[RP] Astrum Andara (Open, Accepting new students)

[Revan Star]

Jane wasn't actually sitting when Toni barged into her room moments after she had turned to address Andara.She had in fact been standing, a heavy box of sketch books in her arms to be placed in her closet.

She glared at the twin when Toni moved to grab her, side stepping the effort by keeping the box between her and the other woman.

"Absolutely not! Don't you dare Toni!" She snapped, knowing Toni's intentions. With a grunt, the red head shoved the box into the closet, grabbing black leather jacket that fell to the bottom of her a**, pulling it on, before reaching up and letting her hair loose.

The thick red strands fell to the bottom of her shoulder blades in wild waves that Jane attempted to tame with one hand while grabbing her wallet with the other, pushing pass Toni to exit her dorm room under her own ability.  

[DeirdreTonbo]

So Ceci was pretty sure at this point most of the girls living her her hallway were a bit crazy. She could tell by the voice that the woman across the hall was the one who had left the sing-song message while Toni and Torin were trying to get in. And here she was going on about how much she enjoyed partying... and other things it seemed. Gradually Cecilia's eyebrows seemed to make their way further up her forehead the longer Sona talked.

She turned when Jane came huffing down the hallway, smiling at yet someone else she hadn't met yet.

"Are you ready, Lisa?" Ceci smiled, turning to follow the group as they all started down the hallway together.  

[Tao of Mag]

Lisa's eyes simply widened as she watched the leather jacket clad woman stomp out of her room, glancing about to the other girls after watching the redhead for another few moments. Her own auburn locks were pinned up and curled strategically, looking completely in place despite the long day.

The clicking of her heels began again as she looked Cecilia's way, a small smile forming on her lips. "Oh yeah, sure." Catching up to the blonde young woman, she smiled her way gently. "Drinking on the first night, this should be fun." Her mind wandered to how she normally got and she blushed. Hopefully she'd manage to not be carried home.  

[Akai_ryu]

Toni's grin was a grin that said that she not only dared she had done it to multiple people in the past. Possibly even with less than good intentions. Despite that, the scarred woman let Jane push past her and followed her out of the room.

Meanwhile, Torin was subtly trying to extract her arm from Sona's with a slight frown. For the most part it sounded like the scientist was talking about going out socially and having fun, but there was something that wasn't quite right about her phrasing. For instance, the way that she was surprised that they were allowed to go out. And the mention of going out with as many people as she could safely handle. There was no reason why the school would prevent its students from going out socially nor was there any reason why larger groups of students partying should be particularly unsafe on the ship.

"Oh yeah. The Locket's a fun sorta place. Touch on th'classy side fer me, but, eh. What'cha gunna do 'bout it? Least it's got people innit most nights an' t'nigh' should be fun what with people comin' back an' all." Toni quipped in response to Lisa's comment as she caught up and threw an arm around her twin's shoulders moments after Torin worked herself loose.  

[Aenakume]

If anyone were paying enough attention, they would notice that the instant Sona’s mood began to change began right after Lisa mentioned ‘drinking’.

Sona’s mind was so agile, that it didn’t take any more than a heartbeat after the word left Lisa’s lips to put two and two together, and realize that when Cecilia had said ‘going out’... she hadn’t meant ‘out’ literally. Belatedly, her mind processed Toni’s comment, too, and she realized with a quick flash of panic and dismay that the group was not going out for a spacewalk... they were going ‘out’ to party.

Had Sona realized that from the start, she might have begged off joining the group. She was painfully inexperienced with social events of this kind – especially with her own age group – and would have preferred a chance to observe both the other students and their customs for a little while before diving in. (At least, this is what she told herself; in reality, given half the chance, Sona would have continued this ‘observational period’ so long that she never would have gone out with anyone.) To just jump right in and do it, as she was doing now, was a somewhat scary prospect.

Self-consciously, Sona slowly slipped her arm of Cecilia’s – Torin had already mostly disengaged on her own – and her posture and attitude changed remarkably from excited and adventurous to reserved and cool. It was too late to bow out now; she might as well go through with it.

Of course, while she had never gone ‘out’ with a group of people her age, she had drank with star freighter crews and ore miners before. Sona, while fully human, was the offspring of deep-space colonists who had been gene-tweaked for low-gravity and low-atmospheric conditions; among the many side-effects of that genetic background – in addition to her height – was that she was a fantastic lightweight. But that had never been a problem before, and the starfarers she had flown with had positively loved getting her drunk, telling her that she was a riot when she was blitzed. That sounded good; it meant that when she had a few in her, it might make it easier to lubricate the social engine. True, that was why most people drank when going ‘out’, but Sona knew that some people were not at all likeable when they were drunk... but apparently she was quite likeable. That gave Sona confidence that it would probably not turn out to be a disaster.

But to remain silent was unwise, because it would inevitably lead to someone drawing attention to her to find out why she was so quiet. So, just to avoid seeming out of place, she decided to interject something into the conversation.

And so, in a low, robotic monotone, Sona said: “Indeeeeeeed.”  

[DeirdreTonbo]

"The Locket? My roommate last year used to go there a lot." Cecilia observed, looking at Sona curiously as she disengaged herself.

For someone who had seemed so excited only a moment before she had changed her mind so quickly. Maybe, like Lisa, something had happened in her day that she was feeling... off. She didn't look terribly effected when Sona took her arm back, just lacing her fingers together in front of herself.

Not knowing Sona's name, she addressed her with an attempt at friendliness, trying to keep her engaged in the group. "So what field of study are you on Astrum for?"  

[Aenakume]

“That’s-” Sona began to reply absently to Cecilia, but cut herself short immediately. She had been about to instinctively reply, ‘that’s classified’... only... it wasn’t. This wasn’t the Strang Institute; there was no need for secrets or security. She could be as open and honest with this person as she wanted, even though she was a complete stranger. Well... there were some things she would have to keep to herself.... But still... perhaps she should give openness a try.

“Huh!” Sona huh’ed, as the realization sunk in. It was rather liberating.

So when she turned to Cecilia again, there was a look of wonder on her face – as Sona was surprising herself with how it felt to just be up front and honest. “Physics,” she said, savouring the sensations of saying the truth, without reservation, as she spoke, “Physics and math, specializing in theoretical physics. I want to study the...,” she was astounding herself at how freely the truth flowed out when she let it, “The relationship between time and space, and past, present and future.”

Something about the way Cecilia moved caught Sona’s attention. It was similar to the oddly fluid, controlled and graceful way that Sona moved – a manner of motion that terrestrials associated with dancers, but spacers associated with experience in low- and micro-gravity. She regarded the girl’s body critically – she was short, which implied starfarer genes (unlike Sona, who was tall because of her low-gravity colonist genes), but fair, which didn’t. It was sort of a fad among spacer girls to get their eyes done; when wearing environment suits, the curves were disguised, and most helmets covered the mouth – only the eyes were clearly visible through the visors, so spacer girls tended to put extra effort into making their eyes memorable. This girl’s eyes were quite impressive, but, unlike Sona’s, not obviously fake. If they were engineered, it was subtle work, and the effect was quite striking.

After examining Cecilia’s body and eyes as if she were under a microscope, Sona finally asked: “Are you a spacer? You move like a spacer. I’m a spacer. I’m from Triton – I grew up all around the Kuiper belt.”  

[Akai_ryu]

"As I said. Fun sorta place. Staff's nice, drinks are reasonable an' food's not bad." Toni said absently over her shoulder as she and Torin moved to the nominal front of the group to lead them to the Locket.

The twins were just far enough ahead that they could watch the others out of the corner of their eyes while providing directional cues as to where they wanted to go. And just far enough ahead that the other girls could see Torin absently put an arm around her twin's waist. While the other girls talked, the twins walked in silence; listening without really anything to say. Before long they walked in a nondescript door and nodded their greeting at the young woman stationed by it, who gave them a friendly smile. The room they were in was more like a short corridor with a second door behind it. Next to the woman was a space that clearly served as a form of coat and purse check for those that were wearing either for whatever reason.

"Welcome back, Toni, Torin." The young woman said. "I see you've brought friends this time."

"Yeah. Met some that needs gettin' out more an' figger'd they'd like the Locket." Toni said with a slow grin.

"I hope you ladies enjoy your evening." the woman said with another smile as the door at the end of the corridor opened.

"That's th'goal." Toni replied with a grin and a wink while Torin rolled her eyes at her twin.

The twins separated as they stepped through the door and into the room beyond. It wasn't exactly cavernous as some of the bars on the ship were, but it was large. In a cozy sort of way. Closest to them was an area that was less dimly lit than most of the bar and contained what were clearly tables and chairs for those that wished to sit and enjoy some food with their drink. In the middle of the room was a rectangular bar where a trio of bartenders raced back and forth, fetching and pouring drinks for a pair of busy waitresses and quite a few students. On the opposite side was a large, mildly crowded dance floor and a small stage where a DJ worked. Tucked behind an offset wall off to the right was a more brightly lit room.

"You lot wanna hit the bar 'r grab a table?" Toni asked, half turning to look at the others. Torin gestured and Toni continued "Or we coul' hit th' library. Dunno why you'd wanna, though."  

[Revan Star]

Jane followed the group at a more sated pace, her hands shoved into the pockets of her jacket, the slower speed of her gave her a unintentional sway to her hips, and her hair to settle in a naturally messy 'just got laid' look.

Though she wasnt a spacer, or genetically modified like some, her tolerance for alcohol was pitiful. The red head could knock back shots and down a beer with the best of them, but it only took a few to make her face numb and her tongue loose.

With the fact she was a lightweight in mind, Jane spoke up, addressing the group on a whole as they approached the bar.

"I'm only staying for a round or two, nothing more. I will meet a unpleasurable end at the headmistress' hands if I get in trouble this week."

Having said what she wanted to, Jane didn't wait for a reply, as she stepped past the others and headed directly to the bar as soon as they had entered the Locket.  

[DeirdreTonbo]

A smile came to her face when Sona returned from being a robot and spoke with such enthusiasm for her subject of study. She didn't know or understand just what it was that made her so eager and happy to talk about it, it just sounded as though she was really excited about the school year. "That sounds really nice. Kind of like a book. But then I guess there was a time a school that was not on Earth sounded like something from a book."

Cecilia looked around the bar for a moment before getting back to answering Sona. She hadn't really spent a lot of time socializing with anyone other than her roommate, spending more time on her studies and dance. In fact she had never made it to the Locket. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the dance floor, then followed Jane's movement to the bar with interest. She was already in trouble with the headmistress? It seemed a bit early in the school year for that, did it?

Ceci was so busy looking around the bar she missed the intensity of Sona's look before she answered her.

"N-no I'm not a spacer. I'm a dancer." She didn't sound particularly excited about it, a little bit of color on her cheeks as she remembered something the twins had said back in her dorm room. "I've never been to Triton. Do you miss being this far from your home?"  

[DeirdreTonbo]

Akai_ryu

The twins briefly shared a grin at Jane's comment. A moment later they were flanking her and Toni gave her a hearty backslap. Compared to the others, the twins were rather solidly built and had spent most of their lives planet-side so the friendly blow was on the somewhat stout side even though it was pulled.

"Got yerself inta trouble o'er break didja? Eh, Andara can't fault'cha fer havin' some drins wi' friends now, can she? First two rounds are on us." Toni rasped loudly enough so the entire group could hear. The scarred woman waved at one of the bartenders and grinned. "'ey Kitty! How's it? Two rounds 'a teqila shots fer us'n our friends on our tab. 's first time they've been t'th'Locket an' th' goal's ta get drunk 'fore th'end 'a th'evenin'."

(delivered via email)  

[Aenakume]

Sona turned and fixed Cecilia with a bewildered look, as if the question she’d just asked Sona could not be interpreted in any way that might make sense. She blinked once, then said carefully, “It’s not... really that far....” Sona looked back the way they had come. “I mean... it is walking distance.” She looked again at Cecilia quizzically. “You were with me the whole way. I suppose I’m not really used to walking around, but I assumed that the distance we travelled would not be considered that far. Did you think it was far?”

Sona looked up and rubbed her lower lip with a finger. “Well... I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to make it through the evening, anyway, without getting too homesick. I’m pretty sure the plan is go back before the night is out, after all. How about you? Your room is just about the same distance as mine, on this scale, plus-or-minus about 4.5 metres – apologies for the rough estimate, I have not had time to do proper measurements yet. Do you think you might not be able to last the evening without missing it?”

“Oh, thank you,” this comment was directed toward Toni, in appreciation for the offered drink.

Sona turned her attention back to Cecilia, regarding her curiously, like a scientist studying a novel specimen. “Is there...,” Sona knew enough to be cautious about broaching potentially sensitive topics – the problem was that she rarely knew precisely which topics people would find sensitive. Some were obvious, of course, but Sona was often surprised by what some people were sensitive about. It didn’t help that she came from spacer culture, where the mores and taboos were often quite different from terran culture. “Is there... something... bad... about being a dancer?” she asked carefully, “I... I always thought that it was something to be proud of – a talent whose practitioners are held in high esteem. I was always told that spacers move like dancers, and that terrans find that attractive.”

“But,” without warning, Sona raised both her hands to Cecilia’s cheeks. She touched them only with her fingertips, and even then only very gently – the touch of someone skilled at handling delicate equipment and specimens while examining them – but she used her fingers to move Cecilia’s cheeks, and, ultimately, her whole head, while she moved the skin around to feel the tension, and see it in different light. “When you mentioned being a dancer, there was increased vasodilation in the vessels in your buccal dermis. There was no obvious temperature change that I could detect, and a biochemical reaction would probably not have worked quite so quickly, so the most likely diagnosis is an emotional reaction. Possible emotional causes include stress, embarrassment and the emotions of love and lust, however, in this case, I think embarrassment is most likely.” Sona thought for a second, looking upwards – with her fingers still on Cecilia’s cheeks – then looked back down into Cecilia’s eyes and added, nonchalantly while nodding, “Possibly lust.”

Sona finally lowered her hands. “But assuming embarrassment,” she continued, “What is embarrassing with being a dancer? I’ve never seen real dancing, but I’ve heard it’s similar to our zero-g calisthenics. Except, obviously, it requires much more skill to do because of the fact that you are fighting gravity, and, of course, it is done with an intention toward art and aesthetics rather than simply keeping muscles exercised.”

“Hm,” Sona lowered her head in thought, and she murmured into her chest as she pondered something that just occurred to her, “I suppose that our calisthenics are considered... somewhat personal and private. I mean... most spacer girls would be thoroughly embarrassed if anyone ever saw them doing their calisthenics. But... I thought dancing was supposed to be for public viewing.” She sighed heavily. “I guess I just don’t understand....”  

[Tao of Mag]

Lisa had decided. Tonight was not about her now ex girl. This was about getting shitfaced and making terrible decisions. With this thought, she confidently strode into the bar and looked around, her eyes landing on their own small group with amusement. "Why thanks, ladies!" She grinned at the twins as she picked up her two shots and smiled at the group. Her eyes fell on Sona touching Cecilia's cheek, her eyes widening a little bit in confusion about what exactly was going on.

Shaking her head, she downed one of the shots and looked to the girl she hadn't met yet, holding out a manicured hand for her to shake. "Hey, I'm Lisa. Now what on earth could you have done to piss of our headmistress already?" Her tone wasn't the least bit judgmental. In fact, it was more excited for some decent stories about the escapades of the fellow redhead. So sue her, she's from the gossipy South.  

[DeirdreTonbo]

"It's not that I find it embarassing..." Ceci mumbled, blushing again this time because Sona was touching her. It wasn't even that intimate of a touch, but it was closer than she generally got with a near-stranger. Just in their short acquaintance Cecilia could already tell that living across the hall from her was bound to be as interesting as living next door to the twins.

At least the school year was not going to be boring.

"Earlier, Toni said something about knowing a dancer. But there's a difference between dancers and dancers." Ceci probably wasn't very helpful clearing that little miscommunication up.  

[Akai_ryu]

Toni's bark of laughter sounded only vaguely like a laugh. To tell the truth it sounded more like someone was strangling an indignant raven.

"What--" Torin started before pausing to down her first shot.

"Hasn't she done now, eh? What'd'ja do, sneak inta 'er bed nekkid an' cuddle?" Toni quipped, setting the empty shot glass of her first shot on the bar.

For a moment it looked like the scarred woman was going to harass Sona and Cecilia into catching up before Torin nudged her and made a gesture. Toni grinned knowingly and turned back to their shots. A moment later the twins were setting empty glasses down on the bar and Torin was tugging Toni toward the dance floor by her wrist.

Not surprisingly, the women on the dance floor were dancing with each other since it was an all-female ship. However, closer inspection would reveal that several of them were dancing rather close to each other and an inspection of those in the room would turn up couples of women - particularly in the darker corners - kissing.

"Torin wants ta dance, so we're gunna hit th'floor. You lot're welcome t'join iffin yeh wanna." Toni called over her shoulder.