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 Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 7:49 pm
Harold Windsor sat toward the back of his chair, an oddly juvenile pose for a man of such reknown. It had been a rather exhausting week, and he knew it would only get more tiresome. From the few classes he had observed, things seemed to be going well, but he could not push the encounter in the woods or the sudden appearance of a half-drow from his thoughts. Everything was terribly murky; a situation he did not particularly enjoy.
Things had been tough this year. He had lost quite a few teachers in the migration between headmasters and he wasn't sure he would find a new teacher to replace him in his post for Non-magical self defense. He was already thoroughly swamped with his one course and hoped someone could lighten the load. He had asked an old friend, but this friend was often mysterious with their answers. He didn't expect a usual response.
He raised both hands toward his hair as he continued to lean back and ran his fingers through its soft, short mass. He thought he could smell the mountains, and a smile spread across his face.
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 11:32 am
Heavy boots thudded in the hallway accompanied by the scrape of a large trunk, tracing its path closer and closer to the doorway of Harold Windsor's office. The entire hallway seemed to thud alongside the disturbance of this stranger, but the tall form's gait suggested nonchalance.
Skadi Macgoren didn't need to be quiet; Harold had known she was coming the second she set foot on these grounds. At her heels, the large white form of her shewolf, Freya, padded softly behind her, whining as they approached the door. Knocking wasn't necessary.
"Harold," came her strong voice rich with Scandinavian accent from behind the door. A wide palm twisted the doorknob to open it, as she stepped into the room. "Where is this classroom you promised?" Her tone never changed, but the old friend who sat in front of her would understand that this was the closest Skadi came to 'joking around'.
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Akina Tokuwa Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 1:12 pm
Harold Windsor's overly expressive face took a familiar expression - that of pure happiness. He stood immediately, fussing momentarily with his well tailored jacket and opened the wooden door, looking up at the unusually beautiful half-giantess who stood a good foot higher than him. He found his smile spreading into a soft chuckle at her blunt question.
"Well, hello to you, too, Skadi" his exceedingly proper accent was a marked change from her rugged Scandinavian tone. "I'm happy to see that you decided to take me up on the offer. We've got some challenging students this year who could deal with a lesson or two from you." His words trailed off as he noticed the familiar sight of Freya. He looked up into her ice blue eyes, a color which matched his own and grinned again.
He felt so entirely juvenile, being this excited to see an old friend, but with an auspicious start to the school year, familiarity was welcomed indeed. "The classroom is actually in this building, just downstairs, Skadi. It has a direct connection to the inner courtyard as well so you don't have to force them all to walk out to the practice fields like when I attended this school." He gestured down the hallway and ran a calm hand through his finely groomed hair, "Would you like me to take you there?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 1:47 pm
Again, Skadi didn't really smile so instead her ice blue eyes merely... brightened? The half-giantess stooped low so that she could step into the office, clasping a large hand on Harold's shoulder. "Harold, you know well that no little student is too much of a challenge for me," a subtle smirk appeared on grinless lips as Skadi let her trunk drop to the ground with a loud thud that rattled the wall hangings. It was a fairly heavy load, apparently.
A dismissive hand waved away Harold's offer for a tour of her classroom. "No," she stated flatly, folding arms across her chest. "Freya will find it." Offering a gruff foreign word, Skadi watched as her shewolf trotted off powerfully, letting the door shut behind her. The half-giantess crossed in front of Harold, walking to the window and staring out at the landscape. "I never have taught before. Are you sure I will have the complete freedom to teach as I see fit as I requested?" She kept her eyes focused out the window, waiting for a response.
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Akina Tokuwa Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 2:36 pm
Harold chuckled gently as she brusquely refused his suggestion. She really hadn't changed much in all this time. He had to hold onto his large, finely carved desk to keep from losing balance as she dropped her trunk. It seemed to match her perfectly; surprisingly large and sturdy but with whispers of a lost civilization. His eyes followed Freya as she left their presence and he stood in awe of her presence.
He leaned against his desk as he spoke, further diminishing his height in comparison to hers. "Of course. After all, I am in charge, aren't I? And Skadi," he paused for a moment, "you know I fully trust your judgement. We have distinctly different methods for teaching, but it's clear that both work. I'd love to let the students see both sides of the spectrum." His gaze followed hers out the window, as he spoke in a surprisingly solemn manner, belying his depth. "It's a tough group this year, Skadi. We've got quite a few surprises as well. Just recently, we admitted our first drow - well, half drow of course." He spoke delicately as he continued. "My family has always been searching for equality, and I feel like we're finally taking steps."
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 7:47 pm
Skadi really doubted that anything other than the utmost rigid, unyielding seriousness that she knew she would conduct her class using would be truly effective, but she made no comment on it. "These students need my side of spectrum, yah?" The half-giantess kept her back turned to Harold as they spoke, knowing he would not take offense to what is generally considered an offensive body stance.
Though, at the mention of a drow, one icy pupil shot over her shoulder. "Drow?" The professor remained silent for a moment, watching Harold carefully. The drow were an unforgiving race who hated outsiders; why would this one condescend to be here? Unless... "And what of her intentions here, yah? How sure you are of her innocence?" Suffice it to say, Skadi did not like the drow race. She had encountered them before, both on the battlefield and off, and all had proven to be murderous, dishonorable, and evil. She, unlike Harold, was not as optimistic about the world and its fate.
"Equality is aspiration men of good breeding discuss over drinks. Show it to me in world outside of this school. You take steps down a path that no one notices. One school cannot change the world, Harold." Her gaze turned back out the window. Her face was as emotionless as always.
Skadi had nothing but respect for Harold Windsor, but she, unlike him, saw the hunt for equality futile.
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Akina Tokuwa Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 11:39 pm
Harold's excitement faded momentarily, as he stared at Skadi's defensive stance. He moved around the large desk and sat in his crimson cushioned chair as he spoke, his face surprisingly solemn.
"No, I do not know her intentions, but I can only assume they are as honorable as any other students." He paused momentarily, continuing to look at Skadi's back. "All of the students are here for protection and a way to learn to protect themselves. They can't always stay in hiding simply because their race in unappreciated by the outside world. It's unfair. My father ran to these woods to escape those who feared him. How could I possibly act the same towards one of our students based solely on her origin?"
His face had grown a bit hot as his passion seeped out of his normally nervous and reserved face. His breathing had quickened a bit, and he noticed that his fists where firmly clutching the wooden desk. He relented a bit, fearing his passion would get the best of him. "I understand your concerns, Skadi. But the safety of my students is the most important thing to me. If one student seemed to be a threat to the others, the situation would be taken care of, you know that."
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Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2006 7:27 pm
"Then we will hope for your assumptions to be made truth," Skadi replied in her same flat tone. She remained silent through Harold's next sentiments, keeping her cold gaze out the window. Both knew that they differed in opinion on many discussions of politics, but each understood the same basic truths in life that kept them connected.
Turning to face her old friend, Skadi took a seat in the large chair across from Harold and crossed her legs, giving her physique an increasingly feminine appearance. "By the hour that I am done with the students, they will need no protection aside from themselves." Tapping a long nail on her knee, Skadi nodded in time to her speech. She was eager to get into the classroom and whip these weaklings into shape.
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Akina Tokuwa Vice Captain
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