Near the Main Campfire - Wednesday afternoon - 5/20

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

As there was a lovely grassy area between the main campfire and the gym and the weather was reasonably comfortable, Fiona brought out the blanket Robert had gotten for her during their trip and spread it on the ground for a bit of very mild sunbathing. It was more just to enjoy the grass and the light breeze and her book than to actually tan her skin, but all and all, it was a comfortable set up and it seemed, to her, a lovely way to spend the partially sunny afternoon.

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[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

Jack waved as he walked past, in his signature tank top. Ah, sunshine!

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She looked up curiously, not having met Jack before.

"Hello."

The book was partially closed, her hand holding her page.

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

"Hey! Enjoying the sun? It's great outside today."

Meet Captain Obvious Jack.

[gods-gymnast.livejournal.com]

"Fiona!" Maron said brightly, dropping down close to her. "It is you! I wondered. What are you doing?"

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She smiled at Maron, in a generally good mood, and made more room on the blanket.

"Polishing my Japanese," she told Maron, "since I'll be helping someone learn English starting Friday. I want to make sure I write things correctly for him.

"How are you?"

She hadn't seen the other girl for a few days.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She nodded and peered up above her at the sky.

"When it peeks out from the clouds, yes. Mostly I'm reading."

She pushed herself onto one side, then up to sitting and offered her hand.

"Fiona. Fiona Post. And you would be..."

[gods-gymnast.livejournal.com]

She'd been busy!

Maron cheerfully settled herself on the blanket. "You know Japanese?" she asked excitedly. "Who're you teaching to--read?--English?"

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

Jack crouched down. "Jack Burton. I take it you're new here?" he asked with a grin as he reached out to shake her hand.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She nodded.

"I didn't have much else to do, so I usually focused on languages. Japanese isn't my best, but I do know it."

She swayed back and forth a little, cheerful herself.

"His name is Himura. He's from the past as well as Japan, so he's had a few things to adjust to here. Since I could help with the Japanese, I figured I should. Have you met him? He's sort of hard to miss."

What with the flaming red hair.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She gave it a firm shake.

"Very new. I've only been here something like two weeks now, just like the rest of us. Good to meet you, Jack."

She silently categorized him as 'second Jack' for the moment, as Jack Priest had been met first. She had a little thrill even as she realized she was meeting enough people to have gotten to seconds on a name.

[gods-gymnast.livejournal.com]

"Maybe?" she said, tilting her head up at the sky. "I didn't get everyone's names at the shuttle--was he on the shuttle? Do you know?"

Then, in Japanese: "It's a very pretty language, I always think. I suppose that's national pride?"

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"I've always thought the written form was beautiful."

It had skirted dangerously close to 'art', which according to Rule 11 was a strict no no, which was why she'd gotten so interested in the first place. There were, of course, some of the more interesting medical texts and more than a few discussions on working metal in the language, but it was the writing that she'd mostly enjoyed.

"He was on the shuttle, though. Long red hair, always looks half annoyed, half nervous?"

[gods-gymnast.livejournal.com]

Maron searched her memory. "Oh!" she said. "And doesn't talk much? I asked him about Fandom High and he said he was there to 'learn... something' which I thought was rather vague all things considered."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She shook her head and marked her place to close the book, finally.

"No, he doesn't talk much, though we get along rather well at the salle."

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

Jack, of course, was the Only Jack that he needed to worry about.

"So you liking it here? Aside from the sunbathing, that is." And the rain, and the snow, and the..

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She raised an eyebrow just a little but answered.

"I like it here very well. It's much different than what I'm used to but that's certainly not bad."

[gods-gymnast.livejournal.com]

"At the salle?" Maron wanted to know, stretching and reaching her hands for the sky. "Is that a fighting place? Did you know there's a club for that?"

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"I go to that too, but the salle is good for practicing, especially if you're using weapons," she explained. To be fair, everything was a weapon for Fiona, but she wasn't about to say that.

[gods-gymnast.livejournal.com]

"Everyone fights but me," Maron complained half-heartedly, with a grin at her. "I know very basic ways to defend myself, but that's about it."

Sort of. Well. Jeanne knew more than Maron did.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

Fiona was quiet for a moment, considering what to say.

"I used to hate fighting," she admitted, "like, I didn't even tussle with my brother much. We raced and things, but nothing like that.

"Then I had to fight and it kind of became second nature."

She shrugged.

"As long as you can take care of yourself, that's the important thing."

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

"Oh? What are you used to?" He grinned. "This is a heck of a lot different than home, that's for sure."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"Not nearly so many people, to start with," she said, "at least that I end up talking to. The rest is hard to explain."

[gods-gymnast.livejournal.com]

Maron sighed, leaning back. "I don't think I'll ever like fighting," she said. "There's different ways to go about things, at least as far as I've encountered."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

I wish I could say the same.

"I made friends with a giant crocodile," she said, which was a lot more on topic than it might have seemed at first.

"We were supposed to 'vanquish' him, according to how they put it, but we just helped him and made him our... friend."

Which wasn't the right word, but 'temporary ally' didn't quite have the same ring and the circumstances were a bit hard to explain.

"It still counted because we'd gotten rid of an enemy. So I know what you mean."

It was easier to agree right now, to be hopeful. Sometimes she forgot to do that.

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

"So, you'd rather be talking to fewer people? I could go, if you want." He wasn't offended, exactly.

He pauses. "Everything is hard to explain."