mnt_mike | [OOM: The Hamato Family Suite]

Mel doesn't want to do this. This is stupid. She doesn't want to see him, she's still uncomfortably angry at him.

On the other hand - Aang wants to see Mike, and she wants to see Stampy, and he's her boss and they need to get past this.

So after a really long cold shower, she pulled her cleanest pants and shirt on, put on a smirk for Aang, and came down, letting him lead the way.

Aang isn't a stupid kid, nor is he an oblivious one, so while he doesn't know the details of what's happened between his Milliways Guardians he knows well enough not to ask.

Besides, it's not as if monogamy was the only form of romantic bonding that the Air Nomads participated in, so it's not as if he hasn't witnessed the splitting up of a long time couple before. It's just...been over a century since he's seen it, is all.

Aang pauses at the door to the suite. He'd been told many times before that knocking wasn't necessary, that he should consider this space as a home, but maybe in this instance it's not such a bad idea...and so he does so.

And there it is. The knock. It's got to be Aang, because a knock from Mel would come higher up on the door...if it would come at all. Mike's not so certain that it would, truth be told. She's more of a kick the door down kind of girl, after all.

Mike gives Stampy one last look before moving across the room and opening the door.

The look he gives Aang is one of suspicion, and Aang returns it in kind. Then the boy performs a perfect bow, which Mike reciprocates...seconds after that Aang leaps into Mike's arms for a hug.

"Hiya buddy! It's good to see you."

Aang laughs as Mike picks him up and tosses him over one shoulder.

"Come on in," he says, his smile softening for Mel.

Stampy by this point has stood up on the couch, and her tail begins to wag so quickly it blurs. With only a warning trumpet to announce her, she bolts for Mel.

There aren't many people who will respond to being charged by an elephant by picking them up and throwing them into the air, but Mel scoops Stampy up in one motion and catches her lightly on the way down, grinning into the trunk that's plastering her all over her face.

"Hi, Bignose."

She grins past Stampy's head at Mike.

(Oh god, he looks good.) "How's it going?"

"Better," he says honestly, though his voice is devoid of its usual showmanship. He's only able to maintain eye-contact for so long, because there's a squirmy twelve-year old boy who's not used to adults who like to roughhouse.

"She missed you."
Though it's clear she's not the only one.

The living room looks...different. It's clear to see where Splinter, Mike, and Leo all begin and end in certain sections of the room. There's an older TV in front of the larger screen one that's mounted on the wall. And directly across from that older tv is Splinter's easy chair.

"How about...hey watch it,...how about you?"

Mel puts up with being kicked in the face a couple of times before Stampy ends up nestled in one arm, trunk curling in her hair.

"I never made her take unneccessary baths."

It's not a good different, this room. It's weird seeing a place that's so obviously not her home anymore, but she collapses into the Lazy Boy with Stampys in her arms.

"Same old. Lurks aren't getting any smarter. Gene Hunt got overexcited about a kid keeping notes about patrons."

It wasn't Mike's doing, the redecorating. It, like many aspects of his life post meddling, was out of his control. Though he'll be the first to admit that it did help...eventually.

"Guilty as charged." Because well, he is.

Mike makes to throw Aang at the couch, but throwing airbenders is tricky business. They never do land where you intend them too.

"Well there's something to be said for consistency...Ack!"
Aang comes bounding right back at Mike, knocking him to the ground and pinning him there.

Aren't you supposed to be a ninja or something?

"Oof. No one likes a wiseguy, Aang. No one," he mutters to the boy before he just lets him win which allows him to turn his attention back to Mel.

"Did anything come of that? I hadn't heard."

She shrugs, which dislodges Stampy, and causes a little tiny circle of elephant stamping as the re-comfy themselves.

"Not breaking any rules. Could be useful to know he's got them. Though he knew someone was gonna die and didn't mention it to anyone."

"Uh...okay, that's somewhat off-putting. But what are we talking about in terms of the source of his knowledge."

He could be talking to spirits. They tend to know things about things.

"Conversations," says Mel. "Yanno. Talking to people. Asking them questions."

"And just by talking to people he found out someone was going to die? Weird, normally the only one I have that conversation with is Bar."

Bar knows when people are going to die?

Okay, this is a level of awkward Mike wasn't expecting.

"Well you know, we get all kinds of people here from all kinds of places, and not everyone's timeline starts at the same time..."

Mel? Help him out here? Maybe, please?

Mel smirks, and shakes her head.

"No, guy thought he was gonna die and told the kid. Kid wrote it down."

BASTARDO!
Mike's pleading look morphs into a pout.

Sooo...

But before Aang can get another question in, Mike goes on the offensive and now it's the kid's turn to try and scramble away.

"Okay, so creepy. Good to know. We've got a creeper kid in the bar...who's name isn't Aang. So two creeper kids."

Hey! Aang manages between laughs. I'm not a creeper!

Mel eventually finds a comfortable position lying sideways across the chair, head lolling down and looking at them, Stampy on her stomach.

"Could be useful. Info gathering."

"Even when it's done by creepers who unnerve hard boiled 1970s cops?"

"I unnerve hard boiled 1970s cops."

Well, she'd like to think she does, anyway.

"You unnerve everybody," both Mike and Aang say in unison. The pause to blink, and then look at each other. There may or may not be a fistbump.

Mel laughs dryly, scratching Stampy's ears and staring at the ceiling.

And ignores the way the warmth that brings seems to stab her in the chest as well.

"So that's what's up with me."

Mike and Aang share another laugh before Mike gives Aang a noogie as he rolls to his feet.

"Well that sounds okay then. Quiet, but not in the World Is Going To Hell, Here's Our Handbasket sort of way. You guys hungry? I made spring rolls. Aaaaand I might have talked to a guy about some lychee juice."

Mel glances at Aang.

"One of us is always hungry," she says.

What? he says airbending himself to his feet. I'm a growing boy. And then he smiles at her utterly shameless.

"Uh huh. I've a theory..." Mike drifts off as he wanders his way into the kitchen. Cabinets open and close as he stacks plates and cups and chopsticks and napkins onto a tea tray. "That one of the reasons we don't have a lot of kids you age is because there's a limit to how much food Bar can supply. Here, go make yourself useful and set the table outside, huh?"

Aang sticks out his tongue at Mike, but dutifully takes the tray and carries it out.

Mike just sighs when he leaves. He missed that kid. He missed Mel. He missed this.

Mel.

Mel knows.

"I dunno," she says. "That fund thing? That someone," Mike, "called Phil? I get paperwork for that, and there's a lot of kids eating on it."

She shifts in her chair to glare at Mike, and through him, at bar.

"Why'd I still get paperwork for that? I hate paperwork."

Mike takes a half-step back due to the power of that glare.

"Phi is funny," he says in his own defense, hands coming up on reflex. "It's a Night Court reference." It's like he's squaring off against X, only different.

"Aaaand I don't know. I can make that stop, if you want."

"Make it stop."

Although, she does kind of like knowing whose eating on her account.

"Anyway, there are a few kids around, I think."

"I'll see what I can do. Maybe...maybe I'll make Leo do it."

Leo loves kids! Er...Mike thinks. And the boy does have some mighty fine penmenship.

"Oh yeah, I know, but it made for a funnier story."

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