CONTACT ~Story Thread~

Started by WhiteRose, December 11, 2010, 11:31:49 pm

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WhiteRose

Day 1



@Pyrrha: The shrill ring of the bell can be heard through the thick walls of the lecture hall. Over the shuffling of the massive class of students packing their desks into their bags, the professor can be heard shouting, "Don't forget you'll be quizzed on this material in Labs on Friday! Remember to review!" Before you even acknowledge the fact that you don't remember the room number for your next lecture, Saturnalus gives you a memo with the location, time and, though obviously not necessary, date of the class. Next to you, Ciera swings her backpack over her shoulder, careful not to snag her long, black hair beneath the strap. One of the few people you've met since the semester started about two weeks ago, you're mildly surprised she made it into such a prestigious college. Though not stupid by any means, she was perpetually late, foul-mouthed, and had school-work down near "solve world hunger" on her priorities list.
It's about noon; your next class doesn't start for a couple hours, though it's on the other side of campus and you have no method of transportation save walking. Your stomach rumbles slightly, reminding you that you haven't eaten lunch yet.



New Vocabulary in this post: Desks - an integral part of most schools' learning curriculum, desks are flat panels about 15 inches diagonally. Able to be collapsed to fit into a bag or purse, each desk is tied to its user, allowing them to view assignments, take notes, and view class materials for their various courses. Professors are able to update data regarding their class on their own desk, after which the updated data is sent to all students participating in that class upon their next sign-in. Due to the use of solar cells and having rather slow processors, desks never have to be plugged in or charged. Hacking the desk firmware is against the rules, but that doesn't mean it's never been done.

Diokatsu

"Hey, Ciera!" Pyrrha shouted even though he was barely 10 feet away. "I was thinking we could go get lunch together at the one the restaurants in town rather than waste our time blundering about in an ordinary cafeteria. I've got a few free meals at some places, so we wouldn't even have to pay. Do yuo want to head out?"

Pyrrha looked over at her expectantly. Ciera might have been a bit rude sometimes, but she was genuinely fun to be around.

WhiteRose

Ciera made a show of an internal debate, but she had obviously already made up her mind. "Eh, why not? Free food is free food." As you walk to town, listening to her various gripes about classes and professors, you catch a glimpse of two of the administrators walking the other direction, talking in hushed voices. Though it wasn't unusual to see them around campus, usually discussing some academic principle or other, something about this conversation seems a bit shadier than the others. You're mulling this over in your head as you near the restaurant when Saturnalus interrupts, "Hey, pay attention! There are more important things at hand; you're never going to get some if you're thinking like that." You realize that the conversation has been dead for almost ten minutes. Whoops.

Diokatsu

"Uhh, sorry! I didn't mean to drop the conversation like that! So what was it you were saying about your homework load?"

Pyrrha, sincerely sorry, stared into Ciera's eyes as he said this. She was obviously and rightfully looking a bit sour, but he was counting on her company and he didn't usually make people angry.

WhiteRose

The two of you have a seat at a small booth in the corner. Images of various food items and their prices appear on the table-top; after tapping your order, they disappear, and the table reverts back to its normal state.
Ciera seems to have forgiven you for ignoring her earlier, and the conversation continues animatedly. Saturnalus continues to give input on the best things to say, but you chose to ignore most of his advice; eventually he quiets down, disgruntled. After a couple minutes, the wall next to your booth slides open, and the chef hands you your food; that's one reason you like this place so much. Hand-made food always tastes better than the artificially prepared stuff that more and more places were starting to serve. As you eat, you feel Ciera's leg brush against your own. "Oh, um, sorry," she stammers. "Small booth. Heh." As you're about to reply, your AI informs you that you've just received a message from the Department Chair of your major, and that it's marked with an 'Urgent' flag.

Diokatsu

Pyrrha would like to ignore the email for the moment, but deftly switches the conversation to something Ciera has to think about rather than babble endlessly without a thought.

"Excuse me, I've gotta go to the bathroom. Probably should have gone before we left, hehe." He sees Ciera shoot him a scathing look, but his last question should leave her thinking, or fuming until he gets back. Now in the bathroom, Pyrrha decides to open the message.

WhiteRose

The message is short and to the point.

"Meet me in my office in an hour. Don't worry about your next class; I'll have it taken care of. --Dr. Nielson"