A Friendly Face, A Tall Drink (Meninas, Ehefra)

It was times like this when she blessed her height as it sure as heck helped Meninas figure out where she was going, seeing over all over the people hustling about around her. It was quite busy and while the Sternritter felt the usual knot of anxiousness in her stomach with being around so many strangers, the fact that she actually knew where she was going for once made it much easier to cope with. Ehefra’s text had helped her greatly in not getting lost and the over six footer was actually quite calm. Her wounds from their earlier spar had healed after a trip to the infirmary and she was feeling pretty good.

She felt a little odd about being out of her uniform, having become quite attached to it but the Sternritter figured that she should keep things casual. Sporting a white T shirt, jeans and trainers, she certainly looked as though she was ready for a drink and after the day she had, that couldn’t have been any truer. It felt nice to belong though and that was a feeling that wouldn’t leave her any time soon.

Eventually, she spotted the building where she was supposed to meet the Administrator and managed to move through the crowd without any real issues. When she caught sight of Ehefra, she was a touch surprised by just how different she appeared without the usual Quincy garb but honestly, it helped Meninas relax a little.

“Hey, Ehefra, been waiting long?” She asked with a smile.

There was a wry smile that briefly crossed Meninas’s features as Ehefra mentioned her uniform. She might not have been a social butterfly as such but the pink haired giant knew how daft she’d probably have looked had she come in her Sternritter garb. For all she knew, it might have put others on edge, something that Meninas sure didn’t want. Mind you, she tended to look kind of menacing anyway, given her rather muscular appearance but it wasn’t something she generally tried to do deliberately. It was just the way she was and Meninas was thankful that Ehefra had so easily been able to look past it.

“Not that long at all. A week, two at the most.” She replied honestly to the Administrator’s question. “There’s been so much going on since then that I’ve been in a bit of a tailspin at times. Going from a farming community to a member of the Vandenreich has been a massive jump and I’m still kind of coming to terms with it. It’s a whole new world for me.”

The choice of drinking spot was one that Meninas certainly approved of and as the Sternritter took a moment to glance around at the place, she felt rather at home. The people seemed friendly enough and there was a nice atmosphere, one that brought a smile to her face. Noticing that Ehefra hadn’t led her to a seating area, Meninas assumed that she had the choice of where they should sit and so led the way to the stools behind the bar, sliding on to one.

She’d add at that point, a chuckle escaping her. “This city makes me feel as though I’m a relic. A woman from a bygone era.”

“Don’t feel too bad about it. My father was adamant that I start training as soon as I could walk pretty much.” Meninas replied with a small smile, thinking back to those early days, before adding with a touch of dry humour. “He never taught me about how to deal with annoying tricks like yours though.” It had been a rough spar for her but looking back on it now, Meninas couldn’t help but grin. Ehefra had shown her an awful lot in the short time they’d fought.

“Mmm. When I wasn’t training, I was helping out in the fields, lifting hay bales and things like that. It wasn’t a complicated life and we didn’t use much technology but it was home. I still miss it, even now.” She admitted. “It sure has been a tough transition and I’m not all that good with big crowds. Walking around the city has been a bit of a struggle for me at times. I hope that I’ll get used to it over time.”

Meninas raised an eyebrow as Ehefra mentioned a few other Vandenreich, surprised to hear that there were centurions among its ranks. “I bet they are all better with technology than I am.” She answered, cringing a little as she thought about her own lack of skill with it. A phone was about the limit of what she could properly use.

When it was her turn to order, she’d ask for the strongest ale they served without much thought. All Scots could drink like horses, other than her brothers, who’d all been pretty useless. Meninas had won a few drinking games in her time, as it took an awful lot to stagger the over six footer.

Her expression, which had been fairly bright until then, changed a little when the topic of cute guys came up, her cheeks almost matching her hair colour for a second or two. “I’ve…never really been into guys. I don’t know why but I’ve just never been interested. Brothers teased me like mad about it.” She shrugged slightly. “Figured that maybe I’m just kind of clueless about such things. I wouldn’t know what to say to someone that I did fall for if I’m honest. How about you?”

“I suppose I should have guessed that punching all my opponents in the face would only get me so far.” Meninas answered with a touch of self deprecating humour. “I’ll be glad to learn from you whenever you have a few minutes to spare.” She was well aware of her own lack of knowledge when it came to certain areas and while she was alright in most areas, the Sternritter wouldn’t say she was a prodigy in a lot of them. A laugh escaped her then. “Just keep that tail where I can see it next time.”

“I can barely work a phone.” She answered with a small smile, appreciating Ehefra’s pat on the back. “I’m probably the worst with technology in the entire Vandenreich.” Meninas was certainly thankful that she hadn’t been put in the R&D department as who knows what might have happened. She was comfortable with her current role though and had no complaints.

“I suppose I am. I’m anxious around people in general until I get to know them. Don’t know why but I’ve always been that way. If I’m fighting it’s a different story but put me in a room with someone I don’t know and I’m a mess.” She admitted, before noticing Ehefra’s reaction to the topic as a whole and adding. “Sorry if I brought up bad memories. I guess we’re both unlucky when it comes to relationships.”

When Ehefra mentioned her own method for how she acted with people she liked, Meninas’s jaw dropped. “I wish I had your courage. I’d never be able to do that, I’d just trip over my own tongue.”

A part of her did wonder though if perhaps just pinning her crush to the wall and showing affection that way would work for her. She’d always been a physical girl and maybe that was her issue? Actions did speak louder than words, after all. Yet, she was getting well ahead of herself and the simple truth was that she didn’t even know if she’d ever find a guy she liked. Maybe there was truth to her brother's teasing and that she might be more interested in people of her own gender.

When the drinks arrived, Meninas curiously took a sip of hers, interested to know if it was quite as strong as the ale back home. It wasn’t bad and the pink haired woman was pleased enough. The amount of times she’d wandered in on her brothers completely drunk out of their minds must have been in the hundreds. They’d been lightweights, as they’d been when it came to most things to be honest. Only once had they challenged her to a drinking game and she was the last one standing that night. It was a fond memory in a way, probably one of best ones she had with them.

She smiled as Ehefra spoke about how having more strings to her bow would be useful and Meninas didn’t have any arguments with that. Her bow work wasn’t the best for the start and the Sternritter still couldn’t get the damn thing to activate whatever special ability it had. It just fired standard reishi arrows, no matter what Meninas did. The topic of weapons came up again as Ehefra suddenly spat out a mouthful of booze in response to something Meninas had said. The pink haired woman was completely baffled by the reaction and the only real response was one of her standard blinks, her expression blank. Meninas had no idea what she’d said that had garnered that reaction. In the end, all she said was, looking confused. “How many tails do you have?” Swing and a miss.

“Happy to hear it’s not just me.” She’d then say when the topic turned to technology, her smile returned. “I was worried that I’d be the only one here who struggled with it.”

Meninas wasn’t quite sure what to say at first when the Administrator spoke further about her lack of subtlety. After thinking about it though, she mused, the self depreciation returning for a moment. “Well, at least you know when you come across someone you like. I don’t think I’d know if they stood in front of me with a sign saying so.”

When Ehefra then went on to offer her a little advice, the Sternritter would pause again, thinking back over her own past for a moment, before seeming to at least come to one conclusion. “I think that maybe it’s a case of Miss.Right instead of Mr in my case.”

Taking another sip of her ale, she couldn’t help but feel a little pleased at uttering that particular line out loud. It’d been bothering her for a while and now she’d said it, things started to make sense.