Fandom High Welcome Picnic, Front Lawn of the School, All Day: Part I

[bigdamnprincipal]

The recent cold front had been a welcome weather pattern as far as Zoe was concerned, and she was very grateful for how things had turned out today - it was sunny and breezy, and just cool enough that no one would pass out from heat exhaustion. Hopefully.

Beneath the blue and gold streamers and balloons, tables had been set up with drinks and food, including an entire table of moddable different ice cream flavors. As always, there was a stack of nametags set down next two signs: one listing the Big Sibling/Little Sibling pairings, and one listing rooms and roommates for the new students.

[OCD is up! Have at it! This is part one of the picnic, specifically for meeting siblings, roommates, and teachers. The rest of the picnic is happening here and here, in an effort to keep browsers from breaking for as long as possible. Since it's outside, the picnic is open to all students, teachers, and townies!]

Comments

Re: Meet Your Teachers [Summer 2010-2]

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

Figuring things out. John could understand that. He'd had to go to that mental place a few times just since being away from Fandom. Hell, once spurred on by a short visit to the island.

"...this is probably not the place for us to have this conversation," he realized. "But I get it, and it'd probably be good for us both."

Re: Meet Your Teachers [Summer 2010-2]

[solo_sword]

"Right," she said, and it was becoming clear that maybe she hadn't thought things through all the way. She'd thought he'd just be happy to be here and be here with her and that would be that. It didn't make her feel great, but she wasn't planning on showing that. "Does that mean I still go without a hug?"

Re: Meet Your Teachers [Summer 2010-2]

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

"It does," he nodded. "Figuring things out is a lot easier without physical contact from people who remind you of when life was easy. Trust me." Just seeing her at one of these picnics had him flashing back to the shirtless days of old.

Re: Meet Your Teachers [Summer 2010-2]

[solo_sword]

Now she looked confused and wondering if he'd broken up with her when she wasn't looking or something. "Wait... what do you think me figuring things out means? Because it has nothing to do with you."

Re: Meet Your Teachers [Summer 2010-2]

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

She was so young in some ways. "I'm aware it has nothing to do me," John told her kindly. "I'm also aware that where I am in life, it kinda should. From the way we've barely been talking the last few...years? Months for you, it makes sense to take a step back. I'm kind of stuck and you're in a place I didn't expect." She was getting honesty whether or not she wanted to hear it.

Re: Meet Your Teachers [Summer 2010-2]

[solo_sword]

Wow. She hadn't expected that one. In fact, right up until the denied hug, she'd been excited to see him. This didn't even sound like him. And considering the things she'd been through in the last full year because of his time issues and marriage/divorce and more time issues and job, it kind of felt like he was taking the first chance he had to stick a knife in her gut when she'd stuck with him through everything.

"So we what, go back just to dating or something like none of this has happened?" she asked, voice flat.

If she was going through her second breakup with him in a year...

Re: Meet Your Teachers [Summer 2010-2]

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

"Like none of what has happened?" John asked, getting confused about why she was suddenly pissed. "It's been a crazy few years away, Jaina. I'm not sure I follow."

Re: Meet Your Teachers [Summer 2010-2]

[solo_sword]

"This entire last Fandom year," Jaina said, trying not to get as upset as she really wanted to. Chalk that up to things Fandom had taught her. "I adjusted my schedule and lived between three different timelines while you were in college, I had to adjust my own thinking to deal with your marriage, I took you back when that didn't work out and lived through two different timelines just to see you... And I've spent the last six months here about a thousand times happier when you would visit than when I was alone. Considering I thought things were okay and I was more than happy to see you come back, I don't know where taking steps back is coming from two minutes after I see you again, except that I decided to move to another part of the island and be independent and that's somehow bad."

And to be honest, she was wondering if she should be feeling strung along and didn't like it at all.

Re: Meet Your Teachers [Summer 2010-2]

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

John gaped at some of her phrasing there and his voice got low, sharp, and serious as a result. Blame too many years of giving orders. "We're not doing this right now Jaina, end of story. Call me when you've pulled your head out of your ass."

And then he turned to walk away.

Re: Meet Your Teachers [Summer 2010-2]

[solo_sword]

This was so not what she thought was going to happen. Not even a tiny bit. She wasn't even entirely sure what she'd said to piss him off, though some things would undoubtedly occur to her later.

Biting her lip, she called, "John," not sure he'd even turn back.

Re: Meet Your Teachers [Summer 2010-2]

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

If she had any sense of empathy she might have realized the last eleven years had been hard on him and he'd done a lot of repressing to cope with the mess just to have her throw it in his face. Her words had made it clear she really wasn't thinking about him at all and that his initial reaction to take a step back had been the correct one.

John just shook his head as he walked farther into the crowd, wanting to get lost for a little while.