fandomhigh | Unconventional Tactics, Tuesday, Period 2

Today, there was no lanky Turk standing in front of the class room. Just a weirdly dressed blonde girl that some of you might have taken classes with, a couple of years ago. She was holding a small bright red baby bird cradled in her hands.

"Hi, guys," she said. "I'm Rikku. I'm a friend of Reno's. He can't teach today, so it looks like your final is up to me."

Don't worry. She'd explain Reno's absence in a minute.

"First of all! We had an invasion last week, and all of you made it through. Good job! Maybe you were one of the people who went and fought goblins. Maybe you did research and found something important. Maybe you stayed in the dorms and held down the fort while everyone else went off to be heroes. What matters here is that the invasion's over, and everybody's still in one piece. So if you want to talk about what you did, or what you didn't do, we can totally do that. But you guys aren't going to have a final, because you already passed it. Just by getting back to class safe and sound."

The chocobo chose that moment to nod emphatically and blow a raspberry. Pbbbbbbthhhhhhht!

"See? Reno agrees," she laughed. "That's the second thing. Your teacher is currently an adorable little baby chocobo, and has been for almost a week now. But I'm sure he still wants to hear about how you guys did. Or how cute his little chin-chin is. Or wave a wing for pictures, if any of you need some blackmail material ..."

If she had to teach his class, she was, at least, going to amuse herself doing it.

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"So," Ino said, approaching at the end of class. "Should I explain to you why I weren't here last week, or wait 'till Reno is not a chicobo?"

"Either or," Rikku said easily. "If you tell me, I can pass it on. Or you can wait, if you'd rather."

And then, she held out the chicobo. "Or you tell him now and tease him later about not remembering."

Reno was content to pbbbbbbbthhhhhhhhththththt at Ino. Hello!

That got a faint smile.

"No point in telling him," she said, then shrugged. "Tell him portals were down and we were stranded."

Which told Rikku absolutely nothing about her week. But, well, Rikku wasn't Reno.

(Obviously.)

"Okay," Rikku said, nodding again. She had a feeling, from Ino's reactions in class, that that probably wasn't the whole story. But it wasn't her place to pry. She'd pass along a message to Reno that Ino had been stranded somewhere, and that he should nudge more info out of her himself. 'Your rookie looked a little off' was really all he'd need.

"I'm sure he'll be fine with it," she said. "When he's not spitting on himself and chewing fingertips."

She couldn't complain too much. He was painfully cute like this.

Her smile went a little more genuine. "But he's way cute this way, at least?"

"He really is," she laughed. "I think he does it on purpose."

As if on cue, Reno began attempting another vigorous pthththththhtbbbbt at both of them. So there! Look! Hey!

Unconventional Tactics, Tuesday, Period 2

Re: Talk to Rikku and/or Reno!

Re: Talk to Rikku and/or Reno!

Re: Talk to Rikku and/or Reno!

Re: Talk to Rikku and/or Reno!

Re: Talk to Rikku and/or Reno!

Re: Talk to Rikku and/or Reno!