Fandom Into the fire (1x1 MzHyde/Gallifrog)

[MzHyde]

Fia managed to prove to everyone that she could win when it came to Meyer and her puppy eyes, by not giving into the cute act and standing her ground. She was actually proud of herself for not giving in, but she knew it helped that she knew fully it was not going to sit well with the dog's digestive systems if they had any of it. She also smiled when Rhys took up residence next to Rinaa, whilst she always had Meyer at her side. She knew it'd only be a matter of time before Koso probably sat at Chas' feet as she had noticed the dog seemed to gravitate to him the most oitnof the group.

When Jay brought out the tarabree, Fia looked on, feeling so ready to try the delicacy. She thought like Chas, it looked like naan bread also, as well as noting the thickness of it was somewhere in between British pancakes, which were technically crepes, not pancakes and American fluffy pancakes which were her actual favourite. "they look so good!!" she beamed, resisting the urge to rubbing her hands together. She looked up when Elliott said it was what he had on Attil but they were under a different name, which prompted Rinaa to explain it was on most planets except for Earth. She grabbed one of the tarabree and put it on her plate when everyone was willing to, tearing a bit off and eating it. Her eyes going initially wide then closing with a wide closed mouthed smile on her face. "take it you approve then?" Kay smirked, making Fia nodding quickly before a muffled 'uh huh!' came from her.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Fia was right in thinking that Koso the alpha dog would go over to Chas, he made his way over to the cabbie during the 'digestion pause'. Jay couldn't help but smirk at which dog had chosen which person, the dogs seemed to be gravitating towards the person in their group with a personality most similar to that of the dog in question. Fia and Meyer were the youngest of their respective groups, and in a way the most immature, as well as being easily able to wrap people around their finger/paw. Rhys was lovingly referred to as 'the brains of the operation', by far the smartest of the trio and by dog intelligence standards he was a genius, just like how Rinaa could be considered a genius. Koso was a mixture of brawn and brains, just like Chas, but the real trait that connected them was their trustworthy nature, there was something about both of them that made people trust, listen and obey them. Chas and Koso were reliable, dependable and loyal right to the end.

Fia's reaction was particularly comedic, something about the way her eyes bugged out reminded John of a chipmunk that had stuffed it's pouches completely full of food, causing him to smirk in amusement. He wasn't the only one smirking either, by some sort of unspoken agreement everybody at the table had decided that Fia would be the first to taste this delicacy while they all watched on. It was clear she was loving the tarabree. "As I suspected, right up her alley." Jay smirked a hint of pride in her voice before the rest of them tucked in, quickly joining Fia in making various noises of enjoyment. Rinaa had an expression on her face that could only be described as complete and utter bliss. "It's a close competition on whose enjoying it more out of the two teenagers." Elliott remarked with a fond smirk. "But I think Rinaa might be slightly higher on the scale." "Can you blame me? It has been years since I actually had any of Jay's cooking."

 

[MzHyde]

Seeing Koso go over to Chas made Fia smile as she noticed how the dogs seemed to pick their chosen person perfectly. Spending so much time with the dogs Fia had managed to learn their personalities and such so it didn't go amiss the perfect pairings it ended up being. For her it proved that in any context it was true when people say humans don't pick the animals, the animals picks the human.

When she was eating the tarabree she noticed how everyone was looking at her for a reaction and when her reaction happened how everyone was clearly amused by her. She didn't even care that she was proving to be some kind of entertainment to the rest of them in that moment, she was enjoying the food too much. She swallowed the mouthful of food just as Jay said what she did, and everyone else tucked in making their own noises of enjoyment. When Elliott said it was a close competition between her and Rinaa about enjoying the food, she saw the fondness in his smirk, but it didn't stop her rolling her eyes and tucking into the tarabree more, resisting the urge to flail her legs out of happiness at every mouthful. "not everything is a competition" she teased back with her mouth still very much full, making her remark muffled.

Kay just laughed at Fia between mouthfuls, eating in a much more dignified manner compared to her daughter. "and in a language we can understand? None of us speak muffle" she teased back to Fia between mouthfuls. Fia then swallowed her food and flipped Kay the middle finger. "ha.. Ha... Sooooo funny" she said sarcastically.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Rinaa nodded at the 'it's not a competition' statement from Fia. She'd spent a good chunk of her life being forced into competition with the Fia in her timeline, at first she'd kind of enjoyed it, thinking that maybe if she proved herself to be an equal or a better the mistreatment and abusive comments would stop (It didn't). It took Rinaa years to figure out that trying wasn't worth even it, the slander she received for not taking the bait was less than she'd get for trying to prove herself. It was after that realisation that Rinaa started concealing her talents, particularly her musical ones, all but denying their existence during family gatherings. Her mechanical skills were useful and therefore tolerated, she'd fixed up Chas' taxi a few times, as well as John's bike (when he totalled it), Fia's bike (also when she totalled it) and Kay's (just general maintenance). Rinaa knew all too well that it wasn't a competition and concentrated instead on eating.

When Kay got flipped off the others smirked at the gesture before lapsing back into silence. The tarabree were strangely addictive and moreish, making everybody go back for a second (or in some cases a third) one, the pile quickly shrinking and vanishing. "I don't think I even need to ask this, but should I make some more?" Jay asked, leaning back in the chair. "I don't think any of the teenagers would say no." Elliott smirked. "Or any of us for that matter, they're delicious." Chas agreed. "I can make up the next batch no problem" Rinaa offered with a half smile"cooking may not be my strongest suit, but I can as sure as Tor is a binary system make a good tarabree."

 

[MzHyde]

Fia nodded back at Rinaa in acknowledgement of her agreement to her competition comment. She had a feeling that Rinaa would appreciate her saying such a thing, but she did mean what she said. Unless she was incredibly angry, she very rarely said anything she didn't mean. Like a lot of children, she had her moments of telling her parents she hated them (though that was aimed at Kay more than John most times) when she couldn't get her own way when she was very young, but as a teenager, she rarely spoke out of line. She continued to eat the tarabree, finding them incredibly nourish and not getting enough of the spices as she was one of those who did help herself to a third one, whereas Kay had a second.

When Jay asked if she should make more, she was opening her mouth to speak when Elliott practically spoke for her and Rinaa. She was tempted to be a smart ass but decided instead to just give him the thumbs up in response to say 'yes.. Yes I do want more'. "I wouldn't say no either actually." Kay spoke up with a smile, just as Rinaa offered to make the next batch. "can I watch how they're made, for whoever is making them?" Fia asked, wanting to see the process, even if the batter was already made. If she asked such a question then it was because she really did enjoy what she was eating and wanted to know how to make them herself. She got like in her timeline with Kay's baking and few main course dishes, though it was mostly the baking she got interested in. It's how she learned to do certain things like homemade fudge, cookies and the brownies that were always a hit with her. She would make some sometimes to keep a stash in her room for studying nights so she always had nibbles to hand without having to leave either her room or the library.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Jay smirked when Rinaa used the 'is Tor a binary system?' line, recognising it all too well as it was one of Jay's own go-to smart-alec phrases. "Sure go ahead" she told the teenager, before gesturing towards the kitchen. "The batter is in the fridge and you might as well just do up the rest of the batch. Cliff's family can have the leftovers, or we can eat them tomorrow morning." When Fia asked if she could watch them being made all eyes turned to Rinaa, knowing it was her call as to whether or not she'd be comfortable with Fia watching her make them. Rinaa considered then shrugged "sure, you can watch, though it's hardly any more exciting than seeing somebody make pancakes." That wasn't exactly the whole truth, there was a way that making tarabree became a sensory spectacle, but that involved the use of a fire pit at night. Rinaa didn't trust herself to be able to hold herself together working near an open fire, which was a real shame for her as she'd always loved a barbecue or fire pit meal as a kid. There was something almost magical about the camaraderie around the campfire and the ever changing form of the fire, not to mention that food cooked outdoors on a fire always tasted that bit better. Now she couldn't even look at a campfire without having to fight off flashbacks.

Rinaa then stood up and whistled a command to Rhys before heading towards the kitchen, gesturing for Fia to follow. Rhys made his way over to Jay and Elliott, sitting himself down on the ground near them. Jay couldn't help but smile and reach over to stroke him. She was very much a dog person, having grown up with dogs and helped look after and train them (though she herself had never actually owned one). Once in the kitchen Rinaa headed straight for the fridge and pulled out the batter, giving it a stir to gauge the consistency and mix in and sediment or spices that may have sunk to the bottom. It was thicker than pancake batter and more yellowy in colour. A mix of oil and synthetic cooking butter was put into the frying pan. While Rinaa waited for the pan to heat up she reached into her pocket for her phone and headphones. "I usually listen to something when I cook" she said by mean of explanation as she untangled the earphones with one hand, while the other typed in the password and began scrolling through her playlists looking for something suitable.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia knew it would be down to Rinaa to decide if she could watch how they're made and she was half expecting her to say no, so when she said she could watch, she nodded. Another reason for asking to watch was partly down to wanting to still try and be friends with Rinaa, just like John told her.. If anyone could make her see Fia was a friend and not foe and that they didn't mean any harm toward her, it was Fia. She didn't care if it wasnt anymore interesting than making pancakes, she still wanted to know to see if she could ever remember the recipe, and if she couldn't she would make a point to ask Jay in her timeline to bring them over or teach her. She stood up and told Meyer to stay with Kay as it was Kay who Fia was sat next to and she decided Meyer can be the one to watch over Kay, despite everyone being in the room. She then walked into the kitchen with Rinaa.

She watched Rinaa take the batter out of the fridge and noticed instantly how it was a much deeper colour than normal pancake batter, which she figured was down to the spices and such that were added into it. She made sure to keep out of the way but next to Rinaa as she watched on, nodding when Rinaa told her that she usually listens to music when cooking which she could totally understand. To her it was no different when she would hear Kay humming to herself when she baked if she thought she was alone in the kitchen and living area. "fair enough" she just replied with.

I'm the loving room Kay gave Meyer some strokes, having not missed the hidden agenda of Fia's command for Meyer to be with her in the slightest. She actually thought it was a sweet gesture, even if it was unnecessary considering how everyone was around and she's not had any worrying moments so far during the pregnancy. It still showed her that Fia was growing closer to her with each day which gave her hope that she'd take that new bond back with her to her future self.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Seeing how both Rinaa and Fia had directed their dogs to go towards the person/people they considered important in their lives Chas had to smirk, the significance of the choices not going amiss on him. It wasn't clear whether Rinaa had directed Rhys to go to both her parents or just to Jay, but in a way it didn't really matter, out of everybody in their group it was clear that Jay was Rinaa's favourite by a long shot followed by a tie between Elliott, Cal, Cliff and Deke. Fia on the other hand had grown noticeably closer to Kay in the time they'd spent together, a real shift in mindset having occurred in the teenager as she started to see why certain choices had been made in her timeline. "John I'm not gonna be sending this one over to you if that's what you're wonderin'." Chas teased as he continued to stroke Koso.

Had Rinaa been at Jay's place or her student apartment she would have turned the speakers up full blast and gone for it. Just like when she was working in the garage having music helped her to focus. Sometimes she would get really into it and start singing along (or humming if it was an instrumental/soundtrack piece), using whatever cooking utensil/mechanical device she had in her hand as an imaginary microphone, sometimes throwing in some cheesy dance moves to the mix. There were quite a few videos of Rinaa dancing and singing having completely forgotten where she was and that there were other people nearby who could hear and see her.

As she wasn't alone in the kitchen Rinaa only put in one earbud, threading the cable up through her t-shirt so it wouldn't be dangling in the way. At first Rinaa was hyper-aware of Fia's presence in the room and unconsciously tensed up as she worked, the tension visible in her shoulders and the way she chewed at her bottom lip with one of her upper canine fangs. But she quickly relaxed and got into the flow of things, tapping her foot along to the music and humming quietly along to the instrumental piece she was listening to. Frying up the tarabree was a simple process, the batter was ladled in, the pan tilted and swirled to evenly spread the batter around it. Once one side was cooked the tarabree was flipped and fried on the other side. Rinaa flipped it three times in total to ensure it was cooked all the way through. At first she played it safe using a fish slice to loosen the tarabree and turn it over, but after she'd completed the first two she got more adventurous and went for the professional pancake toss- throwing it high into the air and catching it in the pan again. Her eyes narrowed as she followed the path of the tarabree in the air, her brain performing all kinds of calculations with the result that she caught it perfectly in the pan.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay smirked when Chas teased about not letting John have Koso, as she continued to stroke Meyer. She could have come out some kind of remark but she decided not to, enjoying giving Meyer some fuss, seeing exactly why Fia had grown so close to her. She did get surprised initially albeit a split second when Fia decided it should be her that Meyer should go to and not John, but then it clicked in place why she did it and suddenly her actions all made sense. "pretty certain if it was any other situation with myself, Fia would have told Meyer to go to John to be fair" she smirked.

Fia continued to watch as Rinaa made the tarabree and saw just how similar to making pancakes it really was, the spices coming through as they cooked, filling her nostrils and making her very very happy. It was strange and she really couldn't properly explain it if she had to but it was like the smell of spices, no matter whether they were sweet or savoury ones, she just felt a sense of calm and familiarity when she smelled them. She knew it was down to her phoenix heritage, but she always found it a strange thing, like somewhere deep down it was connecting her to her ancestors. She was aware of how Rinaa took a little while to relax with her there beside her, but she was glad to see Rinaa soon relaxed and hummed the song to herself as she flipped the tarabree what looked to her, effortlessly.

If she watching anyone else doing it, she would have said something along the lines of 'you're proving yourself to be a real tosser' thinking she would be so funny, but with Rinaa she decided utterly against it, not sure how her or Sykes would handle the joke pun.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John smirked at Chas' words, he was the only one who didn't have a dog to fondle at that moment in time, and he was okay with that. He was surprised that Fia had directed Meyer to go to Kay, as opposed to simply telling her to stay away from the kitchen, but like the others took it as a sign that Fia was growing closer to her mother and letting go of some of the grudges and assumptions (false or otherwise) that she'd held her entire life. "Maybe, maybe not, it doesn't really matter to me, Koso is clearly very happy where he is, and in Fia's case it shows a change in the relationship between you two which can only be a good thing."

Rinaa enjoyed the ritual of cooking, the way creating the flavour profile involved working on instinct and pure guess work. She found it relaxing after a day at the lab or uni where it was all about precision measurements and mathematics. Her cooking skills were nowhere as good at cooking as Elliott or Jay and centred around a main set of recipes that could be modified to work with whatever meats and veg she had on hand. Every so often there would be a day or night where Rinaa knew she'd be doing a night shift at facility 53 or the lab and she would volunteer cook up a large box of curry and bring it with her to share with the others for when they inevitably got hungry.

Making that joke could only have ended badly for Fia, she was right in thinking that Sykes would have hit the roof. Rinaa would be able to see the funny side of it, but years of having insults hurled her way would have made her suspect there was another reason for Fia saying it. After a couple more tarabree had been completed (and transferred to the oven) the track changed to a much more upbeat song, one Rinaa hadn't listened to in a while. One eyebrow rose in surprise at the opening drumbeat, before her eyes widened in recognition. Her foot tapping changed tempo (this piece had a sharp driving pulse) and Rinaa began to sway along with the music. She had all but forgotten that Fia was in the kitchen, the other girl had been so silent and unintrusive, that Rinaa had become relaxed enough to fall back into her old rhythms. She started to throw in some fancy moves as she prepared the next tarabree. It started off with little flourishes and gestures, but quickly morphed into twirling and sliding around the kitchen, doing some truly awful dance moves while brandishing the fish slice like it was a pistol.

Spoiler

I was watching the first Johnny English movie with my brother yesterday and we started singing along to the opening song, which gave me the completely random idea of Rinaa dancing along to it in the kitchen with some truly atrocious dance moves

 

[MzHyde]

Kay heard John out when he replied to her, nodding as she found she did agree with what he said. She thought the same thing, "I was thinking the same thing" she replied. She too also could see that Koso was very happy where he was with Chas, whilst clearly not planning on going anywhere else anytime soon. "I just hope it carries through to when she goes home" she continued, unaware of what was going on in the kitchen.

Fia watched as the tarabree then went into the oven, curious that it didn't just go straight onto a plate after being fried but continued to watch on but when Rinaa's body language changed and she started tapping her foot to a different beat, she rose an eyebrow and smirked. She held her hand in front of her mouth to stifle any laughter as she watched Rinaa dance badly to whatever she was listening to and really getting into td he music. She leaned out the kitchen door to the group and waved her hand up to get their attention but not so much that it'd catch Rinaa's. Kay looked up and saw what Fia was doing and rose an eyebrow. "what?" she asked, only to see Fia put her index finger to her lips to hush them and then signal for them to sneak over and see what was happening. "I'm too comfortable to move... Someone else see what she wants please" Kay declared, refusing to move and disturb Meyer.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Chas, John and Elliott nodded in agreement with Kay's statement. If Fia could go back to her timeline able to patch it up with her timeline's Kay then it would be a victory, even if her timeline wasn't the one that won out, it would be reassuring to know that out there in some reality or another one Kay and one Fia had manage to patch it up. Chas was going to say something response when Fia's head and hand popped around the kitchen door signalling for them to be quiet and get over to the kitchen door to take a look.

Elliott was the first to get up, making his way over quietly, uncertain as to what exactly could warrant such secrecy and make Fia feel the need to stifle her laughter. His eyes widened at the sight of Rinaa dancing so badly around the kitchen, getting way too into whatever music she was listening to, her moves so ridiculously bad, but executed with an energy and a happiness he hadn't seen from her before. It was the exact opposite of the slick fast breakdancing skills she'd displayed at the wedding, this was the kind of unapologetic dancing somebody did when they thought they were alone. Elliott quickly gestured for the others to get themselves over to the door, mouthing 'you gotta see this' as he did so. The others quickly joined and were soon holding back laughter at the sight before them, Jay's eyes seemed to sparkle with a silvery light as she watched.

Rinaa remained completely oblivious to the arrival of all the others in the doorway, while her eyes were open, they were focused on the tarabree and making sure it didn't burn. She even managed to incorporate the flipping of the tarabree into her impromptu routine, flipping it upwards, then twirling around before catching it in the pan again.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia rolled her eyes when Kay said she wasn't budging from her spot out of being comfortable finally. She smiled when Elliott was the first to get up from their seat and come over to check what Fia had found so entertaining. She leaned back into the kitchen to stand upright again as he made it in, finding it just as amusing as she did to the point that he made a point to make the rest of them get up and look. She really tried to not laugh out loud so not to alert Rinaa that she had such an audience.

As everyone else had gotten up to see what was going on, Kay decided she would indeed get up and walked over to see a dancing Rinaa, just enjoying life and having fun. She smirked seeing that not even the making of tarabree was stopping her as she encorporated the flipping of the tarabree into her little dance routine. She also noticed how Jay's eyes sparkled silver seeing her daughter just having fun, unaware she was being watched. Smirking at the sight, Kay then felt she watched enough and headed back to the couch and sat down again. Fia was really struggling by this point to not laugh out loud and felt if she didn't leave the room or someone broke the silence she would indeed break into the biggest fits of giggles.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott was torn between speaking and thus interrupting Rinaa's dance routine and staying silent and watching, just letting the teenager enjoy being genuinely happy for as long as possible. The fact that her dance moves were so atrocious just made the whole moment even more precious. Jay's thought were running along similar lines, the teenager was completely relaxed, all the normal tension gone from her muscles, a genuine smile on her face, and the brief glimpses she saw of Rinaa's eyes proved a theory Jay bad about her daughter. Whenever Rinaa had gone back after seeing Moya, her eyes would be a mix of bright green and grey, after she'd sang at the wedding her eyes had that same two-tone effect, just as they had it now while she danced. It seemed to Jay that whenever her daughter was truly, genuinely happy, her eyes unconsciously reverted back to their natural colour.

In the end nobody needed to do anything to break the spell, it broke itself. Just as the track finished Rinaa whirled around to slide the tarabree in the oven, catching sight of the audience in the doorway. She had genuinely forgotten that Fia was in the room, evidently the other teenager had decided that her bad kitchen dancing was something they all needed to see. Upon seeing the others her face reddened slightly, but apart from that there were no cartoon style reaction. She didn't drop the tarabree, frying pan or the fish slice and her eyes didn't bug out of her head in shock. This clearly wasn't the first time she'd been walked in on and although she was mortified at the fact she'd let herself be caught relaxing so easily, Rinaa managed to maintain a relatively level head and appearance (though she couldn't stop the blushing). "Ah" was all she said, putting the tarabree into the oven.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia was about to leave so she could laugh out loud but the song clearly finished for Rinaa and she turned round and saw the lot of them looking and watching her. She giggled even though the reaction of being caught wasn't as comedic as what Fia could come out with when she was caught doing something amusing. She actually gave Rinaa credit for only openly showing her embarrassment through the blushing that was happening. "nice moves" she teased being slightly sarcastic whilst sniggering.

Kay just watched on from where she was stroking Meyer who had she had noticed had stolen Fia's place on the couch. "those teenagers.... Never a dull moment with them" she remarked to herself fondly, knowing this was one moment that wasn't dull for a good reason, and not because they were at each other's throats. She let the others continue getting their amusement out of Rinaa's little display of just being herself and relaxed as she stayed on the couch, leaning her head back.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Rinaa's reaction was far less funny than John was hoping for, if he was being quite honest he was expecting another 'shit on a stick!' moment where the teenager said something completely stupid and hilarious out of shock. But he had to give her credit for staying calm the whole time (apart from the blushing of course). It was clear to all the others that this was nowhere near the first time she'd been walked in on. "And here's me believing you when you said that there was nothing exciting about the preparation of a tararbree." Elliott couldn't resist adding with a teasing grin, to which Jay smirked and nodded "He's got a point, that dancing" Jay didn't make an airquotes gestures around the word 'dancing' but they were very much implied in her tone of voice"certainly livens up what is otherwise a very normal cooing procedure." Rinaa just smirked at that, leaning back against the counter twirling the fish slice in her hand.

Rinaa rolled her eyes at Fia's remark, knowing it was meant as a joke. "At no point did I EVER say I could dance outside of break dancing and maybe a bit of basic tango or salsa with the right music and partner. It's really not my thing" she replied deadpan serious, then paused, smirked and added"But if you think THAT dancing was bad you should see my waltz. A model skeleton is a better partner apparently." "Surely you're not that bad" Chas replied, Rinaa's kitchen dancing may have been atrocious but it was full of life and energy, so he was giving her the benefit of the doubt when it came to waltz. "Oh I am, a guy ended up with a broken leg because of my waltz technique being so appalling."

 

[MzHyde]

Fia was pretty sure that it'd take a lot to beat her 'shit on a stick!' comment that she made back on Attil, and still mentally was wondering if anyone could beat such an outburst. If anyone ever did beat it, she'd gladly bow down to them metaphorically speaking and admit defeat in classic lines that's were said when caught off guard. She had a feeling also that John was hoping for such a moment but Rinaa clearly had a lot more self control of what came out of her mouth than Fia did when it came to these situations.

She sniggered at Elliott's comment baout there being nothing exciting to watch whilst doing tarabree, which only continued when Jay joined in with her comment about the quality of dancing Rinaa was doing. When Rinaa rolled her eyes at her comment, she was glad that she took it well as she did still feel every now and then that anything could be taken wrongly and set them back a few steps again. She smirked when Rinaa replied with what she did so perfectly deadpan. Fia then couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her tango and salsa comment before Rinaa commented about how bad her waltz was.

"I can't imagine you doing the tango or salsa, let alone trying the waltz... Not after having seen you break dance so well" she said chuckling. She then looked surprised and impressed that Rinaa could break someone's leg whilst trying to waltz. "damn.. Seriously?! That's both impressive and shocking"

 

[_gallifrog_]

Fia wasn't the only one surprised by Rinaa casually mentioning salsa and tango as something she'd tried. The surprise was visible on John and Chas' faces, but Elliott and Jay both knew better, remembering that Rinaa had described herself as 'the kind of person who'd try anything once' one time when all three had been together in Cal's apartment. "And a couple of days ago you couldn't have imagined me break dancing at a wedding , wearing black tie clothing on festival stage or dancing awfully in a kitchen to 'Man For All Seasons', yet all three are things I do." Rinaa shot back, crossing her arms, a normally defensive posture, but the amused and slightly teasing edge to her tone said she wasn't actually taking any offence at it. "You've heard my skydiving story and yet somehow me doing tango and salsa is a step too far?" The last bit was aimed at Fia, the only one who'd heard her tale of skydiving without a parachute.

"You've got a point there." Elliott agreed, unable to deny that Rinaa was constantly surprising hem with what she could (or in the case of waltzing) couldn't do. And her next sentence proved to be no exception, various expression of shock and awe flitting across the group's faces. "Bloody Hells, really?" John asked, almost gasping in surprise, while Chas just shook his head in disbelief. "Okay, maybe I do have to eat my words on that one." "Wow.... that sounds like something Jay would do." Elliott told her, it was a form of praise for him to compare her to Jay, the person he was clearly in love with.

Jay on the other hand crossed her arms and gave the teenager a look bluntly stating "I call bullshit on that." The teenager stared her mother her face staying completely impassive, not the slightest flicker of emotion spreading across her face. After about half a minute a grin crept across Rinaa's face and she started chuckling in amusement. "Your faces when I said that!"

 

[MzHyde]

Hearing the comeback and forced defensive stance being taken by Rinaa, Fia couldn't help but smirk, even if she did have a point. Seeing the surprised looks on John and Chas' faces particularly was just as amusing to Fia as everything else was. It was when Rinaa mentioned the skydiving story however that Fia nodded, "touché" she replied back smiling, knowing Rinaa had definitely got her on that point. She then looked at John and everyone else when they all looked so shocked Rinaa would have gone skydiving, their shocked faces making Fia giggle.

The fact that Jay didn't even believe her own daughter was the most amusing, as she thought out of all of them, Jay would be one Fia thought would have believed Rinaa. She chuckled seeing Rinaa trying to remain straight faced only for her to break and start laughing. "and she's serious, she told me the story. Did it without a parachute too.. Though not by choice is I remember correctly" Fia commented, unable to help herself and discuss it k owing that they would want to hear the story from Rinaa. She had almost forgotten about tarabree for this brief moment, but not completely as the smells of the spices were still very much on her radar.

 

[_gallifrog_]

"Of course she did" John shook his head in amusement when Fia told him there hadn't been a parachute involved in this skydiving story. Elliott's face conveyed a similar reaction, but there were a million questions written all over his face. "I was actually calling bullshit on the waltz leg breaking story." Jay clarified with a shrug, realising she'd made her 'I call bullshit' statement too late, and it had seemed to the others like she'd been calling bullshit on the skydiving story. "Skydiving I can believe. Skydiving without a parachute I can also believe. But accidentally breaking somebody's leg while waltzing? No I don't believe that."

Rinaa smirked at the clarification "that makes more sense, I was kinda wondering why you of all people would be questioning my skydiving experience given that you've done, and in my timeline still do BASE jumping." Jay's nod said 'you've got a point, go on'. "Okay, so firstly this waltz story, true or not? And secondly, why no parachute?" Chas asked. "Well my waltz IS pretty shit, I can follow the steps, but I always end up trying to lead. And I DID break a guy's leg during a waltz, but it was no accident. It was on purpose and before you asked he fully deserved it. He ran an illegal prostitution network and we were doing a sting with the Met police. Plus he was a creep, a shattered tibia and displaced kneecap were the very least he deserved." Rinaa smirked at the memory of the guy writhing in pain on the floor.

"As for the skydiving, it was a friend's eighteenth birthday and we all clubbed together for the trip. Somehow there was a mix up and an empty parachute bag ended up with the full ones, and I was the one who got it. I didn't notice the weight discrepancy as the rest of the protective gear was hefty and weighty. So I didn't know there was no chute until AFTER I jumped out of the plane. Luckily one of my mates twigged what was going on and jumped after me and saved my life."

 

[MzHyde]

When Jay clarified what she was calling bullshit, she just nodded. She didn't realise that's what she was referring to at all, and it seemed when Rinaa replied saying it made a lot more sense that Jay meant the waltz comment she wasn't the only one who mistook Jay's reaction. She leaned on the counter top as Chas asked the two questions that the majority of them were curious about. Whereas she was just curious about the breaking of legs during a waltz story. She listened to what Rinaa was explaining, her eyebrow raising in curiosity when she said it was done on purpose. She continued to hear the story and smirked, hearing the kind of guy this person was, she agreed that he deserved at least a broken leg.

She then ket Rinaa tell the skydiving story in a condensed version compared to what she told her, before deciding to speak up. "gotta give you credit... I would have done more than just a broken leg to that creep" she said, not even ashamed to say it in front of her dad. She really despised people who did such things, as it usually in her experience lead to people trafficking and worse. She may may not be completely innocent in things herself, but she still had morals.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Rinaa told the story of nearly dying while skydiving with the casual air of somebody who had stared death in the face many times before and come away (mostly) unscathed). "That sounds terrifying" Chas declared when she'd finished the skydiving story, shaking his head slightly in disbelief, had it not been for a quick thinking friend, Rinaa would have died there and then and they'd never have met her. "Oh it was, I was shitting myself terrified, convinced that nothing could save me. Even though that wasn't my first near death experience, it really stuck with me." "What happened after." "I had a combination of severe shock and a massive adrenaline high, but thankfully no physical damage and ended up in hospital for observation. Jay hit the roof when she found out, threatening all kinds of things from legal action to straight up murder." Neither Jay nor Elliott looked very surprised at that, while the future Jay wasn't an over-protective parent in general and wasn't going to stop her daughter from trying all kinds of things, if things went badly wrong she became terrifying, demanding answers and explanations, not stopping until she got them. "There was a court inquiry and in the end the place had to close for good, with all the bad publicity there was no way they could stay open. And I gave my friend an eighteenth he'd never forget, for all the wrong reasons."

As Rinaa explained why she'd broken the person's leg Jay gave a nod "good on you kiddo, breaking a leg in the most painful place possible, whoever he is, he won't forget it in a hurry." Jay as usual was sounding very proud upon hearing what Rinaa had done. "I agree there, he had it coming, especially if he tried anything." "Sounds like the douche deserved it" John had run into exactly the type of person Rinaa was talking about, he was nowhere near innocent with the lines he'd crossed in life, but he had morals, forced prostitution and people trafficking were things he was firmly against, regardless of whether it was humans or Downworlders involved. Some people were really sick and deserved more than just being locked up for life. "Normally I'm not one for saying people deserve violence, but sounds like that guy really did deserve it, no doubt he's done and ordered much worse on others. So well done and good call."

Rinaa nodded at their comments, a dark expression on her face, when she spoke again her tone was hard, an exact copy of Jay's 'don't fuck with me, I am far more dangerous than I look' tone."Believe me, I would have done MUCH worse if it had been a face off in a dark alley, maybe not killed him, but done enough damage that he'd be in pain the rest of his life. He deserved it, the stuff he did, well.... I don't have enough insulting words to voice what I think, but put it this way, his rap sheet was bad enough that the police were willing to turn a blind eye to any 'extra injuries' we inflicted on him and his posse, so long as it could be put down to self defence. If the Met police hadn't been involved in the sting we all would have done much worse."

 

[MzHyde]

Fia just let Rinaa continue talking and smirked at the reactions the story as they were very similar to how she initially reacted to it. She had a feeling that neither Jay or Elliott would be surprised by Rinaa's Jay reacting the way she did as it seemed so appropriate and typical of Jay. She also noted how everyone reacted to the other story, noting how everyone reacted the same way to it, knowing that they would have done the same thing, if not worse if they were in Rinaa's positionshe saw the look change in Rinaa's face to something she was so used to seeing from Jay as she spoke the next bit, explaining if it wasn't for the Met police, she would have probably done much much worse.

Fia nodded, not surprised in the slightest, not if her Leah was shy thing to go by and what she had witnessed by this Rinaa so far was anything to guage her possible actions by. "probably a good thing I guess, can imagine you rightly not holding back if the Met weren't there or involved" she commented. Kay noticed how they were all in the kitchen for a while but it didn't bother her, she was just enjoying relaxing on the couch, to which she almost fell asleep doing so but didn't quite. She just closed her eyes from relaxing so much whilst eavesdropping on the conversation that she could hear.

 

[_gallifrog_]

There was so much of Jay visible in Rinaa when her attitude changed and she let her dark side show that even Jay could recognise herself in the teenager. Elliott found the likeness both impressive and slightly terrifying, he'd seen what Jay was capable of when she adopted a face and a tone like that, who only knew what Rinaa could do. "That says all I need to know really?" In a way it was like Jay was looking at a younger version of herself and not her daughter. But she also saw something of her brother in Rinaa, there was something she couldn't quite put her finger on about the way the teenager looked in that moment that made Jay think of her dead twin. But she didn't say that, even though she knew Rinaa had actually met Jack, none of the others had, so there was little point. What she said instead was "that tells me all I need to know about what kind of character this guy is. While some police may be corrupt or turn a blinder every once in a while, to do so in a sting THAT high profile, guaranteed to get media attention? He must have been a right piece of work. I don't even know the full details yet I want to batter him shapeless in an alley." Rinaa smirked at the words, having a strange sense of deja-vu "you said almost the same thing when I was filling you in on the details of the op afterwards."

"Out of curiosity, how did you end up as part of a police sting operation?" Chas asked, wondering if it had been through her vigilante connections of her lab connections that Rinaa had ended up getting involved. "Good question, labs like STAR Labs and Kane Tech often liaise with the police, particularly on meta-human cases, as the cops aren't as well equipped or informed in that regard as we are. The vigilante network also work with the police on a semi-regular basis, the cops having realised that the vigilante network is an extremely useful and well equipped asset as opposed to a threat. When compared to the criminals and what they do, the vigilantes look like saints. In this case it was the lab that got involved when a shipping container of corpses was found, we were called in because the entire crate had been meta-dampened, rendering the power of those inside useless. There's a huge illegal metahuman trade, both for sex ad other, more disgusting things. Which brings me to Fia's earlier point on how me and the others would have done a lot worse had the police not been there. Some of my closest friends and coworkers are metas, so this was personal." She placed particular emphasis on the word personal, her eyes flicking back to green again.

 

[MzHyde]

Listening to what Jay said, Fia had a feeling she would have reacted like so. Though in her mind anyone with any ounce of decency should react the same way. She saw how Rinaa smirked and said that her Jay said almost exactly the same thing which made Fia smirk and realise that Jay really didn't change in either timeline. When Chas asked how Rinaa got involved in such a situation, she too realised she was curious about that as well. She listened to the story of how it came about, sensing that it was more than just another job for Rinaa. So when the other teenager clarified that it was indeed personal to her and her team by the time she finished explaining, Fia nodded.

"can't exactly I'm surprised that you'd take it personally. Not after hearing all that. If I was in your position I would have taken it personally as well" she replied. Kay back in the living room was still eavesdropping and found that Rinaa had some very intriguing stories to tell for someone so young. Though she did agree with everything said and done in such a situation.