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

[bigdamnprincipal]

Okay, admittedly, having a picnic at the beginning of January wasn't the best idea the school had ever come up with. Thankfully, the weather was sort of agreeable today - it wasn't too chilly, the sun was out, and there were still pretty pockets of unmelted snow on the lawn.

In the middle of the lawn, a bonfire had been set up for warmth and light--mostly the warmth--and the tables and chairs had been set out to mostly be in the sun. There was a long table with a variety of moddable warm foods, and there was the usual table of nametags and lists to help folks find their siblings and roommates. With everything set up, it was time to welcome the new folks!

[OCD is up! 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!]

Comments

[halfaclink.livejournal.com]

No healing factor, just one of the world's two strongest livers. It was better than a machine.

"More for me!" Frank declared before drinking the drink. "And there is no drinking age here! It's the most magical place, or it would be, if I paid attention to drinking age laws. How was your trip in?"

[ungue.livejournal.com]

Laura didn't even need to make an effort to stop caring. If that was how he rolled, it was cool by her.

"There is not? Interesting." Did that mean she was going to keep running into drunk people? How charming and not annoying at all.

Laura shrugged. "Nondescript."

[halfaclink.livejournal.com]

"Glad to hear it," Frank said. "So, what do you know about Fandom so far? I'm here to be your guide and tell you all the important stuff you don't know yet."

[ungue.livejournal.com]

"I know there is a school and alternate universes. Not much else."

If he really was going to be her guide, he better knew how lost she was.

[halfaclink.livejournal.com]

"Magic is real, and frequently frustrating! You may wake up one day different in a way you couldn't have expected unless somebody had warned you, and even then it might be really weird! Squirrels report the news on the radio for some reason," Frank explained. "But everything gets back to normal soon enough. Oh, and sometimes there are weird ghost vision things, but ghosts will do that."

"Oh, and it's been made clear to me that I should tell you that all of that is real and not the result of my having too much to drink. If anything, it makes me drink very slightly more."

[ungue.livejournal.com]

"There is magic in my world." She didn't understand the bit with the squirrels but the rest was a bit worrying. "Waking up different how?" Ghosts she could deal with. Him drinking she could deal with. Probably.

"People seem to do that. Drinking to deal with things."

[halfaclink.livejournal.com]

"Oh, no, I don't drink to deal with this stuff. I use it as an opportunity to have a few more drinks," Frank explained. It was his way of life. "And one weekend I woke up as a man who was also a Golden Retriever, but I had trouble with the door that weekend, so I never got outside my own room. I've heard, and forgotten, other stories."

[ungue.livejournal.com]

"...what."

How drunk was he? And Laura knew he had just said those weren't drunken ramblings, but seriously? What?

"Seriously?"

[halfaclink.livejournal.com]

He was extremely drunk, but that didn't change anything. "I got better after the weekend. Other people probably have weirder stories, too. So, just watch out for that weird stuff and know that things do get back to normal, okay?"

[ungue.livejournal.com]

"That is good to know." Whether that had been sarcasm or not was impossible to tell. "Why does it happen?"

[halfaclink.livejournal.com]

"An excellent question!" Frank complimented. "Other good questions would be how does it happen? or when will it happen so we can be prepared? And the answer to all of these questions is 'I have no idea.' And as a follow up, 'I don't think anyone has an idea.'"

[ungue.livejournal.com]

Well that didn't sound too good. "Who is in charge?" Surely they would know.

[halfaclink.livejournal.com]

"Principal Winchester. But considering that I'm not sure she can even explain where Student Council gets our glitter budget, I doubt she'll have any of the answers you're looking for," Frank said. "It's just a place where things are weird."

[ungue.livejournal.com]

"Glitter budget." Laura immediately regretted asking. Her sanity was already a fragile thing. "I think I will trust your judgement."

[halfaclink.livejournal.com]

"I often suggest that people do, though they rarely take me up on that advice to their own detriment," Frank said, raising a toast to himself. He poured the drink at some point, and now he was drinking it at this point.

[ungue.livejournal.com]

Man, it was sure nice to have a drunken sage as older sibling. "I think I will take that drink now." It was what people did, right? She couldn't get drunk anyway.

[halfaclink.livejournal.com]

"Unfortunately, that was the last of that bottle," Frank said, putting the bottle down. "Fortunately, I've come prepared!" He reached into the satchel he totally had this whole time and pulled out a new bottle and poured two new glasses before handing one over to Laura.

"To siblings!"

[ungue.livejournal.com]

That truly was a rollercoaster of emotions. Disappointment at missing the cue to make nice with her big sib, relief he wouldn't punish his liver any more, incredulity at his statement, surprise at the new bottle, dread because he had a system and finally resignation because she asked for it.

"Impressive." No, really. She was impressed.

[halfaclink.livejournal.com]

"I tend to be, if I say so myself. And since other people are reluctant to say it, it falls on me to do so," Frank said.

In case it wasn't clear, yes, Frank was a little self-confident, to undersell it to a comedically large degree.

[ungue.livejournal.com]

"I see." Drinking the drink now. "You are something, alright." That much she was willing to admit.