Our Home and Native Land

Talia wasn't sure where she fit into things being so interesting. Well, she did. She just wasn't sure she wanted to accept the fact. The awkwardness of everything only got worse when they got into the van. The most realistic member of the Elliot family quickly reassured her that he didn't like this one bit and shoved a bag between then. She didn't even look at him as he did so. She retreated back to her phone and began Googling random things just to keep her mind occupied. She didn't want to know how much worse things were going to get. And they hadn't even brought up what she did yet. Jacob looked over at her and she responded by looking back at him. He had already shifted his view by the time she did so she just looked out the window.

Canada seemed...cold.

As they pulled into the driveway, Talia was amazed by how picturesque the Elliot family's home was. She started to get nervous. It was as if she was slipping further and further into the belly of the beast. She couldn't run away now. She took a deep breath as the van came to a complete stop, and stepped out with the rest. She followed Rachel into the living room and awkwardly stayed on her feet in the doorway as the other two got comfortable. She wasn't sure where she could sit. Part of her wanted to just follow Cassie and copy her. That was the most appropriate thing to do right?

Eventually, Talia sat on one of the couches equidistant from Rachel and Cassie. She wished there was a television that could distract everyone. But there wasn't. "I use to love cooking." The redhead shifted uncomfortably in the seat. One of the reasons she stopped was because her hobbies got in the way of her training. Cooking was one of the things she sacrificed on her little crusade. She missed it. "I...kinda stopped cooking. It was too convenient to eat out all the time in Tokyo." She had the incredible urge to get out her phone again but she suppressed it at the time. "You have a lovely house." All the trophies only added to the underlying tension in Talia's voice. It seemed there were no shortages of things to make Talia feel worse in some way. "I like your hair, by the way." Talia hadn't really cared but her dyed hair had faded at the roots so the color shifted halfway down. It started at Cassie's color and finished at Rachel's.

"Oh, thank you so much," Rachel said. "I like yours, too. Your natural color is almost the same as Cassie's. Isn't it, Cassandra?"

"Uh huh."

Rachel nudged Cassie with her foot. She was sprawled out on the floor face down in the same peculiar way she had always been since she was little. "Do you like our bear skin rug?" Rachel asked sweetly. Cassie made a low groan in response, and Rachel put her foot on Cassie's butt and gave her a little shake. "Why don't you sit on a chair so we can see you?"

Cassie turned her head to the side to speak. "We're really tired, mom. It's a long flight."

"Mm, I suppose so. Now you know how I feel." She looked at Talia to explain. "I just don't have the energy that I used to. I've been to the doctor about it, and they haven't come up with anything wrong, but I'm not that old!" She shook her head with her mouth closed for a moment. "I do have a special place in my heart for anyone that can cook, though. Cassie's father definitely didn't marry me for my cooking!"

"Mom!" Cassie protested, almost preemptively, sensing an incoming motherly embarrassment. She drew herself up off the floor and flopped into a comfortable chair.

"Do you like flowers, Talia?" Rachel asked. "I can give you a tour of the greenhouse after dinner, if you like. Though it'll be dark by then, and you'll probably want to rest."

Talia watched Cassie and Rachel talk back and forth. It didn't make her uncomfortable and actually was relieving. As long as the two of them kept talking, she wouldn't have to. The relationship between the two seemed to be warming and very positive. Cassie, in my ways, still acted like a child sometimes. And her mother treated her that way. It wasn't a bad thing.

"Flowers?" she asked while turning to look at Rachel. She wasn't really paying attention and had to delay a few seconds to figure out what she really asked. "I guess I do." She never got them from anyone so she really didn't know. It seemed like a weak gift. Anyone could buy someone else flowers. She figured Rachel was referring to a personal garden. She didn't particularly enjoy the thought. Less interaction was better.

"Maybe...I am pretty tired though."

Rachel looked at Talia and her face broke into a soft, motherly smile. She hadn't been sure exactly what to think of Talia before meeting her. When she had her turn in the wrestling world, she had known people, bad ones, who liked nothing more than to hurt and break people. She wanted nothing to do with their type, and was hesitant to believe Marc when he insisted that Talia agreeing to come was enough of a sign that she wasn't like them. She could see now that he was right. Talia was just a girl, like any other.

She turned and looked at Cassie, who was only just starting to nod off in her chair, sitting with her feet tucked in front of her and her knees in her chest. "Cassie, can you go make sure that Talia will have everything she needs tonight? Make the bed and everything else and find her a towel." Cassie yawned and nodded, and plodded off around the corner and down the hall.

"We've put you in with Cassie, on the spare bed. I hope you don't mind." She smiled, and then after a moment she stood up and moved to stand in front of Talia. She bent at the waist and took the girl's hands in her own, and looked into her eyes. "You're a beautiful girl, Talia. I know right now you probably just want us all to go away, but I think you'll like it here. I'll leave you be until dinner, it shouldn't be long. We have books on the shelf behind you and blankets in the cabinet over there, just ask if you need anything else. Okay?"

She strode out of the room with a rare casual elegance that suggested that she was quite a catch in her day, and remained still, and that Marc was a lucky man. Then Talia was alone, with only the noise from the kitchen and the mens' muffled conversation to keep her company.

The redhead simply nodded to Rachel as she spoke to her. She assumed from the size of the house that she'd either be sleeping on a couch or in someone's room. She didn't like either option. But if she had to pick one thing at this point, it'd be to have Cassie nearby to protect her from the others. Then, just like that, Rachel was in front of her and holding her hands. It made her very uncomfortable. Despite how small and warm she was, Talia still had the mental note that every one of Cassie's friends and family hated her, no matter how nice they seemed. She'd hate herself too if their positions were switched. But Rachel's words had a certain sincerity that melted her concerns.

And then she was left alone to her thoughts.

Talia stared at a single spot on the floor. She didn't want to think. After browsing the books and mentally saying each title in her head, the redhead found herself at a window staring out into the dark night. She was two thousand of miles from home. And nearly six thousand miles from Tokyo. And yet, she didn't particularly miss either place. There was nothing for her there. Or anywhere anymore. Her dreams and goals all collapsed around her. Being in a warm, loving home such as Cassie's should have made her feel better.

But it didn't.

It only reminded her what little of this she had in her life. As soon as she left Canada, it'd all be gone. She sniffled a little bit but was quick to wipe her eyes clean.

Dinner was a tender and aromatic braised beef roast with a glaze of balsamic vinegar and honey and fresh herbs, served with and carrots and baby potatoes and a micro green salad. Nick prided himself very much on his cooking, and Marc complimented him on it, Rachel gushed, and Jacob expressed his appreciation by wolfing down his food so fast he was falling asleep before the others were finished.

By then it was dark and starting to get late, and the boys got to work on the dishes before they were free. Cassie normally would be stuck with them, but it was the first night with her company so she was off the hook. Rachel shepherded them off to bed.

"Us girls are off to bed for the night," she called out to the kitchen, and the three emerged, Jacob bringing up the rear.

Nick wiped his wet hands on a towel before extending one to Talia. "It was nice meeting you," he said cordially.

"Goodnight," said Jacob.

Marc kissed his daughter on the top of her head and gave her a squeeze. "Goodnight, Baby Bear. I love you."

Cassie was a little embarrassed, with Talia standing right behind her, but while she squirmed she managed to mumble "I love you too, dad."

Then he turned his attention to Talia. "Let us know if there's anything you need." He nodded, and then went back to the kitchen.


Cassie's room was long and narrow, the end cap of the rectangular house. Her walls were plastered with posters and news clippings and framed pictures, almost all of them related to jiujitsu in some way, except for a more recent addition, a poster of Sandy Starlight on the far wall. Her bookshelf was full of trophies on the upper shelves, and books on the lower ones. Her nightstand had a lamp that plugged in behind it, and from the other outlet a cord stretched out taut to another lamp on a makeshift nightstand beside Talia's bed.

The broad, rough hewn, and unfinished floorboards still bore the curved saw-marks from when they were milled. They creaked in a way that Cassie had always, and would always associate with being home. The feel of the wood on her bare feet and the sound they made was in some ways more comforting to her than the feel of her own bed.

Dressed in fuzzy yellow pajamas, Cassie crawled into bed and pulled the covers up to her waist as she leaned against the headboard. She passively watched Talia go about her business, quietly, until she seemed about ready as well.

"What's it like having a sister?" She asked, taking even herself by surprise. She'd always wanted to know.

Talia would've enjoyed the meal if she had paid attention to how it tasted. She was too distracted by her attempt to stay completely out of the conversations by simply staring down the whole time. Every word was understood by her but she ensured that she not once met eye contact with anyone to minimize the interaction. The announcement that they were leaving earlier was welcome relief. She managed to nod to Nick and shake his hand. "It was nice to meet you too." She nodded to Jacob as well but didn't say anything in response. She nodded as well to Marc but was somewhat distracted by the loving affection he showered Cassie.

Even without nostalgia, Talia thought Cassie's room seemed very homey. Her pajamas consisted of a black t-shirt with her favorite k-pop group on it and matching black shorts. Unlike Cassie, she started off by pulling the covers completely over her head. In the winters, it was always cold out and only by covering herself completely did she feel comfortable. She always warmed up quickly when the warmth couldn't escape from beneath the blankets. Cassie's question disrupted those plans. Slowly, she pulled the covers down and off her head. Only her nose and eyes peeked out from them towards Cassie.

"It's..." The word Talia was looking for was frustrating. She was the youngest of three. Unfortunately, she was also the least successful and, in her eyes, far and away the least favorite child. Her parents always implied that she should do something more with her life. Any conversation with them always included the mention of Aurora's successes. She hated every word of it. And it never helped that Aurora thought she knew better. Her problem with Cassie only got worse because of Aurora's attempt to fix things. And more than anything else was what Talia thought of herself as a result. Aurora managed to be successful. With the same genes and tools, Talia had not. Maybe a year before she would've blamed the world about that problem. But now, she knew it was only her own fault.

"...nice. In both high school and college, she was a senior when I was a freshmen so it was nice to see her around on a daily basis. It really helped me through those times." That was far and away the best thing she could have said about their relationship. It was true. Talia was thankful for that. But there was so much more to it. There had been plenty of times she wished she was an only child. "She always looked out for me...even all the way in Japan."

"Oh, that sounds really awesome."

Cassie stared blankly at the foot of her bed while her mind wandered. She imagined what life would've been like if she had a sister. Maybe a younger sister. Cassie wouldn't have been the baby of the family then. She wondered if she would even like it, or if she only liked the idea so much because she never had one.

"I always wanted a sister," she said, to explain her absence.

She turned off her light and snuggled down into her blankets. She rolled one way, and then the other, resulting in a tightly wrapped cocoon of comfy-ness.

"Um... I don't know why you decided to come. I'm glad you did and everything. I thought maybe you were like I was before, and you wanted to quit and didn't care anymore. I hope you care again." She yawned. "Goodnight. You can stay up if you want, it won't bother me."

The strangeness of having someone else sleeping in her room, not one of her family, not even a friend she'd invited over, rolled around in Cassie's sleepy mind like loose change. But then she thought that maybe she was being to hard on her. What was a friend, really? Why couldn't she call Talia a friend? She was staying in her house, after all.

It was decided. Talia was her friend. And with that resolved, she put her head down on her pillow and was almost instantly asleep.

All the constant arguing and fighting had conditioned Talia into thinking Cassie's next question would naturally involve Aurora. To her surprise, Cassie just casually stated her thoughts like it had been some passing idea. When Cassie yawned and rolled herself with her covers, Talia just stared at where the girl's face was before she snuggled into the covers. There were so many things on her mind that she wanted to forget. One of those thoughts was about something Cassie had said.

Was she really like her? Talia clearly remembered that one time in the locker room when Cassie broke down. She never noticed the parallels between them. But, unlike Talia, Cassie eventually did overcome her monsters. Talia couldn't return to normalcy. She had ruined any chance of that happening when she tried so hard to destroy Cassie. It wasn't that she no longer cared. There just wasn't anything she could do about it. Giving up was the only option left.

The redhead pulled the blanket back over her head so she was completely isolated from the chilly night air. That horrible feeling that it was all over returned to her head. Everything she had worked so hard for was done and gone. Before she knew it, she started to sob quietly. She felt so lost. Wrestling was part of her life. It had been her dream. But it had also made her a bad person. She didn't want to be a bad person. But without wrestling, she had nothing to look forward to or achieve. And since she was banned from Friction, if she did continue it'd be in that horrible tension league. She'd been there before and knew she could never go back. Every thought that passed her mind made her even sadder. Everything felt so hopeless to her.

Down the hall and through the dining room but before the living room, the three Elliot men stood in the kitten. Nick was up to his wrists in soapy dishwater while Jacob rinsed off dishes and stacked them in the dish drainer on the counter. Marc put away all the remaining food and wiped down the counters, along with everything else that was dirty.

As their father finished, he excused himself to go check on his wife. "I think you guys can handle the rest. Thanks." And when Jacob and Nick were alone, a loaded silence hung in the air.

Nick glanced over at his brother. Jacob noticed out of the corner of his eye. He leaned on his palms against the edge of the counter and counted each dish he'd stacked. Nick sighed.

"So you're not a big fan of our guest," he remarked. Jacob glanced at him, but stayed quiet. "Do you know why she's here?"

Jacob scowled. "Do you like her?" Then it was Nick's turn to stay silent. "See?" He said like he'd just won a bitter victory, and turned his back to the counter. He began snapping the dishtowel at the fridge.

"Buck, it's not really about what I think about her, it's about why she's here. That's what's important. Right now, she's just a crazy girl that hurt Cass a lot. If that's all we know, of course we're going to..." He trailed off.

"That's what she is, though. And why is she here, exactly?"

Nick drew a deep breath and took a step back from the sink. He tried to scratch an itch under his nose with a part of his forearm that wasn't covered in soap. "Because Cassie made peace. We've got to back her up, because that's life."

"Yeah, well..." Jacob breathed a heavy, defeated sigh. "I know all that. But..."

"But?"

"Yeah. She beat up our sister, right? She's some nasty, evil, psycho girl. And I know I shouldn't hate her, and I kind of do..."

"Uh huh."

"And... I just didn't expect her to be so cute."

Nick raised an eyebrow at his brother, and then resumed washing the last few dishes. "But Buck, after your little trip to Japan I thought you were all about fat chicks?"

He meant Jacob's short-lived puppy-love for Akashi Tanikaze. "Shut up! This is a serious problem!"

"It's that bad, eh?"

Jacob snapped him with the dish towel.


The next morning, Cassie put on her pink pig slippers and shuffled out to the kitchen to pour herself and Talia a bowl of cereal. She dropped into a chair at the table and began to mechanically put the spoon in her mouth while half-blind with sleep.

Marc was already up and around, of course. He wasn't specifically a morning person, but he always got up early. Rachel liked to go tour the yard first thing, before the sun had finished climbing up over the horizon.

"Good morning, girls. Did you sleep alright?" Cassie nodded. "That's good. Bear, today your mom wants you to help her in the greenhouse for a while." Cassie nodded. "And Miss Wilson, I'd like you to stack wood."

Cassie looked up at him. Was he really going to have their newly arrived house guest do manual labor on her first full day in the house? When they received a load of firewood for their wood-burning stove, moving it and stacking it all behind the house could take well over an hour, depending on how distracted you got.

"It's a two person job, and you can pick who you want to help you." He smiled, and walked out of the room. Cassie gazed at her over her bowl of cereal, half expecting her to refuse. Or something.