Re: NM: Cat & Leena
Cat hated doctors. No, she hated anything even seemingly medical and involving a testing environment, and you could blame all those years in Russia for that. She still had a chilling aversion to hospitals, and coming out here and not conveniently being busy until Helena came home? Was a big step, but being older, really being older, felt different in her bones. This was important, being here and coming here, and so here she was, and she was pleased to see it wasn't a cold place at all. Also, perhaps it felt good not to run from something for once. She'd been running all her life, and planting her feet was a new sensation.
And, Cat, for once she didn't take her daughter's hesitation as rejection. She just waited for Helena to give some indication of whether the hug was alright, and then she closed in when Helena reached out her hand. Cat was older, stronger somehow, and she smelled slightly of spices and sweet, dark musks and, yes, of airplane ozone and home. She gave Helena a quick kiss to the crown of dark hair, and then she stepped back easily. No awkward leap in the opposite direction. No trying too hard.
"I look old, kitten. It's alright to say that. I'm trying to come to terms, just in case this is it forever." She motioned to herself with a half-shrug, and then she touched Helena's cheek very briefly. "It's very good to see you too." She motioned forward with a hand. "Give me the grand tour. I'm in no rush. I left Reece home, since running isn't entirely out of my system yet, so I have all the time in the world. Horses? I've ridden a few times. I never loved it, but then I'm more of a massage and champagne kind of cat," she added, her grin lush and playful and wrinkled around the edges. Cat couldn't tell Helena if there had ever been riding lessons in her young past. She assumed it was likely, since horses were something wealthy people did, and Bruce had always had that silver spoon wedged firmly in his mouth.