Schoolwork is Important! [Closed]

[Monday, week 5]

Arthur was in his casual clothes for once, not his armour like he was used too. This made him feel oddly naked as he walked into the library but he would have to get used to it. "Now, what did I need to do again?" Arthur wanders around for a few minutes, collecting some books to attempt to learn from.

He took a seat at one of the tables provided, got out his exercise book, opened one of the library books and began to read about something mind numbingly dull. Guh, why do I have to do this on my own AND take notes for Aoife as well. Arthur starts grumbling to himself in annoyance as he reads and writes, reads and writes. "I'm gunna be here quite some time it looks like.." Arthur says out loud, only to himself, but loud enough that anyone in the surrounding area can hear.

Abby sat morosely, staring down at a textbook. She was supposed to be reading about some specific military engagement from decades ago, but it was just.. so.. boring. This was one of the few aspects about the Acadamy that Abby couldn't stand. It just wasn't fun! Even classes could be a little fun, but all the studying that came afterward was almost impossible. What she needed was some kind of distraction. Or help. Someone to study with could make this fun. Or at least less boring.

Glancing up at the sound of a voice, her eyes narrowed as she spotted the boy, and she grinned to herself. A boy could definitely spice things up. Quietly scooping up her book, she stepped over and dropped into a nearby chair, scooting it closer to him. "Hey there," she said, plopping her book down on the table. "Since you're gonna be here a while, and I'm gonna be here a while.. how about we be here a while, together?"

"Uhh, sure."  A slightly startled Arthur looks at the girl who has just appeared by his side, offers a faint smile, "Are you trying to get some school work done too?" What a ridiculous question, she's in the school library, what else would she be doing? Never mind that now. Let's just get this work done, so I can get out of here.

Abby scooted her chair a liiiittle closer, trying to peer down at whatever he was working on. "'Trying' being the key word," she said, pouting at him. "It's so boring doing all this reading on my own. I was thinking maybe we could make all this studying a little more fun?" He didn't seem to be working on the same thing as her at all. Rats. She scrunched up her nose in thought, before grinning up at him. "Maybe we can play '20 Questions' about what we're working on? It'll help us memorize it. I'll go first! Question one.. what's your name?"

Arthur isn't entirely sure what this has to do with studying at all, but he'll play along, anything to get his mind off all the work he has to do. "Name's Arthur." Arthur looks back at his book for a moment, gives up and closes the book. Enough of that. "Does that mean it's my go?" His attention was now on the girl sitting next to him.

Abby leaned forward slightly, blinking up at him innocently. Just because her entire intention was to distract him didn't mean she had to own up to that fact. She had suggested they play the game about their schoolwork. She did her due diligence! "Well, of course it's your turn now, Arthur," she said, testing the name out. "That's how the game works! We take turns asking each other questions and at the end we both know a little bit more! It's interactive learning, you know."

Arthur ponders this for a moment. And then another moment. "...I see, so what would you say your favourite battle tactic is?" She said it would help with school right? This is obviously the best line of questioning. Arthur was still heavily school work minded of course, he was a good student and wasn't about to let one of this school mates do badly, just because of him!

Abby tapped her chin thoughtfully, giving serious consideration to the question. She only briefly noted that he hadn't asked her name in return, then dismissed the thought. "I suppose," she said slowly. "It would have to be the 'pincer attack'. There's something alluring about about me and a friend squeezing in on a helpless boy, don't you think?" She offered a sly smile, her second question already lined up. "My turn! So, you're in here all by yourself. No lady friends to study with?"

"Heh, funny you should ask. My one 'lady friend' already has a boyfriend and I'm doing her work for her," Arthur did the accompanying inverted commas with his fingers as he said 'Lady friend' "So I guess it's my turn," Arthur thinks once again. "I completely forgot, I don't know your name." Arthur sits back in his seat and crosses his arms "That'll be my question."

Blinking, Abby half-stood from her chair and leaned her elbows on the edge of his table, looking down at the work he was currently doing. "My name's Abigail, but everyone just calls me 'Abby'," she said, sounding suddenly distracted. Why was he doing this other girl's work? What was the story behind that? It sounded like it might be a good one, and stories were often fun as well. "My turn again! Why?" She pointed down at the work on the table, quirking an eyebrow curiously.

"Okay, I guess I'll have to call you Abigail." Arthur looks at the work she was pointing at, "Why..what? The work? Because I don't want to fail.. Why else does one do school work?" Is that not completely obvious? Oh well.

"No, the other girl's work! You doing your work makes sense, but why are you doing her work too?" Abby seemed confused at the very concept. Unless Arthur actually was carrying a torch for this mysterious girl, doing her work seemed sort of pointless. How would she ever learn any of the material? He couldn't possibly do her tests for her as well, right? "That doesn't count as one of my questions, either," she said sternly, dropping back into her chair.

As she sat back in the chair, she twitched her shoulder just enough to cause one of the thin straps of her dress to let go, hanging slightly down her arm. Of course, she had her standard workout clothes on underneath the dress, but a lot of guys could be distracted by such a simple thing. "Is she paying you or something?"

Arthur not taking any notice of the girls clothing, trying to maintain eye contact (like the gentleman he is) answered "Paying me? HA! As if, to be honest I don't know why I am doing her work, but it seems a shame not too. I mean, I don't want her to fail or anything.

"I'm just helping, isn't that what you came over here for as well? That's what I am a helper." Arthur seems rather pleased with his role as a helper. I like that, being a helper. Not much more, not much less.

Abby nodded glumly, scooting her chair right next to his and dramatically resting her head against his shoulder with a sigh. "Yup, help is definitely what I came over for," she said, eyeing her own textbook doubtfully. "All this military history is just so difficult to focus on. I usually need something or someone to distract me," she said, sighing again. "I think it's my turn again? So, next question! What kind of girls do you prefer.. by your side on the battlefield? Long range? Melee? Support?"

"The military history is very interesting I'll have you know... Okay maybe it isn't, but we have to learn it so may as well get it over and done with, eh?" Arthur says, completely unphased by the girl placing her head on his shoulder.

What does she mean by that question? I mean, I fight alongside men too.. "Long range, I guess. my complete incapability of aiming and firing a gun or any ranged weapon is rather a hindrance when it comes to fighting, but I like to be up close an person with my opponents."

After stopping for a brief moment Arthur decides to ask the question back, "So Abigail, who is your ideal partner on the battlefield?"

"Oh, it depends," she responded, turning her head slightly to get a better look at him. "These days I guess it'd be someone taller than me. Pretty strong, too. Good hair.. maybe blonde. Blue eyes are always a bonus," she said, listing off the more obvious characteristics of Arthur. "I bet someone like you would do in a pinch, but I'd need to see ya in action to be sure. Maybe we could skip out on these books and go for a quick workout?" She put just a touch of emphasis on the last word, perhaps conveying the fact that she wasn't talking about the going to the gym. "And yes, that was my next question,"she said, offering him a playful grin.

"Oh my." Arthur says. Waaaait a minute, I don't think she means actually going to the gym. and was that me she was alluding too just then? I bet she doesn't even want to do school work. "..I mean I guess we could, I'm basically finished here anyway." Arthur says after his initial reaction, rather shyly.

What am I doing? Bah, what harm is there to be done? "Okay, I guess it's my turn.. Where are we going for said workout Because I need to drop my books back off at my dorm room first.." School still comes first! Arthur starts to pack his things away,

"Ooh, there's a great idea," Abby replied, carelessly reaching over to flip her book shut. No more revision for now! "Your dorm sounds perfect. I don't really have a dorm yet, so that's not an option. Unless your roommates are in, in which case we'll have to find somewhere else," she said, frowning. Hopping up from her chair, she carefully slid it back underneath its proper desk and scooped up her textbook. "You know, I used to be an athlete," she said, bouncing on the balls of her feet impatiently. "I guess I'm pretty energetic! So I'm gonna make my next question be 'You aren't gonna get tired out on me, are you?'"

Arthur stood up, rather less energetically. "My dorm should be free.." Arthur thinks on this whilst he collects up his books. "An Athlete? What kind..?" This made Arthur a tad worried as he wasn't the most energetic or lively person, and he does tire rather easily. "Well, I shouldn't get tired on you, if I do though... It's your fault." He says, as he picks up the last of his books.

"Well I was mostly a sprinter, but I did loads of stuff," she said, assuming that was his next question. "Played some sports too. Oh, and I did a lot of gymnastics," she said, sliding up beside him and wrapping her arms around one of his. "Enough to keep me pretty flexible, anyway!" Tugging his arm in the direction of the door, Abby blinked, trying to count in her head how many questions each of them had asked. "We should put our game on timeout! There'll be plenty of time later to finish all our questions, y'know? I think me and you are gonna become great friends."

Images flash through Arthur's mind at the very mention of the word flexible, very graphic images most of which unsuitable for the faint hearted. These stop when she starts tugging on his arm, "There's always plenty of time for games especially between great friends." Arthur winks at Abby as he says 'especially' and walks out of the library to lead her to his dorm room.

"Well, this is it.." Arthur says as they arrive inside the room.

[Fade to black, I guess?]

A few hours later, Abby grinned at Arthur, looking quite contented. "Man, did I ever need that," she said, with a nice long stretch. "And that thing you did the third time? I thought my shoulders were gonna pop!" Letting out a low whistle, she rolled onto her side, still grinning. "So! Now that's that's out of the way, I think it's my turn again. What else do you do for fun? I probably should actually get some studying in, but if you've got anything else in mind better than studying, I'm all ears." Honestly, studying wasn't even that bad if it was a group study session. But studying alone was maddening!

"I don't even know what I did!" Arthur lets out a long huff. "What do I do for fun? That's a tough one, as it happens. I guess, I enjoy fighting things. But other than that, a lot of my time is worrying about Aoife, and doing work I guess." What a sad, sad life I lead.

"What about you?" Arthur turns to his side to loo at Abby, "I assume you have a lot more energetic then I am, so you probably have a lot more to do for fun?"

"Well, I'll try almost anything as long as it isn't by myself," she said earnestly. "The only stuff I do for fun by myself all sorta hasta do with keeping in shape. I work out a lot, and sometimes I box. I don't ever really do proper sparring 'cause people take that way too seriously, but I would if it was a friendly kinda thing," she said, looking thoughtful. "I do all the normal stuff too, I guess! Watch movies, play games, go shopping. Try and find really weird stuff to balance on to see if I can ever actually fall down.. you know, normal stuff!"

Scrunching up her nose in thought, she briefly ran through her mental list of tricks to keep people's attention. "I know," she said, grinning. "How about you give me a shoulder rub and tell me a story? Anything you want'll be great, as long as the shoulder rub is good!"

"Normal stuff, right.." Most of that wasn't normal, and Arthur knew it.

"Wait, a shoulder rub AND and a story? a little bit demanding, don't ya think?" Great now I have to think up a story to tell. "I mean the shoulder rub would be easy," But Arthur hasn't done enough of note. "Whilst I'm concentrating on that, why don't you share a story with me? I'm sure you have far more to tell than I do."