Mingle - Emergency Potluck

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WELCOME POTLUCK

Greetings, residents! Those more observant sorts among you may have noticed a large influx of very crowded ferries. In order to welcome our new residents en masse, Town Hall is holding a potluck in Town Square. Please bring a dish if you are able and make a new friend!

All of our newest arrivals need only bring themselves. We look forward to welcoming you all into our community, and may your lanterns always be lit.

This event is open to all! In light of our new influx of prospective players following the Great Sail Migration, we've decided to offer a small public event to tide everyone over until the TDM this weekend.

Comments

[theydrewfirstblood]

John is propping up a wall when he senses movement, then spots the the young man finding a place of his own, just barely in John's periphery, still and silent.

He lets it happen. The kid moves like a fighter, but not quite like a soldier--not like John's kind of soldier anyway. After a few moments he turns his head just enough to get a better look...

That expression he wears makes John ache inside--raw and bleeding. He's a fucking kid.

Pushing off the wall, John moves into the kid's line of sight, catches his eye, and jerks his head for the kid to follow him--specifically, over to the tables where there's food.

The best place to start with any kind of wounded animal, especially the human kind, is with a full stomach.

[withoutpride]

Slowly, skittishly, Jarrod moves to follow. He maintains distance, though. Less out of a fear of attack, more like he's sure he isn't welcome. Why would he be?

Why would any place welcome him after what he has done? What he has been?

[theydrewfirstblood]

John stops by one of the tables, picks up a plate, and grabs a couple of sandwiches off a nearby tray. He adds some cheese, and a few cookies for good measure, then turns and offers the plate to the kid.

"Eat." he instructs, terse but gentle. "Whatever's eatin' you, kid, survival's a right. Not a privilege--and when it comes easy, it's a blessing. Don't turn your nose up at it. C'mon, take it."

[withoutpride]

"You weren't eating, either." Jarrod looks pointedly at the plate. Cookies--when was the last time he had a cookie? Well over a year. "We can share it."

CW: very mild disordered eating habits/very mild anxiety attack

[theydrewfirstblood]

John visibly hesitates, but he takes a breath and shakes his head.

"I can't--not here. Not...not with people." he admits quietly. "I'll either puke or panic. Got in trouble for it once, stuck with me. Can't eat a bite or drink a drop unless I'm alone."

Still, there's one reason he can think of that the kid might be suspicious...and John can think of about a dozen situations where he might have similar fears.

So he glances down at the plate, takes a deep breath--

"Is there a law against me gettin' something to eat here?"

"Yeah. Me."

His hand is steady as he breaks off a piece of one cookie. It doesn't start to shake until he lifts that piece off the plate. He can't quite stop himself from looking around, can feel the icy water pinning him to the jail wall, remember the adrenaline and panic all because he was fucking hungry...

Shutting his eyes, he pops the piece of cookie into his mouth, chews, and swallows as fast as he can. It's a small piece, but it feels like its tearing at his throat going down--dusty in his mouth, hitting the bottom of his stomach like lead.

He opens his eyes, and he swears he can feel eyes on him even though he knows the kid is the only person paying attention.

See? Safe to eat--so John offers him the plate again.

[withoutpride]

That John's willing to take even a single bite to prove the food is safe is clearly a huge deal to him. So Jarrod would be a Real Dick if he didn't eat now. He picks up one of the sandwiches, nibbles at a corner...

and then dives in like a man who hasn't had the chance to eat in a while. Though from how he's built, it's not like he's been skipping meals. Packing in the protein, clearly, all lean muscle. Dai Shi never ate for pleasure, only for sustenance.

"This is the best thing I ever..." chomp chomp "...ever ate."

[theydrewfirstblood]

John smiles at his first bite--and laughs a little as the kid dives in, but it's not unkind. He's genuinely pleased to see him tearing into the food like he's never had a meal before (though he's clearly taking care of himself), but he gets that.

Rations suck. Real food's always better.

"Lucky for you, we're coming out of a lean winter, so there's plenty." John assures him. "And if you're a carnivore, I hunt regularly. You got any experience with wilderness stuff?"