2022-11-22: Good Drinks, Good Company
- Log: 2022-11-22: Good Drinks, Good Company
- Cast: Sayla Mass, Alma Stirner
- Where: Londenion, Side 1
- OOC - IC Date: Nov 25, 0096
- Summary: Sayla finally gets the chance to thank Alma for a good deed. (Takes place simultaneously to 2022-11-25: A Secret Ritual.)
<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.
Londenion is a busy colony at the best of times. Military forces coming and going, Federation VIPs coming and going it's even possible for major famous figures to, with some planning, slip away and meet at a quiet coffee shop.
Drying her eyes with handkerchief she carries, Sayla has one last question for the man across her at the table. "Is there any chance you could put me in touch with one of your people? I want to thank her."
Within an hour, an email has been sent to Alma. It's very simple, and straightforward.
Dear Lt Stirner,
An old friend gave me your contact details. My name is Sayla Mass, and I'm Leina Ashta's guardian. I'm on Londenion today, and I was hoping to thank you in person. I was wondering if you'd like to meet for drinks.
Warm regards,
Sayla Mass
----
Later that day, Sayla has booked a table at an upmarket bar on Londenion. She's waiting at said table, dressed in a white blouse, beige slacks, and a warm jacket. She's poured water for both of them, and is sitting hers. These are much nicer circumstances for a second meeting.
<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.
Alma isn't always on Londenion, but she does like it. The atmosphere is... not exactly her favorite, but the flow of the human stream around here is a nice thing compared to just being on a ship.
When she receives an invitation, though --
Alma finds Sayla in what feels like an instant, and it's not entirely clear if she actually got pointed in her direction. "Miss Mass!" she says, and when she does it's with a bright, sunny smile. "Alma Stirner, reporting for -- ahahaha, that's way too stiff." Rubbing at the back of her head, she lets her long hair swish around a bit, then tries again.
"It's nice to meet you -- under, um... better circumstances. And one-on-one!" There. Now she feels comfortable. "Your ward is a really incredible person," she volunteers, after a little thought on what to actually say.
<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.
Sayla stands when Alma arrives and is caught off guard when she takes her first crack at introducing herself. The second one feels a bit better. "I agree. I'm glad to get a chance to properly talk to you." She invites Alma to sit, but doesn't shake her hand. She's being careful ever since things with Kamille.
"She really is," Sayla replies with a smile. "She worked hard to become the woman she is now. I'm very proud of her." She picks up her water, but mostly just swirls the glass. "Especially when she's prepared to be difficult doing the right thing."
She looks up. "...And that's why I want to thank you, too. I understand you're the one who decided to stand up to them. You took a big risk for- Leina's sake." There's an emotional flash there, though Sayla's battered walls. "Thank you for being there for her, and listening to her. I'm so extremely grateful for what you did."
<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.
"Ahaha, it's... Londenion has kind of a speed to it, you know?" Alma says, clearly a little embarrassed about her reflexive introduction. "And -- even though you're retired, your reputation precedes you, ma'am." Now that she's comfortably settled in, she takes a drink of water.
"I think people get a little too worked up about... honestly everything, but maybe especially stuff like that," she says, on the topic of Sayla's thanks. "People start drawing lines, but... we're all just people, and we're all trying to survive. So we need to be a little kinder to each other."
As for the other half of the equation... "She gave me some incredible news, too. It's... a little sad, too, but... apparently I have multiple beautiful, thoughtful, strong daughters I didn't even know about!" She definitely mourns the ones she didn't have a chance to meet, but there's a warmth that radiates through her at the thought nevertheless. Family was always a questionable option for her, but now...
<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.
"I suppose it does," she admits to both points. "And I'd be a liar if I said I didn't use it to my advantage sometimes. But I'd much rather chat without that getting in the way." She finally takes a sip, before pausing at Alma's assessment.
"More than a little, I think." She pauses. "But a little kindness matters a lot where it counts." There's something that makes her uneasy here. Something recently on her mind.
"Ah, you're... Elpeo's mother, then." Sayla can feel that mourning, but also that hope. "I know Leina's spent a lot of the time she's been in my care trying to reunite those sisters. I hope you'll be able to meet them soon." There's complicated twinges in Sayla's heart. Jealousy of a sort, mild fear. Something nasty and churning.
"If you require any assistance with it, well. Reuniting families is something the Foundation is supposed to do. And it would be my pleasure."
<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.
"Ah... I've actually already met one of them! She's on a Londo Bell ship now." She doesn't fully give up Callisto -- she doesn't think it's Sayla's business, even if she's pretty sure Leina would have already brought it up -- but being circumspect about people's secrets is a kind thing.
When she picks up on that feeling, though -- especially coupled with that kind offer as a follow-up -- she immediately looks uneasy. "... Ah, Miss Mass -- is there something wrong? It's okay if it's none of my business, but you just seem really tense about everything."
Leaning forward a little, Alma murmurs, "I think you're a kind-hearted person, and you raised a kind-hearted person on top of that."
<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.
"That's good to hear," Sayla responds calmly, that fear receding a little. She doesn't probe- she seems indeed to agree with Alma's assessment. Still she pauses at Alma's question, avoiding eye contact. The walls she does have start to be reinforced.
"...Yes. Yes there is." She says, frankly. "I'm tense most of the time, but these last few months have been particularly bad." She pauses. "But I can't say I want to trouble you with it unnecessarily either." She swirls the water again, staring down at it.
It's the second statement that truly catches Sayla off guard. "...Leina was always kind-hearted. I just managed to help her stay that way." She sets the water on the table. "Unlike her, kindness isn't my nature." It's an unusually raw statement from Sayla, especially now, seated across from a woman she has to assume is from Zeon and knows is a newtype.
After that, Sayla tries to recapture the earlier tone. "Shall we order? My treat."
<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.
Alma's English has that characteristic Zeon cadence to it -- just a bit. As accents go it's pretty muted, but it's not missing. "Hmmm... I kind of wonder if that's true," Alma murmurs, at the idea that kindness isn't Sayla's nature. "Sometimes we get pretty far away from what's deep down in us, but... I don't know. I think it'd be hard for you to help her stay that way if that wasn't something inside you, too..."
Pausing, she offers a slightly awkward smile, raising her hands and waving them back and forth. "Ah -- was that too much!? Sorry, sorry! I guess I'm kinda drawn to people who are a little stormy inside, ehehehe..." Rubbing at the back of her head, she concedes, "People have told me I'm kinda overfamiliar my whole life, actually..."
A big grin splits her face. "Sure! I've never actually been here -- any recommendations?"
Something finally clicks. "Ah -- have the last few months been bad because -- ... do you know what happened at Torrington...?"
<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.
Sayla blinks as Alma just straight up calls her on it. It's a reaction she didn't expect. The sheer directness of it is... Honestly Sayla's not sure. Eventually she responds. "It's fine," Sayla responds after a moment.
A little stormy inside, huh. She'd think more than a little.
"Really, it's fine. I don't mind." She reaches over for the drinks menu. This isn't a quiet pint sort of place. "Well, I admit, this is my first time at the venue, but it came highly recommended. The cocktails are their specialty, so I understand. I guess it just depends on how you like your drinks. Sweet? Strong? Smooth?"
And then, once again, Alma just drives straight to the point. She closes the menu and places it on the table. Her hands stay there for a moment. "...I do." The way she tries to shore up her walls seems the giveaway that Alma hit the mark. "It's part of why I'm here." Another long pause. "I felt it when he came back. I wanted to ask the Rear Admiral about it. Find out more about what happened."
She's a very good liar.
<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.
"Ahaha, sweet first, smooth second... I'm not quite the drinker Lilith is," Alma answers, still a little giggly. "But not too sweet? I do have a big sweet tooth but going too hard with it over alcohol is kinda overwhelming... during the war we had to ration a bit? So I kind of -- it's a craving but it's not something where I can just dump sugar in my mouth..."
... Wow she is definitely running her mouth today. "Anyway... that... must be really hard," she says, glancing down. "I'm not going to press on it too hard, but just... Aah, I feel like if something like that had happened to Lilith or anyone from my old unit, I'd need someone else to get me to even get out of bed every day..."
Scratching at her cheek, she asks, "... you do have more than just Leina, right? To get you out of bed every day?" Those walls are so high...
... she must be very lonely.
<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.
"Hmm, something fruit based, then?" Sayla says, thinking. "They had some good options there." She taps her fingers on the table twice. "It sounds like I'm closer to this Lilith, though."
The talk about rationing sugar though, Sayla smirks despite herself. "...we dealt with a big salt shortage on ship. I remember in the years after I'd get cravings for McDaniel's fries out of nowhere."
There's a risk with instinctually mirroring the people you talk to- if they're open, so are you. And Sayla doesn't have her usual reasons to be on guard.
"It is." Sayla responds, and the exhaustion is obvious in her voice. Especially with that remembered dream in her head... She tenses again. "I honestly thought I'd gotten used to it," she says after a silence. She's not even sure what to say about Alma's old unit. They were on opposite sides, after all.
"The foundation keeps me busy, and I still do volunteer practice, if just to keep my medical license." She's silent again after that. "And the house has gotten busier since Leina's brother and his partner moved in."
There's another silence, before she finally asks. "Did all your unit make it through?" She asks, curious despite the risk of that question. "It sounds like you were very close."
<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.
"I mean... we were a special unit, so we ate pretty well, but Irmela was pretty cautious. More consistency than sheer flavor, you know?" She furrows her brow for a moment. "Hhuh, I need to keep that in mind for the next time I try at cakes and stuff..."
... she moves past that in short order, though. "Oh, that's really good. It's -- kind of nice, when the people you connect with bring their people to connect with you. It's kind of stressful, too -- but it's a good kind of stressed out!" Alma says, at the idea of having new people in the house. "I hope it's big enough to handle them," she says, with no idea how big a place Sayla has.
The last question, though... "Yeah. At the end, I wasn't fighting for 'Zeon,' or anything like that... I was fighting to make sure they'd make it out. To tell you the truth, I kinda got in my own head about it -- I started thinking of 'me' separate from 'them,' on that one, but..." A smile crosses her face nevertheless, as she says, "Yeah. We all made it out. I haven't seen anyone in years, though -- they purged our records, and it made it hard to stay in touch. Killy -- my commander -- reached out in the 0080s, but we never managed to get anywhere on reuniting..."
Push that aside for now. Happier things. "Listen, um... I know we just met. I know this isn't my place to say, and I know you're going to have to fight so hard for it, and you might not even get that, but... We all thought Lt. Colonel Ray was dead. I thought I felt it, and I was all the way on the other side of the Earth Sphere. That he isn't... try to think of it as a sign of hope, and not the cost of a miracle, okay?"
... A breath. She's falling into Sayla's melancholy -- what of it she can feel. Arrest it. Be who you are. Be where you are. "... Oooh, maybe I'll have the cosmocello? Yeah -- that sounds good."
<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.
"Makes sense," Sayla says matter of factly. "Even when you're making something special, you need to be sure it'll work first time when you're working with rations. It's not exactly time for experimentation.
"...Yeah." Sayla says, and it might be there that Alma gets the first real sense of ease. "The place has felt pretty empty with just Leina and myself there." She sighs. "But it's nice having people around again. Even if some of them need to be reminded to put some damn pants on."
To Sayla's credit, she doesn't look away when Alma starts talking about Zeon. "...I can respect that. It's better than the motivations some people had." Oh there's a memory of pain. "...They purged your records?" Sayla's brow furrows. That doesn't make any sense...
But something else gets Sayla's attention. "Killy?" There's the faint spark of recognition. Where has she heard that name before?
Sayla falls silent as Alma tries to convince her to be hopeful. It's easy for her to turn in on herself her, to wallow in the 'miracle' that took so much from her. "...Right now, I have to leave it in the hands of others. I don't have the powers needed to bring him back." And even if she did... things fell apart for a reason.
Yeah, Sayla could really use a drink right now. "I might go for the Lychee Martini, then." Right now she is very grateful for automated ordering.
<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.
"They did. I think it might have been because of the Flanagan Institute... they might have even been trying to hide the connection between me and Elpeo." As for Killy -- "Killy Garrett. She was my commander. We got separated in Britannia during the pull-out... then she was in Taribia when she sent the postcard."
"Sounds great," she agrees, on the drink orders. Once they get them locked in, though, she loops back a bit. "I get that. It's kinda a helpless feeling, I know, but... I think maybe it's good you don't. Like --" Here, she stumbles over her words a bit.There's something legitimately difficult to express here!
... she finds her place quickly. "But those people don't have the relationship with him that you guys on White Base had, either, probably. I think that's... kind of a good thing." What's she even saying...
... right. "If we all had the same eyes, the same legs, the same hearts -- we'd all miss the same things, stumble in the same places. We'd all get heartbroken at once, too. If we weren't incomplete on our own, like that -- how would we ever catch each other when we fall?"
Now she's definitely being too forward for a second meeting, and catches herself again -- but less, this time. "... I kind of get why you try to keep those walls up. It's for everyone else's sake, right? You've got a big, deep heart -- it's kinda easy to fall into."
<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.
"I could understand classifying it if it's Flanagan, but your whole squad?" Sayla shakes her head. The part of her that's been running a clandestine organization for so long is intrigued and concern. "I can imagine the Republic negotiating with and then purging the Flanagan data, but I can't imagine Axis would have overly cared, and the data clearly made it that far."
Sayla pauses. "The 80s, you said?" In Taribia, so that would mean. "...I don't know if it's the same person, but... There was a Killy Garrett active in Karaba I believe. I never actually met them but given how few commanders they had I saw the name when Karaba needed resources." Sayla bites the inside of her lip. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't get your hopes up. But I can reach out to..." Sayla falters. "...whoever's left." Tap. Tap tap tap.
Having latched onto the part of the conversation where she could do something, finds herself back in the sore spot. The idea that it's a good thing she can't do anything isn't something that sits. The amount of hope Alma still seems to have, that confidence in people. The thought that comes to mind is bitter, callous, and Sayla kills it in her throat. That means she doesn't have an answer.
The last comment, though... "I'm afraid I don't understand how you get there, Ms Stirner." Sayla's smiling her false smile. Another wall.
<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.
Alma's eyes light up like Sayla's told her her double-income no-kids aunts are coming for Christmas this year. "I'd love that! That's -- that's the first solid lead I've gotten in years, it's -- ahaha, I --"
She tears up a little bit, but stabilizes. It gives Sayla time to comment on the other part of it, anyway. "... You don't have to understand it," she replies, with a small shake of her head. "Just -- keep being the person you are and keep caring about what you care about. The rest... if you trust people, then that stuff'll work out too." A beat passes. "All you gotta do is be the best 'you' you can be, and let the rest come as it comes."
She means it, too.
Even that gut-level understanding isn't doing a great job of helping her articulate herself. "Aaah, maybe I'm not too great at this, but, I guess, what I'm trying to say is... if they had that same closeness -- it'd be hard for them to fight for him. But they won't be able to help him the way you can, either. It's -- no, this is definitely too hard for me to explain." Palming her own face, she says, just a little embarrassed, "Where's those drinks, anyway!!"
<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.
And the guilt hits hard there- despite what she said she feels like she's done something awfully cruel. "I can't promise anything," she tempers expectations out of the gate, but Alma seems to wear her heart on her sleeve, and those hearts are easy to break.
~~Or they're they ones that can actually take the hits.~~
Alma is very good at finding things Sayla doesn't know how to respond to. "That's... something I still have a lot to work to do on." Trust is hard, especially for her. She still hasn't looked into those names Guy gave her. Even talking to an old friend was an ordeal.
Still, the comment that it might be hard for them to fight him elicits an honest to god laugh out of Sayla. "You haven't met 3G, have you?" She shakes her head. "It might be hard for them to fight... but that same connections helps them fight so much harder." She swirls her water again "Guy's fighting his closest loved ones now and promised to bring Amuro back. I'm just not made of the same stuff."
That dream lingers in the back of her mind, to be interrupted by the drinks *finally* arriving. They're set down in front of each of them, and Sayla picks up hers and... is definitely not savoring the taste that much. Sure, she doesn't drink the whole thing in one go, but tyhat's nearly half the glass gone.
"Interesting... the lychee's a little weak to carry it though." She looks over to Alma's. "How's yours?"
<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.
Taking a deep drink of her own drink as hers arrives, Alma notices Sayla's own approach. She must be really thirsty, or really struggling...
"... Hmmm. It's just the right level of sweet, but something is a little off," she offers, though she doesn't quite have the discerning palate to figure out what it is she's not getting here.
The idea that Sayla's not made of the same stuff as 3G -- who Alma notes, "I flew support for them a couple of times at one point, but we never got that close..." -- gives Alma something to chew on -- and she finds the chewing tough.
Genuinely looking pensive for a few seconds, what she settles on is, "Ah, still... Mr. Guy will need someone he can rely on even more, at a time like that." Another sip. "Killy only went out when we needed absolutely everyone, and only when it meant we had to separate... but I never felt like she was helpless. If anything, I felt like I knew I could always rely on her, no matter what -- and when I couldn't... I was ready to be someone other people could rely on."
She lets out a slow breath. "I really miss her, Dr. Mass. When I got her postcard after years of nothing, it was like I was a kid again... I guess what I'm saying is just -- don't -- let yourself feel like you aren't doing enough."
<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.
If those walls of hers are any indication, it's the latter. "I won't say it's bad, by any means. "Might just be to the taste of the big spenders. Or the bartenders." She muses, before taking a sip.
She nods as Alma mentions flying support. She seems to look down at her drink darkly for a moment. What could have changed if she was there, or if Kai had reached her earlier...
"I suppose. But that man is near impossible to get to show weakness." Sayla Mass, Pot. She pauses for a while, as now it's her turn to mull over Alma's words. She stops mulling when Alma expresses her own loss. Is it cruetly or kindness? To reach out now.
Either way she's doing it. "She sounds rather incredible. That's another reason to hope my contacts bear fruit." Damnit, Sayla. What are you doing? "This is the sort of work I set out to do, after all."
And then she drinks, and there's barely a mouthful left- and then that's gone too.
She is silent for a while after, before speaking up again. "Maybe I'm doing enough now," and there is doubt in her voice as she says it, "but I need to more regardless. For what I didn't do before."
<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.
"Huh, yeah, I can get that," Alma agrees, on the topic of the taste -- but then they quickly move past that to other topics. She'll stay forward from that, for now -- she doesn't mind continuing on.
What she ends up landing at is the topic of whether Sayla's doing enough now. "Sometimes 'doing enough' is like... resting, too? Like -- you need to charge back up! There were whole missions Killy just didn't send me on 'cuz I wasn't..." Here, Alma makes a vague, circular gesture with her drink. "I went so hard that I just couldn't keep going that hard. And I think you might be there now, too."
Setting it down to stretch out, she asks, instead: "What's something you want to do that you've been putting off for, like... eeeh..." The same circular gesture, but this time with her hand rather than her drink. "Six months? A year? You seem like you can kick something down the curb -- er, something down the road? -- forever if it's something you want for yourself. So. What is it."
She finishes, without waiting for Sayla's answer: "Do that thing. Then go back to doing all the million things you feel like you gotta do."
<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.
"You sound like Leina," Sayla says with a smirk, before she finishes her cocktail. "I guess I've never been one to stop." She pauses at Alma's comment. Zeon got time to rest, huh? Meanwhile they pushed Amuro past breaking point.
What she's been putting off? "Hm." Nothing comes to mind quickly. She hasn't even had time to think about it. "You've kind of put me on the spot there," Sayla replies, leaning back again. She looks at the menu again. Something stronger, perhaps.
"Another while I think about it?" She asks, looking over at Alma. "If you don't mind, I wouldn't mind hearing what that is for you. It might give me an idea." This is a much less miserable conversation to inflict on Alma. And it's... nice, still, for all her melancholy.
<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.
"I'll do you two better," Alma says, taking another long drink. "And that's funny, 'cuz I feel like Leina sounds way more like you than anyone else. I can kinda hear it in her, even more now that we get a chance to sit down."
Tapping her foot a little under the table as she tries to coax out a thought, Alma says, "Well, like -- for a bunch of time after I got back, the first time, I wasn't even cooking for myself? I was always like, 'it might be nice to learn how to bake, those chocolate cornets were really good,' but I always kicked it down the road. Then after Gryps, when Lilith and I finally met up... I started finally doing it. And like. My cakes and cookies and stuff aren't where I want them to be! But they're good and I'm happy I'm trying." She seems content with that -- but she knows she's worming out of the actual request, which is what she's putting off now.
"To tell you the truth, though... dessert is nice? Lilith pushes it too, so like, I'm not unhappy." It's a thought that -- especially while drinking something quite strong, actually -- she needs a little run-up to. "But she likes stuff with bigger flavors, more substance... I kinda wanna learn to cook, like, a really good chicken parma or something. Not anything too fancy, just... something that reminds her of home?"
Alma is a Wife Girl even where her partner can't see it. "But I've never done it! So yeah, that's something I keep putting off. Something that'd make me happy and make her happy. So what about you?"
<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.
Sayla smiles as she reaches to order. "I wonder..." She puts in a request for an Island-3 Iced Tea. "Half the time she still sounds like the little girl I took in years ago." She moves for the water, taking a slow sip. "And the rest of the time I hear this incredible young woman that she's become." The melancholy is still there, but so is overwhelming pride.
Sayla listens as Alma expresses her desires. They're such small, gentle things. "You should really talk about this with Koji Kabuto sometime, if you find yourself looking for a topic." She stops herself. She's shifting away from the conversation. "Ah, sorry." She finds herself tapping again before- "...Chicken parma?" It takes Sayla a few moments to parse it. "Do you mean parmigiana?"
Distracting herself from the things Australians do to words, she takes a while to get herself back on track. "...There's one thing, though it's not particularly cheery." Sayla's tapping on the table stops, as she says it out loud. "Every few years, I try to find my mother's grave."
Sayla sort of looks past Alma for a moment. "I'm sure the gravestone was destroyed during the One Year War, or the Impact Wars. The landscape has changed so much since we had to leave, and I don't even have rough coordinates of my old home." She sighs. "I haven't been able to search since '93. It's likely a lost cause now, but... I'd at least like to know it's gone."
<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.
Alma will definitely also have an Island-3 Iced Tea. "That's 'cuz you don't see the parts that are like you. They just kinda get assumed, you know? Like that's just... the background noise in your conversation, like if you had a really loud air conditioner in your house. Neither of you are gonna notice that stuff. But someone comes over and they're totally gonna see it!" Leaning forward, Alma giggles a little, and notes, "The you-stuff is way better than air conditioner noise though."
Nodding to the chicken question, Alma stays leaned in as Sayla gets serious. "No, yeah, that's a good thing too, right? I know someone might get on you for it being so morbid, but... that's a good thing to do. Like -- getting bad stuff out of your head is just as important as putting good stuff in, on taking your next step. Like when I stopped going to the Side 3 VFW... I was a little lonely at first but in the end it was better to figure out who I was than be how I was there." Finally finishing off her own first drink, she says, "So I guess what I'm saying is, like, I like it. You should do it."
It's a little too forward to offer to help. Alma has learned to read the room just a bit. But still. "So give it another shot and then get back to what you're trying to do!" A big, bright Alma Stirner smile follows.
<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.
Sayla can't help but feel a touch embarrassed to learn of such an obvious blindspot. With Roux she'd assumed it's because she'd known Leina from before, but now that it's been thrown in her face...
She and Leina really need to talk. And then just be.
"Well, I'm glad I'm better than the noise of an air conditioner." Sayla replies, with a chuckle in her voice. It's honestly a bit of a release of tension. Alma's response is treated with the tone it deserves, despite that. "I suppose I should start with the parts of that I can actually control, huh." There's lots of her past she can't touch anymore, and the bits of it she can...
he drinks arrive just as Alma gives her encouraging smile, and Sayla picks up her glass. "To another shot, then. Cheers."
---
Sayla's glass is two-thirds empty, and her straw is mildy chewed on. "Honestly I'd be lying if I weren't jealous, apart from the whole direct report thing." Sayla's a lot more relaxed now, leaning on the table. "I haven't even had a one night stand in... six? Eight months? Too long." God. It's been too fucking long since she had a drink with someone her age who didn't work for her. "I know Leina is trying to play Matchmaker, but it feels like everyone in my orbit is married, trying to rescue a loved one or a Getter obsessed maniac." She has not seen Hayato Jin in at least five years and hopes to keep it that way. "I feel like it's way to big an ask for her, but putting myself on the dating apps isn't an option either. Too much risk of Science Criminals looking for an easy ransom."
<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.
"Ahahaha... yeah, right? It's good," Alma agrees, picking up her drink and giving it a tilt toward Sayla. "Ah -- cheers!" A big grin, as she realizes that she's managed to make at least a little bit of a positive impact, started forming the space for a gate in those high walls. Then:
Bottoms up.
"Ehehe, Lilith's pretty voracious. I don't mind it, I'm pretty physical too? Everyone in my old unit was that way 'n' I guess it kinda rubbed off, and Lilith is, too... sorry to hear you're not getting any." It's a pretty frank conversation, but she doesn't mind.
"I can keep an eye out! No pressure. Lower limit is what, like... 24? That's not too bad. I got lucky, but..." The thought gets away from her a bit, and she says instead, "I'm guessing it's guys. Probably not a lotta help there from me, either... I've never really gotten hot over a dude..."
... it gets a little further away from her. She moves on. "Are you, uh, are there a lot of science criminal types in your orbit? I guess there'd have to be... that's kinda scary. Do you pay out of pocket for security, or does the Federation foot the bill, or what?"
<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.
"Very definitely jealous." Sayla says, before taking a sip through her straw. "I'm not, you know..." Sayla fumbles for the term. "Sucking up my water allowance, or anything but it'd be nice to have someone in my bed that isn't a cat." She sighs. "The White Base had a lot of tension but we really couldn't do anything about it until after the war." She pauses. "Well, technically during." Pause. "Let's just say the Rear Admiral's son was very definitely conceived on the Lismore."
Alma's doing a lot for Sayla, right now. "More like 28," she answers, swirling the straw in her drink. "Oh, I'm okay with men and women. It's more..." She bites the straw closed. "Forces types... tend to have an image of 'Sayla Mass' in their head and then aren't really able to deal with the reality." Not just forces types, to be fair. "Just... blue eyes and blonde hair is a no, and blue eyes, blonde hair and a pilot is a real no."
Sayla nods. "Yeah. Some of thing that can steal charity funds, some of them hate the idea of helping people and some of them, well." Putting the straw aside, Sayla picks up her glass again. "Look, Dr Hell crashed a party once and I shot him in the face and he insisted on making the evening miserable. And we heard tell the Vuitton Gang was going to hit us one night but I think she got distracted."
Pause.
"Would, though."
Sayla then immediately downs her remaining drink to avoid acknowledging that statement.
"Foundation events are covered by the foundation, but everything else I have to rely on my own resources. I get a tax break but that's about it." Sayla's hand moves toward the menu again, with a casual attitude despite how much she's drunk. "And honestly, I'd rather they spend the money on infrastucture or food aid." She sighs. "Dios, I've missed this."
<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.
Alma has a full-on snort-laugh at that. "Yeah, there was a lot of that that year... it kind of feels like that spirit got inherited a bit, too. Like -- there are a lot of really active kids born 0077-0081, you know...?" She's thinking about what she got to see at the Deculture Festival before whatever-it-was attacked(?) Yuliana.
Nodding at the idea that people get a different idea of Sayla from war stories than who she really is, she says, "Got it got it. Some stuff is just too much, right..." She decides not to press on that.
At the mention of 'would' about the Vuitton gang, though -- Alma just bursts out laughing. "I was going to ask you if that stuff was a dealbreaker only if it was guys, but that kinda answers that!!" It doesn't take her long to get into full-on cry-laughing, either.
After taking a breath and downing the rest of her own drink, Alma agrees, "OK though. I can keep that in mind... you deserve to be treated great! You're a really great person." Taking a long drink of /water/, she says, "This might be closing in on my limit... I'm supposed to hook up with the Gwennangorn after it gets back from atmosphere... I can hang out for a little while longer, but I ought to at least stop before I show up to port blasted."
<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.
"True," Sayla replies, "and that's why I have very good earplugs for when Leina has her partners over." She sighs a bit. "Still, hopefully we can hand them a world they can do something great with." She's very happy for Alma not to pry, especially since the explanation... would probably mean invoking Sleggar Law.
Besides she's got plenty to deal with when Alma starts laughing at her, Sayla turning red in the process. "Look, I'm just saying that I don't consider stealing some noble's giant diamond worse than-" Pause. "Oh. You meant the. Hair thing. That." Sayla reaches for the water, finally drinking most of her glass. She doesn't have alcohol to hide her embarrassment with.
Alma's post laughing fit earnestness does get a smile from Sayla. "You are as well. I haven't had a time like this in far too long." When Alma mentions she has to go meet her ship, though, Sayla starts pouring her another water- and one for herself. "I'd... like to do this again, if we can make time."
<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.
Despite the fact that Sayla sighs, Alma giggles a little at that. She gets a little more serious at the mention of handing them a world they can do something great with. "We're still part of that world too, even if we're getting a little older... don't count us out," she says, with a twinkle in her eye.
"Sounds great," Alma agrees, nodding very firmly to Sayla at the idea of doing this again. "Maybe next time I can bring Lilith along too... she's a heavier drinker than I am, she might actually be able to keep up with you."
Moving to get up, Alma pauses -- and then sits back down. "... OK like. Fifteen more minutes of hanging out. Then I go see a movie, then I go to port." It's the smart move.