Grateful that Mika had taken the hint, she continued to munch on the crackers and cheese, taking swigs from the bottle every now and then to wash it down. Her stomach was starting to calm down, and listening to the woman talk about her family was kind of refreshing. In the circles she ran in, you were simply expected to know everyone’s pedigree. You never got to hear much of anything personal, straight from the source. It was all a wall of carefully manufactured faces, some literally, with the advances in genetics. She had often wondered if she’d been tweaked in some way, but her father always commented on the disappointment of her height, and she’d heard a few mentions in whispers as she passed, about the red tint to her familial blonde hair; a gift from her mother.<br/><br/>“My… My mother was a PR front woman for ITC…” she took a long swig from the bottle. “When you joined the military, do you remember the jump gate safety video? The one with the bombshell redhead?” she asked, pausing for an answer and letting the connection be made before continuing. “There was a shuttle accident. When i was three… my father had all the photos of her removed from the house. He couldn’t bear to look at her anymore. Those training videos are all i have of her… all eighty seven safety vids. My nanny snuck them in for me, and i used to fall asleep to them.” another long swig down her throat, barely tasting the wine. Tahlia sat back on the couch, looking up at the ceiling.<br/><br/>“That's the first time i’ve been able to tell anyone that.” she said softly. “My father… was born wealthy, and only got more so when he sued the shuttle company into bankruptcy. In those circles, personal information is a weapon you can use against someone. Not a bonding experience.” but it felt so good to share that piece of herself with someone, knowing that at least one other person would look at Annalita and feel something other than how much they hated these vids but how much they loved looking at the woman.