Who's Your Daddy?

[Marissa Ilirran]

August 27th, 2017

Alistair's Apartment

Canon ICC

 

Mari raised her golden nailed finger, hovering over the button that rested next to the nameplate that read 'Greene'. This was it, she was sitting on his doorstep and she couldn't even push the damn button. She could almost feel her mother frowning at her, Ondine were not timid. Still...would he accept her? Would he tell her to get lost? The anticipation was killing her and it was what made her finally depress the button that would ring in the appropriate apartment above. She knew he was here, his jeep was parked outside, in the same spot that her mother remembered it. She took in a deep steadying breath and then slowly let it out as she waited for him to acknowledge the buzzer.

Alistair sat heavily on the stool in his workshop, frowning at the disassembled rifle on the bench. He'd been trying off and on to make the M4 carbine work for him in a fight, but it was jamming too damn often when he took it out. It was lending a lot of credence to the idea that magic screwed around badly with technology, and he'd resorted some time ago to an older, chunkier cell phone to keep the thing from breaking all the damned time. The gas piston AR should have worked fine, but something always seemed just a little off with it. Big pain in the ass, it was turning into. Seemed his old standby 1911 was going to- He broke off his train of thought when the intercom buzzer shrilled at him, wiping his hands a bit on the rag to clean off some of the gun oil before he walked over to the wall and hit the reply switch. It hissed with static a moment when he pressed it, and he let out a slow breath, pushing his power down as much as he could. It went away, and he spoke. "Greene."

Mari flinched as the static hissed out of the speaker and then her heart lept up into her throat as her father's voice came out. She remembered that voice, and they weren't her mother's memories this time, they were purely hers. It took her a moment to collect herself and then a new thought hit her....now what? What the hell did she say now? "Um...h...hello...I'm Marissa...Ilirran." She wasn't sure what she should say after that, she figured just inviting herself up would be rude and she didn't even know if he wanted to know her in return.

Alistair was washing his hands yet when the voice came back. Oddly hesitant - odder that it wasn't a voice he knew, he didn't exactly get many visitors. But when she said her name, his eyes widened. Ilirran... There weren't many people that could be. Shit... there was only one. But as long ago as Neri had left... It took him a few seconds to unstick his throat, then he pressed the button again. When he spoke, his voice was a little hoarse. "Ah... Yeah I'll unlock the door, alright? Come up to the 12th floor, I'll... I'll see you up here." He had to take a moment or two to deal with the shock. Christ... with them all gone, it was easy to forget he was a father. Almost, at least.

Mari fidgeted slightly, running one hand down her arm as she felt the scales beneath her human skin itch in her own nervousness. Finally, his voice came back over the intercom and his words allowed her to release the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. The door into the apartment building made a slight buzzing sound and then the tell tale sound of unlocking. Reaching out, she wrapped her lithe fingers around the door handle and stepped through, making sure it latched behind her. Clutching the satchel that hung off her shoulder, she made her way to the elevator and depressed the button for the twelveth floor. Being in such a small enclosed metal space made her feel slightly trapped, but the ride didn't last long thankfully. When the doors dinged open, she stepped out of the Elevator, already looking around for Alistair as he hadn't given her any instructions past that.

Alistair took a long breath, walking back into the main room and into his kitchen to splash some water on his face. That done, he pressed a towel against it, trying to steady himself for a few seconds. It should have been about time then though, so he pushed himself off the counter and walked out to the big front door. He unlocked the heavy armored bolts with the usual slightly creaky THUNK, then he pulled it open with a slight grunt. The twelfth floor was almost all his, so the hall she stepped into was short... and his eyes widened slightly when he saw her. She reminded him of Neri in a lot of ways, but... son of a bitch. "Um... Marissa?" he said softly, shaking his head just a little. "You're... holy shit, you're a lot bigger than I thought you'd be."

Mari turned her attention to the sound of locks being unbolted behind a very large door. Her blonde hair had been pulled into a braid that fell over her shoulder, and she wore a green tank top paired with jeans and green flats that shimmered when she walked. When she saw him, all she could do was stare at him for a moment, he was exactly like she remembered him, how her mom remembered him, though perhaps a bit...harsher. Still, when he spoke her gaze moved up to his eyes. "I was afraid you wouldn't remember me.' She said softly. Mari was more timid then the rest of her family, though only until you got to know her and then you couldn't shut her up.

Alistair wasn't entirely the same person, perhaps. He'd been through hell of a few different sorts since Neri had left. Had a few new scars - some physical, some mental. But he certainly hadn't forgotten. He met her eyes for a few seconds, and while there wasn't any of Neri's allure, he did feel a tickle of mana... there was definitely something to her. And a tug of magnetics... no, she was definitely one of the piranha. "Of course I... I just never thought I'd see any of you again." he said, shaking his head a little. Finally he seemed to shake off his shock, and he walked out to her, putting his arms around her and hugging the blonde tight to him. If memory served... hugging an Ondine too tightly wasn't much of a problem for a human. "God... you were only a couple feet long when I saw you last, it's only been a few years..."

Mari watched him approach her, though she didn't feel the urge to flee. Still being so young her flight or fight instincts were only just beginning to turn more towards fight. When he put his arms around her, she closed her eyes, raising her own arms to wrap around his waist as she inhaled his scent. She remembered that smell. Metal and magic rolled into one. However, when he hugged her, her own power reacted to his and small sparks raced across her skin, something that had only ever happened with her sisters before this. "Ondine grow fast in the beginning...Dad." she tested the word, having never used it out loud before. "Mom wasn't sure how you'd feel about me turning up like this, if you don't want me here, I can go..."

Alistair felt the crackle... it wasn't something he'd felt before. But then, he'd never really met anyone - aside from a stuck up Atlantean - who had a power so much like his. That had been like competition, though. This was like recognizing like. It was almost comfortable. "Dad... gah, go easy, I'm not even thirty." he replied, laughing softly. He pulled back just slightly, looking her over again. She had Neri's eyes... but she reminded him a lot of Cass, which meant - shit, she did look like him, didn't she? He shook that off a moment then, and frowned at what she said. "Wasn't... Go? Shit no - I mean..." He paused, blinking. "You're, ah, familiar with swears, right? I'm not really used to... I mean I'm not the best role model, I..." He stopped again, taking a deep breath. "Sorry. I do not want you to go. Come in, please, it's... I'm just adjusting." He smiled finally, awkward but clearly glad to see her. It was just rather a novel situation for him. He'd lead her back inside and shut the door, letting go of her and motioning for the living area with its black leather couch. "It's alright if I call you Mari? Hungry? Want anything to drink?"

Mari couldn't help the smile that curled her lips as he spoke about his age and then again as he spoke about swear words. "Don't worry Dad, I learned English from a sailor...literally."​ And if he remembered how Neri had learned English before she hit maturity then that would certainly broach the topic of where she was at maturity wise. "I am starving, though that seems to be a constant for me, probably because I'm still adjusting to this form." She followed after him, just as silent as Neri had always been, looking around his apartment and comparing it to how her mother had remembered it. She blinked when he asked if calling her Mari was alright...she'd never even thought about a nickname before. "Mari is perfect." she responded with a smile.

Alistair looked at her, brows up when she mentioned where she'd gotten her English, then he shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "There's an image I didn't need." God. Daughters were tricky enough... it was coming back to him. His daughter was literally supernaturally attractive to any man with a pulse, and she learned new languages by making out. Oh this was some kind of paternal nightmare. Still... something told him he would have recognized her anyway. There was a comfort to her presence. His daughter... "Ondine grow fast at first indeed... I never got a chance to really talk about all this with your mom, I mean... I know usually a living father isn't even a factor for Ondine. Which, I'm obviously glad it's a factor for you." He smiled when she agreed to the shortened name, walking over to the cupboard and pulling out a box of sea salt that he put in the glass before pouring her a water. He stirred it with a spoon and slid it her way, opening the fridge a moment. "I don't think I have any fish... anything else you like? How is your mom, how're your sisters?"

Mari tilted her head at him at his reaction...humans, mom was right, she'd probably never understand them. Moving to the stool at the counter, Mari perched atop it, pulling off her satchel to set it on the floor at her feet. "Honestly I don't really know what I like, I haven't had much opportunity to try anything else." She sipped the water he'd made for her, it wasn't ocean water but it certainly tasted good. "Mom was thinking about us, she knew we couldn't survive outside the water at that point and she wanted us to grow up like she did, not in a tank in the living room. I can answer any questions you have." At the mention of her sisters, she reached down into her satchel and pulled free a sketch pad and slid it across to him. "Take a look..."

Alistair frowned. "Don't look at me like that. Human dads are supposed to be... particular about who their daughters kiss. I may be new at this, but I know that much." he said, wagging a finger at her a moment, but he was playful about it. Probably he wasn't going to have to punch anyone. "Well... we'll start with chicken. It's pretty much the starter land-meat anyway." he said, pulling a package of leftover Chinese out and going to heat it up. There were a lot of leftovers - he'd gotten called out on werewolf duty right after the food had arrived last night. "I suppose even a nice tank is still a tank." he agreed, letting out a breath, then he looked back to her, smiling faintly. "I was still surprised when she left. I'm glad you're here, Mari." When she slid him the pad, he laughed. "Definitely got THAT from your mom... I can't draw to save my life." he said, flipping the book open to look through the pictures.

Mari took another sip of the water as Alistair talked, she found she liked the sound of his voice, it was soothing to her. Still, she could sense the hurt in his voice when he spoke about her mother and when he reached for the sketch pad she put her hand over his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Mom misses you, she never stopped thinking about you. It's probably the biggest reason I wanted to come find you. Her memories of you made me want to know you too." She told him, hoping that she was comforting him in some way, though she wasn't honestly sure how. The drawings in the book wouldn't be quite as good as Nerissa's had been but Mari was still learning. Nerissa was the first one, in all her Ondine glory, and if anything she looked bigger then the last time Ali had seen her. The second was of her sisters, they were a bit darker then Mari, but the one on the right had Alistair's eyes for sure. "That's Alissa, mom named her after you. And That's Larissa." Mari explained, pointing to each one in turn.

Alistair turned his hand over, squeezing hers in turn. "Thanks, Mari... I miss her too. You know, every now and then I go down to the docks, just to see if one of you shows up. Didn't think you'd show up at home." He chuckled - it might have hurt a bit, but Ali had always been the one to deflect pain with humor. And he understood, when it came down to it. Nerissa had always been a caged shark of sorts in the city. She needed to look after her kids. Their kids. His, too. He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles, smiling before he let her go. "I'd like to know you, too. You're going to stay in the city then? Hopefully we'll have some time, right?" He looked to the pictures then, smiling when she said the names, putting a hand on the pictures for a few seconds before he let the breath out and closed the book, looking back to Mari. "Tell them I miss them all... You can do that from here, right?" He heated the chicken stir fry back up in the pan, then poured it over some rice, sliding it to her along with a fork. "There you go. Proper land-lubber food. I'd say you were half land-lubber yourself, but I guess that's really not how it works with Ondine, is it?"

Mari inclined her head to his question. "Mom gave me the access codes to her old penthouse. I....haven't had the courage to go up there yet. Lots of memories up there." She said softly, "But yes, I'm staying. I came searching for you and I want to learn as much as I can about your world." She explained to him. When he asked about telling the others that he missed them she simply smiled. "They already know." was all she said in response to it. When he slid the plate of chicken and rice over to her, she leaned her head down so she could sniff at it a moment and then stared at the fork a moment longer. Who needed utensils when you had claws after all? Finally, she picked up the fork and promptly stabbed a piece of the chicken with it and brought it to her lips so she could take a bite of it.

Alistair nodded at that. How Neri had gotten such a nice place... no, scratch that, he had a fair idea how. Her and her sunken treasure. "You want me to go with you?" he offered, looking over to her and wondering for a moment. Could be one of those things she needed to do for herself... could be not that. "Good. On both counts." he said, nodding firmly, then he went to the fridge and took out a beer, which he opened and took a sip before setting on the counter. She took her first bite of land food, and he chuckled softly. "Any good?"

Mari shrugged softly at his question. "It's not tuna...makes me wonder why they have those cans of tuna at the stores labeled chicken of the sea." she stated, and the frowned when he would laugh at her. "I'd like it if you went with me but you don't have to. If it's painful for me I can only imagine what it must feel like for you." While it was true that Ondine had different views on what a relationship was, Mari was starting think far more of Alistair was a part of her then any of them realized.

Alistair laughed. "Don't listen to those cans, they've always been full of lies. I used to wonder about that too when I was a kid. Never made sense to me, either." He nodded next though. "We'll go over there together then. I'll be fine... I'm not the sort to get too attached to places, honestly. Just about every home I ever had has burned down. This one's stood a few years, but we'll see how long it lasts. Important thing is who's in it." With her eating, he pulled out some more for himself and ate a bit, using the time to process. Probably there was going to be more of this that would hit him later... but delayed processing of big important things had its advantages.

Mari ate in silence for a bit, though it was obvious she hadn't spent a lot of time amongst what Alistair might call civilization. After a few minutes, she took a long drink from the glass of salt water to clear her throat. "Mom said I have an Aunt...did you manage to save her? From the demon?" Mari asked, and she hoped she wasn't treading into cold water as she said it...what if Cass had died? She could imagine the pain if she lost one of her sisters and simply figured it must be the same for Alistair too.

Alistair nodded, grinning at that. "Cass is doing fine. She's been free almost two years now. You'll meet her soon if you want, she's got a place not too far from here." He'd TOLD Cass about the whole thing with Neri, but... seeing it was probably going to be a whole new level for her. He wondered if it was going to make her feel as old as it did him. "Wasn't an easy thing, but... There's certainly that bit of good news."

Mari smiled happily as he told her that Cass had been freed. "I can't wait to meet her! I hope she'll like me..." she mused as she put the last bite of food into her mouth and chewed contentedly. She set the fork on the plate, and then reached down into her satchel again to pull free a small bag...that looked as it had been woven from seaweed. From inside, she pulled free the remnants of the cell phone Alistair had made for Nerissa so they could keep in contact even while she was out at sea. Mari looked up at him sheepishly. "I'm sorry about this, I wanted to know how it worked but I couldn't put it back together again. Mom says I take after you with my passion for technology...is it fixable?"

Alistair waved her off a bit at that, chuckling. "I hardly think there's a chance that she won't - she just probably isn't quite expecting to be an aunt yet. But then again I suppose no one does right away... just a bit more sudden with you, as quick as you grew up. I guess you get most of that stuff from your mom, huh?" He took another sip of his beer, then looked over at her as she pulled the cell phone out. Well... That explained it. "Well now I know why she never called... Not that there's much in the way of cell reception out where you guys swim, I would imagine." He frowned a bit, looking at the parts, and let out a breath. "I'll have to see. Problem with cell phones is, they're not really meant to be taken apart and fixed. People usually just got new ones. That's a lot harder to do these days, so it's getting better, but this was an older one. I'll see what I can do." He chuckled, putting an arm around her and kissing her on the head all the same. "Guess you got some stuff from me after all, though." He grinned. That much was good to hear.

Mari leaned into him as he wrapped his arm around her, though his gesture of kissing her head was slightly confusing but somehow felt right. "It seems all I'm capable of at the moment is destroying things...I seem to fry everything I touch." she frowned for a moment though the emotion seemed to be fleeting. Then she turned her gaze up to him, staring at him for a short time before asking: "You seem...rougher...then mom remembered you. Something happened while she was away didn't it?"

Alistair shook his head at that comment, letting out a sigh before he sat down next to her, patting her hand. "Yep. I've had that problem too. We'll work on it... you need to hold back on the electricity. Integrated circuits really hate it when you apply voltage to the wrong spot. I'll teach you, don't worry. Had a hard time when I first got my powers." She asked something else, after an almost uncomfortable staring phase, and his brows went up for a moment before he shook his head, smile more lopsided by this point. "Yeah, ah... Turned out saving my sister brought out some facts that some people would rather have stayed hidden. You know I used to work for the Order... now I work against them. It's been rough. And I suppose the job in general has gotten tougher in some ways. It's been three years, Mari... people change."

Mari arched a brow at him with his last statement and the urge to roll her eyes was highly visible. "People change? Dad look at me! Of course they do! Mom used to tell me that the Order was...dark. She said they made her feel like the old Imperatrix did, controlling. I'm glad you got away from them."

Alistair tapped her lightly on the forehead. "Hey. Leave me alone. I'm new to the Dad thing. And you asked about my being different... I'm just saying you shouldn't be surprised, Mari." He shook his head a bit at the talk of the Order, letting out a sigh. "At the time... it was the best choice I had. I wanted to do something to help. Needed to. They were the way I could go to do that. Find out five years later it was all a lie, what they really wanted to do... Yeah. Suppose that gets to a guy."

Mari sighed softly. "I guess I sort of had this picture of you painted in my mind...don't most girls think their fathers are superheroes?" She asked teasingly. "You just seem sad...lonely almost, I'm not sure I like seeing you that way." She confessed, pressing her cold cheek against his shoulder. She still wasn't used to the lack of heat in New York, she'd grown up in the tropics after all.

Alistair smiled sadly to her, leaning his cheek against her hair and settling there for a few moments. It was easy, somehow, to be close to her that way. Blood would out, he supposed... "Bah... you make me sound depressing. I'm alright, Mari. Tired, maybe. Lots going on, but I'm alright. I promise. And believe me, I'm not in it alone, either. Some days I need to kick Kelly out of here. She's my partner at work." He added the second part before she got the wrong idea, then picked his head back up a little. "And as for your earlier comment, I throw lightning bolts, dammit. How super does a guy have to be?"

Mari shook her head at him. "You don't have to defend yourself to me Dad, you can mate with whoever you want." She told him, putting her hands up, palms out facing him as a peace offering, then she tilted her head as she thought on something. "Wasn't your partners name Jocelyn?" She mused out loud, though she couldn't help laughing at his outburst, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. "You'll always be a hero to me."

Alistair shook his head a little bit. "Sorry, not what I meant." he said, shaking his head slightly. "And yeah - Joce and I are both a bit high rank anymore to be paired up. She's got her own part of the group to run, and so do I. Kelly's been filling in for her where watching my back is concerned. You'll meet her too before long, I'm sure. And thanks." He smiled, hugging her a moment before he let go. "Want to finish up, then we can head over to your place and make sure it's alright?"