barrierabovethecrowd | 名前を呼んで

Give me the strudel. And some tea.

[ A surprisingly light and small choice. Normally Sofia eats a lot. But instead she's eating up the sight of Ulrich on the other side of this counter. She meant it when she says she likes the way Ulrich looks. But she didn't want to just stare, so she takes the laminated menu from the end of the counter, reaching out with a little grunt. She thought to herself that Eugen must have heard her complain about missing little coffee and tea shops like this after being in this island for so long.

She's still ignoring the fact that she's also barely wearing anything inside the cafeteria. But what's anyone gonna do about it? Definitely not the equally skimpy maid who's serving her right now. ]

It's pretty early. You sure you want to be behind that counter? Might as well join me. We're the only ones here.

[ She does notice the carnage left behind by the Destroyers that Ulrich was cleaning earlier, but they're probably busy doing classes right now to bother them again anytime soon. ]

Sure, if you want any more gossip starting up.

[The less effort she has to waste on shutting down the rumor hens, the better. Especially when they're both about as cleaned up as a cardboard box stuck in the rain for three days, at present.

Still--Ulrich does take notice of how little her customer decides to pick up. And frankly, there's a twinge of annoyance she can't help but let fester. After that incident, she should be getting her strength back, not forcibly weakening herself out of some ill-begotten principle. After she starts setting up the tea for brewing, the symbol of Ironblood's hopes and regrets makes her way over, serving up the pastry with the same face as usual.]

Be a bit before the tea's ready. You sure you don't want anything more?

No, I'm fine. I'll make up for it when lunch actually rolls in. Too much carbs before that would kill my appetite.

[ You know, with the actual meats and vegetables. There's definitely sounds coming from the kitchen in the back, so she knows real lunch is on the way. At least Sofia isn't limiting herself out of principle, although Ulrich is hard to blame on that. Sofia has always been too proud for her own good. ]

And there's actually gossip going on? What have you been hearing?

[ Too proud, but also too out of the loop ]

Suit yourself. [Ulrich shrugs, and continues to keep tabs on the tea... while briefly shooting a sharp look at the kitchen herself. There better not be any dumb crap going on in there, Eugen...]

Figured you'd be more in tune with what's going on, though. The grapevine has all sorts of nonsense about you. Supposedly there's enough rings in your pocket for more than just your favorite lucky ship.

[She only took brief, curious looks. And only because of whatever the hell that recent Juustagram post was.]

[ Sofia just grunts, taking a big chunk of that pastry and inhaling it into her mouth. ]

Bold of them to assume I can afford rings. Can't even afford one.

[ She's technically homeless, and is perpetually broke. It's one of the reasons she likes staying here since food and shelter are provided. Superheroes don't have salaries, after all. Best they can get is from donations. ]

[The goth kansen rolls her eyes while pulling a bottle of Oxy-cola out from behind the counter and taking a long sip.]

Could've fooled everyone with how much attention you've been getting from us.

[Especially from the twin-tailed, pixel shades-wearing gadfly. How long have they been together again? Months? Years? She genuinely lost track.]

Edited (added a little more dry introspection) 2022-11-17 05:04 (UTC)

Whatever.

[ Sofia is not one for rumors so she's not even gonna bother dealing it it, or even talking about it. She's just curious to hear what the girls have been talking about ]

Guess this island is so devoid of entertainment that the girls go into gossiping for it...

[ She'll look into what she can do, maybe ask someone set up a festival or something ]

Always gets that dull whenever there's no missions to take care of. Gets so... routine, after a while.

[For her, it's less ammo wasted. But she knows by now Sofia isn't that kind of person. She needs action.

...hm. She goes back behind the counter to check on the tea brew.] If it'll kill your boredom, you can help me with something once those wounds are healed.

My wounds are healed.

[ She insists, immediately feeling her ribs flare up. But she keeps it hidden behind her stoic veneer, preventing herself from grunting by shoving some strudel in her mouth ]

Well? What do you have in mind?

[She's seen enough of that sort of stubbornness out on the frontlines to know better.] The more you insist that, the more you waste the others' efforts dragging you back here.

[Verdammt, Sofia. The medical staff told her to not be stupid.

Ulrich picks up the cup of tea, gets a spoon to taste test and sips -- nods after. Good, not overbrewed. She then takes it over and puts it on its own little plate for Sofia to get when she needs it.]

Bismarck got info from our scouts that I was asked to confirm. Figured you'd be the safer bet, since my usual bunch is busy with commissioned work.

[ Sofia rolls her eyes. It's true, so she'll concede that. She watches Ulrich with the tea and can't help but feel a little hypnotized. Seeing the goth wearing such a different outfit and preparing tea is not something her mind registers for Ulrich. ]

I should be able to handle that. Wait- What commissioned work are they doing? Nobody informed me that.

[ Seriously, nobody tells her anything around here, she feels. As Captain, she ranks below the Admiral. But still being out of the loop is just annoying to her. ]

Would've let you know sooner, had Eugen not dragged me out this way. [She would've also had a message saying much the same as a plan B, but nooooooooooo, that gadfly insisted. So here she was, is the tone she gives off.]

Elbe, Adalbert, Magdeburg and U-1206 are out dealing with handover requests we got.

[Still--for someone who's rather annoyed with the work, she does it efficiently. One could say she's a natural at minimizing the waste.]

Right.

[ Of course, Eugen. Sofia sighs and takes some tea for herself. She hasn't interacted with these girls enough to tell what they're like outside of combat, though. ]

You're really good at this. Is that why they think you can handle that pop-up cat cafe? Who's idea was that?

Most animals don't even like me. Just something about those cats that makes them cling to me like snails to wood.

[Speaking of, one of the Meowfficers scampers over to her foot and paws. Thankful she didn't have anything delicate in hand, she ruffles his fur before sending the impromptu intruder off.]

To put that another way: I don't know, and it just happened.

Little scamps don't ever behave predictably.

[ The memory and imagery of it got a chuckle out of Sofia. Meowfficers are so cute too, so seeing one approach Ulrich made that memory more vivid. ]

Ulrich the Pussy Magnet.

[ She couldn't resist uttering out a dumb pun while chewing on the last of the strudel. If there's anyone who fits that title here, it's probably her though. ]

Maybe they put catnip in your body wash.

Dammit, you just had to go there, didn't you...?

Next thing you know, that 'catnip in body wash' shit is going to turn out to be less of a joke than it should be. [There's a hint of annoyance, but it's hard to really be mad when she set herself up for it.

Of course, then there's the footsteps from behind...]

Now, now, Ulrich, that's hardly the tone a helper at the cafe should have!

[In comes the silver-haired gadfly that roped her into all this, genuinely curious about the ruckus.]

Piss off, Eugen. I thought you were busy with the lunch menu.

I mean, there's surely time to chat while the sauerbraten continues to simmer. It's a long process, after all.

My, though, Sofia. [Eugen gently leans on her, huge fuel tanks settling rather comfortably on the other woman's head.] You picked yourself up out of bed rather early, didn't you?

[ Sofia lightens up; posture straightening and eyes beaming, at the sight of Eugen. She's most familiar with Sofia, after all, so it's easier for the introverted captain to feel at ease. ]

I was hungry.

[ She answers flatly, just observing the two ships with a gentle blush on her cheek. Eugen's reflection appears behind Ulrich, barely visible through the other obstructions, but she sees herself enough being used as a boobrest by Eugen. ]

And it's not the same without hearing you yapping at my ear.

Edited 2022-11-19 03:18 (UTC)

Well, in that case, you should've told me! I would've visited you sooner and annoyed you some more. [She isn't even hiding her blatantly physical affection for the Captain that spearheaded their recent operations. In fact, she seems intent on pushing it a little further, not helped by how she's wearing her own personal maid outfit on top of all this. It's barely visible against the reflection, but Sofia can certainly see the headdress.

Ulrich, for her part, huffs.]

Maybe don't annoy her now of all times. She's having a meal.

I'm sure she can have her meal while I'm busy keeping her entertained~ Right, Sofia?

[The blueprint-born battleship cradles her head.] Swear to the damn dogs this counts as mollycoddling...

[ Sofia sighs ]

I'll have another strudel.

[ Stress eating. She asks Ulrich, hoping to at least give her some distraction from Eugen's shenanigans. But she taps on the side of Eugen's boobs as she turns around in her seat to face the silver-haired kansen, wanting to see her outfit up close and personal ]

I'm surprised it's not more risque than your other outfits, Eugen.

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