Welcome to Gaia! ::

Caroline pushed the door of the salon open with her elbow, careful to not yet touch anything with her fresh manicure. Her father had urged to to get out and explore the city that she now lived in. So, she'd checked out Instagram, and had seen that a lot of girls from Crystal posted shots of their fresh manicures from this place. Perhaps it would give her an in with her new peers.

She paused on the sidewalk outside of nail salon to snap a quick shot of her nails. This was her first ever manicure. Back at home, things like this just hadn't been an option. It had been quite nice, really.

A brisk autumn breeze caught her hood, pushing it up against her hair, and then coming to rest on her shoulder. Using her palm, she pushed it back into its place. "Okay, so there are downsides to this nail thing..." Caroline checked the time on her phone, she still had hours to burn before her father would be home. Looking up and down the street, she spotted a cafe two doors down on the other side.

Checking for traffic, she crossed quickly, wary of any traffic. Back at home, if you wanted to cross a street it required a healthy dose of bravery. Stepping onto the far sidewalk, she shook her head. She really needed to stop thinking of it as home. This was home now.

Using her elbow to pull open the door to the cafe, she breathed in deeply as she entered. The little shop smelled of coffee and baked goods. Caroline glanced at the menu and made her way to the counter to order. "May I please have a non-fat cappuccino and a house salad with light dressing? Thank you." She went to stand at the end of the counter to collect her order. She idly flipped through her phone, debating if she should post her manicure.

Caroline looked up, slightly surprised before she slipped on her mask of calculated politeness. She schooled her lips into a warm smile, and worked up a response to the other girl. ... Woman, really. She certainly seemed past the age of highschool.

"Oh, thank you, that's very kind. My first ever manicure, actually." She considered her nails for a moment, a more natural smile slipping onto her face. "Now, the real question is to instragram or not to instragram." Caroline smirked, she was still unused to the slavish devotion the girls at Crystal seemed to pour into social media. She'd spent a good portion of the weekend scoping out what tags they used, and what sort of things there were posting. Best to put an effort into fitting in with her new peers, after all.

Looking back at the other girl, she blushed slightly, realizing she hadn't introduced herself. "My apologies for being so rude, my name is Caroline." Judging that her nails were now dry, she extended a hand to other girl.

"First day at Crystal. It seemed ... wise to look my best." The school's very own handbook encouraged it, in fact. The handbook made it very clear what was expected of student's appearance. Flawless uniform, expertly done hair and make up, tasteful accessories.

She smile, a little more naturally this time. " You certainly sound like a social media expert. Professional? She arched an eyebrow. Her order hit the service counter, and she carefully shifted her salad to the bar seating that was just within reach. She picked up the cappuccino and took a small sip, watching Jade.

Setting her drink back down, she bought up the picture she'd taken of nails outside. "Do you think this is a good enough photo? For my first use of the Crystal hashtag?" She held her phone up for Jade to see her photo.

"First day of any school, really." For as long as she could remember, she'd been privately tutored on their estate. While she'd been born in Destiny City, she had no memory of it. Her parents had up and moved to the other side of the world before she could walk. "I hear that Crystal is academically challenging, so that should be good."

Caroline spared a glance for her salad, before returning her gaze to the picture on her phone. She held out her hand, and snapped another photo of the manicure. "Ugh, I think you're right. Way too dark. She frowned and flicked back to her original picture.

"Social media must be a very interesting field to work in. Fast paced, I assume?" While basic manners dictated you should be interested in details about whomever you were conversing with, Caroline was genuinely curious. Until a few weeks ago, the very idea that someone could make a living off of social media was totally foreign to her.