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[There is no recording, just a few clicks and a beep.]

[Leave any IC voice messages or texts for Natasha here.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The problem there is I don't know who is what level, or... Much of anything about myself that's the low-level stuff.

You did fine the first time we talked. Back on the beach planet. We talked about reality, what Atroma might really be, what's waiting for us. I'm probably not your best litmus for this sort of thing, but...it was a good start. We just talked. Was it that hard?

It... really kind of is. I don't know what I did differently back then? I just said what I thought, like always.

Sometimes it's about speaking your mind. Sometimes it's about knowing what part of your mind to speak. As confusing as that gets.

That really is too confusing...

It gets easier. Especially if you ask them questions about themselves. Where they're from, who they left behind--once you hear someone talk about themselves, it's easier to know what to share of you.

I... guess so. Ask about themselves, share something similar, and... Use the common ground to become friends, I guess?

That's the basic idea. [She smiles then, and it's not a smirk or one of the larger, practiced looks she uses most frequently. This one is small, a little crooked but genuine.] I knew you were a fast learner.

That seems... surprisingly mechanical...

When you really get down to it, it's all a numbers game. There's emotion involved, sure, but...everyone's got buttons to push, however you mean it when you do.

[This is probably the most honest, and most pragmatic, thing she's ever said to anyone here.]

... Just like combat, huh? Find what's effective, and use that...

[this will surely not backfire on her later.]

More or less. I have a friend who'd disagree. Who says that it's all about making a connection naturally, just being yourself, but he tends to expect more from people than they can sometimes give.

We all do it differently. May as well find the way that works for you.

[Hey, she's not dead from it yet...]

Yeah, just being yourself is probably a lot easier when half of yourself isn't missing.

Being yourself is easier when you know who that's supposed to be.

[Soft agreement. She understands better than anyone thinks.]

No kidding... Makes it hard to get a date, too.

Oh, I don't know about that. A long-term relationship, maybe, but a date? You have everything you need for that.

I tried asking someone here out once.

She immediately vanished from the Fleet entirely.

And you let that stop you from trying again? None of us are guaranteed a tomorrow, here or anywhere else. May as well live while you can.

I guess, but...

[she sighs]

If I go into my romantic problems, that's an even bigger mess than the rest of it.

[She smiles again, amused but not condescending.]

Romance always comes with messes. Half of what makes them fun.

There are other women in the fleet who are interested in women. Plenty of interesting ladies on some of the stations we dock at, too. What's the harm in a little flirting?

[... she thunks her head down on the counter.]

I sort of... already have a crush...

On three separate people.

[Her smile only grows wider as she arches her eyebrows.]

So, you've got options. Go for it. We might not be here tomorrow, so...

Yura is at home, which is gone. Bluebird is at the castle still. Natalie is here, but she came from later, when we'd already been dating for months, and can't deal with the idea of dating someone who doesn't remember months of their relationship.

Okay, so. None of those are feasible right now. Why not flirt with a stranger? Doesn't have to mean anything but a little fun. Sometimes a little connection without pressure is nice.