[Futurelandia] An Eventful Valentines and beyond (happy new year)

[generalflirt]

[ Nathan moved into tow and that was awkward, Yamato and Nariko probably have some sort of a relationship and that's awkward, Yamato's been trying to make new friends so that's interesting, and Masaomi and Nariko are hopefully solid as anything after that trip, Nathan and Yamato complications aside. There's a new pack member that Masaomi met at a party and Nariko met in class. It's been over a month since the new year began and the old one concluded.

A lot's changed and yet not a lot had at all.

And frankly, things were probably just going to change that much more in the coming days and weeks. this might be edited to something more poetic later once we conclude more stuff about that other log ]

Comments

[chasingthemorning]

[ If he was sure himself, he would tell her. As is, he's just sort of being erratic and maybe a little defensive and scared about what his sister thinks or her family thinks of him. ... and now, of course- oh. They're family ]

Family, huh? [ He loves family. Has always loved the idea of family. Never had anything against the pack life but also never thought it could be family - not in some bigoted way, just like... happened to never think of it. He wonders if Nariko thinks that way. He should ask. That's- ] That's why I moved, really, to be closer to my family... so. Nice to meet you guys.

[ Cute gurgling baby tho ]

[softpastelgrunge]

Nice to meet you, too. Even if it does seem as if you have unfinished business in spades.

[Just saying, dude. You'd be so much hotter if you could calm the fuck down. She moves it along, though.]

That's Ada, she's Italian and a little abrasive at times, but she just takes warming up, so don't be surprised if she isn't welcoming or if she seems harsh. You'll never find someone more loyal. [Except for Nariko, maybe.] Lana also goes to school with us, but she's got a late day today so you'll see her later on.

[Veronica is not too far off, texting on her phone before she delicately unwraps some plates.]

That's Veronica, who joined in November. Her previous back was dissolving at the seams so we took her in and she's been doing well ever since. Very perky, very cloud-cuckoolander, very much belongs to Koji.

[chasingthemorning]

[ Girl you have no idea.

That said he's always been more happy and charming than this, so maybe he's just a little bit tense. He exhales, relaxing into the chair so that he's slouching just a bit and closing his eyes just a minute, pinching his sinuses as he rights himself, opening them just in time to see Veronica. ]

They look pretty similar, are they related? [ Or is that something he shouldn't ask... ]

[softpastelgrunge]

[Emily's advice: Resolve ur shit, bro.]

It turns out that they're both from the same country. Veronica was brought over as a baby, but Ada didn't come over the water until a few years ago.

[She shouldn't have mentioned them so close together, though Nathan might have still noticed either way. It seems like with each passing day Veronica resembles Ada a little more ... In the back of her head Emily is more than aware that they can't feasibly bury the truth for much longer. Veronica deserves to know, anyway.]

Audrey is Junko's best friend, she's a sassy little thing but a lot smarter than people give her credit for. She's applying to a pretty distinguished school for the fall, or planning to, anyway. She sleeps around a bit so don't be surprised if she hits on you or something. Olivia and Ariel here are the last of the kids. Olivia's fourteen and she's just joined with her father Joshua, the big redheaded dude. I don't know too much about them but they're pretty chill overall so it should be fine.

[chasingthemorning]

[ Are we suggesting that all Italians look alike because he lived in Rome for a long time and he can assure you that isn't the case... But all the same, he sort of nods along with that, figuring that okay whatever. (a few years ago, meaning over sixteen because she's been here this whole time Yamato was young)

Still, Nathan... looks mildly perplexed at the Audrey comment and thinks if she's Junko's friend... ]

Wouldn't that make Audrey kinda young then?

[ Probably a legal adult and all but... still. The man leans forward now, to look at Ariel and poke her in the stomach gently. She's so cute - a smile does start to come up on his face ]

[softpastelgrunge]

[Very true - but Emily is lying out her ass when it comes to Ada and Veronica, it's important to believe your own lies so that if you have to backtrack on them, it's more authentic. Ada's been there the longest, in truth, but telling him that and with Veronica and Ada's shared appearances ... She really wishes someone would have told her whether Nathan could be in the know or not.]

She'll be seventeen in a few months.

[But still pretty young, yes. But Audrey being house pet is a whole other thing, and so Emily smiles as Ariel is poked and giggles as a result, rocking back and forth against Emily's stomach and then the tiny hand reaches out for Nathan's fingers.]

You like kids?

[chasingthemorning]

[ So... young.

. . . Um, well, whatever, that's apparently the end of that, so he just latches on to the kid thing, smiling as he spreads his hands wide for the girl, allowing her to take hold of them, maybe pull them or bite them or whatever, grinning as he does. ]

Love 'em! Always have, actually... I mean, I'm the youngest so maybe it's just a wish fulfillment thing, but babies are cute.

[softpastelgrunge]

Babies are ridiculously cute. I mean, they are also sometimes pains in the asses, but you can't even blame them for it. It's not they're fault they're trying to survive.

[Ariel is apparently all about this interaction, because she pulls at one hand and the second is also grabbed, but she tries to nipple on it, cooing happily with her big eyes smiling.]

My boyfriend and I are going to have a kid soon, I'm actually really looking forward to it.

[chasingthemorning]

[ Nathan nods, enthused for this topic and looking at her in a new light, bright eyed and more than a little bit pleased to hear it! He makes a little cooing sound of his own as he bites his finger. She feels like she might have the beginning of teeth there? But he laughs all the same ]

Yeah, they're pretty much the cutest things ever. I don't get to play with them too much, and I'm a little sad I missed my sister's. [ But that said - ] But oh, congratulations! I hope that goes well for you! That's got to be exciting.

[softpastelgrunge]

[While she's vaguely suspicious that the dude is either incredibly excited about family (which makes sense) or he's got some family kink (might be incredibly likely given who he's related to) it's still nice to see him relaxing a little more, getting into some form of groove.

Ariel's excited, though!!! The cooing is answered with an excited, small squeal.]

Thanks. It's that, and a little scary, but I've worked really hard to finish school and all that, so. It's about time.

[She really is excited ... Though Martin isn't going first, of course. Best not to mention his sisters mate/husband/whatever is going to be the father ...]

So, no girlfriend?

[chasingthemorning]

[ Much pain, much suffering. But he manages to hold it together, looking into Ariel's eyes and wiggling the finger in her mouth a little to make it a big more difficult for her! And he tickles behind her ear a little and goes a bit lower and tickles her in her neck.

Still...

Inhale ]

No, no girlfriend. Kind of a whole fresh start thing here! So I guess similar to your whole about time thing.

[softpastelgrunge]

I see.

[It's difficult to believe a guy like him wouldn't have had someone over so many years but she's not going to pry into that.] Well, you're cute, I'm sure you'll get there quicker than you know how to handle and everything will work out okay.

[Ariel is either an easily amused child or a very ticklish one because she bursts into enough squealing and funny baby laughter that Veronica looks up from what she's doing briefly.]

You're good with her.

[chasingthemorning]

Not saying I never dated! Just I don't have one right now, that's all. [ He doesn't feel a need to be defensive about that per se, just ... well, he wanted to clarify that. It'll make for less questions that way. Still, he can't help but feel... at once utterly miserable and at once happy at that suggestion. The man seems to push past that answer entirely then, latching on to the whole good with her thing.

It's- ]

She's just really cute! Can't help it.

[softpastelgrunge]

[ ... Dude you so have issues, Emily can officially smell them on you, and it's really just a wonder of whether Nariko knows or not, or is maybe willfully denying them. But hey, they've got a baby between them so she's going to sidestep the awfulness since it's not really her business anyway. Dude's not in her pack, just an ancillary part of it.]

Right? Some babies are just ugly but Ariel is genuinely goddamn adorable.

[This is clearly what they're going to bond over.]

[chasingthemorning]

Since when are there ugly babies?

[ Gosh. That said, he pulls his finger out of her mouth, to brush it under her chin and tickling her a little. He squeezes her cheek a little, and smiles a bit more.

Man, he's not good at smiles right now, is he?

Jeez. ]

[softpastelgrunge]

I was an ugly baby.

[Fat and scaly with eczema that no one bothered to do anything about other than spread fanny cream on. Emily had been an awful, unpleasant-to-look-at baby, okay, but she's hot now so it's fine.]

[chasingthemorning]

Wow, no, really? Not to make you relieve trauma, but I'm still doubting the ugly baby thing.

[ He's not met an ugly baby ]

Goes for it here

[iridescenza]

Spoken like someone who has never seen a kid post-birth.

[Ada is a naturally quiet woman but she was apparently stealthy enough to just sort of appear this time, and it's enough to even throw Emily, making the redhead jolt and clutch Ariel protectively until she realizes who it is. To be fair, they were both focused on the kid and Ada didn't have anything heavy or noisy on her, so -]

I mean, to be fair I really was unlucky all around, I wasn't a very cute kid either. [Emily didn't really hit her stride until seventeen, maybe that's why she's so lenient with Yamato at times. Ada, meanwhile, tears her eyes from Veronica to focus on Nathan and her packmate(s). It's difficult.]

It doesn't really matter, no matter what you end up looking like your parents always love you, that's what counts.

I'm basking in the delicious

[chasingthemorning]

[ . . . your parents always love you.

He's pretty sure that Nariko might want to claw this woman's eyes out for that. And she's family with her? Nathan feels a sick, burning weight in his gut which isn't borne out of anything he's felt in the last month, and he leans forward, putting a smile on his face and taking his hand off of Ariel, mostly because he jumped a little from Ada too. ]

Yeah, that's pretty much the dream, right? This girl's got that going for her.

[ Or at least, he assumes so. Hopes so. That lumberjack looked legit enough. Still, Nathan shakes his head and ]

As long as we're sharing childhood trauma though, [ ones which aren't actual abuse you bitch ] scrawny kid here - I had asthma and was way shorter than Nariko until I was like nineteen.

[iridescenza]

That's not even your fault, though, I could totally see Nariko wearing six inch heels at fifteen. [Emily says it in such a way that it isn't an insult or an insinuation of anything negative her Alpha Bitch may have (and actually did, a few times) do.] Besides, boys always keep growing, and girls tap out around their mid-twenties, right? You're just coming into your stride.

[Ada nods vaguely, leaning against the island and checking something on her phone.]

You know, I have to ask what it was like, having her as an older sister.

[While Emily is mildly surprised to find Nathan in the state he is Ada ... Is not. At all. But that alone shows how ignorant she is, which is unfortunate.]

I'm kind of amused Ada makes bad impressions on so many people

[chasingthemorning]

[ . . . Wow this bitch though.

Nathan tries hard not to give her the side eye, and manages it by way of making the side eye look natural because he's focusing on Emily and Ariel. He takes his time looking at the baby and shrugs a little, admitting ] Eh, a few times.

[ Six inch heels, that is. He looks over at Ada proper though once he's sure only the jungle of the pills on his pocket give anything away and replies, ]

Never had any older sisters other than her! So to me, she's pretty much the best person in the world, always looked out for me and the closest family I have.

she's doing it on purpose here a little but yeah she's a spiky thing with soft insides basically

[iridescenza]

Aw. [Emily is a little touched to hear that!] Man, now I wish I had an older sister.

[This earns a vaguely amused stare from Ada, who says,] Don't you have two?

[Emily:] No, you're basically weird Team Mom or whatever.

Ah. [What an odd description, but Ada won't fault that.] I'm glad to hear it, though. To be honest, Nathan, I was a little worried. Nariko doesn't usually talk about her family.

[So his sudden appearance was justifiably alarming at the edges.]

I love her a lot it's fuzzy and warm to me

[chasingthemorning]

[ Weird Team Mom. ]

What, Nariko isn't Team Mom?

[ Color him surprised! And alarmed! But more to the point, Nathan feels a pang of something else inside of him, and he resists the urge to either grab his chest for the pain he feels it in it or grab the pill bottle in his pocket and throw it across the room so as to banish his own weakness. Because that was at the core of all this, right? At the funeral, she admitted she accepted it, she made her choice, but it's still one he pushed on her? It's still a gross, dark feeling he's had. And one which makes him so, so, so, so...

He wants to be with her family. His family. He... ] Well... [ It hurts, she doesn't talk about him (of course she doesn't) ] I'm here now, so you'll have a lot to talk about. Might not swear under that Alpha of yours, but I can be part of the family. Sort of.

lmao I'm glad especially since she's such a complex weirdo

[iridescenza]

[The only sign that Ada isn't particularly receptive of that fact is the concentrated way in which she looks at the younger man, while Emily only shrugs. While there are big plot holes concerning their Alpha's Bitches history and all that, it's been relatively clear that at some point or another she grew up in a monogamous home. Therefore, it feels unrealistic to expect a member of that resulting home to conform to pack nature just because his sister has.

Ultimately Ada must be thinking along the same lines because she doesn't actually say anything, and anyone who didn't know her might not realize what the expression really was.]

Of course you can be. [That's her concession, one Ada is making for Nariko as much as Masaomi. It's important to keep the peace, after all.] There's no one here who won't be concerned for you, in fact they'll all grow on you soon enough. Or forcibly.

[The kids, especially, were sort of like unrestrained barnacles but that was alright - that was how kids were supposed to be, in the end.]

I do look forward to giving her more screentime but I think the complexity is good

[chasingthemorning]

[ They'll all, huh... He shrugs, and tries (fails) hard to relax a little. He at least knows he can fake it though, not really sure what to make of her expression but focused on Ada entirely now, even if there was a hot redhead and a baby next to him. It just seems rude not to, even if she had been on the phone when this began.

He... ]

Well, that was the hope. Or well, why I moved even! [ He grins ] Call it a little romantic, but I was hoping I could get to know my nieces and nephews. Nariko and I were real close as kids [ He should die ] but we kind of drifted apart as adults. [ He wanted to be with her always ] Sad it took mom passing, but... I asked, and she answered. Then your Alpha up and said he could find me a house on the cheap and... here we are.

So really, I'm grateful.