Welcome to Gaia! ::

A chuckle left Alinta's lips as she raised her mug in return. "I suppose it would be." At least if she had been a soldier it would be more acceptable to look tough and flip over men who she didn't like touching her. All she could do on a dance floor was discreetly step on a foot or swat at a hand with her decorative fan. It had worked far enough though since many of them got the hint about leaving her be.

"Oh? So you're a military family then." Replied Alinta with surprise. She probably shouldn't be surprised, but maybe it was just because she was so accustomed to seeing noble families with their ranking officers...it would make sense that other families would be in the army, just not ones that she would see at the events she was normally attending. "As long as you love it then I guess it all worked out in the end. Hopefully you can prove yourself and climb up the ranks quickly enough, future brigadier general." She encouraged with a small smile, raising the mug to her lips to take a drink of the bitter brew before promptly setting it back down on the table. It was easy to forget that the cup in her hands wasn't what she was more inclined to drink, especially since she got wrapped up in conversation with Torsten.

Alinta couldn't help the look of dread that crossed her features for a moment before she realized that Zuzette was simply making fun conversation, hopefully not pointing out any actual details about Alinta. Shaking her head, the hybrid simply chuckled and smiled towards the server. "I suppose, but I think I would get bored of it after a while. Plus, my feet are ticklish." It was best to joke about it even if the thought of marrying to just stay the lady of some manor made her stomach churn. She was much more like Sariza and would rather be out and about than stuck inside. Taking the other plate for herself, Alinta stabbed the pie to take a bite. "Thank you, this is perfect." It wasn't a high-class dessert with all the fancy additions, but Alinta did savor the sweet taste that took the bitterness of the coffee out of her mouth.

What her shoulders? Oh, oh. Alinta's face was suddenly warmer than her coffee and she felt like she could melt into the chair. While Torsten practically choked on his pie, she instead resisted the urge to throw her hands up over her face. What a statement! No one normally would even dare hint at such things and then for someone to just outright! Well, that was definitely something new to hear. Alinta took a breath and simply shook her head. "I'll uh, keep that in mind. Thank you, Zuzette." She managed finally opting to focus on the pie in front of her and not on what husbands could potentially handle should she ever find one. It wasn't as if she were completely naive to anything like that, her mother was a healer who had handled plenty of injuries when helping out at the clinic she had set up and Alinta had been there helping her on occasion ever since she was old enough to go there. The ladies at the few meetings she had attended also preferred to discuss similar interests or the kindness of their suitors....though that one lady had been awfully keen on noticing the size of a man's hand and feet. That makes a lot more sense when I think about it this way. She blinked before shaking her head and taking a bite.

"Guess it's a good thing I'm not looking for a husband at the moment. Apparently there's a lot more to things than I thought." She managed after a few bites, settling back and trying to look composed despite the earlier statement and how it had startled her.

Maybe she should have tried posing as a man on top of her casual attire. Alinta found herself pondering as the conversation continued, her cheeks warm despite her best attempt to not be ruffled by the server's teasing. She nodded at Zuzette, raising her hand in an awkward half wave before setting it back in front of her. Tapping on the table, Alinta tried to catch a moment before Torsten's next comment had her sitting up straighter than before. "Positions?" She asked, her coffee and pie forgotten. "What do you....oh." With what had just happened Alinta doubted Zuzette would be talking about military strategy or fighting positions...

"You know, it's probably best if I don't know." Alinta managed after a moment, her hands twisting together as she shook her head. "I think I'm full. It was good though." Maybe she just wasn't as hungry as Zuzette and others thought. Alinta pursed her lips before shaking her head once more, trying to shake off the embarrassing conversation that had startled her so.

Alinta nodded, "I suppose that is what I did ask." She agreed with a nod. "I'm more of the quiet person in the corner in this situations, never the casual customer they feel so comfortable with." She nodded towards one corner of the tavern, thankfully the guy's back was to them but he was eating alone and enjoying what silence he somehow had made in the corner over there. While it wasn't a tavern setting, that was how she felt about social events where she tried to hide in the corners to avoid everyone else. Poor Calix and Qaisan normally couldn't, at least Calix since he was being swarmed now that he was older at these events and Qaisan well was....Qaisan.

"Can't waste it, eh?" Alinta made herself take another bite, not wanting to risk questions should she come home with a goody bag. "Here." She pushed the remaining piece towards Torsten with a small smile. "It's not wasted if you take the final bite, right?"

"Why because I'm too pretty? Does that mean I should stick out more?" Alinta found herself teasing as she stood, digging around in her sash until she found the smallest coin that she could to leave on the table. It would be very strange for a runner to have gold coins, after all. So she left the coppers that she had, hoping that was enough for a meal based upon what she saw lingering on other tables.

"It was nice running out this way." Alinta admitted as she brushed her hands along her leggings and smiled towards Torsten. "I may come back, depending on the documents I have to carry. I'm more worried about you moving up the ranks so quickly that I may not get to see you at the same place again." She nodded towards him, a small smile lingering on her lips. "But speaking of running, I need to finish my run before it gets too late."