Behind the Dorms, Tuesday Afternoon

[puppy_fair]

"Hey, guys," said Zack once people seemed more or less assembled for today's reserves meeting. "Since we're working on getting involved in some more in-depth exercises in the future, I thought that maybe keeping it simple today would be for the best. You more or less know one another by now, I think, but do you know how the other people here in the group work?" He grinned a bit, and then shrugged. "Unarmed sparring. Grab a partner and go at it. Don't do anything to seriously hurt your partner, though. I want to see you going for grabs and holds and light contact, but not force. We want our crew in one piece, here. And if someone does get hurt, come see me. I have potions, or else I can help haul your butt to the clinic."

The look that he was wearing was one of those very serious looks that suggested that he would be very displeased if it came down to hauling anyone's butt to the clinic, okay. And considering the bouncy puppy that he was a semester ago, it probably seemed all the more severe if you happened to know Zack.

"Before we get started, I want to announce the other two leaders who will be stepping up to help me lead the group. Jak and Kennedy both have some excellent ideas about further training exercises, and they've both agreed to take leadership roles here, and so if you see them be sure to give them a pat on the back, or at least a little respect, okay?"

Whatever your idea of respect was.

[Open!]

Comments

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[puppy_fair]

Zack was actually looking kind of anxious today as he supervised the group. Possibly because he was hovering like a hawk to be certain that nobody was getting hurt, and partly because... Well, he sort of wanted to spar, too.

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[kissytheface.livejournal.com]

Oh, look. That would be Dandelion going in for a tackle-glomping thing.

"Zack! Big brother!" she exclaimed.

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[puppy_fair]

"Dandelion!" Zack would never turn down a tackle-glomping thing. Ever. This particular tackle-glomp came with a catch-and-laugh reflex, and Zack was going to go ahead and give her a squeezy sort of hug. Because he could! "How are you doing, little sis? Are classes treating you okay?"

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[kissytheface.livejournal.com]

"I made a cape!" Dandelion exclaimed happily. "And a hat with beds on it. OH! And I defended the cafeteria from Viking decorators and now I have to find a way to foil the Viking Dinosaurs from taking revenge for using too many fossil fuels."

It made sense in Dandelion's head. Really.

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[puppy_fair]

Zack tilted his head at that one, thoughtfully.

"You know, I've fought dragons and monsters and all sorts of incarnations of the forces of evil, but I've never once had the opportunity to fight a viking dinosaur? Maybe it's because we don't really use coal and oil where I'm from. They're kind of old-fashioned."

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[kissytheface.livejournal.com]

"He seemed nice for a Viking," Dandelion mused. "He did let me hug him. He wasn't very squishy. Anyhow, now I have to figure out a way to make everything green so we can thwart the dinosaurs revenge."

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[puppy_fair]

It probably said a great deal about how highly Zack thought of his siblings that he was actually taking this into serious consideration, huh?

"I guess there's always spray paint?"

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[kissytheface.livejournal.com]

"ODIN'S BEARD!" Dandelion Exclaimed as she went to smoosh Zack's face. "THAT'S BRILLIANT!"

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[puppy_fair]

Someday, Zack would get used to the face smooshing. For the time being, he'd just smile tolerantly and work on not wincing!

"I have my moments," he laughed. "And I'm sure paint is easy enough to find in town. Turtle and Canary has almost everything."

Except for duct tape.

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

Squall looked over the people who were milling around and shrugged.

(None of these people would even be a challenge.)

Of course, Squall was most likely wrong about that, but it's not like he cared. Zack caught his eye, though. You had to respect someone with a sword like his. He wasn't Seifer, but... eh, what the hell.

He stalked up to Zack, stabbed his gunblade into the ground dramatically, and said "You up for a challenge?"

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[puppy_fair]

Oh, come now. It wasn't as though Squall was the only one here who would stab a sword into the ground dramatically. In fact, give Zack just one moment to pull the Buster Sword from his back and give it a swing, and he'd do the exact same!

"I haven't been known to turn a challenge down yet," he shared, grinning faintly. "Is this your way of saying that you'd like to spar?"

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

Squall shrugged. "Everyone else looks like I'd break them."

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[puppy_fair]

Zack actually took a moment to look at the people who were assembled today. And it took a good deal of self-control to keep from smirking, yes.

"Really? Well, I guess I'll have to take that as a compliment, then."

And he would, too. It was going straight to his head at this very moment.

"Do you want me to lose the armor, too?"

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

"Whatever," Squall answered with a shrug. "It's not gonna make much of a difference."

He pulled at his gloves, to make sure they were on tightly, and put his fists up. "You ready?"

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[puppy_fair]

Zack shrugged right back, and then put his own fists up, too.

"Always, man."

After you, Squall! Zack tended to hang back to wait what the other person was made of, when sparring on the island. It saved him the constant worry about accidentally knocking someone ten ways to Sunday with a SOLDIER-strength punch.

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

Squall was junctioned to more than a few Guardian Forces, so Zack didn't need to worry. His fists weren't the lethal weapons that Zell's were, but that was only because of a lack of practice.

He started with a few light jabs, trying to get Zack's measure.

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[puppy_fair]

Well, light was pretty much what Zack had laid out in the ground rules, so he shrugged a bit, taking the jabs and then swinging back at Squall's chest with maybe a touch more force behind it than the swings that Squall had made.

"You know, not everybody in the group is a total pushover," Zack mused offering Squall a light smile. "Just because they might look like it. This place is full of surprises."

... But he would still be kinda shocked if anyone else could lift his sword.

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[ostianbelle.livejournal.com]

"Hi, Zack!" Asuna said, greeting her fellow possessor of a Big Sword.

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[puppy_fair]

"Hey there, Asuna!" Zack smiled and waved his happy little hello. "How are you settling in?"

[It's getting late in my neck of the woods! How do you feel about some slowplay?]

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[ostianbelle.livejournal.com]

"Great, I'm enjoying all my classes!" She loved Flight & Flying.

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[puppy_fair]

"Good to hear," Zack replied, grinning a little. "The first week or so is usually the toughest, anyhow. And you're meeting people? Making lots of new friends?"

Friends were sort of like Zack's number one priority. Don't mind that.

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[ostianbelle.livejournal.com]

"I've met some people, and one of my classmates even volunteered to tutor me in math."

Asuna appreciated that, she's never ha a good head for numbers.

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[puppy_fair]

"Oh, man, math." Zack gave her a sympathetic smile. "I never was any good at that kind of thing. Which classmate? I might know them, too!"

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[ostianbelle.livejournal.com]

"Right? Math is so hard!" She cocked her head, "Do you know Dana Scully-san?"

Re: Talk to the Leaders!

[puppy_fair]

"Huh..." Zack took a moment to think on that one. "You know, her name kind of rings a bell. Maybe somebody that I know knows her, but I don't think I've had the chance to meet her myself. She must be new!"

Zack liked to think that he knew everybody that there was to know, provided they'd been around for a while. Zack would probably be wrong.