open; everywhere

[wrnpcs]

[You know you missed those three girls. At various points throughout the school (eg. the cafeteria, the quad, hallways) they can be seen putting up posters and banners, as usual not even trying to be discreet with their commentary.]

Homecoming is a travesty. I can't believe we didn't get nominated!

You would have made a great Homecoming Queen - and I would have been a better Princess than any of those off-worlders!

I know! Oh, honey, [she directs this at the last girl, who's been hiding a bit of a smile] I feel so sorry for you, having to work with one of them as the GFC leader.

[Looks like someone wasn't expecting that, but she recovers quickly.] What? Oh, yeah. It's awful! And now she's nominated for Princess...

At least she's human! Two of those King and Queen nominations - ugh!

I really can't believe there's only two of our people nominated for the entire Court.

And they're off-worlder lovers at that - but they're the best we've got!

[Yeah, that campaign material they're putting up? RINOA HEARTILLY FOR HOMECOMING QUEEN and ZAKARI AETHERUN FOR HOMECOMING PRINCE.]

Comments

[laughafterme]

[Pinkie is standing right behind you guys, glaring sharpened pencils at your heads!!]

What a buncha sore losers you are! [She looks up at the posters, humming in thought.] At least you're learning to play nice.

[wrnpcs]

Did you hear something? Because I didn't.

It certainly wasn't some crazy Home Ec teacher who didn't deserve to be nominated!

[laughafterme]

[OH IT'S SO ON.

Pinkie digs into her bag and pulls out a megaphone. They didn't hear her? LET'S TURN UP THE VOLUME!!]

NOW YOU THREE LISTEN UP AND LISTEN GOOD! EVERYONE HAS EVERY RIGHT TO BE NOMINATED!! NO ONE CHEATED, AND EVERY VOTE COUNTS! IF YOU OR YOUR FRIENDS WANTED TO WIN YOU SHOULD HAVE CAMPAIGNED MORE, OR PERHAPS BE NICER HUMAN BEINGS!! SO SUCK IT UP, BUTTERCUPS, OR YOU'LL FIND YOURSELVES IN DETENTION WITH ME UNTIL HOMECOMING IS OVER!!

[She turns off the megaphone. If they didn't hear that, she can try LOUDER.]

[rebellingheart]

[Speaking of a certain Queen nominee, guess who else happens to be around when this is going on? Three guesses and the first two don't count.]

Thanks for the endorsement, but I wish you wouldn't tear down the other candidates just because of where they're from. I was kind of hoping that you'd be used to their presence on campus by now.

[wrnpcs]

Oh, but ma'am, they're still not really supposed to be here.

And half of them don't even want the position...

Who nominates a horse to be Homecoming Queen!?

[rebellingheart]

[They're going to give her a headache. Again.]

It's not their fault they're here, is it? I don't see why everyone, natives and offworlders alike, can't just make the best of this until it's resolved. It's certainly better than being so negative all the time. Doesn't that get tiring?

[Haven't they done that song and dance before? Probably, but it's a good concept so Rinoa's going to stick to it.]

I don't know him very well, but are you sure Zakari wanted the nomination either? He doesn't really seem like the homecoming type to me.

[Oh here they go again.]

Someone who likes that horse? I know it might seem a little weird to us, but she's as much a person as you or me. Even if she does come shaped like a horse.

[Let's face it, Rinoa still finds some of the shapes the offworlders come in puzzling. She's just not the sort to let it affect how she interacts with them.]

[absolute_zero]

[Being a relative newcomer, Jin actually hasn't committed to many faces to memory yet, nor had he paid much attention to this whole homecoming business. Overhearing the banter, he pushed up the bridge his glasses in as he overlooked the trio's squabble.]

What's the point of all this, anyways? From what I can tell it seems like nothing more than a silly popularity contest. I would hope everyone has better things to then bother with it, much less complain.

[wrnpcs]

Oh, the old popularity contest complaint.

Maybe where you come from it's okay to just sit in the corner and make no friends, but in THIS world, it's important to be social and friendly.

If you don't like it, no one said you had to stay here for it!

[absolute_zero]

[Jin must be pretty used to people being rude to his face, because he maintains a relatively admirable expression of bored indifference to the girls's incredulation.]

Where I come from it's considered unseemly to to loiter in the hallways and complain loudly, but I suppose values are going to differ based on where you live. I can't really go anywhere else, so we're both going to have to make the best of the situation. Enjoy your little contest.

[shiest_sunbeam]

[And here she thought that this kind of thing only happened back in her world where people got discriminated often and that was just by race, not even by world? The whole thing was making her uncomfortable and she didn't know if she should step up to them or simply slip away.

It felt wrong, it felt like she was back in the Silvermoon Academy once again, and that the nobles were going on a spiel about the other races even daring to step foot in their beloved city...

She seemed to have lost her appetite and pulled up her hoodie, grabbed her belongings and tossed her remaining food away before starting to head out of the cafeteria.

She stopped for a moment near them and shook her head.]

Y-you know... that's not very nice... what you're doing. It doesn't make your kin look any better than those you're belittling, it makes you all seem w-worse...

[wrnpcs]

[Yeah, you go get out of their cafeteria!]

'Nice'? We're just being honest.

Everyone's thinking it; they're just too shy to admit it!

[shiest_sunbeam]

[Ronnae frowned and didn't move just yet.]

That's not... well y-yeah I guess it's being honest but... It's still not kind to say.

We're here and we're still helping... It's not like we're sitting and doing nothing and I'm sure if many of them would have a choice they would have left... I t-think?

[espio]

[PFFFT what. Espio passes this ever so loud conversation, stops, and shakes his head.]

Oh no. People who are part of the Garden, nominating people who are a part of the Garden for a Garden-based contest? For shame. How dare they?

[wrnpcs]

They could have at least nominated people who belong in Garden in the first place!

[espio]

Apparently the Garden's idea of who belongs here doesn't match yours. You're kind of the minority. The highly vocal minority.

And you do realise this is now my home, right?

[redcinemareel]

[Just gonna walk towards them, orange juice in hand and sipping it through a straw.]

Those posters are atrocious! Rinoa deserves far better than THAT! [She makes a face at the posters. Terrible!] What are you trying to do? Attack the blind?

[wrnpcs]

[Min's not partially shrinking behind one of her friends. Of course not.]

Like you have any taste.

[redcinemareel]

[Good girl.]

Any being with thumbs can tell that is horrid.

[seethelanterns]

Um, you're talking about this Homecoming thing, right?

[Maybe these girls can help explain it? Rapunzel still isn't entirely sure she understands it. Not too surprising given she had no experience with school or any of the celebrations attributed to it back home, having been brought up by Gothel in the tower. She hadn't quite caught all of their conversation, but enough to gether what they were talking about.]

[wrnpcs]

[She isn't going to be given the honor of a direct answer, yet.]

They should make it a rule that only people who understand Homecoming and want to be part of it can be nominated!

What kind of world doesn't have a Homecoming anyway?

[seethelanterns]

Well, back home I only recently left my tower, so there is a lot I don't know about yet. I don't think it's a bad thing, letting everyone have a chance to be part of it means people who might not know about it learn from it.

[lunar_princess]

[Excuse you, girls, you've happened to be within earshot of a certain pony. A certain very upset pony at that. Thus she will be making her way over, hovering to make sure she's within eye-contact of them, she's really not going to do this any other way.]

Excuse you, girls. But what was that about being human? You do know that there are worlds other than your own where, if you were there, would look at you as the strange things, correct? We shan't be hearing any more of your foolishness and if you dare take down posters of anyone else who is running, you will be in severe trouble with not just me, but a few other Instructors as well, We are sure.

[wrnpcs]

[The girls look up at Luna, then at each other, their voices lowered but not really quiet.]

That should so not be allowed.

Are we actually being lectured by a horse?

I can't believe it got votes.

[rewritethis]

[Short twerp coming through. It's obvious he wasn't anywhere nearby for that comment, and he doesn't do much more than side-eye the xenophobic chatter - stupid complaints about an equally stupid competition, who cares?

He's all set to just carry on walking, right up until he notices the text on the banner they're putting up. It's a Zak banner. Hmm.]

Hey, you got any spares of those? [He points at it.]

wut iz html

[wrnpcs]

YOU can't have them. [She scoops up their extras, guarding them protectively.

Trying a little sabotage, since you can't beat our home-grown hero?

...such as he is...

We're watching you! If you try any funny stuff, we'll know!