Summer 1 - Welcome dinner

[kollomods]

[ It's the very first dinner on Norrhamn and the kitchen staff (???) has really gone all out. The counter is covered by a variety of the finest cuisine Sweden has to offer — sandwich cakes of every variety, from the classic salmon and shrimp to ham and horse radish or more modern, vegan varieties with avocado and cherry tomatoes. There's a smaller table set out with strawberry and cream cake, and the traditional spread of seven different types of shortbread cookies. Of course there's coffee and tea by the bucketload, along with other drinks such as elderberry or lingonberry squash. The community center has been decorated for the occasion with bunting and strings of lights leading out into the garden. It's still early summer so the nights are mild and surprisingly bright — the sun has yet to fully set by the time the celebrations kick off. Better get used to the light, it's not getting darker anytime soon. ]

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[traceofeffort]

Lisa calmly digests what this lady- Viola, she said her name was- says by way of explanation. It's... hard to believe, but she's already talked to one or two people that are more extraordinary than herself, so she won't dismiss it out of hand. No, she's more amused that she's met someone with exposure to fairies and magic and Ako isn't here. She'll definitely have to tell her when she goes back; of all the things to miss...

But really, now that she knows what she's dealing with, it's not... so strange? It makes sense. "Lisa. Lisa Imai. Pleased to meet you! And, um, I'm glad you've got time away from the craziness," she adds diplomatically, with a mild tone of relief. That single moment of a scarier look definitely drove the point home; no matter how nice it sounds, it's not for the faint of heart. Or faint of mind, likely. Lisa makes a mental note to not be carelessly peppy to people in the future. Whether or not she'll remember... is another matter.

"That sounds like it'd be both exciting and really scary. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I got stuck somewhere... what, sideways from where I came from? It's probably not the kind of place I can just hike home from, huh?" It's in her usual conversational, pleasant tone, but boy, that'd be a shock.

[ebony_wings]

"I know, right?" Viola agreed, her grin still as easygoing as ever. "Well, if we're talking different worlds, then taking a hike isn't gonna happen. Especially since the fairies in my world are notorious kidnappers. I'm lucky enough to have an expert on hand to rescue me, but I want to be resourceful enough to bail myself out, you know!"

But while Viola was fine talking about herself, curiosity burned at her mind about this girl too. She came by to get to know others, after all. "What about you? You might not be around danger, but what kinds of things did you do at home?"

[traceofeffort]

"Kidnappers, huh..." That sounds super dangerous and Lisa does not want to end up there by accident. She shivers before shaking her head, focusing on the upbeat attitude Viola has. "Yeah, even if you can have someone bail you out, better to be able to take care of yourself, right?" she says, happy to agree with that.

At the questions about herself, Lisa nods, accepting the change of subject. "Mostly I play the bass; my friends and I have a band, Roselia. We're a rock band, and if I can say so myself, we sound pretty good. Oh, and then I knit in my free time. Nothing big, but it helps me unwind. Beyond that... school, part-time job, nothing major. Nothing dangerous beyond pushing myself too hard," she says with a smile. "It's nothing as exciting as your day-to-day, but it's fine for me."

[ebony_wings]

"Bass? Rock band?" Alas, Viola's world hasn't yet advanced enough that rock was a widespread genre. "Wow, genres sound pretty different in this world. The big thing happening in my world, at least musically, are like, jazz bands. Then again, music knowledge hasn't been my forte." She would let Lisa elaborate if she so cared. "I'd love to hear it sometime, though."

There was something more familiar to her though."You knit? Cool, I sew! I make quite a few of my clothes, or touch up stuff I can buy. I'd have to see what this little island has for supplies, I only bought the barest of my own so it'd take me all day to make a simple dress."

[traceofeffort]

Lisa almost frowns at the lack of understanding, but she perks right back up at the mention of jazz being popular. "Ooh, yeah, that's good, too. But anyway, rock tends to be a harder sound. It's heavy on electric string instruments and drums. My bass is a four-string instrument, but it's not something you hear in the foreground. It's a rhythm instrument... it helps keep everyone together, I think, even if it doesn't stand out," she adds, sounding satisfied. She doesn't mind not being the center of attention. But if she can make the others sound good, all the better.

"I haven't tried any huge projects," she admits after Viola starts to go on to fabric working. "I just didn't really have the time before, so I made little things. Plush dolls, that kind of thing. Maybe that can be another project to work on while I'm here. What's the worst I can do, add a few more wounds to my fingertips?" It's in a sardonic tone; she's used to slicing her fingers on her strings by now, so it doesn't even register when she pricks herself.

[ebony_wings]

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," Viola joked along that sardonic tone. "You just have to know what kills you."

Now calm enough to enjoy the steady cadence of their meal, Viola returned to taking small bites between their conversation. "By the way, given that we're from different... places, how does everyone dress?" She saw Lisa's clothes and found them interesting. Viola herself seemed to be dressed very gothic, albeit lightly for the weather.

[traceofeffort]

Lisa laughs lightly. "I'm not one for danger most of the time, so I only get hurt when I do something dumb," she admits. "Thankfully that doesn't happen often. So I haven't discovered that limit yet. Hopefully I never do."

She takes a long moment while Viola pauses to eat, just sipping at her own drink. But at the other question, she nods again. "I come from a pretty causal society. I tend toward being a bit dressier, but I have friends in both directions. When we're performing, though, you'd fit right in with us. Rinko - our keyboardist, think piano but more portable - makes our stage costumes. I bet you and she could trade notes... well, if she could get the words out. She's a sweet girl, but she's really shy." Lisa sounds happy taking about it, at least.

"Your style seems really classic, though. I like it! I don't know if I could pull that off without the rest of the band looking like that too." With all that running around, Viola may not make it to the local fashion clothing store very often. If it even exists.

[ebony_wings]

"Thank you!" Viola practically chirped. She's never heard of her style being referred to as 'classic', but she'll certainly take it that she's not alone in her style. "I wish I could meet this girl, I could learn a lot from her... and you too! Maybe I could make something that suits both yours and my style, a meeting in the middle."

She looked outside briefly. "So what are you going to do once you settle in on the island?"

[traceofeffort]

Lisa's smile turns warmer. Even if Viola doesn't have a perfect vision of what she's talking about, she's enthusiastic, which helps a lot. "I think Rinko would take a little bit to warm up to you - she's really shy," she cautioned mildly. "But once she got used to you, I have a feeling you'd click well enough. I dunno how much I could teach you, though. If you're working on clothes, you've got a lot more going than I do. I should be talking about learning from you!"

After a second, she follows Viola's gaze out to the surrounding island, and the sunshine beyond. Lisa doesn't wear a watch, but it sure feels late - what time is it, even? "Honestly? I have no idea," she admits. "I just kind of jumped on the excuse for a time-out, I haven't really... thought that far ahead?" She scratches her cheek, recognizing it sounds super lame. "It'd be extra time to practice, but that'd get old without the rest of my band, so I'll have to figure something out."

[ebony_wings]

"It's alright," Viola said, on the off chance Lisa was worried about not having a plan. She leaned close with two hands, to somewhat cup her mouth as she whispered almost conspiratorially. "Just to let you in on a secret, I don't really have one either, other than 'explore it'."

This included getting an understanding of the 'less safe' parts of the island, but those were plans that she'd confess much, much later, once she knew how to learn about them and come back in one piece. Preferably alive.

"I'm sure there's other things you can discover to do on this island!" she supplied helpfully.

[traceofeffort]

Her smile dissolves into a giggle. "That seems like a plan. I might see if they need help with the general store or something - I'll probably miss my convenience store job eventually," Lisa says with a mild sigh. "But I'll be excited to find something. It'll fill my days, if nothing else."

A pause. Then: "But I wouldn't mind making new friends and spending time with people, too."

[ebony_wings]

"Personally, I think that's a great plan," Viola said with an easygoing smile. "I could always use more friends, especially since nobody I know is around here."

She wound up finishing the food she had. "There's plenty to do, so I'm looking forward to whatever I wind up stumbling upon."

[traceofeffort]

"Yeah, new friends would be good," she agrees easily. "Even at home, I can't just associate with my band and my classmates. All work and no play, blah, blah, you probably know how it goes." Yukina is one thing, but she needs something more in her life, right?

"I'm looking forward to finding out what's out there. If this is supposed to be some kind of retreat from the craziness of home, it needs activities, right? I'm sure something's in the works." Her hands wave vaguely as she talks, energy in her bearing. It's something she's kind of excited for, all things considered.

[ebony_wings]

"Yeah, I could sure use it too," Viola said with a slightly wry smile. "They say there's supposed to be stuff like farming and events. I'm looking forward to it regardless, even if I've never done any of it before."

[traceofeffort]

Lisa giggles again. "Farming? That's way out of my league, too. I'm too much of a city girl for that. Music, fashion, and homework are about it for me. But..." She nods briefly. "I wouldn't mind trying it? Maybe I'll turn out to be good at it, even. Anything could happen!"