Sharing Space (IC)

[Scuffles]

"See, your navigation isn't so bad at all!" Kristin chuckled as she pushed the door of the gym open and held it for Chloe. "I didn't make it here without help on my first try. Anyway, there's all kinds you can do in here. There's wrestling mats over there, basketball of course, although why anyone would want to play that game I'm not so sure and those racks over in the corner have about any kind of practice weapon you could want."

She paused for a moment then quirked an eyebrow at Chloe. "I guess those aren't going to do you much good though. Anyway, there's sports fields outside for things like football, although they play the ridiculous American version here, not real football."

[Derin]

"I wasn't navigating, really," Chloe exp[lained. "I memorised the route in advance. Had I made a mistake it would have been very difficult to find the route again without consulting the map." She glanced over the weapons. "I have considered training in some sort of staff or sword combat as a purely defensive measure in case I am attacked, but I think you are right; carrying a weapon I am not prepared to use to its fullest potential would more likely be a danger to myself and everybody else involved." She dismissed football and basketball our of hand; although they weren't designed to injure people, they were still too contact-heavy for her. Wrestling might be worth a try, however. She eyed some of the people training. "If nothing else, I'm sure this place would provide ample opportunity to practice healing. Do you play any sports or train in any fighting arts?"

[Scuffles]

"All the sports!" Kristin chuckled. "I used to play soccer and rugby and AFL back home and I was also starting to turn into a pretty decent Judo player. Or I thought I was until I wrestled with some of the other students here. There's some pretty outrageously good fighters on campus! I've also been trying to learn to fight with a staff but that's pretty much mostly been an exercise in getting thumped so far."

She stopped and grinned at Chloe. "Even if you're not going to get in the middle and spar I think you'll find that coming in to practice your healing would be a pretty popular idea. Some of the matches in here seem to get pretty willing at times!"

[Derin]

Chloe couldn't tell whether or not Kristin was joking, but offering healing services to sparring students was beginning to sound like a good idea to her. The most obvious risk to watch out for was the possibility that student would become less cautious and hurt each other more if they could be easily healed, but she assumed that the school would have fairly good healers on staff so her presence should hardly make that worse.

"I am told that I used to dance, but... I don't remember how. A lot of my muscle memory survived, so I could probably relearn fairly quickly if I were so inclined, but there seems little point. I've not done much in the way of sports."

[Scuffles]

Kristin smiled. "Oh I can dance a bit, and Etain is pretty fantastic at it. You should meet her sometime by the way, she's pretty awesome. I'm sure that if you want to get your dancing back we could work on that! Do you know what style it was? I've done a little bit of everything, I guess."

She stopped and turned a couple of little twirls, then struck a pose. "We could just set up a CD player over near the mats or something to practice. Hmm. I wonder if they teach dance in arts classes here? I never checked! That might be worth checking out for you!"

[Derin]

Chloe raised a brow. "I don't see how useful dancing would be to me. There are more efficient ways to maintain coordination and flexibility." She paused to watch a pair wrestling. "Now that looks useful. A medic needs to be able to hold a patient immobile, and while my strength allows me to do that without trouble for an injured patient, I daresay a healthy and uncooperative one would demonstrate rather more difficulty." There was something nagging in her stomach. Anxhiety? Hunger. She pulled out the map again. "Are we anywhere near a cafeteria?"

[Scuffles]

Kristin was watching the wrestling match as well, but she turned to smile at Chloe again. "Well dancing doesn't have to be just about the exercise! It can be, you know, fun as well! Anyway, if you're keen on the wrestling I can help you with that. Normally I practice trying to actually subdue an opponent, like chokes or submissions but if that's a bit full on for starters we can just wrestle for pins."

Her own stomach growled a little as she thought about food. "Yep, the cafeteria isn't too far away. It's this building on your map. Think you can find it from here?"

[Derin]

"It may be difficult if there are crowds to navigate around. My memory is good but I'm not used to working in so much space." She checked the map and headed out, keeping it open in her hand this time. "Is the food here good?" Food was one thing that Chloe enjoyed experimenting with, provided she steered clear of particularly overwhelming flavours. She may not have memories, but the sensory processing parts of her brain were largely intact, and it was... fun to rediscover the foods she had acquired a taste for over her life. Or at least the girl who... she pushed the thought aside. She was here to learn, not have an identity crisis. "Do they have egg sandwiches?"

[Scuffles]

Kristin held the door open for Chloe and then jogged a couple of steps to catch up with her. "Egg sandwiches? Yech! I can't stand those! I guess I'm not into eggs all that much. They do have them though. Well, Egg and salad, that's close enough right?" she replied.

"I think the food is pretty good here," she decided after a little bit of thought. "There's a little communal kitchen in the dorms though. It's not the best in the world, but I like to try to cook for myself as much as I can. I can't say that I'm all that good a cook but it's just something that I like to do."

"How about you, do you cook?"

[Derin]

"I don't know how to cook," Chloe replied. "I'm given to understand it is a useful skill to develop, but I've always found it disconcerting. Cooking meat especially. It smells and feels exactly like a burn victim that needs treatment; I always get the odd feeling that I should be healing the flesh I'm cooking." Almost subconsciously, she ran her hand up and down her left arm, where the nanites remembered repairing extensive burns after the accident. "I haven't have very much practice though. Egg sandwiches are one of the few things I can make and enjoy. Or plain toast, I tend to eat a lot of that. What sort of things do you cook?"

[Scuffles]

Kristin shrugged. "I guess it's a little bit awkward if you don't want to have meat, most things I cook have at least a little. I mostly stick to pretty simple things anyway, the kitchen isn't really made for being a gourmet chef! Anyway, I'm sure we can come up with some vegetarian recipes if you want to give it a try. I have a friend back home who was vegetarian. Her mum makes the best pasta. Maybe I can get them to send us the recipe."

She stepped ahead just far enough to open the cafeteria door for Chloe. "Two for two on the finding places. Egg sandwich coming right up!"

[Derin]

"I have no problem eating meat," she replied. "Cooking it just feels... strange." Besides, it was difficult to nutritionally balance a vegetarian diet, especially when she had sampled so few foods since the accident. She wasn't quite certain whether she had normal nutritional requirements any more but it was best not to take chances. That was probably unnecessary detail to explain to Kristin, though. Instead she headed over to wait patiently in line. "I do like pasta. The flavours are simple. It is not as nutritious as egg though."

[Scuffles]

Kristin grinned as she eyed off the array of breakfast foods on offer. "Pasta can be plenty nutritious enough if you put the right things with it. Some mince, a nice sauce, a bit of melted cheese on top, some salad to go with it... what else could you need?"

She paused to load up her tray with toast, cereal and fruit then turned back to Chloe. "I'll cut you a deal. One day this week we'll do up some pasta for dinner. I'll do the meat and the sauce, you can cook the pasta and do up any extras that we want to go with it. Sound like a plan?"

[Derin]

"Yes," Chloe said. "I will agree to that." Pasta should be very simple to cook, and while she didn't entirely understand what "extras" encompassed she felt that Kristin would very quickly get an idea of her cooking capabilities. She carefully selected sandwiches for her tray and cast an eye over the cafeteria. Television had told her that choosing a place to sit was a question of complex social dynamics, but television hadn't proven a reliable source of information on many topics so far. She glanced uncertainly at Kristin. Kristin would know where to sit.

[Scuffles]

With her tray loaded up with far more food than she looked like she was capable of eating, Kristin turned and surveyed the cafeteria which was starting to fill up as more students filed in for breakfast. "Hey, there's John!" she said, then glanced at Chloe. "Come on, we can go sit with him."

She led her new friend over to the table that John had all to himself, and placed her tray on it carefully as she took a seat. "Morning John!" she said cheerily. "This is Chloe. She's my new roommate. Just got here today". She waved her hands back and forth between the two. "Chloe, John. John, Chloe." she said to complete the introductions.

[Semi-Autogyro]

John looked up from the book he was reading between bites of his lunch as Kristen and another female student he had not seen before sat down at his table. Luckily, the naturally energetic young woman introduced the other. "Good Morning to you as well, Miss Kristin, Miss Chloe. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Chloe." He memorized the page number he was on before closing the book and returning it to his backpack, the title Applied Interviewing Techniques was briefly readable. Once done, he returned his attention to the pair of girls.

"Welcome to Claremont Academy, Miss Chloe. I hope you will find it to your liking. If you should have any questions that you would ask of me, I will strive to answer them to the best of my knowledge." He looked to be mostly done with his lunch, barring his untouched Jell-o and half glass of water. "I take it you are getting the tour, as it were?"

[Derin]

"The pleasure's mine," Chloe replied with a brief nod. "And thank you. Yes, Kristin has been kind enough to show me around the campus. I am... unfamiliar with unfamiliar places, as it were, so I was slightly worried that I would get lost." She paused to nibble on a sandwich. The taste was different to her mother's egg sandwiches, but recognisable; it was surely nothing poisonous. She glanced from John to Kristin and concluded that movies did seem to be correct about social dynamics in high school cafeterias, and she was clearly sitting at the "jock table". But Kristin had not been as hostile as those movies suggested, so Chloe probably wasn't in any danger so long as she avoided getting involved in any blatantly illegal thrill-seeking activities. "How long have you been attending Claremont Academy, John?"

[Semi-Autogyro]

John stuck a spoon into his Jell-o, and answered the question "It has been around ten months. I was on campus since April of last year, but officially started classes as a Junior during the fall season." He took a spoonful of Jell-o and ate it, savoring the flavor a moment before continuing. "I would not worry about losing your way, judging from my experience most new students easily find their way around campus within in a week or so."

"I am happy that you have gotten your roommate already, Miss Kristin. As I recall, you were looking forward to it." He paused for a second. "Perhaps you could help each other in training as well, since working out with another person helps to promote a daily routine."

[Scuffles]

Kristin grinned "Yeah even I only got lost a few times, and I'm really bad at that kind of thing. It's pretty easy to get around once you're used to it", then paused to scoop down a mouthful of her cereal. "And yeah it's good to have a roomie! Super-bee is cool and all, but she didn't exactly fit in the room."

"We've just been to the gym on our little navigation trip John. Chloe was wondering if she might like to try some wrestling to start off with. She's a bit of a healer, so I think she wants to stay away from the really rough stuff, right Chloe? Anyway, getting a proper routine for the training sounds like a good idea. I've pretty much been picking workout partners at random so far."

She sat back and nibbled on a piece of fruit. "Which reminds me, you still owe me a match sometime mister!"

[Semi-Autogyro]

John finished off the remnants in the Jell-o bowl and washed it down with the remaining water in his glass. "Sparring is different than an exercise routine. While a standard sparring partner can help, you actually want to exchange partners so that you do not get complacent in sparring practice. Because in the field, you will not be able to respond as easy when something that a regular partner would not do." He picked up his unused butter knife and gestured with it. "For example, if I were only to practice with Miss Etain: I would react slower to ranged attacks, since she does not use them."

He set the knife back down as he looked at Chloe, this time as if apprising her. Finally, he raised an eyebrow as if confused. "I am afraid I do not comprehend, Miss Chloe. If you are at this academy and have talents in medicine, you should not ignore improving self-defense. Field medicine does not excuse oneself from being in the thick of combat, and medics are often targets regardless of their Hippocratic Oaths and the Geneva Conventions."

[Derin]

"I agree, which is why combat training is important," she said. "I may not fight in the field but that won't keep me out of fights. Combat situations appear to be part of the job. If I'm not equipped to walk through a fight I might as well leave now and train to be a paramedic for the hospital. I believe Kristin meant that learning aggressive combat techniques are fairly useless to me; steering clear of rough fighting isn't really an option. Perhaps later you would consent to spar with me?" She looked him up and down. "I do not expect to win, but I have no doubt that it would be a very instructive failure. I've never been in... I mean, I don't remember ever fighting before, and lacking that experience makes it difficult to know what skills to focus on."

[Scuffles]

Kristin gulped down a mouthful of water, then grinned at John. "Aww see now you've got two dates! Maybe if you spar with us one after the other it'll be enough for you to actually work up a sweat even!" She smiled again, obviously upbeat about the idea even though she didn't consider herself much of a match for John. "And hey, Chloe will probably get a chance to practice the healing thing once you're done with us!"

She turned to Chloe. "I wouldn't worry too much about not remembering much about fighting. If you've done it before it'll come back pretty quick I think. Muscle memory and stuff. And besides, there's some great coaches and sparring partners around here, you'll pick it up fast for sure."

[Derin]

Chloe nodded. Her muscle memory was largely intact, but she was fairly sure that she had never learned to fight. Occasional brawls, perhaps, judging by the sort of injuries that pre-accident Chloe had often approached MD273 with, but she'd never pried for details. She supposed she'd find out her own capabilities soon enough. She nibbled a sandwich, wondering if it would be rude to ask John what his unusual abilities were. It probably would be. "I get the impression that you are a warrior, John? Is it common for students here to be warriors?"

[Semi-Autogyro]

John listened to the pair of girls as his mind parsed and compiled the data. "I usually have a few of the other students who I assist in helping them get a proper routine started or assist them in getting an idea where they can direct their training to. I am better at the physical side of training, as powers tend to skew the traditional training methods I know. They happen on Wednesday nights in the gym, and you are more than welcome to come. "

"I appreciate the vote of confidence in my abilities, Miss Kristin. However, while I am competent, I still am not infallible. I just hopefully can be of assistance in helping individuals further their abilities." He said honestly. "My particular method of fighting is intentionally more vicious and brutal than is commonly encountered. I would prefer to keep other students from learning it, lest they use it and maim somebody. I restrain myself when training and sparring, for that very reason; so do not expect bruising or injury if you decide to participate."

John smiled a bit in apology as he continued."But to answer your question, Miss Chloe, I am innately familiar to combat. My father is the owner and operator of a private military contracting company, and I have been groomed since I was very young in all aspects of the family business. However, I severely doubt that many students have had as much exposure to it as I have been privy to. It is however, not a requirement to be a fighter to attend here. There are many students who have no experience, and others that are masters in their field. Miss Etain is one of the best practitioners in the sword I have had the pleasure to meet, and Miss Eve is a world-class acrobat."

[Scuffles]

Kristin grinned at John as she sat back in her chair. "Never said you were infallible, I just implied that you're better than me! As for not expecting bruises, sparring is as much about learning to get hit as it is about learning to not get hit. Etain and Vicky are both pretty good at teaching that bit. Anyway I don't want you to take my head off or anything, but a good whack when I mess up helps me learn!"

She turned to Chloe. "I'd be keen to come and train on Wednesdays if you're up for it. Would be a good way for you to meet some other people too I think!"