If there was one thing one could say of Lieutenant Marienna Beren, it would be that she did not suffer fools. When her grey, some would say lifeless, eyes caught sight of the woman approaching her, Marienna made no effort to greet her. Rather, she seemed put off, inconvenienced at best by the distraction. Marienna kept her eyes forward, one foot in front of the other as though marching off into the twilight never to return.
Perhaps the most irritating bit was Lieutenant Andrews cavalier attitude. After all, what was the sense in asking if Marienna minded the company if she was simply going to do it anyway without waiting for a response. Rude was a word that sprung to mind rather quickly. Though with a moment of further reflection, Marienna largely dismissed her own feelings, mostly. Somewhere in the back of her mind, it pulled at her strangely. This unknown officer inquiring as to the wellbeing of her superior. Was she really a friend? Well, certainly not hers but perhaps a friend of Lt. Fischer's that he had failed to mention. Of course, everyone was entitled to their privacy. Or was this woman a Gurlanin? Surely not, not now anyway. It would be far too risky for them to send in another now.
It would be cynical to believe that this otherwise unremarkable woman would be a Gurlanin. It would be the proverbial witch hunt, finding a Gurlanin in every closet, in every utility room. No, no, one mustn't think such thoughts. Rather it seemed much safer to simply assume Lieutenant Andrews was little more than a nuisance. The two women offered a stark contrast to one another. Though they shared the same dark hair, there was little else in common. Marienna was tall, slender, with the palest white skin in the sector and the constant faint scent of orchid perfume.
Marienna looked upon the informal greeting with a sense of disdain or perhaps disappointment. She expected order. There were rules and they were meant to be followed. This was in a sense hypocritical, Marienna herself had the personnel file thick enough to show that she not only did she bend rules, she was the most likely candidate to have broken them. Perhaps she was investing too much thought on this most insignificant matter. Once the two were side by side more or less in lock step, Marienna simply looked ahead, her unflinching gaze watching the objects on the horizon as they moved closer.
"Lieutenant Andrews." Marienna's tone, while not unpleasant had the distinct quality of 'what on earth could you possibly be on about?' as though she wished for anything but this interruption. "Though it appears you have little care, I do mind." Marienna sighed at the completion of her own sentence, ever determined to get her own jabs in where she could. "I cannot recall being assigned Lieutenant Fischer's keeper." Of course, she did know, or thought she knew how he was doing. A part of her wanted to know more than those simple facts. There it was again, another sigh as she stirred from her own thoughts.
"Rise to the challenge he did. Lt. Fischer executed his duties with valor. May we all be able to respond to such tragedy with as much grace as he." Marienna found herself in an unusual position, she had the urge to smile, to show her pride in her colleague. However, for the purpose of this interaction, Marienna resisted it, keeping her face perfectly neutral. "Is there a reason for your inquiry? Simply curious? Something more?" She asked, entirely too eager to hear the response.
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