Girls' Night In [Abalia, Makoto, Elyss]

When the request of sake and hot chocolate was requested, Makoto did glance away while considering the requests. Did she really just request that of Abalia? Her focused stayed squarely on looking around the room though while all preparations were made. She only really bothered to look back when she was prompted.

"Yes, Makoto."

She clarified it for Elyss but expected that she'd forget not so soon afterwards.

"If you are sure about this. I have faith in your ability to make decisions like this, Abalia."

Taking another sip of water, Makoto gave Elyss another glance. It was still something she was unsure about working with this woman. On the other hand, it was natural for her to hate people. She shouldn't be getting ahead of herself that Elyss was anything special beyond just being disliked because she was her.

"Thank you both again. It does mean a great deal to me that you would be willing to assist in this matter."

Even if she wasn't really the sort to express much, Abalia supposed it would only be right to make clear that this was, rather genuinely, something that she was quite grateful for. That was, of course, why she had been so willing to invite them both here and offer them all the hospitality she could provide.

"Your doubt in my decisions is welcomed, Elyss. Of course, so long as you mind the difference between a decision and an order."

That was also a joke. Was Abalia good at jokes? No.

"Now, I must admit to you both that I do not know where this search can reasonably begin. I suppose this will likely require some degree of assistance from Vastime, as well. The Gotei does not have the resources for this sort of search on Earth."

She did her best to not let her unamusement show to much in regards to Elyss, just sip her water. Sip away. She even took a sip after there was no more water left, she wasn't really drinking for the sake of getting any water in her. It was just to distract herself, personally she didn't get it. It was hard to get involved in jokes.

"Of course, Abalia. I assume Elyss being of the seventh division would have the best course of action for how to begin. Though help from other means would likely be of great assistance if you are able to spare them, I suppose that depends though on how recovery is going after the... recent incident."

It occurred to her that saying after your husband died was probably not the best way to put it. She changed it to be more thoughtful, even if Abalia had admitted that it didn't weigh on her. After the way she handled Shishiyuki's information on such gruesome techniques existing she felt like she needed some show of sensitivity to feel better.

"Ah, no, Vastime's recovery has gone rather well. It has not been ideal, given the circumstances, but my husband did surround himself with competent people. Even in my absences to attend to the Gotei, the courts and his second wife have handled the nation well."

Abalia naturally refilled Makoto's water when she noticed that it had emptied. That was, after all, proper hospitality. She considered, then, what Elyss had said, and offered a small nod in reply.

"Your apology is accepted, Elyss. I imagine my own words merited some degree of antagonism, from the perspective of most."

As the hot chocolate was finally brought, Abalia offered it to Elyss politely. She had certainly not held onto any malice.

She smiled when she saw her friend filling up her water. She appreciated the effort on her part, even if she found her superior officer pouring her water still felt a bit strange. Maybe she just had to cynical a view of people to expect people of higher power to go out of their way to do things. Makoto wasn't actually prepared for what she heard next though, she had almost missed it if she wasn't such an attentive listener.

Smash.

The glass fell on the ground, though Makoto was to distracted to even acknowledge it for the moment.

"...Excuse me?"

Did she hear that right? Second wife? Makoto took a moment to process that, then she decided where she sat on that. The memories of her ex and the way he made her feel inadequate all came flooding back, it made her furious. She hated it. It festered and didn't want to settle down, especially the way Abalia just said it so casually and apathetically. Did she not see the issue with that?

"Oh, dear."

It was a fairly natural reaction for Abalia to reach over and begin cleaning up the broken glass, though the servants of the house quickly took over, given it was something that could in theory cause her some degree of injury. Elyss' words, however, did merit a look of some small confusion on her part.

"Are you referring to the matter of his second wife? It was not a great concern to me, whether he took another wife or not. His relationship with her was quite useful for the sake of the national peace, and the two did get on quite well. I imagine she offered him much that I could not."

It was simply a statement of objective truth, but even if she did not have much in the way of emotional attachment, her dutiful nature alone was enough to make such a thing sound a touch sad. It had, after all, functionally been nothing more than a failure on her end, to have married him and felt as she did on the matter.

"I do not see what merits such ire in this regard. I should think it was simply appropriate as a wife that I let such a thing occur."

Neither of the two did much to calm her, it only made angrier. She hated it. She hated hearing Abalia talk like it was nothing, like she should just let it happen because a wife was meant to be dutiful and subserviant and.... She just wanted to let every bit of awfulness she bottled up out at something because of it.

"Shut up. Don't talk like that, it's not appropriate for a guy to just marry you and then seek out another like you're just a trophy or that you're not enough to satisfy him."

It made her feel so much pain and misery just thinking back to those memories of trying to deal with her life at the time. The way she got made to feel awful just for feeling upset that he didn't look at her the same way, that it was her fault she wasn't enough for him, the way she grew spiteful and trapped in her situation because of it.

Maybe it angered her more that Abalia didn't even see why that was bad or maybe she just envied that she could just be immune to her emotions being played with. Either way, she just clenched her fists and tried to settle herself down. She didn't want to be the person that enjoyed other's misery after all.