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

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!event: welcome picnic

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

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!]

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"In the dorms?" It had to be said that at least Lucille was making an effort not to look horrified. "And your roommate doesn't mind?"

"Oh, no, Alluka loves having him around! Waddles is very well-behaved." Mabel? Was smiling so big, now. "Why would she mind? Sometimes we all have tea parties together."

Alluka, Mabel, Waddles, and a large collection of stuffed animals.

"Not everyone likes sharing their bedroom with a pig," Lucille pointed out. "But it sounds like you are lucky there." She paused. "And does Waddles drink tea?" She couldn't resist asking that question, just as if she had meant it seriously.

Oh, Lucille. You were getting the most matter-of-fact smile that Mabel could muster, now.

"He's a pig," she pointed out, just in case, perhaps, Lucille had missed that memo. "He'll drink anything I put in front of him."

That was kind of how pigs worked. Now you were asking silly questions, Lucille. Don't worry, Mabel would be ever so happy to helpfully teach you.

"Oh, I know very little about keeping pigs," Lucille confessed sweetly. Because they were, you know, pigs, and why would she? Also, she didn't much care for that tone in Mabel's voice. "Perhaps you could enlighten me?"

"Oh, of course I would," Mabel replied, so enthusiastically it was possible she would strain something with the effort. "I could go on for hours about a proper pig diet, good bedding, toys... Did you know pigs are very smart?"

And this next part came with the sweetest, most innocent smile that a Mabel could possibly muster.

"Why, some pigs are more inquisitive and eager to learn new things than some people out there!"

Some people! Nobody in particular!

"Oh, you have to look after him well, then," Lucille countered. "Curiosity killed the cat, as we all know. Or pig, in this case."

This was said in the most concerned way, naturally, because who but Lucille cared as much about Waddles' welfare.

"Oh, no," Mabel replied, something a little sharp, if still disgustingly friendly, creeping into her voice. "Waddles knows how to stay out of trouble. The pterodactyl taught him that one."

She was absolutely, utterly, completely serious.

"And nothing. Hurts. My. Pig."

Mabel was tiny, but fierce. Especially where Waddles was involved.

Lucille wasn't going to ask about the pterodactyl.

"I am sure," she said. "He is lucky to have such a strong protectress." Her voice might have added the sentiment that caring for pigs was rather silly.

Mabel's answering voice, then, held a fair bit of the sentiment that she really didn't care. Waddles was her waddles, thank-her-very-much.

"Strong and fearless," she replied. "But then, it's hard to find something around here that can't be dealt with using a little bit of patience and ingenuity, and a lot of glitter."

Mabel wasn't so shallow as to find herself secretly hoping to catch somebody in the middle of a gremlin bite hallucination! But if she was that sort of person...

"Oh, tell me," Lucille replied, leaning forward a little as if she was truly curious. "How does glitter help?"

~~And now I am tempted to have her gremlin-bit, poor girl.~~

"Around here," Mabel replied, leaning forward and dropping her voice as though she was letting Lucille in on a big secret, "it's practically camouflage. And there'll be times around Fandom Island when you want a good camouflage, trust me."

How desperately would that camo be needed? Mabel wasn't going to tell unless she was asked. And then she was going to be honest! Truthful! And, as a result, absolutely impossible to believe.

But not spitefully! That would be petty!

~~Mabel would so helpfully be there with a camera for posterity! SHE NEVER PASSES UP A SCRAPBOOKORTUNITY.~~

"One could assume that glitter enhances visibility rather than offer camouflage," Lucille observed casually, picking up a piece of food from her plate and putting it into her mouth.

~~Poor, poor Lucille!~~

"One might think that," Mabel agreed, bending over to put Waddles back down on the ground. "But one who might think that might not be terribly experienced with Fandom."

This was actually helpful advice. That it was delivered in a matter-of-fact know it all sort of tone that might or might not make the more skeptical people out there hesitate to take her seriously was neither here nor there.

"But if you can't explain it, how could I trust that you are telling the truth." Lucille gave Mabel a very innocent look. "You might be trying to make a joke at my expense."

"True, true," Mabel replied with an easy nod. "You don't know me at all, so you can't possibly trust a single thing that I say. But I wouldn't want you to be second-guessing whether I was telling the truth all the time if you were to get eaten by a locker or fall into Special Collections or wake up after spending a whole weekend thinking that you're somebody else. That would totally defeat the purpose of coming over to say hi and welcome you to the island, wouldn't it?"

And now that Mabel had said all of those things, she could totally hang on to a completely petty 'I told you so' sometime down the road.

Not that she would stoop so low!

The annoying thing was that Lucille had no idea whether Mabel was telling the truth. She could not let that be know, however.

"And now I'm guessing you will tell me that glitter is the best way to avoid any of these unfortunate events. Or is there another way? Because just warning me isn't going to be much help, is it?"

Mabel was still smiling so very, very sweetly.

"Oh, nothing can save you from waking up as somebody else. But you might at least blend in better at school dances."

She was helping.

"But why would I want to blend in at school dances?" Lucille countered with a matching smile. "Isn't the point of going to a dance to make an impression?"

She was going to ignore the waking up as somebody else for now.

"That," Mabel said knowingly, "depends on the kind of impression you're trying to make. Do you want people to think you're the no-fun police?"

That was almost an honest question, right there, considering Mabel was getting the impression that she was being judged purely on the grounds of her pig ownership.

On the ground of her pig ownership and her sweaters. Mabel wasn't entirely wrong.

"Why would anyone think that?" Lucille replied with near perfect innocence. "Is that what you worry about? I'm sure no one would be so cruel."

"Oh, I don't know," Mabel replied, batting her eyelashes sweetly. "I suppose that all depends on first impressions, doesn't it?"

"Perhaps," Lucille said. "I'm sorry if you feel you need to work on that, because truly, you do not."

Wasn't that reassuring, Mabel?

"Oh," Mabel replied, pausing for a moment to preen. "That's so kind of you to notice, thank you!"

Mabel was perfection wrapped up in a cute sparkly sweater, dangit! Nobody could take that away from her. Not even snarky people who didn't like Waddles!

Maybe even especially not snarky people who didn't like Waddles.

Did she never give up? Lucille was beginning to tire of ~~not winning~~ this conversation, so she suddenly got to her feet.

"Well, Mabel, it's been a pleasure to meet you, and I'm sure we'll see each other soon again. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to talk to the young lady over there." She gestured at behind Mabel's back at no one in particular, and left, making sure not to stumble over Waddles.

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2016]

rhymeswithtable.livejournal.com - 2016-01-03 22:33 (UTC) - Expand

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