Re: NM: Cat & Leena
Cat wasn't sure what to expect. In fact, she was deliberately not expecting anything. Had Bruce been paying for this, she would've expected something exceptionally sleek and elegantly medical. Had she been paying for it, she would've expected decadence with decidedly less of a medicinal aesthetic. But she didn't know what sort of place Helena would choose or be able to afford. She didn't know if her daughter had insurance or a trust fund, and she didn't know if this was the type of place that took people regardless of their ability to pay. She knew nothing, and she deliberately did not create expectations. Therefore, she was pleasantly surprised by the Southwestern look of the facility. It was warm and not medical at all, and the attendants seemed kind. She had no clue how Helena heard about this place, but Cat was absolutely relieved.
She waited at reception, her gaze on the craggy desert outside a large window, and she looked up when she heard movement. Oh, Helena wasn't wearing shoes, but you couldn't take the spy out of the cat. She smiled, lined eyes of mossy green going momentarily damp, and then she left her windowside vigil and walked up to her daughter.
Helena looked better, which only served to remind Cat of just how bad the girl had looked during that breakfast in Repose's coffee shop. She'd mentioned it to people after that, and they'd all reassured her that Helena could take after herself. And, well, here the girl was and having done just that. But, Cat? She couldn't help but think there was more she, herself, should've done. Helena wasn't wrong when she said Cat avoided, though the girl wasn't entirely right about why. But Cat, she'd done what she always did - she ran. Oh, sure, it was easy to say that was twenty-something years ago, and in a way it was, but she still felt the failure heavily as she looked at her daughter, all grown up.
"Hi, kitten," she said warmly. "Is a hug alright?" she asked, not wanting to encroach on personal space if it wasn't welcome. Oh, sure, she was actually old enough to be this girl's mother for the first time in recent memory, but Cat wasn't oblivious to the fact that all this age rollercoastering had to be confusing and unsettling. Well, she was waiting for permission about that hug, but she did reach out an arm and rub her fingers over the sleeve of Helena's hoodie. "You look good, and this is a nice place." She glanced around, and then she gave Helena a conspiratorial smile. "Nothing at all what your father would've chosen."