Welcome to Gaia! ::

Putting her phone down, Emily stood up to greet the other woman, gently taking one of Celestina's hands in both of her own. "It's been too, too long this time. Have you gotten thinner?" From Emily this was not a compliment. She was likely only a moment away from asking things about eating and sleeping habits, but the train of fussy scrutiny was broken by her phone vibrating.

With a sigh, she didn't bother looking at it, just giving her friend a wry look, "Someone's probably worried that I haven't eaten yet." Nearly all of Emily's meals, at home or outside, ended up somewhere on her socials. Her eating schedule could be considered alarmingly public.

"Oh things have been great! Dwight's decided that a gardening series would be on trend so it'll be a break from visiting haunted houses until spooky season begins." Taking her seat again she wrinkled her nose a little and lowered her voice into a hiss, "He keeps trying to get me to stream video games. It's like he forgets about the controller graveyard every few months."

Sitting back with a little bounce, and raising her voice back to normal, Emily asked, "So tell me about school! What are the other teachers like? And the students? It's such an oddly named place...nobody is bullying you right?" Her voice lowered again, but this time much more solemnly, like she was informing Celestina of someone's funeral date.

"I've seen things about classroom bullying."

In movies.

"It's not that I'm interested in any of it," Emily sighed. "But he does know what will get more new eyes on my channel, which means the people that might be helped by the Cleansing Way." She said that last in the way she always did, which meant that the least bit of inquiry would lead to the immediate evangelizing of her lifestyle program.

"At least gardening and haunted houses are better than the giant, realistic gummy trend awhile ago. Those were disgusting," she trailed off as the server took their order. Emily ordered their newest take on avocado toast, a small bowl of the daily soup, and fresh fruit. There was also, of course, her traditional giant mimosa, the size of her head.

After the server left, she turned back to Celestina, and pulled out her phone, "I can make it most Sundays, I think." Bringing up her scheduling app, Emily input the standing date right there and then. "Romano's must be pretty demanding if it's kept you this busy for so long. Or..."

Emily looked up from her phone, an inquisitive and knowing look in her eyes, "...did you fine something or someone really interesting there?" Both her and Celestina shared a certain energy, an undeniably intense focus when it came to taking an interest in something or undertaking a new project. Honestly, it was probably a good thing their interests rarely collided.

"We were very good students," Emily argued. "Just a little...overly ambitious. With a healthy doubt of certain rules and authority figures." She nodded to herself, satisfied with both this wording and their well-spent youth.

"A military school does sound really different, though. Does the discipline extend to the teachers too?" She gave Celestina another look. A little worried and a bit doubtful at the idea of her friend thriving in such a rigid environment. "Are you happy there?"

Reaching for the ridiculously long straw of her newly delivered mimosa, Emily gave the other woman a stern look that lasted throughout her first big sip. And then, exhaling, the expression collapsed back into fondness and reluctant acceptance. It was hard to think of Romano's as the right path for Celestina, bright and free spirited and looking toward the stars. It didn't seem to align with her true goals, whatever they happened to be. But it wasn't Emily's place to decide that, even as a concerned friend. And maybe those goals were...military.

A lot could be done with a strong foundation and organized structure.

"Well, if you're happy then it's fine. And if you ever get unhappy, I'm here to help crack spines and hide bodies." The last was said lightly as Emily pulled out her phone to take a picture of her drink.