When Tali spoke of blood types, Osora and her mother shared a look. Then he continued to speak, and she tilted her head back to look up at him, brow arched. “Criminal activity isn’t the worst thing, Tali. You don’t have to think it is. Just as long as you know that you don’t have to keep doing all of that. As long as you’ll let me help you out, you know.”
The look passed right over Tali’s head. He looked back down at Osora and whined softly. “It feels way bad now that I’m with you and your family and friends. You guys have used your powers to help and save and I’ve used mine to get rich and live a good life.”
“You’ve been helping yourself. Which is still helping. And I…haven’t always done good things with my abilities. My family are healers, but what I do is gruesome, and hasn’t always been used for…the better.” Osora admitted quietly, reaching up with her normal fingered hand to cup his face. “Don’t feel bad. Just do better. Isn’t that what matters?”
He pouted as he leaned into her touch, closing his eyes. He let out a soft sound and huffed. “I guess that is what matters. I’m going to do so much better…” he huffed, acting more like a little kid at the moment.
Osora snorted, amusement flickering just briefly in her features. “Of course you are, you big baby. I have no doubt about that.” She let go of his face after a moment, returning to her finger. She did need to return it to normal, so she could focus on her knee again. So, in order to do so quickly, she broke the bone. Wrapping the fingers of her normal hand around it, she twisted her hand, breaking the bone off with a snap and breathing deeply as she mended it back into its normal shape.
“Why do you always have to do that in the kitchen, man?” Shou complained, making a slightly horrified face. “It’s worse than the zombies, honestly.”
“Nothing’s worse than the zombies.” Reeha disagreed, shaking her head.
Tali seemed to recoil at the sound of the bone breaking, something panicked in his eyes. It passed quickly, however, and seemed to have been something past brought back up.
Tali played the expression off by looking up at Reeha and Shou and frowning. “The zombies? You guys faced zombies? Man. I’m missing all the fun living my boring life. Say, mind teaching a skin-stealer a few ‘hero’ moves?” He asked with a grin, looking rather sinister for a moment.
“Your first move? Not making that face. Unless you’re going for Osora’s brand image.” Shou said, pointing a dramatically accusatory finger at Tali. “And actually, we didn’t face zombies. We fought alongside them.”
Osora didn’t say anything, watching Tali carefully after the way he’d frozen. She tucked the extra bones into her pocket, clotting the injury as she mended the bones in her hand to scab it over. She’d have to wrap it, but that would happen later. “I’ll teach you some things. Not that I’m the best hero. Do you want to learn to fight, or something else?”
Tali’s expression shifted to his name brand innocence, but it seemed a lot more obvious that his innocence was a cover for something else entirely.
He giggled anyways and pressed his cheek against Osora’s head. “Fighting alongside zombies, going against the biggest villains in Japan, you guys are crazy. I like it. And yes, Osora. I want to learn to fight. All I have is that dumb form I showed you with my sharpened teeth and altered finger nails. I’m not looking to become a hero or anything - I’d actually prefer to just be a better person - I just want to know enough to protect myself.” Just in case that dumb Spyder returns. He pouted to himself for a moment or two
“Then you’ll learn to fight.”
Shou winced, and Reeha made a face, shuffling her deck of cards. “We're crazy, yeah, but we had our reasons. None of us are as crazy as you for choosing Osora to learn from. You’ll get what I mean when you see her actually fight.” Shou said, shuddering dramatically.
“We did everything we did for reasons, he’s right. But I have my reasons for fighting the way I do, too. Maybe you’ll learn them. Maybe you won’t. As long as you have your own reasons, I’ll teach you.” Osora said, running her finger over the scab that would scar eventually. Another mark on a painting telling story after story of the things she’d done and been through.
Tali looked confused. “I’m decently strong. If her style is a little tough I’ll get through it..” he replied with a chuckle. “Can’t be worse than Tamaki’s, that man was brutal when it came to training me.”
He looked down at Osora for a moment and smiled softly. He could stand rough training if it meant he could spend more time with her.
Both Shou and Reeha looked away, the former at the the ground and the latter pointedly at her cards. “Yeah. A little tough.”
“Shou is still salty over me stabbing him the first time we sparred.” Osora said simply, shrugging a shoulder. “I don’t see why. He healed fine.”
“Hold up. You stabbed him?” Tali’s eyes widened considerably. “Wait wait wait. Don’t stab me, I don’t heal like you guys do!” He exclaimed, blinking a few times.
Now he understood Shou and Reeha’s attitudes towards this. Maybe he should come prepared for their sparring.
“The worst part is, I don’t have faster healing like her family does.” Shou grumbled, hand moving to his abdomen, presumably where she had stabbed him. “I just summon things. I heal the same you would.”
“Can nobody here handle a little stabbing?” Osora asked, crossing her arms over her chest and rolling her eyes, face as expressionless as ever.
“You’re not supposed to stab your friends!”
“I think stabbing anyone is frowned upon, Osora.” He shook his head but laughed. “Honestly… I can’t believe you stabbed Shou. No wonder he’s hesitant to train with you.”
"To be fair, I did warn him. I specifically said we were sparring with weapons, and he didn't seem to think that I was serious." She deadpanned, arching a brow at Shou, who threw his hands up.
"Who stabs someone during their first time sparring together!"
"Obviously, Toki does." Reeha said, patting Shou's shoulder almost patronizingly. "And yet, you still dated her for a year. Too bad she won't stab the new boy toy."
"Not a boy toy." Osora corrected, shooting Reeha a look and earning a grin in response.
“Most of the time you don’t get stabbed even if using real weapons.” Talk pointed out, snickering at Shou as he complained.
His snicker turned into a dramatic gasp at Reeha’s words. “Too bad? Boy toy? Ouch. I’m starting to think I’m not wanted here.” He pretended to wipe away a tear but smiled nonetheless. He wouldn’t let the sadness And guilt he felt at being called a boy toy show. He knew that could fully be all he was and he was willing to accept that for Osora’s sake.
"Of course you are. And you're no boy toy." Osora said, something flickering in her expression as she continued to look at Reeha. Finally, Reeha sighed, adjusting her hijab.
"Sorry. I meant it as a joke, not as something to be taken literally. If it makes you feel better, that's what I've called everyone else she's ever dated, too. Shou, that kid in tenth grade, and that girl you brought home last year. Obviously not boy toy for her, but point still stands." She said, bowing her head in apology.
Tali just shook his head and waved it off. He smiled at Reeha, laughing. “Oh no, it’s really alright. I don’t mind at all. It’s not the first time I’ve been called that and those other times were mostly serious. I caught onto your joke.” He promised. “Don’t let Toki bully you into feeling guilty.”
"She just bullied me into apologizing. You posture change made me feel guilty." Reeha assured, shaking her head at him. "Your shoulders slumped and your eyes dropped, which either meant sadness, shame, or hurt. Or all three." She stated, motioning to him.
"Reeha doesn't apologize often. Take this while you can. The chances of seeing another apology ever again are just higher than the chances of me ever actually smiling."
He hadn’t even realized he had done so. He sheepishly laughed and drew Osora closer so he could hide his embarrassment. “Sorry about that. It’s really alright, though. I don’t mind. But thank you for apologizing.” He replied quietly, smiling at those around. “I feel special then, if Reeha doesn’t apologize often.”
"Good. You should." Reeha said simply, returning to dealing cards to the people at the table with her.
Osora shook her head fondly, looking up at Tali. "You ready to go, then? Keith closes at one, usually. Breakfast and brunch rushes are over by then." She said, arching a brow at him and playing with his shirt.
He chuckled, glancing down as Osora spoke. “I am. Direct me to the eggs.” He replied with a wider grin. “Down the street? On this street? A few blocks away?” He asked, waving goodbye to those in the kitchen as he made his way to the main entrance of the home.
"First, it might be a good idea to grab our shoes at the bottom of the stairs." Osora pointed out as they neared the last flight of stairs before the convenience store. "And it's two blocks. You're not carrying me all that way, you know. I'll walk."
He frowned deeply but slowly set her down once they had reached the bottom. “Alright but I’m carrying you most of the way.” He argued, slipping his shoes on.
"You can't carry me that far. I don't want you hurting yourself just to try and carry me." She said, shaking her head at him. She leaned against the wall to slip on a pair of strappy sandals that had been laying next to her boots, not wanting to attempt getting those boots on. "I can walk. I'll be fine."
“Let me at least be a crutch. I don’t want you hurting yourself.” He sighed deeply and watched as she slid on her sandals.
With a shake of his head he slid into his tattered tennis shoes and opened the door for her.
“Let me at least be a crutch. I don’t want you hurting yourself.” He sighed deeply and watched as she slid on her sandals.
With a shake of his head he slid into his tattered tennis shoes and opened the door for her.
"Only if my knee hurts too bad. Otherwise, I don't want you feeling like you have to do anything." Osora insisted, adjusting her weight onto her good leg before limping to the door. She stepped out onto the sidewalk, offering him her hand to hold.
Tali pouted but regardless of his worry decided to let her do her own thing. She was stubborn but he knew she was smart enough not to injure herself more. Or at least he hoped she was.
He took her hand happily, bringing it to his lips in a gentle kiss. “Tell me if it hurts too much.”
"I will." Osora wouldn't. She would keep pushing it until she couldn't walk anymore. But that was what she was used to doing, that was how she survived. Her friends and family had long since given up on trying, because she had refused help religiously from anyone.
"It's down this way." She said, leading him along the sidewalk, holding his hand with just enough intent to make it obvious she was happy to have a hand to hold at all.