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

[bigdamnprincipal]

The lawn was arranged with tables and chairs - some near the food, some not - and there was plenty of food to go around. The school had even wised up and put to-go boxes by the plates, so people didn't have to put food in their pockets to take it with them for later. No one was gonna judge you for making some pocket bacon, but at least now it wasn't a necessity.

[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

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[myownface]

Sure, Sparkle wasn't teaching this semester, but he was showing up here anyway, keeping an eye out for any new, cold-looking faces. He had a bag slung over his shoulder - yes, it was his usual backpack - but it was full up with scarves and gloves and toques, and he'd be handing them out like candy on Halloween today.

He knew better than to assume that every new student would know where to go for warm clothing right away.

Besides, the faster he emptied this stuff out from his backpack, the sooner he could start smuggling picnic food into it.

Shut up.

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[justice_undone]

"That backpack looks quite full," Breq said when Sparkle was close enough. "Welcome gifts?"

Just a guess.

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[myownface]

"Welcome gifts for cold people," Sparkle replied with a little smile. "Considering the weather we had last week," that he'd managed to miss the worst of, the little weasel, "I figured it couldn't hurt to greet some of the new students with stuff to help them keep warm. Every year I get a small stampede of people who have never seen winter in their lives coming into my shop. Figured I'd just beat them to the punch this semester."

He nodded toward his backpack.

"How are you set for cold-weather clothes, Breq?"

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[justice_undone]

"That's kind of you," Breq said. "Oh, and I'm fine. That snowstorm must have been the worst."

Her coat definitely wasn't suited to the weather, but as long as she wasn't getting frostbites, she would think she was fine. It wasn't like ancillaries got the warmest coats.

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[myownface]

"I wouldn't know," Sparkle admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "I bailed before the storm got really bad."

... And watch out, here he went, rummaging through his backpack to pull out a bundle - scarf, hat, and gloves - to shove in her direction anyway. Because he saw you in that stupidly cold coat, Breq, and his inner Canadian street kid was dying a little.

"Take it anyway," he coaxed. "A belated Christmas gift."

The only Christmas gift he'd given this year that hadn't been forced on him by a magical owl with a letter. But still.

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[justice_undone]

Breq accepted them, a little reluctantly.

"Thank you. Are you sure the new kids won't need them, though?"

She still wasn't used to getting gifts.

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[myownface]

"I have plenty," Sparkle assured her, along with a little smile. "And if I run out here, I can always jog back to the shop for more. Heck, you'll be doing me a favour by wearing them, right? Anyone likes them and asks where you got them from, you can always just point them back to me."

He did understand how recieving gifts could be hard, sometimes, yeah.

But dammit, Breq, you were cold!

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[justice_undone]

Breq could see through that last argument, but she accepted the gift.

"Thank you," she repeated while putting them on. "How have you been?"

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[myownface]

"You know... I've actually been pretty good?" Sparkle, don't sound so bewildered about that. "Things are kind of starting to calm down, I think. And, I mean, I know I'll get bored sooner or later with everything going well, but bored's still better than going nuts because I can't keep up."

Well, that was both vague and weirdly specific.

"How about you?"

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[justice_undone]

"I've been visiting a friend," Breq replied. "He invited a few os us to his homeworld, for the second time."

She smiled at Sparkle.

"It's a... a lot of it is very gentle."

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[myownface]

"Gentle?" Sparkle smiled a little at that. "Sounds nice. I mean, especially if maybe you're not used to gentle otherwise, so much."

He didn't think for a moment that she was.

"So it was a good trip?"

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[justice_undone]

"It was," Breq said. "I met a group of bird children who loved singing."

That had been the best part.

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[myownface]

"Oh my god," Sparkle said, blinking. "That sounds adorable, I'm sorry I didn't get to see that."

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[sharp_man]

“I see you’re doing your part to keep the students prepared,” Hannibal noted.

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[myownface]

"Somebody has to, right?" Sparkle lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "I mean, every fucking winter I end up with like a half-dozen students stumbling into my shop who don't know what the hell snow is. Might as well nip that in the bud now, right?"

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[sharp_man]

"A sound theory," Hannibal agreed. "I haven't met any of the new students yet, though."

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[myownface]

"Well," Sparkle mused, nodding around the crowd, "there's hungry boy with the nice coat, he seems pretty okay. Purple hair nest girl thinks clothes are stupid, so pfft, fine, whatever, kid. And there's kid with the cat head over there, she seems like she knows what's up."

He liked cat head kid.

"I'm still keeping an eye out for more. Gotta throw hats at everyone's head."

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[sharp_man]

Hannibal looked at each of them as Sparkle pointed them out. "They all seem fairly non-standard for our Earths, so it should be an interesting time. You're not teaching this semester?"

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[myownface]

Sparkle smiled, shrugged, and shook his head.

"Nah, not this time around," he replied. "I'm kind of a one-trick pony when it comes to classes, and that one trick is exhausting. I'm doing pretty okay right now, I want to take a semester to appreciate that before jumping back in, I think."

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[sharp_man]

"Sensible," Hannibal said. "Although should you be interested, I wouldn't mind teaching cooking with you. Still, I'm pleased to hear you're doing well. Did you have a good holiday?"

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[myownface]

Sparkle shrugged and just kind of scratched at the inside of his elbow, smiling crookedly.

"I have no complaints," he decided. "Did some get-together-with-friend stuff."

And then spent Boxing Day getting laid.

So. Really no complaints.

"You?"

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[sharp_man]

"Ah, well." Hannibal smiled wryly. "I spent most of my Christmas and Boxing Day in jail."

Go on, Sparkle, laugh. You knew you wanted to.

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[myownface]

YUP.

That was Sparkle, reaching one hand up to cover his mouth. And then moving the second one up to join it. And then giving a faintly amused wheeze.

"Oh?"

DO TELL, HANNIBAL.

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[sharp_man]

Hannibal shook his head, still smiling. "Not as amusing as it sounds, I'm afraid. I was saving the students at Jono's school."

He was being heroic!...ally deadly, but hey.

Re: General Mingling [Spring 2019]

[myownface]

Well. There earned a blink.

"You got arrested for... protecting kids?"

And now Sparkle's expression was all kinds of 'the fuck?'