fandomhigh | Fandom High Welcome Picnic, Front Lawn of the School, All Day: Part II

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!event: welcome picnic

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

Some extra tables had been set up in the shade of the trees on the lawn, away from the buffet in spots where it might be less crowded and much quieter. Well, aside from the mariachi band, but at least their music was entertaining? They might even take requests!

[OCD is up, have at it! This is the FIRST post for general mingling. Please use this post first, if your browser can handle the comment load. Roommates, fake siblings and teachers are all here and there's more room for mingling here. Since it's outside, the picnic is open to all students, teachers, and townies!]

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Valentine hadn't actually mentioned to anyone that she was coming back this summer, especially since she'd only just thought of it about a week ago. So she knew she would be back in time for the newbie picnic, and that's why she was there, grinning a little as she filled up a plate with some food and went to find a spot to sit where she could pick out people she would pester later...if they didn't come pester her first.

"You!"

Rude.

"And you," said Valentine, grinning a little but trying to keep it down. She thought of commenting on being impressed that Peter's little friend was still alive, but she decided to just leave it at that, tilting her head with curiosity to see if he had anything more to add to his eloquent greeting.

"Graduation is over," he pointed out. "Do you, like, go here now, or what?"

"It is?" asked Valentine, feigning shock and surprised and confusion. "Really? Wait, what day is it? What month? What year?"

...

"It's Cinco de Mayo," Topher reminded her, pointing at the band. "Wow, I thought you were a Wiggin."

Topher, you failed sarcasm forever.

"Well," said Valentine, with a humble sigh and a look of bashful embarrassment, "you know how these things go. Peter got all the brains, Ender all the brawn, and I guess that means I've just got the beauty."

She should not be the excited at the opportunity to try to pretend to be The Dumb One, really, and she wouldn't be if she wasn't so confident that it might actually work.

Topher quickly held up both hands. "I'm not interested."

Because she was totally flirting with him. Oh yeah. And he saw right through it.

"Oh, no," said Valentine, shaking her head, "that's fine. You're not my type, anyway. Besides, I wouldn't want to step on Peter's toes at all."

Okay, Valentine was officially The Evil One, because Topher was now choking on a nacho. THANKS A LOT, VAL.

Give him a minute. He'd be fine as soon as he got the blood-curling horror out of his system.

And Valentine was more than happy to help him out with a few thumps to his back to help dislodge the rogue nacho.

"You should really chew your food thoroughly before swallowing it," she offered.

"You should really -- not say that stuff about Peter," Topher managed with a wheeze.

Which was just funny, because she half intended to shoot her brother a text with this conversation later that evening. Her Peter would love it.

Yeah. Definitely the Evil One.

She winced a little, looking sympathetic and apologetic. "Ooh, sorry," she said. "You guys aren't quite there to that level yet? Don't worry. It took Ben and Ender, like, four years to get to that point. Good things come to those who wait."

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Like Ender could not notice her in any crowd.

He saw the flash of her hair first, then the motion of her body as she sat down.

He rose up from the picnic table and crossed the picnic area, the look on his face both confused and pleased. "Valentine."

The idea of her being someone else with Val's face didn't even cross his mind - he knew his sister.

"Ender." Valentine met his confused and pleased look with a pleased expression of her own. It was a rare pleasure to be able to genuinely surprise him. "Long time, no see."

"You didn't tell me you were planning to visit again," Ender said.

Which with Valentine generally meant she was up to something.

"I didn't really plan it," Valentine admitted. "Things just sort of fell into place. And, to be honest, if you and Ben are sticking around here for a few more months, I really need to take a break just sitting around Eros for a while."

"...We were just planning to come see you on Eros next week," Ender admitted right back, but he was smiling now. "Does that mean you're staying here for the summer?"

"Well, I got impatient," Valentine grinned. "And, yes, it does. Turns out Turtle & Canary was in need of a general manager, and I thought I could do my old radio cohost proud for a couple months or so."

Ender laughed. "You're going to be managing our general store?" he said. "That'll be a whole different career for you."

"How hard can it be?" Valentine asked with a shrug. "Apu's been doing most of the work in that store since Turtle left, anyway. I'm pretty sure the most important part of the job is now simply picking Squishy flavors and picking up panda poop."

"I'm getting you plastic gloves for your birthday this year," Ender decided.

"Oh, what?" Valentine looked offended. "Not going to splurge for a Pooper Scooper?"

"You're going to be manning the general store, I'm sure they'll have one," Ender reminded her. "Or do you lack confidence in your own product?"

"I don't know," Valentine mused. "That lack of duct tape has always been a little disconcerting, and it would just have so much more meaning coming from you. Then you could also take partial credit when all our stores of food on Shakespeare are thanks to the revolutionary developments I've made in Panda Poop Fertilizer."