Issue 1 Downtime

Katerina had had some concerns about keeping her head down while she was here, but so far it hadn't seemed to be a problem to blend in to the rest of the student body. She pulled together a meal and sat down to eat, picking warily at her food.

((Open))

Veronica was getting her normal meal, doing her happy little routine when she spotted Katerina sitting at the table. Making her way over with a friendly smile, she gave a small wave. "May I join you?"

"Yes," Katerina said, self-consciously pushing some hair back behind one ear. Her accent was a little thick. "I'm Katerina."

Veronica dips her head in thanks and takes a seat. "A pleasure to meet you. My name's Veronica. You are new here, non? Or perhaps a returner coming late?" She herself didn't seem to know if Kat could be considered 'new' or not.

"A pleasure to meet you. I have been here since the term started, but keeping to myself. You?"

"I am quite new, myself. Zee same as you, eet seems. Forgive me for being so blunt, mais, you are not from zis area, non? Your accent is absolutely beautiful," she remarks seriously. She tries her best not to stare at Kat's hair, but can't help but eye it every now and then, for whatever reason.

"Thank you for the compliment. I was raised in Russia," she said, perhaps a bit sadly. "Where are you from?"

"France," she says with a soft smile. "Do you miss your home?"

"I do, but it was becoming a bad place," she said, frowning.

Veronica nods. "I understand how zat goes. How bad did eet get zere?"

"Government school. Certain... expectations for what I would do after school."

"Ah, well zat is never good. One should only be expected to pursue zere hopes and dreams, if possible," She remarks, cutting her salad. "So you decided to come here zen?"

"One could say that," she said with a nod.

"Well, welcome. Hopefully you will end up loving zis place as much as I do. Eet is nice to be able to have such close friends, ones you can sincerely trust."

"It does seem nice. And it's nice to not be constantly watched."

"You were watched?" She asked curiously.

"Not overtly, but I knew they were there." She sighed, "Sorry, I should not burden you with my past. I should not burden myself with it."

Veronica shakes her head. "Eet does not boser me one bit. After all, zee past is what shapes us into who we are, non?"

"Yes, but I should be looking towards the future."

"Zat goes wisout saying," she agrees. "Do you know what you would like to do in your future? A goal off some type?"

She sighed and then looked a little sheepish, "I do not. You?"

"I sought I did. Now I am unsure." She says just as sheepishly. "Eet is a strange sing, but zen again, zey say we are too young to make such concrete decisions, non?" She said, trying to make it sound better.

"I suppose, though I have not heard many people say that in my own experience."

"Non? Zey must belief you have a good head on your shoulders, zen."

She laughed, "I do not believe that. I think they just wanted me to decide something."

"Well deciding to come here was a good step, I sink. Zee place can be strange at times, but I sink eet will be better for you zen having to worry about people watching you. You will be in zee University? You do not seem like a high school student, mais, I have been wrong before."

"University, yes," Katerina said. "I am not sure what to study. There are so many choices."

"What do you enjoy doing?"

That question seemed to throw Katerina, "Enjoy? Movies I suppose, I was able to go to the theater to see a play a few times and that was nice."

"Zere are a couple here zat enjoy plays and zee like. I sink one off zem is actually majoring in seater, if I am recalling correctly," she seems to think out loud. "Hm, I sink it would be neat to get zee arts people togeser to watch a play downtown sometime. Or even getting a group off zee University students togeser for an outing in general. Sings can get so serious around here, I feel." She stops and realizes her rambling, looking a bit sheepish. "Eh...so, what kind off movies do you enjoy?"

"Drama, comedy, whatever my school had available, which was not much."

"Which one was your favorite? I mean, if you had one."

"I do not think I had a favorite," she said, munching on her food thoughtfully. "They certainly were not up to the quality of the few I have seen since I came here."

"Do zey not have such movies available in Russia?" She seemed a bit confused.

"My school was tightly controlled. Only certain movies were approved."

Veronica raises a brow at that. "Are all schools zere like zat?"

"I don't believe so. I think I was unlucky."

"Well at least now you have some freedom," she said, smiling. "Zere is a video player in zee common room off our dorms, so you can watch as many movies as you can get your hands on. I have a few I could lend you, if you wanted."

"I might take you up on that. So far everyone here has been quite helpful."

"Personally, I have yet to come across anyone who has not been," she says quite seriously. "By zee way, I wanted to say zat I sink your hair and eyes are beautiful. Purple is my favorite color." She then stops and backtracks a bit. "Erm, not coming on to you or anysing. Just wanted to say eet. Is eet naturally like zat?"