Chapter Text
“Dammit!”
She slept through her alarm.
“On the first day too!”
She glanced at her watch. She only had about 15 minutes to get to class.
Deciding to leave her morning coffee on the table, she rushed out of the apartment, and sprinted towards campus.
Kepler University.
After an unexpected turn of events, the Eusan Nation and Empire decided to work out their differences, signing the Vineta Accords.
The Empire acknowledged the sovereignty of the Nation and its people, in exchange for the return of Vineta.
This led to the decommission of the Penrose Project, leading Ariane to reconsider her future.
Thanks to Isa and Erika, she persevered through her studies, and managed to get accepted into one of the most prestigious universities in Rotfront.
The end of the revolution also led the Nation to loosen its grip on education, letting art and creativity roam free once more, to the delight of the young undergraduate.
Luckily for her, Kepler University once was a very prominent place for art expositions, which meant that she didn’t have any trouble finding a major who suited her.
But her luck ended here.
Rushing through the still-empty paths of the campus, she cursed her sleepy nature.
Her first class was in an amphitheater, around the topic of reconstruction and innovation.
Strangely enough, no one was in the corridors.
But she didn’t have time to think about it.
She had to find the room first.
Pulling her phone out in a frenzy, she brought up the blurry campus map.
And after a few minutes of searching, she finally found the right room.
Out of breath, sweating, she came into an almost empty amphitheater.
“A new arrival ! Please take a seat, we haven’t started yet.”
Ariane just nodded in approval.
Did she manage to get in before the bell ?
A few minutes passed. No bell rang.
Nothing.
The course started calmly.
Searching her bag for a notebook, she realized that not only did she sacrifice her morning coffee, she also let it warm her books.
She only had a few wrinkled sketch papers.
That would have to do for the next hour.
An hour that felt like an eternity.
It was interesting, but it was so dense, the gestalt thought that her mind would implode from the amount of facts that was thrown at her.
The lack of a notebook only worsened the pain.
Finally out, she rushed back to her apartment.
Her coffee was still warm thanks to the thermos.
The hot beverage kicked her system awake. She really did need the caffeine to start her day.
Not forgetting her notebooks, she went out once more.
The next course was in an hour.
She could go check the library for some art references.
The university campus was bigger than she could have ever imagined.
From a library, to a swimming pool, or even a fully-equipped garage for the mechanics students, Kepler University was geared.
The library was twice the size of Mandelbrot.
And they had an art section !
From well-known artists, to aspiring painters, it had everything she could ever need.
But before she could check in greater detail, it was time to go back to class.
This time it was a practical class.
They were redoing the basics.
It was tedious. But it made Ariane happy. She never felt so free while drawing.
She could never express her emotions before, afraid that she would be judged.
But now, it was her unending source of inspiration.
The bell rang.
It was lunch break.
The time that Ariane dreaded a little.
She was all alone here.
Erika had decided to undertake studies in order to become a shopkeeper, while Isa went to a different university.
Taking her courage in two hands, she headed for the mess hall.
It was filled with rows and rows of tables, quickly being taken by faculty members.
Still uneasy, she nevertheless went in the queue.
Quickly, she had her hands full with a tray of mashed potatoes with a meat stew, alongside a sweet yoghurt and a piece of bread.
When she got her head together, she went searching for a place to sit.
Most of the people had been eating in groups, leaving few tables for two.
But luckily, she found a spot near a window overlooking the campus.
Finally getting to lay down the heavy tray, she let out a sigh of relief.
Everything seemed brand new.
Looking around, there really was no one eating alone.
Ariane felt a little lonely, but she was used to it.
Pulling out her phone, she checked what she had to study in the afternoon.
There was a history class, and another practical right after.
It would be tiresome.
As she was about to eat, a voice called out to her.
“Hello ? Is that seat taken ?”
“Huh ?”
The gestalt turned her head. It was a replika.
“Uh, not at all. Feel free to sit here.”
“Thanks.”
Ariane was confused.
First of all. Why would a replika eat with her ?
Second of all. Why was there a replika studying here ? Didn’t they already have all the skills programmed in them ?
“It’s a big campus isn’t it ?” remarked the replika.
“Huh ? Oh yeah, that surprised me.”
“What’s your name ?”
“I’m Ariane. And you ?”
“My name’s Elster. Nice to meet you, Ariane.”
“Likewise.”
Eating while contemplating the view, the two of them didn’t talk much, but Ariane managed to get key information about the replika.
Ariane learned that Elster was a ship technician for the Penrose Project, but with the latter being scrapped, all replikas part of the project were sent here to learn more general skills.
“I volunteered for the project back then. I wanted to get away from it all,” added Ariane.
“Really ? I guess, with the war over, that life has become easier for everyone.”
“Yeah. It would have been interesting to see the stars though.”
The replika chuckled.
“Wouldn’t it be lonely to see the stars in space ?”
“Well, I would have been accompanied by an LSTR unit like you, so I doubt it.”
“Oh, that’s right. But you wouldn’t have been able to do that even if you wanted to.”
“How so ?”
“We LSTR units aren’t very good with people.”
“Oh…”
Ariane didn’t think so.
The LSTR unit before her was very friendly.
And she was kinda cute.