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

[bigdamnprincipal]

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 SECOND post for general mingling. Use this post if your browser can't handle the comment load of the first mingling post. Roommates, fake siblings and teachers are here. Since it's outside, the picnic is open to all students, teachers, and townies!]

Comments

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[3girls-1core.livejournal.com]

"Nachos," Sholeh repeated, giving his cup of gloop a suspicious glance. "And not-precisely-cheese. They go together? If it's not precisely cheese, what is it? Do you know? Is it good?"

Apparently, Sholeh had found her curiosity again. About food, but it was a start.

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[nomelancholy.livejournal.com]

"You dip the nachos in the 'cheese'," yes, those were airquotes. "I think it's some sort of artificial flavouring. I like it." He held out his tray. "Here, would you care to give it a try?"

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[3girls-1core.livejournal.com]

"What could be artificial about food?" Sholeh asked, not that it was stopping her from trying them at his offer. "It's food!"

She picked up a chip and dunked it into the cheese, then tentatively leaned over to nibble on it. "It's warm!" she said. "And you're right. Not precisely cheese." Tasted a lot like it, though.

But it was tasty, so she put the rest of it in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. "It's really good though!"

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[nomelancholy.livejournal.com]

"See?" Ulrik said. "My roommate and I are planning a totally handwaved 'pizza party'- more American food- in our room tonight. You're welcome to join, if you'd care to."

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[3girls-1core.livejournal.com]

"Mmmm?" Blushing again, Sholeh swallowed her mouthful of nacho and tried again. "Me? I am? Thank you!"

=Sholeh!= Zeela did not sound best pleased about this development. =Neither Zhahar or I think that's a very good idea!=

"I would very much like to join you," she added, ignoring her sisters. "Although I do not know if I will be ready for more food by then. This looks like enough to feed us all for the next week!"

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[nomelancholy.livejournal.com]

"I've seen similarly elaborate spreads," Ulrik had to admit. His father was a king and all. Functions of state could get rather extravagant. "But never for a function as- casual as this."

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[3girls-1core.livejournal.com]

"We--I never have," Sholeh said, with a shake of her head. "This isn't more food than my village sees in a year, but it's most definitely more than I think we'd ever see at once."

Then Sholeh realized what he'd just said. "This is casual?!" she squeaked.

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[nomelancholy.livejournal.com]

"Well, no one's being forced to parade about in formal wear or endure boring speeches- so, I'd say yes?"

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[3girls-1core.livejournal.com]

Sholeh thought about the harvest festivals they had back home. People wore their best outfits and her mothers usually said something short, but she didn't think that's what this boy meant.

Huh. This boy. She should probably find out his name. Especially if he was going to a party in his room this evening.

"I think you're used to a very different lifestyle than I am," she said, giving him a small smile. "I'm Sholeh, by the way." It felt weird leaving it at that, so she added, "Sholeh Zeela a Zhahar."

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[nomelancholy.livejournal.com]

"Most likely, yes," Ulrik admitted. "Ulrik," he introduced himself. "Oldenburg is- not my surname, exactly, but close enough." Not that 'Zeela a Zhahar' was Sholeh's surname either, but he didn't know that.

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[3girls-1core.livejournal.com]

Sholeh nodded, because she did understand that. She wasn't going to say as much, though. "A pleasure to meet you, Ulrik." She offered him her hand; the gesture felt weird, as she'd never shaken hands in her life, but it's what she'd seen others do today. "Have you been here long?"

He seemed so comfortable here! With the nachos and the pretend cheese and everything!

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[nomelancholy.livejournal.com]

"A few hours, at most," Ulrik admitted, taking her hand. "I've just learned to 'roll with the punches', as it were."

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[3girls-1core.livejournal.com]

"Oh," Sholeh said, kind of waggling her hand because she wasn't entirely sure what to do with it. Not much use for handshaking in a village where you've known everyone your whole life. "I think I'm still feeling punched and haven't quite learned to roll yet."

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[nomelancholy.livejournal.com]

"I think it helped that a number of those 'punches' were dealt to me back home, before I even knew of this place's existence," Ulrik admitted. "The school assigned you a sibling, did they not?" he checked. "From what I understand, helping one acclimate is supposed to be part of their duties. I hope they haven't been remiss in doing so," he frowned slightly at the thought.

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[3girls-1core.livejournal.com]

"Oh, no, Simon is very nice," Sholeh assured him. "But nothing about this place is like home, so a lot of what he said just kind of went over my head, I think."

Fandom was giving plenty for her to digest and it wasn't just limited to nachos.

"This place is like something you'd read about in books. Or, well, that I'd read about in books. I don't know what you'd read about. Or if you like reading, even. Do you like to read?"

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[nomelancholy.livejournal.com]

"Mostly current events, and political treatise," Ulrik admitted. "But I do indulge in the occasional foray into fiction."

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[3girls-1core.livejournal.com]

"I like histories," Sholeh admitted eagerly. Books were a favorite subject of hers. "Though some of them are so fantastically different, they could almost be fiction. That's what convinced me to come here, actually. I saw the library in the pamphlet. I've never seen so many books in my whole life! It's brilliant! I hope that they'll let us borrow some, otherwise I might just move in and live under a table and read all the time! There's so much to learn and I can't wait and...I'm babbling at you. Sorry."

Sholeh could get a little excitable sometimes, Ulrik.

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[nomelancholy.livejournal.com]

"I can hardly blame you," Ulrik said with a reassuring smile. "My own motivations for attending an American school were similar- I wanted to learn about computers, even if they were unlikely to be available in my homeland any time soon."

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[3girls-1core.livejournal.com]

"Computers?" Sholeh was giving him a blank look. "What are those? And is America the name of this landscape? Simon couldn't really give me a straight answer about that, but then, he didn't know what Ephemera was, either, so I think he might be confused."

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[nomelancholy.livejournal.com]

"Ephemera?" Ulrik would get to Sholeh's questions in a moment, really, but right now he was rather sidetracked by her last statement. "That sounds Greek, but beyond that I'm not sure of your meaning."

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[3girls-1core.livejournal.com]

"Greek?" Had they suddenly begun a game of Questions and no one told Sholeh? Haha, not really; Sholeh's whole life was a game of Questions, really. "Ephemera. You know--the world?"

She sounded so hopeful that Ulrik would somehow know what she was talking about when she explained it like that.

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[nomelancholy.livejournal.com]

"I'm- I have to say I've never heard it called by that name," Ulrik had to admit.

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[3girls-1core.livejournal.com]

"Oh."

Dammit. That was two people now. Just how big was this landscape where no one knew anything?

"I guess that's just something we do in my home landscape." And, oh, every other one she'd ever heard of. But it wouldn't be polite to point that out.

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[nomelancholy.livejournal.com]

She seemed upset enough by this news that Ulrik decided perhaps it would be best to refrain from pointing out that he'd never heard the word 'landscape' used quite like she did either. "Possibly," he conceded instead. "Most people I've met have always just used the term 'Earth'."

Re: More General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[3girls-1core.livejournal.com]

"That's what Simon said," Sholeh said with a nod. "Never mind, then."

Still, a landscape this ignorant about things might not know anything about the Tryads, either! So that was a bonus, right?

"Did your big sibling mention turning into animals, too?" Kind of a conversation leap there, but if she was going to accept Simon as a voice of authority for knowledge in this landscape, she wanted to make sure that he wasn't teasing her about stuff like that.