Ireland’s gaze shifted ever slightly out towards the club as the waitress approached with a new drink. Setting the new drink down while collecting the empty glass in one graceful movement. If Ireland was sitting with her back towards the bar, and deep in conversation, she doubted that she would have even noticed the skilled drink swap. She offered the waitress and appreciative smile of ‘thanks’, before turning her attention back to Lied.

“Well you have my business card. The mobile number listed is my personal number, feel free to give me a call or send me a text when you would like to get together again,” she offered as a reminder. She discovered that there were some people who were nervous using someone’s business card information for personal inquiries. So she wanted to reassure Lied that it was ok to use that same information to schedule another visit.

Watching Lied light up when it was her turn to share her favorite dish made Ireland smile warmly. She always enjoyed witnessing earnest moments. They were rare, especially when you were in the city. It was one of the reasons she enjoyed volunteering at the school as often as she does. Children were full of those precious moments. So many Firsts for them to experience. Ireland was hard pressed to find any new experiences for herself, not with how long her life had been. So she had learned to live vicariously through others. “No matter the size of the steak I whole heartedly agree that medium-rare is the way to eat them. You must have an impressive appetite to take on such a massive steak size as a T’rex. Can you get one in the city? Or did you find that special somewhere else?” She asked curiously. There were so many themed restaurants in the states, with unique names for their dishes, that Ireland simply assumed that the T’rex steak Lied mentioned was just a trademarked name for a 25 oz t-bone steak or prime rib.

Lied watched her look away towards the club where the feral noticed the waitress approaching with a new drink. She smiled with pleasure at how well her employee was doing at their job.  Though once Ireland was looking back at her, Lied’s attention was also back on Ireland, and she listened as she spoke of the business card, which she noted the mobile number was Ireland’s personal number.  She also noted her permission to use that number for personal get-together.  This pleased her and made her think she had truly made a new friend, though time and specifically the revelation of her mutant status will tell if that continued.

She smiled when Ireland agreed with her medium rare was the way to go for any steak, though the poor dear thought she got a T’rex steak in the city. “Heh, you work up an appetite trying to kill one, so I can usually eat a whole steak, though a lot of the times my father would eat with me,” she told her. “Unfortunately, with the Meteor, and everything you can’t get them up in the Americas there are bones sure, but a real one? Nah.” She said, pausing to take a drink. “There’s a place hidden in Antarctica where you can get them. “She said, then placed her hands together looking serious at Ireland She didn’t know her that well, would she laugh at her? “Tell me, have you heard of a place called the Savage Land?” she asked her.

Ireland was very skilled in masking her emotions. Even though she felt very relaxed around Lied, and a handful of drinks into a lovely afternoon, she didn’t look dumbstruck by what her new friend was saying. She was definitely surprised by the story, which was made evident by her raised brows. Nothing about her expression gave the impression that she was dismissing what Lied said as ridiculous. When Lied asked about the Savage Lands Ireland shook her head no.

“In my line of work, I’ve heard a lot of stories and legends. Tales of civilizations that no longer exist and others that some people say are in hiding. Everything in archeology and anthropology was once a whisper, rumor, or story. I learned quickly to accept what people say as truth, it is all about adjusting my view so I can see through their eyes,” Ireland shared as she rambled for a bit. “Antarctica, along with the open ocean, are two of the most unexplored areas in the world. Meaning there is still a lot we can learn about them. If you say there is an access point to a prehistoric, Mesozoic area that is hidden beneath the ice … perhaps closer to the core of the planet. I am inclined to believe you.” She shard with a smile.

Lied took note of her friend’s expressions as she spoke to her about the place of her birth. The Bird shifter was surprised that she didn’t look dumbstruck which made her think perhaps she had been to the Savage lands. She did note the surprise by the eyebrows though, but the fact that she shook her head, no meant she hadn’t heard of it.

Lied listened to her response and she learned something she hadn’t known about Ireland, but she found herself pleased that she had believed her. She wondered, however, how much could she challenge Ireland, coaxed that visible shock and disbelief out of her. But a part of her almost didn’t want to do so, since she found that would be rude, and based on who his employee says Ireland was, she needed people to spread the word of her Nightclub.

She smiled back at her ”I’m glad you believe me, sadly it will take time and likely money to get meat from there transported here, added to the fact that I am not sure my father is still there now that I am grown up and left the nest so to speak. But on my next time off, I’ll see about getting something for you, if you’d like to try it of course”  She said to her though a way to get proof was to create a video, which would technically reveal her mutation.

” I’m willing to try most things. At least once,” she admitted. Raising a single finger up in the air as she said ‘once’, to emphasize the fact. “My fascination with archeology and foreign cultures requires me to be open minded about a lot of things, and that includes food,” she added with a nod of her head. “Most of the time I regret eating the bugs,” shivering slightly as she recalled the slimy texture.

She was quickly starting to realize that she was most definitely feeling this current drink, “This will be my last Matias special today. I’ll be needing to switch to coffee after this.” The conversation had been doing a wonderful job of sidetracking her from the reason she was drinking so early in the day. Unfortunately, the conversation was also distracting her from how much she had to drink. She enjoyed being tipsy around others, but always reserved the act of being drunk to the safety of her home. There were too many ways things could go wrong when she wasn’t in full control of herself. Thankfully, she believed she had caught it in time, ~knock on wood~ she thought to herself.

 Trying to refocus, she closed her eyes for a moment. “If I were to hazard a guess, it sounds like your father is a scientist. Is that correct?”

Lied smiled when she listened as her new friend admitted to being willing to try most things at least once. Her eyes caught the rising finger which would emphasize her words. She smiled as Ireland spoke of how her fascination with archaeology and foreign cultures required her to be open about a lot of things which included food. Lied pulled a face when she mentioned bugs. “Yeah, I know the feeling, the bright side they at least have protean, but I don’t enjoy eating bugs which is why I was pleased when this” here she indicated her nightclub” is successful, I can eat decent and very delicious food” she said.

Ireland appeared to realize that she was drinking a lot of the special drink she ordered. Lied raised her hand and immediately a waitress appeared at her side. “Yes, Miss Nova?’ She asked her boss, with politeness and respect. “My friend here will need coffee after this drink, put it on my special friend's list which I’ll pay for later,” she told her, and the waitress left quickly to get the coffee. Leaving lied to place her attention back to Ireland, who soon asked about her father.

She grinned a little "Something like that, He has learned a great deal of mostly Genetic research and things like that, of course, that isn’t his only area of skill, He helped me with the business plan for this place, showed me the perfect location too.” She told him.

“Protein or not I will leave the bugs to the birds, and the bats, and all the other smaller creatures who have an appreciation for the taste. They are just wasted on me,” chuckling as if she was talking about some delicious treat from a local eatery.

Hearing Lied describe her father’s intellectual virtues, she smiled softly to herself as she leaned back against her seat. Talk of father’s made her feel nostalgic. “Fathers are wonderful teachers…when they care enough about their child to invest time and effort into them. It is a shame that it is not a social norm these days. My father taught me the business too,” smiling to herself as she recalled some of his lessons from early in her career.

OOC: Sorry for the short post.

Lied nodded her head. “True,  I don’t know about Bats, but Birds definitely love them," she admitted, though careful not to say we birds since she considered herself one since she can transform into a bird. Lied was all smiles as she heard Ireland chuckle as well as momentarily pleased that she’d made a new friend.

She listened as Ireland spoke of fathers, it seemed that she and Ireland had something in common there too in that both of their fathers had taught them about their businesses. “Yeah, our fathers were great weren't they? Sadly you’re right about some fathers not caring about their kids. I have read things that disturb me a great deal on that particular topic,” she admitted to her as the waitress had finally brought over the coffee that Ireland had wanted before going back to her post.

“Thank you,” Ireland quickly voiced before the waitress was too far off. She slid the coffee cup closer to her. Her gaze shifting between the iced drink glass and the steaming cup of coffee sitting just a few inches away from it.

Choices.

She let out a sigh. “And just like that my thoughts are brought back to the subject that brought me here in the first place.” Her eyes closed for a moment, “I suppose it was foolish of me to think I could run away from my thoughts. I suppose no matter our age we have to submit to some things.” Oh how she wished that wasn’t the case. 

Lied finished her drink.

As Ireland thanked the waitress for the coffee, the hawk behind the shades observed her conversation companion. Her eyes took note that she appeared to be just looking at the drink before her. It was her sigh that surprised her and her eyes looked at her face as she spoke.

Clearly, there was something wrong, and she’d found herself concerned about her and about what she’d just said. ‘Would you care to talk about it?’ she asked. “Perhaps in my office where we might not be overheard?"