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Post by Justitia on Jun 20, 2016 7:55:12 GMT
 She was... already aware that everything here was... much larger than she was used to. She had already tried to be careful.
Apparently the amount of care she had displayed was not enough. The slight sounds filtering throughout the complex mapped the place easily for her--- but echolocation did not so conveniently come with labels. Some places were easy enough to understand--- she had learned that certain smells and sounds were associated with hospitals--- or was it clinics? Anyway, places for injured people. Smaller places were probably certain people's quarters, although apparently more important people may have the luxury of better, and sometimes in that vein, larger, rooms. There were spacious meeting rooms with no people inside, rooms that seemed to house the strange beeping and whirring that she had come to associate with 'technology'... and the rows and rows of corridors, including the one she was now in. She knew just where she was in relation to everywhere else... but that did not help her find her quarters.
In short, she was lost. She sighed a little to herself. What would her mentor think? Her first foray into the unknown and she was to be felled by the labyrinth of her allies. ...well, perhaps that was needlessly dramatic. Maybe she could simply just ask for directions--- there were people around, even if they were only a few. Perhaps there was something going on... well, if it needed her, they could call her... but she was not in her quarters. Urgh. She began looking for someone to talk to. A heartbeat--- that general body structure--- probably a man. She approached, slowly.
"Excuse me?" she said, attempting to catch his attention.
michael
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Post by michael on Jun 21, 2016 0:19:34 GMT
 The first words that fall out of Michael's mouth: "Are you lost?"
Then he mentally punches himself. Of course she's lost, she's been meandering the hallway for a little while before he had finally taken it upon himself to help her. He really thought that someone else would have stepped in. This is after all, a building filled with aliens, mutants, and humans who took it upon themselves to assist those weaker than them.
"Do you...er. Are you waiting for someone?" The woman doesn't have a seeing eye dog. She doesn't even have a cane. Michael doesn't mean to be rude, but it just doesn't feel right to leave her alone.
Justitia
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Post by Justitia on Jun 21, 2016 9:28:14 GMT
Before she could even follow up with her query, the man had preempted her; she was pleasantly surprised. Again, despite the sensory acuity that she had at her disposal, she did not immediately realize what the man must have thought, seeing her wandering--- she was not altogether conscious of how a blind woman without a cane or a seeing-eye dog must look like--- in fact the concepts of a cane or a seeing-eye dog were a bit foreign to her. In the village where she was from, after all, there was only one person who was blind--- and she did not need those things at all.
She merely made a small smile, and nodded. "Yes. I... do not quite remember the way to my quarters." she said, simply. She tilted her head a bit in confusion when he asked if she was waiting for someone. "Ah... no, I am not waiting for anyone." her light voice airily declared. She was but new here, and she had yet to make acquaintances she could wait for. "Why do you ask?"
"...you probably need something to know where my room is, right?" she rhetorically asked. And so, because she didn't really know yet that there were such things as room numbers, she elected to go with introducing herself. "I am Julia... and I am called Justitia."
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Post by michael on Jun 22, 2016 3:24:50 GMT
"You're a new recruit?" The situation clears up for Michael. She probably didn't need accommodations if she's expected to chase criminals across the streets of Kingsport. But even those who could see could do with some help, sometimes. "I thought you were a visiting relative. I see a lot of them wandering the compound on weekends."
He pulls an iPad out of his briefcase. It was simple to pull up all the non-classified information on Justitia. Michael sweats a little when he sees the ranking. 'A' recruits were relatively rare, assigned for either their power, fame, or loyalty. If he doesn't know who Justitia is, then...
Suddenly the blind girl seems a hundred times more intimidating.
"You're on the B side of the compound. Which isn't any different from the A side, other than the really nice view of the--" Shit. "Sorry. I didn't remember - I didn't mean anything by it."
Keep talking yourself into a hole, Michael.
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Jun 26, 2016 10:06:33 GMT
Post by Justitia on Jun 26, 2016 10:06:33 GMT
Justitia had super senses. That meant she noticed how the man seemed daunted with her, when he had looked up just who she was.
"...is everything all right?" she ended up asking; she was uncertain how knowing her identity was supposed to be scary; she was just a new recruit, after all.
He begins talking, first, about where they were... the B side, huh. He begins to mention something about them being similar besides a view... for a moment, again, she was unsure why he apologized, and then, at least with this thing, connected the dots.
"Please do not be sorry, Mister...?" she said, realizing at that very moment that she did not quite have the helpful man's name. "In fact, it would be good if you could tell me about the view in detail." she opined.
"I haven't always been blind." she shared, and tried a small smile to try to reassure him. She wasn't very practiced in smiling, though.
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Post by michael on Jun 27, 2016 5:12:02 GMT
If she didn't mind, then Michael shouldn't make a big deal either. If there was anything that business school was good for, it was teaching introverts how to smooth over socially awkward situations.
"Yes-- of course. I'm Michael, I work at the HR department here. So basically I sign your payrolls and handle your damage insurance claims." Hopefully, Justitia won't have many of those. For the sake of Kingsport, but also for the sake of friendship. "It's - it's a very clear-cut skyline. Nothing's organic after fifty meters, except for the occasional flying hero." It took him awhile to get used to the people zooming past his office window. "You can see Justice Square from here, and some families are picnicking on the grass." It looked prettier from up here. Up close, Michael can imagine that the lawn is infested with insects. "Some college-aged tourists are taking a picture of this building."
Michael pauses. "Was it an accident?" Maybe it's rude to ask, but it would be ruder to ignore what she just shared. "So -- how do you get around?"
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Post by Justitia on Jun 28, 2016 1:50:59 GMT
"Well met, Mister Michael." she said, simply. "Payrolls? Insurance?" ...she had a lot of questions. Hopefully Michael wouldn't be too overwhelmed.
She did ask for a description, but she didn't understand a couple of things about it. Another thing she should have probably thought of. "What is... a skyline?" she ventured. Nothing organic? She had a slight idea, going here... there had been a lot of buildings that she had heard and felt... perhaps a skyline was seeing all those buildings, or something related?
"And Justice Square, too." she asked with the slightest hint of embarrassment in her tone--- she was also curious why it was named that way, and what else it had besides grass and picnicking. Well, she could... probably pick up the sounds of said square from here... there was some sort of monument at the middle? And it was somewhat familiar...
"...well." she began, with her turn to answer. "It is... a curse that came with my taking the mantle of Justitia." That probably didn't explain much, but Julia didn't know that. "I... hear and feel well enough." she said.
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Post by michael on Jul 1, 2016 15:59:35 GMT
Ahh, Michael envies the kind of young innocence that spares Justitia from knowing anything about payrolls and insurance.
"Well, the Initiative is paying for your labor. We're also covering any accidental damages that you might incur during your operations. So while the city would really appreciate it if you tried not to topple any buildings, you're not going to end up bankrupt if you put yourself on the line of duty." Michael will never get used to saying it. Nobody else in the world would be able to get away with such extremities. "Please try not to cause too much property damage." He winces. Every day, he prays that a hero he works with has something relatively harmless, but that was rarely ever the case with the higher ranked folks.
"A skyline is literally the place where the buildings touch the sky." He's tempted to tell Justitia not to worry about it, but he doesn't. "Justice Square is a plaza in front of City Hall. A lot of families use it on their weekends off, as well as public servants who are trying to get to work in the morning." He takes his touring really seriously. After all, heroes needed to know exactly what they're trying to protect, instead of getting tunnel vision about stopping the villains.
"A curse?" That sounds pretty bad. "But you chose it for yourself?"
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Post by Justitia on Jul 3, 2016 3:54:03 GMT
She listened closely as Mister Michael explained.
Paying--- ah, money.
Back home the elders took care of everything, and despite her skills in fighting she was rather clueless in those sorts of affairs--- although of course she did know that money was used to gain things, and jobs were paid with money. So Mister Michael was in charge of those things.
"Topple buildings?" The other part of his job... that... 'insurance' thing... apparently it meant paying for things they break while they were on the job? And it looked like it was a regular problem for Mister Michael, too, from how he spoke and how he moved as he said it.
She had yet to have a good idea of what other people in the Initiative could do, but remaking a toppled building must cost a lot. She could only probably topple a building if the opponent she was fighting could, but... "I'll try to do my best not to do so, Mister Michael." she said with utmost sincerity and seriousness.
She nodded as the man described what a skyline was, and what Justice Square was, mostly nodding as he did so. "What is that in the middle of the square?" she asked.
Then, it was her turn to answer his question. "I guess so." she said, nonchalantly. "The bearer of the mantle of Justitia must be impartial. The blindness is supposed to be a symbol of that, and a sacrifice as well." she explained solemnly.
...she did miss being able to see, but she wouldn't say that.
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Post by michael on Jul 6, 2016 14:00:27 GMT
Michael can feel a huge weight being lifted off of his shoulders. When the hero was young enough, these conversations often disintegrated into tantrums. Especially if the Justicars got to them first.
"It's a statue of Lady Justice. I don't know more than that, though." He scratches his head sheepishly. "If there was any class I could have slept through, it would have been history." Not that he did, but if he had to pick a subject...
He gives Justitia a strange look. "But... surely you can be impartial and committed without being cursed?" Then he realizes that she's the one being massively inconvenienced, not him. That was uncharitable of him.
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Post by Justitia on Jul 8, 2016 5:10:56 GMT
"Lady Justice?"
At this the young hero perked up, ever so slightly. "This Lady Justice... does she have scales and a sword?" she asked, with just a little more enthusiasm than what she had been using a while ago.
At Michael's question, a mild pall descended upon Julia's face. "Perhaps." she conceded. "Still, it is tradition--- and the price the one who goes by Justitia pays for the power she wields." Her voice held no doubt, although perhaps she had tempered it to be so. "At the very least it is a constant reminder."
"...may you direct me to my quarters now?" she asked. She changed the topic--- perhaps she was discomfited.
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Post by michael on Jul 12, 2016 8:26:26 GMT
"Maybe?" It was all carved out of one slab of stone. Michael never looked at it that closely. Now he feels bad, since the girl was actually interested in the pretentious thing. He tries to squint beyond the window. "I can take a look the next time I pass by the statue?"
He recognizes a request to 'shut up' when he hears one. "Yes, right away Justitia." He takes her to the dormitories, which is co-ed. Obviously indicated by the sleepy heroes in their slippers who are somehow getting up for work at 1pm, but maybe not so obvious to a blind girl.
"The rooms are equipped with basic amenities. If you want to order any more furniture, then the housing services staff should be able to help you." He pauses. "There are heroes of all genders in this part of the compound. If you prefer female housing, that can also be arranged with the staff, though you will also have to talk to HR in order to finalize address changes."
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Post by Justitia on Jul 14, 2016 9:06:23 GMT
"That would be great. I could... also inspect it more closely." she responded, in regards to the monument. She was curious if the Lady Justice was... something related to her office.
They proceeded to her quarters in a silence that was just a bit awkward. As they walked, she wondered if she should say something--- while her intention was merely to veer away from that particular topic, she might have offended him with the abrupt change.
Inevitably they reach her room. She listened as he explained the details about this particular portion of the compound. "I do not believe I have any problems with the housing. Thank you." she said, simply, still unsure what to say about their cut-off dialogue, earlier.
He mentioned something about furniture... well, it was not furniture, per se, that she was going to ask about... "Could I... ask for silk sheets?" she inquired. It was not because of luxury--- her senses were just hard to pacify into sleep with normal blankets and bedsheets. She would explain if he asked why.
"...Mister Michael." she finally decided. "I apologize for my... interrupting you earlier." she spoke. "It might have been perfectly natural for me, the curse that I accepted--- but I suppose it might be outlandish to others."
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Post by michael on Jul 27, 2016 0:00:56 GMT
Oh no, she apologized. Now Michael is the one who feels guilty.
"N-no, I didn't mean it like that!" He scratches the back of his head. "I just thought it was unfortunate that your...mantle had taken something from you. Especially when you're risking so much to be a hero already."
He thinks about her request a little. Michael supposes that Amazon would be a little difficult to navigate for the visually impaired. "I'll submit a request for you. After that, you should be able to reach the staff. I can put their number in your speed dial, if you would like?"
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Post by Justitia on Aug 9, 2016 11:47:09 GMT
"Ah." she makes a sound.
She didn't... quite consider that. She thought, that the blindness, along the risk, was proportionate enough to the powers she carried--- but it was something to think about. "I am grateful that you think that, Mister Michael." she murmurs.
It is true that Julia would probably have a hard time dealing with computers, which provided information usually via images, although it could be configured with sound... and there is the problem that never mind not knowing Amazon, she did not even know what a computer was. She understands that he was submitting her request, though. The staff, she comprehends, too. But...
"Thank you. ...but, Mister Michael... what is speed dial?"
Ah, and she does not know that, either.
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