Summer 1 - Greetings and Welcome - Action

[kollomods]

[ It's a mild sunny day when the first group of guests make land at Norrhamn. A gentle breeze rustle the birch trees and tangle in the bunting that's hung across the buildings in celebration of this very special occasion. Aina has been busy gathering up guests over the last few hours and now the ferry is approaching the port, waves breaking gently against the bow.

Olivia is waiting on the jetty, clipboard hugged close to her body. She's excited and nervous all at once, anxious to get to meet these people that she's read so much about, the faces behind the pleading letters. This is the first day her new job becomes hands on. Hopefully she'll be good at it.

As the ferry lands and lets the guests off, Olivia raises a hand in a cheerful greeting. ]

Hello! Welcome to Norrhamn!

Comments

i am literally losing my shit this is perfect

[spazzed]

( listen here mister time-traveler from a barren future, not everyone can wax poetic about what makes flora happy or what doesn't — but … okay, not everyone can wax poetic about that from personal experience, either, and it goes without saying that that advantage gives you the upper hand in the argument.

he does. make a point of inspecting that pear, though. because it does look nice and full, and upon closer inspection it does look like this tree is doing pretty well for itself. ( and that really isn't the oddest thought he's ever had in his head, if you can believe that, and you probably can. ) he makes a contemplative sort of noise in the back of his throat, folds his arms over his chest.

okay, buddy. you win this one. ) I guess? ( he doesn't mean that to come out sounding like a question, because he's not still skeptical, but sometimes he has no control over what his voice does or how squeaky it can get when he's indignant.

not that he's being indignant here. that's just for frame of reference. ) Okay, I'll give you that one. Sure sounds like you know your stuff. ( a beat. ) You study plants or something?

( also, one of these days, he'll introduce himself. jury's out on whether or not today is that day, though. )

i am sO LATE I'M SORRY

[oracledriven]

[Listen, he comes from a place where the closest thing he ever had to real, actual fruit in his life was probably freeze-dried jelly beans. Just let him have this. Noel takes a step back, giving the trees a more well-rounded look. It's just nice having something so peaceful around.

Well, peaceful til good old Lance got here, but you know what I mean.

Anyway, Noel still has his Moments where he, like a kleptomaniac, will just sort of Take Things Literally. So when he hears a question in Lance's "I guess????" he's going to answer it.] Just take my word for it.

[Mostly because this seems like the weirdest thing to spend time arguing on. Seriously.

In terms of the actual question, Noel is a little more reluctant to answer it.]

You could say that. In a manner of speaking.

[Suddenly sounds super cagey because the alternative is explaining "well, I spent a few months as a tree," which is just embarrassing.]

omg no it's okay look how late i am ...

[spazzed]

( dude. freeze-fried jelly beans sound pretty darn good though? like. those would be a thing that he would actually want to try. and not only because it also sounds like something he would have found in the space mall.

but. you can have your fruit, noel. we aren't going to take that away from you, because you've had kind of a really sad life and you at least deserve to have some nice fruit. you're on vacation, now, after all. enjoy all the fruit you want!

and lance can be plenty peaceful! you just watch how peaceful he can be!

( and watch him fail spectacularly, but that's neither here nor there. )

klepto tendencies or not, this is kind of a silly thing to spend an extended period of time parsing out — and the answer he gets for his question is one that finds him narrowing his eyes just a little bit. because it does sound super cagey?? but he won't push it, because this is not how you make friends and influence people.

he'd still like you even if he knew you spent a few months as a tree, man. it's okay. ) In a manner of … you either do or you don't, don't you? ( what?? was that?? about not pushing???

lance. please. ) Whatever, man. Plants are cool, you do what you want. ( you're being weird. you weirdo. this also isn't how you make friends or influence people. )

we can both be late!!!

[oracledriven]

[Fair point. Sounds like they might have something in common, and that thing is food. Which is a good thing to have in common! Anyway, Noel will happily enjoy his fruit, and maybe even some vegetables, and he'll be really damn happy that none of it came off of a monster or out of a can. In the here and now, he's trying to Not Sound Cagey while also trying to avoid having to explain the whole "I turned into a plant and I ate people" thing, which seems like it'd put some people off...a bit.]

I-- uh. [He rubs the back of his neck. How do you put it?] I imagine there's levels, right? Like...expert, novice, intermediate.

[YOU KNOW, THAT THING. After all, he was a plant, sure. But he wasn't exactly good at it.

Look, in terms of being weird, Noel knows he is. His entire life is one "it's a long story" after the other. Lance is being weird too, though, and it's kind of. Funny, maybe? Noel raises an eyebrow, offering a slight grin for the first time this whole conversation that I can remember.]

Thanks. I will. You do the same.

[What does that even mean? He's just trying to sound cool.]

sounds like a plan to me bc look at me go lmao

[spazzed]

( lance is always going to be a big supporter of food — especially when it's made well, made with love, that sort of thing — and he might have more of a tendency to eat unhealthily when he's given the choice, but he has to admit. these hanging fruits look pretty darn good, and if he ends up plucking something for himself for later … nobody can blame him, right?

and if noel ever has to explain having turned into a tree and eaten people. that doesn't really seem like something that's going to come up in normal conversation?? aside from explaining why he has such deep-rooted ( see what we did there ) feelings about flora, which could really be anything, and this one isn't about to judge or question any of that.

it's not his business, anyway. it's not a problem. he's pretty sure there have to be levels of knowing things about plants ( ™ ) so that sounds pretty reasonable to him. consider the matter closed. ) I'll buy that.

( he's buying what you're selling, noel. take it and run with it.

they're both being weird. because they both are weird in a sense for different reasons, but it's making for some amusing conversation and maybe they'll end up being buddies after this — lord know this kid could use more of those — and his own return smile is just. a little unsure? maybe? because what kind of response is that.

whatever. he's still smiling. ) Always do! ( stop this. neither of you are cool right now. you're like … lukewarm at best. )

ha ha ha...ha...

[oracledriven]

[Wow!!! They actually found a thing in common!!! Anyway maybe they'll bond over food sometime. Right now is not that time tho.

Noel wouldn't blame him for picking some fruit -- he probably wouldn't even bristle about Lance not asking first (because wHO EVEN DOES THAT???), at this point. In fact, Noel might even be planning to do something similar. Again with the "fresh fruit isn't native to his terrible world of terribleness" thing. Anyway, Lance is kind of weird, but at least he's buying into the vagueness, so Noel doesn't feel too awkwardly judged or anything.

In general, it's kind of nice talking to this guy -- he forgets, for a minute, how Awful and Terrible everything is and how he Can't Trust Anything. But remembering that he forgot that makes him remember it again. He glances at Lance, a little less goofily.]

What's your feeling about this place so far? Did you believe what they were offering -- the whole vacation thing?

takes five days to tag back because what is brainpower

[spazzed]

( they will definitely bond over food. at some point. maybe if noel drops by the impromptu totally-not-when-his-actual-birthday-is birthday party he'll end up throwing for keith in a little while? WHO KNOWS … but it will absolutely happen. sometime.

anyway. lance is weird and has a tendency to buy into equal weirdness pretty easily, so all this stuff noel is spouting about how he knows about happy trees, or whatever else he's said during the whole of this conversation? yep, pretty much buying everything he's selling without even thinking about haggling, because it seems pretty okay to him, and what's the point of … trying to make friends in a new place if you're just going to be ornery the whole way through?

maybe ornery isn't the word. but you get the general idea, right?

he won't pick any fruit just yet, but the idea is still there — right alongside the contemplation of his answer to the other's question, because he hasn't really thought about it, at least extensively. because he never thinks very extensively, but that isn't really the point, is it. ) It seems pretty okay, I mean. Of course a free vacation sounds kinda weird when you think about it. ( but he really hadn't thought about it all that much up to now. so.

hm. now he's going a little deeper. ) But we did all apply to come here, right? They could've said no. ( this is his rationalization. )

Writes really dumb tag back bc what is brainpower

[oracledriven]

[Listen, Lonely Boy here is all about those parties, and as soon as I'm able to sit my ass down and write a top-level, he'll be there. Until then, we all live in suspense.

Hey, what are you calling weirdness?! No, actually, it is pretty bizarre. Anyway, at least they can bond over weirdness. Or rather, we can, because neither of them will probably admit to any of the weirdness. How many times can I say "weirdness" in one paragraph? I'm just not totally with it today. My bad.

I'm not taking anything seriously, but Noel "no fun ever" Kreiss sure is, and he treats Lance's opinion with a fair amount of thought, nodding along with his observation.]

That's true. I keep wondering about that -- offering a free vacation isn't usually in line with most peoples' interests. Not without a catch, at least.

[As for the applications, that brings up something totally different, and he kind of tilts his head a bit, thinking about it.] I wonder if anyone applied and didn't get in.