Survival Of The Fittest

(Juhan Levandi continues from Wiping All Out)
"Somewhere in La Mancha, in a place whose name I do not care to remember, a gentleman lived not long ago, one of those who has a lance and ancient shield on a shelf and keeps a skinny nag and a greyhound for racing."

Juhan loved every word of Don Quixote. It was one of the first classics he read. He loved the fact that it still made him laugh despite the book being 400 years old. He loved all those tales in the book. He loved the sheer absurdity of it all.

This is why he enjoyed his assignment even more.

Mr. Collins told them last Friday to prepare for a debate on Quixote's sanity. The class was to decide whether Don Quixote actually was insane and slowly getting better, simply an eccentric person who controls his behavior later on, or if he was sane the whole time.

He arrived a few minutes earlier than usual, so there was still some time to prepare before Mr. Collins arrived. As a result, Juhan was reading the book for the 5th time. He was prepared for the debate. No worries.

((Mirabella Strong continued from Historically Speaking))

Mr. Collins called it an assignment. Mirabella called it fun. She'd always enjoyed English more than her other subjects, if only by a small margin, so almost any homework they were given was generally enjoyable and easy. Reading Don Quixote and preparing for a debate on the novel was no different.

As she strolled into class a few minutes early, she was confident in her knowledge of the assigned text, and felt that today's lesson should go by without a hitch. Hopefully. There was always that lingering trace of doubt in her mind, but Bella had made sure to shut it out as she gave a greeting to the sole occupant of the room: Juhan Levandi. As a nicely spoken fellow member of the debate team and writing club, as well as a highly-intelligent lover of academia, Bella thought of Juhan as an all-around pleasant fellow. She hoped that the two of them would work together in some capacity today.

"Hi Juhan! Reading it again, I see. 'Tis quite enthralling, isn't it?"

She pulled out the chair near Juhan and sat down, placing her satchel to the side and retrieving her books and stationary. The hefty tome that Don Quixote consisted of was pulled out last, severely depleting her bag's weight.

Bella'd prepared a few notes for the debate today; a few pages with quotes to support all three sides of the argument, in case they didn't get to choose their perspective and were relegated opinions. Although, that likely wouldn't matter in any case; Bella still couldn't decide which side of the debate she stood on - they each had perfectly viable points. This ought to make for a very good lesson indeed...

((Hansel Williams continued from Walk slow, talk slow, keep yer head low))

(Sorry, sorry, sorry! I was gassing on ideas for this bad boy, but I think I have it now!)

Hansel hated English class.

It wasn't the class itself that got under his skin, nor was it the texts and stories they were subjected to as a class. Those he found he could get into, finding a talent for essays and objective reviews that he didn't know he had in his home schooled education. What he loathed about it, however, was the constant bombardment of group activities and public speaking that the class called for with frightening regularity. The teacher - a sadist by the name of Collins - loved tossing debates and presentations and opinion peaces at his students, as well as any other manner of spotlight and ridicule he could dish out. As a man who didn't care for public speaking, and cared even less for sharing his opinion, Hansel was predisposed to dislike the course.

But goddamn, did he love Don Quixote.

It was his honest enjoyment of the work they had been assigned that had him trudging to class that day, instead of calling sick and biking over to the Animal Shelter to see if they needed a hand. It was the comedic timing of Quixote that he enjoyed immensely, as well as his ability to identify with a man who held himself to nobler goals than his peers. He saw a lot of himself in Don Quixote - overlooking the batshit insane part, of course - and found himself laughing - in surprise - more than once.

He walked into the class whistling slightly, torso encased in a bright red button-down shirt and hair wild and untamed, missing its classic Stetson to hide underneath. The book was in his right hand, and his binder was gripped lightly in his left as he made his way towards where Juhan was seated, visibly brightening when he saw Mirabella there, too. He took his seat behind Mirabella and to Juhan's side, trying not to inhale too deeply and catch something of the girl's scent. With a pencil he retrieved from his pocket, he prodded Juhan's elbow, grinning.

"Hey, Keener," he said, jokingly. His voice was deep and put on, masking the stutter over the K sounds. "Any debate tips from an old pro? Hey, Mirabella,"

Casual was the watchword, Hansel. Don't sound too excited to see her. Easy does it.

This was perfect.

One of his closest friends in Aurora, Mirabella, was the second person to arrive in the classroom.

Mirabella was... pretty. He had to admit, she was pretty. Her face was smooth. Her hair was long and brown. And the clothes she wore looked nice. He definitely wouldn't be surprised if more than a few people had crushes on her.

Also, she was a nice girl. She was good at conversations, easy to work with, and one of the friendliest people he knew.

"Hi Juhan! Reading it again, I see. 'Tis quite enthralling, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is actually! I just find this book so... funny. Are you prepare for the deba-"

He heard someone else come in the room and stopped mid-sentence. He saw the familiar tanned skin, curled hair, and John Wayne-like clothes of another one of his friends: Hansel.

Hansel was interesting. In the middle of one of the most liberal locales in America, here was who appeared to be a cowboy, or at least a relative of one. Juhan didn't exactly agree with all his opinions, but he liked Hansel. He was fun to talk to once you got to know him.

"Hey, Keener. Any debate tips from an old pro? Hey, Mirabella."

"Hi, Hansel! Tips? Uhhh... don't be too passionate when debating. I'm not saying you should act like a robot or anything, but if you show too much emotion, it'll be easier for the other side to dissect your arguments. Also, always be prepared to improvise. Don't just stick to whatever notes you prepared. So by the way, have you seen Mr. Collins?"

Bella began to lay out her books and stationary in a more organised fashion as Juhan returned her greeting, praising the text they'd been prescribed. She'd enjoyed it, but found it slightly tedious in parts. Still, as long as she could get a good mark out of it, that was all that mattered. Juhan's further inquiry was interrupted by the entrance of another classmate: Hansel.

She and Hansel weren't too friendly with each other. They'd talked a few times, but nothing in depth. His opinions were somewhat controversial, that much she knew, and had gained him the ire of a few of her friends. As long as he didn't attack anybody, she'd be fine with that. She wondered what Garrett thought of him. Probably something pensive and wise. Garrett had qualities that Bella lacked. She knew that he had depth and introspection, the ability to look deep inside something. Beyond Hansel's less than liberal views, there had to be something else. Whatever it was, though, she wasn't likely to find it. There was no harm in trying, though.

He's kinda cute. Not like Garrett, but...cute all the same. Oh, why did I think that. That was silly of me. Garrett Garret Garrett. There. Everything's fine. Oh, why am I thinking so all over the place? Oh, now he's talking with Juhan. What do I do...I shouldn't say anything. I don't always need to say something. It must be annoying for some people. But...Hansel did say "Hey" to me, so I should probably say something.

She nodded as Juhan finished dispensing advice to Hansel. "Juhan's a pro at this sort of stuff, that's some very good advice there! I personally like to keep a pen in my hand. It's silly, but jabbing it in the air helps me when I need to add emphasis to certain points without getting too melodramatic."

Oh, that was terrible advice. All I did was talk about a pen. How would that help anybody? I should just not say anything. Why am I so odd all of a sudden? Maybe this debate stressed me out a bit more than I thought. In any case, I should just breathe. There we are. Normal.

Hansel frowned in concentration and nodded as Juhan rained tips down on him - good ones, upon reflection - but his lips twisted in puzzlement at Juhan's query regarding Mr. Collins' whereabouts. He opened his mouth to respond when Mirabella began speaking, his eyes turning to her as he listened quietly, nodding at her own advice. Keeping a pen in your hand, eh? Interesting.

"Never thought o'that," he said quietly, smiling quickly at her. His palm became slick somewhat, as he opened his mouth again, weighing the pros and cons of asking her, here, now.

Prom was incoming, and it was coming fast. Hansel was aware that he hadn't done much to declare himself as an available bachelor - who would want a guy like him in prom? He had his work with animals to consider, and they were open that night. Maybe he would trade the idea of a suit and tie and a crowded dance hall for a surgery on a stray dog.

Still, the urge to ask her to come with him, to take part in that single, crucial part of high school culture, was nearly overwhelming.

It passed.

"I ain't seen him, no," he confirmed, leaning back in his chair, twirling the pencil between long, nimble fingers, "but I reckon he'll be along soon. Ain't like him to run this behind, though."

He smiled back at Mirabella, tipping his hat to her.

"Thanks for the tip. Pencil okay?"

Juhan frowned slightly at Mirabella's suggestion. He couldn't really think of how twirling a pen around in your hand would help emphasize certain points, but he decided not to comment. He was also slightly disappointed when Hansel mentioned he hadn't seen Mr. Collins. By this time, every student had already gotten to their seats and either talked to their seatmates or started reviewing the book again. Mr. Collins wasn't usually this l-

Never mind, he was already coming. He straightened his back and skimmed through the book one last time before returning the book to his bag. He noticed that Mr. Collins was looking unusually flustered. He soon started speaking in that fast and energetic tone he had come to know and love. "Alright class, sorry for being late! I had some things I needed to take care of first. Anyways, I hope you reviewed over the weekend because we're about to start our debate! But before we do that, let me just make sure you read the book first. Juhan! What is the real name of Dulcinea del Toboso?"

He hesitated for a second or two before coming up with the answer. "Uh... Aldonza Lorenzo!"

"Correct!" He gave a slight smile and then started staring out into space while Mr. Collins quizzed his other classmates on the book. He started quizzing himself on the entire book, trying to make extra extra sure he was ready for the debate. You could never be too ready.

Hansel had smiled at her comment on using pens (he was a sweet kid - she needed to talk to him more, find out about him), and Juhan hadn't said anything. That was probably a good thing. Bella remained quiet for the next few minutes as a flustered Mr. Collins entered the room, apologising profusely for his lateness. It was a little out of character for him. I wonder what happened, she thought, as Juhan answered a question. Best not to ask.

Mr. Collins continued to quiz the other students for the next few minutes, and Bella was preoccupied with going over the copious amount of notes she'd taken - she knew that condensing them into a more succinct page or so would pay her dividends, but she'd found pruning them down to be a difficult task - when he called on her. "Mirabella, where does Don Quixote meet Dulcinea for the second time, after meeting her once on the road to El Toboso?"

Easy.

"In Montesinos's Cave, sir. D'you want some of the passage?"

"Uh...no, Mirabella. The answer ought to suffice. You were right, though!"

Stupid. Just answering the question would be enough, but I have to try and pad it with stupid remarks like that.

Bella knew that she really should've gone to bed a bit earlier last night. Or...gone to bed at all. She'd fallen asleep around 2.00 am at her desk (maybe she'd gotten a little carried away with her last minute studying for an upcoming Latin examination), and it was showing in her thought patterns so far. She just hoped that it wouldn't prove too detrimental to her performance during the debate - or, heaven forbid - her overall grade. Best to get some reliable back-up.

She leaned over towards the blonde boy at her side. "Psst, Juhan. If we're in teams and we're not assigned them, d'you want to work together?"

---

Eventually, the hour passed by, debates and discourse flooding the room. It wasn't a particularly eventful class, but not superfluous, either. The bell tolled, and class was dismissed.