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

[bigdamnprincipal]

Good weather had fallen over Fandom this morning, so the picnic conditions were looking fantastic. The bonfire was there for good measure, along with the makings of s'mores, because it was almost truly summer, right?

There was plenty of food, and there were tables and chairs set up all across the lawn with varying degrees of glitter stuck to them. Everything was ready for another welcome picnic!

[OCD-free! Welcome the new folks gently! Or not!]

Comments

[mustbeawitch]

Lydia? Miss a social event? Sounded fake. She had dressed in one of her new spring frocks, positively slathered herself in SPF, and was carrying a parasol to keep the sun off, since those seemed to be rather more in fashion than bonnets.

She did so miss bonnets, though.

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"Hey Lydia," Arden said, coming over with a cup of tea for Lydia. Yeah, okay, it was a paper cup, because this was a picnic, but it was the thought that counted. "Your dress is so pretty!"

It was basically summer, so Arden was once again in her uniform of tiny denim shorts and a tanktop.

[mustbeawitch]

If Lydia gave that paper cup a 'how have we fallen so far?' sort of a look, well, it was only for a second.

"Arden! Thank you," Lydia said, swishing it around a bit. "I rather prefer a lawn to a poplin, but it seems to be out of fashion." Then again, synthetics and the worst stitching you ever saw in your life were in fashion, so perhaps despair was in order. "You look lovely yourself!" She wouldn't be commenting on Arden's clothes. Arden was a modern girl and could wear what she liked, and Lydia did think she had rather nice legs what who said that?

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Great. Arden was now going to spend the rest of the picnic (or at least until she gave up and just asked her phone) what the heck somebody's lawn had to do with fashion at all.

"Aww, thanks." She grinned, sipping her own tea which was of the 'sweet' variety, just to make Lydia weep for civilization that much more. "How've you been? It feels like forever since I've seen anybody."

Because the last few months had been just kind of terrible for getting any but the easiest character out to play. Errr, what fourth wall?

[mustbeawitch]

"I've been well!" Lydia assured her. "I've been rather busy, what with the supper club and all the little tasks a witch must accomplish in the spring, and my assistance to Mr. Boston--that's Mr. Blackwood's familiar, you know. He's quite charming," even if he was a homewrecker, "but he hasn't any thumbs, you see. And yes, it has been some time since we last caught up! How have you been, my dear?"

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"Oh! I follow his Tiktok channel!" Arden said, because it was too hilarious to not have this happen. "The raging debate over whether or not he's AI is great, honestly."

Vitriolic as hell, but great if you were just standing on the sidelines in the know.

"And I've been pretty good. Not up to anything too much. Not like you, managing a whole club! A brilliant idea, honestly."

[mustbeawitch]

Lydia leaned in and said sotto voce, "You mustn't tell Mr. Blackwood. We're trying to see how long we can keep it from him."

Then she preened a bit. "Oh, thank you! It was just a little idea, you know. Mostly to make sure Captain Flint didn't starve to death surrounded by all those books." Lydia was not examining her desire to drag an older Englishman out of his bookroom and into society, thank you very much. "You should join us some time, if you're free!" And felt like torturing yourself by playing way too many characters at once.

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

God, what is this, 2015?

"I will," Arden said, meaning it far more sincerely than it was being typed, because I am very tired. "I heard that Graham and Belle go sometimes, too. Or did, I guess, back before Graham went back to Daventry. Do you have a favorite place yet?"

[mustbeawitch]

"I've become quite fond of Italian food," Lydia confessed. "And the cat cafe was quite fun, although I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't a cafe run by intelligent cats." We were all disappointed about that, Lydia. "I've some hope that Sir Graham will continue to join us from time to time despite his new address. Portals exist, you know!"

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"Well, now we know what Mr. Boston has to do with all his Tiktok money," Arden said. "Open up a cat cafe right here on the island!"

Maybe invite your sister to come visit...

[mustbeawitch]

What could possibly go wrong?

"Arden! That's a fantastic idea! I shall suggest it to Mr. Boston the next time I see him. I doubt that he would engage in such labor--he's quite enough to do between being Mr. Blackwood's familiar and a TikTok star, you know--but surely there are other magical cats in need of employment."

What could possibly go wrong?

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Wow, did you feel that? The kind of weird feeling that suggested 'weirdass BDE'?

Huh, funny that.

"Now I'm picturing, like, a magical cat support group," Arden chuckled. "Where they can meet up and share tips like cat cafes hiring and how to get Tiktok brand deals and stuff. And, nah, Mr. Boston just needs to start it and then, once it gets going, franchise it."

Boom. Instant cash. Surely enough to support an illicit nineteenth century lovechild!

[mustbeawitch]

Lydia was nodding along enthusiastically until Arden hit a word she wasn't familiar with. "'Franchise?'" she echoed. "What is that?" Expand her 19th century vocabulary, Arden!

[thatwaslucky]

"The umbrella is a fantastic idea," Rey told her.

[mustbeawitch]

"It's a bit of a compromise, I'm afraid," Lydia admitted. "In my day we wore bonnets, which you could trim up to be ever so darling and complement your dress, but they're quite out of fashion," she sighed.

[thatwaslucky]

"You could always wear them anyway," Rey pointed out.

[mustbeawitch]

"Oh, no," Lydia said, wide-eyed and earnest, "I'm afraid I'm far too much of a slave to fashion to do that. This sort of thing--" She swished her skirt about. "--may be excused as having an aesthetic. An aesthetic is very fashionable, you know! But bonnets are quite, quite out."

[thatwaslucky]

"But then don't you have to keep getting new things if they go out of style?"

Foreign, super foreign concept here.

[mustbeawitch]

"At home we would more often make over our old gowns," Lydia said. "Only the very rich had new dresses every season." She sighed wistfully, because she had always wished for such luxury. "But here that does seem to be what people do! Then again, given the quality I must assume their clothes wear out much quicker."

[thatwaslucky]

"It seems like. The things I made on Jakku held up much better than some of the clothes made here," Rey agreed. "It feels like a huge waste."

[mustbeawitch]

"I alter many of the items I buy here to fit better, and simply because the seams are so poor to start with," Lydia confided. "And the shoes! Some of them are simply darling to look at, but I don't know why people seem to want to torture their feet."

[thatwaslucky]

"The shoes are ridiculous. My boots from home are better," Rey said firmly. "Don't get me started on heels."

[mustbeawitch]

"I must pass on the heels," Lydia agreed. "I'm quite tall enough already! And I don't really think feet are supposed to do that."

[thatwaslucky]

"No. And what if you need to run?"

Most people didn't but okay.

[mustbeawitch]

"I suppose you would have to take them off and go barefoot," Lydia said. "That or surely snap an ankle." Running in heels was some superhero nonsense.