Main Campfire, Saturday... Noonish

[lockestheway]

Peter had actually gotten up a hell of a lot earlier that morning (to talk to Val about their strategies for tomorrow's essays, obviously) but since it was a Saturday, he had a hunch the other students would still be in their nests. He didn't make it out for breakfast - or really, brunch - until noon as a result, and walked the extra few feet to the main campfire just to keep things even.

He lit up the campfire with a brief thought towards little firebug Val, tossed a bag of marshmallows aside, and began to pry open the plastic packaging on a bunch of hotdogs. Combined with the buns, he'd be having brunch just fine, thanks, and might draw out some of the more interesting people around here.

[[ open! ]]

Comments

[dollpocalypse]

Noonish was a little on the early side for Topher to be waking up, but by some freak accident, he managed it. He ambled out to the campfire still in his pajamas, all the while wondering if he smelled hot dogs.

"Oh, hey," he yawned as he took a seat on one of the logs.

[lockestheway]

"Topher," Peter greeted, with one quirk of his eyebrow. "Good to see you back in the right size and shape. Well, comparatively speaking."

[dollpocalypse]

"So witty," Topher assured him, voice laden with heavy sarcasm. "Can I get one?" he asked, indicating the hot dogs.

[lockestheway]

"Oh, I know I am," Peter said. Smugly. "But knock yourself out." He tossed the package at Topher. "Been up to anything interesting lately?"

[dollpocalypse]

Topher set to work putting a hot dog on a stick. It was surprisingly challenging to get the angle right, but he managed it.

"Oh, you know, not too much," he said. "Some crazy chick went all vampire on me and bit me last week. And my computer teacher wants us to carry around these little fake pets, or whatever."

Both were equally distressing.

[lockestheway]

Peter pulled a face he hoped looked sympathetic. "Someone bit you?" he said, "Did you get that checked for rabies? Because I'm not sticking around if you start foaming at the mouth."

[dollpocalypse]

Topher was... going to go ahead and hope that rabies was a dealbreaker for students applying to Fandom.

"Well, let me know if I do," he said dryly. "I'll be sure to head toward the cabins."

[lockestheway]

"Good," Peter said, and added, like the loving, emphatic man he was, "If you're going to bite someone, bite someone who isn't me."

Really. So sympathetic.

"So-- what, do you have a pet rock now? Oooh, or an egg. Please tell me it's a pet egg."

[dollpocalypse]

"I wish," Topher replied. "An egg, I could just swap for a new one. These are these little keychain monsters that whine at me when they want food or sleep or whatever."

He was not proud to say that in the day since the assignment had been given, he'd already gone through nine of them. It really would be quite disappointing if he ended up failing Computers 101, all things considered.

[lockestheway]

"Oh, god, like one of those Japanese electronic monster things?" Peter cracked up - see our earlier note re: his very empathic nature - and grinned at Topher. "It's going to be very sad if that makes you fail Computers 101 after all the shit you've shown you're capable of pulling."

[dollpocalypse]

"Right? Right?" he exclaimed. Clearly they were brain twins, because Topher was positive that this kind of irony would be hilarious if it were anyone other than himself.
"Like, I could make him an electronic monster if he wants one so bad," he continued. "But keeping one alive? That's just annoying."

[lockestheway]

"Can't you just crack the damn thing and program it so it doesn't die?" Peter said, sensibly.

This was the guy who was going to wind up with a dozen kids some day. Fear.

[dollpocalypse]

Huh. That was... really smart.

"Oh yeah," he said, as though suddenly remembering that that was what he was good at. "I should do that."

For someone as cocky as he was, he really had issues with knowing his own strength. It was a character flaw that would end up bringing the apocalypse.

[child-of-rer.livejournal.com]

"Hi," Sov said, trying to keep the hot dog from getting burnt. "We haven't met, I think. I'm Sov."

[dollpocalypse]

"Hey," Topher said, undisturbed by the fact that he was currently mid-bite. That was just how he talked. "Topher Brink."

[child-of-rer.livejournal.com]

Sov didn't really mind. "Are you new, then, or have we just not managed to meet before?"

[dollpocalypse]

"New," he said, still with his mouth full. "Nice meeting you."

Except it came out kind of garbled, since, you know, food.

[child-of-rer.livejournal.com]

"Where are you from?" Sov asked, politely swallowing food before talking. It was just a habit, you know. "I'm from another planet, but no one here has ever heard of it."

[dollpocalypse]

Another planet? That was awesome!

"Another planet? That's awesome!" Topher exclaimed, instantly excited. He managed not to choke on his hot dog. That would've been awkward. "I'm from LA. What's your planet like?"

[child-of-rer.livejournal.com]

"A lot colder," Sov replied, blinking a little at the enthusiasm, then smiling. "I'm not even sure where EllAye is."

[dollpocalypse]

EllAye. Whoa! That was a beast name for a planet, if Topher did say so himself. But then, just the idea of planets had always been a fascination of his. It could be called Planet and he would still be fascinated by it.

"Dude, that's awesome," he said. "Is it totally different from here?"

[child-of-rer.livejournal.com]

Well, EllAye was that place Topher was from, which was an odd-sounding name, but Sov wasn't going to say that.

"It's a lot colder on Gethen!" Sov replied cheerfully. Because cold was nice, compared to the heat here.

[dollpocalypse]

"Just colder? That's the whole difference?" That was... kind of a let down.

[[I can read, I swear. ...Just not today. :p]]

[child-of-rer.livejournal.com]

"People are different too," Sov added, noting the disappointment. "Very different i some ways. And very similar in some, I guess."

[dollpocalypse]

Huh. That was... not the kind of stuff a geek like Topher really knew how to process.

"Okaaaaaay..."