Learning Curve (Open)

[Leif Adamson]

Leif watched the girl closely, her sharp blue eyes searching for any hint of response or reaction. The name of the restaurant had caught her attention immediately, and the proprietors had responded suspiciously. There was no hiding Prota from any Metas, and it seemed that was exactly how they wanted it.

She gave a little shrug of her shoulders. "I could eat. Its one of my days off, so..." She nodded and turned around, trying to get her bearings. "I'm... pretty sure its this way?" She tossed her head for the girl to follow her, and began to lead the way.

[Avalon Salabim]

Avalon nodded as Leif turned, more than content to follow after as she lead the way. She made mental notes of the buildings and streets that they passed for next time. She couldn't help being a little curious of what the place would look like when they got there, but also wondering if this would be a roundabout tour. Leif didn't sound certain of the way to go, but if she knew the name of the restaurant, then at least they'd know if they needed assistance.

After a couple minutes, she worked on small talk. She would have been fine going in comfortable silence, but it was someone from her own world.

"You mentioned a day off. What do you do here now?"

[Leif Adamson]

Leif remembered how to get to Prota from the beach, as well as from her apartment, but she was in neither of those places. A few of the shops looked somewhat familiar, so she followed the landmarks she recognized, hoping to figure out where to go. She had a fairly decent sense of direction, but that was mostly related to the open road and the old world. This city felt so strange to her.

"I actually just picked up some part time work at Prota, the place we're going to. Nothing big, but... Most of the people I've spoken to don't really know what to do with themselves, here." And, to be quite frank, she was no different. The job at Prota was taken partially out of necessity, and partially to spend time around people who would understand her. "Do you do anything? I mean, you read," she said with a nod towards the books. "But have you figured out how to... adjust here, yet?"

[Avalon Salabim]

"I see." Well, at least Leif seemed alright with the namesake. She didn't seem to be against it or hold to the standard expected of other citizens she had seen in passing.

"It's a work in progress." She had thought she was late to pick up adapting to this new world, but it seemed to be the opposite. "Lately, I've been working on my education." Some things just didn't matter in this world, and others were important. Not just for what was expected of her by the people in this city, but to understand it and make it work for her.

"I've been looking at academies here and online." And not just for regular book learning. It felt strange not to say it out in the open, having been proud of her family line and her qi, but here? Here it was different. Here the wrong person hearing things could lead to more trouble, and announcing her interest in the meta academy was like waving a giant red flag to anyone who cared to here.

[Leif Adamson]

Education. That shouldn't surprise her as much as it did. She wondered, almost idly, if the sheer lack of formal education that plagued most of the people from her world would be a handicap in some way. She remembered learning the basics, and most of what she would need to know for field work, but everything else she had to learn on her own time.

She tilted her head to one side. "If you find a promising one... you should come tell me. I work Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, so you can drop in and find me there. I'd like to... see what this place offers."

[Avalon Salabim]

"I will." Avalon nodded. She let Leif form her own opinion, aware it wasn't a common one. But there was no denying that she couldn't master what she wanted in this world if she didn't even understand the basics. If that meant catching up in some areas the way this place wanted, then so be it. They were all here for the foreseeable future.

"Is it similar to what you did before? Working at the bakery, that is."

[Leif Adamson]

Leif couldn't help but snicker at that thought. She gave a shake of her head. She had never imagined herself working at a bakery, waitressing... any of it.

"No. My last couple of years, I stuck to traveling. I never stayed in one place for long. Before that, I was..." She fell silent for a moment. She had spoken rather freely of what she did and why, before, but this girl seemed a bit more cautious, and most likely for good reason. Sometimes, it was difficult to imagine living in a world where they were the minority. "I was in the military."

[Avalon Salabim]

The snicker alone spoke volumes. Avalon looked down as they walked in response, focusing on one foot in front of the other, looking up only when Leif elaborated.

"That must have been difficult." She remembered times where she had seen other territories outside of her own, but most of those had still been in Cabal's jurisdiction. It was jarring to see lesser developed territories flourish or fail, and always worth seeing what brought the people who lived there to life.

"My brother was, as well." There was more than a hint of admiration as she mentioned him, and sadness. "I imagine it must be difficult, adapting to this place." Being in one place, a quiet place, for almost two years might have been maddening for all she knew.

[Leif Adamson]

"Its definitely different. Things seem... almost too calm, here. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop."

Leif had noticed the admiration, and it crawled across her skin like a thousand tiny bugs. She knew most people, to some degree or another, admired the military... especially in Cabal. However, it wasn't anything to be admired, as far as she was concerned. When she thought of her time in the military, the worst memories came flooding back, overwhelming her.

She took a deep, steadying breath. There was no reason to shove her memories onto this girl... no reason to tarnish her thoughts of what her brother did. Instead, she tried to focus on what she was saying.

"I'm not sure if that is because of the war or if it is because there actually IS another shoe, waiting to drop. But I guess we will see."

[Avalon Salabim]

"I think it's wise to be cautious," Avalon agreed slowly, still mentally marking their route as they talked. "The world as we know it is different. Stable. But if we came here, then perhaps other problems can, too."

[Leif Adamson]

She nodded at that, turning a corner and finally finding something she recognized.

"We aren't too far from the shop, now," she said, her shoulders relaxing a bit as she figured out where she was. Her steps had a bit more purpose as she led the girl in the right direction.

"I've met a couple of people who feel the same way." Well, one person, anyway. "It's... concerning. If we got here, I can't help but wonder what might follow us. And even if nothing does... what kind of hell is going to unleash BECAUSE we're here, now?"

[Avalon Salabim]

"I admit I'm curious to see it." A brief smile touched Avalon's face as Leif assured her with more confidence that she knew where they were. The change in the way the older girl held herself was notable just from that change alone. It was also a relief to Avalon, who had been wondering if they would end up wandering around for a while longer. She switched her bag to the other arm as it started to go numb.

"A ripple effect of sorts," she agreed with a small hum, smile fading. "Without knowing more of how we arrived, ourselves, it's difficult to say. Physics and other factors," there was an emphasis on factors to hint at qi, "being different here, even absent, make it difficult to say. I imagine there are others who suspect the same as we do." And probably more here who would blame them for it.

[Leif Adamson]

"Do you really think it's absent? The... other factors?" Leif glanced at the girl that walked beside her, before pausing for a moment. "Do you want me to carry your bag for a little while?"

[Avalon Salabim]

"No, thank you. It's alright." She gave Leif a reassuring smile. "I used to carry more back home all the time. It's just pressing on a nerve." She considered her response, both to keep from announcing their presence to those around them as well as to explain it in terms Leif would understand. She wasn't one of the girls Avalon recalled from her home's academy, which meant using different vocabulary and explanations.

"It depends. The factors you and I have are different than anything anyone from this city has. We can still do what we used to before, just less so. The world, however..." She shook her head. "Before, we could do things because the world around us was abundant. Now it feels like a dry well."

[Leif Adamson]

Leif nodded. She had felt the drain through her entire body, the way producing simple weapons had begun to exhaust her. She was restless, as if her body was craving something it couldn't have.

"Honestly, I've assumed that it was being... stuck here. Some kind of wanderlust that has been driving me mad. But you might be onto something, there."