Scene #728: Tea From A Friend

Owner	Pose
Ainsley	Ainsley does stay at her study, more often than not, these days. She has no need for the mana mister so it has been removed from the study, with the ventilation system requiring adjustment. A curious thing to note is that she has replaced all the metallic decorations in her home with crystalline ones, with even the doorknobs being made almost entirely of some kind of crystalline-metallic material. When Riva knocks, a voice calls from the back yard, "Come around back!" Definitely Ainsley. There's a little path that goes around the side of the building Riva can follow. Ainsley herself is sunbathing under a very large sun lamp in the back yard of this modest building. Her eyes are closed but based off of what she shouted just now she is probably awake. She even set up a table and a chair for Riva in a place where Ains could reach over to grab the teapot or tea cup if she wanted. Oddly, this will be the first time Riva has seen Ainsley in anything less modest than robes, taking to wearing a one-piece swimsuit for the sake of soaking up all of that precious sunlamp warmth without, well, baking alive in her clothes. Seems she's already trying to relax. She /is/ a lizard, after all.
Riva Banari	Look out, Ainsley! You can only deny Riva's impulse to help out and make people feel better for so long. In this case, Riva has a pack of stuff hanging off her back and a tea set in her hands. She's standing in front of Ainsley's door, knocking. "Hey Aiiiiiiiiiiiinsley~" Riva singsongs. "Relaxation Time calling!" Better than Avon! The call draws Riva around back, and she looks over the setup with a curious expression for a moment before setting down the tea set on the table, putting a cup within reach. She sets her bag down as well as she begins preparing the tea, pouring a fragrant blend into the cup. "Looks like you have a really nice setup here, Ainsley." She replies. "Would you like honey, sugar, lemon, or milk? I have some of each." After preparing the tea to Ainsley's specifications, she sits down and makes her own. She reaches for the sugar, but then pauses, and goes with honey instead. "It's been a long time, Ainsley. You're really busy lately."
Ainsley	The lizard girl sits up and stretches out for a moment, yawning at Riva. She smiles at her ally and friend, and tells her, "Sugar. Just sugar." Ainsley leeeeans over to get a sniff of the smell of tea, happy to be receiving a simple gift like this from someone she... hardly knows, now that it crosses her mind. She looks over at Riva somewhat curiously, but doesn't voice any questions. Ainsley's every movement is slow and tired, as if she were exhausted by all of the tragic things she's seen over the past couple months. "Busy. Yes, very busy," she agrees. "Has there been any new events on Solomon Island?"
Riva Banari	Riva looks over Ainsley's slow movements and lethargic behavior with a mixture of sympathy and curiosity. She's clearly sunbathing, Is it because of the nice warm sunbathing or is it because she's been running herself ragged for so long? "Nohing is going too crazy on Solomon Island at the moment." Riva confirms. Thankfully, she's not even needing to lie at the moment. "We've got people on the ground there, following up on your investigation." She says. "Hopefully we'll hear something back this weekend." She sips her tea, and then tilts her head sideways. "Are you going to be all right, Ainsley? Do you need anything in particular? You look like you need to sleep for like a week." Ainsley may barely know Riva, but Riva certainly seems concerned and solicitious.
Ainsley	It's a little much for Ainsley. She frowns over at Riva as she pushes her concern over, the lizard girl not seeming to appreciate it at first... then she lets out a tired sigh. "No. I'm not going to be alright. I'm an idealist, Riva, we tend to crumble over time," she says, in that soft voice, "Sometimes we're put back together." She sips at the tea after it's been properly prepared. "I don't feel tired, physically. Just mentally, emotionally... Parts of me I can't easily fix and take more time to heal than any bruise or sword wound might."
Riva Banari	Ainsley's words cause Riva to think for a little bit. Perhaps she might have shrugged them off earlier, but... "Yeah. You're right." Riva nods. "I think I can understand some of that. Is anyone helping you out with that, though? I always used to go to my friends when I had problems like that." She arches an eyebrow. "That or went out and did something fun. What do you do in these situations?"
Ainsley	"I've got something arranged with one or two people. Mostly odd things. Mizuki arranged a 'dream dive' with me, for instance." Ainsley gives an emphatic shrug, as if not sure whether to be excited about that or if it even counts. "Sometimes I go out dancing with Faruja. We don't get to do that a lot, but it always puts me in a better mood." Then she finishes off her cup of tea, setting it down.
Riva Banari	Riva nods. "If her own mind and dreams are any indication, Mizuki is usually really good with them. She might be able to help you a lot. Dreams, I hear, can really help people." The mention of Faruja makes Riva smile slightly. "You and he like each other a lot, don't you? He's always worried about you, and from a guy who I thought was married to his religion, that's saying something."
Ainsley	"Pretty sure it's love," Ainsley tells Riva quite bluntly, seemingly not understanding the drama or oddity behind just blurting something like that out. She shrugs her shoulders once. "Who he is on the outside isn't the whole Faruja. If he never found his faith I am certain he would still be a good man, with just a different organization to be loyal to." She looks over at Riva with more of a smile. "Considering I'm the one who initiated the relationship, I think I might ask him to marry me at some point. If I ever feel it's right to do that." She pours herself another cup of tea. She... doesn't seem as tired anymore. Seems Faruja is a subject that brightens her up.
Riva Banari	Riva laughs when Ainsley just out and says it's love. "Then it's love. Congratulations!" The Templar grins, not seeming to take offense at all. "He's a man who lives on his devotion, it seems. He'll definately be a good pick." She leans forward a little bit, arching an eyebrow. "I think you'll be good for him too. You like to check things out and question. Make people think about things. He does some of that himself, but honestly, a bit of that is good for everyone, don't you think?" She drains her teacup at that, nodding as she prepares a second cup herself.