[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/PSCAPYD.png[/img][/center] Emma was rapidly becoming a rarer and rarer sight in Suite 318. After leaving with Brent the night before she’d arrived back slightly after curfew escorted by a guard and the following morning, she left at an unusually early hour. In truth she hadn’t even slept even after she returned, seemingly far too excited by [i]something[/i]. Despite her unusual behavior she seemed inordinately cheery, a wide smile gracing her face that hasn’t seemed to disappear since she had disappeared with Brent. She’d been busy, oh so busy, since her discovery last night, trying to find out all she could about Hector, interrogating everyone she possibly could about him and the truth about Anima. This made it all the odder that she had seemed to call her investigation off early, returning home while the night was still young. Of course she had her reasons: She wanted to know what Lawrence Ellision knew about Hector. As she opened the door to the large dorm she was delighted to find that her timing was correct and she had caught him while he was home. She had no doubt that the veteran student would know something about the room beneath the medical building and the strange boy that lived there. She waved to Lawrence as she entered, grin on her face evident. Hazel was there too, but she clearly had a long day, fast asleep already.[color=8A3DFF]”Hey Lawrence, how’s it goin’?”[/color] Her voice was full of mirth. Apparently she was having a good day. Lawence, for his part, had just finished brewing his final cup of coffee for the day and cleaning his machine for the next day's use. In his hands was [i][u]Meditations[/u][/i] although quite clearly a different copy than he was carrying previously, and notably a new jacket was hung where his old one once was. Almost identical, save for the fact that this one showed notably less wear and tear. Particularly after the glitter bomb incident. At the sound of Emma entering, he looked up from his reading and closed the book- not even bothering to mark the page. Out of his two roommates, Emma had certainly turned out to be the more [i]normal[/i] one of the two, almost worryingly so for an Aberration. Hazel, of course, was Hazel, but the two hadn't spoken much since returning from Ground Zero earlier that day. A fact that wasn't unusual at all, all things considered. Still, Emma was even more cheerful than usual- or at least what Lawrence assumed her usual was from the short time he had known her. So with a casual wave he responded: "[color=00ffbb]Hey, you get a date or something?[/color]" Emma nodded at Lawrence’s question, [color=8A3DFF]”Well… in a manner of speaking, yeah.”[/color] Emma wasn’t talking about Marcus, of course. She paused for a moment, fully entering the room and setting her things down on her desk. [color=8A3DFF]”Actually, on the note I did have something that I wanted to ask you about. Some questions about some of the other older students. You gotta a minute?”[/color] He raised an eyebrow at that,taking a sip of his coffee as she explained. In a manner of speaking. Questions about the older students. "[color=00ffbb]Uh, all right. So which of the older ones asked you out? I know some better than others, but not many are bad enough to prey on people in their first week.[/color]" At that Emma laughed a little, [color=8A3DFF]”No, sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. No one asked me out, I was just curious about some people I met.”[/color] [color=8A3DFF]”Clark, Miranda, and Hector. Sorry, I’ve only got first names, I know that’s not a whole lot to go off of but,”[/color] Emma wasn’t sure exactly how much Lawrence would know, but decided to try anyways, [color=8A3DFF]”they hang around the medical building and Zhang seems pretty fond of them. Sound familiar?”[/color] Lawrence nodded in reply, just hearing Hector and Miranda together were a dead giveaway to who she was talking about. As for Clark... just what had Emma been doing the last few days? "[color=00ffbb]What did you want to know about them? And how did you even meet them? It's not even Wednesday so I know you didn't see Hector wandering around unless something's changed.[/color]" Emma’s smile was oddly persistent given the tone that this conversation was taking. [color=8A3DFF]”Ah, so you do know them. I was just wondering what their deal was and why Zhang is so protective of them. Oh, and as for how I met them…”[/color] Emma’s smile widened a little, [color=8A3DFF]”I saw the room underneath the hospital, where Hector and Mirada live."[/color] "[color=00ffbb]Saw their room, huh? I admit I've never tried to get into the containment chambers, but it doesn't sound like a place that they give you a tour of on your first week.[/color]" So, the rumor that Hector lived underground [i]had[/i] been true, interesting, but not as interesting as the fact that Emma had managed to go there in her first week at USARILN East. Lawrence had a bad feeling about this entire conversation, and hoped that he was wrong. Unfortunately that was rarely the case. Emma nodded, [color=8A3DFF]”No, not exactly. The guards turned us away, but Clark was kind enough to take us in and show us what happened to Padma and Alexis.”[/color] Emma paused before adding, [color=8A3DFF]”Those were the two that died during the last mission. But regardless, I was hoping to find out what exactly…”[/color] A look of thoughtfulness crossed Emma’s face as she tried to pick the right word to use, [color=8A3DFF]”What exactly Hector and Miranda [i]are[/i].”[/color] All right, so that was how Clark factored into it. The story was getting a bit hard to follow for him though, what with the introduction of Clark, the dead students being brought up, and the focus on Hector and Miranda in spite of that. He decided to try and tackle this one subject at a time. "[color=00ffbb]Well, Hector's a kid, Aberration. A weird one, even for his type. Miranda, as far as I know, is linked to his power. At least that makes the most sense from what I know about the two. Whether she's specifically some sort of DC creature he controls or what, I have no idea.[/color]" With a shrug he took another sip of his coffee. Emma was starting to get a clearer picture, but she was left with one important question. Well, for her, [i]the[/i] most important question. [color=8A3DFF]”Hector is indeed an Aberration, but there was something interesting that he said before I had to leave: According to him he had no stigma. I’ve only taken a glance at Death and Taxes, but that would make him an Animus, no? You know anything about Animi?”[/color] Emma had her doubts that Lawrence the Arbiter would have any interest in Animi, but she hoped in spite of her doubts that he would know something. "[color=00ffbb]Hector an Animus?[/color]" Lawrence didn't really have an opinion on that formulated ahead of time. The thought had simply never occured to him and never had a reason to occur. Still, though, he supposed it wasn't the most [i]ridiculous[/i] possibility in the world. She said Zhang was particularly attached to him, which would make sense given the other info. His opinion on it was rather simple though: "[color=00ffbb]He could be an Animus, I don't know. You could always try to ask him on Wednesday. If he is though, I'm glad he's not out fucking the world like so many others are. [i]Why[/i] he isn't though is beyond me I'm afraid.[/color]" Emma shrugged, [color=8A3DFF]”Yeah, tracking him down on Wednesday was the plan.”[/color] At that point Emma gave up on trying to learn more from Laurence, clearly she would be able to find out everything else on Wednesday. To that end she moved onto idle chatter, [color=8A3DFF]”It would be interesting if he was. There wasn’t really a lot about them on Death and Taxes, and… well, you know. Stigmas suck. The opportunity to live without one… well, if the rumors about how you get to be an Animus are true than I think I’d take a pass, but it’s nice to dream that I might be able to get rid of my stigma.”[/color] He nodded. "[color=00ffbb]Yeah, I'm not sure how true those rumors are. If that's all it takes to become one of the animi, then why doesn't Zhang have all Aberrations at Ground Zero 24/7 until they get this magical switch flipped? Doesn't make sense to me. Still...[/color]" He paused once more to take a sip of his coffee. "[color=00ffbb]I don't envy you Abes. Stigmas are one thing I'm happy to live without. As an Arbiter the worst thing you have to worry about is guilt.[/color]" For but a moment Emma’s smile faded. This talk of Stigmas was making her painfully aware of the fact that her own was acting up, even now when she was talking to Lawrence. Usually this would be distraction enough to at the very least calm it, but since the vision she had this morning the voice in her head had been louder than ever. [i][color=8A3DFF]Or has it?[/color][/i] Even now Emma second guessed herself, for the most insidious aspect of her stigma was its ability to seem so much like her own thoughts. Emma rubbed her forehead as the beginnings of a migraine presented itself. She snapped back to reality, [color=8A3DFF]”Yeah.”[/color] Her smile was starting to return. [color=8A3DFF]”That certainly does sound like something that Zhang would do if she could. After all…”[/color] Her thoughts turned back to her ‘visit’ with Hector and Miranda, [color=8A3DFF]”I haven’t been here very long and I’ve seen her be party to much worse.”[/color] She shrugged, [color=8A3DFF]”That’s the way things are though. I’m sure she’s doing what she thinks is right. Future of humanity and all that.”[/color] There was a noticeable note of bitterness in her voice. "[color=00ffbb]Zhang's not perfect, and I don't even really know if I support her or not, but I can say she's not stupid regardless of her morals. So... if she does something it's probably for a reason, if she doesn't do something it's probably for a reason.[/color]" With a shrug to finish off the subject, he decided to switch gears. Despite being roommates they hadn't gotten the chance to talk much since their first night. "[color=00ffbb]How are you adjusting to things? Everything going all right?[/color]" Emma gave a small sigh, [color=8A3DFF]”Well, given that I was taken from my home after developing superpowers and dropped into this nightmare, I’d say I’m adjusting better than expected.”[/color] She decided to make not mention of what she had seen beneath the hospital, [color=8A3DFF]”I think I’m past the point of worrying how things are going. It’s just about survival, at this point, isn’t it?”[/color] She remembered what Brent had said to her about survival, [color=8A3DFF]”Survival’s winning. And that means we have to bear the burden of the dead.”[/color] She wasn’t exactly sure what had compelled her to quote Brent, and she wasn’t sure that she quite believed the words coming out of her mouth. [color=8A3DFF]”Or something like that. I didn’t mean to get wannabe philosophical on ya.”[/color] He shook his head, setting the coffee down for the moment. "[color=00ffbb]No, survival's fine, and ultimately you need to find a purpose to keep on until the next day. I don't quite agree with yours- I think looking for a way within the situation to actually enjoy yourself or find contentment is more important than pure survival. At the end of the day though a purpose pushes you forward, and it's your business what that is. Me? Sometimes I still wonder about my own.[/color]" Emma nodded, [color=8A3DFF]”I get that. And I think I am able to enjoy things to a degree- it’s been nice getting to meet everyone, after all. But really, I’ve never felt a large sense of purpose in life. It’s a little scary finding something to dedicate yourself to, don’t you think? Fear of failure and all that. Survival’s easy. It’s always made sense to me. Live so you can live the next day. I guess that’s how I’ve been living for a while, but…”[/color] Why was she spilling her guts out to this boy she barely knew? Emma shrugged. [color=8A3DFF]”My view on that is kinda shitty. A little pessimistic, I know, but it’s what’s comfortable for me I guess. Purpose does sound nice, but it’s not an easy thing to find.”[/color] "[color=00ffbb]Is it shitty though? If it's keeping you going until the next day where you have another chance to find something- it sounds fine enough for now. Just have to use that time you're buying instead of wasting it.[/color]" [color=8A3DFF]”That’s a nice thought. I’d like to believe that too, but sometimes I think living just to live is too hard. It’s draining to get up every day hoping that something new will present itself and just like that things would suddenly change, as if my purpose in life would suddenly be clear, especially now that we’re here. After all, we’re subnaturals, we’re not going to get many opportunities to find it, are we? There are times where you have to make the best of a bad situation but ours is a special kind of shitty. I’m not going to trick myself into thinking that I’ll save the world with my power or that I’ll be able to go back home and see my family. We live lives that are decidedly small, confined here, constrained to Zhang’s whims, constantly sent out to die… we don’t have much but each other, do we?”[/color] He cocked his head to the side, picking up his coffee once more as she spoke. Resisting the urge to interrupt her part way. "[color=00ffbb]Wait for something to change? Hope something new presents itself? Emma, that's not making something of life, that's just living. Taking the situation you're in, and working to change it, working to create something new, and actively seeking out your purpose are how you end up improving your life. This situation is just the toolbox you have to work with. Adapt or work towards changing your circumstances, but yeah doing neither is going to make you miserable.[/color]" With another sip he added: "[color=00ffbb]If you end up investing everything in the people around you as your foundation instead of yourself, then when they die here it's going to destroy you. Yes we have each other, but more importantly you have yourself.[/color]" Emma’s smile had turned into a somber one. [color=8A3DFF]”I won’t deny that you’re right, but it’s an undersimplification of the matter. People don’t live the way I described because they want to, they do it because…”[/color] Emma found herself a little lost for words. [i][color=8A3DFF]Because they’re self-loathing sacks of shit? Because they thought they had figured out what their life was supposed to offer them but lost it? Because they’ve accepted the fact that they’re going to die and that their family will never know, and even if they did might not care?[/color][/i] She didn’t say any of that. [color=8A3DFF]”It’s a vicious cycle, y’know? It’s near impossible to just make the decision to suddenly change the way you live your life, even if you know it would be a positive change. It takes a lot of work, and right now… the way I’m going works, even if it is hard. Of course I’ve looked and I will look to change it but it’s not that easy.”[/color] He nodded in response. "[color=00ffbb]And I won't deny that you're right, and think it's an overcomplication of the matter. However, my oversimplification has largely allowed me to find peace, while you're still looking for it. I'm not going to say my way of thinking is for everybody, but it's food for thought.[/color]" For emphasis he held up the book he had been reading earlier. "[color=00ffbb]Not sure if you read in your free time, but it's worth checking out sometime and not that long. In either case- I'll do what I can to help you settle in and make some sort of home of this place. It's about all I can offer.[/color]" [color=8A3DFF]”I appreciate that.”[/color] Was all Emma responded with. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t interested in the book since she’d seen him reading it so much, but upon closer inspection it looked a little dry for her taste. That’s not to say that she wouldn’t take his advice, however. For a moment Emma paused, and then declared, [color=8A3DFF]”Well, that being said, I think it’s about time I got some sleep. I’ve been… I’ve been up for a while.”[/color] She turned towards her bed. [color=8A3DFF]”Thank for entertaining my ramblings, though. And I will think about what you said!”[/color] She said, turning to flash him one more smile. He shook his head in response, laying his book down for the night and draining his cup of coffee before standing and making his way over to his own bed. "[color=00ffbb]Don't worry about it, at the end of the day you Hazel and I have to see each other the most, least we can do is a lend a ear when someone needs it.[/color]" Taking a seat at the edge, he obliged a patient Lizzy- who had been waiting for him for some time- with a few attentive scratches behind her ears. Finally adding: "[color=00ffbb]Hopefully tomorrow things start looking up for you Emma. Eventually they did for me, that's all I can add. Goodnight.[/color]"