Girls' Night In [Abalia, Makoto, Elyss]

It was one thing to receive such a response from Elyss. Hot-headed and implusive, a reaction so blunt and physical was ultimately not terribly surprising for Abalia. She might even have briefly thought to offer some sort of rebuttal, were it not for Makoto's interjection having been just as firm. It was so unlike her, to speak so flatly. Perhaps that was exactly why it had been so piercing.

"I wished to be a good wife to him. To love him despite myself. I ought not have tried so much to convince myself that it was still love."

Abalia took a sip of her own drink now, looking between the two with full understanding of their anger in the situation. Most women would have felt the same. She, in all truth, should have felt the same. If she had committed to her decision, had chosen to seek out that part of her that was missing, it was necessary that she face such a thing.

"I must confess that I never considered her family. Her children were never my children. He assured me as much, but I know he held them as dear. I really ought to have accepted the truth rather than hold for some miracle, hm?"

Even if Abalia felt nothing about the situation other than a dull acceptance of it, she could see quite plainly that her two friends were far more affected by it. Should she not have been, as well? It almost felt as though she was simply mocking them, to care so little about something that they clearly cared so much about. It was in the nature of friendship to worry after the well-being of others--

Mm. Well, even if she could not worry about herself, at the very least she could worry about the two of them.

"I apologize, for having turned the conversation to such a topic. I would like it very much if you would be there to discuss it with me once more after this search is ended. I do not know how I will feel on the matter then. I suppose, hopefully, I will need a bit of support."

Offering them both a small bow of thanks, Abalia considered the situation. What could she feasibly say, beyond that?

"I do not pretend that I understand what it means to love, whether my marriage was right or wrong. I understand you are both displeased with what I have told you. I am very sorry to have put this upon you, but I thank you both for speaking honestly with me on this matter. It is a personal one, and one I think few would be willing to discuss. I am fortunate to have friends such as you both."

"Of course. My apologies."

Abalia looked through the documentation she'd been given by Gamu, handing out copies of it to Elyss and Makoto. She wasn't especially certain if either of them had the requisite knowledge to grasp the full scope of the notes, but she had made sure to have Julian apply footnotes and the like to make the whole thing more palatable.

"Given this is still a fragment of my own soul, there will at least be some degree of ease in locating it, seeing as it will share the same energy signature as my own soul. The most pressing difficulty, as I have said, will be in finding this wayward energy."

Another couple of documents were procured from her files, and handed out to Makoto and Elyss. Unlike the last two, these were maps of the Earth, featuring rather extensive markups.

"Seeing as I am involved in diplomatic meetings on Earth with some regularity, there are signficant false positives to be worked around. However, there are several locations where I have not ever been, and so I believe they would be appropriate locations to begin."

Pulling out a pen, Abalia laid her own copy of the map onto the table between the three of them, and circled two locations; the first was Iceland, and the second, Florida, in the United States.

"These two signatures, in particular, stand out. I believe they may prove most useful in this search, though I do not know what would be found in either location."