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

[hereticofthewilds]

"Oh!" Elsie says in delighted surprise. Her basket has become full of pink fir.

"I like your color."

[yournewsidekick]

"Thanks!" says the squirrel, beaming up at Elsie. She's already got a mushroom between her front paws, ready to devour it. "I love yours. Natural?"

She unhinges her jaw to swallow the entire mushroom in one bite.

[hereticofthewilds]

She considers the question for longer than it should take. There is an internal debate happening. It is glamour, but that is natural to her. So, it must be natural. Yes? Deciding that, finally, she nods.

"You like purple?"

[yournewsidekick]

"Yeah!" she says around a mouthful of mushroom. "Pink's my favorite -- "

As is probably obvious.

" -- but purple's pretty awesome, too." Thoughtful: "Maybe I'll give that a try someday."

[hereticofthewilds]

"Maybe?" Elsie says, tilting her head. "One strand at the front of her hair starts to darken until it's a deep violet color.

"Like this?"

[yournewsidekick]

Nimona gasps. "Yeah!"

She jumps to the handle of the basket. Midway there, she dissolves into a streak of light; by the time she lands, she's reformed as a bird.

"Are you a shapeshifter too?"

Yeah, by now she's met plenty of other shapeshifters, but it doesn't matter. It never gets old meeting someone just like her.

[hereticofthewilds]

Elsie shakes her head shyly. "Not like you."

Animal shapes don't work, but she can speak to them. And the trees.

"Hm?" She seems distracted for a moment and looks down at the gap where her chest expands the dress she's wearing just slightly. And then she...croaks. Like a toad.

[yournewsidekick]

Nimona bursts out laughing. She topples backward onto the basket handle with the force of it, shifting into a bright pink toad as she goes -- the better to gulp in a breath and let out a gigantic croak in answer.

Okay, it's half-croak, half-belch. Loud burps are never not funny.

[hereticofthewilds]

Elsie laughs too, bright and overly loud, as if she's never had to regulate her volume in polite society before. And then she pulls an actual toad out of the top of her dress and holds it out for Nimona to see.

"Same!"

[yournewsidekick]

Okay, Nimona officially adores this weirdo person.

"Toad twins!" she cheers. With a mighty leap, she propels herself onto Elsie's forearm, right next to the other toad, and puffs up her chest for another solid round of croaks.

"You're awesome," she declares once she's done. "What's your name?"

[hereticofthewilds]

Elsie's expression is of pure sunshine and delight. The toad already in her hand seems less sure of the situation, but he stays where he is, croaking softly in concern.

"Elsie!" she declares confidently (for once.)

[yournewsidekick]

"Elsie! Sweet name. I'm Nimona," she says, beaming almost as wide as Elsie herself. "Nice to meetcha."

She slaps a hand on the other toad's back. "What about you, buddy, you got a name too?"

[hereticofthewilds]

"Nimona! Sweet name!" She nods in agreement. This is nice. Meeting people hasn't been nearly as scary as she thought it would be.

The toad croaks in alarm and shifts itself beneath Nimona's hand with a distinct look of annoyance. His little toad eyes narrow at her.

"Name is [Insert Croaking noise Here]" Elsie supplies. "Is shy. Like me."

[yournewsidekick]

"Aww, buddy." Nimona imitates the croaking noise, pitch-perfect, and scoots a little closer. (Grumpy faces are clearly a sign that someone wants to be best friends forever and ever, right?) "It's cool! It's nice to meetcha, too, you gotta tell me all the good fly-catching spots around here."

[hereticofthewilds]

The toad eyes her with even more suspicion. Being able to croak isn't enough to break the ice with this little guy, apparently. He turns around on Elsie's arm and hops away onto her chest.

"Wants to go home," Elsie explains as she scoops him up and shoves him back into her bosom.

[yournewsidekick]

"Aw."

Nimona droops. It's not all feigned; for all she was teasing the toad a little, making another friend, especially a nonhuman one -- it would've been nice. That's all.

With another shimmer, she shifts back into a squirrel and looks up at Elsie. "Do you gotta go, too?"

[hereticofthewilds]

Elsie shakes her head. "Don't have to. But..." her gaze drifts out over all the people around her. "I Don't ...belong."

[yournewsidekick]

"...Oh."

Nimona follows Elsie's gaze as she takes in the crowd of happily chatting humans. She looks up at her, focused on the little streak of purple hair that used to be pink.

"Me neither," she says, quieter. She wraps her tail around the handle of the basket. "But -- I've got friends now. People who're just as weird as me. Some of 'em came here, too."

And, more hopeful: "You wanna be friends?"

[hereticofthewilds]

Elsie's eyes light up and her smile spreads wide as she vigorously nods. Yes, oh yes, she wants so much to be friends. To have friends. To be able to trust that it's real. She wants it so much she's forgotten she should use her words.

[yournewsidekick]

Eh, words are overrated sometimes.

Beaming almost as wide as Elsie, Nimona sticks out a tiny squirrel paw. "Shake on it?"

[hereticofthewilds]

Still beaming, Elsie takes Nimona's paw and shakes it with great force. She's seen people do this before but she still needs some practice being, well, gentle.

[yournewsidekick]

"Whoa-oa-oa-oa -- !"

Nimona's arm wobbles like an overcooked spaghetti noodle with each emphatic shake. Literally, by the second or third one: going with the flow, she shifts her paw and arm to make them extra-floppy so Elsie can shake them as hard as she wants.

And by the fourth or fifth one, she's completely dissolved into delighted giggling.

Good place to wrap?

[hereticofthewilds]

Now Elsie is overcome with giggles too, interspersed with bright laughter that seems to echo, just slightly, as if causing tiny ripples through the air. This feels like the beginning of a wonderful friendship.