Fandom High Dormitories

Today's meeting of the reserves was not being held in its usual place, no. People had been handwavily notified that the meeting was going to be held in the Danger Shop, and to meet there once the classes for the day were over so that they wouldn't be getting in anyone's way. It was kind of amazing how much stuff could be crammed into one room, wasn't it?

"Heya, guys!" Zack grinned and nodded to people as they filed in. "Today, we're going to be starting on practical runs of stuff that we've been talking about, all along. Unfamiliar and rough terrain, weapons that might be equally unfamiliar, stamina, agility, and that sort of thing."

"Which means," Kennedy contributed, no small amount of cheerful and eager herself, "welcome to the Fandom Gladiators triathlon, you guys. Not everybody's going to be awesome at every single stage of this thing, but that's kinda the point: figuring out what you need to work on, or what you want to get better at. So keep an eye out for that while you're on the course, and we'll be keeping an eye on it too."

"And try not to get killed." Look, Jak... tended to like it better when Torn handled the debriefing. "We've got guns. If you shoot yourselves in the foot, it's not our problem." Well... it technically was, but whatever. "We start training next week. And, uh..." Pause. "Good luck."

"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!]

Today, they were back to sandwiches. Call it a punishment for last week's teddy bears.

Arthur spoke first. "A little less than a year ago, the island was invaded by zombies," he started. "They took our people and turned them into their own. It was a close call. In order to protect the students, we built a barricade around the school by the gates and watched it day and night. Today, we are going to look into how defensible the school really is."

"I wasn't here for the zombies," Zack noted, and the expression on his face probably spoke volumes about how thankful he was to have missed that, "but in a situation like that, my guess is that you'd have to prepare for a heavy ground attack, where the enemy's strength lies more in sheer numbers than in speed or tactics. Not all enemies are going to be like that, and not all enemies are necessarily going to attack from the ground, either. An opponent that can fly, or even one that burrows or teleports from place to place is completely likely, around here."

Zack looked back at Arthur. Letting him choose today's activity meant that maybe next week, he'd be allowed to bring the cookies back. Look, the cookies were important.

"I want you all to pick a partner, or two if you'd prefer. Go down to the gates. One of you will move further back into town, then attempt to enter. The other must fend them off. Use whatever materials are at your disposal, then tell us what you've learned."

[OCD on the way up! And I swear this always said so...]

"Okay, this week was supposed to be my turn to share a little something or other," Zack confessed, rubbing the back of his neck almost awkwardly as the reserves group gathered. "But I... Kinda got a little sidetracked, and so I'll have something figured out to teach next week. If anyone else has something that they'd like to share with the group, come see me, and we'll figure out a day, and try to round up what you'll need if you want to give the group some hands-on experience with your topic of choice."

He stood there a moment, kind of scuffing his heel against the ground.

"This week, we're going to try the same thing on a slightly smaller scale. We've all got expertise in different areas, right? I mean, there's no way we can all be professionals at the exact same thing. So I want you to pair off, and talk amongst yourselves about where your respective strengths and weaknesses lie. And then, over the course of the week, I want you and your partner to focus on teaching one another. Take those weaknesses, and work them out of your systems. Take your strengths, and see if your partner can use what you've learned in order to improve on their own, as well."

And another moment, kind of quiet, before he shrugged at the group.

"If anyone needs me for anything, I'll stick around after the meeting for a bit. I don't really have anywhere to be this afternoon."

[OCD on the way up!]

Zack was a little more laid-back then usual today when he stepped up to address the members of the reserves. His arms were clasped behind his back, and he was all but standing at attention when he spoke.

"Today, we're going to discuss something a little more specific than usual," he stated, looking around at the group. "Search and rescue missions, in case somebody goes missing during a raid or invasion. I know, we can't get too greatly into detail, considering it's difficult to tell these things if you don't know the nature of your enemy, but I'd like to get into some generalizations, if we can. Basic stuff, like staying in groups, using our phones to keep in contact with a main party, maybe the support reserves, at specific times in case we go missing too. If there are people with better noses or tracking abilities, that's awesome. If anyone knows of anyone from the magic reserve with a sixth sense for finding people, that's great, too."

"It is also useful to review our maps once more," Arthur cut in. "I would suggest that you split off and scout out specific sections of the island in groups of two or three, so that when we have the need of a specific knowledge of a particular area, we'll have someone aware of the details. Which is not to say," he said, after a pause, "That we don't want all of you knowing the island's specifics to the best of your ability. Should a search and rescue mission be needed, we must waste the least amount of time on figuring out where on God's green Earth we are."

Beat.

"If any of you would like to volunteer to scout out the closest few acres of mainland, we could possibly use that knowledge to our advantage as well."

Zack nodded, and then swayed almost uncomfortably on his heels before he added, "and when we're done discussing that, I've noticed that a few of you have been kinda making faces and grumbling at the activities and discussions that we do here at the Tuesday reserves. If you guys have anything that you would like to see us doing more or less of, please, let us know, and we'll try to work it in. Leto, Arthur, and I all have very different experiences, so we understand that you guys probably do, too."

"Keep in mind that our suggestions may not always seem to make sense to you, but we do know what we're doing," Arthur added, "And for the purposes of this reserve, we'd like to assume you do as well in your own way."

That was... encouraging, Arthur.

[And open!]

"Dodging," Arthur started, as soon as all had assembled, "Is a fine art in and of itself. When you lose your weapon, you may not be able to replace it. And even if you do have it, it might be useful to avoid being struck in the face." He paused briefly, grinning once. "But ask Zack about that. Today, we will be practicing that skill: it's a basic fighting technique, but there's no reason we shouldn't be brushing up on it."

Zack did his best to look indignant, but mostly he just came off as 'playfully pouty.' It was entirely possible that the muscles in his face had forgotten how to look indignant years ago.

"We're not going to do full-out sparring today, because there are so many different skill levels here, and we don't have a means of pairing you off the same way that Fight Club has. But we are going to pair you off anyhow. One of you will be our designated hitter, and please, don't use any powers, or super strength, or anything like that until your partner confirms that it's alright. The other one will dodge. Don't get hit, guys. It's not really all that fun. Throw a few hits, dodge a few hits, and swap off every five minutes." He swayed on his heels for a moment, and then added. "If anyone ends up hurt, then stop. If the injury is serious, let us know right away so that I can give you a healing potion or so we can get your butt to the clinic post-haste."

"Above all, share what you know," Arthur finished. "If someone conducts a particularly ambitious swerve, ask how, and attempt to repeat it. Remember to keep your distance, to watch your opponent's movements, and not to lose control of your own. I believe that's everything; grab a partner, and get to work."

"Alright!" When the Reserves crew assembled today, they'd be greeted by Zack, holding up... Half a sword! The last two feet of the length of his blade were nowhere to be seen, and what survived was the hilt, and a length of metal that had definitely seen better days. "Broken weapons! They happen! I know some of you think your blades are all but invincible, but considering the sorts of things we see around here every day, I think it'd be safe to assume that someday, something will invade that stands a chance at disarming even you."

Like, say, Klingons.

Zack tossed what was left of his sword onto the ground at his feet, and then crossed his arms over his chest.

"A broken weapon means that you're going to have two problems. First, the very immediate issue of an enemy that quite possibly has now gained a serious upper hand against you. And second, the eventual repair or replacement of your weapon." He perked a little, giving his hands a clap together. "So! What we're going to do today is discuss both. Can you hold your own in a fight with something big and mean if you've been disarmed? Is your weapon still capable of doing some damage with what might be left? My sword isn't any good for attacking anymore, but at least I can use it to block incoming attacks with what's still there. And then talk about the repair or replacement. Is there someone on the island who can fix your weapon in particular? Can you find another one if it's beyond repair, or is it one of a kind?"

"Some of you may remember the meeting we held on searching your environment for an appropriate weapon," Arthur cut in, "In a pinch, remember to look around you, and to make use of what you've got. In fact, you're best off making sure you've got the measure of the area before you even start - lest you lose a flail and don't know to find the blunt instrument you might need to take out your enemy." NOT THAT HE KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT. "Look around the grounds -- do you see anything you could use to your advantage if disarmed? And, on a related note - how great are your skills of avoidance -- although we'll go into that next week."

[OCD is up and the Reserves are open to all!]

"Today," Arthur announced, looking fit and rested after his first night in a room that did not have an annoying desert noble in it. "We will be talking about the kind of inconveniences that Fandom likes to drop on us from the skies. Sure, poptarts or syrup may seem like a novelty, but when we're dealing with it in a combat situation it suddenly takes on an entirely new angle. Because of that, we are going to spend this week coming up with potential items of rain, and how to deal with them."

He was not going to allow any laughter in his reserves, and his expression made it clear that this was not funny. No, not even to you, newbies.

( Zack was not going to giggle. )

[OCD on the way! up, and it helps if I note that fact, self.]

"It's introductions time again," Zack said, launching right into his greeting the moment it looked like everyone who was going to show up for the Reserves meeting was there. This was in no small part due to the fact that he'd only actually met one of the new kids yet, and his wiggly puppy sense was tingling.

A lot.

"Every semester we seem to get a trickle in of new faces, so it can't hurt for all of us to stand up and share! We need names, your fighting experience and weapons proficiency, and what kind of other skills you might have that would come in handy in an invasion situation!"

A pause. A kind of squirmy sway from one foot to the other. Zack wanted to get started on that noooooow.

"You new guys have probably had the invasions mentioned to you at least once by now, I hope. If not, uh... Welcome to Fandom Island! That sort of thing is what we're here for! I'll go first! I'm Zack Fair, SOLDIER 2nd Class, so yes, I am a kid in the military, and I do have a pretty decent rank, too. My weapon of choice is a sword and materia- little round spheres that let me cast spells, like fireballs or healing. I have access to items that can heal a person in a pinch, too, which comes in really handy on the field. Okay! Somebody else's turn!"

People! Introductions! Yay!

[OCD is up, and once again, the reserves are open to anyone who feels compelled to stumble along to scope it all out. We love new faces, from fighters and those interested in becoming them!]

"Good afternoon," Arthur called, once everyone had assembled. He hadn't been at his best all day - time seemed to be on the blink - but he wasn't about to let that put him off. "Today, our focus will be on the art of 'guerilla tactics'." If he pronounced the word a bit funny, it might have been because it was fairly, er, he'd read it in a book. "If we are overwhelmed by greater numbers, this could be an option. The goal is to whittle away the enemy through ambushes and traps. Mobility is the key word. Considering the woods and the closeness of the homes on this island, it shouldn't be too hard to launch a number of small guerilla--" Again with the weird pronounciation, "Attacks. We'll be planning for several of such strategies over the next few weeks. This week, traps and ambushes." He glanced at Zack.

Zack, who was grinning faintly at Arthur's treatment of the word, nodded in agreement regardless.

"What he said," he intoned. "We've got numbers who can stick to the treetops, and those of us who are just as comfortable in the streets of town. We know the island better than any invading forces might, and so it's up to use to take that knowledge and use it to our advantage. A trap can be as simple as a pitfall, covered so that nobody but us knows what it is, or it could be a matter of waiting with a weapon, out of sight, for the enemy to pass by. It's important to know which camp you're sitting in, here. Do you know your way around booby traps? Are you more inclined to spring into action on a moment's notice?"

"Using set traps will slow down our enemy," Arthur continued, fluidly, "While fluid attacks from our end will destroy morale and pick the enemy clean with time. Of course, tactics will vary depending on the environment, so we'll be mostly looking at the town today. Are there any spaces where we can dig trenches and cover them, set a tripwire, that sort of thing? Which alleys and hiding spaces does the town offer in case we need to employ such tactics? We've been spending a great deal of time getting to know our terrain. This is one way of putting this to work. How many of you know how to set a booby--" another one of those words, "Trap? Share what you know. Explosives might also be useful, if any of you remember Rikku's presentation from several months back."

"This sort of thing is where our archers and gunmen might find a chance to shine," Zack noted. "Firing from rooftops, or treetops, or hidden in bushes. I admit to not being a gunman myself, and so some of you might be able to set the record straight on the matter, but your job probably works more smoothly when you don't have a target rushing at you in the first place." He gave his arms a casual sort of stretch, and then set his hands on his hips, grinning. "So, guys! Today, you're going to figure out which camp you're in. Are you the ones setting the traps, or the ones sitting in wait and then springing them? Talk to one another, sort that much out, and then figure out what in town you can use to your advantage, guys."

[OCD on the way up, and meeting open to all! Co-written with bitch_prince.]