Scene #9335: Campus Tour

Owner	Pose
Petra Soroka	The Salesforce Warpgate Hub is a long, flat building in this world's San Franciso, long-since updated from its prior purpose as a transit center for busses to serve the modern technology of warpgates. Glass windows line both walls of the central stretch, starting halfway up the high walls and continuing to the ceiling, with restaurants and stores dotting the open-air second floor. Warpgates provide a constant stream of people flowing in and out of the central chamber, with the world well-positioned both geolocationally and via warpgate transit to become a multiversal hotspot in the decades since unification, so it's inevitable that this would be a world where the Concord's presence is felt more than usual. The roof of the building, where Petra said she'd be waiting, is completely covered by a long park, carpeted by grass and shaded with trees. With how low the warpgate hub is compared to the surrounding skyscrapers, it feels practically like this area is ground level rather than a couple stories up. Petra is sitting up in the branches of a tree nearby the ampitheater on one end of the park, positioned so that she can keep one eye out for if Audrey appears while tapping away at her DS and swinging one leg dangling down. When Audrey arrives, Petra carefully folds her DS up, just to drop out of the tree. Her outfit today is a dark green shirt with a gold graphic on it with flared jeans, letterman jacket tied around her waist as the chilly morning evaporates in the sun. After both extremes of scolding Audrey and then cheerfully running and jumping around in the gravity course in the castle until she passed out asleep yesterday, she seems to have reset back to a comfortable neutral, falling in place walking beside her. "So, the campus is only like a ten minute walk from here, and I don't have another class for a couple hours still. If you get bored of seeing the campus then there's plenty of whatever else to do, so it's no problem." Petra's guidance towards navigating to the campus follows exactly in the direction she points when she says 'ten minutes', towards the edge of the roof a few yards away. Rather than bothering with the crowds and escalators, she just unceremoniously drops off the side of the building to several pedestrians' shock below, sliding down the wall until she reaches the sidewalk safely.
Audrey Basque	Audrey is in a good mood. We'll see if that lasts! It's hard not to be, after being of considerable use to Petra the day prior, and then watching her get through numerous obstacle courses and space+gravity bending puzzles. It was a good way to cap off a weird day, and to make things even better, the tower is rapidly progressing. And now she gets to see Petra's campus! Audrey is wearing a nice one-piece dress, a bit fancy looking but short sleeved; with the skirt only coming down to a bit above the knees, she's got her arms and legs exposed, without anything covered. It might be for Petra she's doing it - it might be for herself. It might be both. Her hair is done up differently, held together in a single big braid she lets hang over one of her shoulders and her chest, rather than leaving it trailing behind her. She might be a tad late, having evidently gotten just a bit held up at the hub, and then leaving the hub, because she's still not totally used to this. But the sight of a large, busy city is miles closer to what she's used to than other places, and finding the building isn't a huge issue. What she DIDN'T expect was for Petra to be up in a tree, so she yelps and then glares when her fellow Partner drops out of one like it's completely normal. "Well, hi to you too," she smiles, one brow twitching like what she actually wants to say is 'THAT'S NOT HOW YOU SAY HI'. But that's Petra, she supposes, and if she wasn't Petra she wouldn't be nearly so-- "H-Hey!" This is the second time she jumps off a building. With a sigh, Audrey steps forward and into mirrored cracks, that make her reappear on the ground before Petra is even on the sidewalk. For effect, she crosses her arms. "You really cannot do anything normally, can you?" She doesn't sound annoyed, this time. Maybe more... appreciative, oddly.
Petra Soroka	"You really cannot do anything normally, can you?" For once, Petra is taken off-guard by the accusation that she was being abnormal, rather than puffing up her chest and reveling in it. She scrubs the smear of dirt that her palm accumulated by sliding down the building off on her jeans and looks confused at Audrey. "Huh? But the campus is in this direction? What, would you want to go all the way down the stairs and push through the crowd just to get to the same place slower, just because everyone else is doing it?" Petra still isn't entirely used to the streets of San Francisco, only having been going to classes here for a couple weeks at this point, but she's familiar enough to be confident while strolling down them with Audrey, and pointing out places of interest along the way. There's a museum she remarks on, some sort of Concord tech hub conference office, a cafe she found and liked, a vague direction she points where she claims a movie theater is for later, the broadcasting company that CMU is affiliated with, and so on. Even though this is a markedly different environment from the City, Petra seems to take the same kind of pleasure in explaining it to Audrey as an area of claimed territory; somewhere that Petra is more familiar with than her by virtue of some unique position and experience within it, that she can share with a trusted ally like she's indicating which trees have the best fruit and which bushes grow edible berries. "Anyways," She eventually gets around to commenting on Audrey's outfit, without dropping the casually upbeat tone she's been using. "How'd you even get out of the dorms looking that beat up Or did you cover up with something just to sneak out, and then stripped down once you saw me? Freak."
Audrey Basque	"It is," Audrey says, not sounding that annoyed at all, "But if you wanted to go faster, you didn't have to traumatize this poor crowd," she adds, half-heartedly. She's not even sure she cares, really, about 'this poor crowd', so much as she wants even the slightest leg up on Petra. "I could just... you know." The space behind her cracks, as a demonstration, but she doesn't step back into it; rather she closes it, because she wants the tour. "Well, a nice walk won't hurt, and I want to see what all the fuss is about." She follows, clasping her hands behind her back and just taking in the sights, and the feeling of having Petra proudly show her around like she owns the place. This is nice, too, and cute, she thinks. She makes mental note of the café and the movie theater, specifically, while wondering what kind of museum attracted Petra's attention in such a place. "Ah, come to think of it, did you ever kick down their sandcastle, or try sitting on their throne? Or are you still uncomfortably approaching your classmates' orbit without committing?" The sudden change of topic causes her to blink, before answering matter-of-factly, "I'm not staying at the dorms while on break. I have never needed the weeks off like I do right now, and having to deal with those two shadowing my movements there would be terrible right now. I'm spending a few days at the castle, and I think I'll spend a few days at the Library. Then... I don't know, actually. Apparently I have a place at the Grand Dorado? I should check it out. I bet you do too, it seemed very standard procedure." She mulls on that for a second. "I'll go back, of course, after the break. But it's nice to be detached from that right now. I guess it feels like camping must for you, but with less bugs and more electricity. And a roof, and amenities, and not getting wet in the rain." So nothing like camping. She laughs a bit. "Truly, I am taking after you."
Petra Soroka	"Oh nooooo, poor crowd." Petra mockingly using 'crowd' as a definite noun, as if it's the collective name of all of these unnamed and faceless people around them, is somehow more unnerving than the joke that comes next. "They should be glad they didn't catch me on one of the days I'd actually jump off the building, then. Anyways, I'd have to angle myself to snap my neck if I jumped from just a couple floors up like that; I'd probably do any of the other skyscrapers instead. Not that I'd kill myself here of all places." "Ah, come to think of it, did you ever kick down their sandcastle, or try sitting on their throne?" Petra pouts slightly and shrugs. She idly steps up onto the curb to balance on it while walking and collecting her thoughts. "I think... there's a balance, I think. Sure, I'm... forceful enough to be able to crush pretty much any community in the sector beneath my heel, at this point. I'm not really, like, needing any more practice on that kind of thing. The reason I went to college isn't so I could go back to a smaller pond than Elites already are and just bully them into adoring me." "But I've been-- I mean, this morning, in my philosophy class, we were talking about Descartes some, and this one loser started going off this completely dumbshit tangent about solipsism, and how it's, like, so cool and deep and you never really know, or whatever. Dumbass. So I went off on him for, like, fifteen minutes about how fucking stupid he is, and then some of the other kids afterwards were like, 'do you wanna eat lunch together', but I was busy with you so maybe next week or something. The professor looked a tiny bit scared, aha." Petra blinks and comes to a stop in front of a metal gate, turning to Audrey before opening it. "'Those two'? You mean those lame friends of yours? You're already bitchy enough to say stuff like 'dealing with' them? Damn. Tell me more." Eventually she fumbles with getting out her wallet to scan her student card against the gate, clicking it unlocked. Past the gate is a reasonably upscale inner city campus, with sparkly new buildings in the style of the Grand Dorado making up the education buildings and the apartment building for the dorms. Given how close the campus is to downtown, there's not a massive amount of real estate given to having outdoors areas between all of the facilities, but the greens it does have are filled with trees on the last vestiges of flowering, with a wide plaza and fountain monument framing the front of the administrative clocktower. At this time of day, students are lounging all around the visible area, typing out assignments on the grass, walking down the streets to get to classes, and so on. "The person they sent me did say I had a place in the Dorado, yeah. But, I don't know. I've got the warehouse for a workshop, too, and if I really ever feel compelled to sleep in the Grand Dorado I can just sleep there. Once we help the Yellow Turbans out, we'll both have better places to be, anyways." "Truly, I am taking after you." "Oh, totally. Lowering yourself to sleeping in a castle? You're practically a pioneer."
Audrey Basque	"Not that I'd kill myself here of all places." "Is it tacky to say, please don't at all? I guess at this point you're just talking to talk, but you get a bit... scary with that, sometimes. That's kind of why it was so nice to hear you took interest in classes. And why it's kind of cute watching you plan Hydrochoeria's future. What parts of it you have, anyway." It's not like Petra was a depressive wreck, exactly, but she does talk about that sort of stuff about ten times more than is comfortable! As for the crowd, Audrey pointedly has nothing to say. "The professor looked a tiny bit scared, aha." "Well, one, you ARE terrifying," Audrey says, walking alongside the balancing act Petra performs without much surprise. She does like moving. "But two... you should pick them up on it next time. What I've learned, and it's probably a terrible lesson, is that sometimes it isn't about finding friends, it's just about making your time around the school a bit less miserable." Which leads directly into... "Damn. Tell me more." "I mean... it's mostly Maria, right? Sylvie's kind of pushy and fawning and wanting to know more about what I'm up to, and she even keeps trying to pry into my injuries - ah, for context, her Tradition is like... the study of chi. She's studying medical sciences and... sorry, I'm drifting. She's a healer, let's put it that way. She's pushy but I think she really does want to help me? Maria though..." Audrey rotates a few different thoughts. "I don't know. She's younger than me by a year. Magically she's almost at the level Miss Rook was at. She's into... her Tradition's artistic, weirdly enough. Like, painting, colors, visual arts. She's studying physics. Well, metaphysics." Audrey wobbles a hand in the air like it doesn't matter. "Point is, she's... pushy, but in a different way. Snotty, like you wouldn't believe. She's second on the ranking pecking order after me, and I can tell she only hangs with me because of that. But it's not... adoration, or looking up to me. It's not rivalry either. I don't know what her game is." She's rambling. She's never had anyone else to talk to about them, and it kind of shows. "She's the social pressure type. She's basically in charge of all the elite students. Saw I wasn't willing to do it, and just... leapt at the chance. I couldn't tell you how many times she's had someone cast out of the group, or had the group shun someone, for... whatever reason. That night we, ah... took you aside... she was pretty into that sort of stuff. I don't know that she organized it, or anything, but she sure pushed." "The person they sent me did say I had a place in the Dorado, yeah." The sight of the campus, once they're past the gate, has Audrey whistling a bit. It's not quite Nova Heliosanctus, but the Dorado aesthetic is pretty strong, and it's not like it's BAD either. It certainly feels less stuffy than her school does, but that's a feelings thing. "The way you described this place, I didn't expect it to be so nice. It's got quite the charm. But then I just told you you might have a luxury apartment and your response was, I'll just sleep in the dirty workshop, so..." She stares at Petra. "True, though, a nice place in China would be fine too." "You're practically a pioneer." "I am, thank you for noticing~."
Petra Soroka	"I guess at this point you're just talking to talk, but you get a bit... scary with that, sometimes." "It's only scary if you think me killing myself is scary, which--" Petra cuts off and sighs, putting her hands behind her head and tilting her face up to look at the skyscrapers above them. "But yeah, yeah, I'm not going to. Not unless Lilian says I should, which doesn't seem likely at this point. I figure I have to at least make peace with making it to 25 now, though I still couldn't believe in getting to 30. Actually, my birthday's tomorrow, anyways." "What I've learned, and it's probably a terrible lesson, is that sometimes it isn't about finding friends, it's just about making your time around the school a bit less miserable." "I mean, if it's miserable at all, why am I going? Sorry, but, like, your incredibly loser ways of dealing with a school you hate but can't help dedicating your whole life to don't really apply to me." After having so easily insulted Audrey, Petra gets sidetracked pointing out 'Oh, that's where my journalism class is; there's a bunch of cool stuff in there like blackrooms and recording studios and stuff and it's really interesting', before continuing with her. "I mean, I know I'm kind of chasing misery in basically every other part of my life, but I'm not doing that here. I'm, trying to study something that makes me happy, for no one's sake but--" The correct thing to say here would be 'mine'. "--Lilian's, and if I don't have a good time, I'll either force this entire place to change or I'll leave. I'm not just going to suffer it. ... I don't think it'd be the end of the world if I don't make any friends with my classmates, but I'll try." "She's into... her Tradition's artistic, weirdly enough. Like, painting, colors, visual arts." Petra offhandedly remarks 'oh, that's cute,' while listening, but most of her attention is intensely fixated on Audrey while she talks. In order to keep Audrey distracted enough to keep rambling, Petra doesn't stop walking, but she does slow their pace down considerably and stop touring around the campus in order to focus on Audrey's words. "Saw I wasn't willing to do it, and just... leapt at the chance." "Oh my god," Petra says with sudden realization, eyes widening. "You're a nerd!" Her tone picks up in some blend between excitement and mockery, and with the pleasure of a puzzle piece having finally fallen into place. "You're literally the kind of person I would beat up in high school. Well, I beat you up already--" Most of the students milling around don't bother to listen to any of their conversation, but one of them hears that line, absentmindedly glances over, and then double takes at seeing Audrey's bruises. They hesitate for a moment before moving on and forgetting about it anyways. "--But damn you wouldn't survive a public school at all!" "I'm serious. You're literally a fucking geek. If you people didn't care so much about grades at your prissy nerd college, you'd actually be the lowest of the low. Maria would be shoving you into lockers, dude. I would be. No way she isn't planning for either dunking your ass or eagerly waiting for you to be gone so she can be a proper princess of the school." Petra shrugs, smirking a little but sincere. "But, hey. If you were the public school geek you're clearly meant to be, you'd have plenty of time for video games." "I don't really mind that day where everyone kicked me and poured milk on me anyways. Like, I deserved it. I opted into it. I don't care what planning she had to do with it, because it wouldn't have happened if I didn't let it. Maybe I should send her a letter, hahaha."
Petra Soroka	"The way you described this place, I didn't expect it to be so nice." "Yeah, it's alright." Petra says coolly, hands in her pockets while she looks around the flowering greens and the stately buildings surrounding it. "It's nice enough. I guess I just don't really care about luxury like you do, though; not that I don't want the places I'm in to be pretty." "Anyways, anyplace in particular you wanna see? Food court? Student union? There's actually a fucking, like, gamer cave in there, if you can believe it. For some e-sports club, but it's open to everyone."
Audrey Basque	"Actually, my birthday's tomorrow, anyways." "A-Ah," Audrey suddenly stops, realizing how short notice that is. What she'd LIKE to do is ridiculous, grand, and needs a bit of setup. She thinks she can pull it off, but it's going to be an overnight job... and only if the tower's accessible already. The Concord's men worked fast, though, so she's hopeful. It's not like any of the INSIDE needed to be redone, she can do that herself. It's cosmetic, really. "I see, I see. Good to know." A simple smile. This is good information, but the time limit is a chore. "I mean, if it's miserable at all, why am I going?" Audrey deflates a bit, resuming the walk. "S-Sure. No, I mean... you're... right." It's one thing to acknowledge it, it's another to internalize it. And no matter how hard she tries, internalizing that lesson is a bit beyond her still. "Sorry. You have the right outlook, obviously." She's a bit disoriented by Lilian's name popping up, as it ever does, and that's transparent. "You're a nerd!" The one or two public stares make Audrey a mix of incredibly uncomfortable but also a bit like she's Petra's pet. It's a particular feeling, not a strictly negative one, but either way she kind of squirms under the pressure until Petra's done reprimanding her. "C-Come on, it's not quite like that. I just... you've met me. I'm not a leader. I wanted to keep my nose out of the stupid student politics and just..." Hands on hip, half-sigh. She's not even sure. "I don't know. Excel. Drop in, do well, break records, take off with my paper that says I'm good." She frowns a bit. "I should have, though. Like a lot of other things I could and should have done. I could've been the one deciding what's what. Put Maria in her place instead of letting her attach to my arm like a leech." She huffs, but then catches herself, frown growing. "That was vile. Sorry. What ifs and what could have beens don't matter. She can lead the loser parade if she wants. She's not even a shadow of the kind of council head Miss Rook was. People still talk about her, you know? Maria gets mad about it. In private, of course. I... used to, too. I don't know now. But you've made it obvious if I'd tried I'd have fallen short too." She tries to rearm her smile. "Anyway, if I'd done that... I probably wouldn't have ended up coming here. Or if I did, it might have been really different. So... it's not that bad. I have my hands full without being the one to sort out petty disputes between classes, or Traditions, or whatever noise it is that day. Would being the queen of the school really be that much of a step up from where I'm at?" And then, she adds, "Lord, please don't, she's intolerable enough as she is. I don't know how she'd take it but I don't want to find out." "It's nice enough. I guess I just don't really care about luxury like you do, though; not that I don't want the places I'm in to be pretty." "Hm, no on the food court, but there was that café on the way if we're hungry. I'll pass on the clubs, this isn't my school. That'd just be... weird. I was going to ask if you've got an astrology club, actually, but... it's probably pretty mundane if you do, compared to what I can do."
Petra Soroka	"I see, I see. Good to know." Petra narrows her eyes and catches onto Audrey's thought process quickly. "I'm not planning on doing anything for it, really. A couple years ago everyone threw me a party since I spent my birthday in jail actually, and then last year I..." Was trapped on her newly-floating city after the defeated heroes destroyed her warpgate, and then got kidnapped off of it and held captive by Lilian for an entire day. The day after that, though, was spent with Cinder and Yuri, just a day before Yuri's betrayal was revealed, which is why she trails off for a few seconds with a distant expression. "Well, it was right around when I got Hydrochoeria." "I guess I just don't really know how to feel about, like, aging, anymore. It's not like when I was turning 18, and suddenly was able to steal the Beauty of Ash and ruin my life and everything. It's not like when I was turning 19, and was doing my best to kill myself before I got there. It's not like last year, even, when I was kind of reflecting on how it marks the point where my life became stable for the first time, so it felt important. This year just doesn't feel like much at all. It's... I don't know, tons of stuff changed since last year, but I just..." Petra shrugs, failing to find the words. "... I don't know." "I wanted to keep my nose out of the stupid student politics and just..." Petra finishes Audrey's sentence before she can, though the content of it is pretty much the same. "Be a nerd and get good grades and play video games in your offtime. Exactly. Only nerds say that they wanted to 'keep out of student politics'." "You should have. Honestly, it's more like you're the leech latched on to Maria-- only in the context of your stupid school, not in general." Petra's found her way to be standing on top of another stone structure, this time the pedestal and plaque of a sculpture. She looks down at Audrey, one hand on her hip. "You know, if not for the Concord, she would've ended up more successful than you. It'd still all be completely worthless for her, but for the kind of worthless person you were both trying to be, you were fucking dogshit at it and she's a million times better. Do you realize that?" "People still talk about her, you know?" Petra giggles and hops back down to Audrey, leading her down a little alleyway on campus to point at a staircase leading down from the street, mentioning that it's apparently a tiny bookstore coffeeshop. "Of course they do. Everyone in the sector does. And no one, not Maria, not you, not anyone, will ever live up to her, so whether they get mad about that or use her as a resource to be better is what fucking judges them as human beings." "Would being the queen of the school really be that much of a step up from where I'm at?" "I mean, not at all, really. It's not worth anything in its own right. Like, you know how little I give a shit about your school. But you're still a nerd for responding to it the way that you did, though I don't really think that's a bad thing. You're a little geek at heart. You need big clunky glasses and a stupid little book tucked under your arm, and if you studied in anything besides magic, you'd be one of the outcasts sitting alone at a cafeteria table. But I," Petra twirls around to look at Audrey with a smug look on her face. "Will bravely protect you from all of the bullies cruelly taking advantage of you."
Petra Soroka	"I'll pass on the clubs, this isn't my school." "Nope, come with me." Petra completely ignores Audrey's refusal of her suggestion and leads her along the paths to the large student union building anyways. "It's only reserved by the club sometimes. I mean, it's not like I give a shit about some gamer club either, I don't know them and I don't care. But it's kind of a cozy room, and it's open for whoever to use, with people playing fighting games sometimes and whatever. You should go be among your people, nerd." In order to not get lost in the crowd around the student union for lunch time, Petra grabs on to Audrey's wrist to drag her along. Her index finger catches along the barely healed cut along it, pressing in suddenly without Petra even looking back on her, digging in until they end up in a quieter area where the hallway leads to the hobbyist rooms within the building.
Audrey Basque	"I'm not planning on doing anything for it, really." "No, I understand. I had a surprise party once, a couple of years ago, and it was just awkward and unremarkable. I mean, more unremarkable than usual. I'm not going to subject you to-- to anything like that," Audrey reassures Petra, especially after her existential mutterings. "... but. I have something in mind that'll require no effort on your part, no commitment, and best of all, none of your precious time. A win-win." Audrey takes a half-bow. "A simple gesture from a lady to her knight. Nothing to worry about, and certainly nothing you can stop me from doing." "Be a nerd and get good grades and play video games in your offtime. Exactly." Audrey huffs a bit at the oversimplification. "Play the piano more, too, perhaps. But no, that's... not the whole story. I guess I'm leaving some of it out, huh?" She shuffles some thoughts about, before settling on: "I avoided the politics, because early on, liking Miss Rook was a death sentence. Then I avoided the politics, because it became her domain and I was too cowardly to enter it. And then I avoided the politics, because I could not bear walking the path she'd already perfected." Even that's leaving a bit out. "I felt that to try to be like her would be a betrayal of my desire to be myself. So, genius that I am, I... threw myself away anyway. Smart, right? The top student. Best of the best. Crown White." "Do you realize that?" "Oh, no. She's terrible at it. Do you want to know a secret, Petra?" Audrey smiles, in a way that's knowing and confident. "These people all hate each other. There's no unity. There's no respect, or order, not like when Miss Rook was there. When I graduate, and Maria's the top? She's going to be eaten alive. I know I suck at dealing with... Elites. The Concord. But at school? People didn't get to me. Until this, anyway. Maria? She's always... off. Nobody likes her, really. I mean, nobody likes me, either, but that's my point. Everyone's just waiting for a bullet to fall into their lap with the name of someone they don't like on it. She cultivated this... environment of... I don't know what I'd call it." Audrey crosses her arms, as Petra hops back down to her side from her newly acquired perch. "But she exclusively hangs out with the other high-ranked students because she thinks it's protection. You should see the group chats, it's walls and walls of rumors and hearsay and people's dirty laundry. Must be some on me, too." She follows, as they pass the bookstore. Audrey actually nods, rather than take that line poorly. "So while she's seething in her corner, I'll just have to beat her at becoming better. Easy." Well, not-so-easy, actually. "You need big clunky glasses and a stupid little book tucked under your arm, and if you studied in anything besides magic, you'd be one of the outcasts sitting alone at a cafeteria table." "Ugh, no. Please at least ascribe to me that I can be a geek and have a fashion sense. And given how frequently I'm told my eyes are stunning, I'd not ruin them with glasses. Except sunglasses, sometimes. But..." She manages a giggle at Petra's sudden energy. "Thanks." "Nope, come with me." "H-Huh?!" Dragged along, threatened with the prospect of playing video games with strangers. And worse, Petra's digging into the cut. Audrey's smart enough to realize that's on purpose, and so doesn't vocalize anything of it. Even though it's still quite painful, when dug in. "W-Why this all of a sudden? Come on, you said these people are like, pro-level, I'm not... if you want to spook them, it's Angela you should be bringing here. She'd decimate them."
Petra Soroka	"A simple gesture from a lady to her knight." Petra squints at Audrey for a few seconds longer, scanning her as if searching for some other, unspoken motive. Eventually she relents and turns away to keep walking. "You're literally so fucking gay." "I avoided the politics, because early on, liking Miss Rook was a death sentence." Petra twists her lips in a scowl at Audrey for some unspoken reason. That particular line seems to piss her off so deeply that Audrey can sense the telltale signs of her revving up to some long-winded scolding and absolute teardown of Audrey's entire identity and self, the kind that would eventually devolve into pure verbal abuse. Whether it's because she harbors enough care for Audrey to not whip that tone out over one single misspeak by now, or just because they're on campus surrounded by people, it doesn't boil over, and her tone just sours some when she eventually responds with a few clipped words. "You really are a coward." She follows it up after a minute of stormily thoughtful silence with a little bit more of whatever she's chewing on inside her head. "Every single thing you said is some loser-ass confabulated nonsense that you came up with in the retrospective of your life's memories in order to justify the stupid shit you did. You didn't actually have any desire to be yourself. You did the thing that was easy and justified it as a tragic narrative of, like, specific personal flaws, rather than being the utter absence of a human being." "These people all hate each other." "Of course they do. They all hated Lilian when she was around too. And now that she's gone, as you know. The way Maria's doing it, the fucking, backstabbing catty toxic cesspit, that's the way it works, the way it's always worked, and the way it always will work. You don't fucking get it, Audrey, and that's why I'm saying that your fucking neurotic subheather freak is a million times better at existing in your society than you are." All that built-up heat had to go somewhere, and this is where Petra decides to vent it out. Careless about the way that the wide open stairwell inside the student union might cause her voice to echo and be overheard by whoever else passing by, she stops climbing the stairs and twists around to stare at Audrey. "None of them like each other and never will. None of the current Phantom Circle fucking, CEOs or archwizards or whatever the fuck you call them do either. Every single person out there fucking despises one another, and the fucking driving animal urge inside every human being is to find some convenient fucking outlet to vomit all of their hatred and violence into. All they ever do is look for a way to justify it to themselves. You're a fucking faggot freak, so of course you have a target on your head. Maybe after you it's Maria. Maybe it's Sylvie. But probably not, because it's harder to find an excuse to cannibalize someone not like you." "And given how frequently I'm told my eyes are stunning, I'd not ruin them with glasses." With that valve released, Petra stares at Audrey's face for a few seconds longer before nodding. "True. But it'd make you really fitting for that kind of, taking off the nerd's glasses to reveal how she's been secretly pretty this whole time, kind of thing." "Come on, you said these people are like, pro-level, I'm not..." "Aw, are you getting scared now, skater girl? I thought you took this stuff seriously." Without any regard for Audrey's complaints, Petra already has her hand on the doorknob. "You asked for a tour, and this is a tour. I've never actually talked to anyone in here either, by the way, so this'll all be on you. After this, I bet I can find a way to the rooftop too, where you could see the whole campus."