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

Entry tags:

!event: welcome picnic

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

The nice thing about the fall welcome picnics was that, well, they didn't typically happen in the fall. It was definitely still summer in Fandom, with sunny skies and a light breeze blowing through the front lawn of the school. Folks had gotten up bright and early to make sure there were plenty of tables, chairs, and blue and gold streamers to decorate the picnic area.

And glitter. So much glitter for the new folks to learn to love.

Getting the food out was the finishing touch, and then everything was ready for the new (and not-so-new) arrivals!

[This is part one of the picnic, specifically for meeting siblings, roommates and teachers. The rest of the picnic is happening here! Since it's outside, the picnic is open to all students, teachers, and townies!]

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He needn't go through suck trouble. Karla was staring at him in shock, attention a hundred miles away from the box and what it contained.

"Are you serious?" she asked. "I'm absolutely listed somewhere as a new teacher? What am I even teaching? When? I'm supposed to be ruling a Territory!"

"I'm afraid I don't know," Hannibal answered apologetically. "I had assumed you knew yourself, so I had no reason to inquire." A thought occurred to him. "Perhaps you should take it up with the dean?"

Because if there was anyone he wanted to turn an upset Karla loose on...

"Oh, I will just as soon as I figure out wherever he's gotten himself off to," Karla said, scanning the lawn for the telltale cloak.

Hmm. She couldn't see him. In that case, odds were good a new relative had shown up this year.

"This is so bloody Fandom it's not even funny," Karla bitched. "I'm going to have to go shake down the moose to find out what room I'm in, never mind little things like figuring out what I'm teaching and when."

Hannibal looked at her and smiled. "I don't know your classroom, but if Jono isn't teaching this semester, the office next to mine is empty. Though perhaps covered in rock music posters."

And if Karla took it and redecorated, it was your own fault for not teaching, Jono!

"You just want me to remove all the posters," Karla said, laughing a little. Okay, she could sort this out later.

Because...teaching? Really? As if her life wasn't topsy-turvy enough as it was!

"So, do I get to see my present now?" she asked. "Or are you going to continue to be a tease?"

"I thought I would continue to tease you, of course." Hannibal chuckled, then relented and settled the lid back on the box, spreading his hands. "It's all yours. Welcome to Fandom as a teacher."

Karla looked down and saw that Hannibal had, quite literally, recreated Fandom. Out of... "Is this edible?" she gasped, looking up at him. "All of it? Merciful Darkness, Hannibal, are you serious?!"

She was...she was going to have to eat the Hell out of this. After she took a million pictures to upload. After after she flung herself at him for the biggest, squeeziest hug she could manage.

"This is amazing!"

Hannibal hugged her back, pleased at the reaction. "It is. I save my best work for those that appreciate it," he added with a small bow.

He pointed out various things to her. "The grounds and environs are mostly vegetables, of course. Crudité. The businesses are sweets - chocolate and marzipan, mostly - and the residences are based around meat," because he was ~~an evil, awful man~~ an artist with a theme. "The bars are both rather alcoholic," he cautioned, "so you may want to leave them for later. And my own house is my preferred meat." If she chose to eat it or not.

Interestingly, Karla's hand stuttered over the bars, not Hannibal's house. "Alcoholic?" she asked. "That's, uhh, oh. Hmmm. If, uhh, I were to try to save those, how long would they last?"

She asked. For reasons.

Definitely not the reaction he'd been expecting, no. "I had thought you might want them later. They should keep for a day or two." He gave her a questioning look. He knew she drank, after all.

Well, this suddenly got awkward fast. "...You may want to take those after I'm done taking pictures," she said. "I would hate for them to go to waste."

And just as soon as she finished speaking, she realized that she could have just brought them home and foisted them off on Warren and not said anything. Ugh, she was so off her game right now!

Hannibal continued to give her a curious look. "You've given up alcohol for Glacia's equivalent of Lent?" he suggested. "You can bring them home to Warren, if you like."

"Lent?" Hannibal, meet Karla's clueless face. There were still some Earth customs she remained ignorant of.

She took a moment to debate just going along with whatever he'd said, but decided that there was a difference between just not telling people and actively lying about things. Actively lying was stupid--he'd be able to figure it out for himself in a few weeks anyway.

Since she'd already brought it up, she might as well explain. Or, at least, hint, since she wasn't entirely ready to say the words yet. Every time she did, it all felt...realer. Which was a word, shut up. She was a Queen, she could do what she wanted.

"I've given up alcohol for a bit, yeah," she admitted, studiously taking pictures of the edible diorama. Because it was interesting, not because she was avoiding Hannibal's gaze. "...For a standard amount of time that women give up alcohol for." That was vague, geeze. "Women in a specific...condition."

Hell's fire and Mother Night, she was blushing. This was ridiculous.

Hannibal nodded. "Shall I congratulate you, then? I take it from your demeanor this wasn't planned." He frowned. "Do you think that could be why the attack happened now?" The timing was certainly suspicious.

"It, uhh, happened after the attack," Karla said, trying not to fidget. "The evening after, if you really want to be specific. I'm about a week along."

Blood physiology was unbelievable, huh? ~~Literally so.~~

"You're the fourth person to be told, in fact. I'd say you could brag about it to Jono, but that'll have to wait until he knows, too." Before he could ask, she said, "Jaenelle and Raven verified my suspicions, and then I went home and told Warren. We're going to tell the First Circle in a few days and the rest of our friends a little further along. Just in case."

Karla's Court needed to know for safety reasons, of course, but it just made more sense to wait until Karla was a little further along to make a general announcement.

"Oh, and thanks. I'm still...adjusting to the idea."

Edited 2014-08-24 19:42 (UTC)

"I was speaking with a friend only recently about the drive to reaffirm life that comes from having a brush with death," Hannibal noted with a smile. "Thank you for telling me, and I promise to keep it quiet until told otherwise."

He'd probably be a bit smug, but really, when wasn't he? And he wasn't going to blink an eye at her knowing so soon; he assumed as a Healer she knew her own body very well, even without adding her Craft into the equation.

"If nobody else is aware of the timeline," he pointed out, giving her a thoughtful look, "you could release the news in such a way as to make your attackers look even more execrable. Very few people approve of violence against pregnant women, even their enemies. People might come forward."

Hannibal? Smug? Never! Next, the narration will suggest that he's going to make some kind of subtle puns that only make sense in context or something!

Madness.

"Noooo," Karla said, shaking her head. "That's the last thing we're going to do. A pregnant witch is a vulnerable witch. Already trying to use Craft causes me to throw up and faint. Soon enough, using it will put the baby's life in danger."

She gave him a small smile and a shrug. "As soon as we announce I'm expecting, I'll have a target painted on my back. I'll go from being the strongest witch in several Territories to having no power at all. I mean, you're right, we have the same taboos against attack on pregnant and helpless females as well, but for people who already want me dead, the window of opportunity has suddenly gotten much bigger."

Hannibal winced. "That is unfortunate. And perhaps it's a good thing you'll be spending some time away. If you aren't always there, it will be easier to keep it secret." He smiled. "And easier for me to feed you for two. Ermengarde shouldn't have all of the fun."

"...That's an interesting idea of fun you've got going on there," Karla said dryly. "On the other hand, who am I to argue something that gets me more tasty food?"

And what he said did have merit...

"That's a good way to pitch this to my Court," she mused. "After all, it'll give me one day a fortnight where I am safe. Okay, not that the island is particularly safe, but it's never gunned for me personally."

Fandom was nice and generalized with its danger and murder attempts.

Hannibal nodded in acknowledgement. "It's a pity the time difference doesn't go the other way. Still, maybe not such poor timing on the island's part after all. And should you need to spend a bit more time here, I'll see I always have a room or two ready. You know where my house is." He nodded to the edible map.

"I do," Karla said, breaking off the tiniest bit of his roof and examined it on the tip of her finger. "I may end up taking you up on that. At least a guest room for naps. Probably somewhere close to your dining room, so I can eat and then nap and then eat again."

Perfect life.

Hannibal chuckled. "Closest to the stairs, then. I'll see to it."

He eyed her and the bit of food on her finger. "The decision is entirely yours. The other meat is pork and beef. And the flamingos," he pointed out the little birds by the shore and not on his lawn, thank you very much, "are shrimp." It had seemed appropriate.

"Well, I'm eating one of those right away," Karla grumbled, snatching at a flamingo and savagely biting it. Look, she had flamingo-based issues. Actually, she had water-fowl issues in general. "I think I'm working my way up to trying yours. I'm both intrigued and kind of horrified."

Hannibal gave her a pleased smile. She was considering it; that was good.

He made sure none of the others or the squirrels were listening in.

"There used to be a particular bit of forest in Baltimore. It was a very important habitat for endangered songbirds, and useful for many other species as well. A beautiful and necessary place. Unfortunately, there was also a city councilman in Baltimore. Several years ago, he brokered a deal to pave over and develop that land, despite all arguments and pleading to the contrary. He profited very nicely from it, you see. Both in bribes and in investments."

[I know we're long past radio on this, but if anybody's reading - NFB from here, nobody overhearing or anything, k? :)]

"He hurt the land?!" Karla asked, outraged. "Destroying an important bit of the ecosystem for a-a-a parking lot or something?!"

Well-played, Hannibal. Well-played.

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