[01, action] Is this edible...?

[biladi.livejournal.com]

[ It's lunchtime in the cafeteria! Are you hungry? One of the new students sitting by himself... isn't. If he is hungry, he doesn't seem to be touching any of the food he got yet.

He almost seems perplexed with the way he's studying his plate, one lone hot dog teetering back and forth on the edge while he pokes at it with a fork. America likes loves hot dogs, which automatically makes it a questionable food item.

Egypt forgot to ask what they put in these things — forgot to ask what the rest of the stuff on his plate was, too. Is any of this halal? One of the regular students fixed up the Lunch of Assorted Foreign Mysteries after his indecision started holding up the line. She was the one that put the last hot dog on his tray (much to the chagrin of the guy behind them).

...Maybe he'll save that for last. ]

Comments

[bratbeyond.livejournal.com]

[Part of Damian's kind of embarrassed that he was so open - normally, he throws more of a ruckus about newcomers - but he supposed meeting another person from his part of the world (even if it wasn't the same world) was worth the "break in character."

So Egypt gets the tsundere everyone else does now:] Tch. Don't say I didn't warn you.

[biladi.livejournal.com]

[Hey, nothing to be embarrassed about. Egypt gets the tsundere treatment from some friends back home, too, so he's used to it. He spends a bit of time munching on food before speaking up again.]

Came from Cairo. [If his accent wasn't already a dead giveaway.] You?

[bratbeyond.livejournal.com]

Neo-Gotham, New Jersey. [he feels the need to elaborate, even as he's sipping some milk] But Mom's from Dubai and Dad's from Damascus.

[biladi.livejournal.com]

[The elaboration helps. Egypt doesn't know America's locations very well; the city name flies over his head while the state barely sticks. He hums in interest before asking in colloquial Egyptian,]

They teach you Arabic?

[CROSSING HIS FINGERS. He's careful to keep his voice down, somewhat, and waits to make sure no one's walking by. Still wary of how students react to outsiders.]

[bratbeyond.livejournal.com]

[Magic language, Egypt! Damian grins widely as he gulps down his milk. He wipes his mouth, then replying back with casual Arabic - his dialect's peppered with Dubai slang]

Of course. My parents weren't idiots.

[Egypt might cringe here: the word 'idiots' for him is 'zift'---which, in present-day Arabic, is also the word for 'shit.' Manners, Damian has 'em.]

[biladi.livejournal.com]

[YEAHHH. Wait. What.] ...Good t'know.

[Egypt's expression changes from "interested, yes" to "not sure if disappointed". Either Damian has zero respect for his parents (baaad bad bad), or the differences in dialect just really tripped up their conversation. Silly neighbors... why can't they speak Arabic properly (LIKE EGYPT) and teach their kids to do the same...]

[bratbeyond.livejournal.com]

[HE SEES THAT LOOK, and he doesn't like it very much.]

Did I say something wrong? Dad & Mom're great; they taught me Arabic, Farsi, and French.

[biladi.livejournal.com]

[Wow. That language repertoire is impressive, if he's fluent in all of those.]

"Weren't shit"? [frowning slightly] Too young for that.

[Skipping over the whole parental disrespect thing. If Damian were one of Egypt's kids, he'd smack him on the back of the head for using that kind of language.]

[bratbeyond.livejournal.com]

OH. [Damian looks sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck for a moment as he switches back to English] I'm... also from 2043.

Give it some time, but "zift" loses its bite. By my time, it becomes "idiot."

[biladi.livejournal.com]

[2043? Surprising and hard to believe. Then again, with his current situation, strange future people shouldn't be as jarring. Egypt well understands how language can change over time, too. Not that he can explain that to Damian to make him feel better about the mix-up. The best response he can come up with is—]

...Oh. [He kind of waves his hand, dismissing what he said before.] Nevermind.

[bratbeyond.livejournal.com]

Sorry. [Well. Damian knew he had a sailor's mouth, but he never realized it was that horrible. He makes a mental note to never say that in front of Hassan again if he can help it.] What year're you from, then?

[biladi.livejournal.com]

[Good kid. :|b Egypt will try not to react negatively if he ever slips.]

Mm, 2010. [Not too far behind — by Egypt's standards.]

[bratbeyond.livejournal.com]

You're not alone; most people're from that time.

[Still, he seems slightly embarrassed.] If you need help, I know this place pretty well. The natives're less friendly than off-worlders, but they're not bad compared to what they could be. [This is Damian-ese for "I will probably be your little shadow until the end of time unless you say otherwise."]

[biladi.livejournal.com]

Any advice? For a newbie. [Anything that'll help him blend in or like... not fail these classes. Little shadows are also okay.]

[bratbeyond.livejournal.com]

Don't use your superpowers outside of Garden. If you have 'em, I mean. [He looks thoughtful] Also, basic fighting classes're required, but you don't have to take all of them---and if you like free periods, take 'em. You don't need fifty bajillion electives.

[Huzzah! Damian kind of. Really really likes Hassan. :>]

[biladi.livejournal.com]

[Egypt seems to raise a brow at the mention of "superpowers". Like all of those characters America has? Still, he listens thoughtfully, nodding to what Damian is willing to share.]

Heh. Had enough school to last a lifetime... [Or several. Eh, maybe he wouldn't mind sneaking back into university, if you give him another decade to just chill out.]

[bratbeyond.livejournal.com]

It's only for a year. Then you're free. [Score one for Batman's style of listening! Damian raises an eyebrow in return.] But if you like card games, Triple Triad's not bad.

... Hey, you said you were from Egypt, right? Have you heard of the 99? [The 99 being Damian's parents' superhero team; he's fishing for world knowledge here.]

[biladi.livejournal.com]

[Bah, screw the children's card games. Egypt doesn't want to be here that long. "Only a year"; that's gonna kill him.]

Allāh al-Husnā? ...Ah. The comic? [The 99 names of God in Islam have been long burned into the back of his mind. The latter, not so much...]

[bratbeyond.livejournal.com]

What comic? I'm talking about the superheroes. The ones that share a name with Allāh _{Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala}? They were pretty big back home.

[Damian really doesn't like where this is heading---it's bringing back bad memories of Batman Forever.]

[biladi.livejournal.com]

[Yes, the superheroes in the comic book. That's how Egypt is interpreting Damian's words and sees nothing wrong.] Mm, popular with the kids.

[bratbeyond.livejournal.com]

Well, yeah. Everyone loves---[he trails off, immediately realizing what Hassan means. Damian gives him a Look.] Remember when I said that this place brings people from all kinds of different worlds?

I don't know what world you're from, but superheroes actually exist in mine.

[biladi.livejournal.com]

[What world he's from? Egypt's from the normal one, of course. ...The one with anthropomorphic countries. Yeah.]


...Ah. [Okay, he has nothing insightful to add to that. "Logic" wants to say that Damian has an overactive kid's imagination, but "logic" isn't helping much when things like Time Compression have been introduced to the mix.]

[bratbeyond.livejournal.com]

Ahkiiiiiii. [okay now he's just whining. Damian rests his head on the table, lightly poking at the remnants of his lunch] Are they really just comic books in yours?

[biladi.livejournal.com]

Mh— [Narrowing his eyes slightly, looking at Damian over the rim of his drink as he finishes it. Funny. Cute, even.] Pretty sure...

[Would be telling Damian to sit up straight, but not his kid...]

[bratbeyond.livejournal.com]

That's zidgit. [pouts] But you wouldn't be the first to say that either.