"Sorry," Lenna said. "I thought that was obvious. Earlier, you brought up it, after all... him." She said simply. Him. Because the other woman had asked. "So, ask away." She threw herself out there. It was better than sitting around and mulling over murder.

What the other woman would be curious about, she couldn't fathom. The other woman was so mercenary, the possibilities were endless.

Mina smirked a little. Either she was dying to talk about him or was curious to see if Mina wanted to know. Mina simply shrugged.

"If it was good then feel free to gloat, if it was bad then let the ranting ensue, if nothing happened then it doesn't bear talking about does it?"

Mina simply smirked. If she was the sort to care about the welfare of others then she might have added something along the lines of 'I hope it was worth it.' However Mina didn't really care since she didn't know this woman.

"I already told you," said Lenna, eyes drifting towards the ceiling. "Coffee was great. He was great." Why did she want to brag about him, now? "Really great, in fact. Probably too good for me."

But like hell she'd tell him that.

"Beat up my ex." She added proudly. "Right in front of me."

Mina gave a shrug.

"You landed him so why worry about whether he's too good for you? He obviously doesn't think so. You've got him fooled in that regard if you really aren't good enough for him."

Lenna's follow up comment made Mina raise an eyebrow.

"And you couldn't? Why did he have to?"

The other woman, and apparently other mercenary, wasn't making herself look any better in Mina's eyes by so boldly saying that her new boyfriend had beaten up the old one. Was it a love thing? If so it was just more evidence that love was bound to get you killed.

Lenna sat up and stared at Cosmina like she was the dumbest thing on earth. "Because... I wanted him to. Because I didn't want to." Wasn't that obvious? Didn't women usually do that? She could have sworn... she tilted her head. "And who said I was worried about him being too good for me...?"

She wasn't worried about that at all. It was refreshing. Most of the time, the guys she tended to meet were anything but.

"You make it sound like I have a reason to think low of myself..." Lenna trailed skeptically.

So it was a matter of inclination rather than ability? That she could understand. Sometimes something needed done but you just didn't want to bother with it yourself. Of course Mina usually just did it anyway. She didn't trust anyone enough to do something for her. Lenna made the point that she apparently didn't feel that he was too good for her, despite having just said that he might have been. Mina just shrugged. The comment that followed invited reply and Mina decided to give it to her, since she was practically asking for it.

"Do you love him?"

Maybe it sounded entirely off topic but it wasn't in Mina's mind. Love equated to weakness to her.

"What?"

That question had been from out of nowhere. Completely unwarranted. Who went around asking women if they loved people? What was love, anyways? Love was stupid. Love was what got people in trouble. Love was what had torn Johnathon and her relationship apart.

If love sucked so badly, the question was a simple one to answer.

"No," Lenna said. Her eyes narrowed cautiously at Cosmina. "I don't suppose I do." At least, not since Johnathon. That freaking idiot. Love only got one hurt.

Lenna asked a dumb question. "Why?"

Mina nodded. That was as it should be. The long term attachment was less than ideal but at least she didn't love him.

"Good. Because the way you whined about him in the bar made it sound as if you were. Love means death, plain and simple. That would have been reason enough to think badly of yourself."

She nodded again and fell silent. That was all Mina had to say on that subject. However curiosity peaked over something and Mina turned an upraised eyebrow toward Lenna.

"However, I'm curious. Why risk a long term attachment to someone? They could be used against you, even if you don't love them. Plus there is always the danger of falling in love with them. So why?"

'Love means death'. How oddly poetic. If the poet was a hopeless anti-romantic, or one obsessed with death. Did she think the reverse true? Lenna resolved not to find out...

Yeah, this lady sure was a strange one. She had mercenary values, didn't believe love was anything other than a weakness, and-- wasn't philosophical in the least.

Why risk attachment? Who was risking anything? And suddenly, proximity meant a danger of falling in love?

"It's really interesting, the values people set for themselves and live their lives by..." Lenna trailed. "Do you know how many philosophies there are out there that try and define or understand the things you're asking me now?"

Mina's eyebrow rose higher as Lenna seemingly avoided the question by asking one of her own.

"I didn't ask about some black turtlenecked numbskull's thoughts on love, death, and attachment. I asked why you would risk such things. Or do you not view it as a risk at all?"

Maybe that was the case? Perhaps Lenna had not been acquainted with the dangers she flirted with. That was possible. Or she could have experienced the dangers and simply didn't acknowledge them. There were any number of reasons for such foolishness.

Lenna arched an eyebrow.

"And I asked what some idiot I hired who could be fired for being rude to her employer knew about the severity of the question she'd asked." She laughed incredulously. "Perceptions are dangerous things. You perceived I was dodging your question, when in reality, I was asking a much larger one! Pretty funny. Huh. I've got a new one for you, though. What do you define love as, aside from a 'weakness', and why oh why, do you think proximity and long-term attachment are bad things? Not that either applies to anyone here."

Mina's smile tensed as Lenna responded. This woman she didn't like. She made a joke out of her employment and then proceeded to not answer her again. It was vexatious. Not to mention the woman asked about things she had no right to know! It would be the proverbial cold day in hell before Mina told Lenna why she knew what she knew. Her smile was there but all curiosity and warmth had gone from her expression when she finally answered.

"You don't need to know that."

Her attention snapped back to the ceiling, signalling an end to that topic.

Well, that shut her up.

"You're lucky you've got a decent resume," Lenna said. "Because your personality stinks. Can't even entertain a conversation about philosophies and how the only perception that even matters is one's own..." Lenna muttered.

Sheesh. And here, she'd been trying to do some 'girl chat' with the lady. Maybe the lady wasn't much of a girl. Which brought up an interesting thought. Since when had she, Lenna, been such a girl? She certainly hadn't done silly things like go on dates and talk about boys back when she'd worked for Cortez. 'Course, it had helped she'd had no real boys to talk about, other than the ex... and he hadn't even come till some time later... sheesh.

"What even got you so you clamp up and don't talk about silly little things you've already said are dangerous and meaningless?"

This conversation, Lenna decided, wouldn't be over till she decided it was. She was the boss, after all.

Lenna was darn right that she had a good resume. There was a reason she'd done as well as she had for herself and it wasn't her looks, though she knew they helped. The other woman insulted her personality and said something else but Mina didn't really hear it and didn't care. As far as she was concerned she was done talking. Still, the woman pressed her for her reasoning behind becoming quiet. Apparently she didn't understand the simple phrasing or didn't hear her.

"I said you don't need to know. So I'm not going to tell you."

Mina glared at the ceiling even though she was still smiling. Now she was looking forward to tomorrow and the mission so that she could have it done with and be rid of this woman.

The woman 'hmmm'd. "You know," Lenna noted. "It's awfully rude to ask me all of these personal questions, and then not share when personal questions are asked back. And to insult me. I don't think you actually care about either of those things, though." The woman was strange.

"What's funny is... if you really don't care... and you could care less what I think... then why care about sharing personal things at all. It seems a bit illogical."

Very strange. "I don't want any of our disagreements to get in the way of the mission, you know..." She trailed.