A dingy boat and a somber haze did little to dampen Sloane's spirits. Even if it didn't look it at the moment, this was after all basically a tropical vacation. No homework, no sparring, no tests, no expectations or responsibilities. Just relaxation in the summer sun of an island paradise. There were a few chores and things, she knew, but she also knew from Ms. Opal's frantic repetition that there ought to be only a fourth as much as the student body, sixteen teens strong, might typically be assigned. At that point, some do-good go-getter like Kathy, Cameron, Evan, or Tony would probably do it all. That meant a good long while without having to do much of anything, which sounded like a welcome change from the constant stress of school life. After a hellish flight from America to the Mediterranean, she could definitely use it.

The ferry trip passed by uneventfully. Extremely uneventfully, even. Stiff and bored, Sloane sulked about the passenger area with an ornery look on her face, warning everyone else to steer clear. Judea's company she didn't mind, but just about everyone else was not only either a dork or a jerk, but also her competition. They were the people she was to measure up to and surpass, and here they all were getting ready for a nice communal vacation like normal people. [i]That's not going to fly.[/i] Of course, out of everyone poor Ms. Opal was the worst off. Sloane pitied the woman, so suffocated by anxiety. It didn't stir her into a babbling busybody like it did for the teacher, but Sloane could relate. Pressure bore down on the both of them, like the weight of the ocean on a deep-sea submarine. Some people -idiots- thought of Opal, and even Sloane herself, as cracked, but they knew nothing of the kind of toll it took to be and do not just their best, but [i]the[/i] best. Unfortunately for Opal, it looked like what would be a time of relief for Sloane would be a time of suffering for her. [i]Godspeed, miss,[/i] Sloane thought.

Time wore on until the ship's bell heralded land. Rays of sun finally started to pierce the fog, and Sloane lifted her weary head. “About time,” she grouched, getting to her feet. She stopped briefly to grab her travel case, loop her arms through the straps, and settle it on her back. Given the remarkable heat at both point of departure and destination, that crimson coat of hers seemed more and more useless, but there it was stuffed into an exterior pocket regardless. She slipped a mirror from a pocket and took a quick look at herself. From an early age she'd learned to associate success and perfection with attractiveness, and so even in cruddy situations like this, she paid close attention to her appearance. Even with the oversized backpack she managed to look good, but her reflection only made herself depressed. [i]Awful. It's a wonder anyone can stand looking at me.[/i] She stood there, miserable, until Opal called everyone to order. Sloane gave a slight sigh but complied without further complaint. The teacher then pronounced her certainty that the students had read her book on the island. Sloane blinked. “Uh, yeah.” Reading was something she enjoyed anyway, and history in particular struck her as interesting. She couldn't speak for the others, though. 

Like the others Sloane glanced out at the terrain at Opal's prompting. What she saw surprised her almost as much as it did Opal, since she read the book and all, but Sloane hid it a whole lot better. “Huh.” Not only was the place simultaneously restored and overgrown, but something wasn't quite right. These weren't at all the sort of plants outlined in the book. Deadpan, she extended a hand to place on Opal's shoulder to try and assuage her mounting stress. One deep breath and shaky smile later the teacher attempted to move on, trusting the students to wait in line for her signals to depart. Sloane planned to do it, since she didn't want to let the teacher down, a few of her peers had other plans and once the dam broke, nothing stayed behind. Moving with the others and maintaining her frosty glare, Sloane advanced into the age-old marina without spotting any kind of welcome committee. No DWMA personnel, no local contacts, not even any pushy hawkers. “Hot day to get a cold shoulder,” she muttered, looking around with furrowed brows. Everyone in this place looked dull and lifeless, even the security guards, who let the newcomers right through their checkpoint. “Way to make an effort,” she scolded as she passed through. “We're all armed, by the way.”

From there the weird stuff just compounded. Neither Sloane nor the others were strangers to strangeness, given their monster-hunting duties as meisters and weapons, and for her part Sloane didn't care if nobody cared about her. [i]No judgmental glances and disappointed looks. A nice change of pace.[/i] It got to Opal pretty badly though, especially when she tried approaching a few locals for help and got zilch for her efforts. Looking pretty close to a breakdown, she bravely outlined a plan before taking a brief detour to a nearby drinking fountain for water.

A drink sounded pretty good to Sloane right now too, but this fountain seemed...odd. Various warning signs seemed plastered around it, though 'keep out' was an unusual thing to say about a drinking fountain. Opal, bless her heart, went right for it. Sloane watched as she stood up, ready to get the trip back on track, and turned into a sheep.

Sloane blinked twice, and raised her eyebrows. “Whoa.” One of the dudes, a guy who looked familiar but whom she'd never interacted with, took the sensible route. He tried to talk to sheep-Opal, but she exhibited no overt understanding. [i]Great.[/i] Then Arle -Sloane knew her for sure- pointed out the ferry, sliding away from the docks out to sea. They were trapped. [i]Double great.[/i] 

Meanwhile Evan had started babbling, heroically taking charge to unite everyone against the nonexistent panic, then offered everyone a compassionate shoulder for all to lean on. Like these people weren't all able combatants who hunted down and killed evil souls. Everyone else was just talking among themselves, alerted but hardly afraid. [i]So awkward.[/i] Sloane groaned. “Uuugh, pipe down already. We'll live somehow.” 

Proceeding carefully in search of the local DWMA chapter seemed to be the order of the day. Sloane scowled, practically feeling her chances of a peaceful vacation slipping through her fingers. “Ugh.” If nobody else did, she resolved to grab and carry the sheep, feeling like she owed Opal more than most. For the moment Sloane crossed her arms, looking around for Judea. Where was she?