Poppy sits outside the secluded area with no marker on the door. The person she is about to meet has no official title as they are there to only suggest recommendations on what they should go kill based upon reports and observations made by them and past teachers/trainers/masters/professors and the fact on whether they are an introvert or extrovert. The position is usually held by an elder in the hunter community who is asked to come speak with their graduating class & make a recommendation based upon all given information & compare it to the dangerous/deadly mysticals out there (unicorns are still rare, others are more common but not dangerous enough to interfere with their daily activities enough to warrant being hunted) for the best chance of a successful kill and graduation.
As another student comes out of the office with a pad of paper rifling through it closing the door behind him, he ignores her as he heads past a now panicking Poppy. Opening the writing app on her phone she puts away her iPod and earbuds. As the time arrives her name is called out & with one last touch up of her make-up and smoothing out her clothes she heads over to the office.
Opening the door she finds a small empty room except for a large wood desk upon which a large computer sits with an elderly lady behind it waving at her to sit down. Behind her a large window pointing out to the front lawn is closed with the blinds drawn. The only light in the room comes from the cracks between the blinds leaving the room only half lit. With a gulp she looks around the empty office then proceeds forward and takes a seat. As nothing has yet been said to her and the sound of typing continues, she sets her phone upon the desk waiting to be spoken to. Suddenly, the typing ends and she speaks (EH: Elderly Hunter), "You have good to amazing grades across the board, not once have you ever tried leaving and you're pretty friendly despite your training and stress. However . . . the one concern I and the others have made note of is that no matter what you see or do you return to your Lisa Frank style of impractical colors and bright innocent style of self. It's not exactly worrying, but we do wonder when reality hits . . . and it will hit . . . how will you take it?"
Poppy, surprised at this, gives her cheeriest response, "Being a hunter will be hard work & may knock me down but I'll just get back up again!"
EH looks at her unimpressed over the top of the computer before returning to her screen, "so, endlessly optimistic then?"
Poppy responds happily, popping her p's, "yup, I'm the opposite of a Bergen!"
EH sighing then mumbling to herself, "so, no vampires then."
Poppy, "why no vampires?"
EH scowls while looking across at her, "you are an extroverted, fun loving optimist. Searching for a vampire nowadays takes a while even for masters like me unless you plan on walking across the country with an old mirror. Plus, I cannot imagine you willing to spend two to six months on your own in any town looking for something as complicated as a vampire. Especially without your friends nearby . . . if you begin following one & look down at your phone to read a text in the second it takes to do that . . . well you'd already be dead and it would be long gone. Even if you do encounter one . . . well your hand-to-hand knife fighting skills weren't the best so I can't imagine how'd you'd do when it destroys the stakes you are trying to use to kill it . . . so-"
Poppy, furious and indignant at the arrogance and hate coming from this woman even if she is an elder, "I think that's just the kind of challenge I need then!"
EH is actually scared of her dying and trying to talk her down, as apparently her innocence has led her to believe that somehow her warnings were a deliberate attack on her character and ability as a hunter, "no . . . that's not what I'm saying. You can one day kill a vampire, bu-"
Poppy, no longer interested, scoops up her phone and iPod & sets up a meeting later today with her friends, "thank you for your suggestions. However, I have a meeting with my friends later today that I must attend, so if you would please excuse me . . . "
As Poppy makes her leave EH sits aghast then stops the recording app on her phone. After it is saved to the database she texts Poppy's father, warning him of his daughter's false assumption on her abilities & telling him of her suggestions: giant, cyclops, siren or ogre & sending a link to the video. Making some notes in Poppy's file & listing her suggestions she saves the changes. Opening her calendar and not finding another appointment until tomorrow she closes out the programs and packs up to head back to her motel room for the night. Only three more days of meetings & she can return to the training center.
Poppy, now walking down the hallway, heads back to her room. Once back in her room she puts away her devices in her backpack, puts it on & heads out locking the door behind her . . . hopefully for the last time.
At the front entrance to the school she hands over the keys to the desk clerks. Removing her devices from her backpack and handing them over the desk clerks unlock the social media, streaming services, etc on all of them. Getting them back from the desk clerks she makes small talk after putting them away she heads out to the garage. Putting her backpack beside her in the passenger seat of her minivan she turns the radio on loud then reverses out of her assigned spot. Making the turn she drives out of the garage, down the stone drive, through the gates & out onto the road.
Relaxing in her seat as she's not in the obstacle course or in a fake car chase, she drives the three hours to Cooper's family's estate.
