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

[bigdamnprincipal]

In spite of the icon Wintertime had officially reached Fandom, and the chill in the air meant it was time for a combination picnic and bonfire! There might not be shirtless greetings today (or maybe there would be, such a diverse population was bound to have different freezing points), but there was plenty of warm food and drinks for everyone to indulge in as they welcomed the newest residents and celebrated the start of a new semester!

[Flying OCD-free since it's been working well. Have at it!]

Comments

[suitably_heroic]

Atton eyed her warily. "You know how much work it took me to escape the healers at home?" he said. "I am not going to consent to another kolto bath."

[unusual_sith]

"I don't even have kolto here, except for a few patches." Lana wiggled her fingers. "Force healing. Any objections?"

[suitably_heroic]

"I already Force healed myself plenty," Atton muttered. "But fine. Just the once, though."

[unusual_sith]

Lana winced sympathetically as she got started, sending healing energy into his leg and searching for other issues. "How badly were you hurt, if this is after healing and kolto? And have you let Dane know you're okay?"

[suitably_heroic]

"Fell down a cliff while poking around some far-away planet our target left a fake-out signal on," Atton muttered. (His ribs were also still a little bruised.) "And yeah, sure, I sent him a text. You two buddy-buddy now all of a sudden?"

Or, y'know, she'd caught on that you and your housemate were close, moron.

[unusual_sith]

Lana gave him a look as she split off a bit of the healing energy for his ribs. "He seems pleasant enough, and he's your friend. He probably worries. Anything I can do to help, apart from advising you not to go cliff-diving anymore?"

[suitably_heroic]

"No," Atton sighed. And winced, a bit, as he felt tissue knitting back together. "I'm only out there because the person we're hunting has a grudge against me, and Mical's hoping that'll lure her out."

[unusual_sith]

Lana pushed a last bit of healing energy out, then eyed him and nodded. "That's about my limit. They couldn't just seed the galaxy with rumors and holos of you? I am perfectly willing to have a word with a bunch of ancient Jedi about their lack of imagination."

[suitably_heroic]

Atton was silent for a moment, thinking about how much to divulge. "The person we're hunting used to be part of the Order until about five minutes ago," he said. "She'd know if we were putting out fake stuff."

[unusual_sith]

Lana grimaced. "All right, I'll let them be. Just remember you have a Sith in your pocket if you need me. I'm perfectly happy to cackle and throw off lightning."

[suitably_heroic]

Atton let out a wry laugh. "I'll remember that," he promised.

He ran his fingers through his hair.

"This is my screw-up, though," he admitted. Slowly.

[unusual_sith]

"How so?" Lana asked. "And can you answer while we pick up coffee and burgers?"

[suitably_heroic]

"Sure," Atton said, and was surprised by the gratefulness in his own tone. "I could really use a burger..."

[unusual_sith]

"One day maybe they'll use nerf, but I've come to enjoy beef." Lana headed for the table, keeping a surreptitious eye on Atton's gait now. "Pity cows would never last in our galaxy."

[suitably_heroic]

His gait was fine. Mostly. Maybe his leg pulled a little with the memory of breaking, but still.

Atton scooped a burger onto his plate. "That'd be on us, though, not on them," he said. Sedate.

Reached for the coffee.

"Have you ever had a Padawan?"

[unusual_sith]

"True. But we can barely keep ourselves alive; I'm not adding them to the mix." Lana got a burger, too, and opened it to add enough mayonnaise. "Apprentice for Sith, and definitely not. I deal with enough fully grown adults who need keeping; I haven't got enough time left to adequately raise another. You?"

[suitably_heroic]

"I have spent my entire career as a Jedi avoiding it," Atton said, pouring himself a cup. "But my friend Mira didn't. She took a Padawan. And then she died saving my life."

[unusual_sith]

"I'm sorry to hear it." Lana nodded. She poured two cups of coffee and set one down in front of him before doctoring her own. She didn't bother to point out that people died all the time in their galaxy or that it wasn't his fault; she was sure he knew that, whether he internalized it or not. "How long ago was that?"

[suitably_heroic]

"Maybe six years or so?" Atton said. He sank down with his tray in hand. "Her Padawan blamed me."

[unusual_sith]

Lana sat across from him. "And was it your fault?" No judgement, but was this survivor's guilt or actual guilt?

[suitably_heroic]

That was a short pause. "I didn't ask her to do it."

[unusual_sith]

Lana watched him for a moment. "Are you sorry that she did?"

[suitably_heroic]

Atton picked up his coffee. "It's easy to say that losing me wouldn't have cost the universe nearly as much as it lost losing her," he said. "It's what I want to say."

[unusual_sith]

"And what will you say instead?" Lana ate a bite of burger, waiting.

[suitably_heroic]

"That I didn't want to die, and at the time I had at least one person at home who'd have been wrecked by me dying," Atton said. He took a sip of his coffee. "And I don't have it in myself to pretend otherwise."