The Park, Monday Afternoon

[seveninchmotto]

What a weird weekend. This wasn't even Isabelle's first time going through this but still, what a weird weekend. And since Anna had had some quality time alone with her dad yesterday, now it was Mom's turn. The time on Saturday didn't count. There had been too much calming down involved in that.

Isabelle had considered the salle, but had setted for the open air of the park instead. They were nearing the duck pond, now. Soon, there'd be flamingos.

"So, how is your training going?"

[ooc: Izzy's here for the daughter, but the post is open!]

Comments

[shadowtomboy.livejournal.com]

"Fine," Anna answered, shrugging her shoulder. Could it be anything but fine with Isabelle as a mother? "I'm pretty good with knives."

Understatement.

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"Only pretty good?"

She hoped that was an understatement.

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"I'm better with the bow and arrow."

Actually, she wasn't but she knew her mother would make faces and be exasperated if she said it. It was fun.

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Yeah. Isabelle did make a face at that. "Really? I mean, it's a good weapon, but it's just... less immediate. I never got the appeal."

It was more Alec's thing, the way the whip was hers.

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"No Mom, I'm joking," Anna said, shaking her head. "I don't use the bow and arrow. I'm good with knives. Not as good as you but I can beat Dad."

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"Well, your dad got started pretty late from what I can tell," Isabelle replied, appeased. "He knows nothing about them right now, as far as I can tell."

Although it wasn't like they'd sparred with knives at any point.

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"Doesn't seem like he knows anything about any of that," Anna noted, glancing over. "Mundanes are so weird."

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"He already knows how to fight," Isabelle replied. "It's just ––" Well, she didn't know if she wanted to get into all that. She kept forgetting Anna wasn't really her peer. "Well, he knows how to fight. Just not with knives."

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"Guess he'll learn," Anna said, glancing over at her and shrugging. "You told me he picks up things quick."

The other her, of course. But Anna wasn't going to clarify that every single time.

"He's good now. In case you were wondering. He's really good."

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"I'm not surprised," Isabelle replied, although she smiled a little bit. "I'm supposed to be teaching him, but we'll see how that goes, I guess."

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"Teaching how to fight with knives?" she asked skeptically. "He's ready for that?"

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"Oh, no," Isabelle replied, shaking her head. They were at the pond, now, so she stopped. "Not knives. Just... in general. He knows how to fight, but it's a pretty rough style. Nothing like us."

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Anna nodded. She knew a little bit about her father's past but not a lot. It wasn't the thing he or her mother liked to really talk about over dinner.

"Don't go easy on him," Anna said encouragingly. "He'll get mad if you do that."

She glanced out at the pond, head tilted at the flamingos.

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Isabelle almost said that was part of the problem, but wisely kept it to herself.

Instead, she said, "I don't know why they have those here."

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"They're kinda cool, though," Anna said, glancing over at Isabelle. "I thought you'd like them. They're bright pink."

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"I do, I just think they're weird," she replied, looking back at her. "I know, that's not saying much when I'm standing here with my fully grown daughter. But you know what I mean."

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"I know what you mean," Anna confirmed, nodding. "How's your training going? Are you getting soft being away from the Institute?"

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Isabelle snorted. "Please," she said. "I'm still the second greatest Shadowhunter in my generation. I can train on my own just fine."

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"Yeah, I guess you're pretty good," she admitted grudgingly. "Guess that's why Grandmother thinks you might be able to run things back home."

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"... Excuse me?"

She couldn't possibly have heard that correctly.

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"Dad wasn't nearly as surprised when I told him that," Anna said, smirking. "He thought it was pretty expected."

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"How? I would've expected the Institute to be given over to Alec!"

By the Angel, it even had been! For a week after the war, while their parents had both been in Idris taking care of things.

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"I don't know," Anna told her, shrugging. "I thought you would have been pleased. It's not a good thing? You know what you're doing."

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"I am, I'm pleased, I'm just surprised."

She'd always been told she was capable. She'd never really thought anyone would think of her as responsible.

"I didn't think that'd be a role anyone would want to give me."

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"Guess Grandmother thought otherwise," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "You're not the boss yet but that hasn't stopped Dad from making jokes about sleeping with the boss when he thinks I'm not around."

Gross.

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Isabelle snickered despite herself. "Sorry about that," she said. "He's a giant dork sometimes."

Maybe she'd already noticed.

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"Yeah, I know," she agreed, shaking her head. "He does it to me when we're out in public too. Even if mundanes can't see us, he'll still wrap his around me and brag to some strange about me being on an honor roll or something."

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"That just means he's happy," Isabelle replied, with a stray bit of fondness. "He's happy, and he likes you."

More than liked her, probably.

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"It's embarrassing," she said, sounding so put upon. "Also, you sound ridiculous right now."

She'd heard that fondness, Isabelle. "Gross."

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Isabelle reached over and thwapped her on the shoulder.

"Don't you 'gross' me," she said. "You don't understand the value of having parents who love each other because you've never known anything different."

Unlike some people.

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Anna snickered but didn't try and retaliate at least even if she thought she could get a thwap of her own in.

"I understand the value," she said, shrugging a shoulder. "It's not like I see Grandfather that often these days. And I know a little of what Dad's father was like."

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"See?" Isabelle replied lightly. "We get to be gross."

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"Ugh," Anna said, running her fingers through her hair. "Just don't do it around me. I don't need a baby sister or brother. That'd cramp my style."

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"Darling, I have three siblings ––" Yes, three, Max still counted. "–– and it's never cramped my style any."

And she'd managed to keep her hair long while doing it, too.

[shadowtomboy.livejournal.com]

Her hair was fine! She liked it short. Gosh.

"Our styles are vastly different, Mother," Anna told her. "Besides, you're old now. Where I'm from, at least. You have no style."

Kidding.

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"No, I can see our styles are different. For one thing, you look like you'd have wonderful long hair." You know, like her. "That last bit was still uncalled for."

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"Why are you so concerned about my hair?" she wondered, shaking her head. "It's just hair. Dad likes it."

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"I would've just imagined it differently."

She paused and wrinkled her nose.

"Was that rude? It sounded less rude in my head."

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"Kind of," Anna said, frowning over at her mother. "It's my hair, not yours. I get to be my own person and I like my hair like this. If you like long hair, you've got your own to grow out."

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"I didn't mean it like that, Anna," Isabelle replied, shaking her head a little. Maybe she felt a little pang of guilt. "You should be your own person."

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"Sorry," she said, stroking a hand over her hair. "It took you awhile to get used to back home. I heard about it a lot."

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"As long as you know how to fight and don't let anyone walk all over you, it's good," Isabelle told her. "Maybe not my absolute preference, but good."

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"No one walks over me," she said firmly. "No one."

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"Good," Isabelle said, and reached, and almost touched her hair, but settled for giving her shoulder a squeeze instead. "Never let them."

No daughter of hers ever should.

"Be beautiful but dangerous."

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Anna nodded.

"Can you buy me a bagel now?"

Look, the girl liked her food. Bagels especially.

"Dad did."

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Isabelle snorted. "You are such a New Yorker." But she moved to link her arm with Anna's. "But I suppose, if your dad did it... Come on, let's get you a bagel."