fandomtownies | The Park, then Around Town, Monday Afternoon

The Park, then Around Town, Monday Afternoon

After visiting the school and the day's classes, it was time for the Howells to take their tour around town. Maps of the island were offered to any of the school board members who wanted them, and if they hadn't been altered in any way to hide anything, well, it certainly hadn't been deliberate, really. If everyone could make it through the tour without being called fascists, they might just make it through this all right.

[This post is for the tour of the town, for Caroline, the Howells, any school board members who want to ~~supervise~~ come along, and any business owners or folks who want to be out in the town during the tour!]

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Like mingling, but with maps instead of snacks.

Not nearly as terrible of a street as the sign might suggest.

Hopefully, the abandoned warehouses didn't look creepy or anything.

Restaurants! Nice, normal restaurants!

The community center and more normal restaurants!

And this is where we wave a fond goodbye to everyone, as surely they will be tired and want to leave, right? Right?

Aaaaand I'm spent.

Even after two finals she hadn't felt prepared for, Caroline was more than ready to show off the town to Principal Winchester's esteemed guests.

Just so long as no one asked her about the uniform which she felt was a little too Britney circa fall 1998. But maybe they were all from the past and wouldn't notice - a girl could hope!

But regardless, Caroline was ready with highlighted maps and a bright smile!

Enter the Howells, dressed in the highest of East Coast rich people fashion if that assumed you could still unironically wear a cravat.

"This must be the other half of the tour," Thurston said as Lovey followed a pace or two behind. "Hello, young lady. I'm Thurston Howell III, and this is my wife."

"Mr. and Mrs. Howell!" Older, rich people? Caroline could totally do this and turned on her Miss Mystic Falls charm.

"I'm Caroline Forbes, junior representative on the Fandom High Student Council. It's so wonderful to have the opportunity to show you around our fine town this afternoon. Did you enjoy Annie's tour earlier?"

Thurston and Lovey had a quick, murmured conversation. "Well, other than being called fascists by a girl who hated soda--" Thurston offered, looking a bit confused by that still, "--yes."

"Well, um..." Yeah, that didn't sound all that positive to Caroline, but she was determined to make a good memory last. "She was probably on a juice cleanse or something - those diets can seriously destroy a person's mood when combined with finals week. I bet you two will find town much more pleasant. We might even have time to stroll by the flamingo pond!"

"How quaint!" Lovey exclaimed while Thurston looked less excited. "We don't have to feed them or anything, do we?"

"Oh no, we discourage feeding the animals," she admitted. You just never knew what was likely to be a freaking Gremlin, after all. "Is there anything special you want me to make sure we see before we get started?"

"So, as we walk along Apocalypse Avenue you'll see some of the lovely houses where the town, um, people live, as well as the gym where they work out and the clinic where they get drugged up as needed. But, more importantly, there's the park where many Fandom events take place. Like our welcome picnic, known for the best buffet spread in the country." Caroline wasn't above making stuff up for these people, so long as her lies sounded plausible.

"You're the expert here," Thurston declared. "Show us your favorite spots!"

"In the country, eh?" Thurston looked amused. "What's your favorite food they serve?"

Darby may have missed the tour of the dorms earlier, but she made a point to make it out for the tour of town.

... If only so that she could find out where, exactly, the theatre was. She did have to find Troy eventually. And apologise to that poor Mr. Starsmore, assuming he was still in town.

"Will we be starting soon?" Darby asked the young woman she was assuming was a) a student and b) their tour guide. "I have a conference call later, and I don't want to be late."

"Oh yes, please have a map," Caroline answered with a smile, offering the lady one with the route pre-highlighted. Oh the dedication. And the OCD. "The tour shouldn't take too long. You're a board member, right?"

Considering they didn't serve B positive... "I'd have to go with the chocolate chip cookies. They're better than anything from a box. I'm honestly surprised there was no party for your arrival, but I guess they didn't want the students stuffing their faces to turn you guys off."

"And here on Serendipity Place we have some warehouses I can only pray will one day be converted into something useful, along with the pet shop, our local law offices, and the bait shop." Which Caroline had never actually seen before, making it that much more interesting for the tour, right? "I guess with all the water around, someone must be fishing!"

"Darby Evans, yes, thank you," she said, taking the map and looking it over. "Of Evans Industries."

She paused, and lowered her voice so that the Howells wouldn't hear. "If you've heard of it. I understand we're not so... ubiquitous as I am accustomed." Which was, she hoped, code for, 'We're big in my world, but I guess not all of them.' The things one learned when one was on the board of directors for a multidimensional school.

"I haven't," she said apologetically. "Have you been enjoying your time on the island? Nothing too...interesting to handle?" Though she was supernatural, Caroline wasn't above being surprised by the sight of some of the students on newbie day.

"We didn't give a great deal of notice," Lovey said as Thurston nodded along. "It's fine, dear."

"Oh good! I was going to have to feel a little guilty for mentioning it if you were offended," she admitted, having decided these were decent enough people. "So, do you all have children or extended family? Anyone to send along to Fandom one day?"

"I think we can skip the bait shop," Thurston declared a little loudly.

One eye on the Howells the entire time, Darby shook her head carefully. "Certainly not! Fandom Island seems to be a most entirely normal place."

Was that someone walking by with a pair of wings? Darby really, really hoped that Thurston kept his attention on the map for, oh, the next ten seconds.

"Perfectly normal. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Maybe the Diamond in the Rough is more your style, Mister Howell," Caroline suggested, ever willing to promote a bit of retail therapy that could end with pretty, shiny things!

"My father would beg to differ," Caroline offered. "He says anything involving teenagers is always one bad idea away from getting freaky." And maybe that would answer the question of why people had flapping wings...

"Now, on the other side of Jones Parkway is the lighthouse and our awesome boardwalk," Caroline shared, leading the little tour down yet another street. "We have plenty of amazing restaurants, including my boyfriend's very favorite burger joint that I personally cannot stand! I mean really, what cow would advertise for its own murder?"

Senior class prank? Hallucinogens in the water supply?

Darby was certain she could come up with some way to spin it if necessary. ... Somehow.

"Well, teenagers are little more than balls of angst and hormones," she pointed out. "It's why you should all be doing more yoga! Good for the body and the mind!"

Caroline paused the tour outside of the community center for a little town plug, because who wouldn't be proud of Fandom? "As you can see, the community center is one of the more recent additions to the town, but totally a good one. It hosts seminars, town events, and some school dances! Out back there's a lovely garden filled with a very wide variety of flowers - um, just don't ask me what they are. I didn't take that class."

Thurston shook his head. "It's just the two of us."

And their islands and estates and oil companies and most of the real estate of Denver...

"Would you like a little bauble from our trip here, Lovey?" he asked with a grin as he wife swatted his arm.

"We're not going to make this poor girl wait while you pick out jewelry."

Thurston blinked. "No cow I'd ever want to meet," he said slowly, then shook his head. "Not that I spend time speaking with cows!"

He didn't want this young lady to think he was insane!

"Biology?" Thurston guessed. "What was your favorite class?"

Aww, they were cute for old people! Caroline couldn't deny it. "I wouldn't mind," she assured them. "But if you'd rather come back without an audience, I won't stop you."

"Umm, I think I'd have to say history," Caroline answered, not sure how else to describe Ric's old class. "I don't do the whole manual labor thing if I can avoid it."

With the highlighted path on the map complete, Caroline stopped them all at the Causeway. "This concludes your tour of Fandom Town! If you have any further questions, let me know, but otherwise I'd like to thank you for coming and being such awesome guests! And make sure you come back soon!"

What? They were nice and no one had specifically told her not to encourage them.

"I think we'll probably stick around for a little bit after the tour," Thurston said.

Which was so not what Zoe wanted to hear.

"So you're college-bound next year then?" Thurston checked.

"Oh, I don't think we'll leave just yet!" Thurston said. "There were so many restaurants to explore! I think we'll stop for a bite, maybe stay the night. We brought our luggage, just in case."

Of course they had.

"Um, yes?" Caroline said, realizing that the doubt in her gut meant that was probably a lie. "I haven't decided on any real path yet. Which I hear college is good at extending, so it seems the way to go. Plus Fandom is really great at preparing all of us for that higher learning path..." Or something.

"Wonderful!" Caroline was really very happy for them. And for the loads of money she figured they'd invest in the island economy while they were in town. "You're in luck because the Arms Hotel is just this way and I'm sure they'll have the perfect suite for you. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask!"

"And yet not many of the students seem to be heading to the Ivies..." Thurston mused.

"Thank you so much," Thurston said, reaching into his wallet and presenting Caroline with a nice, crisp five dollar bill.

Oh yeah.

"No? Are you sure, because I'm fairly certain a number of Fandom alum have gone to Ivies or the best of the big state schools." Lies, lies, lies. "I'm sure Principal Winchester can show you the numbers you want to see."

Would it be wrong to text the principal with a heads up there? Hmm...

"Um, wow...thaaanks!" Caroline had to work to turn away before making a face at the paper bill. Was she supposed to frame it as the last cash in the U.S. or just buy a single gallon of gasoline with it?

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The Park, then Around Town, Monday Afternoon

Gather!

Tour: Apocalypse Avenue

Tour: Seredipity Place

Tour: Jones Parkway

Tour: South Gate of the School

Tour: Causeway

OOC

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