fandomhigh | How To Get By In A Hostile World, Wednesday

It was a miracle Atton was even here. He'd been sincerely tempted to stay in bed this morning and let Sparkle do all the work, but... some stupid sense of duty he didn't even realize he had anymore had kicked in and now he was standing in front of the class, looking casual because that was about all he could manage right now.

"...Welcome to We-- I mean, How To Get By In A Hostile World," he drawled. "My name is Atton Rand, I used to go to school here, so don't think I don't know what I'm talking about. Okay. If you're in this class, it's probably because you're from somewhere terrifying where you're not exactly on top of the food chain. That may mean being an unpowered person in a world full of near-gods, or somebody who has powers but not exactly the kind that'll shake the world, or maybe you're just some poor schmuck living at the bottom end trying to get by."

Beat.

"Of course, if you're just here to show off how special you are, you can get out. Now."

Another beat. He waited for anyone to get up.

"...Okay, good. Anyway, I have powers now, but I didn't use to - or at least I didn't have the training so I might as well not have had them. Growing up, there was war all around us, and the people who actually had the powers to stop it decided to sit at home and twiddle their thumbs because the situation was quote-unquote 'complicated'. I've seen worlds burn and friends die."

He took a deep breath. He needed it to keep playing casual. "The only way I made it through the first decade or so of being on my own was by thinking on my feet," he said. "Exploring the weaknesses of people stronger than me, figuring out how to squeak by unnoticed, that kind of thing. So that's the stuff we'll be covering."

Atton nodded at a random student. "Talk to me," he said. "Who are you? What situation are you facing? What are you hoping to get out of this class? That kind of thing. Introductions are useful here, because a technique is only helpful if it's tailored to your actual situation."

He planted his ass on his desk. "Oh, and that guy over there with the stupid hair? That's Sparkle. He'll be your TA. If you have any stupid questions, take them to him." You're welcome, Sparkle.

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... Well, at least it wasn't his time. "Huh, you're another one of the future ones, then," Atton said. "Good to know."

Well that definitely got Face's attention as he tried to place Atton's accent, stupid cultural and linguistic shifts.

"You've heard of Lorrd?" Obviously, but Face was curious just what he knew.

Hell, even if Face was from his time-- Atton's accent might have been plainly Alderaani once, after years of wandering around the galaxy pretending like he was someone else, the effect had softened remarkably.

"I've heard of Lorrd," Atton confirmed. "'Course, in my time, your back home's in trouble because of the Argazdans, not whatever you're having going on right now."

He figured that hadn't lasted a couple of thousand years.

Face thought he caught hints of something familiar here and there, but all things considered it would be awkward (at best) to bring it up whether he was right or wrong.

"No, that only lasted three hundred years." Which was more than long enough at the time, but a lot less than the three thousand plus of not being enslaved that came after. "It's more galactic troubles than homegrown ones right now."

And if Face had an opinion on the fact Atton likely wouldn't know about modern Lorrdians and kinetic communication yet, he kept that to himself as well, it wasn't like you could ask your teacher to play cards during the first lesson.

Honestly? It was Atton. Face probably could get away with that.

"When isn't it?" he said dryly.

Just be lucky he didn't know about the part where those galactic troubles involved the Empire blowing up his home planet, Face.

Face would be forever saddened to learn he needn't have waited before attempting to fleece his teacher at sabacc or pazaak.

"From what I know of history, I'm going with never," he said, choosing his words very carefully with his tiny, pro-Imperial fan in the room.

It would have been a fantastic fleecing competition disguised as a card game.

"Ugh," Atton said, in complete agreement.

How To Get By In A Hostile World, Wednesday

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Re: Introductions

Re: Introductions

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