Tea for Two [Bailey]

[Bailey Oleander]

Bailey let Arianna take her time, in no rush herself. The point was for them to relax, and if she needed more time to find the best way to make that happen, that was find with the little blonde. She nodded as the medic made her request and stepped alongside her.

"One cortado, please, and a blueberry muffin. Same ticket." She'd offer a rueful smile at Arianna's comment and pay for the treats, walking towards the pick up area while they chatted.

"I guess I still have a hard time accepting the last part. I know that sometimes, that's all there is, but sometimes, it feels like there should be something else." She shook her head with a quiet laugh. "But I've had a lot of time to think, lately, so we'll see."

[Arianna Barrial]

"It's definitely not easy, especially when you have the power to bring them back after they've gone over the brink..." It wasn't so much the care part of thing, for she'd fight until there was nothing they could possibly do. A rueful expression of her own hovered on her face. Clearly there was more to it, and what she wanted to say, but she wasn't about to as they waited for their combined pastries and drinks.

[Bailey Oleander]

"Yeah." She blinked at the mention of Arianna's power, having never seen it before then. Both seemed content not to pry into sensitive matters while waiting in a more public space, so Bailey was glad when the wait was done a couple of minutes later. Pastries, plates, and cups in hand, they were left to pick their own spont. She opted to lead them to a sofa with a low coffee table, comfortable but also private.

"I didn't realize that was something you could do."

[Arianna Barrial]

It looked divine.

Even if it wasn't her favourite to end all favourites, Arianna found herself highly anticipating something as simple as a sweet treat. There was a French press of brewing coffee, a cup, and a plate with the canelé she had ordered, so they'd been nice and given her a tray. Content with the smells and sights in front of her, Arianna placidly followed the shorter blonde to where she picked. Out of the way, but...lovely, she found, sinking down onto the cushions after arranging the tray to her liking.

"That's my primary qi, we've coined calling it Phoenix Rising. It manifested when I was just eighteen...after I died alongside most of my family and my sister fired my body... I have limits, though. I can only use it so many times in a very short time frame, and I can bring others back if they've been dead only a short while. Each time I do...I'm reverted back to the age I first came back as. I had...intended on trying to live out my life naturally, and die. But since the one training with Eric crushed me...well, apparently Damien figured I'd be better off whole and healthy. And here I am."

She paused, long enough to press the coffee grounds down, in the carafe.

"...it's beautiful but also a terrible burden, knowing you could bring someone back even if you didn't initially save them. Families, loved ones...when they know, they beg. It's heartbreaking to tell them no, but maybe wanting to live and die naturally is selfish, when I have the power to change someone's fate."

[Bailey Oleander]

Bailey was silent, sipping at her coffee as Arianna spoke of the burden and blessing of her qi, nodding silently in understanding.

"I can see why it would be difficult. Sometimes, you want to save someone, but you can't save everyone, right?" A moment's pause as she set the cup down.

"Is that why you look younger? I thought it was my imagination at first."

[Arianna Barrial]

"No, we can't save everyone." She paused a moment before pouring her first cup and inhaling the aroma. Her eyes met Bailey's as a sort of curious yet ah-ha expression seemed to roll over her face. "It's not your imagination, that's exactly why I look younger."

About ten years younger.

[Bailey Oleander]

Bailey paused, processing it all, then nodded as her lips pulled in a gentle smile.

"Glad to know it's not just me, then. But you're right." She eyed the muffin, finding she was no longer hungry at the moment as her voice lowered to keep things private. "I used to work in a medical facility when I was back home, among other places. Sometimes, life has to go its own course, no matter what we may want." She shook her head and decided to change the subject.

"Are you okay, though? Really? It sounded pretty bad when I ran into you earlier." She had no idea why Damien was cuffed to the bed, either, but that wasn't her business so far as she knew.

[Arianna Barrial]

Arianna nodded in solemn understanding. "It's difficult, even when we understand that."

Arianna inhaled slowly with Bailey's questions - even knowing they would come didn't really help when it actually came down to asking and answering - and swallowed. For a moment, she seemed to consider her answer before she wound up shaking her head.

"...no...not really."

She felt her chest squeeze tighter, as though a giant had it in a vice-grip and squeezed, slowly.

[Bailey Oleander]

The tightness echoed in Arianna's voice as she admitted to the difficulty she was experiencing. Bailey briefly reached out and gave the other woman's hand a gentle squeeze.

"I'm sorry. If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay. We're here for what you need right now."

[Arianna Barrial]

Eep. She didn't pull away, or even flinch as Bailey gave her hand a squeeze, but Arianna's gaze moved down, and that wave of emotion crested higher...higher, high enough that tears began to spill silently down her cheeks.