fandomhighdorms | The Rocky Bits, Tuesday Afternoon

Arthur'd left a message to all about the change in location for today's drill, last week. He was in something of a better mood, although yesterday's spar with Lady Elspeth had knocked him back down to a normal grouch. At least he no longer looked like he was contemplating murdering his co-conspirator.

He didn't start speaking until he was fairly sure they'd gotten their haul of people for the day. "Today, we begin to work with our terrain," he announced, "And each other. You all have vastly different skills and powers at your disposal; now's the time to share them. You'll be venturing out to different defensible locations, spread over the seaside to your right," he nodded, "the Rocky Bits at your left," another nod, "And the ground you're standing on. Pick one, and set up a plan to make it defensible."

After a quick glance at Arthur, to make sure he had finished, Leto continued: "And after having made your own strategy for defense, some research will help you develop it. Find examples from various points in history of successfull defense of a geographic location similar to the one you chose and write a short report on your own conclusions."

[~~Wait for OCD!~~ OCD is up!]

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Team up, find a location and discuss your strategy.

As long as she didn't have to actually go out on the water, Firekeeper was fine with working just about anywhere.

Finally satisfied with her thoughts, she walked over to one of the other girls.

"Hello. My name is Fiona. Can I join you" she peered at the wolf "and your friend?"

She assumed nothing about the wolf. Something about having conversations with giant crocodiles makes it hard to ever think of animals as just animals ever again.

"May," Firekeeper nodded, recognizing the girl from class yesterday. "My name is Blysse. He is called Blind Seer."

At first she thought the girl was misidentifying her as 'May' before realizing what she meant.

"Blysse. And Blind Seer."

She nodded respectfully to the wolf.

Firekeeper's speech patterns took a bit of getting used to; she tended to eliminate words and tenses she felt unnecessary.

"Where you wish to defend?" she asked.

"I'm fine wherever you'd like to go. I don't have a preference."

She didn't have any experience on this particular set of terrains, which made her choice of classes helpful.

She eyed Ben heading up and Tahiri heading down, and then decided. "We take this way," she pointed back towards the school gates.

She nodded.

"I'll follow you."

She turned to Blind Seer.

"I'm assuming you can understand me? I don't mean to be rude to ask, but I want to be sure."

Blind Seer gave a nod, and though that got the general idea across well enough, Firekeeper translated the more precise answer: "He understand human speech, and can imitate a few of their manner, like this nodding. He read a little too."

"That's fine. I just wanted to be clear. A crocodile was a temporary ally of mine for a little bit," she admitted as she started walking.

"What's your experience with this kind of thing?"

"Have fought in some battles," Firekeeper told Fiona. "Some was attacking places, but most was defending." The siege she'd planned on New Bardenville had been a bit of both, but the island with its strange lack of wildlife would make such a thing impossible here.

"I've always been on the offensive," she said, "but I've studied many defensive battles and tactics over the years."

Sun Tzu had always been a favorite. It was from him that she'd learned to pick her battles with her then-Grandmother.

"You know this area better than I do. Is there anything you can think of we can use?"

She quirked her lips.

"They also didn't mention what we'd be defending against."

Firekeeper hadn't studied anything, having refused to learn to read back when she was still learning Pellish. She was coming to regret that decision now, perhaps, but what's done is done.

"Archers could stand on gate," she mused. "And they no mention because is hard to say. This island attract many creatures, some that exist in other worlds, some that do not."

"We're defending the gate specifically?"

She quirked her lips thoughtfully.

"To keep things out, right?"

Ben immediately began heading toward the rocky bits. Higher terrain was always better.

Tahiri had thought about following Ben up to higher ground, but opted for heading the opposite way, down the seaside, working on the notion that it would work more to their advantage to cover more area with their Jedi senses.

Not like she couldn't contact him if she needed to anyway.

Oh, like Dinah wasn't going to head straight for the rocks? She'd been wanting to do that for ages.

Gabrielle . . . was standing there on the beach, looking around and thinking.

It had started out as a very simple thought: What would Xena do?

Unfortunately at that point, Gabrielle's imagination had kicked in, and now she was sorting through any one of a half dozen possible scenarios about which she could ask that very simple question.

None of them were simple scenarios.

The Rocky Bits, Tuesday Afternoon

Defend the island

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