Wee Gremlin Campfire, Friday Morning

[endsthegame]

He'd woken up finding himself unable to change out of the loud, short pants Ender was pretty sure he hadn't been wearing the previous day. He wasn't going to make a problem with it, so with a minimum amount of fuss, he left his alcove and settled by the campfire outside.

Working the fire proved to be nice, simple work; for the time being, he could pretend it was enough. His notepad laid by his side. He'd return to it eventually.

[ open campfire, j0. ]

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[withoutverona]

Romeo had chosen today to fulfill his fashion-disaster destiny and his closet had decided to help him out by turning all his pants into Bermuda shorts.

So the boy who appeared at the campfire was wearing two clashing Hawaiian patterns and a bright red fez and carrying a rabbit -- and trying to act as though this were the most stylish ensemble that could be imagined.

"Is there coffee?" he inquired.

[endsthegame]

Ender's attention was pulled from the campfire. He looked up, taking in the boy he didn't recognize. Apparently the shorts were yet another one of the island's plagues. He wasn't surprised. "There might be some in the cabin," he replied, somewhat dully.

[withoutverona]

Romeo glanced over his shoulder to make sure, but: "It's not my cabin," he admitted. "I just saw the fire. I can go back to Odd Duck and get some." He wasn't so much rushing to do so, though. "I don't think we've met. I'm Romeo."

[endsthegame]

He hadn't been aware the rules about the cabins had been so stringent here. Nothing seemed to be on this island, and that little inkling of order somehow gave Ender the slightest edge towards relaxing.

The island's chaos continued to frustrate him, but he didn't see the point of mentioning it. "I'm Ender," he replied, "And this would be my cabin."

[withoutverona]

If Romeo thought he knew anyone in the cabin, he probably would have barged in, but he simply wasn't sure and it was too early to get anything thrown at him if he was taken for a thief.

"Ender, really? That's unusual." Though not, he thought, so unfortunate as Friday.

[endsthegame]

Unusual? Ask Bonzo, ask-- Ender ignored that maudlin side of his mind. He'd keep that private, and the easiest way was simply not to let his mind run with it at all. "It's what they call me," he said, "Unusual or not." 'Romeo'. Wasn't that an Italian name? The boy didn't really have the features for it, but he wondered anyway.

[withoutverona]

He was a quarter Italian, more or less, and had gotten off fairly easily in the naming department given boy's names in Verona tended toward the ornate. At least Romeo fit onto forms.

Realizing he had probably sounded rude, he offered, "I've not met another Romeo, either, so perhaps I should not talk. Were you new this term?"

[endsthegame]

And that brought up the usual rattle of questions. It had lessened, as had the attempts to approach him, but Ender guessed that this was inevitable. "I got here at the start of the term," he replied, "And so far, you're the first Romeo I've met."

[multi-madrox.livejournal.com]

Jamie had sworn he was entering the gym but now he was at a campfire. Huh. Oh well.

"Happy Bermuda shorts day people! What's going on?"

[withoutverona]

"I've been here since January," Romeo supplied.

Then: "I think I may be almost used to it, as much as it seems to exist to thwart me when I say that. Though I'll be more happy once my girlfriend stops being a rabbit." Especially as she'd noticed Romeo was sitting, and was squirming in his arms to be put down.

[endsthegame]

Ender looked up slowly, his hand still involved in a gentle poking of the fire. "Bermuda shorts," he said, "By the sounds of it."

[endsthegame]

"People turning into animals," Ender spoke the words slowly. Then again, it wouldn't be the first time something like this had happened, and so he tilted his head at the rabbit thoughtfully. "I guess asking for a reason why this happens is a little much."

[multi-madrox.livejournal.com]

"Obviously," Jamie said taking a seat. "Hence my greeting."

Jamie liked the word "hence".

"I just assumed there was something more to the world today than just shorts?"

[endsthegame]

"Not yet," Ender said, "But it's early." He let the chatter settle for what it was, pulling the stick out of the flames for the time being.

[withoutverona]

"If I knew why it had happened, I might know how to turn her back," Romeo pointed out.

(Dojima's ear twitch was indignant. There was nothing wrong with her and she was perfectly happy being a rabbit, thank you very much.)

"I don't think we can even pretend the island has reasons within the ken of man."

[withoutverona]

Romeo casually waved to Jamie. "Good morrow. I don't suppose you come bearing coffee?"

he liked to live in hope.

[endsthegame]

"There's always a reason," he replied. He was tempted to reach for the bunny and make certain it was real, but he held still. The idea that there wasn't a reason was as frustrating to him as any of the chaos about the island; it rested squarely at the fundaments of his annoyance. "We're just not in the know."

[withoutverona]

"But what purpose could the madness all possibly serve?" Romeo asked, letting go of Dojima so his hands were free to gesture. "I was a shrew once, and I assure you I learned nothing. And all I've learned from caring for Yurika this week is that I've no want for a pet rabbit, as attached as I am to this one."

The rabbit hopped over to snuffle at Ender's shoes, seeming real enough.

"Unless," he added, musing, "something bad would happen to them as people that is being avoided because they are not..."

[endsthegame]

He lowered an almost tentative hand to brush across the bunny's head. Real enough, yes. The idea that she'd been human seemed preposterous. If Ender hadn't seen better over the past few weeks, he'd think someone was playing a game with him.

Or maybe they were. They always were. "It's a frequent thing," he said, "So there have to be rules."

[multi-madrox.livejournal.com]

"True," Jamie said kicking his feet up on a stone and leaning back. "I'm hoping we get the matching shirts tomorrow."

[multi-madrox.livejournal.com]

"Nope," Jamie said. "But I can get some. Want the home brew or the Perk?"

[withoutverona]

Romeo considered this. "Rules," he repeated.

"But if there are rules and we don't know them, how is that different from there being none at all?"

[withoutverona]

"Home brew is closer," Romeo said. "Can you work a coffeemaker? I tend to come out with evil slop when I try."

It would have helped if he'd read the directions.

[endsthegame]

Ender's eyes flicked down to his shorts. They hadn't become any less silly over the past few minutes. "I'll have to disagree with you on that," he said.

[endsthegame]

"Nothing in terms of accepting it," he said, because that had, by now, become the staple of his life. "But it means someone is controlling it." The same of their bodies, even. He wondered if Graff had known.