Who: Aveline de Grandpré and Penelope Garcia What: Dungeons & Dragons talk! When: 1/24 Where: A bookshop near Stark Industries Rating: PG Status: Complete
After class, Aveline had gone to the first bookstore she’d found on Yelp with a good reputation. She needed a new rulebook. She was excited about finding a new D&D group - it had been a while, and while nothing would replace her old group at home, she missed the camaraderie. The fooling around and joking, the real work that went into character sheets and rolls. It was a great diversion.
Garcia had agreed to meet her at said bookshop, and hey, she could pick up some extra sourcebooks while she was there. Her copy of Faiths and Pantheons was old and worn, she could use another one. If they had it. Which she doubted.
Down the gaming aisle, Aveline saw a blonde that she thought was the right person. “Excuse me. You are Penelope?” She was pretty, with black framed glasses and a delightfully flashy dress. “My name is Aveline. We spoke on the internet?”
“Hi!” Garcia smiled and waved, resisting the impulse to hug her. Apparently strangers didn’t like hugs. Garcia had just learned to live with that. “Did you find the place all right?”
“Yes, you said it was the first Yelp review, and that helped.” Aveline smiled. “I love your dress. It is nice to meet you - thank you for even offering to see me about your group. I figure it is a good way to make friends out here, a common hobby.”
“Oh, thank you! And it totally is a great way to make friends. I kind of cobbled a group together out of people from my work who don’t suck, and people I just like in general. There’s a lot of rotation in and out because of work schedules, but I love it.” It was like a party with whimsy.
“Ah, so. So if I have a shift, it won’t upset people if I have to miss a session? That does please me. I’d hate to be an inconvenience.” Aveline shook her head. “I work strange hours sometimes.” She was putting herself through school to get her masters degree; there were only a few options for well paying jobs, and the Palomino was at least patient with her classwork.
“Nope, I try to keep a few campaigns on rotation so that people who missed one can play with people at their level.” She smiled brightly. “I’m so lucky that I’m a tech geek who got an eight to five, normally they figure we’re all hopped up on the Dew and make us work late.”
“That’s good of you, really. I am a graduate student, and sometimes it just doesn’t work out in terms of time.” Aveline smiled. “You look about my age - I bet you are very popular. You are pretty besides.”
Garcia’s eyes went wide, then she blushed. “I’m thirty-four, I don’t know how old you are. And my boyfriend thinks I'm pretty, which is more than enough for me since he’s the most handsome man alive.”
“Really. I am twenty-seven. And it’s always good when we think they are the most handsome men alive.” Aveline winked, laughing. “I like men, but I know when a woman is pretty, that is all. I also am wondering where you got this nail polish.”
“Oh, it’s an indie polish. Rainbow Honey is amazing,” Garcia gushed. “But no, seriously, Sebastian is the most handsome man ever, objectively, subjectively - he just is.” She pulled out her phone to bring up a photo of her and her boyfriend.
Aveline looked over, expecting to see a reasonably attractive man, and was somewhat surprised at the ridiculous good looks in the photo. “Wow!” was all she could say, laughing. “In the past, I have never dated a white guy, but I might make an exception if he were single.”
“He’s Scottish, too.” Garcia sighed a little. She half hoped Morgan would show up so she could fix up Aveline and Derek, if only because the girl seemed a little wild and she knew Derek’s type.
“Oh? And you can understand him?” She’d never met a Scottish person, or at least she didn’t think so. “Some people have trouble with my accent; I’m glad you can understand me.”
“Maybe I just have a good ear, I understand you both fine. Though when Bast is super duper drunk, it sails right over my head.” Garcia giggled and shrugged. “But that happens with everyone when you get super duper drunk, probably.” Seeing the Book of Vile Darkness, Garcia made a glee noise and snagged it off of the shelf. “Evil campaigns are fun sometimes.”
“I grew up in Little Haiti, down in Miami. So I got bits of speaking English, Haitian Creole, French and Spanish. Apparently it’s an interesting mix.” Aveline smiled. “I don’t know how I sound when drunk, because I used to hang around with only Spanish and Creole speakers at home. I didn’t use much English until I started going to undergrad.”
“Oh, I speak French, but it’s probably totally different than what you speak. I learned it from a Canadian teacher in high school, then a Belgian man in college.” Garcia chuckled. “It’s good to know I can only visit those two countries.”
“Haitians use French as the official language, so our French is actually probably fairly close. It’s Creole that is the language of the people, and that’s far enough away that it’s hard to understand for French speakers.” Aveline explained. “I got my French because my parents wanted me to take it in school. It’s the language I’m least familiar with.”
“That makes sense,” Garcia sighed. “I wish I knew more languages, to be honest. Computer code doesn’t really count.”
“It’s a good thing to know, though. Everyone seems to be looking for computer people nowadays. I need my masters before I can get a good job in my field.” Aveline shrugged. It seemed to just be that way.
“It’s that way in computers too, alas.” Garcia shook her head. “My parents didn’t get it when I just kept going after undergrad.” Of course, they were hippies, and had just said she could get in on their cheesemaking business. Garcia still knew how to make cheese, she just didn’t want to do it professionally.
“I am paying my own way through for my masters - I got scholarships in undergrad, but I wanted to come here, to the best program, and they gave me nothing. So.” Aveline shrugged again, though she smiled a little. “I work. And play Dungeons and Dragons to blow off steam.”
“It’s smart of you,” Garcia beamed. “I’ll probably never be out of debt.” Well, that was an exaggeration; Stark Industries paid very well.
“Well, I also had no choice.” Aveline said. “I wasn’t getting my masters unless I got it myself.” She didn’t want to talk about the job she did to pay for it - even women as nice looking as this one might be judgmental.
Garcia nodded. “Well, as long as you like it and the hours work around school, right?” Garcia smiled and shifted her books in her grasp. “Do you need dice or anything?”
“Oh, no. I have my own. Even have a figure of my sweet little half-elven wizard.” Aveline grinned. “All I would need is your permission to come, and directions to the site.”
“Oh, good!” Garcia beamed, and then she pulled out a pad and jotted down her address. “Google maps will lead you true,” she beamed. “Every Wednesday, we meet up at eight, but you can come later if you need to.”
“Most Wednesdays should be fine, but I appreciate your patience with the Wednesdays that are not.” Aveline jokingly bowed. “I really am grateful for your inviting me. It makes me not feel quite so lonely, in all honesty.”
“I know what it’s like to be in a new town, and friends are awesome. I’m glad I have another one.” Because they already were, in Garcia’s eyes.
“It’s nice to meet you, Penelope! I will look forward to the game. And I promise I will not pout very hard if you are a cruel DM.” Aveline chuckled before heading to pay.