2024-07-05: Learning
- Log: Learning
- Cast: Alma Stirner, Calas Zelinn
- Where: December One, PLANT
- OOC - IC Date: July 5, 0097
- Summary: Alma and Calas have the same class of ZAFT pilots to work with today--and they meet in the breakroom after. They talk around the past.
<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.
This job started in Side 6 -- but that's more than a year ago, now, and Alma has been asked to move to the PLANTs to provide pilot instruction there. Side 6 is relatively light on pilots who need the type of instruction Alma's best at (for better or for worse, combat), whereas the PLANTs essentially always attract new pilots in what remains of ZAFT.
That brings us to the present moment, of course, where she's in the academy break room nursing a cup of hot coffee. She looks more than a little tired, though not especially upset about it.
"... Those kids are something else," she murmurs to herself. "They learn so fast..." Alma, for her own part, took a lot of time to feel comfortable and situated in the trainer ZAKU she's been using. The PLANTs really do make them different.
She starts in on some paperwork. No one briefed her on the paperwork part of the job going into things -- there's always more of it than she expects, especially after moving to PLANT. The bureaucracy here is utterly wild in comparison to the much more free-wheeling Zeon, AEUG, Londo Bell path she's taken through the era...
<Pose Tracker> Calas Zelinn has posed.
Calas Zelinn was aske today to give a talk to some pilots. She was reserved about it, but had good advice for them on following orders, keeping in mind one's squadmates... Things she learned with hard-won experience were important. She isn't here for all that much longer, but she's not getting back in her car without a cup of coffee.
So, she steps into the breakroom--and spots not only an unfamiliar face, but an unfamiliar garb. Because it's polite, Calas first says, "Hey there."
She moves to the coffeepot, considering Alma for a moment as she does. If she answers, maybe she wants to talk. Otherwise...
Calas of course is in an old black ZAFT uniform for this purpose.
<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.
Alma's already glancing up and over to Calas a split second before she enters; giving her a wave, she gives her back an, "Ah, hi there!" She's all smiles in an instant -- just having someone in the same room seems like an 'up' for her.
"You're the one who was here to talk to my class today after lessons, right?" she asks, with a small rub at the back of her head. "Ehehe... I hope they didn't give you too much trouble. They seem like a pretty good bunch." The essential character of ZAFT pilots seems at once so similar and so different to Zeon's... though that's a whole generation back, at this point. Maybe Alma's just getting old...
"I don't think we've met before? Uh -- Alma Stirner, Space Assembly League CFI." She seems to take a little pride in being a certified flight instructor -- or maybe she's just generally pretty smiley. "It's great to meet you!" She looks at Calas's uniform, and pauses. "... Is that naval officer black or squad leader black?"
She has not yet figured out the trick with the coat length to narrow it down -- because she mostly spends her time around people who are about to graduate Red, where the skirt length doesn't matter.
<Pose Tracker> Calas Zelinn has posed.
Well, Calas appreciates someone friendly. When Alma initiates a proper conversation, Calas smiles at her. "That's right," she answers. "They didn't. They're always a little mouthy when they're young, but I usually deal with younger children these days. I can handle mouthy."
They do seem like a good bunch.
"Not to my knowledge," Calas answers. "Likewise," she says. "Calas Zelinn. ZAFT, retired." She notes the pause. "Naval officer--though it's fair to be confused, mine's mid-length because I've been both. I got out a few months after Bloody Valentine ended, though. I'm only in uniform because I'm here for official business."
She comes away from the pot with a cup of coffee, and turns back to Alma. "I hope I'm not interrupting important work."
<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.
"Ehe... your own or someone else's?" Alma asks, when Calas mentions young children. She could see that question going either way -- ZAFT seems like it has a really big fixation on babymaking.
She's already been approached for genetic screenings three times since moving here. It's been a real culture shock.
"That makes sense, though..." she reflects, as Calas explains her look. Alma takes a few seconds to consider what else to say. "It seems like there's a lot of people who retired after the Bloody Valentine Conflict but aren't quite out of it. ZAFT's pretty small in the grand scheme of things, even with all the people coming in from all the other SAL signatories..."
She stops herself from reflecting too much. Instead, her attention turns to work. "Ehe, not really?" she admits, wobbling a hand. "This is just a report on how I feel about everyone's progress... I feel like they're doing an amazing job, so there's not much to write." She scratches her cheek, continuing, "... I think everyone's a little antsy, though. Sometimes it feels like they're excited for the next war to start..." That turns her expression down a bit.
<Pose Tracker> Calas Zelinn has posed.
"Both," Calas answers pleasantly. That's apparently a bright topic for her. "I have three, and I'm a primary school teacher now that I'm out of the military again."
Calas would only be a little surprised by that.
"There are," Calas agrees. "It was an existential war for us. But with it over... Some people were eager to get back to their lives. Some people didn't want to join with the Federation, even if it's called something else now. As for me..." She puts on a wry look, "I was pregnant."
"Oh, good," Calas says of the report. "That makes sense. Have you worked with Coordinators much before? We still have to study, but we do well if we do."
Antsy.. "Some of them are," Calas ventures. "They're eager to prove themselves. They hear about the glories of war, a chance to be heroic..."
"And they don't think about how brutal war is." She says it calmly, but her eyes grow distant. "I admit, I wonder it too. But I wouldn't say I look forward to it."
<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.
... Yep! There's the PLANT babymaking again! Alma doesn't seem offput by it, mind -- but it's so strange to her. Even in Zeon there were more mixed pressures surrounding children than that...
"Oh, that's great!" Despite being somewhere at least lesbian-adjacent, Alma likes kids, though -- so she can talk about that much, at least. "I think I would have had a lot of fun as a teacher, if things turned out a little different... I was doing my general education after the One Year War, and the Gryps Conflict kinda put an end to that..." Another little cheekscratch before she decides to shake it off and move on. "Then again, I guess I'm a teacher now, so... mission accomplished!" All smiles again.
Despite the heavy topic, even, Alma's able to marshal a pretty upbeat demeanor. "I guess that makes sense. I still kind of think... you need to be interested in more than just glory to make it out. I've been trying to get that stuff out of their heads, but some of them are really..." Slight grimace-smile, "... eeeeenthusiastic."
Pivot! Pivot! "So tell me about your newborn!!" she suddenly insists. "Do you have pictures? What's their name? Are they --" pause. "No, everyone's babies are cute, dumb question..."
<Pose Tracker> Calas Zelinn has posed.
Three is a lot for a Coordinator woman in the later generations; it all but precludes the possibility that she's a third-generation... which she isn't, so that's fine.
"They're wonderful. It's... really a balm, after everything." Then she nods back. "I see, yes. My schooling was interrupted around then, too. I ended up involved with Gryps, too. It was only after I left the AEUG that I got to finish school."
A smile. "Mission accomplished, then."
"It's possible to learn. The ones who survive may." But that won't be everyone, she doesn't have to say. "..There's not really much for it but experience. I was the same way. I'd strike back at the Titans, show them what for. I only learned to calm down about it later."
She does finish her thought--but then she's happy to move with Alma's pivot. She smiles a bit mro wiely than before. "His name is Tarol, and he's not quite a newborn anymore--he's fifteen months! He's adorable--he loves fast things, loves being in he car." She reaches into a pocket and pulls out--
Of course she has a picture!! And of her ten and eight year olds, too.
<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.
"Oh, you were with the AEUG too? I ended up spending more time with Karaba -- we didn't have enough HLVs in my area to get back off Earth at the time... I spent a big chunk of that era doing ground fighting in and around Pyongyang." She delivers it pretty neutrally -- it doesn't agonize her to think about, nor does she relish it. "I met someone... still important to me, the second time, there." Fondness radiates off of Alma.
Despite everything.
Babies. That's the real winner topic. "Oh, he's cute... sounds like he'd be a handful though. I bet he's the kind of baby who can slip out of the crib if you leave him alone for too long..." That sensation of speed -- Alma's known a fair number of people who love that kind of feeling. "I don't think I'll ever have kids, but... I'm around December pretty often lately, so if you need a babysitter, let me know, okay?" A Coordinator baby might be a little bit of a handful if he's already a go-fast addict, but...
"... You have a really nice family," Alma finishes, after a little thought. It's a compliment that's found its way into her lexicon more and more since she started spending more time around the PLANTs.
<Pose Tracker> Calas Zelinn has posed.
"I was," Calas confirmms. "I was in space." She doesn't go into it either; that's good enough for right now. "Is that so?" Calas asks, and smiles at that fondness. "That's good. I'm happy for you."
Babies! "He can be," Calas confirms. "And he's tried." Alma won't have kids. A lot of PLANT citizens might ask her why not, but Calas is moer tactful. Instead, "You are? Well, I'll keep that in mind. I have pretty good childcare already, but it's good to have options." A beat, "You could meet him before I go, if you want--I'm assured he's napping in the daycare."
A nice family.... "Thank you," Calas says. "I love them dearly." But there is something more complex to that; a Newtype might find insight into it, might recognize some mixed feelings as she ontinues, "My husband is with the PLANT government. He's home late a lot, accordingly. But he's promised to spend some real time with us this week. So that's nice."
<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.
"Ahhh, yeah... I followed behind the Jaburo operation and then things kinda got complicated from there." She takes a moment to breathe... thinking back about all of that is so complex, even still. She doesn't have regrets -- but it's a lot to think about.
"Oh, right... I'm kind of used to Zeon. We didn't have great public childcare or anything, at least not when I was growing up." Looking up, it's obvious she wonders if Side 3 is different, two decades on... but not enough to dig into it.
Calas's mixed feelings come through loud and clear, for Alma; she gives her a sympathetic look. "Oh -- that's... yeah, I can get that. My ex was a commander... there were a lot of times when our schedules didn't line up. Hang in there, okay? It's not always easy, but it's super worth it."
She takes a long drink of her coffee, holding the cup with both hands. "I hope you two have a great week this week," she says, with a smaller but no less genuine smile.
<Pose Tracker> Calas Zelinn has posed.
"I see," Calas answwers. That would be commplicated. And there are always heavy things to consider, looking back.
It was easier against the Titans, in a lot of ways.
"There's a small nursery on-site," Calas explains, "And then daycare facilities at a lot of workplaces. Mine, for instance." She wonders about Side 3 in the moment, too. But if Alma doesn't bring it up, she won't either.
"...Thanks," Calas says, when it's clear Alma gets it at least a little. But it would be pretty rude to undermine her husband by pointing out it was arranged right now. "I appreciate that. I do."
She drinks her own, too "I hope so, too."
A beat, "But I should let you to your work, and pick up my son. ...It was nice to meet you, CPI Stirner."
<Pose Tracker> Alma Stirner has posed.
"Yeah, that's way better than we had growing up," Alma affirms. Calas's appreciation seems to close out that topic -- and Alma nods, one last time. "You're welcome."
As Calas starts to move to leave, Alma agrees, "It was good to meet you too, Mrs. Zelinn." It's so strange to her how informal and fluid the ZAFT ranks are -- there's that impulse to ask for her 'rank,' such as it is, but... if she's retired, it's just 'Mrs.,' one supposes.
She turns her attention back to her paperwork before too long. Even if it's something she's never really had a head for, it does have to get done.