fh_trips | Endor [Monday, December 29]

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field trip 2008: endor

Endor [Monday, December 29]

Luke, a tall golden droid, and the Ewok chief Chirpa, were waiting for the volunteers when the portal finally deposited everyone on Endor. "Welcome," Luke said, giving them all a smile, "and thank you in advance for your help."

He gestured to the Ewok. "This is Chief Chirpa, the leader of Bright Tree Village, where we'll be staying for the next few days." Chirpa bowed to them, then spoke a few words. The droid shuffled forward to translate. "Chief Chirpa welcomes you to Endor," he said, words coming out pinched and precise, "and requests that you make yourself at home. If there is anything he or his warriors can do while you are assisting their neighbors, please let him know."

There was a brief conversation between Threepio and the Chief. "Or tell me and I will convey it," Threepio said. "I am C-3PO, human cyborg relations, and will be serving as translator for you during your stay here. Do watch out for the bugs, and the large drops, and the variety of creatures found in the forest..."

Luke shook his head at him and Threepio stopped speaking. "He worries a little too much," he explained with an easy smile. "If you'll follow me, you can drop off your stuff in the visitors' quarters and we can get started building some huts."

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"Do you want to be?" she wondered. "Or is it just an arranged thing?"

"It's arranged," she answered. "But it's for the best, for me, so I'll go through with it." Unless Dean came up with a way to break the curse and Penelope was really counting on that.

"That," she noted lightly, while she shifted some of the mess around, "didn't really answer the first question."

No, it didn't. "No, I don't want to be," she answered softly. Penelope couldn't lie.

"Okay then," Ino said. "Can you help me move this?"

This being a busted up board that was just slightly too long for her to move it on her own without massive awkwardness.

"When are you done school?" she wondered. "This semester coming?"

"Sure," she said and moved to grab and lift the other end of the board.

"No, I have another year after that, but I am getting married the end of this next semester. I will finish my senior year at him. At least this is the plan that my mother has determined for me."

"Do you have any plans of your own?" she asked, honestly curious as she made sure to handle most of the weight of the board. "Let's bring this over, this way a bit."

Penelope stepped the way Ino indicated, helping as much as she could. Physical work was new to her, but she was not unwilling, thus the reason for her being here.

"Oh, yes. I do, indeed. I want to be a horticulturist. I have several terrariums in my room. I love the study of plants and flowers."

Huh.

"Then what're you going to do about that?" Ino asked. "There's no point in studying if you're not going to do anything with it."

"I suppose... maybe once I'm married..." her words fell away. She had no idea how that would work out for her.

"Why're you so concerned 'bout what hasn't happened yet?" she inquired, setting down her end of the board with a thump. "If you want to do something, then do something about it now."

Penelope let go of her end and blinked at Ino. "But I am. I study in my spare time and take care of my plants. There is not much more I can do other than that. I'm very limited, you understand."

She scoffed. "There's loads of things you could be doing. People're only limited by themselves. If you think you can't do something, then you can't. If you want to be a horticulturist, then get out of your room. Books can't tell you everything. Taking care of only your plants means you'll just keep at that level. Plant something outside and see what the weather does to it, get a job at the flower store and learn how the temperatures needed to keep them fresh when cut are different from potted plants. Learn what they mean, and what they can do for people."

...Ino had strong opinions on plants, yes.

[Dear LJ, please keep working.]

Penelope smiled slowly. "I'm a creature of habit, I suppose. But I am slowly learning to change that. You must understand, Ino, it's not all that easy for me, to show my face in public. I've gotten much better since coming Fandom, but it's still something I am trying to overcome. I was never allowed out of my own home. My whole life."

[Omg, please.]

That's sick, she thought, but had enough tact (barely) not to say that out loud.

"Then study outside, even if you're not around people. There's a whole island of things to look at, and if you're not used to being outside you're going to have to get used to it."

Ino was rather blunt, wasn't she? Penelope wasn't used to being around someone like her... or wait, yes she was. Her mother was rather blunt, wasn't she?

Ducking her head, she nodded somewhat, and replied quietly, "Yes, yes, you are right."

Ino preferred the term 'opinionated' but blunt suited her just fine too.

She sighed, and put her hands on her hips. "You know," Ino said, "I think you could be pretty awesome. But no one is awesome at all if they don't try. I hate people like that, the ones that don't try, and I don't want to hate you."

Penelope tilted her head, looked at Ino. "I am trying, but I don't feel like I should have to explain that. People who know me, see it. There is much about me you do not know, Ino. Please don't presume that I could be awesome and am not already." No, Penelope didn't think she was awesome, but she had awesome friends so she figured she had to be a tiny bit awesome for people to like her.

"Maybe some people think you are," she said, with a confident little shrug. "But I don't think anyone with such half-hearted answers is. And that, Penelope, is my opinion."

"After all," she said, "you don't know me either."

"My half-hearted answers are just that, because I am so unsure of myself. I am not a strong person, but I am learning." She paused. "You're right, I don't know you," she said gently, "but I would never press my opinion upon you unless you asked." She would simply believe everything Ino said, or anyone for that matter. Penelope was a very naive and trusting person.

"Hey," she said, glancing over her shoulder at the area around them. "You say you're kept inside 'cause of your looks all the time? Want to hear a story?"

Her eyes flashed. "You might be interested in it."

Edited 2008-12-30 03:05 (UTC)

She wondered at that look in her eyes but found herself nodding. "Yes."

"Once upon a time," Ino said, "there were two little girls. One was bright, popular, and top of her class in looks, style, and grades. The other was painfully shy, lacking the power to believe she was worth anything, and had an overly large forehead. This little girl tried to hide it with her bangs, but people teased her mercilessly, and she spent all her time crying, so much so that she looked like a ghost--and that only got her more teasing. And more tears."

She tucked a bit of hair behind one ear, and glanced over. "One day, the little girl with the huge forehead was crying in the park, all by herself, and the popular girl came over and asked 'why are you crying?'. The popular girl listened to the other girl's story and, in the end said, 'come here tomorrow, and I'll give you something to fix it all'."

"You following so far?"

She was listening intently, so nodded at Ino. Yes, she was following. And there was that tug on her heart for that little girl with the big forehead. How could there not be?

"The next day, both girls were at the park again. The popular one, after making sure the shy girl's eyes were shut, tied up that hair and bangs the shy girl had grown to hide her forehead with a red ribbon--leaving the forehead bare to the world. The shy girl protested 'everyone will make fun of me even more!' and the popular girl just leaned over, poked her in the forehead, and said 'they only make fun because they know it bothers you. You've got a pretty face, so show it off to the world--confidently, confidently!'"

"Now, of course, the popular girl knew that the ribbon wasn't the cure-all she'd said it was, but it was the starting point, and as long as the other girl believed in it, then it was alright. The popular girl introduced the shy girl to all her friends saying 'this is my new friend, so you've got to get along with her'. In class, when the shy girl faltered, the popular girl was there to say something that would help. And in this manner, a year or so passed. The shy girl was still shy, but every day she wore the ribbon. And every day the popular girl did her best to encourage the shy girl to be more confident in herself."

"Then, one day, there was a break through. The shy girl had found the courage to confess to the popular girl, and a few of their other friends, who the boy she liked was." Ino shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Only... the boy the shy girl liked was the same one that the popular girl had liked for months. At that time the popular girl chose not to mention that she liked the same boy."

Endor [Monday, December 29]

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