open Salem University

[Guest]

@dragon4111

She shrugged. "I wouldn't call it magic, it was just something I learned to get around. I follow my nose, my ears and the feelings around me. It's the only way I have to see the world, so I have to make due..." She replied before listening to the rest of his comments. Withholding her thoughts on humans, she allowed him to speak and not give her opinion. In her mind, most humans she had come across were unbelievably cruel, but she had known a few to be kind, so she withheld her judgment.

The young maiden gripped onto his arm as the two came up a set of stairs, and found her way about. Grumbling she reached down and removed her shoes and socks, allowing her bare feet to touch the concrete. She smiled as she wiggled her toes and got a better feeling of what she was standing on. "Much better..." She sighed contently before releasing Ghalan's arm and finding her way up the stairs with ease. "Shoes are so pointless... Absolute rubbish..." She replied.

[reader8363 1,281]

@Buck Testa @Passion @Mentis Soliloquy

While the teacher was out, she placed her test on the desk and walked out the door. She had let her mind wander between fighting styles and her magic. She leaned against the wall and try to make a flower out of her shadow, then she muttered to herself, "got to start somewhere, why not here?"

Sorxir popped in her music and rolled her injured shoulder, while looking at her evil eye, it still hasn't changed, she was hoping that getting away from her father would get rid of it. She knew it was a long shot, but one she was hoping for.

@dragon4111 @Key Sharkz

Shadow was walking around while his cane clicked on the tiles, until he saw the custodian talking with a almost frightened girl that had a fox on her shoulder. He said as he walked up to the stairs, while making the cane longer to place or on the stairs below him, "Good morning, Ghalan, and who's this little one?

[dragon4111 914]

@reader8363@Key Sharkz

"This is Cynthia. Cynthia this is my colleague Shadow," Ghalan said with a chuckle. "I'm taking her to Duality," he said with a grin on his face. "She's a late comer," he stated as he looked to Cynthia. "Well time for us to keep moving Shadow," Ghalan stated as he started to walk up the stairs with the girl. "Well you might get his class Cynthia we'll have to see," Ghalan stated with a grin on his face. He walked with the girl to Duality's classrom. He knocked on her room and said "Duality we have a new student a late comer to our fold," Ghalan stated as he knew that Duality was not attending class. But was in her class. He sighed as he opened up the door. "Alright then Duality," he said as he looked at the dean with a grin on his face. He looked to Cynthia "I'm going to leave you in Duality's slightly insane hands," he stated jokingly.

@Duality

[Denim&Venöm 16,444]

@dragon4111 @Buck Testa @reader8363 @Mentis Soliloquy @Passion 

"Um, dude? Dude. That's my tank btich. Give it back. Give it- are you even fluffing listening to me?" Miko yelled at Ghalan as she scampered onto of her improve flying fortress. "Oh for fluff's sake..." she opened the hatch and dove back in, and after a few seconds dove back out with a couple of tote bags and boxes. "Baka!" she yelled back at him. before walking back into the room. "Moving my tank. See if that gets him a date for the patty wagon block party. Does he even know I can just drive the thing back here?" she muttered to herself as she deposited her supplies into the remnants of the table below, falling into the swivel chair that got pushed out of the way. 

A gracious offer, however I must reject with heavy heart. Independent living is not an issue that afflicts people of my position. Unlike these underprivileged peasants I am never short of servants ready to fulfill my needs. Unlike them, my upbringing was strict, harsh and focused on understanding mechanics of this world many of them never even dreamed about...what I believe would cover for the 'critical thinking' part. Unless there is anything else you would like to waste our precious time with, Doctor Tachibana, I shall take my leave. I must search for a replacement class that I believe will fit my needs better, while you are probably most anxious to commence with your lecture."

"Uh, first of all Jimmy, you don't get to replace this class. This isn't an elective, it's a requirement. And if you know so much, than it'll be an easy A for you. You could lead by example. But should you leave, I'll have to give you a zero. An F would give you some credit. A zero gets you exactly what it entails. Should you not come back, you'll just have to take this class again. and again. And again, until you pass. Believe me, this does fit your needs. Or rather, it will. 

Besides, you're still an adolescent. Your frontal cortex isn't fully developed and won't be till your 25. Meaning that you are physically incapable of responsible decision making. No amount of money or prestige will fix that. But being too lazy to complete a class. That does tend to have impacts on ones prestige and financial viability. Oh what would your privileged family think, should they learn that their daughter is not even trying to better herself, hmm?" 

[Buck Testa 5,503]

@dragon4111  @reader8363 @Mentis Soliloquy @Passion  @Denim&Venom

 

Druantia was so lost as to what was going on anymore that her aura started to flare up just from how frustrated she was becoming. That frustration showed in how her body was shaking and how her face was growing more and more red. Anything even remotely plant based in the room began to alter in color, becoming almost kaleidoscopic with how the colors shifted between reds and purples and blues in all manners of patterns. All the while her magic was just dying to break out of its confines, practically clawing for freedom as she continued to glower. Finally she couldn't take it anymore, especially after what the teacher said. 

"WHY IS THIS MANDATORY?!" Druantia shrieked in a voice that was layered with other similar ones of various pitches, making her sound almost demonic with how angry she was, "WHAT DOES ANY OF THIS HAVE TO DO WITH MAGIC?! YOU'VE SPENT THE ENTIRE TIME GIVING US STUPID PUNS, FLIRTING WITH THE JANITOR, DESTROYING PROPERTY, AND ALSO IF I MAY ADD, DRIVING A TANK INTO CLASS! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? HOW COULD ANYONE POSSIBLY CONSIDER YOU A TEACHER! I'VE BEEN WITH YOU FIVE MINUTES AND YOU'VE BEEN NOTHING BUT INCOMPETENT!  WHAT THE HELL IS MY GRANDFATHER PAYING FOR WITH THIS?!" 

With each word she yelled her eyes were glowing brighter and brighter, and her aura was flaring more and more violently. Her Bracers were sending signals like crazy. Students scooted their desks as far as they could from her, including the red head as she glared the teacher down with her eyes that didn't even seem to have pupils anymore with how bright they were glowing in this strangely kaleidoscopic room

 

[Skylord Nexus 527]

@Duality

Lucius walked onto the main campus of the school, inspecting its' exterior with a critical eye, making mental notes of all entrances and any possible exits in the case they were required. The man did, however, let out a heavy sigh as he walked, he didn't really want to be here, he didn't really like kids all that much for no other reason than their lack of intelligence, it just irritated him at a fundamental level. Never the less, he was ordered to infiltrate the school, and it was his pleasure to obey, in fact, he had been shocked that he had gotten the position. Yes his application was of high quality but in retrospect, he could have created a bit more evidence to substantiate his application, if they had done a more thorough background check they may have found so discrepancies.

Lucius supposed he should probably meet with the Headmistress so that she knew he had arrived, though he didn't really look forward to it. Out of anyone in the school, Lilith was the one person who he genuinely believed posed a threat to their plans, that being said, if everything went to plan, her damage could be controlled. As Lucius entered the main building he realised that he had no idea where to go, so instead of asking for help and humiliating himself, the man started absentmindedly walking the halls, opening doors to peer inside.

[Duality 10,738]

@Key Sharkz @dragon4111

Duality contentedly strolled back into her classroom. "There we go. Much better. Nothing to magic away stress like a bit of peace and quiet." Too quiet, if you ask me. "Nobody did," she retorted with a smirk. "You walked right into that one." No, you did. The professor cocked her head confusedly at the non sequitur. "What do you -"

pING.

There were a few seconds of silence, broken by the sound of Duality's head hitting her desk once again. "Remind me why I -"

Return:

<<14>> high-energy particle experiments from Dru bracelet energy. (<<13>> successful, <<1>> unsuccessful.)

<<1>> high-energy particle experiments from Dru necklace energy. (<<1>> successful, <<0>> unsuccessful.)

Dru location: Block D, Room 237.

Estimated immediate risk level: Critical

Top guesses for cause of power fluctuation (sorted by probable emotional impact): <<Miko>>, <<Miko's personality>>, <<Miko's teaching style>>, <<Miko's flirtation with Ghalan>>, <<Miko's affinity for property damage>>, <<All other aspects of Miko's existence>>, <<What'sherface the daemon chick yelling too loud for the poor girl's sensitive ears>>, <<Absence of Soviet tank, with whom she managed to have a sordid romance during the last few minutes>>, <<Oh, the pain of existing without her beloved by her side -

Duality snorted. "You and me both know I didn't set that lookup to be automatic." You and me both know I saved your mood from dying horribly. Before you start fretting, I've already checked on her. Miko's winding her up and Ley's eyeing her up like a status rung waiting to be trod on, but she's satisfactorily safe. "Why, that's almost civil of you," the professor said, surprised. "You're getting soft in your old age." And you're getting high blood pressure in yours. You can't stress over things this much the way you did when you were younger. Let me take over the day-to-day notifications and lookups and checks - I'll let you know when there's something that needs your attention. You don't need to be balancing blind automation of data flow versus consciously directing it yourself when you have a perfectly good subconscious more than willing to manage and process information for you. Duality blinked, thoroughly nonplussed by her mental voice's unprecedented benevolence. "That's... that's actually a very considerate offer. I think I might take you up on that." True to her decision, she carefully adjusted several core nodes in her personal runic network to channel significantly more data through her subconscious, making sure to leave the now-empty original pathways intact in case the arrangement turned out to be some sort of elaborate prank. Such terrible mistrust. What sort of world would it be if you couldn't even rely on your own self?

The professor began to respond sardonically to her own self but was cut off abruptly by Ghalan's voice from the hallway.

On 2/16/2019 at 9:30 AM, dragon4111 said:

"Duality we have a new student a late comer to our fold," Ghalan stated as he knew that Duality was not attending class. But was in her class. He sighed as he opened up the door. "Alright then Duality," he said as he looked at the dean with a grin on his face. He looked to Cynthia "I'm going to leave you in Duality's slightly insane hands," he stated jokingly.

Duality rose from her desk as Ghalan left and moved to greet the bemused-looking student standing in the entrance to her classroom. "Hello there, snowflake. What brings you to my office on this fine morning?"

[Guest]

@Duality

Snowflake. A word that Cynthia knew only from hearing about it, but she had been told they were each unique, each different in appearance, no two alike. It was one of the things she would love to see had she been born with proper vision, but part of her thought that her imagination did the concept better justice than reality could.

Snow leaned forward examining the odd woman, but did nothing as he was clearly waiting to see what would happen.

Cynthia cleared her throat, still not used to the sound of her own voice. "Hello... My name is Cynthia Lynette... I was invited to this school, but it took me a while to get here. I'm blind, so it's a bit difficult for me to find places, but I come all the way from England..." She blushed and shrunk down a bit, feeling somewhat pathetic.

[Passion 3,478]

@Mentis Soliloquy@Buck Testa@Denim&Venom@Skylord Nexus

Ley was bored out of her mind. Even her silhouette reflected this, as she stood with her arms crossed and head slightly tilted, her face nearly expressionless. She even allowed herself a tiny yawn, which she covered with her left hand out of tact. That little fry of a teacher certainly thought high of herself thinking Ley would be moved by jealous insults, no matter how complex they would be, coming from lower echelons. That fox was barking at the wrong tree.

"Barking...? What does the fox even say? Is it even an accurate term? Does it actually bark?" - it seemed to be an adequate topic to contemplate while the teacher was having her little, pointless speech.

That was, until a few words were thrown that actually caught Ley's attention and managed to pierce through her seemingly unpenetrable armor of indifference. Her magical aura, somewhat attuned to her emotions, flared up a bit. It was not a significant amount, but it certainly could be felt by more observant bystanders. She couldn't care about the insults towards her decision-making ability. It was obvious there was not a single case where a single decision would be made in situation of perfect data knowledge. So technically every decision could be wrong. Maybe the teacher was even correct? After all, it was Ley's decision to come to this University and she was currently having second thoughts about it.

Ley also couldn't care about the baseless assumptions of her laziness. It was not through laziness after all that she managed to gain enough recognition to be considered THE heir of her family. Over years she discovered she cannot consider this a birthright, otherwise it would be nothing but an empty title. She needed to earn the respect to be called that, and she worked hard learning about the history of her family as well as current political conduct and machinations that kept her family afloat. And she still felt she had a lot to discover in this field.

However...

Unaware of her subconscious energy burst, she took a few steps forward threateningly.

"You will leave my family out of this and you will not speak of them anymore, you insignificant, mannerless knave." -  her self-control, so easily perceived on day to day basis, seemed to have evaporated into ether - "From where you stand, you have precisely zero rights to even just think you know anything about my bloodline, let alone..."

At this point Ley was forced to interrupt her speech. She was pulled back from the state of temporary clouded rage and forced to regain consciousness of her surroundings again. It was shocking to her that she managed to absolutely ignore visible signs of another magical aura flaring up nearby, one that she already recognized. Nevertheless, normally Ley would not drop her guard so easily, in fact she didn't at all. But, somehow, during her moment of anger, her ability to sense magic seemed to be temporarily... flawed. It momentarily filled her with uncertainty and fear, however she had no time to dwell on this as Druantia was currently warming herself up on the other side of the class.

Her instincts and muscle memory were not failing her however, as she found herself in seemingly defensive possition, with her Ultima brimming with energy and raised at the height of her head, ready to unleash the energy at her command. The intricate design of the relic combined with its clawed ends was a sight to behold. The threat didn't seem as immediate as she initially assumed though, therefore she allowed herself to calm down a bit and withdrew her magic from the tool. She found herself at the point in which she had to make a decision.

On one end, she could interfere and attempt to stop Dru from doing whatever she was about to do. Ley didn't know what this would entail. Would it mean another room eradicated out of existance? Did it even matter though? After all the daemoness could hardly care for this University's incompetent staff. They all brought it upon themselves in the end. However, the reputation she would gain from standing up to the kid would certainly be immense... then again, it didn't seem like making an enemy out of her was a smart choice. In retrospect, they didn't even seem to be that close to one another just yet, what kind of trust would the kid even have towards Ley, seeing as they nearly ripped themselves to shreds in their one and only meeting? That's when she remembered there was a teacher standing next to her. A sly smile crawled up to Ley's face.

"Well then, it seems my continued presence here could be potentially dangerous to my health and well-being, therefore I shall make the only sensible decision here and betake myself off. After all, student's safety comes first, right?" - she grinned devilishly at Miko before turning away nonchalantly. The girl made sure the turn was swift, so that her loose elements of clothing would drift through the air with a flair. She was currently speaking with her backs to Miko, looking at her over the shoulder.

"After all, I am positive a skilled teacher like you will have no issues in preventing the situation from escalating any further, wouldn't she? I mean, your decisions so far have led you here, so I am assuming they were completely conscious and perfect in every way... or have they?" - she paused for a short moment, before turning her head around and heading off. Just by the exit, she raised her right hand and waved the fingers behind. "Adieu!" - and with that, she was gone.

~~~~~

Strolling the hallways, Ley suffered a storm of thoughts inside her head. She decided to contemplate the impertinence of University's staff at later time, as she currently was preoccupied with two other issues. One of them was indeed Druantia. The kid had some obvious temper issues, but Ley was unable to decide what to do with her. She was certain she could subdue the child eventually if push came to shove. After all, she was THE heir to a family of long term magical legacy, correct? Dru's strenght couldn't match her own innate powers possibly. That would be unheard of.

However, the more burning issue was what transpired just before the kid's outburst. Although her walk was calm and collected, with empty halls echoing her systematical steps, she found herself shaken inside. Her ability to sense Dru's aura flaring up failed her, and it was highly disturbing. She still remembered the years when she was learning how to control her abilities, and she knew very well now what was the reason behind her failures back then. However, it was a distant past, the reasoning couldn't be any longer true. But if it was...

A sound of another set of feet pulled her out of contemplations and Ley instantly gathered herself up. She linked hands behind her back and assumed careless, but prideful walking stance. She heard a door being closed nearby and soon a man appeared from behind the corner. His appearance made Ley blink instantly. Although slightly surprised, she wasn't letting that surface. Although he was young, it was hard to figure out which year student was he. Or if he was a student at all. His costume however was extraordinarily elegant, yet simple. A true proof of having a degree in sense of style. At this moment, Ley made a resolution not to focus her attention on him, seeing how the corridor was empty except of the two. But based on her peripheral vision, there was a certain level of confidence in his walk. The man gave off vibes of knowing his own worth, that was for sure.

As they were passing each other eventually, she risked a quick glance at his profile, just by moving her eyes. Based on that very short, split second moment she was still unable to determine his age. But for some reason a word 'handsome' crawled up her mind. She dismissed it instantly however giving way to other feelings she currently felt. After the two passed themselves, Ley took another step forward.

*Clack*

There was an aura of strenght he seemed to subconsciously spread. Or maybe was it only Ley's imagination. He was certainly able to do it in correct circumstances, giving his looks. She took another step.

*Clack*

Although hesitant to reach to his magical aura, she could sense it nevertheless from such a small distance. They seemed to share a certain... affinity. The feeling was oddly familiar. She took one more step.

*Clack*

Was this man actually someone she should pay some attention too? His looks did indicate he was someone to be reckoned with. But why did she feel so curious about him all of a sudden. Was it the sum of all the obsevrations she had made 'till now?

Ley stopped. It was painfully obvious that she didn't take any further steps, as only a single set of footsteps could be heard in the vicinity. All the students were in their classes after all. Still acting nonchalant and careless, she turned her head and stared the backs of this stranger down. She didn't say a single word though. To an outsider, she was acting purely like a regular girl, who found her attention caught by a random dude... provided you could say that about Ley.

[Duality 10,738]

On 3/2/2019 at 12:46 AM, Key Sharkz said:

@Duality

Snowflake. A word that Cynthia knew only from hearing about it, but she had been told they were each unique, each different in appearance, no two alike. It was one of the things she would love to see had she been born with proper vision, but part of her thought that her imagination did the concept better justice than reality could.

Snow leaned forward examining the odd woman, but did nothing as he was clearly waiting to see what would happen.

Duality did a double-take upon noticing a white fox peering at her from near the girl's ankles, but rapidly readjusted her composure to accommodate its existence as the girl cleared her throat.

On 3/2/2019 at 12:46 AM, Key Sharkz said:

"Hello... My name is Cynthia Lynette... I was invited to this school, but it took me a while to get here. I'm blind, so it's a bit difficult for me to find places, but I come all the way from England..." She blushed and shrunk down a bit, feeling somewhat pathetic.

"Why, welcome, my dear girl!" Duality enthused. "It's a marvellous pleasure to have you join our institute. More a cognitive institute than a mental institute, but close enough to the latter at times. Come, come, have a seat and I'll get you started on settling in. Would you like some Swiss alpine water, some Russian lowland snowmelt, some Alaskan glacial thaw, some flat tap water, or no water at all? I can also offer blackberry-jasmine tea and whatever the vivid turquoise infusion in my fridge is. It tastes like tongue-tingles with a hint of chives, and I haven't the foggiest whether it's intended for casual consumption." The professor cut short her ramblings upon noticing a piece of paper in Cynthia's grip. "Ooh, hold on, is that your acceptance letter you're holding there? Would you mind if I took a look?" The professor carefully slipped the document from the girl's hand, noting its battered state despite the preservation runes inscribed around the border of the school's waxen seal.

On 2/15/2019 at 5:15 PM, Zkrahs Yek said:

To Whom it may concern,

This girl is Cynthia Lynette. She is to be one of the newest students at Salem University. She is blind, and will require special accommodations. This letter was prepared as proof of this, and we ask that any facility that see her assist her in finding her way about. We thank all for their cooperation in this matter.

Sincerely,

The Staff of Salem University.

"Far too many so-called 'staff of Salem University' trying to play admin these days," muttered Duality after reading it over. "Should have been followed up so someone would be waiting for you when you arrived. Quite fortuitous that Ghalan found you before you ended up lost somewhere on campus; the place is terribly large and people sometimes get turned around on themselves even after spending months here." She gently returned the piece of paper to the student's hand. "At any rate, would you mind telling me about yourself? No more than you're comfortable mentioning, of course, and my beverage assortment is still at your beck and call - likewise for your fox friend, too. After all, the two most crucial parts of being a teacher are to learn about your learners and make them feel comfortable."

[Guest]

@Duality

To say that this woman was odd was an understatement, though Cynthia wasn't in the place to be calling out the oddities of others, given her circumstances, nor would she dream of such. She was far too timid and good-natured of a girl to do such a thing. Half of the items the woman offered, however, were foreign to her and she hadn't a clue what most were. She declined the water at the very least while Snow kept his eyes locked on the potentially mad woman.

"He's been quite helpful since I arrived, but I suppose I really don't even know why I'm here... The letter I got said I had some kind of unique abilities that made me a good candidate for this school... what exactly does that mean?" She asked, unsure of what any of this was. "I came here from England, but I've spent most of my life living in the woods, Snow here is my guardian. I apologize if he comes off as a bit pushy at times, but he's just very over-protective of me. I'm his daughter... Sort of anyway... I guess that does sound weird, doesn't it? A human girl being fathered by a fox?" She blushed and placed her hands in her lap. "Sorry, I'm rambling..."

[Denim&Venöm 16,444]

@Buck Testa @Passion @reader8363 @Mentis Soliloquy 

Miko blankly looked on as the pink elf began to give her an ear full about things like status and supremacy and other entitled classist buzz words. She yawned half way through, even caping it off with the quick pitched canine whine before she finished. She'd heard such jargon levied against her by some other teachers and students during her tenure as the latter many many times before. Ley might as well have been reading off a phone book with how interested Miko looked as she spoke, then walked off. 

"Wow. Another first for me I guess." She said as she pulled out her school issued pager. Which looked like a literal pager from 20 years prior. However when she unfolded it like one would a clam shell calculator, a holographic display and key pad emerged as big as a net book. 

"File this away before I forget." as she clicked on the solid crystallized protonic keys and swiped at the screen. Some keen eyed students would see Ley's profile flicker past before shrinking into a spreadsheet with everyone's names and faces. "For the first time since I signed my life away to this purgatory, a big ol' fluffin goose egg for the day." as she typed the amount into the bracket containing Ley's daily grade for the class. "It'll be fun seeing her back here next year. Not sure whether to add quotations or italics to the wor-

On 2/23/2019 at 1:07 AM, Buck Testa said:

"WHY IS THIS MANDATORY?!" Druantia shrieked in a voice that was layered with other similar ones of various pitches, making her sound almost demonic with how angry she was, "WHAT DOES ANY OF THIS HAVE TO DO WITH MAGIC?! YOU'VE SPENT THE ENTIRE TIME GIVING US STUPID PUNS, FLIRTING WITH THE JANITOR, DESTROYING PROPERTY, AND ALSO IF I MAY ADD, DRIVING A TANK INTO CLASS! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? HOW COULD ANYONE POSSIBLY CONSIDER YOU A TEACHER! I'VE BEEN WITH YOU FIVE MINUTES AND YOU'VE BEEN NOTHING BUT INCOMPETENT!  WHAT THE HELL IS MY GRANDFATHER PAYING FOR WITH THIS?!" 

 "Eh?" Miko casually turned around to face the steaming toddler.

"... Finally! Someone works up the courage to ask. Curiosity is a pleasant thing to have. It'll do ya good Jimmy. Now to address those questions. 

• Because I "encouraged" and Persuaded the school board to make it so. 
• Nothing. Kinda the point. 
• Well I give clever word play, embrace my sexuality in a healthy manner, implement aggressive renovation on behalf of the school and do what any other sane person would if they too had a tank. That's four things allegedly wrong me.
• Same reason why all other tax payers do? 

But I'm sensing a theme here and a vague idea that you are wondering what this class is for. Well to answer this question, one that I'm sure all of you have, let me ask you one of my own. How many enchanted do you think are walking the earth this very moment? Including you. Just shout it out if any of you think you have an idea. 

[Duality 10,738]

11 hours ago, Zkrahs Yek said:

"He's been quite helpful since I arrived, but I suppose I really don't even know why I'm here... The letter I got said I had some kind of unique abilities that made me a good candidate for this school... what exactly does that mean?" She asked, unsure of what any of this was. "I came here from England, but I've spent most of my life living in the woods, Snow here is my guardian. I apologize if he comes off as a bit pushy at times, but he's just very over-protective of me. I'm his daughter... Sort of anyway... I guess that does sound weird, doesn't it? A human girl being fathered by a fox?" She blushed and placed her hands in her lap. "Sorry, I'm rambling..."

"Hah, no need to apologise; I'm something of a rambler myself, in case you hadn't noticed. At any rate, a human with a fox father figure is hardly the most peculiar thing this school has seen. We have humans with literal fox fathers, in fact, although the latter are primarily anthropomorphic and the former tend to have slightly sharper teeth than you and me." The professor tapped her canines to illustrate the point. "Coming from the forest to a place like this must be a shock to the system, I must say. The reason you've been invited to the University is because, as you may or may not know, the vast majority of people cannot control any material or ethereal substance beyond their thoughts and physical body. However, you would seem to possess further metaphysical abilities - what most call 'magic' -, and this is precisely why we have asked you to attend here. Salem is a place to hone and refine those skills, so you can use them to their fullest potential. If you're still not sure what abilities I mean, I could swish a diagnostic doodad past your ears to figure out the exact magics you possess, but I can tell just from the fringe of your aura - which you'll learn about in one of your introductory classes - that you're a hydromancer, much like myself. This means that you can control something along the lines of water, ice, steam, mist, clouds, etc. Have you noticed any such abilities in yourself?"

[Passion 3,478]

IRA

"...that is purely conceptual approach, Tamara. As we discussed a moment ago, yes, all the methods of controlling your magical abilities presented in the textbook are valid, but not all of them will be useful to majority of you." - Ira was standing in front of her desk, resting against its edges. Even though the class have just started, she was for some reason being bombarded with questions by one of the students. It was wonderful to see she had some eager, fresh faces to teach, however it was a bit distruptive to her planned class schedule.

"Some of you will find that casting spells comes natural to you, while others might want to rely on trinkets and such for easier manipulation. There are advantages and drawbacks of each method, however I am sure we will be able to discover what works for you the best and, with my aid, you will be able to focus on the most effective way of taming and developing your magic. I will guide you and I will aid you in your practical approach, whichever method you choose. And, of course, I will show you some of the tricks and more useful applications of your skills as well. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, this is still your first, introductionary cla-" - Ira had to cut her speech short, as an ever-growing noise was starting to slowly push her voice out of hearing spectrum. It was preceded with intense vibrations coming from the floor. It wasn't long before an impressively looking tank drove outside the walls, just next to Ira's class, making all the windows screak in their frames. Ira remained expressionless and didn't even flinch, although in her mind she was praying that one day she just loses her mind altogether and will never ever have to deal with staff's shenanigans ever again. Her pranks were at least harmless.

After the tank had disappeared from their sights, she was left with a cacophony of raised voices. Some excited, some scared, most of them mainly confused. That's why Ira couldn't stand Miko, who was the only one known to own a tank on the campus. She was never considerate about others around her, nor her distruptive behaviour towards other's responsibilities. It was just her, her, her. Ira allowed the class to rage for a moment, before she slowly started manipulating the humidity in the air, lowering the temperature of particles which would, given enough time, lead to freezing everything around. She was waving her finger in circles in the air, a spell which effect was so slow didn't require her to put much effort in it. It took the class a while to realize how chilly it was becoming and returning the attention to the teacher. When Ira figured she achieved the desired effect, she ceased the spell.

"As I was saying, this is just your first class and I'd rather have us all introduced. I'd also love to learn your proficiency and skill levels to be aware of differences in your abilities. So, who wants to go first and show me what they've got?" - she was acting as if the entire tank event never took place, what raised questions she never replied to, quickly dismissing them as not really worth of anyone's time.

A few minutes later she had to bear yet another distraction when the tank flied back outside the windows, clearly being levitated away by Ghalan. Ira silently hoped Miko had gotten what she deserved, but even the cryomancess hardly believed that course of events. Sure, Miko's presence was obnoxious in Ira's eyes but, generally speaking, her positive traits heavily outweighed the negatives. Still, they were not enough for Ira to actually genuinely like the fox. Only after the atmopshere went back to normal, or at least what was considered normal in Salem's standards, did Ira continue the class.

This year was already shaping to be an extremely interesting one.

[dragon4111 914]

@Denim&Venom@Buck Testa

Ghalan sighed as he walked around the school or rather levitated around. This was a hell of a day. And a tank seriously? Sure he could destroy it with a single flick of his wrist but what about those that couldn't do what he could? the people with out magic. But hey who cares what he thought not like he was in law enforcement and had to deal with automatic weapons, home made bombs, traps. He sighed as he needed to deal with the aftermath. He just then began to sat down on a bench. His hand shaking slightly as he tried to reign in his nerves. He  breathed in then out. He held a hand to his chest as he needed to calm down. But this whole thing put a damper on his calm day. He sighed to himself once more as he then began to levitate himself and let himself drift somewhere to relax.

Edited March 9, 2019 by dragon4111

[Buck Testa 5,503]

2 hours ago, Denim&Venom said:

 

 "Eh?" Miko casually turned around to face the steaming toddler.

"... Finally! Someone works up the courage to ask. Curiosity is a pleasant thing to have. It'll do ya good Jimmy. Now to address those questions. 

• Because I "encouraged" and Persuaded the school board to make it so. 
• Nothing. Kinda the point. 
• Well I give clever word play, embrace my sexuality in a healthy manner, implement aggressive renovation on behalf of the school and do what any other sane person would if they too had a tank. That's four things allegedly wrong me.
• Same reason why all other tax payers do? 

But I'm sensing a theme here and a vague idea that you are wondering what this class is for. Well to answer this question, one that I'm sure all of you have, let me ask you one of my own. How many enchanted do you think are walking the earth this very moment? Including you. Just shout it out if any of you think you have an idea. 

Druantia aura began to simmer down and the room started to return to some level of normalcy as she stared at the teacher. She crossed her arms as she stopped glowing, looking more like a normal little girl instead of a demonic hellbeast like she had been a few seconds earlier. She still had a glower on her face but at the vary least her magic wasn't trying to claw its way out of it's confines anymore. She stared at the teacher as she answered her question. She had to look around in her mind for the information, but she had it almost as soon as it was asked of her. 

"According to scholarly articles on the subject, including some from this very institution, the ratio appears to be something in the ballpark of one per every million people." 

She could see where the teacher was going with this line or reasoning but she didn't really care for it. She was trying to say that just because mundane people were the majority she had to learn how to conform to their standards. That's how she was reading it anyway. What a silly idea! She had the power to change the world with her magic. The ideas she had gotten just from the one magic class she had so far today was enough to warrant experimentation. Being here learning puns and watching her teachers soap opera of a life was impeding her ability to do so. 

The red head actually chimed in, raising his hand while keeping a wary eye on Dru. 

"Are you trying to say this class is here so people with powers are more adjusted to normal life? Cause my soul crushing retail job that I have in a few hours from now says that I'll probably ace that test." 

Some of the students nervously laughed at that, still a bit shaken by everything that had been happening. This was certainly a different kind of school. 

[Guest]

11 hours ago, Duality said:

"Hah, no need to apologise; I'm something of a rambler myself, in case you hadn't noticed. At any rate, a human with a fox father figure is hardly the most peculiar thing this school has seen. We have humans with literal fox fathers, in fact, although the latter are primarily anthropomorphic and the former tend to have slightly sharper teeth than you and me." The professor tapped her canines to illustrate the point. "Coming from the forest to a place like this must be a shock to the system, I must say. The reason you've been invited to the University is because, as you may or may not know, the vast majority of people cannot control any material or ethereal substance beyond their thoughts and physical body. However, you would seem to possess further metaphysical abilities - what most call 'magic' -, and this is precisely why we have asked you to attend here. Salem is a place to hone and refine those skills, so you can use them to their fullest potential. If you're still not sure what abilities I mean, I could swish a diagnostic doodad past your ears to figure out the exact magics you possess, but I can tell just from the fringe of your aura - which you'll learn about in one of your introductory classes - that you're a hydromancer, much like myself. This means that you can control something along the lines of water, ice, steam, mist, clouds, etc. Have you noticed any such abilities in yourself?"

 

Cynthia didn't even know what to say at first. For the longest time in her life, she was the only girl she knew with a fox as a father. She had never heard of anthropomorphic creatures, or most of what the woman was talking about.

The girl opened and closed her hands, feeling the surge of power from sensing water in the air. "My entire life... I was told these powers I have are dangerous, that I was a risk to people everywhere... In the forest, it made me into a healer, part of something... Now you're telling me the very powers that humans shunned me for they want to help get stronger? I just... I don't understand..."

[Skylord Nexus 527]

@Passion

As Lucius went down the corridor opening doors, he was making mental notes about everything he saw... if you can count 'no Lilith' and decent notes that is. "No Lilith... No Lilith... Pink demon... No Lilith...! Wait, what was that last one?" Having his train of thought de-railed, Lucius stopped and turn on his heels rather eloquently to see,what indeed seemd to be, a pink demon girl staring at him.

Lucius stared back at the girl, his deep, red eyes enough to bore into the soul of most men, as he inspected the girl. Her most obvious features were, of course, her skin and horns, these intrigued the man, mainly because, while the girl infront of him looked demonic in nature, he could sense something human about her. Next was her outfit, the deep colors mixed in with gold trims just radiated class, which definatly peaked his intrest, no only that, but he liked it on a personal level, definatly his style. While not massivly revealing about the girl, it had surved to give her a little repect by the man. Lastly, there was the magic he could sense from her. Deffinatly dark, like himself, but also different in a way "Perhaps due to her demonic nature?". What Lucius could definatly tell, however, was that see was powerful, or at least she had the potencial to be, and if there was one thing the man liked, it was power.

After assessing all the relivent information, Lucius decided the girl was worth talking to. His straight, stoic face turned to that of a charming smile as he looked down at the girl, his smooth, refined accent acting as reenforcment of his high class upbrining "Is there something i can do to help such a radient beauty such as yourself my lady?"

[Passion 3,478]

@Skylord Nexus

Over the past recent days, Ley was allowing herself to be caught off guard nearly on a daily basis. However all of the situations that transpired were actually quite far from her regular day-to-day life. Crazily powerful children, gravity manipulation, incompetence, mindless destruction... well, that last one was at least familiar to her to some extent, minus the mindless. These, however, were waters she had some knowledge about. As the stranger turned around, it became quite clear to Ley that he was judging her. And she was not willing to just stand there like a stodgy peg.

Ley took a swift, elaborate turn on her heel, positioning herself to face the man. Her hips swayed gently as she moved the weight of her body predominantly on her right leg, leaving the left one unburdened and slightly stretched to the side. She crossed her arms on her chest, placing the fingers of her hands on her arms, just above the elbows. At once she perked her head ever so slightly, trying to establish her dominant position in the conversation that might eventually occur. However, the whole effect was somewhat diminished by her gentle expression, which was betraying her curiosity.

"Radiant beauty? Is this truly your best attempt at flattering me?" - it was difficult to say how serious Ley was. Although her words were harsh, her tone suggested it all might have just been a game of teasing. It was definitively derisive, but also sounded jovial at once. She purposedly didn't let her voice pitch betray which scale weighted more in this matter. Would he prove to have a certain distance to his own person and some sense of humour? Or would he just be one of those overly sensitive manchildren with potential complexes? A test, of sorts, to satisfy her curiosity.

The daemoness relaxed her body, undertaking a more casual approach. She lowered her head to regular position and pushed aside a rebellious strand of her hair which decided to state an tiny uprising in the process. Her behaviour was somewhat dictated by the fact of receiving a seemingly honest, well deserved and well overdue compliment. One that certainly did seem to titillate her own self.

"Well I suspect it will have to suffice. You did well enough, for a human." - Ley adored playing this card. She was painfully aware of her appearance and how many issues it caused her, but if she had a chance of turning it around and using it for her own, guilty entertainment, she hardly ever hesitated. And the person in front of her seemed unfazed by her looks. What, to be honest, was quite unusual in on itself, but it was not in Ley's interest to learn the reason behind it. Nevertheless, while she allowed herself a moment of shameless fun, she was aware the man in front of her was still a stranger. And he was presenting acceptable levels of kindess to his approach. Ley allowed the moment to last just a second longer than it would be comfortable, after which she chuckled silently.

"Do forgive my impertinence, but this establishment does leave so much to desire in areas of intelligent, entertaining and well-mannered company. A gentleman of your stature will surely understand what I mean." - she paused for a very brief moment before continuing - "Since I was the one to eye you so discourteously first, I believe I shall make amends for my behaviour. Lady Ley von Crimson River, charmed."

The girl made a well trained curtsey towards the man. It was shallow, it was simple, yet every move was tailored to her needs. Left palm placed on her neckline, her left foot sweeping behind on her fingertips. Even a gentle nod of her head with her eyelids shut tightly for the time of the act. The entire deed lasted around a second, not more, but her elaborate clothing followed and continued the motion for another two. It was a figure she would not choose should she wear different clothes, as it would not have the same effect otherwise.

"While I do understand it must be an honor for you to make my acquaintance, I would very much not want to be left hanging and would ask you to return the favour."

 

[dragon4111 914]

@Skylord Nexus@Passion

Ghalan was now up and about after his little panic attack. He made his rounds through the building then he found Ley and...Someone he didn't recognize."Ley why aren't you in Miko's class?" he asked with an edge to his voice as he walked down the hall. He looked at the finely dressed man with a raised eyebrow. He was walking with his staff out. He had a look of suspicion can't be another student. Maybe a new staff member? How odd to him. ah well. He walked forward slowly his staff clicking against the floor every step he took. Slow and methodical he subtly activated the magical aura detection spell over his eyes to look at the stranger observing him cautiously after all he didn't recognize this man at all and he knew the staffers here at Salem University after all.

[Duality 10,738]

On 3/9/2019 at 11:48 PM, Zkrahs Yek said:

Cynthia didn't even know what to say at first. For the longest time in her life, she was the only girl she knew with a fox as a father. She had never heard of anthropomorphic creatures, or most of what the woman was talking about.

The girl opened and closed her hands, feeling the surge of power from sensing water in the air. "My entire life... I was told these powers I have are dangerous, that I was a risk to people everywhere... In the forest, it made me into a healer, part of something... Now you're telling me the very powers that humans shunned me for they want to help get stronger? I just... I don't understand..."

"It's a confusing thing to grasp, I know," said Duality in a soothing tone. "Those without magic often fear those with it, and many people who come here have experienced that fear firsthand. This is a place of harmony between those with and without magic - a place of learning control, so we can learn how to not be a risk to other people. Your healing abilities can do a lot of good to a lot of people, and many humans not crippled by fear can see the potential that you hold and want to work with us on bringing it to light. We simply want to help you in whatever arcane path you choose to follow. In fact, if you'd like, we could arrange for you to take one-on-one tuition sessions with a specialist teacher, so you don't have to go out to meet many people for a while. I hardly want to overwhelm you by plunging you straight into being surrounded by crowds of occasionally volatile magic students in classes designed for sight after you've been living in the forest alone but for animals for so long. You don't have to make any decisions right away, though. I can show you to your room, show you around the campus, and let you have some time to settle in soundly before adding anything more stressful onto your mental load."

[Guest]

@Duality

Cynthia opened and closed her hands, feeling her abilities coursing through her veins. They had always been there, she could seldom remember a time when they were not, but never did she really question why she had them or what use they could be to humans. For the majority of her life, humans wanted nothing to do with her powers, so she primarily used them to heal animals. Ironically she didn't appear to be able to heal her own injuries, nor cure debilitating conditions such as her own blindness. She surmised that her power simply wasn't strong enough to do such a thing.

As eccentric as this woman was, there was a kindness and genuine feeling about her. She wasn't like the people that Cynthia had known years ago who only hopes to use her powers for their own benefit and then ditch her. This woman had magic of her own after all, so she had nothing to gain by doing something like that, but still there was an aura about her that was almost... Motherly? Perhaps that wasn't the right word, but she did seem to care about her students.

"Is it alright if Snow stays with me? He never leaves my side..." She replied softly before coming to a stand. "I guess I could use a trip around the campus to get my bearings... Do I have to wear the shoes?" She frowned at the thought of having to put shoes back on, though she did probably look silly with a new outfit and no footwear of any kind.

[Skylord Nexus 527]

@Passion @dragon4111

Lucius' facial expression didn't change at Ley's reaction, though inside, his mind was working hard trying to understand the demoness in front of him "Well the tone of her initial reply is somewhat hard to read, however the word she uttered either imply some form of sarcasm/sense of humour, or an extremely large amount of vanity somewhat veiled by an otherwise emotionless personality. The most likely is the former, and besides, I think I know what she's up to but I need to be sure." The right side of the mans lips then curled upwards ever so slightly to form a cocky smirk "Well, I generally find that some light flattery can go a long way when distinguishing between the vain and the intelligent when it comes to women of class such as yourself."

The demons' next words all but confirmed the mans suspicions, she seemed to be sussing him out as much as he was her, and to say the prospect of speaking with someone with a similar amount of wit excited him would be an understatement... That being said, Lucius was fully prepared to battle the girl for control of their convocation and prove who the sharper one was. The left side of his lips curled up slightly now as well, changing the smirk to a smile, though still keeping enough shape to show that the smirk was still there to those with sharp perception "Well, what more can us mortals do to please demons such as yourself if not shower you with praise. That being said, a demon here does intrigue me, especially you, who has much more... humanity than most demons I have much, though admittedly that isn't many." 

And there it was, Crimson River, though not overly familiar with the family, he knew enough for the name to raise more questions than answers. Suddenly, this young women and gone from interesting, to the apple of his eye "And here I thought being here was going to be boring, looks like I've found a puzzle to keep me entertained for a while." By now Lucius' smirk had gone entirely, replaced with a seemingly sincere smile as he replied to her initial statement "Indeed I had guessed as much, it seems meeting you will be the highlight of my tenure here then." He then took a step back and gave Lady Ley a deep and respectful bow, with his right arm going outwards as his left lay across is stomach "Lord Lucius Calbian Darkflare the Second, at your service my Lady." He then swiftly reached over to Ley's right hand, gently holding it in his as he lay a light kiss on it before letting go "And I assure you, it is as much an honour for me, as I'm sure it is for you."

Lucius dismissively glanced over the Ghalan, not really paying him much heed since he wasn't being addressed. What Ghalan would see however would not warrant such an equally dismissive response however, as the aura he would see would be violent and black, larger than most peoples, uncomfortably so. Even more worrying would be the deep purple eye with the slitted iris which would occasionally open and stare at him. Lucius quickly sensed this invasion of his magical privacy, a slightly surprised look in his eyes as he swiftly placed his left hand into his pocket and slid a gold ring with a large blue jewel onto his middle finger, at this moment the aura Ghalan was seeing would slimmer down to that of a normal person. Feeling the need to shift the mans attention, Lucius decided to speak to the man, though he had a look of distain in his eyes akin to that of a king to a peasant, and the tone of his words were equally as disrespectful "Hello, I am a new teacher here, and was in the progress of going to speak with the head mistress to announce my arrival. This charming young lady kindly offered to show me the way to her." 

[Duality 10,738]

15 hours ago, Zkrahs Yek said:

"Is it alright if Snow stays with me? He never leaves my side..." She replied softly before coming to a stand. "I guess I could use a trip around the campus to get my bearings... Do I have to wear the shoes?" She frowned at the thought of having to put shoes back on, though she did probably look silly with a new outfit and no footwear of any kind.

"Hah, don't worry, my dear," Duality grinned. "I have no doubt your feet are more than calloused enough to withstand the rigours of any flooring this place has, and plenty of our students have quite unconventional fashion sense, so it shouldn't be a problem in the slightest. Your exquisitely-pelted fox-father is welcome anywhere you are, too; we're used to seeing familiars and animal companions all over the place in a place like this. But anyway!" The professor, prompted by a lapse in topics to explain, abruptly jumped to her feet and swept towards the door, beckoning Cynthia to follow. "Come, come! We can talk further as we walk. Much to see - ah, pardon the figure of speech -, much to experience, I should say. The University may be large, but that just means more of it to explore."

[Guest]

@Duality

Glad to be rid of her shoes, she smiled a little, feeling a bit more "in her element" so to speak. She could see partially via vibrations and hearing, but shoes made that difficult, her feet didn't feel natural in them. In the woods she would only really wear pelts on them in the winter time to keep warm, but other than that she found herself enjoying being barefoot. The calloused feet comment was undoubtedly true in her case.

She came to a stand to meet the professor and made her way to the door to walk with her, still a bit confused by everything that was happening but deciding it was better to just roll with it at this point, hoping it'd all become clearer as time went on.

"So... You said you're a hydromancer? And that I'm one too apparently? What exactly does that mean? I'm not really familiar with a lot of the words that humans use... Err... Other people... Sorry, I guess I shouldn't use the word human to separate myself from others should I?" She blushed with embarrassment. She seldom talked to other people, so she felt she was embarrassing herself.