4th Floor Common Room, Saturday Morning

[justice_undone]

Breq had heard the voices of children this morning. It definitely wasn't the strangest thing she had experienced here, and as she was anyway spending the morning in the common room watching music videos on the TV, she decided to put some extra breakfast food on the table. If any children should show up they could help themselves. For herself, Breq made tea, and then made herself comfortable on the couch.

Music videos were an interesting combination of songs and entertainments. They were easy to watch, and a perfect combination with breakfast. Hopefully the sound wouldn't wake up any students who were trying to sleep in.

[Open! Children also welcome, of course.]

Comments

[in_sidon_we_trust]

Sidon, alas, was his normal age and size this time . In fact, judging by how nearly he hit the top of the door frame this morning, he suspected he might have gained an inch over the week. And a growing young Zora needed breakfast, so, yawning and stretching and ducking slightly through the door, he went to find some.

"Oh," he remarked with a chuckle, when he saw the spread on the table, "someone's beaten me to it!"

He was still heading for the freezer, though. He'd recently discovered fish sticks and was mildly obsessed with them at the moment.

[justice_undone]

"Good morning," Breq greeted him. "There is tea if you like, but perhaps that's not to your taste. Have you seen any children around?"

[in_sidon_we_trust]

"Ah, Breq!" Sidon smiled when he saw her. "Hello! Good morning! And thank you! Perhaps I shall try some to help wash these," he held up one of the frozen fishsticks straight out of the bag, "down!"

And he took a bite. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that wasn't how they were supposed to be eaten, but they were just so darned tasty like this!

Once he swallowed that first delectable bite, he smiled again and shook his head. "And I can't say that I have, though I have just woken up. Why do you ask? Have some gone missing?"

[justice_undone]

Breq had no opinion on Sidon's choice of how to eat his food. She would have expected something stranger, actually. Gesturing towards the teapot, she said:

"I heard children's voices, or I thought I did. Students here are teenagers."

She realized that Sidon's species might have a different concept of childhood.

[somethingwithturquoise]

Aaaand there was a child. A redheaded one in a pink sweater poking her head in through the doorframe, taking a look around, lingering her gaze on the food on the table before asking, all in one big long breath, "Hey, you guys got any Froot Loops in here, because I live downstairs but I didn't see any there and it looks like you guys got food but is there any cereal??"

There were Froot Loops downstairs, Summer, they were all just in the cabinets you couldn't reach and you were too lazy to figure out how to get up there and check those.

[in_sidon_we_trust]

"How very strange," Sidon mused, finishing his fishstick before moving on to grab a mug and pour some tea. It was no hot cocoa, to be sure, but he figured he might enjoy it and was never against trying new things. "Perhaps someone has siblings visiting? That could be fun; I rather enjoyed seeing so many wonderful family and acquaintances of my friends for the Parents' Weekend event."

Even if he had not been so fond of who had come to visit him.

[justice_undone]

"Hello there." Breq looked up. "You will find breakfast on the table, including cereal."

Possibly not Froot Loops though.

[somethingwithturquoise]

"Oh, cool!"

But Summer stopped halfway between the table and the door, freezing in motion with one leg still up as she looked back at Breq with a quirked eyebrow. "Err, and I can...have some, right?"

Hey, this wasn't her floor! She just wanted to make sure! She didn't want to be known as That Girl Who'll Eat All Your Food or something!

[justice_undone]

"I thought they weren't allowed in the dorms." Breq took a sip from her tea. "But it would hardly be the strangest thing happening here. Did you turn into something during that holiday?"

[justice_undone]

"Of course." Breq looked at her, expressionless as usual. "I did mean it as an invitation."

[in_sidon_we_trust]

"Which holiday?" Sidon's head tilted a moment before a light of recognition lit his face. "Oh, yes! That Halloween one, you mean? What a strange day that was! I was very much myself, but I had...changed...quite a bit in physical appearance, though still amphibious and large and red. More scales, more webbing on my feet and hands, a lot more gills. And my head tail was gone, replaced by these ridiculous head fins!" He had to laugh for how silly he must have looked. "Can you even imagine? I also had a strange desire to capture buxom human women and take them back with me to my swamp. My swamp!"

Again, he laughed, as if it was one of the funniest things to ever tickle his gills. "But you seemed to be fine, isn't that right? I saw you there at Summer's party. You were dancing."

Well, he certainly wouldn't have called it dancing himself, but who was he to judge if that's how Breq's culture danced?

[somethingwithturquoise]

"Oh," said Summer, and then a bright smile broke out across her face. "Okay!"

She started running toward the table again, but she stopped again, remembering her manners. She turned toward Breq and dipped her best curtsey, which was a little unbalanced, but she had been practicing. "Thank you, ma'am."

And then she sprinted toward the most sugary cereal she could find, cackling as she dumped way too much of it into a bowl that was a bit too small.

[intotheout]

Tip came right on in, climbed up on the counter, and started sorting through the upper cabinets. She pulled out a bowl and a glass, then hopped back down and grabbed a spoon out of a drawer, then headed for the pantry.

"Ugh. Why's the cereal always on the top shelf?"

She went over and grabbed a chair to drag over so she could reach.

[justice_undone]

That child looked familiar.

"There is cereal on the table," Breq said, looking up. "And other things. I wasn't sure what children here like for breakfast."

[justice_undone]

"You're welcome." Breq said. The child reminded her of someone. "What's your name?"

[justice_undone]

"I had problems moving and talking," Breq said, which should make it clear that no, she hadn't been fine. Then she recalled that this was Sidon.

"I wasn't happy about it."

[intotheout]

"Oh," Tip said, feeling a little silly. "Cool. I didn't see it there." She put the chair back and brought her bowl and spoon over to where the cereal was. "Cereal's good. Sometimes if it's a really fancy occasion I like a sausage-egg Mcbiscuit." Fast food breakfast definitely counted as fancy breakfast, yes. "Do you want some? I can get another bowl."

[justice_undone]

"I've already eaten," Breq said, "but thank you. And I'm not sure if there is any sausage-egg... food."

She looked a little closer at the girl. "What's your name?"

[misshapen_spark]

You were going to get children galore, Breq, especially when they could smell food and get distracted from their exploring.

Yang came skidding into the common room, as she'd been running and sliding down all the stairs and banisters for a few hours this morning. Which meant she was starving.

"Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" She sang, immediately grabbing a chair and climbing on it so she could reach all across the table and see what smelled so good. Sure, she was tall for seven, but she was still seven. "Are there cartoons?"

[misshapen_spark]

"You're TALL!" Yang's eyes were wide with delight. "Do you ever hit your head on doors?"

Uncle Qrow did, sometimes, and Yang was sure this Fanus-boy was taller than him.

[misshapen_spark]

"Wazza Froot Loop?" If it had sugar, Yang was in. So, so in.

[justice_undone]

"Cartoons?" Breq asked. By now she had concluded that her decision to put cereals on the table had been a good one.

[misshapen_spark]

Cereal! No boxes of Pumpkin Pete's that she could see, but that was fine, Yang could cope. She poured a bunch of different kinds all into one big bowl.

"Yeah, cartoons," she said, gleefully shaking one box. "On the TV."

[justice_undone]

"There are music videos on the TV." You would have to be more persuasive to get Breq to change the channel, Yang.

And by now Breq had figured out what was going on, and while she did have a an idea who this was, she asked: "What's your name?"

[intotheout]

Tip snorted. "Is this a test? I'm Tip. We're friends."

She just, you know, wasn't usually this short.