fandomhigh | Battle Tactics and Strategy; Thursday, Fourth Period [01/11].

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Battle Tactics and Strategy; Thursday, Fourth Period [01/11].

Ignis was rather hoping that his glasses would serve an extra purpose today beyond their usual buffer of comfort, in that they would also help hide just how tired he was at the moment. He had been able to sneak in a quick catnap just before the lesson, but it (and the coffee he was clinging to as if his life depended on it) did little to eradicate the effects of a truly sleepless night followed by far too many hours of training. He knew he probably shouldn't have gone that hard, but sometimes, the only way to keep the mind of overworking itself was to overwork the body, instead.

And, given the choice, he'd choose to save his mind over his body any day of the week.

But. Anyway. That was neither here nor there, because he had a class to teach, and he was dedicated to giving that class his full, albeit sleepy, attention today.

"Welcome," he said, when his phone gave a helpful little chime to alert him to the fact that it was the start of the period exactly, and he wasted no time in forging forward, and those who might have been late to the party would just have to catch up, "to Battle Tactics and Strategy. As most of you already know, my name is Ignis Scientia, and I will be your instructor in this topic. I have studied the arts of strategy and war almost my entire life, as well as had a great deal of field experience, and, hopefully, I can impart some of that knowledge to you in a helpful way, and, in turn, I hope that your own expertise and experience can inform my own knowledge as well."

He gave a tight smile there, the smile of a very tired, strict, an dstiff man attempting some semblance of warmth and approachability, and probably not getting to terribly close.

"Of course," he said, "this week is our first week, which I know traditionally focuses on introductions. However, efficiency in strategy, battle, and in life as well, is something we should always strive for, so let's up the stakes a little more than just getting to know each other on a surface level. Let us get to know each other on a strategic level. One thing to always keep in mind, especially when it comes to tactics and strategy, is that what we perceive as strengths can also be turned into weaknesses, and what some might consider a weakness, we can turn into a strength.

"For example, one of my strengths is speed, which isn't much use in a slow, meticulous sort of strike, and one of my weaknesses is my visual impairment, which actually puts me at an advantage of not having a disadvantage when fighting in the dark.

"Another thing to keep in mind, of course," he added, "is that when we choose to reveal our strengths and weaknesses, we are putting out that information to perhaps one day be used against us. So what you decide not to make known may be as significant as what you do.

"Now, then," there was a nod of conclusiveness as he came around to the end of the introduction, "simple enough, correct?" The smile now was much more natural, though small, tucked only in the corner of his mouth, an eager sort of smile, intrigued to see what might come out of the exercise. "Who would like to go first?"

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Tactically, of course! Or maybe strategically?

Nell Ingram

Graham Cracker

Dwight Hendrickson

Alara Kitan

Lana Beniko

Illyana Rasputin

There may or may not have been a few moment where Ignis was valiantly stifling the urge to yawn, but you'd better believe he was drinking deeply from that coffee cup once he was done or in between pauses, and wishing he'd brought a much large one.

Introducing yourself would be incredibly useful, especially if yours is not a voice Ignis already can easily recognize, and then take a moment to share which of your strengths could be turned into weaknesses, and which weaknesses might be turned into a strength.

"I'm Nell Ingram and I'm a lot stronger than I look." In so very many ways. "I lived off the grid for most of my life, so I know a lot of basic skills that most people don't learn these days."

And, you know, she could kill people if they bled on the land, but that was not something she was about to share.

"Mmm." There was a soft, thoughtful hum and a little bit of a frown from Ignis, as Nell being there reminded him of yet another headache that he needed to resolve sooner rather than later, but here and now was hardly the place or time.

"Do you consider, then," he ventured, and he really should have brought back-up coffee; talk about a tactical error, right out the gate!, "your living off the grid to be what most would consider a weakness?"

"A foolish person might," Nell said. "And for some people living that way it might be, but there are so many skills I take for granted that more modern people just never have cause to learn or think about."

"I'm Steve Rogers," Steve said, "and much of my strength and other physical enhancements were caused by a serum I was given many years ago. Naturally that means people intent on harm in my universe have spent decades trying to recreate it or reverse its effects. If that happened, I would go back to being a small, skinny guy who can't catch his breath very well."

"You know," Ignis mused, with a twitch of an actual smile, "I actually know a small, skinny guy who can't catch his breath very well, who manages to hold his own fairly well in a fight. I don't suppose you have any proficiency in firearms or other long distance weapons, do you, Captain Rogers?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Steve said. "I throw a shield pretty well. And I can shoot."

Well, now, and that brought to mind his other teammate.

"Throwing shields?" Ignis asked, then gave a faint snort. "Perhaps you and Gladio should get together some time and exchange tips. He tends to prefer to leave the throwing for his swords, though. But, yes, having a contingency plan for when one of your greatest strengths is no longer an option is an exceptionally good idea. Something that I certainly wish I had more foresight," aaaaah, blind humor!, "to have considered myself, once upon a time."

Steve's lips quirked up. "My husband is a huge fan of contigency plans," he said. "He tries to think of all the ways something can go wrong."

"Hi, I'm Graham!" said Graham, beaming brightly as he waved his hand. "And my strength is my enthusiasm, which some people might find a weakness because it's annoying and maybe even sometimes a little misplaced, I'll admit that, but sometimes, I just can't help getting excited about things, you know? Especially when they're exciting! And...and....I guess one of my weaknesses is the fact that I'm kind of spindly, and definitely clumsy, but I'm working on it, and being skinny means I can fit into all sorts of places! And the clumsiness adds a nice element of surprise to a battle! Really keep everyone on their toes!"

Ah, well. There was no mistaking that voice, although Ignis was quite sure that he and Graham had never had the pleasure of meeting formally before.

"Yes," he said, a bit dryly, with a quirk of his brow, "the element of chaos can be an...interesting strategy to be sure. They say that the bold create their own luck, but I, myself, like to rely a little more on order when one can."

He gave Graham another of his tight smiles.

"There is enough chaos in the world already without creating more, I feel."

"Dwight Hendrickson. Been on my fair share of battlefields seeing as I was an Army Ranger for a number of years. Also hail from someplace originally that requires you to always watch your back and expect things to go sideways at any minute." Ah yes, the joys of Haven... why did anyone live there anyway? "Figured this class would be a good way to expand on those skill sets."

"Indeed," Ignis murmured with a sip of his coffee, "that is rather the goal..."

There was, on the tip of his tongue, along with that lingering caffeine that felt like the only thing between him and humanity in that moment, a tetchy remark, one that would match his tetchy mood, but he managed to hold it back, washing it down with that swallow.

"And your strengths and weaknesses, Mr. Hendrickson? Or are you saying that those are tied into this experience of yours in a broader sense?"

"All pretty well tied up one and the same- strengths are weaknesses in certain situations and settings and weaknesses could be considered a good thing in others" Dight answered with a shrug.

"What an absolutely vague and non-specific answer," Ignis noted.

Which was not at all helping with that tetchy disposition here, Dwight.

"I'm Alara Kitan," Alara said when it was her turn, "and well one of my strengths is that when I'm on a planet that's not high gravity, I have super strength," she said, "but then if I'm a planet like my home world I don't have any abilities," she added.

"Well, surely, Ms. Kitan," Ignis mused thoughtfully, "you have other skills that can be useful in some way when on a planet that shares gravitational characteristics with the planet you're from. What might some of those be? What do excel at in the comfort of more familiar environments?"

"Lana Beniko," she introduced herself. "I'm open to working with just about anyone, but I've discovered that also makes me too trusting at times."

Ignis gave a faint smile for that. "Truly," he said, "a double-edged sword if there ever was one, annd, depending on how things go, it could be either the one that may save you or the one that impales you in the end. Do you ever feel, Ms. Beniko, that too much misplaced trust will result in a loss of that openness? Or have there been enough times where the openness has proven more fortuitous than expected to keep justifying the risk?"

Lana thought about it and sighed. "Honestly, the answer changes depending on how recently I've won or been betrayed. It's a battle."

There was a faintly amused quality to the huff Ignis gave, supported by a faint smile, because at least some engaging discussion was doing a half-way decent job of distracting him from the lack of a certain wafting of cedar and mulberries in the classroom at the moment.

No. Half-way decent was far more charitable and generous than it deserved.

"I can only assume, then," he noted, "that there has been at least some distance between last significant betrayal to currently consider it a strength and weakness in fairly equal measure, then."

Lana huffed in laughter. "Some distance, yes. But I can acknowledge it's both even at the worst or best of times. The difference is how much I curse."

"Illyana Rasputin," she said by way of introduction. "My strength and weakness is that I am a mutant teleporter."

"On one hand, it makes me very formidable on a battlefield. I can teleport myself, others... really, anything I can see, or I can create a portal between two locations to allow free movement between them."

"It makes it hard to predict where I or my allies will appear next. The drawback is that the larger the distance, the more taxing for me physically and mentally. If I try a really audacious jump, say, from here to California, I do have to stop-over on another plane of existence, which is not pleasant for people other than me."

Was she leaving out 'also, sometimes I accidentally time-travel' or 'it is possible to turn my powers off with an inhibitor' ? ABSOLUTELY. Yana's other strength/weakness was, well, paranoia.

"In theory, the more I train, the more control and endurance I should gain." She allowed herself a slight smile. "The sky might be the limit for some people, but I'm shooting for Pluto and beyond."

Ignis is trying not to think about it, but, honestly, the longer he is detained in class...the better, perhaps.

~~Didn't analyze that hairstyle~~

To Whom It May Concern,
Please excuse Liliana Vess from class today, her absence is unavoidable in that she didn't want to come.
Thank you,
Mgmt

Excuse you, did you not see the part where it said analyze and suffer?

Retroactively doesn't count!

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Battle Tactics and Strategy; Thursday, Fourth Period [01/11].

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