Shop Class; Friday, First Period [04/03].

[special_rabbit]

"Morning, everyone," Amaya nodded to the class, offering a small smile, feeling incredibly grateful that she'd managed to actually stop being a rabbit that morning, which had been a thing for her earlier in the week. She supposed that was one thing to really miss about having an apprentice; you were guaranteed to have someone there to find out when you went and turned into a rabbit, although a few days hopping around the apartment hadn't been that bad.

And that was it. The only thing to miss about having an apprentice.

Ahem.

"Today," she continued, "we're going to work with something a little lighter, with some material we haven't used much of yet, that's guaranteed to be fun and interesting and probably pretty messy, too, so I hope you don't have any big plans after this! I'm not much of potter myself, but, since we do have a few of these potter's wheels in here, why not try our hand at it this week?

( Pottery! )

"Any questions? Don't worry about making mistakes. With clay, it's hard to really see how it goes by just watching, so try to figure out what you do wrong and how to correct it, or ask for help if you need any. Now go get some clay! And probably some smocks, especially if you like your clothes. Honestly, if this doesn't get a little messy before you really get the hang of it, I'll almost be disappointed."

How To Be Civilized; Friday, Third Period [04/03].

[lilac_eyed_lieutenant]

"Hey, everyone."

If anyone had any doubts that Tisarwat might be a little excited to be pulling the ultimate TA duty of running class that day, the giant grin on her face should expel them pretty quickly. Deep down, she knew it wasn't even that big of a deal, but, still, she liked being able to exert some sense of responsibility, even if pretty much all her class was going to be was just dishing with her friends under the guise of a lesson.

Which would be far more fun than the other option, which was likely going to be about annexation. And she'd been here long enough to know that that topic would not be quite as big of a crowd pleaser.

"So, Seivarden couldn't actually make it into class today," she explained, "which means I get to step up as TA and run this week's lesson on How To Be Civilized, which I think you're all doing a wonderful job on, but we haven't paid as much attention to some of the more social nuances of Radchaai society, which is what I personally enjoy most, and so we'll be doing that today, especially since I figured it's just us, so we can be a little more comfortable without a teacher looming disapprovingly over our shoulders.

"Specifically, I wanted to talk a little bit about the delicate way in which Radchaai speak to each other, especially in social situations, especially when it comes to insults." Here, her grin bloomed again. "Now, I know you've all noticed that we place a lot of value in being polite and decorous in our interactions with each other, but there are often times when you're interacting with a political rival or someone who is competing with you for a top position or attempting to romance the person you're attempting to romance. It's considered terribly uncivilized to bad mouth that person directly, even though you may be tempted, but it is actually considered a useful social art to be able to speak badly about them but making it not sound bad. Anyone able to weave an effortless veiled insult into a conversation is immediately regarded with admiration and amusement but a failed attempt will leave you appearing clumsy and uncouth. So I thought today we could work on practicing the art of the veiled insult with each other, and what better choice for a subject do we have than someone we all clearly know and admire, our very own teacher, Seivarden Vendaai."

...did Tisarwat choose to cover this topic merely to trash talk the teacher while she was out with her friends?

Maaaaaaaybe.

Look, they had a bit of a past. One that Seivarden was completely oblivious to, but it was still a past.

Well, a past that was Seivarden's future, but....you get the idea.

"For example," she offered, sipping at her tea, which was, of course, available for everyone to enjoy, "in a conversation with friends, peers, associates, what have you, I wouldn't want to come right out and say that Seivarden is old," said the Radchaai with over two thousand years of memories, "but I might say something like, 'Aren't we lucky to have someone with so much experience under her belt to teach us?' And it would be incredibly rude of me to say that Seivarden's style is out-dated or unfashionable, but it would be just the thing to say something like, 'I truly admire that she has the confidence to pull off such a classic look!' If someone's tea set is not quite up to standards, one might mention that they're impressed with how well they manage to work with what they have.

"So, you see," Tisarwat concluded with a faint chuckle, "it's all about wrapping the insult in a compliment. It works incredibly well because one can hardly be upset over receiving a compliment, but those who are in the know can pick up on the underlying insult, while those who aren't merely see you as gracious and kind, even in the light of someone else's poor taste, bad tea, or questionable behavior.

"If you haven't gotten some tea already," she added, "please do so and we'll go around and practice how to construct polite but cutting commentary in civilized society."

Strategies for Maximum Media Absorption (Binge Watching 101), Friday

[captainskullpoopl]

"Okay, so this isn't going to be information you guys can use for a couple of years--" Vanessa winked broadly at the class. "But we thought we'd give you a head start on matching your drink to your show! For now you'll just have to," wink, wink, "stick to mocktails."

"Yeah, definitely don't get any tequila or rum on your way home, kids," Wade added, drinking what could have just been a soda. Could have been.

Vanessa's martini glass might have pink lemonade in it! You never know. "So the most important thing to consider is the mood of your show. You don't want to watch Real Housewives and drink beer." She paused. "Or maybe you do. I don't know. You do you. But it's really more of a wine show."

"Or big ol' Ina Garten Cosmos," Wade suggested. "But it's important to pick the right drink. Even just for watching someone making drinks."

"I want one of those giant martini glasses for my birthday," Vanessa told Wade very seriously. "Anyway, today you're going to watch this Youtuber who is of, wink," purely academic interest to you guys right now, and think about what your default drink of choice for binge watching would be. Because remember: binge TV, not beer. At least not until you're twenty-one."

"Or have a good fake ID!" They were great teachers.

"If you choose to go that route, remember, Rhode Island is not a real state." Vanessa, no. "Does anybody have any questions? No? Good." Vanessa clicked 'play.'

Student Council, Friday

[bigdamnprincipal]

Right around lunchtime, Zoe blew the dust out of the room pushed the pillows had somehow found their way into the room into one of the corners, set out pizzas, sodas, snacks, and desserts, and waited for the Student Council members she'd handwavily contacted.

"Good afternoon, everyone. Next week is prom, so it's another chance for everyone to dress up and dance." And drink questionably spiked punch! "We need to discuss what kind of theme we'd like to have. Maybe something not too complex, since our surroundings seem to want us to relax these days." She might have been enjoying some of that hot chocolate sometimes, shhh.