She looks down at her hands for a moment.

"Bloody high stakes job we got, innit?"

She snorts. 

"Yep!" 

She lolls her head back, and a small pleased sigh slips out of her mouth. 

"I think another part of it is that it doesn't feel like a job, right? There's no one you're reporting to every second, no boss looking over your shoulder ready to ride your ass, nothing like that in the moment of mission, just you and maybe another agent in the same position you are." 

She nods, grinning wryly. "No one to constantly second-guess you about stupid shite, but no one to have a better idea if your plan turns out to be bloody daft. Honestly a relief, that; I'm cleverer than every boss I've had before by half, but I get the feeling folk here are actually worth the authority they're given."

She nods along. 

"Yeah..." 

She smiles back roguishly. 

"It's honestly a lot of fun sometimes coming back and getting a tongue-lashing" Her eyebrows wiggle salaciously "from the higher ups about what you could have done differently. Having to mind intervention is a headache, but it's refreshing to just - see how everyone's invested and wargaming it in their head and trying to figure it out for real, yeah? Love how direct that makes it, especially since a good majority of them were in your place a few decades ago, so they know the pitfalls of it all." 

Oh it's like that, is it?

Her cheeks flush faintly, but she smiles, arching an eyebrow in response.

"Yeah, my handler seems to be right brill, but I'd rather hear improvements on success than drive her spare with a rubbish job. She was down here in the trenches too, learning from mistakes like mine."

She wants to live up to this chance.

She smiles back a little saucily. 

"Yeah. The fun is the push and pull of it, yeah? The raised eyebrow and challenging glances, the 'ahs' when you prove yourself, the whole dance."

Her grin widens a little.

Is she really flirting with a lady knight she just met in the caf on her first day at work?

Bloody right she is.

"Showing you're up to the challenge, satisfying the goal before you, the give and take of refining your performance as you get feedback in real time. And it's so important to learn from colleagues and leaders with more experience than you."

She buries her face into her cup, her tongue slipping down to lap up the milk, her nose flaring as she breathes in the mist, a saucy smirk glimmering in her eyes. 

"Mhhhhm~" 

"I'm Hailey," she introduces herself, then takes a long pull of her cider. "Might a capable senior like yourself have some tips to share with a plucky newbie?"

She arches an eyebrow, grinning, and then takes another couple bites of her curry.

She smiles warmly, and reaches out her hand to shake. 

"I'm Jaia. Pleasure to meet you." 

She barks out a sharp laugh, rolling her eyes fondly at the whole... thing.

"Maybe, maybe! You seem like the sorta talented junior who's already figured out mosta the basics - keep in mind your foes win conditions, wargame things out from the other side when you can, and keep in mind "What do I do if that doesn't work" is always a good question to have running in the back of your mind - that kinda thing. Really, just... keep it chill when you can. There's no way to think things through enough to 100% satisfy your nerves, so don't try. It's good think things through a bit, but an important part of 'look before you leap' is the leaping part, yeah?" 

Shite.

Handshake.

Okay, she can do this.

She takes a deep breath, then reaches out and shakes Jaia's hand. "Likewise."

She only tenses and cramps a little bit. Progress.

"Wow, first handshake in... at least a decade or two?"

Her hand is soft and nice, with a casual looseness comingled with a steady strength. 

"Poor thing." 

She lets go, then massages her palm a bit. "Cramps from resisting my instinct to lash out were worse. Pools got it down to a dull roar, enough I can handle touch now, apparently."

"Think the system is a bit of a cheeky thing - always seems to snipe cuties like you that'll get the most out of the pools and all. 's always good to see, at any rate." 

She smiles a bit ruefully. 

"Thanks." She grins wryly again. "Feel like I should try to make up for lost time at some point."

"Probably!" 

She shrugs, and smiles agreeably, then swigs a bit more of her drink. 

Okay, sod it.

She grins cheekily.

"Got time at some point to help a talented junior learn something new?"

She smiles indulgently. 

"You know what, fuck it, sure. Just ask the site's computer for 'jaia the paladin' and it'll find a way to reach out to me to pop by next time you swing by. I always have time for the right cute lil kohai." 

She grins wider.

That worked?

Brill.

"Then I'm in your hands, senpai."

Giddy curry bite.

She smiles, and happily tap-dances her fingers along the surface of her cup. 

"I'll do my best to make good use of 'em~" 

She snicker sighs, and swigs up the last of her drink. 

"Can't wait. Catch you when I'm between missions then, Jaia. Was good to meet you."

She grins at Jaia, then takes another bite of her curry. This was definitely a good idea.

She raises her mug in a mock toast, before popping off and sauntering off with a swing on her hips. 

"See ya!" 

Life is bloody weird, but brill.

She finishes off her curry and cider happily, drinks the water too to make sure she'll stay hydrated, then (after a quick stop by the WC) makes her way back to Jun's office.

She's poised and posed as ever, gently sitting at her desk. 

"I hope the break served you well?" 

"Did," she replies with a bit of a grin. "Maybe even made a friend. The curry was delicious, by the by. Ta for the rec."