ic Count Your Blessings

[Gizmo]

"That should be enough folding chairs for everyone," Gina Espadas judged from the doorway to the kitchen, doing a mental tally of the guests they were expecting for the umpteenth time that afternoon, making sure that they had enough of everything. The kitchen itself had proven too small for their needs this year so a pair of table had been moved into the living room and placed end-on-end with an assortment of wicker-backed chairs and their folding metal cousins, made more hospitable with mismatching cushions. She shot her son a dry look. "Sure you don't want to spring any last-minute additions on me?"

 

"Can I help it if you raised me to be respected and well like by my peers?" Erik quipped easily, slipping past her wheelchair with an armful of cutlery sets wrapped in cloth napkins. He didn't believe for a moment that his mother was actually upset to be hosting a particularly full house for Thanksgiving this year and she didn't bother trying to sell the thin veneer of grumpiness any further, either. "Bird's looking good and we've got enough to go around even before what everyone else is bringing. Now if only Ellie and Mara would bring the extra plates down from the upstairs closet instead of making out!" He raised his voice to carry to the second floor with the last part, causing Yolanda to groan in protest from where she helping to tidy up the rest of the room for company. "Min and Talya will be over with the girls any minute and everybody else knows the score. Smooth sailing."

 

The elder Espadas snorted in vague comment, giving the back of his head a narrow look. "They seem to be getting along well. Min and Talya, that is. Since she's been back."

 

Erik paused briefly before resuming what he was doing. "I feel like you're trying to say something there."

 

"What would I be trying to say?"

 

"I... don't know?" Gina simply made a humming sound before wheeling about and heading back into the kitchen to keep an eye on the turkey.

[alderwitch]

It had likely grown pretty obvious rather quickly that Talya was avoiding Gina Espadas. Oh, it was never obvious per say, but it wasn't like Talya was above putting decades of spy training and her knack for hiding to use in her personal life so when the Espadas matriarch was around, Talya was simply elsewhere. Once or twice could have been chalked up to chance but as Gina was certainly a presence in the lives of her family, chance could only be pushed so far. Unfortunately, while Talya could probably have continued in such a vein indefinitely, it was clear that any excuse of missing Thanksgiving would have been downright hurtful and that was a line she wasn't willing to cross. Certainly not out of cowardice. 

 

Perfecting pies, at least, had kept her mind busy even if no student had left the school for this week without baked goods in tow. Raina alone had been sent home with pies to share with her Claremont friends. Hiding behind pies would have been a stellar plan if she hadn't been an absolute sucker for, "Up! Tal'a, I wanna go up!" Talya had hesitated only a moment before switching the pies to one hand and offering the other to Eden to dangle from. 

 

"Little monkey. We'll have you down in the dojo swinging on ropes before your fourth birthday at this rate," Talya said with affection as she carefully swung Eden, more concerned for the little girl than the pies balancing on her other palm. If the pies fell, well, there were worse things than ruined pastries. Her boots clicked on the pavement as she lifted Eden up onto the top of the stoop with a "Wheeee!" 

 

Talya had dressed in full armor for the event. At least, her sort of armor. From the stiletto boots to the curls in her hair, she'd vanished behind the elegant facade of the super-spy. Still, thesmile she slanted Min, from under her black glasses and behind blood-red lipstick was still the Talya that she had come to know as they reached the door. "It's not to late to run for it. I'm sure there's a super villain attacking somewhere."

 

She was mostly teasing. Mostly.

Edited November 24, 2015 by alderwitch

[April]

Min was the shorter one now with Talya in her heels though one could argue that her long white hair--tamed, bound and braided--added enough height to make them even.  Not that she really minded the extra height the heels gave Talya, the heels provided other perks as well.

 

Min reached out and knocked on the door; as much as she had adopted to the modern world, the dryad was still 'old school' in some mannerisms.  One didn't just enter a home unless invited, even if it was your mother-in-law's.  She cocked her head to Talya, returning the smile.

 

"Mm, much too late to run now, dear heart," the ancient guardian said, running a hand down the Englishwoman's spine and letting it rest at the small of her back.  Cradling Mia in her other arm Min smiled down at her older daughter, extremely pleased with how quickly Eden had adapted to, and adopted, Talya.

[Avenger Assembled]

Across town at Archetech, Steve and Miss Americana, or rather, Gina Evans, were conducting the last of their holiday business. 

 

While Gina put the final touches on the Miss Americana robot, Steve looked at himself in her office mirror. He'd donned the 'casual formal' outfit she'd purchased for him some years earlier, one he wore whenever she suggested it was a good idea. His black blazer and slacks went well with his white button-up shirt, his tie in his blazer pocket just in case such a thing proved to be necessary. He doubted that it would be, given the Interceptors, but between the two of them he and Gina had both planned for any social eventuality. 

 

"...and Liz Lawlett has recovered from the incident with Mastermind, and she and Chris are both scheduled to attend the event," he was saying through the door, just finishing his tactical report on the kind of people they could expect to encounter at the party. He'd made sure to tell her about the triad at the heart of the Interceptors these days, the better to make sure she knew the groundwork before she walked onto it. 

[Electra]

"Chris and Liz," Miss Americana repeated obediently, opening her eyes as Gina slumped over in her sumptuous office chair "And keep mum about the "why the hell do you get into a firefight at thirty-six weeks" business, got it. The car is waiting downstairs." She walked to the full length mirror and took a look at herself, dressed in a deceptively casual hip-length sweater in burnt sienna over a pair of tailored black slacks. Her golden hair was pulled back in a chignon, her makeup done subtly. She frowned into the mirror. "Are you sure you want me to come along to this?" she called into the other room. "You'd probably have more fun with your friends if I stay back, and I've got some really interesting lab work I could be doing while everybody else is eating," she suggested hopefully.

 

Their dish to pass, a massive three-foot-tall tower of chocolate truffles, was already tucked in a box and ready to go, the product of hours of Gina's fretful second-guessing. She didn't understand what to bring to a potluck when not given direct instructions. That wasn't how things worked where she came from! Back in Blackwater, everybody understood what dishes each person was to bring to each holiday, how they were to be prepared, and what order they ought to be placed in on the buffet line. These assignments were sacred, passed on from mother to daughter, and taken very seriously. How could she bring a sweet potato pie or dish of scalloped corn, or god forbid a bowl of dressing, not knowing if she was going to be stepping on anybody's toes? What if everyone brought a sweet potato pie? What if nobody brought any vegetables? In the end, she'd gone with an ostentatious dessert, because why the hell not? It looked delicious, and nobody else would be bringing anything like it, unless some greater power was in a particularly fickle mood today. "It's about time to go." 

[Gizmo]

Min and Talya weren't waiting long before the door swung open and they were greeted by a grinning Erik, who gave each woman a brief kiss before looking over his shoulder back into the house. "Hey, get in here! Abuela is in the kitchen." If Talya had been avoiding Gina it was fair to say that Erik had been avoiding the topic of Talya avoiding Gina, not much more eager to have any version of that conversation than the Englishwoman. He could only will himself to be so oblivious, however, and an innocent enough update on relative location seemed like a fine compromise. Eden hopped down from Talya's arm in response jetting through the living room to go say hello. "Steve called to say they're on their way," Erik continued, stepping out of the doorway and offering to take either the pies or the infant as necessary.

[alderwitch]

"Are we the first ones here, then?" Talya asked, chuckling briefly as Eden bolted off in search of her grandmother. Her warm smile turned back to Erik, briefly appreciative of the forewarning as well as the opportunity to hand off their dish without having to step foot in the kitchen. Although her lipstick was bright red, none of it would smudge off as she returned his brief kiss. It was her 'work lipstick', afterall. She held the pies out for him to take before shrugging out of her overcoat and pulling off her sunglasses as she pivoted to put both away. Unlike Min, Talya very much felt the cold weather so unless she wanted to shiver for the entire walk, a coat had been necessary. Underneath, the fitted, tailored dress was the unrelieved black she tended towards when in her public persona. 

 

"I can take her into the living room if you'd like," she offered to Min once she'd shed her outer layers, offering elegant hands. Her words were utterly innocent, helpful even and the indulgent smile she favored the baby with was unfeigned. That Talya knew the childproofed area was in the opposite direction from the kitchen might have come from a small amount of reconnaissance in preparation for the holiday. Some habits did die hard, really. 

[Avenger Assembled]

Steve waited until Miss Americana had come out of the other office before he said, "If I went there alone, I would miss you. I am glad that you will come with me." He'd have preferred if Gina herself had come - but she might have asked him to fly through Earth-Prime's star for an equally difficult journey. "And you look beautiful." Which was all true, both for Gina herself and the golden shell she had built for herself. "The colors are especially pleasant," he added on the elevator down to the cars. He knew Gina cared about colors and fashion, something he had at best a tactician's understanding of. Knowing Gina as he did, he did not press the question further. "Yolanda will be especially interested in meeting you. She has asked me many questions about you."  

 

He stopped outside the elevator to send a quick message to Erik to let him know they were coming, then they boarded the car. Normal people like Miss Americana and Steve Murdock drove their own cars, of course, so the pair of them sat in the front seats while Emerson drove them towards the West End, the car dipping low as Steve entered. He was fortunate - if his armor was only somewhat heavier, riding in normal vehicles would be all but impossible. 

[Fox]

"Technically don't need plates until food," Mara quietly insisted, good humor robbing her pout of its impact. "It's efficiency. People will be too busy talking to each other to notice anyway. Don't really have to go back downstairs until people start showing--"

 

The arrival of Talya and Min cut her off, and the young woman's perfectly logical protests fell back into her throat as a indistinct pained noise. Even then, it took several long seconds for her to remove her hands from the back pockets of Ellie's jeans, and a few more besides to finally step back and give herself room to straighten herself up - a quick brush through her dirty-blond hair to mostly tame it back into place, and a quick tug to straighten out a smart grey button-up blouse that flattered a figure nicer than the one she'd had before she fell under her girlfriend's athletically critical eye. Not that she was ever going to turn heads on the street - but she could turn a head, and that was the one that mattered.

 

The grumbling noises continued, good-naturedly, as she bent to pick up her share of the plates. "Okay, fine, yes. Plates."

[Electra]

Miss A was very quiet for the first two minutes of the drive, staring out the window and cracking her knuckles nervously, little sparks of laser light occasionally flying from her fingertips. As soon as they crossed the bridge, though, she began to worry aloud again. "We probably should've brought a dinner dish to pass, and not just a dessert. Maybe we should've brought two things because there's two of us. I wonder if we should stop and pick up a bag of dinner rolls? She must already have dinner rolls. You can't not tell people what to bring and then just expect somebody to magically know they're supposed to bring rolls!" she insisted to Steve. "Or maybe the truffles were just a bad idea. If somebody in the household is allergic to tree nuts, god only knows what a giant tower of nut truffles will do to them. Really should've thought of that before. Maybe I could've made pudding or something. But nobody takes pudding to a Thanksgiving dinner, that's super-tacky." 

 

She hadn't run out of words by the time the car pulled up in front of the Espadas residence, but she was at least able to throttle herself back and paste a wide, beaming smile on her face. Holding the truffle tower at least meant she had an excuse to make Steve knock on the door of what could be rather unfriendly territory. 

[Gizmo]

"Hold on, one sec," Ellie insisted, waiting until Mara was defenseless with her hands full to lean over the stack of plates and kiss the engineer soundly, weaving her fingers deep into blonde hair. She took her time, predicting that the intimate gesture might have to last them a while once they headed back downstairs, then finished by vigorously ruffling Mara's hair with both of her hands, grinning incorrigibly as she left it irrevocably mussed. Tugging her fitted vest back into place she picked up the remaining dishware. "Much better."

 

Just as Min was handing Mia over to Talya, Gina wheeled back into the living room with a giggling Eden in her lap. Before any of the women could say anything Erik spoke up a little too quickly, "Oh, hey, I think somebody just pulled up, how's that for timing, huh?" Crossing back over to the door in a few steps he opened it before either Steve or Miss Americana could knock. "Hey! He actually managed to drag you along, that's great! Get in here!" The swordsman blinked a few times at the stacked deserts the patriotic paragon was carrying, unsure if he could offer to take it without risking spilling the truffles everywhere. "Dios, look at that monstrosity!"

[alderwitch]

Talya's smile softened slightly as she took the baby from Min's arms, and not because she was an excellent excuse to flee the room. "There's my little love," she said to Mia in a low murmur, "Come to be Talya's accomplice and perhaps I'll sneak you cranberry sauce when everyone's distracted, yes?"

 

She turned, pivoting with the baby in her arms to offer Steve and Miss Americana a friendly smile. "You look lovely," she told Miss A, only to give Erik a bemused look at his commentary. She added, her words dry, "That's a compliment, truly. If he didn't like it, you'd have gotten a few polite words and a change of topic." Her sidelong look at Erik held a glimmer of subdued affection before her gaze shifted to Gina Espadas.

 

"It's a lovely home you have. Thank you for having me, Gina," Talya said, from her easy friendly tone it would be hard to tell that she'd been deliberately avoiding the woman. "It's been a while."

[Avenger Assembled]

"It truly is the mightiest of desserts," agreed Steve, "dominating the table with its power." He had made the assumption that was the reason for the outsize dish when Gina had ordered it - an assumptions reinforced by his friend's reaction. For all that the robot could hold up the chocolates forever, he opted not to anchor Gina to the object for long. "Where shall we put this?" Knowing what Gina would prefer, he let Miss Americana place the dessert, trusting that she would appreciate a moment or two away from the conversation. After all, he understood that sort of difficulty all too well. Ducking his head, he added below, "Good evening, Gina," with a polite nod to Erik's mother. "I don't believe you have met my woman, Miss Americana." 

[Electra]

Miss A's eyes flicked to the truffle structure at Erik's comment, betraying a moment of uncertainty that was rare for the confident paragon. It only lasted for a second, though, before she was all polite friendliness and ready to make introductions again. "I just hope everyone brought an appetite," she told Talya, setting the tower down on the sideboard where a couple of pies already rested. "It smells amazing in here." With her hands freed up, she went to introduce herself to Gina Espadas, all her social graces fully back in place. "Ms. Espadas, it's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you so much for inviting me to your home for the holiday." 

[Fox]

Ellie's ruffling earned her the disgruntled noise she'd been looking for, but it was almost entirely swallowed by the little smile on Mara's face - their earlier totally-getting-dishes-and-not-at-all-making-out had put her in quite the mood, and that last kiss had her humming to herself as she and her mussed hair made their way downstairs. "Beware future revenge," she said, every word of it a promise.

 

"Plates!" she announced, stepping down off the stairs. "As requested, only minor delays for science reasons, do not question it. Where-- ..ah." She paused, cocking her head as she caught up with the presence of the latest arrivals. "Steve, hello. ....Americana. Hello."

[Gizmo]

"Mh, so it has," Gina agreed coolly. Talya didn't have to wonder where Ellie had gotten it from, at least; the head of the Espadas family had successfully merged a mother's knowing disapproval with a police officer's interrogation room technique. The effect was somewhat undercut as Eden hopped out of her lap without any particular regard for what she was kicking on her way out, the three year old running back across the living room to hop between her mother and the blonde woman, putting a little hands around green and black sheathed calves respectively. Straightening her own dark purple sweater, Gina made a short sound that might have been generously interpreted as a laugh. "So this is why I've seen so much less of mi nietas lately, hm?"

 

Before Talya could respond, she turned to Miss Americana with a much wider smile. "Well of course, dear! I'm sure Steven told you, you're family by association now. Follow me, we'll find a spot in the kitchen for that, it looks wonderful." She paused briefly as she began to wheel her chair around, considering. "We're not going to call you 'Americana' all evening, are we? That won't do."

[April]

"Ah, so you two have met before then?" Min quietly asked Talya, placing a hand lightly on the Englishwoman's back in a comforting gesture.  The dryad knew that Talya was good at compartmentalizing things, but she also knew she was far too willing to take the blame for something that isn't entirely her fault.  The hand left Talya's back after a moment to ruffle Eden's hair.  "I should be surprised," she told Talya with a smile, "but I am not."

 

Turning to look at Steve and Miss Americana, but careful not to dislodge her daughter, Min nodded a greeting to the two of them.  "I am pleased you could make it Steven and... mm, Gina is right.  Americana won't do, not here."

[Electra]

Miss Americana obligingly scooped the tower up once more and followed Gina into the kitchen, the truffles not so much as budging despite the handling. The caterer had assured her that the chocolate fudge anchoring the truffles would withstand pretty much anything short of actual pulling by fingers, and so far, so good. "Ah, my friends usually call me Miss A," she offered. "Americana does get to be a mouthful. You have a lovely home," she observed as she trailed after the matriarch. "And enough room for the children to play, that's so nice. Can I help with anything in the kitchen?" She managed to cut herself off shy of babbling, but only by the slimmest margin. 

[alderwitch]

Fortunately, Talya had practice with not only the miniature version of the Espadas look but had been prepared for a less that warm reception. Her smile, pat and practiced never slipped though it warmed when Min's fingertips touched the small of her back. The look she slanted the dryad was brief but reassuring, conveying with a flick of her bright blue gaze that she was just fine. Shifting Mia to one hand, she touched Eden's head gently, her fingertips brushing Min's almost accidentally. 

 

"Briefly. Gina was kind enough to offer her expertise when I had yet another misunderstanding with law enforcement." Talya's smile might have been warm for Min but her voice was dry, bemused, as if her tendency to get arrested due to her reputation was merely amusing. Her gaze cut over to Erik then at that particular memory. "Though it was ages ago. Before Ace absconded with me."

 

She glanced down to Mia then, removing her hand from where it had touched Min's to rescue her necklace from chubby baby fingertips. It was tempting to claim Mia as an excuse and flee to the living room but she had promised Steve - and she could hear the minute stress in Miss A's voice. Talya was rather proud she didn't sigh before she added "Yes, Gina, is there anything we ought help with?"

[Avenger Assembled]

As the women headed into the kitchen to cook, Steve gave Erik a serious look - knowing a smile would only betray his second-hand nerves as Miss Americana went out among the women, knowing how Gina must be feeling back in her basement. "Come, let us watch hockey," he told Erik as if discussing plans for a warrior's bonding ritual. "And then we can feast. I understand the Blades are against the Panthers this day - and I know they are our cause." He patted Erik on the arm, then took a careful seat on the living room couch, the springs groaning in protest under his great weight. "Your children look healthy," he commented as he made himself as comfortable as he could. 

[R. Bluefish]

If someone had looked out of their window at just the right moment, they might have seen an indistinct blue-and-silver blur flash by, though not so much as a blade of grass was stirred by its passing. It streaked to a relatively discreet spot behind a parked van, stopped, and the faint sound of zippers and jingling belt buckles could be heard. A few moments later, a slightly rumpled Buffy Stein emerged from behind the van, trying to tie her shoelace while at the same time hopping on one foot towards the Espadas residence. She was dressed as casually as ever, in loose-fitting jeans and a faded hoodie, and a backpack from within which a few strands of false white hair were poking. Her features were still covered by her mask, however, which she seemed to have forgotten to remove.

 

She made it up to the front door, resolving the shoelace situation to her satisfaction along the way, before looking down at her empty hands as if seeing them for the first time. "Oh, smegging hell," she muttered, and with a careful glance around to ensure no one was looking, she was off again, zooming away down the street and across the city. She returned seconds later, skidding to a halt on the doorstep, now carrying three large loafs of challah bread from which an enticing smell was wafting. I didn't slave over these things just so I could forget them. She considered. Well, actually, my mother didn't slave over these things just so I could forget them. Her only previous attempt at baking challah bread had resulted in a call to the fire department, so she had wound up outsourcing the job.

 

Having more or less collected herself, she knocked on the the door, then as she waited, absentmindedly tore off a piece of bread and tried to put it in her mouth. It was only then that she noticed she was still wearing her mask. "Whoops." She pulled it off hurriedly and stowed it in her backpack, then popped the bread in her mouth and chewed contentedly.

[Gizmo]

"Be nice," Ellie chided under her breath with an amused smirk, knocking into Mara's hip with her own before setting down the plates. "She's basically your best friend, you're not fooling anyone." As the knock came at the door she crossed the room, past those closer but also more occupied, and opened it to reveal the latest arrival. "Hey, Escher! We weren't sure if you were going to make it out, c'mon in." All things considered it wouldn't have been unreasonable for the journalism student to have been wary of spending any more time with this particular group than was strictly necessary.

 

Letting go of Talya and her mother, Eden raced over behind her aunt, obviously energized by seeing so many faces so quickly. "Buddy!" Hiding partially behind Ellie's leg she grinned upward. "Hi!"

 

Following Steve over to the couch and the television set Erik gave the women and the kitchen door a glance over his shoulder. He knew the somber cyborg was only interested in the social component of any sporting even and he should probably explain not to take the 'battle' too seriously but the Blades' starting goalie had just come off of the injured list and they were going to destroy the Panthers and he didn't want to miss it. "So, what do you think about the shootout versus standard overtime?" he drawled, not really expecting an answer.

[Fox]

"Wh--is not!" Mara insisted, setting her plates down. Her grump was not somewhat more genuine, if not somewhat over-defensive, and she crossed her arms, tapping a finger as she tried to muster an argument. "We've just teamed up against bad things, sometimes. And we've collaborated on some science things. And keep a couple of her bad secrets. And worked together a little. For a while. ....five years. ......no. Nope."

 

Having successfully argued herself into a corner, Mara's frown deepened a bit and she opted for denial. "Nope. Mortal enemy. Could use her real name, anyway," she added, muttering, as she busied herself straightening out some of the seating and cutlery. "It would just get confusing."

[R. Bluefish]

Buffy hurriedly swallowed her mouthful of bread. "Hey to you, Ellie! Sorry if I'm late - you'd think super-speed would make me more likely to be able to do things on time, right?" She still hadn't completely gotten used to addressing someone else as 'Ellie,' nor to her own new nickname of 'Buffy.' But the moment she had seen an opportunity to have a direct comparison drawn between her and everybody's favorite teenage vampire slayer, she had jumped on it. Besides, two Ellies would have just been confusing. Not for the first time, she found herself thankful that she was born with a name that had more nicknames than it did letters.

 

Seeing Eden, she crouched down to put herself on the same eye level as her and grinned. "Hi, Eden! How you doing? Have you punched any bad guys lately?"

[Gizmo]

Gina gave Miss Americana a sideways look before giving the blonde woman a wry smile. "So, was it a small family that didn't do big gatherings or a big family you just wish didn't do big gatherings?" While Americana was doing a passable job of hiding her discomfort it was still fairly clear that she was out of her element. "We can come on a little strong, I'll admit. If you need a break at some point, Missy, you just say, alright? Won't hurt any feelings here." She pronounced the second half of the diminutive with a long A sound. Surveying the kitchen she looked for something that might give her guest something to keep her hands and mind occupied. Besides the dishes already covering the counter there were pots on the stove top and a bird in the oven. "Mara says you're a bright one - well, says it without ever saying it, of course. What do you know about yams?"