Cracked Glass, Broken Mirrors [Asami, Lerna]

Asami was also under no illusion that this could be considered a part of a teacher-student relationship, she had not picked Lerna out because she was a good student. So if her student were to call it a sign of friendship then she would be forced to acknowledge it.

Lerna's abode was as she expected it, which was a little bit disappointing really. She wouldn't have minded being shocked by something out of the ordinary or even just straight unusual. It was tidy enough that she didn't feel obligated to tidy but still looked nice and lived in. The couch was hardly an ornate piece, certainly didn't feel like it was from the tenth century like she might have suggested, but it looked like it had been worn a little. Regardless, she collapsed into it with little care for proper decorum and gave Lerna a reassuring nod as she headed off to start her meal prep.

It didn't take all that long, thankfully, because she didn't want to be alone with her thoughts for any more than was necessary. It was all too easy to mope, she was learning, so she tried to focus on working out exactly what Lerna was cooking up before it was brought out. Trying to focus on it, it was not all too difficult to pick out the fried rice and the beef. But perhaps the most interesting part of the dish was the enjoyment that Lerna seemed to be pouring into it.

By the time it was ready, she had managed to pull herself back up and around into a sitting position. She offered a timid smile and went to get a portion for herself and Lerna if she wanted some. This had all been done on her behalf, on a whim by Lerna and most certainly unprompted, so she was going to make sure she enjoyed it.

Asami ate politely, nerves perhaps a little calmed from whatever frantic urges had started to creep out earlier. She didn't rush, or try to match pace with Lerna or anything, but she just focused on the meal and the food and the quiet homeliness of it all.

It was genuinely nice to just go head empty for a few minutes.

Then, as she was coming to the end of her bowl, the idle thoughts began to return. It was not lost on her that this could have easily been another date with Kyo. The cheery hostess at her side replaced by his charming sincerity. It made her want to tear her hair out, just a little, but she caught herself long before anything got too squished and bent out of shape. There was still a tension to her, though she certainly did not want to direct it toward Lerna.

"Thank you. I think I needed something like this."

No comment on the quality, which might well have been what Lerna sought but none of that mattered to her right now. But she smiled, it was only a soft little thing, and leaned her head to one side until it was resting on Lerna's shoulder.

Sinking a little more into the chair as Lerna moved them both backwards, Asami sat there quietly for a while. She was not the type to ever actually have these problems, and especially not the type to just vent about them, but it was probably because of that that Lerna expected an explanation from her. Maybe she would ask for it soon, or she was happy to just let Asami sit here and stew a bit more, but there was a relief that it didn't feel like she was prying even after she had been so imposed on. Eventually, she decided to get ahead of the curve.

"Have you ever been in love, Lerna?"

That was the start really, and it felt so very childish to call what she and Kyo had shared as love. But that was why this had all happened. Had it not been that then she would have been as fazed by their breakup as he had. Or had he felt the same way but handled it better than her? Was it better or worse if that was true? She hoped he didn't feel like this too. Dearly. But she also wanted him to burst into the room and declare that it had all been a misunderstanding.

Heartbreak was a little more painful than she had expected.

The arm slipping around her side went without much comment, it was an awkward position to be in and likely it was more comfortable like that than crushed up against Lerna's own body. Asami had not considered comfort when she had forced them into this position, which was most unbecoming of a guest, but she hadn't been thinking straight all day really. It wasn't like she was offended by it, innocent enough as it was.

"I suppose that is one way to look at it. Makes you do stupid things, hurt people you care about, that kinda stuff. I didn't think that was my deal either."

That much was certainly true. She had expected that at some point she would marry, continue the family line and all those traditions, and maybe it would be a happy union where they could coexist peacefully. But falling head over heels for someone she had considered as a passing fancy had not been a part of this master plan. The mention of the Captain Commander's lower regions was not exactly the answer Asami was expecting to hear though. She knew Lerna was crude but that was something else entirely, and concerning a woman she had a great deal of respect for. Were she not in a bit of a state, she would have said something.

"Time heals all wounds, huh?"

Asami retreated from the balancing act of her head upon Lerna's shoulder and the arm around her side, forcing herself to sit up and forwards on the sofa. Her elbows rested on her knees, her head soon supported by her hands in turn. Just how long would it take before she didn't feel like this? There was probably an upper limit, a maximum value, she just hadn't been thinking about this logically.

Lerna's attempt at praise or motivation washed over her, passing her by as she tried to focus on herself, but those last few words stuck with her. Looking back over her shoulder, she offered a reassuring attempt at a smile again.

"You've been a lot of help actually. I guess I owe you a little more than a bowl of rice now."