fandomhigh | Adventuring!

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!"

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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.

Yeah, so Hardison had not been prepared for either a stuffed animal or this kind of bouncy, childish enthusiasm. But never let it be said that he couldn't rally, as a moment later he was pulling on a happy smile to give her back.

"Hello, Alluka," he said. "An' welcome to my class. Always cool to get new faces an' I'm sure Parker an' Eliot'll be pleased to hear how much you like their class." Because of course Hardison was going to tell them! "An' there will be plenty of opportunities for learnin' an' adventure an'--" He made an educated guess about what Alluka would get excited over "--costumin' opportunities."

Good call!

Her eyes went huge.

"We're going to get to dress up?!"

Part of running a good grift was knowing what the mark wanted. Teaching wasn't all that different in that respect. "Yup," Hardison said proudly. "It's gonna look like a Renn Faire threw up in here most weeks."

...Their teacher might be looking forward to that part, too. Shh! Don't tell.

"So what is it about princesses that you like best?" he asked. "Better'n any other character there is?"

Alluka had utterly zero idea of what a Renn Faire was but if it meant costumes then it was probably okay if it threw up in the class.

She squished her giraffe tightly and thought about his questions.

"They get the prettiest clothes," she said, after a moment, "and they get the happiest endings 'cause things almost always work out for princesses, even if they're bad. And... and because most of them start off not being allowed to do things but then get to."

And Alluka projected her own feelings all over that, though she didn't actually know that was what it was called.

Then wouldn't she be surprised and excited to see what the next few classes would entail! Because there would be both costumes and also probably meat on sticks. And, as everyone knows, those are the very best parts of Renn Faires.

Hardison, being a true-to-life Care Bear, was able to put a few things together about his newest student. "You like it when people who start off stuck somewhere get to be free to explore?" he asked, noting she'd specifically mentioned not being allowed to do things, rather than not being capable of doing them, or needing to learn to do things.

Hmm.

She thought about that and then nodded firmly. She beamed up at Hardison. "Yes! They're the best stories to read about."

Even moreso if they were princesses too, though. Alluka's princess obsession was firmly rooted.

At least this would give Hardison an idea how to handle her in future classes if he was worried they'd be too much for her. Princess costumes to the rescue!

"I think I might be able to work some princesses into the curriculum," Hardison said. "Especially princesses who get to go out an' explore. That's a pretty good idea, Alluka. Thanks."

He needed to talk to Parker and Eliot about her, see if they had any theories.

Adventuring!

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