#anywhere

For Symon, the Cafeteria guess was dead on. He was worried it would be a bit sterile. But someone put effort into making this feel less assembly lilne and more a place you could just get your food, find your friends and your niche and socialize. Or people watch. Or stare into your phone.

For Sam? Well, basketball she knows. She feels comfortable with the ball in her hand

She knows she can do it. She likes basketball, though, perhaps, it falls in line somewhere after horses.

It's a bit amazing how open things are here. Not the building, though it is big, but the options.

Fwish.

Being a college athlete - especially at a school like Rutgers - seems very akin to having a job.

Dagmar isn't afraid of hard work, of course.

She knows college is important. Everybody says so. That college means good jobs - office jobs, ones with money and good hours and not Frank's week-long hauls or Jayme's seemingly never-ending hustle.

And isn't that what she wants? Security? She knows what poverty brings, even though she doesn't really know what 'job' she wants. She can't be A Knight for a living.

She won't be far from the Lodge. That's something.

And she doesn't want to leave the Lodge. Despite...

CLANG. The ball hits the rim and bounces off at an angle. She goes to retrieve it.

Footsteps

"Sorry." She mutters, and she returns the ball to the cart.

"What for?" This time a woman's voice.

"I didn't..." She frowns, and just sort of gestures.

The woman says "Dithers told me you were making every shot. You were bound to miss one" She's one of the coaches too. Women's team "You looked like you lost focus for a bit"

"I should go find my parents." Suddenly, she feels quite small.

The woman is tall, for a daughter of eve. "All right. If that's what you want. "

The tall girl clutches the hem of her basketball jersey in her fists. Pascack Valley Panthers. She shrugs.

"Oh, you're Sam King" The woman says "Heard you about you. Part of the Terror Trio... " A nick name for May , Lupe, and herself . She nods approvingly

"Uh. Yeah."

"May's going to UCLA."

"Ah, who needs all that sunshine" She says deadpan "Jersey weather, now that builds character"

That.. gets a soft snort-smile.

"Yeah, you get it" approval "Nothing like wondering if you were going to sweat one day or freeze the next to keep you alert. I CAN promise we give uniforms that fit the current temp as best the weatherman can tell us. You got questions about the progam or the college, I got answers. I'm Coach Dix. Yes, it's a terrible name"

"I've only ever lived in Jersey. So..." Shrug.

"Nothing wrong with it. Only if you meet jerks."

"Same everwhere there" She nods "I can't promise the Campus is jerk free but I'd say over all our jerk ratio is lower than some places "

Grunt. Nod.

Dix pulls out another ball, and takes a shot.

Fwish

She watches the shot, before snagging the rebound.

Bounce.

A look at the hoop.

Bounce.

"What's the catch?"

"It's work" She says simply "The games, the classes, the changes to a new setting. It's all work. It's even scary. If you're used to being on top, you find you're playing with folks who are also used to being on top. You'll likely see the bench again for a lot more games than you think is fair. And you still have to do the work. "

Grunt. "Lupe's a better player than I am. And I didn't start until Junior year. I'm just tall."

FWISH.

"Dithers says your eye looked good. " SHe observes "And you got a lot of praise from your HIgh School Coach. Which believe it or not, we do listen to"

"What happens if I'm cut? Am I on the hook for all the money you gave?"

"Depends on the cut to a large degree. Unethical conduct, drug use, that kind of thing can screw you over in more ways than one, but if you get cut in a year, that year is still paid. Depending on the scholarship"

"Mm." Nod. Fwish.

"I like track. Shotput."

"They'd love to have you, and I'll admit, competition might be lighter for the scholarships there. "

"They offered. You offered. Got letters."

Frown. "Lots of letters."

"Oh, overwhelmed" Sympathetic then a brow "You're in demand. That's normally GOOD news"

Grunt. Another frown.