fandomhigh | Oh the Humanity!: Friendship is International Adventure, Thursday, period 1

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Oh the Humanity!: Friendship is International Adventure, Thursday, period 1

Eliot was looking a fair bit brighter this week than last week, and Pinkie was actually there, bouncy and pink. Everything was back to normal, including the way Eliot was glaring at her.

"Heya everypony!" Pinkie greeted. "This week we're headed somewhere warm and fun again! Just in case you all had your fill of snow."

"You're welcome," Eliot said drily. "Her original syllabus had us going to Siberia this week."

"It just sounds so fun!"

"No." The portal opened up, and Eliot and Pinkie started herding the students through.

"Welcome," Pinkie said, as they looked out over a reflecting pool towards a white, onion-domed and turreted structure "To Agra!"

"Also known as the home of the Taj Mahal," Eliot said. "One of the most famous mausoleums in all of Earth history."

"You all could easily spend the whole class just checking out the Taj itself," Pinkie said. "But Agra has plenty more fun historical monuments to explore, too!"

"And a wildlife reserve, if that's more up your alley," Eliot said.

"So don't let us keep ya!" Pinkie cheered. "Get out there and see what there is to see!"

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Warmly

Or at least the Taj. Eliot will give you some serious side-eye if you don't at least approach the Taj.

Pinkie is delighted by how much vegetarian food there is in India.

She's not quite prepared for the spiciness, though.

I'm reading a book that takes place in India right now. All I want to do is hang out on a mountaintop in a monsoon, now.

Eliot on the other hand is perfectly prepared for the spiciness. And thoroughly enjoying himself some masala chai.

Hanna Heller

Kathy Li

Kathy was a romantic at heart and the Taj Mahal was about as romantic as you could get. So sorry, the rest of the wonders of Agra, Kathy was going to spend her class time exploring one spot.

Okay, after getting some chaat from a street vendor. It smelled amazing!

Blue Sargent

The wildlife sanctuary was much more Hanna's speed than a mausoleum. She found a place to conceal herself and spent a good half of the period just watching the new kinds of animals wander by.

After getting a lot of photos, Hanna headed back to the Taj and a place to get lunch.

"What are you eating?"

"It's called chaat and it's amazing," Kathy gushed. "It's like a veggie mash over fried bread or something. You wanna try a bite?"

"Yes please!" Hanna beamed, holding out her hand. "I was hiking all over the sanctuary before I came back here."

Kathy used her plastic spoon to carve out a chunk and handed it over, a mouthful of flavorful vegetables on a chunk of thin, crisp bread. "I got it from that stall over there," she said, nodding. "I guess this is the street food that Agra is known best for."

"Mmmm..." Hanna hummed, then sniffed as the spices burned in her nose. "'S good. I like it." She held up one finger, and said, "Back in a second."

She headed over to the stall, chatted for a bit, then returned with a snack of her own. "What have you seen while we've been here?"

Kaylin Neya

"Mostly the Taj Mahal," she confessed. "I've read so many books about it that I just had to explore it all. It's so iconic! And I know there are like a million other non-tourist trappy things to do, but..." She ducked her head a little bit. "You?"

"A mongoose fighting a snake," Hanna listed. "Herons. A hyena, I think. Beautiful egrets, so pretty... and the rescued bear (http://www.soorsarovarbirdsanctuary.in/photo_gallery_large.html?curImage=10&) sanctuary, too." She squinted up at the Taj, and took another nibble of her chaat. "It's beautiful. But why did you stay only here?"

"Well, we only had an hour," Kathy explained. "I'd rather spend that time really getting to know one thing well, than running around not seeing much of anything, you know? And since the Taj Mahal is one of those things I've wanted to see forever, I figured the one thing I'd focus on was that."

"It's a tomb," Hanna felt compelled to point out. "A very pretty tomb, but..."

"And a testament to how much she was loved," Kathy said, looking a little wistful. "I should only hope to have inspired that kind of love from someone by the time I die. I mean--even four hundred years later, this stands as a symbol of their love. That's pretty powerful."

"And his wealth." Hanna stared up at it, thinking. "Still, I can see how that would be... a good proof." Something Hanna didn't even aspire to; to have friends that remembered seemed as much as she could hope for. "Have you ever been in love?"

Kathy shook her head. "Never been in love, never had a boyfriend, even." She had two friends whose naked company she enjoyed, but she didn't kid herself that those relationships were any more than what they were. Or that she wanted them to be--Dante and Ezra were fun, but they weren't what she wanted in a relationship.

For one thing, the capability to be in a relationship was up there.

"I figure that's more a college thing anyway," she said, offering Hanna a small smile. "You know, when I'm older and all that. Because if it's a high school thing--" she checked her watch "--I've only got a few more months to make good on it, and I'm pretty sure this is one of those things that can't be rushed."

Hanna considered that, and said, "I think I would like to have a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend." She paused and added, "But I don't know if I want a love that would inspire architecture." She gave Kathy a sideways smile. "I will miss you, when you're gone."

"I'll miss you, too," Kathy said, leaning in for a hug. "I'll be staying until August, at least. I'm excited about school but I don't want to leave my friends."

They were the first she'd ever had and she was worried that whatever magic had worked here at Fandom wouldn't follow her home.

Hanna leaned back into her, squeezing her back. "You will have to visit, after. The way all the graduates do." She smiled a tiny bit. "Even if it will probably be crazy when you visit." She sighed and looked upward at the Taj Mahal again. "Maybe we will come back here, sometime? Or to Praha, or Australia?" That would be fun, adventures after graduation.

"Ha, absolutely!" Kathy promised. "You couldn't keep me away from this crazy place! Even after all my friends graduate, Elliot and Parker will still be here." She flashed another grin over at their teacher who was looking...fairly annoyed at something Pinkie was doing. No surprise there. "So, why no architecture-inspiring love affairs?"

Hanna opened her mouth, then closed it, thinking. "Because, I think, I would want someone I loved to be-- safe. Happy." She gestured to the Taj Mahal. "This is wonderful, but. I would be... scared, I think. To have someone love me this much."

"Really?" Kathy asked, confused by that idea. "I think I'm firmly in the pro-Taj Mahal camp. I want someone to love me that much. It's like--proof that I really did matter. To someone. Maybe that's selfish of me, but..."

"But how could anyone deserve this?" Hanna wondered. "How could you be enough for them?" She bumped her shoulder against Kathy's. "And how can you think you don't matter, here and now?"

"Well, I guess that's the thing," Kathy said. "It's not something she had to live up to. She just lived and loved and when she was gone he chose to do this. It would be hard to live up to, yeah, but as a monument to who you were and how much you meant? That says a lot about just how much you were valued, I think."

She traded grins with Hanna and bumped her shoulder back. "I know I matter--" at least most of the time, anyway "--but I don't know if I, y'know, Taj Mahal matter. When I die, will you build something for me?" she teased.

Hanna turned pink, then laughed. "A very nice... oh. Balance beam. In the middle of the park. Will that do?"

Kathy gave her a V-sign. "Honestly?" she asked. "That'd be perfect."

Edited 2016-02-05 05:38 (UTC)

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Oh the Humanity!: Friendship is International Adventure, Thursday, period 1

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