((Logged 6/22/2000))

Bart's Hideout, Residential Walkway NW
Contents:
photograph
Luka
Lia
Ryan_Jackson
A young wolf

Ryan_Jackson steps out into the hallway, spotting Lia. He approaches, and waves 
to her. "Hi...hey, how's Juniper doing, anyway? Better, right?"

Lia nods. "She's resting comfortably... Hopefully, she will have fixated into 
her single personality soon..."

Luka arrives from the desert exit, boots jarring softly against the metal 
grating of the walkway. Hearing Lia and Ryan speak, she halts, aware still that 
she is but a visitor in the base. "Good evening. Is this a bad time?"

Ryan_Jackson looks over at the source of the new voice. Spotting Luka, he 
smiles. "No, not at all, come in and make yourself at home."

Lia smiles and curtsies to Luka. "Hello! Oh no, by all means, come in."

Luka nods, walking into a comfortable conversational range. "No further problems 
with your suit, Lia? And, Ryan, how have your wounds been?"

Ryan_Jackson seems rather pleased. "Just fine. I'm almost back to my old self, I 
think. And I daresay I owe some of that to you. Thanks again for your help."

Lia blushes and shakes her head slightly, "None at the moment, thankfully..."

Luka nods again, leaning slightly against the railing and hooking her fingers 
around the metal. "Excellent. And..." she blinks, "Did I hear something about 
Juniper?"

Ryan_Jackson nods, his amiable expression replaced with a slightly worried one. 
"She had some...complications today. She'll be fine in time, we believe, and she 
is doing fairly well."

Lia nods, "She's improved immensely, from the stories I hear of her previous 
behavior."

Luka folds her arms, tapping a finger while she thinks. "Has she stabilized? I 
haven't been recently updated as to her condition... it is good that she's doing 
better."

Ryan_Jackson thinks for a second and shrugs. "That depends on your definition. 
She's starting to recover and her behavior definately is improving, but not 
entirely emotionally stable as of yet. Getting there, though. Medically, she is 
fine, I believe."

Lia smiles, "She has reached the point where all she needs is support to solidly 
return to her original self, pre-trauma... Her drive for revenge is worrysome."

Luka sighs. "A properly secure location such as this base will do wonders for 
her. With any luck, no further souls will try to kick down the door and spread 
the terror of their angst about... May I impinge upon you both for some tea 
while I'm here?"

Ryan_Jackson hmms, and can't think of a reason why not. "Certainly. I'm pretty 
bad at making it though..."

Lia nods. "Certainly. Shall we adjourn to the dining hall?"

Luka nods, unfolding her arms and embarking on the search for tea.


Bart's Hideout, Dining Hall
Contents:
Anna

Ryan_Jackson steps in quietly...

Luka brushes in, finding a seat at one of the tables. Taking off her glasses, 
she massages her temples with her thumbs. "Lia, is it a bother to ask you? Your 
tea is always excellent."

Lia smiles, removing a tea kettle from Kasumispace already heated, and preparing 
a pot. "Of course not, Luka. I enjoy making tea, especially for good friends."

Luka rests her head on the backs of her hands, elbows on the table before her. 
"I must say, this base is very relaxing. I hope nothing else violent goes on 
here soon..."

Ryan_Jackson takes a seat. "Looks good..."

Lia sets out three cups, pouring tea and fetching sugar and milk, as well as 
three spoons. "There." She produces another item, a small plate of assorted 
cookies, and places it alongside the teapot with a contented smile.

Luka muses at the cookies first, then taking one of the cups. Stirring milk to 
flesh out the tea's opacity, she adds, "Thank you for your kindnesses... It's 
nice to be able to go places without having to deal with overactive stereotypes 
and politics."

Ryan_Jackson takes a drink from his own drink, and sets it down slowly. "Hmm? 
What do you mean by that?"

Lia sips at her tea lightly, listening.

Luka sets a sugared cookie down, sipping from her tea first. "Most people see 
the uniform and think of attacking me at first sight, or running--especially 
here of all places. Granted, that's an excellent response to," and she brushes 
at the green jewel of the Gebler in explanation. "Many people in this base have 
reason to be hostile towards my employers."

Ryan_Jackson nods. "I will admit it does seem very suspicious, but I try to 
picture someone attacking you or being hostile, and just can't quite see that 
happening."

Lia smiles faintly, "Appearances can be decieving, Ryan... Many here hold 
grudges against Luka's employers... You have but to listen to them, and they all 
want a piece of Gebler..."

Luka nods as Lia speaks, nibbling on a cookie. "Admittedly, once I'm on duty I 
understand that sort of reaction." She smiles as well. "But I prefer to not 
carry my occupation's prejudices with me in my off-hours... and it's good to see 
that not everyone I occasionally must clash against does as well."

Ryan_Jackson shrugs, taking a quick bite into the offered food. "Well...it's not 
as though I'm highly partisan or anything like that. I may be from Bledavik and 
disapprove of some things the Gebler do, but I'd rather judge them on a case-by-
case basis, and I certainly can't find fault in you."

Lia smiles. "That's a very healthy attitude, Ryan."

Luka laughs softly. "Thank you. I do appriciate that... People too often forget 
that you can be on opposite sides, and still manage to be polite." Taking 
another drink of tea, she adds to Lia, "As good as always. I just can't find 
good tea in Solaris."

Ryan_Jackson does seem a bit surprised at that revelation. He figured Luka must 
of been just a regional addition to the Gebler or something, with how she visits 
here now and then. "I'm not a political animal, so I don't see why I should 
bother with getting caught up in something others show as a grand crusade 
against heathens, or what have you. Certainly you've been nothing but helpful to 
me the entire time I've known you..." 

Lia nods and smiles. "Thank you. It's an old family recipe, like most of the 
food I serve. My mother was an excellent chef, as well as a superlative 
healer... I hope to someday be half as good as she is at the two skills..."

Luka smiles kindly to Ryan, replying without malice, "Because I've been off 
duty." Taking another drink of tea, she says, "Also because the two of you are 
excellent company. I do agree though... there is a difference between a jihad 
and a job. Although the larger irony is that, due to upbringing on both sides, 
most people in their respective societies truly feel that there is nothing wrong 
with the way that they live. But I digress..."

Ryan_Jackson hmms, taking another drink. "Well...emotions and nationalism are 
certainly strong things for rulers to use if they can manipulate them properly. 
And having a visible 'enemy' means it is easier to blame that enemy for things 
that are really domestic issues."

Lia smiles faintly, "I suppose that is why I am so easygoing... I don't accept 
anyone as a 'ruler'... merely someone that I choose to follow because we share a 
mutual goal."

Luka pours herself some more tea to warm that already in the cup, offering the 
spout to Lia and Ryan should they wish some as well. "I agree. It is also 
unfortunate that the exaggeration or even creation of such an enemy is necessary 
for a nation. Even on a more personal level, there must always be an Other, for 
in doing so, one's own occasional self-revulsion or despair at qualities which 
are universal--but which one may not wish to associate themselves with--is 
expungated, and shifted upon the Ideal of the Enemy rather than the actuality. 
This can be overcome, of course... but so rarely people wish to, for it does 
result in either a lack of illusionary barriers or an overabundance of them." 
She pours a spot of milk into her fresh tea.

Ryan_Jackson sighs, declining the offered extra tea. "Thank you. That almost 
went over my head for a moment...but I think I get what you meant. Basically 
it's passing the buck. So convenient to blame others for everything, really. Oh 
well...this is sort of getting to be more a depressing discussion than it should 
be, isn't it?" 

Lia smiles, her expression as misleadingly vacuous as always. "Thankfully, there 
are always a few people who can be relied upon to understand the nature of 
countries, and simply pay them lip service... Else the world would be a far more 
boring place."

Luka shakes her head slightly, smiling. "I -am- sorry for dragging this down. 
Thank you again for seeing the face and not the uniform... although I hope we 
never meet if I -am- assigned to something hazardous involving you both. For one 
thing, we would not be able to stop and have tea. But, regardless... has 
everyone else in the base been well?"

Luka finishes the tea, sliding back the empties on the tray and tidying up the 
mess. "It never ends," she smiles, in a sort of explanation, and then heads out 
while the dawn is still hiding.