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

[bigdamnprincipal]

Picnic-ing in January - still not the best idea ever! But there were tables and chairs set up in the sun, and a nice bonfire going, and plenty of warm food for everyone to encourage socializing for as long as possible.

[OCD is up! This is the picnic post for general mingling. Roommates, fake siblings and teachers are all here. Since it's outside, the picnic is open to all students, teachers, and townies!]

Comments

[ungue.livejournal.com]

Laura was on the lower tree of a branch, slowly going through some cookies, eyes scanning the crowd without interest. She looked totally non-threatening.

Hey, at least the claws were in.

[spin_kick_snap]

When you spent as much time up on rooftops as Kathy did, you were inclined to look up more often than most people did. Which was how she spotted the girl in the tree in the first place.

"Huh," she said. "You know, I never thought about climbing one of those. Good view of the picnic?"

[ungue.livejournal.com]

"It is strategically sound for surveillance", Laura said, eyes slowly moving to look at the girl. "Bad coverage, though."

Didn't matter if only one girl had noticed her, that meant it was too in the open.

[spin_kick_snap]

"True enough on both counts," Kathy said, examining the tree. "Might be better a little higher up where the boughs are closer together. Mind if I join you up there? I'm willing to share chips."

Kathy had discovered the fastest way to make friends at Fandom was to offer food. It worked on almost everybody.

[ungue.livejournal.com]

Normally it wouldn't work on Laura, like at all, but she was willing to give it a shot. Didn't any anything better to do at the time anyway.

"Sure." There was enough space on the branch for both of them, not to mention it was sturdy enough to support another girl-shaped person on it. It was just a matter of seeing how Kathy would get there.

[spin_kick_snap]

Hands protectively sandwiching her plate of chips, Kathy got onto the branch by the simple expedient of bouncing. There was a small hop in place to get up momentum and the next sent her up into the air. Like a cat, she landed softly on her feet, managing not to jostle the branch overmuch, though she did need to duck a bit to keep from beaning herself on the branches above. Examining her plate to make sure all the chips were safe, she sat down easily. "Good," she said. "I would have been embarrassed if I made it up here just to drop half my plate as I did. Also, what a waste of food."

She held her plate out, offering Laura as smile as she did so. "Want some? Take as much as you like," she invited. "I'm Kathy, by the way. Welcome to Fandom."

[ungue.livejournal.com]

Laura watched, interest rising. She remained silent until Kathy was all the way set. Picking a chip, she offered the pack of cookies she had in return. Equivalent exchange and all that, right?

"I am Laura." She supposed there wasn't any need for her last name. "Are you a mutant?" She knew a power when she saw one.

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy happily snagged a cookie. She'd long outgrown the initial polite refusal that had been ingrained into her by her parents.

"Something like that," she said with an easy nod. "I've never had any kind of official confirmation or anything, if such a thing is even possible. But it makes the most sense for how I got my powers."

There hadn't been any chemicals, comets, or bizarre experiments, so random genetic mutation was Kathy's guess for the hows and whys.

"Enhanced speed and agility, plus, uhh, bouncing powers." Which still sounded ridiculous no matter how much Kathy practiced saying it. "You come from a place with mutants, then?"

She wasn't going to ask Laura if she was a mutant. From the things Raven had said about her childhood, Kathy thought it was better to let someone decide to tell her than to ask point-blank.

[ungue.livejournal.com]

"Bouncing powers. Appropriate." There was no mockery in her voice. You had what you had, and you dealt with it. Besides, it was useful.

Laura was about to tell her how easily it was to locate the X-gene these days, but her question regarding her world reminded her of the fact that maybe Kathy came from somewhere different. "I do", she replied. "I am one myself." There was little reason for Laura not to share, specially if she had asked Kathy like that.

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo probably would have missed Laura entirely, but struck by one of those random bouts of excitability she did a quick cartwheel just for the fun of it, and thought she saw someone out of the corner of her eye.

So a few minutes later, she wandered over to the tree and looked up. "Hi!" she called up. "I don't think I've seen you around before."

[ungue.livejournal.com]

Laura was starting to doubt the stealth capabilities of the tree. She was so disappointed, tree.

"Hello. I am new." Or did she mean on the tree? The answer was the same anyway.

[soniaroadsqueen]

The tree had lured her in under false pretenses with its promises of easy hiding. It was probably the worst tree ever.

"Thought so!" Ringo declared triumphantly. She grinned upward, then offered the girl in the tree a polite bow. "Hi, I'm Ringo Noyamano."

[ungue.livejournal.com]

True, it wasn't the best tree ever, but it was starting to grow on her.

"It seems like the time for people to arrive." Here, have a bro nod. "Laura Kinney."

[soniaroadsqueen]

Given that it was Fandom, that was entirely possible.

Bro nods were cool with Ringo. "It is about time for new people, yeah." She grinned up. "Nice to meet you, Laura."

"What do you think so far?" Ringo asked, letting her gaze turn back to the fire and the people around it.

[ungue.livejournal.com]

Something else Laura didn't need to know right then.

"It is... different." Which could mean so many things, really. Her voice betrayed her hope, though. A good different, most likely. "I have yet to make my mind."

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo thought she recognized something in that tone, and it brought a smile to her face. "Oh, it's different alright," she agreed easily.

"I mean, it's different for everyone, but I know that it's been a really good different for me."

[ungue.livejournal.com]

"Has it?" Laura shifted on the branch, looking at Ringo (or Ringo's back) with more attention. "How so?"

[never-dull.livejournal.com]

Hannibal saw the girl in the tree, noted her watchful scanning, and decided to come over. Hands in his pockets, very casual, somewhat curious. "The fruit here can be interesting, but I wasn't aware that students grew on trees."

[ungue.livejournal.com]

Laura just deadeyed him. Humor, right?

"The tree would need to be a mammal, at least." Taking it one step further? Why not?

[never-dull.livejournal.com]

"Normally true," Hannibal answered pleasantly. "But this island seems to have its own rules. You are a new student?"

[ungue.livejournal.com]

Well, okay? "I am. I came with the bus."

Just in case there was any doubt about her sprouting from the tree.

[never-dull.livejournal.com]

Hannibal nodded pleasantly at her. "In that case, welcome to Fandom. I'm Doctor Hannibal Lecter; I'm one of the teachers here. I would offer to shake your hand, but my arms aren't long enough."

[ungue.livejournal.com]

Laura would've rolled her eyes if that was something she did. Instead, she gracefully dropped to the ground, making no noise as she expertly hit the grass. She then extended her own hand.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Laura Kinney."

[never-dull.livejournal.com]

Hannibal shook her hand. "My pleasure. That wasn't a criticism, though; you could have stayed where you were. I was merely making a joking observation."

He suspected she hadn't realized that, and his tone was instructional rather than judgmental.

"What brings you to us, Laura?"

[ungue.livejournal.com]

"I am bad with humor." And contractions, but she would eventually get better at both.

Blinking a few times, Laura half shrugged. "I needed to go away somewhere people did not know me."