Pre-term, Take 3!

[Zaroc Fortis VI]

(ALRIGHT EVERYONE! Step up, you are arriving at the school, for perhaps the first time despite your age, or maybe you were one of the students who survived the horrors of the prior year! We shall see! Professors post too! Note: The cots will only be used for pre-term, which should last 1 day in the game's world. You have actual beds in your dorms. We will open the dorms to you and cut off pre-term eventually, but we're still getting members right now. Bare with us. That is all. This topic exists so current members CAN roleplay while we gather students and professors.)

The house tables were up against the wall. A series of cots were lined up in neat rows in the room which was lit brightly, it had no windows so the candles hanging from the ceiling provided all the lights. Zaroc Fortis the sixth was putting the finishing touches on the room. In other words, he was pacing about the room making sure the people his Deputy Headmaster had hired to set up the hall earlier hadn’t blundered. It was a large room after all, so he had to get an early start. As he walked, Nackolai walked with him, helping him plan.

“We’ll have the students come in here and stow their stuff under the cots, I’ll give them their welcoming speech, then meet the rest of the staff out in the outer dining hall, correct?”

Good, this is the least you’ve panicked to date, the kneazle replied somewhat haughtily.

“Yes well… let’s make sure they’ve gotten the tiles fixed, that little incident over the summer did some damage to the floor. No more practice duels in here for me.”

Agreed.

The hours passed, and that same day found Headmaster Fortis sitting upon a chair reminiscent of a throne on a dais above the cots. Nackolai had alerted him to arrivals getting close to the drawbridge of the castle, which he subsequently ordered the janitorial squad to open. He ordered the whole squad to do it because after one meeting with them he wasn’t at all determined that one of them could do it by their selves. There was a loud screech and then it quieted into a continuous noise. After almost a minute, the door hit the ground with a loud noise. He’d have to go enchant the door to hurry up the process later.

The doors to the Dining Hall opened at his command and he turned his regal gaze upon the empty doorway, waiting to see the sign of the first students to enter the building. Then there was the matter of Beorn, he should be here too.

[Beorn Waters]

A rather scruffy looking barn owl that might have been at home in either a homeless shelter for owls, or a disreputable prison for the same species of avians came swooping into the hall. This was Socrates, the Deputy Headmaster's owl and possibly owner. The staff had never been entirely clear on which one actually made the decisions. And Beorn (aforementioned Deputy Headmaster) often got into heated arguments...with the owl and only with the owl. Beorn always said that Socrates was a good conversationalist when he was "in possession of a smart-alecky beak."

Socrates flew over Fortis, and dropped a small sheet of paper into his lap. This had become a more and more frequent way for Beorn to communicate with the Headmaster. It was almost like he didn't like "the bastard who signs the paychecks," as Fortis was affectionately known. Socrates settled lightly onto an equally disreputable chair not quite on or off the dais, and significantly less commanding of attention. It seemed the owl was going to be standing in for Beorn at an official function...again.

The note was a rather quickly written, and there were lines of ink to attest to it. This time Beorn seemed to have a decent excuse not to be downstairs:
"Boss,
Still looking for those two forms. Cheeky little typo demon dived into the morass with them, but I'm getting closer. Shouldn't take more than a half hour and I'll be in the hall. Socrates volunteered to watch the kiddies while I finish things. Be down in a jiff after I get the forms and send them off. Try not to kill anyone."
Someone had once suggested that Beorn read the book, "How to Win Friends and Influence People," but he'd found it boring and put it down after two pages.

"Hoot," said Socrates as he fluffed up his feathers and picked at them to ignore Fortis. The owl didn't think much of Fortis either, but he also didn't think much of anyone without mice. To do so was simply a waste of time.

[Christian Zullo]

Christian lugged his trunk into the dining hall...despite the prior year's events, he was still returning to Fortis Magic Academy, mostly due to its proximity from home--otherwise known as away! Although he had been accepted to other schools, such as the Adirondack Academy of Magic, the Marquis Timothy School of Enchantry, and even a rather exotic school located on the back of a giant moving turtle known as Turtlecrest Academy of Sorcery...but no, for him, Fortis would be the one where he finished his education.

Finding a cot, he made to slid his trunk beneath it, becoming more than slightly annoyed when he discovered that it was in fact too tall to do so. With a quick glance around to make sure that the school's administrators were absorbing themselves in paperwork, he pulled out his thirteen inch maple wand ad gave the frame of the cot a sharp TAP! Immediately the legs began to grow taller, accommodating for the height of his trunk. Once they had reached a suitable height he tapped the cot again, causing it to cease growing, and then promptly slid his trunk underneath.

"There," he said, more to himself than anyone else, "No fuss no muss." Turning on the spot, he looked to see if anyone else had arrived yet...wondering who would in fact, be returning...

'Some never will...' Came the sad thought from the back of his mind. But he paid it no heed, instead choosing optimism over pessimism. Good over evil. Butter, over margarine. The light side, over the dark side. Duct tape over masking...

[Mordecai Ranalski]

Professor Ranalski entered the dining hall, dressed in long, olive-green robes; the sleeves of which were pointed and angled at the end. The emblem of the compass rose was embroidered on them in a repeating pattern, and on his head he worse a simple olive-green wizard's hat, tall and pointed and similarly embroidered. His curly brown hair hung down beneath the brim at points, giving him the look of a young adult trying to impersonate a proper wizard, instead of actually being one. In his hand, he clutched a long, twelve-inch silver wand with a prominent moonstone set into the end. It shimmered in the flickering candlelight of the dining hall...

He approached the teachers dias in slow, even steps, mounting it and soon taking his seat near the other professors. He gave a great yawn, his glossy lips parting to reveal a rose-colored tongue and very white teeth. Then turning, he spoke to the other present.

"I believe," he said, "That my tenure here will not be a long one, unless of course my pay is significantly increased. Given the normal track-record this school has with its teaching staff..."

[Zaroc Fortis VI]

Fortis was…. Angry.

His Deputy Headmaster had, on the day before the opening of the school, greeted him with his usual method. An informal letter dropped off by the annoying bird. Moments later, one of his new teachers was making his disdain known. This was an excellent start, Fortis attempted to calm down serving only to curl his upper lip in disgust.

“Yes,” he sighed, “well.” Finally his face returned to impassive as he tossed the letter up in the air, curled into a ball. With an impassive face he silently swung his wand at it, watching it rain to the ground in smoking, burning heaps which turned to ashes very soon later. “When Professor Waters graces us with his presence, feel fit to take it up with him.” He gazed upon the first student to enter the room, and he remembered the boy. A very, very peculiar Misericordia who attracted his ire more often than not.

Zullo. Yes… he would watch this kid.

With a glare of death toward Socrates, he said no more.

[Zaroc Fortis VII]

The slender form of a first year came in. Even for an eleven year old he was vaguely short, an even five feet. As always when out in public, he was dressed in a shade of blue, this being a darker shade. Tanned like you wouldn’t believe—what with living in a castle and indeed having been locked away in an untouched wing of it all of the last school year with nothing but books and house elves—the blue somehow was not disturbing against his skin. Red thread stitched the top of his shirt together. He was today not seen with his signature thorn-less rose which was a rare occasion; he usually carried one around everywhere for they were the original symbol of the school, before his grandfather changed it to a bloody blade with two wands crossed over it.


Step, step. He had never seen this building full. As a child he had spent all of his live within the Headmaster’s Wing during the school year, a good quarter of the castle that was never seen by students. During the summer he had free reign as long as he didn’t skimp on his studies, studies structured by his father’s private tutor. This past summer, however, he had spent locked in his wing alone. His father, banished from the school by a group of rogue teachers who had legally ousted him and then tapped into the wards around the Academy, blocking him out of the building. The end result had been Zaroc alone and confused for most of the school year and the summer, but… he had had some things which kept him all together.

His studies most definitely had not suffered.

He looked confidently around the room, a cheery half-smile on his lips. As of yet a single student had arrived. The end result?

He approached ‘im of course. “Hello,” Zaroc greeted cheerfully. “How are you?” The boy flashed a small smile and brushed an ebony bang out from in front of his eyes.

[Niles Limor]

Niles dashed into the dinning hall. Good, he wasn't last. Or was it that he was and there just weren't that many students? His mother had said something happened last year and there might not be a lot of kids at the school this year. He hoped he could find someone to spend the year with. It would be incredibly boring if he didn't have anyone to hang out with during the school year.

He took stock of the room. Two boys stood by a cot and two men were on the staff dais along with an owl who seemed determined to be by himself. Seeing as how there were only two students yet, he sauntered over to them. One looked young enough o be a first year like himself. He chose a nearby cot and dropped his things. “Hi there,” he called cheerily, perhaps a little too quick for the human mouth. “Hi, I’m Niles.”

[Professor Oldew]

Oldew stalked in past a group of (completely-NPC) students heading out of the room. He yawned, ran his hands through his hair to make it more presentable and then stepped up toward Fortis' chair was he winced. His hands had found the sore spot on the back of his head. That had been a weird night.

"Greetings sir," he said, bowing softly, ignoring soft giggles from the doorway of the Indoor Dinning Hall as another group of students left the room to explore the castle. "Nice morning, isn't it," he said, examining Renalski.

[Mordecai Ranalski]

"And believe me I shall." Mori replied coolly, not exactly enthused by the Headmaster's reply. Still, he was contractually obligated to finish the year's teaching...but that did not mean he had to do it graciously or with the dedication normally expected of a non-AAM faculty member. With silent bliss he recalled how professors at his alma mater made it their sworn duty to avoid teaching whenever possible; instead needing to be tricked into doing so by the students, usually in the form of bets, dares, and double-dog-dares...

[Christian Zullo]

Christian looked, first from Zaroc and then to Niles and grinned broadly from ear-to-ear. He loved meeting new people, especially ones who had friend potential. Despite their young age, both of these did.

"Hiya!" He said gleefully, "Names Christian. And I'm fine thanks..." he added to Zaroc. "Just a bit tired perhaps...long journey, you know? How about you?"

[Zaroc Fortis VII]

“My name is…” he paused uncomfortable. “Zaroc. Um, no, not long really… I live in the castle.” Zaroc gave a brief glance toward his father, then turned back. “But the cots look comfortable enough for tonight.” He turned toward Niles, his bright green eyes momentarily meeting Niles' blue. “It’s nice to meet you by the way. Are you a first year too? And what year are you, Christian?”