xp_logs | Sue and Hope: The Chinese Opera (backdated)

Sue and Hope visit the Chinese opera and run into a couple of Yakuza scientists

Tucking her lip gloss away in her purse, Hope glanced around for her companion, smiling and nodding at various people as she made her way through the lobby of the opera house in search of her companion.

Finally she spotted Sue, having an apparently serious conversation with a Japanese couple. Sipping from her glass of grape juice, she simply searched out a spot where she could be seen easily and studied the program they had been given for the second half.

"You know it's standard policy is to come and rescue your friends when you spot them being tag team," a mischievous voice piped up behind Hope's back, "Not turn away and abandon her to to her fate and burying your nose in a program."

"Not when your friend has her baby corporate shark face on. You seemed to have things very well in hand." Hope retorted, glancing over her shoulder at Sue. "Your eyes were pretty fiery or was that just me?"

"Fiery-eyed corporate shark? You make me sound like a character from one of those Sy-fy movies" Sue teased her friend with a laugh, "Coming soon to an opera near you, 'Corporate Shark, you're Fired!'" She glanced over her shoulder at the Japanese couple, "I think you're seeing things, they're just the owners of a small tech firm who want to do business with my dad so they figure that the best way to make a deal with him is to talk to his teenage daughter," she told Hope with a wry smile, "Even if I had a say I'd tell him to leave them well alone."

Throwing a glance of her own at the couple, Hope tilted her head and ventured: "Any specific reason or is it simply they are too small?" Ever since her decision to take an introductory business class with Ms. Frost for her senior, she had found her interest growing.

"You know what they say about curiosity and cats right?" Sue asked as she flagged down a waiter relieving him of a champagne glass of juice. "That's kinda true in this case, Their business has links to the Yakuza," she noted tipping her glass at the Japanese couple, "even if it's just a rumor at this level that's enough to drive people off."

"Seriously?" Hope innocently glanced at them again, studying them a little bit closer. "You must be joking... And they'd still approach you? I would call that quite bold."

"What do they have to loose?" Sue ask rhetorically, "They need the business, if it were you wouldn't you do anything you could to get it?" the blonde smiled wryly at her friend, "We're looking at it from the top, but once upon a time that was my dad, doing whatever he could to get business."

"I see what you mean. Probably thought it wouldn't hurt to try...So, what did you say their company was called again?" Hope tucked the program away in her purse and accepted a glass of mineral water from a passing waiter.

"You have to do whatever you can to make it," Sue agreed, "But then there are just something that you don't do, and going into business with the Yakuza is one of them. People get scared of working with you, or are afraid of being associated with the taint." Sue shrugged, "they made their bed, now they have to live with it." Shaking her head she grinned coyly at Hope, "I didn't say who they were," Sue tipped her glass at the couple, "The Sato's of Sato Industries."

"Sato Industries..." Hope considered the name for a few moments, then shook her head. "Not really familiar to me. Might have come across it in the newspapers though."

"They're not one of the big companies so I doubt you would have, unless you've started reading the trade journals without telling me," Sue replied with a smile, "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy...and more tech companies too."

"No, just the business section of the normal news paper." Hope gave a shake of her head. "I figured it would be good preparation for my class with Ms. Frost this year. Trade journals are still a step too far though, I am thinking."

"I don't think you'd read about this in any of the newspapers," Sue noted taking a moment to choose her words carefully, "Companies, and individuals, at this level tend to...protect one another. Besides, business class is more about what to do with a business, economics and how to set things up, than what other businesses are doing, "

Hope nodded, absorbing the idea for later contemplation. "I think that is going be challenging enough to learn at first. You must be going to the more advanced levels soon?"

"About a week or so yeah," Sue shrugged, "business classes are fun, but I learned a whole lot more actually getting involved in helping Adrienne and my granddad than I learned in class. Actually running a business is a lot harder than you'd expect it to be."

"Looking through some of the materials, I did get that idea... A lot of facets to study. Still, I have time learn. Might just take a few more classes in college next year if I find things interesting."

"That's the nice thing about college, you get to play around with what interests you," Sue agreed, "So have you thought about where you're going next year?"

"I have a few idea's. Even been on a few college tours." Hope smiled. "I think I would really enjoy a small liberal arts college and there are several of them in New York or even a little bit outside it."

"Already?" Sue grinned at Hope, "So where do you like the most? Or have none of them really stood out to you?" Sue could remember visiting colleges herself, almost a year ago, the moment she'd stepped onto the Princeton campus she'd known that this was somewhere that she wanted to go.

"Well, there is one I really would like to attend, but it's one of the most selective colleges in the country..." Hope fumbled with her purse for a second. "It's probably a reach for me."

"Everyone needs a reach school," Sue pointed out, "You'll never know unless you try, and what's the worst that can happen? They'll say no and you have to go somewhere else, that will still be totally awesome." Sue wasn't excited about college, not at all. "So which of the colleges caught your eye? Vassar? Colgate?"

"Uhm... how about Barnard?" Hope grinned as she mentioned it.

"Barnard?" Sue's brow wrinkled as she tried to place the name, "The all girls place? Linked to Columbia?"

"That Barnard, yes." Hope nodded. "And that link is part of the reason I like it. It really broadens the opportunities for classes etc."

Sue nodded slowly, "Why not just aim for Columbia?" she asked curiously. Sue had never even considered applying to one of the all girl colleges and she was curious to see why her friend wanted to go there.

"Partially it is simply that I like how the classes are set up, what they call the Nine Ways of Knowing and that I liked the atmosphere on campus more then the Columbia one. A part of me just really likes the idea of a women's college. It's hard to explain." Hope explained hesitantly.

"It's a smaller campus right? I've heard those are normally pretty nice, you get to know just about everyone you go to school with, can't really do it with a bigger college," Sue allowed before smiling at Hope, "Sometimes you don't really know why you like a place, it just clicks with you, an ineffable sorta connection, it's always hard to explain why you like one place more than somewhere else. It's just one of those mysteries of the universe."

"Also something I like. It's not as massive as some of the other school I visited." Hope nodded. "What made you pick Princeton though? What was the deciding factor for you? I mean, you had other universities where you were accepted, did you not?"

"A few of them," Sue noted with a smile, "I dunno, it's got a great engineering program, one of the best in the country, and the professors there are amazing." Sue shrugged, "Besides the campus out there is beautiful, all in all it's a pretty nice place to spend a few years."

"That sounds good indeed. It does seem a little complicated with the travel though. How long is the drive you have to make every day again?"

"An hour there and and hour on the way back," Sue admitted with a wry smile, "It's be easier to stay out there, but an hour isn't too bad. I can always review lectures on the way to class." the blinde grinned at Hope, "Multitasking."

"You are taking public transport?" Hope replied as she tilted her head. "I thought you were planning on driving. Because multitasking and driving would be quite a feat."

Sue grinned, "There wouldn't have been much point in getting my dad to buy me a mini if I was gonna take public transport. A lot of the professor's record themselves and put it up on itunes nowadays," she explained, "I'll just listen to that while I drive."

"Hmmm, I just might have to keep that trick in mind. Though it all depends where I am going, of course." Hope nodded. "I..." She was interrupted when the light went on and of once. "Looks like the break is over. Let's head to our seats?"