De-Evolving

The cafetorium is a combination cafeteria and auditorium. There's enough space for chairs to arranged to view any kind of assembly or speaking arrangement, but during the day it also acts as a cafeteria, complete with angry lunch ladies and poor food. Vending machines are scattered throughout the place, but this is generally the social centre of the school.
ThoDuSt
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De-Evolving

#1

Post by ThoDuSt »

((Charles Richard Dawson continued from Survival of the Attentive))

The Lunchroom was bustling. Most of the tables were occupied by people who had grouped themselves into their usual cliques. Charles scanned the room for a table that was relatively empty and, when he saw one nearby, went to sit at it.

Before lunch he had been in Bio, his favorite class. They'd gotten into a good discussion, he was almost disappointed when the bell rang.

He took a big bite of the sandwich he had gotten for lunch. It certainly wasn't the best, but it was edible at least.
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Chib†
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#2

Post by Chib† »

[Logan Reynolds debut]

Relatively empty. Yup, Logan had been the only other one there, and was glad for the company. He was hardly disliked, but the whole 'meh' feeling towards him meant he got about the same level of companionship anyway. Eager to actually talk to someone today, he tried his best to say something welcoming and non-rude. "Afternoon. You need a shave." Of course, he screwed it up as usual, couldn't just not say what's on his mind all the time, that would make things too easy.
One awkward pause and two bites of an apple later, he tried again, "So, how's it going?". Yeah, he was just that suave, 'How's it going?', truly Logan was a master of social interaction. Then again, he never really did care if he came across as a social butterfly or not, as far as he was concerned people could like him or not, not like the mask of geniality he puts on (or rather, doesn't put on) in public.
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Namira
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#3

Post by Namira »

(( D&D Night --> Bounce))

Blast. This place is full to the brim.

Yelizaveta 'Bounce' Volkova, having filled up a tray with whatever she'd felt like eating for lunch, found herself standing a few feet away from the front of the line, unable to pick out anywhere to sit. Ideally, she would have been able to sit at an isolated table, with only her (well, with perhaps one other, such as her friend Alice Blake), but that was most certainly not on the cards today. The cafeteria was packed.

After a few moments, Bounce managed to locate a table which didn't seem too occupied, with only a couple of people seated there, and made a beeline for it. The table seemed lengthy enough that she could keep to one side of it, avoid much contact, which was exactly the way she preferred things to be. Talking to others was always so much hassle. They never seemed to have anything to say that wasn't innane.

Bounce dumped her tray down on the table and sat down, giving the pair already sitting a cursory glance. One was a skinny felow with long black hair that Bounce vaguely recognised, the other seemed like a chunkier version of the first, sharing similar hair (although on second glance, he also had a rather big nose, so perhaps that wasn't too apt a comparison).

Noticing that her shirt had bunched up a little bit (it happened to be a bit small for her, probably because it was made for guys and didn't quite compensate for what little figure she had), Bounce absently tugged at the bottom of it, making quite obvious the stylised 'SOTF' logo emblazeoned on the front before she set to her lunch.
ThoDuSt
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#4

Post by ThoDuSt »

The other boy sitting at the table said something, and while Charles had mainly wanted to finish his lunch, it would've been rude not to reply. Although it would also be rude to talk with food in his mouth, so he should finish this bite first.

"Uh... yeah, I guess I do need a shave. Today's been a good day I guess, so..."

At that moment someone new, a girl Charles didn't know, sat at the table with them. He took the lull in conversation to continue eating his sandwich. Then the girl began straighten her shirt... which was adorned with a rather obvious 'SOTF' logo.

Charles was so shocked to see the emblem that adorned the girl's shirt, that he accidentally swallowed the piece of sandwich before it was fully chewed. After instinctively coughing a bit to make sure nothing was stuck, he decided that he wouldn't be able to sit at the same table as this girl without mentioning that particular elephant.

"SotF, huh? I've never understood why terrorism could have so many fans, let alone why anyone would support it with their money."
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Chib†
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#5

Post by Chib† »

Feeling a little less awkward, having somehow not gotten the usual distain for his annoyingly odd manner, the lanky young man took another bite of his apple, chewing thoughtfully as he watched the new arrival come over and sit down. A small-ish girl, wearing a shirt with some logo he didn't recognise on it. He didn't much care what it was, and so didn't dwell on it.. at least, not until Charles picked up on it.

"SotF, huh? I've never understood why terrorism could have so many fans, let alone why anyone would support it with their money."

"Terrorism? Fans? Have I missed something here?" was Logan's hasty reply, his voice quite obviously edged with genuine curiosity, and a slight hint of concern - for a boy of his interests, it seemed almost inconceiveable he'd missed something like this. Then again, SotF seemed to him like a pop culture sort of thing, so his hype averting ways could easily explain how it had evaded his notice.
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Namira
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#6

Post by Namira »

Bounce wasn't really paying attention to either of the others seated at the table, nor their conversation. So far as she was concerned, they were just an unnecessary distraction. All Bounce wanted to do was sit down, eat her lunch and take off as soon as possible. She didn't much care for making small talk, even amongst people she knew well, so when it was just a couple of guys she vaguely recognised from her year? Yeah, there were definitely better things to do.

The sooner I'm able to get this finished, the sooner I will be free to go to the library. I should be able to steal a little time on the internet before lunch is over...

As such, Bounce only really caught a fraction of what the more stocky kid said when he addressed her. She heard 'SotF' and that happened to grab her attention, but only after it took a couple of seconds to process actually hearing it in the first place. She heard the last part, about supporting something with money? But yeah, she hadn't really heard him...

Bounce paused with her fork halfway to her mouth, hesitating. She didn't really want to be drawn, but the mention had piqued her curiousity. Wasn't it worth at least following up on, just to see if this was a fellow fan?

"Excuse me?" she said carefully, trying not to sound hostile or defensive.
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Danetrix†
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#7

Post by Danetrix† »

Humming a tune to keep occupied, Luke flicked his "Time" notebook open, giving it a quick look-over as he waited in the line to collect his meal.

Lunch period: Cafeteria Move up to the line and collect food. If friends are around and I have not seen them today, sit next to them. Failing that, meet someone new and learn three things about their life. Be out of the cafeteria seven minutes before the next class to avoid the rush.

A quick look around the cafeteria as Luke put his notebook back showed that none of his friends were around. He sighed to himself. He wasn't it the best of moods to push himself this way. Then, by reflex, he could hear the words of his father in the back of his mind.

"Luke, this is good for you." Luke recalled in his father's tone, thanking the lady serving him his food. "Each connection or encounter with another worldview gives you more of life to discover and increases your knowledge and understanding, making you a better person in the process."

"I know, Dad, I know" Luke grimaced. He moved out of the line with his tray and set his mind to picking a table. The tables were filled with all manner of groups, but Luke had done this assessment for a few years, so knew what to look for.

"Six tables: Too many people." Luke noted, as he scanned the cafeteria a little more in depth, "Far table to the left: Too many immature girls, would drive me insane with their endless chatter. Close table to the right...looks like trouble, noisy athletic types there. Hmm..."

Luke's eyes had moved to the table Charles, Logan and Bounce were sitting. "That table looks to be the best choice. Luke assessed. There are few people sitting there, but enough to feel in a group. Close to the door, too. That table doesn't look too bad.

Luke started to walk over there, keeping careful notice of his tray not to spill any on his clothes.
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ThoDuSt
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#8

Post by ThoDuSt »

Charles let out a sigh, he shouldn't act so angry. It may be an important issue, but getting this aggravated with someone who... well point is it would be counterproductive.

"Sorry, but SotF needs to end, and the only way for that to happen is for people to stop watching and stop buying that merchandise."

((ooc:I couldn't think of anything more for him to say, sorry))
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Chib†
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#9

Post by Chib† »

Logan was already rather annoyed at being kept in the dark, and he certainly didn't mind making it clear, with a somewhat louder repetition of his earlier question. "I said, have I missed something here?" - the concern was certainly missing from his tone now, and the curiosity was now largely eclipsed by irritation. Logan didn't like not knowing things, and he certainly didn't enjoy being ignored. To re-iterate, he added "What exactly is SOTF?"
At that point, he took a rather vehement bite of the rapidly disappearing apple in his hand, just about managing to keep from coughing when he realised that he could barely breathe with the fruit filling his mouth.
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Fanatic†
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#10

Post by Fanatic† »

((Teo Weinstock continued from Survival of the Attentive))

(OoC): FYI Post order looks like... Clue | TDS | Chib | Fan | Dan, although it's a little screwed atm. Shall we stick with that?

Food. Teo certainly loved food. He probably rated it in the top 10 things he enjoyed. None of this crappy cafeteria junk though. In his backpack he carried 2 steaks, lovingly prepared by his mum, although he wouldn't mention that to his friends, to dine on at lunch. Unlike Luke, Teo didn't really need to process which table was best to sit down at, instead he picked the closest, striding over to the small group who looked for all intents and purposes to become shortly embroiled in some sort of bitter debate. Continuing his stride he arrived at the table shortly before Luke did. The football player didn't exactly barge his way past the slimmer student but he did move past with purpose. If you ever looked closely at how Teo moved, the length of his stance, the width of his arms, the way his shoulders rolled back it was clear that he was someone who expected people to move out of the way. Given this expectation people almost always did - something about his absolute likable confidence just made it happen.

You would think that this approach would give him more enemies than friends, but he did it with such a demeanor that most couldn't help but smile. Placing his hand on Logan's shoulder as he took his seat, feet splayed as to take as much room as he could at the table he grinned that disarming grin of his. "Chill Loge's. Wasn't that the thing on the news where those kids got abducted? Don't worry though, if they come for us I'll look after you!" Teo flexed he arms and let out a peal of laughter before cocking his head to his side and letting out a mock roar. "RWAR." Giving Logan another solid pat on the back he unzipped his bag and pulled out his steaks, exactly what he needed after an hour of football training. Teo was honestly surprised that Logan was even talking to Charles, they weren't exactly firm friends, but hey, neither was he. It was only the fact that Teo liked to hang around everyone that prompted his nonchalant attitude to sitting where ever and with whomever he felt like. He wasn't a social butterfly by any stretch of the imagination, but he was relaxed all of the time. Jamming his fork in to his steak while cutting with the knife he continued. "Still, come on I'm pretty sure they would of been caught by now, and even then if they came for us the hockey and football teams would crush those terrorists. Husky's Oo-Rah" Having sliced off a piece of meat he then pointed with his knife at Bounce, giving a quick wink, just before chewing down "right babe?"
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Danetrix†
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#11

Post by Danetrix† »

Luke made his way through the tables, only to spot Teo making his way to the table as well in front of him. Luke smiled, recalling that he had come across Teo doing the exact thing to himself at a table he was sitting at.

I guess he doesn't discriminate his choice of companions. Luke observed, watching how Teo would make his presence known. It appeared the table was having an arguement of sorts, one student seemed riled up. Luke came into earshot quickly

"....missed something here?" the riled up student said, "What exactly is SOTF?"

Luke watched as Teo put his hand on the students shoulder. "Chill Loge's. Wasn't that the thing on the news where those kids got abducted? Don't worry though, if they come for us I'll look after you!

Loge's? wondered Luke, as Teo rawred and hit the student on the back, "I guess short for Logan, perhaps?"

Still, come on I'm pretty sure they would of been caught by now, and even then if they came for us the hockey and football teams would crush those terrorists. Husky's Oo-Rah"

Luke took his place at the table just as Teo pointed the knife at Bounce. "right babe?"

"I'm hardly your babe," Luke interrupted, eating his selection of vegetables while looking to Teo, "but I think terrorists aren't called 'terror-ist' because they're pushovers, Teo."

"Oh, and...Logan, right?" Lukle added, noting the look still hasn't left the boys face, "SOTF's 'premise' is, from what I understand of it, a Survivor-style reality show. But instead of normal reality shows doing a vote-off method like public votes or fellow player votes, players are 'killed' till there is one left, that one goes free."

Luke munched on some potato and mused a little. "I've never looked into it furthur then that. From what is seems, my opinion is that it sounds like one big money/ratings grabbing hoax. I'm surprised the show is even still airing."
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Namira
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#12

Post by Namira »

((Okay, now I've figured out what the heck I need to reply to...))

Bounce was in the process of rolling her eyes at the statement from her classmate when the other person seated at the table spoke up, sounding rather annoyed at that. Well if he knew nothing about SotF, then that was his problem, not hers. Honestly, what kind of a rock did he have to have been living under to be unaware of the show? It was all over the place; television, internet, news too. Perhaps he was some sort of technophobe that regarded electricity as the work of the devil...

She was set to ignore him and reply to what the first boy (did she know his name? Bounce couldn't place his face) had said when somebody else came to sit down. Ugh... now this was somebody that she did know. Weinstock. Not because he was a friend of hers or that they shared any particular interests, he was just such a presence that it was almost impossible not to take note of him. Weinstock was far too exuberant and rather over friendly for Bounce's tastes.

Yes... I'm positive that a team of meatheaded jocks would be able to handily defeat commandos in a fight.

Another response, this one an indignant reaction to being referred to as 'babe' was cut off by yet another person joining the table and the conversation. This was rapidly looking to be a poor pick of a place to sit...

Bounce raised an eyebrow at the latest newcomer's comments.

"That is a trivialisation... there are excellent story arcs within survival of the fittest. It is not a stunt."
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#13

Post by ThoDuSt »

"Right, SotF is definitely NOT a stunt," Charles added, "It is however a criminal enterprise run by a deranged lunatic with the mental capacity of a brain-dead goldfish! SotF only manages to stay on the air because the people trying to stop it somehow manage to be even more mentally deficient than Danya, which certainly is quite an accomplishment."

The group at the table had grown larger, but that hadn't slowed the conversation, in fact it added to it.

"If we had access to the kind of information the government does, we probably would have been able to locate an island developed to the level that the one from the second iteration of SotF before they did! It says something that the government won't even tell us what the name of the island was..."
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Chib†
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#14

Post by Chib† »

Logan mulled it over, assessing both sides of the surprisingly passionate discussion; according to Bounce, it's an excellent show with good plot and character.. yet she didn't do anything to refute the other boys' claims of it being a criminal enterprise or involving murder, only that it certainly wasn't a stunt, as if that was the most offensive thing that'd been said. But rather than speak up on how odd it was that it was the 'stunt' part that had affected the ardent fan the most, he decided instead to say "Well, thanks for explaining, but I think I'd do better to just look it up or watch it myself. Should've expected innumerate different opinions anyways, given all the hype it gets." Yup, that same hype that'd caused him to avoid it, just like so many other popular media, for the previous however many years it'd been popular for - heck, he wasn't counting, why should he? He didn't really care. - though he did kick himself for sounding, at least according to Bounce's tone, like some kind of luddite. Logan had enough reasons to engender popular distaste as it was, he sure didn't need any extras.

((Sorry for taking so long, again, I've been kinda stuck as to what to say. Thanks for the post order though, Fan, most helpful.))
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Fanatic†
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#15

Post by Fanatic† »

As Luke interrupted the conversation with his off hand remark Teo beamed. "Oh not yet Luke, don't worry though we can hang out if you want to." He gave a sly little wink before grabbing another piece of steak and listening in on the continuing conversation; Bounce having already indignantly refuted Luke's opening comment. He chose to stay silent for now. Although it wasn't his usually style Teo had learned that you could find out a lot from people if you just sat back and let them do the talking. Plus the topic of Survival of the Fittest didn't really appeal to him.

The whole concept was outlandish to say the least and frankly even *if* the terrorist group did strike again, there was almost no chance of it being Bayview, so why even talk about such a contentious subject. It was like abortion or politics. You could talk about it for hours but nothing would ever come of it apart from people getting irritated at each other. Still Bounce's opinions were very well researched he would give her that. He remembered one time that she actually did a speech presentation in class about the game, how the story lines worked and the effect on American politics. The teacher had gone pale white when she started but did nothing to stop her. All in all he admired her conviction in her beliefs.

Having said this, Teo did side more with Charles' view of things, surely the government would of figured out how to stop these abductions by now. They had mobilised the army when September 11th happened, why couldn't do the same here. How hard would it be just to track every deserted island in the world and hunt these guys down. Teo didn't know, geography wasn't his strong point.

Glancing over at Logan he could see the boy had already been taken aback by Bounce's opinions on the program, which, he conceded were often a little harsh and direct. Mind you, after a while you did get used to her straightforwardness. In a sense it was refreshing, so many people here either kept to themselves or had some sort of agenda. He did want to say something, but opinions here were likely to open up a can of worms. He could already imagine Bounce's well thought out retort to Charles' statement.

"Guess so," Teo said "More importantly though, I forgot, I came over to tell you all to come watch the game this Friday. We take on the Pipestone Arrows this week, which should be a good game, right Logan?"
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