fandomhigh | Careers Fair, Fandom High Front Lawn, Friday Afternoon, 07/21/06

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!event: friday events

Careers Fair, Fandom High Front Lawn, Friday Afternoon, 07/21/06

By lunch time, the booths were set up, the guests had arrived and there was quaint music playing from somewhere undetermined. Hawkeye is walking around with one of those portable microphone/speaker set-ups, roaming from booth to booth announcing the various guests that have come to Fandom to talk about their professions.

And despite what the mainland weather forecast said, it was definitely a nice, fine day.

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"Surely," Aly said. Her eyes flicked from the red hair to purple eyes to an ember necklace that she recognised. She tried not to think about the conclusion drawn from that information. "Why would you end up getting killed today of all days?"

Alanna's laughter had a touch of hysteria in it. "Because the world hates me?" She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down. Faithful was patting her on the head with his tail. "I'm Alanna Trebond." Alanna glanced over at the girl and something flickered in the back of her mind. "Er...have we met?"

Aly's eyes widened at the claim and fought against a gale of laughter. "I can hardly believe that."
She shook her head though her eyes had widened again at the cat with purple eyes. She fought against the impulse to use her sight to see if he was what she thought. "No, I don't think you've met me though - if I recognise your accent, we're countrywomen. I'm Alys."

Faithful gave Aly and look and chuckled to himself. "Oh. Um...Tortall?" Alanna looked like she wasn't sure if she was going to faint, throw up, or start laughing hysterically. "And the world definetly hates me." She peaked out of the stall and realized that there was no way she could make it up to the school without being noticed. "That's the only logical explanation for it."

Hearing Faithful's chuckle, Aly threw a distressed glance toward him. "Would you like to sit down?" she asked Alanna, all solicitude, amazed at seeing The Lioness less than completely composed. "I grew up in Tortall, but I don't live there now. I certainly didn't mean to disturb you."

"Thank you." Alanna sat down and began going through her bag for something useful. Then Aly's words clicked. "You are from Tortall? Are you absolutely positive you haven't met me, my twin, or have ever heard of Trebond?" "Don't hyperventilate." Faithful warned her. "Thanks mom." Alanna snapped back.

Aly couldn't decide if she was going to enjoy telling Nawat this story later or if it was going to be terrifying to remember. "From Tortall, yes. And I've certainly heard of Trebond. How could I not?" Her glance flickered down at the sword then asked. "What brings you to this place?

Hearing Alanna call the cat 'mom,' Aly almost swallowed her tongue. Then, giving into her curiousity, she looked at the pair with her Sight and was almost blinded with the combined flare of powerful Gift and Godhead on the cat. Where did you send me, Kyprioth she thought as she closed her eyes quickly.

Alanna paled. "I know this will sound very, very, weird, but why has everyone heard of Trebond? We're a tiny little fief up north that has a lot of mountains. And Duke Gareth of Naxen the elder sent me here to study or something like that." Faithful gave Aly a look and twitched his tail. "We both have our secrets. I'll keep yours if you keep mine." Alanna only heard meowing.

"It's rather come into prominence in my time," Aly said. She shrugged, aiming for insousiance. "You know how Scanra is every so often. The North is more...important."

Recovering some of her natural flippancy, Aly winked at Faithful. Mine are perhaps less secretive, but I'll keep yours as a favour she thought at him.

"Your time?" Alanna repeated. "And please don't encourage my cat. He already thinks the world revolves around him." She took out a book, pen, paper, and notebook from her bag and scoweled. "Wait...you're from Tortall's future? Or past? Or...present?" She sighed. "I am so getting drunk tonight." "You have a clinic shift." "Fine. Getting drunk after."

Faithful purred at Aly. "I don't mind her finding out who you are. It might almost be amusing. But keep other details quiet. It does no good for mortals to know the future."

"...Cats tend to think that about themselves," Aly replied, grinning. "I'm from your future, I think, yes." She pulled a flask from her bag and offered it to Alanna because the opportunity was too good to miss. "Would you like to start now?"

Raising an eyebrow, she thought back Would it really be polite to break my mother before she has a chance to become my mother?

Alanna grabbed a few more random items from her bag and glanced over them. "Useless. Ugh. The cat is right, I do have to work in the clinic tonight." She considered what Aly had said. "You're from my future. And you've heard of Trebond." She put a two and two together and got three through eight. "So you know ..." She stopped talking. "You know, but you won't tell me." The second part was almost a command. "And now my brain hurts."

Faithful snickered to Alanna's annoyance. "It would give me something to laugh about today. She had me in her pocket during flight class and Duke Roger is two tables away."

Aly smiled sweetly. "You must be obsessive about your duty, I suppose." She glanced at the items Alanna was pulling from her bag. "What...exactly are you trying to do with all that?" Then she gave a look of wide-eyed innocence perfected by years of being the daughter of a Champion and the King of Thieves. "What could I possibly tell you?"

But it would still be rude. I could never be so rude, Aly thought sweetly. And wondered why all the Gods their family dealt with had very odd senses of humor.

For a second, Alanna had the distinct urge to tell Aly to go to her room. She blinked it away. "Obsessive, neurotic, and other such pretty terms. Yup, heard 'em all. And if you're even half a year from my future you know what happens when I try out for my shield." She carefully studied Aly's reaction to that statement. "And I'm trying to find a hat. And um...something else that I don't have with me."

Faithful gave Aly a look. "I'm sure." "You're talking about me." Alanna glared at her cat. "I'm not even talking, I'm meowing."

"Someone told me that if you're not obsessive, you'll never be any good," Aly said more gently. "And I'm from a bit farther on than that," she said neutrally, not responding to Alanna's probe. Aly laughed. "I'm a spy, you realise. Would you like some assistance."

She glanced from Faithful to Alanna. "Goddess, no. I couldn't imagine speaking to a cat," she told Alanna. Then she grinned.

"A spy...so you know Sir Myles then?" Aly hadn't inherited all of her brains from George. "And who ever told you that was right." Alanna glanced down at Lightning. "First time I picked up a sword I nearly sliced my own arm off. Worst loss I ever had was that day. And that man." She indicated Roger. "Thinks I'm a boy. I'd rather he didn't find out otherwise."

Faithful smirked. "I'm not allowed to act like a normal cat every once in a while?" "It's freaky."

"I do," Aly replied. "I'm his granddaughter." She followed the glances down to the sword than over to Duke Roger. "If you like, I'll run interference on him while you slip by. I have a cap you could put on over your hair."

She thought at Faithful. She gets much more uptight when you're not around, you realise. Good thing I came along to help keep her from getting stodgy.

Alanna blinked. And thenk blinked some more. "Granddaughter? I didn't realize he had any children. You must be from really into my future. Do we ever meet? And yes, that would be lovely. I just need to run back to my room and become a boy for the afternoon and hope none of my friends call me Alanna."

Faithful twitched his tail. "Her life gets darker. Everyone's lives do."

For once in her life, Aly felt badly about lying. So she didn't. "I...yes...we do, actually. You'll know me quite well." She handed the promised cap to Alanna along with a set of quite good lock picks. "Here, cover your hair and try to stay to the side. I'll sashay up the middle to talk to him"

Aly's thoughts flashed to Nawat. To her daughter. To Dove and her brothers. And she felt oddly protective of the mother who was younger than her I suppose they do. I'm trusting you to keep looking after her here.

Alanna tucked her hair up into the cap. "I ... I look forward to meeting you then. And thankfully I have a key to the door." She handed the lock picks back but not before frowning and trying to figure out why things felt so familiar. "Maybe I'll see you later today, except I'll be Alan. Lucky me." She remembered that boys weren't supposed to be wearring earings and plucked hers out of her ears into her pocket. With a quick wave of her fingers, the holes vanished. "I think I got everything. Thank you."

Faithful saluted Aly with his tail. "Here. And for some time after. She never chooses an easy path, you know."

"They were meant for a gift," Aly explained, holding her hands up when offered the lock picks. "You always ought to have a set nearby, never know when they'll be handy."

That's not a surprise at all. Maybe it runs in the family. She nodded to Faithful and winked.

As the girl and the cat were leaving the booth, she called "best wishes to you, Mother."

Alanna looked a bit suprised, but tucked them into her bag. "Thank you." She headed out and was an entire booth away when she heard Aly's farewell. See Alanna's eyes get very, very, very wide. She turned around, but Aly was already by Roger. "Did you know?" Alanna whispered to her cat. "Yes. Now go." The girl hurried away as quickly as she could without attracting attention, her mind a million miles away.

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Careers Fair, Fandom High Front Lawn, Friday Afternoon, 07/21/06

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