Days of classes felt long at Beacon, despite fewer hours of lecture as compared with the combat schools, yet gaps between classes and afterward were still occupied with academic pursuits. Certainly not one of the better strategies, to stare at a book for hours and remove breaks if this form of studying becomes difficult, though a student is able to feel accomplished through the number of hours instead of progress.

It was this method that lead Neopolitan to suggest that Penny practice with her, combat instead of research, as a productive break. Supper had been settled in their stomachs for over an hour, and the stiff back of a studious student requires the occasional reprieve. Easily swayed to switch subjects of study by Neopolitan, Penny had accepted the invitation.

Satisfied with their release of energy, they acknowledged the need to return to their books. The silence between the partners as they walked side-by-side through the uncrowded corridor toward their dormitory room was interrupted by Penny.

"You performed excellently, Neopolitan. Not that I would have anticipated anything less, of course."

Taking advantage of the pause in Penny's stride, Neopolitan stepped ahead of her to respond with a smile and slight bow of her head.

Penny was not done yet, her comment serving only as an opening for something more. "I have taken notice of your ability to plan your assault in such a way that your opponents are moved to a position conductive to your victory." she continued. "Your feints and dodges serve to direct your adversary to allow an opening, to your advantage."

Neopolitan's head bobbed up and down, not indicating if she knew what Penny was intending with this line of compliments, but indicating her attentiveness.

"In a confrontation tactics are the quick decisions and short-range plans that allow for a dodge that one can strike from, or to combine a feint with a real attack so the attack is able to land on the target. In contrast, strategy is a plan that encompasses more than a few steps, connecting a first move to a victory. Strategy is the more useful of the two."

Penny put a hand to Neopolitan's shoulder and stopped, turning to face her partner and raising her second hand so that both rested upon her partner's shoulders.

"You display strategy in your spars." said Penny, finally arriving at the point of this exposition. "Strategy is capable of coordinating a multi-pronged operation, such as that of a four-person team against a similarly disperse opponent. I am the leader of Team P-N-N-C. If a leader can only have one trait is it imperative for that trait to be 'wisdom'; the key tenant of wisdom is to understand strengths and weaknesses so that one may replace one's own weaknesses with the strengths of others. Neopolitan, my teammate and partner, I would like you to assist me with strategy."

They had traversed the hallway between buildings and reached that of the living quarters. Neopolitan had begun to bore of this monologue, that is, she found herself struggling to not jump back out of the heavy grip of her companion. It wasn't a strange reaction, to jump away when a once free shoulder is unexpectedly burdened. Nor was it uncommon for a person to flinch away from physical contact. Right? Well, perhaps not given that people kept touching her and she found herself repressing those reactions more and more. She was not prepared to give them up though, only hide them from her teammates.

In response to Penny's request, Neopolitan tapped her lips twice with her first finger - lips that smiled under her partner's anticipatory gaze. Directing people in a fight would require the ability to relay commands quickly, something Neopolitan was very much aware as an ability she did not possess. Another person, Coco for instance, might have made a joke by saying how she was not interesting in kissing Neo just then, but Penny was not that type of person.

Instead, Penny immediately sought out alternative solutions. "Then we shall find another method of relaying your strategic knowledge." determined Penny brightly, with a smile and quick nod.

Neopolitan blinked at Penny. She blinked many times. Each time her eyes opened they were a different color, flashing different combinations of three colours.

"A flag system!" extrapolated Penny, beaming as she released her partner's shoulders. "Flag systems have been used to great effect to transmit messages, often in a military setting, before electronic systems were devised."

The two had resumed walking side-by-side, and Penny looked to Neopolitan for some confirmation. Neo glanced at Penny, their eyes meeting briefly before her attention turned back to the end of the hallway. It was a short moment of confusion before Penny's smile curved less and her shoulders lowered slightly.

"That system would require at least one member of the team to always check or watch you for a signal. Such a system would be impractical in a combat setting."

A nod was the response Neopolitan gave, allowing their stroll to fall back into silence until they reached their room.

"You're back!" an excited voice exclaimed too loudly from the doorway. Nora had apparently heard the lock click and rushed over, as indicated by her chair laying on the floor. Behind her, Coco laboriously raised her attention from her text, removing one of the two hands that had cradled her head.

Neopolitan stepped backwards, leaving Penny to press her way in with some murmurs of greeting and take the brunt of the energy not-quite-contained in Nora.

Interested in any distraction, Nora was keen to probe into the details of the spar. Penny quickly went over how neither bested each other, both were working to improve equally, and that the session had been productive. In the following lull an idea dawned on Penny, a recollection that Nora was skilled with forming interesting ideas.

"There was one other thing that transpired in our absence." began Penny, her feet and head now turned to Nora instead of her lonely desk. "I suggested to Neopolitan that her input would be valuable in regard to team strategy, but she feels that hindrances to communication would cancel out any beneficial effect."

The leader looked to Neo for confirmation, which was granted.

"Although in conversation we can communicate adequately, social normative body movements do not directly apply to most combat situations. Using her eye colors as flags is another possibility, but would be difficult to relay to the team without someone constantly observing her."

Nora looked between the two, Coco was watching the three of them as well, contemplating the problem they set before her. "I guess you need something to do with sound, since you ruled out two sight-based options." She crossed one arm over her body, and tapped her face with a finger from her other hand. "Sound would work. Can you whistle? No, too easy to miss. You don't much like talking, and even one word takes too long for you to say."

At this, Neopolitan lowered her eyelids and sounded a growl through clenched teeth.

"Well it's the truth!" retorted Nora, her arms falling to her sides as she leaned forward toward Neo. "Oh!" She jumped to the balls of her feet with a crooked smile, "But there are words you can say without problems . . ."

Penny looked from Nora to Neopolitan, unsure of what had just been suggested. Stifled snickering came from Coco, punctuated by the legs of her tilted chair clicking against the floor. Neopolitan, though, returned a similar smile to Nora, then turned her head to Penny.

"Fuck." said Nora and Neo in unison, both watching Penny for recognition.

Thud.

Coco fell backward, her chair having lost its balance. Arms clutched about her waist, she was laughing too hard to speak or for any noise save for gasps of air to leave her mouth. Still, she put forth a valiant effort, there was something she was desperately attempting to add to the conversation.

"Shit attack go!" called out Nora, ignoring her partner's plight, thrusting a fist into the air.

Penny clasped a palm to her forehead and slid it down her face slowly.