milliways_bar | (no subject)

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The door simply opens and shuts, letting a young woman, primly dressed, enter. The business jacket and modest skirt are both navy blue, with a school crest blazoned on the lapel. Her hair is pulled back into a neat twist- but no, no glasses. The lady can see well enough without any such thing, thank you.

Under one arm is a book. Gilt-topped pages, bound in blind-stamped morocco, that exudes the aura of rare first edition. Old and well-kept, but it's not hers.

As Athena glances around the bar, the person said book belongs to, from whom she borrowed it quite a few years ago, is nowhere to be seen. Well, that should have been expected.

With an exceedingly faint shrug, she starts over toward the bar.

(New mun with a char that's been played here before- but I am starting her over with a fresh slate. Thank you!)

(And, the mun is off for sleep. Post is open for tags for the next couple of days for slowtimes!)

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"Then I'd find myself having to learn quickly what makes blue aliens comfortable."

Moist has learned that if he can be liked enough to not really be there, he's safe.

"Which usually means plenty of observation, before a few careful interactions, gage their response to you, so on and so forth, until you consider yourself comfortable around them-"

She picks up her wineglass.

"But I hardly need to tell this to you, do I?"

He makes his smile if not innocent but a little self-deprecating,

"I would hope not. I'm Alfred and its a pleasure to meet such an astute woman."

"Years of practice." Simply.

"I am Miss Camilla Ergane, and the pleasure is mutual, Alfred."

The irony that 'Alfred' is more than likely not his true name either, is far from lost on her.

"Practice is after all the only way to get good at anything, Miss Ergane though again I'm sure you know that. May I ask how such an intelligent woman keeps herself occupied? It seems like much of the world is probably quite boring for you."

"As long as the world has interesting people in it, coming up with new ideas, it will never be boring, Alfred." She laughs quietly, shaking her head.

"Right now I teach history at a military academy. As I tell my students, it's a fine thing to learn from the mistakes of others, to thereby avoid committing the same ones yourself."

"Quite true and when dealing with violence, the scale of those mistakes is so much greater."

Moist doesn't like dealing with violence if he can get away with it.

"It can be, yes." She shrugs. "The class I teach used to be Strategy, and now it is History. Times have changed, for better or worse."

"Was it more than just a name change or has what you taught changed?"

"The approach and presentation changed, if not the core information. For the most part, it's becoming less and less applicable to modern warfare." Athena smiles wryly.

"At least on a large scale, and the academy is hardly the place to teach small group tactics."

"Is the battlefield a better place?"

He's honestly curious, because he's never thought about any forms of warfare.

Athena raises an eyebrow, tilting her head. "How do you mean, Alfred? Better in what particular way?"

As there are quite a few different answers to that.

"For teaching those smaller lessons. I don't have any experience with warfare and try to avoid violence when I can so I truly don't know."

Not that he hasn't had some rather dangerous moments, but its not how he works.

"Ah." A slow nod.

"They are the sort of tactics used by police officers, or army scouts. A small team of idividuals who need to be able to act independantly if the need arises, compared to a platoon of soldiers acting under the direction of their officers." Athena spreads out her hands, then shrugs.

"Most of the young men and women I aren't planning on such careers."

"What sorts of careers are they planning for?"

"For the most part, nothing in the army." Wryly. "Most of the students at the academy have other careers planned, after they graduate from university. Very few of them consider joining any of the armed forces as an officer." Athena shrugs.

"Most of them plan on going into the corporate sector, I believe."

"That sounds rather boring, but I don't believe that I've actually heard of a corporation before. Is that anything like a Guild?"

She raises an eyebrow at that, but after a moment, begins to nod slowly. "In a vague sort of way, yes. A corporation is a very large business, with many branches into different areas, so less focused than an actual guild. But as to size and organization, they are close enough."

"Ah, yes, I know that sort of business. They do end up everywhere. I just think that word hasn't quite made it to the Disc yet."

He gives her a quick smile, worlds are different after all.

"Give it time." Wryly, with a slight chuckle. "Human nature tends to be the same, no matter what time or world."

"I'm sure of that."

Its part of what makes his business so easy, people are people.

"And considering that most of the people here are human, I suppose that is why this place works as well as it does. Such differences as times or worlds are rather inconsequential, when it comes down to socializing and getting a drink."

"Or at least, that's been my observation, here."

"I would agree and the drink selection is quite interesting."

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