[Episode 0.75 v2] Class is in Session, Witches!

The story unfolds around Osaka, Japan, with the unlocking of one girl's hidden potential, and a gathering of Young mages whom are destined to change the fate of the Earth.
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Mr. Blackbird Lore
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[Episode 0.75 v2] Class is in Session, Witches!

Post by Mr. Blackbird Lore »

The five-minute warning bell rang out across the estate, interrupting the party and reunion in the garden. Simultaneously, every student who was not already in their assigned first-hour classroom was presented suddenly with a puff of smoke and a neat sheet of paper with all the details of their schedule that day. It fell gracefully into open palms or slipped nimbly into unguarded pockets with an audible crinkle. Whenever held during a period between classes, the paper would jerk the carrier in the direction of their next class. Of course, responsible students like Katerina likely still had their mundane schedule provided earlier in the enrollment process; this was a failsafe that eliminated a lot of loopholes for the irresponsible and the new. Getting lost would not be an excuse at this school, and the stubborn, magical schedules had a propensity for reappearing whenever they were "forgotten."

"Intuitive Scholastics!" chirped one sheet merrily when it was caught. Others would notice it was also their first class. Printed in neat block letters were the details:
Intuitive Scholastics wrote:ROOM 112 // 0800 START // INSTRUCTOR: J SMITH
The classroom was on the first floor, the second door on their left as they entered through the sunroom and into the main hall. It was precisely what one would expect from a classroom in a mansion. A pristine green board with fresh chalk and an immaculate eraser resting in the catch at its base occupied the entirety of the wall to their left. Directly ahead was the teacher's desk: sturdy, unadorned mahogany. To their right were six rows of six desks for the students. None were occupied. They had a few minutes to themselves when the bell rang.

At least, the faintest echo of the bell ringing could be heard as through thick concrete. Overriding the bell were the first few bars of an old tune from the West. In tandem with the first note, the door opened and a horse bowed its head through the frame. Its rider also dipped beneath the lintel and slid out of the saddle with a graceful sweep, landing one foot on the desk and the other in the chair. A small kick-up of dust drifted in through the door before it shut of its own accord. The "bell" ceased. The horse moved to the far side of the desk and began to chew on grass sprouting from the wood floor that almost certainly wasn't there a moment ago.

The instructor was garbed in heavily worn riding leathers from head to toe. A scratched and torn hat sat off-kilter to the left and too low to reveal a face. A tendril of smoke twirled around the brim. The hem and shoulders of the ankle-length duster were frayed and pale from time and tears. The toe of the one boot visible on the desk wore a cap of dust and dirt, yet none seemed to dirty the desk itself. The wind of the rider's movements ruffled the duster enough to reveal a glint of-- were those matching firearms!? Before anyone could fully process the moment, a gloved hand flicked up the brim of the hat, revealing the smiling face of a young woman, clearly in her twenties. A cigarette sprouted from her lips and seemed to dangle there impossibly as she spoke.

"Mornin' 'n welcome to intuition," she said with special emphasis on the final word to ensure its proper enunciation. With a practiced flourish, she flicked the cigarette out the window. Were one to go investigate, it would be as if it had simply vanished. Then the teacher (presumably) pushed off the desk and rode the wheely chair one-footed before nimbly stepping down beside the chalkboard. She scooped up a piece of chalk and in the top-right corner began to scrawl in slanted, cursive English. She wrote one word, INTUITION, and beneath that her name in a much simpler script, Jane Smith. After a pause, she added the course title in Japanese.

Turning back to the class, she continued in Japanese, "I know the Japanese like to introduce new students, but we've got more of 'em than a cow has moo, so I wantchy'all to go 'round 'n give y'name 'n y'focus 'n anythin' else yer wantin a share."
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Re: [Episode 0.75 v2] Class is in Session, Witches!

Post by Kokuten »

Drysi Maelgwyn had largely avoided the spectacle out on the front lawn. She wasn't going to entertain the reindeer games of students and the school custodial staff, from how she saw it. That, and her third eye's blurry vision was difficult to overcome with her two-eyed glasses. In the car ride over, Drysi had worn her false, two-eyed spectacles which made her middle eye hurt from the lack of corrective attention. As she cleared the front of the manse, she quickly entered the building to change them out. In the parlor, she rubbed the eye on her forehead, then the left, and then right, before before trading her two-eyed glasses for her three-eyed glasses. She stowed away the other eye-wear in her shoulder-bag, which contained everything she thought she would need in order to make this day a great success. The young Maelgwyn, despite the start of her day, was determined to make this first day of school an immense success.

Her schedule, which proved to be the first piece of mannerly magic she had seen thus far, managed to lead her to the classroom first. This gave her first pick for seats, and she quickly took the foremost desk on the right, intending to be called on first for anything. Satisfied with her choice, she set her bag aside her desk and began pulling books from it, stacking them on her desk. All of them she had already looked through at least once, now eager to expand her modest academic knowledge with experience. As other students entered, she took a prim and proper air, trying to appear aware and stolid. She didn't look to see if anyone was impressed, she was certain she wouldn't have to. In fact, she was sure Ms. Jane, the instructor, would likely be taken with her ability.

That composure broke immediately as a horse made its way into the classroom. The triclops almost went clamoring out of her chair, but quickly shunted that desire when she saw the rider on the back. She had never seen a Western before, but she had read novels based on the era. They were filled with clandestine figures, who skirted the law for the greater good, and somehow that lack of ambition and shortsightedness made them admirable. In Drysi's opinion, these 'Cowboys' were one of the few characters of lore and storytelling that were worse than druids. Worse, the rider revealed herself to be none other than Ms. Jane, who seemed to think herself one of these western, farmhand figures.

Worse yet, she was American.

Drysi stared down at her schedule, reading the title of the class again, Intuitive Scholastics. When she had first looked into it, she thought it had been a class for scribes, and it appeared to be well worth selection on that merit. Now, she wasn't so sure.
Turning back to the class, she continued in Japanese, "I know the Japanese like to introduce new students, but we've got more of 'em than a cow has moo, so I wantchy'all to go 'round 'n give y'name 'n y'focus 'n anythin' else yer wantin a share."
That was hard to understand, as Drysi's Japanese was still rather rough, but she got the general meaning. This was her chance, and she shot up, intending to be first to speak. However, she stumbled a bit, getting out of her chair, with how fast she moved. Then, she took a breath, and opened her mouth to speak.

"I..." started Drysi, before her words choked in her mouth. For an awkward moment, she couldn't properly convey herself, and didn't understand why until it occurred to her. She had locked up in her time to shine, and began to turn red in the face as she further realized stage fright had robbed her of her voice. There were a lot of eyes in the room, and she could feel them whether they were on her or not. Her own three eyes looked aside nervously, before she snatched up quill, freshly imbued with ink. She scribbled into the air.

I am Drysi Maelgwyn. From Wales.

The letters were written in a neat cursive and glowed. Under it, she wrote further.

My spellcraft is Inscription Magic, of which my family are masters.

At that, she drew a quick box around her message, and began to quickly scribe a tongues illusion over the letters. The work was hasty looking, but when she finished, the welshling had made it so her letters were perceivable in the language most comfortable to the viewers.
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Re: [Episode 0.75 v2] Class is in Session, Witches!

Post by Kai »

Katerina had followed Drysi, after catching up to her once the bell had rung. Having been at the Mansion for a little while, she knew her way around and was thankfully not harassed by an enchanted syllabus, rather simply following her memory and her normal, non-enchanted syllabus. She arrived just a little bit behind the other girl, but, rather than speaking to the newcomer, she set about setting up her supplies and making herself comfortable at the desk, not noticing what was going on with the other students filing in.

When the teacher showed up, however, she couldn't help but stare as a large member of the Equine family made its way into the room, with none other than an old western cowboy on its back. When that cowboy turned out to be their instructor, she was struck with awe, her anachronistic features set in an expression of wonder. When Drysi Maelgwyn introduced herself at their instructor's behest, she was snapped out of her awestruck reverie, and realized it was her turn to introduce herself.

She stood up, making herself presentable, bowing slightly to the teacher and the class, the Japanese-American girl introduced herself in her father's native tongue. "I am Michizaki Katerina, and I am an Elementalist, pleased to meet you all."
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Re: [Episode 0.75 v2] Class is in Session, Witches!

Post by Kokuten »

Post Four: Gwath

Vrey stood outside and watched the others scurry inside the building with a suddenly budded purpose - one the hairless teen was so far incapable of replicating. Considering the recent appearance of a vampire on the ground, the girl nodded to herself in a new-found confidence, retreating inside was likely the most applicable maneuver to execute.

Lost in her musing, Vrey suddenly realised she had lost sight of the vampire and her lipped curled upwards in-

The teen's face shook back to blankness as two hands landed on her shoulders and the edges of a ragged cloak swept forward to curl around her legs. The strange girl was certain she could hear the smile that was happening on the face behind her before the unexpected space-conquistador spoke up.

"And what are you doing practicing your faces all alone?" The voice of her kidnapper and (possibly or) patron quipped behind her. Vrey, deciding this was a case in which her vocalization was unnecessary, kept her mouth in an inexpressionless line. The corner of her lips slipped slightly down in confusion as the pair of hands spidered their way along her neck and head until two fingers began bouncing synchronated pokes against her temples. "Yah got places to be - a class in specific."

Ah. Vrey found the moment to draw herself into the conversation. "Like germany."

"Yeap! Like Germany." The two fingers aside her head seemed to tactilely form the spoken word against her skin. The conjoined sensory inputs etched away at a tensity that had been holding agrip of Vrey's muscles.

"Has my timing eclipsed what is responsible?"

The smile behind the hairless teen turned into laughter and the two fingers trailed down until they were hands upon the girl's shoulders once more. "Not with my help you haven't!"

The same sensation that had settled over Vrey when she had been taken from Germany reappeared. The strange girl seemed beyond captivated as she was capable of a placing a finger through the gauntled palm of her other hand - her whole body now taking on a ghostly transparency. As the pair's connection with the group was blown away like a rolling ball of trash, Vrey only felt herself relax more. Her current severance from the physical world was like having an itch - the persistent itch of just having a being - getting scratched.

Closing her eyes the teen just let herself get carried where this "Riley Erin Alstad" had decided to go. The near darkness of her closed eyelids and the feel of nothing but the woman transporting her was as close to her old existence as she had gotten since she had been embodied.

Suddenly there was a shift in the manner she was being held and Vrey snapped her eyes open. She was hanging in the air of a class room - the arms of her newest caretaker still poached to and almost into her material-less shoulders. The Riley woman had - apparently at some point in their little jaunt - rotated herself to the opposite orientation as her passenger. Only the stage magician's arms and head and ever present cloaktail were sticking out from the ceiling.

"Lookin' fantastic Jane!" Was all the older mage said as she removed one of her arms from her ward's shoulders to wave at the teacher standing in front of the assorted assemblance of youngsters.

A second hand forming into a quick, upside down thumbs up saw Vrey falling as she was returned to what this dimension had decided was the most respectable form of conveyance.

All of this occurring in the scant seconds of silence accompanying Katerina beginning to execute her bow.

The once-more-material hairless teen that was Vrey spun towards the ground in a two-handed handstand that slowly deescalated to her making a bending, slow slide to the floor. Looking up to the ceiling again where her transporter flashed her once last smile and a double handed wave before disappearing Vrey simply sat up and then clambered to her feet.

A barely perceptible amount of confusion was on the hairless teens face as she looked around the room. As soon as she had left her caretaker's ghostly aura something in the room had began to press - and dance - against her skin in a manner she almost didn't recognize for how long had been since she last felt the sensation.

The electric, crawling sensation was something she and others like her had used as their only method for transmitted their primitive impulses in what passed she had somewhat understood as 'conversation' to be before being pulled to Earth. Without needing to scan the room, Vrey pulled her eyes towards a girl sitting in front of the room and wearing a pair of glasses framed for three eyes instead of two - a change to the odd contraptions Vrey had never encountered before.

Drysi Maelgwyn. From Wales.

The communication fizzling across the hairless girl's skin spoke the knowledge into her mind even as a small haze of magic in front of the Maelgwyn finally dissipated. As the shimmer of magic faded completely so did the tactile communication Vrey had been picking up disappear.

Cocking her head to the side in a show of curiosity the odd girl stuck her hands into the slits in her skirt and then into the pockets of the track pants she wore beneath. Calmly walking up to the empty desk to the left of Drysi, Vrey suddenly threw herself into the seat with an almost conspiratorial haste. As soon as she had her legs comfortably under the desk she pushed her arms, head, and half her chest in a sprawl atop the face of the desk - a clear claimation of her territory.

A single arm raised itself somewhat lazily into the air without the rest of her body moving much at all. "Vrey Hallinel. The girl next to me is of interest to my skin." The hairless girl paused for a moment, her head swiveled from her chin's position against her other arm. As one ear became more exposed to the air than the other it seemed the teen was listening to something. "I have been trained in the Intuition des Menschlichen Geistes before."
Last edited by Kokuten on Fri Nov 17, 2017 6:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: [Episode 0.75 v2] Class is in Session, Witches!

Post by Kokuten »

Post of the Straken King, Fifth of His Line, Lord of the Skies, Druid to Stone

"Alright, Willow, that's your cue," Ruarc announced as he saw the notice appear. "You should follow Kat to class."

Looking at his new apprentice, the Irishman could see that the young teen looked somewhat sheepish. Smiling to himself, he pat her on the should and gestured for her to follow along. He couldn't blame Willow for being hesitant, after all, she had been in Japan for only about an hour. The thought crossed his mind to excuse her from class for the day, but the first day is often the most important.

"Class is going to be right in here, and if you have any other questions you can ask anyone," the Druid told his apprentice.
"Alright, if you say so," Willow responded as she went inside and sat down.

Not long after finding her seat, the British girl was once again suprised by the demonstration taking place, but where once there was Puss in Boots and a dragon now there was a cowgirl straight out of a western. Staring in fascination, she didn't even register that the class began doing introductions, due in part to the announcement being in Japanese, a language she decidedly did not know. A feeling of panic and confusion washed over her as it dawned on her what was going on, but didn't know how to proceed.

"Stand, be polite, and simply introduce yourself in English, some of the students might not understand, but the teacher will," a soft voice said in her ear. Caught off guard, Willow looked around but didn't see anyone speaking to her.

"Uh, I'm Willow Fairburne. I just recently arrived in Japan to begin training as the Druid Ruarc's apprentice," she said as she collected herself and bowed politely.
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Re: [Episode 0.75 v2] Class is in Session, Witches!

Post by Kokuten »

Drysi had stiffened more and more as the introductions went on. The odd girl next to her had been the first to notice the utter magnificence, and the first comment sent a chill up her spine. What unusual manner she had in addressing the world unsettled the young Maelgwyn, and drew a small sneer to her face. In truth, she just hadn't the ability to speak socially, or even challenge Vrey on what she had said. So, instead, she began to ignore her, listening in for something to redirect her frustrations.

Willow's introduction was as good a chance as ever, the triclops looked over her shoulder. The young druid was a blondish, tan blur out of the field of her glasses' vision. At that she let out an incredulous little sigh, "You want to be a druid? All the arts to pick from and you go with that?"
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Re: [Episode 0.75 v2] Class is in Session, Witches!

Post by Mr. Blackbird Lore »

Jane scanned the kids' faces and ignored the youthful awkwardness as best she could. Back in English she said, "So I got m'self elementalist, druid, a... golem, 'n a scribe. Arright. This class don' really have an explanation-- ye cain' 'splain intuition proper. So we're gon' learn it.

"First lesson! Y'all work together on this 'un." The cowgirl produced a baseball from her duster and set it on her desk. "Calculate an angle and force required to unnerhand this ball from me to... lessay the door. Go." She settled in her seat, tipped back, and set her boots on the desk, watching them with a placid expression.
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Re: [Episode 0.75 v2] Class is in Session, Witches!

Post by Kokuten »

Drysi's eyebrow knit tightly as their instructor described the task ahead of them. What it sounded like was not magic, but something similar to what they did in higher level mathematics course. The sheer absurdity of coming this far to just do math problems just irked her even further. Still, having vented steam the druidess' way, she felt comfortable and clear-minded enough to begin eyeballing the numbers. From her satchel, she tugged out a notebook which was littered with little doodles on the outside, and began write down what she thought was acceptable. She wasn't quite far enough in her maths to work out force and velocity, but she at least had the angle problem sorted out in her head.

Critical thinking, maybe? Perhaps problem solving?

As she mused, she quickly worked out something roughly akin to what was asked of them. She decided she would merely reason her way through the force part. She pursed her lips, wondering if she had done it too fast. Should she give the others a chance to speak?

Of course not.

"Ahem, Ms. Smith, I believe I have it worked out," sweetly answered the bespectacled triclops, referring to her notes. She held up her notebook showing the inked formula she had used.
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Re: [Episode 0.75 v2] Class is in Session, Witches!

Post by Kai »

After all the students had introduced themselves, and the Teacher made known her first task for the class, Katerina was left somewhat puzzled. Despite her own puzzlement, however, the dirty blonde could tell that one of the last students to arrive was even more puzzled than she, especially since it was obvious she could not speak Japanese. In fact, it was rather odd that this obviously American instructor had chosen to teach the lesson in Japanese despite that fact that the majority of the students hailed from around the globe and most of them, as well as the faculty, spoke perfectly good English.

Kat leaned over in her desk, and whispered to Willow in English "Want me to ask Ms. Jane if she can instruct us in a more familiar language?"
Before she could be answered, though, The three-eyed girl (With such odd glasses!) held out a notebook and showed the instructor what she had managed to do in a few moments time.
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Re: [Episode 0.75 v2] Class is in Session, Witches!

Post by Straken »

Willow huffed as the girl Drysi began to talk down to her. She wanted so much to make a snappy comeback and put her in her place, but she was still a novice in all things magic. Inexperience aside, the British girl took pride in being selected to join such a storied group as the Druids of legend and myth. Being unable to call the Welsh girl out made her chest ache a bit, and she became focused on how to go about proving herself in some way. Kat's question snapped her back to her senses as the class was presented with its first problem.

"It's okay, Kat, I think I should be fine," Willow said as she left her desk and walked up to the baseball sitting on the desk before Jane. Picking up the ball, she tested the weight and gauged the distance, and after a brief wind up tossed the ball from the teacher's desk to the door. "It takes that much force, and that angle worked fine. This is intuition, it should be more about doing than calculating."
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