Fandom High School

Hannibal was dressed impeccably in a three-piece suit today. He lounged comfortably against the desk at the front of the room, hands in his pockets, and nodded politely to the students. "No matter where you go, if you want to fit in, or to get somebody to do what you want, or occasionally to survive, you will learn manners are important. In general, the ability to be polite, to not anger those around you unintentionally, is important.

"Of course, manners are different in different places. It pays to be observant, as I believe we've mentioned before." He grinned at Seivarden. "A traditional greeting in this part of the world is a handshake."

Seivarden was wearing her Radchaai Lieutenant uniform, with gloves, of course.

“And handshakes can make people from other places quite uncomfortable,” she continued. “And if you really want to do that, which is a different class, you can do it in better ways.”

She smiled. “There are of course ways to avoid an offered handshake, without completely insulting the person, like smiling and, say, offer a bow in return.”

Hannibal smiled and bowed. "Of course, it is inevitable that at some point you will make a faux pas, people being what they are; realizing it and recovering from it gracefully and without offering further insult is also important."

He held out his hand to Seivarden for a handshake. He was wearing finely tailored silk gloves to match his pocket square.

Seivarden raised an eyebrow, a little surprised, then shook his hand. “Hopefully you can meet in the middle. After greetings, you might end up sharing a meal with someone whose table manners are very different from yours.”

"For meals, as for many things, it is best to observe those around you," Hannibal said. "Mimicry is a good way to start. Even if you're unaware of the meanings behind something, if you can act the same as your hosts, it's a good beginning. Understanding can come later."

“But sometimes that is impossible, if the food or the table manners are so disgusting to you that you’ll be unable to hide it,” Seivarden said. “In that case you can pretend you’ve suddenly fallen ill, or just have to leave due to some other emergency. Perhaps you are fasting for religious reasons. Or just be vague.”

She glanced at Hannibal, curious to see how he would continue.

"The important thing is not to be rude." Predictable, maybe, but very Hannibal. "Avoid insults. Be aware that actions may have symbolic purpose as well as the outright one. Particularly food."

He gestured at the students. "For today, consider what we've spoken of. Come up with a greeting other than Western Earth standard, and at least one taboo - perhaps skin-to-skin touching, or eye contact, or smiling. Then wander, introduce yourselves to each other. Try not to offend each other; if you are offended, try to correct your classmate politely. If you have given offense, try to recover gracefully."

“There is tea,” Seivarden said, “and cookies. Help yourselves, but with good manners of your choosing. The same applies as for the greetings.” She gestured towards the table.

Hannibal had made the cookies; they were designed to go well with the tea Seivarden had insisted upon. "If you don't care to drink or eat, or would like to pretend you don't, refuse graciously."

He nodded to Seivarden. That covered it, yes?

Seivarden gave a small nod in return, then turned back to the students. “So, let’s get started.”

Miguel, in jeans and a button-down instead of his Spider gear, stood in front of the class, arms crossed. "Hi. I'm Miguel O'Hara. Call me Dr. O'Hara or Miguel. not Mr. O'Hara or Mike. Even in this class."

"And I'm Seivarden Vendaai." She was wearing her Radchaai lieutenant uniform, including gloves, obviously. "Calling me Seivarden is fine, Lieutenant if you insist." She didn't think anyone would.

"Miguel and I are here today to teach you a certain kind of social skill that is sometimes overlooked, although if you know how to use it in a proper way it can be quite helpful."

Miguel smirked. "Of course, some of us are better at it than others." He gave Seivarden an overly innocent look. "Not that there's anything wrong with that." Was he demonstrating already? Damn straight.

"Of course there's nothing wrong with that." Seivarden smiled at him, then looked back to the students. "Now, we don't expect you to have developed the skill to do this with subtlety and elegance, but we will give you some opportunity to practice."

She paused. "We are of course talking about the art of exchanging tasteful insults that will hurt the target without abandoning propriety."

"Miguel will give you a basic introduction." Said with just the tiniest emphasis on 'basic' while smiling pleasantly.

"Oh, not at all," Miguel said, waving Seivarden forward with a smile. "Age before beauty."

Seivarden smiled back. "So while Miguel stands here looking pretty for you I'm going to introduce you to the fine art of insulting someone with style. You are probably used to crude exchanges of insults, but done the right way it can make you come across as someone with taste and manners. I'm going to assume that's something you aim for, even if you're going to have to work hard."

"Part of the trick is to look pleasant while you're doing it," Miguel said, still smiling. "You also want to make sure you're not accidentally insulting anyone you don't mean to, like if I insulted one of you for being young - it'd probably turn the rest of you against me too. Make your insults focused and subtle."

"But we shouldn't talk all day," Seivarden said. "Let's practice, and we will give you feedback."