ic Hidden from Sight

[Tiffany Korta]

Dakana International Airport, Dakana

16th February 2015, 13:00 EAT (GMT +3)

It wasn’t often that Claremont asked it’s students to travel halfway around the world, even if it was school holidays, but it wasn’t often that the request came on behalf of an actual King. The request was rather enigmatic but seemed to come from an official source of the Kings household. After rather lengthy discussion it was decided that one of the schools semi-official teams, Next-Gen, would have the honor to travel to Dakana.

Flight BP66 one of the very modern Airbuses lands almost on schedule at the airport in a long but comfortable flight, whilst you were travelling economy the flight had very generous legroom. With the correct paperwork in hand you breezed through immigration to pick up your luggage that had travelled as diplomatic bags. Everything had been carefully prepared to make thing runs smoothly.

 

Soon you were in the ultra modern clean airport lounge looking for whoever was here to greet you to this small African country.

[KnightDisciple]

Aleksander had spent the whole flight trying, and failing, to not look a bit uncomfortable. While he never "dressed down" like some of his peers, the youth more often opted for robust cargo-style pants and rugged long-sleeved shirts. For such an august occasion as a mission to Dakana for the very King of that nation, the young Nakani boy was dressed in the finest possible clothing, which considering the resources available to him, was pretty fine. On the flight over he had been wearing stylish slacks and a crisp Oxford shirt, a tasteful but understated outfit.

 

Somewhere between "landing" and "standing in the lobby", he had, some how, some way, slipped away from the others, and returned even more dressed-up. Instead of just slacks and a shirt, he was now dressed in an impeccable suit; the jacket and pants were black, the shirt was a crisp light grey, and the tie was an interesting, metallic shade of black, giving him a very understated sense of "flair". Somehow, the antique wristwatch that should have been out of place was instead the perfect accent piece. The young crime-fighter was also sporting stylish wrap-around sunglasses, probably to help deal with the bright sun outside of the building. He had a single large suitcase that must have some sort of integrated garment bag, a sturdy duffel bag slung over one shoulder, and, for some reason, a slick briefcase held in one hand. His other hand reached up and tweaked his sunglasses a bit as he cast his gaze around the lobby.

 

"Flight went well."

 

Such incredible skills at small talk, that one.

Edited February 27, 2015 by KnightDisciple

[Brown Dynamite]

Thaelia was in a rough position wardrobe wise.  Her armored dresswear wasn't going to clear TSA by any means as carry on for leaving the States.  Even with the leeway her diplomatic position offered her.  The school uniform was something she never wore off campus.  The less people knew specifically where the Atlantean princess received her education the better.  So she had to go out and buy a new attire that didn't have her favored armored additions.

 

At the moment the demigoddess had chosen to don a blue and gold sleeveless leggings catsuit.  It was essentially gym wear, which meant it would remain breathable in the warmer climate.  And boy was it warmer.  "My stomach was most upset."  Thaelia admitted having felt a slightly nauseating experience on her first plane ride.

 

She was currently holding a black dufflebag that made up her luggage.  Blowing a strand of hair that had landed on her lip line out of the way.

[RobRX]

"So, this is Dakana huh? Didn't really ever expect to travel here. Or even travel anywhere, really." Cho said, as she exited the plane along with the others, her bag slung over her shoulder, pretty much completely weightless to her. She looked around with wonder. All things considered despite everything good or bad that had hapenned to her over the past year or so she at least still had a certain sense of wonder and discovery. Compared to the other two, Cho was very much the plainer one of the two, clothing-wise with her usual shirt, pants and jacket.

 

"It's just flying, you know. It's like swimming when you really think about it. I mean it's in three dimension and you move through air. Air is basically water and vice-versa." The girl rambled on, in a rather strange train of thought. "Wait so does that mean that someone who can fly can use that power to move underwater..." Conversation hadn't been very good or fruitful during the trip.

 

"So anyway, is anyone hungry?" Hyperactive metabolism tend to do that to people. That is, make them hungry.

[Brown Dynamite]

"That was not swimming."  was all Thaelia could muster out to Cho's question.  She hadn't considered the logistics of flying underwater.  Even the Freedom League's Siren chose to actually swim when it came down to it.  The possibility existed, but every person who both flew and swam at superhuman speeds that she knew seemed to favor the latter.  So she had nothing of note to give Cho for comparison's sake.

 

The Atlantean demigoddess big eater that she was also did not address the question of hunger.  Or rather her stomach did not allow her to answer.  The very notion of sticking anything inside her gullet was not going to transfer from thought to action.  At least not without great personal risk to the area.

 

Thaelia had traveled many places in her life.  Sometimes through Atlantean ships even.  And all her travel knowledge and experience in such matters had led her to one certain conclusion.  She would be swiming back to Freedom City rather than flying.

[KnightDisciple]

"No, not really. Better to say it was like riding in a submarine, but in the sky. Similar setup of enclosed space, pressurized environment, etc."

 

Aleksander shrugged a bit at the whole conversation, but continued merrily.

 

"One of our classes actually covered alternative motive potentials in atypical environments. People whose flight doesn't rely on specifically using air, whether it's wings, or air control, or open-air jet engines, or whatnot, can usually get at least somewhat effective underwater movement. But since the power isn't optimized for that environment the performance is notably impacted, and their maneuverability suffers."

 

A very complicated way of saying "it sometimes works but not that well". He glanced around at the lobby for a moment.

 

"And yeah, I could eat."

[Tiffany Korta]

Thanks to Dakana’s unique status in this part of the world it resisted too much influence from the outside world, or at least the ability to pick and choose as it wished. Most of the shops and restaurants were local to Dakana offering authentic local products, though some choose to copy better known western brands. There was however an authentic Starbase that promised authentic Dakana blends, know as some of the best coffee’s in the world.

 

 

The lounge was beginning to thin out as people moved on to their destination, though there were still a few waiting for arriving passengers signs showing who they were waiting upon.

[RobRX]

"I'm not gonna lie; I'm really unfamilliar with both african and asian food beyond what you'd find in supermarket. Well that and I'm guessing Dakana has it's own specialities. Anyway, do you two want us to go some place together or we can just scatter and go wherever we want? Because....um..." Cho glanced at Aleksander.

 

"I'm not...sure...I think you're the kind of person who likes to eat alone?" She said, somewhat nervously and awkwardly.

[KnightDisciple]

"I am fine eating with other people. I have days I like my solitude, but Gunnar takes great joy in "breaking bread together", so I'm fine eating with you guys. I don't want to make you eat something you don't want, though."

 

He looked around for a moment before gesturing to one of the larger shops.

 

"I'd like to eat over there; it looks like they have good samosa, but plenty of other stuff. You all are more than welcome to eat with me."

 

It was clear the quiet young man was actually in a pretty good mood and sociable, especially for him. It was just that his understated nature belied that sociability.

[Tiffany Korta]

The food on offer was a dazzling mix of options from throughout the region and beyond, much of it lightly spiced, and was both relatively cheap and delicious. The whole place was this healthy mix of styles that felt a little like the places back home but also fairly African.

 

As there meal was coming to an end a well dressed man approached the table they were sat

 

“Excuse me are you the party from Claremont?†his spoke English with a slight local accent

[RobRX]

Cho paused from her lunch, looking up at the man, unsure of what exactly to say as she wasn't sure wether or not they could reveal where they were from. "Um...." was all that came out of her mouth as she glanced at Thaelia and Aleksander, hoping they might know better than her on the subject.

 

She wasn't exactly aware of the specific details of their voyage to Dakana.

[KnightDisciple]

Aleksander calmly dabbed the corner of his mouth with his napkin before setting it down as he turned to face the man. His companions might note that he had turned his body and chair such that he could, if necessary, quickly enter a close-quarters fight with this man if he turned hostile. Yet his posture was relaxed and his face was politely neutral as he spoke.

 

"We are. May we ask who we have the pleasure of speaking with?"

 

He didn't rise, as right now this could just be some random businessman or whatnot, and local customs didn't require bowing for a general greeting.

[Tiffany Korta]

The man gave an embarrassed look at the teens, he seemed almost mortified by his faux pas.

 

“Of cause how remiss of me. I am called Tendaji. If you are the American’s from Claremont Academy I have been asked to take you to someone who can explain why you have been asked here.â€

 

As far as they could tell he was being honest in what he was saying.

[RobRX]

"Well! I guess that's our cue, then!" Cho said, grabbing what was left of her lunch and promptly stuffing it into her mouth in hope of saking her voracious metabolism. "If you don't mind I'll just..." The teenager took another bite out of her lunch. "I'll finish that one on the way, if it's not a problem. Bit hungry, can't do a thing about that. And sorry about the manners, but I'm really that hungry." Secretly, Cho was hoping she wasn't going to run out of money from the cravings her metabolism often caused. That would be a major inconvenience and she didn't feel like asking the other for food.

Edited March 30, 2015 by RobRX

[Brown Dynamite]

Thaelia nodded and simply moved to follow along after the others a recently purchased bottle water in hand.  Remaining unusually silent as she gave her stomach more time to settle.  This also meant she couldn't apply her normal amount of nosiness into whether something was going on between Aleksander and Cho of the romantic variety while they ate.  A thought which no doubt would have escaped her filterless mouth on any other occassion.

 

Taking a sip of her water, the Atlantean princess let the refreshing water act as a soothing agent.  It wasn't quite like taking a relaxing dip.  But, it would have to do.  They had a quest to partake in according to the boisterous voice in the back of the Glamazon's imagination.  A void that had been filling the blank space in the knowledge they had of the situation with ridiculousness.

[KnightDisciple]

Aleksander smiled, stood up, and offered Tendaji his hand to shake.

 

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Tendaji. You can call me Aleksander."

 

The local could hear the slightly non-American spelling in how he said it, just a bit of Eastern European sneaking into the boy's speech, unconsciously. After the handshake, Alek reached down and put his bag on his shoulder, giving the man a politely curious eyebrow raise.

 

"May we ask where we will be going and who we will be meeting? I am sure the matter is sensitive enough you do not wish to fully disclose it here, but I just want to make sure we've got our itinerary straight."

[Tiffany Korta]

“I unfortunately am only the driver the long lady down there will provide you with all the information you desire.â€

 

He gestured down to a young woman about you age dressed in the bright colors popular in the region he head covered by a scarf. As she waited she was checking something on her top end cell phone.

 

“I will allow you time to finish your meal you can join us when you are finished.â€

 

With another bow he left and made his way back down to the young woman.

[Brown Dynamite]

Thaelia looked around to the others.  Having no plans of eating a meal herself.  "If you may give me pardon, I too shall wait outside until your meal is complete.  There is no haste to be had.  I simply desire air."  

 

If the request was related to a dire situation they wouldn't have been granted such leniency.   That was what Thaelia hoped.  It made the most sense.  If a mecha kaiju powered by daka crystals had been rampaging through the countryside, lunch would've been skipped.

 

Unless it was a cultural thing.  She had to take such considerations if she wanted to act as a diplomat.  The nation's customs were completely unknown to her.  And with them the giant mechanical kaiju procedures.

[KnightDisciple]

Alek raised an eyebrow at how...informal...the meeting had felt. He'd been under the impression this was pretty official business, but they weren't even rushing them to get moving! Though the fact he still didn't have much in the way of information didn't help. He raised an eyebrow after Tendaji left but made no verbal comment. Instead he took to clearing up the last few bites of his food, washing it down with some water, and wiping a couple of crumbs away with his napkin before standing.

 

"Don't feel too rushed, Cho. It sounds like we've got at least a bit. I'll go down there now; we'll be waiting for you."

 

With that, he followed after the direction Tendaji and Thaelia had gone, angling through the crowd to reach the car and the young woman standing beside it.

[RobRX]

"N-no wait, look I'm coming!" Cho said, running after the two. That is to say, catching up to them in mere seconds, arriving right next to the car, with the last few bits of her lunch still stuffed into her mouth. In the crowd a few people showed surprised, having been bumped into by something moving at a rather high speed. No damage done to anyone, however, fortunately. Cho was at least careful enough to avoid hurting people by accident.

 

"Shorry." She said, swallowing the last bits of it. "Okay, I'm good to go!"

[Tiffany Korta]

The young woman was about the same age as themselves and carried herself with some confidence, which was pretty easy with a massively built guard behind you.

“Greetings and welcome to the Kingdom of Dakana. I’m afraid King M’Balla is away on matters of state at the moment, so he’s asked me to look after you. I am called Ghaydaa.” she gave a respectful nod

“If you like to follow me we have a car waiting to take you to suitable quarters.” she gestured and waited for them to follow her out of the airport.

[Brown Dynamite]

"I am Thaelia, princess of Atlantis.  It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."  Unsure of their host country's customs for greeting the Atlantean would wait for one of the other two to introduce themselves instead.  She was a little disappointed that they would not be making the king's acquaintance.  If only because he was the man that put in the request for their assistance.

Not that anyone had deemed fit to share what that assistance was.  Still a vacation. was a vacation, and a king could hardly be faulted for tending to his duties.  And Thaelia would hardly be the first person to raise a complaint about the trip thus far.  Aside from how their travel arrangements.  Flying was awful.

So she waited for the introductions to be done with so they could follow after Ghaydaa