fandomhigh | Bringing Literature To Life--Through Violence! [Tuesday, Second Period]

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literature in action

Bringing Literature To Life--Through Violence! [Tuesday, Second Period]

Today class was in the Danger Shop. “Welcome to Troy,” Max grinned as the students arrived. Unlike Cindy, he didn’t bring coffee or pastries. Though, to be fair, there wasn’t anywhere to put them. Class was set in a large field of tents. They spread out to the left and right almost as far as the eye could see. Behind everyone was a rocky beach with ships anchored off of it.

And in front of them was a massively-walled city. It almost seemed to radiate an aura of defiance.

“You might notice that, well, not much is happening.” Max waved around them. There were soldiers running here and there to do errands, but many of them weren’t wearing armor or carrying weapons, and there was definitely not fighting going on. “Welcome to siege warfare. Remember that the point of a siege is to get the other side to give up because they’re running out of supplies. So all you have to do is surround them, cut off any chance to get more supplies, and wait.”

“And wait, and wait, and wait.”

“Sure there are a few skirmishes from time to time, but almost never do you have two armies clashing with one another directly. It’s all small-scale stuff.” He grinned and shot Cindy an amused look. “Which makes for great stories. Especially if you can manage to get the right, heroic personalities into those little fights. It can get all personal that way.”

“But siege warfare is boring. Really, really boring. Lots of waiting. In tents. Out in the open. With whatever comforts you’ve managed to build up since you started sitting around outside. And the Greeks were here for nine years.” He shrugged as his eyes swept his students. “Is it any wonder that they wanted to go home? They missed their families, but they also missed decent baths.”

“There’s another really bad thing about siege warfare,” Max pointed out. “Let’s take a look at the night the Greeks finally broke in.” The Danger shop shifted and suddenly the class was on a rooftop in the city, and it was night.

People ran screaming through the darkened streets, colliding with each other, tripping over one another, occasionally fighting each other. Screaming, yelling, the clash of weapons and armor, it was basically pure chaos.

“Welcome to Troy!” Max yelled to be heard over the din. “The Greeks took the city at night, and night fighting is always confusing and chaotic. You can’t see very far, it’s hard to tell whether the people you’ve run into are friends, foes, or civilians. And, remember, the Greeks had been here for nine years. Out in those tents. They’re pissed. To some degree they blame the Trojans for not giving up and surrendering so that everyone could just go home. That means that they don’t really care if they’ve found soldiers or civilians. They’ll kill, steal, and burn until there’s nothing left.”

“This is the first lesson of war and legend. War is always a messy, human thing. It’s driven by human pettiness along with everything else. And in some senses it’s brutal, thuggish, and dirty. Stories tend to leave out that part. That’s not to say that they get everything wrong, or that there isn’t some sort of glory in combat, but this part’s important too.”

Max nodded to a staircase at the back of the roof they were on. “Your assignment today is to explore the city. Grab a partner from class and wander the streets. While no one can get hurt, you might be chased if you’re spotted by the wrong people, so be cautious.”

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Outwardly, Cindy was totally composed, almost a little bored as she filed her nails and watched the screaming citizens run by.

Just a war, just one more war, and it wasn't like she hadn't seen enough of those in her life on Earth.

Inwardly, though, she was planning on going to get a few stiff drinks later. This all felt a little too much like the Last Castle.

Max glanced over at his co-teacher out of the corner of his eye. There wasn't anything he could put his finger on, but she seemed somehow stiller than usual. Not that he was going to come out and ask about that, but he did want to make sure she was okay.

Cindy glanced up and gave Max a smile. It was a calm, cool, and totally professional smile, one that had very little of Cindy in it.

"Nice setup," she said, cocking her head towards the room. "Fighting by torches. I don't think I'd be a fan. I prefer keeping my hands free for weapons."

Huh. She should have made that sound more hypothetical. Ah well.

Max's lip twitched in what might have been a smile. Or might have been a worried little grimace. It might depend on how closely you were watching.

"That's because you're a very practical woman," he pointed out. "Though there is something to be said for hitting people with a flaming stick."

"It's not as useful as a sword?" Cindy asked, with a trace of real humor warming her eyes. "Psychological issues aside."

"Well, that," Max admitted, "but also that if someone's been drinking enough, they go up like, well, a torch."

It was pretty funny the first few times he'd seen it, too.

"Exactly how much does one have to drink to be lit aflame by a torch?" Cindy asked for purely professional reasons only.

Really.

"Enough to spill half of it on yourself." Obviously.

Cindy frowned. "That's a waste of good alcohol!"

...And a guy getting burned. Yeah. Also bad.

"Actually, it was pretty terrible alcohol," Max shrugged. "Military camp, you know."

"Well, that makes it a little better then," Cindy conceded. "Though if it was the only alcohol you had..."

Still a waste, Max!

Max smirks slightly. "Only alcohol he had. Though I suppose I could have taken it from him myself..."

He pursed his lips.

"Look, I don't want you thinking I disrespect alcohol!" He cocked his head. "I can prove otherwise over lunch, if you like?"

"Lunch?" With booze with it? "That sounds great," Cindy said. "Now that we're allowed to have things like sushi and coffee and alcohol again."

Damn this island was insane sometimes.

"Heeeey, Ms. Perrault." Awwwwwwwwwkward. SO AWKWARD. "How's it going?"

That got a real smile out of Cindy. "Hello, Kenzi. I'm fine. How're you?" The smile got a little bigger. "Recovered from that dress, yet?"

Facepalm. Kenzi usually didn't care what people thought of her, but being dressed in skank-wear by a teacher was new territory. "Yeeeah. I ... don't even have any bruises or scrapes from that thing, even though it felt like I was wearing a boa constrictor. That was-- very weird."

"I was a little worried that it would cut off circulation," Cindy chuckled. "Or maybe suffocate you. Glad it did neither."

Heartened, Kenzi grinned back and then shrugged. "Nope. It's not like -- Um. Nope!" It's not like it stayed on that long would be epic-discretion-fail, yes? "Thanks for helping with that, though. I think I saw you around the Hannah concert too, right?"

And there, Cindy was facepalming. Facepalming so hard, she didn't even follow up on Kenzi's original thought.

"Errr, yes," she said. "I was helping with the...choreography."

With the pole. As you do.

Big Eyes. And choked giggling. "Really? Um. Wow."

Yeah, she had nothin' else.

"I should check on that poor girl," Cindy said, still wincing. "She also had a slight, umm, mishap."

Ever-sympathetic Cindy had gotten her ice. For her...yeah.

"I don't think that's a class I am qualified to teach."

Qualified? Maybe. Planning on ever? Hell no.

Kenzi snickered, relaxing a little. "I have to catch up with her anyway, there was weirdness." Of the being-flashed variety. "And, well, you can't judge the master by the student? Or something?"

It was insane Miley-Hannah! Don't feel bad, Ms. Perrault!

"I'd be very okay if no one on this island ever had a chance to judge me on my pole-dancing skills." Cindy huffed a laugh. "It would make teaching you lot a helluva lot harder, I think."

At least, with the current persona she had on the island.

"Do I even want to ask what you did this weekend? Or is it something that, as a teacher, it is best not for me to know?"

"Ummmm?" Kenzi paused, considering the amount of skullduggery and sex and outright dueling she'd gotten up to. "Yeah, I can't think of anything I can tell you about that wouldn't get me Detention at least or jail if I did it for reals, and not just crazy-time. Better not." She paused, a little confused, and said, "Were you going around helping people with stuff like it was a movie set all weekend? 'Cause that was weiiiird. I mean. A new level of weird."

"I appreciate your discretion," Cindy said, lips twitching. "I don't even want to think how I'd have to start trying to figure out a detention for that kind of thing."

Especially considering half the things she had seen people getting up to over the weekend. Just...no.

"It was the set of a soap opera," she corrected. "Complete with script changes, moved scenery, props...I'm not even sure what else. I have no idea what was going on with all of that."

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