On Any Other Day

[earthborn]

Who| Shepard And Her Adoring Fans
What| The Customer Complaints Desk Is [OPEN]
Where| A lovely little park outside a lovely little café on a quiet day when the sun is shining, just after a certain network post
When| The morning after Shepard's Exposé goes live.
Warnings/Notes| Talk of murder, genocide, cussing, and political discourse. God help us all.

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, she's got a rail-thin barrista with a shock of violet-pink hair, and he keeps bringing her coffee from all the way across the street. On any other day, she'd call it perfect— he keeps sarcastically saluting her and she keeps sarcastically thanking him as 'private', and the coffee is damn good in addition to cheap and hand-delivered. On any other day.

But despite the shining weather and the convenient caffeine-drip, she's not set up here with the empty chair beside her own for the sake of simple joys.

Come at me, bro.

Comments

[earthborn]

Shepard considered a number of responses, all of them biting, and very few with more than a nodding acquaintance with politeness. She let them sit in her brain like little fireflies, all flashing lights and angry motion.

It's not Diana, really, it's just the whole damn day. The Commander wasn't someone who particularly enjoyed explaining herself, even when it was by choice.

"Been better," brownies are good. She can justify her good behavior with brownies.

[keep_surviving]

"I bet."

The corner of her lips twitch slightly in amusement.

"Not enjoying all the press, hmm?"

She pulls a piece of brownie apart in her fingers and pops it into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

"You still taking questions, or is the window closed?"

[earthborn]

"Never have, never will. Comes of Black Ops training, I guess," If it's a threat, it's unsubtle, but then neither was her broadcast invitation, "I'm still here, aren't I?"

Her own brownie gets swallowed whole, an undainty and undignified challenge to the concept of tablemanners. It also gives her a chance to draw out the answer, and to think. What harm could come of it?

"Shoot."

[keep_surviving]

Diana doesn't seem too bothered about the threat as she take a swig of her hot chocolate. "Ooo, Black Ops. Impressive. And scary."

Her brow furrows at Shepards claim of a brownie and she hooks her finger on the edge of the basket, pulling it closer to herself possessively before continuing.

"Just wondering how much liberty was taken, that's all."

[earthborn]

"The editing was pretty damn creative, and the context was pure fiction, but a lot of the content was real," she replied, bluntly, and raised an eyebrow at the brownie possession.

Fine, you scrooge. She's got a latté anyways, she doesn't need your shitty chocolate squares.

"Anything specific you want clarified?"

[keep_surviving]

She seems to ponder on that for a moment, dark eyes moving off Shepard as the information tilts around in her head before she returns to the Commander.

"Well, did you really fly in a ship called the 'Norminny'. I mean. It just doesn't seem to scream badass killer of space." The corner of her mouth curls upwards. "Doesn't even whisper it, really."

[earthborn]

"Normandy," Oh my god, woman, you must be kidding, that is not the smirk of a serious inquiry, "It's printed on the side of the ship in big black lettering taller than I am, you'd think they could at least get that right."

[keep_surviving]

She giggles. "Well, that does sound alot better."