Second Floor Common Room, Wednesday Evening

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

It was Wednesday evening, and Firekeeper found herself feeling... oddly nostalgic (not that she knew that was the word for it) for some of her early days in Fandom, which led to a trip to the common room to see what was playing on the television. Padding over to the couch, she curled up with Blind Seer and flicked the device on.

She flipped through channels until finding a show that the television announced was entitled Rod and the Tome of Unadulterated Badness. Huh. Well, it seemed more interesting than any of the other offerings, so why not?

[ooc: ...haven't done a CR post with this girl forever. SO I DO ONE NOW. So open.]

Comments

[serial-quitter.livejournal.com]

Ryan hadn't planned on staying in the common room for very long. All she wanted was to grab a glass of milk, but she couldn't gawking for a moment at Blind Seer. "That is a really big dog," she said.

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

Once upon a time, that was an assumption that would've sent Firekeeper into a fury. These days, however, it was rather par for the course.

"No dog," she explained patiently. "Wolf."

[serial-quitter.livejournal.com]

"They let you keep a pet wolf? Wow," said Ryan, momentarily forgetting about her glass of milk.

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

"No pet, either," Firekeeper corrected, grinning suddenly. "Is wisdom in letting wolves do as they choose."

[serial-quitter.livejournal.com]

"Pretty cool," said Ryan, nodding. She went back to finish pouring her glass of milk. "I've lived in some pretty remote villages in the rain forest, and it was fun to see all the wild animals in their own environment. I've never seen a wolf, though. Usually we got a lot of monkeys."

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

"Monkeys," Firekeeper didn't quite roll her eyes, but it was close. She found the creatures irritating, generally. "I have met such as well."

[serial-quitter.livejournal.com]

"Like sneaky ones that make off with part of your lunch when your back is turned?" asked Ryan. "We used to have that problem at a school my parents built. My name is Ryan, by the way. I live just down the hall."

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

Firekeeper nodded in agreement. "Blysse," she introduced herself. "And Blind Seer, too. This is also our floor."

[serial-quitter.livejournal.com]

"So we might actually be neighbors," said Ryan, smiling. "I'm in room 210. How about you and Blind Seer?"

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

Firekeeper's brow furrowed in thought as she tried to remember the numbers associated with her room. "221," she said, after a moment. She had no idea where that was in relation to Ryan's room, unfortunately, given her poor grasp of numbering systems.

[serial-quitter.livejournal.com]

That was not a problem. "Okay, so you're further down the hallway from me," said Ryan. "But we're still on the best floor in the dorms. Not that I've spent time on the other floors, but I think the second floor is the best one to live on."

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

"I do not know if there is a difference," Firekeeper admitted. She didn't really... get the whole 'best floor' thing. "But, I have no complaints."

[serial-quitter.livejournal.com]

"People on this floor have been pretty nice and they've been willing to share their food," said Ryan. "What more could you ask for?"

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

"That is true," Firekeeper admitted. "But would not the people on other floors say the same?"

[serial-quitter.livejournal.com]

"Maybe," said Ryan, thinking. "But I can't remember the last time someone came down here from another floor and offered us food. Anyway, the other big advantage to living on the second floor? Less stairs than if we lived on the fifth floor."

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

Anakin, as fifteen-year-old boys have a tendency to be, was hungry. In the interest of exploring more of this planet's cuisine, and subject to the laws of 'this is what happens when you shop while hungry,' he'd headed out into town and come back with an entire box of takeout from . . . several restaurants in town, actually.

It was heavy, and because no one was here to stop him he was levitating it with the Force as he headed into his floor's common room.

"Anyone want to help me eat all this?" he asked with a distinct tone of oops to his voice.

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

"Eat?" Both wolves perked up visibly at the prospect. "Yes. We would." Hello to you too, Anakin.

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

"Oh, good. I think I overdid it," Anakin said, poking his head around the side of the box to grin at them. "Help yourself to whatever. I'm not even sure what all of this is."

Did he bat an eye at the sight of a giant wolf in the common room? No. Look, he grew up with more than one Wookiee.

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

"This one is called 'Chinese'," Firekeeper offered helpfully, recognizing one of the cartons. "You is supposed to use these sticks to eat, but mostly I use forks," she admitted.

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

"I've heard of those," Anakin realized, because of course the GFFA had chopsticks. Of course it did. "I don't think they're used too often though. Besides, eating food shouldn't be that much work."

He started unloading takeout containers, plates, utensils, and napkins from the box, then picked out a fork to pile chow mein and a few other things (there were taquitos, among other things, and pie) onto a plate.

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

"Pie!" Firekeeper lunged for the dessert. "So, this is not your world, then, if you do not know the foods?" she guessed.

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

"No -- at least I'm not that painfully obvious," Anakin said lightly, around a mouthful of taquito. "But I'm working on learning about them."

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

"Where is you from?" Firekeeper asked. That thing about curiosity being the domain of cats? Not entirely true.

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

"All over, I guess you could say." Anakin shoveled a forkful of chow mein into his mouth and barely remembered to chew and swallow before answering. "But mostly, Coruscant's home."

There was a fraction of a pause before he remembered to add, "It's a planet a long way from here."

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

"I know this planet!" Firekeeper said excitedly. "I been there once." During a field trip for a flight workshop a couple years ago, but it totally counted.

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

"Let me guess," Anakin said, getting that resigned sort of look on his face. "You know Ben."

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

"He is a good friend, yes," Firekeeper admitted, smile broadening at the mention of his name.

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

"He's my cousin," Anakin said; might as well get that question out of the way early.

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

"Ah," Firekeeper nodded. Then a thought struck her and she frowned. "But- then, you is Anakin, then?" she didn't really know how to feel about that, if it were the case.

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

"That's me." He made a half confused, half amused face. "Word really gets around fast."

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

"We have also knowed your friend Tahiri for a long time," she explained. "She is- a good friend to Blind Seer and me. Your name come up some times." She just... wasn't going to mention certain facts about the context involved.

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

"I just found out about her being here today, from Master Atreides," Anakin admitted. "I wish that hadn't been before I got here. It feels weird being at school without her."

Because that wouldn't have been awkward at all . . .

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

Just a little, yeah. "She speaked... highly of you," Firekeeper said. "I am glad to get the chance to meet you." Since, you know, him being dead had prevented that from occuring before.

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

That would be a complication, yes.

"Likewise, if you're a friend of hers," Anakin said, amusing himself with mental images of Tahiri, running around the island barefoot and talking nonstop at everyone.

[serial-quitter.livejournal.com]

"Wow! It looks like you got a little bit of everything there," said Ryan. "Do you have any noodles?"

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

"I think there's about three kinds," Anakin admitted. "Go ahead and have whatever you want. I don't even know what everything is, yet."

[serial-quitter.livejournal.com]

"I had no idea there were so many different restaurants around here. I've mainly stuck to the cafeteria or cooking my own food," she said, grabbing a container of what she hoped was Pad Thai. "My name's Ryan, by the way. I still feel sort of new here, even though I've been around since last summer."

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

"I've been exploring," Anakin admitted. "Even though I only got here a few days ago."

It could have been Pad Thai, but he wouldn't know. He'd definitely stopped at Taste of Thai, though.

"I'm Anakin, by the way."

[serial-quitter.livejournal.com]

"That's a cool name," said the girl who had a boy's name. "At first, I was too busy exploring off-island to check out the island itself, but that's what happens when you arrive in Baltimore and find yourself in London the next day."

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

Considering the names of everyone Anakin knew, he could hardly judge.

"You ended up somewhere else completely?" he asked. "Is that on this world, or . . . ?"

[serial-quitter.livejournal.com]

"One day the island was one place, and the next day it was somewhere else," said Ryan. "Technically, London is a large city in this world, but the London where we ended up was somewhere in the past. It was pretty freaky at first."

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

Anakin dug a hand into his hair, which did nothing to make it any less messy.

"Sithspawn, the island moves too?"

[serial-quitter.livejournal.com]

"It totally does, though it hasn't done gone anywhere new since last fall," said Ryan. "It was a pretty neat way to see lots of new places. I was almost sad when it decided to stay put."

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

"Wow, that's pretty astral," Anakin remarked. "I want to find out how that worked now."

He would, too.

[serial-quitter.livejournal.com]

"All I'd really like is some warning before the island head somewhere cold so I know when I need to get warmer clothes," said Ryan with a shiver. "Maybe some of the others who have been here longer know how it works. I never thought to ask. I was too busy planning to get out of here."

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

"How much warning do you need?" Anakin wasn't being sarcastic; he genuinely didn't know. "If the whole island's going, it's taking your entire closet with it."

[serial-quitter.livejournal.com]

Ryan chuckled. "It was more of an issue last summer when I got here with only warm weather clothing, thinking that I had months before it got cold. Within days, the island moved somewhere cold and rainy. I had to scramble to buy new clothes right away."