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

[bigdamnprincipal]

Even if a new term wasn't starting soon, today would be the perfect day for a picnic. The weather was calm and warm, the food table was full, and there was a respectable amount of glitter on the decorations. There might have been a bigger party going on somewhere else, but here it was time to celebrate the start of summer!

[We're going OCD-free! Have at it!]

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[noonedecidesmyfate]

This was likely to be the last one of these picnics Belle would be attending so of course she was there to enjoy herself. And to enjoy the free food, of course!

She made up a plate of said free food (mostly free of glitter) and found herself an open seat at a table to observe the goings-on.

[what_big_teeth]

Eleanor stood at the edge of the lawn of the school that put St. Brigid's to shame, thinking on how it hadn't even been that long since she last stood there with an almost debilitating uncertainty on the precipice of something...different, clutching a suitcase. The suitcase was bigger this time, but still marked with an obvious and elaborate Z, and she'd also had a large potted plant, wilted and withered but somehow still clinging to some semblance of life, tucked under her arm.

At least this time, she hadn't had to hop off a rolling train because it couldn't be bothered to come to a halt for her.

At least this time, no one looked ready to tear up the cobblestones of the streets just to have a rock to throw at her.

But the day was just beginning, after all...

[but_mostly_america]

Sam had not agreed to come back to this extremely weird island. (Actually he had but he'd thought he was agreeing to something else entirely and would never admit this.)

Perhaps the island had improved in the recent past. Perhaps it was more wholesome! Perhaps it was free of Beaker!

Sam could be hopeful. For the moment. It probably wouldn't last long. He was sure to see someone or something that upset his delicate sensibilities as he stalked around the edges of this picnic.

[amicia_the_amazon]

Had it been months? It did not feel that way. It was either days, or years.

Amicia sat in the grass, some fruit and a sandwich in her lap. It could almost be considered a nice day, she thought, bar the heaviness that continued to weigh on her as a shroud.

Hugo would have liked this.

[napking]

Gray was sound asleep at a picnic table, but this time around he'd had the forethought to make a sign out of a piece of posterboard, now propped up next to him at the table, that just read Eleanor Zarrin in big letters and had an envelope with the same name written on it taped to it, in case she found him while he was out.

And hey, he might wake up if somebody came over!

[what_big_teeth]

Well, it was sort of hard to ignore a big plasterboard with one's name on it. She didn't imagine there would be a whole lot of other Eleanor Zarrins going to this school, so she made her way over, set her suitcase down and her plant on the table, and sit across from the boy who was there sleeping, being careful and quiet as to not wake him up, as she apparently found where she was supposed to sit and continued to curiously watch from there.

[napking]

If Gray had been awake, he would have assured her there was no need for quiet. He could sleep through a battle. No, really. It had happened before.

After a few minutes, he woke up, yawning and rubbing at his eyes, and noticed her. "Oh, hi," he said on another yawn. "You must be Eleanor." Please hold for another yawn. "I'm Gray. The school assigned me to be your big sibling. Did you read the note? Uh. Can you read English? Do you speak English?" Might as well start with the basics.

[giveittoyoursister]

It was a picnic, which meant Vi was by the picnic tables, inhaling more food than was humanly probable.

[stykera]

Stark tried to never miss these picnics. He tried to never miss any opportunities for gatherings full of free food.

He had skipped the name tag this time, deciding that he was easy enough to identify, and had headed right for the food tables to load up a plate.

[somethingwithturquoise]

Yesterday, of course, had been Cinco de Maya, and Summer had felt obligated to celebrate the Sanchez side of her heritage in exactly the way you'd have expected her to. Which meant when she finally rolled into the picnic, she was doing so late, she was clinging to a giant cup of coffee, and she was thinking she needed way stronger sunglasses.

[stykera]

Straight tequila or way too many margaritas?

"All right?" Stark asked quietly, eyebrow raised. He was unaware of any holidays yesterday aside from the one that had led to him purchasing a few bottles of sparkly nail polish from Prompto because why not be sparkly?

[what_big_teeth]

"I do speak English," Eleanor assured him, with a soft, faintly amused smile for this obviously very sleepy boy, though she still kept her guard up. "And that's right. I'm Eleanor. It's nice to meet you, Gray."

She studied him, just a moment longer, before asking, "Is a big sibling like a school mentor, something like that?"

[somethingwithturquoise]

It started out as some of one and ended up with so,so much of the other, ohmygooooood.

Summer met that question with a lift of her thumb and a long gulp of her coffee.

"Never better," she said, in the tone of a very clear and distinct lie. "M'great. How're you, Stark?"

[napking]

"Yeah, that's right," Gray confirmed for her. "I'm supposed to show you the ropes, you know, break you in gently if it's a lot. Uh. It's a lot for some people. Next question, did you know you were coming here or was this morning like, 'Surprise! Welcome to boarding school'? Because I guess that happens."

[hashtag_chocobro]

It was getting to be about time, really, to start introducing Noctra to the world at large, but if there was anything to make a nervous new parent sweat a little more than usual, it was a recent Fandom-style invasion. However, as far as Fandom things went, if there was anything that had a pretty solid track record of not only great weather but also relative safety? It would be the welcome picnic.

No point in turning down a good probability of safety when it was there! So there was absolutely a stroller with Prompto and Liz at the picnic that day, and there might even be a baby inside it, too!

(Prompto did, briefly, consider just showing up with it empty or with one of Noctra's dolls in it, just to troll everyone a little, but decided naaaah).

[what_big_teeth]

"I knew I was coming," Eleanor informed him with nod. "I can see how that might boarding school can a little shocking if you weren't expecting it, though."

She hadn't wanted to be sent to St. Brigid's, but at least she knew she was being sent.

"I'm also mostly here because I want to be," she added, since that seemed...revelent, with this line of questions. "And I've been to boarding school before."

She gave his a rueful, almost ironic smile.

"Pretty easy job for you, then, I guess, right?"

[stykera]

"I'm fine," Stark said, giving her a look that very clearly said he was not believing one word of that blatant lie. "It's been a quiet couple of days, for me. Do you need water?"

[beautiful_boc]

Even though Boc had his doubts on the matter, he decided to tale Stark's word for it that all the werecreatures were gone and ventured out of the shop finally. Since food was his main objective, it was hard to ignore all the aromas wafting over from the picnic, but he stopped and hunched back at the very edge of the lawn when he saw all the people, and an event where he was surely not going to be welcome. Or at least, his presence would not be very highly appreciated. So he lingered a little and debate just disappearing into the preserve, or maybe, just maybe some kind soul would take pity on him and allow him perhaps just a bite, a mere morsel, their leftover scraps....

[somethingwithturquoise]

"Probably," said Summer, almost automatically, with more coffee, but then she actually considered the question and adjusted accordingly. "Yes. Definitely."

And then considered who she was talking to and waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it. I'll get some....eventually. I'll....slooowly make my way over there."

Very, very slowly.

[stykera]

"Barhopping on the mainland again?"

Practicing for space barhopping next week?

"There's plenty of food too," Stark pointed out. "If you're hungry. But there's always food. You know that."

[somethingwithturquoise]

Summer shook her head. Slightly. Almost imperceptably, really.

"Cinco de Mayo," she explained. "Although I'm pretty sure I did end up in actual Mexico, at some point."

It had all been kind of a blur, really.

Everything still was kind of a blur, honestly.

"But, yeah, no, I am going to slam down so many burgers and slices of pizza at this thing....

"....eventually."

Slow and steady was definitely the name of the game of her entire existence right now.

[pocketpretzels]

Sure, he’d only just come back from the mainland, a trip that had included lunch, but Watts was not about to pass up on the picnic, not when it was the kind of place where he could fill his pockets with all sorts of things, from cookies to hard pretzels.

[stykera]

"Maybe you should sit?" Stark suggested. "I hope you had fun, at least. It seems like you did."

[hasaknightjob]

If anyone noticed a Llewellyn Watts showing up, they might have noticed a Steven with him as well, since they came back from the mainland together. Steven wasn't as focused on the food as he was on meeting new people, but that didn't mean he wasn't occasionally making sure there were pretzels available for his beau if he wanted them.

[hasaknightjob]

When Steven spotted Prompto he gave a wave of greeting. He had an extra smile when he saw Prompto had a stroller with him, but he didn't want to come right up immediately in case Prompto was hoping to give the baby some room from strangers while getting fresh air.

Steven would absolutely come over and meet Noctra if Prompto indicated that was all right, though.