fandomtownies | Prom 2024, Community Center, Friday Evening

Entry tags:

Prom 2024, Community Center, Friday Evening

This year's prom theme was "A Museum Night" - the Community Center's walls were covered in replicas of beautiful paintings along with some originals that matched the general flower theme. The paintings were safe, but the frames had some glitter on them, because of course they did.

There was a variety of ~~moddable~~ food and drinks which currently seemed untainted, and the dance floor was open for a fabulous time!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Only in 'very broad strokes'."

Stop making finger quotes, Rand.

"I tried to ask him for advice on how to handle that conversation at home," smooth just slipping that one in there, Atton, "and was very much reminded why I don't ask him for advice."

Lana grimaced. "I would ask why on Earth you decided to in the first place, but he was where I went for advice on handling Jedi, so I really have no leg to stand on."

Atton shrugged. "He helped me out in the early days after I came back," he muttered. "And I thought he might have more experience in dealing with... Earth... people... who should... know things."

"What did he advise?" Lana asked.

"First he asked why I wanted to tell them at all," Atton said, "Then he told me to soft-lie to them, and finally he said to tell them and if they run screaming, oh well, who cares."

And now he suddenly wished he had a drink.

"I don't think we can even blame that on Jedi cluelessness about emotions," Lana said, shaking her head. "That's just terrible in general!"

"Yeah, so I called him a name he didn't like and he flounced out in a huff," Atton muttered. "Ugh."

Lana chuckled. "Good for you. For whatever it may be worth, I think he's wrong on all accounts, though that probably comes as no surprise."

Atton snorted. "No. But I still haven't figured out what to do."

Lana thought about it. "Would you like my advice, for whatever it's worth?"

Atton sighed. "Sure. Hit me."

Lana nodded. "I think, for a start, that you know your friends better than I do, and certainly better than Skywalker does, so if any of what I say feels wrong, trust your own judgement.

"I understand your desire to leave our galaxy behind, but it is what made you who you are. Your friends want to be there for you, but they can only do so much good if they don't know the truth."

She shrugged. "And honestly, I doubt they'll run screaming. You're more likely to have to prove it - I'd suggest something innocuous and obviously alien, like a holocomm unit or kolto, rather than throwing the Force or a lightsaber at them to start. I'd tell them one at a time, so you can focus on their individual questions and concerns without being too overwhelmed."

She looked over at him. "And I'd tell Dane first. Because he's the most important one, and because I'd bet whatever you like that he'll help you with telling the others."

Atton rubbed his face. "Ugggh," he said. "Can't I just not have major conversations with him? Ever?"

He'd been doing such a good job running away from it for the past week!

Lana laughed. "Sorry. You made a friend, now you have to talk to him. Part of their care and feeding, I've been led to understand."

"I don't have to have serious conversations with you," Atton pointed out.

Though yes, he was just punting the awkward ball around now.

"I already know a good bit about where you come from." Lana was under no illusions she knew everything, but it wasn't a conversation they needed to have unless Atton wanted it.

"Besides, what do you call this?"

"A very casual conversation about something I'm very casual about?" Atton tried.

He rubbed his forehead. "Sorry," he said. "When I'm nervous is when the tangents come out."

Lana shook her head. "No need to apologise. But I honestly don't think there's much to be nervous about. They're your friends, they like you no matter where you're from. They've stuck with you through more than 'by the way, I'm from another planet'."

She hummed in thought. "It might be a bit of overturning their view of the world in general, though, knowing Earth's not the only inhabited planet, so I'd expect a lot of questions. And probably teasing. I think you've survived worse. And I'm happy to help with the questions after the fact, if it'll be easier."

Telling them was still on you, Atton. Being responsible came with responsibilities.

Okay, but could he just take option B and stop being responsible? Give up on the whole therapy track and the doing something different instead of doing the same thing over and over again and go back to irresponsibly deep-diving into oblivion?

Sigh.

"I'm not going to make you wait in the hallway so I can call you in to hold my hand afterward," Atton said, sighing. "I just... hope he takes it as well as you think he will."

"I meant more that you could give him my number, if there's things he wants to know without asking you," Lana said. "As for how he'll take it - take a deep breath, ignore the panic, call to mind everything you know about him, and think about the most likely outcomes. You've been an agent and a gambler; you know how to calculate odds."

Think like a gambler?

Play pazaak.

(You'll be right here with me, where they can't reach us--)

Atton shot her a wry look. "You are way too smart and sensible for your own good, you know that?"

"It comes of liking my sanity too much to give in," Lana answered. "I've seen too many poor examples. Of which you are not one, by the way."

Maybe he had been one of those Sith, for all she knew, but he wasn't one now.

Atton had definitely been his own kind of Sith, much as he had been his own kind of Jedi.

"Thanks," Atton said. "Taken in the spirit it was intended, and not in the 'actually I may be the only ex-Sith who's ever been deemed certifiably certifiable'."

"Only because active Sith don't have a mechanism for certifying such things," Lana shot back.

They mostly just ended up dead. Or in power.

"Yeah, that was the joke," Atton admitted.

Prom 2024, Community Center, Friday Evening

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]

Re: Chaperones [Prom 24]