(Untitled)

[the_burnt_one]

It was a lucky thing the cafeteria was relatively empty, for there were fewer people to stare at the girl who sat in one of the far corners, shrinking from them. Always there was at least one of her new friends was nearby, allowing her some space but always keeping an eye on her. She felt strange, being protected like that, to find such people

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BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING BAD ABOUT THIS IDEA. AT ALL.

[wwrathofangels]

Maybe it was nearly getting pummelled by some humans for his looks and needing someone to come bail him out that's gotten his temper up. Maybe it's the fact that he gave up on not getting dirty looks just walking around and came back to the station when he'd much rather be on a planet, all things considered, that's made him so irritable.

Either way, when he feels like someone is watching him, he turns and snaps, fins flared and fangs bared quite deliberately. "What're you lookin' at?"

[the_burnt_one]

A grey face, strange ears...but they hadn't been dressed like that. And few of them had horns. If he was one of the type of men (?) that had captured her, he didn't seem here to subjugate her. Father had taught her that there were good and bad people in all cultures.

And she realized she'd been looking and looked abashed. Hadn't she had enough of stares herself? And here she was doing it to someone else.

"I'm sorry." She did not seem to fear him (she feared many things, but people her own age had never harmed her) but rather appeared genuinely apologetic, as if she'd really hurt him.

[wwrathofangels]

Ugh, that's absolutely pathetic. Better than getting attacked, but still. Pitiable, really.

Ah, well, since she was staring, he's just going to take it as an invitation to sit at her table while he pokes at his brick. "Whatewer. So, can I at least get a name or am I goin' to hawe to call you Weird Alien Staring Girl, which would honestly describe a good forty-nine percent a the people I'm runnin' into here. Call me a Fay'lia like I look a thin' like one a those weird fuckers like any stupid Fay'lia is as amazin' lookin' as me they wish..." Eridan is just going to be grumbling under his breath until he's interrupted, so she can feel free to interrupt at any time.

Otherwise he will just keep bitching to himself and using his fork to stab the brickfood until it's a pile of abused mush.

[the_burnt_one]

"I'm Therru and I don't care if you're a Fay'lia or not." She could see him through her second sight, a ragged, jagged thing but powerful in his way. He hadn't commented on, nor seemed to care much about her burns, which meant she could tolerate his prickly attitude.

"Are you a mage?" He felt like one, certainly.

[barefootbg]

Dreamfood is not always so suspicious as magic technicolor grits. Murbella is supplied with a large bowl of Darwi Odrade's favorite oyster stew. The melange, never more than the faintest flavoring in the recipe as Odrade dictated it to her chef, has in this dreamfood bowl been replaced entirely by a sprinkling of ordinary nutmeg.

It would stand to reason that melange cannot be synthesized!

The quantity of stew is excessive. Likely this reflects a tendency toward excess in Murbella's nature. Her stomach does not share the qualities of her subconscious, and there is no way she'll desire to consume this in its entirety.

She looks about the room to see whether there are any persons who might wish to share this bounty. Seeing a child, she brings to the child's table this stew and two smaller bowls.

"Too much of this for me alone," she says. "Would you like some?"

[the_burnt_one]

There is a long few moments of shy hesitation. Does this woman wish to harm her? In her second sight (the way dragons see the world, probably), she echoes with whispers from others. It's rather disorienting. Yet those striking total blue eyes are kind.

Eventually she takes a small spoonful. It's delicious, the kind of seafood stew mother would make. Still, she waits before ingesting more, fearing poison.

"Thank you." She says in a voice rather gravelly for a young girl.

[barefootbg]

Murbella dishes out some for herself into one of the smaller bowls and digs in with gusto, albeit with good table manners, as befits Mother Superior.

"Nothing should go to waste," she says, satisfied. "No thanks is necessary. Your courtesy is recognized, however. Those who raised you have done well." She smiles. The formality of her words notwithstanding, she's all warm and fluffy because repressed/denied maternal instincts ACTIVATE.

[the_burnt_one]

Tehanu straightens up, seeming almost comically proud. "They're the finest parents on all Earthsea. They told me the same thing about waste." Simple Gontish wisdom, even coming from the mouths of two of the most influential people on Earthsea. She is inordinately proud to be their daughter. After a period of waiting, she feels no poison effects, and besides, that woman is eating from the same large bowl.

"I didn't know we had the ingredients for a stew this fine." She says, eagerly slurping. She's famished. Yet for one with a lip permanently upturned in a sneer, eating is often complicated. From the ruined side of her mouth, a few drops dribble, embarrassing her greatly. She looks around for a napkin, finds none, and must make do with the sleeve of her shirt.

[try_winging_it]

[Teo has been left onboard the station. Also left onbored the station. He hates it when Master runs off to do things without him. It doesn't happen often and he knows she'd only do it for an important reason, but still. Not being with her is Wrong. He's too smart and well trained to stay in the room and do smelly things to the bed by way of revenge, but he's still definitely inclined to sulk.

But Master told him to perhaps keep an eye on Dragon Girl as long as he had to stay, so he may as well do that if Dragon Girl is willing. Besides, her scent is in the Food Place, and Teo is hungry. Food Woman knows to feed him even if Master isn't around, fortunately. Perhaps Dragon Girl will feed him too.]

[the_burnt_one]

For Teo, who has instantly won her heart, Tehanu offers a very rare smile. "Hello, friend. Lady Hawke told me not to feed you outside of your regular times or you'll grow fat." She says this to shore up her convictions, but she is weak to doggy sadness.

[try_winging_it]

[Teo makes a very slight whining sound. See those eyes? Big sad eyes, Dragon Girl. Biiiiiiiiiiig saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad brown eyes. His ears are drooping, even. He could just go get food from Lunch Lady, but it wouldn't be the same as eating with a friend.]

[the_burnt_one]

She sighs, wavering. Time to break out the big guns, Teo.

"You're acting like noone ever feeds you."

[lest_ye_become]

Roxie has a thing that looks like a stick of steel inlaid with gold leaf, but it crumble-flakes like something soft and edible when she chews on it. She has a certain uncertain look about her in the attempt, like she hasn't quite decided if it counts as food or not.

She meets Therru's gaze for a moment, watching her eat in silence.

[the_burnt_one]

Therru cocks her head a moment (always to the left, instinctually, so her hair covers the burnt side).

"Is that food?"

[sevenapples]

There was something about this girl that immediately caught Horo's attention. She had not seen this girl's file yet, but what she did know was that she was something... else.

She had a plate of what appeared to be pasta with tiny clocks therein, and had taken it upon herself to eat the strangest dreamfoods since she knew that they were in fact edible. She was just waiting for the day when someone actually dreamed of some fucking apples.

With this plate she was walking past Therru when she abruptly stopped, having sensed the difference. Her ears flicked hard under her hood, almost enough to throw it back. She turned her eyes to Therru.

"What... are you?" she asked in a low voice. No hello, no my-name-is-Horo. This was a first for her.

[the_burnt_one]

Therru whirled and stared too. This woman radiated an earthy, wild type power. It was very like the impression Kallesin gave off.

She stared a long time, then replied in a harsh, quiet voice:

"Are you the same as I?"

[sevenapples]

She was already close to the girl, though, her clocksta plopped unceremoniously on the table. Eyes, ears, and nose at work on the new girl, the first thing of which she became aware was the scent.

"You smell like fire and distrust, like coals that someone let burn too long without tending them." Her heartbeat was normal, if just a hint of elevated, but her voice had a quality to it that made her think of lizards, a sort of dry-pen-on-paper scratch just behind the vocal range. She noticed the burns, and would probably piece together at least what she would think makes sense about them later. It was, however, a familiar sixth-sense that gave her the most information:

"You are hiding inside yourself. Count yourself lucky that you have no obvious signs," she said, positioning herself on the seat closest to the girl. She had another shape, Horo was sure of it.

[the_burnt_one]

Fire and coals...memories flashed sharp and stinging, like blows to the face that make your head ring. Her burnt side began to ache. She'd been wrong to assume kinship just because this woman was obviously like her.

She shrank back, bumping against the back of a table. Something inside her uncoiled, activated by her fear. There was a sudden smell of sulfur and smoke.

"Are you going to hurt me?" The last two words had a shimmering quality to them, as if beaten out by little hammers on a gong.