exsiliumlogs | before this is over

Entry tags:

before this is over

Date & Time: August 12th
Location: A coffee shop somewhere
Characters: Sofiya Karimov and Ahiru
Summary: Hot chocolate
Warnings: Nope

[It's not long after she hangs up that she starts heading to the address that Sofiya's specified, holding a small bag with money inside it. She walks with a smile; she really does feel like this is a good idea. That excitement lasts until she realizes she's gotten turned around somewhere during the walk, and has to spend several minutes trying to get back on track before she can find the place. Directions.

She hurries the rest of the way, hoping Sofiya won't be waiting for long, but it doesn't stop her from feeling a bit guilty. So, when she arrives in the shop (after shaking the water from her umbrella), she starts looking around for the woman so she can apologize for taking longer than she would have ordinarily.]

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[Sonya hates it when people are late. Hates it. Her time is valuable, and if people are late, that means that people aren't recognizing how valuable her time is. Lateness means disrespect.

For...most people. For most people that's true. There's a certain type of person who can show up late and she's not gonna kick up a fuss. And that sort of person is, well...a kid, probably not even fifteen, bouncing into the cafe with her purse in her hand and no knowledge that when you have money you hide it.

Sonya's not soft. She just recognizes that kids like this sort of transcend the rules of her cynicism and sourness.

So she holds up her hand right away, shaking it in the air to draw attention. She's got a coffee and a croissant, and she's wearing a deep blue silk scarf, and her hair is perfect, and her smile's a little bit crooked.]

Hi. You're Ahiru?

[She notices the wave quickly and hurries to the table, sitting with a smile. Unconsciously, she starts to measure herself up to this person. Her hair is a little bit wet despite the umbrella and messy even on the best of days. Her dress has a stain on the skirt that she hasn't been able to get out yet, a faint red splotch on the fabric. She barely becomes aware of this train of thought, though, and it certainly doesn't stop the grin.]

Yeah, that's me! You must be Sofiya, then. I'm really sorry for being late, I'm not very good with directions at all.

I'm just glad I didn't order yet. There's nothing worse than a cup of cold hot chocolate. It's like it negates its entire existence.

[Sonya grins at her and nods her up towards that seat across the table.]

Come on, sit down. What sort of hot chocolate you want? I've never tried it, but I bet it's good with a bit of mint syrup in it, if you've got a sweet tooth.

[She sits as she's asked, resting her elbows on the table and leaning forward slightly.]

Um, the syrup costs extra, right? I like normal hot chocolate a lot! That sounds good.

[Sonya shakes her head - ]

Don't worry about the extra cost.

Huh? No, it's really fine! I mean, it'll be good no matter what. I think I'd like it plain.

[A pause.]

Maybe whipped cream, though?

Whipped cream. Good.

[She shoots an approving grin at Ahiru.]

See, you're the donor, so you command the V.I.P. treatment. So pretty much whatever you want goes. So whipped cream...You could totally demand one of those macaroons, too, if you wanted.

Macaroons?

[She looks over her shoulder, peering at the case displaying all the fresh baking.]

Oh, no, I'm not hungry. But thank you for offering, miss!

[This kid is so cute and so polite - Again, Sonya's not soft-hearted and she doesn't get gooey just 'cause some kid is calling her miss, definitely not. But kids nowadays mostly are rude, and mean-spirited, and this one is so bright and chipper and cheerful. And Sonya some day wants to have a bunch of kids, and she wants them to be terrible and rude and shitty, but if they have to be good-hearted then let them be like this.]

Are you sure? They're really good. Get stuck in your throat a little bit, but seriously delicious. Gluten-free, too.

[She looks back towards the case again, chewing on her bottom lip for a moment, before she turns back to Sonya.]

Okay, um, maybe one. But just one!

[And now to move the conversation past trying to feed her more!]

So how long have you been here?

[A charitable observer would call Sonya's grin "triumphant"; an uncharitable one might deem it "smug." Regardless, she's unambiguously pleased at that response.]

Hold onto that question as I order.

[And she holds up her hand, a physical demonstration of what she wants, before trotting over to the counter. Not a minute later, she's back, sliding the macaroon on the plate over to Ahiru.]

Hi. Back. About two months. You?

[She waits, swinging her legs absentmindedly against the chair, and there's a grateful smile when Sonya returns.]

Thank you! It looks really good.

[And then she pauses, trying to work out that math in her head.]

Um, a little over six months, I think. I'd ask if you were settling in alright normally, but it's pretty obvious that you are!

[Sonya's grin is broad and cheerful and unselfconscious. It's almost a bit funny to hear that, because settling in alright is...That's a statement that's bordering on the comical. Sonya has enough self-awareness to know that she is in a constant slow-motion freakout. Everything is terrifying, and she has nightmares of being trapped underground, and she has nightmares about Pinkman, and more than anything else she has nightmares about her family and what would happen if the United Earth went for her little brothers. She's scared all the time, and she's broke, and she's throwing herself into anything and everything to deal with this.

But like Mom taught her: you fake it till you make it. You smile toothy and bully people and don't put up with bullshit and don't ever cry.]

I'm doing okay, yeah. And how about you? I imagine it's a bit harder for someone of your age than it is for someone of mine.

[She takes a bite of the macaroon, smiling at the taste.]

Mm, it's good.

[She shakes her head, though, as she swallows and continues to speak.]

No, it isn't so bad. I mean, obviously I'd rather be home, but there's no reason not to look on the bright side! I mean, getting to travel to different places and times is pretty cool. And getting to meet people who've come from different universes, too. It's not the first time this has happened, besides, so I've had even more time to get used to it than most people.

[Sonya's brows draw together in curiosity, and she opens her mouth to ask - though she's interrupted by the arrival of her coffee and Ahiru's hot chocolate. Once the server is gone, she asks - ]

Not the first time? You can't just say that and then not explain.

Oh, right, sorry! I forget other people haven't - sorry.

[She takes a sip of the hot chocolate first, hot enough that it stings and she makes a face before swallowing.]

So you know how the Initiative gets people from a bunch of different worlds? There was another place I was in before this where the same kind of thing happened.

[The way it's said is casual; she's mentioned it to people before and the most common reaction she's had is interest and nothing much more, and there's no real reason to expect something different. She takes another sip of the cocoa, though she blows on it lightly beforehand this time.]

Really.

[Sonya leans forward slightly, urging Ahiru on with a little nod of her head.]

What was it like?

Oh, it was... [She tries to think of a good way to describe it.] Nice.

[Which is both a huge lie and not a lie at all. Horrible things happened there, and some of the people there were horrible as well, but it doesn't change the fact that there were things about living there that made her truly happy most days.]

Different than this, less far in the future. It wasn't in a war, we were somewhere off the coast of Canada, um... There was government and stuff. The place was less poor.

Could you go home?

Oh, no. It was like here, they didn't know how to send us home. Except it wasn't the people in charge who brought us there like it is here, it was because this machine was malfunctioning, I think.

[She pauses.]

But there were lots of schools and grocery stores and sports teams and stuff, so it was more normal than here, I think. So it was nice, I liked it.

I see.

[She leans back slightly, frowning just a little bit.]

What about home? What was that like?

[She brightens, straightening up with a renewed smile.]

Oh, it was a really nice place! Um, I lived at this school for people who were studying art and dance and other subjects like that. It was in Germany, um, 1914. Everybody was really nice.

[Sonya hesitates, then asks, tentatively, ready to comfort if need be - ]

Your parents...?

Oh, I don't - I mean, obviously I have them, but I don't know where they are or anything. It's not really a big deal, though! I got used to it. I had friends at the school and stuff.

[And that, too, is true. At least, she doesn't sound upset about it.]

What about you? What's your world like?

[Sonya narrows her eyes a little bit further, because she cannot imagine having that...cavalier an attitude towards not knowing where your parents were. There was no one in her life more important than her parents. Just shrugging them off...]

It's fine.

[But that's standoffish, and at odds with the image she's trying to project of someone cheerful and unaffected and supremely confident, so she corrects herself a moment later.]

Very beautiful. I live in New York City. Do you know about New York?

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