fandomhighdorms | Behind the Dorms, Tuesday Afternoon

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Behind the Dorms, Tuesday Afternoon

"Okay!" Zack grinned as he bounced to the forefront of today's reserves meeting, more than happy to be able to take the reins today.

It meant that he got to be all responsible, or something. He was game for the challenge!

"Today we're going to focus on familiarizing ourselves with weapons that we might have never considered using! Because, let's face it, sometimes the unspeakable happens and we get caught in a jam without anything readily at our disposal but what we can grab from nearby. Either someone else is down for the count and you make do with their weapon, or you end up swinging around whatever you can reach. Being able to improvise is just as important as being a master of your weapon of choice."

"A broomstick can be a staff," said Arthur, who had no experience with that kind of thing. At all. Really. "Any sharp object can be thrown. Anything with an edge can be used as a dagger or a sword, provided you know how to use one, and where to look. I assume you all have eyes."

"And that's why our pile-o-stuff today is more than just the practise weapons we've been using," Zack agreed, putting his hands on his hips and grinning at the people gathered. "If you look close enough, you'll be able to find pretty much anything from bags of marbles to the kitchen sink. Grab something you'd never think of using otherwise, pair up, and put those weapons to use!"

Zack, of course, was making a grab for that random beach umbrella, there.

Arthur, meanwhile, was going for the broom. For no reason. Really.

[~~Please wait for the OCD!~~ OCD is up! This reserves meeting is officially in-session!]

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"A--" He cast a look at the umbrella, "Whatever that is," he said, diplomatically, "Zack? I suppose you'll just have to try and kill me with it."

The broomstick got another happy twirl of beating thingz up tiemz nao before Arthur settled into a defensive stance.

"A beach umbrella," Zack replied almost proudly as he gave it another experimental spin. "It opens up to block the sun. Or the rain. Or whatever happens to be falling from the sky at the time."

He grinned. Really, it would have been useful on that day with the glitter. He was still scratching bits of it off of his scalp from time to time.

"Bring it on!"

He liked that phrase, okay? It went well with the half-bounce he made before diving at Arthur at a run, swinging it downward at him in much the same way he would have used his sword. Oh, Zack.

"Bringing it," Arthur assured him, smirking before he braced himself. He'd gone through a few bouts with Zack and his sword by now, so he anticipated appropriately, bringing his broomstick up hard to block off the beach umbrella.

He shoved it forward, then took a quick swing at Zack's knees in a rapid kind of succession. This was just fun.

Zack rather enjoyed these sessions of beating off Arthur's stick, as well!

He grinned in counterpoint to that smirk, swinging the umbrella downward to block off the broomstick. He was still rather fond of his knees, after all. "I'll consider it brought, then!"

The umbrella was swinging upward again, aiming to smack somewhere around Arthur's hip. It wasn't quite as streamlined as a sword, Zack noted, but it was far lighter, so he could make up for the lack of weight with some extra speed.

Arthur was fairly magnificent with his stick.

That extra speed was noticable, as the umbrella caught him firmly across the hip - which wasn't dirty at all, thank you - forcing him to step aside and try not to wince.

Obviously, the best way to respond was to take the broomstick - which wasn't quite as light as the normal kind, but he'd fought with a few in his time - in one hand and swing it at Zack's side. "You don't handle the beach umbrella too badly."

"I think this is something I might even catch on to," Zack laughed, trying to move out of the way of Arthur's broomstick and succeeding mostly in earning himself a welt on his side, as well. He allowed himself a little wince and nothing more, and then brought his umbrella around again to swing downward at Arthur's shoulder.

"I need work, though. Have you used the broomstick before?"

Because he seemed comfortable with it.

By now, Arthur had gotten into the swing of things enough to block off Zack's latest assault. "Beach umbrella craft?" he asked, snapping one end of the broom down at the boy's kidneys.

"You'd be surprised how often you can find a broom lying around when you need one."

In his universe, at least. They were good for humiliating those annoying peasants he used to like to beat up, too.

Edited 2009-06-09 13:34 (UTC)

"I can't really imagine ever having to use a beach umbrella in serious battle in the future," Zack noted, laughing a little as he managed a quick block with the... hilt? The handle of the umbrella.

Someday, he would eat those words.

"Maybe I'll have to keep the broom thing in mind. That really does seem more likely than a random umbrella showing up somewhere." He twisted around a little to get more swing on his next move, swinging the umbrella around on a collision-course for Arthur's hip again. Hey, he'd already hit that part once. Why not?

This time, at least, he was ready for it, blocking the umbrella at the soft cloth parts (with the very, very not-so-soft stick just underneath, thank you) and shoving forwards. "Suppose you can do something with the cloth?" he asked, "If you're going to pick a ridiculous weapon..."

"What, like open the umbrella?"

Don't give him ideas, Arthur. They can only end in tears.

"I don't know if I'd have the chance to pull the fabric off and strip it down to just a stick in the heat of battle or anything," he mused, moving with the shove and then holding his weapon in front of himself again. "Though I guess an open umbrella could be used to deflect a few blunt-object hits, so long as it didn't break."

"Might want to give that a try," Arthur offered, in courteous suggestion.

Right around when he was slamming his broomstick back at Zack's hip again, yes. He was starting to wonder if maybe he could used the detached head for something...

If he'd mused that thought out loud, Zack probably would have suggested that Arthur invent the broomerang.

It was for the best that he hadn't mused that out loud, really.

"We'll see!" See, he was totally holding the open-umbrella move as his equivalent to a limit break, now. To break it out when the need is dire and the moment is right! Or something. In the meantime, he was more concerned with not winding up with a bruised hip, and he moved his umbrella to block yet again.

The mockery might have lasted him a few years.

"You might," Arthur agreed, magnanimously (it was probably for the best he didn't elaborate on what he meant by that) and brought the broomstick up hard. Where had he left the head? ...Ah, over there.

He took a step backwards to get back in closer with it.

See, it didn't even register on Zack's mental radar that Arthur might be making motions toward the head of the broom. The step backwards made sense, considering Zack had blocked the broom again and was now swinging the umbrella out at arm's length toward Arthur.

He could live with the umbrella, he decided. It got about the same range as his sword did!

"I might see if... I want to give that a try?"

Confuse the boy, Arthur. Go ahead. It's easy.

"Keep trying."

Arthur took another step backwards, parrying with ease, one-handed...

... and then a third, which wasn't a step at all, but rather flipped the head of the broom up where he could grab it with his other hand and toss it at Zack's head.

Hey, you didn't survive in this business without knowing when to get creative.

Incoming!

Zack's reaction time there was somewhat impressive, really. There was the split-second that it took to register that there was a broom flying at his face, and another moment to reach for the button to release the umbrella.

And in all of the time it took for the broom to make it as far as Zack, the umbrella had swung itself open with a fwoomp, and the projectile was bouncing harmlessly away.

Also, Zack couldn't see past the umbrella. Uh. Oops.

The projectile, as it stood, bounced harmlessly past Arthur into the grass. Arthur didn't notice. Arthur was too busy lowering his broomstick in a way that sort of spelled you whatnow and staring for a moment.

For the record, he couldn't see Zack past the umbrella.

"At least your reaction time isn't completely sluggish," he volunteered, after a few beats.

Edited 2009-06-09 14:23 (UTC)

And that sound? That would be the sound of Zack letting the situation sink in from the other side of the umbrella, and then him laughing about it as he attempted to pull the thing shut again.

It was kind of sticky. Huh.

"That's good to hear," he decided, giving the parasol portion a bit of a tug. And another one. Nope. It was jammed good. Apparently these things weren't made to be smacked around against broomsticks and other boys. "Because I think I broke it."

So the umbrella was broken. His broom, as it was, was going to continue being useful for quite some time, but the head was now lost somewhere to the grass. And Zack, it appeared, was snickering over the corpse of what had once been a 'beach umbrella'.

Arthur laughed. Incredulously. You kind of had to.

"No, really."

"Yep, really!" Okay, going to try a different tactic. Zack set the umbrella down on the ground and then attempted to use the extra leverage to force the thing shut.

Because that could always end well. Honestly.

Snap!

The jamming mechanism gave way, the umbrella collapsed onto itself in a mess of snapped supports and fabric, and Zack was now on his face on the ground. And still trying not to giggle too relentlessly at the absurdity of the situation.

Giggling?

Arthur was dying here.

Eventually, he found it in himself to pick up the broom's head, reattach it, and make dutiful little sweeping motions over Zack and the umbrella's sadly departed body.

Edited 2009-06-09 14:42 (UTC)

Zack was still giggling, yes, as he rolled over, sat up, and grinned at Arthur.

"Well. I'd say that went pretty well!"

He was never, ever opening a beach umbrella again. Ever.

"You would say that," Arthur told him, snorting.

"I would," Zack agreed. It was entirely too chipper, really. "If only because I didn't get beaned by the broom-brush."

Victory!

Obligingly, Arthur swung over to smack him over the head with the broom.

Edited 2009-06-09 14:58 (UTC)

Behind the Dorms, Tuesday Afternoon

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