2023-10-27: ?!why would you trust a whole network to support yoU
- Log: ?!why would you trust a whole network to support yoU
- Cast: Yuliana Kafim, Eight Orlodhari
- Where: Magallanica / The Silent Castle (Video call)
- Date: 2023-10-27
- Summary: Yuliana takes a break from sabotaging Dr. Murasame's legacy to ring Eight and make sure the babies didn't suffer for the excitement of their birth. She is deeply confused by coping skills and support networks. Eight does her best to be diplomatic while flat-out exhausted. Aarmi does a better job of snacking on Eight than Yuliana ever did.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
Yuliana's tucked by the fireplace with her laptop, today -- it's today, even though it's dark outside -- at work to identify which academic outlets would be suitable for publishing extremely legitimate research. There are a lot of steps to sabotage, and while Parminder's the one currently coding up the actual virus, there's a lot more social engineering to get through before they can plant anything.
Hey, in a way, she's also doing research. Totally legitimate!
But after a good few hours of that, she sighs, closing the window. "God," she groans, head tilting back to hit the couch, "I hate these people." Scientists. Ruining her goddamn life, and...
Her mind flicks to those wretched people on the Ra Mari II, and hit by a wave of inspiration, Yuliana types something else into her computer. A brief stint of research later, and she puts her machine to one side, pulling out her phone, instead. Dial, dial...
"Hello, Mrs. Orlodhari," Yuliana's voice comes through Eight's receiver from an unknown number, "this is Mrs. Kafim. Did the birth go well?"
HOW DID SHE GET THIS NUMBER
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
Eight, on the other hand, is in a nice, comfortable chair in the corner of the dim room. It's dim mostly for her sake; the bright lights of other rooms get to her at times like this. A little research, and a phone...
But Eight is currently about as relaxed as she can be while feeding her daughter, sitting in that nice chair when the phone rings. Eight picks up very quickly which may have to do with the fact that she doesn't want the ringing to wake the other child up.
Then:
'Mrs. Orlodhari' sounds nice to her. But the voice that says it... "Yuliana?" she starts.
Yep. Mrs. Kafim.
She opens her mouth and closes it, unsure for a moment what to say... before she decides just to answer the question. "Yes," she says. "It took a while, but we're all healthy. And the doctors say it could've taken a lot longer than it did."
"...Thank you for asking. We've named them Zaress and Aarmi. I ended up with a boy and a girl." Aarmi at least is a Zentradi name; Yuliana may recognize it. If she remembers her research on the Ra Mari, then she may recall that Zaress Ulyse was the Captain of the Ra Mari just before Eight was.
"I haven't slept much," she admits, "But things are going well, I think."
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
"Just so," Yuliana confirms. "Oh -- here." As if she's doing Eight a favour, now she remembers to turn video on in the call, to reveal her face and black robes all lit by the dancing fireplace. She sets her phone down on a stand on the table beside the couch, so she can lean on the armrest, considering Eight's tale.
"One Zentradi name and one human name, mm? Welcome, Zaress and Aarmi." Yuliana does recognise the previous Captain; she doesn't do that much research on every ship, but she has a particular bone to pick with the Ra Mari and its people. "I'm pleased there were no complications. How terribly stressful the day was!" Mostly for her, but Eight can be stressed on her behalf, that's fine.
"But it's all right," she assures her. "I understand you'll get some sleep in a few years." And even if Yuliana is the worst, that doesn't mean she's wrong.
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
Video is on! Eight takes a moment and turns on video, too, as Yuliana turns it on for her. "Excuse me," she says, "You caught me during feeding." But apparently she's fine with Yuliana seeing that; only one baby is latched on at the moment but Aarmi is indeed there, tiny and green.
Eight remembers that bone being picked. There was a tooth lost over it. "Thank you," Eight says. "Their middle names are the opposite," she explains. "After my mother and Lavnadim's father." She pauses. "I'm happy about that, too. I tried to go with less medical intervention, for... reasons you can probably understand."
Then, wryly, "Yes, very stressful." Then more seriously, "I did hear that you had difficulty after we left. Thank you for what you did." It's not how she would've done it... but it was still a kind act, in its way.
Shen she looks flatly at Yuliana who is the worst in this moment. ...before she laughs. "Probably," Eight says of sleep. Then she considers; black robes, a fireplace... And Mrs. Kafim checking on her.
"I take it you made it home all right?" It seems... polite.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
"I'm not bothered," Yuliana assures her. There's only one set of breasts she's interested in seeing in that light, and they are distinctly not attached to Eight. Babies have to eat! "It's better for them than formula, in any case."
It's fine, Yuliana got double the teeth back later. (It's not really fine and Yuliana has definitely not forgiven it, but she's not going to yell with the baby right there.) "I can," she agrees, on her aversion to interventions. "And the hospital didn't -- do anything?" Not that Eight would necessarily remember if they had.
There's a reason why Yuliana doesn't set foot in the damn things. (Without having a gun in her hand, anyway.)
Yuliana frowns, though, settling back against the couch with a hand curled at her jaw as she considers the difficulty Eight raises. "You know," she sniffs, "I wasn't even able to meet with Jona, after all that? Hmph... but Leina did intervene, so I suppose I didn't have to shoot anyone, at least. At least you have some appreciation for it all." It's something.
She laughs along with Eight, at least, in the wake of that flat look. And when she asks that polite question, she nods. "My wife picked me up," she assures her, "so I was fine. And my latest congregation meeting wasn't even disrupted, so perhaps they've caught the people they set on me, now. For now." Yuliana frowns, her fingers drumming against her cheek. "... though I'm sure the REA will try again. Even the Wild Bear's men were trying to retrieve me back to the Republic's justice." Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Smirnov, that is. He's one of the nicer faces of the REA, and well-known in the Federation. "I don't know what they were even thinking... surely they must have realised I'm under protection, and they couldn't just steal me away. But they're not stupid... they must have some plan." An unsettled beat of silence, "For me."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
Eight appreciates that much; she would have been terribly embarrassed, once, to have her breast out over a video call... but now she's just happy her baby is feeding quietly instead of crying. "Yes," she agrees then about it being better than formula. "I'm trying to do it exclusively, at least for a while. So far, so good." But it does mean she can't go back on all her medications yet.
The hospital, though--Eight shakes her head. "They didn't. I opted for as natural a birth as I could manage. Most of what they did was give me advice and stand by in case something went wrong."
Eight used to be really nervous about doctors, too--it's something she can understand. Much as she doesn't like that much.
"Unfortunate," she says, though it's mostly being polite. Still, "I'm glad nobody was shot. I was concerned that they'd harm you, and since you got into that trouble on my account..." She grimaces.
But, "I see. The Silent Calling, isn't it?" Her congregation. Eight thinks better of trying to ask much about her wife. "I believe they did catch them. The security force around here is good, even if they can't be everywhere." But the Wild Bear... Hmm. Eight can't oppose 'justice' for Yuliana, but, "I don't think you'd receive justice at the hands of the REA," she says, with a shake of her head. Then, because she's tired, she asks after all, "Protected by your wife?" A pause. "I'm sure they do. But they didn't enact it well enough that day."
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
"It's a wonder you're so calm," Yuliana remarks, a shade dour. How come she can control herself just by, what, force of will or whatever? "... but it's good they didn't do anything, I suppose." The hospital, that is. Yuliana wouldn't wish another laboratory on her worst enemy (and Eight's certainly up there).
Her noise wrinkles. "They looked about ready to," she says, with disdain, "and believe it or not, I'd prefer not to deal with that kind of a fight. I might be worth ten men, but bringing ten men against me with a single gun and vest is still going to be a pain." She's not going to count herself out, but she knows she'd be injured in the process, and her wife would not be happy.
It's safer, though, not to ask too much about Yuliana's wife.
"That's right," she confirms, instead, when Eight asks about her congregation -- and thinking of her people, at least, has her smiling again. And the news of: "Oh, it's them who caught them? Well, that's good." She thought Leina did it! How tragic that she has to attribute to success to Zabi's men, but at least they're caught.
And -- "Yes," she nods, again, when Eight asks if she's protected by her wife. She smiles to think of her, but her frown soon returns, dwelling on the REA. "Perhaps they got a little sloppy, seeing the opportunity. I don't travel frivolously much these days. I don't simply go and visit people... I'm a very wanted woman, Orlodhari." She sighs, shifting position to stretch her legs out on the couch. Someone will clean it later, it's fine. They have staff for that.
"But they certainly want me back," she says, looking up to the chandelier on the ceiling. "Not only because they put so much work into creating me, but because it would be a point of national pride, now... putting down the 'terrorists', you know." She puts little bunny quotes around the word with her fingers, even though she is, demonstrably, a terrorist. "It would look good on the national broadcasts. They could preach about their strength. And... they would be able to advance their experiments spectacularly, considering all that's happened since they last had the chance. Especially now they know they were just using the wrong type of Psychoframe to test me..." But she blinks, and shakes her head, her distant expression focusing back in on her phone. "-- never mind that," she adds, her tone more harsh.
(She takes pains not to raise it, at least.)
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
"I'm too tired to be agitated," Eight answers with a lopsided look. Then, more seriously, "I have a lot of coping mechanisms I've learned. It's not easy, but if I keep myself busy, it's not as hard." Good that they didn't... "Right." Eight will accept that.
"No, I believe you," Eight says. "I wouldn't like those odds myself. Especially not with drugs on their side."
Yuliana does seem to care about these people--not that Eight appreciates their doctrines much, from what she's heard. "I believe so, yes."
Eight moves on from Yuliana's wife. "But visiting Jona was important to you," she confirms. Aarmi, meanwhile, continues on as she is, her pointed ears visible. She is adorable.
"I understand," Eight says of how they want her. "But they can't be allowed to have you. You and I don't see eye to eye on very much, but I have no interest in the REA advancing their science--certainly not at your expense." Principles are difficult to hold sometime. The Psychoframe... Hm.
"I'm not fond of Psychoframe," Eight says instead of asking Yuliana about that. "So I'm content not to talk about it."
"It's... good... that your congregation seems to fulfill you," she settles on. A Yuliana focused on charity work is a Yuliana who isn't going out and fucking things up. In theory, anyway.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
"Tch... coping mechanisms? As if you just have to cope with all this nonsense?" Yuliana --
yuliana has never been taught about coping mechanisms.
At least keeping herself busy makes some measure of sense.
She scowls, though, when Eight brings up the drugs, and her hand slips down to grasp at her opposite arm. "I hate them," she confesses, more than she meant to. "They make me." Her chemical restraint was as real as the physical. Worse, perhaps.
... Yuliana wasn't trained to tie herself down when things got out of hand on the field, but she was definitely trained to take the pills.
"You know," she grumbles, on Jona, "I went to all that trouble not to kill him, so..." It's not a denial that it was important, anyway.
Aarmi is adorable and Yuliana is doing her level best not to start yelling and disturb her. ... thinking that her child would have had pointed ears makes it difficult, but somehow, she manages.
"I suppose at least that's in your favour," she grumbles, on Eight's principles. "Good." They don't have to talk about Emptear. Yuliana doesn't like talking about Emptear. It never goes well.
But she takes a breath, and tries to calm herself, fingers drumming against the black robes on her arm. "You know, I wanted to help people," she grumbles, still a shade resentful. "It's not like I'm the only one the Federation hurt. And I can do that. Just because I'm not used to thinking that way doesn't mean..." Is she a little resentful of Sayla being surprised she didn't think of building new houses? Never mind that. "Anyway," she shakes her head, "if they've caught that cell, at least they'll be safe when I attend. They were dreadful to us, you know. Once they even poisoned our food." And this is terrible, because the Calling prides itself on feeding people! It's how they draw in people. Free lunch.
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
"...Yes?" Eight says, baffled. "But between those and my support network..." Yuliana not being big on coping does explain an unfortunate amount, though--not that it's surprising. How many Cyber-Newtypes get the help and therapy Eight got? Not many.
Eight actually looks sympathetic on the drugs. "I'm... glad to be off most of them," she admits.
But Jona? Hmmm. That'll do. But Eight appreciates Yuliana not shouting and ranting at her with Aarmi here.
They don't talk about Emptear. Maybe Eight could get valuable intelligence on such a fearsome machine... but she's off the clock. She doesn't have the energy to try to pump Yuliana for information, even if she were so inclined at the moment.
It's... noble, that Yuliana wants to help people. Eight still can't really approve of the doctrine, but she can disapprove of poison. "Yes," Eight says. "Kindness is a habit, not an inborn spark. The people you help don't care whether it comes naturally or not." She pauses, then. "...It's wrong, to poison food, especially that for people in need."
She has to be diplomatic, but... Well. Eight said it herself; she's too tired to be agitated. If Yuliana wants to call her up out of the blue and have a normal conversation... So be it.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
Yuliana gives Eight an odd look when she talks about her support network. "You mean your husband?" She asks, a shade baffled herself, because it's strange to describe one person as a network. "Oh -- oh, yes, I forgot, you're one of those polyamorous people, you have two partners. All right, that makes more sense." Two people are a network. Thank god that's all totally explained.
She frowns, though, when Eight says she's glad to be off the drugs. "I..." She starts, and pauses, delicately.
"... sometimes I miss them." She's not without shame, admitting that it's not so easy for her to leave all those medications behind. "I-- I mean, I'm still on an awful lot, but much less than before... and I don't have the ones that calm me down any more. Well, I guess that was just to keep me controllable, but..." Not having those pills in her pocket might also explain how much more erratic Yuliana is these days.
Yuliana has, in fact, called her out of the blue to have a normal conversation. Maybe she just wanted to see how the children were doing -- make sure she didn't end up killing them. Certainly she's not calling because she likes Eight, but jealousy doesn't tend to be a distant emotion, either.
"Tch," she sighs, tongue clicking to her teeth. "A habit, is it...? I'm doing my best, you know. No one seems to appreciate that. It's not like it's easy for me, either..." But she frowns, shaking her head. "I... feel bad, how the meetings were disrupted when I came there. They were being targeted to get to me... you know, they weren't involved at all. It's not fair. Ugh, I suppose here in this backwater colony, too..." There was an attempted kidnapping on the streets of Magallanica! Not that Yuliana cares, but apparently that was their first major crime. ... followed by all the crimes Yuliana committed, but this is not about that.
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
Eight pauses. "My partners, yes, but also my friends and my family." She pauses again. Does Yuliana just... not have friends? It shouldn't come as so much of a surprise, considering her Yuliana-ness, but it does.
Yuliana pauses next, though, and she admits of the drugs... "I think that's fair," she says. "It's harder, without them. Much harder, sometimes." To keep her controllable. Probably Eight grimaces again. It's not... good memories.
Still, "Yes, a habit. If you do it even when it's hard, it helps people." She feels... bad. "That's..." She almost says 'it's not Yuliana's fault', but the reasons people are targeting Yuliana are at least in part her fault. Not entirely, though. ...And even so, "People who would target innocents to get to you are people we can't allow to win. No one should be used as a means to an end."
She doesn't comment on the 'backwater' crack.
"As Magallanica grows, sometimes we'll have problems. But that's just life."
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
"And you trust them with that?" Yuliana sounds sceptical, hearing Eight explain what her support network is. But of course she has friends! Kind of. Sort of. Mostly she has enemies she's friendly with. But why would she ever trust Parminder with her worries and lapses? He'd just laugh at her.
Yuliana frowns. "My wife says I don't need them any more," she says, "since the Republic isn't here to demand I keep their secrets and mind my manners any more, and I'm more beautiful the way I am. But... you know, sometimes my patience snaps, and... oh, well." She sighs. Elisa is right, of course. She's just used to drugs making things easy for her, but the drugs only really ever made it easy for the Republic.
It's not Yuliana's fault, of course. She's quite secure in that. But... "It's not as if I don't know how that goes, but they shouldn't do it to me," she sniffs. Yuliana, of course, has targeted plenty of innocent people as a soldier. But it's not fair for another black ops cell to do these things to her now! "... I keep thinking I just shouldn't go out at all. There's always trouble." Some of that trouble comes from Yuliana herself, but never mind that.
"But I suppose it is a normal part of any human settlement -- crime, that is. Not that I meant to bring so much trouble to Leina's woman... oh, well."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
"Yes," Eight answers without hesitation. She still doesn't feel sorry for Yuliana about that in particular, but if Yuliana hadn't hurt Rena so much, she might. ...No, it's other things that make Eight feel bad for Yuliana.
"Hm," Eight says, of Yuliana's statements about drugs. She considers 'her patience snapping'. What can she say? 'It's good that your wife likes you?' That would be fairly backhanded. Too much so for the moment. "We all have our own ways of recovering," she says instead. "I think it's important to be your authentic self, even when it's harder. If the drugs were stopping you doing that... then you're better off without, even if it's difficult sometimes."
Of course, Yuliana was black ops. Eight sighs, as Yuliana makes it purely a matter of herself. But she doesn't comment. Instead, "I find that getting out is important for my mental health, personally."
Maybe Yuliana getting out is bad for everyone else's health, though.
"We can have less of it if we address the root causes," Eight says of crime, "But that's a society we're a long way away from. And the black ops squad wasn't your fault. I'd step in again, if I had it to do over." The carjacking was, though. Not that Eight says that.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
"It's your own funeral," Yuliana says, though she still seems more confused than malicious. (Still a little malicious, but that's her baseline.) A support network? Coping skills??? What is that. What the hell is any of that.
Yuliana can only really trust her wife. Even if it's someone like Leina... doesn't she resent her? Isn't she opposing her? She can't just...
Anyway.
She frowns, though, when Eight talks about recovering. "Sometimes I think my authentic self is just --" but Yuliana cuts herself off before she can do something as ridiculous as lower herself in front of her enemies, frowning as her lips twist up. "I don't know. Maybe it just felt easier when I was under control. Not that I'd ever want to go back, but -- but it's simpler."
Her frown deepens. "Well, good luck with that, right now," she grumbles, on getting out. "See if your husband can take the children, I suppose... ugh," she shakes her head, "no, I'm not trying to be harsh." She just says mean things by reflex, apparently. "It will be. Fine. I just... I used to travel much more..." And by her wistful tone, she misses it.
So she lashes out at Eight. Obviously.
"Well, that's... good," Yuliana allows, glancing away. "That's good. And I know society is presently ill, but I am working on it. It will be... better. It will be better, soon."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
Of course it's confusing. Yuliana wouldn't have those things. Eight is not quite compassionate enough for Yuliana to try to push through that confusion today.
But Eight considers her trust a strength, rather than a weakness.
"It was definitely simpler," Eight agrees about how it was 'before'. "Living for yourself is complicated. We both know that." But she, too, would never go back.
As to that grumble, Eight grins wryly. "I can manage for a few minutes, at least. But with two babies to feed, I'm here in this chair an awful lot." Then, as she consiers Yuliana's wistful tone...
She can't entirely encourage Yuliana to go places, considering what happens when she does. But she feels bad for her.
Instead, "...Yes," Eight agrees. "It will be better."
They just have different ideas of how that looks...
But Eight pauses, and then looks down, as her daughter slows down. "Ah," she says. "Are you almost done?" Her voice is soft; tender. One wouldn't guess that Eight's a little sore today from this. "All right, Aarmi..."
She looks up. "I need to put this one to bed. ...But thank you, again, for the well-wishes."
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
Living for herself is complicated. That's why Yuliana devotes so much to Elisa, first.
"Mm?" She hums, as she notices Eight glancing down. "Ah, of course. Well, I wished only to make sure nothing untoward happened, after I left you. It's good to see the babies are well... you're a wretched woman, but I wish no ill on your children."
Yuliana reaches over, to grasp her phone. (With her hands. She's keeping her tentacles out of view of the camera.) "Good luck, I suppose. For their sake, if not yours. I'm sure I'll see you again." It's not a threat, but it's not not a threat, either.
Click, she ends the call.
"All this..." Yuliana sighs, putting her phone down. "Haa, I'm working too hard." At length she pushes herself up, and goes to find one of the servants running about the Castle, to tell her where her wife was last seen.
She doesn't need a support network; she has Elisa.