[Soon enough they're at the library. He greets her with the usual salute.]

Lieutenant, it's good to see you.

[Julius looks better than usual. If Riza notices it's because he's had time to rest in Oska..]

[But how much of that is Oska allowing him to rest and how much of that is due to the presence of a familiar face from home? (JK)

At the sight of her friend, Riza gives a friendly dip of her head.]

And you. You look well. [Enjoying his time off, probably, and for that she feels a little guilty for taking some of that precious free time in order to guide her through this mission.] Thank you for agreeing to help me through this.

Of course, it's no trouble.

I'll go search for research materials. Will you accompany me?

[He could use the extra hand. Riza looks well too. They both needed this break, apparently. ]

[They're people and not robots. Any living, breathing creatures does better when not placed in a state of constant stress. Still, Riza and Julius are perhaps odd in that they both thrive when given tasks to fill their hours, and as such she's all too happy to help him search.]

Of course. Books encompassing the era as a whole would be best, though perhaps there are linguistic manuals or clothing trend documents we could go through as well.

Alright, I'll do my best to find those topics. I wonder what sort of clothing would be deemed acceptable there.

I'd prefer to settle with something simple. How about you?

[Does she have any particular clothing preferences? Riza is a girl after all.She must care about her appearance to some extent. ]

[Wow, don't be sexist!! Though he's not entirely wrong, she does care a lot more about appearances than a large majority of their crew here. But it's part of being taken seriously, and blending in anywhere they go.

As they browse along the shelves, she answers.]

Simple would be best. If it's anything like what we wore in Perdition's Rest, I wouldn't mind so much.

[Some of it was a little overly gaudy, but overall it was comfortable.]

What do you know the time period?

I read that wearing ripped pants was a trend among men and women. That sounds absurd to me.

What is the point of wearing torn clothes? Do you see the appeal in this sense? [He sure doesn't. Maybe they can get away with not wearing something stupid.]

Ripped pants?

[She echoes the words blankly, completely failing to understand the appeal. What logical sense is there in wearing torn clothing, she has to agree. There's little protection offered against the elements or other forthcoming danger, and surely it can't look very fashionable.]

Are they not concerned with protecting themselves in this era?

Apparently not.

We'll see if there's something more...logical among their fashion options.

[Slow shake of his head. Julius hands Riza some reference books for the mission.]

See anything you prefer here?

[One can only hope.....and hope she does as she flips through one of the books handed to her, only to pause in abject horror about six pages in.]

Were clothes usually so....colorful?

[On the page before her is a tie dye shirt, almost searingly bright in its colors.]

I...I suppose they were.

Let's aim for something with less shades. You don't want to stand out that much, right?

[Wearing that would most certainly make Riza stand out. He shudders at the thought.]

I'd prefer to blend in.

[Even when it comes to perfectly normal situations she's never preferred to be the one in the limelight. Everyone else can have the attention.]

Though I was told by Dipper that we wouldn't need to change all that much about our language and dress in order to fit in.

Is that so? I'm finding that hard to believe.

We all come from such different places. It'll stand out, for sure.

[Unless they make the effort to blend in. Julius trusts Riza to have a strong handle on this. She's always been the reliable type. ]

[Well, to clarify—]

I think he meant people who don't already use elaborate turns of phrase already.

[Like Achilles.

But she finds her attention drifting away from the upcoming mission and towards Julius in particular. She hasn't forgotten her conversation with Reika from days earlier.]

Are you looking forward to things, sir?

In some ways, I suppose. [It's complicated okay. He'll tell her exactly what he's looking forward to.]

I'm looking forward to meeting our fellow recruits.

They're very kind and helpful. Don't you feel the same way?

[It's a partial answer, though not entirely satisfactory. But her lips quirk up all the same.]

You could say the same for yourself. You've been very helpful in getting Captain Kagura settled in here.

[Very helpful. Sometimes she wonders if there isn't something going on between those two.]

Helping a teammate adjust to this is the least I can do. [Even more so since it's a good companion of his. Since she bought it up though... he'll ask a question.]

What do you think of her so far? I know she just arrived recently, but she is someone you can trust.

[What does she think? As she flips through the pages of her book:]

She's a very capable young woman, and kind. I can see why she was made a captain.

[With that said, she looks up from her book, an unreadable expression across her face. Her voice is soft, well-meaning so that her words come across as encouragement rather than chastisement.]

I think you could afford to be more open with her. She worries about you, even when you mean for her not to.

You believe so? I apologize, being open isn't one of my strong points.

However, I'll make an effort to amend that. [Julius does want to improve except he struggles with being personal. He's thankful for Riza's suggestion.]

Thank you Lieutenant.

I believe being open and honest with those you work with can only improve trust.

[Everyone has their dark secrets and sordid pasts of course, but she's always believed that hiding those did more harm than good. (She could be wrong; she has been wrong before, on several occasions.) But at the same time—her shoulders relax and an understanding smile spreads across her face.]

But I also understand that talking about oneself can be difficult. It takes time and practice like any other thing.

[She's still not very good at it herself.]

We want you to let us know if you're struggling because we care.

I understand. Thank you again for being so courteous. [That's more than he could ever ask from a friend. Riza's so kind. ]

What I'm struggling with is...a problem relating back to my original world. It's not a simple matter that can be explained easily.

Did you have troubles with home before leaving, Lieutenant?

[He can't be the only one okay.]

Don't we all have problems of some sort where we come from?

[She says it with a wry twist to her mouth, almost cheekily, but sobers up immediately afterwards.]

There were problems I had to find a solution to, but they were issues I had support for and nothing I had to handle on my own. [For which she's eternally grateful for.] Why do you ask?

You're quite right, I was just curious.

Everyone deals with their own problems in a different way. We're both no exception to this.

[He feels a little silly for not counting on others as much. Maybe next time he'll talk to Riza with an open mind.]


Edited 2017-02-01 01:52 am (UTC)