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Behind The Dorms, Tuesday After Classes

"During the attack two weeks ago, we found ourselves relying on our fellows," Arthur began, peering around the reserves. "It can be safer to go out in teams of two or three, especially when our vision is limited and larger groups might become unwielding. We have spent a lot of time training ourselves individually, but it is small groups that will have our attention today."

He gestured at the group. "I'd like you to find a partner or two. Discuss your skills or powers, and determine whether or not they compliment each other. Practice combinations of individual skills wherever possible. We won't get you all up to anticipating each other's movements in one session, but it will be a start."

A beat.

"If possible, try to meet up and do the same several times this week," he said, "If nothing else, it has become obvious we are strongly in need of small teams used to working with each other."

[[ ~~wait for the~~ ocd up! ]]

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There are... some sandwiches today. Be nice and share.

Ino was up in her tree, a little more in the open than usual, and while she was looking thoughtful... Well only some of that was from the topic.

Tahiri wasn't keeping to the edges as much as she used to; she was standing fairly close to the center of the group, hands tucked behind her back and a serious expression on her face as she contemplated the discussion topic. The Jedi meld had been instrumental to the Ebaq 9 campaign, and for all the problems it had caused at Myrkr it had had its good points, but . . . was it even worth considering something similar as a suggestion?

Kennedy's ankle was more or less up to spec by now-- which was to say it was still a little tender, and she had to be careful not to overdo things (which, by the way, chafed at her), but it wasn't an effort to keep from limping. Which was a good thing, because wow, embarrassing. And annoying.

At least there were sandwiches, and she'd be helping herself to one of those.

Kurt poked at the sandwiches. "...No brownies?"

Gabrielle had a sandwich in hand, her staff in the other (she felt naked -- no cracks about her outfit, thank you -- if she went too long without it), and a half-distant but inquisitive look on her face as she listened, wondering if it would help or hurt her cause to have a more fight-inclined person along next time she tried to negotiate with the invading creatures.

What? That had been a success.

Find one or two partners. Discuss how your abilities might compliment one another, and practice moves if you have the chance. There's a lot of empty space behind the dorms, after all.

Ino glanced around idly for a partner or two, mentally debating how much she wanted to give away about her abilities.

Mat grinned up into the tree at her. "Hello."

"Hey you," she said, offering him a smile. "Wanna pair up? I might even be convinced to share branch space with you."

"And here I was going to extol the virtues of the ground," Mat replied, laughing. "Are you half-bird?"

“Do I have to be to enjoy a tree?” she wondered, kicking her legs idly. “I wonder if I ought to feel gypped that I haven’t any feathers?”

"Probably not," Mat decided, "unless you were supposed to have some and they got lost. I enjoy trees plenty from here on the ground. They're bloody excellent to hide behind."

“But people oh so rarely look up,” she pointed out, unable to keep from smirking at that. “Making it far easier to get a drop on someone just walking ‘round.”

"Makes it easier to get eaten by a creature who would live in the tree, too," Mat replied.

Mat was quite a fan of nature. Really.

“I won’t tell you ‘bout our tree dwelling flesh-eating leeches back home then,” Ino said, rolling her eyes in amusement and swinging out of the tree with absent-minded ease. She landed light and raised one eyebrow. “Better?”

"Much," Mat said, grinning. "I thank you, my lady. Now, other than tree climbing, what skills will you share with the group?"

Which was not the same as asking what skills she had.

It really wasn’t.

“Clever of you,” she praised impishly and shrugged. “I’m a fully trained medic-with-magic—of a sort. If I can’t heal someone up right then and there, I can generally do enough to get them stable and get them to more comprehensive help. Downsides are that it’s a slow ability for middle of fight. Anything more than a scrape and I need to focus which leaves me open to attack if I’m busy healin’.”

Ino tugged at her hair. “My primary training is in stealth, espionage and sabotage. If I’m going to attack someone, I’m going to find a way to give myself as many advantages as possible first—poisons, ranged attacks, trip wires, anything like that.” Spars for training and fun were different beasts entirely. “And I’m good at personal illusions. If I don’t want someone here to see me, then they’re not going to unless they’ve got a power that cancels mine out. And I can walk up walls and on water.”

A beat.

“Questions?”

Edited 2010-04-06 16:59 (UTC)

Mat's jaw had dropped at her list. "You can walk up walls?"

It was hardly the most impressive on the list, but his brain had frizzled out a bit.

Her eyes went guilelessly wide. Empty as a light bulb and about as bright.

“You mean you can’t?”

Ino, it is mean to tease like that.

Mat pouted at her. "That's not very polite," he said. "I'm not bloody magical. Not that I want to be. Men and the Power don't mix well where I come from."

She wrinkled her nose at him slightly.

“You could, in time, learn most everything I can do,” Ino said, “what I dub magic here ‘cause it’s easier to explain is closer to using your own life energy to accomplish things. And everybody’s got life energy.”

Unless they, uh, weren’t alive.

“I’ve been training my whole life. Ain’t no reflection on you what I can do. What can you do, then?”

"I don't think I have the time, and I don't really relish the idea of the Red Ajah tracking me down and trying to gentle me to figure out what I'd learned," Mat said with a slightly apologetic smile. "I can dance. I'm a decent card player. I can make women smile."

And he was one of the great generals, but that part he skipped.

Eh, she’d skipped the telepathy and possession bits of her little recitation. They were pretty evenly matched in omitting details that were important.

“Making women smile is a useful trait,” she said, being biased. Yes. “More honestly, though, dancing and a gift for charm can be used in a lot of situations. Don’t know ‘bout a straight out fight though...”

Well, she did, but. “No weapons at all?”

Mat pulled a knife out of his sleeve and spun it between his fingers. "I didn't say that," he said with a wink. "I can also thump any noble with a sword using a quarterstaff. I'm a decent shot with a bow and arrow, too."

Ino arched one brow.

"Can you thump oh fearless leader over there?" ... She was curious. Shut up. "And see, that's dangerous omitting," Ino scolded. "What if someone hadn't asked 'bout weapons and went on thinkin' you were useless and it did come to a fight in some invasion? They'd be makin' mistakes in watching their back 'cause they'd be watching yours."

"Arthur?" Mat checked, then grinned again. "I can definitely thump him. I beat two Warder-trained princelings when I was just out of a sickbed. And I helped free Lady Winchester last weekend, so I'm no slouch. I just don't want it widely advertised."

"Warder-trained?" she asked curiously, then shook her head. "Fine, fine. I'll let you pass this time."

Besides, she hardly wanted the same lecture about her powers. Ew, no.

"So how do you think we'd work best together?"

"Warders keep Aes Sedai alive," Mat said. Helpful, really. And then he described a battle plan that would optimize on Ino's skillset.

He also forgot to mention that he was a bit of a tactician.

"Would that do?"

...

...

"I see," she said, her tone somewhere between amused and horrified. "You're one of those people."

Ino had experience with overly efficient tactician types, yes.

"The handsome ones? It is a burden, but yes," Mat replied, winking.

Kurt looked around for a heavy hitter with good reflexes. "Anyone want to team up and get the drop on enemies?" he called.

"Define drop," Illyria said, sniffing curiously as she walked over, though she did her best to disguise that as sniffing haughtily.

Well, since Kurt smelled faintly like a hell dimension, but wasn't really a demon himself, her nostrils were probably getting a workout.

"It's simple!" he told her excitedly. "I take your hand, we go like this--"

He teleported behind her, with that tiny instantaneous portal to the netherverse puffing out some more of its toxic purple atmosphere.

"--and then you punch the bad guy in the back of the head! Sound like a plan?"

Pardon her a moment of emo. "I used to be able to do that."

Right. Moment done.

"It's useful."

Once they ping in!

Arthur was present, hanging back and watching over his reserves like a hawk.

Leto was here too, and would answer any questions people might have. Or just chat.

Zack was... there, more or less. He'd found himself a place to stand somewhere near the rear today, and was watching the group tiredly. There was a sword on his back that nobody should by any rights be able to lift, a fresh scar on one cheek, and he was wearing a new uniform.

... His hair was a little more swept back than usual, too. Please, be gentle. It's just something new he's trying.

*flops on* Easter's done, back to work...

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Behind The Dorms, Tuesday After Classes

Arrive/Mingle

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Team Up!

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Talk to the Guys

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OOC