5th floor common room, Wednesday lunchtime

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River hadn't made popcorn in a long time. She didn't put a lid on the pan and let the popcorn fly around the kitchen, and moved around the kitchen with surprising speed and grace, catching them in her hands and mouth. It might have been a dance or it might have been a fight - the choice was up to the beholder.

[open!]

Comments

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

Michael had come in to make some lunch... but watching the girl play with her popcorn was a lot more interesting.

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

At first River seemed to pay no attention to him, then she suddenly threw a popcorn at him before returning to catching them.

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

He jumped, startled, and the piece of popcorn froze in mid-air - just for a second, before he grabbed it, ate it, and pretended that never happened.

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River noticed of course, but didn't let it show. People had peculiar abilities at Fandom, and it rarely surprised her anymore. She flung the popcorns at him, wanting to see if he could catch them as well.

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Hey!"

The answer, even if his telekinesis was mostly instinctive at this point, was yes. Michael was suddenly surrounded by a cloud of popcorn.

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

"You can dance with them," River said, chewing on some popcorn, looking at the new boy with the hint of a smile.

[River reads minds. If there is anything she can pick up let me know in text or ooc comments]

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

[ooc: mostly, at this point, that he doesn't like having stuff thrown at him. Possibly flashes of why, that being the violent foster father.]

"I don't dance. You always throw stuff at people you don't know?" he asked, a little annoyed but more defensive.

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

The 'I don't dance' comment was hardly a surprise. "It's a dance or a fight. Whichever you want it to be." From his memories, River guessed he would chose a fight. The familiar thing, not what would be good for him.

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"A fight with popcorn?"

He began absently picking the pieces out of the air and eating them.

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

"Causes less permanent damage," River replied. "One's pride not counted." She looked quite serious. Imitation his action, she too began to pick popcorn out of her long uncombed hair and putting them in her mouth.

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Only damages your pride if you lose", he said wryly. "...unless anyone sees you fighting with popcorn."

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

"Would anyone in particular seeing you cause injury to your pride?" River didn't worry either about losing or about someone seeing her fight with popcorn.

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

Michael shrugged.

"Not really. Only two people I care what they think, and only one of them's here. She might."

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

"Perhaps her opinion on it might surprise you." River shook her head, making a few popcorn fall on to the floor. "I'm River."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Michael", he offered in return. "You another newbie, or you been here a while?"

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

"A while. A year and a half. Seems longer." She smiled at him.

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Guessing that means you like it", he said with a slight smile back.

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

Sokka flew through the air in a graceful dive, catching a few errant pieces of popcorn in his mouth, before landing on the ground in a crumpled heap.

"Owwww.... Tasty, yet painful."

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River watched him on the floor. "Takes practise."

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

Sokka nodded. "All too many things do. ...How did you get so awesome?"

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River didn't reply to that in any other way than a wide grin.

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

"No, seriously -- with the 'hwoo' and the 'woo' and the 'hah'" -- Sokka mimed some of the moves she'd been doing, or at least tried to. "How's you learn that?"

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

His imitation of her movements made her smile, but then her face darkened. "Learnt for other purposes than popcorn," she replied, avoiding the question. Then the smile reappeared, and she threw a popcorn at him.

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

Grinning, he lept forward to catch it in his mouth, but he badly misjudged it and it bounced off his forehead.

"You, uh...?" He was going to say something about that other comment of hers, whatever it was that made her face darken like that, but he barely knew her, and he really didn't have anything to say. It was a shame that her training to be awesome made her sad. "...Yeah. Uh. Popcorn's better, anyway."

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River giggled and threw another popcorn at him. "Awesomeness comes with a price. Always a price."