ArchivedLogs:Das Boot

Das Boot
Dramatis Personae Isra and Anette	2017-11-25 Anette's tired and cranky and Isra offers beer and advice
Location <BOM> Common Room - Main Lodge - Ascension Island
The common room's rustic-lodge feel has been somewhat mitigated by the modern amenities inside its sturdy wooden walls. It has comfortable couches, several chairs, a refrigerator (stocked with snacks and drinks!), a pool table, a pinball machine (METALLICA!), an assortment of books, a television -- with several game systems! -- and a splendid view out the windows (when their lacy yellow curtains are drawn open) for the rest of the island. The pale wood floors have been covered in places -- by a pair of soft thick blue rugs, by a large squishy pair of beanbags that stand in front of the stone fireplace. There's also a board up on the wall, half corkboard, half whiteboard, with a variety of community notes (and occasional insults) to other Brotherhood members. Large doors on the right-hand side lead off to the kitchen and dining room. In the back of the room, the council room's heavy oak door bears solid locks that are almost never actually barred. A short hall adjacent to the council room's door leads to a trio of multi-stalled bathrooms; these might once have been marked with the typical man-woman-handicapped signs, but someone has given them new plaques on the door; a stick figure with horns and a long tail, one with wings. One -- the large single-user toilet -- has instead been given a helmet and a cape. Anette has currently occupied herself with the bulletin board, catching up with the latest notices and gossip, a snack-sized bag of chips in her hands that she casually munches from. She currently wears a beige sweater, the back crudely adjusted to make room for her wings, jeans, and boots. Her hair hangs loose about her shoulders, framing a tired face and dark eyes. More obvious and unusual though is the lack of a child with her; today she goes without a stroller, carrier, or sling. The door opens to admit Isra, shaking her wings as she folds them in to fit through the entryway. She's wearing a long-sleeved wrap dress in hunter green with soft silver trim that spirals around her, highlighting where the garment wraps. Her skin is pale seafoam green (shaded more heavily on the dorsal sides) with shimmering silver highlights starting from her hairless eyebrow rides, winding up and back over her silver caprine horns, down the sides of her neck and disappearing into her dress, reappearing along her index and middle fingers, two each of her wing spars, and the back of her tail where it's visible beneath the hem of her skirt. She's carrying a zippered nylon tote over one shoulder and unslings it as she enters. "Good day, Anette," she says, inclining her head. "How do you fare?" Anette glances over towards Isra as she enters, offering the other woman a brief smile in greeting. "Isra, hi. Eh, fair enough." She glances back towards the note she had been reading and takes a few seconds to finish before glancing back towards Isra again and taking in the other's dress and coloring. "You look nice. Going somewhere?" She combs her hair away from her face with her talons as she leans up against the wall besides the board. Isra inclines her head. "Gracias. And yes-- here." She makes her way toward the kitchen. "Are you thirsty? I've brought sodas, beers, and ciders." Her eyes skip back toward the other woman. "Is Harley with her father?" "Oh, thank you. That sounds fantastic," Anette says as she stands and follows Isra towards the kitchen, finishing the last few chips in her hands. "Yeah, Akihiro has her. I needed some...time alone. Probably should be sleeping but I think I forgot how." Isra starts unloading the beverages from her tote, one six-pack at a time. The pack of sodas is a mix of Izzes, the ciders a variety of Strongbows, and the beers Shiners, likewise assorted. "It's important to get a break, every once in a while. As for sleep." She considers this a moment. "I suppose it's optional, but I'd recommend giving it a try. The medicine cabinet in here might be of assistance, though I think Akihiro himself could also supply you with some soporific substances, if you are no longer breastfeeding." "Yeah, I need to give myself breaks. I just...it's a lot harder than I thought it would be. I mean, they always say it's hard but you don't really understand until it happens." Anette glances over the beverages but doesn't take one, not yet. "And when it's hard I just want to try harder. I feel like I'm failing if I take breaks." She does glance towards the bathroom at the offered medicines. "Afraid I'm still breastfeeding so my medicinal options are...pretty limited." "You are well within your rights to want to try harder," Isra says smoothly. "And I commend you for wanting to. But taking a break is not failure. I think it quite the opposite, as a matter of fact." She takes one of the ciders--Classic Dry--and pops its cap off with the thick talon of her thumb. "Learning your limits and asking for help when you need it is far better than the alternative." "I've never been good at balancing hard work with rest," Anette admits, finally reaching for one off the Izze drinks and popping the tab with a talon of her own. "Besides. Harley is his, too. He deserves to spend time with her as well." Isra's ears press back. She does not smile, but something in her gaze softens. "That is good to hear." She takes up her drink again, sips at it delicately. "I trust him in certain respects, and not others. But he was away for a while, and I know that people change. And, in fairness, I had never seen him care for children, either." "Well, he changed for the better," Anette says, perhaps a bit stiff and defensively. She takes another sip of her drink, taking the moment to cool her emotions a bit. "This has been new for both of us. I can't say whether we're doing a good job or not but we're trying our best." Isra bows her head slightly. "I was not passing judgment on him--or you--in terms of your preparedness. I'm reasonably certain no one is ever truly ready for a task of such magnitude, and no one's best is ever going to be quite enough. Not alone." Her wings hitch up slightly. "Which takes me back to knowing your limits and asking for help." She folds up the nylon tote and brings it, with her drink, back into the living room. "Would you like to sit a while a watch a film? Or a show. Something boring enough to induce sleep, perhaps?" A ghost of a smile tugs at the corner of her mouth as she settles sidewise onto the couch, letting her wings drape down over the armrest. Anette gives out a soft sigh. "I'm sorry, I just...know how some of the island thinks. And since Harley....it feels like every decision I've made was wrong." She takes another sip of her drink before offering Isra another smile, trying to bring warmth back to it. "That...sounds amazing actually," Anette says, following Isra into the living area and claiming the other half of the couch, mirroring Isra's position with her own wings. "No matter how wrong or right your decisions, the child is here now, and you must do as well by her as you can. That is never easy, and no amount of guilt or blame will make it easier." Isra's voice is steady, calm. She picks up the remote control. "Now, let's see if we can't track down the original cut of 'Das Boot'..."