Soft music played from the stage and patrons quietly mingled as they milled about the venue. It was a slow, quiet, enjoyable night at the Golden Encore, allowing plenty of time for the employees to enjoy the music and have ample downtime.
Sakura leaned against the bar, watching the performance halfheartedly, dressed to impress as usual in designer, makeup and hair done, but the usual glimmer gone from her caramel orange eyes. Recently, she had become incredibly withdrawn and quiet, as opposed to the energetic and eager to assist person she normally was. Her makeup was a tad heavier, and she rarely seemed to smile lately, or at least not a real smile. She still, of course, was polite to the patrons she attended, but the customer service smile on her lips never managed to meet her eyes, even for all her acting.
She had taken a few days off initially, but the woman who came back was nowhere near the woman who had been so full of life and energy before. The Sakura previous to her impromptu string of days off would have been constantly moving, constantly refilling drinks and chatting up guests. This Sakura however? She seemed almost lifeless in comparison. Especially with how she stood utterly still, staring in the direction of the stage but not seeming to actually see it. It was no wonder, then, that she completely missed her coworker making her way over.
Working at the Golden Encore was something she didn't know she needed in her life. This allowed her to quit her job at Ross [not that she was working all that much there anyway], and work somewhere that was more in line with what she does during the night. The soft music added to the ambiance of the whole establishment, which served to keep customers relaxed and mildly joyful while she walked around to serve drinks. Noa made sure to keep her pin fully visible and prominent while she walked around with a mild waddle, growing exhausted with all the questions about her current state.
Yes, she's pregnant. No, she doesn't want to stay at home, NO she wasn't tired, and NO you cant touch her stomach! What the hell was wrong with people? Good thing they were serving a purpose by unknowingly donating their energy to the cause otherwise she would be making a complaint to Aloy or Liam about this. Granted, she could still make that complaint but that meant starting stuff and yadda yadda…She supposed she could deal with it for now then make a complaint to Waru, Bets, or Idri for sympathy.
After putting away the next set of empty cups, she noticed one person in particular just stood out to her, if only because she usually seemed so cheerful whenever she viewed her from afar. Deciding that she could take a break after all, Noa started to make her way over to the young woman, trying her best to keep the duck waddle out of her step (she was already height deficient, she didn't need the waddle to make things worse). Lamenting the fact that everyone she knew or approached was taller than her, the small woman smiled and waved at her co-worker, pulling up a chair to sit down. This made her even shorter but her ankles were swollen, not that it would be noticeable in the boots she wore.
“The music is nice isn't it? I wonder how Aloy and Mel do it.~” Looking up, she continued, “It's nice to meet you, or rather talk to you finally. I'm Noa.” Hopefully that wasn't too forward, either way, it was nice to meet a coworker that truthfully, she had been meaning to talk to in the first place.
Sakura startled and jumped slightly as the other woman spoke to her, caught off guard and unable to quite get the mask of “everything is fine” back into place. She gave a small, awkward smile and nodded though, doing her best to appear fine anyway.
“I'm Sakura.” She had heard Noa’s name and was familiar with who she was, in the same way she knew the names and faces of the rest of her coworkers even though they hadn't spoken. As she spoke of their boss and General, however, she softened and gave a genuine smile. “I know Aloysius worked hard on this endeavor. It's why I do my best here as well. I want this to be a success for him.” She didn't care as much about the sister, having only met her once, but her gratitude and fondness towards Aloysius was clear as crystal. “I want to do everything I can to ensure it's a success. He deserves it.”
She did, finally, manage to crack an actual smile at Noa however. “It's nice to finally talk with you as well. I have been…. Keeping to myself lately and I apologize.” Her circle had already been small, but now it seemed so much smaller without the warm presence of the woman she had loved. “You look like you've had a day. I could grab you a water if you want? The uh. Regular sort, obviously.” It wouldn't do to accidentally drain her coworker, especially one who was clearly pregnant.
“Sumimasen, sakura-san. Nihongo de hanasemasu ka?” She would be delighted if Sakura could speak Japanese since she didn't get to speak it all that often. However she continued, agreeing with the fact that she too wanted to help make this a success for Aloysius as well. “That is something I can definitely agree with you on. He could also use a spa day too.” Maybe that would be something to suggest for Liam or maybe a weird team exercise? One day…
“No need to apologize, I'm sure you have your reasons~” Did she look that obvious? Well, given the fact that she was incubating a whole nother human being, she supposed it would be. “No, I'm fine. It's just my ankles but my boots are keeping them contained for now.” She looked at the chair next to her and patted the seat. “Did you want to take a small break with me?” She was sure the others could handle customers for a bit, and it looked like Sakura could use the distraction.
Sakura’s eyebrows raised, not having expected Japanese. “Hai, nihongo hanashinasu.” Her lips quirked into a smile. “I don't have any memory of it, but I was born and raised in Japan. Spent a lot of time in both Tokyo and Kyoto. It's….nice to hear it spoken though. Outside of my brother, I don't get to really use it now.”
The idea of Aloysius taking a spa day made her actually laugh as she sat beside Noa. “I'm sure Liam has been trying to get him to do that for years. Hell, I've been trying to lighten his workload the best I can. Whenever he comes over, I always make sure to have tea ready that I know will help him relax. That man will work himself to death one day….” She shook her head, though she smiled fondly as she spoke of Aloy and Liam, clearly both being of great importance to her.
“A break sounds nice, actually. It's…. better than being in my head.” Her smile took on a sad note to it and she stared at her lap. All the makeup in the world couldn't hide the look of a broken heart. “I should warn you that I'm not the best company lately though. And I apologize for it in advance.” She wanted to be animated, to be her usual old self, but it felt as if there was a weight pressing down on her, as if the light inside her was trying to be snuffed out.
“I was born in Japan and stayed there till I was around four. My mom was stationed there, and that's how she met my father.” Was it love at first sight? No, more like besties at first sight, but not everyone needed to know how she came to be, no matter how funny she thought it was. “If you want, you can speak to me anytime! I don't really get the chance to speak it much either unless I'm around my immediate family.” she felt like she was a bit rusty too, so speaking Japanese with Sakura might help her keep everything fresh in her mind.” She nodded in agreement about the assessment with their boss.
“I was trying to see if I could do more, but, right when I thought I could see where I'm needed…Im benched for nine months at the least.” Which sucked because she wanted to get out there and cause chaos, while also looking into youma and learning more about them. Alas, at least she wouldn't be raising her kid alone. “To be honest, Aloy has Liam, you, me, and anyone else on his team to keep him from working himself to death. Pregnant or not, I would destroy a planet if it meant he would be safe.” Hell, she would do that for anyone on her team.
“If you don't mind me asking, and you can totally say no, maybe we could talk about it?” Noa was always in the realm of helping as well as making new friends and if she could do anything to help a teammate out, she was all for it.
“I would burn the world for the two of them. They saved me when I was ready to let my life go. I owe them more than words could ever express, and I will do everything in my power to repeat them for their kindness.” She wasn't blind to the strategic choices Aloy had made by bringing her on board, but if it was for him, she didn't mind if she turned out to just be a pawn.
Sighing softly, she ran a hand through her bangs. “I got dumped. This whole time, I had been so scared to tell her I loved her. I finally managed to say it, and then everything started falling apart soon after. She was…. everything to me. My reason to keep fighting. And…now I just feel empty. Like I made a fool of myself for no reason.” Sakura stared at her hands, pain and heartache clear in her eyes. “I…. Spiraled badly. It broke me completely….Liam had to come over and make sure I was still alive, basically. I've been a wreck since it happened….. and there's nothing I can do to fix it.” The usual fire in her eyes was gone, replaced by emptiness and a quiet voice. “I feel like all I do is get hurt by people I end up loving. After all, it's what drove me to give up on living in the first place, when Aloy found me.” She didn't often talk about the reason she corrupted, the driving force behind why Chal had offered her a second chance or why she took it so readily. But Noa seemed as if she would listen, and maybe it was good to talk about it all with someone outside of Aloy and Liam.
Ohhh….
She knew that pain all too well.
Smiling softly, Noa looked to the heartbroken woman with understanding, “I can give you a quote my mom used to tell me? She always tells me that sometimes people are in your life for a season, and you know…That’s true. You didn't make a fool out of yourself for choosing to tell her how you feel.” She looked down at her hands for a brief moment, thinking back to when things didn't work out with Waru, that first rejection by Idri that hurt her a lot more than she cared to admit sometimes, and the fact that some of her previous flings and relationships ended with a bag equivalent to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
“You know, I have come to find that putting others before yourself is a great way to turn into a mess. Instead of having someone as your reason to fight, focus on yourself.” She looked up to look at her teammate, “Because at the end of the day, no one will have your back better than yourself. I…I love my boyfriend with everything I have, but if we were to break up today I know I would be devastated but I also know that I have built a support system around myself that will help me move on.” That's something that everyone needs really and she will totally advocate for it with anyone she talks to.
She gently took one of her hands with her own, “You need a support net. But also, focus on Sakura. What makes her happy? It can be anything, I mean, back when I could power up just being Saleeite made me happy, knowing I can protect myself whenever I needed to.” That and the chaos usually made her a little wild, but it was nothing she couldn't handle.
Sakura smiled softly and squeezed her hand. “I wish I had met you sooner. You're….very sweet.” She sighed softly and shook her head. “Before, back before Aloy found me, I was all alone. All I had, that I can remember, was my brother. I had been in a relationship for… a really long time, I think, and when it all came crashing down, it broke me. I was ready to let the next fight I found take me out. I was….very lucky that Chalcanthite found me that night. He offered me a second chance, to get away from the pain that made me want to die. Aloy and Liam and Des have been my strength since then. But….I don't want to burden them with this. Not when they all have so much going on.” She wanted to be the perfect soldier for Aloy, but she never seemed to feel quite good enough.
“I'm…..trying to find what makes me happy. Ei made me happy….but beyond that, I'm not really sure anymore. I've been doing more with clothing design, and I guess that makes me happy? Maybe?” It had been a while since she really sat and thought about it. Maybe it was time to do that.
“That’s a start! I could probably help you with that if you like?” She loves coming up with outfits for herself and modeling is something she is trying to break into for her OnlyFans to make additional content. Tasteful n***s is what she’s trying to go for. “Ive never designed clothing before but I'm more than willing to learn and model if you need one. Oh!” She rummaged through her purse to take out her phone, unlocking it before she could see her lock screen, since it wasn't exactly appropriate for work.
“Could we exchange numbers?” Hopefully that wasn't too forward, but Noa wasn't known for subtlety.
“I was just about to offer, once you have the baby, to do a full fitting for you if you like the stuff I make.” She smiled a little, gesturing at her belly. “I'd offer now, but considering your size is changing rapidly, I figure it would be easier once you have the baby.”
Sakura pulled her own phone out, a photo of her and a young man with pink hair and piercings as her lock screen showing before she opened the contacts app. “Absolutely. Here, go ahead and put your information in here and I'll do the same.”
“Oh definitely!” She eyed the lock screen, and admired how cute it was before handing over her phone in exchange. After putting in her info, she took a quick selfie to put in for her contact picture, then handed the phone back to Sakura. “Done!” Then, Haji decided to be a menace and kick her in the bladder, which did cause her to jump a bit. “Aaaaand my child has decided I need to go use the bathroom…” She sighed and debated before shrugging and giving Sakura a hug. “I'm going to go relieve my poor bladder but if you need me at any point in time just call or text. It was amazing talking to you Sak and trust me, things will get better. Just focus on yourself for now, that's the best way to heal.”
Lena Roze
