fandomhigh | Art of Seduction [Wednesday, Period Four]

Once again class was held at the main campfire. The first thing the students would have noticed on arriving was a trestle table set up with various flowers, fans and leaflets.

"Today, we're going to be covering flirting," Bond began once the class had arrived. "The ability to flirt and to recognise when you are being flirted with in turn is one of the more valuable life skills you can acquire. Regardless of whether you actually intend to sleep with them, flirting with a skilled partner can be almost as good. If occasionally unhealthy for the ego.

"A large part of flirting involves a combination of conscious and unconscious body language," he continued. "Often a person will mirror or mimic the body language of a person they find attractive. Learning to pick up on and interpret these cues is often of immense aid." He continued in this vein for a while, explaining and demonstrating a range of cues.

"Often a society will evolve unique and arguably bizarre methods of flirtation. Two methods that have mostly fallen out of use were the use of fans to convey an elaborate system of signals." Bond picked up a fan and held it up before his face, fluttering it suggestively. "And floriography, also known as the flower language, which uses arrangements of flowers to much the same effect.

"One still current method of flirtation is the pick-up line, which I really would suggest you don't use as they tend only to work in cases where the user would be perfectly capable of flirting without them. In fact, over the years I've found that being yourself is often the most successful method of flirtation.

"Now for the rest of the class, I would like you to experiment with the various methods of flirting I've discussed with you today. Try flirting with a variety of your classmates and afterwards discuss with them why your attempts would or wouldn't have succeeded if it had been a real life attempt."

[ooc: ~~wait for~~ ocd up!]

[Class Roster|Previous Classes]

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"Not rude at all," Jack assured her. "If anything, it was rude of me to approach you without a proper introduction. At home that would be quite scandalous in itself."

He noted the slow fanning with some amusement, wondering if she meant to tell him she was married.

"May I ask where home is?" she inquired politely.

No, she certainly wasn't. She simply was cooling her cheeks, not having bothered to read up on the varying meanings implied by the using of it. If he were to inform her, no doubt even her toes would turn red.

"It's more when then where," he said. "1899. We're in Baltimore now, but we lived in Spain before that. I've moved around a lot."

And yet his accent was upper-class British.

1899. Penelope lowered the fan without thought, no more red cheeks or hiding her nose. "My goodness, that is quite some time difference."

She did catch the upper-class accent; after all, her family was well acquainted with societies nobles and she was to marry one herself just this summer. Best not to think about that.

"How is it that you came to be here?"

"My guardian was ready to leave Spain and seek out the new world," Jack answered. "Since I only had a year of schooling left, and I'd always been tutored at home, a boarding school was a way for me to adjust to the colonies." No, he still wasn't remembering that "United States" thing, not when he was distracted by a better glance at her nose.

"It's a dull story. What's yours?"

She arched a brow; tutoring at home they had in common, which was nice, she thought. But then she noticed his glance at her nose and she ducked her head somewhat, the questions she wished to ask having stuck in her throat.

"My story is probably dull compared to yours," she replied quietly without looking at him. "I'm here because... I ran away from home and my mother thought this school would be just the thing for me."

[And SP? as I'm off to a dental appt.]

"You're the second person I met who ran away," Jack informed her gently, feeling guilty at getting caught looking. "It's not dull at all. Are you happy here?"

[NP!]

"I am, yes," she replied honestly. The gentle quality of his tone affected her so she once again looked at him. "Like you, I was tutored at home. Unlike you, I presume, I was not allowed outdoors." Her smile was small, but genuine. "Being here means freedom to me, so yes, I am happy. So far, are you happy here, Jack?"

"I was allowed outside," Jack confirmed, off-handedly. The girl's story worried him, and he tried to put it into terms he could understand. A servant, perhaps? He'd heard of worse treatment -- but she hadn't the bearing for it, and it was a rude subject to ask about if she had been one.

Later. For now, Penelope's past went in the box of mysteries he hadn't solved yet.

"And I am happy enough," he said. "It's not dull, I can say that much, and the people are wonderful." The last was accompanied by a teasing smile.

"They are, I do agree," she said. With the exception of Alex, of course. He was not wonderful at all and she doubted he ever would be to her.

Life, she knew, could not be perfect.

"What year in school are you? I'm an upcoming senior."

"The same," Jack said. "Have you been here long?"

She shook her head. "Not too long, no. The whole of my junior year." She wrinkled up her nose a little in slight consideration. "It goes by so fast and I plan to take better advantage of this next school year."

"It isn't long, now to next May," Jack said, though the months sometimes seemed to stretch on endlessly to him. "What do you want to do with your time, Penelope?"

She glanced back down, at the fan she held closed now in her hand. It wasn't easy talking to someone she just met, but he seemed decently kind and he hadn't yet told her that her face disturbed him. So she answered truthfully: "I want to not be afraid to meet people. To get out of my room more. I want to do things I've never done, which is probably anything anyone could name." She smiled, shyly. "And all of this before I graduate and have to return home."

"I wish you luck with it all, then," Jack said, still gentle. Again, these seemed like sad subjects, but he definitely wanted to talk to Penelope again outside the class. "And you haven't taken your flower yet."

He held it to her again.

"I haven't!" she exclaimed, chuckling. And she accepted it gratefully. "Thank you, Jack. It was very nice to have met you."

"And to have met you as well, Penelope," Jack said, bowing his head slightly as he went off to find his next victim.

Art of Seduction [Wednesday, Period Four]

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