Itching for a Fight

[Daiyu]

Mara listened to their conversation, Liam and the pretty blonde lady, like she was listening to a story for the first time. Eventually, she scooted a little closer, then a little more, then a little more. Finally, she waited for one of them to pause, and she quietly asked: "What's christmas?" 

[Rachel Shale]

Four things. She had four things. That meant something. Rachel knew it did. She just wished it would stay in her mind instead of going away. It would leave again. She knew it would. This was her new normal, and nothing was going to change that. She was trying, but was getting so tired.

Rachel wasn’t sure about dancing with Lily. She wanted to, like holding her, but didn’t think it was a good idea. It was one thing to stay still, but another to be moving. Thankfully she was saved the decision by the approach of a young woman. Rachel had noticed her come down, but she had sat by herself and was watching. It appeared that she had been listening though. She asked about Christmas.

Rachel was silent for a little bit, but summoned her courage to speak to her. ”Christmas is a holiday in December. There is food, presents, and decorations. It started as a religious holiday - Christians celebrating the birth of Jesus, but other people celebrate too. Lots of people have their own traditions.” Rachel hadn’t spoken down to the woman, offering the best explanation she could think of. Hopefully Liam could add more. She wasn’t very good at such things.

[Legione Sumus]

Liam Wilson

Mara asked about Christmas. Liam looked at her with surprise. Rachel answered the question in a politically correct way but Liam grinned. "Nox has gone overboard. Or maybe it was Sage or Sky. I don't know."

Liam took both of their hands and stood up. "Come on. Let's up stairs." Liam let go of them. "We can do Christmas now -- at least the decorating part."

Liam whistled and pulled the attention of everyone else. "Mara wants to know what Christmas is. Let's go decorate the tree." Most of the rest of the kids had been waiting for days too decorate the tree that was in the other room. Liam looked down to Rachel. "You can bring Lily upstairs for me?"

[Jared Vanders]

Jared had asked the question, but never received an answer. The young man - Jared wasn’t sure of his name - had brought up decorating a Christmas tree.

The word Christmas reverberated across the room. Excitement fell on the kids’ face. Gen, who had been so excited about trying to heal Nox, was now excitedly heading towards the stairs. Jared let out a chuckle as he was left kneeling on the mat alone. The kids weren’t being selfish. They were being kids. He stood up, Elyse was there with a bright smile. Elyse looked at Rachel who was with the young man and a young woman - Jared assumed this was Mara. The gaze was there. Elyse liked Rachel very much. Emily had told him this, but he could now see the truth of it. Jared knew it was reciprocated.

”Its okay to like her,” he whispered to Elyse. Elyse didn’t look at him, but just smiled and gave a nod. ”Go to her.”

The problem before had been Rachel’s feelings may not have been her own. Her struggles had made her emotions confused. There was still some of that, but Jared knew Rachel and Emily still more. It had been Emily who had pointed this out at one of their dinners. She liked Elyse - very much - and this could be good for her. It was the whole reason Elyse had been hesitant. She simply hadn’t wanted to confuse the girl.

[Elyse]

Elyse didn’t hesitate after Jared’s command to go to Rachel. The words meant more than what they said. Elyse didn’t need their permission to be with Rachel. Neither did Rachel. The blessing of Jared Vanders meant the blessing of Emily Shale. And Emily always wanted what was best for her sister. The words had meant that Emily and Jared thought Rachel’s feelings were real, not some facsimile created by Lucio’s messing with her head.

Elyse had smelled it. When she had walked away from Rachel, her scent had changed. It was always slight - buried in fear - but it was different. Desire - not lust - it wasn’t the need for sexual gratification she had smelled when she had first met Rachel. It was tamer - more in control. Desire. Still - she had smiled then, thinking of Rachel checking her out as she walked away.

Given the gift of the blessing had just made it time for Elyse to do something. Liam had her hand, but she had Lily, so Elyse went to her other side to help her stand up, and when Rachel looked up to see who had helped, she smiled.

”You want to go?” Elyse asked. Rachel nodded.

[Rachel Shale]

Decorating for Christmas could be fun. Rachel wasn’t sure. It might be different without Emily and Mara to be there with her. Rachel guessed they would be doing that soon at him. She felt a little weird about helping with their tree. She wasn’t really one of them was she? But Liam had invited her. Did that mean she as kind of one of them. She didn’t. At the very least she could take Lily up.

”I can do that,” Rachel said. Liam had her hand and soon enough someone had grabbed her other side to help her up, making it easier to keep the baby steady.

She looked up and saw Elyse and felt a brief smile come to her lips. She nodded when Elyse asked if she wanted to go up. She felt Elyse wrap an arm around her and looked up, seeing the other young lady. Rachel didn’t know her name.

”Are going to go up too? It should be fun. I’m Rachel and this is Elyse,” she said, her voice soft. Of course, maybe she knew Elyse. Elyse lived here. Did the other woman live here too?

[Nox]

Arabella rested her head on his shoulder. She trusted him. It was something at least. It felt right. She took up more space than Lily did but it felt right.

Nox and Ara drifted a little together until there was stomping up the stairs and bright shouting. "Christmas!"

Nox blinked the sleep from his eyes and sat up, Ara clung to him. Sera and Gen were the first upstairs followed by Noah and Jackson who were trying to coral the girls. Sophia followed them with an explanation "Liam said we could decorate now to show Mara what Christmas is."

She sat down and plucked Arabella from Nox's arms. He shrugged and flicked his eyes to a different playlist and Christmas music becan to play over the speakers of the living space. Liam hadn't made it up the stairs but then neither had Rachel and Mara, he was ever the gentleman. "Yeah I suppose."

Noah and Jackson didn't squeal with delight as the girls did but they rushed to the room and Sky unlocked the door for them so they could drag out the fake tree Sage had insisted on getting. The room was full of decorations. Sage wanted to give the kids a better Christmas than any of them had ever had -- than either of them had ever had. Sage came from well todo family but his parents thought of him more as a patient than a son. He was an afterthought too.

Sera and Gen followed to help drag out the things that would make his house glittery and golden. There was a slight shiver as the thought of glitter fluttering around his house.

Sophia cleared her throat. "While we are here, can we talk." Nox stood up and walked across the way to his corner where his family pictures and art stood. Raffe's image was face down, a reminder he wasn't there, but it was Christmas. Nox turned it back upright. It had fallen one day and Nox felt it had been a sign.

"We can talk anytime. What's on your mind?"

She gave him a smile. "We want to go to a real school."

"Okay. Anyone specifically?"

Sophia grinned. "We had Sky find a good one nearby. It's a private school. Not too expensive but they have sports teams and have good scholastic programs. Sage approved."

"If Sage approves then why would I say no?"

She smiled. "I knew you soulnd't say no. We just wanted you to know. It's not that we don't like..."

"You don't need to explain. You want normal lives I get it. And online school isn't normal." Nox smiled for Sophia to reassure her, but he was sure she knew it was faked.

The box for the tree was drug out and all the kids gathered around to help put things up.

[Jared Vanders]

Watching the kids go up the stairs made him smile. Soon - it would be his own child looking forward to the magic of Christmas. It wasn’t magic like his or Emily’s - but it was magic all the same. Elyse had moved towards Rachel as soon as he had encouraged her and was helping Liam get Rachel to her feet. Rachel said something to the other girl that Liam had named Mara. Jared went to head upstairs and Rachel met his gaze. He gave Rachel a thumbs up and she gave a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

Jared wished she could see that she was getting better. He knew what Emily was worried about. She wasn’t seeing that she was getting better. All she saw was the constant fear. Emily was worried Rachel was going to give up trying, and maybe there was some truth to that. They’d have to talk it over soon and maybe adjust their plan.

Arriving upstairs, the kids were excitedly looking at decorations and pulling out a fake tree to get set up. Christmas music was playing through the room’s speakers. Nox was in a conversation with a young lady, and Jared waited until they had finished before approaching the other man.

”Elyse had a bruise that was bothering her from the spar - I’m guessing you have the same. Would you like me to help with that?” Jared said, before turning his gaze to Gen. ”Gen saw me heal Elyse and asked if I could help you with your issue. How could I say no!” he turned his gaze back to Nox. ”That will bode well in nine months. I wouldn’t have said no to helping anyways. I’m not sure my healing skill is high enough, but I sort of made a promise. I’ll help however I can. Experimenting, troubleshooting, whatever I can do.”

((OoC: if Nox wants healing for bruises, mod it))

[Nox]

The kids were all busy with prep when Arabella climbed from the couch and ran to help. "Sit down. You're grounded. Remember?"

She looked at Nox like he was telling her that she was going to die. "Sit down." The rest of the kids looked at her and Nox and back and forth until the four year old sat down on the couch again and pouted. She didn't cry, though there were tears in her eyes. Nox wouldn't make her suffer too long, but for now she would sit and watch. She'd only get in the way anyway while the others put the tree together limb by limb fluffing and prepping it like it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

And for them maybe it was.

Nox had never had a Tree growing up. Christmas was usually in some trashed out motel with presents by the TV hastefully wrapped and bought from the nearest gift shop. Sometimes it was a weapon or something useful but rarely anything a child might want.

Jared's offer while enticing he shook his head at the offer of healing. "I'm fine. The pain lets me know I'm alive. And they weren't that bad, he'd had worse and lived. But I'd take anything if you think it could help. But maybe you could just poke around see what the power tells you? I'm sure Sage would love the data he'd collect while your power was running through my body, and you can try to explain what you feel, see, or whatever is when you poke around. It might help the scientific folks too. I can show you where to look and before/after images. I don't even know if that would help."

To be honest, he'd thought about asking Liv to do the same thing. "Maybe you and Liv could compare notes."

"Compare what notes?" the eldest of the fosters said. Though she wasn't exactly a foster, just a flatmate -- really.

"Delving my brain to see what you feel, see or whatever it is you do."

"I've never done that."

Nox grinned. "I know. No time like the present."

"I'm not very strong. I don't think I could do anything to actually help you. If there was only a way to add power. Anyone could probably help you with a good healing weave. It was cut out of you right? Like an injury."

Nox shrugged. "I guess so."

Nox looked over at Arabella who was still pouting and watching. "Go ahead. But you're still grounded."

Arabella jumped off the couch and started helping immediately. She stole glances back at Nox from time to time to make sure he wasn't angry with her. He only gave her a reassuring smile that didn't reach his eyes, but she took it for what it was -- reassurance she was doing alright.