Meeting Amongst Celebrations [Catherine, Caliora]

She'd huff as she got a hold of her own after taking a bite, a soft grumble coming after a swallow, "M' not introverted..."

A squint would respond to that teasing smirk - she was playing around with her. Was she one of those types? Did she play with her food before taking a bite? Though, her expression would lighten up almost immediately with that question; what? Of course she... But she always had lots of work, studying, all of that to attend to, sculpting herself into something bigger and better, to kill that wretched old wolf... She didn't have time, or really much understanding of 'fun'. It was like trying to fill up an empty void with light - sure there was a brief spark, but at the end of it all she was left with was a pervasive darkness in her chest.

It was something she genuinely feared, "...I would've wanted to. But now that i'm here, I dunno what to do about it."

...Then the subject fell onto why she was so eager to tag along. Fuck.

"Do you know anything about men?" She blurted out on instinct, but the expression on her face told of a cold embarassment, a broad look of 'why on god's green earth did I say that!'. Too late, commit, "..Like, romantically?"

God she felt gross.

'Decades'? So she really wasn't a typical human, hardly looked a day past her thirties at the absolute most. No, focus: Flattery. Ego fluffing, "You seem like someone men would gravitate to," Stuff that hideous feeling down your goddamn throat...

Her expression was forcibly pressed into a neutral state as those emotions, those memories, those feelings were kept boiling inside. She had to disguise her repulsion as embarrassment else this woman would catch on. Repress, repress, repress, "I've... Had my eyes on a few choices..."

Twiddle your fingers a bit. Bunch your shoulders. Don't look near the face. Appear shy.

"I, had a pretty bad breakup in the past. I'm not sure how to bounce back from it. Or pick the right person this time."

The urge to vomit was palpable, "One that wouldn't.. Do wrong to me again."

...Those words caught her off guard a bit. Her expression seemed stunned, as if she didn't expect that sort of response - she sooner expected something about changing how she dressed or painting herself up with makeup, that was the normal type of response women like her seemed to give. She couldn't help but inquire with a hint of incredulity, as if she was expecting the subject to shift into familiar waters after all, "..My, choices?"

Then Caliora started talking.

And she listened. Despite every fiber of her consciousness instinctively cursing these ideas, she did not interject or walk away - she just stared at her. Listening.

The moment felt out of her body, as if she wasn't real.

Doing this. Being here.

It was easier to pretend she didn't say what was to follow.

"...What if I pick wrong again?" Her voice still sounded strong, present, but held a slight whisper of uncertainty and distance, "What... if I don't have anyone?"

The buzz of words in her head went off with mentally picking apart what advice this woman was speaking to her, that expression of her's bearing a look of reading or deep thought as she spoke. None of it sounded like verifiable data or anything past chance; she had just as equal an opportunity to have any chance of a relationship be mired in terrible ends than finding a single someone who had her best interests at heart. Even someone as perceptively old as this woman still had advice like that, huh?

But no, no. She wasn't going to point out how frivolous she thought this advice was. She had to play passive and agreeable, pushing back in the slightest may offend or give a poor impression, then she'd never get any information from her about what she is.

This was what friends did after all, wasn't it? Tell each other nonsense at some fleeting attempt at help?

"I see..." She plotted to latch onto that little end to get her to talk, "It sounds like you've been around a while, how many relationships have you had?"