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

Entry tags:

!event: welcome picnic

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

The weather was warm, the food smelled good, and there was a good chance the new folks were a little extra glittery. What else could go into a perfect day for the picnic?

[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!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Well . . ." Keyleth chewed on her lower lip and looked contemplative for a moment or two. "Maybe you could show me what you do know, sometime? The specifics might be different, but there could be some general principles that would still help. Focusing techniques, or something like that."

Not that she thought she was remotely qualified to teach, but the urge to be a supportive friend won out here.

"Actually, that would be great," Norman replied, smiling a little more. "At this point what I've got to work with is... mostly just books, you know? From the shop. The ones that Bob didn't set aside as total trash, though I'm still not convinced that they're all relevant to at least somebody, somewhere. The whole all the realities thing, you know?"

He smiled crookedly at that.

"Any little bit helps, even if it's just stuff to help focus. I get nervous."

Keyleth laughed a little bit, shakily.

"Oh, I definitely know that feeling. Yeah. I'd love to help you out with that, at least."

Norman smiled. And then held a finger up in the air and, in a faint, green-glowing light, drew a simple flower.

It wasn't really able to go anywhere, but look, Keyleth! He could give you flowers, too!

"Thank you. I mean that. Thanks so much, Keyleth."

Because his direction otherwise mostly kind of hinged on things he'd been told by people who weren't here, and trial and error.

Sometimes, mostly error.

Maybe it couldn't really go anywhere, but Keyleth's face lit up anyway, because she could appreciate the gesture.

"Aw, it's so pretty, Norman," she exclaimed, looking absolutely delighted. She made a quick gesture of her own, murmured a few words in the druidic language, and for a moment or two the trill of a songbird could be heard just beside the flower.

"It's a gift that can feel like a burden sometimes," she said, a touch of sadness flickering across her face. "Boy, do I know that. So if I can help you share it at all, I'm happy to do that."

That songbird trill got a big, warm smile out of Norman for a few moments, a fitting counterpoint to his flower even as both the sound and the light faded away in tandem. He glanced back up at Keyleth, and...

Oh, that sadness. That, he didn't miss.

And so his smile softened a little.

"Nobody should have to shoulder their burdens alone..."

You included, Kiki.

Except she couldn't really get into the habit of relying on people, could she, when there was a good chance she'd end up outliving them all by centuries, could she? That was her reasoning, anyway.

But maybe if she made sure not to make a habit of it . . .

She looked up and smiled, about as much of a gesture of acceptance as she felt she could make without feeling guilty about it. "That's what friends do, right?"

It was kind of a shame, really, that out of the two of them, he was the one with the ability to see ghosts.

"It's what friends do," Norman affirmed. And then his smile went a bit wry. "So they tell me."

His own back home had needed to pretty much beat that same lesson into his head, once. It was still new, comparatively.

Maybe. But then again, that might end up being too heavy of a burden to bear over a thousand years.

"We can do that, then," Keyleth decided.

And held up a hand for a high-five.

True enough; it wasn't exactly a light burden to bear over an average human lifetime, either.

But at least Norman, not one these days to leave a friend hanging, knew the appropriate response to an offer for a high-five, and went for it with a grin.

... Neil back home would've been so proud.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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

Re: General Mingling [Fall 2019]

Re: General Mingling [Fall 2019]

Re: General Mingling [Fall 2019]

Re: General Mingling [Fall 2019]

Re: General Mingling [Fall 2019]

Re: General Mingling [Fall 2019]

Re: General Mingling [Fall 2019]

Re: General Mingling [Fall 2019]

Re: General Mingling [Fall 2019]

Re: General Mingling [Fall 2019]