Adventuring!

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Once again, class would be held in the Danger Shop. Because there was a Danger Shop and no self-respecting hacker nerd like Hardison would be able to forgive themself for holding a class anywhere but the Danger Shop if that was a possibility. Today, however, when the class opened the door into the Danger Shop, they'd find themselves in a tavern called The Thief and Hitter, a name that made him smile every time he looked at it. Anyone familiar with epic fantasy movies or video games would feel right at home, with the scarred wooden tables, the roaring fire with a pig roasting on a spit, and a thickly-muscled barkeep standing behind a long wooden counter while several pretty ladies (and a few pretty lads, too, Hardison was equal-opportunity) waited tables, bringing over battered metal tankards filled with brown ale and heaping plates of mutton and bowls of stew. If the barkeep looked like the manager of a local diner on one of his surlier days and if one of the blonde serving girls was helping herself to money pouches, well, surely those were coincidental.

There was one empty table remaining that had just the right number of seats for the number of students in class. How fortuitous!

Hardison waited until everyone had taken a seat before speaking up. "Ahh, the tavern," he said, drawing their attention to one of the tall, wingback chairs in front of the fire. He peeked around the side and gave the class a smile. "Traditional starting place of many an adventure. Whether you're a seasoned adventurin' party or ain't even a group yet, the tavern's a great place to get somethin' to eat, swap stories, an' keep an ear out for opportunities for gainful employment. Funny, most of said 'gainful employment' usually involves goin' out into the wilderness somewhere an' riskin' life an' limb to steal stuff from the local green-skinned population, but hey. Them enchanted weapons won't pay for themselves."

Standing up, he moved to join the class at the table, snagging a stool on the way. "So, welcome to Adventurin'! Yes, the exclamation point is part of the class title. If you were hopin' for a class that involved runnin' around in the woods an' jumpin' offa high stuff, that's Outdoor Adventures, run by my crew, Eliot an' Parker. Sorry for the confusion, but they probably got room for you if you wanna sign up late or whatever. This class ain't about hikin' an' explorin' the great outdoors. It's about discoverin' the five great adventure game archetypes an' figurin' out which one suits you best, occasionally while usin' your various skills to get past obstacles." And they wouldn't all be various fights, though Hardison wasn't going to share that just yet.

"But today is for introductions. Now, about half'a you know me--an' welcome back--but for those of you who don't, my name is Hardison. Don't worry about callin' me Mr. or Professor or none of that, just Hardison'll do. This is Raven," he added, gesturing to her seat at the table. "She's my TA for the semester. Now, from alla you, what I'd like is your name an' grade, why you signed up for this class, an' how much experience you have with epic fantasy media, of any variety. Books, movies, video games, RPGs, whatever, you name it. If you can, feel free to tell me your favorite character class an' why. If you ain't sure what I mean about classes, just tell me your favorite character from any media an' what it is you like about 'em--specifically, what they do that's so cool. That make sense?"

Just as the last of the introductions and explanations were over, a stout, well-armored dwarf woman reached down to her belt for her money pouch, only to discover it missing. "Thief!" she shouted, pointed to the man next to her, and took a swing. Within seconds the entire tavern was engulfed in a brawl. The only spot of relative calm was around the table of students. "Uh-oh," Hardison said, though he was grinning. "Looks like there's a big fight between y'all and the exit. Looks like you need to find a way to get outta here, whether you wanna fight your way out, sneak out, or find another way. Good luck!"

Comments

Sign In Week 1

[geniuswithasmartphone]

In a Bar!

Re: Sign In Week 1

[that_oldsaying]

Alluka Zoldyck

Listen to the Lecture

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Before Hardison starts talking, feel free to look around, explore, even order something to eat and drink. And even once he starts talking, there's still plenty of time for questions, note passing, and quiet chitchat.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[that_oldsaying]

Alluka... for once didn't look that out of place! (What? The child with the ridiculous stuffed toy, in her case weapon was a staple in RPGs!)

She had no idea what this class was about! And she wilted a little when he said it wasn't like Eliot and Parker's class before brightening up again. If it wasn't like her other class, then that just meant it was even more exciting which meant it was even more of an adventure!.

And, somehow, she was pretty sure that meant she was doing it right, even if this class was going to be a giant puzzle for her to figure out.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[tigerundercover]

Wait. Raven narrowed her eyes briefly. Why were the people they were stealing from specifically green?

Raven was not up on her epic fantasy tropes, no. And even once she were, she probably would still have some choice things to say about stereotyping and speciesism.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[goforthe_optics]

Well, this felt like it could have been right out of a totally different Bioware franchise, so that was interesting.

Tali was, however, going to be eyeing everything very dubiously. She somehow wasn't sure this was the sort of place that would have dextro-based drinks.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[notamascot]

Home!! Finally a place that felt like home!

Kaylin was very happy to settle in here.

Introductions

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"I'd like your name an' grade, why you signed up for this class, an' how much experience you have with epic fantasy media, of any variety. Books, movies, video games, RPGs, whatever, you name it. If you can, feel free to tell me your favorite character class an' why. If you ain't sure what I mean about classes, just tell me your favorite character from any media an' what it is you like about 'em--specifically, what they do that's so cool. That make sense?"

Re: Introductions

[that_oldsaying]

Alluka bounced in her seat when it was her turn. She had a stuffed giraffe in her arms and while she looked about fourteen, her expression was somehow... younger.

"Hi, hi!" she said happily. "I'm Alluka Zoldyck and I think I'm a freshman and I signed up for this because I saw the word adventure and thought it'd be like the other class." Well, at least she was honest? She beamed at the class. "But, but I'm in that one too, and that means that this one is just going to be even more of an adventure because I get to learn a new thing anyway!"

So, yeah, Alluka was totally pumped about being here.

"And I like princess stories! But I especially like the ones where the princesses are pretty and clever too. Some princesses are pretty silly."

Though she liked those ones too. Shhhh.

Re: Introductions

[tigerundercover]

"I'm Raven, like Hardison said." Raven waved and smiled at the rest of the class. "Honestly I'm mostly here because being a TA for him last session was a lot of fun. I'm still not totally up on the epic fantasy stuff he's talking about. So if you're unfamiliar with it, like me, just know you will definitely be challenged and entertained, so just chill and go with it." What? Odds were good there were other non-nerds around. "As for character types. . . . I like spies." No one who knew her was surprised. "Sneaking around and blending in to your environment come pretty naturally to me, and really, who can't identify with trying to pretend to be someone you're not to survive?"

Re: Introductions

[goforthe_optics]

"Hi." Tali waved a hand. "I'm Tali, and I guess I'm a junior according to your system. I was never really much of a fantasy person growing up --" because she was an unabashed fan of romance dramas -- "but I tried a little bit of Galaxy of Fantasy for a while. It's based on turian mythology, and you play it over the extranet -- there are around 11 billion players, I think. It was fun, but way more time than I have to spare. As for character types . . . hmm."

She tapped a finger against her mask filters, tilting her head.

"I'm pretty fond of the ones who can fight their way out of a situation if they have to, but are just as good at thinking their way out of it." She paused and chuckled. "And do both, more or less."

Re: Introductions

[notamascot]

Kaylin didn't understand most of what this guy was saying. Fantasy? Character Class? Media? Okay, she understood books and knew that movies were like what they showed on that talking picture box, but she didn't actually watch that thing usually.

Which might explain why she looked slightly panicked at trying to answer his questions. Ordinarily she might not have cared so much, but she really liked Parker and Eliot.

"I'm Kaylin Neya and I'll be a sopha-thing this year." Yeah, she couldn't remember what it was called, whatever. "I... have no idea what any of the other things are that you want to know. Except books, but I don't really read very well. And movies, which I think are what they show on that box thing? But I don't really watch that either. Oh, and somebody else signed me up for the class."

And then she felt kind of embarrassed for being so dumb, so she offered, "I like it here, though. It's a lot like home. Except without the bar fights."

Yet.

Re: Introductions

[justwantedfriends]

"Um, I'm Kira, and I'm a junior. I signed up for this class because it sounded different than other classes I've taken before," she said. "I've read a lot of fantasy books and I love those kinds of movies, but my video game knowledge is probably lacking. As for characters, I like sneaky fighters. One minute, you think you're by yourself and then bam, there's someone with a knife to your side." She laughed, blushing a little. "That just seems fun to me."

Re: Introductions

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

"I'm Hanna, I'm a junior. I signed up because I enjoyed your last class," Hanna shared with a small smile. "Um. I like superhero movies?" she said, a little worried. "I haven't much experience with ... fantasy media. I like Brown Recluse?" She paused and added, "Because she is an amazing fighter and much more sensible than everyone else in those movies."

Bar Fight

[geniuswithasmartphone]

How are you going to get out? The front door's blocked by a sea of brawling people, with fists and even the occasional magic spell flying. You can mod the tavern to any reasonable extent--there isn't suddenly a huge hole in the wall leading to the outside, or a modern sprinkler system to trip, but wooden support beams, trap doors to root cellars, and chandeliers made from wagon wheels and covered in candle stubs are certainly available for use, as well as plenty of other opportunities for escape as well. If you need a reference this image is close enough to the general tavern theme.

Best of luck!

Re: Bar Fight

[that_oldsaying]

Oh. Oh, well.

Alluka did the only thing she could do, given her own abilities and understanding of the situation:

She burst into tears.

Re: Bar Fight

[tigerundercover]

It took approximately thirty seconds after the fight began for Raven to be blue, scaley, and clinging to the back of some big beefy guy beating him over the head with a pewter tray.

You had to love a school that let you get into bar fights for class.

Re: Bar Fight

[notamascot]

Now, this Kaylin could do! She pretty much only went to taverns with Teela and Tain and odds were pretty much 100% that if you went to a bar with a Barrani, you were gonna be in a bar fight.

Within seconds, Kaylin was up and brawling with the best of them.

It... might have been a while before she remembered that the point was to get out of the bar. At which point she fought her way to the door and tumbled out, slightly bruised, but very cheerful.

Re: Bar Fight

[justwantedfriends]

Kira jumped over the bar and ducked down behind it. She worked her way towards the door by grabbing glasses and throwing them at people, some to distract them and some at the people everyone else in class was fighting. It was really way too much fun, as far as she was concerned.

Re: Bar Fight

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

Hanna paused, then started shimmying up one of the support beams, getting up to the chandeliers without any trouble. Hmm.

That was a really impressive fight below her, really. She could probably swing out, or...

It looked like fun!

Talk to the TA

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Oooh, is she blonde or blue today?

Re: Talk to the TA

[tigerundercover]

Mostly blonde, just out of habit. But if you caught her during the fight, she was in her full blue glory!

Talk to Hardison

[geniuswithasmartphone]

He's behind the bar, chatting with the blonde serving girl who is counting out stacks of gold and silver, a discarded pile of moneypouches on the bar next to her.

The surly barkeep is standing between them and the crowd, holding a club in his hands in warning.

OOC

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Honestly, I need a Leverage fic about the whole crew playing D&D. It would be amazing.

Re: OOC

[that_oldsaying]

I would say I'm sorry for inflicting Alluka on you in this class, but I'm really, really not. XD