Creative Problem Solving, Tuesday, period 3

[vdistinctive]

Class met in the Danger Shop, where Eliot had spent the entire night before attempting to learn to program. It may have involved phone calls to Hardison. And teasing him by pretending to not know what a "holodeck" was.

The result was the class meeting up on what looked like the roof of a 15 story building on a bright, cool day. The wind came from the south in short bursts, just hard enough to mess up your hair.

If you think that detail didn't have Eliot scowling and wishing he had a hair tie, think again.

Parker by comparison had her hair tucked up in a little leather beret. Some people knew how to prep.

“Okay! Welcome to Creative Problem Solving!” She beamed at the students. “I guess they usually make you introduce yourselves here, but that’s boring. So, what you have to do is, attach this safety line to your harness--” Both were held up in explanation. “Shout your name, then jump!” She paused. “Really, even if you mess it up, this place won’t let you die.”

So reassuring.

Eliot knew how to prep, dammit. He just really wasn't usually the one on the roof of the tower. Hell, he hadn't even let Parker get him into a harness in the last five years of working with her.

"You won't get injured, either," he said, arms folded over his chest as he tried to pretend his hair wasn't blowing into his face. "If you really, really can't handle jumping off a building --" you're in the wrong class "-- you can find some other way down. There's a window washing platform and stairs. The stairs are locked and the platform is two floors down." He smiled a little wolfishly. "So you'll have to get creative."

“You can work together! You can work alone! You can use your bodies!... not like that,” Parker added, making a vague gesture with her hands. Don’t ask. “Or tools. Or your brains. Or someone else’s tools or brains!” She grinned. “Anything counts as long as you wind up on the ground!” She paused and added thoughtfully, “And there might be evil security guards in the stairwell.”

Eliot frowned. "Parker, I didn't program any security guards." Evil or otherwise.

“Yeah, I know, how could you forget those?” Pfftt. “I put them in when I saw you forgot them.”

Eliot closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head. He wasn't really looking forward to seeing what Parker thought 'evil security guards' should be like. "I'll stay up here to help out anyone who gets stuck." Or needs to be rescued from security guards. "Parker'll meet you downstairs with a treat." He was missing something. Oh, right: "I'm Eliot, by the way. That's Parker. We're teachers. Now get going."

Comments

Re: On the ground

[spin_kick_snap]

"I, uhh," Kathy glanced around. "I sorta developed powers last summer. Super-speed, super-agility, an, umm, ability to bounce." She was already flushed with exertion, but this confession had her cheeks getting even darker. "I'm not exactly hiding it--here anyway--but there's no real way to work it into most conversations without sounding like I'm bragging, you know?"

Re: On the ground

[beautifulsenshi.livejournal.com]

"That's, like a manga origin story! Go to boarding school, get super powers!" Minako enthused, even as internally her mind was racing. "Are powers common where you're from?"

Re: On the ground

[spin_kick_snap]

"Not really," Kathy said. "For most of my life, there weren't any. Then a few years ago, supers just started popping up. First there was the Mighty Dragon and then some guy made of electricity in either, uhh, Boston or New York, I think. Awesome Ape in Chicago...a couple others in Europe and the like."

And Gorgon, of course, but that wasn't her secret to tell.

"I don't know what happened or why it started when it did, or even how it all happened. One day, nothing, the next, we've got newspapers reporting everything and people arguing on forums whether it's real, or a hoax, or some really in-depth publicity stunt."

She gave Minako a shrug and then asked, "What about your world? Any people with powers there?"

Like....say...reincarnated princesses of the different planets of the solar system? As a purely random example, of course.

Re: On the ground

[beautifulsenshi.livejournal.com]

"Kinda? I mean, so, there's these... things. Yoma? They're, like, demons or something, but half the time people claim it's really a gas leak or gangs or whatever. Someone's been doing something about them, but, no know knows who she is, for sure, or if she has powers or what. Though she seems to work with the police sometimes."

Minako, you are THE WORST.

Re: On the ground

[spin_kick_snap]

"Demons?" Kathy asked. "I hope she has some kind of powers. Who wants to go up against demons with just...I dunno, normal weapons or whatever," Kathy said, eyes wide. "Where is she? Japan? America?"