2023-12-11: Relearning the Rules

• Log: 2023-12-11- Relearning the Rules
• Cast: Alma Stirner, Anita Rosetta, Shiho Hahnenfuss
• Where: Fujinomiya - Alma Stirner's Apartment
• OOC - IC Date: 0097-12-11
• Summary: Alma catches up with a dear friend. They end up talking about children's card games, recovery, and what comes next.

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<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.

Alma normally isn't such a homebody, but... well, the last year has seen Alma be a lot of things she isn't. Last night, she at least got out of the house to take a crack at finding a children's card game to play...

... and has ended up with starter decks for four children's card games, because Alma has never been great at deciding how to focus down. She'll just -- try all of the currently running ones and figure things out from there!

She's back in comfy mode, too -- yet again, she doesn't expect to be heading out in the midwinter chill, so it's a workout tee and sweatpants kind of day. She's nowhere near self-conscious enough to feel like she can't receive a friend in clothes like this. Right now, she's got a laptop out on the desk and is trying to sort through seven years of increasingly Calvinball-like card rules that are basically a second game unto themselves.

<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.

Fortunately, the friend that arrives today is one fully understanding of comfy mode. She certainly should be - that's the same kind of wardrobe Anita tends to gravitate toward whenever she can get away with it. Today, though, Anita's gone with a hoodie since she did expect to be going out...

...and, coming to a stop outside Alma's door. Anita knocks, then steps back just a little bit to provide some space.

"Heyyy, Alma. It's Anita!" Anita announces herself, and waits. She, as usual, is not particularly hurried about the whole thing.

<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.

Jogging to the door, Alma swings it open. "Anita!" she enthuses, gesturing for her friend to come in; she seems excited -- and it's a look she really hasn't worn many times in ages. "It's really good to see you, ahahaha..."

The condo is pretty simple; the furnishings are a little sparse. "Uh -- come on in! Sit down!" she enthuses, gesturing to the couch. "I know it's a little bare, ahahaha... like right when I was thinking about adding more stuff, the OCU announced it was withdrawing from the Federation, so..."

She gestures expansively, then laughs at herself. "Anyway -- can I get you anything? I usually order takeout... I had no idea the OCU was so cheap to live in! But I do have, like, drinks and sandwich stuff..."

<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.

Alma swings the door open and Anita smiles, greeting her with a casual wave. It's good to see her excited like that.

"It's good to see you too. How've you been?" Anita asks, following her inside. She takes a brief glance around - and winces sympathetically when Alma explains why it looks the way it does.

"Oof. That sucks..." Anita comments, taking the offered seat. "When d'you gotta be out by?"

Alma asks if she wants anything, and Anita thinks it over.

"A drink would be great. I've been walking for a bit, so I could use one." She decides.

<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.

"I'm doing okay," Alma says. "It took a while to get here, but... okay!" She rubs at the back of her head, admitting, "Some days are kinda easier than others... some days I'm really not doing so hot." With a grimace-smile, she admits, "... It's getting better."

Practicals, though -- "The 28th of next month," Alma answers, with a small sigh. "I'm just lucky my rent payment date is at the end of the month. It'd be pretty bad if I had to spend Christmas through New Years' planning the move..."

Alma nods, heading into the kitchen. "I have, let's see... Bepis, two cans of Island Cola... the tap water here is pretty good, too... oh, and egg nog!" Alma lets Anita take her time figuring out what she wants, if need be. "So -- what about you? Anything interesting going on?"

<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.

"Good - glad to hear it." Anita replies with a smile... which becomes tinged with a bit of sadness as Alma admits that some days aren't so great. "...Yeah. I get that."

It's not a surprise. What happened to her, and for how long... it's not something anyone can just bounce back from. It takes time.

"Still... it's good it's getting better." She says - and then nods, listening as Alma explains. The 28th of next month... that's not that far away, when you think about it. She massages the back of her neck awkwardly.

"Yeah, that'd be pretty rough..." Anita agrees, then offers her a smile. "Well, if you need an extra pair of hands moving anything in or out, just lemme know and I'll be there. If there's one thing I'm good for, it's movin' stuff."

She flexes her left arm demonstratively, then considers the list of options as Alma departs for the kitchen to look over the drinks.

"Now there's somethin' nostalgic. Egg nog sounds great." Anita replies with a grin. She grew up in Winter Wonderland, after all - it's just part of the territory.

Alma asks about her, then, and Anita laughs a bit awkwardly.

"For the first time in a while? Not a whole lot, and I couldn't be more grateful." She says. "Feels like things finally might be quieting down for a bit."

She sure hopes so, anyway. She could use a good break after everything. Still, that's a little boring on its own, so she continues.

"Rena and I've been looking for a place, ourselves. The Ra Mari II's great, but... it'll be nice to have a place to call home that isn't a battleship." Anita comments.

<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.

Looking down a little, Alma admits, "... it's not the first time I've had this kinda feeling," a little lamely. "I know I'll do better eventually, but..." ... it hasn't entirely come yet, even if objectively Alma knows she's been doing much better than she was in, say, July or August. At the very least, it doesn't feel that way.

"Thanks. I'll let you know when I know where I'm moving. I'm looking at a lot of places... it depends a little on if I think I can take a job in the PLANTs. I have a friend who says I'd do great, but..." She wobbles a hand, before finally going to pour some egg nog.

'For the first time in a while, not a whole lot,' huh. That brings a smile to Alma's face. "Good! I feel like you deserve that, haha..." She pours a glass for herself as well, asking, "Do you have anywhere to live picked out? I hear there are some really great options, though, jeez, with the political situation like this maybe nowhere's perfect..."

She looks off to one side, toward a window, with a pensive expression. "Still, good on you two! Really happy for you. I, uh..."

She rubs at the back of her head, and then decides that whatever she was planning to say can wait for a bit. "It's good," she finishes, a little lamely.

<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.

"...Yeah. It's a rough journey, even if you know you'll get past it." Anita replies, with that same, small smile. "Even if you know that much... it's not a whole lot of comfort in the moment, I bet."

Still, she nods when Alma says she'll let her know.

"Sounds good." She replies, and then considers. "The PLANTs, huh..."

That handwobble... Anita shrugs.

"Well, it might be worth a shot, at least. Be a good way to try something new." She considers. And, Alma's happy for. Anita smiles.

"Thanks. I really feel that." She replies, and then nods. "Yeah, we're looking at somewhere in Orb. It'd be pretty good for both of us, for a lot of reasons..."

She laughs, though.

"Yeah, seriously. No tellin' what's going to happen..." She replies, and then smiles. "Thanks. I appreciate that."

...She considers the way Alma trailed off, though. For a moment she considers just letting it go and letting her bring it back up at her own pace, but eventually decides...

"Something up?" Anita asks.

<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.

Anita's easy empathy doesn't surprise Alma here; anyone with that much cybernetic augmentation almost certainly has their own share of stories to tell about traumatic experiences. Alma's not so naive to miss that.

"Hahaha... yeah, it's kinda like, 'jeez, I already got over this sixteen years ago! Now I have to do it again?' Like -- not exactly, but..." At the very least, she can poke fun at herself for it, which is an improvement.

Alma nods to her, saying, "Orb's pretty nice... I thought about it, but I don't want to give up my service-connected disability housing allowance until I'm back on my feet." Despite how goofy she acts a lot of the time, Alma can be practical.

Finally starting to head out of the kitchen and into the next room with her glass, Alma purses her lips a little. Should she even say this? "... I broke up with Lilith," she says, reaching up to a lock of long red hair and starting to twist it a little between her fingers. "It -- we didn't have a shouting match or anything like that! Just... it wasn't going to work out after everything. I feel okay about it, but I'm still kind of processing it."

Raising her hands placatingly, she adds, "It's fine! I'm not, like, super upset -- I don't need to..." The gesture turns into a vaguer one, hands flopping a bit as she says, "... no, actually, I do still feel kinda bad about it. Like, it's not that it was the wrong call, it's just..." She trails off. Eloquence isn't impossible for Alma -- but it is uncommon.

<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.

"Right?" Anita replies with a sympathetic laugh. Sometimes, that's all you can do. Sometimes, it helps.

Alma continues on the subject of housing, and Anita nods consideringly.

"Yeah, I definitely get that... You gotta make use of it where you can." She replies with a nod. "Finding a new place is never gonna be easy, so better... always helps to make it at least a little easier."

There's some hesitance - and then, Alma explains what happens. ...Anita feels a little bad for going into her relationship.

"I'm sorry... That couldn't be easy." Anita replies sympathetically. She nods, as Alma explains that there wasn't a fight. "...That's good."

She listens as Alma continues, eventually trailing off. It sounds like it's still eating at her... and it's not like Anita can blame her. She's grateful for never having had to be in that position herself... but it can't be easy, being together for as long as they have been.

"...Do you wanna talk about it?" Anita offers.

<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.

Alma lets herself sink into the couch just a bit further as it finally comes time to talk. She does pick up on that moment of awkwardness, and after a little thought, notes, "I really am happy for you two! Love's not a zero sum game... ... but, yeah, I did feel a little lonelier for a second or two." She shakes her head, saying, "It's fine, really."

Breathing in and then out, she says, "It's okay. She still means a lot to me... but I think we might have hurt each other again if we'd stuck it out, especially the way things are now." With an awkward, lopsided smile, she concedes, "I've had a lot of time to think about it."

Taking another sip of egg nog, this time holding the cup with both hands, she says, "I'm really grateful I have such good friends sticking with me, after all this, but... it does kinda hurt. At the same time, like, with something like this it was always going to be something?" She shakes her head, saying, "... I think I'd be doing a lot worse if I hadn't met Killy and Mia again. Even as it is, though, I get a little lonely."

A beat passes, before she concedes, "Then again -- I'm not exactly in a place to be in a relationship right now, either... ahahaha." Breathing out, she lets the tension out of her shoulders entirely, saying, "Thanks for listening. It might not be the last time."

<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.

Anita watches Alma sink into couch, and offers a small smile as she admits she felt a little lonelier. Alma continues, then, and Anita rolls it over in her head... and, eventually, nods.

"I guess... sometimes you gotta do what's best for both of you. Even if it hurts to admit it." Anita considers. Even if it means parting like that. It must take a lot of strength. She listens, then, as Alma continues, sipping at her own egg nog as she does. She nods, letting her work her way through her thoughts without interrupting.

"...I'm glad you did get to meet them again." Anita replies - and nods, too. "...Yeah. It's important to think about that. You don't wanna rush right back into it... I don't think that'd make anyone happy."

She smiles, then, as Alma thanks her.

"No problem. And... that's fine with me. Always happy to lend an ear." She replies.

<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.

Alma nods, saying, "Yeah. It's... I think if something tripped over the kinda stuff we talked about again it'd be way worse if I stayed and just, put up with it until I couldn't anymore." It's sad to think about that, but... well, that's why she broke it off in the first place.

"You're pretty good at that," Alma adds, about lending an ear. "I never quite got there in the same way? Like, I can listen, but sometimes I just get a feeling and then start asking questions, and people... don't like it when you skip steps, ahahaha..." With a hapless smile, she affirms, "I've gotten better about it, but I dunno if I'd say I'm good."

Finishing off her cup, Alma asks, "So, uh..." Then she gestures in front of herself at the... distinctly large number of cards from children's card games boxed up on her coffee table. "... Do you already play any of these, and if not, are you up for learning? I'm still pretty new myself, ehehe..."

<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.

"...Yeah." Anita agrees with a nod. "That's a good way to stir up some bad blood."

She's glad she came to that realisation before it was too late. She chuckles, then, as Alma compliments her.

"I guess it just comes pretty easily to me." Anita admits. It must be her easygoing nature at play, that makes it feel natural to sit back and listen rather than interjecting. She does laugh a little, too. "Yeah, uh... sometimes it's good to ask? But there's a time and a place for it. And sometimes it's in the how..."

Soon enough, Anita has finished off her cup, too - and then, turns her attention to the table as Alma gestures toward it.

"I was meaning to ask about that." Anita comments. "Nah, I don't think I've heard of any of these before..."

She grins, though.

"Sounds like fun, though. Let's do it."

<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.

Alma nods, admitting, "I'm not actually that gentle, when it comes down to it... it took me a long time to learn when to shut up." There's some stories there, but she doesn't feel the need to tell them right now.

... besides, they have way better things to do. "Yeah, I just kind of let the clerk sell me on stuff," she admits, scratching her cheek a little. "I spent a little over my budget, but... well, now I have someone to play with, so it's good to have more cards!"

And so, the two settle in for a long night of...

... probably mostly reading rulebooks, actually, with how these things tend to go.