fandomhigh | Adventuring!, Thursday, Period 3

Entry tags:

adventuring survival tactics

Adventuring!, Thursday, Period 3

For the last class, like the first, the Danger Shop was set up to look like Ye Old-Timey Fantasy Tavern, because Hardison did love him some tropes, and 'getting an adventure hook in a tavern' was one of the oldest.

"I'm looking for some adventurers!" an old man announced a few minutes after class began. "A small band of the most brave and stalwart! Monsters have moved into the cave system nearby the village and are terrorizing our outlying farms! There's gold and treasure in it for anyone who can make our town safe again!"

Once the old man sat back down, Hardison stood up. "That's your final, class," he said. "You can work alone, though it might be easier to go in a group or somethin'. Head to the caves, defeat some monsters, an' enjoy the sweet reward of treasure." And a good grade, but whatever. "So figure out what class you wanna be from the ones we went over this session, decide who you're gonna team up with, if anyone, an' enjoy your taste of fantasy adventure!"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He'll be happy to tell all of you what a great class you are!

"Nice to see you finally out and about again," Raven teased.

"Nah, ain't you hear?" Hardison said, turning an amused glance towards his TA, "I was at the cafe on Thursday."

Raven grinned. "Oh yeah? I would have guessed you guys were still hiding out by then, since you made Kathy do your radio spot and all."

"Hey now," Hardison said, holding up a finger. "That was the squirrels' choice. I just told 'em to find one of the TAs."

Meaning, at any time your life could be interrupted because Hardison had a booty call, Raven, beware.

"I ain't had nothin' to do with their choice of who to pick." And therefore absolved him of all responsibility, right? "But, yeah, funny story, I also didn't expect to be in the diner that afternoon. But that's what radio told me I was up to."

You know. When he finally got around to listening to it. Yesterday.

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

"Now why on earth would I know anything about you deciding to go to the diner after all?" Raven asked. Her innocent look was a just a bit too smug to even indicate her trying too hard.

"Or wherever I coulda gotten my idea for the specials that day, either?" Hardison said, looking Very Convinced. "I mean, who ain't like British high tea or whatever?"

"Well sure. Who doesn't like cucumber sandwiches?"

"People who expect to be able to eat a sandwich an' actually be full when they're done?" Hardison guessed off the top of his head.

Though maybe Eliot might want to give the idea some thought. It's doubtful he'd ever have to worry about Hardison stealing his sandwiches again if they were all cucumber.

Or it'd just result in Hardison finally developing a taste for vegetables.

"But then you wouldn't have room for all the other little tasty tea treats."

Hey! He'd asked for heirloom tomatoes on his burger! He was learning.

...And they all knew that Eliot made decoy sandwiches for Hardison to steal and eat anyway.

"Yeah, right, that must be the reasonin' behind why I love 'em so much. You have fun, pretendin' to be me?"

"I admit nothing," Raven said. "But yes. Though I confused the hell out of Drac while I was at it."

"Drac?" Hardison said, running through the names and faces of people he'd run into on the island. "Is that a student, or...?"

He'd been a little preoccupied with Eliot during the whole Gaunt thing and Drac hadn't really been around much since.

"If I gotta apologize to someone I ain't even met yet, I'mma fail you."

He would not.

"Count Dracula. He was a teacher for awhile, one of the first I had here. These days he works at the theater when he's in town." Raven shrugged. "He might have some questions about your boyfriend, but I let him know who I really was before it could all get too weird."

Hardison grinned at the word 'boyfriend.' It might have been a week already, but the shiny hadn't been rubbed off it, yet.

"Oh, really?" he asked. "What kinda questions? Should I be worried? Considerin' the kind things I know you an' Kathy talk about, you understand why I'm concerned."

"Whether or not you're actually dating?" Raven said with a faint grimace. "I kind of only know about you guys from Kathy and the radio. Does he really wear kilts?"

"Wait, a kilt?" Confused Hardison was confused. "When has Eliot ever worn a kilt? Is there a picture of this? Man, I'mma go home after this class an' whoop some ass I ain't never seen him in a kilt before!"

Beat.

"..An' we are. Datin'. We just weren't puttin' titles on nothin'. Before."

"Oh yeah, I knew that part. I just -- don't really know anything else about him." Raven shrugged. "So saying 'probably' after everything didn't make it sound like you knew him that well. Drac's the one who mentioned the kilts. And printed shirts."

"A'ight, so I've known Eliot for almost a decade now an' I can promise you, he ain't never worn a printed shirt--" or probably a kilt, either, sigh "--unless it's for a c--a job in ever."

"Oh. But he's got all that hair."

Long hair on a man was still pretty funky and rebellious in Raven's head.

"...What about it?"

Hardison wasn't seeing the connection.

"This is one of those modern things that I don't get yet, isn't it."

"I'm guessin' so?" Hardison said. "Because I'm still not sure what it is that you ain't gettin'."

"You know, long hair, goofy shirts, kilts. All that . . . non-traditional masculinity."

"...So, we talkin' about guys in general, not Eliot now?" Hardison checked, since Eliot only checked one of those boxes. "I guess once Women's Lib really kicked off, it opened the way for men to have a little more freedom, too. Besides, what you think of as masculine is mostly based on Western standards--an' not even alla that. Kilts've been a thing in Scotland for centuries. The Romans called the Germanic tribes barbarians cause they wore pants. Lotsa warrior cultures thought of long hair as a sign of martial prowess, cause it meant you could fight well enough that your hair wasn't a hindrance."

He shrugged, holding his arm out against hers for contrast. "Hair is hair, yo. It's neutral. Over the years, folks decided men should have short hair on their heads an' hair everywhere else, but women should have long hair on their heads an' that was it. Probably the same folks that decided that you an' I ain't the same cause I got darker skin than you do. It's all pretty much bullshit."

Talk to Hardison

Re: Talk to Hardison

RE: Re: Talk to Hardison

Re: Talk to Hardison

RE: Re: Talk to Hardison

Re: Talk to Hardison

RE: Re: Talk to Hardison

Re: RE: Re: Talk to Hardison

Re: Talk to Hardison

Re: Talk to Hardison

Re: Talk to Hardison

Re: Talk to Hardison

Re: Talk to Hardison

Re: Talk to Hardison

Re: Talk to Hardison

Re: Talk to Hardison

Re: Talk to Hardison

Re: Talk to Hardison

Re: Talk to Hardison

Re: Talk to Hardison

RE: Re: Talk to Hardison

Re: RE: Re: Talk to Hardison

Re: Talk to Hardison

Re: Talk to Hardison

Re: Talk to Hardison