before this is over

[quackery]

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.]

Comments

[quackery]

Oh - I'm so sorry to hear that.

[It's sincere, but she imagines Sonya won't want to linger on that topic any longer, so she moves on quickly with a shake of her head.]

Yeah, I don't have any siblings.

[legal_eagle]

[And there is a twist of sorrow, still, but Sonya's pastime is working on seeming less sad and messed-up than she is; she perks right up again, with a big smile.]

What about friends? You have friends, of course.

[quackery]

[Her smile is renewed, growing a bit brighter as she nods.]

Yeah, I do! Rue and Mytho and Pique and Lilie, those are my best friends from home. I met them at the school. Um, my boyfriend's name is Fakir. There's a bunch of people I met in the last world I was in that are really important to me.

How about you?

[legal_eagle]

Lots of people at work.

[The biggest lie yet; she's on frosty terms with all but three of them.]

And friends are a lot like a kind of family, I think. They love you unconditionally, and they're there to support you. Though -

[And now with a big grin - ]

A boyfriend, huh? Are you old enough for that?

[quackery]

[She laughs, embarrassed, looking down at the table as she answers.]

I'm sixteen! I know, everyone always tells me I look younger than I am. You're right, though, about friends. I don't know what I would've done without them.

[legal_eagle]

Are you really?

[Huh. That is a surprise.]

That's good. Looking younger than you are. It lets you take people by surprise.

[quackery]

[She looks up, then, tilting her head in curiosity.]

Taking people by surprise? What do you mean?

[legal_eagle]

[And Sonya is clearly pleased that Ahiru asked. She doesn't want to corrupt the kid - far from it. But she's curious how she'll react to a bit of ruthlessness.]

Well - just as an example. You know I'm a lawyer, right?

[quackery]

Oh, no, I don't think I knew that! That's really cool, though. What kind of law?

[legal_eagle]

[Oh - ] Criminal. My specialty is gang-related and violent crime.

[quackery]

[She pauses, but there's clear admiration in her voice when she speaks.]

That's really amazing. I mean, I know I could never do something like that. It must take a lot.

Anyways, sorry, I'm interrupting! Um, surprising people?

oh fine edit away

[legal_eagle]

[She furrows her brows, but smiles at the same time; she's temporarily distracted from the point she was making.]

Of course you could. You're a smart girl, and you've got a good heart. That's all you really need.

[But right - ]

But yeah. Okay. You can see why it's good to surprise someone in the courtroom, right?

fine maybe i will!!!!

[quackery]

[She doesn't believe it, of course, but she smiles regardless.]

Thank you.

[And then she nods.]

Um, I think so.

[legal_eagle]

[A nod.]

Right. Because it's a contest. And if people don't know what you're capable of, you're more likely to take them by surprise and strike a deadly blow. And if they see someone young and pretty, are they going to expect a deadly strike?

[quackery]

[She blinks, honestly surprised, before shaking her head.]

Er, no, I don't think... I mean, I'm not really a deadly blow kind of person. I don't think I could do that.

[legal_eagle]

[She feigns surprise - ]

Oh, I was talking about myself.

[And then laughs merrily. A moment later, though, with a smile lingering on her face and laughter still in her voice, she asks:]

Why couldn't you, though?

[quackery]

Oh! Sorry, I must have misunderstood.

Well, I just don't think I'm very good at being, um... I mean, I think I'm better at helping people. Not that you aren't helping people! You are, I just meant that - I think I'm better at the kind of helping that doesn't involve being harsh sometimes. You know?

[legal_eagle]

I'm teasing.

[She holds up a soothing hand.]

With both parts. Though, you know, a little bit of ferocity is sometimes a good thing.

[quackery]

Oh - I'm sorry!

[She shrugs.]

Well, I mean, I'm not saying I don't stand up for myself if I need to. I just don't really like conflict like that. I'm better at cooperating and stuff!

[legal_eagle]

Sometimes people refuse to cooperate, though.

[quackery]

But when that happens, isn't it better to try and get along with them? I mean, unless they're really being stubborn.

[legal_eagle]

Well, it depends what they're being stubborn about, too, doesn't it?

[quackery]

I guess so! Because if it's something that's not important, you can just ignore them, right?

[legal_eagle]

You can definitely do that, yeah. But sometimes it is important. Sometimes you have to engage.

[quackery]

Yeah, I know that. But that doesn't mean I have to like it or be good at it, either.