Welcome to Gaia! ::

'Oh hey guys,' Shizuka greeted the pair warmly, 'well there there's a library that likely has a suitable study room. However we could just go back to the house.' She paused momentarily, wondering if that would be hard knowing that the house was empty because her mother was here in the hospital, condition critical and recovery likelihood unknown. With that though in mind though, she didn't think she was up for a public setting, home would give her the option of retreat if she really deemed it necessary. 'Yes I think the house would be most suitable. We have two computers there with mother's work laptop, Kaiba's makes three and there certainly won't be any interruptions from outsiders. I think home sounds like the best place to work for now, even if we have to doubly up on resources a bit,' Shizuka decided firmly.

((Haha, funny enough this morning when I was making a Welsh/English all the same joke he called me a Texan. He at least knows enough to identify a good 'redneck' 'gun-totting' 'Republican' state to contrast with my 'hippie' 'Democratic' one. So his defense is apparently to just put me into one of those states I'd make fun of - though I do know some cool Texans, Bush isn't one of them.))

Seto glanced at his brother, but Mokuba determinedly kept his gaze in an opposite direction. He sighed softly to himself, frustrated that once again his life was hurting his brother.

- - -

'Great,' Shizuka happily stated, 'it isn't too far of a walk from here actually. Should we chance procuring some sort of vehicle or try our luck on foot?'

((Deadlines, so many deadlines!! But happily many of them have passed now and I can breathe for awhile, and update. xd ))

'Well if everyone let's get out of here then,' Shizuka said brightly, leading the group out of the hospital. She was thankful that it was at least a beautiful sunny day.

((Well I'm hoping this PhD will be my 'final' degree so to speak. As for when I finish, most likely Autumn 2015, if I don't have to ask for an extension for mitigating circumstances (none on the horizon, and hopefully none will come up because as an international student that'll be a challenge and/or expense with my visa) or extent my writing up period (again that'd add visa complications, my visa expires end of January 2016 so I wouldn't want to extend more than a few months as a new visa would cost a few hundred dollars and not worth it for only a bit of time). So I'm only about halfway into my first (of 3 years) atm. Long way to go. However, I'm slowly getting better at, well everything (writing, researching, networking, working, etc etc etc). So atm it's early enough in my degree that I'm not horribly overwhelmed (barring when too many deadlines/projects coincide), but comfortable enough that it doesn't all seem daunting and futile. Sent in my first abstract proposal to present my research at an academic conference today. A postgrad conference but still, it's a start. And I got my first 'presentation' of a research project under my belt last weekend with a history of the university public engagement project I have been involved with in archives. Starting to feel more comfortable talking about what what I'm doing.))

Shizuka moved to the front of the group to unlock the door when they finally arrived at the house. Leading everyone into the main sitting room she insisted everyone make themselves at home, she just needed to pop upstairs and grab her mother's laptop. She gestured to the desktop in the small office space set up in the corner of the main room, if people wanted to get started with the resources they already had available while she obtained one more computer.

((Oh yea definitely, PhDs are seriously long term projects. In the States they take more like 4-6 years (everything is longer in the States, Bachelors are 3 years here in the UK whereas the average is 4 in the States) where in the UK PhDs are 3-4 years (Science tends to be more 3.5-4 years, Arts degrees are generally 3-3.5). Masters in the UK are often a year, in the US they are generally 2. No matter where you are though nothing is shorter than a Masters. Bachelors is a long general degree. PhDs is a long subject specific research degree. Masters are a short either general (yet more specific than Bachelors) taught degree or a very minor research project. My PhD dissertation which is essentially what I have to produce to have finished my PhD has to be around 80,000 words long. That's roughly a small book. The Masters dissertation is more like 12,000 - 20,000 words long (mine was 12,000 because it was a taught masters not a research masters). So a Masters is meant to show a few months of research (and maybe some classes), a PhD is supposed to be years of research. In the States you can do a PhD without doing a Masters because they kind of build a Masters into a PhD anyhow (so it's almost redundant if you knew ahead of time you wanted a PhD to do the Masters separately). In the UK a PhD is pure research, so you have to do a Masters first (even a research Masters has some taught components generally). Anyhow I'll stop being boring now. But yea, if you want 'higher education' but you don't want seriously in depth research into any one field you do a Masters. Credential programs (to teach) are Masters, and they are generally a year long. PhDs are much more specified research, and 9/10 if you aren't planning on going into academics you probably won't need one.))

Seto attempted to ignore his brother pointedly seating himself between Jounouchi and Yuugi on the couch, apart from him. He sat down on an armchair a bit apart, pulling his laptop out of his bag and booting it up.

((Haha, sorry that was hella boring huh? The weird thing is I find all that fascinating, particularly country differences. I'm such a sad boring person. xd ))

Seto pulled out his laptop silently, acquiescing to the plan without a word. He glanced at Mokuba out of the corner of his eye, feeling uncomfortable ahs his brother barely muttered three words before moving toward the desktop in the corner, leaving Yuugi to wait for Shizuka to return with another laptop.

- - -

Shizuka had intended to immediately go and get her mother's laptop, but she realised she wasn't quite ready to enter the bedroom and face the reality of absence quite yet. Detouring she entered her own room and sat down gently on the end of the small single bed. Burying her face in her hands she let out a shallow sob. 'Get a grip,' she chastised herself. She needed to be strong. She needed to be helpful to her brother and Kaiba, her family's very safety and sanity clearly depended on it. Bold and determined she got back onto her feet and made her way down the hall, hesitating only slightly before pushing open her mother's door.

((It definitely is. I'm glad to have experienced more than one system of education personally (and others by word of mouth). It's been a real eye opener into how education does, can and possibly should work. Something I'm interested in looking into in the long run.))

Shizuka was startled to hear her brother shout after her. Not wanting to worry him she shouted back, 'yes of course,' moving quickly to retrieve the laptop and now the phone. She was happy to hear that they would be calling Isis. She would likely be very knowledgeable in this area, plus Shizuka had felt a strong kinship with the other woman. Isis was very strong, but when it came to family they have very similar values, and that made Isis very admirable and important to her. She felt a bit calmer knowing they were bringing her into this, though a second later felt apprehensive again. She prayed nothing terrible would befall Isis if she chose to put herself at risk to help them.