Logs:Folk Off

Folk Off
Dramatis Personae Harm, Kurt Wagner 2.0, Marinov, Nanami
In Absentia	2020-07-20 "I think folksiness breaks ties."
Location <XAV> Gardens - Xs Grounds
From indoor gardens to outdoor, though without the protective greenhouse glass the back gardens do not last all year round. Still, the gardens out here are well-tended and well-worth spending time in, as well. The paths wending through the beds of flowers and herbs and vegetables spread out through the school's back grounds, tended by students as a credit class. Benches offer seating and a small pond is home to koi and turtles, as well as a few frogs. At the far back edges of the garden, a droning buzzing marks a few stacked white boxes as beehives. The sun sets late these days, but it's already cooling off as long shadows stretch out from the woods across the grounds. The gardens are pleasant now, still warm but not oppressively hot, butterflies and bees still languidly making the most of the remaining daylight while early fireflies blink unobtrusively from the bushes. Harmony comes outside through the conservatory, carrying a tray with a bowl of panang curry with a couple of summer rolls on a side plate. They're wearing a sleeveless shirt dip-dyed in blue and cut-off jean shorts, new rainbow-strapped sandals clipped to old recycled inner tube satchel. They look around and pick a spot by the pond, sinking down gracefully to sit cross-legged on it. "This is one of my favorite spots around here, it can be a nice place to eat if you don't like noises and crowds." Marinov is still in their cream coloured summer outfit, a drop-shouldered jacket comfortably tailored to their body proportions and a pair of wide-legged canvas trousers in the same colour. The decorative straps around their ankles do not appear to help or hinder their movement any. They hold a plate a little way from themselves, and as a student with special dietary needs, their plate is a bunch of meatballs with gravy over them. If the heat bothers them at all, it is not particularly evident. "Yeah, I like it out here too. The smell of dirt, it's kind of nice, yeah?" They brush themselves off with one hand, and tap their foot against the ground gingerly before sitting down on the spot that they tested. Kurt was bundled up as before, but, his demeanor was less shy and reclusive than before. They didn’t treat him any different and that was allowing him to open up more with them. He sat down in a squat, his mouth salivating at the sight of his double-patty cheeseburger with extra onions. In preparation, he took off his mittens, setting them on the grass. His hands were covered in short blue fur, but, more shockingly—he only had three fingers, including a thumb. Kurt picked up his burger and took a large bite, humming at the taste. “This stuff rocks!” He exclaimed loudly with a smile, and in his excitement, a long blue tail made it’s way out of his trench coat, previously being tucked away. Harm makes a somewhat transparent attempt not to stare at the new student's unusual hands. Then, blushing, picks up a summer roll and dips it in their curry. They are about to take a bite when Kurt's exclamation comes, and they start a little. Openly stares at the newly uncovered tail, then glances at Marinov's, then determinedly drags their eyes back to the roll in their hand. "Ms. Savita is an amazing cook," they say. "There's always extra food for the kids who need to eat a lot -- I mean some of us need to eat a lot a lot." "Oho! Tail gang!" says Marinov, their tail lazily slapping against the ground. "Sorry, Harm, you're the only one without a fab butt decoration. Don't be too jealous!" The tone they take it definitely just playful teasing, and they pick up one of the meatballs to chomp it down. "Yeah, I eat a bunch, like, more than you would probably expect based on my size... but some people need like. A fuckton of calories to fill their stomachs! I imagine that Ms. Savita is really great, but I have a pretty shitty sense of taste so I'm never a good judge." Kurt’s eyes widened as he realized his tail was showing. But, at Marinov’s joke, he laughed loudly, hovering his hand over his mouth to keep food in his mouth. He swallowed his mouthful before speaking. “I have never had so much food available before! For long, long time, I only ate from dumpsters. Nothing beats cheeseburgers!” Kurt chuckled to himself, taking another large bite to finish his burger. He stood up, although, he seemed to continually stand slightly crouched. “Does anyone want more?” He looked at the others quizzically. Harm is about to be joined in taillessness; wending her way through the paths is one slight dark-haired teenager, currently preoccupied with her phone. Nanami wears an empire waist midi dress embroidered in black-on-black floral patterning, black ankle boots, a mini backpack patterned like a wide-eyed owl in black and gold slung over one shoulder. The sound of voices draws her eyes up from the screen. She freezes well away from the others for several long beats, eyes skipping between them before she continues down the path. "Hi." She lifts her hand in a small wave, offers a small closed-lipped smile. Her eyes skip over the food on the others' plates, compressing with mild distaste at the offerings there until she looks at Harm's. Eases, slightly. "What's on the menu today?" "I will learn to live with my undecorated butt, somehow," Harm says, grinning sidelong at Marinov. "That -- sounds really rough," they reply, looking at Kurt with sympathy. "I'm not a fan of burgers, but I might if I'd grown up eating them?" Spotting Nanami's approach, they wave. "Hi! Panang curry, summer rolls, and some kind of spicy stir-fry noodles if that's more your thing. Or, you know --" They gesture at the other two students' trays. "-- the obligate carnivore special. Oh!" Their dark brown eyes dart between Nanami and Kurt. "Have you two met?" "Geez, yeah, that's rough, man," says Marinov. They rub the back of their neck a bit awkwardly, but then continue, "I'm lactose intolerant so I like just regular hamburger. Hold the bun." They take another chomp of meatball and glance down at their plate which had quite a bit on it and still has a fair bit remaining. "I'm not thinking I need extra myself, for now, but if you want a meatball, you can have one. They're cooked and everything." They look up at Nanami and say, their head tilted slightly, "Hey. You could have a meatball too, if you want. There's a lot of them." Kurt tilted his head curiously at the new person. His outward personality went back into its shell, his hands instinctually going into his pocket. His tail, however, stayed behind him, swaying absently. “U-uh, no, we haven’t.” He murmured, dipping his head down to avoid any eye contact. “I-I’ll, just, ahh— get another burger.” He spoke quickly before suddenly disappearing before everyone with an audible bamf sound. In his place was a small puff of smoke and the smell of burning brimstone. "No, we --" Nanami's eyebrows hike up at Kurt's greeting (or lack thereof.) If she was going to say anything else to him it never comes; she just stiffens, jumps with a small startled eep when he disappears. Her face scrunches up, hand lifting to wave smoke away from her face. "Rude." It's under her breath with a small shake of her head. The smile that returns to her face is tighter than before. "Think I should start leading with 'I swear I don't have the Rona'?" She lets out a puff of breath; her tension dissipates as quickly as it came. "Thanks." Reaching out, she carefully plucks a meatball from Marinov's plate between thumb and forefinger. "Stir-fry noodles sound great. Yesterday I biked all the way to the diner just to escape another round of mac and cheese." Harm is again about to take a bite when Kurt's abrupt disappearance startles them. They let out a soft yelp and drops her summer roll right into the curry, which splatters their shirt. Their wince relaxes into a long sigh, and they set their tray aside to dig a pack of wet wipes from their satchel. "I guess he really, really wanted seconds." They glance at Marinov. "But not meatballs. She'll take requests." They're turning back to Nanami as they say this. "Ms. Savita, I mean. If she's around the kitch and isn't too busy. The menu is better than it used to be!" They start dabbing curry out of their clothing methodically. "I guess I wasn't the only one who liked our pandemic struggle meals." Marinov starts a little when Kurt bamfs, and their tail expands in volume! And the expression on their face at the smell contorts a bit and then they sneeze, "Ha-tff!" They look around and say, "Holy shit, did that kid just explode?!" Despite their initial surprise, they somehow remain careful enough not to spill any meatballs and gravy on their outfit, and they are now trying to act like they were never surprised in the first place. "Or wait. Teleportation, maybe? Uhh. What did you get out at the diner?" "Does teleportation always smell like that?" Nanami's nose stays wrinkled until shortly after the sulfuric smell has vanished. She smooths at the skirt of her dress a little self-consciously before carefully settling on one of the rocks at the side of the pond. "Sorry. I shouldn't be -- I'm just still getting used to --" Her head shakes quickly. She ventures a small prim nibble of the meatball, humming with thoughtful consideration before taking a larger bite. "Oh they have this pesto omelette thing that's really good. But also it's just kind of -- nice to get off campus, I think. Do you all, um -- get into the city much?" Harm tucks the used wet wipe into a ziplock bag and slips it into the back pocket of their satchel. "Yeah, I think that was teleportation, but -- I have no idea about how it's supposed to smell." Their nose wrinkles faintly. "I go into the city sometimes, yeah. It's so huge. Great if you like food, or shopping, or just like -- exploring." "I don't think I've ever seen teleportation that had such a strong odour," observes Marinov. "Not that I've come across a huge amount, just a couple times, but. I dunno." They rub their nose lightly, pausing in their meatball feast, and instead answers, "I get into the city a fair bit. Like, more than I should, 'cause it takes forever, but I have things to listen to on my phone at least... I belong to like. An art thing. And Evolve is cool. And there's all kinds of shit to see and do, it's kind of great if you're in the mood for lots of stuff happening." Nanami gives a brief and sympathetic glance toward Harm as they finish dabbing at their shirt. She pops the rest of the meatball into her mouth, hiding her mouth behind a palm as she continues. "I like exploring, and I like food. Does window-shopping count? Real kind gets expensive." She sucks gravy from her fingertips, quirking her brows up. "Art thing? Whassat like?" Harm perks up at "art thing". "Oh! Chimaera!" they supply. "It's this art collective, they have this warehouse in Brooklyn where they have studio space and classes and events. They're not just about visual arts, it's all kinds." They beam as they pick their dinner back up. "Every time I go into the city, I have to stop by Chimaera and jam." "Yeah, that's it, Chimaera. It's pretty cool. I do some of my fabric work there, sometimes collaborate with other people for inspiration, yeah?" says Marinov, with a deep nod. They cross their legs and their tail wraps lazily around their knee. "I think window shopping counts. I do that lots, just like. Look at things and imagine what wearing them would be like. There's some pretty fucking expensive places out there! Fortunately for me, I'm handy with a sewing machine." "Jam?" Nanami's brows crease uncertainly. She looks Marinov over, nodding slow and approving. "Do you make a lot of your own clothes? You look -- pretty stylish. It's probably hard to --" She hesitates, cheeks flushing as she glances to Marinov's tail and then back down to the ground. "Anyway that outfit is really great." "There's places you can find awesome things for cheap. I'm sure a local kid would know more, but I like to wander." Harm bobs their head. "Jam like, play music -- with other people. I hadn't thought to collaborate on fiber stuff, though." They look to Marinov speculatively. "Maybe I'll start a yarn circle. I might live it down by the time I graduate." Then, with a bright smile, they add, "All of Marinov's outfits are great. Goals, honestly, my sewing -- pretty remedial." "I think it'd be cool to start a yarn circle! Fuck yeah! It's like magic, putting stuff together and making other stuff from it. Or. I probably don't actually have a good understanding of magic," says Marinov, scratching under their chin lightly. They pick up another of the meatball and nods to Nanami, "Thanks! Yeah, I am pretty into fashion design. That's all I really want to do." They pause and then grimace, "Which... is maybe why I'm still here." Kurt appeared behind the group with an audible bamf, holding a double-patty cheeseburger with extra onions in each hand. He went to Nanami, giving her a friendly smile. “I got one for you. I didn’t want you to be hungry!” He held one of the burgers out to offer it. Kurt faced the others and noticed the somewhat cleaned remains of curry on Harm’s shirt. “What did I miss?” He asked, taking a large bite of his own burger. He had his trench coat off and tied around his waist, although, without it, it didn’t reveal much more. Under the coat, he wore a grey hoodie which was a size too big, most likely on purpose. "Are you -- not supposed to be still here?" Nanami's brows furrow in confusion, her gaze lifting to lock with some scrutiny on Marinov's face. The examination does not evidently diminish her puzzlement any. She twitch-jumps again when Kurt reappears, breath catching and one of her hands reaching behind her in an effort to hold her balance -- though this accomplishes nothing but a solid splashing thwack on the surface of the pond. She tenses, straightens, flicks the wetness from her hand distastefully back into the rippling surface of the water. "Oh -- um." Her brow scrunches again as she looks at the burger, her lips briefly thinning. Uncertainly: "Thanks." She takes it a little awkwardly. Starts shredding a piece of lettuce from inside the burger, dropping the vegetable scraps into the water and watching the koi come up to snatch at it. "Marinov is going to be a fashion designer and Harm -- wait, what do you play?" Harm smiles brightly at Marinov's enthusiasm. "I think magic can be a lot of different things, and yeah, sometimes it's knitting, or crochet." They flinch again when Kurt reappears, but manages not to spill more food on themselves this time. "People...do kind of just pop in and out of thin air around this school sometimes," they say with a sympathetic scrunch of their face at Nanami's loss of balance. "We were just chatting," they tell Kurt earnestly, "about stuff we like to do in the city -- New York City, I mean." They pick up the little side plate with their remaining un-dunked summer roll and a little tray of peanut sauce, setting it down on a stone between themselves and Nanami. "If you want? I took too much anyway. I play so many different instruments -- I love learning new ones! But my favorites are mandolin and --" They hesitate, glancing between Nanami and Kurt. "-- banjo. I'm trying to get better at fiddle right now. Do you play?" "Oh, uh, I should have graduated at the end of last semester. If I weren't coasting by doing the bare minimum which got rudely interrupted by this whole global pandemic thing," Marinov explains to Nanami. Their expression and tail floof of shock re-appears when Kurt reappears, and again, "Ha-tff!" into the crook of their elbow as they sneeze again, their plate balanced on their leg. "I'll have to, uh, get used to that I guess. Anyway, I like the sound of the banjo, it's got that, bwoow!" They mime playing a note to go with their attempted mimicry of the banjo twang. "What's the difference between a fiddle and a violin?" “I never been to New York City.” Kurt spoke in broken English. He crouched down in his spot, listening as the others spoke. At the talk of instruments, his blue brow furrowed, running over his memory to recall if he had ever heard of a mandolin, banjo, or fiddle. “I do not think I ever heard of a man-do-lin,” it was apparent he had trouble pronouncing it. At Marinov’s recreation of a banjo, he laughed loudly. “Does the banjo really make that sound?” He faced Harm. “Now I have to hear you play it!” "Oh!" Nanami's eyes widen just slightly, but almost immediately return to a resting sort of frown. "I guess the pandemic put a lot on hold. It gets easy to -- not really forget, in here, but kind of..." Her head shakes, quick and sharp. "Thank you," she says again, automatic and reflexive when Harm offers the food. She sets the burger carefully down on the edge of the plate, nudging the roll to one side so that the food does not touch. "I don't think there is a difference -- is there? It's the same instrument, I think. It's just called a violin if you play it fancy. Fiddle if you're doing it around a beach bonfire with your cousins." Her face briefly scrunches a little further. "I'm learning to play the cello. I'm not good." Harm looks relieved, chuckling at Marinov's imitation of a banjo. "It sounds -- kind of like that! And a mandolin is like a..." They bite their lower lip. "...I guess a cross between a banjo and a plucked fiddle, but it's hard to describe." They shake their head. "Nope, zero difference. I say fiddle because I guess to me music is...mostly a sitting-around-bonfire kind of deal? But maybe I should say violin since I'm learning it here, and that's -- fancy." They perk up at the mention of cello. "Oh! That's great -- sorry I don't mean it's great that you're not good. I don't play cello, but I love the sound. I'm very much a strings kid...I guess you can tell by how I never shut up about them." They blush deeply. "I'm sure you'll hear me play sooner or later." "What? They're not different? So you could take a fancy person's violin and just transform it into a fiddle by playing an unfancy tune? Shit! That's fucking badass," says Marinov, their eyes going wide a moment. "I always thought they were somehow different." They glance between Kurt and Nanami, "If you all want to go to the city sometime, we could make a day of it, go out on a weekend. Lots to do and see, if you're up for it." Even though they have been trying to eat their meatballs slowly and delicately before, their patience is fading for the politeness on the pace of toothy chompings after they speak. "What if you took a fancy tune and made it folksier? Viddle? Fiolin?" Nanami's smile is small. Quick. She drops another few shreds of lettuce on the surface of the water. "Yeah, I had notice you have a Thing." She skims her fingertips lightly against the surface of the water. Looks up at Marinov with a surprised widening of her eyes. "I -- yeah. I'd like that. Thank..." Her eyes drop again quickly as Marinov starts to chomp faster. Her fingers flick more sharply against the water. "Thank you." "These are difficult questions," Harm says, very seriously. "Personally, I think folksiness breaks ties. So, folksy tune on a fancy instrument? Fiddle. Play a fancy tune folksy? Fiddle." They blush faintly. "But uh, maybe I only think that because I'm. Folksy. And trying to be a fiddler." They are finally dredging their disastrously dunked summer roll out of the curry now, turning it over and over with their chopsticks. "Oh, yes, that's a great idea! Let's do it." Marinov seems satisfied for a moment after they've been chowing down, leaning their head back with their eyes closed. When their eyes reopen, they seem a bit more energetic. "Great, an expedition into the city then! Yeah, there's no shortage of things to do, but we'll try and cram as much in as we possibly can." They look towards Harm and say, "Well, I'm confident that you'll always be able to turn a violin into a fiddle if that's your heart's desire, yeah?" "Sounds like we need to arrange some kind of fancy vs. folksy Verzuz. Folks-down. Fance-off." Nanami shakes her hand, wipes her fingertips lightly against the hem of her dress. "I'll workshop the name." She rests her hands to either side of her, fingers splaying against the stone. "This weekend, then? Maybe? That almost gives me enough time to choose an outfit."