#FreedomFalls – January 25, 2017

Sofia is sat on a small table outside the cafe, a cup of lukewarm coffee in her hand. Opposite her, abandoned and untouched, is a cup of coffee, lid on and still somewhat warm. The young-woman sighs, her mismatched eyes glazing over as she seems to focus solely on the cup opposite her. Her snow-white hair tumbles down from beneath her newsboy cap and down the back

Halisi walks up the steps to the café, eager to get away from the cold outside. Once in she brushes her shoes against the mat, and then moves towards the line while removing her gloves. She lets out a quiet sigh, rubbing her hands for warmth while studying the display of pastries with a thoughtful look.

Sofia looks up from her blank stare at the coffee cup and sees Halisi. It takes her a moment to remember the woman, given that she is in casual gear rather than her Halloween costume. She chews her lower-lip nervously, glancing back to the coffee cup. Deciding that the company of a relative stranger than no company, she half-stands from her seat and waves at

Halisi looks over her shoulder as she hears Sofia call out, looking around in confusion until she spots Sofia waving. She furrows her eyebrows, leaving the line and walking over to Sofia's table. "Yes? I'm sorry, who are-..." her eyebrows shoot up as something clicks in her head. "Oh! You're Nathan's sister, aren't you?" she asks, still standing.

Sofia nods, lowering herself back into her seat. She reaches up to idly push a stray lock of hair behind her ear, smiling a small, winning smile. "Yes. Sofia," she confirms. "I'm sorry for disturbing you, Doctor, I just-". She falls silent, placing both of her hands around the coffee cup. "Would you like to join me? Nathan mentioned that you might be able to talk

Halisi looks a little surprised. She once again furrows her eyebrows, glancing towards the counter, and then letting out a quiet sigh before nodding. "Of course." she says with a small smile. "Just let me order." she gestures towards the counter and then heads off to the line, which is fortunately short.

Sofia nods, lowering her gaze back to the coffee cup opposite her. The young-woman can't help but inwardly grimace at her awkward start, but she couldn't jump around the topic much longer. She looked to the Doctor, eyes studying her. Right now, she thinks Halisi may be the only person to help on this world of strangers. Sofia picks up her coffee and sips at it,

Halisi is soon able to make her order, and returns to the table with coffee cup in hand. She only now notices the second, untouched cup at Sofia's table, and a look of confusion crosses her face. "Is... this seat taken?"

Sofia glances to the cup, sighing gently and shaking her head. "...No. I was supposed to meet Nate out today, but he-... he decided to stay home," she mutters softly. "I haven't seen him really out at all for the past couple of days. He's not himself." She reaches across and reluctantly takes the cup, pulling it across and cradling it with her hands. "I was hoping

Halisi frowns as she sits down, wrapping her hands around her coffee and letting it heat them. "...oh. I was going to ask... he missed an appointment at the hospital. I haven't had the time to contact him about it. It's unfortunate that so many in his line of work seem utterly allergic to the notion of visiting a hospital. How is he doing?"

Sofia falls quiet, staring down at the cup as she wrings her hands around it. Once more, she chews her bottom lip as she debates once again whether to involve someone who, at least to Sofia, is more or less a complete stranger. But the more this is put off, the more damage it will cause in the long run. Nate will probably be furious but... "...Nate has... has his

Halisi 's frown deepens. She rotates her coffee cup slightly as she listens. When Sofia finishes she offers a nod and a small smile. "I expect the kind of life he lives leaves scars for most." she offers, looking a little uncomfortable. "Unfortunately you can't force him to talk about it. Like I said, I tried to set up an appointment, but there's little else I can do. I won't pretend to know the state of your relationship, but

Sofia looks up at Halisi, flashing a small and brief smile. "I know I can't force him to talk... but if he doesn't, what kind of damage will that do to him?" She sips at the coffee again, frown deepening. "...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have spoken up. It was dumb," she mumbles. "I... I just thought that if there was anyone who could talk to him, it would be a Doctor.

Halisi reaches across the table, placing a hand over Sofia's in an attempt to reassure her. "It's fine. I understand you're worried for your brother. I'm sorry to say there's... not much I can do, though. It's up to him to contact the hospital if he wants help now. Have you talked to him about this? About your concerns?"

Sofia glances to Halisi's hand, staring at it for a moment before replying, "Mhmm. A few times. Each time I got his dumb face with a dumb smile and the 'I'll be fine, Sofia, don't worry.'" She pulls the hand away from Halisi's, sighing quietly. "There really isn't anything you can do? Nothing?" She looks up, pleading with her mismatched eyes. "Can't you just...

Halisi sighs as she pulls her hand back. "Sofia, I barely know your brother. If he won't talk to his own sister I doubt it would do any good for me to get involved. I don't know what to tell you... if you're worried, maybe you should talk to his superiors at Redrock." She frowns slightly and studies Sofia as she adds. "I apologize if I'm out of line, but... do you feel safe living with him? Do you have any reason to believe he

Sofia blinks, eyes widening in surprise. "No!" She says, shaking her head. "No, not in the slightest. But... I just think he'll end up doing something he'll regret. Quitting his job or... or just up and disappearing again," she huffs, glancing off to the side and out of the window. "...I just don't know what to do, Doctor. I've tried with mother... I've tried with

Halisi offers an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I felt I had to ask." she offers in response to Sofia's initial protest. She then listens in silence, and by the end another sigh escapes her. "Don't worry about it... you haven't ruined anything. I understand your concern, but... whatever this is, it might just be something that he needs to work out on his own. Try to be there for him if you can, but in the end... it's up to him."

Sofia nods, cradling her cup and sipping at it in silence. "...Okay," she says, sniffing and looking up to Halisi. She offers a small smile for the doctor. "I'm always there for him, doctor. It's what sisters are for, isn't it? Well, that and telling embarrassing stories about him." She giggles lightly, a small spark of light behind her eyes now. She tries to

Halisi glances down at her coat, letting out a quiet chuckle. "Thank you. It was harder than I expected to find some nice winter clothes here." she says, studying Sofia's clothing in turn. "I suppose yours is from Earth somewhere?" she asks, leaning forward a bit against the table after taking another sip of coffee, her long black hair falling from her shoulders.

Sofia nods, looking down to her own attire in turn. "Yeah. Hamburg. Well, most of it is. This cap-" she says, pointing to the aforementioned hat, "-was my mother's. She gave it to me while I was at school and I can't just part with it. I wear it out most of the time. Well... not when I'm performing though. I have to get all dressed up for that," she says with a

Halisi furrows her eyebrows in confusion. "I'm sorry, performing?"

Sofia smiles and nods. "I'm a violinist. I've gome all around the EU performing in the various cities for schools or little events," she explains. "It's sort of a dying art, in a weird way. I mean, all of today's music is heavily synthesized. So, when I was small, I saw Nate practice and I decided to take it up and practice with him. For a brief time, he played

Halisi seems rather surprised, but she gains a wide smile. "A violinist? That's wonderful! I always wanted to learn a string instrument, but, well, with med school there wasn't time for much else. I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss it as a career choice if you really enjoy it. Medicine is rewarding too, of course. Very. But... it is very time consuming."

Sofia seems to blush gently, a red tinge to her otherwise pale skin. "You think I could do it?" she asks. "I mean... I guess." She smiles. "I can do it. I mean, I practice enough as it is and I've been doing so since I was a kid. Play scales, studies... I even took up dancing to help improve my mind-body coordination... it's worth a shot." She nods firmly and

Halisi chuckles slightly at Sofia's sudden enthusiasm. "That's-... that's alright. I look forward to hearing you play at the wedding though." she says with a small smirk, sipping her coffee. "Hmh... I never would have thought Nathan played the piano..."

Sofia nods, sliding back into her chair a bit more. "Mhmm. Violin first, piano second. Playing took up most of his time when he was younger. I think he picked up the piano when he was... nine? Before I was born anyway. As far as I know, he stopped playing it once he left Earth, but took his violin with him. He used to call me and we would practice over the call

Halisi leans back a little in her chair as she ponders something, cradling her coffee. "You'll need to practice together if you're going to play at the wedding, hm? Could be a good chance to reconnect a little." she offers. "Don't let him shut you out."

Sofia looks to Halisi for a moment before nodding. "You're right... he needs to know I'm not a kid anymore," she says firmly. "I'll drag him off his butt and get him to practice. It might remind him of himself a bit. Get him back to his usual self...".

Halisi smiles, nodding in agreement. "There you go!" she says, taking another sip while relaxing in her seat. "How are you liking Aite? It must take some adjustement to being out here."

Sofia glances out the window, eyes wide with curiosity. "Oh, it is! It's colder, for one. But it's so cool," she says, looking back to Halisi with a grin. "Pun intended. But seriously, I love seeing the galaxy. And everything is just so... so different! Seeing so many different species and a new world and- and... I can see why Nate left, to be honest." She

Halisi glances briefly out the window before looking back at Sofia, her smile widening. "That's an idea. I think you'd be surprised. There's a lot of interest in human culture. Maybe not out here, but in Citadel Space. It's easy to forget just how new we are out here, relatively speaking." She leans forward again, putting her arms on the table and looking down at her coffee. "I know what you mean, though... it's exciting to see

Sofia smiles, eyes wide as she leans forwards, looking at Halisi intently. "It's poetic, almost, isn't it? The whole galaxy and we are still children to it. But we've done so much in such a short amount of time." She smiles broadly. "If I didn't have to go back, I'd think I would stay here for a while. You say they might not be too interested in our culture out

Halisi lets out a brief chuckle. "Oh, I'm sure you could find an audience if you tried." she says before finishing the last of her coffee.

Sofia nods and finishes off her coffee too. She places it down and stands, smiling brightly down to Halisi. "I should get going. It's getting late," she says. "Thank you, though. For sitting and talking. You've... you've given me a lot to think about."

Halisi offers a nod and a smile as she looks up at Sofia. "Certainly. I was just going to sit on my own anyway. I don't mind some company."

Sofia nods and raises a hand in farewell. "I'll see you around, Halisi," she says before moving away and pushing the door open. She steps out into the cold air, pulling her coat tightly around her as she begins the walk home, offering a small wave as she passes by the window.