fandomhigh | How to Make Friends & Influence People | 4th Period

Carter... Carter looked terribly confused today, and a little bit concerned as well. Fjord had explained the exercise that he'd wanted to do with the class, but somehow it all became a mess the more Carter thought about it.

"Hello, class," he said, smiling a bit anxiously at them. "Fjord's taking control today, so I'm afraid about all I have to offer you is cookies."

"Not a bad start," Fjord offered, glancing at the cookies with a crooked smile. "I'll get through the lecture, then you can help yourselves to cookies while putting this exercise to the test." He looked back at the class. "Today, we're polishing our public persona. That is, how we present ourselves when we're out in public."

See, that was right where Carter got confused.

"This is where he loses me," Carter admitted to the class. "I have yet to grasp why a persona is necessary at all."

Fjord gave Carter a faintly pained look.

"Some people need to work slightly harder than others to be looked upon with favor in polite company," he said, simply. "Or there's simply the fact that if everyone walked around wearing their inside thoughts on the outside, the streets would probably be running with blood within an afternoon."

Not actually an optimist, that Fjord.

There was... nothing faint about the pained look that Carter sent right back at Fjord.

Carter was actually an optimist.

"I'm sure that's just an exaggeration," Carter said mildly. At least, he sincerely hoped it was. "No one should be expected to have to lie to get by in society. Politeness alone suggests otherwise."

Fjord would have found that adorable if he didn't happen to find it outright offensive. But rather than start an argument in front of the students, he heaved a heavy sigh, ran a hand through his hair, and made a point to just keep his eye on the class.

"We'll leave it up to the discretion of the class as to just what kind of response they'd like to elicit from the general public," he said, at length. "While politeness might often garner a polite reply in turn, that isn't necessarily the case." He cast a sidelong glance at Carter. "Since arriving here, I've had people react with everything from outright fear to rude questions about why I'm green, and while I can't do much about the second sort of person, I can evaluate how I want to come off to people who react the first way."

Carter.

And... and Carter really had no response to that, except to look extremely, and genuinely, distressed on behalf of Fjord.

Fjord continued addressing the class.

"So, our assignment for today is to pair up and talk about how it is you would like the people around you to perceive you," he continued. "Pass thoughts back and forth, give one another suggestions on what it is that people expect to see when they encounter a person who gets the sort of reaction you're looking for. Incorporate those into how you present yourself to your partner." He glanced at Carter for a moment. "Or don't. Really, it's up to you."

Carter wrung his hands. "I really didn't mean to offend," he said, since he... he was pretty sure that Fjord was offended. "I simply cannot imagine people behaving that way."

He glanced at the rest of the class.

"And I do hope that all of you never have cause to endure such behaviour from others either. It's wrong and cruel of people to do such things."

It was because you were tiny and cute and human and blond, Carter. Fjord didn't say that, though. He simply cleared his throat and said, possibly a little tightly, "I believe you said something about cookies."

"Oh dear," Carter murmured, still very distressed, though he nodded. "Yes, everyone, there are cookies as well. Please, help yourselves."

And he'd go back to feeling very poorly about everything, given how upset Fjord was.

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Prince Sidon

Jughead Jones

Breq

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Well, at least they can both agree that there are cookies?

Fjord might've gotten a bit of a grin at the part about the streets running with blood. Because yeah, if Sith went around saying everything, the only thing preventing all the blood would be the fact that neither lightsabers nor lightning left much.

Simon may have shrunk into his chair a little bit during the lecture. He was very familiar with the idea of trying to maintain a persona, even if he wasn't sure that he was all that good at it.

This week they're peanut butter cookies, though half of them also have chocolate chips in them.

Sidon still didn't have much of a taste for things like cookies, but he still took one and nibbled on it to be polite, vaguely wondering if anyone ever thought to make a fish cookie...

Jughead was... pretty intent on focusing on the cookies rather than the actual class.

They were good cookies, okay. Especially the ones with the chocolate chips.

Breq picked up a peanut cookie, taking small bites from it while looking around the room, expressionless.

These were...an interesting taste. Not bad, though.

Breq glanced at her, taking a bit from her cookie.

"Want to team up?" she asked.

Continued here!

As far as Simon was concerned, the chocolate chips with the peanut butter made the cookies taste almost as good as Oreos.

Work on how you want to present yourself to the people around you, ask your partner for suggestions if they have any.

And Sidon was there working on presenting himself as an approachable and worthy partner for the activity, bright eyed and big smiles and squared chest, which would...likely have the exact opposite of his intention if it weren't for the fact that everyone pretty much already knew him.

Breq wasn't sure how useful any feedback Sidon could give her might be, but at least it would be an interesting conversation.

"So," she said. "Any thoughts on this?"

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From here.

"Sure," Lana said. She held out her hand. "Lana Beniko."

Breq, who by now had come to accept that kind of greeting, took Lana's hand.

"Breq. If I suggest we skip all the questions about you being new and our respective worlds, what impression would that give you?"

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Simon took a deep breath, steeling himself for the exercise. Hey, maybe it'd help him for when he went home...

When they tag in.

Fjord was here, and was... if not quite stoic, quiet.

Very politely quiet. But he'd talk if anyone needed him.

Carter was here and... well, stoic was never going to apply to him, so he was there and looking visibly distressed.

But, like his co-teacher, he'd be terribly polite should someone need him.

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Lecture!

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Help Yourselves to Cookies!

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Pair Off!

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Talk to the Teachers!

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OOC!