seriesofbaddecisions | The National Mall- Thursday

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The National Mall- Thursday

For the second week in a row, a Thursday with nothing to do had led Sabine and Lana out of town, though today they'd extended the invitation to a few other people.

You know. To go check out museums, like the nerds they were. And to hide in the air conditioning, because it was gross outside.

So it was off to DC for the day ~~handwavily around class times~~, with shirts available to wear that read "FANDOM COSTUME SOCIETY" to help the non-humans blend in. Would it work? Who knows!

[NFB for distance, and for those who know who they are, though if you happen to be in DC, feel free to stop in!]

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Sabine really appreciated how easy it was to pop in from place to place, so she could even stop in at things she might not have normally.

"This is pretty nice," she decided, getting out her phone because she was going to need some pictures of this.

"It really is," Norman replied, smiling a little at a little yellow butterfly as it fluttered on by. "I was thinking of hitting up the natural history museum, but I could pretty easily spend a good chunk of my day here, you know?"

It didn't hurt that Norman was pretty chill when things weren't exploding in his face or anything, granted.

"There's no rush. And we'll have to head that way when we leave anyway, I think," she said. "I've never been in someplace like this before."

"In which... a garden like this?" Norman looked at Sabine curiously. "What's it like where you came from?"

"Slightly more war-torn," she admitted. "And since I left I haven't really been anywhere where this sort of thing was an option, if I even had time."

"That would do it," Norman admitted, nodding a little. He was kind of getting used to answers like 'slightly more war-torn' since coming to the island, he hardly even blinked at it now. "So now that you're here, you might as well take some time to enjoy it while it's here?"

"At least for a while. There's a ridiculous amount of art and I have priorities," she smiled.

"I need to check the art out too," Norman admitted, giving a little smile of his own. "I mean... I don't understand a lot of it, but it's neat to look at. And I have to appreciate that someone out there spent a lot of time perfecting their ability to make it at all, you know?"

"It's not always about understanding art as much as your interpretation of it," Sabine told him. "See if that helps."

"That... that might help, actually," Norman admitted, smiling a bit. "It makes it a little more personal, instead of trying to get into the artist's head?"

"Yep. Like... I don't know a lot of the history of this planet, so the context of some of the pieces goes right over my head," she said. "So what I take away from it is different than the artist intended, but I can still take something away from it."

Norman nodded, looking thoughtful.

"Most of the art I tend to look at is stuff in comic books, or movie posters," he admitted. "Art with a narrative purpose, I guess? Branching out probably can't hurt."

In fairness, he could stand to branch out in most areas. It was kind of hard not to obsess over fiction related to the dead when nobody else out there could really relate to it quite the same way.

"It doesn't, but everyone's tastes are different and those are valid forms of art," she said, and smiled, almost apologetically. "I've been like this all day."

"What? Excited about something?" Norman smiled right back. "That's kind of great, though. Having something you like, I mean. I'm not going to be one of those people who gets on anyone's case or thinks they're weird because of their interests, even if I don't understand them myself, trust me."

"My interests make me more interesting,"'she said, with zero sense of shame. "What about you, whatre you into?"

"Um..."

Don't say 'dead people,' don't say 'dead people...'

"Horror movies, that sort of thing?"

Well, it wasn't 'dead people.'

"I actually haven't seen any of those here," she admitted.

"Wait, really?" Norman blinked, actually a little surprised. "Are you not into horror movies? Or is this just another one of those things you haven't had time for?"

Sabine shrugged. "Just haven't gotten around to it. I'm not sure if I'd like it or not."

Norman looked thoughtful for a few moments, and then offered, "Do you think it would be more fun with people around? That way even if you don't like the movie, at least you've got company, right? It wouldn't be a total loss."

... Suggesting a social activity was a new horizon for him. He was totally not flailing, honest.

"Probably. Put it on in a common room, maybe," she suggested.

"In a common room, make popcorn, order some pizzas? Seems easy enough," Norman mused. "Is there a day that would work for you, if I did?"

"I have classes all day Wednesday and I'm free every Thursday. Otherwise I'm pretty open." Both her social and creative life were currently grounded in 'when I feel like it.'

"Well... today is a little bit 'no notice,'" Norman mused. "What about next Thursday? That would give me some time to get some movies together, at least."

They would almost all be trashy zombie flicks.

It'd be great.

"Sounds perfect, I'll be there," she agreed.

Look at her, with her recurring social Thursdays.

Re: U.S. Botanic Gardens

always_someone - 2018-09-06 19:51 (UTC) - Expand

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