Wee Gremlin Campfire, Sunday Afternoon

[endsthegame]

The campfire had been comfortable enough the last time Ender had sat here, and it served its purpose enough the next time around. His notepad laid unused in his lap, his pen discarded somewhere on top of it. He was staring at the fire. He wondered if maybe this boredom was part of his atonement-- but then again, that was a ridiculous thought in and of itself.

He didn't know. He had marshmellows.

[ open campfire, wheee ]

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[decoder-rings.livejournal.com]

"Gonna share?" Hannibal asked, breezing out of the cabins and flopping down across from Ender.

[endsthegame]

"Be my guest," Ender replied, tossing the bag in his general direction.

[decoder-rings.livejournal.com]

"Never thought you'd say yes," he admitted, snagging the bag. "Kinda early for sweets, isn't it?"

It wasn't but it was fun to say things that he didn't believe sometimes.

[endsthegame]

Ender shot him a look. "Only if you're excitable," he said, dryly.

[decoder-rings.livejournal.com]

"You should know by now that I am," he said and took a marshmallow. "You live with me, after all."

[endsthegame]

"I'll guide you back to Earth if you shoot off into outer space." He ate one carefully, failing to actually look at Hannibal.

[decoder-rings.livejournal.com]

"Ain't you just a saint?" Hannibal quipped. "Why didn't I see you at Three Minute Dates yesterday?"

[endsthegame]

He'd heard about that on the radio. "Because I didn't think it was important," Ender answered, both truthfully and neutrally, and reached to take the bag again.

[decoder-rings.livejournal.com]

"Who cares about important when it's fun?" he asked. "You can't just let yourself have fun?"

[endsthegame]

No. He couldn't. He'd done too much to deserve that one, and he wouldn't know where to start anyway.

"Not when there's something useful to be done," he said, pulling another marshmallow out of the bag. Even if he hadn't been able to find enough useful yet, but he'd been putting his thoughts in order. "'Three minute dates' doesn't sound that exciting anyway."

[decoder-rings.livejournal.com]

"Then you're doing it wrong," Hannibal declared, "because I had a great time. It's almost like networking, my young friend. Get out there and meet people and build up the network."

[endsthegame]

"I don't really need a network," he said, eyeing Hannibal. Especially not a network of people who kept asking the same questions about things he didn't want to talk about. "I'm glad you had fun." Really.

[decoder-rings.livejournal.com]

"Aw, thanks," he said, voice laced with sarcasm. "I can hear the joy and excitement in your voice."

[endsthegame]

"That might be the marshmallow talking."

[decoder-rings.livejournal.com]

"And I did have fun," he said, raising his eyebrows. "Lots and lots. And I have a week full of fun planned because of it."

[endsthegame]

Ender raised an eyebrow back. "Hopefully not all three minutes," he said, taking his notepad firmly in hand.

[decoder-rings.livejournal.com]

"Definitely not," he scoffed. "I am not a three minute man. Three minutes isn't near long enough for me."

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

Inara couldn't help stopping as she returned to the cabins from her morning walk. "Hello," she greeted. "I' hope I'm not interrupting?"

[endsthegame]

"I don't think you've repeated that enough," he snarked, brushing his pen across the notepad and coming up with... nothing. Talking to Hannibal was exhausting; he didn't get the jokes or his preoccupations.

[endsthegame]

Ender looked up from the fire, his eyes adjusting. Then he took in the new figure, and shook his head. Try as he might, he had yet to find anything to interrupt.

[decoder-rings.livejournal.com]

"I like reiterating the fact," Hannibal declared. "Writing a story? Romance novel?"

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"I'm Inara," she said, taking a seat across the fire from Ender, "Do you mind if I share your fire?"

[endsthegame]

"Pooling together my thoughts," Ender said, although that effort had led to nothing but pages upon pages of sloppy sketches. It annoyed him, doing nothing. He needed to do more.

[endsthegame]

"I don't," he said. She was already easier to deal with than Hannibal generally was. "I'm Ender." He wondered whether or not to anticipate the usual newbie questions, but kept quiet on the subject.

[decoder-rings.livejournal.com]

"Like...a diary?" Hannibal asked, amused.