Welcome to Gaia! ::

Tress had finished her work at the clothing store for the day, balancing out the cash registers, checking the inventory, putting away go-backs, and straightening up all the clothes. Her final step after turning off certain and taking out the trash was to lock all the doors. As she stood outside the store and did so, however, the noise from a club down the street came drifting over to her and she turned her head, curious.

Even at her age of 24, she had never been to such a place. From what she understood, clubs were places where young, immature people went to 'let loose', drink, dance, and meet other people just as young and immature as they themselves were. Thus Tress had never sparked an interest in going to one. Not until that night when, after locking up the store, she went into a dark alley, powered up into Forsterite, and sensed another Negaverse agent nearby.

The agent's signature seemed to be located very near the source of the club sounds. Did such officers attempt to unwind at such places as well? Forsterite would have thought better of them than that, but then she realized she was jumping to conclusions. If they did choose to go, what reason would they have had to go while powered up? Not to enjoy themselves, certainly. Now that the young woman thought of it, a club would have been the perfect site to collect energy from unsuspecting civilians. As stupid, drugged up, and drunk as the lot of them were likely to be there, what better place to do her job as a Negaverse agent?

Eager to meet the genius who had realized this and to assist in their endeavors, Forsterite hurried toward the establishment that, in most any other situation, she would have done her best to avoid.

Though she had hurried to the bar, once she actually got to the front door, Forsterite became hesitant. Was there a way one was supposed to enter such a place? Or were its occupants so caught up in indulging themselves that it made no difference because they wouldn't notice? The lieutenant finally made the decision to enter as quietly and inconspicuously as possible.

However, she had hardly stepped through the entrance when someone seemed to address her. Forsterite immediately recognized the superior officer's aura as the one she had sensed from afar. While she had been fully prepared to introduce herself formally as a fellow Negaverse agent and demonstrate her respect as an underling to prove she knew her place, the woman's unexpected question completely threw off Forsterite's guard. Was that some sort of...code question meant as a test? Was she supposed to answer a particular phrase?

In spite of all her efforts to maintain her composure at least outwardly, the tawny-haired woman's complexion flushed a deep red and her freckles stood out more than ever. If this was a test, she didn't know the answer, so the best she could do was improvise. No stammering or stuttering or 'ums' - she had to show she could be professional no matter the situation.

"Actually, this is the first time I've ever entered this place," she confessed, taking in her surroundings through her peripheral vision. "Or, in fact, any place like it. Truth be told, miss..." Her bright green eyes finally shifted to meet deep blue ones. "I...was drawn here by your presence."

There. That was subtle enough to explain herself and yet sound like a comment that could have been made by any other civilian, right? Albiet a horribly cheesy one. The ruddiness of her cheeks spread across her face and to her ears as Forsterite burned in shame. Still, she endured with a straight face.

Forsterite was, at first, unsure whether to take the laughter as a good or bad sign. Was the captain pleased with her behavior or was she expressing amusement at the sheer absurdity of her attempt? Such was the difficulty the tawny-haired woman had in discerning the nuances of social interaction.

When the captain spoke again, however, the lieutenant thought it safe to conclude that she was being genuinely praised for her response. And...offered a drink as a reward? "Thank you, madam, but I could hardly impose upon your hospitality as...someone in my position." She supposed it would have sounded out of place to call herself the other woman's subordinate in public.

But then she had to wonder - would it have been rude to refuse the offer of her superior? What if this was part of an act she was trying to put on for the club's other occupants and Forsterite was ruining it by not knowing to play along? But she didn't drink alcohol and the very thought of disgracing the captain by getting intoxicated in her presence horrified her. Maybe...maybe there was a way to still play along and stay alert.

After some hesitation, she tentatively took the light-haired lady's gloved hand. "If madam would be so kind as to point out a non-alcoholic beverage to me, I'd be honored to purchase it myself and join you." Was that too stiff? Forsterite became all too aware that her awkwardness in social situations was beginning to make itself painfully evident. She hadn't come here to socialize, after all. "I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with the full venue of drinks served at these sorts of establishments. I...seem to be new in more than one way to more than one game."

Her gaze skimmed the names on the bottles behind the bar, eager to look anywhere but at the captain herself. Surely her insecurities would be revealed then and the captain would start to doubt her abilities as a Negaverse agent.

The lieutenant blinked rapidly in confusion. "Doll-face...?" Was that a reference to her? Forsterite was having trouble discerning how much of this informality was part of an act for the surrounding civilians and how much was a part of the captain's own personality.

The increased pressure on her hand renewed a fresh wave of heat across her face. Whether the captain was telling her to relax because she really meant it or she was trying to subtly hint that Forsterite needed to blend in better, the message was clear - the green-eyed woman was being too rigid. She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply.

"Please pardon - " No, that wasn't right. "I'm sorry," she said instead. "I'm...not used to..." Her brow creased with the difficulty of summoning the right words to formulate her thoughts. "I'm not accustomed to the nuances of social interactions." Maybe she could phrase that better. "I have difficulty talking with others on a more casual level. Social skills are not my forte."

At least this captain still seemed to be tolerating her so far. She seemed patient and understanding; more so than Forsterite was sure she would have been in her place. Grateful for the place to start, she answered, "I'm Lieu - " Maybe it wasn't a good idea to mention titles here...but were mineral names any less conspicuous? "...Forsterite. Or...were you referring to a different name?"

"I...noticed," Forsterite answered, finding her body temperature rising uncomfortably as she was winked at. She tugged lightly at her collar in an attempt to expel some of the heat. Perhaps this was why the captain had chosen a place like this for energy gathering. She seemed to be perfectly in her element here. If only Forsterite could have done the same. Perhaps if she watched and learned, however, she could have gained some knowledge on the subject. Maybe the captain might have even been willing to give her a few pointers.

"Marce," the accented voice repeated, tasting the name. "Marce, do you think, perhaps, that it would be wiser for me to simply go by 'Forst' or 'Forster' something similar?" She followed Marce's gaze to the drink she was given and impulsively raised a hand.

"I'll...have what she's having...please," the lieutenant said, wondering what she was doing. Rationalizing it to herself, she recalled that alcohol tended to lower one's inhibitions. If the goal at the moment was to drop formalities and relax but she was having trouble doing so with a captain in her presence, perhaps some alcohol would aid her in her endeavors. Perhaps that was a secret to being social; social drinking.

She realized that Marce had been speaking to her and blinked rapidly as she attempted to comprehend what had been asked. "The game? Ah...only a few months, I'm afraid," she answered, folding her hands together atop the table so she wasn't tempted to fidget. "Marce...would it be too bold of me to ask the same of you? And also, would you happen to be part of any particular division?" She thought she might have been able to guess just from what she'd experienced so far of Marcasite's skills.