[Social] Butter Scraped Over Too Much Bread

[Will Stanton]

Will walked out of his most recent class, taking a moment to rest up against one of the walls and taking a deep breath as he re-centered himself. Feeling for his pulse was mostly an ingrained reaction at this point rather than strictly necessary, but he did it anyway.

((open))

[Samantha McManus]

"Hey, you alright there?" Sam asks as she spots him after coming out of a class across the hall.

[Will Stanton]

"Hrm? Oh, hey Sam," Will said, with a wave and a smile.

"Just getting used to my new schedule. They've got the old man running a bit ragged; you?"

[Samantha McManus]

"Well, I definitely got out of bed a bit more readily."

"Spent the morning working out with Tereza though, so I guess that's a wash."

[Will Stanton]

"Bed's a lot less comfy without a fur coat, is it?" he teased.

[Samantha McManus]

"Har har."

"Good news is we've mostly mended fences. She's leery of the new boss, though."

[Will Stanton]

Will nodded, with a slight frown. "He's definitely....zealous, I'll grant you that. Have you actually seen him yet?"

[Samantha McManus]

"Been kind of busy with all this."

"Who did they stick you with?"

[Will Stanton]

"I keep wanting to call it 'Acela', but no, that's the train thing.

Acala -- I think it was one of Natalie and Tosh's projects; something that came out in the aftermath of the big dimensional kablooie. From what they tell me, I'm supposed to serve as something of a role model on individually and self-determinism and all that sort of thing."

[Samantha McManus]

"Huh. What room did you wind up in?"

[Will Stanton]

"Oh, that's the bit you're gonna love.

I think it's officially listed as B880, but it's on one of the sublevels of The Point. That's what had me up in his office first thing in the morning."

[Samantha McManus]

"You're kidding. There's no... uh... beds in the Point."

[Will Stanton]

"Now, the wonderful thing about furniture is that it can be moved from one place to another," Will joked. "It turns out, objects can be moved through space! The things you learn at university."

"No, seriously, they set up the tub that Tosh made me down there, and I don't need to sleep that much, anyway -- I'm just lazy and like to do it because hey, why not? The administration loves that, by the way, too.

It's more the lack of windows and, you know, carpeting and a warm, welcoming atmosphere that makes it a little bit oppressive down there. It's all very utilitarian. Maybe I'll look into getting some of those Christmas light-y things; zhuzh it up a bit.

[Samantha McManus]

"What, so they wouldn't put you back in the actual dorms? Why the hell not?"

[Will Stanton]

"From what they tell me, it's more about Acala than anything else. There's energy requirements and safety protocols in place as it develops; in addition to special access to the Point and some of it's tools for improving itself after-hours. It would not be practical for it to be hanging out in the dorms when it needs so much access to the tech down in the Point. They say."

[Samantha McManus]

"And you'd have no privacy," she grumbles.

"Guess we'll have to do the thing in your head in... well it'd be weird if we did it in my room because Miriam's there, wouldn't it?"

[Will Stanton]

"Oh, boy, you're rooming with Miriam?" Will laughed. "Oh my, that's...

I mean, either you've drawn the comedy line down the middle of the room, or you're going to murder each other, if television has taught me anything.

Or you'll end up in the same bed, but that's a different channel."

[Samantha McManus]

"I think I already have enough girlfriends."

[Will Stanton]

"I mean, the more the merrier, right?

No, seriously, I hope that ends up working out alright for you. And if you need a hand with her, well, I guess you know where to find me now.

Back on topic...I mean, wherever we do the thing in my head, it's a bit awkward because we kind of sit there zonked out, yeah? Assuming you want some privacy during that, your place or mine would likely make the most sense, though we could always try crashing somewhere else. The library's quiet sometimes; the lighthouse is kind of spooky and mystic and whatnot."

[Samantha McManus]

"I'd just be afraid there's like... cameras and all down in the Point, aye?"

[Will Stanton]

Will thought for a moment. "Huh. You know, there probably are? I didn't notice anything in the little room we've been put into, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're not there.

I also wonder how much of that was ASHLIE's stuff as opposed to the university stuff -- it's my understanding that they don't have access to all of her, uh, private data?"

[Samantha McManus]

"I mean they probably want to keep an eye on your roommate from what you said."

"And ah... you are a secondhand military asset."

[Will Stanton]

"Hoo-ah," he said, snapping to attention and giving Sam a mock salute. "I suppose that might be another reason they want me down there, though if so, they didn't mention that to me."

"But now that you mention it, that, uh, actually raises an interesting point. Technically, if you poke around in my head, you're messing around with university property. Now, obviously, I don't mind, and you already asked me. But if you're concerned about the new administration, they may not like you, uh, sneaking around behind their back and messing with the dials on their expensive acquisitions."

Will shrugged. "I mean, I don't know. Maybe they don't mind. And maybe they don't find out. And maybe you like living dangerously," he chuckled.

[Samantha McManus]

"What, you don't think they're going to respect the deal Tereza made?"

[Will Stanton]

"Uh, they haven't told you yet?"

A pause.

"They haven't told you yet.

Apparently, the deal ASHLIE made with the military was as an agent of the university, and not as a private individual. There's a whole process to selling off property like that which wasn't exactly followed by handing over a pound note in the point, and then there are laws and regulations and restrictions based on depreciation and a bunch of other stuff I don't really understand.

From their point of view, the sale never occurred."

[Samantha McManus]

"Oof. I thought we had a loophole, there."

[Will Stanton]

"Yeah, well, I suppose never go to a bureaucratic battle against a bureaucrat.

Maybe you can suggest some kind of blood-stained field of battle challenge. You know, move it to your own arena," he joked.

[Samantha McManus]

"Don't think I haven't been tempted."

[Will Stanton]

"Storm all up there and shout and rave," he said, shifting into a version of Sam with wilder hair and warpaint on the face. "I demand the Fulacht na Morrigna as part of my ancient rights and claims!"

Back to Will. "Or something like that. They'd certainly pay attention to you; though that might be just long enough to pack you back to Muir," he joked.

[Samantha McManus]

"Aye, a repeat performance of that isn't happening too soon."

[Will Stanton]

"'Tis more the shame," Will joked. "Always put the fear of God in Robin, and goodness knows she needs it from time to time."

"No, I mean, the situation ain't great, but at the moment, it kind of is what it is. And I know if the chips came down, the Pack would move heaven and earth if need be."

[Samantha McManus]

"We'll try and figure something out. And if you need space to crash, we'll find it for you."

[Will Stanton]

"Not sure how well that will work with this weird curfew thing they've got going on -- but I appreciate the thought.

And besides, I've technically roomed with Miriam a bit already, so I'm sure she'd be fiiiiiine with it," he joked.

[Samantha McManus]

"She's... better than she used to be," she admits.

[Will Stanton]

"I'm happy to hear that. Maybe that's why they stuck the two of you together; you do go in for the reclamation projects," Will laughed.

[Samantha McManus]

"I think part of why we drive each other up a wall is we both came here from Muir at first."

[Will Stanton]

"Oh?

I mean, I knew that, but I don't quite get why that bugs both of you so much?"

[Samantha McManus]

"We both had similar problems with our telepathy and we kind of... went different ways with them, aye?"

[Will Stanton]

"And I would imagine with telepathy, it's very personal. It's not like there are a tons of way to run fast."

[Samantha McManus]

"And I guess we just both arrived at the conclusion that the other was... doing it wrong?"