"Yeah, probably." Ash shrugged again. "But I live pretty nearby my university anyway, so I didn't think I'd be likely to get a place in the dormitories and I didn't apply. I could try next year, I guess. But yeah, it is pretty expensive. I've got a partial scholarship and I'm lucky I live in-state, but I don't want to put any more pressure on my parents." She laughed briefly again at the misunderstanding. "Oh, ah, no. I mean, um, I don't actually want to be an astronaut. I want to be an astrophysicist. It's just a couple of my friends who started the joke: what else would anyone with an interest in space want to be when they grow up? Don't get me wrong, astronauts are amazing and I definitely do want to go to space someday, but not as an astronaut. Maybe when space tourism is finally an affordable thing." Suddenly aware that she was babbling, Ash blushed lightly and stopped talking for a moment. This was the kind of thing she'd spoken with her friends about since she wasn't sure her parents would approve of the idea of being a physicist--"Doctor," Mom said, "Professor," Dad said, ugh--and they'd gotten pretty bored with all the outer space talk a couple of weeks in. "Yeah!" Ash grinned at the accepted friend request, and also at the agreement to meet up again in the future. "Definitely. I'm looking forward to it already!"
Giggling a bit wit her last bite of food, Solaria nodded. "I guess it's an auto-assumption, huh? I just don't know much about astrophysics and it's uses. Astronauts are surely amazing, but I think just wanting to go into such a complicated sounding field is amazing itself!" Her grin was a bit goofy and her teeth were showing- but luckily, she had a knack for keeping them clean, at least in the game, no matter how much junk she ate. "So, what are you thinking of doing with it? I'm curious to know about more of it's applications, and the ones you're particularly into." Stretching a bit, Solaria threw her trash into a nearby garbage without getting up- shockingly, she managed to do well enough, though it felt like it'd sat on the edge of the top for a fair amount of time. "Ah, I should probably warn you, I suck with text mails. I tend to just leave VMs whenever I miss someone. I know it kind of annoys some people, so I figure I should try warning people now. I think the one annoyed by it the most is Ay, the one I live with." In fact, she could already hear the woman ranting at her for saying just her first initial. This, however, would remain a secret. "Oh, but I answer any. You should feel free to send or leave a message anytime, or call anytime too. I'm always happy to talk to a friend when I have time out of class!"
"I think the question is what wouldn't I want to do with it? There are so many options, and all of them sound like something out of science-fiction. There's like, discovering new planets and working out if their star systems are inhabitable, studying radiation to figure out what the universe was like at the Big Bang, maybe help to prove that wormholes actually exist? All sorts of things like that." She shrugged again. "I guess the only issue is that it'll probably take a long time to get started since basically everywhere needs an advanced degree, but I'm going to stick with it." Feeling a bit lazy and self-indulgent, Ash tapped the ground to summon a vine to take her trash away for her. And hey, it was like she was practicing her magic, wasn't it? So it was justified and wasn't just an act of extreme laziness. There. "Oh, I don't mind," she said, responding to Solaria's comment about voice messages. "I don't usually get voice messages so at least I'll know who it's from! And same thing, I'll definitely get back to you when I have the time." A little alert that she had set for herself buzzed in the corner of her vision, and Ash sighed. "Well, looks like it is time for me logout. Some last minute stuff to do for next week's orientation. It was really nice talking with you, Sola! I'll send you a message whenever I'm free, so let's meet up again soon!" With one last sigh, Ash navigated to the exit menu and confirmed her decision to leave Terrasphere. Barely even out, and she already wanted to hop back into the game. Man, she really would have to budget her time carefully once college began.
Solaria listened to the enthusiasm in Ash's voice with earnest, hearts practically visible in her eyes- seeing someone so excited and enthralled in the field they were going to pursue was always a beautiful thing! "Whatever you end up doing with it, I look forward to seeing it for myself someday," Words like honey, yet a smile as simple as a small child's. She had adoration in her voice, and was almost ready to hug the girl who reminded her somehow of herself. Oh, right! Because she couldn't wait to begin learning what she'd wanted to for so long! As the other girl began to set up to get going, Solaria held her stomach lightly. "I should get going and make some food, too. Even if I feel full here, I doubt my actual body does. Make sure to tell me how orientation goes, okay?" Waving, she watched Ash exit and disappear, soon moving to disappear herself. "I wonder if I should make sweets like I had in game today...Yeah! It'll be a great way to savor that adventure!"
