fandomhigh | Unconventional Tactics, Tuesday, Period 2

"Yo, Rookies!" If Reno looked a little less mellow than usual, that was totally the imagination of everyone in the class. If he looked like he'd done up a few more buttons than usual on his shirt, too? Well, that much wasn't. Even Reno could respect when it was really freaking awkward to go around half-dressed in front of students who were practically his own age. "We've covered all kinds of fun fightin' crap already, and healin' and all of that, yo. So today we're gonna expand a little on that barricade thing we did the other week, and go into defenses as a whole."

Insert thoughtful pause while Reno struggles not to make a horribly off-color crack about 'protection,' here.

"In the sim where we we set up that barricade and faced off against them griffins, we were really just stratchin' the surface, yo. There are plenty of ways to keep invaders out, beyond just pilin' things up. It's true, some of the best-fortified places have way more time to set up those defenses than we do, yo. Can we really be expected to-" he choked on the word 'erect,' "set up a wall around the whole island or whatever? But there are things we can do. I know my girl Rikku's got experience with puttin' together patrol droids, which ain't a bad first step. Knowin' there's an enemy on the way and gatherin' info about 'em early on is a big help on the way to fendin' them off."

Deep breath. Press onward, Reno!

"Makin' yourself ha-difficult to find is another important step. Camo, magic or tech-based sight-shields, findin' your way into convenient little hidey-holes, they're all gonna save your ass when the heat is on, yo. And then, of course, comes the barricade stuff. The point ain't always to pile so much junk so high that it'll take 'em forever to get in. That kinda strategy don't work against an aerial enemy, does it? But the same idea applies, whether you're layin' out mines, electric fences, or lightin' your barricade on fire for one major last stand."

Okay! He was in the home stretch now! He could do this!

"Discussion class today, yo. Knowin' as much as you do about the island, how would you go about protectin' what you got? Where do your own strengths sit? Talk about what it is you can contribute to fortifyin' the island if somethin' big hits, whether it's early-warning, finding a place to hunker down that'll give you a tactical advantage, or just keepin' shit out."

[Open!]

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"Scout," she said, very very flatly. "Spy."

Okay, Reno knew that Ino was cranky. Reno could even appreciate why Ino was cranky. But that didn't mean that Reno wasn't going to poke the ninja.

"You wanna elaborate on that one, Rookie?"

He suspected that she didn't, but, well...

Her look said, very clearly, that she would like him to drop dead at the moment.

"Gee," she said waspishly, "I don't know. Do I?"

Please, Ino, do excuse Reno for a moment while he pinches the bridge of his nose.

"You're a real handful, you know that?"

"If you say so," she scathed. "Who knows? Since apparently no one is permitted to make up their own minds anyway at the moment."

"You're sayin' the island is forcin' you to give me shit over somethin' that ain't my fault?"

Because Reno was completely prepared to give it right back, Ino. His mood wasn't terribly much better at the best of times.

"Better I give you shit than I give in to the fucking thoughts everyone else are thinking," she said, crossing her arms. "You expected anything better? You knew I was pissed and came over anyway."

So, clearly, it was his fault he was getting snarled at.

... Ino logic was Special logic.

Reno, just give your head a shake. Really, what else is there to do.

"I'm doin' the job, Ino. You chose to speak up, me, bein' the teacher, I asked for elaboration. If you can't respect me, at least respect that I do the job."

Reno wasn't a hell of a lot without the job, after all.

"You wanna sit in the hall or somethin', you're welcome to it. I ain't gonna stand here and argue, Rookie."

"Oh yes," she snarked, "you do the job. You made an interesting spectacle of yourself today."

Well. It was true.

Sweeping her notebook off the desk, Ino shoved in it her bag and stood up, swinging it over her shoulder. "And excellent suggestion."

She was going to take it. The hall would be less irritating than everyone else was today.

Deep breath in, Reno. Slow breath out.

"Yeah, I can see how buttonin' my shirt and checkin' what comes outta my mouth when I talk could be a problem."

He frowned, shook his head again, and sunk back a little farther behind his desk.

Teenagers.

She snorted.

"You wouldn't normally have a problem with what you were goin' to say," Ino challenged. "And you wouldn't normally think to censor anything that can possibly be taken out of context."

"And in a room full of teenagers, can you blame me?"

Reno kind of thought that words like 'hard' and 'erect' and that lovely zinger he'd thought up about protection were a good thing to skip over, but maybe he'd been mistaken...

"Yes," she said, because obviously she could and did and was. "All of the words that could've been used there are perfectly legit uses of the words. And it's--looks pretty bad when you ain't even standing up today."

Why yes, yes she was insinuating. Ino had very little sense of self-preservation today.

... For the week, really, though she didn't know that.

Oh. That was how it was going to be, was it?

Reno snorted, pulled himself to his feet, and then climbed up onto his chair, holding his arms out to his sides for inspection. Really, aside from the done-up buttons, nothing seemed amiss at all.

"Felt like sittin' today, zoto."

Unconventional Tactics, Tuesday, Period 2

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