fandomhigh | my life as a buddy movie | period 2 | wednesday

Today, the class was meeting in the Danger Shop after being ~~handwavily~~ notified of the change in venue. Loki was leaning against one of the walls, grinning slyly. Or innocently. His sly grin and his innocent grin did look about the same after all.

"Good morning," he chirped brightly, trying to make himself sound like a morning person even if he wasn't a morning person. "Today, we're going to look at another aspect of working with a partner. Endurance. Endurance, basically, is the act of sustaining prolonged stressful effort. If you don't think working with another person is fucking stressful then you're doing it wrong."

Really wrong.

"Basically, like all the previous lessons have said, it's going to take fucking time and energy to make your partnership as good as it could fucking be. If you give up immediately, then you're never going to know how good things could have been. If you give up that easily, I'm going to fucking label you a wimp too. You have to take the stress and use it and do that continually when you're working with someone. Fucking off because it's too hard isn't going to work. You have to endure."

He sounded like a fucking movie of the week. Ugh.

"So, when you're working with a partner and you're taking their shit and they're taking your shit, it's important to have some kind of alone time to de-stress. It could be exercising, reading, sleeping or doing some of the other dirty, wrong, bad stuff you kids do. Just make sure you have it. If you're attached at the fucking hip to someone, that stress is going to boil over into violence. Believe me, I fucking know."

It was just too bad Bartleby couldn't be injured. Fucking prick angel.

"For today, we're just going to see how good your endurance is. We're going to have some fun on a fucking ropes course." Oh yes. "I expect to see everyone on these things, running through the various activities and working for your fucking asses off. And do it together. This is a team building exercise for a fucking reason."

Once done with his lecture, he got things going and waited to watch the students on the ropes course.

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"Yah, I know it," she nodded. "Someone could have slept at least till noon."

"You didn't have to come if you were that tired," he told her, taking a donut. "It's not like I take attendance."

"I try not to slack when at all possible," she semi-lied. "Besides, had to be up anyway 'cause I work today." She took a donut and bit into the sugary goodness.

"You're such a good TA," Loki said, laughing. "You gonna get on the ropes course today?"

"I might have to answer that after my super huge cup of coffee," Amber answered, grinning. "If I'm bouncing by then, quite possibly I'll have a go at them." A beat. "Are you?"

"Fuck yes," he said, nodding. "These things are fucking fun. And here, you can't fucking hurt yourself if you fall."

She laughed. "Okay then, I might have to try it. I've never done a rope course before, you know."

"I've done them before but only when I've been really fucking bored and there's been nothing else to do," Loki said. He and Bartleby used to love dropping in on a ropes course during team building fun. It scared the shit out of people.

Which made her think. "What is it you usually do when you're not teaching?"

"I work in town," he said, shrugging. "Before that, I was kind of a freelance guy."

Curious Amber was curious. "Yah? Like a Jack of all trades sorta guy?"

"Sort of," Loki said, nodding. "I couldn't decide on one specific thing to do so I kind of did everything."

She took a bite of her donut. Seemed Mount Rose was full of those types. Jack of all trades usually took advantage of the stay at home mom's. She should know. Yah, her ma did hair in their own trailer (before it was blown to bits) which made it pretty damn easy. Least Amber only ever heard about it from the trailer neighbor and didn't have to witness it herself.

"Why'd you come here?"

"Why not?" he asked vaguely. "Seemed as good as every other fucking place I could have gone. And there was a job opening."

"Everyone has a story," she replied casually. "Just wondering if you had a juicy one you wanted to share. I mean, I'm leaving and stuff." She feigned a pout. A juicy story would liven her up, sure it would.

"You trying to use me for entertainment?" he wondered.

"I hope you don't mind," she commented. Cutely.

"I don't but that doesn't mean I'm going to tell you anything," he said and finished his donut.

"Man," she pouted, though followed that up with a grin. "I guess I won't tell you nothing then either." Because everyone wanted to know about Amber Atkins.