You Say Overkill, I Say Due Diligence [open post]

[summerdude]

Magnus copies the sign onto seven different pieces of paper. It reads:

WANT TO LEARN NEW SKILLS? ME FREAKING TOO. I (Magnus Chase) Will Trade Lessons In Any Of The Following For Something You Know:

• ASL (Alf/American Sign Language)


• Camping (pitching tents, campfire safety, celestial navigation)


• What To Do If You Find Yourself Lost In The World Tree Yggdrasil


• Pickpocketing (But only if you promise to use it for good (stealing ONLY from dickhead rich people) and ONLY if you have to!)


• Swordfighting for Beginners (I am intermediate but Jack is advanced and he can help!)


• What It REALLY Feels Like To Die (NOT ADVICE!!!)


• (Trans)Gender Identity and Fluidity (from the perspective of a cis guy) (Alex-approved content only)


• What To Do If The God You're Talking To Is Super Obnoxious Particular


• Why Falafel is the Best Food in the World

All skills welcome! But if you know any of the following I am especially interested: Cooking, Geometry, How To Declare Your Love To Your Partner, Hand-to-Hand Combat, Balancing a Budget, Writing Poetry, Social Studies, Codebreaking.

(Sorry but I will not learn pottery from anyone but ♥Alex Fierro♥. I hope you understand.)

PS if there's enough interest we can maybe do full classes where everybody gets to take turns teaching and learning?

He adds a note about the areas where he can most frequently be found and then posts one sign in each of the two kitchens he's encountered, one by the welcome table, one on the door to the greenhouses, one in the library, one on his bedroom door, and one by what he believes to be the most-populated lounge. Then, with a great deal of eager anticipation, he goes about his day.


[A note from Magnus's typist: Open indefinitely!]

Comments

[ravkanwitch]

“That’s Zoya as well. She’s my commander. She’s not much for true diplomacy and would probably rather face down an entire Fjerdan army herself than flirt with someone,” Nina smiles, then refocuses herself. “Right. Flirting. Where were we?”

[summerdude]

"Boldly complimenting Janet," Magnus supplies.

[ravkanwitch]

"Boldly complimenting Janet," Nina repeats to herself, then she laughs a little. "This wasn't the best idea. It's tougher than I thought to teach someone how to flirt. Eye contact is important. Touch, if they're open to that - just touching their arm or their shoulder meaningfully. Sometimes I give them a sly little glance as well. Other than that... it's all about reading people and connecting with them." The wheels are turning in her head a little. "How about this... if you ever want to flirt with anyone here - or if Alex shows up and you want to do something special - I can help coach you through it. It's better if I know the target."

[summerdude]

"Oh, I don't want to flirt with anyone here," Magnus says. "I'll take you up on that Alex offer, though. But I am kind of curious to hear how you'd flirt with everyone else here."

[ravkanwitch]

She laughs a little, then gives him a fake imperious look. "Next victim, please."

[summerdude]

This time, Magnus goes with his first instinct. "Shen Yuan."

[ravkanwitch]

"Be Luo Binghe," Nina says, as solemnly as she can manage, though she's actually trying very hard to not laugh. "You know I have many wives, Shen Yuan," she says, in what's actually quite a good impression of Luo Binghe, "but the only wife I want is you. May I please make you some delectable dinner and charm you?" She tosses her hair a little. It would, perhaps, seem rude from any other source but Nina is irrevocably, absolutely fond of her good friend and that shines through her impression.

[summerdude]

Magnus cracks up at that. "Gods, Nina," he says, shaking his head between peals of laughter. "That's... that's really good."

[ravkanwitch]

Nina ducks her head for just a split second, pleased. "It helps that I know him pretty well. That was more an impression than assessing how to flirt with someone, though... anyone else?"

[summerdude]

"How about you pick someone this time and tell me how you'd do it, and I guess who they are?"

[ravkanwitch]

"That sounds like fun," Nina says and now she's deep in thought for a moment. "For this person, I don't think I would ever actually do it - but if I did, it would have to be a very gentle flirtation. A lot of compliments, a lot of questions and interest in what they're doing and thinking, a lot of thoughtful gifts. I wouldn't jump right in. Slow, careful steps."

[summerdude]

Slow and careful makes Magnus think of Galahad, but he's not certain the other stuff fits. "Tress?" he guesses, remembering how she liked to explain her spores.

[ravkanwitch]

Nina laughs, pleased. "Correct! I don't think I'm her type, though."

[summerdude]

"I guess some people are straight," Magnus agrees; this is primarily a guess. His eyes are twinkling. "Can you do another? This is fun."

[ravkanwitch]

"Sure," Nina says, easily, looking up at the sky as she thinks of someone else. "This person... is one of those people that reflects back what you give to them. If you're flirtatious, they're flirtatious. If you're not, they're not. If I wanted to flirt with them, I'd just compliment them. Make them laugh. I'd tell them that they're a kind, wonderful human being - and I'd be frank with them." She smiles, clearly fond.

[summerdude]

Magnus scratches his head. "This one is harder," he confesses, with a rueful smile. "I think it could be a lot of different people."

[ravkanwitch]

“Good morning,” she says, with an easy lilt to it and a softer, more casual slope to her shoulders. “I thank thee for the coffee - but more for thy companionship.”

[summerdude]

This, too, takes Magnus a moment -- most of his associations with Sagramore have, after all, been sparring or fighting zombies together -- but Nina's posture is what makes it click for him. "Sagramore!" he says, confidently. "You're really good at impressions, Nina."

[ravkanwitch]

"I am, after all, a trained actress," she says, dropping into a small curtsy. "Not professionally trained -- but I had to be in order to survive the streets of Ketterdam. If you give people the you that they want, they bother you a lot less."

Pretending to be a ditzy tourist in order to avoid other gangs that might want to bother her for her involvement with the Dregs, demurely walking past creepy older men so they left her alone when all she wanted was to glare at them, her holy and solemn persona in the House of the White Rose where men came to see Nina the Ravkan Grisha; all of that was her training.

[summerdude]

"That makes a lot of sense," Magnus says, appreciatively. "I'm not much of an actor, so when I was surviving on the streets of Boston I mostly got good at stealing from assholes and hiding from different assholes."

[ravkanwitch]

Nina nods, all too aware of the scramble and desperation involved in fending for yourself. "I think it's what I might do for the talent-- oh, did you know that Nightingale and I are hosting a talent show?"

[summerdude]

"I didn't!" Magnus scratches his head. A talent show with the people here should be very interesting. "You are?"

[ravkanwitch]

"It was, surprisingly, Nightingale's idea but now it's taken on a life of its own. I think it'll be nice. Something silly and fun to do."

[summerdude]

"It sounds like fun," Magnus agrees. "What do you have planned so far?"

[ravkanwitch]

"It's going to take place next week in the new cafe that Enjolras is planning... I think a couple of people have signed up already. Do you have any talents you'd want to share?"