2022-11-11: Britannia delenda est

• Log: Britannia delenda est
• Cast: Yuliana Dispersal, Elisa Kafim
• Where: Catering store, Zaftra
• Date: 2022-11-11
• Summary: Yuliana and Elisa arrange catering for their wedding, and Elisa supports Yuliana as she discusses the destruction of JOSH-A. Elisa reveals a strong antipathy for Britannia in the process, and Yuliana disregards her pain over open intra-Federation conflict to support her destruction.

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<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.

        Yuliana has been... busy with work, the last week. That business in Alaska. She's had to make a series of enquiries, she's had to gut a Savage II's cockpit and refit it entirely, she's had to establish new working relationships now the old ones are dead...

        But she'll still happily take time from all that to continue arranging their wedding. Particularly, today: catering. Her fatherland has always treated a wedding as a festival, and so it's important to her to extend the hospitality of good food and plenty of it. (It is, of course, all halal. If Elisa wants to drink blood, that's another thing entirely, but their guests won't receive any.) Normally, catering is arranged up to a year in advance of the wedding, but... let's just say Elisa Kafim can be very, very convincing.

        Which is rather convenient when one wishes to be wed in a hurry.

        (They haven't even been seeing each other officially for a year, yet; they scarcely have time for a year's worth of preparations.)

        She sits by Elisa at a long bench, with samples of all the chef's dishes before them. Yuliana is in her typical dark suit -- and black flat dress shoes, as revealed by the way she's hooked her ankle about Elisa's leg, under the table -- and today's scarf is either black and blue or white and gold, depending on who she asks. "Ah, these are all delightful!" She exclaims, after she gets done eating a delicate little arrangement of fish on a cracker. "You're so good at arranging these things, Elya."

        She doesn't mind addressing her intimately here; they may as well be alone.

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

Elisa Kafim only drinks blood on special occasions. ...No, not that kind of special occasion. Rituals! No, not that kind of ritual.

She probably isn't planning to drink any blood at the wedding.

There has been a lot of business going on, but Elisa for her part has been occupied in other matters, in great divinations and in supervising the matter of certain new facilities that require exacting arrangement.

And Yuliana is handling the wedding! It's wonderful. Elisa, for her part, is in a lovely green dress and absolutely murderous heels, smiling placidly as she handles these dishes. A little arrangement...

"I would arrange anything for my Yuliana," she says, "And it does not do to do so poorly!"

Chomp chomp.

That scarf is lovely.

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.

        Probably.

        Yuliana's cheeks flush with charming affection, when Elisa assures her she'll make sure she has all the appointments she needs. "Oh, Elya," she sighs, with one of those positively foolish smiles. "You're so reliable...!" That's one word for the dynamic, certainly.

        She looks to the table, and plucks a diminutive canape from its platter, the red of the tomato offset by the sprig of green herbs. "Oh, you've not tried these yet," she says, and it's not a question; her attention has been centred on Elisa this whole time, so she remembers very well what she's eaten. "Say 'aaah'~"

        And presuming Elisa does, Yuliana will just pop that entire canape right in her hungry jaws, entirely fearless about putting her fingers so close to so many, MANY teeth.

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

Very reliable! Elisa smiles. And then there is a beautiful little bit of food that Yuliana spots, and Elisa is definitely sure that it is a food item. It is not a question; Elisa is perfectly willing to accept Yuliana's assurance that she hasn't eaten this one yet.

"Aaah~"

Chomp!! It's very cute. Elisa just chomps the whole thing all at once, chews thoughtfully, and smiles again.

The server is mind-controlled. But this isn't about him.

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.

        Honestly, Yuliana barely even notices him. He's not a problem for them any more!

        And... chomp! Elisa is very cute, to hear Yuliana tell it. Her heart is full to bursting, seeing her smile; if Elisa is happy, why, Yuliana is elated just the same.

        "Is it good?" She asks, hand trailing down Elisa's cheek. (She still has all her fingers.) She knows she likes it, of course -- she wouldn't feed Elisa anything she didn't know was already good -- but she presses Elisa for her opinion, anyway.

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

Elisa's lips close over the canape. And she opens her eyes again, regarding Yuliana as ever. The question is asked, and Elisa replies, "Yes. It is... excellent. Some kind of herb..."

She even notices details! She's paying attention, after all.

"So these you think, we will have served? I think the color suit nicely..."

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.

        "I gave them very particular instructions," Yuliana says, on the catering. "And they can, at least, follow them! So the presentation will make you quite pleased, I'm sure." Indeed, all of the snacks on the table have at least splashes of green.

        She sighs, hand dropping down to lay at the crook of Elisa's arm. "I'm so happy you approve," Yuliana purrs, eyes drifting closed for a contented, trusting moment. "Yes... this will do nicely, I think. We will have these."

        Her eyes flutter open again, looking to Elisa -- not terribly far up now they're sitting down, though those murderous heels do give her something of the advantage when they're standing. (Yuliana has never quite been able to manage heels which share traits with stilts, herself. She's already off-balance enough, just by existing.) "Thank you for coming out today, dearest," Yuliana says, fingers curling into Elisa's elbow. "Work has been... quite a trial, of late... really, it's a relief to be able to set my mind to something like this."

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

"Excellent!" Elisa replies. "You are very good to me, yes?"

She does approve. She also doesn't bite in that trusting moment. Instead, she nods along, as Yuliana makes the decision she has indicated. it is nice. But the way Yuliana looks up at her...

(Elisa is fine with the towers that are her heels. It is a good way to reclaim the world even in Micronized form.)

"Of course," Elisa says. "I would not miss it." Then she considers, leaning into Yuliana for a moment.

"Has it?" she asks. "Would you like to be distracted," she wonders, "Or would you like to tell me what has been such a trial?"

She doesn't look at the blank-eyed server.

"I can do either. For you."

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.

        "Only the best will do for you, sputnica zhizni," Yuliana affirms Elisa's first question. (The phrase she uses literally means 'life companion' -- figuratively, it's a statement that she's chosen Elisa for her whole life.)

        That Elisa indicated the decision before Yuliana made it is surely just a testament to how well they get along.

        Yuliana feels her comforting weight at her side, though, and leans on Elisa in turn, hands curling about her arm, claiming. "A distraction sounds lovely," she sighs, grateful, "but I think... I do want to talk to you about it. It's... rather complicated, Elya..."

        She isn't particularly worried about the server, either. He won't be spreading any state secrets anytime soon.

        "Do you remember when I told you I was all right, last week?" Yuliana is characteristically terse and light on details when she messages Elisa, generally speaking; in her line of work, she knows far too well how easily phone data can be intercepted. Even so, she does try to get the message to Elisa that she's well, after harrowing combat operations. It wouldn't do for her to worry. "When JOSH-A was destroyed... it was a feint by ZAFT, you see. We thought they'd attack the Panama, but they came directly to us. Tcha," she clicks her tongue against her teeth, "it's not even the first time." It's irritating, in a passing sort of way.

        "They're calling it 'MIDAS'. It was... so much like the sun. Beautiful, in its way." Yuliana casts a long gaze into the distance -- a shade longing -- before she orients her attention to Elisa again. "But, you know... for all they're miserable Spacenoids, if ZAFT had kept their retreat closed-channel, if they'd obscured their intent, many more of us would be dead. It troubles me. There are certainly explanations for why they would sabotage JOSH-A and then warn us, of course, but... even given that, the losses those Spacenoids faced were grievous."

        She huffs out a breath, and adds: "As for me, I almost lost some of my people. Hmph... well, if the CGUE DEEP Arms pilot had her way I'd be quite dead myself, but I'd not give her the satisfaction. She can starve." That Yuliana can go from being so affectionate to so callous in the span of one explanation is surely just another of her charming qualities.

        Yuliana sighs, sinking her weight against Elisa. "No... the best explanation for a weapon of mass destruction being armed in the heart of JOSH-A is... its very patrons arming it. Britannia, darling," she adds, lightly, because Yuliana's always been more invested in politics than Elisa is. She sounds troubled, as she remarks: "The Federation is splintering again... just as it did when I came to power. Will I be set to their throats openly again..?"

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

Surely!

Elisa could certainly arrange such a distraction; she has many means at her disposal, and is even feeling particularly attuned to the material world today (Well, for her, anyway. This is all in relative terms.)

But Yuliana is light on detail. Elisa, however, remembers quite clearly. She remembers that message. "Yes, I do," she says. And then she considers. A feint, and interesting... But 'MIDAS'.

"Ah, yes, the destruction..." Beautiful. But ZAFT... hmm. This does not surprise Elisa so much; these humans so often seek to band together to survive against things greater than they, despite their worlds of loyalty to one another. In the end, betrayal is their nature, if it keeps them safe.

But she doesn't say that. Instead, "Would you prefer to handle this pilot yourself?" she asks.

She can starve. Elisa asks it simply; do you want me to kill her? But no, that is not what draws her attention most of all, it merely primes her anger for the next moment. Yuliana sinks against Elisa, and Elisa wraps a arm around her... and then she mentions her theory.

Britannia.

Elisa's expression turns slowly from a placid smile into a mild frown. But her eyes are not so mild as that. She looks into the distance, her free hand closing into a fist. "Splintering..."

"Fools. Wretched, paltry things. They can no more focus on the greater future to come than they could fly under their own power. It will be a mercy when they gasp for their last."

She looks to Yuliana, and her eyes soften. "Darling. Are you certain you wish me to stay back, that you might deal with such things yourself? They are treacherous. They do not deserve your attention, these Britannians."

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.

        "I've no strong feelings about her," Yuliana says, first, on the pilot. "ZAFT's Shiho Hahnenfuss -- if you want her, she's yours, darling." As it happens, Yuliana can share her toys, when she's not attached to them.

        But Elisa slips an arm around Yuliana, and Yuliana burrows in against her side in turn, a hand latching about her midsection. She is comforted, comfortable, glad to be held. The topic is confronting, after all.

        Her head tilts, as she looks up to Elisa, cheek resting on her shoulder. She frowns, seeing the look in her eyes, the way her hand curls to a fist. "Elyula," she breathes, more intimate still, reassuringly close, "how have they wronged you...?"

        She reaches up, to cup Elisa's cheek, gently, gently, gently. "Do you wish to destroy them?" She asks, with great care, and she does not think of the Federation's stability in the question.

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

"Hmmm." Elisa says this much of Shiho. "I may," she says as well.

But the topic is quite confronting, as a matter of fact. Elisa continues to hold onto Yuliana in the meantime, but she looks back to her as she frowns, notices that breath. That closeness...

"Me? Hardly," Elisa says, and shakes her head. "Mere flesh wounds. Nothing of note. But they have wronged existence itself with their perfidy. Their faithlessness threatens our world, my Yuliana. They must be dealt with."

Elisa is somewhat mollified by the gestures, though. "...Yes," she says. "Yes, I rather do. We should advance our plans..."

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.

        Yuliana strokes Elisa's cheek, with gentle, soft fingers which know so well the trigger of a gun. "Flesh wounds they may be," she frowns, "but I'll still not forgive them for hurting you. That they threaten our world just the same is... transgression upon transgression."

        She tilts her head, to rest at the side of Elisa's, fingers still trailing down her opposite cheek. "Shh... there is much we can do to wound them. If they must die, they must die, and we will arrange the world when it is done. I will set myself upon the Federation again if it will soothe your heart, darling. I've done it before. For you, I can do it again." It's not, entirely, something Yuliana feels good about -- but she feels worse to see Elisa so tense, so troubled.

        Perhaps Elisa can feel the way her heart beats so quickly, huddled as she is beside her.

        "Or would you like to use your methods, boyevaya podruga?" She calls her her combat friend, and it means she will be at her side, no matter what happens. "You know I will aid you. Whatever you need..."

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

No forgiveness. Yes, Elisa can appreciate that. She does not care overmuch for wounds of the body, but if her Yuliana cares, then that is good enough, yes? Transgression upon transgression, as she says.

"Yes," Elisa says, and she stares at the wall, rather than into nothing.

Elisa can feel that heart. She considers; Yuliana would not enjoy this...

"I will handle it," she decides. "You need not direct yourself against them at this time any more than is useful to you. I have sown the seeds of conflict there, in Britannia..."

"We shall harvest them, for this sin."

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.

        It is best not to spite nothing at all. The wall, surely, is safer.

        Elisa spares her the trouble of acting against Britannia directly, and Yuliana smiles, gaze softening, as her hand rests at her neck. "You're so clever, my love," she breathes, eyes drifting closed again. "You've really thought of everything..."

        She sighs. "Yes. We shall pluck them from the vine, and punish them for these transgressions. I will remember their turpitude, in my own dealings... I can be rather a subtle knife, you know. And I am sure your dragons shall be... beautiful. Utterly beautiful..." Did Elisa say anything about kaiju? Perhaps it's simply a given that these are her methods.

        "And I am with you," she assures Elisa, gently. "Always, always I am with you, Elyula... if ever you need me in your aims, I am yours." Even though she doesn't enjoy the Federation fracturing to pieces again... Elisa is more important, isn't she?