Ah, right. Iza said the ATM would be at the destination, not here. Okay.

She walks up to the convenience stand, grabs a transit map, and checks whether it's free or costs money. Then she looks over the various racks to see if transit passes are available here, or if she needs to go to the train to figure that out. For that matter, does the map say anything about that?

It's free, clearly seperated from the rest of the items. 

There doesn't seem to be such a thing here. 

The map covers a mishmash of intracity routes, which seem to be handled separately from intercity ones, on different tracks and the like. After reading a while, it seems like there's just... not tickets for the intracity trips? There's a bit more complicated arrangement recommended for handling the safety considerations of intercity ones, recommending a trip planning website to book everything, and a note about being able to pay at the door if you really need to and quickly tap through some waiver stuff. 

Interesting. Okay, no need for tickets at the moment, then. She tucks the map into her bag and then strolls with Maya and Hailey over toward the Dragon line.

Following the signs is simple enough and the wait is brief.

The train arrives - all jet-black and silver against the tracks below. The seats are well appointed and plush, and the space wide enough to be comfortable. There's a few other people somewhere down the track, but they largely mind their own business' there. It settles, for a moment, and slips out a ramp. 

Soon enough, it's off along the line, twisting and turning through the streets and tunnels, a great humming power rumbling beneath in another new sense - One of Hailey's, you'd think. 

She smiles softly. <Let me know if I miss the announcement for Haven station, loves?>

After the others agree, she pulls out the notebook, flips to a blank page, and starts writing.

Hi!

We made it safely here, and this world has something like superheroes! It's really cool. We're on our way to the Terai center, some sort of organization that can handle newcomers with shiny powers. Did you make it through the trip okay?

Oh! I totally forgot to ask your name!

Maya, meanwhile, watches out the window with her eyes, and watches the minds go by around her with her psychic senses, and listens for station announcements.

Of course I did! I'm glad you like it from the start too. 

🤔I don't really have a name. We could figure one out, maybe?🤔

One thing that is perhaps a bit easy to forget is that Gardevoir are fairies too - so it's a little harder to get a real read of things through those powers. 

There's largely a hum of perhaps a dozen or two minds throughout the train, a gentle wash of weariness alongside some satisfaction and bubbling excitement and passing feelings of interactions, with the distant blurs of people's houses and lives beyond. 

It's nice to just feel the minds go by in a blur. She doesn't need details. She's just happy to enjoy the sense of presence.

Sounds like fun! What sorts of names seem nice to you? Some people take names inspired by flowers, or attributes, or colors, or all sorts of things.

I'm not sure! I like the idea of it being mysterious and exotic, but also easy to say! Want it to be cool but suave and "Ooh that sounds neat" but approachable, you know? 

Ah, a classic problem in name selection. Good things to want. Let's try some options... Caroline, Elizabeth, Makoto, Jade, Violet, Bernadette, Melanie, Olivia, Alexandra?

Caroline seems almost right but a little too mundane, Elizabeth seems a bit too pedestrian, Bernadette and Makoto seems a bit out of nowhere and emphasizes hard syllables too much... 

Jade and Violet are both pretty names but a color name seems a little wrong? 

Melanie, Olivia and Alexandra kind of have the same issues as Elizabath and Caroline. 

It's also hard to get the implication right for a book like me ^^

Hmmm....

Melisandra, Saraya, Coraline, Oliviana, Annabelle, Melissadora?

I will confess that some of these are my taking existing names and embellishing them to sound prettier and more dramatic.

Saraya's closest, I think! Feels simultaneously too consanant-y and too vowel-y, if that makes any sense? 

The those names feel awfully particular, somehow? And though being resourceful is important, a certain amount of reuse can become an issue, yes ^^

I'm not sure it does make sense. There are vowels, and consonants, and the only way to have less of both is to have a shorter name altogether?

You'd think! 

Sara?

🫣We can maybe do that? I'm not too sure I want a name, to be honest. 🫣

You don't have to have one. It's up to you.

Separately, what sort of involvement in the adventures ahead would you like? I could tell you about things and chat about what happens? I could write to-do lists and you could help us stay organized? Something else entirely?

🧐Hm.🧐
I'm happy to answer any questions you have about how your powers work, of course! Or the metaphysics behind that kind of thing. Beyond that it's less clear? You can use my body for notetaking if you'd like, unrelated to involvement in your adventures! I don't mind being left alone indefinitely too, which makes it hard to answer more on. 

You can use Sara as my name if it really feels appropriate to use one, but it feels wrong to just take it as mine right now?

It's also hard to know what I can really say to your stories of your adventures! They're yours to have, you know? The spirit of feminity unleashed is about freedom, not about letters back to mommy, you know? 

...Goodness.

It's more just that I invited you to come along, and I feel responsible for making that decision worthwhile for you, if that makes sense. I'm trying to figure out how best to achieve that.

I'm happy to just default to questions and notetaking, if that's what you'd like.

Aww okay! 

🤗I'll be here if you need me.🤗

She takes a moment to pull out her wallet and check for payment cards that didn't exist before, as that's a likely implementation of the income perk.

There's no new card! 

Buuuut there is a "Now supporting multiple planets!" text plastered onto her existing cards diagonally in a cheesy sans font.