fandomhigh | Driver's Education, Thursday, Period 1

The students should be getting used to the Danger Shop setup by now. "I feel like you guys have pretty much got the hang of going in a straight line," Brian said, "so this week we're going to integrate corners." Yes, that was right. You were going to have to turn. "Let's go over how the steering wheel works again." Once he'd done that, he said, "So, you're going to go around the block and back to here, which means our quarter mile is now a mile. Right turns only this week, and there are two things enforcing that: One, all the other intersections are blocked off with traffic barrels, and two, if you manage to go through the traffic barrels, same as a crash, you'll be taken back to the starting line to start over." The barrels were progammed to be full of water, with a brief delay between hitting them and being transported back to the beginning, because Brian thought exploding them was kind of fun.

"Any questions?" After a brief pause, Brian nodded and said, "Then let's get started. Drivers, to your cars."

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"My go-kart exploded as well." He said the word 'go-kart' delicately, like it was such a foreign word.

"What in Andraste's name is a go-kart?"

Well, he could have figured out that it was a kart that go'd. Beyond that...

"A very small car that is propelled by gravity." It was strange. And yet still exploded.

"... what would the point of that be?" Anders wondered. "Unless you were only going down hills."

"I remain uncertain," Thorin admitted. "I suppose it would be useful in a hurry from the top of a hill."

But, you know, only then.

"Many things here seem without reason."

"I think it's because to many things are easy," Anders speculated. "They don't have to tend fields or make clothes or even empty chamber pots. They're all the idle rich. Not that I'm complaining, mind. I like being the idle rich."

Edited 2015-05-21 22:01 (UTC)

"Idle rich," Thorin repeated with a laugh. "That is a good term for it."

Luckily for him, he was from the land of Royals Who Actually Do Something.

"My people have wealth aplenty, but we are driven to create and master our crafts."

Edited 2015-05-21 22:04 (UTC)

"I grew up in a farming town," Anders told him, smiling. "My parents did well, but I still had to help as soon as I could walk. And then I was in the Circle and they don't like seeing apprentices lazing about."

It had a way of leading to things like escape plots. Strange, that.

"No time to build carts that only run down hill, either place."

So strange!

"What were you apprenticing for?"

Anders tilted his head at Thorin. "Circle mage," he said. "Though it's not a proper apprenticeship, really. Proper apprentices get their freedom in the end."

Thorin frowned as he attempted to remember more of the weekend, but it was difficult when he concentrated on it too much. Like a half remembered nightmare.

"You've... told me of this before. My apologies. Things are hazy from the weekend."

For good reason!

"I wasn't sure if you'd remember them," Anders said. "It doesn't make sense, you now remembering what I told you at ... 40 or whatever."

He scrunched up his face. "There's not much more to the story, anyhow. I'm a mage so they kept me in the Circle until I ran here."

He also remembered being distinctly displeased by this. For reasons.

"I wouldn't think it possible to hold a wizard."

They were tricky bastards.

"They're creative," Anders said bitterly. "The soldiers guarding us are immune to most magic. Plus they build the Circles far from anything, so even if you slip out there's nowhere much to go."

"Immune?" What the fricky-frack?

Anders chuckled and shrugged. "If I try to explain it we'll be here for ages," he said. "Besides, it's not like they tell us much, so all I have is rumors. They do something with lyrium, I know that. It lets them take a lot of punishment before they fall over."

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"That sounds like mithril." Which was insanely rare due to balrog. And it being incredibly difficult to work with.

So of course Thorin would give an entire shirt of it to this random hobbit he was with. nbd.

"Depends on what mithril is," Anders told him. "Lyrium's this blue crystal stuff. Dwarves mine it. You lot are immune to start with, at least at home."

Damn right! Go, dwarves!

"It shines like crystal and glass? But is harder than steel?"

"I think so," Anders confirmed. "Our worlds really are the same."

It's almost as though they took ideas from classic high fantasy! Damn you, Dragon Age. Damn you.

Go pay Tolkien's heirs!

"How strange that so much is the same."

"Maybe it's the same place but you're from the distant past or the far future," Anders speculated. "How would we know?"

The elves would be a big hint. But luckily they hadn't discussed them.

"I hope my home does not end as yours is. The free peoples should never stand by and allow any sort of enslavement."

He had your back, bro.

Well, there is elven mythology that they used to be immortal, so that's something?

"I hope not too," Anders agreed. "You really don't have slaves at all? Not even in other countries?"

Tevinter. Sigh.

"They do in Mordor," Thorin replied, a sneer in his voice. "The stronghold of a long defeated enemy that sits to the south of my homeland. Foul creatures still live there in the hope that their master will return."

Things were super black and white for a lot of Tolkien.

Re: Around the Block -- Heat 1

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