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

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]

[glacial_queen]

Karla faltered. Was that a subtle warning not to admit to an association with the Hourglass?

"I am from far away. I'm still trying to figure out just how far," she admitted. Then, "But I am a Black Widow."

The last was said with a bit of defiance. She was not going to deny that part of her at Fandom High. It would feel too much like home.

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

[saveyoulater.livejournal.com]

"Here it usually means a woman who kills her husbands," Sarah explained, taking note of the defiance. "Which was your lie? I'm not as good at this game for people from different worlds."

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

[glacial_queen]

"Oh." Karla was a bit taken aback. That was a new definition. But she wouldn't put it past her Uncle Hobart to circulate it if he ever heard it. "From where I come from, a Black Widow is one of the Blood's caste. We heal the mind; weave tangled webs of dreams and visions; and are trained in the creation and use of illusions and poisons." She pulled out a necklace and held it up for Sarah to see. It was a small hourglass pendant, equal amounts of sand in both the top and bottom. "This means I'm Hourglass-trained, but not completely so. But even not being fully trained, I'm still a Black Widow; you're either born to the Hourglass, or not.

"As for my lie, I've never insulted the High Lord of Hell to his face. I did it in a letter."

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

[saveyoulater.livejournal.com]

All of that went over Sarah's head, but she accepted that none of it was a lie. It was too crazy to be a lie, really.

"How did you find out you were a Black Widow?" she asked. "Is it just something you know from the time you're little?"

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

[glacial_queen]

Too crazy and too detailed.

"I displayed tendencies as a child, yes. My mother and my aunt were both Black Widows, so it was easy for them to see the potential. But nothing is really certain until puberty, when you get this." She lifted her pand, palm up, to Sarah, and slid the snake tooth from under her ring finger nail. "Please don't touch it," she said quietly. "It is very venomous, and since I don't know anything about your physiology, I probably couldn't save you before you died. I and I do not wish another death on my conscience."

Well, she didn't really mind the Purple-Dusk Warlord's death. But Sarah didn't mean her any harm, and Karla would regret that. Her tooth probably wasn't quite as venomous as usual, considering she'd drained it only a few days ago, but why take chances?

"But, yeah, the snake tooth is kind of a dead giveaway," she said dryly, retracting the tooth.

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

[saveyoulater.livejournal.com]

"That's amazing," Sarah said, not sure where else to go. Her hands went behind her back, as if the tooth might snap forward to bite her. "Thank you for being careful with it."

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

[glacial_queen]

"It's the first thing we learn when we're inducted into the Hourglass. Fortunately, as girls, the venom isn't very powerful, but, even so, accidents happen. That's why the second thing we learn is how to counteract our own venom. The venom grows much more potent as we age and mature up until we make the Offering to the Darkness."

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]

[glacial_queen]

She grinned. "Actually, I was telling the truth about that one. He was the the Consort of the Queen of the unicorns, too. He's...amazing. They all are."

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

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"Ahh. Unicorns are a bit rare where I am," he admitted.

"No one's seen one for ages, in fact. We had one here as a student once, one from another world. He was nice enough, though."

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

[glacial_queen]

"And from everyone I've spoken to here, they seem to be just as rare. Sam told me about the one who was a student once. I wish I could have met him. It would be nice to see something that reminds me of home."

Never mind the fact that the unicorn probably would have been just as alien to her as everything else.

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

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"Do you have that where you're from? Lots of Creatures like that?"

Capital letter there.

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

[glacial_queen]

"I'm from Glacia, a Territory in Kaeleer. Glacia doesn't have any unicorns; they live in their own Territory, Sceval. We do have Arcerian cats though. They're huge, snow-white predators. They're beautiful. Many of them are what my best friend calls kindred--they're also members of the Blood, which means they're intelligent, they can wear Jewels, they can do Craft, and they have the same castes as the human Blood. Believe me, you pay a lot of attention when the witch teaching you about illusions has claws the size of your palm!"

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

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

Snow white cats made Liir think rather unfortunate things, but he did his best to push the thought aside to listen.

Not that it helped.

"...you lost me 'Blood'."

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

[glacial_queen]

Karla fumbled around for an answer. This entire place had her explaining the most basic tenants of existence in Kaeleer, and so finding the words was sometimes difficult. "To be a member of 'the Blood,' means to not be a landen. Umm...the story goes that millennia ago, the Queen of the dragons flew through the Realms, letting scales fall to the earth below. Every creature her scales touched became a member of the Blood, able to do Craft and wear Jewels...they became magic, I guess you could say. The Blood are meant to be the protectors, and caretakers of the land. Especially Queens. That's our job, to be the land's heart and the Blood's moral center. So, where I'm from, anyone who has power and can do magic is a member of the Blood, whether one is human or kindred. If they can't, they're landens."

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]

[glacial_queen]

"Well, he's my best friend's guardian, so I'd probably get away with it. But you're right. I didn't insult him to his face. I sent him a letter instead."

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

[notyourpawn.livejournal.com]

"Is that helpful?" Alice asked, curiosity getting the better of her. (As always.) "Having the High Lord of Hell as a friend's guardian? It seems as though that might carry perks of some variety, though perhaps not, considering the source."

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

[glacial_queen]

Karla shrugged. "He's the reason I'm here," she answered. Whether or not that was a good thing was still up for debate.

She was tempted to leave it there, but her innate fairness (stupid trait) wouldn't let her. She sighed. "By all accounts, he's an honest and just male. He didn't take offense at my letter; my cousin said that the High Lord even understood why I was in a bit of temper."

Something about Alice's questions got Karla wondering. "What do you mean, 'considering the source'?" she asked, puzzled. "Do you know the High Lord?"

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

[notyourpawn.livejournal.com]

"Not personally," she said, lifting her shoulders. "But I presumed by the High Lord of Hell, you meant the Adversary, He who was thrown from Heaven and rules Hell in its place. The Prince of Lies. One supposes the gentleman in question isn't necessarily the kindest or most generous of people."

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

[glacial_queen]

...

"I'm not sure what all of that is," Karla admitted. "Where's Heaven? I've never heard of that Realm. And the High Lord has never been known for lying or being unduly aggressive. People say he's really very honorable, and the people of Dhemlan are all quite happy and contented. He'd been the Warlord Prince of Dhemlan for centuries now--though he's spent most of that time in Hell--but still, in the living Realms, they'd probably be the people who know best."

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

[notyourpawn.livejournal.com]

"Heaven is Hell's opposite number," Alice said, confused as to how one could exist without the other. "The impure, the sinful, they are condemned to Hell, but those who lead honorable lives ascend to Heaven. There's occasionally an inbetween realm known as Purgatory, but that depends highly on the church one attends."

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

[glacial_queen]

"That's not at all how it works in Kaeleer. We don't have Heaven or a Purgatory. All Blood of sufficient strength go to Hell." She chose her words carefully, aware the explanation was probably going to be confusing. "When the Blood--the Blood are my people--when we die, if we have enough strength and psychic power, we can make the shift to demon-dead. And so we exist, until our strength fades and we fade into the Darkness. The demon-dead stay mostly in Hell, in part, because the oftentimes living are made uncomfortable by the dead, or are unable to move on with the dead person still there, and in part because the demon-dead are physically weakened by daylight. Hell is their home. The Harpies live there, and the cildru dyathe, and even Dujae, the best painter Kaeleer's had in...well, centuries. His Descent into Hell is amazing. All of his best work was painted after he died.

Being demon-dead gives us the opportunity to explore parts of ourselves we didn't get to in life. People develop new hobbies and explore talents that languished while they lived. Hell is their Realm, where they can live in peace, and the High Lord acts as their arbitor and mediator, keeping everyone safe and content."

There. That was simple wasn't it?