{PRV}Cracking Codes

    Finding her dorm room had been relatively easy, as was expected. Simple navigation, despite the momentary distractions the school had already provided. From the boy who saw fit to wreck the entrance hall, to the girl who shared a pyxis dorm and was practicing her violin skills when Eve had happened upon her. Their conversation was short for the most part and the red head was freed soon after to continue on her way. It had taken only an hour to unpack her things which left the rest of the day to do with as she pleased. It had her gathering the various orange-yellow packets that contained work sent with her from the lab. While Foresta was more than capable of teaching her all that she need to know in normal regards, there were other topics her project supervisors wished for her to have a firm grasp of. As the subject of this project, she would continue to receive packages such as these for the duration of her stay at the school.

    It became apparent Eve would have the entire dorm room to herself, at least for a while. The lack of significant personal markers from the other side of the room indicated no one had been placed there yet, which was neither good nor bad for the red head. She could survive with or without a room mate, it made little difference in either case. With her packets gathered and a mental picture of the school map burned into the forefront of her mind, Eve left the room with a turn of the key and began down the various flights of stairs. She turned when needed or remained straight otherwise. There was only one location in Foresta she had an actual desire to see with her own eyes, and that was the library. She’d heard they had an impressive collection, but perhaps more importantly the library offered her a space where she could accurately achieve the goal of finishing the work she was provided with in a timely manner. She would be getting multiple of them a day and expected to send them out in a timely fashion.

    Upon reaching the library, Eve had to come to stop near the entrance once she got inside. Green eyes fell upon row after row of books, larger even than the collection located at the lab where she was born. Simply from looking at the shelves, she estimated that the library held enough books that they numbered into the hundreds of the thousands. An exact number would be impossible to surmised without looking at every shelf. Adjusting the papers in her hand she moved through the library, avoiding eye contact with anyone else who might be here studying. Rounding a collection of hard back encyclopedias, there was a bit of a closed off area with four tables that were currently vacant. Eve took up residence at the nearest one, laying the packets on the table in front of her in a neat row before taking a seat in one of the wooden chairs.

    A breath passed through the red heads lips, reaching forward and opening the first packet. What she pulled out were a number of pages, but the first clarified that this packet contained work for cracking a code. Doing so, would be left squarely up to Eve and she was not permitted the use of a computer. Though outwardly she did not smile in her relief, she was glad for that much. Computers often slowed her down. Looking through the pages there were several that were completely blank and more that had a jumbled up code on it that most could not make heads or tails of. An invisible force picked up the remaining three packets and stacked them on the far edge of the table while at the same time the pages that were both blank and holding the code were laid out before her. A pencil floated up from the dark leather bag still thrown over her shoulder so that a slender hand could reach out and grab it.

    Green eyes that displayed their strange glow in a soft manner, focused upon the page and began writing the code out for herself. At some point she had begun to mutter to herself, thinking out loud while still remaining at a quiet level. ”They could have used a twenty one letter alphabet, but this one is twenty four.” She remarked, having counted into the code numerically. ”Each letter is assigned a bit string of five binary digits. This combination can yield thirty two possibilities.” Her pencil seemed to fly across the page, her eyes flickering to the code and to her hand work every few seconds. ”Computer generated, quicker to do it long hand until I found the right one.”

If Graham was older, the Pyxis student would have easily picked self-study for most of his class options. It seemed as though every single time one of his teachers assigned an actual book to read, it felt more like a hassle then a learning experience - mostly because 9 times out 10 it was something he's already read before.

Stepping into Foresta's obscenely large library, the young man avoided eye contact with a majority of the students he passed by - his fingers tapping slowly against his left jean pocket as he navigated his way through the fiction section. Eyes moving quick, darting from each title - it was within mere seconds that Graham managed to find what he was looking for. A book required for one of the only English classes he was actually taking this semester.

Glancing over it, Graham entertained the thought of just taking a seat somewhere in the library to read through it instead of bothering to walk all the way back to his dorm room and then back here in an hour to return the damned thing. Eyes narrowed, Graham ran his fingers over the cover and then proceeded to take a few steps out of the aisle he was in to get a better look of the library to see how crowded it was.

Naturally, there were students coming and going, but there was only a soft noise of whispers traveling around as students who were studying leaned in close to each other to discuss their findings - not intent on interrupting the people around them. Feeling relaxed at this, Graham moved to one of the few large cushioned chairs that weren't being used by anyone else. As he did so, his eyes landed on brilliant red hair and the young man took a deep breath - hesitation obvious in his own demeanor as he took one more second to admire the color before taking a seat.

Eyes narrowed once more at the book in front of him, several different predictions about the rest of his day started to dance through his mind - the dancing stopping momentarily as Graham looked up once more toward the owner of the red hair. Whoever it was, their actual face was shielded from view, but as the young man silently admired the figure - Graham's power accidentally started to snap into motion.

Catching bits and piece of the girls ramblings, for a teenager that much preferred his own company as opposed to everyone else's - Graham found himself slowly growing curious.

[ooc; he's kind of just staring at her right now, if she turns around. xD]

As the content of the code came together, revealing the words hidden behind the jumbled mess, Eve began to realize this wasn’t simply a one answer all task. It was not an innocent message, but rather a story. Or at least it appeared a sort of story, short as it may be. With each new paragraph deciphered, she was able to determine that there were at least two separate authors. “There are various idiosyncratic words, phrases, punctuation, and orthography.” The red head muttered, a slender hand coming up and pushing a stray hair out of her face as she continued to work on the coding, underlining or circling the key components of the each paragraph. ”Consistent with each separate person.” Her hand flew across the paper, completely absorbed in her work.

Absorbed as she was, it did not stop the red head from realizing she was not entirely alone. The library was indeed full of people, hushed whispers wafting around her ears yet the sound of a metal springs and cloth giving way just behind her echoed louder than anything else in her ears. She did not turn to see this person, for what was on her work pages was far more interesting at the moment. ”Soda…Pop. Dashes…ellipsis.” Her pencil marked each one in the paragraph, then moved back to figuring out the code before reading what that code hide away from prying eyes.

Then a snap broke the young woman’s concentration. A breath passed through her lips as Eve sat back in her chair, the lead on her pencil had broken off, perhaps from baring down too hard as she wrote. Setting it aside her hands dug into the bag laying at her side still. After a few moments of rooting around for the pencil sharpener she was almost certain she had brought, narrowed her gaze and pulled her hand out with each individual item she had carried with her. The floated by the will of an invisible force, yet none of the items were the one she was looking for. Realizing this, the items neatly filed back into the confines of her bag and she slid her chair out, standing up from the table and taking her pencil back up in her hand. It was this point she was able to turn around and take notice of the gentleman who’d taken up the cushioned seat behind her.

There was but a moment and three steps the separated the action of noticing him and the one it took to engage him in speech. ”Excuse me sir, is there a pencil sharpener located here in the library for student use?” Despite her limited interaction with anyone, manners had been drilled into her interaction sequence. Learned nearly subconsciously, recorded into the memory banks of her advanced mind. It a matter of seconds she had already logged his race, and distinct facial structure. If he cared to introduce himself, his name would never be forgotten. Stored away safely, until Eve drew her last breath.

The red head continued on with talking out loud and Graham frowned thoughtfully, the bits and pieces turning into a puzzle in his own mind. It was then though that a snap happened and Graham jumped slightly in surprise, having focused so much on the girl - Graham had been unintentionally using his power and what would have seemed like a simple quiet crack of lead was like a thunderous roar for Graham.

Reeling from the momentary shock, Graham didn't realize that the girl he had been listening too stood up and spoke to him until the word sir drifted through his ear canal. Seeming dazed, Graham nodded "There's plenty scattered about, I think the last one I saw was over there." In a fluid motion, Graham pointed toward the librarians desk that was planted quite a few feet away from the two. Various pens and pencils were places in a writing utensil holder, next to them a small mechanical sharpener.

Looking back toward Eve, Graham examined the girl briefly before speaking once more. "Were you trying to decode something?" Normal social behavior dictated that this was rude and way to blunt to ask, but Graham found it difficult tip toeing around subjects when he would much rather just get to the point.

    It seemed to take a moment for the unnamed man to really notice her, as though he’d been utterly preoccupied with something else. With a half dazed expression, the boy turned his gaze upward to her with a slight nod in understanding. He responded in kind, explaining there were many about but the nearest one was across the way sitting upon the Liberian’s desk with a single pointed motion. Green eyes that displayed their unique characteristic glowed softly in the lighting, barely visible but flushing the tips of her bangs and cheek bones in a green tint. Eve took but a second to appraise the location of the sharpener and all things that surrounded it, which may have prompted the other to ask his question. It had the red head turning her gaze back upon him, head tilted just slightly while her gaze pinned him in an unblinking fashion. A lot about Eve was somewhat off putting, but none of it really resonated as being malicious.

    Although she had attempted to be quiet it would seem her muttering had not gone undetected, for his question revolved around the work she had been given by her handler. A distinct look of indifference colored her pale features though, the mistake made did not escape her. ”Oh, I apologize if I was bothering you.” She offered with a shallow bow of her head, right hand still clutching the broken pencil. When she rose back up to a proper standing position she peered upon him once more, realizing his question might deserve an answer. ”Yes.” It was simple and to the point, failing to realize it might actually need more explanation than that. ”Please excuse me.” Eve offered another shallow bow, perhaps indicating where she might be from in the process before she walked over to the desk and began the process of sharpening her writing utensil.

    This wasn’t something that the young woman could do in one go apparently. Several times she examined the fine point of her pencil, but did not seem satisfied with it and continued to sharpen it until she was. A good thing too, for the Liberian was already giving her the stink eye. Passing the unnamed boy again, Eve realized she had made an error in not introducing herself, as manners dictated. So she came to halt before him before she spoke. ”Thank you for your assistance. I am designated as Eve.”

Their short interaction left Graham feeling slightly bemused, the red heads apology seeming more obligatory than anything else. Moving his dark eyes from her pencil and back to her when she bowed her head, the young man looked away awkwardly for a moment - only nodding when the girl excused herself.

As she did, Graham's gaze followed her figure - taking in the outline of her body slowly as she seemed to wage a small battle with the pencil sharpener. Looking away as she finished though, Graham moved his attention back to the book that was in his hands - realizing that he was having a lot more trouble focusing today then he usually did.

It was when Eve introduced herself that Graham looked naturally surprised. He just assumed that there wasn't going to be any interaction on either of their parts. "Why do you say designated?" Graham asked the girl then. "I'm Graham," The teen found himself saying then - surprised by his own willingness to announce himself to this girl.

    A [look of surprise colored the boy’s face when she spoke to him again. His gaze was torn from the book he held in his hands to her once more, perhaps thinking she would not speak to him again. While that might be true for some it was not entirely so for Eve. It had been drilled in to her that interacting with another and not giving your name was considered rude, and she would be anything but. First, he questioned why she introduced herself the way she did, quickly followed by his own name which fell upon her ears and was logged away for use if ever their paths were to meet again.

    Remaining before him her own eyes peered upon him, considering the question for a moment. ”Eve is the name I was granted. I did not choose it, therefore, I have been designated by this title.” She explained, wondering then if most picked their own names themselves? After all, most introduced themselves much like he had just moments prior. ”Did you choose your name?” Having only ever interacted with a handful of people for her entire existence, she was being asked new questions that helped to shape who and what she might expect when no one knew nothing about her.

The metaphorical gears in Graham's head whirled quickly as Eve responded to his questions. In one way, she seemed robotic to him - it wasn't necessarily a bad thing though, his hormone filled mind and body just accepted that as being a natural part of her personality. Only a millisecond passed and Graham nodded easily, "That makes sense then."

Her question for him caused the boy to shake his head, "My mothers picked it out for me." It wasn't something he normally told people, since the subject of names and who picked those names didn't really get brought up that much in any sort of conversation he had with people. He opened his mouth briefly and then shut it then, catching himself before he explained that one of his mom's liked to call him her sweet little graham cracker. Wincing at the thought, Graham turned his attention back on Eve completely. "It's pretty customary for humans to not be able to pick our own names though," Graham said thoughtfully to the girl. Another second passed and Graham briefly wondered if the girl was even human.

She may have an outward human appearance, but in this day and age it was hard to tell. Watching the girl, Graham just couldn't resist his next question - "You are a human, aren't you?"

[ooc; I'm so so so so sorry this took SO long. ;_; Please forgive me all powerful Hybrid! I got caught up with working and working and more working and some RL stuff (like accidentally getting back into Magic the Gathering) I HOPE YOU LIKE MY POST THOUGH <3 ]

    Graham nodded to her, stating that her reasoning for introducing herself the way she did made sense to him. Perhaps for the first time since stepping foot on Foresta grounds, a genuine smile found it’s way to her features. To anyone else, that was probably mundane and not worth noting. However, if anyone knew anything about Eve it was that she lacked a ‘proper’ sense of humor, had difficulty grasping even the most basic of emotions, and rarely - rarely smiled. It was rare because knew what praise was and when at what moment she would be granted it. This in part came from dealing with the same handful of handlers and scientist that brought her to life. They treated her as an asset above everything and rarely gave genuine encouragement. For the first time in her life, Graham had surprised her with praise - albeit small, but it counted. The smile was emotionally charged, perhaps a step in the right direction that this entire ordeal was supposed to be for.

    As quickly as it came however, the smile vanished when the boy began to speak again in regards to the simple question she had posed. His exact phrasing had the red head tilting her head just slightly, a clear analytical sort of look crossing her face. The sort of look someone had when they were trying to figure out a difficult puzzle. ”Mothers?” She inquired, her features remaining for the most part devoid of any sign that she approved or disapproved. To her, it was simply something new. You see, the program that made her gave her extensive knowledge of a very wide range of topics - you’d think sexuality might be one of them consider her biological age. Well, you’d be wrong. Eve was perfectly aware it took male and female to create new life but wasn’t aware not everyone lived of that lifestyle. The disconnect came from the understanding that two females could not make a child and thus - how could Graham be sitting here now? Forgetting of course, children could be adopted in lieu of this new fact he’d inadvertently presented to her.

    This was all quickly pushed to the side as the discussion returned to it’s original founding. He explained that it was not usually customary for human to choose their own names, which only lend validity to Eve chosen introduction. Then, suddenly, before she could begin to ask another question Graham seemed intent to give her one to answer as well. A rather straightforward question that required no complex thought at all. ”No.” She stated simply. ”I am an artificially created life form based in the genetic code of another person. That person was considered by standard definition as ‘mutant’. A sub variation of homo sapiens than can not be identified as an entirely different species due to our ability to procreate with the ‘true’ species.” But if he meant if she was flesh and blood, of course. The only metal on her was the governer on the back of her neck regulating the strength of her power. If released in such unpredictable hands - the whole of Foresta might not be able to stop her.