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Vanessa did not think that she would ever tell Jarias to shut up. Nor would she ever want to. The tall blonde radiated with an energy that Vanessa felt was almost an echoe of herself. She knew what it was, to have mastered the art of babbling. As a little girl she had often struck up conversation with strangers- had, in fact, made many friends that way. And met as many people who would rather have remained acquaintanes.

It had been a hard lesson for her to learn. That not everyone liked listening as much as she liked to talk.

That some people left you forever if you wanted them too much.

She knew, without needing to think about it, that she would always want Jarias to share with her- was so pleased by Jarias's compliments, and Jarias's noisy kiss, that she turned three shades darker. In high school Vanessa had gotten in trouble for setting off fireworks down the hall and throwing gluesticks at the ceiling, curious about how long it would take them to fall. It was not everyday somebody thought any of her ideas were cute.

"Definitely not a Barbie, no." A lopsided smile made her look just a little bit whimsical, against the backdrop of the open porch door and the cityscape. She popped a piece of bacon into her mouth. Chewed. Thought hard about what to say.

Vanessa had always been a talker. But it was one thing to just let her mouth fly unprompted, and another entirely to have an attentive audience. Somebody who actually wanted to know.

"I have a little brother." There were so many reasons to fight. To continue in the war against Chaos. For Vanessa, John Jr was the sun in a galaxy of lesser stars. Except for the night that she had spent in Jarias's bed, she had not slept very well, since discovering that he was a knight of Mars. "I kinda raised him? Not actually, but kinda. My dad worked a lot and my mom died when he was just a baby, and..." she trailed off, aware that that was an unhappy conversation, not wanting to darken what had so far been a lovely morning.

"... he's such a cocky little s**t," she laughed, ate some more bacon. "I love him to pieces, though. What about you? Any brothers or sisters?"

Jarias revealed so much about her relationship with her parents in just a couple of sentences. Vanessa both ate and listened happily, but was struck by the way that Jarias hesitated into understanding that this was a potentially delicate subject.

'I got out when I was 17.'

Vanessa's heart twanged. Both times that she had moved out of her father's apartment, he had not been prepared to let her leave without arm loads of groceries and a big bear hug. She had not always been happy there, but could also not imagine ever feeling like she had to get out.

'Lesbian, bouncer, partier.'

Such simple labels for what seemed to be an unhappy and complicated situation. Vanessa faulted Jarias' parents for not truly seeing their daughter.

Vanessa knew firsthand that Jarias was a passionate and commanding lover. She had watched Jarias kick a** at the club, and regretted not being able to turn her into a knight. Jarias was sweet, and beautiful, and a great deal of fun. She thought that she would tell Mr. and Mrs. Timberlake as much, if she ever met them.

"My dad works construction," she said, because they were sharing. "He used to play baseball, and he coulda gone pro, but stuff happened. My mom died and it was just..."

Vanessa finished eating, pushed her plate off to the side.

"He was a mess for a long time after that."

A pause.

And then a playful little smile quirked at the corners of Vanessa's lips. She shifted onto her hands and knees, crawled closer to Jarias, slipped a finger under the straps of her tank top and her bra, pulled them aside so that she could kiss the warm, creamy skin of the shoulder underneath.

"Thanks for breakfast," she said, smirking now, bright eyes twinkling. Vanessa exhaled, and then found the little space where Jarias's neck met Jarias's collarbone with her lips. She kissed that too, was not really trying to divert from real conversation as much as she just... wanted those hands back on her. Somehow. Anywhere.

Strength. Hardwork. Long hours.

Mr. Rae in a nutshell.

After the grief. After the alcohol. After the rainy autumn morning social services had allowed him to take his children home. John Jr was eighteen months old. Vanessa had taken it upon herself to teach him the lullabies that their mother never could.

But Jarias was right. Vanessa was a daddy's girl. From him, she had learned how to pitch a baseball so fast that she'd broken Paula Mann's jaw as a senior at Meadowview. The first time she'd been a senior at Meadowview.

Mr. Rae made the best cheese omelettes. And the best baked potatoes. For ten years, he had slept on a hide-away bed in their living room so that each of his children could have a space to themselves. He was the best man in the world, as far as Vanessa was concerned. She thought that he would like Jarias, who buzzed with an energy that made Vanessa feel just a little bit high.

Vanessa grinned when Jarias told her to come closer. And to quit teasing.

Silly Jarias. That was half the fun.

There was a playful light in Vanessa's eyes when she shifted so that she could wrap her arms around Jarias's neck. She crawled into the bouncer's lap with a happy little sigh. Leaned in. Absorbed everything. 23. Pisces. Birthday in March- March what?

Jarias had shared so much, and said such sweet things. Vanessa had not even expected an invitation to stay. She brushed a thumb over Jarias's bottom lip, breathed her in.

"I'm going to give you my phone number," a murmur, "I'm pretty sure I lost my phone last night, but when I get it back- if you ever need someone to whip your mom at tennis, you could call me."

Vanessa had never played a game of tennis in her life, but she was a natural athlete and she figured- what the hell, how hard could it be?