fandomhigh | Spy Games, Monday, Period 5

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Spy Games, Monday, Period 5

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.]

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She's there after class, and watching to make sure she can snag Ellie.

"I don't think I'm supposed to be here," Katchoo said bluntly as she walked up.

Katina. Sarah remembered the girl from the shop; something about her had seemed just slightly ... off. But that had been months ago.

She smiled patiently. "Sorry," she said. "I'm pretty sure you're on the roster. Why do you think you're in the wrong place?"

"Frikkin' elk in the office." Maybe it wasn't fair for her to be casting aspersions on the elk's clerical skills, but it was convenient. (And 'elk' was a fun word.) "Whoever signed me up for this class wasn't me," Katchoo clarified. So far, she hadn't panicked; she'd count that as a victory.

"Oh." Sarah swept her hair behind her ears, thinking. "Well, do you want to stay here for the term?"

Katchoo did look genuinely uncomfortable for a second or two. "I guess," she said grudgingly; turning tail and running would probably look worse for her.

"I can't force anybody to stick around, Katina," Sarah said, a little laugh in her voice to cover her ... frustration. Something. She wanted to get to know the girl, but being too eager would clearly just scare her away. "If you need me to sign a drop slip, I will."

Katchoo shook her head. Looking too eager to get out might, on her part, clue Sarah in more than she was willing to risk. "Nah. 's not anything I really needed to learn --" being as she knew a little more than she would've liked as it was -- "but it's not going to kill me, right?"

Oh, delicious potential irony, and the way she said it hinted at that.

"I can promise nobody's getting killed on my watch," Sarah said, a touch more serious than she should have been about it as she absorbed the irony. "Thanks for giving this a chance, even if you don't need to learn it."

A beat. "I do still need that TA."

Re: Talk to Sarah [Spy Games, 5/11]

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Re: Talk to Sarah [Spy Games, 5/11]

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Re: Talk to Sarah [Spy Games, 5/11]

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Re: Talk to Sarah [Spy Games, 5/11]

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Re: Talk to Sarah [Spy Games, 5/11]

thismaskiwear.livejournal.com - 2009-05-11 16:05 (UTC) - Expand

Dean had looked over the classes being offered this term and decided which ones he would have actual experience in to offer as a TA. Spy Games was the first one on his list that was meeting so he showed up at the end of the period.

"Ms Walker?" he asked from the doorway once the students had left.

"That would be me," Sarah said, smiling up at him as she finished putting her things back into her bag. "Can I help you with something?"

"My name's Dean Winchester and I just graduated, so I'm looking for a TA position," he said. He gave her his best smile. "Do you have one for offering?"

"I certainly do," she said, matching the smile. "You're Sam and Grace's brother, right? I'd be happy to have someone from your family around."

"Yeah, I am," Dean said grinning. "Guess the Winchester rep preceeds me."

"I got to talk to Sam a little last week, about the Skrulls," Sarah explained. "It sticks in your memory."

She leaned back a little. "So why do you want to TA for a class on spying?"

"Hunting -- what I plan to do when I leave here in a few months -- often needs a lot of the same skills as spying," Dean said immediately, having rehearsed his reasoning ahead of time. "You're trying to research and gather information without people knowing what you're really doing or what the information they're telling you really means."

"That's a really good answer," Sarah told him honestly. "When you say hunting ... I'm going to guess you don't mean deer."

Re: Talk to Sarah [Spy Games, 5/11]

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Re: Talk to Sarah [Spy Games, 5/11]

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Re: Talk to Sarah [Spy Games, 5/11]

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Re: Talk to Sarah [Spy Games, 5/11]

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Re: Talk to Sarah [Spy Games, 5/11]

saltandammo.livejournal.com - 2009-05-12 00:00 (UTC) - Expand

Ellie approached Sarah a bit nervously. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"I did," Sarah acknowledged, smiling to try to put Ellie at ease. "Hi."

"So have people explained to you that there are people from different times and different realities here?"

Edited 2009-05-11 17:31 (UTC)

Ellie already felt better knowing she wasn't in some kind of trouble on her first day of class. "Yeah, I'm still not quite sure what to think of that. I mean, it's 1996 back home."

"It definitely takes a while to get used to," Sarah said. "I don't understand half of it myself. Anyhow, the reason I wanted to talk to you is -- well, this is a little embarrassing, but your little brother is Chuck, right? And you live in Tarzana?"

She knew checking would sound weird, but if this wasn't the real Ellie Bartowski, she could stop right here and send her on her way. It was unlikely, but just barely plausible.

Edited 2009-05-11 17:51 (UTC)

"Yeah, I'm from Tarzana," Ellie confirmed. "You know Chuck?"

"In about eleven years, your time," Sarah said. She was relieved Ellie seemed to be making this easy on her. "We met at his job, and we ended up going out a few times. It didn't work out, but he's a really great guy."

All of that was even true, as far as it went.

"Anyhow, I don't want to tell you too much, but I know you that way. it's a little weird from this end, too."

Ellie just stared. "Chuck? He went out with you? Wow."

Her socially awkward brother went out with a pretty blonde spy teacher? Because that was the important thing here.

Sarah grinned at Ellie, able to tell what she was thinking. "I had just gotten out of a long-term relationship and moved to L.A.," she explained. "Your brother was smart, cute and made me laugh. We weren't really at the same place in our lives, but I still think of both of you as friends."

She was sticking to the old cover; it kept things neatest for whatever version of herself existed in this Ellie's world's future. (And that concept made her head spin.)

"Please don't tell him. He's, what, 14 or 15 for you?"