Well, I just had the most embarrassing night of my life, but with everything that has been going on, it was also the most fun I’ve had in a while.
During the recent attack by Dark Falz, a bunch of us operators were called into active combat to help with the emergency operation. While things have calmed down in the weeks since, it’s been really tense since for some of us it had been our first time in the field since mandatory combat training at the academy.
Between that and worrying even more about Noland while he is out in the field, I’ve been trying to keep my anxiety to myself so I can focus on my work, but I guess it has been noticeable since Branwyn decided to invite me for a night out.
“Honey, you look like you’re going to cry all the time lately; you are too young to be wallowing in negative thoughts. Look, I was able to get a couple of tickets to the tonight's Quna concert, and you, my curly headed ball of stress, are coming with.”
I’ll be honest, I just wanted to go home and curl up with my favorite book like I had been doing every night since the attack, so I tried to protest, saying that I had things I needed to do tonight, but Bran wasn’t having it.
“Kayla. Look at me straight in the eyes. You
are coming with me, and you
are going to have a good time. No buts. Here’s your ticket, meet me outside Starlight Base an hour before the concert starts.”
With that, I resigned myself to her will. At end of our shift I headed straight home with a ball of nerves in my stomach.
Here’s the thing, I’m not really one to go to big social gatherings, in fact, just the thought of them makes my head spin; on top of that, I don’t really know much about music outside some classical I would listen to with Dad when I was little, and have never actually been to a concert in my life. So, here I was at home with only about an hour to get ready, contemplating what I was even supposed to wear to one of Quna’s concerts. I was wracking my brain when I remembered that I
had heard a Quna song before; it was this nice, operatic ballad that I think was called “Eternal something-or-other,” so the bright idea dawned on me that something formal would probably be the best option. While that narrowed things down, I still wasn’t sure exactly
what to wear. Then something Mom once told me popped into my head:
“You can never go wrong with a nice, black dress.”
After digging through my closet, I hit the jackpot: the cute black dress I had worn to my cousin’s wedding. With that out of the way, and only about twenty minutes left, I got to work on fixing myself up. I was able to pull my curly mess of hair into a bun with a small side braid —though try as I might I couldn’t get those two antenna-like strands of hair to stay down— and put on some makeup to cover up most of my freckles. I had intended to put on a pair of contacts, but the hair and makeup left me with only a couple of minutes left, so I just threw on my glasses, put on a pair of earrings, grabbed my purse (to make sure I didn’t lose it, I put my ticket in there as soon as I walked in), and ran out the door.
I guess I was so nervous while I was on my way that I didn’t really pay much attention to what people were wearing, until I spotted Bran waiting for me: she was wearing a super casual outfit, just a pair of shorts with a jacket. Then I started looking around, and a sense of horror fell upon me: I was so overdressed for this concert that I stuck out like a sore thumb. I was about to turn around and sprint home, but before I could, Bran put a hand on my shoulder and stopped me. She had the biggest grin on her face as she was making a failing effort to not laugh out loud.
“Kayla…*giggle* If you didn’t know what to wear, you could have just asked me…*snort*”
Over my protests, she immediately started taking pictures of me, since, in her words, I was “just too cute.” Once she was done, she reassured me that my outfit was fine, and that since I was already here there was no point in leaving. I decided that she was right, so we headed into the venue.
I have got to admit, I’m glad I stayed. Everyone’s intense energy really did get my mind off my worries, and I really got into it after a few songs; I ended up yelling and cheering so loudly that I was hoarse by the end of the night. After the concert was over, Bran invited me out to a bar, but I had to remind her I was still too young to drink and that we both still had to report in tomorrow morning.
“Okay, okay. You do have a point. Well, nothing’s stopping me from having a drink at home. See you tomorrow!”
Before I could say another word, she ran off waving. Knowing that I couldn’t yell after her even if I wanted to, I started on my way home with a smile on my face. Just as I walked in the door, I got a message from Branwyn with two pictures attached:
Originally Posted by
Branwyn
I can certainly say that I won’t forget tonight, as much as I wish I could block out how embarrassed I felt at first. Even though I’m exhausted, I think I can go back on duty tomorrow with a renewed sense of positivity, ready for whatever life throws at me next.
An interesting start, I've always wondered what sort of stories you had for all your characters and shall stay tuned for more.
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