ic An Arrow into the Air (IC)

[Tiffany Korta]

How could she refuse not only did she always enjoy a challenge like this it gave her a chance to measure up the new girls talents. She just couldn’t help herself she just wanted to know. And well it would be fun.

She gave a wide grin “How could I refuse such an offer, I won’t even use my grapple gun.â€

She jumped up on the window sill next to Tona and gave her a little nod. She had considered a little flourish but now wasn’t the time to show off all that she could do.

“If you’re ready let’s do this.â€

[Raveled]

Tona went over to her luggage and dug into her duffel, coming up with a pair of yellow-and-gold gloves with patterned grips on the palms. She tugged them on, double-checked that her bow and arrows weren't going anywhere, and climbed up onto the windowsill. She glanced outside and saw Mali and Subito down by the steps. Each window had a wide stone sill on the outside, and between each was a simple geometric shape picked out in the same pale stone. Between the floors, though, was only bare brick.

She stepped outside the room and climbed onto one of the stone spacers. Her boots dug in to the brick below her and her fingers kept her body close to the stone. She grinned at her new roommate. "Last one down is target practice," she said, and began to descend rapidly.

[Tiffany Korta]

Blodeuwedd looked relax as she started to climb.

“You sure you’ve never meet my Tain. He’s a fan of such incentives.â€

She sounded confident but after a few minutes it was one thing was obvious. That this girl was a better climber than her, and despite her knowing almost every foot of this wall she was going to lose. She considered for a few second just dropping from the wall, gravity would do the job just fine, but that would be rather unfair. Instead she lost with what she hoped was with a certain amount of good grace.

“Well my arrow cutting is a little rust but I’ll give it a try. Do you want to go now or later?â€

[Raveled]

Tona hit the dirt a body length ahead of Cerys. Her breathing was a tad quicker and her eyes were bright, but otherwise she didn't seem put out by the impromptu climb. She grinned at the other woman. "Why don't we wait a little bit? I still haven't seen the entire campus. And I wouldn't want you to end up like the water bottle."

She turned to Mali and Subito, rocking back and forth on her heels. "Well, I like the place so far! What's next?"

[Ari]

Subito had watched the speedy descent of the two girls down the side of the wall with undisguised awe, removing his baseball cap with a sweeping movement and clapping enthusiastically when Tona and Cerys reached the ground. "Bravo!" he exclaimed when they began approaching Mali and him "I couldn't do somethin' like that, my hands would get in the way. As for where next..." he glanced around the campus before his eyes alighted on the much-used attachment to the main school building "Aha! I know, how about the library? Your general repository for all study-relevant information needs? It's got loads of paper books" he added, not knowing if she would be familiar with the idea, seeing as she didn't appear to know what plastic was "though some are being digitized for internet access and...uh...did you get to read any books back where you're from, Tona?" he asked politely

To Mali he muttered "If I do or say anythin' stupid, feel free to bust in"

[Raveled]

At the mention of a library and books, Tona looked off to the side, already visibly bored. "I've read books before," she said, a touch defensively, "but it's it better to get out there and do stuff rather than just read about it? My dad always favored practical knowledge, over stuff you read in a book." That wasn't exactly true -- Robert Baudin had striven to give his daughter as normal and well-rounded an education as possible, but when fleeing from the forces of Omega saving books was secondary to saving people and weapons. Most of Tona's education had been more in the manner of an apprenticeship, learning skills from people who used them everyday. She wasn't used to getting information out of books.

"I mean," she added after a moment, "I'm sure the place is fine, but I don't really see the point of having that many books. But," she asked, "can you tell me what 'digitized' is?"

[Ari]

Running a hand through his short hair Subito considered this question, frowning as he realized he wasn't really the best person to ask about such things. "It's..." he groped around for a suitable analogy before his eyes brightened and he began talking eagerly "Well, you know how we translate words into a written language so we can store it in books and stuff? Well, we've found a way to translate written stuff into electric signals that can be stored on computers, meaning we can carry around loads of books with things the size of your thumb" he said, gesturing to Tona's hands. Replacing his cap he went on"It's done so we can access 'em from a computer, without needing to carry a lot of copies, or getting replacements if they get lost or damaged, it's a pretty big advance, I think. A few of the guys and gals around here'd be happy to tell you more about the technological side, I'm pretty ignorant about stuff like that" he admitted with an embarressed grin.

He looked hopefully at Tona "That make sense?"

[Raveled]

Tona was not entirely ignorant; she had gotten a crash course on computers and other high technology used by this world, or rather this iteration of her home world. She understood that computers were very nearly magical creations that could store and display an almost infinite amount of data, a truly staggering amount of information. She was still suspicious of something so powerful that she didn't understand, though. Tona shrugged. "Sure. Might as well take a look at the library. Gotta see it some time, I guess."

[Tiffany Korta]

Blodeuwedd wasn’t quite sure what to make of some of Tona statements. She’d heard stories about dumb American hick who didn’t have much education, but there was also stories like that about Wales and she knew defiantly knew that wasn’t true. And Tona didn’t strike her as practically stupid. But then Tona was allowed to keep mysteries just as much as she was. And maybe her new roommate would tell her more about herself.

“Subito likes to start all his tours at the library, but I must admit it’s has quite an impressive collection. It’s got one of the best translations of the Mabinogion available plus decent copies of Sun Tzu and Machiavelli.â€

She knew the copy of Mabinogion was the best version she’d pestered the Librarians for ages until they got a copy.

[Ari]

"It's a good place to start!" Subito replied hotly, "Pretty much all the stuff you need for studying up on classes is there, too" he added to Tona "not a lot of stuff we're taught that I know about is something that needs us to get our hands dirty. It's stuff like history, politics, the crazier parts of the world we live in" for a moment he looked uneasy before soldiering on "So...lots of book-learning, though how much does depend on what you need to learn. I need to learn about the past history of Puerto Rico, the country who's national spirit I'm empowered by, for instance, so i can be a better guardian when the time comes" he explained. Sticking his hands in his pockets he rocked back and forth on his heels, glancing at the other two girls rhythmically.

[Thunder King]

"I'm...not much of a reader, myself. I do find history to be fascinating, though. Still, studying is a big part of school, and the library's very good for that." Mali said. She looked like she was repeating something out of rote memorization. Anyone who knew Mali could tell that studying wasn't a big part of her day. She knew it was important, but she had no passion for reading.

"After that, though, I say we head to the gym. If you're half as dedicated to keeping yourself in shape as I am, you'll need to see it." She grinned.

"I'll help show you what all the machines and such do. Sound like a plan?"

[Raveled]

The mention of a gym got Tona's attention. "A gym, est-ce que? I've heard about those. So I imagine you folks have some pretty rocking equipment around here, right?" Tona was used to practicing on the move or with other warriors, instead of straining against machines. That was what she did when training stopped, after all.

She glanced between Subito and Mali quickly. "I suppose we should go to the library first. After I see the gym, I don't think I'll want to leave!"

[Tiffany Korta]

“Pft. The gym his is all fancy with all those toy and stuff, but personally I don’t think you need them all. Give me a bracing hilly countryside, or atop the cities rooftops, and maybe some simple gym equipment and I’ll be just as dandy as someone using all that fancy stuff.â€

Blodeuwedd realised she’d been ranting a bit and give them all a slightly embarrassed look.

“Well that’s my opinion, I sure others will disagree. The pool here’s nice at least.†She gave a rather weak smile and carried on walking.

[Ari]

Leading the way along the gravel path to the library, Subito nodded sagely at Blodeuwedd's words "I know what you mean, Cerys. Pitting yourself against somethin' natural feels way better than being judged by a machine. I still think you should try and box with Morgan, that'd be a sight!" he said with a laugh as he strode forth. To Tona he said "I don't doubt it. We won't be there longer than you want, just long enough to show you where to find the things you're likely to need and stuff"

Walking briskly up the steps on his short legs, he began to whistle the slow tune of 'Ala una yo naci' as he shouldered open the stout wooden doors, gesturing vaguely to urge the three others in first before closing it, narrowly dodging around a small squad of boy students busy talking, who surged around and nearly through him in a babble that he only vaguely could make out. "Naw, Rae's gotta be an alien, she's got that-" "It's obvious Halja's from the past, look at how she talks! And what about-" in a moment they had swept past, and he took a second to shake his head and clear the jangling from it. Ugh, I've got to work on toning down noises when they get close grinning ruefully at the three girls he said quickly "Anyway, this here is the checkout counter, this is where you take the books you want to leave the place with, so people know who's got" he explained, gesturing to the crisp, dark wood panels and neat registers spaced evenly along its length, several older students assisting the rotund and grave-looking older gentleman with a vicious goatee frowning at the world through his slim glasses "..and that guy is Mr. Kuzin, he's not usually here" he added with a nervous glance at Tona "He's head of the theater, regular lady must be sick or somethin'" he added, mostly to himself. Quickly remembering where he was, he removed his hat and led the quartet deeper into the maze of mahogany shelves stacked with heavy loads of texts, leading them by a more or less direct path to the various large study tables dotting the first two floors, each bearing numerous small compartments to ensure students would have less to distract them. Along the way he explained in a whisper the universal library code of quiet "Y'know, so we don't end up makin' people get less outta their time here, especially from Mr. Skyler's classes" a vague look of terror passed over his face, and he shuddered as his feet thudded softly on the thick carpet. He made sure to mention, as they passed the short banks of computers with busily engrossed students clustered around them, "Learning to use those is super-easy. Even I can do it!" he added with a grin.

The sound-proofed rooms were relatively late in the tour, just after the stocky boy gave a cursory explanation of what the Dewey Decimal System was and how it was used. "These," he said waving a hand at the narrow doors and slim-windowed rooms they were passing near the back of the first floor(having just shouldered through a gaggle of students desperately reading up on Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs used in the time of Thutmose "are for if you really, and I mean really need to be alone with just yourself and a book and some notes. I'd have to make sure on this, but I don't think two people can even use the same room" he shook his head "They're mostly used by the real hardcores, like Rae"

After a short journey up the worn and slightly faded staircase, he demonstrated the microfilm and 'fiche rooms, enlisting the aid of a handsome African-American teen named Terrance (who wore more than the usual amount of jewelry) to tell Tona about what microfilm was and what it was used for, a subject that clearly passed clear over Subito's head. They bade each other farewell after a brisk and friendly chat that carried the group to the landing of the staircase leading to the first floor "Thanks man!" he said with relief as the talkative youth sauntered downstairs with a thick pile of chemistry books under one arm. Turning back to the three girls he said to Tona "Alright, that's about the basics of this place, there are some other nooks and crannies that are pretty darn useful in my opinion, but I bet you're already suffocating in this much dust" he grinned broadly before he started, snapping his fingers "Oh yeah, almost forgot! You see those stairs?" he asked rhetorically, pointing at a much cleaner and less trodden staircase behind them, winding up into an unlit darkness "That one leads to the third floor, we're not allowed up there, Mr. Summers says it's off limits, and I dunno about you" he added candidly, lowering his voice and leaning in closer "I'd not try my luck with that" he stood back at his normal ramrod posture, smiling at her "So..what d'you think?" he asked, waving around the quiet building with a look of curiosity.

[Raveled]

Tona followed along behind Subito, absorbing it all silently. She kept a look out for them, but if any of the students thought she was odd for dragging a bow and quiver through the stacks, none of them stared at her while she was watching. The computers interested her, but she was privately pessimistic about her chances of learning to use them; but that wouldn't stop her from trying. The microfilm and microfiche seemed even more esoteric to her, and she silently walled that part of the building off from her mind. The silent study rooms went even more against her nature. If she wanted to get away from folks, there were plenty of trees and roofs to sit atop of, so why build a special room for it? The only part that really piqued her interest was the locked, forbidden door. Nothing was likely to grab the girl's attention than telling her that she couldn't do something, after all.

"It's pretty impressive," she allowed. "But I just don't see the point of so many books. If you need to know something, you can just go find someone who knows about it and ask them, right? Why take the time to read about it when you could talk to someone?"

[Thunder King]

"Well, you don't always know someone who knows what you need to figure out." Mali said. "I mean, yeah, it's better, and easier just to ask someone, but that's not always an option. And, well, unless you have perfect memory, you need to take notes when asking long, important questions anyway, otherwise you might forget important details. Trust me, when you start taking more complex classes, this place is going to be your favorite place in the world when you need to do research."

"But, there's no research to do today!" She said with a mischievous grin. "I think it's time we checked out the gym. I don't know about you guys, but even though I don't always use the fancier equipment, it's useful if you need to target a specific area. My home gym isn't quite as fancy as the one they have here, but I prefer working out there anyway."

[Raveled]

The mention of the gym animated Tona again and she started rocking on her heels, energy suffusing her as she anticipated the experience. "Sounds like more sort of place," she said. "I was told this place had the best machines for working out. I definitely want to see those." She walked over to a window and peered out, then started examining the frame. "Okay, so who's racing me down this time?"

[Thunder King]

"Nooo thanks..." Mali said. "Climbing's not really my strong suit..." She chuckled and didn't mention how she didn't want to strain a muscle before going to her favorite spot, the gym. She fully intended to be the one to give the new girl a proper tour of the facilities. After all, she'd used nearly every machine in there, and had been training for years.

[Tiffany Korta]

“I’d love to give you another go, but they tend to frown upon people climbing outside the Library, or even the Main building. There was this incident…†despite herself she blushed a little.

She wasn’t quite sure exactly what the problem was the line had deployed in time and no one, especially her, had gotten hurt. But people had gotten upset over the whole thing, and she had been told not to try something like that ever again.

“If you want to test your mettle against us the Gym’s got a Basketball court, we could always Shoot some Hoops. After all how hard can it be? It’s just like Netball but with more moving around.â€

[Thunder King]

With that resolved, Mali eagerly lead the group to the gym area, specifically her favorite spot; the weight room.

"That machine over there works your abs... She said, pointing to a machine that surely looked strange and confusing to Tona. "Those are great for working the shoulders..."

"Oh, this one's my favorite..." She said, walking, not to a machine, but a set of large discs and metal bars. "Free weights, just add the discs you want that add up to the weight you want to lift, and go."

She reached over and grabbed one of the bars. With practiced ease, she picked up several of the discs and attached them. Anyone who was paying attention or knew how those added up could tell that Mali just strapped nine hundred pounds of weight to it.

She grabbed a weight lifting belt from her bag. "These are essential, do not do what I'm about to do without one. You can really hurt yourself." She said, more for Tona's benefit than anyone else.

With that, she dropped down and picked up the weights, straining a little, but not nearly enough considering the sheer weight she had added. She then performed four simple reps. With that done, she dropped the weights, straightened back up, and said.

"That's how that one's done...though you may want to start with smaller weights, get a feel for what you can do, and...

[Raveled]

Tona gave Cerys an odd look when she mentioned 'shooting hoops.' A hoop was just an empty circle; hitting it with a projectile would be quite the feat! Was everyone here trained in archery? Or did they stretch a bulls-eye over it, first? That might be interesting, but she wasn't sure how hard it would be. She followed the group, making sure to memorize the path.

Inside, she marveled at the machines. Each seemed different and was apparently designed to work a single muscle group; part of her grumbled that it was all horribly inefficient and that she'd done just fine without all this, but the bigger part of her was fascinated at all these new sights and wondering how each one worked. Then Mali showed off her grip, lifting the heavy weight almost without effort. Well, Tona couldn't turn down a challenge, so to bar had barely settled before she stepped up to the bar. She grabbed the weight with both hands and lifted, straining. Her face flushed and the muscles on her naked arms stood out in sudden definition, but the bar moved only slowly. She widened her stance and closed her eyes, breathing deep and gathering her strength. She tried again, gritting her teeth and groaning as she tried again -- and this time the bar rose, so slowly but inevitably. It came off the rest, up to the short girl's chest and shoulders -- and there it halted. She couldn't shift her grip enough to get it past her shoulders, and she wasn't willing to simply capitulate. In the end though, gravity told and the bar came down, just a little too fast to be entirely in Tona's control. When it clanged down into the rest she sagged against it, breathing hard and deep for several seconds. Then she looked up with a smile and looked at Mali. "Okay," she said. "This place is more my style, I think."

[Ari]

Subito had remained quiet for the entire trip to the well-wron gym, mentally ticking off the various things someone new would need to know about the place. He watched with no little admiration at the girls' display of strength, clapping powerfully at Tona's efforts. "Good try!" he said jovially "Not a lotta people who can do that in this world. Strength's pretty much all I got" he admitted sheepishly "and I'm only a little better at lifting than that, normally." He gestured to the other exercise machines arranged with care around the gym "Lots of other workout stations to toughen up at. Deadlifts, lots of treadmills to work on running stamina, climbing walls, agility tests where a bunch of balls are shot at you and you need to dodge 'em while staying in a ring, there's something for training in just about every part of the life of fighting evil's physical manifestations here" he said with utter sincerity, adding "If you need something that's not already here, ask Mr. Archer and he'll rustle it up for you" he leaned against the wall, having already done his exercises, and not seeing any need to show off.

"When we're done here, what do you say to checking out the Auditorium? Lots of stuff there that's all about physical work."

[Raveled]

Tona had been briefed about the teachers of the Claremont Academy, and she had mentally marked Mr. Archer as someone whose good side she should get on. She wasn't sure what an auditorium was, but if there was physical exercise there she'd probably enjoy, Still, there was some place she wanted to get to as soon as possible. "What about the Doom Room," she asked, standing and stretching her muscles. "I heard you could fight folks in there!"

[Tiffany Korta]

Blodwuwedd stood beside Subito watching the two work out, her arms cross as she’d expressed her thoughts to him “I’m not really into the whole physical strength I’m more of a Gymnast myself. I’m good enough that if I wanted I could compete professionally. May some time I could show you how flexible I can be?â€

Realizing exactly what she had just said she blushed a bright crimson, she was about to stutter out some kind of apology when Tona question saved the day.

“Well it not quite the same as fighting real people, as good as it’s meant to be, after a while you begin to see patterns in there fighting styles.†God she was turning into her Taid “But I think you need permission to use the simulator, they don’t just let anyone train in it.â€

[Ari]

Subito nodded to Cerys, saying "That's an awesome talent, I've never been light on my feet" he turned back to Tona, and was about to speak when

"Maybe some time I could show you how flexible I can be?â€

At those words, he spun around to look at her in astonishment, completely unprepared for the idea of a sentence like that coming from Cerys. Blushing furiously he ducked his head, rubbed the back of his head with a free hand, glanced up at her shyly and muttered "Er...that...uh..totally, Blodeu. That'd be..uh..that'd be neat to see!" he managed to stammer out, quickly turning on his heel and waving over Mali and Tona "Auditorium won't take long, but you'd need permission to use the Doo-the simulator first. I'll lead the way" he added, holding the door for the other three on the way out.

It was a short jaunt over to the lofty auditorium, as the place was contained in the same building as the gym. Once there, Subito introduced Tona to the various faculty that took care of the place before leading her to the large workshops below the main red-curtained stage, giving a quick tour of the crafts rooms, especially the well-stocked woodcrafting stations. After that, he gave the new student a quick heads-up about one of the odder factors of the place. "You'll want to keep an ear out if you stay here alone, there's something weird about this place. I've noticed that shadows and sounds do weird stuff, like bending over my shoulder to watch what I'm doing when I'm not looking. That, and I think that door has it in for me" he added darkly, gesturing to a large, green-painted door that opened onto a staircase leading down "It keeps tryin' to close on me."