Log Info
Title: The Apocalypse as Dinner Conversation
Emitter: None
Characters: Antigone, Adrian, Liv, Ferris, Alia, Tyche
NPCs: None
Place: Dining Hall
Time: Evening, Saturday June 19th.
Summary: A mash-up of students at late dinner wind up covering diverse topics, from the nature of apocalypses to Arian's love life.
It's Saturday night and dinner time, albiet a late dinner time. Most students have already eaten and by this time of night Adrian Young has usually eaten as well— trying to stick to a schedule, as such —but tonight, the young man can be found sitting at one of the tables in the cafeteria with a tray of food sitting in front of him. Baked chicken, a scoop of brown rice, cooked carrots, a small whole grain roll, a small salad, and an orange. Not exactly the pizza and cheese fries that most of the student body probably go for, but he's an athlete and they have to eat healthy, right? Right. That's his story and he's sticking to it! A glance is spared towards 'Ma' Frankel the woman in charge of student diet and the boy mutters, "Food Nazi," under his breath before spearing a carrot.
Other students, too, find scheduling to be a challenge. A rather frustrated young woman has just blow in to the cafeteria in dramatic fashion, her long coat billowing and her head almost dwarfed by the huge collar. She walks confidently to the line, made easier by the relative lack of other students, finding herself graced with a meal of the same baked chicken Adrian got stuck with. To this she adds a generous helping of salad and a glass of water. After a quick scan, she hones in on Adrian. The girl sits opposite him and says in her acutely english tone, "Hello again, Adrian."
Liv slouches into the dining hall, head down, in no particular hurry - whatever oddities in schedule have brought her to the dining hall at this hour, they are self-imposed. She helps herself to a double portion of the fries, not seeming to mind that they are probably lukewarm at best. The last small wedge of lasagna. Cornbread. A suggestion of vegetables gets a response of, "Not tonight," in a death-warmed-over voice. At least she does help herself to a roll. And soft-serve ice cream. A soup bowl of it. With this helter-skelter offering, she weaves her way across the room, headed towards the back, all be it by way of passing the other two.
Adrian looks up as he's addressed and he offers a lopsided smile. "Hey," he greets Antigone back, "How've you been? Still up to date on the student manifest?" He reaches for his water and takes a swig, glancing over his shoulder as Liv moves by. "You're welcome to join," the boy offers, "Unless you'd rather sit alone. In which case, you picked a good time to come to the Dining Hall." He gestures to how much of a ghost town the place is, then nudges a chair out with his foot in invitation.
"Well enough," Antigone says. She shifts her two plates off her tray, then her glass and her silverware, twisting to put the tray aside on another table. Her dinner appropriately arranged, she answers Adrian, "Of course. For instance, this is Sullivan Prieto." A small gesture to Liv. "She was sentenced to the institute for the attempted association of Justice Grace Sullivan." Antigone tilts her head slightly, staring at Liv. Something feels slightly off about her….but she can't put her finger on it.
"Hi, Linus," Liv says absently, only glancing up from her tray for a heartbeat and thus missing the nuances. "I don't want to be antisocial, but …" Then her head snaps up, and she stares back at Antigone, eyes widened. "That's a heck of a way to greet a person," she says, her voice slightly rough. "You feel like introducing yourself?" The attitude is more defensive than hostile, the girl's shoulders dropping as she recovers from the initial start. She was deep in her head, apparently.
Tyche enters from the Quad.
Tyche has arrived.
Adrian twists the rest of the way 'round in his seat to look at Liv when Antigone drops her bombshell. "I didn't realize this place doubled as Super-powered Juvie," Adrian blurts. He quickly winces and some color rises in his cheeks. That blurt was more of a Linus mouth-vomit comment than Adrian is normally prone to. "Sorry about that, what I mean is… you know, I don't think there's a way to correct what just came out of my mouth. This is Antigone. I think she's some kind of encyclopedia of the student body. And it's Adrian, not Linus."
Ferris enters from the Quad.
Ferris has arrived.
The door opens, and Tyche and Ferris enter; he ahead of her. Tyche's forehead and legs show the distinctive purpling of a few bruises, but she smiles ready enough despite it. Backpack slung over her shoulder, she remains in conversation with the samurai. "You should try em some time, if you get the chance. I think Sunday probably has at least every album ever made by those two bands and half a dozen others."
"It is hardly secret," Antigone says to Liv. "I do not hold it against you," she adds. Antigone offers her hand. "Antigone Elric," she says with the slightest of polite smiles. "As I explained before," she says to Adrian, "I make it a point to study those I will be in close contact with. Your records and histories are all relatively public," she says, with another glance at Liv. Definitely something off. She'll have to consult her books later. The other's entering take her attention for a moment, enough to size them up. Ferris she knows. Tyche she knows of.
Liv flushes just as pink, ducking her head. "Yeah, well, surprise," she rushes the words out. "Bet your parents can get the tuition back if you act now." She shakes her head. "No, you're right, and I'm used to it - I should be used to it. It's just recently …" Obviously considering how to explain herself; then she swallows hard, paling faintly, and abandons the attempt. "Pleased to meet you both. Just call me Liv - it's easier. And less boyish." A wrinkled smile. "The records don't tell you everything. May I?" She nods back to the seat. Hey, Adrian might have changed his mind.
Ferris nods in Antigone's direction. The others he's seen around campus but doesn't know personally. "In truth," he tells Tyche, "I have never much been interested in such music — though I will certainly give it a chance. My taste runs more toward Fall Out Boy and covers of eighties pop music." He smiles wryly. "Which makes me very strange, I'm sure."
Adrian likes to live dangerously! Well, okay not really. He likes to live thinking that he has things under control. Still, he extended the offer for Liv to join them and it stands. "Sure, plenty of room," he says, clearing his throat, "Really. Sorry. I was just surprised is all. There's no way in hell I'm telling my parents. My Mom calls enough already. You're not… you know, going to try to kill anyone here are you?" Hey, it doesn't hurt to ask! The boy pokes at his chicken and looks towards the door as it opens. A small smile spreads across his face and he holds up a hand to wave at Tyche, noting the guy she's coming in with. Seeing the bruises on her face causes the smile to falter into a guilty look, however and the boy goes back to poking at his food. "I'm all for getting to know people around here, Antigone, but it's a little weird to know so much about someone before you meet them."
"Fall-out boy isn't … awful," Tyche says. "Eighties Pop, however, is a damning offense. Unless you mean David Bowie; he gets a pass for everything. So what's decent to eat h—" she gets cut off by the sight of Adrian, then purses her lips and waves back at him a little guiltily.
"Pleased to meet you," Antigone agrees, shaking Liv's hand, then turns to her dinner. "I hardly expect them to," she says. "Records are tricky things which conceal as much as they illuminate. Still, one must begin somewhere." Antigone cuts neatly into her chicken with her fork and knife. "It is not my fault," she says to Adrian, "that I am prepared. The rest of you could take a lesson from it."
"The Police. The Cars. If you are going to tell me that they are terrible, I will simply have to accept that there is no redemption for you. At any rate, I do not so much listen to the originals, but new bands doing the old songs in new styles. 'I Want Candy' as goth metal. That sort of thing." He notices Tyche's break in speech, then follows her gaze toward Adrian, then glances back at her, one brow raising. "The food here is much better than your average school cafeteria. I recommend avoiding the Italian offerings, but that is solely an opinion."
Liv tilts her chin down in a brief nod-or-greeting to the two new arrivals. Her handshake is light, polite. She sets down her tray, but hovers, not seating herself yet as she considers Adrian. "No," she says shortly. "Not anyone here." There's a pulse of raw anger in her voice, directed at someone or something not present … and then almost chimerically, she shifts, smiling wryly, quite at ease as she slides into the chair. "No, I was created to go after important people," she says, mock-cattiness morphed into humor. "Should one ask what you're prepared for?" Curious as much as amused as she lifts her gaze back to Antigone.
"Prepared for Classmate Uprising… or Serial Stalker. You decide," Adrian teases with a wry grin. "You seem okay by me then Liv," Adrian says, "So, you know Linus?" He lets his gaze drift from the two ladies that he's sharing a table with, glancing briefly towards Tyche and Ferris again. The boy pops some more food into his mouth, washing it down with his drink.
"Hardly," Antigone says to Adrian, her head shaking. "Mystic incursions, the End of the World," and she says that in the way only an upper-crust British type can, complete with capital letters, "any number of malevolent forces, these are the things I prepare for. One must study allies as well as enemies," she says.
"We've met a couple times," Liv says. "He put a drumstick through me." This is deadpan, as she turns her attention to her fries. "So did you come here together? He's never mentioned you." See? Everything's normal. Too normal, really - it flipped on like a switch. But she's good at keeping up appearances. "Is the end of the world that likely?" She arches the pierced eyebrow. "I mean, most antagonists I've … heard of, they'd rather have a piece of the world as opposed to breaking it into pieces that are no good for anyone."
Tyche laughs a little at Ferris. "No, the Police is alright. Covers, though … covers are almost always bad. But I guess to each their own." She makes her way towards the lunch line and peeks at what's available, then orders pasta at the samurai's suggestion. "So how long have you been at Steranko? Do you know everyone here?"
"He put a…" Adrian starts and then shakes his head, "I'm not even going to finish asking that. It's like Bizarro world Linus out here." He grins though at Antigone and chuckles to himself. "So, are you like… making a list of who you'd want watching your back then? In case of the Apocalypse?" Back to Liv he keeps the conversation going, enjoying the socializing and getting to know someone else around here. Even if she is a (gasp!) criminal. "Nah. I got here about two weeks after he did. He didn't mention me? I was going to ask which camp you were in. The 'never heard of you' camp or the 'Linus said you were his evil twin' camp."
"Yes," Antigone tells Adrian. For once there's no trace of ironic amusement in her voice anywhere.
Ferris steers clear of the Italian himself, noting how Tyche has just taken what he suggested avoiding. He just figures she must be one of those who must experience the bad for themselves before recognizing it — and after all, it -was- just an opinion. "I suppose I am referring more to new wave than pop," he decides as he accepts a dish composed primarily of chicken and green beans, a side of rice. "I have little fondness for REO Speedwagon and the like. As for the covers… well… Fall Out Boy covered 'Roxanne' and 'Beat It'. The Ataris covered 'Boys of Summer'. These are good bands paying respect to their elders." He chuckles. "It is among the most Japanese aspects of American culture."
"That hardly sounds friendly," Antigone says to Liv. Her eyes dart and she eats as they converse. "More than I suspect you would be comfortable with." Antigone's eyes leap again, her head turning slightly too. "Yes," Antigone tells Adrian. For once there's no trace of ironic amusement in her voice anywhere.
Alia enters from the Quad.
Alia has arrived.
"I'm a living shadow," Liv says in a droll tone. "In certain circumstances, you could put a truck through me and I wouldn't be bothered. And I've seen your brother do stranger things." Is that just a hint of amusement twitching her lips? She shrugs to Antigone. "He was … curious. I'd just …" She seems to abandon that line of thought. "Mmm. End of the world doesn't really bother me, however likely." She returns her attention to Adrian. "No, he didn't mention you - but as I said, we've only crossed paths a few times. Evil twin, hmm?"
"Paying respect to your elders doesn't make the music good. It just makes you respectful." Tyche eyes the pasta, then gets a side salad and tea to go with it. "You wanna join the others or sit by ourselves?"
"His description, not mine," Adrian says with a laugh, "But the idea of growing a goatee is kind of entertaining." He picks up the wheat roll and breaks it in half, popping part of it in his mouth. It is about this time that his phone rings in his pocket. ~BA BA BA BA BA BA, Well everybody's heard about the bird. Bird. Bird. Bird. Bird is the word.~ Surfin' Bird. Adrian pops up from his seat, leaving the try there and pulls out the phone. "HEY!" he answers, "What's going on?" He covers the mouthpiece for a moment, nodding to Antigone and Liv, "I'll be right back." The boy walks off towards one of the empty tables a bit away, leaving his tray and bright orange backpack behind. Whoever is on the phone he's happy about hearing from, so it can't possibly be his mother.
Speaking of evil twins (at least for Liv)… Alia chooses that moment to walk into the dining hall. She's dressed rather simply today, with a forest green T-shirt with a comical looking Martian demanding that you "Take Me To Your Leader!". That, combined with the blue jeans, made her look rather human. Of course, her ears are covered by her hair. She moves to the sandwich station, whistling to herself as she considers a sub.
Antigone shifts in her seat, turning more directly towards Liv, "A Soul Shadow?" she asks, her eyebrows darting up. "I have read about such creatures but never encountered one before. It must make your existence quite interesting," she says. She's about to say something to Adrian and then his phone goes off. A restrained smile. "He has a girlfriend, then?"
Ferris shrugs, glancing over toward the others at their table. His lips purse slightly. "Either way is fine with me," he says, and then glances around at the sound of whistling, turning his head to see its source, and grins. He raises a hand toward the girl regarding sandwich fixings. "After you," he tells Tyche. "As long as you don't mind Alia joining us."
With Adrian gone, Tyche's 'in' at the table is lost. She hesitates a moment, then offers Ferris a shrug. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. She makes her way towards Liv and Antigone, then motions to the seat next to where Adrian had been sitting. "Anyone mind if we join you guys?"
"Don't bother," Liv says. "They just get in the way." About to add more, she shrugs as Adrian steps away and continues to poke at her food. Her eyes must have been larger than her stomach. She stiffens as Antigone addresses her more specifically, eyes narrowing. "You may have," she says, dark humor in her voice, "and just not known it. But yeah, you might say that. So they've made it into books, hmm?" They, not we, even though she's effectively admitted to being one. Then she chuckles, and it doesn't even sound forced. "What, you didn't find that in the records?" As Tyche approaches, she flashes a quick smile and inclines her head to the chair. "Help yourself."
"Not yours," Antigone says to Liv. "As I said, records can conceal. For instance, it seems some benefited from keeping your exact nature quiet. Perhaps there is a reason for this," she speculates. Antigone slides her chair over, making more room for the new arrivals. "By all means, join us, Tyche, Ferris," she says, "and Alia."
Alia waves back to Ferris, smiling at him as she finishes getting her sandwich. Grabbing a Sprite and some baked chips, she brings her tray over to the table, "Hello, everyone." She glances at the others, and gives Liv a slight smile and a nod, "How are you?" She then looks over towards Antigone, nodding to her as well in greeting.
Liv quirks a brow. "Try public panic - or at least public disquiet," she says. "Even in a world rife with neohumans, the idea that there are people out there devoted to removing others and stepping into their skins …" She shrugs. "And what would I find if I looked into enough records about you?" she asks bluntly.
However, unfortunately for Liv's intentions of getting answers, that's when she hears Alia's name. She tenses, ducking her head low over her tray. "Uh, I think …" So much for evasion tactics. "Hi-Alia-fine," she replies in a mumbled string.
Ferris' brow raises slightly at Liv's mumbles. He's rarely known Alia to have such an effect on people. He sets his tray down next to Tyche's, beckons Alia to set hers beside him. "Have you met Tyche?" he asks her, indicating the girl he came in with. "We have been discussing music."
Antigone smiles, thin-lipped and enigmatic, at Liv. She turns her attention Alia, "I am well, thank you," she says. "We have not yet met," Antigone says to the empath, and offers her hand. "Antigone," she says. "A pleasure."
Tyche doesn't even startle at being recognized. She just slides in and smiles at Antigone, before extending her hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you," she says. "I guess you know me because of my father?"
Alia shakes her head towards Ferris, "No, we haven't met… Alia s'Harien." She smiles towards Tyche a bit, though when she notices Liv's reaction, she arches a brow, but decided it would be rude by Earth standards to pry. She does, of course, sit down next to Ferris, giving the boy a warm grin.
Adrian is straddling a chair now, one arm draped over the back of it as he chatters away into his phone. "I know. I was looking forward to seeing Mrs. Bergman's famous pet rock next year too. You'll have to tell me if it's for real or just some story the upper classmen made up," he's saying. There are intermittent periods where he just grins and replies with 'uh huh's'. "Really? That'd be great. No, it's not like my Mom's cooking, but it's not bad. The nutritionist is a food Nazi though." The boy glances back towards the table, blinking in surprise when he sees that it's filled up now. And Tyche took the seat next to his. Adrian grins at that. Then, into the phone, "Huh? Of course I was listening. Okay, okay. Guilty. I missed what you said. Oh. Yeah, signed up for baseball, but not sure how they're going to get teams together. This place is small."
Ferris raises an eyebrow questioningly at Tyche's mention of her father. He certainly doesn't have a clue. Ferris knows a lot about a good number of things, but music history? Nope, not so much. He just knows what he likes. He returns Alia's smile, then glances around at Adrian's mention of baseball. It's a national sport for two thirds of his heritage — of course he's on the team.
Liv flicks up a quick glance and a spare smile. "Hi, Tyche," she says. "What's your opinion on Gregorian chant?" she asks this question with the amused confidence that whatever music conversation they were having, it will probably be off-topic. She flits a glance over at Alia again, nervous, trying to read the other's face and then back to her food again.
Antigone says, "Marchios Spiros is certainly a talented musician. The Silver Bullets are….no Clash." Antigone shifts her weight in the chair, edging back and looking just a touch more relaxed. "Who telephoned?" she asks Adrian.
Alia looks rather serene, as she seems to have her attention more on Ferris for the moment, though the mention of baseball piques her curiosity, "Baseball? I didn't realize there was a team here on campus."
"No, they're definitely not the Clash," Tyche agrees with a grin. She takes a sip of her tea, then looks to Liv. "I actually find it pretty soothing. Sometimes I turn it on loud as I can while I'm drawing, just to annoy my neighbors." Okay, that's probably not true, but off topic deserves obnoxious. "Hi, Alia! Nice to meet you. I'd shake your hand, but then we'd have to reach over poor Ferris' food. I hope you'll accept a wave!" Which she promptly supplies.
"It's less a competitive team and more intramural," Ferris tells Alia. "There are a few other such teams in the city, and it is, if nothing else, good practice at pretending normalcy." He chuckles and shifts his chicken-with-green-beans toward himself. "Do not feel the need to avoid it simply to spare my dinner. My dinner can be moved."
"I'm glad you called. Hey, tell Hunter to answer my email," Adrian says, pushing up from the chair apart from the group. "Ditto." He slaps the phone shut on his thigh and tucks it back into his pocket. A smile still on his face, he rejoins the table, giving Tyche a light nudge with his elbow as he sits down. "Hey, Tyche." Antigone's question is answered without missing a beat, "A friend from back home." He looks to Alia and Ferris with friendly nod, "Hey. Adrian Young. I'd shake your hand, but 'touch at your own risk' runs in the family."
"Must try that," Liv says, lips twitching with a hint of amusement, probably guessing at the stretched-truth there. "Of course, my neighbors are capable of inflicting their own immense degrees of harm on other people." She shakes her head, back to poking at her food as if it's some kind of art project again. A flash of interest at Adrian's comment. "What do you do?" she asks.
Alia smiles, "Well, that's considerate of you Ferris, but I wouldn't want to put you out." She chuckles and waves back towards Tyche, giving her a nod, "Well met, then." She then glances over towards Adrian, "Oh? I am Alia s'Harien." She does look rather curious at Adrian's comment.
"Do not be put out," Antigone interjects. "Adrian cancels the powers of others, in much the way his brother absorbs them. I am curious…at some point we should test if your abilities extend to the mystic realms," Antigone says.
Ferris makes the connection quickly. "Linus' brother?" he asks. "I met him once. Ferris Tetsuno-Gun. Pleased to meet you." He has not had much opportunity to get to know either brother, but he remembers how Linus was avoiding contact with others like the plague. He pushes his food back into place and grins, winks at Alia. "I put myself out as need be." He starts to help himself to chicken and beans.
Tyche winces a bit at Adrian's nudge. "Ow, careful, I've got a bruise there." She smacks Adrian gently on the arm, then goes back to her food. "So how's back home? Was that the cheerleader?"
Adrian's expression flickers to guilty as Tyche says that about the bruise, but then she smacks at him and he smiles again. "I'll err on the side of caution for now," Adrian tells Antigone, "Since it's been pointed out to me more than once that some people might need their powers to, you know, survive?" He picks up the orange from his tray and starts peeling it.
A nod is given to Ferris and the boy strikes a pose, giving a wink. "You didn't notice the family resemblence? Nice to meet you Ferris." Adrian looks at Tyche as he continues peeling the orange. "Things are terrible back home. Falling apart without me. The world as we know it is coming to an end and it is all originating in Cleveland. Antigone, you'd better have your list ready. The Apocalypse is nigh!" He's full of himself tonight. "The cheerleader?" He's actually puzzled for a moment at where that came from, but then the lightbulb comes on. "Oh, from the picture on my desk. Yeah, that was Violet."
"Ah." A note of wariness enters Liv's voice, but her eyes are thoughtful. "How long does it work for? Do you know if affects anything permanently?" She prods at her food. "I'm Liv," she offers across the table to Tyche with a brief, apologetic smile. "Sorry, got a lot on my mind right now."
"Ah, I knew you had a girlfriend," Antigone says, confidence in her sensory abilities restored. She just knew something was up with Adrian. "I hardly think so. The next apocalypse based in Cleveland is not set until 2014. I doubt it has been rescheduled." Antigone returns to the intense task of finishing her dinner.
Alia hrms, "I thought it was 2012 that we all had to deal with the sentient earthquakes and questionable physics theories…" She arches a brow towards Antigone, "Or is Cleveland just two years behind the curve?"
"That makes two of us," Tyche replies to Liv with an appreciating and sympathetic smile. She glances at her food, then wrinkles her nose. "This stuff's awful," she says, pushing the plate aside. "So /is/ she your girlfriend?" Emboldened by a swack of other girls, Tyche is apparently redy to ask all the hard questions.
"I am on the baseball team," Ferris notes to Adrian. "I look forward to having you join us." Pause. "I overheard part of your conversation — I apologize." As though they all hadn't. He glances at Antigone when she predicts doom in 2014, glances over at Alia, shrugs.
Now Antigone looks actively annoyed, looking at Alia. "Second rate prophecy interpreted by third rate hacks and perpetrated on the public by fourth rate intellects," she says with great derision. "Interpreting prophecy is a tricky businesses, even for the most experienced mystics. You hardly think they would be making their knowledge public, do you?" she asks.
Alia just looks rather calmly back at Antigone, "Hey, /I/ have a ticket back home if I need it." She grins wryly at Ferris, "Care to come along and avoid Armageddon?" With that, she takes a few bites of her sandwich, still looking somewhat amused at the direction of the conversation.
"It's not permanent," Adrian tells Liv, "though I can't really turn it on and off at will. I figure eventually I might be able to. I hope so anyway. Since the only way other than letting it wear off over time is to get knocked out and I prefer to avoid that." Adrian looks at Antigone and rolls his eyes. "Of course you did." He pops a piece of orange into his mouth. Chews. Swallows. He looks at Tyche, then seeks support from the only other male at the table, "There's no right answer to this question, is there?"
Adrian rubs at the back of his neck with a hand, "She and I were kind of starting to date, but unless you mean is she a girl and my friend, which I don't think you do… then no. I mean, we never made any official sort of commitment." He coughs and pops another orange slice into his mouth. Oh! Baseball! Much better topic. "Right on. Don't apologize, dude. I was wondering who else would be playing."
"You truly believe an apocalypse would not affect your planet? How disappointingly naive," Antigone says to Alia. "I am sure your people have their own mystics working remove threats which originate on your world," she continues. Antigone finishes the last bit of her salad, attention drifting to Adrian's rapid attempt to salvage himself. She looks knowingly at the other girls.
"You have a lot on my mind?" Liv quips with a slight grin. "To be fair, I think most of the food is past its peak right now." She gives up on eating, crossing her fork over the plate with an air of finality. "Mmm. A clever mystic might put his prophecy out publicly for precisely that reason. Who would really believe they had the real thing in their hands if they got it off a cereal box?" Is she joking or serious? By the eyes, it's hard to tell. She nods to Adrian, still thoughtful, but not commenting further. She rises, collecting her - mostly untouched - tray. "I'm going to head out."
"I am strongly in favor of avoiding Armageddon," Ferris tells Alia, "so long as we have exhausted every possibility of deferring it. If we do not do so first, I will spend the rest of my life with my ancestors complaining not only that I am not dating a nice Shinto girl, but that I allowed all of the nice Shinto girls to blow up." He sips his soda before replying to Adrian, "It changes from year to year. But it's usually fun and we only have to erase the memory of the crowd on rare occasions."
Tyche snickers at Adrian, then starts digging into her salad. "Now the real question is, does Violet see it that way." She smirks amusedly, then leans down to peek at Antigone. "Why spend our time stressing over the coming apocalypse if we can't prevent it? If we can, then hey, let's get out there and get to work, right?"
Alia hrms, "Aside from the appalling lack of knowledge of how particle physics work… I mean, frankly, if neutrinos were able to melt the Earth's core they'd fry all life on the surface… to say nothing of the lack of gravitational effect from a planetary conjunction." She shrugs at Antigone, "Typically an apocalypse is confined to a singular planet. If it effects the entire universe, then there is certainly cause for concern."
"Come now," Antigone says to Tyche, "do I look like a fatalist to you? Apocalypses can be averted. It happens frequently. Prophecy is…prophecy. It is not a filmstrip of the future." She places her silverware on her now empty plate and wipes her mouth with her napkin. "The magical realm is not so constrained. As life on earth is liked, so too is life across the universe. A few effects propagate far, such as apocalypse-level events. Most would unravel the entire fabric of reality."
Liv has left.
Adrian looks at Tyche and pops another orange slice in his mouth. Sometimes, he swears girls are just out to torment boys. "Guess only time will tell," he says with a grin. He finishes off his water and picks up his tray. He did finish off his food at least. "Sounds like fun, Ferris. I'm looking forward to it." He pauses, since there are two conversations happening simultaneously, and he just wants to clarify. "The baseball, not Armageddon." With his free hand, he scoops his backpack up and slings it over one shoulder. "See you back at Rider, Tyche. Alia, Ferris, Antigone, nice to meet you…" To Liv, Adrian nods towards the place where finished trays are to be deposited. "Walk you back to your dorm?" You know, because it's not every day you get to escort a criminal.
"Certainly," Ferris tells Adrian. "I expect we would all prefer to avoid doing the Armageddon." His eyes roll briefly. "Nice to meet you as well." He glances back at the ongoing conversation, hums a few bars of REM to himself — that's among his father's CDs, too.
"Bye, Adrian," Tyche calls, and even waves to him. She looks back to Antignoe and shrugs. "I dunno, but you're talking like it's the end of the world that's coming. That /is/ what Armageddon means, right?" She shrugs, then asks, "What are we supposed to do about it?"
"I believe I should depart as well," Antigone says. "I am sure I will see you all again soon." She stands, stacking her dishes together, her tray long gone. She smiles at Tyche, as if she were a charming child saying something adorable. "Fight it, of course," she replies, voice almost Churchillian. "Rest well. The world shall not end tonight."
Alia smiles faintly, "Well, I would certainly hope not… I need to at least finish my sandwich. And perhaps see a few things before the world ends." She hmms, "And shopping. I need more shopping to do."
