Skittish Newcomers

With the holiday season upon us, I have had little time to be in-world this past week or so (and a week-long out-of-town jaunt coming up, but that is another story), and I had little planned during those brief periods in-world, so I thought I would spend a little time in Oxbridge to provide a warm Caledonian welcome for whoever should pop through the portal.

Several observations: first, not many people were in Oxbridge over the two or three hours of my Welcome Wagon duty. Second, even fewer wanted to talk to me. I suppose I'm still irritated at the claim (relayed by Kamilah? I can no longer recall) that Caledon had a reputation for being stand-offish, because that has not been my experience as a newcomer. Nonetheless, the two main reactions to my greetings have been (1) silence or (2) teleporting out. Admittedly, the sample size is quite small, but I'm beginning to develop a complex. Maybe I just look desperate. Third, one couple decided that the first thing they needed to do once they found the rooms in Oxbridge was to...was to...hmmm, there's no delicate way to put this, is there? And they lacked genitalia, suggesting a shocking lack of knowledge of basic biological principles. Mr. Whybrow noted on ISC chat some days ago that he encountered a young woman - I hesitate to say "lady" - running naked through the area of free goods. He noted the irony of being surrounded by free clothing, yet unable to bring herself to don any.

In the meanwhile, I have been wondering what is developing in Oxbridge Village. Kathy ran into Duchess Kintyre the other day, the former having been skulking near the latter's residence. Mrs. Lanzius was gracious enough to spend a few moments chatting, noting that the Openspace sim restrictions limited the ability of Clan Kintyre to host gatherings in the duchy proper, so she had made arrangements with the Guv to transplant a public hall "next door" in Oxbridge Village. So one mystery solved. However, the various identical houses - I had heard rumors of shops - stand empty, and at least one large bare spot remains. One wonders...