College...

[softer_strength]

Who: Team 8, Dezzi, her world
When: End of first college year.
What: Exams

"...so we can't just find the answers?" Kiba groaned, flopping on the rooftop with his lunchbox on his chest. "I mean, that's the best answer right?"

"Things are different here," Shino noted, glancing at him briefly, judged by the shifting of his glasses! "Cheating is not a skill here. You should know these things from class."

Kiba lifted his head enough to glare at his teammate, "I know where the teacher keeps shit."

"Ahno..." Hinata winced.

"Ugh! I'm going to FAIL! Does that mean I'm kicked out of college and have to wait on the sidewalk all day?!" Kiba moaned, flopping his head back.

Hinata winced and patted his leg gently, "no, but you will need to repeat a c-class if you fail?"

"THAT'S WORSE!" Earth America History was so BORING. The others yeah he could scrape by without cheating but there was just no focus for him there. Even when there were battles he made his notes on how stupid it was and zoned back out! And they had so many leaders in so short a space!

"We will mourn your failure," Shino noted drily.

He lifted his head to glare at Shino again then groaned, "that's fair. Fuck I'm screwed. Could one of you clone technique me?" Take his test for him?

"That's cheating!" Hinata yelped.

"Team integrity!" he countered. He knew it wasn't going to fly but hey, he had to try. "I'll see if challenging the teacher to physical combat helps," he grumbled. It might? Who knew?

"Don't do that," Hinata sighed, "please. The teacher is a civilian!"

"Yeah yeah," he grumbled. "Sorry guys."

Shino snorted, "try reviewing notes before the test."

"I'll consolidate some notes for you!" Hinata beamed, launching from the roof to go find his classmates.

"...fuck," he grumbled.

Comments

[mommahatedme]

Dezzi bellowed from the ground, "Can I get a lift, or should I climb the stairs?" In a remarkably cheerful voice. She, you see, had A Plan.

[softer_strength]

Shino was moving before the girl managed to stop speaking honestly. Flash step was his friend, and Kiba's reflexes weren't the best when he was being morose! "You are out early," he noted. Half apology that no one had been watching for her, and half statement!

[mommahatedme]

"Dr. Lee was in a snit, and after the first two desks exploded he decided that class was going to be cut short." She was not in the same shirt she'd been in that morning. Or wearing shoes. And hadn't she been in pants rather than shorts?

Dezzi got herself into non-Kiba-ninja-carry position and grinned, "I have a plan."

[softer_strength]

"...ah." They were rather used to the fact that Dezzi tended to change clothing often on campus. Between games with the ninjas, PE, and a touchy advisor, well, her wardrobe fluctuated. Two steps and he was setting her down by the still prone Kiba. "A plan?"

[mommahatedme]

"These are my notes." she held out about twelve pages of notes, "This is a practice test." another two pages, "And this is a list of people in class who agreed to do a scavenger-hunt-slash-hide-and-seek-slash-revision game. We're going to go over my notes. Then! Kiba, you go find the people on this list. Every one has a question from the practice test. Every time you get one right, you get a clue to where dad's gonna take us if everyone passes their classes."

[softer_strength]

"Hinata went to find more notes," Shino noted, glancing at the stack of papers a moment before sending a few beetles off to find their team member.

Kiba was sitting up and scowling at the stack because OBVIOUSLY all notes were evil right now! "There's better ways to learn that though!" Like asking the man?

[mommahatedme]

"Yes," Dezzi said dryly, "however dad is in Peoria without his cellphone so you can't do that." she kissed Kiba's ear, "Besides, this will be fun. You get to hunt all our classmates."

[softer_strength]

"...what the fuck is Peoria?" Was it some kind of cleansing retreat? "And do they mean like hunt hunt? Because most of them don't really play with us." So might not know what hunting entailed?!

Shino was memorizing the practice test idly as he waited? "It is a location. It is why Dezzi is staying in Konoha when exams are over."

"Oh, right."

[mommahatedme]

"They don't, but I told them to hide like they were being hunted by wild animals. And said that bruises were pretty likely. That's why only about seventy-five people signed up," she danced her fingers up and down Kiba's sleeve, "Some of them were talking about going off campus, even."

[softer_strength]

Bliiiink. "Am I suppose to put them somewhere after I find them?" Because at least game rules were interesting? He was not looking forward to the test questions but hey, maybe the chasing people around would be worth it?

"We can ask Hinata to tend any bruised participants," Shino added, smiling slightly.

[mommahatedme]

"The gym." she said with a laugh, "We're setting up a buffet in there for people who don't manage to hide. Their win condition is to hide well enough that you can't find them by dawn tomorrow."

[softer_strength]

"Lone hunting or is Akamaru running with me?" he grinned sharply. Because it was far too much time either way but hey at least people should have fun?

"I'll wait with Hinata there," Shino decided, setting the test back down on the note pile.

[mommahatedme]

"Just you." Dezzi said, fanging at him, "Akamaru will be confusing people's trails."

[softer_strength]

"Ah, you subverted my partner," he snorted, fanging up at her a moment. "Evil woman." Bah.

But seventy-five students, that was a lot of questions about history. Bah.

[mommahatedme]

"You adore me." she said, wrinkling her nose, "Besides, how would there be any chance if I hadn't subverted your partner?"

Some of the questions were duplicates! She did try to stick with the mock test!

[softer_strength]

"Well yeah," he agreed easily, "but you're not going to get bored sitting in the gym?" And he meant sitting! Not attempting gym things when...oh wait, "okay Shino and Hinata will be there not just sitting but." Well, boring.

[mommahatedme]

"I need to revise my physics," was her response, "which is less bored studying and more frantic attempts at remembering enough to not lose another shirt. I liked that one."

[softer_strength]

He blinked? "YOU upset him today? I thought that was idiot other students!" That was far more concerning yes!

[mommahatedme]

"Huh? Oh! No. I was just in the blast radius and it reminded me that I do not like being in the blast radius." she assured him, "I ate like a dozen cookies and someone's sandwich, I'm fine. Should I start growing out my hair?"

[fangs_of_konoha]

"Maybe Akamaru should start going to class with you," he growled softly, considering. She wouldn't have to fear blast zones then! "Especially since you got hurt at all!" Which wasn't okay!

"Huh?"

[mommahatedme]

"Akamaru isn't as fire-resistant as I am." Dezzi said somberly, "It's for the best that he not. Dr. Lee has never killed a student."

She ran her fingers through her short hair, "You know. Since we've been engaged for a while now I thought I'd ask your opinion. Most werewolves have long hair, I just kept mine short because of stupid kid reasons. So. What do you think?"

[softer_strength]

"But his reflexes beat yours by a lot." Just. Saying. "Not dead isn't the same as not getting hurt at all." And he got very annoyed when people hurt his Dezzi!

"...oh." Blank, panicked staring! Was there a right answer here?! Was there not? Shit was staring bad?! "I like you." Um. Anyway she enjoyed being?

[mommahatedme]

"Thank you for worrying about me, but this really isn't a problem...but I guess if it worries you enough I can ask if Akamaru can audit the class."

Then she placed a kiss on one of his tattoos, "There isn't a wrong answer, Kiba."

[softer_strength]

"You have to heal burns again and he goes to class," he nodded firmly. That was just...yeah. Much firmer ground there!

He tilted his head at that, amused, "yeah, but there's no real wrong way to do hair either?"

[mommahatedme]

"If he gets permission to audit." Dezzi corrected, "I'm not risking my education."

"Well, yes, but...I don't know if I should? Or not. I'm used to short hair, but I cut it short mostly so Jonathan wouldn't pull on it when I was a kid. Then I just...kept it short, because I don't get tangled up. But you keep me safe."