Event] This Isn't A Company Picnic [Hyper]

==> Hal

Ah, what a wonderful day! The the sun is shining, the clouds were light, and the birds were chirping in the afternoon. It was a perfect day for picnic.

It made Hal a little anxious, all the same even if the weather wasn't this good. Hal didn't really figure there would be a picnic event from the school and he had hesitated to go. Although, he figured Hari might go or some of the other people he'd met and he thought maybe it would be great if they ran into each other. He might have actually wanted to see Chloe too. Or Wind even, but she's vanished without a trace. He even asked Claire but her answer was... blurry.

In the end, he went to the picnic alone, a basket filled with snacks in his hands. He was walking around the park with his head low, trying to think if it was too late to go back. Well, he'd probably been there long enough to realize he couldn't find any of the people he knew well enough. At one point he just looked up, just as soon as he did, his gaze fell on a girl he'd preferred not to see. She had the scowl on her face just as he remembered and despite that summer get up, Hal could still feel that tense air around her. And she was alone.

"Didn't expect you'd be the type to be here," he said with a flat look on his face. He also didn't expect he would be there in the picnic but here he was.

"I'd have said the same thing to you," Hal retorted with a wry grin. Look who was talking, he thought. Hal actually didn't have better things to do. He was bored out of his mind and he wanted to see Ha-- his friends but they weren't anywhere to be found. Truth be told, his friends probably stayed home. Something he should have done himself.

Kirika's judging gaze didn't go unnoticed by Hal but he tried to play it cool, even if he did want to pull her hair from being such a huge bitch. Hal was just about ready to wait for another one of her tirade of insults when it was suddenly halted. Hal unconsciously tilted his head to the side, in curiosity. The next reaction she got out of him was a fit of stifled laughter.

"You. Are seriously asking me that?" he said with chuckles in-between. He tried to calm himself, making sure there was no left over from his fit. Hal let out a satisfied sigh, knowing that the girl who was trying to bully him was now asking for his help. (At least, that's his interpretation of this situation.)

The smile on his face faded to a neutral expression. "It's a picnic. You're supposed to sit back, mingle, and just chill the fuck out," he said with a flat face, "You seem awfully on edge for a picnic, you know that?"

Hal raised an eyebrow at her. It was like she had never been to a picnic at all to even question how it "works". Picnics are usually just as laid back as this one, he thought. Unless she meant...

Oh god, she was one of them. Corporate people were the ones Hal wasn't really able to get used to. True, he was able to join those company picnics as a child, when he begged his parents to let him tag along, only for him to be left sitting on a bench. A few of the kids talked to him but they weren't allowed to play as much. He hated those kinds of picnics. He swore never to ask his parents to let him go with them.

"For starts, you're not really required to do anything, I guess," Hal started. He hadn't really been on a picnic in a while either but at least he knew he didn't have to put up with having to be in his best behavior in this one. "You just do whatever you feel like. You're free to just hang out with your friends — assuming you have any," Hal didn't actually have to think to say that, it just slipped out of his mouth, "You don't really need to mind the others. You don't have to mingle with them if you don't want to. Unwind; do what makes you comfortable and don't fret too much." he added. There was a brief pause before he added, "And no business talk."

“Unwind? Wonder when I last heard that word.”

"Probably never," Hal said absentmindedly. Upon realizing he said that aloud, he just blinked a couple of times before muttering a quiet (and forced) "sorry". He looked at the grey blanket and he'd have probably agreed it was awful. Checkered was already pretty tacky in itself, and the grey made it even sadder. That was Hal's opinion of course.

He let out a soft sigh as he swiped the blanket off Kirika's hands. He placed his own basket beside Kirika's and went ahead to set up the blanket which he even doubled up and placed his own blue cloudy blanket.

"Well, you're stuck with me because I'm going to feel guilty if I leave you here sad and alone." Another pause. He would have said his apologies again but he shrugged it off and plopped down the blanket. Well, he was alone too but he was used to it to not be sad about it anymore.

For the few minutes of silence, Hal was just with his thoughts. Mulling over his decision because he know he really should have just stayed home. He wouldn't even be sitting next to the girl who had almost readily chewed him out last time. That was a mess, really. He had to avoid looking at people in the eye for a while after that.

The only thing that pulled him out of his thoughts was Kirika's voice. It seemed to take another second before Hal actually spoke, "Thanks," he muttered, at least more clearly than Kirika, before reaching out to grab a sandwich.

Another second before he grabbed the other basked and sat it next to Kirika's. Unlike her, he was pretty casual with opening the lid, "You can help yourself; not like anyone else is even going to eat it but us," he said, "Unless of course, you're allergic to poultry I'd steer clear away from the sandwiches." After saying that he turned his attention back to the sandwich Kirika made. His own basket was filled with club sandwiches and some fruit tarts in the corner of the basket next to something wrapped in a small towel.