It was a friday afternoon, which meant everybody in the school had sparring practice. SInce it was probably the last nice day they'd have for a while, sparring was held outside. The older girls were practicing with weapons-- swords, axes, daggers, etc., while the younger girls were practicing hand to hand sparring. Most of the teachers were there, and as usual, there were a million complaints.
"I hate this," Lazer grumbled as she was instructed yet again to bend her knees when she kicked.
~*~*~
"I'm just really glad these aren't sharp," Armelle said as she lifted a practice sword. John showed her how to use the weight of the sword against her opponent.
Friday
"Oh my gosh! What are you trying to do?" wailed Tiffany, dropping the practice weapon with a clatter.
Friday rolled her eyes.
"Hey, Tiff? Guess what?"
"What?"
Friday stood up close to Tiffany, put her sword to one side of her neck and her face to the other.
"If I were a vampire... you'd be dead right now," she said, in a quiet, creepy voice.
Tiffany pushed her away.
"Leave me alone, you freak. Can't you see what these things are doing to my hands?" Tiffany held her hands up. "Look at this! A blister on my hand. And my nails..."
Friday looked closely.
"That tiny thing? You are such a wuss. Now, get on your freaking guard, pick up your stupid sword and protect yourself you idiot. Hello? Me vampire coming to get my prey. I am laughing at the pathetic example of a slayer I see before me, think of you as no threat and calmly go about picking you off. Go on. Prove me wrong."
"Freak."
Armelle and Darcy
Darcy rolled her eyes at her roommate's squealing. She picked up her own practice sword and faced Armelle. They touched blades, and then started. Armelle had been fencing since childhood, but was not used to the heavy broadswoard. Darcy on the other hand had been trained by her watcher since she was very young. Armelle had Darcy, then Darcy had Armelle, enither was winning, but neither was losing. Finally Armelle lost her balance and fell, and Darcy held the sword inches away from Armelle's throat.
"Good job Darcy. Armelle, why don't you get some water and then try again," John said. Armelle and Darcy shook hands and then went to sit down for a bit.
"Tiff's just not getting it, is she?" Armelle asked with a sigh.
"If by 'it' you mean a bad attitude, then she's definitely getting it, otherwise, she's going to get herself killed. Oh, look, KAt & Lilly are practicing with axes."
Gaia and Kendra
"Gotcha!" Kendra beamed, as she knocked Gaia.
"Hey!" Gaia objected, "That hurt."
"Well, you shoulda been payin' attention, instead of watching everyone else."
"Yeah, well," Gaia said, picking herself up, "that other girl is a bully. She's always picking on Tiffany."
"She deserves it," Kendra replied. "Tiffany isn't even trying."
She stood ready for another round.
"Tiffany could beat her up if she wanted to," Gaia said loyally.
Kendra snorted.
"Tiffany couldn't beat up a fly if it's wings were already picked off."
"That's not true!" Gaia cried and lunged towards Kendra, a lunge Kendra easily avoided.
Dakota
Dakota tried for a third time to do a spinning kick.
"You're getting there," an instructer said kindly, but she knew it was sloppy. Keisha dodged Dakota's kick easily, grabbing her leg. She tried to flip her, but instead they both kind of fell on top of each other, laughing.
"We'll get it eventually," Keisha insisted.
"Yes we will. Hey, when do you go to film your scene for Episode 3?" Dakota asked the other actress as she got behind her and got her in a headlock.
"Next weeked. It's only one scene, so I'm flying out to LA to shot it in pickups," Keisha replied as she used Dakota's weight to her advantage and flipped her over her head onto her back so that she was standing over her.
"When do you go out to finish filming on War of the Worlds?"
"I've been flying out on weekends, because Mr. Giles didn't want me to miss school, but after a phone call with Tome Cruise himself, Mr. Giles is letting me off early for Christmas holidays, and we'll shoot through December."
"Crazy," KEisha said. They both stood up, faced each other, bowed, and went over to get a drink.
Friday
Carlee blocked Katrina's thrust. Katrina stepped back. There was a momentary pause and Katrina tried again, only to have Carlee block her again.
"You're really good at this."
"You try growing up with four older brothers and see how good you get," Carlee grinned.
Their sparring was interuped by a frustrated yell.
"Damn it Tiffany!" Friday exclaimed.
"I can't believe the PTB picked Tiffany to be a slayer," Katrina said.
"Ahem," said a nearby instructer. "A little more sparring girls."
"You broke my nail!" Tiffany wailed. "It's bleeding, you savage."
"So freaking what?" Friday demanded. "Vampire isn't going to care what condition your nails are in. No one freaking cares what condition your freaking nails are in. And if you don't learn to fight properly a lot more than your finger is going to freaking bleed!"
The instructer that had just spoken to Katrina and Carlee started to move but Kate Connor held out a hand to stop her.
"Peer pressure on Tiffany may work better than anything else we can say right now," she said softly. "I'll step in if need be."
The instructor nodded.
"You're a freak," Tiffany wailed.
"And you're lucky you're survived this long, when, as a slayer, you have a big neon sign above your head that says 'Hello Vampires! I'm a slayer. Come hither!'," Friday scrowlled.
The two gave each other death stares.
"Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way," Friday said suddenly, and rather sweetly. "Maybe your male self would be more up to the challange."
Tiffany looked confused.
"What?"
A smirk crossed Friday's face as she turned Tiffany into a boy, her clothes ripping in the process.
"Crud! What did you -" Tiffany began looking at horror at her clothes, now startled at the change of her voice. "How the... what did you do to me?"
"Maybe as a male you're more capable of putting up a fight," Friday said. "Or are you a little pansy-boy after all?"
"Oh my gosh!" Tiffany gasped.
"What now?"
"Why the heck am I wearing these clothes? I look like a cross dresser! And a ragged one at that."
Friday grinned, reached over and worked her atom manipulation on Tiffany's clothes.
"There, now they fit you better and won't fall any more to pieces while we spar."
"I know I'm not really a boy..." Tiffany frowned uncertainly.
"It won't last. So long as you spar with me properly, like the slayer you're supposed to be."
Tiffany frowned, her male self attempting to make sense of everything. He looked around the room and saw girls. there was the odd male instructer, but otherwise all girls. Because this was an all girl school, and he was really a girl. Except he was a boy.
"Fight me," Friday said. "Fight me baby, or cross dressing will be the least of your worries."
"Baby?" Carlee repeated with a giggle.
"Tiff does make an attractive boy."
"Tiff makes a pretty boy," Carlee dismissed.
Tiffany considered for a moment, then picked up the discarded sword.
"On guard."
Friday grinned, and swept into the first decent spar anyone had ever had with Tiffany.
"All right girls," Kate said, frowning. "Stop staring. Kella! Check your footwork."
Darcy and Armelle
"Oh, my God," Darcy said, letting go of herself long enough to giggle.
"Tiff's hot! Maybe she'll actually start trying now,"
"I wouldn't pay on it," Armelle said, kicking Darcy lightly in the bottom. "Let's try again." They picked up their swords and did some very good footwork.
Friday
At last Friday felt she was making some progress. She actually got Tiffany to make an effort. Ha!
"Much better," she said approvingly. "You've finally got a decent hold of your sword. I can't knock it out of your hand now."
"Why not?" asked Kate, raising an eyebrow at Friday.
Friday managed a glare at Kate before circling with Tiffany.
"Well, I could. But we're both trying to learn here. For once. Besides, for once Tiffany actually wants to have the sword in her hand."
"I can take anything you give," Tiffany challanged.
"Oh, really?" asked Friday. "How about, mano o mano?"
Friday then turned herself into a boy, utilising her atom manipulation in the process to make sure her own clothes still fit. She was so thrilled the day she figured out how to co-ordinated her powers.
"Okay," said Carlee, pausing to watch, "is it wrong of me to say that Friday makes a hot boy? I mean... she is a girl, and I don't swing that way but..."
"There aren't many guys around here..." Katrina pointed out, "I think it's cool."
Tiffany lunged towards Friday, who easily dodged his blow. Friday then tripped Tiffany up, but Tiffany managed to do the same to Friday on his fall. Tiffany jumped up quickly, and placed the mock blade to Friday's neck. Friday rolled out of the way (and into Tiffany's legs). Tiffany recovered his balance, and Friday leaped back up again. They were at each other with the swords again for a good couple of minutes before Friday, with a cheeky grin in Kate's direction, knocked Tiffany's sword out of her hand. Smirking, Friday poked Tiffany in the chest.
"If you were a vampire, you'd be dust."
"Whatever. Can you turn me back now?"
"Aww," Friday said, turning himself back into a girl, "but you make such a good looking boy."
"Friday..." Tiffany whined.
"Ugh. Until you did that," Friday winced. "Whiny boys is just icky."
She waved her hand in the air and Tiffany was a girl again.
"I hate you!" she shrieked. "You're a complete freak! You totally suck! I hate you!"
"So you've said," Friday replied dryly. "Now, do you want me to fixyour clothes again, or would you prefer to run around in stretched clothes."
Tiffany glared, but let Friday fix her clothes.
Kate
Sparring was over, and the girls were given permission to go shower before dinner. And unlike the boys at the Catholic school down the street wished, they did not shower together. Before Friday left, Kate pulled her aside.
"Listen, Friday, I appreciate your motives today, and for the first time, Tiffany was actually fighting. But the younger girls look up to you, and bullying is unacceptable. As much is it pains me, I'm going to have to give you a detention." Kate thought it over. "How about 10 lines of 'I will not bully other students.'" Kate assigned, winking. ten lines would only takea few minutes. "Have them on my desk before you go out for free time tnight, okay?"
Friday
Friday scrowled. She just did everyone a favour and she was getting punished for it?
She sighed. She supposed she understood where Kate was coming from (goodness knew, she was a pretty cool teacher), but it still rankled.
Funny... once apon a time she would have been the one gettied bullied. How the tables have turned.
This thought made Friday pause as she headed to her room. She realised she must have changed a lot since... since... since she found out she was an alien? Before that... when her powers first emerged...
Hmm.
And what was this about people looking up to her? Seriously, looking up to her!. That was just... just... incomprehensible... She, Friday Black, was someone that people would look up to. C'mon, there were far more interesting people to look up to. They had some pretty cool teachers, for one thing, even if some of them were barely older than the students.
Oh.