Welcome Party for the Summer Students and Staff

[bigdamnprincipal]

Despite the slightly overcast sky, the weather is still good for welcoming all of the new arrivals for the Fandom High summer session. The graduation decorations (and gremlin debris) have been cleared from the front lawn, and replaced with tables of information packets, food, and drinks. A series of signs point the students to the information table first, where they can pick up their room assignments from the office drones, and then continue on to the food tables to mingle.

And no, there are no inflatable gremlins around today. It's far too early to start scaring the new folks. That's what the mingling section is for!

[OOC: All right folks, have at it!]

Comments

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

Three thoughts passed through Seras's mind upon hearing Walter's voice: English, Londoner, Oh Crap.

She was silent for a few seconds too long before replying, "Seras Victoria. Pleasure."

She concentrated on mixing milk and sugar into her tea, using the routine actions to regain some equilibrium.

"And you assume correctly."

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"Allow me to be among the first, if not the first, to welcome you to Fandom."

Skittish. Hm. Well, he and Nadia had really first met when she was trying to him in him the... yeah.

"Has anyone warned you about the... ah... peculiarities of the school?"

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

Seras relaxed somewhat when Walter showed no visible reaction to her name.

She took a deep breath and then a long sip of her tea. She'd been to muzzle-headed to remember to pour the milk in first, but oh well.

She turned and faced Walter more directly. "Peculiarities?" she asked, "Is the Head Master an utter wanker or something?"

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"The dean of students is a head in a tube," Walter said completely seriously. "But he could be worse."

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

Seras furrowed her brow.

"Head in a...I'm sorry, but my American slang is, well, non-existant," she said.

She shrugged her shoulders and took another sip of tea.

"So, what are these peculiarities, then?"

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"That wasn't slang," Walter said, beginning to smirk a little. "He is literally a head in a tube. And no, I'm not having you on, although I won't blame you if you don't believe me until you see him.

"As for other peculiarities, where to begin...? Many of the student are from other dimensions, times, or planets, or all of the above."

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

Walter's smirk did not go unnoticed.

Seras narrowed her eyes. She was tired. Her eyes felt like someone had dashed sand in them. And, her stomach was still slightly queasy. She was, to say the least, not at her best.

And, now this skinny, over-dressed, shaggy-haired, sugar-blocking pratt was having a laugh at her expense. She considered pouring her tea over his bizarrly shiney shoes, but that would've been a waste of good tea.

"Right. And where might you be from?"

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"London. 1944." He was unabashed. This girl would learn soon enough. "I met your roommate, by the way. Before you start accusing me of being a liar, you should know she's from 1199. Get used to the weird here."

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

Seras peered into Walter's face. His expression was serious if a tad (a really, *really* irritating tad) smug.

She pursed her lips and looked away, observing the crowd that mingled around them. She'd been too intent on getting her paper work and then her tea to really pay attention to those around her. Her eyes widened.

A few silent moments passed before she found her voice.

"1199...I do hope you were considerate enough to explain about the indoor plumbing..."

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

Walter coughed into his hand. "No. I'm afraid it didn't come up. I'll leave that to you two to work out."

He shrugged dismissively and went on, "What year is it where you left?"

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

"1993," she replied, eyeing him between sips of tea, her mind doing acrobatics.

They were both from England, but not necessarily the same England, because, apparently, there were many different Englands....

Right.

Best to concentrate on the tea.

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"It's 2006 here." He nodded toward her papers. "Have a look at those if you don't believe me."

Huh. The other people he'd talked to had taken this a little more easily.

"So, you're not used to vampires or wizards or interdimensional gateways, I take it?"

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

Seras nodded an affirmative to Walter's question as she leafed through her papers. Unless this was a very elaborate and sick practical joke by the office, he was right.

2006...

Seras looked up from the papers and around herself once more.

Well, hadn't this been what she'd wanted? To get away from England? From her past and from her memories? To have a chance at starting over.

And here she was. In a completely different year. And, not only a completely different year, but a completely different dimension.

The beginnings of a smile hovered over her lips before settling into the genuine article.

"Well...alright, then," she murmured to herself.

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

At least the smile appeared genuine now. A definite improvement. "Right. And now that I've just given you a bunch of difficult to believe information, do you have any questions?"

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

Seras shrugged.

"Well, you still haven't been very specific about your 'peculiarities'," she said, "Is there anything in particular that I ought to know about?"

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"My peculiarities?" Walter asked. "Generally the fact that I'm a vampire hunting butler suffices. Or did you mean the school's peculiarities? Because there are more of them than I can count."

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I meant the school's particularities," said Seras, "Just...anything in general that would be good to know about, and...Wait. You're a what?"

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"Butler. Who hunts vampires." Walter grinned and waved his fingers at her. "It's a job."

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

A job...

Seras blinked, wondering if the National Health would cover the medical insurance for that.

Vampire Hunter. Right.

Her somewhat overloaded brain then supplied her with an image of Walter dressed in Elmer Fudd gear, crouching behind some bushes and muttering about 'waskawwy wampiiires'.

Seras gave her tea a suspicious glance and cleared her throat.

"So, if I may clarify...you are a teenaged vampire hunting butler from 1944. You sound...busy. Why did you come to Fandom High?"

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"My employer's idea. Not mine." And that would be the sound of Walter sounding just a tad disgruntled.

"But I like it here. I've made some very good friends, and I really haven't had a chance to get out of practice. There are too many odd events around here to keep me on my toes."

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

Seras nodded and sipped her tea.

"That's...that's nice."

She rolled her eyes inwardly. Oh, well said. Small talk was not Seras' forte. She was very out of practise. Still, she would make the effort. Because, frankly, how often does one run into vampire hunting butlers from the 1940s?

"So...were you a vampire hunter first? Or a butler? Or are the two one and the same where you're from?"

There. She'd brought the concept of multiple dimensions up in casual conversation.

She was getting better at this.

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"They sort of happened at the same time. I picked the wrong pocket and ended up with a job when I got nicked. Something about cutting off his hand seemed to impress him." He shrugged. "War orphans have to eat, too, you know?"

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

War orphan...

Seras forced her tired brain to flash back to her history lessons. Right. The Blitz. 1940-41. And all the three or four years after.

She gazed at the young man standing in front of her and tried to reconcile his flesh and blood presence with the black and white photos of rubble and smoke in her text books.

She nodded. She knew.

Well, not exactly. But, strangers invading your home and destroying everything...

Okay. Yeah. She knew.

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"Right. But here, I'm a student, I work at Cafe Fina, my roommate is an alchemist. Tell me a bit about yourself. What brings you to Fandom? This place seems to bring very interesting people."

Re: Mingle/Meet the Newbies

[union-jane.livejournal.com]

Seras blinked. Walter was one thing in his 1940s London and another here in Fandom? Was it really so simple? Seras certainly still felt like the old self she'd wanted to leave back in 1993.

She shrugged. "I came here for the curriculum, really. I'm fifteen, so I'd have to sit my A levels soon. But, I'm not interested in post secondary. And, there's courses here in criminology and police work. That's why I came..."

Seras trailed off. There was more to it, but she didn't really feel like getting into all that. She'd come to Fandom to get away from all that. Still, Walter had been frank with her...

"...And I wanted a...a change," she said finally.

There. That was true enough.