|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 11:06 pm
She was not lost.
Alex could be anything in the world, but lost was not an option. The woman could remember any point that she'd been at, down to the details, complete with longitude and latitude, from causeways and goat trails...so there was no way she could be lost in the magic department.
Absolutely not.
The Italian roamed the halls defiantly, green eyes roving over the rooms and hallways, mesmorizing them as soon as they were in her sights. Had she seen this part before...? No. Of course not. She wasn't lost, remember? She puckered her bottom lip and blew her bangs from her eyes; that'd teach her to keep her hair down again! Crossing her arms over her white tank top and olive cargo pants, she continued to wander, peering into this open door and that, simply giving herself a tour of this part of the school.
Yes. A tour.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 11:31 am
The good master of magic as sitting down in the magic field, doing his usual check-up work before randomly casting a glance at the magic building that was behind him. And coincidentally enough, he spotted a shadowy figure wandering about in the hallway just for a swift moment before disappearing herself. The master never distrusted his eyes, and he frowned visibly as he saw what was going on. He stood up, and made his way back to the magic building.
For someone who knew about the place like his own house, it didn't take long before the good master finally found Alex walking around, intruding every single door that was not locked in the building. The master was somewhat amused by this stranger, which he could sworn he had not seen and thus not belonging to the school of magic. How did an outsider get in here? Not that they weren't allowed, but it was rare to see outsiders coming into the magic school area, not to mention how hard it was to navigate through this place...
He stood far away from Alex and observed for a while before approaching the dark-skinned woman with a half-amused smile on his face.
"May I help you?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 12:07 pm
The place was just weird. There was something in the air that was making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end, not unlike she had felt back in China, when the demons and their magic trap had been intruded upon. She didn't like it, and if this was what magic felt like, well, she was too darn sensitive for comfort. Still, as a defender and employee, she made it her business to know the school. It would do no good if there was an emergency and the woman didn't know her way around a part of the school to be of any use.
She almost thought the place was abandoned when a cool voice slid over her shoulder. Alex turned around, her keen eyes falling upon...
...an elf.
The woman managed not to blanch, although her jaw set firmly and her lips pursed in the slightest. Was that...three elves, now? ELVES. Goodness, would she EVER get over that? Repressing the feeling of the magic crawling along her skin, she smiled tightly at the elf. "Just giving myself a tour," she responded in a mostly normal voice, "since I don't know any of the teachers in the m-magic field."
Alex almost kicked herself. She couldn't even talk about magic without feeling like an adolescent idiot. The combination of talking about MAGIC...to an ELF...was enough to make the woman laugh. She couldn't help it. The situation was just so ridiculous! The laughter was warm, at least, and not cruel. Just, perhaps, a little awkward.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 1:26 pm
"A tour?" The master raised an eyebrow. "That's an interesting way to put it. You have some nerve to walk a tour by yourself in this place." He could not help but to smile again at Alex's awkwardness toward magic (or was it him that made her feel awkward?). "But if that is the case, I suppose I should offer you guidance to this...tour."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 1:42 pm
"Some nerve?" Alex was smiling, but there was an edge to her gaze. "I hardly see it as 'having nerve' when trying to familiarize myself with my work space. I certainly hope the rest of the teachers are as knowledgable." Perhaps she had misunderstood the statement, but she couldn't help being a little terse. He was an elf!
She hadn't seen him in China, so she really wasn't sure who she was dealing with. Well. No time like the present to ask for a name, so long as it was something she could actually pronounce. The woman softened a little at his offer to guide the 'tour,' but she didn't let down her guard at all. Perhaps it was less about being defensive and more about the whole aura of the place...?
"Thanks." Quirking another smile, she asked, "Might I have the honor of the name of my guide?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 2:05 pm
"Kyuu Shinji is my name. I preferr to be called by my last." Shinji replied shortly, and bowed to Alex out of courtesy. "And what is the name of the maid under my guidance?"
For someone sensitive to other's feelings (perhaps negatively so), the master of magic had sense a level of comfort within Alex, more than the mere awkwardness of meeting a stranger. Shinji decided that it was not the time to mention it, however, as the woman seemed to be capable of handling this feeling herself.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 2:14 pm
That earned a grin from the woman. "I don't know about this maiden thing," she joked, "but you can call me Alex. I'm Greg's assistant. It's nice to meet you, Shinji." The woman was mindful of using his name; he had not given himself a title, and as such, she would not insult him by pinning one upon him. In fact, the only person she used a title with was a certain, unpleasant doctor.
She nodded to his bow, not about to curtsey in cargos; that just seemed foolish. Alex unconsciously crossed her arms as though warding off cold, but the feeling that made her skin prickle had nothing to do with the temperature. She took a few languid steps towards the elven man, trying not to focus on his ears. Or how old he was. Or that he was AN ELF.
With a firm shake of her head, she offered another half-cocked smile, "Can you tell me anything about the department? Norman didn't have much to say, but I suppose--" She bit back her initial thought of saying 'humans,' and changed her course of words, "--non-users wouldn't know too much."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 3:54 pm
"Alex." Shinji nodded. "I have heard about you in the meetings." Without saying anymore greeting words the master turned sideways and gave a brief scann of the building. "Well, what would you like to know? There's plenty to tell, and I doubt you have that much time on your hands for all the informations." He looked back to Alex with a neutral expression. "Or perhaps I should ask...for what reason are you interested in the magic department if you are not a user of magic?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 4:03 pm
Alex forced herself to look at the elf's profile, studying him. She couldn't pin point exactly why the elves bothered her so, but it was likely that it had to do something with being creatures of legend and fairy tale. The woman never dreamed of standing next to one and speaking so cordially; it unnerved her.
She considered his words, eyes moving around the area thoughtfully before replying, "To understand."
Brief silence followed before she explained, "In my experience, people fear what they don't understand. They fear or hate it or reject it all together." She paused, deciding where to go with her point before continuing, "I've learned many things in my few years, Shinji, and one of the most important things I've carried with me is the ability to know. If I have a question, I seek the answer. If I have a fear, I conquer it. If I don't know...I learn. I disdain ignorance."
That's what it boiled down to; she didn't want to be afraid, she didn't want to be ignorant of magic and the department just because it wasn't something she understood. It was human nature, and she was sorely trying to be better than that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 4:31 pm
"Hm." Shinji said to himself. "Human nature, I see." He looked at Alex before making a brief sound that could either be a snort or a chuckle. "Do we, the minor races, look that mysterious to you humans?" It was a rhetorical question, and the master did not expect an answer before going on with his own words. "We are not anymore different than you humans. But unlike us, humans lack the ability to...use nature in a natural way. And as a compromise, they have invented their own way to use nature, and thus the birth of science and technology." He paused, tilting his head a little to observe the dark skinned woman before moving on. "But I digress, in order to understand anything however, you must believe. You must believe that things such as magic exist in the world, and this is perhaps the hardest part when humans are trying to learn magic. They have been taught and used to their own ways of science and technology. Their bodies were trained to believe not in magic. Even if someone says they believe in magic, their body refuse to accept it."
Shinji sighed, and took out a cigarette from one of his side pockets. "Am I making much sense at all?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 4:42 pm
She felt herself cringe at the idea of believing in magic. Even though she had witnessed the awakening of demons, even though she was standing in front of an elf, she knew he was right; she was having a very hard time believing in magic. However, the existance of other races had very little to do with magic, and she had not seen any of them actually use it.
"Perfect sense," she assured him. "As much as I'm able to understand and see things from another's point of view...magic is a little out there. In this case, seeing is believing." Alex wasn't asking him to perform magic, but she would have to see the methods or the practice with her own eyes before she could really accept it. Unfortunately, she had been between conscious bouts when Dante had cast his magic.
Green eyes fixed at the elven man, using every ounce of control in her body not to look away from him. "Your looks don't bother me," she said slowly, as if speaking her thoughts out loud rather than addressing Shinji, "it's more the name that we've given you, and the connotations that we associate it with...namely, fantasy, make-believe. I would be less phased to see a dinosaur walking the earth than I am to see a story come to life."
She smiled wanly, "Am I making much sense at all?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 4:52 pm
Shinji made a clear snort this time. "Why do you humans still view us was fantasy when we are real? Reality is a better word. We are more real than dinosaurs. You were taught that dinosaurs once roamed about the earth millions of years ago, and believed in them even when you've never seen them in real life. And I am standing right here, talking to you. Would you believe me if you were taught that it was the minor races that lived on earth instead of dinosaurs millions of years ago?" He eyed Alex, smiling a little as she asked the same sentence.
"Perfect sense, and as much as i'm able to understand and see and use magic...your human logic is something I do not wish to explore."
Without waiting for a reaction Shinji turned and started walking. "If you would like to see some live performance, follow me. Otherwise you should follow nonetheless so you know where you were going."
Oops, did he mention that he already knew Alex was lost?
"...as a guide, of course."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 6:23 pm
Irame had been thinking about the plans for a while. She had been trying to figure out how exactly she would be able to get Kenth out of his office and into the staff lounge because, from all that she had heard, he didn’t venture out for much. She supposed that Alex might be a problem too, but probably not as big a one as Kenth.
The more she thought about the plans for the party, the more she wondered if it were a good idea. Finally she simply stood up and went to her door. Maybe if she went out for a little while, had a good walk, an idea would come to her. None were coming to her in here anyway, and being cramped in here and not doing anything wasn’t good for you anyway.
As she opened the door Irame could hear voices. It sounded like Heru Shinji and… She wasn’t completely sure who the other one was, but she at least recognized it, even if she couldn’t put a name with it. She stood in the doorway for a moment, the shrugged to herself and shut he door behind her. She should at least say hello to her fellow teacher. So she started down the hall towards where she had heard the voices.
Which turned out to not be very far, as they were walking towards her as well. She had been right and the one voice had been Shinji. The other one, it turned out, had been Alex, who she remembered from the incident in China. She smiled at the two, and curtsied to them.
“Heru Shinji, Heru Alex.” she said bowing her head as well to each of them in turn as she said their names. “It is good to see the two of you. Good, albeit a bit surprising, at least seeing you both here. I was not aware that you had buisness in the magic department, Heru Alex, or else I would have come to meet you.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 10:20 am
Alex laughed heartily, following Shinji with a slightly more relaxed attitude. He wasn't so bad after all! "Now now Shinji," she chided between bouts of chuckling, "there's remains of dinosaurs, museums and classes dedicated to them. Elves seem to be more like hummingbirds: you never f--"
The comfort drained from her in the slightest as they were joined by another elf. She suddenly felt a chill up her spine, and wanted nothing more than to bolt down the hallway. Alex was still learning to handle one, but two? She kept repeating in her mind that they're people, just people, but she couldn't stop staring and couldn't stop the fresh wave of goosebumps that spread over her arms. The air felt thick with their presence.
The woman vaguely recalled this female elf, remembering their brief exchange, which did not include names. Of course, the elf would know who she was since there was notice about her employment. Alex grunted, trying not to look as awkward as she felt. "The school is my business," she replied politely, not bothering to elaborate on the means of her hire, "not just one department. All of it. It's my home now too."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 4:35 pm
“I am sorry Heru Alex. I meant no ill by my comment, it is just that I do not often see people from the technology department here. I understand that you have every right to be here, it’s just that I was surprised.” Irame said. It seemed that Alex was a little upset by her presence. Maybe she should leave? Alex was in the company of Shinji, so maybe it was just that she disliked her? Well after the whole China crisis it would be understandable. Irame would simply have to try her hardest to make Alex like her then. Or at least not dislike her.
“Normally most of the teachers don’t bother going into the other sections… They just stay in their own little parts. It is most refreshing to see someone outside their section.” She looked over at Shinji. “I assume that you have been as polite to her as you are supposed to be with everyone, Heru Shinji?” She said, smiling. Smiling would help, it always did. It made people more relaxed and more ready to trust you, more ready to like you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
