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She supposed what she admired most about her parents, their boundless activism, was that they seemed to find the beauty in everything - every day, every cause, every person. There was something to love about yourself, and those around you, but sometimes it took work to find it. It was easy to draw a path from that philosophy to her good nature and the laid-back way she treated her peers. But Palmyra was a homely city by nature. The buildings were mere cubes stacked upon cubes, with artless neon and xenon for splashes of color, like trying to disguise stale bread with cake frosting. Hasta was cosmopolitan as Sanctum Cities went, so she recognized one sign in three, likely more than most of the other girls present. 

But the signs she read only discouraged her further. [color=ec008c][i]Grocery. Cab depot. Grocery. Accountant. School. Hospital. Library. Hospital. Restaurant! ...Accountant.[/i][/color] 

Obviously, there was plenty of representation for the world's one true universal church - the pizza joint. She even saw a few cafes, such as they were. But they were wedged in between other [i]structures[/i] (which was all they were) and lacked patios, let alone rooftop views. She could count the number that were actually on a street corner on one hand. But pan pizza and cappuccinos were for binging with her study group, not a replacement for nightlife. She looked for telltale signs of arcades or little hole in the wall bars, the kinds of places that she had grown up sneaking into with friends, but nothing jumped out. The city was a den of brutalism; the rare peeks she got of its inner workings were cold and lifeless. Even Astrelle - who was doing her best to make the other girls think she lived up to those descriptors - must have been miserable, she mused. This was a far cry from what she remembered of Valentia too.

So it was that Nicole, whose humor and vibe had seemed indefatigable even at their emotional nadir during the attack, spent most of their first ride through Palmyra in contemplative, almost sullen silence. 

[color=39b54a]"So there's the answer to 'what happens when you make a barracks into an entire city. And here I thought Ciscia's D-Fens Quarter was ugly and blocky."[/color]

[color=gold]“Yeah, I guess it’s not much to look at. But, when ya think about it, it’s really the people inside the buildings that count."[/color]

Nicole mustered a half smile at the sentiment - and at the image of her mom spoiling Dana the way she'd spoiled all her other friends - but the most she could muster was a quiet [color=ec008c]"Yeah..."[/color]

[color=39b54a]"You're hopelessly cheerful, aren't you?"[/color] Penny was saying to Dana. [color=39b54a]"Eh, as long as they have a decent pizza joint in town, I'm fine with it."[/color]

[color=ec008c]"I've seen a few so far,"[/color] Nicole assured her, but after that she remained withdrawn from the conversation.

The checkup cheered her up a bit. She was polite to the technicians, and they were polite back; soon, she was able to make a couple joke during her blood draw. By the time she was undergoing her examination the ennui had faded to the point where she was even able to hit on her doctor, who deflected her with a smile and professional grace. It was probably for the best. It would never work. She was in her late twenties, and a doctor for the military - clearly, a woman in such a [i]lax, carefree[/i] position would never be able to handle Nicole's skill on the Dance Til Sunrise pad at the arcade, or withstand her high-intensity erotic brofists. 

She smiled and thought of home, and of all the times her Prince Charming's eyes of molten gold had rolled into their sockets at her antics. She swore, leaving the hospital, that she would keep making the best of all this. The other girls would probably need her help to do the same.

Her new attitude, same as the old attitude, was on full display when they finally arrived at their dorms. She was going to be living with Astrelle, a realization she had audibly laughed at when the arrangements were made. Odds were she'd be covered with a pillow and hacked to death while sleeping in a few months, but in the meantime, Nicole was going to make the most of it. As soon as they stepped through the portal and into their own home, she was breezing through the place with the same effervescence she had glided up and down their beleaguered vessel with. The bed was a little small, but about what she would have expected from any university. The kitchenette was much more her speed, and she quickly began inspecting the cabinets to see what kind of dinnerware was available to them, testing burners on the stove, the ice maker in the fridge, all the usual things. Not that she expected Nova Lux to leave anything lacking, but...

...well, after her first glimpses of Palmyra, she'd [s]totally[/s] [i]almost[/i] expected shit to be lacking.

[color=ec008c]"Nooo [i]shit,[/i]"[/color] she exclaimed playfully once she had stepped out of their bathroom. Her grin was so wide it had almost caused her nose to wrinkle. [color=ec008c]"It's a real shower. With glass and everything. I was starting to think we'd get, like, a prison shower or something."[/color]