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

[bigdamnprincipal]

Everyone had been keeping a close eye on the weather, and gave a sigh of relief as it turned out to be a pretty decent day. Sure, it was still a little warm, but it wasn't humid, or raining something strange. You had to take your wins where you could get them around here.

As usual, there was a buffet of food awaiting the folks on the welcome shuttle, and blue and gold tables and chairs were set up across the lawn, most still covered in glitter from the last picnic. Sorry not! Happy picnic day!

[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

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[mylandmyrules]

"There was a shimmery thing in the woods," Nell said slowly.

Her eyes widened. "Is that how I got here? I better go right back there and find it. John will be worried and upset when I don't come right home."

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[always_someone]

"That's probably how you got here," Norman agreed, frowning a little. "If, um. If the portal is closed, you might be stuck here. Does John have a phone? You can call him and let him know you're fine, at least?"

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[mylandmyrules]

Nell looked at him suspiciously. "No. What would we-uns need with a phone? Besides the government can track you through a phone. John would never let one in the house."

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[always_someone]

... People from Tennessee were weird.

"Okay," Norman replied, a little perplexed. "Can you write to him? A letter? So he knows you're safe?"

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[mylandmyrules]

"I'd rather just go home," Nell said bluntly. "And what is this place anyway? Why do people have assigned 'siblings' and roommates? Is this some sort of government holding facility - and, oh lord above, that man is green."

She swallowed hard and stepped back a moment to look around her. "This is... These people aren't all normal or human or... Maybe I'm dreaming."

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[always_someone]

Norman glanced over at the teachers. Huh. Green guy. That was new. Nice sword, though.

And then he glanced back at Nell, holding up his hands and trying to look reassuring.

"It's a school, that's all. The castle is a school, and people end up here from all over to go there. It can kind of feel like a dream, sometimes? Maybe thinking it's a dream might make it easier, even."

But it was not.

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[mylandmyrules]

"A school?" For a moment Nell looked wistful. She knew that in the outside kids went to schools, all the way up to college even. In God's Cloud of Glory Church, the kids got taught there - no outside government influence, almost no books except the bible. She'd been able to get a few books in town and hide them once she'd married John, but the idea of access to real books and learning...

But it probably wan't real. And yet, she knew it wasn't a dream.

"So, I'm stuck here, but I get to go to school?"

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[always_someone]

"You... might be, but if you stay, you do," Norman confirmed. "Look, they have room assignments and nametags with your name on it already. I bet if we dig around for a bit, they'll even have class schedules ready for you too."

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[mylandmyrules]

She looked down at the name tag in her hand. "Schedules, huh? Like somehow it was all planned out that I'd be here and everything?"

Nell looked him dead in the eye. "You're telling me the truth? It's not some government conspiracy thing where they're holding us all here?"

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[always_someone]

Norman looked right back at her, suddenly a little anxious about the eye-contact, given the weirdly faceted irises his own eyes had. But... holding it all the same.

"I'm telling you the truth," he replied. "I don't really have any reason to lie. Nobody even really controls where anyone goes around here. I don't think anyone exactly cares."

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[mylandmyrules]

Hey, she'd just seen a green guy. And a blue lady. Weirdly faceted irises were hardly going to register.

Despite her best efforts her lower lip quivered a little, but there was no way she was going to cry. Not here, not now, maybe not ever. "Okay then. Help me find this schedule thing and then maybe I'll see if I can find someone who knows about these portal things."

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[always_someone]

Norman nodded a little, offering her a reassuring smile.

"Yeah," he replied. "We'll get you settled in and then sort out what we can, okay?"

It was entirely possible he was kind of hoping the portals couldn't get her back to where she'd come from. She looked to him like... well... like she'd come from something that had left her more than a little bit damaged.

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[mylandmyrules]

He had no idea how right he was.

"Okay," she said quietly. "Thank you. I guess this big sibling thing might be kind of good."

Nell took a deep breath. "So, what do I need to know about my new temporary home?"

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[always_someone]

"It's weird," Norman replied, "but it's kind of the same amount of weird to everyone, so if there's ever something you don't entirely understand, most people will be willing to help you out if you ask. Students all live in the dorms - that's that building over there - and there should be a list nearby with your room assignment on it. If you want a job, plenty of places in town are hiring, it's not actually that difficult to get one."

Ignore how long he spent dithering on actually going in to a business and asking for work, okay?

"Um... sometimes there are things like green people, or people with powers. Not everyone. But enough that you'll notice them. They're normal people too," he added, a little more carefully. "No matter how unusual it is to you. One of my best friends here is a big red shark guy. That's fine. He's really nice."

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[mylandmyrules]

He was being so kind. It kind of broke her a little in ways she hadn't known she could break. No man had ever been kind to her before - not even her husband, even though he loved her. It just wasn't his way.

Nell rubbed at her face a little. This was a lot to take in. "A big red shark guy, huh? Well, I suppose if you-uns is friends he can't be all bad."

She hesitated. "And people have powers? Like... what kind of powers? Not witch things? Bad magic?"

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[always_someone]

Norman couldn't quite keep from flinching at that 'witch things, bad magic' comment, no.

"There's not really bad magic," he said, carefully. "There are people who use magic for bad things, but that isn't quite the same."

Norman 'I was nearly burned at the stake for talking to ghosts' Babcock was kind of feeling a bit of a sting, there.

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[mylandmyrules]

Nell considered that. "I'm not a witch," she said finally. "But I can, well, I can do things. And I don't think that makes me bad. But I... I know I can do bad things with it. So, I guess I can understand that."

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[always_someone]

Norman was quiet for a long moment before he volunteered, "I can see ghosts. I talk to the dead. They're just... people, you know? My Grandma just hangs around at home and asks me about whatever's on TV."

He was going to just kind of slide on by the things that Aggie had done, that other person who had, once upon a time, been a kid very much like himself.

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[mylandmyrules]

She hesitated, then gestured for him to step over to the side, onto the grass, where she had the grass grow up and tangle around his shoes. "I can do all sorts of stuff with plants."

She wasn't going to tell him that if he were to bleed on the land, she could take his life. It wasn't something that she ever ever wanted to have to do again.

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[always_someone]

Norman blinked at the grass around his shoes. He was grinning a little when he looked back up at Nell.

"That's a really neat trick," he replied. "I've only ever seen one other person do something like that before."

Aaand that one other person was three centuries dead. So.

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[mylandmyrules]

"There's a lot more, but, you know." She shrugged. "It lets you know I wouldn't judge you. Not 'less you were hurting people."

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[always_someone]

Norman gave her a wry little smile.

"I appreciate it," he replied. "And I try to not hurt people if I can help it."

He held up a finger and drew a faintly glowing greenish leaf in the air, the way Bob had taught him to do. It shimmered there for a moment, and then faded away.

"No judging."

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[mylandmyrules]

Nell's eyes went wide and she gave him her first real smile. "That's amazing!"

She hesitated for a moment, then crouched down, closed her eyes, and placed her hand palm down on the earth. It took her a moment to hear this land the way she could her own, but then she smiled and with her eyes still closed, told Norman where all the people and animals were in the area. "I like this land," she said when she opened her eyes again. "I didn't think it was possible, but I can just about hear Soulwood through it - my woods."

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[always_someone]

"That's an amazing gift," Norman replied, still smiling, this time with a content look on his face. Listening to her talk about the area, and about her connection to the land, was fascinating. "And I'm glad the land here lets you have some feeling of connection to home."

Re: Meet Your Big/Little Sibling [Fall 2018]

[mylandmyrules]

The smile stayed on her face as she kept her hand to the earth. "Me too," she said. "It makes it a little easier. I wouldn't know what to do if I couldn't feel it - it's be like losing an arm or something."

Nell was quiet for a moment, then looked up at Norman. "Would you think I was a bad person if I said, maybe I was happy to have an excuse to not be able to go right back home." 'Cause she kind of felt that way. Both ways, glad of the excuse and like a bad person for feeling that way. Certainly it made her a bad wife.