Shore Leave: The Bar

Alex turns from where she was carefully peering at the top of Cass's head.

There's a brief moment of pain that flashes all too obviously across Alex's face when Julia says she was too busy to listen to her mother's message. She waves a hand vaguely. "It was nothing, really," she says, cheerful tone returning, though not at the same carefree level as before. "You can listen to my message sometime when you have a few moments. I'm fine. We're fine. Everyone's fine." She puts an arm around Cass's shoulders and gives her a side hug. "Now, if you're not... well... never mind that. What are you doing here, honey?"

Before Julia can respond, Cass makes what she probably intends to be a disdainful but restrained grunt. It comes out as a loud, indelicate snort. "Sure, it was nothing. If y'call being held prisoner for weeks by an alien army nothing." She gives Alex an affectionately scolding look before turning to Julia. "And you! Who's so busy that they don't have time to listen to a comm from their mother? I mean, seriously! I'm sure she would listen to every comm from you, un... unlike some parents."

Cass' shoulders droop abruptly and she lapses into a brooding silence, leaning heavily against Alex.

Ooooooiiiiiiii Moira manages slowly now that she’s (sort of) caught her breath. Dunnae worry Tynee Alex. Ah mist tuns a noots frum Home all tha time en school. Oi. Are yeh en school?

She pauses.

Alex! Ah dinnae knoo yeh had ah Tynee Alex!!!

Moira has passed the point of being more understandable.

"I mean, I almost died!" Cass says to Alex and Moira. She holds up three fingers. "Twice! The least he could do is drop me a line: 'Glad you're not dead. All the best, Dad.' Is that so hard?"

Moira nods (less than) soberly at Cass’s outburst, pulling her into a firm, maternal, engulfing-bosom embrace.

Et’s all right, Lass. Et’s All right. Ah’m soore Tynee Alex ain’t as bad as yer Pappy.

She gives a LOUD sniff, but doesn’t cry.

Ah dinnae knoo yer Pappy was such ah tooooool!

"Mmmph bmm mm bmphmmb," Cass says from within Moira's bosom.

There yeh goo, Lass. There yeh goo.

Her grip loosens, possibly only because she’s tired.

Cass takes the opportunity of the loosened embrace to withdraw enough to gasp for air.

Alex lets go of Cass's shoulders, if only because the commander's been ripped from her grasp by an incomprehensible engineer. "Now, now," says Alex, reaching to pat Cass's retreating shoulder, but missing. She contemplates this moment of lack of coordination for a heartbeat, then turns back to Julia. "She doesn't get along very well with her father. That's what that's all about.
I'm sure she didn't really mean to yell at you," she says. "But you haven't answered my question yet! It's such a crazy coincidence that we're both here at the same time!"

Alex tilts her head, trying really hard to focus her eyes. "Maen?" The rest seems unimportant suddenly.

Lt. Commander Bruce. I am not sure if you remember me, my name is Alira. I am sorry to bother you, but I am trying to find a group of cadets. Have you seen any cadets here?

Alira is looking around the bar while speaking

Like a distant siren rapidly getting louder as it get closer, Cass' awareness of Alex's mood quickly increases when her posture and tone of voice change at the mention of Julia's fiance. She almost asks about it directly, then realizes that she shouldn't, especially since she can't quite figure out how to put together the question. Something is wrong here, but she's not sure exactly what.

It's scary. She almost always knows what's wrong when something's wrong. Or knows how to form the question, at least.

Just then, a young girl unfamiliar to Cass addresses Moira by rank and name, asking if she's seen any cadets in the bar. Cass hears the whole thing clearly because Moira still hasn't quite stopped hugging her, even though Cass has now turned around to watch the unfolding encounter between Alex and some girl. No, her daughter. Julia.

Cass can almost feel the light bulb igniting over her head. "I think she's a cadet," she declares to the new girl brightly. "Her name is Julia."

"Suddenly, I find myself feeling remarkably sober," says Alex. Her voice sounds to her own ears as if it's coming from the end of a tunnel. Convenient that the other cadets found somewhere else to be, because by the stars, she needs a place to sit right now. She carefully makes her way to one of the stools and holds it steady while she sits. Or holds herself steady, more likely.

She stares back at her daughter, expressionless. "Your fiance. Wow."

Alira looks at the table pointed out. She moves a little closer.

Julia. Are you and your friends cadets? There are a bunch of people looking for you if you are. As far as I know, your superiors have not been notified yet. I wonder if you could step outside with me for a minute so we can clear this up?

Damn. Sorry to bother you. Please, if you see any cadets, tell them to go back to quarters.

Alira goes back to the door and the other thread to see what is going on.