\ Haven:Mist and Shadow Encounterlogs/Aeras Odd Encounter Sr Jodie 240924
Encounterlogs

Aeras Odd Encounter Sr Jodie 240924

One morning in the Spender Center computer lab at White Oak, Aera Yun, a new art student, finds herself in a nearly empty space save for a janitor and, shortly after, a frantic man in a trench coat. This man, driven by urgency and fear of being pursued, entrusts Aera with a USB drive containing critical information, imploring her to pass it on to a journalist before abruptly drawing the chasing security away from her. Left alone, Aera, shaken and unsure, conceals the USB in her backpack, trying to appear normal as the ominous strides of a well-dressed woman approach her soon after.

The woman, who exudes authority and knowledge of the recent chase despite not witnessing it, questions Aera about the encounter. Despite Aera’s attempts to hide her involvement, the woman insinuates she knows more than she lets on, warning Aera of the dire consequences of withholding information. After the woman leaves, Aera is faced with a moral quandary: to explore the contents of the USB or turn it in untouched. Her choice leads her to discover shocking evidence of supernatural happenings and cover-ups at the school involving the deaths of werewolf and vampire students. In the end, Aera decides to return the USB to the authorities, crafting a story of finding it by chance after the incident, leaving out whether she viewed its contents, a decision that places her in a precarious position between truth and safety.
(Aera's odd encounter(SRJodie):SRJodie)

[Mon Sep 23 2024]

In the Spender Center computer lab
A thick spindle of cables spiderweb from above the monitor's desk, braid, and cascade in heavy cords down the front wall, interfacing with the desk at various points without regard to the trip hazard their bulk might present. Smaller strands shoot out from the front desk to each individual computer in the hall in flat ribbons affixed to the floor, but no more discrete.

A variety of displays monitoring astronomical and environmental conditions on and in direct proximity to the campus litter the walls. Some information is transparent such as the temperature, weather, and position of celestial bodies, but other variables less so such as hydrostatic pressure, atmosphere, fertility, along with a variety of Greek symbols. The Delta and Omega symbols in particular seem to garner a sort of panicked attention from monitors and their consoles when they veer too far from baseline.

It is morning, about 66F(18C) degrees,

(An amateur paranormal investigator has stumbled onto the truth of the supernatural world and has evidence. Your target and their allies are tasked with containing the situation.
)
Morning in the Spender Arts computer lab is sometimes quite busy as students at White oak study for class and work on assignments. Aera, a new face in town and the school itself finds herself in a nearly barren computer lab by chance. Except for her there is no one but a janitor just finishing up.

That is until a man in a trench coat makes his way in he has a wide eyed gaze and a look of panic on his face. He glances back into the hall, checking to see if anyone is following him then he quickly scans the room as if to look for something.

Aera was working on her laptop and drawing tablet, drawing and practicing all sorts of random things, from facial expressions to body proportions in different perspectives. She sort of zones out when she draws but the Trench Coat Man makes her look up from her work. She eyes the janitor and then the man, scanning the room to see where his gaze is trying to go.

Spotting Aera the man in the trenchcoat quick steps over to her and unloads a series of words with urgency. He's trying to whisper but he's so excited or stressed that the words come out too loud to be considered a secret. "You, I need your help. Its extremely important."

He glances back to the door to the hall, there is distant door slamming and foot steps. The janitor seems a to catch awareness that something is up, but instead of confronting the man, he decides to exit out of the lab entirely.

Without warning the man in the trenchcoat shoves a USB drive into Aera's personal space and says, "Take this, I can't be found with it. It needs to get to a journalist..anyone."

Aera looks towards the door where the slam came from and the janitor running off. But looks taken aback almost but the suddenness of the man approaching her and shoving an item towards her. Her chest rises and drops a little faster from her increased heartbeat. "Uhh.. Umm.. Okay.. I.. Can." She takes hold of the USB drive and quickly slips it into her backpack among her art supplies. "What is it?" She manages to ask looking up at him.

"There is no time." The man says, as he hears the footsteps getting closer, "I'm counting on you..I'll buy you some time." he says. Solemn now that he's about to sacrifice to ensure his conspiracy with Aera has a hope. The man bolts for the door, busting through then he shouts down the hall, "Fuck you." and he runs the opposite way.

A stream of white oak security flit past the computer lab to chase the man while Aera is left there alone, with the USB drive that she knows nothing about that seemed to be of the utmost importance to both him, and whoever is after him. A silence falls on the area, the lab barren. The distant chase of the man out of sight and soon out of mind.

Aera eyes go wide as she sees who is chasing him. The security.... And she quickly goes back to drawing on her tablet trying to act normal, but her hands a little shaky either from being just shocked by the whole interaction that was over before she can even properly form a thought, and/or the adrenaline. Either way she takes some deep breathes and places the backpack in her lap, keeping it protectively close.

Aera isn't alone for long, there is no stampede of security or rush of the trenchcoated man returning. No instead a well dressed woman in a pencil skirt, high heels and a white blouse steps in. She has glasses, which she pulls down to study the room where she finds Aera without difficulty.

Her heels click on the hard floor with each step towards Aera its an ominious cadance that stops when she's standing by Aera, standing over her, "You are a new student here young lady? I presume."

Aera looks up from her drawing tablet hand moving away from from the screen but still holding her pen, and inspects the well dressed woman. Bowing her head in a polite manner. "Annyeong." Saying hello in Korean. "Yes. I just start semester here. I am Aera Yun, and studying art." Tilting the drawing tablet to show her the work she's been doing. It's several layers on photoshop and she flips through the visibility of each, showing the endless amount of faces and bodies she's been practicing.

Sniffing the air, the woman smirks faintly saying to Aera, "There was a man here." she states as a fact. Somehow she can gather that without being here when it all happened. She considers Aera and her generally nervous state, her gaze seems like she's capable of seeing right through Aera. "What did he say? Did he give you anything?"

How does the woman know these things so clearly, was she watching? Is there cameras? She speaks like she already knows too much and is simply luring Aera into lying so she can be busted for it. "Before you answer, you should know he stole something from me. Something very important. Something that shouldn't be out 'there'. It would hurt people if it is not returned. Would you want to hurt people?"

Aera nods in agreement with her assessment. "There was man in here. He had big coat on and looked on... Like panicked." She lets out a deep breath. "I was little scary... I thought I was in trouble because janitor ran away.. But he was looking around the room, I think trying to hide? Not sure..." She keeps her gaze on the woman. "He did say something to me. Yes... He said he needs to find safe spot. Then he run out of the room and yell and ran away." She lifts her hand and points in the direction that he and the guards all ran. She grips her pen tighter. "What is it that he stole? What is it that can be used to hurt people?" There looks to be something more she wants to say... But holds her tongue.

Interrogator, Teacher? Both. The woman watches Aera from behind her glasses like she can see every micro-expression and sense every waver in Aera's voice. Her expression is too passive to tell if she is buying it or not. What she does do is nod slowly once then when she's asked a question one perfectly trimmed brow lifts, "Does it matter? All I can say is that it has the sort of sensitive information that would cause mass panic to the unaware public. The sort of thing, you, me and everyone else here at White oak must avoid. Did he have time to stash anything anywhere in here?"

Aera scans the room. "I guess it not matter if it hurt people yeah... But I am not sure... It was just me and janitor for little while, but not sure how long janitor or the man was here. I was practicing my art and focused. But when I looked up he was in here looking around. He might have? But janitor ran away too..." She does give a little shrug. "Sorry I not much help. To me it all happen in a few short seconds and then he was gone like nothing happen."

a well-dressed woman with glasses narrows her eyes on Aera. Studying her, glancing to the bag. It's like she knows but she doesn't want to accuse Aera outright. There is displeasure in the woman's voice as though she's disappointed Aera did not come forward, or just she suffers disappointment from not easily finding what she's looking for. "If you do find anything, and I mean anything suspicious. I suggest you turn it over to one of the faculty. It will look favorable on you." There is a long hanging silence as a well-dressed woman with glasses studies Aera longer, seeing if she'll flinch or break before she lets her know finally, "If it's discovered you lied to me. There will be consequences."

Aera nods to the woman and bows her head. "If I find something, I will let you know... Uh.. Where would I go to report it? I am still not sure where all the buildings are on campus. I just finally find my sorority house and this building..." There is some relief in her body language, she relaxes just a touch. "If I find information, would it not be better to tell you directly?" Asking with a slight tilt of her head.

"I don't deal with students directly." a well-dressed woman with glasses tells Aera with a hint of disdain for the fact she has to talk to Aera. "You can turn it into the office, if you see anything." she glances then to the clock on the wall then turns from Aera to start walking away to the door. No good bye, no final threats or warnings. She just walked away from Aera like some sort of anti-social person who doesn't have the decency for pleasantries.

Finally this leaves Aera alone, with the choice to turn in the USB or not. Or to see what it holds herself and make that decision more informed.

Aera watches the woman leave and lets out a deep breath. "Grandfather." Pressing her forehead to the tablet. She lifts her head up and looks towards her laptop then to her backpack. Her mind is clearly racing over the decision she now has to make.

Aera goes back to drawing, trying to get her mind off of what just happened. It strats as a quick sketch of a stem and leaves, then roughs in the basic shape of a lily. Wilting. And makes some adjustments, with a petal falling off.

If and when Aera does check the USB she finds file after file, pictures, video, documentations from White Oak's computer system. It reveals the accidental murders of werewolf students and vampires, the cover ups those entails. To the uninitiate the majority of it wont mean much but it will come off as a massive conspiracy that could be explosive in the right..or wrong hands. Probably to the extent of being too dangerous to hold onto for long and could be best left discarded and turned in, since the alternative would be dangerous for someone like Aera.

Aera begins to put things into her backpack, packing up her laptop, tablet and anything else. When Aera would go and buy some Starbucks and find a quiet place to sit in her dorm room. That is when she would check what is on the USB. She was hesitant on if she should make a copy and store it onto her laptop... But decides against it. She does go in eventually and return the USB Drive. She explains after the talk with the Well Dressed Woman, she left to go get coffee and then returned to the computer lab to search. She took her time to look around the lab, and saw it placed hidden. She gives her best reasoning on maybe why that would be... That maybe the man hid it and was going to come back later and try to upload it from the computer lab. She does not say anything if she looked at it or not. But if asked if she opened it, she would say no. And she hopes this makes it back to the lady she spoke with.