One for Surge & Lanolin by proximity to the matter,
Excited to meet the rest of the extended family come next holiday/gathering?
And the questions for that matter and lesser extent....
"Yeah, the way Dad described it, I got a bunch of aunts and uncles and cousins and junk." Surge folded her arms, an unsure look on her face. "Gonna be weird as hell." She put on a mocking tone, "Yeah hey, I know I look like your niece, but I'm only kind of her. The real her is the robot over there!"
"I'm sure your parents can help smooth things over." Lanolin reassured her. "As for me, I'm excited to meet them. If they're even half as nice as Anise and Fennel then I can only imagine it'll be pleasant, provided we can make time for it all."
Surge's eyebrows quirked up as she remembered something. "Hey, what about your folks? Shouldn't I like, meet them at some point?"
Hissing out a breath between her teeth, Tangle held up her hands in a placating gesture. "Uh, maybe we should change the subject?"
"What?" Surge shrugged her shoulders, a scowl on her face. "You all got to meet my family!"
"Surge." Whisper shook her head slowly. "Touchy subject."
Looking back at Lanolin, Surge could see her demeanor had shifted, her eyes now looking anywhere but Surge as she held her arm across her chest.
"Oh." Surge scratched at the back of her head awkwardly. "What, are they like…" Surge snapped her fingers as she tried to remember the word. "Home-of-phobic?"
The tense mood shattered as Whisper and Tangle snickered out a laugh.
"Homophobic," Lanolin corrected. "And no, that's not it." She took in a deep breath, "My father passed a while ago, when I was still a kid."
Feeling like an absolute ass, Surge winced as she apologized. "Shit, sorry, that sucks."
"It's fine, you didn't know, it's in the past. As for my mother?" Lanolin furrowed her brow as she searched for the right words. "It's not that she'd disapprove of you for being a woman, she just has… high standards."
Unlike Lanolin, Tangle didn't mince her words. "She sucks! Absolute control freak, nothing is good enough for her!"
"Tangle, that's…" Lanolin started,. but then faltered as apparently even she couldn't think of anything to say in her mother's defense. "Let's just say not every mom is like Anise."