Second floor common room- Saturday afternoon

[seriesofbaddecisions]

Sabine had spent the morning at the warehouse, and by now she figured it was time for a lazy-ish afternoon, where she could turn on the TV and mindlessly flip channels until she either got bored or found something that looked terrible/decent in front of roughly 20 containers from Ching Tai when she'd ordered all of one.

Mostly though she was pondering where she could sneak in a small painting of her symbol as an "I was here" thing without anyone noticing right away.


[Open! Distract me while I should be doing adult stuff.

Comments

[x_discospider_x]

"Looks like someone was hungry," said Troy, as he made his way into this common room with all the confidence in the world that it was actually the one on his floor, noting the containers of take-out as he mainlined for the fridge.

He had, somehow, miraculously, not discovered the magic that was Fandom take-out personally yet. Or had at one point and figured it was a mistake and didn't want to say anything because he could get in trouble.

[seriesofbaddecisions]

"Only the fried rice is mine," Sabine said. "The rest is all up for grabs."

[x_discospider_x]

That halted Troy mid-way in extracting a jug of milk from the fridge. He glanced back over to the cartons, then over to Sabine.

"For real?" he asked, almost as if expecting her to tell him it was actually some kind of prank. "What else is there?"

Like it would matter, he would totally eat any of it.

[seriesofbaddecisions]

"I haven't looked at it all," she said, leaning over to peer in a bag. "I've seen at least three things of noddles. There's definitely orange chicken..."

[x_discospider_x]

Okay, yeah, that jug of milk was definitely going back.

"So...it's like...mystery take-out," he observed, gravitating toward the containers with intrigue and a little bit excitement.

Like Christmas for your stomach!

...if Troy actually had any cultural associations with Christmas that weren't terrible, anyway.

[seriesofbaddecisions]

"Have you not ordered out here before?" Sabine asked.

[x_discospider_x]

Troy's brow furrowed a little. He shrugged, shook his head, as if not understanding what that had to do with anything.

"I order out here all the time."

What else would he do? Actually cook? He'd just leave that kind of thing to guys like Wayne.

And, sure, he'd gotten a few extra sides here and there, but he'd yet to receive the kind of windfall they were enjoying to--

"Oooh!" Someone had finally opened a box. "Wontons!"

[utterly_alone]

"Are you throwing a party?" Lydia asked skeptically, poking her head in and noticing the many containers.

She did not especially like parties, but she did like Chinese food. Tough call, here.

[x_discospider_x]

"A party for my stomach, maybe," said Troy, who was way too into the whole mystery aspect of the containers and was currently digging into a container of Mongolian beef enthusiastically, but not so much that he couldn't swallow his last bite and quirk his chin in greeting. "How it going? Lydia, right?"

[utterly_alone]

Lydia nodded, lifting her hand in something like a wave as she eyed the containers. "Hey, Troy." Look, Lydia had been on exactly five dates in her whole life, and one had been with him. Easy to remember. "I'm good, if kinda curious about the mystery food -- how're you?"

[x_discospider_x]

Well, Troy had only been on the one date with a spooky girl before, so that worked, too!

"Well," he offered, "there's mystery food, and it's not terrible, so I'd say that's pretty good! And they just apparently gave it to us! These food delivery guys here really play it fast and loose, and I am not complaining."

Trey Burns, on the other hand, might.

[utterly_alone]

"I can't help but be a little suspicious of mystery food?" Lydia had to admit, thinking it was maybe a little weird how no one else was suspicious of the mystery food. "I mean, it's a nice surprise, but what's their angle?"

[x_discospider_x]

"Maybe they just goofed up and didn't want to fess up to it?" Troy suggested with a shrug.

That's what he'd have done, anyway.

Then he tilted the container in his hands her way.

"Mongolian beef?" he offered. "At least, I think that's what it is."

[utterly_alone]

"If it's not, I've eaten weirder things," Lydia decided, reaching for the offered container. "I mean, we'll all deserve it if this turns us into hamsters or something in an hour, but it smells really good, sooooo...."

So whatever.

[seriesofbaddecisions]

"No, the delivery places get overzealous," Sabine explained, gesturing to the food. "Help yourself."

[utterly_alone]

"You don't think there's a catch?" Lydia asked with a tiny smile, heading over to peek at the containers.

She actually didn't think there was one either, but the thought still had to be vocalized.

[seriesofbaddecisions]

"I've been here three years, and if there's a catch, they're really going for the long con," Sabine told her.

[utterly_alone]

"Three years," Lydia echoed appreciatively. "So you're, like, a Fandom pro. I've been here three months and keep thinking I'll stop being surprised by stuff."

She really needed to learn that the surprises were perennial, even if you were a veteran of the island. It was part of Fandom's charm!

[seriesofbaddecisions]

"Nope!" Helpful, Sabine! "What will happen is you'll think you know everything and then the island will slam you with something you never even thought of. I don't think there's such a thing as a Fandom pro."

There was. But it was like Anakin, Zoe...

[bookbeltof_love]

So, like, Nina had been super quiet as she'd snuck over to the couch where Sabine was.

Right up until she could fling herself against it with a cry of, "Saaaaaaaaaaaabiiiiiiiiiiiiiiineeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Just because it was fun to greet people that way.

[seriesofbaddecisions]

Honestly, Sabine loved it.

"Nina!" she said with a smile. "It's been a while."

[bookbeltof_love]

"It has been," Nina said cheerfully. "Like, what have you been up to????????? Tell me everything!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love what you've done with your hair!!!!!!!!!!"

[seriesofbaddecisions]

"Thanks. I'm not up to much. Mostly seeing what I can get away with painting."

It was going to be A Thing.

"What about you? Where've you been?" She could make guesses.

[bookbeltof_love]

Nina gave her a wide-eyed, innocent look.

"I've been here the whole time!!!!!!!!!!!!"

No, she didn't expect Sabine to buy that.

[seriesofbaddecisions]

"Just turned invisible and lost your voice?" Sabine teased.