Spy Games, Monday, Period 5

[saveyoulater.livejournal.com]

If Sarah didn't seem nervous as she waited for the class to assemble, that was only because she'd spent the last decade keeping cool on the outside no matter what went on underneath. Just teaching for the first time would be bad enough, but there was one student name on the roster that she had very much never expected to see here.

"Welcome to Spy Games," she said with a smile and a twist of her sweaty palms against her skirt as the time came for the session to begin. Her voice came out calm, sure, self-confident as possible. Thank God. "I am your instructor for the next two months. My name's Sarah Walker and, to get this out of the way, I am qualified to teach this class because I worked for the CIA for the last several years. My main focus was protection of national security data."

Anyone at the CIA could say that, but Sarah was hoping to ward off questions.

"If you're here," she went on, "I'm going to assume you want to be a spy, or at least want to know how to be a spy. Maybe you want to work for the government; maybe you just know a lot of people you don't trust. Whatever your experience, there are all kinds of applications for the stuff we're learning here. The syllabus and rules are on your desks, but some of the things we'll cover are lockpicking, disguise, persuasion, and weapons."

"But today, we're talking about basic undercover work," she went on. "If you're undercover, you're lying to everyone all the time. You lie about your name, your family, what you do for a living, maybe your politics, maybe your religion. But under all that, you can't change who you are. You're still you, but the details are different. And the secret of good undercover work is using that."

"For example, I'm not exactly the chattiest person in the world. If I go undercover for more than a few hours and I decide I'm going to be someone who can't keep her mouth shut, I'm going to get caught fast. I'll always have to think about the part I'm playing, and that's when people make stupid mistakes. And a big part of your job as a spy is not making stupid mistakes."

She cleared her throat, finally relaxing into this. "I understand the tradition for the first week of classes is introductions. We're doing that, but with a twist. If you've heard of the game 'Two Truths and a Lie,' we're going to play that -- except you must make one true statement about yourself, one false statement about yourself, and a third statement that can be either true or false. Your fellow students will guess how many lies you told, and which they are."

"Remember that if you're undercover, you're lying for a reason. And in this class, you have a purpose too. Tell lies -- and truths -- that will make me think you have it in you to be a good spy." She pointed out randomly. "You first."

Once the students were done with the game, she smiled before dismissing the class. "Your assignment for the week is to tell one lie. It doesn't have to be a big one or about anything that matters. Just tell it and see how it feels; we'll report back next Monday. And if any of you want to be TA, I could use one. And Miss Bartowski, please stick around too -- I have a quick question for you."

She was impressed how level her tone sounded on that last bit.

[OOC: First posted class of the semester! I will pick up tags in the a.m.]

Comments

Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[saveyoulater.livejournal.com]

Say your name and three things about yourself --one true, one false, one either. Then ping to each other trying to guess which is which; Sarah will guess too.

Re: Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[glacial_queen]

"Kiss kiss," she greeted the class. "I'm Karla Lastnameless in canon di Glacia. I'm a Black Widow, I've ridden a unicorn, and I've insulted the High Lord of Hell to his face."

Re: Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[saveyoulater.livejournal.com]

That was an introduction Sarah would notice.

"Hi Karla," Sarah said. "I am going to take a wild guess that you're from someplace pretty far from here."

She considered the girl a moment longer before adding, "... and I don't think you're a Black Widow." She was going by instinct, in part, as well as the girl's age and the vague sense that if she was she wouldn't say it.

Re: Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"...somehow, I doubt the unicorn," he said thoughtfully.

"No offense, of course."

Re: Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[notyourpawn.livejournal.com]

"One suspects that insulting the High Lord of Hell would carry with it a rather high mortality rate," Alice mused.

Re: Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[ihaveniceteeth.livejournal.com]

"I'm Gwen," she said. "I've made out with an alien, I used to be a police officer, and I'm married."

Re: Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[saveyoulater.livejournal.com]

"Good to meet you, Gwen," Sarah said. "The alien one is the only one that sounds true, but I've been here long enough not to be sure about that one."

Re: Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[glacial_queen]

"I think being married is the lie," Karla said. "But I bet you do have a Consort."

Silly Karla. Just because marriages are much rarer in your world...

Re: Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[notyourpawn.livejournal.com]

"Would divorced or widowed count as married, in this instance?" Alice asked. She liked finding more information before declaring her guesses.

Re: Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

"Edmund," he introduced himself. "I'm allergic to chocolate, I'm a King and I once found a country in a wardrobe."

Re: Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[saveyoulater.livejournal.com]

"Hello, Edmund," Sarah said. "... you're going to have to explain the country one. Even if it's your lie, it'd take an interesting mind to come up with that."

Re: Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[wantstocheer.livejournal.com]

"For your sake, I really hope the first one is a lie," Claire remarked.

That was the worst thing she could imagine.

Re: Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[wantstocheer.livejournal.com]

Claire considered her options and decided to go with things that were close to true.

"My name wasn't always Claire Butler, I collect teddy bears and I'm an only child."

Re: Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"Liir Thropp," he started, glancing around and considering everyone else's introductions, "I'm a tribal prince, my mother was a terrorist, and I want a goldfish for my room."

There.

Re: Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

She could not participate, true. But that might mean pissing off the (ohcrapohcrapohcrap) CIA agent and Katchoo had a feeling that might be a bad idea.

"Aw, geez . . . fine. Katina," she said, deliberately leaving out her last name. "I'm an only child, I stole a steak from Kevin Spacey, and I'm not a natural blonde."

Re: Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[endsthegame]

"I'm Ender Wiggin," he said. He'd done something like this before, and he had no doubt it'd be smoother this time. "I spent most of my life living in space, my brother is currently taking over the world, and I didn't pick this class."

None of which were facts he cared about anyone knowing.

Re: Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

Oh, now, this was an interesting game. Valentine paid half attention to everyone else's while thinking of her own, wanting to pick the plainest, most boring and unassuming details she could.

Or maybe the right tack would be most obvious lies she could. If two could potentially be lies, it just seemed wiser to make them thus, and obviously so, but not reveal much of the truth if you didn't have to.

"I'm Valentine Wiggin," she said. "I'm seventeen, I have six toes on my left foot, and I have an adorable little brother."

Okay, that last one was clearly debatable, and said only because he was actually in this class with her.

Re: Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[youcantfollow.livejournal.com]

Griff figured anything he could make up would be tame compared with aliens and conquest, but he smiled and gave it a try anyway.

"Name's Griff," he introduced himself. "Let's see, I'm a Capricorn, my dog's name is Mindy, and I've never been to school before."

Re: Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[intraspective]

Ino chewed her lip, considering her options.

"I'm Ino," she said, clearly. "My best friend hated me for five years running, I hate having short hair, and I'm fifteen."

Re: Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Effy stood after a moment. "I'm Effy," she said. "This is the third school I've been to in the last year, I have a sister and I stopped talking for two years, just because."

Re: Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[likethegun]

This game got a lot more difficult the more time he spent in Fandom, but Sam gave it the best shot he could.

"My name is Sam Winchester," he said. "I'm color blind, I'm the youngest child in my family, and I'm terrified of clowns."

Re: Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"I'm Triela." That part was easy, but then she had to pause and frown as she thought about what to se next.

"I tend to have trouble working with authority figures. I'm a huge bookworm. And I enjoy spending time in seemingly-pointless tasks." She smiled ever-so-slightly. It turned out it was easier to come up with lies if you just based them on someone you actually knew. Hopefully Claes wouldn't mind...

Re: Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[awesomebigsis.livejournal.com]

"My name is Ellie Bartowski," she told the class. "I like to cook, I want to be a lawyer when I grow up, and I have a younger brother."

Re: Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[icecoldfrost]

Somehow, Emma doubted 'I can probably kill you with my brain' would go over well on her first day, so she took a moment to decide.

"I'm Emma Frost," she said, voice dripping with condensation. "I am a natural blonde, an only child, and I literally just got in from Boston, darlings."

Re: Activity - Truths and Lies [Spy Games, 5/11]

[notyourpawn.livejournal.com]

"Alice Liddell," she said pleasantly. "I have been a Queen, a pirate on the high seas, and I have used a flamingo as a deadly weapon."