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

[x_wondrous_x]

"I'm still here, aren't I?" Stewart answered, a bit defiantly, a bit morosely. Honestly, it really seemed open to a variety of interpretations.

Having the sun blocked to prevent him from spiritually burning into a pile of ash was...appreciated, though.

"And yourself?" he asked, after what seemed like a pause filled with internal prompting and reminders of how conversations were supposed to work.

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"Also still here, but considering the alternative, that's a much better thing for me than it sounds like it might be for you," Arden said, giving him a half-smile.

[x_wondrous_x]

Stewart let out a faint grunt, rolling his eyes slightly before they roamed around the picnic for a moment, concluding his observations with a scoff.

"I often find," he informed her, which would probably not be news to her, "rote socialization to tedious and tiresome..."

It did help, though, that no one really talked to him, but then that was a whole other list of feelings he would be far less willing to extrapolate on.

"...but I am..." A reluctant, bolstering sort of breath. "Making an effort."

Though to what ends, exactly, he could never really be sure.

"I assume," he then ventured, "you're probably excited for the new crop of classes that await us throughout the summer..."

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"Well, I'm glad you decided to make the effort today," Arden said with a little smile. "It's nice to see you."

Yeah, yeah, have your usual allergic reaction to sincerity, Stewart, that's fine.

"And yeah, there are some cool classes this semester. More stuff to explore and also paintball again."

[x_wondrous_x]

Stewart's lip, in fact, did curl at Arden's words, leaving a residue of annoyance on his face, but watch as he didn't actually do anything about it. Like someone with lactose intolerance knowing they'll regret it later, but how could they not have that extra scoop of ice cream after all?

"The idea," he stated, "that one could get school credits for paintball is preposterous."

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"What's even more preposterous?" Arden said with a grin, "is that it's a repeat course, too."

Though, honestly, at least it was something. Arden wasn't any closer to figuring out what she was going to do with her life than she'd been this time last year.

"What are you taking?"

[x_wondrous_x]

Stewart sighed heavily as if answering that question was such a burden, and then pulled out his phone to pull up his email with his schedule in it, because what was he? Some nerd from the '70s who had it memorized?

Another sigh, and he read it off: "Finding New Hobbies," was his eyeroll there more for the course itself or for the instructor specifically? Probably both!, "Norse Life," his hand twitched up with a metal devil horse gesture because guess who was pumped for that class for probably all the wrong reasons, "and Relax & Chill."

That one got a snort, because he was pretty sure his preferred methods for that would not be making the syllabus.

And now watch him pour ever ounce of apathy he could muster into a single word as he turned the question back at Arden, even though he clearly didn't care even a little.

"You?"

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Oh so very not, she appreciated that he was so willing to toil under the drudgery of social niceties on her behalf, though.

Arden rattled hers off with the confidence of someone who had just gone over them just a few threads minutes ago and sighed. "So, also no overlap. Goddess, am I just in a bunch of classes by myself this session?"

Well, at least Stewart hadn't lost his mind and willingly signed up for the scary professor's class.