A Beautiful Morning (Open)

[Brianna Valdyr]

"It's a lot to get used to. Even if things were quiet at home, there was always something else going on in the world. It's quieter here. Kind of like waiting for the other shoe to drop." Brianna tried to put herself in Leif's shoes with as little she knew about her. In the end, she could only nod.

"It was hard at first. I kept waiting for whatever happened to us before to happen again. But it hasn't yet. We still have the riots and other things, but we can't do anything about them. We aren't allowed to." She grimaced. "I think that's the hardest part. Before, we could do something. Now we're just the one they point fingers at if they can. We're trapped here." Can't do missions if you can't leave the city walls under threat of violence. Nevermind the trouble in the city itself. That was just begging for you to be taken down.

"But hey," she gave Leif an enthusiastic smile, "if you ever need to let off some steam or want to train somewhere besides the ocean, you should check out the Guardian Gym. I'm usually working there."

[Leif Adamson]

Leif turned back to Brianna, then, and her eyes lit up for a moment at the mention of a gym. She missed training with other people, honing her skills. She missed working hard and showing off.

And, to be quite frank, she missed using her Qi. Now that she could, without fear of somebody hunting her down, she realized just how much she missed the electricity flowing between her fingers.

"Is it... Meta friendly? Are people able to use their Qi?"

[Brianna Valdyr]

It was always a mixed bag when she brought up where she worked. Sometimes, Brianna could see relief, and occasionally, excitement. Leif was one who was definitely excited, and as the brunette stretched, she glanced around and nodded. No surprise, the beach was still abandoned.

"We don't advertise it much, but we accept anyone who comes in. If you decide you like it, I can schedule a time for you in private."

[Leif Adamson]

Leif let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. The thought of getting rusty here, in a world of peace, haunted her. She smiled again, leaning back and nodding.

"I would love that. I need to keep my body fit, but I want to work on my Qi as well. I've lost most of it, whether it's from lack of use or ending up here... I'm not really sure." She chuckled, giving a shake of her head. "Thanks, Brianna."

[Brianna Valdyr]

"Same here." Brianna chuckled. "It's what got me looking for a place, and they had a job opening, too. Guess I lucked out. She dusted the sand from her hands, but wasn't quite ready to get up and go yet.

"Glad I could help. It's rough, but I'm glad I came out this way. Just don't mention the special practice out in the open, and we're good." For obvious reasons.  Brianna really wanted to keep her job, not to mention keep problems out.

[Leif Adamson]

"Honestly, I probably won't mention it to anybody at all. I mean, I don't really talk to many people right now, and... Hey. It'll be another Cabal secret, hmm?"

Leif chuckled softly, wrapping her arms around her legs as she turned her attention back out to the ocean. She knew she should feel some sort of comfort, finding somebody from her home... and maybe she would be, if she could get the paranoia out of her head.

[Brianna Valdyr]

"Sure is." Brianna grinned with a nod and a small hum of content. She was content to watch the ocean in silence, but only briefly. She preferred to be moving, putting her energy towards something. And caffeine was sounding better than ever.

"So you still want to train some more, or can you share another secret of any good coffee places around here?"

[Leif Adamson]

"To be honest with you, the only place I know around here is Prota. It's a really nice little Cafe and bakery. I work there a couple of days a week... but for a coffee shop?" Leif gave a little bit of a shrug, chuckling. "I don't really get out much."

[Brianna Valdyr]

Brianna's brows raised. First the test and now a cafe? Guess there was no place like home, after all.

"Prota, huh?" She she laughed. "Cheeky, but I like it, and I guess there's worse things it could be called. Some of the places around here are over the top." Also, how the heck did you pronounce some of the words that were longer than your whole name and took up the entire sign space?

"Too bad. But I'll find one that's perfect eventually. Gives me something else to do outside the gym." It felt like they could all use a little more of that.

[Leif Adamson]

She nodded, chuckling. The first time Leif had heard about Prota, she felt the same way: surprised and amused. It was a bold statement, but one only people from home would understand.

"Honestly, if you find a good place, you should let me know... I mostly survive off of water, but I wouldn't mind something different every now and again. Especially now that I can afford it."

[Brianna Valdyr]

"Definitely." She grinned and shook her head with a small huff.

"I still remember my first chance to spend my own money here. Way to feel like a kid again, right?" Having a job, even a different one. Trying to find small ways to make a difference in this world, and getting paid to do it, helped.

[Leif Adamson]

"I went and bought myself the nicest lighter I could find. Something I'd actually really liked, that totally belonged to me."

To prove her point, she pulled the Zippo out of her pocket. It was simple, silver, but well made. She had gone to a few different stores until she found the one she liked the most. Turning it over, she showed the girl the tiny American flag engraved in it.

"The man at the store... he told me that this is their symbol here. People fight for this flag, and die for it. Their military, they carry this flag into battle. Sometimes, it's the only thing they have... their flag, and their dedication, their loyalty. It... When he told me that, it reminded me of home. Because there was a time when all I had was the belief in Cabal." She stared down at that flag, a soft smile touching her lips. "There was a time when I believed in Cabal, in what we stood for, what we fought for. This flag might not be mine, but... it reminded me of that. You know?"

She flicked the lighter open, then snapped it closed, holding it tight in her hand.

"So. I got it. My first purchase."

[Brianna Valdyr]

"A different symbol." Brianna nodded, taking a look at the lighter and the flag that was on it. More than the lighter, she caught Leif's phrasing about Cabal. Her loss of belief in the territory and the life that went with it, especially if you had qi and chose to stay after graduating the basic training needed to assure the higher-ups you weren't going to accidentally blow something up. It was hard to wrap her head around: life in Cabal without being tied to it. But maybe that was just her family's way of doing things. It was one of the reasons she wanted to make a name for herself, and not just one part of a whole.

"I guess so." She nodded, watching Leif's expression as she flicked the lighter again. She assumed the other girl had done her duty and left with honors, or opted not to stay past her own graduation.

"Guess that means that we're not so different from the people here, after all," she mused. "Especially against some of the problems back home.

"First thing I got was a candle. Sounds dumb, I know, but it smells like home."

[Leif Adamson]

Leif smiled at the mention of a candle. She hadn't even thought about something like that, and she wasn't sure what she would want for a scent. She spent so much time traveling that nowhere, not even Cabal, REALLY felt like home anymore.

"Its the little things," she said with a slight shrug of her shoulders. "A candle sounds really nice, actually."

[Brianna Valdyr]

"That's what I figured when i bought it." She chuckled, rising to her feet and dusting sand away. "A lot cheaper than a dog, too."