The Wanderer - 189 (Patreon)

Chapter 189 – Taste

[2009 – October]

It had been a few days since she and Elijah had saved Celeste, Emma had tried to give her daughter time to get accustomed to her new surroundings and make her eventual introduction to school easier.

She herself was also just learning how to be a mother, her character having been shaped by abuse and violence, her bloody past standing in stark contrast to what one would call a nurturing personality, her present being not much different.

As a result, it wasn't that easy for Emma to unearth her motherly instincts even if she wanted to be there for Celeste, to be a mother that loved and cared for her child unconditionally.

All in all, it was a transitional process, one that she did not want to rush considering that neither Celeste nor her knew how all this was supposed to work.

Sitting opposite the lithe girl that had so suddenly entered her life, both of them having just finished their breakfast, Emma told Celeste that she wanted her to learn how to defend herself without relying on her mutant powers.

Knowing that her daughter had already experienced what it felt like to have her powers suppressed, Emma knew that this was a skill that would certainly be of some use in any case.

"I will also make some time so that I can teach you how to properly use your telepathic powers but I think Elijah should be the one to teach you how to fight hand-to-hand.", Emma added.

Fidgeting in her seat, Celeste listened to her words before she tentatively parted her lips and responded: “W-what about Laura, can't she teach me?”

Frowning a bit, Emma found herself a bit lost when confronted with her daughter's interest in the dark-haired teen that had been raised as a killing tool.

She had already noticed Celeste's interest in the girl the first time that the two of them had met a few days ago when Elijah and Jean had brought Laura along for some Vietnamese take-out, though she had thought that it was just simple curiosity.

Emma also knew that Laura had changed since coming to the Academy but that didn't mean that she was necessarily the right person to be around for some that had just been freed from a caged life that was filled with nothing but misery and pain.

Because, while Laura seemed 'normal' when around Elijah, the two of them shared a very special connection, which to a certain extent was also extended to Jean and a few others, everyone else she either treated as irrelevant or a foe.

The girl's quiet personality just hid the dangerous hunter beneath, as Laura was somewhat erratic and highly anti-social at her core, relying almost solely on her animalistic instincts when it came to social interactions and gauging another person's intentions.

She was direct in a way most people would find uncomfortable and hard to deal with, as she very rarely made an effort to act sensible or hold back and suppress her distaste.

Emma wasn't worried that the girl would randomly attack others though since Wolverine's daughter wasn't the kind of person to do such a thing, but it was still advised to approach her with a measure of tactfulness and caution.

As such, Emma had made sure to introduce the other Hellions to Celeste, in hopes of her finding others as potential friends.

She knew that her daughter got along well with her brother's fiery-haired lover, which wasn't really a surprise considering the fact that Jean was a very loveable girl and hardly anyone ever disliked her. There were also a few other Hellions that Celeste had gotten a bit closer to, like Clarice and Allison.

Still, it seemed that her interest in Laura hadn't really waned.

Emma wasn't sure if that was because they both shared a similar origin, which she had told Celeste about, or if there was something else that attracted her to the dark-haired girl. She could only guess that it may be both.

"You may not know this but Elijah's skill as a close-quarters combatant is unrivaled.", Emma voiced out seriously, "Being able to learn from him is an incredible opportunity, Celeste."

Pausing for a moment as she saw Celeste bite her lower lip, she continued: “I don't want to force you into something that you don't want, I just want to know if you thought this through.”

Nodding hesitantly, her daughter replied: “I did.”

“Okay.”, Emma acknowledged while sighing inwardly, “Though at least tell me why you want to learn from Laura and not your uncle.”

Her cheeks burning up a bit, Celeste answered with her gaze lowered: “I-It's not that I don't like Elijah, I-I just want to get to know her better.”

A bit helpless, Emma just shook her head lightly and let up on the topic. She didn't want to restrict Celeste, not to mention that some things one had to experience firsthand to truly understand.

…

Watching the crowd move past in waves as I sat on the red neon steps in the middle of Times Square, I pondered what it was that made people enjoy living in such a comparatively cramped city.

I understood the desire to live in a place that offered a lot of convenience such as different stores in one's neighborhood that offered everything that one needed, from food to clothes and other supplies.

This convenience though could easily reach the point of extravagance, and beyond that, a point of insanity, as the people of New York willingly lived in the tightest of spaces for ludicrous prices just to 'enjoy' this convenience.

Naturally, this was true solely from an objective point of view as one's home was often not a place chosen by one's rational mind but by one's heart.

'If you love someone, then you should love their flaws too.' – I was sure that this saying also held true when it came to someone's home, maybe even more so in some cases.

“Hu hu!”, Arya called out quietly from beneath my collar, her little head rubbing against my neck, her thoughts ringing in my head.

“You love me despite my flaws?”, I whispered with a small laugh, my fingers brushing over her tiny wings and cheek as she nipped at my fingertips with her beak affectionately, “I love you too, princess.”

"What are you smiling at, my love?", Jean's voice sounded out as she reappeared at my side, a beautiful smile drawing her lips into an arc and a small paper plate with some finger food in her hand that she had just gotten for herself.

It was Wednesday and I had taken Jean downtown after school so that we could spend some time together away from the Hellion Mansion, to spend some time together as any normal couple would do.

Leaning back and making a bit of room for her, the gorgeous redhead didn't hesitate to sit down in between my legs and snuggle up to my chest as I answered her question with a faint smile, my arms wrapping themselves around her almost on instinct alone.

“Just Arya being Arya.”, I said.

Laughing melodiously like she always did, Jean raised her free hand to caress the little owlet: "I can imagine."

"I bought some mini cakes for us.", she added a few moments later before picking up a bite-sized cheesecake from the paper plate and holding it in front of my lips to let me have a taste.

Opening my mouth, I let her feed me the mini dessert which was admittedly rather delicious.

“How is it?”, she asked curiously, innocent affection making her eyes shine.

“How about you tell me?”, I retorted, unable to help myself, before lowering my head and capturing her lips for a kiss. The aftertaste of cheesecake still on my lips, our tongue intertwined in a bout of stolen intimacy.

We parted a few long moments later, at which point Jean's cheeks had gained a healthy rosy tint and her breathing was a bit disorderly, her watery eyes looking up at me shyly, the tender affection sparkling inside them unmistakable.

“How was it?”, I asked with a mischievous smile at which point her cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red, but the smile that bloomed on her face was one that couldn't forget even if I tried.

Leaning in, she softly pressed her lips against my neck before resting her head on my shoulder.

She started to take bites from the tiny cakes in her hand, all the while feeding me the other half of what she tasted with her lips as we watched the sea of people move past us.