UN: tealeaf22

[bolderfell]

[Guess who dumped his belongings in his dorm and flew the coop as soon as he could? Someone needs another base of operations. Several, ideally. He makes this post from the computer lab in Theater Lenormand.]

Hey. Vital question, need to know. I can't be the only new student wondering.

Where's the best place to buy a drink and do homework for a while? If it's open all hours, that's a plus. On or off campus, doesn't make a difference.

My grades thank you in advance.

Comments

[bolderfell]

Ahh. Roommate. Gotcha. The library would be your best bet, then. Still, I imagine it's harder to make friends in a place you're supposed to be quiet.

[shiritai]

[ There's a bit of a pause before Violet's next response – and maybe it doesn't mean anything, but it could certainly mean something considering what she says. ]

I think trying to make friends is going to be hard no matter where I study, really.

[bolderfell]

?

[And then, just in case she's so sheltered she doesn't know how to interpret online punctuationese, he clarifies:]

Why?

[shiritai]

I'm not sure I have very much in common with the other students here. At least, I haven't been able to find any student associations that fall in line with my interests. On top of that, there are likely well-established social circles already and I'm not sure how I would begin to break into them.

[ It's kind of sad, how matter of fact she is about it. ]

[bolderfell]

[...]

Sounds to me like you're giving up before you start.

[shiritai]

I don't intend to give up. I simply want to make sure I manage my expectations appropriately.

[bolderfell]

It's school. Turnover's always high, especially this time of year. It's easy for anyone to slip in and make a place for themselves, you just have to know how to listen for those openings.

[shiritai]

I suppose you have a point... at the very least, once classes start, I'll be able to start getting to know my classmates. We're assured to have at least that one thing in common, to start with at least.

[ ... ]

Though I must say, I didn't particularly expect you to mind much what I do with myself, either way.

1/2

[bolderfell]

Wow. Harsh judgment to make about someone you met on a train, isn't it?

Private Message

[bolderfell]

[And then, immediately in her PMs:]

Could you not?

[shiritai]

[ She's in the process of tapping out a puzzled response to that when the private message comes through and puzzles her all the more. For a few moments, she bounces between responses to both messages, not quite sure if she should respond to both or what to even say – but finally, she opts to follow his lead and responds privately as well. ]

Could I not what? [ It comes out sounding a bit sharper or more flippant than she intended so she hastens to clarify. ] I don't know what you mean.

[bolderfell]

[Yeah, she probably doesn't.]

You know it doesn't look good for me if I come off as anything other than normal and pleasant, right?

[shiritai]

I wasn't implying anything of the sort, was I? [ And then a few seconds later, when it occurs to her how semi-confrontational that sounds: ] But if that was the case, then I apologize.

Do you really think someone would base their opinion of you on what they see here on the network, though?

[bolderfell]

Of course they would. People believe anything they read on the internet.

Also, they've got nothing else on us yet. Classes haven't even started. I have a limited window of opportunity to present myself the way I want people to see me, before other things get in the way. You know what I do for a living. The only way someone like me gets through this is if I don't give them a reason to look twice.

If the others here get the idea we have history, they'll be curious about it. They'll ask questions. And if they find out how we actually met, that's a pain in the ass for me, you know?

I'm explaining this because I get the sense you don't actually want to make my life harder than it already is. If that's true, then it's better for us to act like we don't even know each other. Make sense?