Potluck Mingle: Welcome Party

[musketea]

When March 2nd Where Blossomcrown Central Park
What Potluck Mingle/Welcome Party

About.

What had started with Mami stress-baking far too much cake and offering to give some away, had lead to a number of other offers to bring food, and soon she had ended up in charge of a substantial potluck mingle. Well, she supposed it would make for a nice welcome party for everyone else who had been dragged into this strange new world with her!

And so, a number of small tables and picnic blankets had been set out with cakes, cookies, hot dogs, burgers and other sweet and savoury treats that her and others had been brought along. Mami had even taken the time to decorate the table with little flowers that she'd gathered as well, just to add to the atmosphere that the cherry blossom trees already provided.

Hopefully it would be a relaxing, pleasant afternoon.

Notes.

OOC: Feel free to make your own TLs, mingle, interact with each other and all of that stuff! I'll add a comment at the top for people to add what they're bringing along for reference (but contributions are of course not mandatory).

CODE BY MARWOOD

Comments

[fiorello]

[ He blinks, as his fingers curl in his blanket. He's not wrong, and he's being really kind about it, but... ]

... I don't really know where else to go. [ He tilts his head slightly. ] Do you know any good spots?

[fiorello]

Ah- [ His eyes snap open, and oh- she's right. The person standing before him is completely unfamiliar. ]

You're right... I'm sorry. [ A brief pause, then: ] Then, what's your name? I'm Kenta.

[ Because clearly a self-introduction covers a blunder like this, right? ]

[alljustforher]

[Well, it's definitely better than just freezing and being overly embarrassed. Homura looks neutral. It seems being mistaken for someone didn't really bother her.]

Homura. Say, are you alone here, Kenta?

[He seems so young, says the girl who is fourteen - but to be fair, she doesn't feel like fourteen anymore.]

[kingside]

[... All right, that's unexpected, and Miss Tomoe suddenly has his full attention. He'd put her at about Nunnally's age, and although emotional maturity and perceptiveness aren't entirely unheard of among people in that category, they're certainly unusual. Far more pressingly, the fact that she had seen through him—had he been so transparent? Possible. For most, unlikely, but he's fully aware that he hasn't been having the best time of it even if no one else seemed to have picked up on that quite yet... except Miss Tomoe, perhaps. Why?

He's silently examining her for just long enough that she might be forgiven for assuming that he isn't going to answer at all until he speaks, and when he does—]

Reading, playing chess, gambling, and cooking. I hadn't thought my support was quite so monumental as that, however. Do you often make such offers to people you barely know?

[musketea]

[It took a while for him to respond...goodness, she'd only gone and made things worse for herself, hadn't she? Should she have not said anything at all? She only hoped she hadn't gone and offended him even more than she had already- and it was all she could do to try and hide the nerves and guilt that thought brought her.

So, as she studied her, she only managed a small smile that she hoped looked reassuring. It was a complete stab in the dark, as she couldn't even begin to guess what nerve exactly her comments had hit.

Oh- it was a relief when he finally replied, and she let out the breath she didn't know she was holding.]

...Well, I couldn't have possibly organised everything today by myself, so I really do appreciate that. It's gone better than I could have hoped.

[Perhaps a part of her was latching out to anyone she could talk to. Reliable people who could support her, help her, so she wouldn't be alone in this scary new world.

As for the question, she wasn't sure how to answer.]

I...suppose I do try and help people however I can. I don't want to imagine anyone feeling sad, lonely or afraid without anyone they can talk to, so I do everything I can to make sure no one has to feel like that.

Even if I don't know them very well.

[She didn't want to think of anyone suffering alone like she had.]

...But I...suppose I am being a little presumptuous going on like that, I should apologise for that, too.

[sagescion]

Not always! It somewhat depends upon where they live. Where I'm from, this group of people from a country called Doma use chopsticks.

1/2 OH NO THAT ICON

[kingside]

[And then, to receive that answer in return...]

2/2

[kingside]

Presumptuous is something of an overstatement.

[Broadly, anyway. Well, no, it's neither so much as wholly accurate, but he's making a conscious effort now to scale back the intensity of his stare, remember what it's like to talk to... people that age. He's absolutely made her uncomfortable, and although that would be fine if everyone here were in fact the potential enemy he's still in the practice of assuming that they are, that... the numbers simply don't bear that out.

(Yet, that is. There's always a yet. He's not so foolish as to dismiss that possibility entirety, much as he might like to. So.)]

You spoke from a place of concern, not malice. There's nothing wrong with that, Tomoe-san. At the least, I don't intend to chastise you for it.

[And... right, he supposes he ought to also address...]

You caught me off guard. That said, I am your senior, Tomoe-san, so if anyone ought to be offering such assistance, it should be me regardless of what help I've given you in the past. Only should you find yourself in the position of needing it, of course.

[roundandaround]

It is actually pretty scary... But I'm sure it'll be fine! There's so many nice people, we'll fix the world and be out in no time!

[peacewithouttyranny]

[This girl sure thinks he's cool, huh. Honestly, he's not sure how to handle that fact.]

You are... Cool, too, Bridget.

[He is trying.]

[princessofhyrule]

A guild? That must have been nice, having a whole group of people to help you with problems and not having to rely upon yourself.

( Zelda hasn't had that since she began holding back the calamity and she misses it greatly. )

What sorts of things did you do for people?

[snekeyes]

[This was probably going to be unpleasant, but she held out her hand for one anyway.]

Yes, I'll try one.

[...There was a slight burned smell from some of them, though. They shouldn't smell like that, right?]

[kerontribution]

Would you like a fresh one or a cooked one?

[That's probably the smell.]

[musketea]

Ahaa... well, it is certainly good to have optimism, but do be careful. We cannot be certain that this mission of ours won't get a little more dangerous.

These two are totally fine and have no trauma at all it's all fine

[musketea]

[It was a relief, when the pressure was eased off a little, and Mami felt a little more of the nervousness leaving her body. He was right, absolutely, that he was the senior here- it was careless of her to forget that. After all, as a Magical Girl she was used to slipping into the role of 'Senpai', even to those who were older than her, if they'd contracted later.

Regardless, she was glad he didn't seem angry with her words.]

Thank you...I appreciate your consideration.

But yes, you're right, of course. I do not wish to be too much of a trouble for you, but I will gratefully accept the offer in that case, should I need it.

[...There was still some weight hanging in the air between them. She wanted to try and alivate that.]

Have you had a chance to try any of the cakes, yet?

1/2

[at_heart]

It— Yeah.

[ A warm, if slightly melancholy beat. ]

Used to think I did just fine on my own, but. It's nice to have people.

[at_heart]

And all kinds.

Find missing people, missing things. Rescued a lost cat one time. Helped organize and clean up a bunch of warehouses...

Definitely kind of an 'odd jobs' guild.

[at_heart]

[ Yuri doesn't reply, except to extend his hand towards her. Palm out, facing up, and waiting for her to come the rest of the way.

Only one way to find out, right? ]

absolute goddamn epitomes of mental health and good coping strategies

[kingside]

[He inclines his head.]

It's no trouble at all.

[An event like this isn't even on the scale of Ashford's school festival, but he'll just maybe not point that out and easily cooperate with the new change in subject when it comes. This really, really isn't about his own ego for once; the last thing he wants to do is invite Miss Tomoe to make any unnecessary comparisons. So.]

And no, I haven't had the opportunity. Could you tell me more about them?

[He'd seen them, obviously, but. Th-there's no pictures or descriptions, help. Chocolate??? Cheesecake??? how cute are they i must know]

[sangreine]

It is. This isn't the first time it happened to me, so I'm trying to help others through it. You will adjust more quickly than you think.

[ Whatever is worrying Mami, Saya wants to help... but sometimes all you can do is be there. So that's her plan. ]

[sangreine]

Things there are a little complicated, but we expect him to live as long as I do. [ In theory. Also in her hopes. ] I also won't let anything happen to him.

[sangreine]

You're really something today. Potlucks bring out your romantic side, I guess.

[sangreine]

Thanks. I'll figure it out.

It's a little odd, feeling like I've never "met" anyone from my own world. Because of the way I wake up, even my memory regains felt far away.

It makes me very grateful to have so many people from other worlds that have accepted me.

[sangreine]

I'm sure he's happy to do it. He's big on fussing over people and taking care of them. So he'll be very glad that the cookie made you happy.

[sangreine]

That happens sometimes. It's a little disconcerting, even if they don't mean any harm. Humans are lovely in many ways, but they can be... narrow in their view of things they don't understand or haven't seen before.

I'm the only one of my kind here, too. I don't always appear human, and when I don't I get the same looks.