There You'll Be[Joli, Natasha]

"Oof, ya got me there. Sorry, older sister. I'll act a lil' bit closer to my age."

Trading one retort for another, Natasha feigned a defeated disposition on the couch as she stuck her tongue out. Everything she said was wholly correct. All of that misery was in the past now. To be sure, part of her genuinely would have gone to great lengths to avoid her sister seeing her bloodied and battered in a hospital. That was simply the product of an older sibling's pride, after all.

The profound need to avoid looking anything but weak in those sky-blue eyes. In any case, she was here now, and that's all that really mattered, honestly. The moment the woman exclaimed surprise at her physical constitution, Natasha chortled softly.

"Nope. My title reign won't be endin' any time soon, Jo. Just look at these guns."

Flexing her arms, underscoring the toned muscle of her biceps, Natasha flashed an exaggerated grin, as though attempting to resemble one of her favorite wrestlers. She supposed her shock was warranted after not seeing her in years, but her physical attributes felt almost natural to her. Turning her eyes to the kitchen, she gestured with a smile.

"Anyways. Nuff' bout me. What about you, Jo? How's life been in the states? The world? Found mister right? Settled down? I got questions too, ya know."

"Dunno if I'd go so far as to say he's a fan or anythin, but he does think pretty fondly of me. At least... I'd like to think so. Either way, he's a good kid."

Natasha pondered that thought for one moment before moving toward a new mode of conversation. What graced her ears next hardly came as much of a surprise. Living under the roof of one's parent's had the inevitable habit of becoming a double-edged sword over an extended period. The subject of marriage was once somewhat troublesome for her, but that boat of regret had long since sailed.

Currently, she didn't even have any notion of humoring romance. What was the pressure like on Joli's end? She wondered. It was also unfortunate to hear about whatever forced her out of living in her last location. Of course, she was always free to hang out here, if she so desired.

"That so? Ma was always throwin' a fit about me gettin' married, too. S'alright, though. I wouldn't sweat it too much, sugar. Lookin' like you do at yer age? You've got a treasure chest of men you can probably pick from. If livin' under that roof ever bothers ya too much, my door's always open, Jo. Hell, speakin' of Ma and Pa, guess who visited me a few months ago?"

"Of course. I'd gladly introduce ya, Del'. His Mom says he can always use more friends, though do try goin' easy on him if meet 'im. He's somethin' of a shy customer, and he's not really what I'd consider a social butterfly. Despite all that, kid's got a great heart."

Natasha pondered Joli's words. They resonated well enough for her to understand. In an ideal universe, she would have welcomed a world where her sister shared a similar skillset to her own. In this realm, upturned by so many abnormalities, it was essential to possess some noteworthy skill to defend one's self. Otherwise, most were condemned to live their lives under the ardent hope that people like the Vandenreich or the Gotei were there to rescue them from harm.

Since neither option for rescue was immediately available, let alone on demand, it made the notion of safety tenous, where one's tommorow was not always promised if they found themselves locked in a compromising position. Cocking her head to the side with a grin, she shot a finger forward as though a lightbulb went off in her head.

"Why not settle down here, Jo? This city's full of people just like me and pops. ...Though, I reckon it might not be all that endearing of a location considerin' what ya saw on television. I reckon it's plenty better than what ya could find in other parts of the States nowadays, though. Somethin' to consider, at the very least, ya know?"

Natasha then shifted into the other mode of conversation, maintaining that grin, even if it went noticeably sheepish at Joli's inquiry.

"Nope. Quite the opposite, actually. After hearin' about what happened with the city bein' attacked, he visited me outta' nowhere. Had somethin' of a mighty ole' heart to heart and now he's been visitin' a lot when he can find time. S'been thinkin' about findin' a place to stay ever since. If my funds are agreeable, I've been thinkin' I might buy him a place, but that's a conversation we've reserved for some time soon, maybe once all this ruckus dies down in the heart of Africa."

"Guess there's no arguin' with that train of thought. Ya always did strike me as more of a city girl at heart."

Natasha offered a playful shrug. Joli was free to make her own decisions in life. Whether or not that equaled rooting herself in the City of Lights was largely inconsequential. As long as she was protected, that's all that mattered in the grand scheme of things. Continuing along the line of conversation involving her father, Natasha maintained an upbeat grin as she nudged Joli's shoulder in return. Truth be told, between that reunion with her old man and this current one with Jo, Natasha truly couldn't be any happier. The outlook was grand, to be sure, but moving past the mess in Africa was priority numero uno. For now, she rose up from her spot on the couch, gesturing for the woman to follow her with a hand.

"Darn tootin' it is. Figured my dad was gonna work his ol' self back into my life one way or another. M'not complainin', though. I'm happy we're patchin' things up, and I'm happy you've graced me with yer company, Jo. Now, let me cook ya up somethin' nice. All this conversation has worked up my appetite, and I'm mightily sure you wanna fill your pallet with somethin' other than airplane grub."

"M'just bustin' yer chops, sis. We're a couple o' outdoor girls at heart. I still like to go camping every now and then, even if there ain't many spots to camp out on an island like this."

A soft chortle brushed against her lips as she scoured and explored her fridge for ingredients in the kitchen. Again, there was no pressure. Joli was her own woman. She'd feel awful if she forced her into any decisions. Her father, on the other hand, seemed quite rooted in the idea of enjoying some time here. Whatever the case, as long as her family was happy, she was happy. Nothing more to it than that. Then, the conversation moved onto something else that left her raising an eyebrow.

"I probably know one of em'. If not, I intend on meetin' them in person one day."

Arrancar, huh? It was probably Ulquiorra or one of the other Arrancars who joined recently. She'd been meaning to meet that gothic-lookin' lady one of these days. Maybe she could use some company. Adapting to life in a city full of Quincy who were likely on high alert in the aftermath of Ichigo Kurosaki's attack was probably a tall order.

"Nah, he's in good company. He'll be fine. S'long as he ain't causin' trouble, I can't imagine he'll end up in too much trouble here. Far as the demons go, I'm glad there ain't much of em' to be found in the City. Ya know how I feel about their kind, Jo."

Sighing softly, Natasha recognized the racism inherent in those words just now, but what of it? It wasn't as if that opinion wasn't shared by half of the general public. Anyway, the subject of Hueco Mundo was a welcome reprieve, her pronunciation of the name eliciting a firm chuckle. Hway Cow Mundow, eh?

"Nah. None that I can remember. Unlike those ghost samurai, we don't exactly have the tools or means to traverse realms. From what I gather, though, earth's mightily superior in comparison. All I hear about that place is that it's full of sand and hollow mercilessly murderin' other hollow. Not the place I'd go to for a vacation..."