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 Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2012 10:08 pm
When Sophie had entered Sovereign Heights, she had expected it to show her what she wanted to do with her life. There were lots of ways to make the world a better place. The police did their fair share, as did the fire department, EMTs, doctors, teachers, social workers, non-profit organizations... considering all of the time and energy poured into saving the world, why wasn't it saved yet? To Sophie, that could only mean one thing: none of it was what she wanted to do. Not that she would ever knock the importance of police officers or teachers, but none of those jobs were the job, the thing that she wanted to do every day for the rest of her life.
When she graduated and moved on to DCU, she expected some other flash of insight to come at her. Nothing came, and by winter Sophie was tired of wandering aimlessly through her life. No, that wasn't accurate. She had a definite aim, she just had no idea how to go about it. For a while she had tried different clubs, looked into different internships, and talked to guidance counselors both in her school and elsewhere. All of it was informative, but she still hadn't found her calling.
Which was when she remembered Zia Connolly. Sophie and Zia hadn't exactly been BFFs, but they'd known each other at Sovereign Heights and did some work for the same groups. Before Zia graduated, Sophie had an impression that here was a person who knew where she was going in life, and how to get there as well. If anyone might have some insight for her, Zia might. It was worth a shot, at least. So Sophie had dug out Zia's email address and shot off an invite. It took a while, but Zia got back to her, and the two agreed to meet.
A little too worried about being late, Sophie was instead almost half an hour early. She ordered a cappuccino and sat at a table by the windows, lazily skimming the textbook for some art history class that she had no interest in, but had registered for anyway. Maybe if Zia had something helpful for her, she'd be able to register for more relevant classes next semester. If not, then she'd have to ask for a more interesting class, at the very least.
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Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2012 10:23 pm
Zia tried not to think about Sovereign Heights. Back in Shlip, she was top dog. She was brilliant, successful, and frequently told of her potential. She was classy, she was pretty. She had no time for stupid relationships with boys that made you feel like s**t and had yet to have a single drop of blood on her hands.
Perfect ringlets and pencil skirts (And some warning signs of an eating disorder) Had been Zia Connolly's trademarks in her school days. These things were nowhere to be seen on the curvacious girl with wild curls and dark make-up that entered the restaurant, clad in ripped jeans and a tank top under a baggy hoodie she stole from some guy when her more form fitting girly one got ripped.
Some quick glancing and she saw her old acquaintance. Though, Zia would probably call her a friend if only because she shunned most social interaction during school and working together in the same groups put Sophie closer to 'friend' status than a large majority of people she went to school with.
"Hey, Soph!" She said with loud enthusiasm as she flopped into a seat opposite of her at the table, a brash grin on her face. It was nice, reconnecting with someone from the old days, even if she tried not to think about them too often. She could definitely use a blast from the past. "Is this place any good? I am starving," She groaned, grabbing for an advertisement on the table displaying limited specialties and desserts.
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Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2012 10:45 pm
The art history textbook was boring, and Sophie found herself sneaking glances out the window fairly often. She saw the girl with wild hair and a hoodie pass by. She saw her approach the table. But she didn't realize it was Zia until, hoodie and torn jeans and all, she sat down across the table from her.
"Zia!" Well, that was... not what Sophie was expecting. But she did her best not to let on, smiling warmly and leaning forward. "You look well!" Not "great," which would have been her word of choice for the Zia she remembered, who always looked polished and put together. But she seemed happy and healthy, so "well" fit the bill. Accentuating the positive was important to Sophie, and she tried not to feel too alarmed by the changed Zia that she was dealing with. Maybe it was just her fashion sense. Despite her appearance, Sophie had a hard time imagining that Zia had changed on the inside too much.
"Of course this place is good! I wouldn't suggest anything but!" She winked playfully and tucked her textbook back into her bag, glad for the distraction and glad to have a distraction from the distraction. While she was bent under the table she took a couple of deep breaths, then popped back up. "Their custards are especially good, but I hear they do good tarts and cupcakes too. See anything you like?"
The menu was a good distraction, which kept her from having to move on to the next obvious question. Somehow asking something as routine as "how have you been?" was a bit frightening when she was no longer confident about getting positive response.
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Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 5:50 pm
Zia flashed Sophie a look, but it was hard to tell if it was a positive, or a negative one. It was more of a 'I see what you did there' smile quirk and it's origin was about as hard to read as Zia's nicotine twitch. Maybe she was just staring Sophie down to see if she'd squirm. Sophie was always so cheerful, or this is what her hole-filled memory was filling in the blanks with. It was hard to get a bead on someone when you didn't know how many of your assumptions and vibes you were just making up.
"Ooooh, custards," She was too distracted by food to overanalyze at this particular moment, though. "Eh, I'm totally burned out on cupcakes," She shrugged. Stupid Noah and his stupid mad scientist flavor combinations, reconnecting with him was going to make her fat.
Zia didn't hedge around 'how've you been', but also probably because it was not directed at her but rather coming from her. "So whatcha been doing? I noticed you had a textbook, you still in school?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 6:59 pm
Sophie caught the look, but she wasn't quite sure what it meant. Maybe her anxiety was obvious? And why was she anxious in the first place? Because Zia wasn't perfectly manicured and well-heeled? If this was what she felt like wearing, why worry? Heck, Sophie herself usually wore sweatshirts and jeans when she wasn't meeting old college friends. That day she had put in a little more effort, dressing in a button-down shirt with a red cardigan and black pants, but even on her good days she couldn't claim to be fashionable, having little interest in style. If Zia's interests had shifted, that wasn't a bad thing.
So she relaxed a bit, some of the tension easing out of her shoulders. "Cupcakes are everywhere these days, it's kind of nuts." Sure, they were yummy, but they were cupcakes. Any kid with an Easy Bake Oven could make them. Custards, on the other hand... "The tarts look good too, but most of those fruits aren't in season. Anything other than apple or pear would probably taste a little off."
The question about the textbook took her by surprise, and she looked under her chair as if she'd forgotten it was there. "Oh, yeah. I guess. I mean, it's something to do, right?" Which wasn't exactly the view most people took in regards to their education, but considering Sophie wasn't sure what she was supposed to be preparing for, her classes were pretty general. "One of the pitfalls of having a college professor for a mom is their insistence on college education. I mean, I don't know what I'm going to end up doing, but I doubt it'll involve literary analysis or precalculus." She shrugged, feeling a little awkward about the topic.
"What about you? You were in the business program, right?" There, difficult question out of the way. That wasn't that hard. Really.
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 8:01 pm
"Nah, no, custard all the way," Zia said, making a bit of a face when tarts were mentioned. "My brother owns that place a little south of here? The burgers-and-pie-and-pretending-21st-century-marketing-never-happened joint? Yeah I am pretty burned out on the baked goods," She said with a brash laugh.
She cleared her throat awkwardly at the mention of the business program and turned her attention 100% on the menu. "Yeah, I never went back to school after Shlip," She said, trying to be as casual about it as possible. That was the summer Operation Rota happened. And then she was only going to take some time off. And that turned into 'let's spend what's left of our limited lifespan being a monster hunter' and the whole education side she had poured so much of her childhood and teen years into had just faded into the background. Not that she didn't think about it, often, and having a boy toy going after an education in astronomy and molecular physics did not help the feelings of inadequacy.
"Aw, it's just, yanno, so much s**t going on in the city who has the time, right?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 8:21 pm
The place Zia mentioned was not one that Sophie had been to before, but she made a mental note to look it up sometime. She liked burgers. And pie. And she liked Zia, so supporting her family was a good idea. "I'll have to check it out sometime! What's his place called?"
Hearing that Zia had never finished school was a surprise. If her appearance hadn't already shocked Sophie, this would have. Now it just added to her suspicions that things were not going well for her old acquaintance, and that made her sad, and a little guilty to boot. She had extended the invitation seeking help with her own life. It had never occurred to her that the person she was asking might have much worse problems than a little existential crisis.
"Well..." Sophie debated withholding her commentary. But she wouldn't be a very good friend if she didn't try to help. She wouldn't even be a very good person. And she'd rather be a good person than a tactful one. "You know, it's never too late to go back, if you think that's what you want to do. Plenty of people take time off." She hadn't, mostly because of a total lack of anything else to do with her life, but some of her classmates were older people. "I mean, why spend thousands of dollars on a degree when you're not sure what you want? But if you have a better idea now, then I say go for it."
The comment about the city was kind of odd. Sure, Destiny City wasn't exactly quiet. Sophie had been attacked by a lady in a costume who'd caught her in a net, and she'd had weird dreams about fighting a giant ice woman, but she'd kept on going with her life. "Why let that stop you from living? I mean, it's a weird situation, but it's not like a few costumed terrorists should keep you from doing what you want to do."
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 8:44 pm
"I dunno, I think it's like... some old lady name from the chick he bought it off of," Zia shrugged. Clearly she did not care as much about her brother's business as he did.
Sophie's well was in a tone she had heard way too many times from various other people. Or maybe she was projecting. But she did not like the tone and her eyes did angle up away from the menu so one eyebrow could quirk, practically daring Sophie to continue. When she moved on to the topic of how common it was to take time off, though, the intensity of the glare seemed to go out like a light and her eyes turned back down to the menu.
And then she had to go and share her perception of the war and the menu was slapped down on the table top, under Zia's straining fingertips. Her expression wasn't mad, though. It looked more like she was trying her hardest to hold back a hurricane of laughter and was only managing to demote it to a smile that was straining to stay closed. "YUP, of course." Oh god, how long had it been since she had casual conversation with someone not involved? Clearly way, way too long. And it had just now hit her she probably wasn't capable of doing so any more. Though it had just hit her how obvious the vibes Pascal and Harmony gave off that they knew what was going on, not so much that she openly talked about magic with them, but they never once flinched when she said youma or senshi. "Yes, that's... that is just... Yup."
And all the while in her head she was chanting 'Do. Not. Laugh. Like a maniac. Don't. Stop it.'
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 9:16 pm
Old lady diner that served good burgers and pie. Not exactly the best lead ever, but Sophie was going to do her best to find it. Another time. Now was the time for custard, and she was more than ready for it, assuming someone came by to take their order sometime that century.
The fact that her pep talk didn't go over that well was pretty obvious. That was unfortunate, but it didn't make Sophie regret her plan of action. If anything, it made her more determined to help Zia in some way. It was the least she could do for... for a friend. And because she could, hopefully. She didn't need any more reason than that.
More rationale might help, though, as Sophie studied Zia's expression from behind her own menu. Zia was trying to humor her. Which meant that something she had just said was wrong. It couldn't be the whole going-back-to-school thing. Everyone knew that some people took time off. Just because she had nothing better to dedicate her life to than more education didn't mean everyone was in that position. Which meant that it must have been her comments about the terrorists. Why would those be wrong? She didn't, even for a moment, suspect Zia of being one of them. The Zia she remembered would never try to hurt people, and while this was not the Zia she remembered, she didn't think things had changed that much. There were, however, other possibilities. Unlikely ones, but more likely than Zia secretly being a sociopathic killer.
Leaning forward, Sophie lowered her menu an inch and asked, in a low voice, "Are you a secret agent?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 10:41 pm
Zia was starting to get a grip, needing to slowly remind herself that it wasn't Sophie's fault, the girl was just incredibly lucky she hadn't been thrown in the fray. Yet. Probably. Either way, Sophie's ignorance on this particular topic was certainly not a crime.
And then she had to ask her if she was a secret agent and Zia lost it.
Her head hit the table, only to be wrapped in her arms to muffle the hysterical laughter. She hadn't heard the secret agent bit before. Oh Sophie, please, please have an amazing theory behind that one.
Of course this was the perfect (Re: Worst) moment to have someone interrupt their party to take their order, but before the poor server could get out their greeting, Zia's head snapped up with a gasp for air, followed by, "Chocolate custard. Please."
And then when she looked back to Sophie she was practically biting through her lower lip to prevent another onslaught of giggles.
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 11:13 pm
Well, that reaction was a bit more extreme than what Sophie expected. And just a tiny bit disturbing in its own way. Still, it was more or less what she had been going for when she asked the question. No, she hadn't really thought that Zia was a secret agent. Not seriously, anyway.
... okay, no more than a tiny bit that she wrote off as being silly, but she was not going to admit that to Zia. Or to anyone. Ever.
The important thing was that the tension had been defused, and Zia was laughing. Which had been what she was going for. Not hysterics, but that counted as laughing, so she considered this a job well done and handed her menu to the waitress. "Make that two, please. Don't mind her, she just came from the dentist. Gas hasn't quite worn off yet."
Then she looked at Zia, pouting ever so slightly. "Well, I suppose you wouldn't be able to tell me if you were, but isn't this pushing things a bit?" And she winked, to make it clear that this was all still in good fun, while still keeping the pout on her face. "I guess I'll take that as a "no," though now I'll forever wonder if that display was actual amusement or if you should have won an Oscar for your performance."
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Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2012 6:11 am
"Oh no, I'd totally tell you," Zia said, her strained to stay toned down grin still present. And she probably would, as her current self, but then if she had been granted space powers the old fashioned way she probably wouldn't be herself as she was now.
She brushed off funny looks from their server as order came and server went, and she leaned on her elbows on the table, still trying to contain herself.
"So like..." She was struggling to find a way to approach this. "I guess if I... pointed out the window and said, 'look! Youma!' you would have no idea what I meant." Except of course, youma were monsters so if there was actually one out there to use as an example she would hope Sophie was smart enough to put two and two together.
Zia was torn. Should she just maybe get up and leave? Concede to the fact she couldn't be around normal people any more? Change the subject? To what? She didn't know anything about Sophie that was probably still relevant. School and charity work had been their connection, and they had covered school already, and Zia couldn't remember the last time she had volunteered anywhere.
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Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2012 4:52 pm
"Then it's just as well that you're not a secret agent, or so you say. Since you're not doing so great at the secret part." That was a little more harsh than Sophie usually got, but she said it all with the same relaxed smile that indicated that she was still playing around. As long as Zia was healthy and could laugh at the silly things, everything was fine, and she wanted to keep it that way.
At the mention of youma, Sophie did actually look slightly fear-stricken and glanced out the window as if she expected a monster to come through it. When nothing happened, she relaxed again. "Don't even joke like that!" she scolded sharply. "If my mother really was out there, I'd be running for the hills with my hands over my ears." Okay, that was a bit extreme. But Sophie had been crashing at her mother's place a lot since graduating from Shlip, and the constant nagging about how she had to do something productive with herself was starting to drive her over the edge. She knew that, and she was working on it, so why couldn't her mother let it rest?
But that was off-topic. Or a near change of topic. Sophie remembered her original train thought, and she wasn't ready to completely derail it just yet. "So assuming you're telling the truth about this whole secret agent thing, why is the terrorist situation stopping you from pursuing your education?" Blunt, but if she didn't know the basic situation, she couldn't really be of much help. "I can tell you, my classes are plenty full, so it's not like it's stopping everyone else."
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Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2012 7:12 pm
Giggles were barely muffled behind Zia's teeth as she waved her pointer finger like Sophie had just said something clever. She felt terrible for being so amused, but at the same time, was way too amused to waste much time dwelling on being terrible.
The youma thing took a second to click. And when it did she lost her grip again and collapse on the table, trying to contian herself before she sat up, gasping for air. "Oh just, god, I can't."
And then she leaned forward, wide eyed and grinning still, and looking at Sophie with some kind of fascination like she was a rare bird. "New vocabulary word. Negaverse. What does that mean?"
She was totally purposefully ignoring the education thing.
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Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2012 8:01 pm
Another person might have gotten fed up with the laughter and walked out in a huff. Not Sophie. Even though she suspected that Zia might be laughing at her as much as at the jokes she was cracking, she didn't particularly mind. Her short-term goal had been to get Zia to cheer up, and it didn't matter to her how she achieved it. Though she was wondering what about her made her so wildly successful at it.
Once Zia was able to speak a bit, Sophie waited, then turned the word over in her mind. Negaverse? "Sounds like a double negative portmanteau. You know, negate, reverse. Or is it that thing in logic? A... what was it called? A contrapositive! Is that it?" She paused for a moment. "Does that mean that other thing you said- youma- was that vocabulary too? But for what?"
She had not forgotten the education issue, but was willing to let Zia dictate the direction of the conversation for the moment. They could always come back to it later. And they would, if Sophie had any say in the matter.
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