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 Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 2:03 pm
"In the years of the Sun, magic was not nearly as prominent as..."
Teaching, as always, was something that Professor Xander Demetri did mostly out of a need to have a cover. It was not that he disliked teaching - his students, certainly, but he did like to have an audience, and he did rather like showing off his considerable amount of knowledge to whoever was listening. Situating himself inside of the Academy had been relatively easy, considering all of his connections here and there, and now that he was comfortable, he decided he rather liked it after all.
Even if his students were some of the most mundane and ordinary there ever was. As of right now there were one...two...three pretending they were listening, when Xander was quite aware that they were passing around notes beneath their desks (their assumption that he was, in fact, ignorant of all of the stupid things teenagers did was their first mistake, followed by their arrogance in considering that they thought they could get away with it), one student who was asleep (he wouldn't be for much longer), and three giggling girls who were staring at him with rapturous, lovestruck eyes.
It was nauseating. Xander pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers.
"Finish your papers and get them to me by the end of the class period, so you have - " He checked the watch on his right wrist. " - forty-six minutes. O'Bannon, Mulgrew, and Roberts, give me that note you've been passing, Mulligan, wake up or else you'll find a tub of water dumped down your shirt - ice water, I might add - and Lexington, Jeffries, and Night, eyes on your own papers. Any questions come ask me, but don't expect a decent answer, since you should know what everything else already. Your groups should be working cohesively by now, and if they're not, well then oh well."
There was a flurry of activity, some muffled mumbles, and then the class lapsed into quiet murmurings as the groups began discussing their projects. Xander leaned back in his chair, his feet up on the desktop, and linked his fingers behind his head, sighing.
Hopefully tonight won't be boring...
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Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 10:58 pm
A few days had passed since the mononoke had encountered the mysterious, dangerous, and weird Xander Demetri, and she had not forgotten the promise that she had made him before she left--that was, the promise that she would visit him while he was teaching. While the man had seemed amused at her declaration, Althaia had been--as he would soon find out--completely serious and intent on keeping her word. So, on morning that she was free, the kirin got ready, locked up her home, and set out for Makai Academy.
By the time she reached the academy, it seemed that classes were already in session. Wandering through the hallways, the girl glanced left and right, peering into classrooms as she walked past, head cocked to the side as she searched for the familiar face among all the professors. That wasn't him...neither was that...and that definitely wasn't him either--not unless he had grown an impressive pair of breasts since she had last seen him.
Then again, considering that the large-breasted lady had had long, dark hair like Xander's, Althaia had to pause and squint for a while before she determined for sure that the woman was not the professor she was seeking.
Just as Althaia was beginning to wish that she could find someone to ask for directions to Professor X's Arcane History class, she suddenly perked up at a familiar voice. Was that...? Knitting her brows together, she glanced about, her gaze falling on the classroom to her right as she determined that that was where the voice was coming from. She promptly moved closer to the door, standing on her tiptoes to peek through the window.
Ah ha, there he was! And it sounded like he was giving his students some time to work amongst themselves! What perfect timing. Grinning brightly, she slipped into the room, keeping herself low as she sneaked past the students. She silently made her way to the front of her room until she reached the professor's desk. By now, some of the students may have noticed her presence--after all, it was hard to ignore the fact that there was a strange young woman at the very front of the room, crouched right in front of their professor's desk.
However, the kirin paid them no mind. Slowly, Althaia raised her head. First, her horns began to peek out from behind the desk, and then this was followed by her golden eyes. Blinking up at Xander, she gave a little swish of her tail and a smile, her voice light and pleasant. "Good morning, Professor X. I'm here to visit, as promised."
There was a pause, and then, "Is Hyde with you?" She poked her head farther over the desk, expression hopeful and petite ears perked up as she searched for the serpent. She wanted to elope with pet him.
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Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 6:00 pm
The class, which was filled with a great deal of low murmurings, quiet shufflings of paper, and silent communication, was what Xander deemed as a bunch of kids - which they were, but kids were noisy and messy. However, considering his position as their teacher, he had already set in motion a rule about being too noisy - namely don't.
Which was why he could tell, quite easily, when their was a sudden shift in the room. A strange sort of murmuring seemed to arise, and Xander flicked his eyes in their direction, giving them all an uninterested glance. He wasn't entirely certain what had caused the change in their demeanor, and he caught a few strange, curious looks, but since it was midday and most students wanted to go home, Xander just brushed it off as tiredness and boredness.
"Back to work," he said, waving a hand lazily, and closed his eyes, linking his fingers behind his head, his booted feet still up on his desk. Miusa had already scolded him for not "sitting properly," and showing disrespect, but it was not really as if Xander cared much for that sort of thing, so he did it anyway.
A few of the girls in the front row tittered. Xander scowled, leaning back so that the two front legs of his chair were off of the ground.
"Kindly stop your - " he started to snap, opening his eyes - but to his great horror, what he was looking at was not, in fact, his students, but a pair of very familiar horns, followed by an equally familiar, pale head of hair and a light skinned, pretty thing blinking up at him owlishly.
There was a loud clank as the legs of Xander's chair crashed back down onto the floor abruptly.
"Althaia, what - "
It came out as almost a shout, Xander staring at the kirin with a somewhat horrified expression, his eyes wide. He took a moment, pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers as though trying to calm himself, and then pushed aside some of his long dark hair. A dark look was shot at the students peering curiously in their direction, and hastily they returned to their work, noses pressed into their books.
Xander scowled.
"Althaia," he said again, this time in a much more level tone of voice, Xander leaning forward with his fingers linked together on the desktop. "What, may I ask, are you doing here?"
He had not expected her to be serious when she said that she would come and visit him at Makkai Academy. In fact, he was pretty damn certain that she'd just been fooling around. The girl could not obviously expect that they were friends or anything of the sort. For one thing, Xander Demetri did not have friends. And for another thing, even if he did, they would not be with petite kirin girls.
Strange, petite kirin girls. Xander let out his breath in a sigh, rubbing a hand over his face. Then he gave the girl a suspicious look, dropping his hand.
"...you didn't seriously come here to get my snake, did you?"
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Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 11:26 pm
The girl's expression remained relaxed and content, even at the crash of the chair legs meeting the floor and at the almost-shout. Althaia casually lifted her finger to her lips, "Shh, professor. Your students are trying to work." Casting a look over her shoulder at said students, the mononoke smiled and lifted a hand, fluttering her fingers at them in an airy greeting. My, wasn't this nice? A classroom setting. She hadn't been in one of these for a while.
Perking up at her name, she turned back to face Xander, eyes wide with genuine surprise and innocent confusion at his question. She poked her head out farther from behind the desk, and then stood up altogether. "I'm keeping my promise, remember?" Propping her elbows up on his desk, she leaned forward and rest her head in her hands, "I told you that I'd come visit you while you were teaching. A pity that I arrived after you were done with your lecture, though."
Althaia was clearly disappointed, and for more than one reason. She had wanted to see Professor X in action, but she had come too late for that. As it wasn't something that she had extensively studied, she had also been hoping to learn something about Arcane history from listening in on the class but...alas.
Oh well. There was always next time.
Trying not to grin at his question, her gaze slid back and forth in a shifty manner before it fell back on the man. She didn't even try to hide the sheepish--and slightly guilty--tone in her voice.
"Maybe."
This was followed by a light laugh, her tail swaying behind her. "That was part of the reason, at least. I mostly just came to see how you were doing." And by that, she meant that she had come here to bother him. With all her chores done, there wasn't much else that she could do at home.
She gave him a childishly hopeful look, one that almost seemed to say something along the lines of "play with me". "Are you done teaching for the day once this class is over?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 11:44 am
Xander could not, for the life of him, figure out why this girl was here.
For one thing, she had just snuck into his classroom like she was some sort of special secret agent or something (she wasn't) and now she was beaming up at him with wide, innocent eyes (also another thing she wasn't), and Xander was very, very confused.
At least until he remembered Hyde, and then he was just exasperated.
The girls at the front of the classroom tittered a bit, whispering frantically under their breaths and gesturing towards the kirin - who had just waved cheerfully at them. Xander resisted the urge to lift a hand to his face and instead glowered at the girls - hastily they turned away, back to their work, and Xander looked back at Althaia.
"Yes, I remember it," he said, with a roll of his eyes. "However, I didn't expect that you would actually...come here."
A pause.
"To my workplace."
Another pause.
"To steal my familiar."
There was a definite note of guilt in Althaia's sheepish voice, and Xander dropped his hand to give the kirin a Look that clearly said I knew it all along - even if he didn't. Pushing aside a few strands of black and red hair, he said dryly "Uh huh. Like I'm going to believe that."
Though the strange thing was, he did believe that she'd come here to see how he was doing, since she seemed the type to simply say everything straight out without beating around the bush.
He gave her another Look. "Maybe," Xander grunted. "Are you bored, by chance? Hyde isn't even here - "
As if the universe were laughing at him, from under the desk came a low hiss, the appearance of one snake familiar curled around his upper leg, curled in his lap and sound asleep.
Xander said nothing for a moment, then tried, rather belatedly, and said " - he's not here."
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Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:20 pm
Althaia seemed entirely unbothered by the whispering, a small laugh escaping her lips as she caught sight of the glower Xander shot at his students. She was not surprised to see that the girls had immediately quieted down and gone back to work. Tearing her gaze away from the students and back to the professor, the girl shook her head with a smile. "My my, I think I already have a good idea of what kind of Professor you are, X."
It was hard to tell if that was supposed to be a compliment or not, and the kirin made no more to expand further. Instead, she grinned at him when he told her that her visit had been unexpected. Propping one hand up on her hip, she cocked her head to the side and wagged her index finger at him.
"Can't say that I didn't warn you. I told you that I'd visit you here at your workplace, and--" She paused, brows furrowed and finger frozen mid-wave, "...Perhaps I left out the familiar bit, but even then, I'm not here to steal him. I just wanted to...take him for a walk."
Because that's exactly what you did with snakes. You put a leash on them and take them for a walk.
...That being said, Althaia wasn't making up an excuse. She had really wanted to take him out for a walk.
Xander's question earned a grin. "You're as perceptive as ever, X. Yes, I'm bored--oh?" The moment he began to tell her that Hyde wasn't here, the kirin's whole demenor changed. Her smile fell, her eyes grew wide and pitifully disappointed, and her small ears drooped.
Fortunately, that didn't last long. Her ears immediately pricked back up at the hiss, and she ignored Xander's insistence as she moved around the desk and--ah ha!
"Hello to you, Hyde," Althaia greeted, crouching down. Whether she didn't know propriety or she just didn't care, the girl rest her head against the man's knee (because surely he would be fine with that, right) and stretched a hand out to run her fingers against the serpent's smooth scales. Her smile was soft and her eyes held a great deal of affection--you could practically see the imaginary hearts floating around the mononoke. As a stark contrast to a few moments ago, the kirin mononoke suddenly became very passive and quiet.
...And this scene was probably terribly confusing to the students, who could only see Althaia's legs sticking out from behind the desk.
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Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 9:50 pm
For all he said, Xander was quite certain that Althaia was not listening to a single word of it. That was the strange thing about her - or at least one of the strange things about her, since she was really very different from anyone he had ever met before.
Whether or not that was a good thing or a bad thing, however, remained to be seen. Xander gave the kirin a dubious look and tried to figure out why she wasn't afraid of him. Considering what he was (not that she would even know that, though it was rather obvious, he thought) and what she was (whatever that was; he still hadn't figured out just how powerful she was, and something told him to not underestimate her), she seemed quite comfortable around him.
It confused him. And it was slightly irritating to know that there was someone he could not so easily pick apart.
Scowling a bit, Xander said "Haven't I told you what I am, little kirin? The Arcane History professor, not the 'Let's Be All Happy Happy Joy Joy" professor."
A few students in the front row stifled sniggers - at least until they caught sight of the murderous expression on their teacher's face and suddenly they were back to their work, studiously ignoring him.
Xander pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers. "Yes, well, I didn't exactly think you would actually come. It's not like I get visitors every day coming into try and take my snake for a walk," he added, with a clearly suspicious look at Althaia as if to say I know you just want to steal him, snakes don't have legs and therefore can't walk.
His rather pathetic attempt at hiding Hyde having failed, it only took the kirin a matter of seconds to scoot around the desk, drop down, and promptly flop against his legs. There was a moment of pure stupidity as Xander stared blankly down at Althaia, her head on his knee as she stared rapturously at the familiar - who, in turn, nosed against her cheek.
Several students were staring. Xander glowered.
"Back to your work," he snapped, and there was a scuffling of papers and chairs as everyone hastily tried to ignore the very odd scene occurring at the front of the room.
Xander glanced down at Althaia, gave a sigh, and leaned back in his chair, idly rubbing his brow with his fingers.
"Seriously, what are you?" he said, starting to get a headache. "You're not exactly scary, but you're not scared of me, which is, to say the least, very odd. And now you're in my classroom, trying to steal my familiar - don't give me that look - and you're fascinated with Hyde. What was it? No trees to heal back at home?" he added, slightly sarcastically, but there was the barest hint of amusement to his voice.
Hyde gave a soft hiss and nudged his face further against Althaia's. Xander scowled.
"Traitor."
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Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 3:28 pm
It was a mystery what Althaia thought of Xander. In all honestly, he kirin girl herself probably didn't know what her opinion of the man was. He was rather interesting, but also a little strange--in her opinion--and he also...well, he was very fun to catch off guard.
Then again, he kind of confused her too. She hadn't been lying when she told him that he gave off an air of danger, but why was that? Though the mononoke did not doubt that he was powerful, that had nothing to do with with the dangerous factor.
Not that Althaia cared, clearly, considering how she had her head on his knee and was staring at this dangerous man's familiar with unhidden adoration. Her ears were laid back in contentment, her tail flicking lazily behind her. The students would hear a light, delighted laugh ring out from behind the desk when the serpent rubbed up against her face.
...
Clearly Althaia was not worried about the students' opinion of her (or about the fact that she may have slowly been chipping away at their poor professor's reputation). Awkward as it may have been, she tried to return Hyde's cheek-rub with a human-form nuzzle of her own before her gaze slid up to Xander. She grinned at his question--a grin that was briefly replaced by a pout at the word "steal" when he referred to Hyde--and his sarcastic question at the end even earned a little giggle.
"Am I supposed to be scared of you?" Folding her arms on top of his knee, she stared up at the man with a little grin, "And if you want to know something, you'll have to be a little more specific. I've already technically told you what I am...if you mean race."
And then she was distracted again by Hyde, who received another happy laugh for his actions. However, her eyes immediately darted back to Xander at the word "traitor". For a minute, she just stared at him blankly, golden eyes fixed on his expression.
Then she grinned--a wide, mischievous grin. Althaia suddenly sat up, but had turned her attention away from the man. No, her next words--although audible to all--were directed to Hyde. "I think your master is jealous. Shall we rub our cheeks against his so that he doesn't feel left out?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2012 7:37 pm
Xander often wondered what went through Althaia's head sometimes all the time. It wasn't so much that he disliked her - though he tried very hard to not admit this fact, since it meant showing a weakness. But it wasn't that he liked her either. Mostly he had no idea what to think of the kirin, since she was so unabashedly different than anyone else he had met.
And quite a bit stranger.
He debated - briefly - on tugging at Althaia's hair, just to be obnoxious (she was laying with her head on his knee, after all, which would give him the perfect opportunity to be what he normally was - a self proclaimed b*****d) - but in the end he merely sighed, rubbing his temple with long, gloved fingers. His students were giving him very furtive looks out of the corners of their eyes, like they didn't think he was going to notice them peering curiously over at the front of the room, but within seconds they would find a minuscule black shadow streaking across the room and smacking across their papers, sending them flying.
After that they stopped trying to look over.
Hyde gave a small hiss, curling his tail around one of Althaia's wrists, and Xander rolled his eyes, giving up the pretense of not caring. He gave the kirin a studious look, trying to discern the meaning behind her words.
"Yes," he said stoutly, frowning a bit. "I mean...I would assume it's quite obvious what exactly I am."
He grinned, his teeth flashing white; a slightly sharp, maniacal smile before it faded back into his frustrated scowl. She was having too much fun with his snake - way too much fun, and now she was speaking in riddles, knowing he was curious to her origin.
Xander sighed.
"You've told me very little and very much at the same time," he growled, thoroughly put out. There was a shrill ringing sound, signaling the end of class, but Xander was too preoccupied to do anything more than bark out "HAND IN YOUR PAPERS BY THE END OF NEXT CLASS" as his students hastily left the room, clearly wanting to get as far away as possible. "How about you start off by explaining just how powerful you are? You're not afraid of me, which either means you're stupid, or you have no reason to fear me."
"And no," he said, with as much dignity as he could muster, under the circumstances - which wasn't very much, especially since there was a hint of amusement beneath the exasperation. "That is not necessary - nor wanted, little kirin."
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Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2012 3:40 pm
If Althaia hadn't been so distracted, then she probably would have scolded Xander for the shadow stint. As it was, she hadn't noticed it happen at all, her gaze pretty much glued on Hyde the whole time. The only time she would allow her attention to be torn away from the snake was when Xander spoke, and even then, it only lasted so long as he was speaking or she was answering.
The look that Althaia gave him looked more confused than impressed, eyes wide as she stared up at him blankly. "Of course it's obvious what you are, Xander." She laughed, as if it was ridiculous for anyone to not realize what he was, "You are a man."
She smiled.
...
...
And then she suddenly frowned, looking concerned. "...you...you are a man, right? If you aren't, then I'm most sorry that I was under the wrong impression. Then again, regardless of your sex, I don't see any reason why I should be afraid of you." Her lips pulled up into another smile, and she reached up to give him an affection pat on the forehead (because it was too much effort to try reaching for the top of his head, apparently).
The bell caught her off guard, little ears flattening themselves as she tried to block out the sound. It wasn't until the ringing stopped did she finally relax, poking her head out from behind the desk and waving to the quickly-retreating students. "Bye bye! See you next class!" With the room quickly emptying out, Althaia decided to stand back up, grabbing anything that may have been sitting on Xander's desk--like a textbook or notes, perhaps--and sitting herself down on the desk's surface. The objects she had removed were then set in her lap.
"How powerful I am...that's still kind of a vague question! How powerful in comparison to what? On what ranking scale?" Was she playing with him? From the happy waving of her tail and the bright-eyed smile she was giving him, all signs pointed to yes.
She did, however, look disappointed as her offer for a tag-team cheek rub was denied. Boo.
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 7:05 pm
Xander stared at Althaia.
Then stared some more.
"I am," he said, in a very dry, flat tone of voice. "a man. Very much so, yes, thank you for that observation, Althaia, you're quite a bit...interesting, you do realize."
He was not quite sure what to think, especially considering that she had been uncertain as to his gender. Xander knew his hair was long, but really? Glancing down at himself, he smoothed a hand down the front of his black dress shirt, beneath the blood red, silk vest.
Yes. Definitely a man.
Xander scowled.
"You're either being intentionally ignorant, or you really are just blissfully unaware of what's right in front of your face," he said, now pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. Althaia had the very odd tendency of giving him a headache whenever she was around, her actions always a complete mystery.
But maybe that was her intention.
She moved, then, away from his knee, and sat on the desk instead - but not before sweeping everything on top of it into her arms, settling his books, notebooks, pens, and various other things, into her lap instead, giving him her trademark, wide-eyed, innocent look.
Xander did not trust that look. Especially considering Hyde was attempting to slither out of his lap and into Althaia's.
Traitor, he shot at the snake, but his familiar was ignoring him.
"How powerful you are compared to me," said Xander, leaning back in his chair in the now empty classroom, slinging one leg over the other and resting the side of his head against the tips of his fingers, his elbow on the armrest. "You're a very confusing creature, little kirin."
His eyes flashed, a shadow passing over Xander's face.
"You have to know that I'm a Blackheart," he said evenly, eyes flickering upwards. "You can't possibly be that ignorant of what's right in front of you."
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 7:39 pm
Althaia may have looked a little doubtful at his claim, lips pulling into a frown. Despite the fact he had just proved that he had no breasts by smoothing out his shirt, Althaia decided to check for herself. Cocking her head to the side--and looking entirely innocent--she reached out with both hands and shamelessly groped at his chest.
...
...
...
(Are you done yet, Althaia?)
After a full minute passed, she finally drew back, smiling in such a way that it seemed as if she had done nothing inappropriate. Then again, that's probably exactly what she thought--the kirin simply didn't seem to see anything wrong with what she had just done. All she was doing was confirming for herself that he was what he said he was.
At least she didn't go for the trouser snake.
She didn't bother offering an answer to his statement, humming cheerfully as she swung her legs back and forth like a child. Fortunately, she eventually stop kicking her legs, but only when she noticed Hyde moving towards her. Moving everything in her lap onto an empty spot of desk beside her, she eagerly reached out, gently lifted the serpent and setting him in her lap.
Althaia ran her fingers over the familiar's scales as she considered Xander's question, looking as if she were thinking about it seriously (for once). "Difficult to say. Your magic seems to be far more offensive than the magic that I specialize in," She frowned for a moment at the memory of the tree, but continued on, "I don't think it's possible to know everything about Life magic...but I suppose that I'm as close as I can get." That was likely the first decent answer that she had ever really given him.
Too bad her serious disposition didn't seem to last long. After a moment passed, her cheerful (and somewhat airy) expression returned to her face when Xander openly revealed what he was. While the kirin did not look or sound particularly surprised, Althaia had indeed been ignorant about what the man was. All she knew was that he had this unusual aura of danger around him. So that was why.
"Oh...is that what you are?" A blackheart. Yes...yes, she knew what those were. Althaia had heard her fair share of rumours about them. Lifting Hyde, she set the snake around her neck, giving him an affection nuzzle before turning her golden-eyed gaze back to Xander.
"Is that why you're always so gloomy?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 7:59 pm
...
...
...
"Althaia," said Xander, in a perfectly level tone of voice for someone who had a pretty girl groping at their chest. "What, in the devil's name, are you even doing?"
He debated, briefly, mimicking her movements, just to be obnoxious and show her that you really shouldn't grab someone's chest like that (even if he had nothing to grab in the first place), but something told him it would be a bit too inappropriate in the middle of his classroom (despite the fact that she was doing it to him), and she probably would still have no idea about it anyway, even if he did.
So he let her do it, giving her a very exasperated look - though, astonishingly, there may or may not have been just the faintest shade of pink dusting across his cheeks. However, it was gone in a flash, Xander's scowl growing more pronounced when she leaned back.
"Are you quite finished?" he asked her, lifting a brow. "Now that you've made quite certain that I am, in fact, fully and utterly a male?"
Althaia, however, was clearly paying him no mind, since she had already reached out and taken Hyde from his lap, transferring the snake into hers with a look of rapturous affection on her face. Hyde gave a low his, clearly very pleased with himself, and slipped comfortably around her arm, flicking his tongue out at her cheek.
"Offensive as in it offends you?" asked Xander, a touch sardonically, but he was smirking, rubbing his temple with gloved fingers. "Yes, well, I find I enjoy playing offensively more than taking the defense. Much more...productive that way."
It was the first time he had seen the kirin serious - and it was strange. Not unpleasant, but very definitely odd. She was like a fistful of sand in Xander's mind - just when he thought he had grasped a firm idea of who she was, she slipped away and turned into something else instead.
It was all very confusing. And a little bit unnerving.
And then she was back to being a bit weird and goofy and Xander sighed, the moment having passed. He closed his eyes briefly, the headache growing, then opened them again, giving Hyde a pointed look from where he sat. The snake ignored him, of course, and curled more comfortably against Althaia's neck.
"Is that why you're always so gloomy?"
His eyes widened, gaze cutting sharply over to the kirin, his expression one of surprise. Then it smoothed out, settling into one of pure exasperation.
"I am not," said Xander, with as much dignity as he could muster under the circumstances. "gloomy. A jerk, yes, but not gloomy."
He stood then, frustrated and stood over her, glowering down at the kirin as he leaned forward, placing two hands on the desk on either side of her.
"What," he said. "are you? Besides a woman, besides a kirini Mononoke, besides magical, besides a snake lover (and a familiar stealer). What are you?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 8:58 pm
"Oh, yes! I'm quite sure that you're a man," She replied, giving an enthusiastic nod, "At least, I think I've exhausted any and all methods of determining whether you are male or female." Althaia frowned then, looking very thoughtful. It seemed as if she was really trying hard to think of any other options, but after a long pause, she simply grinned and shrugged.
Thank god she missed the most obvious way.
Sitting up, she squared her shoulders, her voice confident. "Yes, I am now positive that you are a man. You have a very nice chest, by the way."
...
If that came out of anyone else's mouth, it would have clearly been a come on. With Althaia though, it was a mystery (or a slightly awkward, genuine compliment).
The smile on the kirin's face became somewhat wry. "Your magic doesn't offend me--I just don't like the idea of you practicing on living things." Which was, of course, a little ironic. If you didn't use offensive on living things--which included enemies--then what exactly would such an ability be used for? "I wouldn't say that my own magic lies in either offense or defense--rather, it's more of support, really."
Not to say that she couldn't hold her own too badly in the other two categories. Though her specialty lay in Life magic, her years of studying had at least given her some insight and skill in the basic and intermediate spells. Physically, though, there was no way that she could go up against someone like Xander. Kirins were simply not meant to fight, and Althaia was certain that, if she were to punch someone, she would come out it with more damage than her opponent. Like a broken hand.
At least, that was what happened the last time she had punched someone. They had been getting extremely aggressive with her, so she had decided to try out that move that she usually saw drunken men outside the bar execute on one another. Needless to say, it didn't work out as intended.
Xander's disapproval of the word "gloomy" had her laughing, her hand raised to her shoulder as she pet Hyde. "You'd rather be called a jerk than gloomy? I don't think--you don't seem like that much of the former to me. But the latter..." Her eyes twinkled--clearly she was teasing him again.
The amused twinkle didn't fade from her eyes even as he boxed her in. In fact, her smile grew even wider, a light laugh escaping her lips. "What am I? I am all the things that you just listed. I'm a girl named Althaia." Then, without missing a beat, she casually--and cheerfully--added, "Some people do know me as a sage though, I suppose."
And then she turned her head to coo at Hyde.
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 9:22 pm
Xander's hand may or may not have been covering his face.
Althaia. Really. What.
He also may or may not have been trying very hard not to laugh, even though he had the sudden, strong urge to just let loose and crack up at the mere expression on Althaia's face. She was just so obviously ignorant of things, but it was not that she was stupid - far from it, it seemed. There was a definite sharp intelligence in those golden eyes, though it was hidden behind her very odd personality.
His gaze flickered over to the kirin. "Thank you," he said, and couldn't resist a smirk, still rubbing his hand over his face. "I always thought I was rather good looking, but it's nice hearing it coming from the mouth of a pretty girl."
"And it should," he added, the smile fading as the scowl reappeared, Xander pushing his hair away from his face, off of his shoulder so that he could fold his arms across his chest and glare across at the kirin, leaning back in his chair. "My magic is as offensive as they come."
It was unclear as to which context he meant offensive in, Xander letting out another sigh. It was quite obvious that Althaia had a penchant for being teasing, eyes full of mirth as she glanced up at him, Hyde curling familiarly around her neck. Xander stared daggers at the snake - who was still ignoring him - before turning back to Althaia. Now that he had stood and had basically boxed her in, hopefully the directness of his question would be answered.
He did not like not having the answers.
But her reply - when it came, lightly and airily, as though talking about something as mundane as the weather - Xander felt the realization sink into his chest, his very bones.
Sage.
He had met only one before, and it had been several years since then. They were rare and highly respected, but Xander did not find them to be as appealing as most - only natural, considering what he was, but they had always seemed so manipulative to him, so self-serving.
Except apparently not all of them, since those seemed like two of the last words that would describe Althaia. Unless she was playing some sort of facade, trying to get under his skin, but something told him that this weird sort of strangeness was not faked.
No one could act that well.
Xander frowned, which turned into a glower. "Do you do this with everyone's familiars?" he asked her, indicating Hyde. "Or just mine?"
Moving away, he took a step back and folded his arms back across his chest, staring down at the kirin and his snake. It was, perhaps, one of the oddest combinations he had ever seen, but apparently to Althaia this was quite a normal bit of behavior.
He sighed.
"You are, without a doubt, the most infuriating and strange person that I have ever met," Xander grunted, scowling. "Even if you are a damn sage."
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