[center][h1][color=A9A9A9]Collab:[/color] [color=peachpuff]Su Fang[/color] [color=A9A9A9]and[/color] [color=a95c68]Jacqueline Leroux[/color][/h1][/center][right][sub][color=A9A9A9]Interactions between [@BrokenPromise] and [@SilverPaw][/color][/sub][/right][hr][hr] Shortly after the precinct recovery operation, the area immediately got better. It would be weeks before the police building had been fully restored, but it was at least back in operation. More than that, espers of all walks of life were now on the scene to start cleaning up the area. It would be a long time before the crime was back to tolerable levels, and the concentration of mana in the area would always draw in more monsters. But at least for now, the situation was bearable. Even government espers needed cover identities to more easily blend into their surroundings. They had been provided with accommodations that they could afford and maintain. Su was given a small suburban home not thirty minutes from Gemini HQ. And by golly, she was going to drive there in style. Su’s ride of choice was the most stereotypical vehicle a soccer mom could possibly own. A minivan with a weird beige paint color. It was well maintained, but if you stood closer than ten feet it wasn’t hard to spot the paint peeling. There were no less than four bumper stickers declaring how proud the van owner was of their child, and the inside reflected this as well. The back seat was loaded with crayons and coloring books, as well as a tote filled with toys. It probably needed a cleaning, but that was just evidence that Su used this to cart around her child. Su was humming to herself as she rode towards her new home. But she wasn’t alone. Sitting beside her was Jacqueline, who Su had made arrangements to hang with this evening. [color=peachpuff]“My house nice!”[/color] She said as they approached their destination. [color=peachpuff]“Loaded fridge, good neighborhood, good school nearby, nice!”[/color] Jacqueline had never thought that she’d ever be willingly being driven around in a family van, of all things. But after that last mission, she and Su had got to chatting; Jacqueline had asked her about the hostage thing, may or may not have politely complimented her guts, and the rest was history. Now, she was in the front seat, slightly bored. Not because of Su’s company or anything, but rather because the ride was clunky, slow, and unfashionable, and Su’s driving mind-numbingly comfortable. All in all, it was like being on a bus, or something. Definitely not her style. Still, she was grateful that at least no kid was in the van with them. That’d be the true nightmare scenario. Su’s words got her mind in higher gear as it were, and Jacqueline turned towards her with a lazy [color=a95c68]“Hmm?”[/color] Then, she directed her gaze out of the window once more, though this time she actually looked where they were going. The house was about what one would expect. A home meant for a family, with that cozy vibe apparent from afar. [color=a95c68]“Yeah, it’s nice,”[/color] she agreed, though unlike Su, she wasn’t at all enthused about it. [color=a95c68]“Better than my place,”[/color] she admitted neutrally. What she didn’t say was that she wouldn’t trade it for anything. She’d moved to an apartment in Pax recently, and it’d been somewhat of an upgrade compared to where she’d been previously. Actually, her time before they’d arranged this day to meet up had been nearly all spent getting her stuff relocated and set up. It’d been exhausting, but worth it in the end. She was now closer to her work and had a bit more room, though the neighbourhood wasn’t that much better. Not that Jacqueline cared much for such things. As long as she could live in it, it was fine. Admittedly, her flat was already accumulating clutter, but since she was on her own, it didn’t matter. [color=a95c68]“Oh, yeah, you gotta cook for yourself and, uh,”[/color] she pointed at the backseat. Honestly, Jacqueline was not entirely sure whether Su had one kid or two. It hadn’t been an important detail to remember; all she knew was that her coworker was a mother. [color=a95c68]“I often get takeout, but then again, I can afford to be lazy like that,”[/color] she admitted with a shrug. She could make something decent if she put her mind to it, but she didn’t enjoy it at all. Even if what she got ready-made wasn’t always as ‘healthy’ as it might have been, she burned off enough calories due to her workout routine anyway, so she wasn’t worried about it. [color=peachpuff]“Mika is work.”[/color] Su confessed, nodding along with everything her coworker had said. [color=peachpuff]“I esper or I mom, all the time, no breaks.”[/color] The corner of her lips curled into a smile. [color=peachpuff]“This life not for everyone, but my life is my life.”[/color] When she pulled into the driveway, she parked the car and turned to look at Jacqueline. [color=peachpuff]“But cook? I cook good!”[/color] she giggled. [color=peachpuff]“I cook [i]real[/i] good!”[/color] With a snort, Su scowled. [color=peachpuff]“Mika too picky though. She spoiled. How orphan girl be spoiled?”[/color] The question must have been rhetorical, as she turned the van off without really waiting for a response. She swung open her door before flashing Jacqueline a warm smile. [color=peachpuff]“Let’s look inside!”[/color] If Jacqueline felt kinship to Su for one thing, it was the ‘this is my life’ comment. Being an esper or a Gemini agent alone wasn’t for everyone, so she could relate. But otherwise, she just wasn’t into the family thing. So the idea of directing so much energy, time, money, and who knows what else for the sake of another person was rather foreign for her. There was a reason she preferred casual hookups rather than committed relationships, after all. [color=a95c68]“I’m looking forward to some of your food then,”[/color] Jacqueline said jokingly, laughing briefly. At Su’s mock complaint about Mika being spoiled, she shrugged. [color=a95c68]“Hey, who knows, kids are weird, right?”[/color] she also answered rhetorically as they exited the car. Upon Su’s invitation, Jacqueline followed inside. As nice as the house looked on the outside, it looked exactly like the homes on either side of it. Which in turn looked like the homes on either side of that. Regardless of how off putting that might have been to some, Su’s joy was visible with every step. She practically skipped to the door and swung it open. [color=peachpuff]“Come in!”[/color] The single story house opened up to a muck room where everyone’s shoes were kept. There were enough shoes for an entire family, maybe two. There were boxes here and there, which let Jacqueline know that she too was still moving in. The muck room opened up into the kitchen, which had a storage closet or pantry. Hard to tell without personally looking. There was a large archway that led into a living room, or maybe it was a dining room. Hard to tell with all the boxes. The kitchen was fully loaded, complete with a stove, some doodles affixed to the fridge, and a stainless steel table, but everything else was boxed up. Upon entering, Jacqueline dutifully removed her shoes, and searched for a pair of slippers her size. Doing so wasn’t foreign to her at all, despite having lived in America for a while. She herself also didn’t walk around her flat in her shoes as a rule, a part of her European uprising she’d kept. She then unzipped her leather jacket and hung it up on one of the hooks. Afterwards, she went after Su further inside, curiously looking all around the place. [color=a95c68]“Moving’s a hassle, huh? I still have some boxes here and there, too, though I had less to unpack than you,”[/color] she commented. [color=peachpuff]“It hard, yes. Not much time for it.”[/color] She eyed a pile of boxes. [color=peachpuff]“But I put mover in charge of putting away things.”[/color] She sighed. [color=peachpuff]“Mika! You playing game again?”[/color] She guided Jacqueline deeper into her home while she called for her daughter. It wasn’t until they moved towards a particularly large cardboard box that they started to hear a scrambling sound. The box tipped over and fell onto its side. The flaps shot open as [i]something[/i] darted out and took hold of Su’s ankle. But her reaction to the hostile action was to laugh. What had reached out and grabbed her was her daughter. Jacqueline would be forgiven for thinking Mika was a child based on her drawings. But Mika appeared to be half way through her teenage years. She rolled her head back so that she could look at her mother. [color=tomato]"Hi, mommy!"[/color] [color=peachpuff]“Mika, that fun, but no surprise greetings when guest here!”[/color] She extended a hand to help Mika to her feet before turning to the mentioned guest. [color=peachpuff]“Mika, this Jacqueline. She someone from work.”[/color] For obvious reasons, Su chose to say as little about her job as possible. Even to her own family. [color=tomato]"Hi Jack-O-Line!"[/color] Mika extended her hand with a stupid grin. When there was some movement from a cardboard box, Jacqueline’s first thought was [color=a95c68][i]A pet?[/i][/color] but she realized almost immediately after that it was the kid. Who it turned out was actually a teenager, though she wasn’t good enough at judging ages to tell how old or young Mika was. [color=a95c68]“I don’t mind,”[/color] she informed Su, when the mother mildly scolded the daughter. The daughter in question didn’t seem to be deterred by the scolding either, and as soon as Jacqueline was introduced to her, rushed closer, beaming happily. Still, Jacqueline couldn’t help but grimace somewhat at the horrible mangling of her name. [color=a95c68]“Just…call me Jay, ok?”[/color] she asked lightly, though she was still internally pained by Mika’s pronunciation. She didn’t blame the kid for getting it wrong, but it did sound awful. That’s why she offered the nickname that some of her American buddies from her time in college came up with. Then, she crouched a bit awkwardly, and extended her own hand, shaking politely. Mika continued to beam as Jacqueline shook her hand. [color=tomato]"I get to call you by your nickname already?"[/color] This seemed to make her even more pleased. [color=tomato]"My name is too short, so I don’t have one. But you are very pretty, and you have soft hands."[/color] [color=a95c68]“Yeah, you get to,”[/color] Jacqueline smiled wryly. [color=a95c68]“Hmm, sometimes simple names are the best,”[/color] she commented. At the compliment, she raised a bemused eyebrow, but said [color=a95c68]“Thank you,”[/color] with the slighted drawl. Su was wearing one of those smiles that practically screamed “I’m feeling second hand embarrassment right now.” With a chuckle, she moved to Mika’s side and grabbed her shoulder. Mika released Jacqueline’s hand. [color=peachpuff]“Mika quite charming, no? But you do schoolwork?”[/color] She hopped over to a box and picked up some notebooks and textbooks that were related to her curriculum. [color=tomato]"Yup!"[/color] [color=peachpuff]“Trash taken out?”[/color] [color=tomato]"Yup!"[/color] [color=peachpuff]“Then you put away boxes, or you play games, Mika?”[/color] The teenager looked sheepish for a moment, twiddling her thumbs while her mother’s mood seemed to sour before her eyes. But then she gave one of the boxes a poke, and it rocked back and forth. [color=tomato]"They’re empty! I made myself a box fort."[/color] She pointed back into the kitchen. [color=tomato]"Except for the big ones in there. They were too heavy."[/color] Su turned to look at Jacqueline. [color=peachpuff]“See? I tell you she spoiled!”[/color] She waved Mika on. [color=peachpuff]“Dinner ready?”[/color] [color=tomato]"Uh, I think it’ll be ready soon!"[/color] Mika ran into the kitchen and pulled some hot mats out of a drawer near the sink. With a chuckle, Su turned to look at Jacqueline again [color=peachpuff]“I make dinner in morning so it ready now. Hope you hungry.”[/color] Her eyes went back onto Mika, who was opening up the oven. [color=peachpuff]“Maybe not my place to ask, but you close to family?”[/color] Jacqueline observed the byplay between mother and daughter without further input. She had no idea if Mika was actually as spoiled as Su claimed; all the kid seemed to be was childish, to be honest. That, or playful and active. A bit abrupt, too. Once Mika departed, Jacqueline said, [color=a95c68]“She’s an interesting one, that’s for sure.”[/color] Her tone was neutral, but her expression conveyed that she didn’t really know what to make of the teenager. She didn’t dislike her yet, which was as good as it’d probably get. At Su’s explanation about dinner, she nodded. [color=a95c68]“Makes sense.”[/color] When Su had initially asked Mika about dinner, Jacqueline had admittedly thought that maybe the daughter cooked as well, and was a bit wary at what would be on offer. So, finding out that the dinner would be from Su after all, who was a self-proclaimed good cook, was a relief. [color=a95c68]“And I [i]am[/i] hungry,”[/color] she replied, directing a brief wolfish grin at her coworker. At the question about her family, Jacqueline hummed inquisitively, tilting her head to the side in mild surprise as she considered how to answer. [color=a95c68]“Well, I don’t mind you asking, though I have no idea why you’d like to know,”[/color] she confessed. [color=a95c68]“But…hm. Well, we mostly each have our own lives to be honest, so I’m not really that close to my parents. I call or message them here and there, and try to visit them every year or so. They’re glad to know I’m doing well at my job, though talking about work without revealing any confidential information can be awkward. They know it’s government related, so they understand I can’t tell them much. That’s pretty much it.”[/color] It wasn’t, but Jacqueline didn’t see the point about bringing up further details. [color=peachpuff]“Many people find my question strange.”[/color] Su confessed. [color=peachpuff]“In China, family very important.”[/color] She sighed. [color=peachpuff]“Marriage, also. They want me to marry wealthy man. They warn me if I get older, baby will be retarded.”[/color] With a giggle she added. [color=peachpuff]“I not tell them about Mika. I do miss them though. We not talk much now, everyone back in China. Not see them for a long time.”[/color] [color=a95c68]“Oh, I see,”[/color] Jacqueline nodded in acceptance. She did snort as Su mentioned how her parents expected her to marry. [color=a95c68]“No need to go along with that tradition since you’re here,”[/color] she commented. When she revealed keeping her adoption a secret, Jacqueline chuckled. [color=a95c68]“Ha! What they don’t know won’t hurt ‘em.”[/color] She merely hummed to the rest of it, but thought Su’s relationship seemed complicated - wanting to be close to yet not really being understood by her parents. Everyone’s attention was drawn to a thumping sound as Mika lowered the corningware dish onto the table. Silverware and plates had been set out for the three of them. They just needed to seat themselves. Mika peeled back the tin foil covering the corningware dish. A ball of hot steam rose into the air, revealing dinner. It was a bed of yellow rice covered in sliced bell peppers, mushrooms, and large shrimp. Going by the smell, there was a fair bit of garlic mixed in there too. [color=peachpuff]“Rice and shrimp casserole. Not much, but it nice recipe to make during week.”[/color] She took a seat at the table alongside Mika. As the food was readied, Jacqueline took a free seat, and when her turn to do so came, also ladled some of the food on her plate. [color=a95c68]“No need to be modest, this looks great,”[/color] she said honestly, a pleased and eager gleam in her eyes as she got a portion for herself. While the food was still cooling down, she was careful when she ate, but as the temperature lowered, she finished the rest fairly swiftly. Though she did restrain herself just enough not to get food stuck in her throat. She once again slowed for the last few bites, as she was full, and just enjoying the remaining meal. [color=a95c68]“Ahhh, homemade food is the best,”[/color] she sighed, pleased. [hr] Every once in a while Mika would ask Jacqueline a question about her job that she would have to deflect. Sometimes Su would ask specifics about how Jacqueline’s move was going. But mostly everyone just ate. Su did know how to cook as it turned out. [color=peachpuff]“Ready to go?”[/color] Su walked to the front door with Jacqueline. [color=peachpuff]“I drive you back home!”[/color] Mika ran over to Jacqueline and gave her a hug. [color=tomato]"Thanks for coming over!"[/color] Jacqueline barely grunted as Mika barreled into her, since she’d thankfully seen her coming soon enough. It was still basically like being tackled, just without the intent to be felled. She laughed, but returned the hug, though she was bewildered as hell as to why or how the teenager had apparently grown so quickly attached to her. Well, maybe she was just a touchy-feely person. In either case, it didn’t bother her. Su raised her finger to interject, but stopped herself. Perhaps she could sense that Jacqueline wasn’t bothered by her daughter’s antics. [color=a95c68]“Okay Mika, we go now! I be back soon!”[/color] [color=tomato]"She doesn’t have to go, right?"[/color] Mika looked Su dead in the eye as she said this. She hadn’t released Jacqueline yet. [color=tomato]"You guys really enjoyed your date, right?"[/color] At that insinuation, Jacqueline spluttered, then laughed, and eventually shook her head in the negative. She let Su explain the situation, though. [color=peachpuff]“Ah…”[/color] Su ran her hand through her hair. [color=a95c68]“Not really a date.”[/color] [color=tomato]"Of course it was!"[/color] Mika said very as-a-matter-of-factly. [color=tomato]"You picked her up in your car, drove her here, talked, had something to eat, and now you’re dropping her off!"[/color] [color=peachpuff]“...Yes?”[/color] Su confessed. Her cheeks were starting to change color. [color=peachpuff]“Not always date when that happen.”[/color] [color=tomato]"But it was this time!"[/color] Mika looked at Jacqueline now. Her eyes were bubbling over with joy. Sparking with the hopes and dreams of youth that most teenagers lose well before their teen years. Maybe it was their close proximity, but Jacqueline couldn’t remember the last time she saw eyes filled with so much hope and life. [color=tomato]"Are you going to be my second mommy?"[/color] [color=a95c68]“Nah, not a romantic date,”[/color] Jacqueline shook her head, feeling strangely fond now that she’d gotten over being taken aback. [color=a95c68]“Su’s just a friend and a coworker,”[/color] she shrugged lightly. She really didn’t expect that last question though, and cough-laughed in such a way that made her surprise clear. [color=a95c68]“Mika…don’t take this the wrong way, but I am [i]not[/i] a family person. Or even a romantic one, really.”[/color] Somewhat helplessly, she patted Mika’s head gently, as if in consolation, then extracted from the hug carefully. Mika kept her arms wrapped around Jacqueline, but as she stepped backwards, Mika slid further down her legs until her arms were wrapped around her ankles. [color=tomato]"It’s not nice to lie."[/color] She hadn’t stopped looking at her since they hugged. [color=peachpuff]“Mika.”[/color] [color=tomato]"Fiiiiiiiine."[/color] She let go of Jacqueline and sat with her back against the wall. [color=tomato]"See you next time!"[/color] Su placed a hand on her head before sighing. [color=peachpuff]“Only if you behave.”[/color] She stepped past her adoptive daughter and let Jacqueline step past her. Mika watched her new acquaintance through the opening in the door before Su pulled it closed.