Plink.

Something small smacked Rafferty in the side of the head. She looked down at her desk, and saw a paperclip. It started to shake, just a little, and glowed the faintest blue before it floated back over to its owner.

Rafferty glanced over, and saw Katrin stick out her tongue.

Seriously? She got the Engineers to make her a paperclip boomerang?

That was just irresponsible, especially when they were supposed to be learning.

I want one.

Rafferty was sitting in Church, which is what the Hunters called their classes about the Gods. Today, Jenn from the Priory was lecturing on the upper arm of the Class Threes. Jenn's frizzy red hair was pulled back tight, in full teacher mode, making her appear much more serious than she usually did. Sheridan, sitting next to Rafferty, was taking copious notes. Rafferty, who knew she could always look at Sheridan's notebook if it was important, wasn't.

They did these lessons three halls at a time. To Rafferty's right sat Katrin and her B Hall cohorts, Seth and Brianna. To her left, the girls from D Hall. So Church was just full of overachievers today.

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Church was not Rafferty's favorite thing. Rafferty loved hunting, and she even loved preparation. Training, sparring, demonstrations, she was good with all of that. Memorization and presentations? No thanks. She just didn't think you took down Gods by passing quizzes about them. You trained your body, and then you figured things out in the field. Rafferty did all her best thinking at full speed.

Plink.

The paperclip struck Rafferty on the bridge of the nose, and floated back to Katrin. Rafferty was getting dirty looks from her hall mates. Cody was afraid they'd get in trouble. Sheridan, or course, did not appreciate the interruption. Rafferty figured that Blaspheme, who was giving her the dirtiest look, was just upset that it was usually her trying to distract Rafferty during Church.

Katrin was getting looks from the D Hall girls, who practically lived for Church. She raised her eyebrows, daring them to say something.

Jenn, apparently, wasn't much more impressed than the rest of the students. She folded her arms and looked at Katrin.

"Katrin, can you tell us how many grooves there are in the upper shoulder of a Class Three Ravager?"

"Sure can't," said Katrin.

"Figures," muttered Sheridan under her breath.

"Well, perhaps if you were to find yourself looking for purchase atop—-" Jenn started to respond.

"But I can tell you that you don't want to stick your hand in those grooves, because they constrIct when the God flexes its shoulder joint. I almost lost a finger that way. However, there's an access panel just below the area you're talking about. You can punch right through that, and grab onto the red cable underneath—" Katrin explained.

"I don't think that cable can support—" Jenn interrupted.

"Oh it will," answered Katrin. "You grab that cable, and you swivel to your left. That gives you a free shot at the edge of that breast plate, where it bumps out, and the gears underneath. You strike there, and you'll bring the whole thing to one knee in a hurry, and that cable, the one you're so concerned about, will hold you all the way down, and you hop right off."

Katrin sat back, looking quite pleased with herself.

"Any questions?" she asked.

Rafferty was pretty sure that just about everyone in the room hated Katrin at the moment.

Katrin seemed perfectly fine with that.