fandomhigh | Choose Your Own Adventure, Thursday afternoon

Kenzi was so looking forward to this, you don't even know.

So as people filed into the classroom, she pointed them to the various arts & crafts tables, printer, laminator, and huge Maryland I.D. billboard that she'd put together and printed out with a camera in front of it.

"Welcome to Choose Your Own Adventure!" She beamed. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Toni Soprano." She flicked up a Canadian I.D. "At least according to this piece of plastic. According to this one, I'm Ninotchka Alexandrovich." It had a really convincing Russian sickle on it, too. "Now, for some of the things we're doing this semester, you're going to need a legit-looking piece of plastic of your own. So pick a birthday -- one that's before 1993, that'll help -- and if you don't know what that means, ask your neighbor." She paused. "Or me, after you do a couple tries."

"After, I'm going to the Horseshoe Casino here in Baltimore. If you don't know what a casino is or Baltimore is, you can ask when we're on the bus." She grinned, then added, "And you don't have to come with me! Or any of us! That's where the 'choice' thing comes in. But wouldn't it be a shame to make all these, and not see if they work?"

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"Welllll..." Honestly, no. But. "I think we just have to think of a good reason that you don't look it. You have a condition that kept you indoors. Or, possibly, you were in a coma for a couple years."

Look, these things happen! On soap operas, but still!

"And maybe with some make-up, and the right lighting... I think we can do this, I feel like this is a challenge we should meet. It's not your fault that no one will believe you're almost 200, you know?"

Punish the system that does not believe!

You know that bewildered stare that you got from Éponine sometimes when you confused her, Kenzi? Cosette was wearing almost the exact same look, only it was less blatantly 'I think you've lost your mind' incredulous and more 'you are very strange but I'm willing to indulge it.'

"I was sickly and went hungry often when I was younger," she offered lightly, as if making up a story except for the tiny bit of tightness to her smile. "Really, it's a miracle I survived at all."

No irony there. Nope. None.

Kenzi gave her a sharp glance, then grinned with teeth. "How dare anyone say you don't look your age! Don't they have any sensitivity?"

As someone who'd been underfed and was still kind of permanently skinny, Kenzi could totally work this angle.

Cosette frowned a tiny bit. "Well, I'd certainly like to think they do."

No, Cosette, be less earnest.

"More hurt, less energy. You're wounded, Therese. Wounded." SAD FACE. SO SAD. "Hmm, let's see, let's fill out the rest of this form... we should fix your hair so it's a little different for the photo, so they don't think we took the pix today."

"Oh, do you think I should put it up?" asked Cosette. "The big girls at the convent would do that sometimes, but only when the sisters couldn't see or it was worse punishment than if we got caught with an apple from the garden."

The Order of the Perpetual Adoration was absolutely worthy of side-eye.

"Sisters?" Kenzi finished putting Cosette's estimated height and weight on the form, then blinked. "As in, convent sisters? ... wait, they wouldn't let you have apples?? Please say that was a metaphor. No, wait, don't."

How about goggling? That counted as a side-ye, right?

Totally counted.

"Mealtime was very strict," Cosette explained, and while she was glad to be rid of those restrictions she didn't seem to resent them. "But there were a few fruit trees in the garden, and sometimes if fruit fell from them one of the girls might pick one up. They were a treat, but only in secret."

Did it count if you lived poorer than someone, if your world was just-- richer? More junk-food filled? Less-restrictive?

Thoughts to ponder later, really. Kenzi shook her head and pointed to Therese-girl. "Right, we are so taking you to a pie-eating contest, or something like it, on one of these trips. Fruit shouldn't have to be a treat, yeeeeesh."

Cosette burst out laughing. "That won't be necessary, really, it won't! I'm not there any more, am I? There's nothing to stop me from eating fruit whenever I care to now, and besides --" Yes, she was capable of displaying a mischievous grin. "We always thought those silly little half-shrivelled pears tasted better for all the trouble we had to go to for them."

Kenzi snickered, then laughed. "The stolen stuff always tastes better." She grinned wickedly at the new girl and said, "I think you're gonna like this class, yup. Right. Putting your hair up, 'cause there's no nuns here to stop us."

Choose Your Own Adventure, Thursday afternoon

Re: Mingle! and Make ID's

Re: Mingle! and Make ID's

Re: Mingle! and Make ID's

Re: Mingle! and Make ID's

Re: Mingle! and Make ID's

Re: Mingle! and Make ID's

Re: Mingle! and Make ID's

Re: Mingle! and Make ID's

Re: Mingle! and Make ID's

Re: Mingle! and Make ID's

Re: Mingle! and Make ID's