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

[built_fjord_tough]

Today's cookie offering was apple strudel cookies since, when he'd gone to consider his options, those had seemed like the most seasonal and also the most delicious. Carter smiled at the class.

"I must admit," he said, "that today's topic is one that I am not used to having to take quite as... ah, literally, as I believe Fjord would."

Fjord, meanwhile, had picked up a selection of sashimi that included a pretty sizable amount of salmon. It just seemed like a good day for salmon.

He cleared his throat as he looked at Carter, one eyebrow raised slightly, and then just shook his head. He was a sailor with experience on merchant ships that occasionally had to deal with pirates. Just because he wore armor, Carter...

"Today we're going to talk about having one another's backs," he explained. "And building trust with your companions by demonstrating that they can rely on you to handle a situation that might otherwise be out of their control."

The fact that Fjord wore armour at all remained something that unsettled Carter if he thought too hard about it. It just didn't seem right to his sensibilities. That he was mentioning it, even obliquely, was impressive!

He still managed to look slightly abashed at Fjord's headshake. He was trying.

"You don't have to be friends with everyone," Carter said, though honestly he didn't see why not. "And, in an emergency, you might not have the luxury of being with your friends. I'm sure many of you have heard stories about bonds formed and tried in times of adversity being some of the strongest there are."

Carter was thinking more of firefighters and police when he spoke of this, but it… held true… for those who fought as well. Maybe? He didn't actually know?

"So, in that aspect, today's exercise is more about trust than it is about making friends."

"Everyone's favorite activity," Fjord said, smirking faintly and holding up blindfolds. "The obstacle course."

Sure, the obstacle course in question was a series of pillows carefully and strategically arranged across the classroom floor, between the students and the cookies and/or sashimi. But all the same...

"Pair off. Blindfold one of you, and the other one has to guide the other safely to the snacks for the day. Then you can have your prize."

Though there was no doubt in his mind that Carter would let them have at the cookies even if they didn't make it. Because they'd met.

Comments

Re: Obstacle Course!

[in_sidon_we_trust]

Sidon was looking very eager to get to something that could distract him, yes, eyes dancing around to his classmates to see whose eye he could manage to catch first.

Re: Obstacle Course!

[unusual_sith]

"Hello, Sidon," Lana said, smiling.

Well, it was possibly a little bit of a smirk, but mostly a smile.

Re: Obstacle Course!

[in_sidon_we_trust]

"Ah, Lana, hello!" said Sidon, so innocently, so obliviously matching her smile and returning it with the usual vigor. Well, perhaps a little more, eager to jump into the class activity with a focus surpassing even his usual enthusiasm. "Would you like to partner up and attempt the obstacle course? I was thinking, it would likely be easier for the smaller of the two of us," he nodded towards her, obviously, "to be the one to partake while I would guide. It seems far less likely to cause any additional...obstacles that way."

Re: Obstacle Course!

[unusual_sith]

"The problem with that is I can cheat," Lana said, grinning. "I don't need my eyes to see what's going on." She held up a blindfold to him. "Come on."

Re: Obstacle Course!

[in_sidon_we_trust]

"Can you truly?" Sidon laughed with delight, opening his arms to express how impressive he found this information. "Lana! That's amazing! But you're quite right, that wouldn't exactly be fair to the intention of the exercise, now, would it? Very good of you to mention it, though; you could have just not said anything, and I'd have been none the wiser! An excellent display of the idea that, in order to be trusted, one must instill trust in others."

And, with that, he knelt down, ducking his head a little. "If you would be so kind as to do the honors? I'm not certain I would be able to tie it tightly enough myself. Do you suppose it's long enough, though, to wrap around my headtail?"

Re: Obstacle Course!

[unusual_sith]

"I think we can make it work." Lana stepped behind him to tie it. Honestly, this was a good example of telling people something just so they'd trust you, and of using the truth to get what you wanted, but she wasn't going to tell him that.

She knotted it as best she could once she got it settled. "There. Now you're at my mercy."