Academy City 2

[Marky]

Fortunately, the restaurant is close by! As she enters, she can see her friends seated at a table, waiting for her!

Sam smiles and waves to John and Alyssa, heading over and taking a seat by the two. "Heya, Alyssa~! Heya, John~! How's you two, nya~?"

[Victorious]

Victor nods...very slowly.

"Er...well. A lot of that went over my head. But--this place was a shard then? Or whatever? And now it's not?"

[Jello Shot Mischa]

Summer walked across to the plush chair, her short, pleated grey skirt flicking up as she sat down on it. Her hands tugged at the red neck tie a little before she looked up and watched the Principal settle down. "There was no time to find a teacher Ma'am, and we did try telling them to stop first, but that didn't work". She blushed a little, feeling small in the adult-sized chair, and shifted about to try and get comfortable, before tugging her skirt, something she was still not used to wearing. "You can ask my sister... everyone trusts Little Miss Perfect, right?".

"Of course we'd be your friends", she smiled, sweeping her thick brown hair back over her shoulder as she led the young girl down the hall, "The Copenhagen interpretation, huh? That sounds pretty advanced for a girl as young as you. Do you like physics?", she asked. "I'm the President of the science club, and you'd be welcome to come join us if you wanted. My Mom is a really important scientist herself. Not such a fan of science? Well, I'm in the drama club and glee club too. Plus the marching band, and on the cheering squad. Summer is in the athletics club, and ... she keeps starting up... uh... a fight club, but they keep closing that down", she explained, rolling her eyes as she did. "Oh, you never told me your name... ".

The principal considers Summer for a moment. "You have some issues regarding your sister, don't you?" she asks.

Meanwhile, the young girl looks a bit overwhelmed at Katherine's listing of all her clubs! "You... you're really in all of those?" she asks, bewildered. She shakes her head, as if to clear it. "Well... umm... I don't really like physics that much. But they're teaching that to everyone at my level. I don't know how I'm going to handle high school... I hear they do tensor calculus there!" she moans.

She then blinks, as she realized she hadn't introduced herself. "I'm Yuki..." she says. "Yuki Nakamura."

Sam smiles and waves to John and Alyssa, heading over and taking a seat by the two. "Heya, Alyssa~! Heya, John~! How's you two, nya~?"

The two wave as she enters! "Hey there, Sam!" Alyssa calls out. "We were waiting for you to show up to order. Although tonight is salisbury steak night, isn't it?" she says with a grin.

"Oh." He gives a shrug. "I know some transformation magic, and I have a few items."

The figure nods. "Excellent... the more chaos we can cause, the better. We need to distract them, so that our primary plan can go into action." The genderless voice chuckles. "It should be quite a show... certainly better than that silly incident at the Council Hall..."

Aye. As I think it was once put, magic is not supernatural in origin but natural. It is mankind's artificial creations that manipulate nature that are beyond what might be termed supernatural but rather border on the alien and destructive to the cycles of life. Or something to that effect. I'll get you a copy of the book. It highlighted things such as man's science creating birth control pills, for instance, that have contaminated the water cycles and is currently killing off various native creatures by messing up their mating habits. At the same time it cites a witch doctor's magical method that was equally as effective that had only the adverse effect of giving the users, both the male and female, something akin to a hangover after wards as both must use the solution.

OF course, I could just as easily point out that science itself is an offshoot, a bastard child even, of magic itself. In place of spells and incantations you have math and formulas. People tend to forget that most of what is in science was first found in magic and the ancient practices of people before they became 'enlightened'.

(( WHOOPS! I completely forgot to reply to your post in the last round! Sorry! ))

The scientist listens to Raleigh's explanation as they walk. "Ultimately, it seems to depend on the nuances of the world in question," she says. "While some might argue that the products of science disrupt natural processes, science itself is based on the study of said processes. Nothing that science produces doesn't come from the natural world. Mathematics, chemistry, biology, physics... they all underly natural processes. On the other hand, magic often seems to violate these 'natural laws' -- conservation of mass and energy, for example." She shrugs. "In most cases, it seems that these 'magical laws' are simply a superset of the natural laws that exist in magic-less universes, so it could be considered to be natural as well. Although that does make one wonder why technology and magic would be anathema in some worlds, then. Why have a set of natural laws that's contradictory and self-interfering?"

Victor nods...very slowly.

"Er...well. A lot of that went over my head. But--this place was a shard then? Or whatever? And now it's not?"

Caine pauses, guessing from Victor's body language that he was rather confused by the entire explanation. "Well, I can't blame you for not following most of it. This world is pretty bizarre... I guess it's something you just have to learn about over time." She shrugs. "At any rate... the shards that we know of, at least, don't seem to be easy to get into. In fact, we haven't observed any activity that could be related to them recently, aside from one experiment by a certain individual. Perhaps they are, for the most part, dormant."

She pauses, glancing ahead down the street. "This place, however... was different. It wasn't a shard, although it may have had similar properties. It was basically a school academy, one that had a decently sized campus. But it was permeated with a very dangerous form of energy... and, unfortunately, anyone could just wander in."

[Raleigh]

That raises the question of do they really cancel each other out or is it the belief of the people that the two are contradictory that makes it so in those realms where they counteract each other? The faith and beliefs of the mortals affect more than they realize or conceive.

[Helel]

The pulse of energy has a somewhat spiritual feel -- almost a feeling of transcendence. Very strange...

Hikari, however, notices Reya's dropping of the phone, and moves quite quickly to try and speak to her. "Oh! Let me help you get that!" she says, bending down to help get the phone, her own deep brown eyes staring into Reya's...

Reya seems strangely out of it due to the pulse of energy as she holds her head a moment and looks into Hikari's eyes by coincidence as she moves to pick up the phone.

"Sorry about that, I don't know what came over me there..."

Get yourself together, Reya, this is ridiculous!

[Harri-chan]

"I don't have issues with my sister. What I have issues with his how everyone else treats us. Sure, she's smart, and she's good at a lot of things, but I'm good at things too. Everyone loves Katherine because she does well on tests, but I've been keeping the playground safe from bullies for months and I just end up being punished for it... ", she said. "So what will it be this time, Ma'am?".

"Yeah, I'm in all those. My Mom says I need to slow down, but... I just really love school, and want to be involved in everything", she said, her cheeks going quite red for some unknown reason. "You shouldn't worry so much, Yuki. You seem WAY smarter than I was at your age. Heck, you sound like you're being taught stuff more advanced than the lessons we get in eighth grade. What grade are you?".

[KonokoHasano]

The figure nods. "Excellent... the more chaos we can cause, the better. We need to distract them, so that our primary plan can go into action." The genderless voice chuckles. "It should be quite a show... certainly better than that silly incident at the Council Hall..."

"Need a distraction, huh~?" Ashley asked. "Lots of chaos all around." He couldn't help but smirk widely at this.

[Marky]

The two wave as she enters! "Hey there, Sam!" Alyssa calls out. "We were waiting for you to show up to order. Although tonight is salisbury steak night, isn't it?" she says with a grin.

Sam nods and giggles a little, sitting down at the table with John and Alyssa. "Yeah, it is~. Think I might have that~."

[Victorious]

"...And now it's 'Academy City?"

Victor taps his chin.

"So--you guys took over and got rid of the harmful element?"

[Jello Shot Mischa]

"I don't have issues with my sister. What I have issues with his how everyone else treats us. Sure, she's smart, and she's good at a lot of things, but I'm good at things too. Everyone loves Katherine because she does well on tests, but I've been keeping the playground safe from bullies for months and I just end up being punished for it... ", she said. "So what will it be this time, Ma'am?".

"Yeah, I'm in all those. My Mom says I need to slow down, but... I just really love school, and want to be involved in everything", she said, her cheeks going quite red for some unknown reason. "You shouldn't worry so much, Yuki. You seem WAY smarter than I was at your age. Heck, you sound like you're being taught stuff more advanced than the lessons we get in eighth grade. What grade are you?".

The principal studies Summer for a moment. "Since that seems to be how you feel... very well. Your punishment, then... is to do what you suggested earlier. You feel that you could serve well as a playground monitor or a similar protective role for the student body, even if you unfortunately never felt the need to suggest such a solution until now. Therefore, you are sentenced to community service, to protect the student body from those who would harm others. However, if I hear any inkling that you are allowing this position to override your judgement, and you abuse your power... you will be facing expulsion." The principal smiles tightly. "We like to encourage people to find solutions. However, if you aren't up to the task, well... Now would be the time to tell me, and I shall see about finding another punishment for you."

Yuki blinks. "Well... no... pretty much everyone's studying that," she says, shifting her books. Katherine may notice that she does in fact have some fairly high-level texts. Exactly what kind of curriculum is the CTC using here?

The two wave as she enters! "Hey there, Sam!" Alyssa calls out. "We were waiting for you to show up to order. Although tonight is salisbury steak night, isn't it?" she says with a grin.

Sam nods and giggles a little, sitting down at the table with John and Alyssa. "Yeah, it is~. Think I might have that~."

Sam's two friends grin, and soon enough the waitress comes by to take their order! Pretty soon three steaming platters of salisbury steak are served to the trio!

"So... I was thinking about changing the act a little," Alyssa says. "You're getting pretty good at your part, so we were trying to think of some more things that you could do. Any ideas?"

Reya seems strangely out of it due to the pulse of energy as she holds her head a moment and looks into Hikari's eyes by coincidence as she moves to pick up the phone.

"Sorry about that, I don't know what came over me there..."

Get yourself together, Reya, this is ridiculous!

It's a bit hard to tell what that pulse was. Maybe if she had time to think about it, or something... but now she's got Hikari looking into her eyes, adoration obvious in their depths. "It's okay! You seem a bit distracted... I hope it's nothing I said..." she says, glancing to the side bashfully.

"Need a distraction, huh~?" Ashley asked. "Lots of chaos all around." He couldn't help but smirk widely at this.

The figure nods. "Excellent... that's just the kind of attitude I want to see. Now... our main show is going to go off in that central park of theirs, since there should be a lot of people showing up after work and all... if you want to cause some chaos elsewhere in the city to draw their attention away, all the better. Just make certain these cowards learn that they can't hide away from transformations!"

That raises the question of do they really cancel each other out or is it the belief of the people that the two are contradictory that makes it so in those realms where they counteract each other? The faith and beliefs of the mortals affect more than they realize or conceive.

The scientist nods. "It's an interesting question. While there are certainly indications that personal belief can have an impact on the world around it -- the Copenhagen interpretation, if nothing else -- but several worlds, including this one have shown that people's thoughts can affect the world around them. Although some of these worlds it still seems like a self-contradictory set of natural laws..."

She scratches at her head, and then pauses as they arrive at a chain link fence and gateway. Beyond is what appears to be a rather normal storehouse and processing plant... but Raleigh would know that this is in fact one of the sites for the development of AFC2. Several tanker trucks are stationed in the yard, waiting.

"Oh! Here it is!" She smiles at Raleigh. "Thank you for assisting me, sir!"

"...And now it's 'Academy City?"

Victor taps his chin.

"So--you guys took over and got rid of the harmful element?"

Caine nods. "Essentially. Unfortunately, the academy and its victims fell under the control of an individual named Dee, who was able to manipulate its power and attempt to reshape reality to its whims. We were forced to, unfortunately... destroy her."

They finally reach the end of their walk through the streets, as the Color Isolation and Containment Facility comes visible at the end of the street -- or, at least, the two story black granite wall that marks its outer boundary, the names of deceased schoolgirls inscribed into its surface. Barely visible beyond is the armored concrete dome of the facility proper.

"After the Academy was destroyed... we took command of the site, in order to ensure that it could never be misused again. This wall marks the boundary of what used to be the Sand Academy for Young Women. We've layered several defenses over it, so that no one can simply just walk inside and suffer the horrible fate of those who accidentally ventured into the Sand Academy suffered. Perhaps one day the sight will be purged of its contamination, but for now we're containing the harmful energy, and ensuring it won't be misused again."

[Harri-chan]

"I'm definitely up to the job, Ma'am", said Summer with a smile, "And I won't let you down". The teenager seemed quite pleased with the outcome, her short grey skirt bouncing as she rose to her feet, her back straight, and saluted the Principal. "Is that all, Ma'am? I wouldn't want to be late for first period. Her cheeks were a little red, which was unlike Summer, as she felt herself getting a little excited about telling Dr. Bellasarius about her new position when she got home.

Katherine leaned down a little to look over Yuki's books with a concerned expression, not realising she was giving a bunch of boys a view of her pink panties as she did so. "Huh... now that's a suprise...", she mumured. All these months she'd never even considered the school to be anything other than normal, but Yuki's workload caused all kinds of questions to form in her head. A little smile spread across her lips as she recalled the story her Mom had told her about Summer breaking into the labs looking for secrets, and she made a mental note to discuss this with her sister later on. "I'll wait for you outside the girl's bathroom down the hall at recess, okay?", she said. "Good luck with your class, Yuki".

[Raleigh]

Ah but laws don't always make sense nor are they always followed. Besides, what is life without some variety and a bit of nonsense? Ahh, it would seem we are already here. No problem my dear. Now I must ask you something. Do try to dress a bit cooler if you have problems with getting overheated. You'll probably have more people willing to help and not gawk in the end.

[Marky]

Sam's two friends grin, and soon enough the waitress comes by to take their order! Pretty soon three steaming platters of salisbury steak are served to the trio!

"So... I was thinking about changing the act a little," Alyssa says. "You're getting pretty good at your part, so we were trying to think of some more things that you could do. Any ideas?"

Sam was eating away at her salisbury steak a bit, before hearing what Alyssa said, freezing in her tracks, a little wide-eyed, before going off in thought. "Well, um...wow, I wasn't really expecting this~."

[KonokoHasano]

The figure nods. "Excellent... that's just the kind of attitude I want to see. Now... our main show is going to go off in that central park of theirs, since there should be a lot of people showing up after work and all... if you want to cause some chaos elsewhere in the city to draw their attention away, all the better. Just make certain these cowards learn that they can't hide away from transformations!"

Ashley nods. "So we're starting it now, right?"

[Did you mean first go to the park or...]

[Victorious]

Caine nods. "Essentially. Unfortunately, the academy and its victims fell under the control of an individual named Dee, who was able to manipulate its power and attempt to reshape reality to its whims. We were forced to, unfortunately... destroy her."

They finally reach the end of their walk through the streets, as the Color Isolation and Containment Facility comes visible at the end of the street -- or, at least, the two story black granite wall that marks its outer boundary, the names of deceased schoolgirls inscribed into its surface. Barely visible beyond is the armored concrete dome of the facility proper.

"After the Academy was destroyed... we took command of the site, in order to ensure that it could never be misused again. This wall marks the boundary of what used to be the Sand Academy for Young Women. We've layered several defenses over it, so that no one can simply just walk inside and suffer the horrible fate of those who accidentally ventured into the Sand Academy suffered. Perhaps one day the site will be purged of its contamination, but for now we're containing the harmful energy, and ensuring it won't be misused again."

"Well...that sound noble."

Frowning slightly at the mention of 'destroying' someone, Victor gives a small nod.

"So...it's still...here then? To an extent?"