Carve

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**pinkgothic**:

Two days later, just as Leila was wrapping up from work, [[character:Nyarai Pretorius|Nyarai]] stood in the greenhouse, arms crossed, her expression a mixture of annoyance and appreciation, the nuances of which were necessarily lost to Leila, who hardly knew her. "You're not very subtle, you know," she said.

There were still colleagues of Leila's about, ones whose shift ended later than hers, and so the bluntness was an alarming shock. Not that Nyarai had said what Leila wasn't subtle about, but it really could only be one thing.

**Nymphetamine**:

Leila turned to look at Nyarai, eyes blinking in mild shock. She hurriedly looked around behind her, to her colleagues to see if they were paying any mind to this discussion. "Neither are you..." The accusation was succinct, brows furrowed into an angry mien as she looked at the other woman. "Can we talk about this somewhere //private//?" she asked, knowing immediately that this could only be about one topic. And one that shouldn't be conversed about in mixed company.

**pinkgothic**:

"I see you at least have the decency to feel embarrassed," Nyarai barbed, eyes narrowing sharply. "Fine. You done for the day, or do I need to wait until you've finished up?" If there were enough emotional leeway in the situation, Leila might have noticed Nyarai primarily sounded tired, like someone who had spent hours worried about something - but as it were, Nyarai just felt like a threat to a carefully constructed card house.

**Nymphetamine**:

She couldn't help the roll of her eyes at Nyarai's attempt to needle her. Shaking her head to the follow up question, she straightened out of the crouch she was in. "No. I'm done." A quick glance around the area to make sure she had cleaned and put away everything that she had been using today. Dirty hands wiped away on her pants before she gestured at Nyarai to lead the way, wherever that might end up.

**pinkgothic**:

And lead the way she did, if not particularly far. There wasn't enough space in the corridors to simply slip to the side somewhere, but there were public toilets near the greenhouse, and Nyarai promptly made to grab Leila by the shoulder and tug her into one of the lavatories. She closed the door on the small space and glowered freely at Leila. "Just what are you thinking?" she asked, hissing the words as she forced the volume of her voice down as far as it could reasonably go. "If you slip up once, //just once//, how do you intend to explain that to base medical staff?"

**Nymphetamine**:

She should've realized this confrontation was going to happen sooner or later. It only made sense for the other woman to want to protect her friend. Shoved into the restroom stall, she glowered in return, knowing that it was a very pertinent question. "That would be my problem, wouldn't it?" she asked, though it felt like she was just stalling for time there. Finally, she just heaved a sigh, shaking her head. "I hadn't really considered that, okay? I was just interested in it... and... the more I learn, the more I want to know... and help? I don't know, it sounds stupid now. Especially considering the risks."

**pinkgothic**:

"//Your// problem?" Nyarai growled. "Do you have //any// idea what they'll do to Mateo if they put one and one together?" But it was a rhetorical question, as she simply continued on: "No? We don't have the luxury of one of the sorcerers //losing their job// up here, and that's the least they'll do."

**Nymphetamine**:

"That was a risk he deemed acceptable, wasn't it?" The reply wasn't a great one, even she knew that, but Leila resented that Nyarai decided to poke her nose into it. (Even if had the situations been reversed, Leila would've done the same on behalf of her friend.) "I know, it's not... It's poor choices all around, I'll admit it. But we both decided that it was a risk we deemed worth it." A pause before adding, "I'm sorry that it's putting //you// at risk as well... That's not fair to you..."

**pinkgothic**:

"I don't give a shit about what that does to me," Nyarai said. "I didn't endorse this. But Mateo is //good// at his job and I swear, if you slip up and the fall-out hits him, you'll regret this entire excursion." There was an audible full stop at the end of her tirade. Then, evidently done with her chewing out, she said, considerably more flatly, flexing her flat hand against the wall near Leila as though trying to subdue a tic: "You coming to the outpost?"

**Nymphetamine**:

She endured the verbal ass chewing because there was little else that she -could- do. Leila didn't have the heart to bitch in return, or to distract and deflect by making comments about how it was none of Nyarai's business. When tempers seemed to calm, the woman switched tracks so fast that it was almost enough to give Leila whiplash. "If you'll have me," she said in a quiet voice, not exactly meek, but definitely chastised.

**pinkgothic**:

She nodded, altlhough it wasn't clear whether that was an acknowledgement that Leila was welcome on the trip or just an expression of ongoing, taut frustration. She licked at her lips, then pressed them to a thin line, before resolving the ambiguity: "I expect you to make yourself useful." There was no venom in that voice, just a firmness.

**Nymphetamine**:

"That's only fair." She was quietly accepting whatever conditions Nyarai wanted to put on the trip. Truly believing what she said, she knew she could just be doing grunt work, or making food or something of that sort, but at least she would be helpful. No matter what was to happen.

**pinkgothic**:

Again, more nodding from the lean African. Her gaze darted from one spot of Leila's face to another at regular intervals, as though some part of her was still instinctively trying to catch Leila out on a defection. "Okay," she said, finally, straightening herself out and leaning against the wall to give Leila as much of the pathetic space the two of them had in the stall as possible. "We're going out on Saturday at 10:00, meeting at dock two. That work for you?" Leila knew from the prior conversation that she was free to say 'no', but it wouldn't make them reschedule it for her.

**Nymphetamine**:

"I'll see you there." Or she might get cold feet at the actual time they were supposed to meet, and Nyarai wouldn't have to worry about the tag-along that Leila would've been. There were definitely other things to consider now that they'd had this little tête-à-tête. She would have to do some educated research into determining whether or not these risks were continuing to be acceptable. And maybe she should talk to Mateo, after this.

**pinkgothic**:

"Try not to get spooked in case someone asks why you're coming along. It's not illegal to accompany sorcerers to a project they're doing," Nyarai gave advice, then sucked her lips into her mouth for a moment's mild grimace. She paused for a moment, then asked, some actual interest returning to her tone: "You got any first aid skills?"

**Nymphetamine**:

She nodded at the advice, welcoming it, and anything else that Nyarai might have to say about it. When asked about the first aid skills, another nod in reply. "Yes. I'm certified in first aid. That shouldn't be a problem..." Barring a major incident or something of the sort, which she didn't really know if she was getting into something like that. Well, no turning back now! She was committed, at least until she was more thoroughly spooked out.