Shore Leave

A chance encounter

September 15, 2003

Ailis Catan was sitting in a bar going over her checklist to make sure that she had everything she needed before she was shipped out tomorrow. San Diego was where all the grunts were sent and since she was fresh out of A-school, she got all the shit orders. She had to report first thing tomorrow morning then they would spend the whole day getting loaded and making sure everyone was in their spots. But being an E-3 in the Navy guaranteed she was going to be doing all the grunt work. San Diego was really nice and Ailis wished she could've spent more time here besides the one month, but the military didn't leave any room for wants. Sometimes she wondered if she'd made the right choice two years ago, and did the right thing by enlisting. The only thing that made her feel like she did was the promises of a man who gave her some numbers and sent her on her way, and the memory of the earth quaking beneath her feet as she watched the Trade Center fall. She shook herself out of her stupor, going over her list again and again before movement caught her eye.

Ailis wouldn't be exaggerating if she said that she'd never seen a woman as beautiful as the one approaching her. She had black hair, tanned skin, and vibrant green eyes that matched the tight dress she was wearing. She had a drink in one hand and a clutch in the other, and for some reason she was walking right towards where Ailis was sitting. Ailis didn't want to get her hopes up that the goddess in green was approaching her of all people: she was awkward and gangly, dark blonde hair trimmed short around her protruding ears and facial features still too hard and masculine for where she wanted to be in her transition. There's no way a girl like that wants to talk to me, she thought, looking back down at her bottle of beer.

"I know a cutie like you isn't sitting here all by your lonesome," Ailis almost jumped when she came to a stop next to her, a dazzling smile on her face. She glanced down at the hand holding the drink, cracking a smile when she noticed two of the nails on that hand were painted a different color than the rest. Femme-flagging. Not only was she talking to Ailis, but she was into women. Ailis straightened out, summoning her confidence.

"I currently am, actually. Maybe you could come join me and help me fix that?" She asked with a smile, gesturing at the seat next to her.

"Thank you," she took the seat, facing her. "You look a little stressed staring at your piece of paper," Ailis let out a breath, looking back down at her checklist.

"Yeah, I'm leaving in the morning for kind of a long trip, so I'm worried I'm forgetting something. I've been staring at it for a little too long though, I think I could use a break," she smiled and folded it up, putting it in her pocket. "What brings a gorgeous woman like you to a place like this?" The girl let out a laugh.

"Honestly? Today was my first night off in a few weeks and I didn't want to feel like a loser who stayed home," she said with a small scoff at herself. "What about you? Shouldn't you be home making sure that you have your toothbrush for this big trip?"

"I'm already loaded up, tonight's my last night of freedom and I wanted to try to enjoy it," she admitted with a laugh. "I'm Ailis, by the way."

"Mia," she gently held out our hand. Ailis took it, giving the woman a handsome smile.

"It's really nice to meet you, Mia. I can officially check 'seeing the most beautiful woman in California' off my list of things to do before I ship out thanks to you," they decided to lay the flirting on a little thicker, hoping she'd still be receptive.

"Glad I could help you with that," Mia said with a smirk, but even in the dim light Ailis could see that she was blushing. "If you have anything else you'd like to check off, maybe I could help with that too."