The Front Lawn, Sunday Afternoon

[swerval_zero]

Croquet, anyone? Zero has set up the set Rory gave her for Christmas in front of the dorm, and is trying to figure out how exactly this game works without actually, y'know, consulting the rules.

((Come play with me?))

Comments

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

Having seen Zero out on the lawn from the 5th floor common room window (http://www.livejournal.com/community/fandomhighdorms/369839.html?view=15678639#t15678639). Pippi and Lily go downstairs to take a break from cleaning the common kitchen.

"Hi. What'cha playing?"

[swerval_zero]

Zero looks up to see a redhaired girl with pigtails. Must be one of the new students. "Croquet." She hits a ball with her personal mallet (the one painted lime green and decorated with stickers), sending it flying past the little wickety thing. "Well. Theoretically." She straightens up. "Hi, there. I'm Zero."

[http://users.livejournal.com/___lily_evans_/]

"Hullo, Zero," Lily says. "I'm Lily and this is Pippi. We saw you from upstairs, I hope we're not intruding..."

[swerval_zero]

"Oh, no, it's fine. I don't think this is a one-person game, anyway. I've seen you about. You're with, um, Draco, is it?"

[http://users.livejournal.com/___lily_evans_/]

"Yeah, that's right," Lily says, not knowing what else to say to that. "So far anyway. And, right, Croquet is meant for at least two, and the more the better, really."

[swerval_zero]

Well, swerval! Now there's three of us. And you clearly know more about all this than I do!

[http://users.livejournal.com/___lily_evans_/]

"Well, I've only played a few times, actually - family gatherings and the like. But I remember it as being fun. We each need to pick a mallet and a ball - you've got yours already, I see," she says, looking around for the other equipment.

[swerval_zero]

The rest of the equipment is set up, but probably not correctly.

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

Pippi picks up an orange ball and mallet set. She thinks the set up is peachy particularly if it's wrong.

[http://users.livejournal.com/___lily_evans_/]

Lily takes the Yellow ball and mallet, and looks around for the hoops, trying to decide whether or not to say anything about the... odd formation.

"Technically the hoops are supposed to make a pattern like *this*," she says, gesturing with her hands, which is probably not very helpful. "Umm, but it should work like this too," she adds quickly. "Who's first?"

[swerval_zero]

"Well, I guess since you know what's what, you can go first," Zero offers. Her mallet isn't actually part of the set, so there's no matching ball. This could be problematic.

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

Pippi gets the green ball from the set and hands it to Zero. It's not lime green with stickers, but still green.

[swerval_zero]

"Oh, thanks. Maybe I can paint this one. Or get some neon tape." She sets the ball down and waits for Lily.

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

"Sure thing... So, how is it you have an extra mallet?"

[swerval_zero]

Zero says, like it's nothing, "My old roommate gave it to me to keep the gremlins away."

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

"Huh, at home we just use milk for stuff like that... So you have away your old croak-ate set to the gremlins piece by piece?"

[http://users.livejournal.com/___lily_evans_/]

"All right, I can go first," Lily says after Zero has a ball. She tosses her ball down in front of the first hoop and explains as she hits it neatly through. "You have to hit you ball through each of the hoops one at a time, and then after you've gone through them all, you have to hit the stick at the other end and come back in the opposite order. If you make it through a hoop, you get another turn and if you don't, it goes to the next person. First person to make it back here wins, and you're welcome to try and hit other balls out of the way." She steps up and hits her ball towards one of the other hoops, wondering how she was going to keep the order straight. "Next?"

[swerval_zero]

"Okay, that seems easy enough." Zero hits her ball and sends it through a hoop. "Yes!"

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

Pippi applauds. "You get to go again!"

[swerval_zero]

Zero hits the ball and misses this time. "Your turn, Pippi!"

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

"Hi, I'm Pippi." she said watching the ball roll away from the whicket, she turned back to Zero, "Are you new too? We could run down and compare all of the things we've been warned about and see if there's that's been missed."

[swerval_zero]

Zero laughs. "No, I've been here since the beginning of the school year. Watch out for the gremlins, and be sure to come in and get your library card. Don't put that you're a Chosen One on the application, even if it's true." Zero scowls at the ball. "I don't suppose you know anything about croquet?"

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

"Hadn't heard anything about a library card yet... Are they dangerous? I haven't been Chosen to do anything that I'm aware of so that's not going to be a problem..."

Pippi regarded Zero's Croquet set up. "I know you're supposed to hit the ball through the arches and then make it hit the sticky thing... And I think there's something about hitting another players ball with yours... You might need to set the arches up a certain way... But that's about it. I usually just do whatever seems fun."

[swerval_zero]

I can get with that.

Library cards? No, they're not dangerous. Not getting one could be, though. Under, er, certain conditions.

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

I'll have to get one before I go to my first class then. Thanks for the heads up!"

Pippi eyes the Orange ball and mallet. "So, we're playing?" She asks hopefully.