to open up the cabinets with the paper plates and plastic cutlery the family used when they were not eating formally. "Oh, I had a question I wanted to ask you, Erik." Methodically, he began sorting out plate, knife, and fork for all the downstairs guests. "One of my HAX colleagues has recently purchased a water-filled bed and is looking for a new home for his former bedframe and box spring. I told him I would ask around among those of my acquaintance. Could you use a king-sized bed for your apartment here at the dojo?" he asked Erik. "I thought it might allow you more space. Do you still have your extra, ah, passenger?"  Some weeks earlier, Erik had mentioned that Eden had recently gone through a phase of nightmares  - nightmares that had resulted in early-morning kickings into wakefulness for her father. 

Edited October 10, 2015 by Avenger Assembled

[alderwitch]

Talya arched a brow as her hand was distinctly ignored and put it back on the rope. With her position, it was easy to meet the challenge in Ellie's gaze and her expression didn't give away her internal dismay as she summoned the slow, confident smile that was in so many ways far more familiar than her own. Well, it wasn't like she could protest she wasn't interested in Erik's backside unless she wanted to develop another different persona specifically for Ellie, or perhaps the rest of Erik and Min's circle of friends but adopting a persona on the fly was so messy. Of course, a normal person wouldn't consider which facade was the proper one to adopt but old habits. 

"Well it is a very nice backside and while I can't say that I don't appreciate it, I think he's quite capable of looking out for his own behind," Her brows arched up towards her hairline, her voice dropping slightly as she added mock conspiratorially, "He's a big boy, after all."

Talya supposed that since smoothing it over wasn't an option, at least she could ensure any blame would shift away from Erik and onto her. That was easy enough to do.

[Gizmo]

"Uh...?" Erik articulately requested clarification, pausing in the middle of setting the two paper bags down on the counter. "It... can get a little crowded?" He ran back over his recent conversations with Steve until something clicked. "Oh, wait, you mean Eden? Haha, yeah, alright, that makes a lot more sense. No, she's been doing a lot better lately." He started taking out the foil wrapped burritos, deciphering their contents from the letters scrawled on the side in black sharpie. "So, ah, seemed like you get along with Talya, yeah? She's going to be around a lot now, so... yeah. That'd be good." It was a little hesitant and awkwardly phrased for the loquacious swordsman but it wasn't as if the broad shouldered cyborg let himself be overly distracted by such things.

Downstairs Ellie gave Talya a look that suggested she was trying to figure out if there was a good way for her to yank the blonde off of the rope without her simply landing on her feet. "You'd think, but as the one who's been patching him up for years I can tell you he doesn't always know what's good for him," she shot back, her tone layered with false sweetness and a distinct chill. "Luckily he has people who care about him and watch out for him. Me. His wife."

[Avenger Assembled]

"She is a talented woman. I am sure she would be an asset to the team. We discussed tactics for a time; she agrees that an infiltrator will be valuable to our work." He nodded in satisfaction at Erik's words. "I am glad to hear about Eden." As well he should be - nightmares were something he understood all too well. Sensing that Erik was uneasy with the conversation about his daughter's mental health. Steve changed the subject as he headed for the refrigerator. "Thank you for guiding me to that carniceria," he said, deliberately pronouncing the word in the local fashion. "Miss Americana greatly appreciated that Polish-Mexican sausage. There are some great advantages to the blending of peoples in the West End..." He looked around in the refrigerator, frowning, then looked back at Erik. "I was going to suggest Bombshell try the meat as a welcome to the neighborhood. Where are you hiding your sausage these days?" 

Edited October 11, 2015 by Avenger Assembled

[alderwitch]

Talya smiled in return, her blue eyes crinkling at the corners as she appreciated the dangerous look the younger Espadas shot at her. It helped knowing that there really wasn't any way Ellie could just shove her off her perch, but mostly, Talya couldn't help but be pleased at the protective streak that seemed to run deep in all the Espadas. It was one of their more endearing commonalities. Talya watched Ellie's face for a moment, debating if she'd swung the pendulum far enough that any blame would land square on her shoulders. She didn't want to cause problems for Erik or Min, after all, and she couldn't exactly walk back decades of perceptions. So this would have to do.

"Well, regardless of one's skill - it's always nice to have someone watching your back unconditionally," Talya replied with a small smile, "Would it reassure you to know that I have also met Erik's lovely wife? I can't say that I don't cause trouble but I can assure you, I mean your brother and his delightful bride no harm."

She tipped her head to the side and then added, "I think we've assured that the rope is not going to pull out of the ceiling with our weight on it by now."

Edited October 11, 2015 by alderwitch

[Gizmo]

Talya's continued good cheer and coy tone were starting to annoy Ellie almost as much as the blatant passes at Erik but she refused to give the blonde woman the satisfaction of knowing she was getting under her skin. Letting go of the rope she fell backward, slipping her foot out of the loop as her hands touched the padded mats on the training room floor. Her languid backflip brought the tips of her well worn trainers deliberately close to Talya's nose before she came up easily to a standing position. "You seem like you know how far you can push something before it snaps, sure," she shot back, folding her arms and waiting for the other woman to dismount.

"Dios, Steve!" Erik blurted, juggling the last burrito out of the bag for a moment as he almost dropped it in surprise. There was no way that could have been an accident, right? On the other hand he had a really hard time believing that Steve would make that kind of comment on purpose, either. "I-- it's in the fridge, top right." He turned around to look at the big man directly, grabbing the edge of the counter as he leaned against it. "Look, if there's something you want to ask about you can just come out and say it. Has Chris been trying to teach you how to be funny again? Because we talked about how that's a terrible idea, right?"

[Avenger Assembled]

Steve blinked, the strange conversation taking a turn for the worse. "No, ah, no, I was just, ah, using slang..." He coughed nervously, trying to defuse what had become a tense moment. He could face a charging soul-killer with his bare hands - but this...! His voice gravely serious at what might be a potential rift with his friend produced by one of the many conversational landmines he knew. "Erik, I do not think you are hiding anything from me. If you have not told me, it is not my business to know. If you have eaten the sausage already, that is all right. I know you have many mouths to feed in this house, especially these days." He held the look, to make his point clear. "I can visit that establishment myself when it is open." He turned back to his work. "All right, that appears to be all we need. On that subject," he said, carrying down burritos on paper plates with paper napkins and plastic silverware, "as I was saying earlier, I think finding a position for Talya on your staff was a wise idea. And that she is teaming up in, ah, other ways means that we can be more open with each other." 

[alderwitch]

Talya tipped her head to the side as the sneakers snapped past her face to make sure she didn't get popped in the nose by the younger woman as they came whistling past in a lazy arc. She knew that Ellie's feet ended up exactly where she wanted them but was also fairly certain that if she had been kicked in the face accidentally, it would probably have been satisfying. "Even experts miscalculate occasionally," Talya drawled as she shifted her grip to let her arms take the weight of her body once more and untangled her legs from the length of the rope. With precise control, Talya let her body swing down so that she was right side up once more, her toes landing neatly in the loop as the weight of her movements swung the rope outward and back not unlike a child on a swing. At the farthest point from Ellie, she leapt off of it to land lightly.

Snagging the rope in one hand, she gave a few quick tugs to un-work the knot and began coiling it between her hands with practiced aplomb. "Unfortunate, but true."

[Gizmo]

Making a pained little noise, Erik pinched the bridge of his nose and looked away from Steve. "No, it's-- forget it. Just took something the wrong way, don't worry about it, man." It had been an interesting few weeks and he had to admit that he might not have been adapting quite so seamlessly as he might have liked. Things were good, very good, but he still wasn't really sure how much they were telling whom about what and if he was snapping at Steve of all people it was clearly putting him a little on edge. Opening the fridge he produced the sausage in question and brandished it pointedly at the somber cyborg before setting down heavily on the counter. "Here, see? Just grab a seat, I'll go get the ladies."

Slipping out of the apartment and back to the stairwell he jogged down two steps at a time and pushed open the door to find the scene palpably tense. "You two ready to eat?"

"Yeah, I think we're done here," Ellie agreed coolly, walking past Talya without a backward glance and heading up the stairs, leaving her brother to shoot the blonde a confused look, palms upturned.

[alderwitch]

Talya turned to watch, offering Erik a mutely apologetic half shrug as she lifted one slender shoulder. Ellie reminded Talya of their mother, in all the best ways. She finished up with the rope and dropped it off to the side near the door as she followed Ellie's path at a more sedate pace. She nudged it out of the way with one bare foot, her voice quiet, "Not even I could have sold the lie that the sexual tension doesn't exist, dearest."

She offered Erik a small smile, her touch on his arm reassuring although it was very quick and light as she moved past for the stairs. Her fingers encircled his bicep before falling back to her side as she started up the stairs after Ellie, hips swaying as she added, "It's alright, I'm fairly certain that the blame for it is all on me now."

[Avenger Assembled]

Upstairs, Steve was sitting on the far end of the room's round table, the better to keep his eye on the door. As Ellie arrived, he gave her a polite smile, trying to avoid the interpersonal tensions that had bizarrely sprung up between himself and Erik. I should say nothing. There need be no conversation. If there are no words, there need be no argument. He could say that, of course, but he wasn't blind to the tension Ellie seemed to be repressing. Perhaps it was better to ask a question that was clearly removed from all the sources of tension. "Ellie, is Min pregnant?" he asked after a long moment of silence at the table. . 

[Gizmo]

"What? Hey, no," Erik objected, feeling like he trying to put out fires all over the room. Hurrying up after Talya he reached for her shoulder. "This isn't a 'blame' thing and even if it was I'm not about to let you fall on your damn sword or whatever." They both knew that was a bit of a double standard given his usual approach of throwing himself into the line of fire at a moment's notice but then perhaps that commonality explained part of the attraction. "Come on, we just need to explain everything to her. And probably Steve too. Ideally in a way that doesn't require actually explaining anything to either of them because this is gonna be really weeeiiird..." Groaning dejectedly he followed the largely retired thief up the stairs.

"What? Hey, no!" Ellie responded to Steve's question with several rapid blinks and a reflexive step back that ended with her shoulder knocking into one of the cupboards. "Why would you-- Wait, why would you think that? Do you know something I don't?" the med student asked, eyes flicking to one side as she visibly reviewed her most recent interactions with her brother and his wife. "I mean she just had Mia, but... Oh Dios, maybe she is."

[alderwitch]

Talya paused on the landing, her hand on the door and turned to give Erik a decidedly dubious look as if she were perhaps reconsidering walking into the room. "Explain everything and nothing at the same time? That's a tall order. How about we just go with lies. I'm really very good at those," Talya said, falling distinctly back into her comfort zone of sass. Without knowing her, it would be very easy to believe the dry humor was nothing more than that. She turned the door knob then, heading into the apartment as she added in undertone, "Also half truths and avoidance of topics all together. Let's just play to my natural strengths in conversation."

She paused and then added, her tone dropping slightly, "I don't want you to do anything you don't want to do." Talya smiled slightly, "Still."

She led the way into the kitchen, the word hanging in the air only to blink at the odd tableau and Ellie's shocked expression. Catching only the last part of the conversation, Talya spoke up, "...Maybe who is what now?"

 

 

[April]

"No, I'm not pregnant," the woman in question answered airily as she breezed into the kitchen.  Min's superior hearing and vision was one of those things often overlooked by her fellow Interceptors, even after all this time of repeatedly demonstrating this fact.  When combined with the numerous plants that filled the building both upstairs and down, and the dryad's ability to communicate with those plants, nothing done or uttered in the home or dojo escaped Min's notice.

"I cleared out some closet space for you," Min said looking at Talya.  "I don't really wear much clothing so there was just a bunch of stuff taking up space.  So I'll donate that and you can hang up some of your things."  Looking thoughtful for a moment she added, "Does one donate underwear?  I cleared some space in the dresser too."

[Avenger Assembled]

"As long as the underwear is clean, Goodwill will purchase it. Even if it can no longer be worn, it can be shredded and used in industrial applications," Steve offered to Min, glad to be on firm ground with the immortal dryad. "It was one of my first jobs on Earth-Prime," he went on, "repetitive, easy work that nonetheless made life better for others." He nodded in satisfaction at the memory. He hasn't asked about closets at the dojo - there'd been no question of where he was going to live, after all. Talya was no doubt living above the rest of them. "I still visit the shelter in Hanover. I would be happy to help, Min," he offered her, glad to have one normal conversation on what had been a very strange day. 

[Gizmo]

"Well that's-- what?" Ellie agreed, switching gears mid-sentence and beginning to get annoyed with for frequently she was sounding confused that evening. It wouldn't have been that strange for Talya to be moving into one of the unoccupied smaller apartments on the building's second floor - although she'd previously gotten the impression that the blonde woman was quite well off that had been a few years back and fortunes could change - especially now that she was teaching classes there but Min made it sound like she was clearing out space in her own bedroom for the other woman. "Why...?" she asked slowly, giving her brother a narrow eyed look.

Letting out a long breath, Erik planted his hands on his hips. "Heeeeey, who wants to hear more entertaining underwear related anecdotes from Steve, huh? Good times? Maybe? No?" Between the big man's obvious relief that the conversation had become less awkward and his sister's accusatory glare he wasn't feeling particularly compelled to have this particular conversation just then but a glance in Talya's direction outweighed that. He couldn't in good conscience let her keep feeling like she was their shameful secret, not because he didn't want to have an adult conversation. "Okay, so... listen. This is kind of complicated but-- Actually, no, it's really pretty simple, we-- So you know how sometimes-- I had a really good analogy for this earlier, give me a second..."

[alderwitch]

Talya smiled at Min, the gesture without artifice for once. It was utterly ingrained in Talya to deflect and dissemble, to play human interactions like a game of cards but Min wasn't human and that sort of byplay would only have been confusing and potentially hurtful to the immortal. So, as Erik started to try and find a good way into the double-dutch of 'its not an affair, and its not just sex', Talya turned slightly to touch the back of Min's hands with one of her own, offering her a small smile. "You didn't have to do that, but thank you. I don't mind shuffling things back and forth. I am surprisingly accustomed to life in a small valise. I do have an awful lot of shoes, though. It's not quite an addiction. Not quite. There is a certain fringe benefit to you having less clothing, though, I think."

She tipped her head to the side, her curls falling down over one shoulder as she watched the usually glib swordsman fumble and debated trying to rescue him. After her work with Ellie earlier, though, Talya had the distinct feeling that she'd just make things more complicated. Still, she should probably try. Discussing emotions and vulnerabilities was still a struggle in front of only Min and Erik which was why she started with, "Would you like some help? Would it be easier to do it in the form of charades?"

Sass might not be actually helpful in this instance but when all one had was a hammer...

Edited October 13, 2015 by alderwitch

[April]

"Nonsense," Min murmured, her attention still largely on Talya.  Capturing the other woman's hand in her own, the dryad closed what little distance remained to kiss the Englishwoman lightly on the lips.  Brief though the contact was, it was evident to those watching that it was more than just a gesture of friendship, especially with the satisfied smile that Min sported when she withdrew.  "You shouldn't have to live out of a bag, not here.  I know our lodgings are modest compared to what you are use to, but your home is here now with the people that love you."

"Right?" Min said, looking up at Erik.  Then she looked over at Ellie, "It's the same with you and Mara, I know you have some things at her place.  Help me talk some sense into this woman."

[Avenger Assembled]

A lightbulb went off over Steve's head. "Oh! I understand now." While monogamy was the norm in this part of Earth-Prime, he understood that humanity was diverse - and that Min was a particularly diverse part of that humanity. "Congratulations," he offered Talya and Min as he dug into his burrito. He knew Min would not speak of a relationship she had undertaken without Erik's approval, and so had no concerns in that regard. "I owned very little when I moved out of the FLSCH." In fact, many of the things he now owned had been bought for him by Gina. "Indeed, my robotic counterpart actually used the gift of clothing to attempt to drive Miss Americana insane before the Day of Wrath. I understand your concerns, Natalya," he told her, his voice a deep rumble. "I do not recall the local customs," he confessed. "Will you be marrying each other as well?"  

[Gizmo]

"I...?" Ellie struggled against the mental inertia as her simmering ire was abruptly rerouted into a hitherto unknown direction. She did make an effort to parse Min's request well enough to reply to the white haired woman but found herself distracted from the question of closet organization. Turning to her brother instead she place a hand to either side of her head, willing the situation to make sense. Erik didn't seem at all surprised by his wife's warm show of affection for Talya, although he seemed to be having some trouble not laughing at her own expression. "So they're, what, friends with benefits, now? Like... swingers?" The last word came out oddly, a weird bit of dated slang that she'd never expected to actually use in a serious context. "How did that...?"

Erik couldn't help letting out a short laugh at that, the combination of the ridiculousness of the stilted conversation and the relief of having things out in the open hitting him in a rush. "It's not a 'them' thing so much as an 'us' thing, hermanita," he clarified, moving the half-step necessary to put a hand on the small of Talya's back and giving her a rueful smirk. "Min's just better than me at cutting to the chase. And it... just sort of happened, but it's good. It's working and-- It's good," he repeated, giving the younger Espadas sibling a shrug that told her he understood exactly how strange this was and that he was right there with her in terms of bemusement. More subtle was the unstated plea for support and understanding that he was too proud to voice aloud.

Working her jaw for a moment, Ellie straightened her back and squared her shoulders very slightly before turning looking back at the blonde Englishwoman. "Right, well. She's right, obviously. You're all busy people, it just makes sense to have some of your stuff where it's more convenient." There was a note of bluster in her voice, obviously compensating a bit for her continued surprise and confusion but she'd obviously made her decision about how to take the news.

[alderwitch]

"Min, you know I love it here. My apartment is a beautifully constructed set piece, kept for a particular point and purpose; this is a home," Talya's smile for Min was soft, clearly touched at the matter of fact declaration and she turned that expression to Erik at her other side as he stepped in. Finding herself bracketed between the couple, she met Ellie's direct gaze, "I'm sorry for earlier," Talya apologized to Ellie first before addressing the less pressing matter of how many clothes she was going to bring over, "I fear keeping secrets is an ingrained habit. You're right though, it would certainly be more convenient to take Min up on her offer."

There was a pause, as not even Talya felt glib enough to address Steve's question but the large man had been nothing but kind so she turned towards him and started, the words clearly very carefully selected, "Well, in terms of the legal sense, no. Most countries - this included - only recognize a marriage between two people," she gestured towards Erik and Min with quick movements of her hands. She paused, offering a brief, bemused smile, "And it is still a very new sort of thing. We're still at the navigating the minefield of taking over of lingerie drawers and how many shelves I ought to occupy with pairs of shoes."

She paused then, glancing up to see if she'd properly deflected the topic onto safe ground without having to weave too closely to topics like her own personal feelings or risk trampling on anyone else's emotions in the process. The truth was ever so much more difficult than an easy lie sometimes, "And while I am always for fancy parties and the exchange of jewelry, all things in their own time?"

[Avenger Assembled]

"Oh, I see." Steve had very little experience with interpersonal relations - either on Prime or anywhere else. He smiled slightly and said, picking his words carefully with the air of a man unused to this sort of conversation. "I am...happy for all three of you." As the family took their seats around the table, Steve considered and discarded several anecdotes before deciding that the conversation should not be about him. He turned to Talya to continue their conversation. "Have you tried Erik's sausage yet? I think all the Interceptors have had a taste of his meat." Thinking back, Steve could remember Erik's stories about the time he'd spent working in that carniceria. "Its flavor is admittedly powerful - but Erik has suggested it makes an excellent rite of passage for new members to the team," he continued. "Miss Americana has also enjoyed it, although she prefers it in one of her hot buns."

Edited October 14, 2015 by Avenger Assembled

[Gizmo]

Erik groaned loudly and buried his face in Min's shoulder, unable to meet anyone's eyes while Ellie burst into raucous, very nearly falling out of her seat while she gasped for breath. Once she'd calmed down enough to see straight the young woman studied the stoic cyborg's confused expression long enough to determine that the innuendo surely hadn't been intentional. "Aw, Steve, buddy," she sympathized not unkindly even as she struggled to keep her lips from quirking into a grin. Leaning over around the corner of the table and cupping a hand around her mouth she quickly whispered a brief explanation, pointing out the visual metaphor that had so far escaped him and letting him fill in the rest of the blanks for himself.

[April]

Min blinked, looking from Talya and Erik to Ellie and Steve.

"Makers, Preserve me," Min said with a rueful sigh and a shake of her head.  "You all where totally having a... a thing."  The way Min pronounced thing made it sound like both a curse and a source of amusement.  She absently tucked a strand of white hair behind an ear, showing off its subtle inhuman point.

"That will be enough of that," Min stated evenly.  "There are no secrets in this family, there is no time for it."