2023-03-18: A Most Important Introduction
- Log: 2023-03-18: A Most Important Introduction
- Cast: Emilia Eschonbach, Milly Ashford, Killy Garrett
- Where: Tokyo, Free Japan
- OOC - IC Date: 18 March 0097
- Summary: Emilia arranges a meeting between Milly and a newfound family friend- to hope they meet each other's measure.
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
Emilia Eschonbach is nervous as hell.
She had definitely made. A lot of assumptions. She hadn't even told Audrey- but Audrey had a lot to deal with being on the run. Still she really should. She hadn't told so many people.
So why was it so important to meet Miss Garrett first to her? They'd only talked a little so far but... It *was* important.
So she sat at a food court table in Shibuya, in one of the many crowded malls, sipping on a McDaniel's shake and kicking her legs nervously. She was wearing one of her many Sheryl t-shirts, some distressed jeans, a hoodie a size too big, and pink beanie. Her long lavender hair has been plaited into a bun and is mostly hidden under said hoodie. She needs to be careful, after all. On her left hand is a gold bracelet, and her earrings match it, a star and a crescent moon.
There is the telltale sound of the straw hitting the bottom and nothing coming through for a second or two, before Emmy realises and puts the cup down. There's still enough there. A hand reaches out for Milly's next to her.
"I-is it time y-yet?" Her eyes would be constantly checking the clock on her phone and not watching the crowd for the woman they're meeting, hiding in plain sight.
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
Plain old Tokyo is a place Milly has never actually been -- and it's honestly kind of fascinating to be there? It's so different from Area 11... it's kind of nice to have that experience. She doesn't mind it at all, though -- it's been so interesting to see the world through GUTS, and now, increasingly, not through GUTS.
... she's going to miss it. Both GUTS, and seeing the world through that lens.
"I think it's close?" Milly answers Emilia, taking a long drink from a paper cup full of iced tea. She leans in a little closer, taking the moment to note, "I like the bun. I know it's a precaution, but it's a cute precaution."
She takes Emmy's offered hand, giving it a quick squeeze. "The jeans kind of suit you, too..." Keep it light. Avoid feeding the nerves.
<Pose Tracker> Killy Garrett has posed.
Killy was walking through the crowd, looking for the girl she was supposed to meet. She wasn't particularly fond of the amount of people at this mall, but Emilia asked to meet her here and she agreed.
She was wearing a light blue sleeveless ruffle top, along with a pair of jeans, and a white handbag. She checked her phone once again, making sure that this was the location they were supposed to meet at.
Looking around, she caught a glimpse of what might be Emilia's outfit, and checking the photo she was sent did confirm that it was indeed Emilia, sitting alongside a blonde girl.
She made her way over to their table, walking confidently and flashing Emilia a warm smile. "Hello Emilia, I hope I'm not too late." She said, before turning to Milly and extending her hand. "You must be Milly, It's nice to meet you."
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
Emmy nods, her eyes still on the crowd- but Milly's compliment cuts through her nerves. "Th-thanks," she says, a little smile creeping onto her face. "It's a t-t-two person p-precaution, too. N-n-next time, I-I'll ask you to help." It's a nice thought, honestly. Milly is really good at doing her hair.
She blushes a little. They were a bit of a daring choice- and distressed the hard way judging from where she bought them. "I w-w-wanted a s-something a little b-bold-"
And then she sees Killy and gives her a small wave to indicate she's been seen. She stands briefly. The nerves are still here, but so is Killy. "H-H-Hi!" She's a little excitable, but takes a moment to breathe.
"R-r-right. Um. M-Milly, this is Miss Killy," wasn't it Miss Garrett, early? "She's, um, a f-f-family f-friend." The sheer joy in Emmy's voice as she says that is huge. Her free hand- the other still in Milly's- moves to indicate Milly to Killy. "A-a-and um, th-this is. Milly. M-my girlfriend." The joy is just as loud, but her face has gone a little bit pink.
She sits down when everyone else does. "Um, th-th-thank you, F-for. Um, coming to m-meet."
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
Scooting in a little closer as Killy sits down, Milly turns to her fellow blonde and gives her a nod. Then she lets Emmy gush -- it's cute, and it's the sort of cute that prompts a warm, confident smile. (Milly doesn't get dreamy often; this is close, though.)
"A pleasure, Miss Garrett," she says -- she's not sure which stance she should take just yet, so for now it's Gently Professional Milly. "I think you're a minute early, if anything."
"Emmy thinks highly of you," she adds, once everyone's comfortable. "How long have you known..." she pauses for the sake of discretion, before asking, "... Emmy's family?" Being a family friend of the Zabis is... actually not a dealbreaker for Milly by any stretch, even the Zabis that did prosecute the One Year War. But it does raise some questions. Despite how much Emmy's grown, Milly is -- still a little protective.
<Pose Tracker> Killy Garrett has posed.
"That's good, and please, call me Killy." She said as she sat down, setting her handbag on the table while Emilia introduced her, before gushing about her girlfriend. Cute.
"I'm glad. She told me a little about you too, how long have you two been together?" They were a very cute couple, and Killy was happy to see that Emmy has someone by her side.
"Well, I have known her family for around..." She paused too, thinking for a bit while she folded her hands on the table. "...19 years now. Very long time."
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
Emmy is watching Killy and Milly with the nervous energy of... well someone watching two people meeting and hoping they'll get along. That nervous energy means Emmy jumps on the question. "U-um, s-since January 29th. Of. Th-this year." That's when it was official, in Emmy's mind. When she finally told her how she felt.
She scoots in a little closer to Milly, her free hand reaching to sip from what was left of that shake. It's not the relaxtion tool she hoped. Instead she reaches to play with her earring, stops, moves her hand away from it and starts fiddling with the drawstring on her hoodie instead.
She can't provide much other input right now, she can just watch and listen and maybe be a little clingy.
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
"Killy it is!" Evidently, the stance is casual -- and there's a way Milly's shoulders subtly relax, and her eyes become just a bit wider and rounder. (Just how much of Milly, from moment to moment, is a conscious choice? ... It's an open question.)
19 years... that definitely places Killy in the Principality of Zeon. "Now -- this might be a little forward, but are you looking at Emmy as a family friend or a political football?" Right to hardball, despite her newly casual posture. "I get that this question's kind of gauche, but it's the world we live in."
Another squeeze to Emmy's hand, and another sip of mediocre iced tea -- before she loops back to Emmy's answer. "It might have been sooner, but I got caught up in that business with that OCU PLANT-type colony." Her expression turns a little serious as she adds, "... and got shot by Britannian military forces while I was trying to hand over control of one of our ration sheds." Even if Killy isn't necessarily guaranteed trustworthy on Emmy topics... she suspects she can trust her about not being the biggest fan of the Britannian military at the moment.
<Pose Tracker> Killy Garrett has posed.
Killy leans back in her seat, a more serious look on her face as well. She isn't bothered by the question, and a part of her is glad Milly thinks this way too. "Of course. But I assure you, I'm simply a family friend looking out for her. There is no need to worry."
It was obvious that Emilia was nervous, but it seems Milly is able to help with that. "Oh wow, that's much more recent than I would've thought, you certainly don't act like a new couple." Killy teased the two, a smile on her that quickly turned into a frown as Milly recounted her experience with the Britannian military. "That's...awful, but that's Britannian military for you." She sighed, clearly not the biggest fan of them either. "I'm really sorry to hear, are you okay now?"
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
There's a definite look of concern that crosses Emilia's face as Milly asks the question that Emmy didn't even consider. She tries to compose herself quickly, but- with Mineva out there, did she even have use as a political pawn? She seems to relax a bit at Killy's answer, but it's Milly who she has to convince.
"I... g-g-guess things are m-moving kind of q-q-quick..." Emmy admits, a little bashfully. "It t-t-took some time to g-get. Brave enough to a-ask."
There's a flare of anger, and Emmy grips Milly's hand more tightly. "They're... s-s-such bastards. Y-you're a c-c-c-civilian... Th-they n-never should have opened f-f-fire." She looks down. "Y-y-you, Ranka... Th-th-they'll go after a-anyone."
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
The fact that Killy takes it in stride does her credit. Milly makes a few mental notes, all of them positive. (Imagine, if you will, three musical notes appearing above her head signifying 5-8 arbitrary points gained on a mysterious and unknowable scale that will nevertheless determine the trajectory of their friendship.)
"I would have pounced sooner if I wasn't worried about my sensitive political situation," Milly says, playfully. "But my moratorium on the real world is over, it looks like."
As for the Britannian military -- a topic which Emmy, Killy, and Milly all have opinions on, "I'm still trying to figure out how I even feel about it." 'You're a civilian' and 'they're such bastards' get a sudden, startled blink, though. "... That's pretty bold for you," she murmurs, before turning her attention back to Killy and answering that last question. "I had lead poisoning and a gunshot wound to recover from. I keep a folding cane with me for bad days, but if anything my medical care's been too good."
<Pose Tracker> Killy Garrett has posed.
The fact that Emilia was the one to confess took Killy by surprise, but she didn't comment on it. "I can imagine, that does sound stressful. I hope things remain well for you two."
There's a flare of anger from Emmy, which is more than justified. Killy is angry too, but she keeps her cool, simply nodding along. "They really will, this is unacceptable."
Lead poisoning and a gunshot wound. Ouch. Killy is all too familiar with those. She eyes Milly before speaking up. "I'm glad, those aren't the easiest things to recover from, but you seem to be in great condition despite of that. I'm sure Emilia here has been by your side too as you recovered."
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
Emmy blushes bright as Milly talks about pouncing, and she giggles. She's a little too nervous to flirt back, but she does look down as Milly startles. "S-S-So-" She stops, and cuts herself off. She doesn't need to apologize for this. It's expressing an opinion- and Milly wouldn't want her to apologize for that.
Killy seems to support her, and Emmy nods. Still, just because she doesn't need to apologize for her opinion, she doesn't need to spout more on it. "I... w-w-wanted to b-be. But. I-It's not always p-possible." She pauses. Can she say this to Killy? "I-It's... going to b-be harder. After Milly's g-g-graduation." Emmy falters for a second, admitting that. She really does seem to trust Killy that much, with things she'd normally save for her close friends.
"B-But, w-we'll work it o-out." They have to. Even if she has to plant her feet and fight.
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
"She's been invaluable. She's got a real head for a lot of what goes on in Student Council -- including some of the stuff that we never managed to retain anyone for," Milly agrees, with a smile. "I'm looking forward to hearing what she does with the place."
Emmy's lack of apology gets Milly to squirm her hand out of Emmy's and pat it reassuringly. "I racked up a lot of transfer credits for a few different programs... next up is remote class," she explains. "I'm going to have to find an apartment sooner than later if I want to avoid moving back home..."
... boring logistical talk isn't what Killy is here for, though. "So tell me about yourself, Killy. It's not often I meet a family friend of Emmy's."
<Pose Tracker> Killy Garrett has posed.
"I see." Milly's graduation clearly affected Emilia, but she seemed to be determined to work it out. "I'm sure you will. When is your graduation, Milly?"
She turned to Milly, smiling when she heard about Emilia's work in the student council. "That's wonderful, I'm sure she'll do great. And good luck with that, Milly."
Killy leaned forward, resting her hands on the table once again. "I'm from the Principality of Zeon, but I'm sure you already figured that out." She said, referring to the question Milly asked a bit ago. "Fought in the One Year War under the command of the Zabi family. I stayed on earth after the war and remained here ever since."
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
Emmy's smile dips a bit. As much as she's earned the praise- and still honestly appreciates it- the idea that in less than two weeks, Milly won't be there anymore is a heavy one. "I-I'll be giving r-regular reports."
...An apartment. The idea sounds nice, but she has to stay on Campus for now. Grandfather's people's insistence. Emmy intervenes, slightly. "U-um, M-Miss Killy, I th-think Milly m-meant more..." She searches for the word. "Wh-what you do f-f-for fun, and, um, th-things you like." She pauses. "I a-a-already told h-her. About h-how we met at the s-store."
She feels a little awkward but... she wants to know more about Killy too. The fun stuff. She reaches for her milkshake again, sipping a bit more slowly. "R-Right?"
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
"... Less than two weeks, now," Milly answers, with a small grimace. "Classes are over. I'm just participating in the peaceful transfer of power at this point." She laughs as if at her own private joke.
"Oh, you must have been part of the mainland attack force..." Milly realizes. It's a messy thought -- and one that she doesn't actually want to spend that much time on. "... Yes, I think it'd be better for us to find topics a little more like that," she agrees with Emmy, after a moment. ... the other information is useful to her, though.
"Don't feel pressured to be too interesting, though. This isn't a marriage interview," Milly adds... though she diverts to wink at Emmy almost immediately after saying it.
<Pose Tracker> Killy Garrett has posed.
"I see, that's quite soon." Killy responded, noticing the change in mood and deciding not to ask any further questions.
Her eyes widened for a few seconds before she laughed. "I apologize, I'm not really used to people asking me what I do for fun." Killy took note of Milly's comment, but decided not to say anything about it. "I'm an avid reader, I always loved losing myself in a book, and I amassed quite the collection of books over the years. I consider it to be one of the most valuable things I own." There was a satisfied smile on her face, clearly proud of her collection.
"I really enjoy brewing tea as well, collecting exotic leaves from all over the world, experimenting with different blends to find a combination of flavors that suit you is simply a wonderful experience I can't get enough of. It can be quite relaxing too, goes really well with books." Killy can't remember the last time she was able to talk about the things she enjoys in life like this, it was very refreshing and honestly kind of nice. It was clear she was passioante about them too.
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
Emmy does look... more than a touched concerned at the mention of the time limit. "Y-yeah... It is." Too soon, by Emmy's clock. But it's not like Milly will be going far, is it?
The lavender haired girl listens to Killy's interests with, well, interest. "W-w-wow... It sounds n-nice..." She pauses for a moment. "I i-imagine it'd be. H-hard to have the sp-space." Emmy's not dumb, she knows what the wealthy Britannians experience is not normal.
Emmy looks a bit expectantly towards Milly, to see what she has to say. She knows from her time in the student council that Milly has her own strong opinions on tea. She doesn't stop talking though. "Th-that sounds... r-r-really relaxing."
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
"Oho," Milly starts -- it's clear that this gets her interest. "I'm actually a pretty big reader, too. I like classic literature best, myself. There's something about the timelessness of it that impresses me -- 'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.' That's collected letters rather than prose, but I'm inclined to double-count it for being topical~." There's a way Milly's posture mirrors Killy's here, her smile just as satisfied and the passion starting to build.
"As for tea, I've got a sizeable collection for myself on that front too, actually. Lately I'm starting to really appreciate the importance of the preparation method itself, though. On the 12th, I tried a Tibetan-style prep with butter and salt. Not my thing, but I can really see that being satisfying in a harsher climate." It makes sense she'd have tried it on the anniversary of the Axis Shock.
Looking to Emilia, she asks, "Does that sound like a good time to you? I usually leave tea prep to staff, but I think soon I'm going to have to learn." Glancing between both of her conversation partners, Milly quirks up her lips as she notes, "Next time we sit down like this, maybe I'll break out the nice tea set I picked up. The design's a treat."
<Pose Tracker> Killy Garrett has posed.
Killy was delighted to see that Milly shared her interests, leaning forward as the passion started building up between them. "I have to agree, I find myself leaning towards classic literature as well. Storing them is indeed a hassle, especially when you're constantly on the move, but I found storing them in a storage container to be the best way to do it."
"So many things go into making tea, it's really quite wonderful." Killy listened to Milly with great interest, all this talk was making her crave a cup of tea. "Oh I would love to try that some day, recently I had a butterfly pea flower and oolong blend, very earthy flavor with lots of health benefits, will definitely make it again."
Killy's smile only got wider, really enjoying this conversation. "I would love that, I myself have picked up a nice tea set from Tunis a few weeks ago, didn't get the chance to use it, would love to have you two over for tea as well."
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
As the conversation begins to flare up, Emmy noticeably relaxes next to Milly. The two are getting on. Indeed she's so caught up in listening, that when Milly asks her a question she seems kind of surprised. "O-oh, um, th-that's..." She shakes her head a little, then stops herself and nods. "I, um... it would be w-w-with you. I-I'm not as m-much of a r-reader, b-but I c-could enjoy the tea."
Emilia's eyes turn to killy. "I was j-just. Thinking. About wh-what your h-house must be l-like." Emmy looks down at her hands. "It s-s-sounds like the s-sort of place th-that was in the m-movies I-I'd watch with m-m-mom. Somewhere q-q-quiet and c-cozy..."
Her eyes flick between Milly and Killy, as they talk about nice tea sets and being invited over. "Th-th-that'd be really n-nice!" There's a pause, though. "B-b-but... it m-might be h-harder for me t-to travel than M-Milly." Emmy's going to have to negotiate the GUTS Visas next year- and she's sure a certain parental contingent are going to make it harder. "But... I'd st-still really like to."
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
"It is the worst to have to pack up and move," Milly agrees. She's been thinking a lot about that lately, for some mysterious reason; somewhere at Ashford there's a room that's gradually emptying out. The tea talk is definitely the happier one, though. "... what was the most recent really good cup of tea I had... I think it might have been that sobacha, actually... that kind of caught me off guard. Almost popcorn-like, but not in a bad way at all."
Her expression gets a little less playful as she says, "I might have a harder time jetting around the world without GUTS as an excuse, but I'm sure I can make a teatime or two." Evidently, her own worries aren't far off from Emilia's...
... she really doesn't want to lose that, though. "I'll have to see what I can do about fixing that little hole in things..." Already she might have a few ideas. "If you have trouble with the visas next year, don't hesitate to call me, okay?" ... and after a little thought, she thinks to add, "That goes for you too, Killy. The Ashford name may not have a lot of weight left, but I don't mind swinging it around for the sake of one of Emilia's family friends."
<Pose Tracker> Killy Garrett has posed.
"I'm a fan of sobacha, it definitely has a more unique flavor out of everything I tried so far. I've had the pleasure of trying hojicha here recently, that was very pleasant." Killy's gaze then turned to Emmy, softening as she talked about the movies she watched with her mom.
"It's a decently sized apartment in Melbourne, cozy is one way to describe it, I mainly got it for the big study room it had, a good chunk of my book collection is stored there too. It's not as quiet as I want it to be, but it's still a good place."
Killy's expression quickly turned into a frown as the two revealed their difficulties with travelling. "That's a shame, but you two are always welcome to visit if you ever got the chance." She then turned to Milly, giving her a small smile. "I appreciate the offer, Milly. I'll definetely keep it in mind too."
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
he tea conversation has elevated to a level Emmy can't relate to. The cafe certainly doesn't use good stuff, and often she just went with 'what was in the student council room'. Instead she just scoots close to Milly, wrapping her arms around Milly's arm and leaning against her. While a part of that is in response to thoughts of moving, it's mostly that she's having a nice time. This is a relaxed grip, not fearful clinging.
"...M-M-Melbourne? In A-Australia?" She's never been there- as her exam response on Kangaroos can attest to. But... Maybe visiting while on a mission for Zero would be possible. But that doesn't bring Milly...
"Y-Yeah. I w-w-will." There's no problem with bringing an outside consultant for this. That's what Milly did.
After a moment, Emmy lets out a small yawn. Peopled out already, maybe? Still, there's a smile on her face. "I'm r-r-really happy... th-that you l-like each o-o-other." A lot of tension and nerves have been released- and with it the energy those two things provided her.
But all those nerves were worth it, to be able to introduce Milly to a link to her past.