Triggering Change [Natasha/Violet]

It was early afternoon, and the weekend, when Violet walked up to the address she had been given. She ditched the hospital the moment she could after all that chaos happened. It took a while, but the guilt set in. Her Aunt actually flew across country to find her, and she never even took the time to talk to her, to explain anything… to thank her. It was shameful behavior, and she understood that now.

Standing outside Natasha’s door, Violet was sort of hoping that her Aunt wouldn’t even be home. It would give her an excuse not to have to deal with this today. If she did that though, if she ran away again, she would just disappoint the people that have been helping her. She would also disappoint herself, so Violet took a breath and walked up to the door. She hesitated for a moment and then knocked.

"Now I wonder who that could be?"

It was a relatively quiet afternoon, all things considered. The southern sharpshooter's three amigos were busy elsewhere at the moment. This meant she effectively had the entire afternoon to herself. Though she would never reject the liveliness those three presented, it allowed her to quietly reflect and figure out her next plans for the upcoming days.

Of course, with a knock at the door, it would seem that her alone time wasn't entirely promised as she first thought it was. Hardly minding that much, since almost any company was very much welcomed in her books, Natasha made her way to the door, tilting her head to the side as she opened it.

Met with a familiar face, she blinked a few times. Ah, Violet. The nervous lass from the hospital. Her niece. For one reason or another, she wasn't exactly keen on speaking with her. Natasha assumed the woman believed she was similar to her sister, but she couldn't quite determine that for sure. Flashing a warm smile in her direction, she waved at Violet.

"Long time no see, sugar. Whatcha been up to~?"

Violet wasn’t sure what she expected when her Aunt opened the door. She thought she’d be yelled at, scolded, or something akin to that, but she wasn’t expecting a simple, casual smile, like nothing had even happened before. With what had occurred their last meeting… Violet shook her head hard to refocus her thoughts. It’s not like Natasha was her Mom, so hoping for anything like that was stupid.

“H-Hi… Auntie Nat.” Violet offered a shy wave, gripping the straps of her purse tighter. “I was just… uh…” Violet lowered her gaze to the floor and sighed, deciding to spit it out. “I came to apologize for disappearing from the hospital… You went through a lot to get me back, and I never even said thank you… So, thank you…”

"Now, now, sweetheart. Ain't hardly nothin' ya need to apologize for whatsoever. My simple guess of things is that you were just scared to approach me. Can't really blame ya considerin' the type of woman yer mother is, but pops always did call her the bad apple among the three of us for a reason, so I'm not much surprised."

Natasha waved her hand dismissively. Far as she was concerned, all of that was merely water under the bridge. She was rarely one to hold on to a grudge, much less something as negligble as avoiding her. She was a grown woman who could make her own choices, and if those choices didn't feature her aunt, she wasn't gonna force herself on the young lass. Opening the door to welcome her in, if she desired to walk in, she continued to speak.

"And ya don't need to thank me, either. Yer family. I'd go and defend most of my family any day of the week. Just glad to see you're alive and well, sweetheart."

“Mom… doesn’t like me very much…” Violet said, glancing off to the side in shame. When Natasha opened the door, Violet did step inside, though she was nervous with every step. She didn’t move very far and stood near the entrance, trying to stay out of the way. “Um… I like your house,” Violet said, unsure of what else to say at the moment. She didn’t know her Aunt very well, so she was a little stuck.

“I still wanted to thank you because… Well, I doubt anyone else would have come for me… and those who would have… they didn’t really know I was missing, so… I don’t know how you did it, but I owe you a lot… and I’m sorry for causin' trouble.”

"Trust me, darling. I'm well aware of that. Never did much like her as a sister, so I can't imagine she's any better as a mother."

Natasha made a small mental note of Violet's nervousness, but it wasn't her place to pry without any permission, so she simply maintained her warm smile and nodded her head in response to those heartfelt words. Christ, what had that woman done to her since they last talked?

"Well, when Rose told me you were supposed to be comin' here, and I didn't see ya for god knows how long, I started gettin' worried. Wondered if ya went elsewhere. Funnily enough, much to my surprise, word around the city is that you'd already gotten well adapted and what not after a conductin' some personal research. Heard ya hadn't came back in a while from that trip of yours, and I decided to go on an off-duty mission to see what was up. I'm just thankful I was able to bring ya back in one piece. Ya don't owe me nothin' but a visit or two once in a while and a warm ol' hug, honey."

Hearing everything Natasha did to find her, to just look out for her from the background, Violet was shocked. Any nervousness she had was replaced with wide eyes and agape mouth. This woman was nothing like her mother at all.

‘How are they even related?’

“That’s it? You don’t want me to do anything more than come visit and hugs? Are you serious?” Violet asked, the absolute disbelief and surprise pulling up tears. Violet instinctively took a step forward toward her Aunt, dropping her purse as she walked in and gave her a very needed hug. “You’re so different than them… You’re nothing like Mom at all. I don’t understand why did they send me here?”

Violet was used to being treated badly by her parents, so the idea of being sent to someone kind and welcoming like Natasha was mind boggling. She expected to be sent to someone that would hurt her worse than them, because that is what they felt about her. So, Violet could not understand her parent’s thought process.

"I mean, a little kiss or two on the cheek wouldn't hurt either, but that's about it. Yup. I don't demand much from family outside of genuine love and affection. Anythin' else is extra."

Natasha returned Violet's embrace with warmth, softly patting her head. True enough, she didn't exactly demand much from her loved ones. All she cared for was a little acknowledgment and knowing that they knew they had her undivided support. What else did there need to be? She supposed most of Violet's shock could be chalked up to her and Rose's vastly differing opinions on how to raise a child.

Of course, much of her counterargument always ended in being reminded she had no children. Well, she could kindly go fall on a cactus after looking at the effect her brand of motherhood had on this girl. No child, after all, ought to be shocked their aunt was so kind and welcoming. Kindness cost nobody nothing.

"She was so dismissive on the phone that I can only guess she wanted to just send you elsewhere and absolve herself of responsibility. Again, I never liked her much. She was a spoiled brat as a child, hated that we were so blue-collar as a family, and got considerably worse the older she got. Apart from that harrowin' event, I'm glad you've been able to make a life for yerself here, Vi. Proud of you, sweetheart."

A kiss? What? Violet did not ever remember receiving a kiss from a family member, so that request hit very odd. She thought you only kissed our husband or wife, not your children. That’s all she ever saw her paren-… Yeah, but that was them. Violet learned that people were not always horrible, mean, liars who only wanted to use and manipulate her… Kindness was real, not just in books or movies.

Hearing the words of pride from her Aunt made Violet’s eyes widen. Natasha was the only family member to say anything like that to her. She released the hug and took a deep breath. “Part of me wishes that I had come here immediately… but then I wouldn’t have met Solomon or Vanyel… The bad thing wouldn’t have happened, but… I guess… I think meeting them was worth it… I might sound stupid… Sorry.”

"A-Anyways..." Violet said, wanting to change the subject quickly. She reached in her purse and pulled out a gun. She clearly had no training with it with how she was holding it, but her hand wasn't on the trigger. "I bought this the other day... I, uh... I wanna learn to use it right... Would you teach me? Or know someone who could?"

"Don't know who that other guy is, but now ya have three for the price of one. Lady luck's shinin' down on ya real nice, ain't she? Humor aside, I ain't gon hold it against ya. Yer here now and that's all that matters."

Now that that was squared away, they could host an actual conversation. Of course, when Violet revealed her secondary intention, Natasha tilted her head to the side, curious hazel eyes observing the gun in hand. Bless her heart, this sweet summer child was wielding that thing like she was scared to hold the thing. Chucking softly, she nodded her head as she reflected on it for a few seconds.

Truth be told, she didn't blame her for wanting to learn self-defense after the recent event in Tijuana. She wondered about the model, in particular, quietly perusing the gun. If she was gonna use one, she needed a model she could use on the fly. Or, if she had any desire to utilize her spirit weapon, she could always model it after a gun. Either way, her decision had already been made.

"No need to go lookin' for anyone else. Auntie Nat knows a thing or two about guns. Fought in the army for years employin' my fair share. Of course, I'll teach ya."