fandomhigh | Outdoor Adventures Time! Tuesday, period 1

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outdoor fitness

Outdoor Adventures Time! Tuesday, period 1

“CLIFF DIVING.”

The class met this week on the edge of the preserve. Eliot, who had a large bag of supplies slung over his shoulder and a walking stick, gave Parker a bit of side-eye.

"Yes," he said. "After we hike out to the cliffs."

“Right, that,” Parker agreed. “I brought wetsuits again.” She pointed to a few duffel bags. “Because it’s warm out, but the water is still cold. And if you want to dive in just your clothes, that’s okay. I brought towels. But you might regret that is all I’m saying.”

"Those of you not into throwin' yourselves off cliffs," all, like, three of you, "I'll be setting up some campfires at the top. If you're interested, I can show you. If not . . . I got stuff for s'mores."

Parker was maybe rubbing off on him.

“Or you can do both,” Parker pointed out. “If you wanna dive for a bit and then decide you’re not up for it again. Or vice versa. No limits, people.”

"Only requirement is the hike," Eliot said. "Which you might wanna get used to, since stuff we're doin' on the island is all gonna involve walking to it. It's a shorter one today, though, only about ten minutes. Keep an eye out and see if you can spot any of Fandom's weirder wildlife."

Like those green deer people always talked about. Eliot hadn't really seen one. He wasn't chatty enough.

“Let’s get going, people! Hup hup hup!”

That last bit was for you, Eliot. Heee.

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"Yeah," Kathy said, her smile getting a little bigger. "I know."

She was still utterly mortified, absolutely. But she was also really happy to get getting this kind of support and concern from the adults in her life. It was...different...than what it would have been like back home.

She liked it.

"Okay, carry on," Parker said cheerfully. "He did teach you how to hide a knife on yourself too, right?"

Or was that more like second base date material?

"Uhhh, no?" Kathy said, looking confused. She didn't think Ezra would have thought to teach her that even if they hadn't gotten...distracted...by other things. "I don't even have a knife."

"Seriously?" Parker does not approve of that, Kathy. "Well, we'll just have to get you one. They are massively useful for all sorts of things, not just stabbing people. I mean, you can stab people with anything, really. I stabbed a guy with a fork, once."

And he had it coming, so there.

"I've, uhh, never stabbed anybody. In my life." Kathy had a little kitty keychain just in case, but had never had call to use it. She knew a few of the working girls she'd supplies them with used them, but she hadn't. "...Why did you stab someone with a fork?"

Realizing Parker would explain that she'd stabbed him with whatever was handy (see? She was learning!) she amended, "Why did they need stabbing?"

Parker's expression clouded with resentful, remembered grimness. "He said some people matter, and some people don't. And I knew he was part of a black-market adoption ring that was using Eastern European orphans in the scam. Turned out later he was running guns through the orphanage." She paused and added, "And then he tried to touch my face."

"He sounds like a guy who could really use a good stabbing," Kathy said. She still didn't know if she could have, in Parker's place, but she was hardly about to argue against it happening. 'Black-market adoption rings' and 'running guns through orphanages' were both stabbable offenses in her book. "Did Eliot beat him up later, too?"

Because if he hadn't, he should've.

"He didn't have a chance. I got to kick him in the face later, though." Parker smiled happily at the memory. "And then Hardison blew up all his money and replaced his guns with toys. Eliot beat up most of the rest of the minions, though." She paused. "Then we took the orphans for ice cream. Nate was so annoyed."

"Nate?" Kathy hadn't heard of this Nate before. She'd thought it had just been the three of them for...however long they were together. Before they'd gotten together. "And what happened to the orphans after the ice cream?"

"Nate was our boss, well, our mastermind, for five years. Before I got that job. He's old, he decided he was done."

He was approaching fifty, yeesh.

"He and Sophie retired together, she used to do the stuff that needed acting... We drove the orphans to the nearest World Health Organization refugee camp, and they placed them in a better group home. There was about fifty of them." You couldn't save everybody, like Hardison had said. But they'd saved those ones, that day. "And the one we were there to get out to his new adoptive parents in America, Luka, he's doing okay now."

Hardison had little alerts on their former clients, and Luka's was one that Parker checked pretty regularly.

Hannibal would be thrilled to hear how old fifty was. Just thrilled.

"That's...that's really awesome of you guys," Kathy said softly. "How did you guys hear about Luka?"

What did it mean, to be sent in to get a kid from a black market orphanage?

Nate would be thrilled that Parker thought he was three years younger than he was. So, so thrilled. Even if he was old.

"His adoptive parents." Parker scowled a bit, then gave Kathy a sideways smile for the 'awesome.' "They paid so much money to adopt him, and then Irina-- she's the one that set it all up -- just took him back, and when the couple tried to keep her thugs from taking him away, the one I stabbed later beat the father up really badly." She tried to remember. "I think they found us through the website Hardison had up for us and the company. Leverage, Inc."

Kathy was absolutely going to look that website up. Absolutely.

"Wait, if they paid for the adoption proceedings, how could she just take him--oh. If it was all black market, they probably didn't have any proof of anything." And when they tried, the dad had gotten beat up. "So that's what you used to do? Before you taught? Helped people out with problems that the authorities wouldn't?"

"Right, that." Parker grimaced. "Why did it matter so much that they got arrested for smoking a little marijuana a jillion years ago?" She would never understand the System. "That's why they went to the black market, the normal routes were closed for them. And, well. Yeah. That's what we did." She bobbed her head and qualified it with, "And sometimes now still, when we find a good job."

And more times this summer, probably. Or if Quinn called in his marker. Or... yeah. It was going to happen, Parker could feel it in her fingertips.

"Still?" Kathy looked surprised; she'd kind of assumed that they'd all retired and moved to the island. She hadn't realized they were still active. "I was wondering why you needed TAs when there were two of you. But if you have to go...do something, you'll need someone to cover class for you."

Which made it even more of an honor to have been chosen, really.

"Thanks. For trusting me, I mean."

"Hardison has to vet people who need help, first. It doesn't happen every day or even every week. But yeah. We still do it." Parker blinked at Kathy's thank-you, then smiled a tiny real smile. "We know you'd do good. And, not just because you like the physical stuff." She paused, struggled a little bit for words and said, "Because you step up, and, you know. You like to help people."

See? They recognized their own, that's all.

Kathy's face hurt from smiling so much and, yeah, she was blushing again from the praise and coming so close to just out and out hugging Parker. "I--I'm glad you think so," she said, because words were hard for right now. "Really, really glad."

"You're welcome." That was -- nice? A little more than was needed, but. Nice. "You still need a good knife, though," Parker added. "Because they really are very handy. Get this Ezra kid to help you get your own, and then I can show you where to hide them. If you want."

Look, Kathy had a complicated relationship with praise. And it was rare she'd ever felt this...believed in. Especially by adults.

"Ezra uses kunai," Kathy said. "They're gorgeous, but I don't know where he got them. And I'd feel kinda weird asking for one." Since his might have come from the Coterie and Kathy wasn't planning on having him ask them for anything. "I'm sure I can buy one, though. There's a weapon store on the island, right?"

"Yes." Parker frowned. "But I'm not sure they'd sell one to you... Let me look around. I bet I can find you a good one." And the right kind of paperwork, too. "...and a permit for carrying it, in California and Maryland."

"That would be awesome, Parker," Kathy said. "Thanks. For everything."

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Outdoor Adventures Time! Tuesday, period 1

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