Training Day (Open to One)

“My home has been invaded an awful lot and there was a period where it seemed that we were pretty much treated like currency. It’s a colourful history for sure and I do think that maybe you have a point about returning the favour. There was a period where we owned what seemed to be half the world although if you ask them, all successes belonged to the English. It’s funny how quick they're suddenly referring to themselves as a single country when it comes to praise.” The giant Quincy replied with a chuckle. “My father hated the English and wished that the old troubles would start up again.”

Surprised slightly by how well versed Anis was on the topic, Meninas would raise a curious eyebrow. “You’re awfully well informed about my homeland? World history a hobby of yours?”

It was fascinating to hear Anis speak of the pink haired Sternritter’s island in such a way and Meninas mused to herself for a few seconds. It’d been involved in so many conflicts and wars, with the result being that there probably weren’t any real britain's left. No doubt her own ancestry was probably quite a mess if she went back far enough but it wasn’t something that bothered the six foot Quincy. She was who she was and that was that.

Again, Anis spoke about that unfortunate period of her life that so far she’d been rather vague about. It sounded as though she’d been seriously hurt or that was how it seemed to Meninas. Yet, she still didn’t tempt fate, not wanting to possibly cause friction mere minutes after making friends with Anis. “Well, it sounds like you definitely made the most of it, given how quickly you were giving me the rundown about my own nation.” She answered with a smile. “What about your own nation of birth? What’s Germany like?”

Anis didn’t look too happy with her country’s past and Meninas could kind of see why. It didn’t sound like the German people had a peaceful or uneventful history either, similar in a way to the UK. Mind you, as far as she could remember from her history lessons, the UK and Germany had fought each other in both of the first two world wars, both of which had been brutal in their savagery. War was something that seemed to always be going on somewhere in the world, whether it between countries or different spiritual races.

It was nice to hear that the blonde had managed to recover from her period on the sidelines though and Meninas smiled once more although her cheeks turned slightly pink at the mention of dating again. At this point, the pink haired woman was coming to terms with the fact that her interest was purely in her own gender but still, she wasn’t quite as confident as Anis about saying it for the world to hear. Honestly, she struggled to say a lot of things at times.

She was confident enough to say in the end. “I hope that we get to do all those things together. It may sound silly but there’s a lot of stuff that I’ve never done, which I guess a lot of people take for granted. Not much to see and do when you’re raised in a dusty old estate surrounded by sheep and farmland.”

Meninas probably shouldn’t have been surprised to hear that there was another Quincy that had come from a farming background like her but she was a little anyway. The tall Sternritter had sort of assumed that most of those who joined were rather more modern than her but to find out she was wrong actually brought another smile to her face. “There is? I’ll have to try and find her one day. Was starting to think that I was the only farmer in the Vandenreich, as silly as that sounds. What’s her name?”

As they walked on, Meninas would ask curiously, touching on her own past a little at the same time. “You got your family back home cheering you on? Mine aren’t around anymore.”

“I’ll have to see if I can find her one day and have a talk with her.” Meninas answered with a smile. “She’s not the only one who could do with more friends. I do too.” She had no problem admitting that now and having spent some time in the Vandenreich at this point, the Sternritter had to confess that it hadn’t been as hard as she thought it would be. Meninas had been expecting a rough reception but that wasn’t how it’d been at all. She was feeling more comfortable already.

When Anis paused, Meninas wasn’t sure what she was waiting for but after a moment or two, she twigged and nodded her head. Agreeing to go in if Anis wanted her to, hoping that she wouldn’t be eavesdropping on something she shouldn’t.

Her smile did fade somewhat as she heard about the blonde’s unfortunate situation with her family, shaking her head. “I know what you mean. My father was pretty insistent that my brothers and I train religiously too. I was the only one who listened though, which led to problems later on.”