daybreakacademy | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Who: Ziggy, open
What: Start of year office hours
When: After the start of the new school year
Where: Ziggy's office
Warnings: None, unless someone else brings up something heavy.

[Students are free to come to Ziggy for anything from help with classes, to personal problems, to inane questions about what it's like being a zombie cyborg. He might not be too enthusiastic about that last topic, though. And don't mind that he seemed a bit worn down on the first day of school, the Wild Hunt is rough on protectors.]

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[Toki isn't a big fan of Ziggy. The man never listens to him and tends to re-frame things to have a basis for accusations against him. However, Ziggy is a combat instructor. Toki's still a little embarrassed to go ask Ekkehardt for self-defense pointers again, and he knows Rex won't make him weapons or anything cool like he does for Adelaide. So, he's here, days after the hunt, with a look of determination. He can't really play it off too well, as he's followed by Marcel and still in possession of the leash. For now.]

Professor Ziggy~! So, okay, like do you have extra beginner classes for like the very very basics, or alternatively, you can just recommend a choice of excellent firearms for me! Really, that's the best way to go, I feel, because as you can see, I'm not a very muscular person and my physical strength leaves much to be desired! I mean, I absolutely respect the discipline it takes to improve on this sort of thing, but like, what if there's another attack next week!? No way can I be ready by then, so obviously, I need a long-range weapon for the time being, right!?

[This...is surprisingly practical, to be coming from Toki. He thinks for a moment, then nods.]

My primary classes are for situations where weapons are either unavailable or impractical, but you have a point regarding your physical condition. Firearms are limited by ammunition, but they would be well suited to defend yourself in an emergency.

However, before I agree to teach you, I have a safety concern: do your visions still cause convulsions?

[Toki blinks in surprise. First, he'd gotten his debate club without even trying, and now a faculty member is considering giving him a gun. He may have accidentally stepped into an alternate dimension, but if he did, it's a better one and he's staying here.]

Uhh... no! No, they don't! I'm taking medication for that and I haven't had them in like... over three months!? Yeah, since like mid-June!

[He still has absent seizures with visions, but they're not convulsions, so it's technically the truth.]

That's good to hear. Even outside of combat situations, those were hazardous.

Are you willing to dedicate time outside of classes to learning how to safely handle a firearm?

Sure, but I can learn in like one minute! Time slows like way down for me when I use my uhh... flame power~! So like, I could master it in one day and be firing away at some invading daemons!

[Fingerguns.]

I'll want proficiency tests to be done at a pace I can follow. My vision is enhanced, but the rune work in my eyes is a little old fashioned.

I'll slow it down for you!

[He nods decisively.]

Then we'll need to schedule training blocks. I can give you a verbal rundown today, but any demonstrations will have to be in a venue suited to practicing with firearms, even if we're using unloaded guns.

On that note, the first lesson is to always treat a gun as if it's loaded.

Right! Don't point it at yourself or anyone el-

[He stops in the middle of his sentence to stare blankly for a few seconds. Vision have stabilized and they're a lot shorter, but he still has no awareness while it's happening...

Bright yellow flashes streaking across a pink sky. A woman in a pointed hat laughing. Skeletal fingers reaching up to a rotting pumpkin head with human eyeballs.

...A sharp spike of pain runs behind his eye and he hisses.]

Shit. Okay. Uhhh... Where were we? Yes! Loaded guns are bad!

And it's better to treat any gun as loaded, so you don't get into bad habits.

[He pauses.]

Did the vision come with a headache?

Yes. They used to a lot when I first got them, but then other things happened obviously that were worse and I didn't notice as much. Now I notice it again, but it's fine.

[Apparently, their weapons discussion has been derailed.]

[First day of classes, after school, Lia's poking her head in.]

Sir?

If it's persistent, I keep some mild pain medication on hand to treat minor injuries from class.

[He looks over and nods.]

Come in. Is something wrong?

No, not really.

[She slips inside, then closes the door behind her.]

Not more so than usual, anyway... Well, first things first, I kind of wanted to see how you were doing, especially after last night...

Nothing that won't be remedied with another night or two of rest and routine maintenance. I'm built to handle harsh conditions.

[......]

Thank you for your concern, though.

No, i-it's fine. It goes away quick.

[Toki has this weird feeling rising up inside. Ziggy's being nice to him. He doesn't understand. He thought this man hated him, twisting his words around about seeing the school as a prison. Maybe Toki hadn't explained that he didn't see them as forced to fight. Maybe he wasn't clear and it was a misunderstanding.

He'd spent a long time being bitter over that, because he's a Seer, and he does know what was said at that staff meeting. He knows Ziggy barely knew him, but told them all he'd accused the academy of forced participation in the coming war. He knows Ziggy is the one who suggested his treatment be outsourced, like he even knew anything when Toki had only talked to him twice. Ziggy was the reason he went to Soleil, why he is where he is right now.

He can't be nice. It starts cracks in that perception. Did it not happen the way Toki thought it did? Was he that delusional? He's having trouble breathing.]

I-I'm sorry. I think that I... I misjudged you before... back when... I may have been insistent about things that didn't... happen? I'm sorry. I'm really confused and I need to go now.

[She nods, looking a bit sheepish.]

Last night was a lot, so...

[MMMMN.]

There was something else, I wanted to ask about, though. Would it be alright to keep going with the extra lessons?

[The idea that she could be found still bothers her...]

[Haseo enters Ziggy's office a bit hesitantly. The Hunt was a bit of a blur to him, but he thinks he remembers Ziggy being there.]

Hey, you alright, Old Man?

[The apology comes as a surprise, but his features soften in something that might have been a smile on a less stone faced individual.]

Apology accepted. We can discuss time frames later.

Of course. Just make sure you don't stretch yourself too thin, or the lessons will turn counterproductive.

[He looks over and waves a metallic hand in an invitation.]

Well enough, all things considered. I'll be fine with a few more hours of maintenance.

[She nods.]

I am trying to stay... generally aware of where my limits are. And trying to stay within them.

[Especially after that Grimm attack. Yeesh.]

Good, Skeith can be hard to control on the best of days. I... I didn't actually want to hurt anybody.

[ Rex turns up during office hours, same sleepy look as ever. Though this time he's also hauling around an enormous golden sword around on his back with a shield that appears made of blue gemstone laid over it. He's still got his blank face on. No big deal. ]

Good afternoon. I was wondering, is that offer to spar still open?

[ He needs someone he can fight with his crazy equipment that won't die. ]

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