The Scout and the Sailor [Open...ish]

[The Sailor]

This is a Casey/Miracle Girl and Sakurako/Endeavor thread.
I would like people to ask me if they're interested in joining in through forum PM.
I just ask to let us do some posting for a while first.
This is an informal thread.

February 21, 2015. 23:40

Claremont Academy, Simulator room

 

Sakurako was working in the simulator room. It was after hours, and her work was for a advanced programming class set up to teach the more tech savvy students how to deal with virtual simulations. Sakurako had already went through the course work and was now enjoying the fruits of her labors. She had sculpted from the digital clay a beautiful small tropical island, expansive beaches, a marina, and even sea gulls and other tropical things. Even a small beach house. The simulated outboard boat was a nice touch of scripting she thought. She decided to take some beach stuff with her from the real world. Some towels, air mattresses, rings, and a rubber rowing dinghy, and other nautical supplies. Mostly stuff her parents let her borrow. She wanted to test the simulation out before using it for a late birthday party later in March or April to see if it was to everyone's liking once things calmed down. The alien invasion and her injury in January put a damper on her plans, but Maybe having a party around Easter where she could have her parents in too might be nice.

 

She gave a invite to Casey, someone she started to develop a friendship with, to share in enjoying a quiet beachfront evening.

 

Sakurako laid on the beach, wearing a sailor collared sun dress over her blue swimsuit, looking up at the simulated space station windows overhead, a rising crescent moon framed the scene. This wasn't on Earth... this simulation was on a space station. Sakurako was in a Sci-Fi mood tonight...

 

Sakurako assigns the entry point on the dock, facing the island with a wave of her hand. The arch to the simulator room appears soon after.

 

"Well, Casey... I hope this is cool..." She said, waiting for her friend to arrive.

 

Note, in the invitation, Casey, Sakurako advised on bringing your best summer beach finery.

Edited April 16, 2015 by The Osprey

[Heritage]

Casey stepped through the arch and was instantly confused; she had the jarring feeling of being in two places at the same time until she wrapped her head around the world Sakurako had designed. Her blonde hair was up under a sun visor and she wore a pair of big black sunglasses. Her red one piece swimsuit was largely obscured under an unbuttoned Madras shirt, and she had an oversized beach tote over one shoulder and a folding beach chair tucked under the other arm.

Shaking her head in disbelief, she floated over to land gently beside her friend. "Wow, this is amazing!" She wiggled the toes of her bare feet in the sand. "Is any of this real?"

Edited February 22, 2015 by Heritage

[The Sailor]

"Well the beach stuff, toys, the rubber dinghy, and the box full of stuff I save for sailing is real. Everything else is a simulation." Sakurako said, pointing up to the glass-like dome above them, and the vast star-scape and the rising moon and setting earth. "I was feeling whimsical when I designed this. Originally this was supposed to be for a Birthday Party I was gonna throw, but all of the Alien brew-ha-ha and the whipping I received from a robot crab put a damper on things."

 

She got up to sit on a crate, looking at the water. "Took a bit of programming to get the refraction of the water just right."

 

"I'm glad you like it." She said with a smile. "Oh, I drug in a couple coolers too, filled with stuff probably not good for us, but we can burn the calories swimming!" She said with a smile. "Or rowing, or whatever..."

[Heritage]

Casey still couldn't believe the level of detail involved in the simulation. "Is everything else just made out of some sort of hard light construct? I've read a bit about those." The blonde dropped her bag in the sand, then sheepishly looked around to see if anyone else was present; seeing that were alone, she took off the visor, shook out her hair, and let the Madras shirt gently fall away.

The transformation was stunning; obviously Casey was very aware of how attractive she was, and deliberately 'dressed down' most of the time for whatever reasons of her own. Now more visibly relaxed, she fished a towel out of her beach tote and spread it out on the sand. "So just how realistic is this? Do I need to put on sunscreen?"

Edited February 23, 2015 by Heritage

[The Sailor]

"No. The simulator doesn't generate UV or Infrared unless specifically asked. Then again you can just thank the environment containment panels above us for holding our atmosphere in and keeping all the nasty stuff out." She said, sticking out her tongue as a joke. "The slight glow to the glass that makes up the dome was based off of something interesting I read about how scientists can use magnetically charged Xenon gas to protect against the radiation of space, and the gas itself is bound near the ship by said magnetic fields."

 

She grinned, stretching. "So, I added that effect as there's a thin Xenon gas envelope contained by a magnetic field just outside of the panels."

 

"But it's all Zeroes and Ones and dimensional transcendence. Amazing how I can have a larger simulation than the chamber's actual dimensions. Although there is a data/space ratio that needs addressing."

 

She smiled, seeing Casey was ready for a swim. "Heh. I guess that's a hint we're going to enjoy the simulated water at some point." She said, lifting off her sundress and setting it on a beach towel nearby. She sets it down with care, showing it's her favorite. Although her choice of a basic one-piece blue swimsuit showed she's not a fan of showing too much. "I calibrated the temperature of the simulated water to be at about 78 degrees with an air temperature of 86 degrees with 15% humidity. Perfect swimming conditions."

 

Pulling out a pair of snorkeling goggles with a snorkel attached she starts rummaging through the real crate she had some extra stuff in. "I also tossed in some simulated fish. As long as I kept the depth of the water around 40 feet at the largest, I could keep the overall data stream envelope large enough to simulate everything you see. Although I'm not sure if the basic random programs of the fish motions will feel "right" for this simulation."

 

She was a bit of a perfectionist, even when showing off something that would be considered her form of art.

Edited February 24, 2015 by The Osprey

[Heritage]

The taller girl chuckled and shook her head as she dropped her glasses into her tote. "Well I got maybe half of that. Still, forty feet?" She shaded her eyes as she looked across the 'water', then shrugged. "Yeah, I can make that work."

Suddenly Casey shot up into the air, tracing a graceful shallow arc that brought her right into the most complicated part of the sim; there a quick splash, then she was gone, completely below the surface.

[The Sailor]

Sakurako was also going to tell her that as it was a simulation the water pressure was equal from top to bottom, but it seemed she was boring her friend with the techno babble. She puts on a snorkeling mask with snorkel and a yellow snorkeling vest she zips up after putting her flippers on. She walks into the water and starts swimming, heading under the surface to meet up with her friend. Sakurako waves as she manages to keep calm and at a proper depth. Casey knew Sakurako wasn't the best of swimmers, but the pouches on Sakurako's snorkeling vest seem to have lots of contingencies possibly.

 

Sakurako's technique wasn't the best as she kept herself near Casey but she still seemed to enjoy herself. After a bit Sakurako signals to head to the surface and she swims up, although once at the surface she looked more like she was barely treading water. She catches her breath, waiting for Casey to meet her.

[Heritage]

Casey shortly bobbed to the surface like a cork, a sunny smile on her face as she loudly exhaled. "Pah! This is so amazing!" She held out her hand and rocked it from side to side. "The water's not quite right; you can feel it when you swim deeper. Still, for a sim it's incredible!" She flew up in the air, did a backflip and dove back in with a graceful splash, almost more like a dolphin than a human. Resurfacing again, she looked thoughtful as she effortlessly treaded water. "Say, how long can you hold your breath for? I can do it for a few minutes nowadays."

[The Sailor]

"Not for long, maybe... a minute if I'm in dire straights. Really hated those helicopter evacuation training excersises I had to do with the JMSDF when I was helping my folks during the whole disaster back in 2011. Particularly when I had to do it blindfolded." She said with a sigh. "Of course Mom and Dad INSISTED I know what to do if any helicopter I went in went down in the water... at least because of my age they let me cheat a little using two spare air bottles instead of one Wouldn't want the scandal that would come from having a young superheroine genius drown on your watch, eh? As for the water, I had to make up some data by keeping the water at the same pressure at any depth. Probably the only jarring thing about the sim, at least to experienced swimmers. Someone like me? I love it."

 

Sakurako started puffing up her vest to reduce the effort she needed to tread water. "So, the water at least feel warm enough? I wanted it to be just right so people didn't feel cold going in or stepping out." She said with a smile. "Oh, I brought a grill in... maybe we could whip up something good?"

 

She poked Casey with a playful grin. "I know a few good ways to prepare the best Dogs... at least to my palette."

Edited March 8, 2015 by The Osprey

[Heritage]

Casey shrugged. "It seems fine to me, but I don't really get hot or cold anymore. I mean, I guess I'd feel it if we were swimming in liquid nitrogen or something, but..."

At the mention of food, Casey's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Oh, I love hot dogs! I hope you brought lots!" Then a thought hit her. "Hey, have you ever gone waterskiing? I could tow you along! Or maybe..."

She dove underwater again, and shortly thereafter Sakurako felt strong firm hands on her hips; luckily they did not pull her under, as some kids would be tempted to do, but rather they began to push her along in the water, almost like the prow of a ship! The young genius could feel the surging power as Casey's mighty legs kicked surely below the surface.

Edited March 9, 2015 by Heritage

[The Sailor]

Sakurako's eyes went wide as she started to rise out of the water. She was starting to wish she had her suit on, so she could keep balance using her flight powers. "C... Careful, Casey... not too fast, now. Wouldn't want to have me take a tumble." She said, minding her balance with her arms now out. "Hehe... this is a interesting technique though. Might try to figure a way to use it on a mission!"

 

She looked down. "How well can you turn with this trick of yours?"

 

She felt bad that she didn't have skiis... maybe she should develop some swimming fins that can transform into some ski-like configuration for doing this. So many ideas, so little time.

[Heritage]

Underneath the water, Casey couldn't make out what Saku was saying, though the general tone was clear; as playful as she was, she would never put a friend in danger. After a few seconds of pushing het classmate along, the blonde student broke the surface and took to the air, carrying Sakurako aloft; she adjusted her hold so that she cradled the Japanese girl firmly in both arms.

"Houston, we have liftoff!"

She only flew around for less than a minute; she knew that not everyone liked to be flown around, less about the actual flight and more about the loss of control. She also didn't know the limits of the sim, so she didn't go very high or far out of fear of slamming into a hidden wall. At last she flew back towards the shore and gently landed, carefully despositing her friend on her beach towel.

"And here we are back on terra firma! Now let's get working on those dogs!"

Edited March 15, 2015 by Heritage

[The Sailor]

Sakurako felt the simulated sand, smiling at the warmth. She loved flying, and someday she wanted to show Casey what she had planned... she figured a way to increase her speed... she could be quite, quite fast, in fact. "That was actually... fun!" Sakurako said, turning to her friend. "Once I get the upgrades to the flight system on my suit complete, I should take you for a spin. I've... got a upgrade in mind that theoretically should send me trans-sonic... or a bit faster."

 

She unzipped her vest, setting it aside, while taking out of her box what looked like some odd device. "I've been experimenting with using sound waves to remove water from clothing garments and the human body. So you can have dry clothes and hair almost instantly." She said, turning it on. It in fact did what was intended. Causing the excess water on her to evaporate super fast, but not causing her skin itself to dry out. "Sadly it requires some rare earth metals I recycled from some of my busted computer stuff and a fragment of a rare type of meteor ore... one of a kind."

 

She used it on Casey, and soon she too was dry. "Well, Hot dogs was it?" She said, putting back on her sun dress. "Do you require Kosher food for your spiritual strictures, or any old mixed weiner will do? Or perhaps the veggie dogs? I have a pack of those too. Unless you have an allergy to soy..."

[Heritage]

Casey grinned as Saku made the 'water' disappear. "Neat! Much simpler than my usual 'spin dry' technique." She made a spriral motion with her finger as she dug through her friend's cooler looking for a Coke, which she popped open and literally downed in one long swig. When she finished, she crumpled the can into a small ball and produced a very unladylike burp, which led to an embarassed giggle as she covered her mouth.

"Oh, excuse me! Ha-ha!" At the mention of diet restrictions, she waved her hand dismissively as she searched for a place to put her trash. "Nah, I'm Episcopalian, we eat anything; well, except right now during Lent." She sighed dramatically. "Alright, let's try the veggie dogs, unless you've got some turkey dogs in there." Once she tucked the tiny aluminum ball out of sight, she rubbed her hands together eagerly. "Can I help? I'm great at chopping onions!"

Edited March 25, 2015 by Heritage

[The Sailor]

"No worries, Casey." Sakurako said, putting the yellow vest on once more she had on before putting a apron on that had the chemical diagram of propane embroidered on it. "I have some pure tofu dogs and Veggie dogs too... Although I'll have to set up the frier... something I want to experiment with for the tofu. But the Veggie dogs will grill just fine here."

 

She smiled, looking over her hot dog supply, grabbing a cooled pack of veggie dogs she lays a couple out on the grill, humming a little as she gets things going. "Oh, you can set the trash on the beach, the program simulation can take waste and turn it into raw materials for it's replicator system."

 

She smiled as she carefully turned her cooking. "You know... I... wanted to ask you something."

 

"I'm not the biggest physical specimen, but I wanted to ask... You... want to become a duo?"

Edited March 27, 2015 by The Osprey

[Heritage]

The blonde bruiser blinkedclearly she was not expecting this question! She open her mouth once or twice without speaking, then scratched the back of her head as she looked around uncertainly.

"A...duo? Like in what sense? Like a crimefighting duo?" Casey rubbed her jaw for a few seconds. "I mean, I guess so; to be honest, I thought each class was like its own team, all together. Isn't that how Young Freedom formed? I kind of thought we were already on one."

She found a bag of onions and a knife, and began to slowly chop them; well, slowly for her at least. She needed the extra time to think; after a few seconds, she stopped, several cupfulls of chopped onions already waiting to top some dogs. Casey took a deep breath and smiled as she faced her friend and took both her hands in her own. "Look, I'm still not sure how everything is done around here, but if you want someone to trust and fight by your side, then yes, I'd be proud to call you my friend and partner." The blonde held out a hand for a firm handshake. "Deal?"

Edited March 29, 2015 by Heritage

[The Sailor]

Sakurako politely waved off the handshake. "Just tell me how the veggiedog came out and I'll call it a deal."

 

"As for the others, it's more something on the side, Casey... It's not just trust. There'll be times when not all of the group will be available, and the upperclassmen are pretty well experienced. Above my head... But I think your skill-set and mine compliment each other brilliantly."

 

She grills up a couple odd looking hot dogs. "That... and... I..."

 

She scratches her chin with her free hand. "You're probably the first person that I've actually not felt like I have to show off to, to hold any attention..."

 

Looking back down at the grill, her face was semi-shadowed by the wide-brimmed hat she was wearing. "I think if we weren't superhuman I think... we'd be friends."

Edited March 31, 2015 by The Osprey

[Heritage]

Casey snorted and smiled. "Oh, totally! Well, you're fun to hang out, which makes it easy." She was eyeing the veggidogs uncertainly, but was determined to try new things. With the onions all chopped, she started working on some tomatoes.

"Oh hey, I don't know if you heard this, but Haraku's parents pulled her out of school; some sort of family crisis, I guess." She shrugged. "Anyway, if you're looking for a roommate, my room is now officially available."

The blonde powerhouse had tried to go slower, but she was still done cutting up tomatoes in a matter of seconds; wiping off her hands, she sighed. "Alright, what else can I do to help?"

Edited April 1, 2015 by Heritage

[The Sailor]

Sakurako smiled. "I could use a room. My parents want me to stay here. My issues with Hardwire and the need for hightened security, well my parents figured placing me in a place with a hundred or more Superhumans around me is a good idea."

 

She adjusted her apron. "I actually miss the yacht, but to be honest I don't want to face Hardwire in a place where drowning is a possibility."

 

She looked over to Casey. "I envy you actually, not having a budding supervillain as a sister... she almost killed me twice now. I fully expect her to make another attempt. It does seem her vendetta with me though is a personal one and has kept it "in the family" as it were but I have my doubts that will stick."

 

She pulls out a pan and grabs a couple cans of gourmet chili. "How about we get this Chili going... I'm going to check over the RSVPs, and open the room to visitors. I think the students could use something nice after all we've been doing the past couple months with all of the Adults fighting against the Communion."

 

She smiled. "That... and I really need to look like the nice girl... I'm starting to see some personality clashes I'm having and I want to smooth out the rough edges."

 

After Heritage posts as Casey I will open this thread to other Claremonters.

[Heritage]

At the mention of her soon-to-be roommate's villainous sibling, Casey put her hands on her hips and frowned. "Hey, how do you know I don't have a supervillain in the family? Maybe my brother Josh was beaned by a radioactive softball, developed evil shortstop powers, and now calls himself the...'Sinfielder'? Hey, it could happen!"

But of course, she was kidding and couldn't keep a straight face; her big laugh and huge smile showed her mischief was entirely innocent. However, her face turned noticeably grave when she changed the subject. "Seriously, though, your sister, this Hardwire? She'll have to go through me first."

She crossed her arms, tilted her head down and scowled; she did indeed look rather fierce, even in her Baywatch bikini.

"And I don't move easily!"

Edited April 1, 2015 by Heritage

[The Sailor]

Sakurako smiled. "First time I've heard someone relish the thought of facing someone's rival..."

 

As she continued to cook, she looked up at the windows and the simulated space outside. "My next couple of years are going to be trying. There is something I'm going to write soon to start getting some notice in the scientific community, and to start finding like minds."

 

She reached for a soda. "I've had a project for a little while brewing in my head... something that has a long-term plan but if it works..."

 

"Sorry... sometimes my brain likes to get away from me." She said, turning her hot dogs. "At least I know now my simulation will work for a birthday party option. Although now I got a feeling that won't happen any time soon. It sort of got pooped on my all the chaos in space and stuff. That and my getting beat up pretty bad by a giant robot crab didn't help."

 

She sighed, stretching out. "I have to be honest, our class at Claremont has been awfully busy, you think?"

[Heritage]

Casey shrugged as she opened another can of pop. "Well, if we wanted a nice, normal boring high school experience, I think we chose the wrong school. Here, I can help with the chili; my dad grew up in Texas, where it's kind of a state obsession. That and barbeque."

As she chopped and stirred, the blonde hummed to herself, a country song by the sound of it. "I'll be honest, I kind of like it; not the danger, but the chance to do more than just study, play sports or date boys. Not that I don't like those things; I just want to make a difference, you know? To have an impact." She tasted a bit of the chili and nodded in approval. "Mmm, that's pretty good for out of a can! The fresh onions really helped, though. So what's project you're working on? That is, if you can dumb it down for me."

[The Sailor]

Sakurako swept her hand in front of her, many dots appear on a monochromatic holographic projection. "That's the thing... breaking it down so that friends like you can understand what I'm trying to accomplish." She said, turning the globe with a spatula. "Science works best when scientists collaborate. No boundaries, no borders, no preconceptions. Just the scientific method and a over-arching belief that we want to make the world better."

 

She looked at Casey. "But... people don't understand all of it. It tosses in doubt and that is where those who champion ignorance come in. They..." She smacks the globe, shattering it. "...they undermine the foundation we struggle to create."

 

"What if... what if I formed a group of like minds, not to scheme but to help create a lasting legacy? Something to... counter ignorance with the light of knowledge? Broken down to be the grout that reforms the foundation?" She said, snapping her fingers bringing the globe back together. "The Internet is a powerful tool for knowledge, but also for misinformation. That is where the other half of the organization comes in. Not by silencing critics, but answering the call, defeating them with information. With truth. Distilled to all that is needed, with verifiable results."

 

"Misinformation peddlers have strength in numbers, but they are still a loud minority. But... the internet is a force multiplier. It's... time it played in favor of reason."

 

She sat down on a crate. "In the process I want to set up a trade of data between Scientists. Instead of competing, I want to create a collaborative society, whose only competition is to know more and do more than we did yesterday."

 

She smiled. "It's... something that has been sticking in my mind. And this..." She pulls out a computer tablet. "...is my first "ping" of the scientific community. It's a meritocracy, and the best way to show you're legit... is delivering."

 

"And here you thought I just made super sailor suits..."

[Heritage]

Casey watched and listened quietly, clearly impressed by her friend's vision. "Wow, that's...noble. It's good that you have a vision." Then she laughed. "Boy, how long have you been waiting to make that speech?"

But then the athletic blonde sighed as she frowned thoughtfully. "In a way, I'm passionate about the same thing: truth. It's what made me want to go into journalism, which may seem ironic considering how often the media is used to distort the truth. It seems like every media outlet has its own agenda, and flavors and shapes the truth to reinforce that agenda, at the expense of the very truth they're supposedly sworn to report."

Casey sat down on one the beach chairs, intensely focusing on the air before her as she tried to shape her ideas with her hands. "I already wanted to be a journalist before I got my powers, but now think if it: I could fly into a war zone on my own, no need for a helicopter or even a bulletproof vest, and report back on what I found. Or even if I maintained my civilian identity and went in with a full crew, I could keep them safe, and then maybe save some lives as Miracle Girl after we get the story." And then she chuckled as a thought struck her. "Huh! You know, it's funny; the two sides of my life are kind of in opposition. A journalist is supposed to stay impartial and not influence events, and a hero does the exact opposite." She shook her head. "Never thought of that before..."

Edited April 11, 2015 by Heritage

[The Sailor]

"That's the thing. I want this organization to be impartial... not to interfere. But only to be there when needed."

Sakurako sighed, shifting on her crate a bit. "Then again, I don't know anymore about things. Dealing with Hannah, almost getting killed... twice... having to deal with all sorts of chaos afterward..."

She looked down at the sand. "It's like I'm being given all this around us just to stay with it. Thing is... right now I don't know if this is what I want right now."

"Then again every day I see illustrated why people like us are needed. you can see my dilemma, right?"

She sighs, nibbling on her polish sausage she was cooking up. "What I'd give for a basic rescue right now. No villains, no weirdness."

Edited April 18, 2015 by Osprey