Week 17: Seoul Interchange

Sosie smiled a little, her mouth twitching. She seemed only vaguely manic. "It's slightly more complicated than that. I was slightly more prepared but.. y-yes, that's basically the whole of it." Her body still shook with mild tremors, but she seemed more in control. There was no way for Han to know that a voice in the back of her head was screaming FUCK FUCK FUCK REPLICANT FUCK, and other such eloquent poetry.

Bell took a few steps closer to her mother. Her conception being discussed, the people around her, her mother and the other replicants strange behavior... She was feeling.. strange, herself.

Han, despite lacking much in the way of social skills, recognized Sosie was clearly stressed and agitated. Considering some of the things Sosie had seen without letting it affect her, clearly something odd was going on.

"Sosie, are you alright? Maybe we should sit down, get you something to drink."

Sosie wiped her forehead with her free hand, then absent-mindedly checked the blue fluffy spikes of her tri-hawk. She linked her other hand in her daughter's. Bell was only a few inches shorter than her mother; she must have been modelled on a young teen. She licked her lips self-consciously. "A drink...? That.. That would be nice." She looked around hastily, spotting a kiosk selling BIOLine "flavored" drinks, fitting each of the characters, each coming with a collectable ceramic container. "Over there, m-maybe?"

"That sounds like a sensible idea. Here, you two sit down, I'll get these." He moved over to the drinks stand and ordered one of each of the five flavours.

Sosie took a look around, aware she had broken out into a cold sweat. She spotted a recently empty bench, a woman with a gaggle of children leaving it empty but for a few empty wrappers. Sosie nodded in the direction of the seating, and mother and daughter walked silently. They sat, and Bell wordlessly handed her mother the books, opening the top cover. Sosie read the words and felt her heart rate rise. Somewhere, observant nearby members of her division would see her vitals spike.

She looked to Han has he got close, offering her help to take some of the drinks.

Han set the tray down on the table and waited for Sosie and Bell to select drinks, with the intention of drinking those that remained. "Sosie...you don't normally seem quite this...flappable? So do you mind if I ask why you're so...flapped, I guess?"

Sosie took a slurp of Fredrick Freeze, handing an Amanda Apple Green to her daughter. It wasn't bad, but she was aware she wasn't really tasting it. It did make her feel slightly more.. focused, though. By the time she stopped shrugging the drink was half gone. No one can know. She sighed a little. "I.. I guess I was feeling overwhelmed b-by meeting Harriet. She's.. different than I expected, in p-person." She began chewing on her snake bite labret, talking with the metal post between her teeth. "Her fansite is my home page. I've written over 210 fics taking place in various books. I.. ..it.. I guess I'm just shocked she's.. ..real."

Han chugged through half of a Marc Melon Mix, while he nodded. "I guess that makes sense. I suppose you spend a lot of time admiring someone...I mean, someones work, you can't help but be intimidated when you finally meet them. I was pretty nervous up there myself." He smiled.

Sosie laughed a little, relief and nervousness palpable. "I-it's funny. I prepared this whole little speech and the second I.. saw her.. heh.." Sosie took another hefty swig of her drink. "I am so good under fire. Surgery. Bombs about to go off.. And one famous p..person and I fall to bits. Heh."

She didn't even feel like shopping now, which was funny, since she had a list of things she wanted just a few minutes ago. She wiped more sweat off her brow. Her daughter, silent as always, took a sip of her drink. She hadn't eaten much in her lief, but this tasted.. nice enough that she continued to drink more.

"Well, I'm sure you're not the only one. I swear, some of the people in line were practically foaming at the mouth. I mean, I thought I was nervous, but one of the guys in front of me, a Shi-Yukiro agent by the looks of him...he actually fainted!" Han shook his head, a look of deep confusion entering into his face and voice. "I didn't even think Agent's could faint... maybe he just forgot to breathe or something?"

Sosie, who had barely been breathing herself a few minutes ago, nodded emphatically. "Sometimes your brain gets overwhelmed and just.. hard resets." She smiled a little more. "I was worried I was going to keel over in there."

She gulped again, finishing off the drink. She took a moment to breathe and look at her daughter. Bell was looking down and drinking, straw in her mouth. When she wasn't looking around she was normally thinking. She looked up at Han, aware she really needed to hold it together. "How's the Marc? And, once I get my bearings, let's look around and.. see if there's anything we want, hm, Bell?"

Bell looked up, and then quickly scanned the room looking at exits, other people, and finally the shops.