active time event: exploration

[alreadyhuman]

Who: Vivi and you!
What: Vivi's first two weeks on campus.
When: The first half of June!
Where: Various places
Warnings: Shouldn't be any, but I'll change it if it comes up.



[ I'll match you for format!]

A. Studying...?

[ It's safe to say that Vivi has never seen this many books in one place in his entire life so far. If he has at any point before he began to wander the Outlands, he's almost certainly forgotten it.

He's taking advantage of the resources at hand by taking any books that catch his eye. It's not an uncommon sight to find Vivi struggling to grab a book just out of reach, wandering by with a stack that's probably a little too tall for him to see over, surrounded by books and reading busily, or...

Well, fast asleep in one of the library's cosy chairs, often with a book lying open on his lap or clutched to his chest. He's trying his best. ]

B. Hard at work

[ Cooking is one of the few skills he's shown a talent for; during his time in the Outlands, various strangers had shown him bits and pieces, and he'd become fascinated. With a proper kitchen and as many recipe books as he could want at his fingertips, he's taking the opportunity to both cook and offer the fruits of his labour to other people.

If you're walking through campus and looking sufficiently unoccupied (or hungry?), you might be randomly accosted by a young boy offering cookies and various pastries and asking for feedback on his first attempts.

(Though they look rather strange and the texture isn't always the best, the food itself actually tastes fairly good.) ]

C. Trying hard

[ To say Vivi isn't great at athletics might be somewhat of an understatement. But what he lacks in strength he makes up with sheer stubbornness, and so he tackles PE classes with a surprising amount of energy.

He falls over, he trips mid-run, and overall he's not very good at even basic exercises. But he always bounces back regardless, and he seems to be enjoying it. ]

D. Wildcard

[ Anything else, I'll roll with it! ]

Comments

A

[opheliaafterdeath]

[Vivi is not the only one who fell in love with the library the second he saw it. Nekane was often found there themself, usually hiding to avoid questions and absorbing information - and they just simply loved books. In fact, Vivi may have walked passed the piles Nekane had yet again pulled out and stacked up like a wall between themself and anyone else in the library.

It's not to say they are not observing everyone who walks into the library, however. An a kid attempting to reach something out of his reach is pretty easy to spot. They could go over and give the kid a hand...but they're not that kind of person.

That being said...the book Vivi is trying to get down shakes once, twice, before falling out of place to the ground. Resting where it once was is a clawed hand made of shadows and eyes, hanging limply like a discarded sock.

You're welcome...?]

B.

[marmoron]

[Speaking of someone who looks unoccupied, Keith's alone and heading towards the gym looking kinda distracted. And then he's stopped.]

Huh?

[He blinks, then glances down at this unfamiliar kid holding out a platter of cookies.]

....What's this for?

C

[moonlitdancer]

[Another new student is in the gym, and she's already passed Vivi three times. After the fourth or so trip, she stops next to him and help him up.]

You're new at this, aren't you? Your form's all over the place, and you're not pacing yourself at all. A surprising amount of energy will only get you so far. If you'd like, I could show you proper running form.

[alreadyhuman]

[ He looks up, easily spotting the shadowy limb that had been so helpful to him. ]

Oh!

[ He bows, because it never hurts to be polite and a handshake feels a little too forward. (Besides, it might not like being touched.) ]

Um, thank you very much!

[ He clutches the book to his chest, and then seems to think of something. ]

Is there anything you want...?

[ He's lived basically all his life in the Outlands, after all. He's used to there being exchanges, of sorts. ]

[alreadyhuman]

Testing!

[ At least he's honest about it. ]

I made a lot of cookies so I'm giving them to people!

[alreadyhuman]

There's a proper way to run? [ He lets himself be helped up easily. ] I didn't know that! But, um, if you could teach me how that'd be great!

I just got here, so I don't know anything about anything! But that means I can learn lots, so that's okay. I think?

[ At...at least he's cheerful about it. ]

[opheliaafterdeath]

[A few of the eyes blink, mirroring the slight surprise Nekane feels. They had not really expected Vivi to offer something in return for just getting a book down.

The claw taps its fingers in thought before flashing a thumbs up. It skitters down the bookshelf (notably sticking to the shadows cast) and lands on one of the piles of books Vivi has. It taps on the title of one of them before pointing at the direction of the table Nekane was seated at.

A book for a book. It's fair, they think, and it is one they have not read yet.]

A

[improbablenotimpossible]

[The man is also a frequent visitor to the library in the afternoons, usually checking out a mystery story and returning it the next day, along with more difficult, technical books he takes a longer time to go over.

He spotted the small figure, and slips into a chair next to him, quietly clearing his throat to wake him up]

Good book?

B

[descolation]

[Desco was, for the most part, just wandering around, still trying to get a feel for the layout of the school. She's only been here for a couple of days and there's still a lot more that she needs to learn. Like that people apparently offer you free cookies. Desco gets a small whiff of the freshly baked batch and both her eyes and mouth go wide with awe.]

You made these yourself? They smell really good!

[And she's confident they taste even better. Which is why she reaches out to grab one from the tray Vivi's carrying.]

[moonlitdancer]

Good, a willingness to learn is a boon for any teacher, professional or not.

[Serena stands straight up and points at Vivi.]

First, make sure you're looking ahead when you're running. It may be tempting to check out your surroundings, but that will put you off balance. Second-

[Serena continues with her lecture on proper running form for some time, even giving examples.]

[marmoron]

[Honesty is definitely a great policy, but sometimes... it just doesn't yield a very good result.]

Testing?

[SQUINTING AT COOKIE PLATTER.]

...Did you do something weird to these...?

[alreadyhuman]

[ To be absolutely fair, 'did you do something weird to these' is a pretty relevant question to ask when you're in a magic school. ]

Yeah! I've never cooked in a big kitchen before and they have kitchens here! So I'm testing them!

[alreadyhuman]

[ Once he interprets what the shadowy hand is saying to him, he's happy to make the exchange. Nekane is easy to find even without being pointed in the right direction; the clamour of their nature is loud and colourful to Vivi's more supernatural senses.

But he's used to it, so he doesn't mind it at all. He wanders over to the table and attempts to peer around the piles. ]

Should I just leave it here?

[alreadyhuman]

[ It's a nonfiction book about clothing in the 1800s. Vivi has some interesting tastes, apparently.

He blinks awake with a squeak, almost bouncing out of his seat like a startled cat. ]

Oh--um.

Yeah! It's really interesting. People wear all sorts of things here. Or used to wear, I think?

[marmoron]

[....Okay. Okay, so this is all seeming pretty harmless and it's not like the kid's behaving suspiciously or that the cookies look especially tampered with. Keith, why are you acting like you've been a victim of food poisoning...]

Testing ... the kitchen or different recipes?

[Admittedly he's still vaguely skeptical in the veins of "do they even have cookies in the outlands" but he at least isn't so hopeless in the social skills department that he'll ask that upfront.]

[improbablenotimpossible]

Yes, there is a lot that changed over time in what people wore. While there's a... style to that era, there are certain fashion requirements that was better left in the dustbin of history.

[alreadyhuman]

[ Vivi gets the whole 'reluctant to take food' thing, really. In the Outlands, people giving things away for free was rare. But they didn't have to worry about this stuff on Earth, right?

Maybe?? ]

Both! There's so many recipe books here. I've never seen so many in one place!

[alreadyhuman]

Yeah! It's my first try, but I think they came out okay!

[ For a first try in a proper kitchen, following a recipe he's never used before, they are in fact pretty decent. ]

You can't really make small amounts of cookies, though, so I made a lot. I don't want them to go to waste, so I'm giving them away!

[marmoron]

[....curse you, mystery child and your innocent enthusiasm making him feel like an asshole for being suspicious. He will finally take one of those cookies.]

I see. ...Has nobody's shown you how to get recipes from the internet?

[Oh no.]

[opheliaafterdeath]

[The hand skitters off when Vivi wanders over to Nekane, jumping into the nearest shadow and vanishing.

The piles of books Nekane has cover a variety of subjects - rune making and inscriptions, things on Seers, history books on various Clans, DIY books...and strangely a number of adventure books for kids. It was one of the few things they let themself feel nostalgic for.

Nekane leans around one of the piles to get a look at Vivi before sticking out their hand.]

I'll just take it. Thanks kid.

B

[heromedal]

[ Rex's stomach, no matter how full, will always feel empty. The only reason he looks away from the book he's reading as he walks (yeah it's dangerous but he's practised avoiding bashing into things and has it down) is the approaching smell of food. He stands still when he spots the source and his internal monologue, usually consisting of ten or so chattering voices working on different things is replaced with a harmonised chorus.

"Cool hat cool hat cool hat cool hat cool hat cool hat cool hat"

He stares dumbly the whole approach, the song in his ears focusing on another piece of clothing. ]

[descolation]

[Desco looks back at the cookie curiously before taking a sizable chunk out of it. Judging by the quiet hum she makes, it definitely seems like she likes it.]

Ahh! It's really good!

[And she promptly finishes it almost as quickly as she got it.]

Thank you! Could Desco have two more, please?

[alreadyhuman]

[ Vivi, for his part, is content to sit there and learn about running. He tries his best to imitate the examples she gives, when she gives them. ]

Wow, this is a lot... [ He blinks rapidly. ] I didn't know running was so complicated. Do I have to keep track of that all the time?

[alreadyhuman]

It looks fun. [ Fun is one word for it. But he's used to eccentric fashion sense, given he comes from the Outlands. Everything is strange there, so it's normal to him. ]

Earth has fashion requirements?

[ He peers curiously at the book, flipping through the pages slowly. ]

B.

[prisoneroffate]

These are pretty good. They'd go great with a vanilla latte.