concoursec | Saturday afternoon (frontdated)

Entry tags:

Saturday afternoon (frontdated)

Characters: Sharpay and Mercedes
Location: Sharpay's office
Rating: G
Open/Closed/Finished: Closed
Summary: Sapphire kids gotta stick together! Sharpay introduces herself in person and tries to make it worth Mercedes's while.

Sharpay's office was difficult to mistake for anyone else's: Much of the upholstery was hot pink. The shelves held more CDs and media than books. And there was at least one framed photo of the instructor on every surface.

As the overture to her latest musical played softly from speakers on the desk, Sharpay was playing with her Yorkshire terrier on the floor as she waited for Mercedes instead of grading the week's music homework. The door was half-open; Sharpay was more concerned about welcoming her fellow Sapphire student than being caught with a tiny dog.

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Mercedes did not make Sharpay wait long, and assumed that this meeting was something official, so she turned up wearing her cadet uniform. There was no knock on the door before she entered. Growing up with the luxury of pretty much going where ever she wanted made her totally oblivious to little rules of social etiquette... and it often got her reprimanded for showing such a blatant disrespect toward other's privacy.

Upon her arrival, Mercedes looked around the room long enough that she began to squint as if the sheer abundance of hot pink hurt her eyes if she looked directly at it. She had not realized that a color could be so bright that it seemed like it glowed like the sun. Then again it also might have been a combined effort between the color and all the lighting and other shiny stuff that was shattered about the room.

"Instructor Sharpay Evans?" She spoke as a way of greeting and as well as to confirm that she was in the right office.

At the sound of her name, Sharpay turned, giving the newcomer a quick, subtle onceover. One of the younger cadets...with wings?

She didn't call attention to this, though; that would just be rude, and she was a good enough actress by now to cover up her shock. She merely stood, grabbed some disinfectant from a bottle from her desk, and wiped her hands before striding across the room and offering Mercedes a hand to shake. Boi, her dog, followed her, sniffing at Mercedes's shoe curiously.

"Mercedes, right?" This girl wasn't in any of her classes; she must have been her 1430 meeting. "Please, call me Sharpay."

When the dog came her way, Mercedes took a step back, and watched with wide eyes as the animal sniffed her shoe. The way her hands were held, it may have looked like she was fighting the urge to get further away. Perhaps on top of a chair, or even outside of the room. This wasn't the first time she has seen a dog... but it was the first time that she has seen one so /small/, and it's bold curiosity was a little unsettling.

"Y...yes." She answered, but kept her eyes on the dog. "What is that?" Pets were still a concept she hasn't quite grasped completely... "Is this animal a companion of yours?"

Sharpay tilted her head at the girl's response.

"You don't like dogs?" She whistled. "Boi, leave her alone."

The dog looked up at Mercedes a second longer before whining and running behind Sharpay's legs. He seemed to be peeking out at Mercedes, though.

"I'm sorry; I should have warned you. Boi's a Yorkshire terrier, which is a breed of dog." At home she would have left it to 'Yorkshire terrier', but who knew in this world; someone could come from a world without dogs, or just one without the tiny ones. "Yeah, I guess you could say he's my companion. I usually just say he's my pet."

Mercedes kept her attention on the dog as well, apparently more at ease now that it is no longer at her feet. "It's not that I don't like them. They are just ... unfamiliar to me."

After saying that, she finally was able to take her eyes off the dog and focus on Sharpay. "You had stated your interest to meet me, and because I saw no reason why I should not grant your request ... here I am. But first, I would like to ask you something..." Her expression changed in such a way that it showed off her confusion. "What is a 'sabbatical'?"

"A sabbatical's a break from work where you're actually still doing something work-related, whether it's research or writing a book or..."

Was it too soon to trust Mercedes with the real reason for her sabbatical? She might have already blown it with Boi.

"Mine was to perform in a show out in Deling. I wanted to bring some practical experience to my drama class; students seem to enjoy the new warmups," she excused herself.

The explanation got Mercedes to pause and fall deeply into her thoughts... her silence broken when she nodded slowly. "That seems to define my current situation... even though I had not planned to take a break from my duties."

The motives for Sharpay's trip are a little lost on Mercedes. "I do not know much of drama... or preforming shows, but it does seem that you are very dedicated to your work. I will do my best to bring useful knowledge back home with me when this sabbatical is over."

Sharpay smiled rather than risk offending her by laughing; the misunderstanding was kind of cute.

"Oh, a sabbatical's something you plan and apply for in advance with whoever you're working for. But I'm sure people on your home world will appreciate what you learn here."

She stepped back (and slightly to the side; she'd learned how to not trip over her dog), indicating the two chairs in front of the desk.

"Why don't you come take a seat and tell me about these duties of yours?"

Hmmm. Mercedes thinks more on the added details she is given... and it sort of reminds her of when her cousin suggested she go on a break right after her mother died. And well... that was ...

"I think I understand what you mean... and I would not plan for something like that." ...ever again.

Sharpay's curiosity about the duties that Mercedes had left behind caused the fairy to pause a few moments and stare before she began to walk toward one of the chairs that were pointed out. Carefully sitting down, she gave an answer without seeming to realize that the information by itself might be very confusing. "I was on my way to find a Psypher blacksmith so he could build me a weapon that would help me defeat King Odin."

Sharpay took her own seat behind the desk and began to cut a couple of slices of the tart Mercedes had requested.

"Hold on," she said, raising an eyebrow. "Why were you trying to defeat a king, and what's Psypher?"

These other worlds always tripped her up at first.

The questions made Mercedes look away as emotion came to her so strongly that she could not answer right away. Mentioning Odin in passing was one thing, but having to explain why she was fighting him that was different. It made her remember what had happened... and what could possibly be happening while she was stuck in this world.

"He..."

Her voice was soft and her head lowered, her mood quickly switched over to concern as she worried about what could happen to her country if Odin harnessed the Cauldron's power.

"He is a great danger to my kingdom." Oops, she's gonna have to answer the Psypher question later because right now... fret, worry, worry.

Coming from a peaceful corner of the world - the war on terror had never touched her in Albuquerque - people from more dangerous places always made Sharpay feel out of her depth, especially when it appeared to affect them as much as this simple question seemed to hit Mercedes.

"You must really love your kingdom if you were trying to defeat someone who was a danger to it," she said gently. Considering she'd never even thought about joining the armed forces at home, coming here had instilled her with a good deal of respect for those who actively tried to make a difference.

Mercedes did not lift her head for another few silent moments, though when she did, it was apparent that she was trying to look as strong as she possibly could. "He killed my mother... and he would kill every fairy if it suited him."

A moment later, a scent she had not noticed before got her attention. Her nose twitched slightly as she sniffed the air, then her eyes settled on the tart at Sharpay's desk. Well, hello. How did she miss that? Oh. Right. Talking about Odin and reviving her desire for revenge against him.

She became torn, because she was deeply worried about her country and she hated the man that killed her mother more than she could possibly say... but... they were there, and she was here. And so was that delicious smelling tart.

Mercedes held her hands against her stomach when it grumbled softly, reminding her that the last time she ate was hours ago. Before she would completely give in, she at least wanted to say one final thing about her conflict back home. "I have to protect my people and stop him from using the Cauldron at any cost."

"I'm sorry to hear about your mother," Sharpay murmured. She didn't know what she'd do if her own mother died. "And I'm sure you'll be able to stop him. You seem to be a capable girl."

She smiled to see Mercedes noticing the tart, and slid a serving across the desk to her.

"I hope it's up to your standards. I imported the berries from Dollet and had someone in Balamb make the tart."

There was a flicker of a smile on Mercedes face after Sharpay's assurance. Even though she rarely doubted she would be able to achieve her objective, still, sometimes it all felt too much and she got overwhelmed by it. Hearing someone encourage her was always welcomed.

Mulberry Tarts are always welcomed as well and she reached out to pull the plate in front of her to examine more closely. It did not look exactly like the ones made by the Pookas back home, but it was similar enough, and she was starting to get homesick enough, that she nodded and picked up a fork to eat it. "It will do."

Once she had a bite in her mouth, she closed her eyes and chewed several times... and it appeared as if she enjoyed it. As soon as the bite was swallowed she looked back to Sharpay and seemed to have warmed up a little. But her words still came out a little harsh and serious. "What was your reason for this meeting?"

Fair question. Sharpay would've been alarmed to be called to the office of an instructor who didn't even teach her.

"I'm sure you're aware that the Sapphire sponsorship values loyalty within the group. So I take an interest in cadets with my old sponsor. As a SeeD and faculty member, I like to be available to Sapphire cadets if they need any help with anything, whether it's something you need SeeD assistance on or even just where's the most comfortable seat in the library. I wanted to introduce myself and get to know each other a bit."

Mercedes ate another bite of her tart as Sharpay spoke, her eyes on the woman as she kept her mouth closed and savored a mouthful of tart. Once her mouth was clear, she spoke immediately. "You have completed the training that we are currently going through... so you are offering to help guide us and be aware of our well being?"

Not exactly the words that she was told, but that's what Mercedes heard. It was a lot like how she thought she should behave, because it seemed very 'Queenly' to her. That made her favor Sharpay a little better, far more than any tart ever could.

"I know very little of my sponsorship, but I agree with loyalty being very important because a person can not succeed without the support of others." After saying that, she set forth to finish off her tart.

Sharpay nodded. "Exactly. I've tried to go it alone and it just doesn't work."

As Mercedes ate the tart, Sharpay tried a bite of her own.

"I can see why you like these," she admitted after a moment.

Once she was done with the tart, Mercedes set down her fork and took a moment before she spoke. "There is something missing from them... but I suppose it would be unfair to expect them to be like the tarts from the Pooka village."

She glanced around the room before adding, "There is nothing that I need that you can help me with. For all I want is to return home... but..." She trailed off, a thought coming to her as she spoke, and with only a sort pause, she corrected herself. "Unless you can help me with obtaining another Guardian Force."

Sharpay raised an eyebrow, interested. As an instructor very much rooted in the arts rather than the battling side of Garden, she didn't often get requests like this.

"Did you have a particular GF in mind that you needed support for, or do you mean in general?"

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Saturday afternoon (frontdated)

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Okay for real this is my tag. ._.

no worries o/

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