After maybe a half hour of browsing she heads back up to her room. It's nice to see the displays, but she's kinda tired after being on her feet most of the day. And she has a burrito with her name on it up there.

Amaris is playing the arcade machine! Her shared dorm common area is otherwise peaceful.

"Hey, Amaris," she chirps. "Sorry for vanishing on you earlier." She goes over to the fridge and fishes out her bitten burrito. "It's being a real day."

"I'm not your clingy girlfriend, I'm not gonna be scrutinizing your schedule. Some getting to know ya might be nice though."

Ping, chunk, pew pew. 'Combo!' The machine shouts.

"Movie?"

She grins. "Sure!" She puts her burrito into the microwave and reheats it.

"And what kind of movies you like? I'm thinking either this heist movie I know or a Miyazaki. That's classic animation. I find animated stuff to be the best. You know, the kind that has something for both kids and adults, like classic Disneys."

"A Miyazaki would be lovely," Hazel replies. "I haven't seen one in ages."

"Cool! I'm thinking Heart of the Planet, then. Wanna see if we can borrow the theater in Maki's suite, or just use the one in here?"

"If Maki's is better then I vote for trying to borrow theirs."

"I've got an open invite unless it's already in use or planned to be used- Texting her now. How's the burrito reheating? Can I pay in for ingredients on more of that, actually? It was pretty darn good."

She pulls the burrito out of the microwave and takes another bite out of it. "Mmmm. Good. And sure, if you'd like to."

Amaris would like to send you 5 argold for: Aaaaaa

"There, that should last a little while."

She scoops up her own burrito, saddling it with cheese and a bit of sour cream after nuking it. 

"I'm thinking about artsy rock work, like you mentioned. I'm not really an artsy person is the thing, but it does sound neat?

-Ooh, we're good for the theater and might have a third watcher. What do you- Hey, have you heard of mocktails? They're an Anesidora thing, I think."

"Yeah, it was just a thought." Hazel gets to work on her own burrito. "And thanks." 

She accepts the 5 argold payment and tilta her head. "I saw a bunch of mocktail supplies in the convenience store, and I've heard of the concept, but I can't say I've ever had one before coming here."

"It's a thing. Especially at parties and social events. We don't drink soda here, we do mocktails! I have no idea why. It's nice to find a couple ingedients you like and add them to whatever else though."

"Makes sense. I guess I'll have to try it out. Anything you'd recommend?"

"I'm a fan of root beer syrup, gives a nice slightly sweet base to anything else that goes in!" She ducks into the fridge and pulls out a bottle from a bottom shelf, decorated in old west type trappings. "No alcohol, obviously, but people mix stuff like juice, salt rimes, lemons, mint, cinnamon. Lots of stuff. Maki and Ayo are a little obsessed with them. Ayo built some kind of mixer even. So you might be plied with a bunch of combos tonight, since she's watching Heart with us as soon as we're done eating!"

"Sounds cool! Lots of stuff to try, for sure. New movie, new drinks, sure, I'm down for that."

"Hear, hear!"

Burrito is quickly nommed, but not too quickly to enjoy.

Then she takes Bluebell over to another set of four rooms. Their 'mini-theater' is a pair of long, soft couches with cupholders, and a wall-sized TV screen. Impressive, for something in a living room.

Ayo turns out to be from Nigeria. "<So I hear you've never had a mocktail?>" She asks as Amaris queues up the movie. "<What kinds of soda do you like?>"

"Orange cola is my secret weakness. Also root beer, lemon lime, and ginger ale."

"<Ginger ale is very nice. I want to give you some things to try? Here, let me->"

She starts mixing several things together in an odd machine with several top openings. Ginger ale, orange juice, and then several less identifiable things.

Meanwhile, the movie is starting. It opens with an animated scroll through multiple layers of a dense, busy city. Trams running along, workers clocking in, elevators going up and down. Hundreds of people shuffling along, smoothly getting out of each others' way. The music is a fast classical tone filled with all sorts of city and industrial sounds between the clock-like piano and percussion. The style is remarkably ghibli-like, if busy, like some of the scenes from Kiki's Delivery Service showing city streets, turned up to 11. Clocks are everywhere, steadily ticking along the beat. The intro scene continues without dialogue for a while, giving you a good feel for the productiveness of the city, but also how crowded and regimented it is.

Well this is awkward.

You can just shut up, Clematis. Don't be an asshole. 

Girls, let's focus on the movie. It's new. 

She directs the body's direction to the TV.

"Thanks for experimenting for us, Ayo!"

Ayo grins and nods, then texts:

You're welcome! Here, try this. Slowly. Think about it, I make another in a bit.

It's... Gingery and sweet, slightly thick like a milkshake, cold, a teeny bit tart, and maybe has something a bit sharp like anise in it, too.

The intro cutscene comes to an end as what look like the main character's parents get ready for the day. They wish their daughter, Helena, good luck at school. She looks uncertain and conflicted, but her parents don't seem to notice. The first appearance of the System is present in these scenes, as the father asks it about Helena's upcoming tests - "just do your best, your placement is probably already set, haha!" - and then the bus schedule, and is answered by a cuckoo bird from the clock in the kitchen. School, too, is regimented and orderly, almost too clean. Helena is the only one with a splash of color anywhere on her, a small red flower charm.

During the tests, the paper quiz starts swimming in front of her, and Helena is visibly panicking. And then she floats straight off her chair, and everything devolves into chaos, with the other students and even the teacher afraid of her. Helena reaches out for help but the class shies away fearfully from her outstretched hands as she tumbles in midair.