A Welcome Lunch

[The Sailor]

Sakurako smiled. "I'm sure they'll allow it. I will give them a full itenerary, security considerations, safety arrangements, and a way to track us via GPS if desired. We're on a civilian ship, anyways, and as long as we got our navigation system running, they'd know where we are. That and there would be many contact opportunities during the trip, Vicki. No hero stuff at all... although I will have my suit along, as well as everyone else's equipment if there needs to be any capey-tightsy things happening."

When attention returned to Elias, Sakurako quieted up. She had an inkling he was dealing with some serious stuff, but this... this wasn't expected. The legalities though of his situation was... something she wasn't aware. "You know, I think my parents can recommend a lawyer to represent you, Elias, if you need one."

Edited May 10, 2015 by Osprey

[Mad Scientist]

Eileen was torn.  The whole tropical island vacation sounded awesome, no question about it.  The process of getting to said island, however, gave her a case of the heebee jeebees.  The prospect of being on a little boat, bobbing about in the waves, for weeks?

Frankly, it was more than a little terrifying.  Sure, she could probably fly herself there in a couple of hours if she had to, but the only thing worse than being very high in the air had to be being up in the air, over the ocean.

There had to be a way to make it all work, though.  She just had to figure it out.  There was time, still.  Maybe...someone here would be able to figure out something, student or faculty.

Vonnie's comment about his legal issues was a surprise, however.  She had run across a lot of stuff over the years of poking about on the internet and such, but she hadn't heard about anything like this, that she could recall.

"You're a legal non-entity?  How are you enrolled here, then?" she asked, curiously.

 

Gather Information (Well Informed): 1d20+10 12

[TheAbsurdist]

So

Not that he wouldn't like a nice little island... with less people.  Less thoughts and feelings hammering at the periphery.  But...  There were too many variables and he didn't have any answers to enough of them to commit.  Besides he really didn't know any of these people, and who would he ask?  Thaelia?  Ha.  Her doubt was there.  Or... he saw it, whether or not it was there.  Then she said something, and he blinked a little bit, and shifted his head up, and he looked towards what was addressed to him, not quite looking at Vickie.  "New Freedom."

Then came the inevitable pause, and the blank expression, and he sighed a bit.  "So this will get covered in your schooling.  Basically, pretty straightforward, it's a dictatorship.  run by a lady named Leah Harper.  It is an Orwellian state, controlled by a leadership with powers, and with the right application of psychology and those powers..."  There was a pause as he closed his eyes, the memory surging up, and he shifted a bit uncomfortably in his chair.  "Loyalty is easy to ensure.  Especially with the privileges people with powers have.  You just need a portion of the population to help strong arm, not everyone."

He frowned a little bit, and he shrugged then, "I am leaving out things, because the topics and everything else tend to... dominate everything else in a conversation.  And because in a lot of ways people try to clumsily give me a there, there.  So yes, I am the son of two very bad people, from a very bad country, my presence here could be a political issue.  Or not.  It gets confusing."  There was a bit of wry smile, an expression he didn't genuinely allow himself. 

"So, yes, I get more ethics courses, than all of you.  I also could get grabbed tomorrow in a black bag retrieval team by this government or another.  So, talking about beaches is nicer."

Edited May 10, 2015 by TheAbsurdist

[Mad Scientist]

Eileen...wasn't quite sure what to say to that.  Which was, while not a first, was certainly less than usual.

"Wow," she came out with finally.  "That sounds like it sucks.  If that were me, I'd probably be three hundred pounds from all the chocolate I ate to try and compensate," she told him soberly.  "So, if a black-bag retrieval team tries to get the drop on you, do we jump in and smack 'em down?" she inquired curiously.  "I'm pretty sure we're all in this together, right?  The Claremonteers, one for all and all for one?"  The blonde smiled, hoping that at least one of the others about the table might find it funny. 

Or at least, sort of funny.  She was starting to get the idea that there was a whole lot of weird out there, and she very much liked the idea that people would jump to back her up if she needed it....

[The Sailor]

Sakurako head-desked, her Helmet reflexively closing to create a very noticeable thud. She had put her suit back on while everyone was talking...

"That's not how it works, Eileen." Sakurako said, sounding flustered, but not by her classmate's commentary. "Trust me, if it's that bad there, he can claim asylum and potentially have someone from Claremont vouch for him. Although time for that is probably running low." Sakurako said with a sigh. "But if it's those people from that country, well... something to be said about causing international incidents." For a moment Sakurako considered actually threatening a political brew-ha-ha, but then her logic kicked in. "But we shouldn't look for a fight."

She traced her finger on the tablet, then realized in her concern she really, really messed up. She headdesked again... "By Magellan's maps!"

She sighed. "Speaking of distractions... I'm so... so sorry..."

She pointed her fingers together, pulling up the map of the island and letting it slowly move out. "I got the wrong side of the pacific, and I've been up for about... 72 hours working on an important project... my brain's sort of mixed the location of the island with some survival video game I was playing... and a really inaccurate one at that."

"The island's a bit east of Okinawa." She said with a resigned sigh. "My yacht's located in Yokohama already, just waiting for me to get it."

She opened her helmet again and finished her meal. "I... I think I should get some sleep soon. I can call in my last few classes I think my brain isn't working."

"I know I'm totally gonna catch a lecture for staying up so late at the lab, but I couldn't set up my air mattress in the lab because I already filled up all the space I was allowed with what I was working on. It was important too, I'm working on finally internalizing my life support so I don't need a external air tank."

Her eyes were slightly teary. She was showing fatigue, now that people could look at her closer. She's been living off of energy supplements and her own drive. Even the makeup she used to cover her scar from her fight against a robotic crab was starting to come loose.

She sends a text to the nurse, who sends a message to her remaining classes for the day. "There goes my perfect attendance for the year. Usually I'm far more careful than that, Casey can attest to that."

Her eyes cross a little...

Edited May 22, 2015 by Endeavor

[Mad Scientist]

Helmeted head meeting desk with a loud 'thud' made Eileen jump, nearly spilling her drink.  As the fatigue-drunk spiel unfolded, her eyes grew wider as she realized that this girl...Saku?...had been really burning the midnight oil, and now seemed to be paying dearly for it.

"Uh, maybe we should see about getting you back to your room, so you can get some sleep?" she suggested, glancing about at the others with concern before pushing back her chair.  "Hey, I can give you a hand, so you don't, y'know, fall down and get trampled when the next class lets out?" she joked weakly.

She couldn't recall ever having seen anyone get herself quite into this state before, and she was a little concerned.  "Where's your room, hon; we'll get you there, I promise."

[The Sailor]

"O... Oh, thanks, dear." Endeavor said, packing her tablet into her mission vest. She then hit a button or two and it seemed she hovered in the air slightly before landing lightly on her feet. "I got my repulsors set to simulate me being in a free-fall environment. That means you can carry me if I should fall asleep or stumble."

"L... Little embarassing being carried back to a dorm room... but..." Sakurako's eyes start closing and she slowly falls backward... "It's... appreciated..."

She ends up horizontal hovering in the air, and looking quite like she's fallen unconcious... well into sleep... hanging like a Sakurako-shaped balloon.

Edited May 22, 2015 by Endeavor

[Hestina]

Vicki looked at the hovering Saku oddly then shrugged at Eileen.  To be honest, that would not be the strangest thing they had seen today.  In fact, it would not be the strangest thing she had seen in the past couple of hours.  Regardless, it did look like she needed to get back to her room as, for whatever reason, she had passed out.  As she had caught the last part of the conversation with them, she wondered if Saku had sleep apnea or something of the sort?  It had been years since Vicki could remember falling dead asleep in the middle of something, her mom loved to tell the story of her falling asleep face first in her mean while camping one year.  She'd have to ask her about it later.

Excusing herself from the table she punched into her phone, "Excuse me.  I'll give Eileen a hand getting Saku somewhere more conducive to sleeping.  It was wonderful meeting you all!"

Stepping over to her roomie, she touched her elbow and flashed, <"Do you have any idea where her room is?  I'll help you get her back.">

[TheAbsurdist]

 

"It's alright..."  He started to say, to explain to them that this wasn't really something he wanted them directly involved in.  As they didn't seem to get...  Well honestly he didn't want them to get it.  It was the kind of rain that ruined a parade.  Then Sakurako just sort of collapsed.  He sighed a little, and he shook his head a bit, more at Eileen and Vicki's response of just taking her to her room.

"Take her to the nurse, just in case.  She could be dehydrated, or worse, as well."  It wasn't really that hard of a thing to imagine, if Sakurako just stated she had been up. Sure Elias didn't sound too empathetic, but that was just him keeping reins on his emotions.

[Mad Scientist]

Eileen's eyes bugged out as Saku proceeded to pass out and pull off a convincing Dana Barrett impression, all in a manner of moments.

"Holy cheese," she exclaimed, prodding experimentally at the hovering girl, who shifted slightly from the impetus.  "She's really out, isn't she?"

She shook her head in response to Vicki's silent question -- having just met the other girl, she had no idea where her room was.  The point became moot almost immediately, however, as Elias' observation slammed home.

"Oh my god, you're right," she told him, her eyes widening again.  "I mean, she just had some lunch and all, but that doesn't mean--"  She broke off, and darted an uneasy glance at Vicki, then to Casey, then back to Vicki again.

"We should take her to the nurse," she agreed, and grasped Saku's feet in preparation to move her about like she was on a stretcher.  Surely odder things than this had been seen here at this school....