fandomhighdorms | 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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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)

"Ow!"

And there went Zack, laughing again as he rubbed at his noggin with one hand.

"Okay, I take that back. I did terrible."

"I'm glad we're finally on the same page," Arthur told him, grinning, and giving his broom one last twirl just for the audience. "Get rid of that, will you?"

He nodded at the umbrella.

"Will do!"

Oh, he so wasn't. He was going to strap the broken bits back to the handle and then practise his form with it again later. After all, how difficult could mastering a beach umbrella truly be?

And anyhow, using the broken one made more sense than potentially breaking another one, too.

Behind the Dorms, Tuesday Afternoon

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