fandomhighdorms | Behind the Dorms, Tuesday Afternoon

Leto had actually made some plans for this meeting, in case Arthur and Zack would still be asleep, although if they had been, there would certainly have been a lot fewer people showing up.

Those plans were now pointless, however. There was no way he would put people through defining the goals of defensive tactics today. Clearly those who had spend their weekend in another reality were a little too emotional to deal with that now. Leto knew that from experience; he had spent the previous day being bitched at (hello Arthur!) or hugged and cried on. It was obvious that people needed some kind of emotional outlet today.

Also, it seemed like some people had trust issues after having run into alternate vampire versions of themselves. That could prove dangerous in a fighting situation.

"Good afternoon," he greeted everyone gathered. "Today we will work on what I believe is referred to in this time as team-building. Without loyalty and trust - both of leaders and of fellow warriors - a military unit is nothing. Where that trust is strong and army may rise about their actual level of fighting skill."

"Often this loyalty has been nurtured by shared pain and suffering. A guerilla group might have faced persecution together for a long time. Many forms of military training forces the warriors to endure severe hardships together in order to achieve something similar."

Leto smiled. "Today, I decided for a more playful and gentle approach. We will start with a shared meal. Eating together is a sign of friendship in many cultures. First, you need to divide the food." He gestured at a blanket on the ground with a large fruit bowl in the middle. "It needs to be divided equally, but for every fruit you take, you need to tell the group something significant about yourself."

"When the food has been divided, you may eat, but you may not feed yourself, only other people."

He watched the people gathered. "Any questions?"

[~~Wait for OCD!~~ OCD is up!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Fair," Karla said happily. "I'm a sucker for citrus." She held out a grape for Elena to have. "This is a good first meeting to drop in on," she said. "I rarely say no to free food."

"Especially not fruit," Elena said, leaning over to take the grape. Mmmm. "It's amazing, how many things grow here. I'm half-tempted to start a garden somewhere, except I think I'd kill most of the plants without meaning to."

"There's a garden by the dorms," Karla said, waving off in that general direction. "Ino started it, so she can be a bit possessive, but she'll probably say yes if you want to plant something. I'll be planting pickleberry bushes and honeypear trees soon."

"Never heard of pickleberries," Elena said easily, offering another slice of her lime. "But I don't know most of the plants around here, so that's not very surprising. I grew up in the slums, where nothing much grew at all. I'll have to ask Ino if she minds me dropping in. Just to visit."

"Pickleberries and honeypears are from my world," Karla explained. "They're really good. When I get them, I'll share," she offered. "Not that I can make anything with them, so it'll just be fruit."

Karla frowned and asked, "The slums. Is that why you love fresh fruit?"

"Just fruit is fine," Elena smiled gently. "And it is. Also, the sky. I can't believe how much of it there is, here. You climb up to the roof and count the stars. Amazing. Cheap flowers, cheap fruit, and all the sky you could imagine."

"I'm still like that a bit with the ocean," Karla said. "Glacia has lochs, but they aren't as...ancient and powerful and mysterious as the ocean." She laughed at her own whimsy. "And the stars. The idea that people in this world and others have claimed them for their very own is amazing. I took a short jaunt through the solar system with Ben and Ender and it was..." she shook her head. "Beyond words. Especially now, after this past week."

"I'm content just seeing them," Elena admitted. "The city where I grew up, there was a huge structure up in the sky, over the whole town. So you only saw the sky if you went topside. And even at that, it was polluted and smoggy. A star or two here or there. I'd get sent on missions out to other towns, and just soak it in."

She glanced over. "Beaches are pretty amazing, too, aren't they? Just ... all that water."

"Yeah, they are," Karla said with a smile. "Hey, I'm going home for the rest of this week, but when I come back, would you like to go to the beach? We can have a fresh fruit picnic."

"That sounds amazing," Elena laughed. "Sunscreen, fresh fruit, and swimming suits? I wonder if I'd tan."

Karla glanced down at her very pale skin. "I probably won't," she said wryly. "But I make a good sunburn salve. But the rest of it sounds great. I'll just have to wear my new sunhat."

She grinned. "So, a plan, yes?"

"Absolutely," Elena agreed. "What days are you free? From classes, I mean. Or a job. I have a job now."

One she could talk about in public, without having to kill people. Score!

"Fridays I don't have anything at all," Karla suggested. "I'm not sure when I'll be back for certain, but I don't see myself staying through next Friday. Does that work for you? If the weather cooperates, too, I mean."

"Next Friday," Elena said with a grin. "We'll get sand all over our fresh fruit. It'll be awesome."

Behind the Dorms, Tuesday Afternoon

Re: Feed other people

Re: Feed other people

Re: Feed other people

Re: Feed other people

Re: Feed other people

Re: Feed other people

Re: Feed other people

Re: Feed other people

Re: Feed other people

Re: Feed other people

Re: Feed other people

Re: Feed other people

Re: Feed other people

Re: Feed other people