lucetilogs | meet the parents

Entry tags:

meet the parents

Who: Sophia, Fayt, Cliff, and Souji.
What: It’s time to get to know people properly.
When: September 29th
Where: Where the blue man and blonde man live.
Summary: Sophia has plucked up the courage to meet the rest of the family properly.
Rating: If it gets higher than PG I will be shocked, language aside.
Sophia had been here a month now, though with the number of things that had happened before arriving and since made it feel like it had hardly been that long. She had tried to keep to herself and mind her own business, but there comes a point when she couldn’t just ignore the other person of the household, or the more frequent visitors. Not only was it rude, but these people have been absolutely respectful and it was time she gave them that respect in turn.

Yet even though she's gathered all this resolve—because she was determined to go through with this, had to—she still faltered momentarily when it came time to knock on Fayt's door. Because these were people who meant a lot to Fayt, and who knew just how much they'd experienced together? But if she never asked or stepped forward, she would never know. Not to mention she had the sneaking suspicion that they'd been waiting for her to do just that...

With a sigh she pushed aside that bundle of nervousness and knocked, perhaps a bit more timidly than she had meant to. It might be better to have his help and advice with this.

"Fayt, can I talk to you?"

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That sneaking suspicion of Sophia's was correct, though Fayt hadn't said as much out loud. With how far in the past she was compared to him or even Cliff, he knew he had to give her space to adjust, and had set out to do just that, giving her details as she asked for them. While it hadn't been possible back in their universe with everything going on, in Luceti at least he could give her an honest chance at something resembling normalcy as she got used to it all instead of a crash course on everything that had happened. It wasn't an attempt at keeping her in the dark, not at all.... but he wouldn't deny he was trying to help her in ways he didn't have a chance to back home.

When the knock comes, he was actually cleaning his sword. He hadn't used the Veinslay in a while, after having started to use a practice blade in the dome to avoid... accidents, but keeping it in working order was still important. He sets the blade down on his bed, hopping up and walking over to open the door.

"Hey. Of course you can. Did you need help with something?"

Well now that he's opened the door and actually answered her, Sophia feels that bubble start to rise and push her to go back to being silent about everything. But that wasn't what she wanted, and she goes so far as to shake her head and look up at Fayt with what she hoped was a determined look.

"Actually, I need help with a lot of things. I know you've been trying to give me time to adjust to being here, but..."

Her expression softens as she looks to the side, reaching up to fiddle with a strand of her hair. Maybe that had started too harshly.

"Fayt, listen... I want to know about you. About here, about the people you've been with. If it's not too much trouble..."

So, she'd finally asked.

He'd explained the bare basics..... that Cliff had rescued him after his escape pod crashed, but he hadn't explained what had happened. He wasn't blind to how he's changed, both at home and after he arrived here, so her desire to know about him isn't surprising either, to say the least.

His smile is a little soft, without much humor, but there's a hint of relief there, too.

"Of course it's not. I would have explained it all earlier but..... well, it's a really long story."

A really, really insane story, too. He'd figured he'd let her ask questions as they came up, and now she was.

He steps away from the door to allow her access to his room-- between his bed and his desk, there's plenty of places to sit for them, at least. "Come on in."

"I'm sure it is. But if you have time, then so do I." Even if she were taking into account while she was locked in that cave by the Vendeeni, it had still felt like a long time with day after day blending together.

It wasn't something she wanted to think about now as she makes her way into his room, not sure if she should meet his eye or not. While she had been too frightened to pay close attention while at the feet of her captors, she had still noticed the different air about her friend that was all the more pronounced here, where she saw him nearly every day.

"Honestly, I'm not sure what to start asking. That's kind of silly isn't it? Especially when I'm the one who came to you in the first place."

"It's probably better for me to start at the beginning." There was.. a lot to explain, and some of it couldn't be explained out of order.

He steps over to his bed, pausing for a moment before picking his his sword and replacing it in it's sheath, freeing up the bed to be sat on. "Sit anywhere you'd like."

Even his room seems to show bits of how he's changed.... the two practice blades in the corner near which he sets the veinslay, the scattered papers on the desk with notes and smithy designs, his leg armor tucked under it.

All hints of the effects of months living on another planet and more.

"I told you about how Cliff found me, right? My escape pod crashed on an underdeveloped planet... and I kind of got involved a mess that led to me losing my communicator." His translator and distress signal both. It had been worth it at the time, for Niklas' sake, but he knew the risks of what he did.

"I might not have gotten off that planet if it wasn't for him, probably."

It's hard not to notice these small changes, given her attentiveness had only increased after her time with the Vendeeni. It honestly made her a bit uncomfortable. Sure, Fayt had always liked playing video games and she remembered indulging him back in Hyda, but there was a big difference between those simulated weapons and the one he just set aside. She can't keep her gaze from flicking back to it even as she sits down on the unoccupied bed and listens to each word carefully.

"I remember, and I've kinda been watching him since then a little." But how does she even begin to approach him with so little info? Hi, thank you for babysitting my best friend while I was in a cave? She didn't even know what that entailed!

"But just what kind of mess did you get into that you lost your communicator? Were you just lucky that he found you?"

"Well.... There was this...." He winces a little at the realization that Sophia probably wouldn't be pleased by his explanation of what he did. "....I wasn't the only offworlder there. A criminal from Rezerb had been stranded there for a while, and when he found my pod..... Well, he gutted it. A kid who was helping me ran after him and got involved, and...." He grimaces. If he hadn't offered to fix the music box... Niklas wouldn't have been dragged into that mess in the first place.

"I had to bust him out, so I overloaded my communicator. It worked, at least?"

"You did what?! Fayt...!" There were all sorts of things wrong with everything he just said, so he was spot-on with guessing she wouldn't be pleased. A criminal from Rezerb— Underdeveloped planet— A child was involved? Above all, to think that Fayt had been in that much danger was chilling at the very least. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she tries to calm down the worry with little success.

"That was entirely reckless. I know you did what you thought you had to do, but what if it hadn't worked? You both could have been injured really badly, and... I don't understand how he found you, then. Unless he was already there?"

If that were the case, just what sort of mess had Fayt gotten himself involved in?

Nope, not pleased at all. Fayt at least looks sheepish, running a hand through his hair and glancing away. "It was complicated. I needed to get him help, and there was no time for searching the place." He sighs, settling into the chair in front of his desk, finally.

"But you're right. Cliff was already there, looking for me, and he ended up pulling me out of a really tight spot when he found me. Cliff's a member of Quark... and before you ask, they're actually pretty decent people. But they were looking for dad.... all of us, really."

There's no answer from Sophia at first, because frankly she's stuck on hearing Cliff was a member of Quark. Even if Fayt hadn't included that addendum that they were decent people, she would have been surprised because of the picture the Federation had painted. Watching him in passing, Cliff seemed like a decent guy despite his intimidating stature, almost lacking in animosity even with the wide berth she's given him.

Somehow, hearing that made her feel a little better. She releases a sigh she didn't know she had been holding in, again twisting a strand of hair around her fingers thoughtfully. "But why would they have been looking for us? I can understand Uncle Robert a little, but we were just normal people."

Yet even as she says that, Sophia knows it's not entirely true. For all she was left in the dark, she still remembers those final hours of being with the Vendeeni and how adamant they were on finding Fayt.

-We were just normal people.-

-I'm just a college student from Earth!-

Sophia's words hit a nerve, and Fayt doesn't meet her gaze yet, his eyes trailing along the walls instead, but his shoulders stiffen a little. He still had so much to tell her, but telling her that.... he wasn't sure where to begin yet. "Quark's leader, Maria, wanted to speak to dad about some of his research. That's why Quark got involved in rescuing you and dad back on Elicoor. Though before that we'd actually been stranded on that planet for a few months."

"That's why the exchange took place there-- we'd still been in orbit."

Edited 2014-10-02 09:29 (UTC)

For the first few moments Sophia is silent, her expression guarded and taking note of every change in Fayt's body language. It was all too easy to see she had touched on something with what she had said, and though she wanted to know what it was so badly...

Without even thinking about it she stands up again and walks over to him, reaching down and gently taking one of his hands in both of hers. Even though she smiles, there is still a small part of her that notices how different they felt. It would make sense that they did after all this time, wouldn't it?

"Fayt, it's okay if you don't want to tell me everything yet." They could take it as it comes, and she did trust that he would tell her eventually now that they had started here. "If you think it needs to wait, then I'll believe you."

Fayt seems to relax a bit at her words, his hand twisting around in her grip to hold hers. She was right, too-- his hands were rougher than she might remember.

He'd gotten good at lying by omission, but with Sophia? It was different. She was his best friend, after all, and while he wouldn't say they never fibbed to each other about small stuff on occasion, Sophia could usually tell when he did about the big things, it seemed like. He usually didn't keep things like this from her.

"It's not that I don't want to tell you at all, you know that, right? A lot has happened, both before and after what you remember. I feel like dumping it all on you at once wouldn't be fair to you, but I will tell you."

"I know that, but maybe I can handle a lot more than you think." Even if hearing about things after what she remembered was a little unsettling. She knew there were differences in time between people, but it was something she was still struggling to understand. Knowing that there were things Fayt might remember that she hasn't even lived through was almost frightening.

But that fear wasn't what she wanted to show right now, so she shakes her head and continues smiling for him. "But this isn't about just me, this is about you and Cliff, too. The last thing I want to do is be a burden to either one of you."

That's why she'd just up and confronted Fayt for some answers, to at least understand the stranger she's been living with a little more.

"I'm not saying you can't. I know you can." But she shouldn't have had to handle things like she did, back home, and Fayt knows it. If he could give her a little extra time this time around, then he wanted to.

".... there are some things I need time to tell you, that's all." Certain things especially. He still remembered how Nel reacted to hearing about that. And dad.... no, that would be left for another day. He shakes his head to clear his thoughts, before offering her a small smile.

"So ask what you want to know. If there's something I'm not ready to tell you yet, I promise I'll tell you soon."

"If you say so." There's no sense of bitterness or frustration to her words as she releases his hand, folding her own behind her back before turning her gaze to the floor.

"... Actually, maybe I should have gone to Cliff himself for this, but the fact of the matter is that he's a stranger to me, Fayt." She almost felt silly about it, but it was awkward enough being near even Fayt sometimes.

"I don't know how long we're going to be here together, what things might happen, but I don't want them to be like this. It just doesn't seem right."

"You want to know more about Cliff?" He seems surprised for a moment, before that surprise fades to understanding. Of course-- While Fayt had known Cliff for ages now and felt like he was pretty easy to read most of the time, that knowledge of him didn't extend to Sophia.

"Yeah, I get it..... Cliff's a good guy, though, trust me. He had my back during the time we were stranded on Elicoor... heck, he still does. He's someone you can trust." He pauses, before venturing with a wince. "Er... except in the kitchen."

"... Excuse me?" That is a very specific thing to warn about, and odd at that. She had tried to take up what she could of the household chores, but if this was something Fayt felt she needed to know about, it was only logical that she would ask about it.

"Why the kitchen...?"

"Yeah. Why the kitchen?"

Cliff hadn't been spying on the duo per-se-- he had just been passing through, but he couldn't help but stop when he heard his name mentioned. Sophia's concern was valid in his opinion...and, it worked both ways. Even in his timeline, they had only knowwn eachother for a few short days before everything started to go in that one terribly uncomfortable direction.

Crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame, Cliff leveled on Fayt a firm, analyzing stare.

Go on. Tell Sophia exactly what you mean, he seemed to be daring.

....Crap.

Fayt's head shoots up from where he'd been resting his chin on the back of his chair, and he at least has the sense of shame to look embarrassed at being caught trying to warn Sophia. Still, he recovers quickly.

Kind of. "Well, you know.... You have a habit of uh...." putting way too much spice in things, burning water-- How did he put this nicely?

"A habit of doing what?" Sophia almost gives in to the urge to cross her arms, though she's also staring Fayt down waiting for an answer. Granted, it probably was more puzzled than the look Cliff was giving him since she's also surprised that he had been listening in.

It was a good thing she was doing a better job of hiding that surprise than her friend was.

"You know it's not polite to talk about people behind their backs, Fayt."

"No, it ain't polite at all." Cliff drawled, with a disgusted toss of his head.

"I'm an artiste, yanno. It ain't my fault that you can't appreciate my work!"

"I...." And there he goes, looking between Cliff and Sophia and actually speechless for several seconds, a rarity for Fayt. He's been thrown by the sudden swerve in the conversation, and Sophia's stare is actually a lot more intimidating than Cliff's right now, years of similar situations having well ingrained a knowledge of just how scary Sophia can get when annoyed.

".....Ah.... damn it." He finally sags a little over the back of his chair. "Sorry.... I didn't mean it like that."

"Then what did you mean by it?" Because whatever Fayt had meant, it sure hadn't sounded very nice. With a sigh she uncrosses her arms and kneels down to Fayt's level, her expression still stern.

Why? Because she is certainly giving him a gentle poke smack in the middle of the forehead, the small smile returned. "You need to be a little more considerate sometimes, Fayt. Now..."

She looks over her shoulder to Cliff, just a little nervous that he was in the room with them. But it wasn't like she was going to kick him out or anything. "Do you think he owes you an apology?"

The girl's nerves were obvious to him-- that was the exact reason why he had been giving her plenty of space, after all-- but, he saw no reason to make light of it.

Instead, he just gave her a sly grin in reply.

"I dunno. I am an artiste. It ain't fun knowing that someone doesn't appreciate my work."

"I just meant.... well, most people don't really like the kind of combinations Cliff likes to make in the kitchen...." Alright, so that might not be helping his case here.

Fayt crosses his eyes a bit at the poke, blinking before shaking that finger off, hair flying in his eyes at the same time. Geez. He glances over at Cliff, curious... and a little wary at that statement. If he didn't want an apology....

"What do you want?"

"Is that so...?" Cliff's efforts are certainly appreciated, and truth be told talking like this was actually making her a bit more comfortable.

But such an important decision was between he and Fayt now, and she really did want to hear just what sorts of things the Klausian would ask her friend to do. It was also a good way to get an idea of their friendship, too.

Cliff scratched his head when he felt the weight of their gazes upon him before settling back against the wall, with his arms crossed.

"I just heard you guys say my name and figured I'd come in, that's all." He replied with an idle shrug.

"What sorta things did you wanna know from me, Sophia? I don't bite, yanno."

"Ah1 Well..." Of course he doesn't bite, but now that all that attention was focused back on her it certainly felt like it.

But that was a ridiculous feeling, because here they are and it's been nothing but banter for a few moments. Thinking about that, it makes it easier to relax and smile.

"Really, I'm just... We've been living together all this time and it seems like you've become a good friend of Fayt's. So I thought it'd be better to know you, but I'm not sure how to start."

"Well...anywhere's a good place to start, really."

Because it was ridiculous, for the both of them. He sighed, knowing it was time for full disclosure on his part.

"To tell the truth, I don't know you that well back home, myself. We'd only met a few days before I ended up in this place, and that's not a lot of time to get to know anyone."

"Only a few days?" If her voice sounds disbelieving, it’s because it sort of is. That wasn’t very long to get to know someone at all, but she would have liked to have hoped they had had the opportunity to start somewhere.

"I guess... I wasn’t a lot of help back then in easing that along, huh?" Not when you look at just the time they have been here—how long did she wait to ask for this? "I’m sorry."

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meet the parents

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